| Document | Document Title |
|---|---|
| US07797757B2 |
Cantilevers with integrated actuators for probe microscopy
An atomic force microscopy sensor includes a substrate, a cantilever beam and an electrostatic actuator. The cantilever beam has a proximal end and an opposite distal end. The proximal end is in a fixed relationship with the substrate and the cantilever beam is configured so that the distal end is in a moveable relationship with respect to the substrate. The electrostatic actuator includes a first electrode that is coupled to the cantilever beam adjacent to the proximal end and a spaced apart second electrode that is in a fixed relationship with the substrate. When an electrical potential is applied between the first electrode and the second electrode, the first electrode is drawn to the second electrode, thereby causing the distal end of the cantilever beam to move. |
| US07797753B2 |
Device driver setting profile lock-down
A method for providing a menu for a device, by providing a GUI for an administrator to select and lock-down device driver setting profiles, and providing a GUI for displaying to a user the locked-down profiles and permitting the user to select only from the listed profiles. Allowing a user to choose only from the pre-defined profiles makes for convenience and avoids waste from setting errors by novice users. The computer system detects the current system and job information (time, date, printer status, application, user information, etc.) using WMI and SNMP, applies mapping rules defined by an administrator, and displays only those profiles that are applicable to the current system and job status. Methods also include defining new profiles; alerting the user when no profiles are available, with mapping explanation and suggestion; profile detail display; and printer support. |
| US07797752B1 |
Method and apparatus to secure a computing environment
A method and apparatus for a surround security system is provided. The surround security system is embodied on a computer readable medium and includes a packet enforcement engine to screen packets to and from the network and a TCP/IP stack, an application enforcement engine to screen packets to and from the TCP/IP stack and applications on the computer system, a file monitor to verify integrity of files on the computer system and a vulnerability scanner to ensure that the computer system complies with a set level of security. The surround security system provides security which protects accesses through the TCP/IP stack for applications, and an operating system of the computer system. |
| US07797750B2 |
Data security system
A data security system controls access to and interfaces with a computer system by requiring user verification through fingerprint sensing. The data security system includes a security module having a fingerprint sensor, image data, and an application interface that is generated by the security module and communicative with the computer system. The image data is associated with a fingerprint of a user through the use of the security module. |
| US07797747B1 |
Detection of malicious code in non-paged pool unused pages
Subsets of non-paged pool unused pages entries are flushed from a translation lookaside buffer (TLB). An attempt to access malicious code within a not present page within the non-paged pool unused pages is made, e.g., by malicious code. The attempt to access the page generates a page fault, which is detected. The page is scanned for malicious code and a determination is made that the page contains malicious code. Protective action is taken to protect a host computer system from the malicious code. Accordingly, malicious code in a page marked not present, i.e., in a page that ordinarily would not be scanned for malicious code, is detected and defeated. |
| US07797745B2 |
MAC security entity for link security entity and transmitting and receiving method therefor
An apparatus and method for providing a security function of frames transmitted between optical network terminals (OLTs) and optical network units (ONUs) in an Ethernet passive optical network (EPON) providing media access control (MAC) services are provided. The apparatus includes: a frame classifier distinguishing the type of a frame, and based on the logical link identifier (LLID) of the distinguished frame, determining whether or not the frame is a security link to which a security function is to be applied; a bypass unit delaying a no-security-function frame so that a processing time for converting the security-function-applied frame classified in the frame classifier into an encrypted frame is the same as a time for processing the no-security-function frame; and a parameter generation unit transmitting in relation to each of the LLIDs, a parameter set value including a security-function-application setting signal used in the encryption, decryption and authentication of the frame, a frame decryption signal, an encryption mode selection signal, and an authentication intensity adjustment signal. |
| US07797739B2 |
Automated verification of correctness of aspects of an information technology system
A method for verifying correctness of an Information Technology (IT) structure instance D of an IT structure R, a method for detecting an unauthorized change in an operating instance X of an IT structure R, a method for verifying conformance of an IT structure to an IT delivery environment, associated computer program products, and associated processes for integrating computing infrastructure. The method for verifying correctness of an IT structure instance D determines whether a reverse specification RD for D differs from R. The method for detecting an unauthorized change in an operating instance X of an IT structure R determines whether authorized changes in R have occurred. The method for verifying conformance of an IT structure to an IT delivery environment verifies compliance of the IT structure relating to: product standard compliance, compliance of software elements of the IT structure primitive composition, software application type compliance, and network traffic compliance. |
| US07797738B1 |
System and method for avoiding and mitigating a DDoS attack
Described is a system and method for receiving a data packet including a destination address and a source address, the data packet corresponding to a port number, assigning an address risk value for the data packet based on the source address and a port risk value for the data packet based on the port number. The data packet is categorized into a community based on the source address, wherein the community is predefined by a user corresponding to the destination address, the community includes a utility value. The address risk value and the port risk value are compared to the utility value to yield a benefit coefficient and the data packet is treated based on the benefit coefficient. |
| US07797734B2 |
Systems and methods for user interface control
Enabling and disabling login access to a web-based application by examining automatic number identification (ANI) information from a received telephone call, associating the ANI information with a user account, determining a current state of login access to a web-based application for the user account, the state of login access being one of enabled and disabled, and notifying the web-based application to change the state of login access to the other of enabled and disabled depending on the then-current state of login access. The methodology may further include examining dialed number identification service (DNIS) information of the received call to determine which of the enabling or disabling actions to take, and/or to determine which of a plurality of accounts is to be effected by the desired change in state of login access. |
| US07797733B1 |
Monitoring and controlling services
A service manager (101) monitors and controls services (111), thereby providing protection against associated security vulnerabilities. The service manager (101) intercepts calls (105) to service related operations made by acting applications (103) and determines which acting application (103) made a specific intercepted call (105) to which target service (111). The service manager (101) then determines and executes an appropriate action based on a system policy (113). The appropriate action can comprise blocking the call (105), thereby preventing execution of service (111) based operations that conflict with the system policy (113). |
| US07797730B2 |
Downline transcription system using automatic tracking and revenue collection
A transcription network having linked computer terminals for a court reporter and for examining, defending, and associate attorneys is disclosed. Real-time transcription text is communicated from the reporter's terminal through the network. Secure message interchange between the examining attorneys and between defending attorneys is provided along independent communication links and using encryption. Off-site terminals for clients, experts, or other associate attorneys may be linked to the network. A synchronization scheme provides for automatic play-back of audio and video recordings corresponding to the transcribed text. One embodiment of the system provides for billing, monitoring, collection and authorization of transcription events. |
| US07797726B2 |
Method and system for implementing privacy policy enforcement with a privacy proxy
A method is presented for enforcing a privacy policy concerning management of personally identifiable information in a centralized manner through a privacy proxy agent. A proxy intercepts a message from a first system to a second system, e.g., from a server to a client, and determines whether the message is associated with an operation on personally identifiable information; if not, then the proxy sends the message to the second system, but if so, then the proxy determines whether the operation on the personally identifiable information is compliant with a privacy policy and with user preference information with respect to the privacy policy for a user who is associated the personally identifiable information. If the message is compliant with the privacy policy and user preference data, then the proxy sends the first message to the second system; otherwise, an error indication is returned to the first system. |
| US07797725B2 |
Systems and methods for protecting privacy
Techniques for providing privacy protection are provided. A query is received. Privacy policy information, extracted knowledge and optional information about available public information are determined. Information about the knowledge extraction transformations applied to create the extracted knowledge and the source data is determined. Privacy protecting transformations are determined and applied to transform the extracted knowledge based on the selected privacy policy, optional information about available public information, the characteristics of the applied knowledge extractions transformations, the source data and optional previous user queries. |
| US07797724B2 |
Methods and apparatus for secure online access on a client device
A method of securely accessing at a client device content from a server without using the non-volatile memory of the client device is disclosed. The bypassing of non-volatile memory lessens the security risk of unauthorized viewing of the server originated content. An transport mechanism is initiated on a client device and creates a document container. Downloaded documents from a server are mapped into the document container and saved within the document container in volatile memory. Substitute menus are generated within the container to replace application menus. User documents are saved directly to the originating server via the substitute menus. The downloaded copies in volatile memory automatically delete when the document container is destroyed thereby reducing security concerns of unauthorized viewing of the content at the client device. |
| US07797723B2 |
Packet scheduling for video transmission with sender queue control
A transmission systems suitable for video. |
| US07797721B2 |
Multilevel bandwidth check
A subscription system for providing content by subscription using an Internet connection is disclosed. The subscription system includes a content object store and an interface. The content object store stores a plurality of content objects. The interface is configured to receive a request to initiate a subscription with a first address for a particular account using the Internet. The subscription allows use of the plurality of content objects by the particular account without individually charging for the plurality of content objects. It is verified that a first connection speed is greater than a first threshold value before allowing the subscription, where the first connection speed is over the Internet with the first address. A request to access the subscription of the particular account is received from a second address with the Internet. It is verified that a second connection speed is greater than a second threshold value. The second connection speed is over the Internet with the second address. The second threshold value is associated with at least one of a product or a level of service for the subscription. |
| US07797707B2 |
System and method for attributing to a corresponding virtual machine CPU usage of a domain in which a shared resource's device driver resides
According to at least one embodiment, a method comprises observing communication from a virtual machine (VM) to a domain in which a device driver for a shared resource resides. The method further comprises determining, based on the observed communication, CPU utilization of the domain that is attributable to the VM. According to at least one embodiment, a system comprises a Central Processing Unit (CPU), Virtual Machines (VMs), and a domain in which a device driver for a shared resource resides, wherein the domain is operable to receive requests from the VMs for access to the shared resource. The system further comprises a CPU utilization monitor operable to determine an amount of CPU utilization of the domain in processing the received requests that is attributable to each of the VMs. |
| US07797706B2 |
Method and apparatus for thread-safe handlers for checkpoints and restarts
A method, apparatus, and computer instructions for executing a handler in a multi-threaded process handling a number of threads in a manner that avoids deadlocks. A value equal to the number of threads executing in the data processing system is set. The value is decremented each time a lock count for a thread within the number of threads is zero. A thread within the number of threads is suspended if the thread requests a lock and has a lock count of zero. A procedure, such as a handler, is executed in response to all of the threads within the number of threads having no locks. |
| US07797705B2 |
System for assigning tasks according to the magnitude of the load of information processing requested
The objective is to facilitate leasing of excess computing resources of a processor when computing resources of other processors are deficient, thereby making distributed computing more efficient.A computing resource of a processor is clustered into sub processors, and the operating status of each of the sub processors is monitored by a management processor, so that a task is assigned to a sub processor that is operated according to the magnitude of the load of information processing requested. When a request for resource leasing is made from another computer via I/O interface, a computing resource of a idle sub processor is leased. |
| US07797702B1 |
Preventing execution of remotely injected threads
A legitimate process utilizes thread local storage (TLS) functionality to prevent a malicious thread from executing in its address space. The legitimate process includes a thread white list that identifies the entry point addresses of threads executed by the process. When executed on a computer, the process interacts with the TLS functionality provided by the computer's operating system. The operating system sends the process a message each time a new thread is executed in the process's address space. Upon receiving the message, the process determines the entry point address of the new thread and checks to see if the address is in the white list. If the thread entry point address is not in the white list, the thread is probably malicious and the process therefore terminates the thread's execution. |
| US07797698B2 |
Method and apparatus for dynamic middleware assembly
In one embodiment, the present invention is a method and apparatus for dynamic middleware assembly. One embodiment of the inventive method for dynamically assembling middleware at a client involves selecting a middleware component from a group of middleware components, where the selection is based at least in part on a first profile defining characteristics of the client and a second profile defining characteristics the selected middleware component. The selected middleware component is then dynamically assembled (installed and configured) at the client. |
| US07797697B2 |
System and method for deploying applications with library modules
Federated applications are configured to use both modules created for the applications as well as library modules which perform commonly used functions. The library modules are stored separately for deployment when utilized by applications. A deployment descriptor is configured with descriptions of internal modules and references to library modules. A deployment tool reads the deployment descriptor, extracts the library modules according to the information stored in the deployment descriptor, and loads the modules specific to the application. |
| US07797694B2 |
Mechanism to upgrade system capability without affecting service
A method of upgrading the system capability of a communications network is provided. The method involves initiating a transfer of at least one set of upgraded system capability software machine-coded instructions to a host card, instructing the host card to begin an upgrade process, determining whether at least one set of system capability software machine-coded instructions on the host card is valid, and completing the transfer of at least one valid set of system capability software machine-coded instructions to the host card, wherein the system capability is upgraded without affecting operation of the network. |
| US07797693B1 |
NAND mobile devices capable of updating firmware or software in a manner analogous to NOR mobile devices
A network with mobile devices supports update of firmware and/or software from one version to another version, the firmware or software being stored in non-volatile memory of the mobile handset, such as a NAND flash memory. In one embodiment, a firmware stored in the NAND non-volatile memory is updated by an update agent in a fault tolerant mode. |
| US07797686B2 |
Behavior of trace in non-emulatable code
Code will switch to secure code via an exception only. All PC and data trace will be turned off during secure code. This will occur regardless of trace being in standard trace mode or event profiling mode. Timing, if on, will switch to standby mode. On return from the secure code, the switches that were already on will switch back and turn on. The address reported in the end sync point will be the address 0x01. Since this is an illegal address, this information is sufficient to indicate an end sync point was caused in secure code. |
| US07797685B2 |
Method for generating timing data packet
During a trace the timing stream has the active and stall information, PC stream has all the discontinuity information, and the data stream has all the data log information. The various streams are synchronized using markers called sync points. The sync points provide a unique identifier field and a context to the data that will follow it. After data corruption a sync point is inserted into the data stream. The ID of this sync point may repeat a previous sync point ID. |
| US07797684B2 |
Automatic failure analysis of code development options
Sweeping through the code development options of a code development command allows diagnosis of a failure resulting from execution of the code development command on a given code. Successively modifying the code development command, such as successively removing code development options, automatically allows efficient examination of a failure. Executing each modified version of the code development command and recording results of the executions generates information that can expeditiously identify correspondence between a failure and one or more of the code development options. |
| US07797682B2 |
Controlled execution of a program used for a virtual machine on a portable data carrier
In a method for the controlled execution of a program (26), the program (26) being intended for a virtual machine (VM, VM′), on a portable data carrier, wherein the data carrier has a processor that executes at least a first and a second virtual machine (VM, VM′), the program (26) is executed both by the first and by the second virtual machine (VM, VM′). If, during execution of the program (26), a difference is found between the operating state of the first virtual machine (VM) and the operating state of the second virtual machine (VM′), execution of the program is aborted. A data carrier and a computer program product exhibit corresponding features. The invention provides a technique for the controlled execution of a program, which technique prevents security risks due to an attack or a malfunction of the data carrier. |
| US07797679B2 |
System and method for providing a parameter for an application operating on an electronic device
The invention relates to a system, method and device for modifying a parameter for an application operating on an electronic device. The method comprises the steps of: (a) upon activation of the device, determining a state of initial configuration for the device; (b) if the state indicates that the device requires configuration, providing a GUI interface allowing for changes to be made to the parameter; and (c) if a change is made to the parameter through the interface, updating a storage location with the change. In the method, the device may have communication capabilities with a network; and time zone information relating to the location of the device may be provided from the network or from the device; and the time zone information may be used to update an aspect relating to the parameter. |
| US07797677B1 |
Using scripts for netlisting in a high-level modeling system
A method of passing data among modules of a heterogeneous software system can include identifying a scripted function to be executed within the heterogeneous software system and building a wrapper script by embedding a call to the scripted function and an XTable object associated with the scripted function within the wrapper script. The method further can include executing the wrapper script thereby causing the scripted function to execute and receiving a result from execution of the scripted function. |
| US07797666B1 |
Systems and methods for mapping arbitrary logic functions into synchronous embedded memories
Systems and methods are provided for mapping logic functions from logic elements (“LEs”) into synchronous embedded memory blocks (“EMBs”) of programmable logic devices (“PLDs”). This technique increases the amount of logic that can fit into the PLD. Where area savings are significant, smaller PLDs may be selected to implement a particular circuit. One aspect of the invention relates to methods for identifying sequential cones of logic that may be mapped into synchronous EMBs. After the sequential logic cones are identified for mapping into a synchronous EMB, the logic cone may be selected, expanded, restructured, and retimed, as necessary, to implement the mapping. Another aspect of the invention relates to techniques for handling architectural restrictions of synchronous EMBs, such as the inability to implement the asynchronous behavior of synchronous logic. |
| US07797658B2 |
Multithreaded static timing analysis
A method and apparatus for executing multithreaded algorithm to provide static timing analysis of a chip design includes analyzing a chip design to identify various components and nodes associated with the components. A node tree is built with a plurality of nodes. The node tree identifies groups of nodes that are available in different levels. A size of node grouping for a current level is determined by looking up the node tree. Testing data for parallel processing of different size of node groupings using varied thread counts is compiled. An optimum thread count for the current level based on the size of node grouping in the node tree is identified from compiled testing data. Dynamic parallel processing of nodes in the current level is performed using the number of threads identified by the optimum thread count. An acceptable design of the chip is determined by the dynamic parallel processing. |
| US07797656B2 |
Method of checking and correcting mask pattern
The present invention provides a method of checking and correcting a mask pattern. The method includes inputting a mask pattern, wherein the mask pattern includes at least a segment; inputting a process rule; selecting an edge, which fits in with an orientation model, as a target edge, wherein two ends of the target edge are an ahead direction and a behind direction, and the ahead direction and the behind direction each further comprise at least a checking point; identifying an interacting edge from the mask pattern along the checking directions; performing a process rule check to provide a correcting value; performing a first correction to provide a first bias to the target edge; and performing a second correction to provide a second bias to the interacting edge, wherein a sum of the first bias and the second bias equals the correcting value. |
| US07797653B2 |
Circuit verification apparatus, circuit verification method, and signal distribution method for the same
A circuit to be verified is divided into a plurality of circuit parts. A plurality of programmable devices are provided for implementing functional operation of the divided circuit parts through a simulation. Wiring used in the circuit to be verified for supplying a signal SX to be given at the same time to the plurality of programmable devices is provided so that a maximum skew of time at which the signal SX arrives at the plurality of programmable devices is less than a minimum time required for data transfer between the programmable devices. An input terminal PX for inputting the signal SX from a signal generation device (400) is implemented in each of the programmable devices. The signal SX can be inputted directly from the signal generation device, and a skew can be inhibited from being produced. |
| US07797650B2 |
System and method for testing SLB and TLB cells during processor design verification and validation
A system and method for re-executing a test case and modifying the test case's effective addresses, effective segment identifiers (ESIDs), and virtual segment identifiers (VSIDs) in order to fully test a processor's SLB and TLB cells is presented. A test case generator generates a test case that includes an initial set of test case effective addresses, an initial set of ESIDs, and an initial set of VSIDs. The test case executor uses an effective address arithmetic function and a virtual address arithmetic function to modify the test case effective addresses, the ESIDs, and the VSIDs on each re-execution that, in turn, sets/unsets each bit within each SLB and TLB entry. In one embodiment, the invention described herein sequentially shifts segment lookaside buffer entries, whose ESIDs are in single bit increments, in order to fully test each ESID bit location within each SLB entry. |
| US07797649B1 |
Method and system for implementing an analytical wirelength formulation
Disclosed are methods and systems for specifying an analytical wirelength formulation that is continuous along with its derivative. One approach performs a wirelength estimate in which a continuous formulation is employed to identify and use a bounding box to enclose circuit elements of a net, and in which an attribute of the bounding box may be completely or partially diagonal. Such formulations are used for optimizing the wirelength using numerical approaches. |
| US07797648B1 |
Solving constraint satisfiability problem for automatic generation of design verification vectors
A method for generating a test vector for functional verification of circuits includes providing a representation of a circuit, where the representation includes a control logic component and a datapath logic component. The method also includes reading one or more vector generation targets, and performing word-level ATPG justification on the control logic component to obtain a control logic solution. The method further includes extracting one or more arithmetic functions for the datapath logic component based on the control logic solution, and solving the one or more arithmetic functions using a modular constraint solver. The modular constraint solver is based on a modular number system. |
| US07797644B1 |
Method and system for inputting optional values into an input field
A method for inputting optional values into an input field that includes receiving an event to trigger input into the input field, identifying a first optional value and a second optional value associated with the input field, and dynamically assigning, in response to the event, a first unique hotkey to the first optional value and a second unique hotkey to the second optional value. The method may also include displaying the first optional value with the first unique hotkey and the second optional value with the second unique hotkey, receiving input of the first unique hotkey, and populating the input field with the first optional value based on the input of the first unique hotkey. |
| US07797640B2 |
Method for generating a flexible display field for a video surveillance system
A method for generating a flexible display field on a monitor includes providing a display field with a main window, into which a plurality of information windows are incorporatable and which has a basic grid with a regular raster, allocating individual grid fields to a respective information window for displaying in an assigned grid field, setting a grid stage of a basic field via a central first user control device for the main window, switching the main window between a regular grid occupancy in which a size of each incorporated information window corresponds to a size of one grid field of the basic field, and an irregular grid occupancy in which a size of at least one information window corresponds to a size of an integral multiple of one grid field of the basic grid, and initiating a switchover of a user by a selection and a change in size of an information window and also a video management system and a software program are provided. |
| US07797638B2 |
Application of metadata to documents and document objects via a software application user interface
Methods, systems and computer products provide for applying metadata to documents and/or document objects in local and/or remote file storage systems. Application of metadata (flags) to documents and/or document objects allows a user to easily locate and utilize flagged items. A single metadata type, such as a colored flag, may be applied to documents or document objects of different file types across a file storage system to which data is stored via different software applications. Documents and/or document objects bearing like flags may be surfaced to a user in a flag summary with which documents and/or document objects may be sorted by flag type. Flagged documents or document objects related to a launched document may be listed in an information pane adjacent to the launched document. |
| US07797637B2 |
Multi-layer graphical user interface
A multi-layer graphical user interface provides multiple types of information in at least two layers of a common display space, such as a window. In one implementation, a shared network folder includes two layers of display objects to separately represent files contained in the folder and users with whom the folder is shared. The first or top layer may represent the files with conventional words, icons or other symbols. The second or lower level may represent the users with whom the folder is shared with words, icons or other symbols that are dimmed, blurred, or otherwise de-emphasized relative to the top layer. |
| US07797635B1 |
Electronic search interface technology
Techniques are described for displaying a representation of a list of electronic search results while a user is reviewing content linked to by electronic search results included in the list. While the user is reviewing the search results, the user may jump between content linked to by different search results using the representation of the list of electronic search results displayed. The displayed representation of the list of search results may be updated based on the user's browsing activities in reviewing the search results, user input manipulating the list of search results, and supplemental information added to the list of search results by the user. |
| US07797634B2 |
Method and apparatus for displaying network fabric data
The invention relates to methods and associated systems for displaying network fabric data for managing electronic networks, such as computer networks, storage area networks (SANs), and the like. In one aspect, the invention provides a method for displaying parameters of a plurality of devices in a network for comparison, where each device has a plurality of parameters, including determining and storing values for a plurality of parameters for each of a plurality of devices, and displaying a table of said stored parameter values, where the parameters form a first dimension of the table and the devices form a second dimension of the table. As an example, methods may further include determining if values for a common parameter among devices are identical, and displaying the table without the parameter if all the values for the parameter are identical. |
| US07797633B2 |
Streaming to media device during acquisition with random access
Playing a media file can include receiving input from a user identifying a playback location associated with a media file; downloading media content corresponding to the identified playback location from the media file; displaying a status bar to the user on a display device; and presenting a download indicator associated with the status bar showing an amount of downloaded media content, wherein the downloaded media content comprises a contiguous portion of the media file that includes the identified playback location. Further, playing the media file can include receiving additional input from a user identifying a new playback location associated with a media file; downloading media content corresponding to the new playback location; and presenting a new download indicator associated with the status bar showing an amount of downloaded media content, wherein the downloaded media content comprises a contiguous portion of the media file that includes the new playback location. |
| US07797632B2 |
Method for exposing graphical user interface layout logic and parameters
A method is disclosed for exposing graphical user interface layout logic and parameters. The method may be used with any language or tool capable of creating a graphical user interface. The equations affecting an element's properties in the graphical user interface are exposed to the designer. The designer is able to use the equations to anticipate what value is required to make a necessary adjustment. Further, the present invention emphasizes the values adjusted by the designer as well as the results from calculating the equation, so the designer can easily see adjustments made. As the designer makes changes, the changed values may be emphasized and the corresponding affect the value had on the element may also be displayed with a corresponding emphasis. The present invention eliminates graphical user interface designer's reliance on trial-and-error methods of element control by providing the designer with the knowledge of how the element will be affected before a value is arbitrarily applied. |
| US07797629B2 |
Handheld electronic device and method for performing optimized spell checking during text entry by providing a sequentially ordered series of spell-check algorithms
A handheld electronic device includes a reduced QWERTY keyboard and is enabled with a disambiguation routine that is operable to disambiguate text input. In addition to identifying and outputting representations of language objects that are stored in the memory and that correspond with a text input, the device is able to perform a spell check routine during input of a text entry. The spell check routine subjects a text entry to a sequentially ordered series of spell-check algorithms and ceases subjecting the text entry to further spell-check algorithms upon identification of a predetermined quantity of spell-check language objects. |
| US07797628B2 |
Method of using a directed graph and a system for use with the method
A directed graph can be used with a browser application. In one embodiment, the browser application can allow the editor to edit and view the edited directed graph without having to change between software applications. A monitor at a client computer can display the directed graph in a format similar to what an actor will see when executing actions requested by the directed graph. In another embodiment, a virtual node can be used to represent a reconnection point for child columns of a row element within a parent column. The virtual node can be used when adding an element immediately after the row element. |
| US07797625B1 |
Message composition computer, memory media and method
A method and program for composing computer messages in formats, such as SGML, book manager script or an formatted display. The method enables the composer to compose the computer message without any special knowledge of the format tags and rules for the formats. The composer enters the messages in a template on a web page and the program converts the unformatted messages to messages in a format selected by the composer. The composer can then copy the formatted message to a computer message file or to any other file or application. |
| US07797622B2 |
Versatile page number detector
A method for detection of page numbers in a document includes identifying a plurality of text fragments associated with a plurality of pages of a document. From the identified text fragments, at least one sequence is identified. Each identified sequence includes a plurality of terms. Each term of the sequence is derived from a text fragment selected from the plurality text fragments. The terms of an identified sequence comply with at least one predefined numbering scheme which defines a form and an incremental state of the terms in a sequence. A subset of the identified sequences which cover at least some of the pages of the document is computed. Terms of at least some of the subset of the identified sequences are construed as page numbers of pages of the document. Additional page numbers may be identified by considering one or more features of the terms in the subset of identified sequences. |
| US07797619B2 |
Task analysis system, task analysis device, task management apparatus, document display, computer readable medium, method of task analysis, and computer data signal
A task analysis system includes: a document display that displays a document image and retains unit identification information identifying the document display itself; and a task management apparatus that manages a task, the task management apparatus including: a task associating unit that previously determines the unit identification information of the document display used to carry out the task; a acquisition unit that acquires the unit identification information and document identification information of a document displayed on the document display, the document identification information identifying the document; and a task analysis unit that determines the document used to carry out the task based on the document identification information, the document identification information being acquired corresponding to the unit identification information determined in the task associating unit. |
| US07797612B2 |
Storage accelerator
The present disclosure provides a method for generating RAID syndromes. In one embodiment the method may include loading a first data byte of a first disk block and a first data byte of a second disk block from a storage device to an arithmetic logic unit. The method may further include XORing the first data byte of the first disk block and the first data byte of the second disk block to generate a first result and storing the first result in a results buffer. The method may also include iteratively repeating, loading intermediate data bytes corresponding to the first disk block and intermediate data bytes corresponding to the second disk block from the storage device to the arithmetic logic unit. The method may additionally include XORing the intermediate data bytes corresponding to the first disk block and the intermediate data bytes corresponding to the second disk block to generate intermediate results and generating a RAID syndrome based on, at least in part, the intermediate results. Of course, many alternatives, variations and modifications are possible without departing from this embodiment. |
| US07797610B1 |
Method and apparatus for virtual quad-port random access memory
Embedded logic circuits in combination with a configurable logic resources on a common integrated circuit facilitates over-clocked operation of embedded, dual-port memory blocks. The implementation yields fully independent and simultaneous read/write access to the dual-port memory blocks from the configurable logic on each clock cycle of the configurable logic. Error detection/correction and data scrubbing is also facilitated by the embedded logic circuits, such that error detection/correction is completely transparent to the configurable logic, while data scrubbing is performed with minimal degradation to the memory access bandwidth of the configurable logic. |
| US07797608B2 |
Decoding device in optical disc drive and related decoding method thereof
A decoding device is used to deal with an uncorrected data stored in a data storage device, the uncorrected data containing a inner-code parity (PI) direction error data and a outer-code parity (PO) direction error data, the decoding device including: an error correction unit receiving the uncorrected data and correcting the PO direction error data of the uncorrected data according to a PO direction decoding and correcting information, and then outputting a data; a data buffer for buffering the data, after correcting the PI direction error data of the data, then outputting a corrected data; a PI decoding unit for decoding and correcting the PI error direction error data of the data stored in the data buffer; and a PO decoding unit for generating the PO direction decoding and correcting information to the error correction unit according to the data stored in the data buffer. |
| US07797604B2 |
Codeword automatic repeat request/decoding method and transmission/reception apparatus using feedback information
A codeword retransmission/decoding method and transmission/receiving apparatus uses feedback information. When a failure to decode data received from a receiving node occurs, the feedback information including success/failure information of the decoding and retransmission information are transmitted to a transmission node. The retransmission feedback information is configured by the receiving apparatus repeating code-bits of the codeword just previously transmitted so as to demodulate the retransmission part. |
| US07797599B2 |
Diagnostic information capture from logic devices with built-in self test
From a logic device comprising logic circuits and a built-in self-test system (BIST) comprising scan chains, diagnostic information is obtained by using the scan chains to apply a stimulus vector to the logic circuits, to capture responses of the logic circuits to the stimulus vector and to shift the captured responses towards the outputs of the scan chains; generating a representative signature representing the responses output by the scan chains; concurrently storing the responses output by the scan chains temporarily such no more than a most-recently output subset of the responses is stored; determining whether the representative signature is a fault-indicating representative signature; and, when the representative signature is a fault-indicating representative signature, outputting at least some of the stored responses. The output responses are usable as diagnostic information. The most-recently output subset of the responses is composed of fewer than all of the responses generated in response to the stimulus vector. |
| US07797595B2 |
Serially decoded digital device testing
Testing of memories that decode a serial stream of address data to access the memory may be performed by either successively halving the number of selected word lines as each address bit is acquired, until a single word line is selected, or by rotating the selection bits in its shift register to select a new set of address lines. As such, a combination of incomplete addressing and rotation can efficiently test large memories by reading and/or writing groups of words. Similar techniques may also be applied to non-memory devices. |
| US07797593B2 |
Method and apparatus for memory AC timing measurement
A timing measurement circuit inside a memory chip delays balanced test signals for generating delayed test signals. Each of the delayed test signals is input a corresponding input pin of a memory subsystem of the memory chip. By adjusting delay amount of the delayed test signals, AC timing parameters of the memory subsystem are tested and measured. When the timing measurement circuit is in ring oscillation, a resolution thereof is measured. |
| US07797589B2 |
Detector for detecting information carried by a signal having a sawtooth-like shape
A detector for detecting information carried by a signal having a sawtooth-like shape. The detector includes a first band-pass filter with center frequency around a first frequency value for filtering the signal and generating a first filtered signal, a second band-pass filter with center frequency around a second frequency value for filtering the signal and generating a second filtered signal, a first comparator for comparing the first filtered signal with a reference level and generating a first compared signal, a second comparator for comparing the second filtered signal with the reference level and generating a second compared signal, a clock generator for generating a reference clock having a frequency close to the first frequency value according to the second compared signal, and a detection module for generating a bit signal representing the information according to the first compared signal and the reference clock. |
| US07797587B2 |
System and method of recovering from failures in a virtual machine
A method and systems for recovering from a failure in a virtual machine are provided. In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for recovering from failures in a virtual machine is provided. The method may include, in a first physical host having a host operating system and a virtual machine running on the host operating system, monitoring one or more parameters associated with a program running on the virtual machine, each parameter having a predetermined acceptable range. The method may further include determining if the one or more parameters are within their respective predetermined acceptable ranges. In response to determining that the one or more parameters associated with the program running on the virtual machine are not within their respective predetermined acceptable ranges, a management module may cause the application running on the virtual machine to be restarted. |
| US07797585B1 |
System and method for handling trace data for analysis
This invention is a system and method for handling a trace of workload data for analysis by performing multiple passes through it and gathering information from it on each pass related to component type affected by the workload and information type, such as task event and response times. |
| US07797584B2 |
SATA interface tester and testing method
A serial advanced technology attachment (SATA) interface tester includes a memory, a signal converter, at least one SATA interface, and an indicator. The at least one SATA interface is adapted to connect with SATA interfaces of a motherboard, and is electrically connected to the memory via the signal converter. The signal converter receives serial signals from the motherboard via the at least one SATA interface and converts them to parallel signals and then passes the parallel signals to the memory to perform a writing process. The signal converter receives parallel signals from the memory and converts them to serial signals and passes the serial signals to the motherboard via the at least one SATA interface to perform a reading process. The indicator is electrically connected to the memory for indicating testing result of the SATA interfaces of the motherboard. |
| US07797581B2 |
Device and method for testing motherboard
A testing device for testing a motherboard is provided to include a server, a client terminal computer, a debug card and a receiving device. The server is connected to the client terminal computer, for inquiring test results. The debug card is attached to the motherboard, for getting test data. The receiving device connecting with the debug card transmits the test data to the server via a network. A testing method for testing a motherboard is provided to include the following steps: a debug card getting the test data from the motherboard; sending the test data to a receiving device, the receiving device transmitting the test data to a server, the server collating and analyzing the test data; and a client terminal computer inquiring test results via the server. |
| US07797578B2 |
Fault diagnosis of serially-addressed memory chips on a test adaptor board to a middle memory-module slot on a PC motherboard
A standard memory module socket is removed from a target DRAM module slot on the component side and the test adaptor board connects to the target DRAM module slot on the reverse (solder) side of a personal computer motherboard, or an extender card may be used. The target DRAM module slot is a middle slot, such as the second or third of four DRAM module slots. The first and fourth DRAM module slots are populated with known good memory modules storing the BIOS at a high address and an operating system image and a test program at a low address. The test program accesses a memory chip in a test socket on a test adaptor board that is connected to the target DRAM module slot to locate defects. The motherboard does not crash since the BIOS, OS image, and test program are not stored in the memory chip under test. |
| US07797574B2 |
Control of the execution of an algorithm by an integrated circuit
A method and a circuit for protecting against possible fault injections a calculation successively performed by several hardware cells of a same electronic element, including: starting a first execution of the calculation; starting a second execution of the same calculation once the first execution has freed a first cell and goes on in a second cell; synchronizing the executions so that the second execution uses a cell only when the first execution has passed to the next cell; and verifying the identity between the two results at the end of the execution of the two calculations. |
| US07797573B2 |
Memory management method and portable terminal device
A memory management method for managing a non-volatile memory into which writing is performed in units of blocks includes the steps of assigning a plurality of blocks of the non-volatile memory to a management area formed of at least one block for storing management information, to a code area formed of a plurality of blocks into which program code is written, to a substitution area formed of a plurality of blocks for substituting for a defective block, and to an interference area formed of at least one block; storing at least correspondence information between the blocks of the substitution area and a defective block of a substitution target as management information within the management area; and using the block of the substitution area in place of the defective block on the basis of the correspondence information when the defective block is to be used. |
| US07797571B2 |
System, method and circuit for mirroring data
Disclosed is a system and method from mirroring data from a data storage server/system. A mirroring module on a primary mirror server/system may forward one or more data packets received from the data storage server/system to a secondary mirror server/system. The one or more packets maybe received over a synchronous data link and forwarded over an asynchronous data link. |
| US07797570B2 |
System and method for failover of iSCSI target portal groups in a cluster environment
A system and method for the failover of iSCSI target portal groups (TPGs) is provided. Each network portal within a storage system is associated with a network portal data structure identifying a destination storage system in the event of failover/takeover operation. A management module ensures that all network portals associated with a target portal group have the same destination as a failover storage system. During a failover operation, all network portals within a TPG failover to the same destination storage system. |
| US07797567B2 |
Storage apparatus, and method for performing fault recovery of storage apparatus
The storage apparatus includes a plurality of storage devices for storing information, a control unit controlling the storage device, a switching unit switching a connection between the storage device and the control unit, and a network different from the connection by the switching unit and connecting the storage device and the control unit. Reading of information from the storage device and writing of information into the storage device is performed by the control unit through the switching unit, and when a fault occurs in the storage device, a fault recovery command is sent from the control unit through the network to the corresponding storage device or the switching unit. |
| US07797566B2 |
Application cluster in security gateway for high availability and load sharing
A method for load sharing and high availability in a cluster of computers. The cluster includes a first computer and a second computer which perform a task An active application runs in the first computer and a standby application is installed in the second computer. The active application and the standby application are included in an application group. A first plurality of applications is installed in the first computer; the first plurality includes the running active application. The active application performs the task and stores in memory of the first computer state parameters and a policy. A synchronized copy of the state parameters and the policy pertaining to the task is maintained by storing in memory of the second computer. Preferably, the cluster is in a security gateway between data networks and performs a task related to security of one or more of the networks. |
| US07797564B2 |
Method, apparatus, and computer program product for dynamically modifying operating parameters of the system based on the current usage of a processor core's specialized processing units
A method, apparatus, and computer program product are disclosed in a data processing system for dynamically modifying operating parameters of processing units included in a processor core that is included in a central processing unit. A next context to be processed is received. The next context includes an identification of all first specialized processing units that will be needed to process the next context. All second specialized processing units are identified that were needed to process a previous context that has just finished being processed by the processor core. A comparison between the first units and the second units is made to generate an identification of third units and fourth units. Operating parameters of the processing units included within the processor core are altered to optimize the processing units to a state where the third units will be used and the fourth units will not be used. |
| US07797561B1 |
Automatic functional block level clock-gating
An embodiment of the invention includes receiving an indicator of an activity-level of a functional block within an electronic chip. The functional block is included in a processing pipeline having a plurality of functional blocks. Each functional block from the plurality is configured to receive a clock signal from a clock signal generator. A status of the functional block is determined based on the activity-level. The clock signal to at least a portion of the functional block is disabled when the status is an inactive status. |
| US07797555B2 |
Method and apparatus for managing power from a sequestered partition of a processing system
A processing system may include a first processing unit for a legacy partition and a second processing unit for a sequestered partition. In one embodiment, a first interrupt handler in the legacy partition may support power management for the first processing unit. A second interrupt handler in the sequestered partition may cause the sequestered partition to take control of power management hardware in the processing system when the legacy partition enters reduced power mode. For example, the second interrupt handler may program the power management hardware to route interrupts to the second processing unit. The sequestered partition may relinquish control of power management hardware to the legacy partition when the legacy partition exits reduced power mode. A power policy manager in the sequestered partition may support features such as wake for incoming communications, wake to record, etc. Other embodiments are described and claimed. |
| US07797554B2 |
Original data circulation method, system, apparatus, and computer readable medium
An original data circulation system for storing or circulating original data which is digital information is provided. The original data circulation system includes an issuer apparatus, a user apparatus and a collector apparatus. The issuer apparatus generates originality information including first information corresponding to the issuer apparatus and second information corresponding to data and sends the originality information. The user apparatus verifies the validity of the source apparatus of the originality information and stores the originality information when the validity is verified. The collector apparatus verifies the validity of the source apparatus of the originality information and processes data corresponding to the second information when the validity is verified. |
| US07797551B2 |
Secure verification using a set-top-box chip
One or more methods and systems of authenticating or verifying a set-top-box chip in a set-top-box are presented. In one embodiment, a set-top-box incorporates a set-top-box chip used to decode or decrypt media content provided by a cable television operator or carrier. The set-top-box chip incorporates a decryption circuitry, a compare circuitry, a hash function circuitry, a key generation circuitry, a back channel return circuitry, a linear feedback shift register, a timer reset circuitry, a modify enable status circuitry, a one time programmable memory, and a non-volatile memory. The cable TV carrier validates a set-top-box chip used in a set-top-box by way of a verification sequence that requires a successful verification by the set-top-box chip. |
| US07797550B2 |
System and method for securely buffering content
Systems and methods that securely buffer content are provided. In one embodiment, a system may include, for example, a processor and a memory. The memory may be coupled to the processor. Before content leaves the processor for the memory, the processor may secure the content. After the secured content enters the processor from the memory, the processor may recover the content from the secured content. |
| US07797548B2 |
Method and system for maintaining login preference information of users in a network-based transaction facility
The present invention relates to various aspects for maintaining and utilizing login preference information of users of a network-based transaction facility. In one embodiment, user interface information is communicated to a client via a communications network. The user interface information includes information concerning a plurality of features within the network-based transaction facility. The user interface information also specifies a login interface that facilitates user input of login preference information pertaining to each of the plurality of features. Further, the login preference information is received from the client via the communications network and utilized to control user access to any of the plurality of features within the network-based transaction facility via the communications network. |
| US07797542B2 |
Watermark signal generating apparatus
An apparatus 10 for generating watermark signals to be embedded as a digital watermark in real-time contents includes: input means 12 for inputting the real-time contents; an input buffer 14 for storing the real-time contents; generation means for generating watermark signals corresponding to predicted intensities of the real-time contents from divided real-time contents; and an output buffer 18 for storing the generated watermark signals to be outputted. The generation means is configured by including prediction means 16 for predicting intensities of the watermark signals; control means 20 for controlling embedding by use of a message to be embedded as the digital watermark in the divided real-time contents; and means 22 for generating the watermark signals to be outputted. |
| US07797537B2 |
Mobile terminal, data communication method, and computer program
A mobile terminal includes a near-field communication device capable of performing near-field wireless communication with an external device, and a controller configured to instruct the external device or the near-field communication device to execute a command. The near-field communication device has a storage unit, a first mutual authentication unit for authenticating the controller and for requesting the controller to authenticate the near-field communication device, a first communication key setting unit for setting a first communication key, a second mutual authentication unit for authenticating the external device and for requesting the external device to authenticate the near-field communication device, and a second communication key setting unit for setting a second communication key. The controller and the near-field communication device perform secure communication using the first communication key, and the near-field communication device and the external device perform secure communication using the second communication key. |
| US07797536B1 |
Cryptographic device with stored key data and method for using stored key data to perform an authentication exchange or self test
In preferred embodiments, a cryptographic device in which two key sets are stored: a normal key set (typically unique to the device) and a test key set (typically used by each of a relatively large number of devices). The device uses the normal key set in a normal operating mode and uses the test key set in at least one test mode which can be a built-in self test mode. Alternatively, the device stores test data (e.g., an intermediate result of an authentication exchange) in addition to or instead of the test key set. In other embodiments, the invention is a cryptographic device including a cache memory which caches a portion of a key set for performing an authentication exchange and/or at least one authentication value generated during an authentication exchange. Other embodiments of the invention are systems including devices that embody the invention and methods that can be performed by systems or devices that embody the invention. |
| US07797531B2 |
Wireless ad-hoc communication system, terminal, method for suggesting issuance of attribute certificate and method for requesting issuance of attribute certificate in the terminal, and program for causing the terminal to execute the method
A wireless ad-hoc communication system in which an attribute certificate can be independently and dispersedly issued is provided. A terminal (B200) transmits a beacon (2011) for participating in a network in the wireless ad-hoc communication system. The beacon (2011) indicates whether or not the terminal (B200) has an attribute certificate. Upon receiving the beacon (2011), a terminal (A100) checks the beacon. If it is determined that the terminal (B200) does not have an attribute certificate, the terminal (A100) transmits an attribute-certificate issuance suggestion message (1032) for suggesting an attribute-certificate issuing request to the terminal (B200). When the terminal (B200) transmits an attribute-certificate issuance request message (2041) in response to this message, the terminal (A100) transmits an attribute-certificate issuance message (1052) to the terminal (B200). |
| US07797529B2 |
Upload security scheme
The need for upload security arises during content sharing between users in communication link with each other and a server. In one embodiment, providing the upload security involves the server identifying a mobile device that sends an upload message destined to a user. Providing the upload security further involves the server accessing opt-in parameters predetermined by the user, determining if the identity of the sending mobile device is included in the opt-in parameters, and, if so, allowing the upload to the user's account, otherwise blocking the upload. The opt-in parameters include the identity of mobile devices that are authorized by the user to upload data to the user's account. In one embodiment, the communication link includes a wireless carrier network with capability for security screening of the upload message before it reaches the server based on the identity of the wireless carrier network. |
| US07797528B2 |
Method and system for user registration using coded marks
A method and system for enabling registration of a user to use a computer system are provided. A printed registration form is provided containing information relating to user registration and including coded data marks containing coded data on an identity and reference points of the form. The coded data marks are substantially undifferentiated marks positioned relative to a set of predetermined nominal mark positions. A processing system associated with the computer system receives indicating data from a sensing device regarding the form identity and a relative position and/or movement of the sensing device. The sensing device senses at least one of the coded data marks and generates the indicating data using the coded data contained therein. The processing system identifies, from the indicating data, a parameter relating to user registration, and stores the parameter so as to be accessible by the computer system. |
| US07797527B2 |
Computing device deployment using mass storage device
Computing device deployment and configuration using a mass storage device is provided. A generic computing device is provided to a customer or end user. A mass storage device is used to distribute configuration information to the generic computing device. The configuration information includes customer-specified or ordered software applications or other features. The configuration information can also include updates to the computing device system software. The customer or end user couples the mass storage device to the generic computing device in order to load the configuration information into the computing device. After the configuration information is loaded, the computing device is configured for the customer's use. Further features, such as creating customized images, are also provided. |
| US07797526B2 |
Service processor host flash update over LPC
A method for updating the contents of a BIOS ROM includes disconnecting a host system from the BIOS ROM, transferring data from a service processor to the BIOS ROM, and updating the contents of the BIOS ROM using the transferred data. A BIOS update system for a computer system, includes a BIOS ROM containing BIOS instructions, a service processor that contains update data for the contents of the BIOS ROM, an LPC bus that transfers the update data from the service processor to the BIOS ROM, and quick switches that disconnect a host system from the LPC bus. |
| US07797524B2 |
Method of dynamic database association in multi-mode communication device
In a dynamic database association method, a static contact list is dynamically associated with a dynamic instant messenger contact list so that a user of a first database may access a contact list of a second database with associative links between said first and second databases. The user is also prevented from searching both the first and second databases simultaneously. Moreover, in the abovementioned dynamic database association method, a unified user interface is utilized for integrating management of at least two databases, where each of the at least two databases is operated under a different communication network. Therefore, the defect of inconveniencing the user by utilizing different user interfaces for different databases is avoided. |
| US07797519B2 |
Processor apparatus with instruction set for storing comparison conditions and for evaluating branch condition values against results of identified complex comparison conditions
There is disclosed a processing apparatus including, as an instruction set, a complex conditional branch instruction, and a condition setting instruction. The complex conditional branch instruction is an instruction for performing comparison operation for one or each of a plural number of conditions, and for performing branching to a branch target specified, based on comparison operation between the results of the comparison operations performed and the branching condition value specified. The condition setting instruction is an instruction for setting the condition. The processing apparatus includes a complex condition setting storage unit for storing the complex condition specified by the condition setting instruction, a condition comparison unit including a plurality of comparators for comparing the complex condition specified by the complex conditional branch instruction, in the complex condition setting storage unit, at the time of execution of the complex conditional branch instruction, a complex condition branching decision unit for determining on whether or not branching to the branch target is to be performed, using the results of comparisons performed in the comparators of the condition comparison unit and the branching condition value specified by the complex conditional branch instruction. |
| US07797515B2 |
System and method for limiting the number of unit processors for which suspension of processing is prohibited
A multi-processor system includes a plurality of unit processors that operate in parallel. The system includes a suspension prohibition section for, in response to a request from at least one of the unit processors, prohibiting suspension of processing only in the requesting unit processors for which prohibiting suspension has been requested. The suspension prohibition section limits the number of unit processors for which the suspension is prohibited at the same time to a certain limited number or below. |
| US07797513B2 |
Non-blocking, multi-context pipelined processor
A packet processor whose processing capabilities are optimized by concurrently processing multiple packets within various pipelined stages. At each stage, multiple packets are processed via an internally pipelined sub-processor. In one embodiment, the packets are processed in a round robin fashion. When a particular packet is done processing at a particular stage, it may pass another packet whose processing is not complete, and move to a next stage. In another embodiment, a packet is processed until a conditional branch instruction or any other instruction causing a potential stall is encountered. If such an instruction is encountered, a next available packet is selected and processed instead of wasting processing cycles during the stall, or proceeding with the processing of the current packet based on a predicted result. The sub-processor resumes processing of the packet once the stall is over. |
| US07797503B2 |
Configurable memory system and method for providing atomic counting operations in a memory device
A memory system and method for providing atomic memory-based counter operations to operating systems and applications that make most efficient use of counter-backing memory and virtual and physical address space, while simplifying operating system memory management, and enabling the counter-backing memory to be used for purposes other than counter-backing storage when desired. The encoding and address decoding enabled by the invention provides all this functionality through a combination of software and hardware. |
| US07797498B2 |
Apparatus and method for garbage collection
A garbage collection apparatus and a method using the same are disclosed. The garbage collection method comprises: making a list of objects that must be deleted from a memory; calculating a predetermined residual time for responding to an external command; deleting the listed objects from the memory during the residual time; and storing a list of remaining objects that have not been deleted from the memory during the residual time. Accordingly, communication failure due to a response delay or timeout is prevented by distributed processing loads of garbage collection. |
| US07797496B2 |
Multiprocessor system having a shared tightly coupled memory and method for communication between a plurality of processors
A multiprocessor system comprises a first processor (P1) and a second processor (P2) each having an input/output set up for the connection of a tightly coupled semiconductor memory. Furthermore, the multiprocessor system comprises a shared tightly coupled integrated semiconductor memory (101), which can be accessed by both processors (P1, P2) via their input/output. |
| US07797494B2 |
Arithmetic processor, information processing apparatus and memory access method in arithmetic processor
In an information processing apparatus of this invention having a cache memory, a TLB and a TSB, a second retrieval unit retrieves a second physical address from an address translation buffer by using a second virtual address corresponding one-to-one to a first virtual address, and a prefetch controller enters a first address translation pair of the first virtual address from an address translation table into a cache memory by using a second physical address which is a result of the retrieval, thereby largely shortening the processing time of a memory access when a TLB miss occurs at the time of the memory access. |
| US07797486B2 |
Storage system
The storage system includes a disk controller for receiving write commands from a computer, and a plurality of disk devices in which data is written in accordance with the control of the disk controller. The size of the first block which constitutes the data unit handled in the execution of the input/output processing of the data in accordance with the write command by the disk controller is different from the size of the second block which constitutes the data unit handled in the execution of the input/output processing of data by the plurality of disk devices. The disk controller issues an instruction for the writing of data to the disk devices using a third block unit of a size corresponding to a common multiple of the size of the first block and the size of the second block. |
| US07797482B2 |
Method of reading from and writing to a storage disk, and storage disk control unit
A storage disk control unit is provided with a buffer management table that defines correspondence between the sectors of a storage disk and the buffer spaces of the storage disk control unit. Based on the buffer management table, common buffer spaces to be shared by a multiplicity of sectors and individual buffer spaces allocated for other individual sectors are reserved in the buffer means (RAM) of the storage disk control unit. Accordingly, an USB-FDD can perform high-speed read/write operations while minimizing the buffer capacity of the RAM. Further, the buffer spaces reserved for read/write operations can be accommodated in accordance with the use condition of storage disk and the need of the RAM for other purposes. |
| US07797480B2 |
Method for reading non-volatile storage using pre-conditioning waveforms and modified reliability metrics
Data stored in non-volatile storage is read using sense operations and associated pre-conditioning waveforms. The pre-conditioning waveform provides a short term history for a non-volatile element which is analogous to the conditions experienced during programming when a programming pulse is applied prior to a verify operation. The pre-conditioning waveform can cause electrons to enter and exit trap sites, for instance, so that the accuracy of a probabilistic decoding process is improved. In one approach, multiple read operations are performed, some with pre-conditioning waveforms and some without. Pre-conditioning waveforms with different characteristics, such as amplitude, shape, duration and time before the associated read pulse, can also be used. For probabilistic decoding, initial reliability metrics can be developed based on multiple reads. Tables which store the reliability metrics can then be prepared for use in subsequent decoding. |
| US07797476B2 |
Flexible connection scheme between multiple masters and slaves
The present invention describes a flexible routing scheme between masters and slaves in complex digital systems. The routing scheme is optimized for maximum versatility and configurability using switched resources in the form of configurable crossbar switches. |
| US07797472B2 |
Method and apparatus for providing overlapping defer phase responses
A multiprocessor system in which a defer phase response method is utilized that allows for a deferring agent to interrupt the normal flow of bus transactions once it gains control of system interface bus. The deferring agent is allowed to look ahead to determine if a continuous stream of defer phase cycles are pending transfer. If pending, the deferring agent will not release control of the bus until the pending defer phase cycles have been depleted. The look ahead feature allows expedited return of higher priority defer data, while minimizing bus dead cycles caused by interleaving defer phase cycles with normal bus traffic. |
| US07797470B2 |
Method of storing pictures and apparatus for the same
A method of storing and searching pictures and apparatus for the same are disclosed, in which the pictures are stored using an abbreviated number in taking a picture and by which the stored picture is searched more quickly. The present invention includes the steps of setting an abbreviated number for an automatic paging to a phone number, setting the abbreviated number for a picture identifying abbreviated number, and storing a corresponding picture identified by the abbreviated number. |
| US07797466B2 |
Data processing system for keeping isolation between logical partitions
When a subject of access of a transaction from an IO device is not any resource allocated to a logical partition to which the device having issued the transaction belongs, a report as an error is sent to a CPU, while the transaction is finished on the IO bus. To prevent a transaction between IO devices from gaining access to any resource in another logical partition, one access permission bit is provided for each combination of all the IO devices, and the access is permitted only when the bit has a predetermined value. A reset signal is provided by IO slot so that only an IO slot allocated to a specific logical partition can be reset without affecting any other logical partition. A transaction issued from an IO device in one logical partition is prevented from gaining access to a resource in another logical partition, while proper error handling can be performed. |
| US07797464B2 |
Configuring data transmission over one or more line cards globally or individually
A system and method for optimizing the transmission of signals over a group of wires. In a preferred form of the present invention, a multi-wire bus connects a common card to a plurality of line cards. A framing protocol controls transmissions between the common card and the plurality of line cards. The framing protocol includes a frame having a prefix that identifies in which direction a given transmission will occur. The prefix also identifies over which wire or wires a given line card will receive data. Each of the line cards are configured to interpret the prefix so that at any given time data can be transmitted from the common card to one or more of the line cards by either transmission over a single wire or a plurality of wires. |
| US07797463B2 |
Hardware assisted receive channel frame handling via data offset comparison in SAS SSP wide port applications
A device includes a task context controller, at least one transport engine connected to the task context controller, and at least one comparator connected to the transport engine. The comparator to compare a data offset from a receive frame with a current data offset and a result is used to determine frame processing order. |
| US07797459B1 |
Access independent common architecture for real-time communications services for networking environments
An access architecture for real-time communications is described. The architecture includes an inter-architecture network utilizing a single protocol, a plurality of border elements in communication with the inter-architecture network and with an external network, and one or more call control elements in communication with said inter-architecture network. The external network utilizes any of a variety of known networking technologies and protocols. The inter-architecture network utilizes a single protocol such as SIP. The present architecture provides a single common infrastructure for offering real-time communications services independent of call control protocols and networking technologies. |
| US07797453B2 |
Resource standardization in an off-premise environment
A computing paradigm where information can be aggregated from multiple services/programs within a ‘cloud-based’ environment is provided. Thus, the system can provide a uniform interface that can combine computational tasks across the multiple services/programs. Thus, the innovation takes advantage of the computing device being a ‘thin client’ which affords greater user comfort to a user without sacrificing data processing capabilities. Accordingly, the mechanisms are disclosed that standardize and/or normalize data across the resources within the cloud. |
| US07797449B2 |
Virtual endpoint
A system or network may provide for communication between two or more applications. The communication is achieved by initiating communication between a first and second application. The communication is directed from the first application to a second virtual address of the second application. An actual address associated with the second application is determined. A first data channel is established between a first computer associated with the first application and a second computer associated with the second application over a control channel, to coordinate the communication over the first data channel. The communication is then directed to the actual address associated with the second application over the data channel. Further, the first data channel is taken down and a second data channel is established to maintain communication without the knowledge of the first and second applications. |
| US07797448B1 |
GPS-internet linkage
An integrated system comprising the Global Positioning System and the Internet wherein the integrated system can identify the precise geographical location of both sender and receiver communicating computer terminals. |
| US07797447B1 |
Data detector for creating links from web content for mobile devices
A Web browser provides the ability to separate content and hyper-links from a Web page and provides a list of the links for viewing on a mobile device display screen along with links to telephone numbers, addresses, email addresses, and other communication-related information in the Web page detected by a data detector portion of the Web browser to further enhance usability of the Web page information for mobile device users. Further, once a link is selected using the mobile device, a services portal link is provided to the mobile device display to provide selection of services to be performed on the selected link, such as faxing or printing. |
| US07797446B2 |
Method and system for updating playlists
Improved techniques for automatic (or dynamic) updating (or maintaining) of playlists for a media system that stores and plays media content for a user of the media system. The automatic update to playlists can occur when additional media content is added to or removed from the media system. The automatic update to playlists can also occur when previously stored media content is otherwise altered. |
| US07797444B2 |
Data transfer apparatus and data transfer system
A data transfer apparatus and a data transfer system are provided that can reduce the cost of installing communication equipment compatible with each of several dissimilar communication protocols in one exchange office and can reduce the cost of constructing the network. The data transfer apparatus includes a data reception device (110) that receives packets that comply with dissimilar communication protocols from upstream data transfer apparatuses (51, 52, and 53); a content data extraction device (120) that extracts content data included in the packets; a line selection information storage device (130) that stores the line selection information for selecting communication lines that comply with dissimilar communication protocols; a line selection device (140) that selects the communication line compatible with content data based on the line selection information; and a data transfer device (150) that transfers data to downstream data transfer apparatuses (61, 62, and 63) that are connected to the communication line that has been selected by the line selection device. |
| US07797441B1 |
Methods and systems for streaming advertising content
One illustrative method for concatenating an unselected content stream (such as advertising) with a selected content stream to create a digital content stream includes interactions between a first server and a second server. The first server can receive a selection of the selected content stream from a hand-held device, transmit the selection to a second server, receive a playlist having location identifiers that identify at least the selected content stream and an unselected content stream, and communicate with a plurality of streaming servers collectively having streaming digital content including the selected and unselected content streams. The first server further communicates to the hand-held device a play time of the streaming digital content, concatenates the streaming digital content from the plurality of streaming servers, and provides the concatenated streaming digital content to the hand-held device as a single content stream. |
| US07797434B2 |
Method and system for user-determind attribute storage in a federated environment
A system is presented for facilitating management of user attribute information at one or more attribute information providers (AIPs), which can manage the user's attribute information in accordance with user-selected or administratively-determined options, including options that are stored in attribute release policies and/or dynamically determined during a transaction. E-commerce service providers (ECSPs), such as online banks or merchants, also maintain a relationship with an AIP such that the ECSP can trust the user attribute information that is provided by the AIP on behalf of the user. The user can complete transactions that require user attribute information at any ECSP without having to have previously established a relationship with that particular ECSP. If the ECSP has a relationship with one of the user's AIPS, then the user will be able to direct the ECSP to an AIP when the ECSP needs user attribute information to complete a transaction for the user. |
| US07797425B2 |
Method, system and apparatus for communications circuit design
A method of designing a network circuit for a telecommunications network is disclosed. The method includes storing first model data in a database representing a first model of the telecommunications network. Second model data is received representing a second model of the telecommunications network. The second model data defines node groups, each representing a plurality of network nodes of the first network model, and interconnections between node groups, each representing connectivity between node groups in the first network model. The method involves searching the second model data to select a route from a start node group to an end node group, the route specifying a plurality of node groups connected by interconnections in the second network model; and searching the first model data to select a circuit from a node of the start node group to a node of the end node group. |
| US07797419B2 |
Method of determining intra-session event correlation across network address translation devices
An intra-session network correlation system receives a stream of network events and groups the events into different network sessions according to event parameters and corresponding network address translation (NAT) information. An event in the stream is first matched against any existing session, and then categorized using the information about a NAT device that translates a message to which the event is related. Finally, at a predefined time, a categorized event is processed to identify other categorized events in accordance with a NAT message or an expiry timer associated with the categorized event; the categorized event and identified other categorized events are grouped into the same network session. |
| US07797418B2 |
Method of maintaining broadcast data stream
Methods, apparatus, and network oriented systems are discussed for estimating system, e.g. web site, usage removed from the web site, as well as scheduling and directing a data broadcast source to provide content based on web site usage estimates and predictions in a broadcast data stream. |
| US07797416B2 |
Computer system, management server, and mismatched connection configuration detection method
The management of computers connected with I/O switch devices is simplified. A computer system S includes one or several computers (server devices), one or several I/O devices, one or several I/O switch devices, and a management server 101. Management server 101 is provided with a storage part storing I/O configuration information and I/O switch management information; and a processing part comparing pieces of I/O configuration information and pieces of I/O switch management information, judging whether there might be a mismatch in the connection configuration between a computer and an I/O device and, in case it is judged that there is a mismatch, terminating the activation for a computer having the mismatched connection configuration, allocating a substitutable I/O device, and updating said I/O switch management information. |
| US07797415B2 |
Automatic context-based baselining for transactions
Application health is determined by calculating baseline deviation for one or more transactions based on past data having the same context as current data being examined. The performance data is generated in response to monitoring one or more applications that perform transactions during a time period. The performance data may include transaction metric data and the context data describing conditions under which one or more transactions were performed. A baseline is determined by predicting current or recent transaction performance data values using past transaction performance data associated with the same context. Based on the comparison of the actual and predicted data with the same or similar context, a deviation from the baseline value is determined for the transaction and reported, for example to a user through an interface. |
| US07797413B2 |
Digital identity registration
Systems and processes of the present invention allow for digital identity registration. In an example embodiment, a Registrant may access a website to enter a requested digital identity and registration information. The requested digital identity may comprise a piece of client software, a digital certificate, or a URL comprising any combination of characters—perhaps including a domain name that may be owned by the Registrant. A Digital Identity Database may then be searched to determine the availability of the requested digital identity. If the requested digital identity includes a domain name, WHOIS records may be searched to determine whether the Registrant owns and/or controls the domain name. The Registrant's registration information also may be validated. The requested digital identity may then be registered to the Registrant, possibly by adding the requested digital identity to the Digital Identity Database and/or adding the registration information to a Records database. |
| US07797402B2 |
Audio-visual navigation and communication dynamic memory architectures
Buffering data associated with a spatial publishing object data store at a buffer distance proximate a user presence in a spatial publishing object space. The buffer distance comprises a measure based at least in part on: capacity of a communications path between the data store and the user platform; availability of memory at the user platform; movement of a user presence through the space; traffic in the communications path; processing resources available; amount of objects within a distance of the user presence; amount of objects in the space; type of objects; proximity of objects to the user presence; and rate of the user presence movement in the space. Movement of the user presence in the space buffers data such that data for a proximate object is available in the buffer for presenting to the user when the user's presence is a predetermined distance from the proximate object. |
| US07797400B2 |
Computer-implemented methods and systems for testing the interoperability of web services
A computer-implemented method of testing interoperability of a web service against a plurality of web services tools may include steps of providing a web services description language file (WSDL) that describes the web service to be tested; selecting at least one of the plurality of web services tools; generating and compiling sets of proxy files for each selected web service tool based upon the provided WSDL file and loading the generated and compiled proxy files into memory; generating an XML test case for each of the generated and compiled sets of proxy files, the XML test case including dummy variables for each operation of the provided WSDL file; populating the generated XML test case with values for at least some of the dummy variables, and invoking a targeted web service from a selected client platform using the populated XML test case and providing results for each invocation. |
| US07797397B2 |
Method, system, and storage medium for managing access to job-specific information, applications, and physical locations
An exemplary embodiment of the invention relates to a method, system, and storage medium for managing access to job-specific information, applications, and physical locations. The system includes a network server in communication with client systems, and further includes: a database of employee records and a database of job code records both accessible to at least one of the client systems via the network server; an employee directory database including employee names and employee contact information; and an access management tool executable by the server. The access management tool processes changes to access requirements, updates respective databases, and transmits notices to designated client systems. The invention also includes a method and a storage medium. |
| US07797396B2 |
Network attached storage (NAS) server having a plurality of automated media portals
According to one embodiment, a system comprises a network attached storage (NAS) server not having a general-purpose user input device. The NAS server comprises local data storage and a plurality of automated media portals each operable for receiving a direct communicative coupling of a portable storage media and reading data from the received portable storage media for storage to the local data storage. According to another embodiment, a method comprises receiving a direct communicative coupling of a portable storage media to any of a plurality of different automated media portals of a NAS server, wherein the NAS server comprises local data storage and wherein the NAS server does not include a general-purpose user input device. The NAS server reads data from the received portable storage media, and the NAS server stores the data to the local data storage. |
| US07797394B2 |
System and method for processing commands in a storage enclosure
A system and method for receiving and responding to issued commands in a storage enclosure is disclosed in which each storage enclosure processor of the storage enclosure is coupled to each expander of the storage enclosure. Each storage enclosure processor receives each interrupt and command issued by another expander of the storage enclosure. In the event of a failure of one of the storage enclosure processors, any interrupts or commands issued by the expander associated with the failed storage enclosure processor will be handled by the operational storage enclosure processor. In this configuration, the storage enclosure processor can also arbitrate or determine the storage enclosure processor that will handle each interrupt and any associated command. |
| US07797392B2 |
System and method for efficiently supporting multiple native network protocol implementations in a single system
An intelligent router routes a user request to a storage server that is capable of handling that request natively, without emulation. The request is routed automatically, without any instruction or interaction on the part of the user. The intelligent router includes a storage tank-like computing environment and a set of intelligent routers. The set of intelligent routers appears as a single entity to users by presenting a single network IP address. When the intelligent router receives a request, it examines the protocol type and routes the request to one of the appropriate storage tank clients. The intelligent router does not change the contents of the request message, and thus the storage tank system do not become aware of the existence of the intelligent router. Consequently, any return messages do not need to go through the intelligent router, unless desired. |
| US07797387B2 |
Interactive text communication system
A communication system quarantines text and then automatically transmits the text across a network at the end of a quarantine time period. This text quarantine period gives a user the chance to edit or delete text for a brief amount of time after the text has been entered. This allows editing or deletion of spelling errors, and inadvertent or indiscriminate text responses before the text is sent to a remote user. Since the text characters are automatically transmitted after the quarantine period, normal human communications and interactions are maintained allowing a receiver to interject or interrupt with text comments in the middle of a received text message. Thus, the communication system maintains the interactive advantages of TTY/TDD systems while also providing the editing flexibility of instant messaging systems. In another aspect of the text system, characters are buffered until they form a complete expression. Upon detection of the completed expression, the buffered characters are sent to the destination endpoint. |
| US07797384B2 |
Sequential restructuring of a collaborative context
The present invention is a method, system and apparatus for dynamically restructuring a named collaborative context. In a system for dynamically restructuring a named collaborative context, a named collaborative space having a composition of collaborators, roles, tools and resources can be coupled to a workflow engine. The workflow engine can be configured to process workflow templates. Restructuring logic further can be included in the system and can be programmed to rearrange the named collaborative space with a different composition responsive to a workflow step change specified by a workflow template for the named collaborative space and processed in the workflow engine. Notably, a portal view can be configured to provide a user interface to the named collaborative space. In this regard, the tools can include logical components embodied in a portlet disposed in the portal view. |
| US07797383B2 |
Techniques for managing multi-window video conference displays
Techniques for dynamically mapping source video streams of sources to the requested destination video streams based on a policy are provided. The source video streams that are mapped to the destination video streams are changed based on events that cause changes in the mapping based on the policy. The mappings may be managed by a media switch remote from the end device or by an event aware stream router associated with the end device. The mappings are used to display images of participants associated with the source video streams where position changes in images displayed are minimized when events occur. |
| US07797382B2 |
Virtual private network publish-subscribe multicast service
Publish-subscribe XML multicast service within a VPN service is described. A backbone such as an IP/MPLS backbone connects multiple subscriber sites using VPN technology and VPN edge routers. XML publish-subscribe modules are addressable within the VPN and form an overlay network between the edge routers participating in the VPN. The XML publish-subscribe modules may perform either topic-based multicast or content-based multicast services. The multicast service is self-managed. |
| US07797381B2 |
Methods and apparatus for information hyperchain management for on-demand business collaboration
Hyperchain information management techniques are provided for use in applications such as on-demand business collaboration. In accordance with such techniques, a hyperchain annotation methodology is provided. Such an annotation methodology enables interaction between loosely-coupled business processes or interacting partners and business entities. Annotated information components and process components for collaboration may be expressed as links. Further, techniques for realizing an on-demand message exchange, embedded status/state information, flexible collaborative business message exchange patterns, and a collaborative directory are provided. |
| US07797379B2 |
System and method for shared spam call blocking
A system and method for preventing unwanted communications. A communication is received from a sending party. A user input indicating the communication is to be filtered is received. Filtering information is retrieved from the communication. The communication and future communications are filtered based on filtering information. The filtering information is communicated to multiple telecommunications platforms registered with a user. The multiple telecommunications platforms are prevented from receiving the future communications based on the filtering information. |
| US07797378B2 |
Method and apparatus for distribution of greeting cards with electronic commerce transaction
A system for enabling on-line creation of greeting cards and distribution of the cards with gifts also purchased on-line includes a server system and one or more client systems. The server system is accessible online and enables network users to select and customize electronic versions of greeting cards. The customizations to the cards, as well as data identifying the card, the network user, the card recipient, and a vendor, are transmitted to a client system located at the vendor's distribution facilities. The transmitted information is utilized to print the card in hard copy form for shipment by the vendor to the designated recipient. In the disclosed system, a network user may view the card including any customizations in WYSIWYG format. |
| US07797375B2 |
System and method for responding to resource requests in distributed computer networks
A method is provided for responding to a resource request from a requesting user node in a network of user nodes. According to the method, a response to the resource request is received at a first user node of the network, and it is determined (e.g., randomly) whether or not to send the response back to the requesting user node. When it is determined not to send the response to the requesting user node, the response is forwarded to a second user node of the network through a direct connection. When it is determined to send the response to the requesting user node, the response is sent back to the requesting user node. Also provided is a user node for use in a computer network having user nodes that are each connected to other user nodes through direct connections. |
| US07797373B1 |
System and method for promoting intellectual property
A method and system for the online promotion of intellectual property includes providing an Internet host station with at least one database that is connectable via the Internet to consumer stations and industry stations. The database includes a plurality of intellectual property items and a description of each intellectual property item. At least one of the intellectual property items is selected by a consumer station and the description associated with the selected intellectual property item is viewed at the consumer station. Portions of the description may be confidential and therefore not normally viewed at the consumer station. Feedback data is sent from the consumer station to the host station. The feedback data includes consumer opinion information of the selected intellectual property item based at least in part on the description of the selected intellectual property item. The feedback data is then accessed from an industry station to thereby determine the interest in the selected intellectual property item based on the consumer opinion. |
| US07797368B1 |
Managing a network of consumer-use computing devices
A managed system of consumer-use processor-based devices may be utilized to reliably complete distributed computing jobs with predictable latency and throughput. Distributed computing jobs may be divided into tasks and distributed to a managed network of consumer-use processor-based devices. In some cases, the nature and characteristics of each of those devices as well as their available resources may be well known to a system service provider or server. Thus, the capability of the network of processor-based devices may be reliably predicted. Particularly where all the devices are maintained remotely from a server, the managed network of processor-based devices may be depended upon to more reliably execute distributed processing tasks assigned by the server. |
| US07797365B2 |
Design structure for a booth decoder
A design structure for a Booth decoder is provided. The Booth decoder may comprise three circuits that run in parallel. A first circuit is used to generate a shift control signal output. A second circuit is used to generate a zero control signal output. A third circuit is used to generate an invert control signal output. The first and second circuits receive the three-bit block as an input and generate their respective outputs based on the setting of each of the bits. The third circuit receives only the most significant bit of the three-bit block as its input and generates an invert signal output based on the setting of the most significant bit. In each of these circuits, the number of complex gates and transistors is minimized thereby reducing gate delay and power consumption in generating the control signals for performing a Booth multiplication operation. |
| US07797362B2 |
Parallel architecture for matrix transposition
An extension to current multiple memory bank video processing architecture is presented. A more powerful memory controller is incorporated, allowing computation of multiple memory addresses at both the input and the output data paths making possible new combinations of reads and writes at the input and output ports. Matrix transposition computations required by the algorithms used in image and video processing are implemented in MAC modules and memory banks. The technique described here can be applied to other parallel processors including future VLIW DSP processors. |
| US07797360B2 |
Sortable floating point numbers
The invention comprises methods for manipulating floating point numbers on a microprocessor where the numbers are sortable. That is, the numbers obey lexicographical ordering. Hence, the numbers may be quickly compared using bit-wise comparison functions such as memcmp( ). Conversion may result in a sortable floating point number in the form of a sign, leading bits of the exponent, and sets of digit triples in the form of declets (sets of 10 bits). In a variable-length version, numbers may be compressed by storing the number of trailing zero declets in lieu of storing the zero declets themselves. |
| US07797356B2 |
Dynamically detecting exceptions based on data changes
Fields contained in data expressed as tabular data having columns and rows can initially be marked as exceptions, wherein a column within a row can be the potential cause of the exception. A user configurable parameter can be utilized to change the sensitivity or allowable exceptions for each row and/or column, to increase or decrease the number of exceptions detected. As data within each field are modified, added or deleted, or when the configurable parameter is changed, the exceptions marked can be automatically updated. Such updated exceptions can be the same or different from the initially marked exceptions. As such, a user can evaluate data and determine whether various changes within the data will change various outcomes. |
| US07797355B1 |
System and method for characterizing logical storage devices
A system and method of characterizing a logical storage object. Information associated with the logical storage object is stored. The information includes information characterizing quiesce capabilities and split characteristics for the logical storage object. That information is transmitted to a processor and is used to characterize the logical storage object. |
| US07797351B2 |
User interface based modeling of web services and batch input templates
Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for generating a data input template. A system captures data objects and event objects communicated between a client and an application program, stores a copy of the captured objects, and generates a template based on the stored objects. The client interface has a hierarchical structure. Each data object includes an address identifier specifying a location within this hierarchical structure with which it is associated, and metadata is generated based on this address identifier. Each event object includes a record of one or more actions performed by a user, and metadata is generated based on this record. The metadata is used in structuring the template, enabling the template to correspond to the hierarchical structure of the client interface. The template can be used to generate a web services description language document, which can be provided to third party users over a network. |
| US07797349B2 |
Device user interface XML string table manager
A method for managing a user interface (UI) string table, comprising placing a UI string table at a string table management unit; administrator(s) editing the UI string table through an administrator interface of a UI string table manager; and read-only users (ROUs) accessing the UI string table through a ROU interface of the UI string table manager.The XML-formatted string table manager tool for printers and other devices is used by administrators to maintain the string table and by software and QA engineers to access it, possibly remotely. The result is a more efficient localization process, by eliminating the manual sharing and merging of multiple string tables by the localization team.Methods also include hierarchical organization into top, language, tab, dialog, and string levels; optional string ID number; add, edit, remove, search features; automatic selection and insertion of hotkey character for a new English and Asian language string; and a string table server to which local copies are synchronized. |
| US07797348B2 |
Data structure and system for IP address lookup and IP address lookup system
A tree data structure for storing strings of searchable data divided into substrings has at least one first type node that has a substring associated with it and at least one second type node that does not having a substring associated with it. A second type node is directly linked to a first type node by a fail transition. A first type node is directly linked to a second type node by a match transition. An IP address lookup system has memory for storing a tree data structure and a controller for storing and loading an incoming IP address. The system has a finite state machine having three stages including a first stage for loading the IP address and performing a length calculation, a second stage for searching the data structure to find a match, and a third stage for determine the next-hop address index. |
| US07797347B2 |
Workload aware checking of database reorganization
The present solution addresses the need to carry out reorganization of a database storage. A statistics-based reorganization check procedure is performed on at least first database tables and indexes, resulting in a preliminary reorganization recommendation. Information on workload on tables and indexes of said database storage is received. Based on the information on workload and the preliminary reorganization recommendation, it is decided whether to carry out reorganization of the database storage in accordance with the preliminary reorganization recommendation. |
| US07797346B2 |
Method for improving the functionality of the binary representation of MPEG-7 and other XML based content descriptions
A method is provided for encoding string-based data types, which have, for example, a tree-type structure, in such a way that signal bits (flags) for optional sections and/or for length information concerning the codes that are of variable length are placed in a defined sequence at the beginning of the created bitstream, thus accelerating the search for data via a sorting process and bit mask queries. A more efficient encoding is also provided of the #position field by, among other things, the assignment of code fragments for each group of regular expressions. |
| US07797345B1 |
Restricting hierarchical posts with social network metrics methods and apparatus
A method for a computer system includes receiving a listing from a first user, determining a first plurality of social network relationship factors for the first user with respect to a first plurality of users, determining a second plurality of users from the first plurality of users who fulfill a filtering criteria, wherein a third plurality of users from the first plurality of users do not fulfill the filtering criteria, and making the listing available to users from the second plurality of users but not the third plurality of users, and providing the listing to a second user from the second plurality of users. |
| US07797343B2 |
System and method for providing usage metrics of digital content
A system and method is disclosed for providing usage metrics of digital content. The system includes one or more clients, such as a computer and an audio player device, a usage metrics server and an optional recommendation system, which are connected together by a network, such as the Internet. A consumer or user at a client system, such as the computer, downloads digital content from a content provider. As the client consumes the digital content, a tracking system operating on the client uploads usage data to the usage metrics system. The usage metrics system processes the usage data and stores the processed data in a storage for subsequent retrieval to provide the data to a content provider, the optional recommendation system and/or third party systems. |
| US07797342B2 |
Database system providing encrypted column support for applications
A database system providing encrypted column data support with decrypt default functionality. In a database system, a method providing automated encryption support for column data comprises steps of: defining Structured Query Language (SQL) extensions for creating and managing column encryption keys and database tables with encrypted column data; receiving an SQL statement specifying creation of a column encryption key; receiving an SQL statement specifying creation of a database table having particular column data encrypted with the column encryption key; receiving an SQL statement specifying a default value to be provided in response to requests for the column data without decrypt permission; in response to a subsequent database operation requesting encrypted column data from a user with decrypt permission, automatically decrypting the column data; and in response to a subsequent database operation requesting the encrypted column data from a user without decrypt permission, returning the default value. |
| US07797337B2 |
Methods, systems, and computer program products for automatically associating data with a resource as metadata based on a characteristic of the resource
Methods, systems, and computer program products for automatically associating data with a resource as metadata based on a characteristic of the resource are disclosed. According to one method, a metadata association rule is defined for a metadata associator. The metadata association rule specifies a data value to be associated with a resource as metadata based on a characteristic of the resource. A user interface is provided for associating at least one resource with a metadata associator. In response to a resource being associated with the metadata associator via a user interface, the data value is associated with the resource as metadata based on the metadata association rule. The specified data value may be defined prior to the resource being associated with the metadata and independently of both the resource and a file system with which the resource is associated. |
| US07797336B2 |
System, method, and computer program product for knowledge management
A system, method, and computer program product of enabling a user to organize and analyze information in electronic form are described herein. The method operates by searching a first set of documents to thereby generate a second set of documents. The method automatically creates a first group comprising the second set of documents. The method analyzes the first group according to one or more analytical functions to thereby generate a third set of documents. The method automatically creates a second group comprising the third set of documents. The method enables selective iteration of any of these operational steps. The method also generates objects corresponding to process components of this work flow. The user can re-execute the work flow (process) by traversing the objects, or create a new process by modifying the objects. |
| US07797331B2 |
Method and device for organizing user provided information with meta-information
The present invention is directed to a method for organizing user provided information in a mobile terminal device with meta-information to allow retrieval of the user provided information, and a device configured to perform the method. The user provided information is obtained by any user operation against the mobile terminal device and context information is obtained associated with the User provided information. The meta-information is obtained from the context information and assigned to the user provided information. The meta-information is employed for retrieval of the User provided information by matching request information with the meta-information Further, the method for organizing user provided information employs calendar information for obtaining meta-information. Further, the method for organizing user provided information is adapted to organize user provided audio information. Further, the method for organizing user provided information is adapted to organize User provided audio information by embedding meta-information into the User provided audio information. |
| US07797327B2 |
Systems and methods for managing the development and manufacturing of a beverage
A system and method for managing the development and manufacturing process of a pharmaceutical is disclosed. The method comprises capturing and recording the development and manufacturing history of the pharmaceutical drug in order to generate a product history. The product history is stored on a computer and is searchable in multiple data dimensions in order to easily retrieve information. The system automatically provides compliance management procedures in order to comply with regulatory standards for the pharmaceutical industry. |
| US07797326B2 |
Method of obtaining data samples from a data stream and of estimating the sortedness of the data stream based on the samples
Disclosed is a method of scanning a data stream in a single pass to obtain uniform data samples from selected intervals. The method comprises randomly selecting elements from the stream for storage in one or more data buckets and, then, randomly selecting multiple samples from the bucket(s). Each sample is associated with a specified interval immediately prior to a selected point in time. There is a balance of probabilities between the selection of elements stored in the bucket and the selection of elements included in the samples so that elements scanned during the specified interval are included in the sample with equal probability. Samples can then be used to estimate the degree of sortedness of the stream, based on counting how many elements in the sequence are the rightmost point of an interval such that majority of the interval's elements are inverted with respect to the interval's rightmost element. |
| US07797323B1 |
Producing representative hashes for segments of a file
A file is divided into plural segments, and for each of at least some of the plural segments, plural windows covering different portions of the corresponding segment are defined. According to a predefined criterion, one of the windows associated with the corresponding segment is selected. A representative hash based on the portion in the selected window is calculated for representing the corresponding segment. |
| US07797322B2 |
Negative key mapping
Performing a negative key mapping process includes determining whether objects contain substantially the same information, and storing a negative key mapping for the objects if the objects do not contain substantially the same information. In this context, the negative key mapping includes data indicating that the objects are different, at least in part. |
| US07797320B2 |
Dimensionality reduction
A solution is provided wherein the apparent dimensionality of a data set is reduced by ranking combinations of dimensions and parts of dimensions in terms of their suitability for mapping to the axes of a grid display. A user may then be presented with dense lower dimensional views of the data that are much easier to understand than sparse high dimensional views. The user may then make further refinements, groupings, and analyses as needed. |
| US07797319B2 |
Systems and methods for data model mapping
Systems and methods for data storage and retrieval using data model mapping. Statements may be presented to the system based on different schema and data models. Algebraic relations between data sets may be composed from the statements. Mappings are provided between the different schema and data models to allow algebraic relations based on one schema and data model to be used in providing a requested data set based on a different schema and data model. Algebraic optimization may also be performed to select among algebraic relations to be used for providing the requested data set, including algebraic relations based on different schemas and data models. As a result, optimization may be performed across a broader set of possible algebraic relations to provide the requested data set. |
| US07797314B2 |
Adaptive searching
A method and computer program product for receiving a search result set including one or more search results, and defining one or more ranking cues based upon, at least in part, ancillary user data. The one or more search results are ranked based upon, at least in part, the one or more ranking cues. The one or more ranked search results are provided to a search user. |
| US07797311B2 |
Organizing scenario-related information and controlling access thereto
Mechanisms for organizing scenario solution-related information based upon a user's locality are provided. Locality refers to a collection of metadata created based upon scenario solutions executed by a user and/or enablers acquired by a user during scenario solution execution. Such metadata may be stored in association with a scenario solution execution workspace and/or in association with a user-specific information store. Once such information is acquired, a user may desire to share the information, or a portion thereof, with one or more other users, for instance, the members of a user group. However, often times, the user would prefer that the information not be made available to the general public. Thus, mechanisms for controlling access to user-specific information are also provided. |
| US07797309B2 |
System and method for search parameter data entry and result access in a law enforcement multiple domain security environment
A system and method for law enforcement query entry that enables universal platform access without requiring specialized platform software by utilizing a keystroke efficient lexicon for data entry that is converted to standardized search commands by a back end server and by displaying search results in accordance with user, platform, network, and data security constraints. |
| US07797303B2 |
Natural language processing for developing queries
A system suited to self-troubleshooting includes a processor which identifies normalized forms of at least some of the words of a natural language user query input by a user. The user query may describe a problem experienced with a machine, such as a printer. The processor retrieves text strings which may comprise problem statements stored in memory. Each retrieved problem statement includes at least one word with a normalized form which is recognized by the processor as being equivalent to one of the identified normalized forms. Each of the retrieved problem statements may be associated with at least one solution sequence for addressing the problem with the machine. In the event that the stored problem statements in memory are not fully responsive, the processor provides one or more options for refinement of the user query based on tags associated with those words of the problem statements which are responsive. |
| US07797301B1 |
Methods and systems for automated searching
The present invention provides systems and methods for automating a search over a network such as the Internet. A user selects data such as text from within an application. The selected data is activated and a search is performed without the user having to leave the application. The search is performed while the user is continuing within the application. When the search is complete, the search results are made available to the user within the application from which the search was initiated. In one embodiment, the data is pre-searched and the results are cached such that the results are already available should the user desire. The present invention is particularly suited to integration with an operating system such that the methods of the present invention are thereby available to all applications. Alternatively, the present invention can be specific to a particular application. |
| US07797299B2 |
Searching data storage systems and devices
The invention teaches systems, methods and devices for searching data storage systems and devices. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. |
| US07797296B2 |
Compression scheme for improving cache behavior in database systems
A scheme for accessing a multi-dimensional index structure resident in main memory to refer to data objects stored in a database is disclosed. To reduce the amount of accessed index data, the scheme compresses a minimum bounding rectangle (“MBR”). The first step to compress the MBR is to represent the MBR relatively to a reference MBR. The relative representation of an MBR (“RMBR”) is coordinates of the MBR represented relative to coordinates of the reference MBR. In addition, quantization may be performed as an additional step for further compression. In this step, the RMBR is quantized using a finite level of quantization chosen from a given set of quantization levels. Alternatively, a proper node size can be chosen to reduce the index search time. The present invention also includes several alternative embodiments of the accessing scheme including whether to eliminate pointer in internal node's entries except the first entry, whether to store a reference MBR in non-root nodes, whether to apply the proposed compression technique by quantization to leaf nodes or not, and whether to place the database in main memory or in disk. Also, the present invention includes an apparatus, a system and a computer readable medium for accomplishing the same scheme as described above. |
| US07797295B2 |
User content feeds from user storage devices to a public search engine
Allowing unhosted user content feeds to a public search engine, such as a web search engine, involves a user easily identifying a file as a file the user wants to share with others by, for example, storing the file in a particular directory folder on the user's device. Once identified, the file is scanned and a corresponding entry is inserted into a search index. The storage location on the user's device may be captured, and that information added to the search index for linking to the stored file. The file may be uploaded to a caching server, for serving either primarily from the caching server or secondarily from the caching server when the file is not available from the user's storage. An access policy, which indicates what portion of the public has permission to access the file, may be associated with the shared file. |
| US07797290B2 |
Database reorganization program and method
A database reorganization program to reorganize a database with minimizing memory consumption. When a command for reorganizing a database is issued, a record reorganization unit sequentially selects a page of a basic area with reference to an index, and moves the records of the selected page into new destination pages of an expanded database with reference to an expansion index. In addition, the record reorganization unit updates a page state table showing a reorganization progress for each page of the database. |
| US07797286B2 |
System and method for externally providing database optimizer statistics
The present invention relates to a method and system for using an external program to generate and update statistical information used by a database optimizer for at least one of a database and a database management system, at least one table of data being replicated from the database to the external program, the external program generating statistical information on the replicated data and sending the generated statistical information back to the database for use with the optimizer. The replicated data residing with the external program may also be used by an application for the execution of database queries instead of the database itself with the application using a list of replicated tables or replicated data to determine where to target its queries. |
| US07797284B1 |
Dedicated software thread for communicating backup history during backup operations
A technique provides a dedicated software thread for communicating backup history to clients of a storage system during backup operations. Illustratively, an operating system of the storage system may execute one or more “session” (e.g., backup) threads and a “worker” (e.g., backup history) thread. In particular, the one or more session threads are each configured to backup stored data for a corresponding client to a backup storage device and to generate backup history of data backed up to the backup storage device. Also, the worker thread is configured to obtain the backup history from the one or more session threads, and transmit the backup history to the corresponding client of each of the one or more session threads. In this manner, the worker thread may wait for a response from the corresponding clients, while the one or more corresponding session threads continue to backup the stored data and generate backup history. |
| US07797283B2 |
Systems and methods for maintaining distributed data
Systems and methods are disclosed that provide an indexing data structure. In one embodiment, the indexing data structure is mirrored index tree where the copies of the nodes of the tree are stored across devices in a distributed system. In one embodiment, nodes that are stored on an offline device are restored, and an offline device that comes back online is merged into the distributed system and given access to the current indexing data structure. In one embodiment, the indexing data structure is traversed to locate and restore nodes that are stored on offline devices of the distributed system. |
| US07797277B2 |
Document management system, program, and computer data signal
A document management system acquires a document which is associated to a document ID specified by an access request; generates a new document ID which is associated with the acquired document; and outputs the acquired document and the new document ID to a request origin. The document management system registers associative information on the request origin, the new document ID, and the document ID specified by the access request; generates a new document ID which is associated with a document corresponding to a transferred document ID; replaces the transferred document ID with the new document ID, to cause the new document ID to be transferred to a transfer destination; and registers associative information on a transfer source, the new document ID after replacement, the document ID before replacement, and the transfer destination. |
| US07797275B2 |
System and method of time-based cache coherency maintenance in user file manager of object-based storage system
A cache coherency maintenance system and method of a user file manager in an object-based storage system are provided. According to the cache coherence maintenance system and method, by maintaining the coherency of a writeback cache based on time using a timer, metadata and data information are efficiently managed. Accordingly, even when accesses by users increase, the cost of maintaining the coherency of the cache is distributed to respective user file managers. In this way the performance of the entire object-based storage system is enhanced and the consistency and efficiency of information increase. |
| US07797273B2 |
System and a method for reliable symmetric data synchronization
A system for synchronizing data between at least two electronic devices. The system includes at least one sending (source) side electronic device having a database and at least one receiving (target) side electronic device having a database, such that each data item has unique local and remote identifiers, wherein the local identifier of one side is the remote identifier of the other side and vice versa, thereby providing reliable, efficient and symmetrical synchronicity between the at least two electronic devices. |
| US07797268B2 |
Method, apparatus, and program product for matching multivariate data to fuzzy sets
Disclosed is a controller that includes a curve matching mechanism. The curve matching mechanism employs Fuzzy Logic to compare input curves to standard curves and to thereby characterize the input curves. Also disclosed in an automotive environment for the curve matching mechanism in which a Fuzzy Controller is used to receive time series data (i.e., input curves) and to present the input curves to the curve matching mechanism. The controller then uses the output of the curve matching mechanism to adjust engine function. |
| US07797267B2 |
Methods and architecture for learning and reasoning in support of context-sensitive reminding, informing, and service facilitation
Methods and architectures for context-sensitive reminding and service facilitating are disclosed. The architectures monitor user context and activity, senses or infers relevant reminders, goals, such as those that come from a growing need of the user that should be fulfilled, and computes best reminders, and recommend plans on fulfilling need(s) in an optimum way. Statistical models of a user's knowledge and recall in different settings may be employed. Facilities, services, and merchants can be identified along a route that the user can take, and cost-benefit analysis is performed for determining which merchant(s) to select to fulfill the need(s). Routes may be created as opportunistic modifications of trips underway. Merchants can respond back with offers of sale to the user for all available needed items, and the user can respond with acceptance or denial of the offers. Merchants can also respond in a bidding fashion in order to gain user's patronage. |
| US07797264B2 |
Detecting and displaying exceptions in tabular data
Data expressed as tabular data having columns and rows can be analyzed and data determined to be an exception can be flagged. In addition, reasons for flagging such data as exceptions can be presented to a user to facilitate further analysis and action on the data. A predictive analysis component can utilize a clustering algorithm with predictive capabilities to autonomously analyze the data. Periodic re-analysis of the data can be performed to determine if exceptions have changed based on new or modified data. |
| US07797263B2 |
Managing operation of a cognative radio by an authority
In certain embodiments of a cognitive radio, a method of establishing operational policies, involves determining that a new policy decision should be made; requesting a policy decision from an authority having more computing power than the cognitive radio; receiving the policy decision from the authority; and implementing the policy decision in the cognitive radio. Other embodiments may incorporate more, fewer or other elements. |
| US07797262B2 |
Method and apparatus for evaluating the complexity of human-in-the-loop processes
One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that determines the complexity of a transaction between a first entity and a second entity. The system starts by determining a first probability of success for a portion of the transaction which is associated with actions of the first entity. The system then determines a second probability of success for a portion of the transaction which is associated with actions of the second entity. The system next calculates a transactional complexity for the transaction based on the first probability of success and the second probability of success. |
| US07797260B2 |
Automated document classifier tuning including training set adaptive to user browsing behavior
Subject matter disclosed herein relates to document classification and/or automated document classifier tuning. In an example embodiment, a document received from a user computing platform in an online database stored in a memory of a server computing platform may be classified based, at least in part, on a training set. Also for an example embodiment, the training set may be modified based, at least in part, on statistics gathered from user browsing behavior. |
| US07797259B2 |
System for temporal prediction
Described is a system for temporal prediction. The system includes an extraction module, a mapping module, and a prediction module. The extraction module is configured to receive X(1), . . . X(n) historical samples of a time series and utilize a genetic algorithm to extract deterministic features in the time series. The mapping module is configured to receive the deterministic features and utilize a learning algorithm to map the deterministic features to a predicted {circumflex over (x)}(n+1) sample of the time series. Finally, the prediction module is configured to utilize a cascaded computing structure having k levels of prediction to generate a predicted {circumflex over (x)}(n+k) sample. The predicted {circumflex over (x)}(n+k) sample is a final temporal prediction for k future samples. |
| US07797256B2 |
Generating segmented community flyers in a social networking system
Segmented community flyers are predicated upon segmented communities. Segmented communities are for those web-based users that appreciate the distinction between their “real life” friends in their local geographic communities and their “cyberspace” contacts, many of whom they have never met in person. Further, those web-based users that do appreciate their “real life” friends in their local geographic communities need a way of communicating to many of these “real life” friends at once, without having to spend time preparing and sending multiple emails. Segmented community flyers advantageously accomplish such communication. |
| US07797255B1 |
System and method for tracking, monitoring, and supporting self-procuring principals in real estate transactions
A system and method for tracking, monitoring, and supporting self-representation of an individual for the purchase of a home. As a self-representing principal (SRP), the individual would be entitled to the real estate commission payable to licensed real estate agents. To aid the SRP in his self-representation activities, the system provides information to the SRP of property listings that match the SRP's search criteria. The system also provides comparable sales information of other homes in the area, school district reports, environmental hazard reports, and automated offer drafting assistance. If the SRP wants to view a property, the system coordinates such viewing by contacting chaperones to provide the showing of the property. The SRP's self-representation activities are tracked by the system for inclusion in the SRP's loan file. The report certifies that the SRP has indeed represented and procured himself, and thus, is entitled to the real estate commission. The SRP can then apply the commission towards the downpayment of a home. |
| US07797252B2 |
Service plan product and associated system
A service plan product providing a tangible representation of a service plan includes a support backer and a tag removably coupled with the backer. The tag includes service plan account identification means corresponding to a service plan account stored in a database and plan administrator contact indicia. The tag is configured to be removed from the backer and applied to a primary product for which the service plan is provided, and wherein only the service plan account identification means is required for the service plan administrator to access the database to identify details regarding the service plan account. Related systems and methods are also disclosed and provide additional advantages. |
| US07797251B2 |
System and method providing secure credit or debit transactions across unsecure networks
A system and method for providing secure credit and debit transactions across unsecure data networks. The present invention provides a one-time-use combination of account number, PIN, and added factors. A merchant terminal receives a customer identifier such as a PIN from a customer and combines secret information with the PIN when the terminal sends the PIN to an authorization server. The secret information is stored in an indexed database protected by a mechanical switch, which must be physically closed to access the database. The database may be implemented in the merchant terminal or in a customer device in communication with the merchant terminal. The authorization server provides an index pointing to one or more secret factors to be combined with the PIN for each given transaction. |
| US07797250B2 |
Method for electronically endorsing check images
A method of electronically endorsing a check includes obtaining an electronic image of the check and composing an endorsement data element for the check that includes at least first information identifying a party endorsing the check. The method further includes creating a message data file including the electronic image and the endorsement data element, and creating a signed message data file that includes the message data file and a digital signature of the message data file creating using a private key. The private key may be specific to the party endorsing the check or to an electronic device with which the method is implemented. Also, a method of performing an inquiry relating to a check that was endorsed as described above using the endorsement data element. |
| US07797248B1 |
Automated confirmation of transit card fund replenishment
An electronic transit fare payment system is disclosed. The system comprises a plurality of mobile devices adapted to store a transit fare payment application and a server in wireless communication with the mobile devices. The transit fare payment application decrements a transit fare funds balance by a fare amount after completing a transit ride, wirelessly requests a top-up of the transit funds balance when the transit funds balance drops below a threshold, wirelessly receives a top-up instruction, increments the transit fare funds balance in response to executing the top-up instruction, and wirelessly transmits a top-up confirmation. The server receives the request for the top-up, charges the top-up to a credit card associated with the mobile device requesting the top-up, transmits the top-up instruction to the mobile device requesting the top-up, receives the top-up confirmation. When the top-up confirmation is not received, the server requests top-up confirmation from the mobile device. When the mobile device does not reply to the request, the server analyzes a transit fare transaction history associated with the mobile device to determine that the top-up has completed. When the top-up is not confirmed, the server rolls-back the charge of the top-up to the credit card associated with the mobile device. |
| US07797247B2 |
Method for optimizing the performance of a networked mail processing system
A method of optimizing the performance of a networked mailing system having a plurality of metering systems includes determining in a first metering system that a cryptographic operation needs to be performed, and identifying a device coupled to the network that can perform the cryptographic operation faster than the first metering system. If a device has been so identified, the method further includes sending a request to the identified device to perform the cryptographic operation. If the request has been sent, the method includes receiving a response including processed data in the first metering system from the device. The processed data includes a result of the cryptographic operation being performed on the piece of data in question. |
| US07797244B2 |
Intellectual property archive
An Intellectual Property Archive (IPA) dedicated to archiving, verifying, referencing, gating, and consummating the transfers of digitized Intellectual and Copyrighted Properties within digital media. Said IPA containing the legal requirements of sale, transfer and proliferation of digitized Intellectual and Copyrighted Properties, and further providing Transaction Code Identifiers (TCI's), which serve to notify responsible third parties that transmissions within their domains contain digitized Intellectual and Copyrighted Properties, wherein said TCI's initiate protocols within said third party domains to inspect, halt, validate and transfer digitized Intellectual and Copyrighted Properties within said third party domains. Said TCI's being comprised of generic TCI's, which are human and machine readable, and Property Specific TCI's which are embedded, watermarked, associated and bundled with digitized Intellectual and Copyrighted Properties and contain the legal requirements of sale, transfer and proliferation of individual digitized Intellectual and Copyrighted Properties. Also, said responsible third parties verify content of transmissions within their respective domains against digitized Intellectual and Copyrighted Properties, and TCI's of record within the IPA. And said IPA inspecting digital transmissions of third parties within unsecured digital media, and transmissions submitted by responsible third parties to the IPA for assessment Said IPA also distributing digitized Intellectual and Copyrighted Properties in the interest of commerce and Property Rights Management. |
| US07797241B2 |
Global information network product publication system
A system and a method of publishing an product document for clients for the purpose of publicly disclosing an invention to end users on the Global Information Network. The system includes a first Web site system having a publicly accessible database for storing a plurality of product documents received from clients. The Web site also includes a search engine accessible to the end user. The search engine is in electronic communication with the database and can receive a search request the end user, allowing the end user access to one or more of the product documents. The product document preferably includes a primary text file and attachment files which may include drawing files. The product documents may be digitally notarized and time/date stamped. |
| US07797230B1 |
Systems and methods for credit management risk rating and approval
A method for one of approving and denying a credit offering to a borrower. The method includes calculating a probability of default rating of the borrower and calculating a loss given default rating for the borrower. The method also includes integrating the probability of default rating and the loss given default rating with other information relating to the credit offering to produce a credit memorandum and automatically outputting the credit memorandum to a user so that the user can recommend one of approval and denial of the credit offering. |
| US07797229B2 |
Credit authorization systems and methods
Systems and methods for credit authorization are provided. In accordance with one embodiment, a method is provided for authorizing a credit request of customers of at least a first online shop and a second online shop. The method includes receiving a credit request from at least one of the first online shop and the second online shop, wherein the credit request is indicative of a requested credit amount by one of the customers. The method further includes accepting the credit request if the global payment obligation plus the credit amount does not surpass the global credit limits. |
| US07797228B2 |
System and method for calculating and displaying volume to identify buying and selling in an electronic trading environment
A system and method are provided for calculating and displaying volume to identify aggressive buying or selling activity. In a preferred embodiment, market information such as the inside market, last traded price, and last traded quantity is received from the electronic exchange and is used to assist a trader in determining the initiative side of a trade, either bid side or ask side. Once a determination is made, the result may be used to assist a trader analyzing the market volume. Other features and advantages are described herein. |
| US07797226B2 |
Interactive grid-based graphical trading system for real time security trading
An interactive grid-based graphical trading system for use in securities trading provides a dynamic, visual display of trading data consisting of orders, quotes and indices, for any security and for any number of market participants. The trading data are plotted on a grid consisting of cells arranged in rows and columns, which are associated with specific parameters. Distinct visual presentation styles are used, and differences in the price parameter are represented spatially. The values of the price and other parameters associated with the same orders and quotes are mapped against the values associated with the rows and columns of the grid. A trader may place or modify trading orders by interacting with the trading data displayed on the grid, and with specific GUI objects displayed on the same grid. Trading instructions are generated and transmitted to a market participant, in a manner transparent to the trader. |
| US07797225B1 |
Sharia compliant performance linked note
Embodiments of systems and methods relate to the issuing, servicing, and redeeming of investment notes that are linked to the performance of a single commodity or basket of commodities and are compliant with and tradable under Sharia principles. An exemplary method for administering an investment note compliant with Sharia principles involves establishing an agency contract between an agent and a trustee wherein the agent acts on behalf of the trustee and the trustee acts on behalf of the investor, establishing a unilateral purchase agreement between the agent and the issuer under which the issuer promises to buy commodities from the agent, and purchasing, by the agent, a commodity such that the agent holds title to the commodity on behalf of the trustee. |
| US07797224B2 |
Systems and methods for automatically backing out by orders
A system and method for identifying a candidate set of one or more buy orders associated with an investment account, ordering the buy orders in the candidate set into a chain, determining a back out target value that identifies a fiscal amount by which the candidate set must be reduced, and decrementing an initial asset quantity of one or more successive non-zero quantity buy orders in the chain by a fixed integer quantity to a final asset quantity until the back out target value is achieved. The candidate set of buy orders can then be modified by replacing the respective initial asset quantity with the respective final asset quantity for at least one of the one or more buy orders. The modified candidate set of buy orders can then be provided for trade execution. |
| US07797219B1 |
Method and system to determine military benefits
A method, apparatus and system to performing an adjustment to an overall financial goal based on military benefits. The user data may include user information on a number of users. The military data may include military information on a number of military users among the number of users. The military information may include a branch of service, a military rank, a military activity status, a service start date, and a service component. The lookup data may include assumption information used. A financial goal assessment application may receive information from the user data, the military data, and the lookup data and to generate a financial goal assessment for at least one of a user or a spouse of the user. |
| US07797214B2 |
Financing and securitization structure for a portfolio of loans
A computer system for monitoring and enhancing the collateral security underlying a set of loans is provided, including a system for calculating the unsecured value of the set at any time and for initialing additional collateral enhancement instruments when the unsecured value exceeds a certain limit. The system may include a variety of modules in communication with a relational database for storing data about the loans and system elements. The computer system may also be configured to allocate, manage, and execute the waterfall or cascade of funds between and among the various participants in a financial plan. The invention also includes a structured finance plan and related methods for enhancing the collateral security of a loan obtained for a life insurance or annuity product, and a system and method for managing a portfolio of such loans in order to obtain favorable financing and to facilitate securitization. |
| US07797211B1 |
Method and system for an enhanced payroll report
A method for creating an enhanced payroll report, involving accessing payroll information associated with at least one line item on a paycheck, and generating a payroll report including financial impact information, wherein the financial impact information is associated with the at least one line item, and wherein the payroll report is provided to an employee for a current pay period. |
| US07797204B2 |
Distributed personal automation and shopping method, apparatus, and process
A business method utilizing a system comprising one or more distributed computers, application software, off-the-shelf peripheral components including keyboard-and-mouseless data entry (KDE) devices, business processes, human and KDE device readable data, related information on removable data storage media or available from external databases, and existing communications systems for speeding and improving: 1) personal or business automation, efficiency and productivity, goal attainment; 2) improving, speeding and automating the person-computer interface; 3) selection, acquisition, and tracking usage of items acquired from an existing supply chain; 4) marketing items and retaining customers buying the products, controlling their usage, and disseminating information about the products. |
| US07797202B1 |
Method of masking the identities of both a bidder and seller in an auction
A method of selling excess component inventory between manufacturers wherein a provider provides a forum wherein users may sell components anonymously in a closed sale by using a pseudonym or, preferably, a pseudo-account number. Further, other identifying information, such as any part numbers used internally by the seller are masked. |
| US07797201B2 |
Method and system for receiving and handling orders for commodities
An order-reception system has: an order-reception subsystem which receives, from a customer, customer order information including order-reception information and/or support request information and customer information; a business management subsystem having a customer-information database storing the customer information including information regarding a price of a commodity purchased frequently by the customer, and a cost of a support requested frequently by the customer, the price and the cost set by a seller; an order-entry subsystem which performs an order-reception processing based on the customer order information; and a delivery subsystem which arranges delivery of the commodity and providing of the support. |
| US07797200B2 |
Methods, systems, and computer program products for providing website management services
A method, system, and computer program product for providing website management services is provided. The method includes providing technical services for a website including options that are configurable by a representative of the website. The technical services include at least one of: verifying operability of web page links for the website, and monitoring performance characteristics of the website. |
| US07797199B2 |
Fraudulent address database
One embodiment of the present invention provides a system and method to collect information about potentially suspect addresses across many members of a commerce platform or a fraudulent address database system, thus reducing the chance of exposure to fraudulent charges for merchants providing services as members. |
| US07797190B1 |
Prepaid internet service
An ISP system comprises a communication system interface, an Internet interface, and a server system. The server system stores a plurality of user identifiers in individual association with a plurality of independent business brands. The server system receives a first Internet service request including a first one of the user identifiers from a first user. The server system processes the first user identifier to select a first one and a second one of the independent business brands from the plurality of the independent business brands. The server system transfers a first page to the first user including the first independent business brand and the second independent business brand. The server system provides Internet service to the first user in response to a first user input to the first page. The server system decrements a first user prepaid account in response to the Internet service provided to the first user. |
| US07797188B2 |
Method and system for optimizing business location selection
A method and system for making predictions about business locations. The method includes providing a spatial map and analyzing heterogeneous data having a spatial component to find utilizable data. Relationships are automatically extracted from the utilizable data. The step of automatically extracting relationships includes generating a composite indicator, which correlates spatial data with unstructured data. The extracted relationships are presented on a spatial map to make a prediction about at least one business location. Preferably, the predictions are presented as a rank-ordered list on the spatial map and a heat map overlays the spatial map to indicate predictions about particular regions. |
| US07797184B2 |
Methods and systems for cumulative attribute forecasting using a PDF of a current-to-future value ratio
Systems and methods are disclosed for cumulative attribute forecasting using a probability density function of a current-to-future value ratio. Some method embodiments may comprise determining an unconditional probability density function for a ratio of a cumulative attribute's current value to an associated future value for the cumulative attribute, and determining an unconditional PDF for a future value of the cumulative attribute. The unconditional probability functions are combined with a current value of the cumulative attribute in a manner that yields a conditional probability density function for the future value. The conditional probability density function may then be used to determine forecasts such as a most likely future value, a mean value, a median value, a confidence interval for the future value, and a probability of achieving a future value within some specified range. |
| US07797183B2 |
Method and system for calculating an environmental score for a business unit
A method and system for calculating an environmental score are described and generally related to calculating a score for a separately accountable business unit, where the score is indicative of external costs for the business unit. A computer system for calculating a score for a separately accountable business unit, the score being indicative of a level of unaccounted for external environmental cost of economic activities of the separately accountable business unit, the system includes accessing means for accessing accounts data indicative of recognized costs for the separately accountable business unit, accounts processing means for processing the accounts data by adding external environmental costs to the recognized costs and for calculating the score for the separately accountable business unit using the processed accounts data. |
| US07797178B2 |
Systems and methods for determining optimal utilization levels in a fixed capacity system
A method. The method includes includes determining a hardware efficiency factor for an asset having a fixed capacity and a predictable capacity consumption rate, and determining a touch efficiency factor for the asset. The touch efficiency factor represents a measurement of the frequency of touch of the asset, and touch represents a disruption of the asset occurring when the asset reaches the fixed capacity. The method further includes determining an optimal utilization level based on both the hardware efficiency factor and the touch efficiency factor. |
| US07797175B2 |
Financial arrangement to support implementation of a retirement medical program or to protect a users future medical needs
A method for providing a financial product that permits monies dedicated to a medical sub-account within a Dual-Purpose Profit Sharing plan (DPPSP) to maintain compliance with relevant IRS Tax Code provisions. The method comprising the steps of: establishing a document (MEDVAN) with provisions that maintain compliance with relevant IRS Tax Code provisions; add a provision to the document that assures all employer contributions made on behalf of the employee to the employee benefit plan are fully non-forfeitable; add a provision to the document that assures that all benefit payments to the primary and listed beneficiaries are exclusively for medical care; issue the MEDVAN to an employee benefit plan in exchange for a premium; and process payment requests from the MEDVAN based upon the medical needs of at least one employee listed as a beneficiary. |
| US07797171B2 |
Sensitive drug distribution system and method
A drug distribution system and method utilizes a central pharmacy and database to track all prescriptions for a sensitive drug. Information is kept in the database regarding all physicians allowed to prescribe the sensitive drug, and all patients receiving the drug. Abuses are identified by monitoring data in the database for prescription patterns by physicians and prescriptions obtained by patients. Further verification is made that the physician is eligible to prescribe the drug by consulting a separate database, and optionally whether any actions are taken against the physician. Multiple controls beyond those for normal drugs are imposed on the distribution depending on the sensitivity of the drug. |
| US07797168B2 |
System and method for consumer-selected advertising and branding in interactive media
Participants in an interactive environment implemented by computer networks and other media such as interactive television are recruited to advertise products and brands to the other participants and viewers that are users of the media. Each participant may select from a set of available advertisements, which can be displayed in association with the user's avatar, virtual space and virtual objects within or embodying the virtual world. Participants are given incentives to do this by the availability of rewards, such as coupons, real or virtual money or other resources, which are provided by the advertising sponsors, based on adoption of the advertising by the participant, as well as on factors such as exposure of the selected advertisements to other users. Allowing the users to exercise advertising choice, as participant or viewer, the invention also facilitates collection of data regarding consumer preferences. |
| US07797167B2 |
Cooperative product promotion system and method
Computer-implemented systems and methods for presenting personalized custom product designs to the customers of a second company. Email content promoting customizable products and containing images of product designs is prepared by the product vendor and supplied to a second company. The second company creates and sends an email containing the content to customers of the second company. If a recipient of the email selects one of the product images presented in the email, an identifier of the selected image and information about the email recipient are forwarded to the product vendor. The received recipient information is incorporated into the selected design to create a customized product design, which is displayed to the recipient for review. |
| US07797165B1 |
Lossless account compression for health care patient benefits eligibility research system and methods
A system and method for determining eligibility for reimbursement for medical claims for patients may be implemented with computer software which compares a service provider's patient information against a benefit provider's database of covered persons to determine if the patient is eligible for benefits. The service provider records may be compressed by grouping all of the medical claims relating to a particular patient into one cluster represented by a composite medical claim, which may be used to query the benefit provider databases to determine if the patient is recognized. If the patient is recognized, every record within the cluster may be checked against the benefit provider's database to determine whether one or more patient medical claims are eligible for reimbursement. |
| US07797164B2 |
Method and apparatus for enabling purchasers of products to obtain return information and to initiate product returns via an on-line network connection
An electronic registration system facilitates authorized product returns and reduces the incidence of improper returns. A retailer sales associate is prompted to enter individual product identification information such as an individual serial number. This individual product identification information is then stored in a data base along with the date on which the product was sold and an appropriate UPC code, SKU number or manufacturer code. A check digit algorithm may be used to verify the serial number prior to storage. A sales receipt may be imprinted with at least the date of the transaction and the serial number. When a product is returned, the retailer may cross-reference the serial number on the product with that on the receipt to verify the sales receipt. Otherwise, the database may be searched for pertinent sales information. A customer may also access a return authorization engine via the Internet to obtain return approval, an authorization number, return instructions, etc. to reduce retailer hassle. |
| US07797161B2 |
Method and apparatus for performing packet loss or frame erasure concealment
A method for performing packet loss or Frame Erasure Concealment (FEC) for a speech coder receives encoded frames of compressed speech information transmitted from an encoder. The method determines whether an encoded frame has been lost, corrupted in transmission, or erased, synthesizes properly received frames, and decides on an overlap-add window to use in combining a portion of the synthesized speech signal with a subsequent speech signal resulting from a received and decoded packet, where the size of the overlap-add window is based on the unavailability of packets. If it is determined that an encoded frame has been lost, corrupted in transmission, or erased, the method performed an overlap-add operation on the portion of the synthesized speech signal and the subsequent speech signal, using the decided-on overlap-add window. |
| US07797156B2 |
Speech analyzing system with adaptive noise codebook
Presented herein are systems and methods for generating an adaptive noise codebook for use with electronic speech systems. The noise codebook includes a plurality of entries which may be updated based on environmental noise sounds. The speech system includes a speech codebook and the adaptive noise codebook. The system identifies speech sounds in an audio signal using the speech and noise codebooks. |
| US07797155B2 |
System and method for measurement of perceivable quantization noise in perceptual audio coders
A technique for computing perceptual noise in an audio signal that is computationally efficient. In one example embodiment, the technique includes computing perceptual noise in an input audio signal. The steps involve pre-computing NER (noise-to-excitation ratio) values associated with critical bands within a frame by zeroing out associated spectral coefficient values before the quantization loop, and also assuming bands with lower spectral energy than the band under consideration are zeroed out during quantization. When a critical band is zeroed out during quantization, the associated NER values which have been pre-computed are used in computing an overall perceptual distortion of the frame. |
| US07797151B2 |
Translation process component
A translation tool that facilitates translation of a software product into multiple target human languages without requiring recompilation of any binary deliverables. The translation tool is installed by an end user who wishes to translate the software product into the target human language. The end user does not need any programming knowledge. The translator tool extracts all the strings from various sources in the software product, and displays them on a UI to a translator or exports them to a spreadsheet file. The translator translates all the strings via the UI or by modifying the spreadsheet file and saves the translations. The translator tool uses an MSI utility to package the translated deliverables into an installer. The resulting set of install files are now in the target language and can be deployed without having to recompile any of the binary files (EXEs, DLLs) or other content not requiring translation. |
| US07797150B2 |
Translation system using a translation database, translation using a translation database, method using a translation database, and program for translation using a translation database
A translation system comprises an image reading unit that optically reads an image of a manuscript and generates image data; an inputting unit that inputs a translation target language; a character recognizing unit that generates an original text by performing a character recognition process on the image data generated by the image reading unit; a translation text database in which are associated and stored translation texts, language identifiers which specify the languages in which the translation texts are written, and document identifiers which specify the contents of the translation texts; an extracting unit that extracts the document identifier which specifies the content of the original text from the original text; a searching unit that searches the translation text database for a translation text associated with a document identifier identical to the document identifier extracted from the original text by the extracting unit and a language identifier identical to the language identifier which specifies the translation target language input by the inputting unit; and an outputting unit that outputs the translation text searched by the searching unit. |
| US07797147B2 |
Model-based system monitoring
Model-based system monitoring includes accessing a model of a system that includes multiple components and identifying relationships among the multiple components based on the model of the system. A proposed change to at least one of the multiple components is identified. A determination is made regarding an expected impact on the system caused by the proposed change. This determination is made, at least in part, based on the model of the system. |
| US07797146B2 |
Method and system for simulated interactive conversation
A method of simulating interactive communication between a user and a human subject. The method comprises: assigning at least one phrase to a stored content sequence, wherein the content sequence comprises a content clip of the subject; parsing the at least one phrase to produce at least one phonetic clone; associating the at least one phonetic clone with the stored content sequence; receiving an utterance from the user; matching the utterance to the at least one phonetic clone; and displaying the stored content sequence associated with the at least one phonetic clone. |
| US07797142B2 |
Simulating cavitation damage
Methods and systems provide a simulation of cavitation damage. In one implementation, a computer-implemented method simulates a potential for cavitation damage. According to the method, data defining a modeled component is imported to a flow solver tool. The flow solver tool simulates a liquid that flows through the modeled component. Voids created by the flow of the liquid cause a plurality of vapor implosion pressure events. The method further includes displaying a histogram showing a portion of the modeled component. On the histogram, locations of the plurality of vapor implosion pressure events are visually distinguishable on a surface of the portion of the modeled component. |
| US07797135B2 |
Method and apparatus for correcting the time of recordal of a series of recordings
A process for correcting the time stamp of recordings such as photographs, obtained in many locations. An onboard clock records a time stamp for each photograph. GPS tracking data is obtained during movement of the camera. A time correction is sought, to account for an unknown error in the onboard clock, relative to the trusted GPS time data. To this end, an assigned location of each photograph is generated from the location tracking data and from an estimated time correction. Indicators of an appropriate time correction include clustering of the assigned locations, and correlation of the assigned locations to locations of reduced velocity. A GUI can be used to enable user assessment of clustering and/or correlation, and indication of a suitable time correction. Or, algorithmic assessment can be used. The determined time correction can be used to correct each photograph's time stamp. |
| US07797132B1 |
Benchmarking and testing GPS performance on communication devices
A method and system for providing repeatable GPS performance testing of a communication device are provided. Navigation data is complied over a drive route. The navigation data is used as an input to a GPS simulator to duplicate in a laboratory setting the GPS signals present at the GPS receiver during a travel along the drive route. Performance data of a baseline unit can be obtained for benchmarking the performance of a communication device being tested. A device under test can also be exposed to simulated GPS signals and to both simulated GPS signals and other radio frequency signals, such as telephone network signals present along the drive route. |
| US07797128B2 |
Calibration procedure for rivet height gages
A method, apparatus, and computer usable program product for calibrating rivet height gages. In one embodiment, the process calculates a size of sphere required to create a sphere-based ring gage to simulate a contact point between a rivet height gage and a sharp edge of a specified sharp-edged ring gage. The process identifies an expected protrusion height from a top of the rivet height gage to a reference surface formed by tops of a set of spheres of the size of sphere required to simulate the contact point. |
| US07797127B2 |
Method for determining two pseudo-sinusoidal signals in quadrature
A method for determining two pseudo-sinusoidal signals in quadrature from a pseudo-sinusoidal signal transmitted by an encoder is provided. The method using a sensor arranged within reading distance of the encoder, which sensor includes at least four sensing elements which are linearly equally distributed. The sensing elements are each capable of delivering a signal Si representative of the signal transmitted by the encoder. The method measuring the signals Si and combining the signals Si in order to form the signals U=(S1−S2)−(S3−S4) and V=(S2−S3), which signals U and V are in quadrature. A system for determining by implementing such a method, as well as a bearing including such a determination system, are provided. |
| US07797126B2 |
Online determination of the quality characteristics for punch riveting and clinching
The present invention discloses a method for the online determination of a bulge/upset dimension xST and rivet head end position K of a rivet 3 with a length L in a punch rivet process with the help of a moveable punch 10 and a rigid die 20. The path covered by the punch 10 and the force applied by it are determined and evaluated online during the joining process. The quality characteristics of the joint connection are determined with the help of defined threshold values or a graphical evaluation of force/path data of the joining process. |
| US07797122B2 |
Electrohydraulic valve control circuit with velocity fault detection and rectification
Motion of a hydraulically driven machine component is controlled in response to a velocity command that indicates a desired velocity for the machine component. A method for detecting a velocity fault involves determining an actual velocity at which the machine component is moving, and producing a velocity error value based on a difference between the velocity command and the actual velocity. The velocity error value is integrated, such as by a low pass, biquadratic filter function, to produce an integrated value. The integrated value is compared to one or more thresholds to determine whether a velocity fault has occurred. |
| US07797106B2 |
System and method for adjusting step detection based on motion information
A system and method for changing the weighting accelerometer filtering based upon motion sensor measurements. Using measurements from motion sensors, one or more features can be extracted. This information is used by an algorithm to assign a most appropriate test feature class to be the class of the state of motion at a particular moment in time. This information is used to provide more accurate positioning information, and can also be used to power down the motion sensor at various times, providing an improvement in battery efficiency. |
| US07797105B2 |
System and method for GPS acquisition using advanced tight coupling
A system and method for GPS acquisition in relatively high interference is described. Acquisition is aided by an Advanced Tightly Coupled (ATC) tracking filters that compute a satellite range residuals and range rate residuals for satellites being acquired. Multiple channels are used in parallel to search for the desired satellites. Range residuals from the ATC filters are used to correct the computed receiver offset and thus allow acquisition in the presence of relatively high interference. |
| US07797104B2 |
Geographic database with detailed local data
A method is disclosed for representing locations in a geographic database in a manner that facilitates navigation and routing. A core map database includes data that represents public roads in a geographic region. Each of a plurality of location map databases includes data that represent facilities, such as businesses, stores, offices, or other places, that are physically located away from the public network and access to which requires travel on paths away from the public road network. Each of the facilities represented in the location map databases is assigned a location reference code that is associated with data from which a path connecting the facility and the public road network can be determined. |
| US07797099B2 |
Apparatus for controlling operation of engine mounted on vehicle provided with idle stop function
An apparatus is for controlling rotation of an engine mounted on a vehicle. In the apparatus, a count of a crank counter is updated based on a signal changing in accordance with rotation of a crankshaft. The count indicates a rotational position of the crankshaft. The rotation of the engine is controlled based on the count of the crank counter. An idle stop control member issues an engine stop request when it is determined that engine stop conditions are met, and then issues a command to crank the engine for restarting the engine when it is determined that engine start conditions are met. Further, an update prohibiting member prohibits the counter from being updated during a period of time ranging from a time instant when the engine stops in response to the engine stop request to a time instant when it is determined that the engine start conditions are met. |
| US07797097B2 |
Exhaust purification device for internal combustion engine
When it is determined that fuel in use is low-cetane fuel or a present location point is at a high altitude, a map of rich combustion, exhaust gas fuel addition or a post-injection is rewritten on the occasion of reduction of NOx to inhibit a misfire. Also, deterioration of fuel consumption due to regeneration of a diesel particulate filter is inhibited by suppressing excessive discharge of smoke due to the rich combustion. Thus, an exhaust purification device of an internal combustion engine capable of achieving both of inhibition of the deterioration in the fuel consumption due to the regeneration of the diesel particulate filter and inhibition of torque shock accompanying the misfire during the rich combustion for the NOx reduction is provided. |
| US07797094B2 |
Turning control apparatus for vehicle
The turning control apparatus for a vehicle has a driving torque controlling mechanism adjusting driving torque of left and right wheels. The apparatus includes a maximum-yaw momentum value calculating means having means for estimating an outside-wheel gripping capacity, which is capacity of adhesive friction between the outside-wheel and a road surface, and an inside-wheel gripping capacity, which is capacity of adhesive friction between the inside-wheel and the road surface, and means for calculating a torque adjustment limiting value indicating an adjustment amount of driving torque by the driving torque controlling mechanism so that the adjustment amount does not exceed the gripping capacity. The maximum-yaw momentum value calculating means sets the maximum-yaw momentum value indicating possible yaw momentum, which is estimated if the driving torque is adjusted along with the torque-adjustment-limit value calculated by the torque adjustment limiting value calculating means. |
| US07797089B2 |
System and method for managing a power source in a vehicle
A system and method for managing a power source in a vehicle having an engine and an electric machine includes setting first and second discharge limits for the power source, where the second discharge limit is higher than the first discharge limit. A buffer value is determined as a function of at least the second discharge limit and an engine-on power requirement. A driver demand for power is determined, and the engine is started when the engine is off and the driver demand for power exceeds the buffer value. |
| US07797087B2 |
Method and apparatus for selectively disabling train location reports
A scheduling system and method for moving plural objects through a system described as a freight railway scheduling system. The scheduling system utilizes a cost reactive resource scheduler to minimize resource exception while at the same time minimizing the global costs associated with the solution. The achievable movement plan can be used to assist in the control of, or to automatically control, the movement of trains through the system. Train location reports used in the automatic updating of the movement plans are selectively disabled for individual trains as a function of the activity scheduled for that train. |
| US07797084B2 |
Building energy management system
An energy management system for managing energy such as power consumed in a building in an optimal state to significantly save energy is provided. A computer control system (200) for controlling the energy management system performs program control as follows. Current date and time are acquired, a control pattern for that time is obtained using a control program, so as to determine whether operation of an air conditioner (186) is to be turned ON or OFF, and then output either an operation instruction or a stop instruction. A control signal is then output from a digital output unit (212) to the air conditioner (186). Thus, the air conditioner (186) temporarily stops operation according to a predetermined pattern for the program control. The current operating state is displayed on a display unit (240) and a remote monitoring unit (270). |
| US07797074B2 |
Machine including grinding wheel and wheel dresser
Disclosed are a machine with a grinding wheel and a dressing surface and related method. The dressing surface is movable in at least two axes of translation relative to the grinding wheel. The rotational speed of the grinding wheel and dressing surface preferably are under the control of a computer control system, whereby the speed of rotation of the dressing surface may be adjusted as the diameter of the dressing wheel and as the diameter of the grinding wheel is decreased during use. The machine may be used in continuous or intermittent dressing operations. |
| US07797073B1 |
Controlling processing of semiconductor wafers based upon end of line parameters
A method and an apparatus for processing semiconductor wafer based upon end-of-line (EOL) parameters. A target end-of-line parameter relating to a semiconductor wafer is determined. An inline parameter relating to processing of the semiconductor wafer is controlled in response to the target end-of-line parameter using a controller. Controlling the inline parameter includes adjusting a target inline parameter that correlates to the inline parameter. |
| US07797069B2 |
Production line incorporating equidistantly spaced apart sets of printheads
A production line is provided for forming a layered product. The production line includes a conveyor configured to convey a substrate. A plurality of elongate printheads extend transverse to the conveyance direction and is configured to print voxels upon the conveyed substrate to form the layered product. The printheads are arranged to form a plurality of sets which are equidistantly spaced apart. |
| US07797068B2 |
Defect probability calculating method and semiconductor device manufacturing method
A defect probability calculating method includes assuming a plurality of process conditions containing process variations caused in a process of forming a pattern on a substrate based on a design pattern, acquiring appearance probabilities of the respective process conditions, performing process simulation to predict a pattern to be formed on a substrate based on the design pattern for each of the process conditions, determining whether the pattern predicted by performing the process simulation satisfies preset criteria for each of the process conditions, and acquiring first probability by adding together appearance probabilities of the process conditions used for process simulation of patterns which are determined not to satisfy the preset criteria. |
| US07797067B2 |
Production management program, production management method, and production management system
A computer-readable recording medium recording a production management program that causes a computer to execute: a first process, based on a component table in which a group of components constituting a product is defined and on production planning information of the product, determining component planning information including a required period and a required quantity of each of the components; a second process linking the component planning information relating to each of the components within a certain period to an actual use record and recording it as first history information; a third process calculating a difference in the first history information recorded in chronological order and recording it as second history information; and a fourth process converting the second history information into a markup language and storing it, and searching and displaying the second history information on the basis of a specific component and period designated from outside. |
| US07797066B2 |
Off-stage control of on-stage digital audio processing
A digital processing stage-box that may be placed on stage to process audio input from on-stage audio input devices and generate output to audio output devices for playback to an audience. The on-stage audio input and output devices may be connected to the digital processing stage-box using an analog or network cable connection. The digital processing stage-box is controlled from a remote control device preferably connected to the digital processing stage-box via a wireless network connection. This arrangement allows the electronics needed to process audio input and output to be placed on or close to a stage. |
| US07797063B2 |
Method for model gain matrix modification
A method is presented for adjusting the steady-state gains of a multivariable predictive control, planning or optimization model with uncertainty. The user selects a desired matrix relative gain criteria for the predictive model or sub-model. This is used to calculate a base number. Model gains are extracted from the predictive model and the magnitudes are modified to be rounded number powers of the calculated base number. |
| US07797059B1 |
System and method for lead implantation in a pericardial space
A system for pericardial lead implantation is disclosed herein. The system includes an implantation tool and a stimulation lead. The implantation tool includes a tubular body, a first lumen, a second lumen, a stylet or guidewire, a first port, and a second port. The first and second lumens longitudinally extend through tubular body. The first port is in communication with the first lumen, and the second port is in communication with the second lumen. The stylet or guidewire is longitudinally displaceable in the first lumen and across the first port. A tissue adhesive is selectively administrable through the second port via the second lumen. The stimulation lead includes a distal end and an engagement feature. Placing the engagement feature in the first port and causing the stylet or guidewire to displace in a first direction across the first port causes the lead to attach to the implantation tool. Displacing the stylet or guidewire in a second direction opposite the first direction allows the lead to detach from the implantation tool. |
| US07797057B2 |
Medical paddle lead and method for spinal cord stimulation
A medical lead for electrical stimulation or sensing. The medical lead has a generally flat paddle on the distal end of the lead body. An electrode array is provided on the paddle. The electrode array having directional electrical field properties relative to the first and major surfaces of the paddle (e.g., the electrodes are exposed through only one of the major surfaces). An orientation marker for determining orientation of the lead, with the orientation marking including fluoroscopically viewable material. |
| US07797053B2 |
Lead stabilization devices and methods
Devices and methods for stabilizing an electrical lead in a cardiac vein of a heart using a tether and a stent anchor. The stent anchor may include a proximal eccentric apex such that the distal electrode of the lead lies against and establishes electrical contact with tissue of the heart. |
| US07797052B2 |
Bi-direction treating device with player function
A bi-direction treating device with player function including a power supplying unit, a controller, a displaying unit, an audio outputting unit, an input unit, a multimedia processing unit and a high voltage treating unit where device is supplied by the power supplying unit and is operated by user through inputting operation instructions from the input unit. The controller controls the multimedia processing unit and the high voltage treating unit according to user's instructions. And, through the displaying unit, the audio outputting unit and the high voltage treating unit, the user can enjoy a multimedia acousto-optical effect during treatment. |
| US07797049B2 |
Neurostimulation delivery during transurethral prostate treatment
In general, the invention provides a transurethral ablation device comprising an electrode for delivery of neurostimulation therapy to a patient to prevent or alleviate pain experienced during the course of a transurethral ablation procedure. The device may include a conductive ablation needle that delivers electrical current for ablation of prostate tissue, as well as neurostimulation current to prevent or alleviate pain encountered in response to the ablation current. In this sense, the ablation needle is integrated with a neurostimulation electrode. Alternatively, the device may incorporate a dedicated neurostimulation electrode independently of the ablation needle, either on the needle or on a catheter body that carries the needle. |
| US07797047B2 |
Implantable lead functional status monitor and method
An implantable medical device (IMD) includes a lead status monitoring system. The lead status monitoring system employs a method including the steps of: collecting data sets from a lead impedance source, a stimulation threshold source, and at least one additional source included in the IMD; and processing the data sets to determine if a lead status event has occurred. |
| US07797044B2 |
Easy-to-use electrode and package
The invention presents techniques for making the operation of an automated external defibrillator easier to understand for an operator. The automated external defibrillator includes defibrillation electrodes packaged in a sealed, easy-to-open pouch. Visual cues such as instructive pictures show the operator how to open the pouch, retrieve the defibrillation electrodes and correctly position the electrodes on a patient's chest. |
| US07797043B1 |
Pulse sensors
A method of operating an automated external defibrillator, the method being implemented by circuitry and one or more processors of the defibrillator, comprising monitoring a pulse signal from the patient; monitoring an ECG signal from the patient; determining whether it is appropriate to deliver a defibrillation shock to the patient, the determination being based at least in part on the content of the ECG signal and on the content of the pulse signal. |
| US07797042B2 |
Device for applying a transcutaneous stimulus or for transcutaneous measuring of a parameter
The apparatus for transcutaneous stimulation or transcutaneous measurement of a parameter is a device which fits wholly within the pinna (external ear) of the vertebrate. In order to fit completely within the pinna, the housing is C-shaped and from each end of the housing is a curved section which has a spring action that holds the apparatus inside the ear. This apparatus has a compact design which allows for nerve stimulation in a particularly efficient, ergonomically favorable and easy manipulation for the patient. |
| US07797039B2 |
Method for recognizing the heartbeat and for calculating quantities acquired from the heartbeat
The present invention relates to a method for recognizing and measuring heartbeat in physical training, in which method individual heartbeats are recognized and measured from the electrical signal of the heart, the EKG signal, on the area of waist and/or on the body area below the waist by means of two or more electrodes (2, 3) integrated to an outfit (1) or to a part of an outfit, and/or by means of two or more electrodes integrated to one or several wearable sensors, and for calculating various quantities describing the function of the heart. In the method in accordance with the invention, for recognizing and measuring heartbeat, the signals received from the heart are processed and examined with two or more different ways for improving the reliability of calculation and for decreasing the impact of noises. |
| US07797038B2 |
Heart rate monitor with cross talk reduction
A heart rate monitor determines a heart rate for a primary subject by reducing noise and cross-talk from unwanted signal transmission sources. A set of pulse peaks having about the same amplitude and an amplitude greater than any other set of peaks are processed to determine a subject's heart rate, while data having an amplitude below that of the set of peaks is ignored. To retrieve enough data to determine a peak amplitude, the signal having heart rate information is sampled at a frequency higher than a normal sampling frequency. In some embodiments, if no data is received for a set time period which is in or above the range, the threshold resets to zero under an assumption that the primary subject is no longer within transmitting range. |
| US07797036B2 |
Cardiac activation sequence monitoring for ischemia detection
Cardiac monitoring and/or stimulation methods and systems that provide one or more of monitoring, diagnosing, defibrillation, and pacing. Cardiac signal separation is employed to detect, monitor, track and/or trend ischemia using cardiac activation sequence information. Ischemia detection may involve sensing composite cardiac signals using implantable electrodes, and performing a signal separation that produces one or more cardiac activation signal vectors associated with one or more cardiac activation sequences. A change in the signal vector may be detected using subsequent separations. The change may be an elevation or depression of the ST segment of a cardiac cycle or other change indicative of myocardial ischemia, myocardial infarction, or other pathological change. The change may be used to predict, quantify, and/or qualify an event such as an arrhythmia, a myocardial infarction, or other pathologic change. Information associated with the vectors may be stored and used to track the vectors. |
| US07797034B2 |
3-D in-vivo imaging and topography using structured light
The present invention provides systems and methods for obtaining a three-dimensional (3D) representation of one or more light sources inside a sample, such as a mammal. Mammalian tissue is a turbid medium, meaning that photons are both absorbed and scattered as they propagate through tissue. In the case where scattering is large compared with absorption, such as red to near-infrared light passing through tissue, the transport of light within the sample is described by diffusion theory. Using imaging data and computer-implemented photon diffusion models, embodiments of the present invention produce a 3D representation of the light sources inside a sample, such as a 3D location, size, and brightness of such light sources. |
| US07797032B2 |
Method and system for navigating a catheter probe in the presence of field-influencing objects
A system for and method of determining and compensating for the effect of a field influencing object on a field sensor, preferably a coil, that is within a navigational domain. The system includes a first and second transmitter to create signals. A signal processor is able to process the created signals. The method can include determining interference and/or a correct signal based on the two signals. Also, a shield can be provided to limit transmission of selected fields. |
| US07797026B2 |
Portable electric device
A portable electric device, to provide mobile phones and PDA functions, includes a main body and a sub-body. The main body has a first keyboard and a second keyboard that are operated in different directions. The sub-body has a large display screen on one side and a small display screen on the other side. The sub-body is pivotally coupled on one side of the main body, corresponding to a QWERTY keyboard through a biaxial hinge. The sub-body may be selectively having a large display screen or a small display screen, folding over the main body, to cover the QWERTY keyboard, or to be lifted, to form an angle with the main body, to provide different operation modes for the mobile phone or PDA functions. |
| US07797025B2 |
Microphone coupler for a communication device
The invention provides a communication device comprising: a cover; a printed circuit board; a microphone on the printed circuit board; an antenna located at least in part within the cover; and a RF shield can shaped to fit over the microphone about the PCB. In the device, the cover is shaped to enclose the PCB and the RF shield can. The cover provides pressure on the RF shield can to press inward on the microphone to fixedly attach it to the PCB. |
| US07797024B2 |
Display control for cellular phone
A control system for a mobile device comprises at least one touch sensor that generates a resistance signal based on a sensed resistance. A comparing module generates a first signal when the resistance signal is less than a threshold. A timing module determines a duration of the first signal. A selecting module communicates with the timing module and selects one of an active mode and an inactive mode of the mobile device when the duration is greater than a first period. |
| US07797023B2 |
Methods, systems, and computer program products for implementing an ad-hoc, autonomous communications network
Methods, systems, and computer program products for implementing an ad-hoc, autonomous communications network is provided. The method includes activating a power supply for a first article embedded with communications components. The power supply is generated by at least one of a power source of the communications components and a power generator of the communications components that is implemented via active motion of the first article. The method also includes broadcasting a transmission event via the first article for a time period less than or equal to the life of the power supply. The method further includes detecting a communications node within a proximity of the first article, the communications node receiving the transmission event. |
| US07797020B2 |
Foldable cellular telephone
A cellular phone includes a first case and a second case, which are connected in a foldable manner through a hinge. When the cellular phone is in a folded state, a second display unit displays an image with the side (upper side) closer to the hinge as the upper side. Accordingly, the user can hold the second case of the cellular phone in his/her hand regardless of whether the cellular phone is in a folded state or in an open state. The user can easily switch between a folded state and an open state with respect to the first case and the second case. |
| US07797015B2 |
Device and method for controlling radio-frequency power in wireless terminal
A device and method for controlling radio-frequency power in a wireless terminal are provided, by which radio-frequency power transmitted from the wireless terminal to a base station is flexibly controlled and transmitted. The device includes a memory that stores an RF power table including the types of power control levels, at least one power classified by the types of power control levels, and at least one received signal strength of the wireless terminal classified by the power, a control unit that performs control to determine the received signal strength of the wireless terminal when a base station requests a change in power control level, to extract a voltage that generates corresponding RF power to the power control level requested to be changed, according to the determined received signal strength of the wireless terminal, and to amplify extracted voltage to transmit to the base station corresponding RF power to the power control level requested to be changed, and a transmission unit that, under the control of the control unit, amplifies the extracted voltage so as to generate corresponding RF power to the power control level requested to be changed, and transmits the same to the base station. |
| US07797013B2 |
Radio communications using scheduled power amplifier backoff
Radio transmissions to multiple radio terminals are improved using scheduled backoff of a multi-signal power amplifier. A radio channel quality associated with each of the radio terminals is determined. First signals for first radio terminals associated with a better channel quality are amplified by a power amplifier during a first time period resulting in a first composite output signal. Second signals for second radio terminals associated with a lower channel quality are amplified by the power amplifier during a second time period resulting in a second composite output signal. Transmission during the first time period occurs at a first power level, e.g., mean power, that is associated with a lower probability of clipping the first composite output signal. During the second time period, the second composite signal is transmitted at a second power level, e.g., mean power, higher than the first power level which improves reception at the second terminals. |
| US07797005B2 |
Methods, systems and apparatus for interactive audience participation at a live entertainment event
A method and system provide interactive participation during activity occurring at a college campus venue. Enjoyment for a plurality of enrolled participants is enhanced. Participants employ wireless interactive devices that present a promotional message and include user input and output interfaces. Participants are queried, and enter answers via the user input interface. The promotional messages are preferably related to businesses and other organizations associated with the college campus venue. |
| US07797003B2 |
Telecommunication services apparatus and methods for addressing the problem of mobile terminated message faking
A telecommunications services apparatus, in a mobile telecommunications network, comprises means (2) for receiving a MAP Send Routing Information for Short Message (SRI_SM message) originating from another network and operate to forward the SRI_SM message to a home location register (4), means for receiving a response from the home location register (4) to the SRI_SM message, means for temporarily storing information relating to the SRI_SM response and operable to pass said response on to a network address identified as the originating address, and means for receiving a MAP Mobile Terminated Forward Short Message (MT_Fwd_SM message) from the other network and operable to correlate the MT_Fwd_SM message with a previously-sent SRI_SM response using stored information. The apparatus is operable to detect and selectively reject MT_Fwd_SM messages for which there is at least insufficient correlation between the MT_Fwd_SM message and the previously-sent SRI_SM response, and to pass other MT_Fwd_SM messages on to their respective destinations. The apparatus may include means for modifying IMSI information in the SRI_SM response, which may be operable to store information relating to the modified SRI_SM response and operable to pass the modified response on to the originating address network. In that case, the correlation determination may be made between the MT_Fwd_SM message and a previously-sent modified SRI_SM response. |
| US07797001B2 |
Location-based command execution for mobile telecommunications terminals
Methods and apparatuses for responding to a command at a mobile telecommunications terminal based on the geo-location of the terminal are disclosed. The illustrative embodiment determines the appropriate response based on geo-location and optionally, one or more additional factors (e.g., who the user is, the nature of the command, what the data is when the command is a query, the date and time [i.e., “calendrical time”], etc.). Responses based on the geo-location of the terminal (and inferentially, the user) might be desirable in a variety of settings, such as hospitals, banks, military bases, libraries, museums, etc. |
| US07796999B1 |
Method and system for network-directed media buffer-size setting based on device features
A method and system for setting buffer size on a wireless communication device (WCD). A network entity receives a streaming-media-session initiation message from the WCD. The network entity determines a WCD buffer size, based at least on one or more features of the WCD, and sends to the WCD a directive to use the determined WCD buffer size. In one example, the network entity may determine the WCD buffer size based at least on media player version in use on the WCD and make and model of the WCD. |
| US07796991B2 |
RRC signalling for fast HS-DSCH serving cell change
When a Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) receives an indication on Layer 3 (L3) (an L1/L2 indication is also possible) from the User Equipment (UE) that it is switching the High Speed—Data Shared Channel (HS-DSCH) reception to another cell in the active set (AS), the UTRAN sends a reconfiguration message to the UE via the target cell using a pre-configured configuration that UE has taken into use. The message can only include an indication that the pre-defined configuration can be used further by the UE or that a complete new configuration is to be used, e.g., using new HARQ info or even a hard handover (HHO) to another frequency. After receiving the configuration message, the UE responds with a normal reconfiguration complete message. |
| US07796985B2 |
Systems and methods for packing/unpacking satellite service links to/from satellite feeder links
Information content is nonidentically mapped between service link carriers and feeder link carriers at a cellular satellite. A reduced number of satellite feeder link carriers compared to the number of satellite service link carriers and/or a reduced total bandwidth of the satellite feeder link carriers compared to the satellite service link carriers thereby may be obtained. |
| US07796984B2 |
Automated tagging of targeted media resources
The present disclosure provides systems and methods for tagging or identifying bad, faulty or objectionable media resource files in real time, as the media is playing, by users who are exposed to the media. The tagging is simple to use and easy to remember, allowing for increased use of the tagging process to identify, correct and replace bad, faulty or objectionable media. |
| US07796978B2 |
Communication system for receiving and transmitting data using an acoustic data channel
There is described a communication system in which data is received by and/or transmitted to a telecommunications apparatus using an acoustic data channel. In embodiments, the data is encoded within the audio track of a media broadcast or other public broadcast. The invention has particular, but not exclusive, relevance to a cellular communication system. There are also described acoustic position detection systems for determining the position of a telecommunications apparatus. |
| US07796973B2 |
Method to challenge cell phone user for fraudulent use
A method and system for monitoring calls being made from a cellular phone and preventing calls being made to unauthorized numbers, as defined by the owner of the cellular phone. A security challenge is issued to a cell phone user when a suspicious, previously unknown telephone number is attempted to be called. Approved/safe numbers and/or area codes are stored within the phone and/or in a subscriber's account accessible and updated via the Internet. If the user is unable to provide the correct security code in response to the challenge, the user is prevented from making the call to the particular number. |
| US07796967B2 |
Noise removal apparatus
An object of the present invention is to provide a noise removal apparatus, of a simplified configuration, capable of removing a noise. A band separation section 351 separates an inputted digital signal into a digital signal D1 and a digital signal D2 by using, as a boundary, the center frequency of a frequency band of the inputted digital signal. The phase adjustment section 352 adjusts a level and a frequency band of the digital signal D2, and outputs, as a removal signal R, a signal for which the level and the frequency band have been adjusted. The adder 353 adds the removal signal R to the digital signal D1, thereby enabling a signal obtained by removing an in-vehicle noise from the digital signal D1 to be outputted as a corrected signal A. |
| US07796966B2 |
Estimating the location of a wireless terminal based on calibrated signal-strength measurements
A process and machine for estimating the location of a wireless terminal is disclosed. The illustrative embodiment of the present invention is based on the observation that the signal strength of a signal from a transmitter is different at some locations, and, therefore, the location of a wireless terminal can be estimated by comparing the signal strength it currently observes against a map or database that correlates locations to signal strengths. In accordance with a first example, if a particular radio station is known to be received well at a first location and poorly at a second location, and a given wireless terminal at an unknown location is receiving the radio station poorly, it is more likely that the wireless terminal is at the second location than it is at the first location. |
| US07796965B2 |
Method and circuit arrangement for field strength determination and integrated circuit
Method and Circuit Arrangement for Field Strength Determination and Integrated Circuit is provided. In the method of the invention for determining the field strength of a carrier signal at an antenna of an antenna circuit of an electronic key, whereby the antenna circuit generates an output value, which is a function of the field strength and a function of characteristic parameters of the antenna circuit, comprises the steps: generation of a reference input value, supplying the antenna circuit with the reference input value, measurement of the characteristic parameters, while the antenna circuit is supplied with the reference input value, storage of the characteristic parameters, measurement of a first output value of the antenna circuit, and determination of the field strength from the first output value and the characteristic parameters, whereby an effect of the characteristic parameters on the field strength is compensated. Use, for example, in motor vehicles. |
| US07796963B2 |
Mobile station acquisition state antenna tuning systems and methods
Wireless communication device tuning an antenna matching circuit to favor a receive band efficiency over a transmit band efficiency in an acquisition state. Systems and methods are provided that increase the antenna efficiency in the receive band when the wireless communication device is searching for a synchronization message in order to acquire a communication channel. The antenna efficiency may be changed incrementally or may be optimized completely for the receive frequency. The increase in antenna efficiency in the receive band is accomplished by tuning the antenna matching circuit. One way to tune the antenna matching circuit is to apply a voltage to a ferro-electric capacitor in the matching circuit, thereby changing the capacitance of the ferro-electric capacitor, thereby changing the impedance of the matching circuit. |
| US07796961B2 |
Method and apparatus for detecting the presence and locations of radio controlled improvised explosive devices in real time
A Method and Apparatus for Detecting the Presence and Locations of Radio Controlled Improvised Explosive Devices in Real Time. The system will clandestinely detect the presence and location of RCIED's along roadways in real time. This “RCIED Street Sweeper” system consequently allows its users to remove the explosive devices, pre-detonate them, or simply avoid the location so that the weapons cannot be used against a convoy or other important target. The system has the abilities (disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/829,858) to conduct fast wideband scanning of the RF spectrum looking for ambient RF signals as well as RCIED leakage signals. Furthermore the system has the ability to correlate the received leakage signals with the ambient RF signal environment, in order to verify authenticity. Still further, the system has the ability to continually mark and record the precise map location where each of those RF spectrum measurements emanated, including the relative distances between them. Still further, the preferred system will calculate adjusted curve profiles given the real time distance data. Fifth, the preferred system needs to have the ability to correlate sets of trend data with the adjusted curve profiles to determine matches. Further yet, the system alerts the vehicle driver to the presence and location of any RCIED that is detected by the system. Finally, the system is capable of being installed in a low profile, clandestine manner on a mobile platform such as a car or truck, so as not to alert insurgents of its existence. |
| US07796959B2 |
Data processing method, transmitter, device, network element and base station
The invention is related to a device comprising: generating unit configured to generate a feedback signal; setting unit configured to set a predetermined frequency shift to the feedback signal; evaluating unit configured to evaluate distortion caused in a transmission chain on the basis of the frequency shifted feedback signal; adapting unit configured to adapt quadrature modulation pre-distortion algorithms of the transmission chain; wherein the setting unit is further configured to set the frequency of the feedback signal to an original frequency value; wherein the evaluating unit is further configured to evaluate distortion caused in the feedback chain based on the feedback signal having the original frequency; wherein the adapting unit is further configured to adapt quadrature demodulation pre-distortion algorithms of the feedback chain; and wherein the adapting unit is further configured to adapt other pre-distortion algorithms. |
| US07796958B2 |
Transmitter and transmitting method thereof in wireless communication system
A transmitter and a transmitting method of a wireless communication system are provided. The transmitter transmits RF signals using an outphasing scheme of converting one analog IF NC-EMS into two analog C-EMSs. In the transmitter, a baseband processor generates a baseband digital modulated I-signal and a baseband digital modulated Q-signal. A signal converter converts the baseband digital modulated I-signal and the baseband digital modulated Q-signal into a baseband analog modulated I-signal and a baseband analog modulated Q-signal. An IF processor up-converts the baseband analog modulated I-signal and the baseband analog modulated Q-signal to generate one analog IF NC-EMS. A signal component separator separates the analog IF NC-EMS into a first analog IF C-EMS and a second analog IF C-EMS. An RF processor up-converts the first analog IF C-EMS and the second analog IF C-EMS to generate a first analog RF C-EMS and a second analog RF C-EMS. A power amplifier amplifies powers of the first and second analog RF C-EMSs. An RF combiner combines the first and second analog RF C-EMSs having the amplified powers to generate one combined analog RF C-EMS. |
| US07796955B2 |
Expandable wireless transceiver
An expandable wireless transceiver is provided. The expandable wireless transceiver includes an antenna, a receiver, a transmitter and a switch connector. The antenna detects an electromagnetic signal in surrounding space and receives a signal with a first central frequency according to the detection result. The receiver receives the signal based on the detection result of the antenna. The transmitter outputs a radio-frequency signal. A third connection terminal of the switch connector provides a connective path to an expansion antenna. According to the coupling condition of the third connection terminal, the switch connector delivers the radio-frequency signal to its second connection terminal or third connection terminal. Thus, the radio-frequency signal with a second central frequency is transmitted to surrounding space through the antenna or the expansion antenna, wherein the second central frequency and the first central frequency are both in a specific band. |
| US07796945B2 |
Method and system for associating devices in a personal area network
A method and system are provided for associating devices in a personal area network (PAN). Device association is initiated by applying a stimulus to two devices simultaneously, the timing of the stimulus identifying devices to be paired thereby eliminating the need for PINs and passcodes in pairing devices. Upon stimulation the devices record a timestamp (404) for the stimulus and begin searching (406) for other in-range devices with which they can associate. Upon finding an in-range device an association request (408) is sent containing the elapsed time since the stimulus was applied. The in-range device compares the received elapsed time against its internal elapsed time since receiving the stimulus (412) (416) to determine if the stimuli occurred simultaneously to both devices. If the stimuli were substantially simultaneous, then the devices form a PAN association (418). |
| US07796942B2 |
System method for selecting repeaters
A method is described for selecting repeaters comprising: transmitting a first signal from a first node to a second node; measuring signal strength of the first signal at the second node; transmitting a second signal from the second node to the first node; measuring signal strength of the second signal at the first node; and selecting the second node as a repeater based on the signal strength of the first signal and/or the signal strength of the second signal.Another embodiment of the method comprises: calculating signal strength of a signal transmitted to each of a plurality of nodes (the signal strength being measured at each node of the plurality); and selecting one or more of the nodes to be a repeater if the signal strength is below a maximum threshold value and above a minimum threshold value. |
| US07796939B2 |
Digital multimedia broadcasting receiver having a location information notification function and method of the same
A digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) receiver and a method for notifying location information of the receiver is provided. The DMB receiver stores location information of each gap filler matched to a gap filter identification (GFID), and the gap filler relays digital multimedia broadcasting data transmitted from a satellite. The receiver performs receiving digital multimedia broadcasting data from the gap filler, detects the GFID of the gap filler from the received digital multimedia broadcasting data, detects location information of the gap filler by using the GFID and outputs the location information. Therefore, a user in motion may watch DMB without any risk of missing a destination. |
| US07796938B2 |
Wireless transmitter and method that select a subcarrier based on subcarrier reception quality information
A radio transmission apparatus and method for multicasting or broadcasting common data to a plurality of radio receiving apparatuses. The apparatus and method acquire per-subcarrier reception quality information from a radio receiving apparatus. A subcarrier is selected for the multicasting or broadcasting among a plurality of subcarriers, each of which has a different frequency, based on the acquired per-subcarrier reception quality information. And the transmission power of the selected subcarrier is controlled. |
| US07796930B2 |
Anti-toner-adhesion mechanism and sheet conveying apparatus and method thereof
A technique of preventing toner from adhering to a guide which guides a change of a conveying direction of a paper by the paper on which a toner image is formed contacting with the guide is provided. The technique includes: a concave guide, having a concave guide surface, which guides conveyance of a paper so as to change a conveyance direction of the conveyed paper; and a guiding roller provided in the vicinity of a position on the concave guide surface of the concave guide where a front edge of the paper conveyed toward the concave guide abuts so as to have a roller surface project from the concave guide surface. |
| US07796924B2 |
Toner container, image forming apparatus, and method for identifying toner container
A toner container installed in an image forming apparatus, the toner container including a toner container main body having a predetermined length and which accommodates toner, a mixer which stirs the toner in the toner container main body, a discharge port through which the toner in the toner container main body is discharged from the toner container main body, a screw having one end projected from one end surface of the toner container main body, the screw being rotated to convey the toner from the toner container main body to the discharge port, a coupling portion provided at the one end of the screw and rotated by a driving portion provided in the image forming apparatus, and a protruding portion provided on an outer peripheral surface of the coupling portion. |
| US07796923B2 |
Developer supply container
If a user is not familiar with the operation for a developer supply container, the rotating operation for the developer supply container may be insufficient, so that developer supply container does not reach a predetermined operating position, with the result of abnormal developer supply. By increasing a rotation load of a second gear which is in an operable connection with a drive gear member of the developer receiving apparatus by a function of a locking member, the developer supply container mounted to the developer receiving apparatus is rotated toward the supply position. After the developer supply container rotates to the supply position, the locking by the locking member is released, by which the rotation load applied to the second gear is reduced, so that drive transmission, thereafter, to the feeding member for developer supply is smooth. |
| US07796920B2 |
Developing unit and image forming apparatus including the same
A developing unit circulates a developer unidirectionally and includes a developer carrier having a magnetic field generator therein. The developing unit further includes a supply part housing a supply screw, a collecting part housing a collecting screw, an agitation part housing an agitation screw, a first opening, a second opening, and a third opening. The developer is transported by the supply screw, the collecting screw, and the agitation screw from the collecting screw to the agitation screw through the first opening, from the agitation screw to the supply screw through the second opening, and from the supply screw to the collecting screw though the third opening in a developer circulation. A height of a bottom surface of the downstream part of the agitation screw is higher than a height of a bottom surface of the supply screw. |
| US07796919B2 |
Image forming apparatus capable of preventing worsening of image quality caused by excessively charged developer
For an electrostatic latent image formed on an image carrier (31b), besides an operation forming an “image forming electrostatic latent image” used to form the primary image, an operation is executed that forms an “electrostatic latent image for removing developer” for removing developer that resides on a developer supply member (53a) for a predetermined time period onto the image carrier (31b). Thus, developer is nearly eliminated from residing on this developer supply member (53a) in an overcharged state for a long period of time, and generation of a fogged image is avoided as much as possible. |
| US07796915B2 |
Photosensitive member cartridge, developer cartridge and process cartridge
A developer cartridge including a frame, a developer housing section, a developer supplying section, a developer electrode, and an input gear is provided. The frame includes a first side wall and a second side wall, and the first side wall and the second side wall extend substantially in a length direction. The developer housing section, for housing a developer, extends from the first side wall to the second side wall in a width direction substantially perpendicular to the length direction. The developer supplying section, for supplying the developer to a photosensitive member, extends from the first side wall to the second side wall in the width direction and houses a developer carrying member. The developer carrying member includes a developer carrying member shaft and a developer carrying member body that is supported on the developer carrying member shaft. The developer carrying member shaft extends in the width direction and is rotatably supported by the first side wall and the second side wall. The developer electrode electrically biases the developer carrying member, and at least a portion of the developer electrode is connected to the first side wall and the developer carrying member. The input gear supplies a driving force for rotating the developer carrying member. |
| US07796914B2 |
Powder container having a cylindrical shutter
A toner container includes a storing body that stores toner, a toner reception opening that receives the toner from the toner storing body, a shutter opening, a cylindrical shutter, and an O-shaped elastic ring disposed at the shutter opening configured to seal a space between the shutter opening and the shutter. The shutter receives a nozzle of an image forming apparatus and the cylindrical shutter opens and closes the shutter opening when moved by a nozzle of the image forming apparatus inserted into the shutter opening. When the nozzle is disposed through the shutter opening, the toner which is received from the toner reception opening is subsequently received by the nozzle of the image forming apparatus. |
| US07796911B2 |
Image forming device having a belt cleaning unit
An image-forming device has a developer-carrying member, an image-carrying member, a belt, and a cleaning unit. The developer-carrying member has an outer surface including a layer forming region for carrying a thin layer of developer. The layer forming region has a first width in a widthwise direction. The layer forming region includes an effective image forming region used for forming an image on a recording medium. The belt is configured to circulate in a moving direction orthogonal to the widthwise direction and transfer the developer image onto the recording medium. The cleaning unit cleans the developer on a cleanable region, which has a second width which is greater than the first width. The cleanable region is placed with respect to the thin layer forming region so that each widthwise end of the second width is positioned outside of each widthwise end of the first width in the widthwise direction. |
| US07796909B2 |
Communication control device and image forming device
To prevent damages to a recording paper that is being transported and a jam of the recording paper within a device caused due to shift in the timings of communications through providing a communication control device that has a main body control unit 100 connected to each paper feeding control unit 200 via common communication lines, which transmits control instructions by using a unicast mode that individually transmits control data to each of the paper feeding control units 200 from the main body control unit 100 at different timings, and transmits executing instructions for the control instructions by using a broadcast mode that transmits control data simultaneously. |
| US07796908B2 |
Image forming apparatus and control method thereof
An image forming apparatus includes a fixing device including a heater to which electric power is fed from a commercial power supply and a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the heater, an auxiliary power supply that is charged by the commercial power supply and discharges electricity to a specific load, and a control unit that controls ON and OFF of the heater and ON and OFF of charging of the auxiliary power supply. The control unit turns on the heater when a detected temperature of the sensor is lower than a first set temperature and turns off when the detected temperature is higher than the first set temperature, while the control unit turns on the charging of the auxiliary power supply when the detected temperature is higher than a second set temperature higher than the first set temperature and turns off the charging when the detected temperature is lower than the second set temperature. |
| US07796906B2 |
Image forming apparatus having first and second image processing units and corresponding conveyance paths
The image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a first and a second main conveyance path, a first and a second processing unit, a transfer unit, and a fixing unit. The first and second main conveyance paths come together after having branched apart between a paper supply unit and a paper delivery unit. A recording medium is selectively conveyed along either one of the first and second main conveyance path. Image formation is performed by a method of electrophotography by, alternatively, either the first or second processing unit. Between the first and second main conveyance paths where they are branched apart, the transfer unit generates a transfer electric field between itself and one or the other of the first and second processing unit. The fixing unit controls the temperature of a first or a second fixing roller, which are disposed in the first and second main conveyance path after they have come together, alternatively. |
| US07796903B2 |
Charging apparatus with a discharge electrode having a plurality of sharp-pointed portions
A charging apparatus which is excellent in charging uniformity and thus allows a to-be-charged body to be charged uniformly and in which the generation of discharge products can be reduced, is provided. In the charging apparatus, ions are generated under the difference in electrical potential between the discharge electrode and the induction electrode produced in the ion generating section. The generated ions are caused to flow toward the counter electrode, whereupon the to-be-charged body arranged between the ion generating section and the counter electrode is charged. |
| US07796902B2 |
Image forming condition adjustment control for image forming apparatus
An image forming apparatus includes a charge unit, an exposure unit, an exposure voltage detector, a development unit, and a concentration detector. The exposure voltage detector detects a potential of latent image formed as a test pattern on an image carrier. The concentration detector detects concentration of developed test pattern. The image forming apparatus further includes an exposure power controller, an exposure ratio controller, a charging voltage controller, a development bias voltage controller, and an image forming condition adjustment controller. A suitable image forming condition is computed using test patterns formed by changing combinations of charging voltage, exposure power, and exposure duty. The charging voltage is changed in two levels or more. The exposure power is changed in three levels or more. The exposure duty per unit area is changed in two levels or more. |
| US07796901B2 |
Image forming apparatus, and unit removably installed in an image forming apparatus
An image forming apparatus includes a controller which sets fixing conditions in a fixing unit in accordance with the type of printing medium sensed by a sensor. An intermediate transfer member and sensor are configured as an intermediate transfer member unit. The intermediate transfer member unit is removably installed in the main body of the image forming apparatus. The intermediate transfer member unit has a storage unit which stores information used to determine the type printing medium by the sensor. |
| US07796900B2 |
Developer cartridge replacement scheme for electrostatographic printing
An electrostatographic printer includes a development housing for supplying developer to an image receptor, and a replenisher in communication with the development housing. In a basic state, a regular supply of developer having a first predetermined TC is supplied. In a special state, a special supply of developer having a second predetermined TC is supplied. In response to determining the printer should be in the special state, the special supply of developer is requested to be installed in the printer, such as through Internet ordering to a vendor. The vendor can also “custom-blend” a developer formulation based on transmitted machine conditions. |
| US07796896B2 |
Secure optical communication
A secure optical communication scheme uses differential delay D in an unbalanced Mach-Zehender interferometer to provide two copies of the optical source signal at a remote phase modulator separated in time by D. As D is much bigger than the coherence time source, the two copies of the signal are effectively uncorrelated. Both signals are phase-modulated by the remote sender's data and returned to the unbalanced interferometer. The phase modulator will be converted into amplitude modulation by the action of the interferometer. |
| US07796893B2 |
Optical bi-directional transceiver module
An optical bi-directional transceiver module is disclosed. The optical bi-directional transceiver module is suitable for an optical transmission/reception operation on the condition that an interval between two wavelength bands such as C and L bands is very narrow. The transceiver module manufactures a stable optical-communication light source based on the injection-mode-locked FP LD, such that an improved light source capable of substituting for the conventional high-quality DFB laser can be implemented. As a result, the light source for the WDM-PON system can be manufactured. The optical bi-directional transceiver module can be manufactured even when the light signal having a narrow interval between two wavelength bands is used, resulting in reduction of costs, size, and power consumption of the light source. |
| US07796892B2 |
Optical transceiver module having wireless communications capabilities
An optical transceiver module includes a wireless communications device that provides the transceiver module with the ability to receive wireless signals in and/or transmit wireless signals from the optical transceiver module. The wireless communications device may have various configurations for providing various capabilities, such as, for example, a wireless modem, a wireless transmitter, a wireless receiver, a wireless transceiver, and a wireless network access point. The wireless communications device may be configured to transmit and/or receive wireless signals corresponding to, for example, calls, pages, and data transfers. |
| US07796891B2 |
ROF link system for supporting various services
Disclosed is a radio-over-fiber (ROF) system for supporting various services, the system comprising: a central access platform (CAP) for providing time division duplexing (TDD), frequency division duplexing (FDD), and broadcasting services, converting a TDD downward signal and FDD/broadcasting downward signals into optical signals, respectively, transmitting the converted optical signals to a remote access unit (RAU), converting a TDD upward signal and an FDD upward signal, which have been transmitted as optical signals from the RAU, into electric signals, respectively, and using an optical circulator in order to separate upward and downward signals from each other; and the RAU for converting the TDD downward signal and FDD/broadcasting downward signals transmitted from the CAP into electric signals, respectively, converting the TDD upward signal and FDD upward signal to be transmitted to the CAP into optical signals, respectively, and using an optical circulator in order to separate upward and downward signals from each other, wherein the RAU includes a plurality of signal filtering/separating/combining units, which wirelessly emit the TDD downward signal and FDD/broadcasting downward signals, having been converted into electric signals, through an antenna, and which separate wirelessly-received TDD upward signal and FDD upward signal from each other. |
| US07796889B1 |
System and method for controlling diverse infrared controlled devices
A system for controlling diverse infrared controlled devices, capable of emulating infrared signals provided by diverse infrared remote controls by recording them, and then using information derived from the recorded signals to reproduce the signals. A received infrared signal is sampled, stored, edge trimmed and compressed into a table of entries. Each entry indicates a level and a length of a portion of the associated infrared signal having that level. The compression also eliminates transients from the captured infrared signal. The table fully describes the captured infrared signal. A table header may contain the frequency at which the captured infrared signal was sampled, and the number of table entries used to describe the signal. During playback, a file containing the table for a user selected infrared signal may be opened and read into a dynamic memory. The vector table header information may be used to determine the number of stored vector table entries, and to determine the sampling rate at which the associated infrared signal was captured. An infrared shift register in specialized hardware shifts out one bit of data every sampling cycle until each bit of data described by each entry in the vector table has been transmitted. The disclosed system may be conveniently embodied to be voice controlled, to enable voice control over all infrared remote controlled devices in a disabled user's living environment. |
| US07796884B2 |
Wavelength path switching node apparatus and wavelength path allocation method
A wavelength path switching node apparatus is provided that improves the utilization efficiency of wavelength resources by allocating wavelength paths by following traffic variations in packet units. A node apparatus on the wavelength path start point side includes: a packet distributing section that stores input packets in a buffer, fetches the packets from the buffer and distributes to an initial path and additional paths; a control section that allocates the additional paths based on distribution states of the packet units; and an optical switch that switches wavelength paths based on this control. A node apparatus on the wavelength path end point side includes: a monitoring section that monitors packets distributed to the initial path and the additional paths; a control section that allocates the additional paths based on distribution states of the packet units obtained by this monitoring; and an optical switch that switches wavelength paths based on this control. |
| US07796883B2 |
Flexible circuit connection
An apparatus, with moving parts, having a flexible circuit configured such that its fatigue life is enhanced. The apparatus includes a first component, a second component, and a positioning mechanism between the first component and the second component. The positioning mechanism enables movement of the first component and the second component between at least a proximate position and a spaced-apart position. Also included between the first component and the second component is a flexible circuit that has a first end coupled to the first component and a second end coupled to the second component. The flexible circuit is configured as a compliant spring that can extend and collapse in a predefined shape when the components are spaced-apart and proximate, respectively. |
| US07796882B2 |
Image sensor module, method of manufacturing the same, and camera module using the same
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing an image sensor module including attaching an image sensor on one side of a double-sided flexible printing circuit board (FPCB) provided with a window such that the image sensor module covers the window; and mounting at least one electric part on the other side of the double-sided FPCB on which the image sensor is attached. |
| US07796878B2 |
Lens barrel and imaging device including lens barrel
A lens barrel 11 is mounted in a collapsible imaging device 1 and includes a third lens frame 55. The third frame 55 is a lens frame to which correction lenses L5, L6, L7 are mounted and includes a shutter unit 57, a vibration compensation actuator 71, a lens frame main body 95, a focus lens frame 105, and a focus motor 115. The focus lens frame 105 is urged against the lens frame main body 95 toward the image plane side by means of a focus spring 110. A motor section 117 of the focus motor 115 is arranged in a region interposed between two multilayer printed circuit boards 77, 79 when viewed from the image plane side or the object side. |
| US07796871B2 |
Apparatus and method for taking panoramic photograph
An apparatus and a method for taking a panoramic photograph are provided. While a lens of the apparatus is rotated, an angular velocity sensor such as a gyroscope outputs an angular velocity and calculates therefrom a rotation angle of the lens. Accordingly, a user can capture sequential image segments for the panoramic photograph at suitable rotation angles. Since unintended rotations due to a user's hand trembling as well as user's intended rotations can be detected, it may be easy to align overlapped portions of adjacent images and thereby to obtain suitable images for panoramic photograph combination. Also, a user can be informed of a capturable section and a rotating direction by using the calculated angular velocity, so the apparatus may promote a user's convenience and without the need for a burdensome tripod. |
| US07796870B2 |
Lighting control for in vivo capsule camera
A method for controlling a lighting source in a capsule camera improves image quality by avoiding over-exposure or under-exposure in all regions of an image, while concurrently reducing significantly power dissipation in the capsule camera. A capsule camera using the method includes: (1) one or more sensor arrays each having one or more pixels in one or more designated regions in the field of view of the capsule camera; (2) lighting elements each providing illumination to one or more of the designated regions; and (3) a control unit that (a) extracts a parameter value from the pixels of each region; (b) evaluates the parameter value at each region; and (c) adjusts the lighting elements providing illumination to each region according to the evaluation. The parameter value may be an average value of the pixels. The purpose of the adjustment is to bring the parameter value for the region to within a predetermined range. In one embodiment, the control unit adjusts an amount of light provided by each lighting element, which may be given by integrating a light intensity of the lighting element over time. In one implementation, the light intensity in each lighting element is substantially constant and the control unit adjusts an exposure time for each lighting element. The lighting element may be, for example, a light emitting diode. |
| US07796862B2 |
Information recording apparatus and information recording method
A top menu is configured to provide information about chapters contained in a recording medium when it is finalized. From an optical disk as a recording medium, a title retrieval section reads title information about each title of motion picture data recorded on the optical disk. A chapter retrieval section reads chapter information about each chapter in the corresponding title based on the title information obtained in this manner. Based on the chapter information obtained in this manner, a representative picture selection section selects a representative picture in each chapter. A menu generation section generates the top menu including a display area to reproduce chapters based on the chapter information obtained by the chapter retrieval section. |
| US07796857B2 |
Video playback apparatus
A video playback apparatus includes: video data inputting unit; a ranking data inputting/generating unit that inputs or generates ranking data where scenes in video data are ranked according to importance; a playback scene determination parameter inputting unit that inputs parameters when determining scenes to be played back according to importance; a playback scene determining unit that determines playback scenes based on ranking data and playback scene determination parameters; and a display unit that displays playback scenes. A viewing time of video data that the user desires and a maximum time width of each playback scene are inputted to the playback scene determination parameter inputting unit, and the playback scene determining unit cuts scenes so that the playback time of the playback scenes fits the maximum time width, and determines the playback scenes so that the sum of the playback time of the playback scenes fits within the viewing time. |
| US07796856B2 |
Information processing apparatus and method, and program therefor
An optical disk contains main video data obtained by compressing pictures captured by a video camera at a relatively low compression ratio, low resolution proxy video data obtained by performing compression at a compression ratio higher than that for the main video data, metadata for use in editing. When a state in which the optical disk 2 is loaded into a drive of an optical disk apparatus is detected, the proxy video data and the metadata are read and recorded in a hard disk drive (HDD) without receiving a user's instruction. The proxy video data and metadata recorded in the HDD are used in simple editing before main editing in which the main video data is edited. |
| US07796853B2 |
Fiber optic cables and assemblies for fiber toward the subscriber applications
Disclosed are fiber optic cables and assemblies for routing optical networks closer to the subscriber. The fiber optic cables have a robust design that is versatile by allowing use in aerial application with a pressure clamp along with use in buried and/or duct applications. Additionally, the fiber optic cables and assemblies have a relatively large slack storage capacity for excess length. Assemblies include hardened connectors such as plugs and/or receptacles suitable for outdoor plant applications attached to one or more ends of the fiber optic cables for plug and play connectivity. |
| US07796843B2 |
Design and performance of a Fiber Bragg grating displacement sensor for measurement of movement
A displacement sensor based on the underlying principle that when the outer surface of a quartz fiber (fiber optic cable) is etched to form a series of regularly spaced lines (a Fiber Bragg grating), laser light of a wavelength matching the spacing of the lines which enters one end of the fiber will be preferentially reflected. If the fiber is deformed, causing the line spacing to change, the wavelength of the reflected light will also change. This shift can be accurately measured and so can be related to the magnitude of the deformation of the fiber. This fiber is potted with epoxy resin in a narrow tube fabricated from a shape-memory alloy (SMA), and pre-formed into a curved shape. This not only protects the quartz fiber from direct contact with other objects and excessive bending, but also causes it to deform in a predictable fashion, thereby generating a reproducible response to displacement. Due to the high elastic behavior of the SMA tube, a displacement sensor with a gage length of 40 mm can measure displacements in excess of 3 mm. |
| US07796842B2 |
AC-coupled differential drive circuit for opto-electronic modulators
An AC-coupled differential drive circuit for an optical modulator is utilized, where a common “node” is defined between top (or bottom) plates of the modulator arms themselves (the “arms” of a modulator taking the form of MOS capacitors). A low pass filter is disposed between the differential driver output and the modulator's common node to provide the desired AC coupling by filtering out the DC bias voltage of the driver circuit itself without the need for a separate, external AC coupling capacitor. An independent, adjustable DC potential can then be applied to the common node, and will appear in a balanced manner across each arm of the modulator to provide the desired DC bias for the modulator independent of the DC bias of the driver circuit. |
| US07796841B2 |
Monolithic image perception device and method
An apparatus which can acquire, readout and perceive a scene based on the insertion, or etching of photosensitive elements into or on a transparent or semi-transparent substrate such as glass. The substrate itself acts as the optical device which deflects the photons incident to the reflected image into the photosensitive elements. Photosensitive elements are interconnected together by a transparent or opaque wiring. A digital neural memory can be trained to recognize specific scenery such as a human face, an incoming object, a surface defect, rain drops on a windshield and more. Other applications include image-perceptive car headlight and flat panel display detecting and identifying the viewer's behavior (gaze tracking, face recognition, facial expression recognition and more). Yet another application includes sliding doors perceiving the direction and speed of an individual coming towards that door. Yet another application includes permanent damage detection (texture change) in dam, bridge or other manmade construction. |
| US07796840B2 |
Image processing apparatus and method thereof
An image processing apparatus having an image sensing unit and a subject detection unit for performing a process of detecting a subject in an image inputted from said image sensing unit, has a detection size operation unit that sets a resolution of a target object to be detected by the subject detection unit, and an image conversion unit that converts a resolution of the input image, based on the resolution of the target object set by the detection size operation unit. The subject detection unit performs the process of detecting the subject in the image whose resolution has been converted by the image conversion unit. |
| US07796834B2 |
Post-processing technique for noise reduction of DCT-based compressed images
A new post-processing methodology reduces the unwanted noise artifacts present in the output images of DCT-based compressed signals. The method determines noise intensity in the region of each pixel of an image and filters each pixel corresponding to this noise intensity. This noise intensity includes ringing intensity and block noise intensity. Determining the noise intensity includes calculating a short range power spectrum and a long range power spectrum. A spectrum is identified as ringing if the short range power spectrum is negative and the long range long range power spectrum is positive. A spectrum is identified as block noise if the short range autocorrelation coefficient is positive and the long range autocorrelation coefficient is positive. |
| US07796833B2 |
Method for spectral data classification and detection in diverse lighting conditions
The invention is a method of spectral data classification that uses the decoupling of target chromaticity and lighting or illumination chromaticity in spectral data and the sorting and selection of spectral bands by values of a merit function to obtain an optimized set of combinations of spectral bands for classification of the data. The decoupling is performed in “delta-log” space. A rotation transform may be applied. For a broad range of parameters, correction of lighting chromaticity may be obtained by use of an equivalent “Planck distribution” temperature. Merit function sorting and band combination selection is performed by multiple selection criteria. The method achieves reliable pixel classification and target detection in diverse lighting or illumination, especially in circumstances where lighting is non-uniform across a scene, such as with sunlight and shadows on a partly cloudy day or in “artificial” lighting. Applications are found in homeland security, defense, environmental protection, biomedical diagnostics, industrial process and product monitoring, and other remote or standoff sensing by spectral characteristics. |
| US07796831B2 |
Digital camera with face detection function for facilitating exposure compensation
A camera is provided that includes a face detection means, an AE&AWB detection circuit, and a processor. The face detection means detects a face from an input image signal and extracts a facial region comprising the face and an upper body region. The AE&AWB detection circuit calculates a brightness appraisal amount on the basis of brightness of the facial region and the upper body region extracted by the face detection circuit. The processor calculates an exposure amount on the basis of the brightness appraisal amount calculated by the AE&AWB detection circuit. |
| US07796830B2 |
Adaptive contrast optimization of digital color images
Methods and systems are provided for adjusting the contrast and intensity of digital images. Digital images may be processed by first creating a histogram that identifies the intensity of components of the digital image. A transformation function is then computed using the histogram. The transformation function can be used to adjust the intensity of a low light portion of the digital image and is applied to individual color components of the digital image. Finally, the contrast of a portion of the digital image other than the low light portion of the digital image is adjusted. |
| US07796828B2 |
Apparatus for filtering malicious multimedia data using sequential processing and method thereof
An apparatus for filtering malicious multimedia data using sequential processing and a method thereof are provided. The apparatus includes: a maliciousness classification model training unit extracting a predetermined feature from at least one or more types of moving pictures and then, through machine training, generating a maliciousness determination model for each of at least one or more classes; a malicious data classification unit sequentially inputting input moving pictures for which maliciousness is required to be determined, to the maliciousness determination model, and determining the maliciousness class of the input moving pictures, based on a probability that data at a determination time of the input moving pictures belongs to a predetermined maliciousness class, and an accumulated maliciousness probability to a current time; and a malicious information filtering unit cutting off service if the maliciousness class belongs to a predetermined reference maliciousness class. |
| US07796826B2 |
Digital watermarks
The present invention relates generally to steganography and digital watermarking. One method recites: encoding content with a plural-bit digital watermark in accordance with initial encoding parameters; determining an assessment of the encoded plural-bit digital watermark in each of two or more portions of the content; for each of the two or more portions of the content, adjusting at least one of the initial encoding parameters according to a determined assessment for a respective portion of the content; and encoding the content with said plural-bit watermark in accordance with adjusted encoding parameters. Other methods are provided and claimed as well. |
| US07796822B2 |
Foreground/background segmentation in digital images
An analysis and classification tool compares at least a portion of a captured image and a reference image of nominally the same scene. One of the captured and reference images is taken with flash and the other is taken without flash. The tool provides a measure of the difference in illumination between the captured image and the reference image. The tool compares the measure with a threshold and segments a foreground region from a background region based on the measure. |
| US07796821B2 |
Method and system for fuzzy clustering of images
An approach to clustering a set of images based on similarity measures employs a fuzzy clustering paradigm in which each image is represented by a node in a graph. The graph is ultimately partitioned into subgraphs, each of which represent true clusters among which the various images are distributed. The partitioning is performed in a series of stages by identifying one true cluster at each stage, and removing the nodes belonging to each identified true cluster from further consideration so that the remaining, unclustered nodes may then be grouped. At the beginning of each such stage, the nodes that remain to be clustered are treated as all belonging to a single candidate cluster. Nodes are removed from this single candidate cluster in accordance with similarity and connectivity criteria, to arrive at a true cluster. The member nodes of this true cluster are then removed from further consideration, prior to the next stage in the process. |
| US07796817B2 |
Character recognition method, character recognition device, and computer product
Upon receiving, for example, document data including a character string from outside, a character recognition device detects a line from a line-touching character-string image in which at least one character (such as number, alphabet letter, kana character, and Chinese character) touches (or overlaps) a line in the document data, tentatively removes the line, and estimates a character region. The character recognition device extracts a line-touching character image from the line-touching character-string image (original image) based on the estimated character region. The character recognition device creates a line-added reference character image by adding a quasi-line to a reference character image stored in advance. |
| US07796809B1 |
3-D imaging system with pre-test module
A remote 3-D imaging system which uses a novel angular relationship to establish the relationship of the image features to the system, which is displayed by virtue of calculations. In addition to static surfaces, moving surfaces may be studied and corrections due to turbidity and platform position are also easily compensated for. A pre-test module is also included which predicts and has the ability to re-adjust the instrumentation to the test conditions as predicted by a hybrid Monte Carlo model. The instant system may also contain a plurality of sensing systems based on light, including traditional reflective or elastic scattering and novel fluorescent or non elastic scattering still and video imaging systems, including time-gated systems. |
| US07796807B2 |
Optical inspection apparatus for substrate defect detection
A method and apparatus for inspecting the surface of articles, such as chips and wafers, for defects, includes a first phase of optically examining the complete surface of the article inspected at a relatively high speed and with a relatively low spatial resolution, and a second phase of optically examining with a relatively high spatial resolution only the suspected locations for the presence or absence of a defect therein. |
| US07796805B1 |
Defect detection
A wafer having improved inspection sensitivity to foreign matter on a top-most surface of the wafer, as detected with a surface scanning optical inspection system that uses an inspection wavelength. The wafer includes a substantially homogenous first layer at the top-most surface of the wafer, the first layer having a first thickness. The first layer is at least partially transparent to the inspection wavelength. A substantially homogenous second layer immediately underlies the first layer, the second layer having a second thickness. The second layer is at least partially transparent to the inspection wavelength. A substrate immediately underlies the second layer. The first thickness and the second thickness are set in a combination that produces a local minimum of an electric field at the top-most surface and a local maximum of an electric field within one hundred nanometers above the top-most surface. |
| US07796804B2 |
Methods for generating a standard reference die for use in a die to standard reference die inspection and methods for inspecting a wafer
Methods for generating a standard reference die for use in a die to standard reference die inspection and methods for inspecting a wafer are provided. One computer-implemented method for generating a standard reference die for use in a die to standard reference die inspection includes acquiring output of an inspection system for a centrally located die on a wafer and one or more dies located on the wafer. The method also includes combining the output for the centrally located die and the one or more dies based on within die positions of the output. In addition, the method includes generating the standard reference die based on results of the combining step. |
| US07796798B2 |
Frequency domain based MICR reader
A system and method for implementing frequency domain based magnetic ink character recognition (MICR). A system is provided that includes: a segmentation system for segmenting inputted MICR data into sets of temporal data for inputted characters; a Fourier system for generating a set of Fourier components from temporal data for an inputted character; a normalization system for normalizing the set of Fourier components to generate a normalized set of Fourier components; and a matching system for comparing the normalized set of Fourier components with each of a set of reference waveforms to determine an identity of the inputted character. |
| US07796796B2 |
Operating method for an image-generating medical engineering assembly and articles associated herewith
A controller of an image-generating medical engineering assembly receives a selection of an image valuation method from a user. It subsequently automatically adjusts selection-specific, positioning-independent operating parameters of the recording arrangement and or provides the user with instructions for adjusting the positioning-independent operating parameters. In response to a user's start input the controller captures by means of a recording arrangement of the image-generating medical engineering assembly a sequence of successive two-dimensional images of an iteratively moving object being examined and capturing instants thereof as well as a phase signal of the object being examined and archives the sequence of images, capturing instants and the phase signal. |
| US07796794B2 |
Method for reducing exposure to infrared light beam, ultrasound or magnetic impulse rays in medical imaging devices
Method and apparatus for X-ray imaging of a body, employing a support to receive a body to be examined, a source emitting a beam of X-rays, a detector irradiated by the beam, a converter for converting the detected intensities into data, a means for turning the mounted mobile support by an angle of rotation about an axis of rotation with respect to the source and the detector and a suitably programmed computer to average the data acquired for a pair of orthogonal angles of rotation to obtain n column and m line mean values for n and m elementary segments of a band of the detector, to construct an initial image (n, m) with the n column and m line mean values, to adjust the coefficient of attenuation in each n×m elementary zone by a method of least squares taking into account the n column and m line mean values regarded as constraints, to repeat the previous stages for data acquired with different pairs of preferably orthogonal angles of rotation, and to average term by term the adjusted images so as to arrive at a synthesis image expressing coefficients of attenuation of the examined body. |
| US07796783B2 |
Motion detection device and method, luminance/chrominance signal separation device and method, noise reduction device and method, and video display device and method
The motion detection device includes an oblique correlation detection section, a motion detection section and a motion determination section. The oblique correlation detection section detects a correlation in an oblique direction (oblique correlation) of a composite video signal. The motion detection section detects a motion amount based on an inter-frame difference of the composite video signal. The motion determination section determines the presence/absence of a motion in the composite video signal based on the motion amount detected by the motion detection section. The motion determination section determines the presence/absence of the motion considering the detection results of the oblique correlation by the oblique correlation detection section. |
| US07796775B2 |
Spherically housed loudspeaker system
A loudspeaker system for the reproduction of acoustic waves of music, sound and speech in a substantially circular horizontal plane. The loudspeaker system includes multiple spherical enclosures, each enclosure housing a pair of transducers, each pair of transducers producing acoustic waves of a predetermined frequency range. |
| US07796774B2 |
Portable musical instrument amplifier
In accordance with the invention is disclosed a portable speaker of exceptionally low bulk yet very good performance which incorporates a non-homogeneous enclosure shape consisting of two main parts, one shallow box-shaped housing section and one cylindrical housing section, and incorporating retractable legs for support of the housing on the ground or table on which it is placed during its operation. A much larger loudspeaker than would be otherwise possible can then be used in an enclosure of very small bulk. The box-shaped housing section is dedicated to housing only the frame/basket and concentric diaphragm of the speaker, which, together generally comprises only half the speakers total length where the other half of the speakers length, the magnet assembly, is enclosed by the cylindrical section. The cylinder is connected to the main box section and allows sound to flow around the magnet contained within it, and also provides both protection for magnetic media as well as serving as a physical anchor for the speaker at its magnet. This shallow box housing section also provides an ideal housing a large number of AA (UM3) batteries as well as and adequate housing for the electronic amplifier which powers the loudspeaker. The speaker diaphragm is oriented facing upward when the unit is placed with its legs resting on the ground or table, so that the exhaust of the cylinder is reflected off the ground serving to amplify and further increase decibel volume and bass from the tiny enclosure. The legs can be retracted for minimum bulk when the unit is not in use. |
| US07796773B2 |
Communication device comprising sound-conveying means for two sound-producing modes
In a communication device (1) that is designed to deliver sound, in an against the-ear mode, into a space (22) bounded by the ear and, in an away-from-the-ear mode, into an acoustic free space, a loudspeaker (3) is provided for generating the sound and a holding device (2) is furthermore provided, which holding device (2) comprises a first holding-device region (16) via which, in the against-the-ear mode, the sound generated by the loudspeaker (3) can be delivered without hindrance by the ear and which holding device (2) comprises a second holding-device region (15A) that does not comprise the first holding-device region (16) and via which, in the against-the-ear mode, the sound generated by the loudspeaker (3) can be fed to the space (22) bounded by the ear and a first sound-conveying device is furthermore provided with whose aid the sound generated by the loudspeaker (3) can be conveyed, in the away-from-the-ear mode, through the first holding-device region (16) into the acoustic free space, and a second sound-conveying device is furthermore provided with whose aid the sound generated by the loudspeaker (3) can be conveyed, in the against-the-ear mode, through the second holding-device region (15) into the space (22) bounded by the ear. |
| US07796772B2 |
Flat panel display apparatus, stand and speaker apparatus
A stand on which a flat panel display main body is placed has low-pitched sound speakers built therein and a speaker of the flat panel display main body and the low-pitched sound speakers of the stand are combined together to construct a powerful sound system with large sound volume. The low-pitched sound speakers are located at the back side of the flat panel display main body when the flat panel display main body is placed on the stand. In a flat panel display apparatus composed of the flat panel display main body having the speaker built therein and the stand supporting this flat panel display main body thereon, it is possible to easily realize a powerful sound system using the low-pitched sound speakers (woofers) without requiring any extra space. |
| US07796768B2 |
Variable alignment loudspeaker system
A loudspeaker system has a primary driver and an active radiator sealed in an enclosure where the active radiator is adapted to vary its operating characteristics to tune the sound pressure level and resultant frequency response generated by a primary driver. The primary driver and the active radiator share the same acoustic volume of the enclosure, i.e., the primary driver and the active radiator share a common acoustic compliance of the internal enclosure volume. The primary driver has electromagnetic components designed to oscillate a flexible cone or diaphragm along the longitudinal axis of the primary driver. The active radiator has electromagnetic components adapted to couple to a number of electrical configuration settings. Each electrical configuration setting may affect the operating characteristics of the diaphragm of the active radiator and is reflected back electro-acoustically, through the shared volume, to the primary driver. This electro-acoustical coupling, in turn provides the tuning mechanism for the primary driver. |
| US07796762B2 |
Communication system, common key control apparatus, and general communication apparatus
When a common key is updated to a new common key, it is possible to prevent the generation of a period during which not all the general communication apparatuses are enabled to make mutual communications using encrypted data while at the same time reducing the memory consumption of the general communication apparatus. A common key control apparatus 11 transmits a first status transition request R1 to all the general communication apparatuses when all the general communication apparatuses 12 made a transition to a distribution completed status, and transmits a second status transition request R2 to all the general communication apparatuses when all the general communication apparatuses 12 made a transition to an in-transit status. The general communication apparatus 12 makes a transition from the update completed status to the distribution completed status upon receipt of a new common key from the common key control apparatus 11, while it makes a transition from the distribution completed status to the in-transit status upon receipt of the first status transition request and it restores the state to the update completed status from the in-transit status upon receipt of the second status transition request. |
| US07796756B2 |
Modular broadcast receiver system and method
The construction of a receiving apparatus for receiving a broadcast from a plurality of broadcasting providers is simplified. In a receiving apparatus for receiving a broadcast from a plurality of broadcasting providers, of the function blocks which constitute the receiving apparatus, a block used in common irrespective of the broadcasting provider is formed as a common block, and a block different from one broadcasting provider to another is formed as an independent block. These blocks are connected to each other through an IEEE1394 interface, and the common block is shared among the plurality of blocks which are not used in common, so that a receiving process is performed. |
| US07796750B2 |
Method for making secure an electronic entity with encrypted access
A method for protecting an electronic entity with encrypted access, against DFA (Differential Fault Analysis) attacks which includes: storing the result of a selected step (Rm, Kn) of an iterative process forming part of the cryptographic algorithm and in performing once more at least part of the steps of the iterative process up to a new computation of a result corresponding to the one which has been stored, comparing the two results and denying distribution of an encrypted message (MC) if they are different. |
| US07796745B2 |
Systems and methods for automatic call completion
In one embodiment, a method for automatically completing a call includes receiving a text message containing a telephone number of a target party, extracting the telephone number from the text message, and providing the telephone number to a telephone switching control. |
| US07796743B2 |
Method and system for implementing ring back tone
A method for implementing a ring back tone, including: receiving, by a first Service Control Point, an intelligent service request triggered by a Service Switching Point, based on a call of a calling party; obtaining personal ring back tone information of a called party and/or group ring back tone information of a group which the called party belongs to; acquiring first ring back tone information according to the personal ring back tone information and/or the group ring back tone information delivering a connect message containing the first ring back tone information to the Service Switching Point the connect message being used to instruct the Service Switching Point to connect the call to an Advanced Intelligent Peripheral for playing the ring back tone to the calling party according to the first ring back tone information. |
| US07796730B2 |
Irradiation treatment apparatus and method
The present disclosure provides an irradiation treatment apparatus having a generally vertical patient support surface; a patient securing mechanism arranged to secure a patient in a fixed relation to the patient support surface; a rotation platform secured at one end of the patient support surface and arranged to rotate the patient support surface about a generally vertical axis and optionally translate the patient support surface at least partially about a plane generally orthogonal to the generally vertical axis; an imager exhibiting a first mode in which the imager occludes radiation from a fixed beam irradiation source and a second mode in which the imager enables irradiation from the fixed beam irradiation source; and a vertical translation mechanism in communication with the patient support surface and arranged to translate the patient support surface along the generally vertical axis from a loading position to an irradiation position. |
| US07796728B2 |
X-ray apparatus
An investigative X-ray apparatus comprises a source of X-rays emitting a cone beam centred on a beam axis, a collimator to limit the extent of the beam, and a two-dimensional detector, the apparatus being mounted on a support which is rotatable about a rotation axis, the collimator having a first state in which the collimated beam is directed towards the rotation axis and the second state in which the collimated beam is offset from the rotation axis, the two-dimensional detector being movable accordingly, the beam axis being offset from the rotation axis by a lesser amount than the collimated beam in the second state. The X-ray source is no longer directed towards the isocentre as would normally be the case; the X-ray source is not orthogonal to the collimators. This is advantageous in that the entire field of the X-ray tube can be utilised. As a result, a lesser field is required of the X-ray tube and the choice of tube designs and capacities can be widened so as to optimise the performance of the X-ray tube in other aspects. |
| US07796727B1 |
Aerosol charge conditioner
An attenuated soft x-ray neutralizer for neutralizing aerosols. The apparatus includes a soft x-ray emitter that emits soft x-rays into an aerosol conditioning chamber. An attenuating window may be included that reduces the intensity of the soft x-rays that bombard the aerosol, thus generating fewer radiolytically generated particles. Another way to reduce or control the intensity of the soft x-rays is to control emission of the cathode in the soft x-ray emitter. The reduced intensity of the soft x-rays was found by experiment to satisfactorily condition an aerosol stream without substantial radiolytic generation of particles precipitation. |
| US07796726B1 |
Instrument and method for X-ray diffraction, fluorescence, and crystal texture analysis without sample preparation
An X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence instrument for analyzing samples having no sample preparation includes a X-ray source configured to output a collimated X-ray beam comprising a continuum spectrum of X-rays to a predetermined coordinate and a photon-counting X-ray imaging spectrometer disposed to receive X-rays output from an unprepared sample disposed at the predetermined coordinate upon exposure of the unprepared sample to the collimated X-ray beam. The X-ray source and the photon-counting X-ray imaging spectrometer are arranged in a reflection geometry relative to the predetermined coordinate. |
| US07796724B2 |
X-ray fluoroscopic system
An X-ray fluoroscopic system which is capable of highly accurately performing tilting tracking or rotational tracking by a simple operation in an observation work without inputting a distance from the surface of a table and an observed point of an object of fluoroscopy and without performing a calibration operation for obtaining the distance in advance. The X-ray fluoroscopic system having a tracking function of obtaining a moving amount of the table, which is necessary for performing tilting or rotational tracking, and moving the table, based on an arithmetic operation using a distance h obtained by totalizing a distance d from the surface of the table to an observed point V, and a distance z from the surface of the table to an X-ray focal point 1a, a defined value or arbitrary input value is used as an initial value of the distance h, and a shift amount of the observed point V occurred from tracking is used to update the distance h by specifying the observed point V on a screen after tracking, thereby tilt (rotation) tracking accuracy is gradually improved. |
| US07796722B2 |
Quantum detector module, quantum detector, method for determining quantum absorption events, computer program product and radiation detection device
A quantum detector module for the quantitative and energy-resolved determination of quantum absorption events, a quantum detector, a method for determining quantum absorption events, a computer program product and a radiation detection device are disclosed. In at least one embodiment, the quantum detector module includes a multiplicity of detector pixels. In order to determine the quantum absorption events particularly precisely, in at least one embodiment it is provided that the detector pixels have at least two mutually different pixel apertures. |
| US07796721B2 |
High speed, symmetrical prescaler
Over the years, ring counter and prescalers have been used in a variety of microelectronic applications, including Phased Locked Loops or PLLs. All of these applications have experienced both decreases in size and increases in speed. As a result, current-mode logic or CML has come into use in some high speed applications, calling for alternative designs for components such as prescalers. Here, a divide-by-three prescaler is described that uses internal states from mater-slave flip-flop pairs and that is well-suited for microelectronics that employ CML. |
| US07796718B2 |
Finite-length equalization over multi-input multi-output (MIMO) channels
A MIMO Decision Feedback Equalizer improves operation of a receiver by canceling the spatio-temporal interference effects caused by the Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output (MIMO) channel memory with a set of Finite Impulse Response (FIR) filters in both the feed-forward and the feedback MIMO filters. The coefficients of these FIR filters can be fashioned to provide a variety of controls by the designer. |
| US07796714B2 |
Multiple signal receiving
In one aspect, the invention is a multichannel receiver. The multichannel receiver includes a first channel circuit of N channel circuits. The first channel circuit includes a band pass (BP) filter and a gain control (GC) feedback circuit configured to adjust a signal provided by the BP filter with respect to a reference voltage. |
| US07796711B2 |
Method and system for decoding single antenna interference cancellation (SAIC) and redundancy processing adaptation using burst process
Aspects of a method and system for decoding single antenna interference cancellation (SAIC) and redundancy processing adaptation using burst process are provided. A wireless receiver may decode bit sequences based on a first decoding algorithm that may utilize redundancy in the data and that may impose physical constraints. The receiver may also decode a received bit sequence based on a second decoding algorithm that utilizes SAIC. Received data may be processed in a burst process portion in either decoding algorithm. Burst processed data from one of the decoding algorithms may be selected based on signal-to-noise ratio and/or received signal level measurements. The selected burst processed data may be communicated to a frame processing portion of the corresponding decoding algorithm. |
| US07796706B2 |
Digital broadcast service discovery correlation
Aspects of the invention are directed to service and channel discovery in a digital broadcast network. A pilot synchronization symbol, which has known characteristics, is included as a first symbol of digital broadcast frames. The pilot symbol, which can be decoded without having to resort to trial and error methods, contains parameters for the rest of the signal. In another aspect of the invention, at least two pilot symbols may be defined and used at the beginning of each frame. The at least two pilot symbols P1 and P2 may enable fast channel search and service discovery within the frame. Signaling may be realized as a combination of L1 and L2 signaling. |
| US07796703B2 |
Method of processing received signals in a multi-input multi-output (MIMO) system
A method of processing data by using a plurality of antennas and by applying weight to each signal received via a corresponding antenna in a wireless communication system is disclosed. More specifically, the method includes estimating a channel matrix corresponding to the received signal and dividing columns of the channel matrix into at least two groups. Here, each group includes at least one column. Furthermore, the method includes applying a Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) scheme to each group. |
| US07796695B2 |
Method for allocating data and pilots, and transmitting method and device and receiving method and device using the same in orthogonal frequency division multiple access system
Disclosed is a method for allocating data and pilots, a transmitting method and device, a receiving method and device in an OFDMA system. A terminal partitions subcarrier groups and symbols from an uplink channel based on a basic pilot pattern generated by a specific reference, receives at least one subchannel based on the partitioned subcarrier groups and symbols, hops the subcarrier groups caused by the subchannel according to hopping patterns, allocates data, and differently positions the pilots per subcarrier group based on the basic pilot pattern. Accordingly, the probability of pilot collision between adjacent cells is reduced, and accuracy of channel estimation is increased through boosting the pilot subcarrier power. |
| US07796689B2 |
Adaptive filter having shared structure
An adaptive filter may include a unitary filter, a combiner, and an error estimator. The unitary filter may include a feedback portion to generate a feedback output and a feed forward portion to generate a feed forward output. The combiner may combine the feedback output and the feed forward output into a combined output. The error estimator may generate an error signal for the unitary filter based on the combined output. |
| US07796687B1 |
Enhanced reconditioning equalizer filter chain for multi-carrier signals with different technologies
A technique for enhanced reconditioning equalizer filter chain for multi-carrier signals with different technologies is described. The input to a transmitter chain is modified by an enhanced reconditioning equalizer filter chain for multi-carrier signals with different technologies, prior to being applied to the transmitter. The enhanced reconditioning equalizer filter chain modifies and smoothen the amplitude of the signal. The new signal is reconditioned and smoothened and has lower Crest Factor. The input to the enhanced reconditioning equalizer filter chain for multi-carrier signals with different technologies could be a baseband, an intermediate frequency (IF) or radio frequency (RF) signal. When the signal is an IF or RF signal it needs to be down converted to baseband before applied to enhanced reconditioning equalizer filter chain. The enhanced reconditioning equalizer filter chain for multi-carrier signals with different technologies could be implemented in digital or analog domain. |
| US07796682B2 |
Method and transceiver system having a transmit clock signal phase that is phase-locked with a receive clock signal phase
A transceiver system is disclosed that includes a plurality of transceiver chips. Each transceiver chip includes one or more SERDES cores. Each SERDES core includes one or more SERDES lanes. Each SERDES lane includes a receive channel and a transmit channel. The transmit channel of each SERDES lane is phase-locked with a corresponding receive channel. The transceiver system has the capability of phase-locking a transmit clock signal phase of a transmitting component with a receive clock signal phase of a receiving component that is a part of a different SERDES lane, a different SERDES core, a different substrate, or even a different board. Each SERDES core receives and transmits data to and from external components connected to the SERDES core, such as hard disk drives. A method of transferring data from a first external component coupled to a receive channel to a second external component coupled to a transmit channel is also disclosed. |
| US07796681B1 |
MIMO-OFDM receiver processing
A receiver in a MIMO-OFDM system may process OFDM symbols received on a number (MR) of receive antennas. The system may utilize a MIMO-OFDM frame format that includes additional long training OFDM symbols, for training additional antennas and for link adaptation, and a header with an additional SIGNAL symbol to indicate MIMO-OFDM-specific information. |
| US07796677B2 |
Receiver and reception method
A data reception method and a receiver in a WCDMA telecommunication system are provided. The receiver comprises a sampler (208) for sampling a received frame format signal comprising at least two diversity branches; a despreader (210) for despreading the sampled signal, the despreaded signal comprising symbols; a first memory (212) for storing the symbols. A diversity combiner (214) reads the symbols from the first memory and diversity-combines the symbols an output of the combiner comprising combined symbols comprising two bits each. A deinterleaver (216) deinterleaves the bits at the output of the combiner by calculating a location of each bit in a deinterleaved frame on the basis of the location of the bit in the received frame. A second memory (218) stores the bits in the calculated location. |
| US07796672B2 |
Light source device and projector including light source device
A light source device includes: a laser light source emitting a laser beam of a prescribed wavelength; a nonlinear optical element, disposed facing a light emergence surface of the laser light sources which converts an emission wavelength of the laser beam emitted from the laser light source and causes the laser beam to emerge; a volume phase grating, disposed facing an emergence surface of the laser beam of the converted wavelength converted by the nonlinear optical element, which has formed in an interior thereof a Bragg grating structure which selectively reflects a laser beam of an emission wavelength; and a first dielectric multilayer, provided on a light emergence surface of the volume phase gratings which transmits the laser beam of the converted wavelength and reflects the laser beam of the emission wavelength. |
| US07796671B2 |
Multi-pass optical power amplifier
Anisotropic crystals such as Nd:YVO4, Nd:YLF, and Nd:GdVO4 have become preferred gain materials for many laser applications. The anisotropic gain medium without ancillary compensation ensures there is no degradation of laser modes when passing through the gain medium. An optical power amplifier that incorporates an anisotropic gain medium achieves power scaling with multiple passes while also maintaining good mode matching between the laser and the pump during each pass. Preferred embodiments implement for multiple passes of a seed laser beam through an anisotropic gain medium with substantially zero angular beam displacement during each pass. The multi-pass system provides an economical, reliable method of achieving high TEM00 power to meet the demands of micromachining, via drilling, and harmonic conversion applications. |
| US07796670B1 |
Diode laser pumped solid state laser amplifier and diode laser pumped solid state laser
A diode laser pumped solid-state laser amplifier capable of homogenizing the distribution of heat dissipation levels on a section of a solid-state laser rod and not causing a bifocal phenomenon, and a diode laser pumped solid-state laser using the diode laser pumped solid-state laser amplifier. A diode laser pumped solid-state laser amplifier includes a solid-state laser rod having an optical axis along which a laser beam propagates and includes an active medium therein and a plurality of pumping sources having optical axes that run on a plane orthogonal to the axial core of the solid-state laser rod and are separated by a given distance from the axial core of the solid-state laser rod. When pumping light rays are projected on a plane orthogonal to the axial core of the solid-state laser rod, the plurality of pumping sources are located at equiangular intervals with respect to the axial core of the solid-state laser rod. |
| US07796665B2 |
Surface emitting laser
The present invention provides a surface emitting laser having a novel structure which eliminates necessity to provide a low refractive index medium at an interface of a photonic crystal layer on the side of a substrate. A multilayer mirror (1300), an active layer (1200), and a refractive index periodic structure layer (1020) whose refractive index changes periodically are laminated in a direction perpendicular to a substrate (1500). The refractive index periodic structure layer is structured so as to separate a light having a wavelength λ perpendicularly incident on the refractive index periodic structure into at least a transmitted light and a diffracted light. The multilayer mirror is structured so as to have a reflectance with regard to the diffracted light higher than a reflectance with regard to the transmitted light. A resonant mode is realized within a waveguide including the refractive index periodic structure layer and the multilayer mirror. |
| US07796662B2 |
Vertical cavity surface emitting laser and image forming apparatus using the vertical cavity surface emitting laser
Provided is a laser having a multilayer reflector that suppresses the multimode operation. A vertical cavity surface emitting laser includes a first mirror, a cavity having an active layer, and a second mirror that are laminated. The second mirror is a multilayer reflector comprised of a first layer and a second layer that are alternately plurally laminated, the second layer having a refractive index higher than that of the first layer. At least one of the plural second layers has an oxidized confinement structure having an oxidized region and a non-oxidized region. |
| US07796659B2 |
Pickup head circuits
Pickup head circuits with a protection circuit capable of preventing unexpected large current flowing through a laser diode during power-on interval. A driving transistor is coupled between a laser diode and a first power voltage, an automatic laser power control (ALPC) circuit is coupled between the first power voltage and a second power voltage, controlling the driving transistor to drive the laser diode. A protection circuit is coupled between the power voltage and a control terminal of the driving transistor, forcing a voltage at the control terminal of the driving transistor to follow the first power voltage during a power-on interval. |
| US07796656B2 |
Enhanced efficiency laterally-coupled distributed feedback laser
The invention describes the method and apparatus for enhanced efficiency in a laterally-coupled distributed feedback (LC-DFB) laser. In a device featuring the effective ridge design, lateral confinement of the guided optical modes is provided by a surface etched grating, which also serves as a DFB element of the laser. Coupling and quantum efficiency of such a LC-DFB laser both improve with an increase of the lateral mode order. In accordance with this invention, a dramatic enhancement of the laser efficiency is achievable by designing it to operate in one of the higher order modes, notably the first order mode, while all the other lateral modes, including the zero order mode, are suppressed through gain-loss discrimination. In the exemplary embodiment of the invention, this enhanced efficiency technique is applied to the design of a single-mode LC-DFB laser suitable for a monolithic integration with other active and passive functional elements of photonic integrated circuits fabricated by using one-step epitaxial growth. |
| US07796652B2 |
Programmable asynchronous first-in-first-out (FIFO) structure with merging capability
Where high speed communication between a host and memory devices is carried over serial bit lanes, memory buffers are required for converting buffering the serial bit lanes, and for converting between serial and parallel formats. In addition, jitter, wander, and skew between the bit lanes need to be accommodated. The invention discloses a programmable asynchronous FIFO with the integrated ability to convert blocks of bits from serial to parallel as well as inserting bits from a parallel bus into the serial bit stream. The invention provides very low latency and can be implemented in low power technologies. |
| US07796650B2 |
Device and method for determining a voice transmission delay over a packet switched network
A direct way to measure network delay of a packet switched network uses a ping signal injected into the voice stream at a source telephone. The ping signal travels together with the voice stream to a destination telephone. The destination telephone detects the ping signal and returns it to the source telephone through the packet switched network. The source telephone detects the return ping signal sent by the destination telephone and calculates the network delay between the two telephones based on the difference between the time of transmitting the ping signal and the time of detecting the return ping signal. As the ping signal travels in the same path as the voice stream, the network delay between the two telephones is calculated directly and accurately. |
| US07796649B2 |
System and method for providing additional channels to an existing communications device
System and method for providing additional channels to an existing communications system. A preferred embodiment comprises a coprocessor (such as coprocessor 215) coupled to a modem (such as modem 205), wherein transmissions from the modem are routed to the coprocessor. The coprocessor then can insert transmissions that use the additional channels into the transmission from the modem. Timing consistency can be ensured by the coprocessor using scrambling and channelization codes that are provided by the modem. The use of the coprocessor can allow the use of an existing design for the modem rather than creating a new design when a revision to a technical standard is released, saving time and money for equipment manufacturers. |
| US07796645B2 |
Technique for controlling selection of a write adapter from multiple adapters connected to a high speed switch
A technique is provided for facilitating writing of messages to multiple adapters connected to a high speed switch in a distributed computing environment. The technique employs a first, relatively quick filter to initially test whether a previously used adapter of the multiple adapters should be used to send a new message. If the first filter fails to select the previously used adapter, then the technique includes employing a second, more complicated filter to determine which adapter of the multiple adapters should be used to send the message. The first filter includes a first set of tests, and the second filter includes a second set of tests. |
| US07796643B1 |
Source and event based parameter determination
A call processing system in a destination network associated with a destination signaling protocol comprises an interface configured to receive first signaling for a call placed by a user from a device in a source network, wherein the first signaling indicates a source signaling protocol associated with the source network, and a processor configured to determine a status for the call, determine an event by which the status is conveyed to the user based on the status, determine a parameter based on the event and the source signaling protocol, and generate second signaling indicating the parameter. |
| US07796640B2 |
Data management system and method
A method of replicating data on a source to a destination comprising the steps of: extracting data from a source via a user interface in a source format; converting the extracted data from the source's format into a destination format; and uploading the converted data to said destination. |
| US07796637B2 |
Radio communication method and radio communication device
A radio communication device includes a beacon reception unit extracting a frame from a received beacon and a frame judgment unit judging whether the extracted frame is one requiring data transmission/reception or one giving notice of a collision with a beacon of another network, a frame constructing unit used when the frame judgment unit has judged that the frame is a collision notification, generating a frame for relaying the collision notification and a movement notification to a new beacon transmission period, and a beacon transmission instruction unit instructing transmission of the frame at the beacon transmission timing. Accordingly, since these notifications can be relayed, all radio communication devices of the same network can move to a new beacon transmission period while avoiding a collision with a beacon from a radio communication device of another network. |
| US07796635B2 |
Transmission system and method for assigning transmission channel
A transmission terminal measures an error rate by periodically transmitting an error rate measuring packet to all transmission channels and all transmission paths. Content to be transmitted is classified, so that a transmission channel of the best transmission quality is assigned to content requiring real-timeness and a wide transmission bandwidth. According to the type of the content, a required communication protocol is selected to perform processing thereof. The transmission bandwidth for the content requiring a wide transmission bandwidth is assigned at a peak rate, while the transmission bandwidth for the content requiring a narrow transmission bandwidth is assigned at an average rate. |
| US07796630B2 |
Method for estimating channels in two-hop MIMO AF networks
A method estimates interim channels in a two-hop multi-input-multi-output (MIMO) amplify-and-forward (AF) relay network including a source station (SS), a relay station (RS), and a destination station (DS). The estimate is according to the overall channel obtained at the DS or the SS. By varying an amplifying matrix of the RS over time, the method establishes a linear equation group with respect to the elements of the interim channels over the first (SS-RS) and second (RS-SS) hops, based on which low-complexity estimation of the interim channels is performed. |
| US07796624B2 |
Systems and methods for providing single-packet and multi-packet transactions in an integrated circuit
Connection ports for interconnecting functional modules in an integrated circuit are described. The connection ports provide enhanced functionality based around a common port primitive. This simplifies port design and selection and also allows a common packet protocol to be used for communication of packets across the packet router. In particular, there is improved functionality of target ports which allow out of order requests to be dealt with and out of order responses to be generated. |
| US07796623B2 |
Detecting and reporting a loss of connection by a telephone
There is provided a method of detecting and reporting poor voice quality for use by a gateway device. The method comprises facilitating a connection between a telephone and a remote telephone via a network, and detecting a poor voice quality indictor during the connection. The method further comprises capturing, for a pre-determined period of time, telephone voice data being exchanged between the gateway and the telephone, network voice data being exchanged between the gateway and the network, and gateway parameters. The method also comprises packetizing the telephone voice data, the network voice data and the gateway parameters into a plurality packets having a network address of a network storage, and transmitting the plurality packets destined for the network storage via the network. In one aspect, the poor voice quality indictor may be generated by a user of the telephone in response to a poor voice quality of the connection. |
| US07796618B2 |
Communication device and communication method using tokens and local counters of discarded packets to maintain order of the packets
A communication device having a plurality of processor units is disclosed. Each processor unit has a buffer for buffering packets, a receiving processor, and a transmitting processor. Upon receipt of a reception token, the receiving processor receives packets from the outside. Then, if the buffer is empty, the receiving processor buffers the received packets in the buffer. If the buffer is not empty, the receiving processor discards the received packets, increments the number of discarded packets, and passes the reception token to another processor unit for circulation. Upon receipt of a transmission token, the transmitting processor transmits the packets in the buffer to the outside based on the number of discarded packets. |
| US07796616B2 |
Apparatus and method for offering connections between network devices located in different home networks
A network connection apparatus for communicating between a network device located in a first private network and a second private network located outside the first private network. The apparatus includes an address acquisition module capable of acquiring a public IP address of a network management device from a DNS based on a domain name of the network management device of the second private network is provided. A connection management module is provided that is capable of forming a P2P connection to the network device if there is a request for a connection to the second private network from the network device. The connection management module is further capable of forming a virtual private network tunnel with the second private network based on the public IP address transferred from the address acquisition module. The connection management module is further capable of transferring to the network device a private IP address used in the second private network. |
| US07796614B1 |
Systems and methods for message proxying
Systems and methods consistent with embodiments of the present invention provide a method for forwarding packets between VLAN groups served by segmented ports on a network switching device. A request from a source in a VLAN group to a destination in another VLAN group is identified. Information needed to route packets to the destination is obtained by re-broadcasting the request for destination information to all VLAN groups, which do not include the source, that are served by the network switching device. Information needed to route packets to the source is also obtained. In some embodiments, source and destination routing information obtained, is stored in tables in a memory cache on the network switching device. Information stored in the tables is used to relay additional packets between the segmented ports on the device serving the source and destination. |
| US07796613B2 |
Detection of mismatched VLAN tags
A network device, system and method are provided for detection of mismatched VLAN tags on a port of a network chip and a packet. The network device includes a processor, a memory and a network chip having a number of network ports. One of the ports is tagged with a VLAN membership of at least one particular VLAN and configured to receive a packet. Computer executable instructions are storable in the memory and executable by the processor to detect whether the packet received at the port is untagged with any VLAN. Upon detecting that the packet is untagged with any VLAN, the computer executable instructions determine whether the untagged packet is intended to be untagged on the particular VLAN at the port. If the packet is not intended to be untagged on the particular VLAN at the port, the computer executable instructions send a misconfiguration alert signal to a network management program, and determine either the packet is misconfigured to be sent to the network chip without a VLAN tag or the port of the network chip is misconfigured to be tagged with the particular VLAN. |
| US07796612B2 |
Gigabit switch with frame forwarding and address learning
A network switch and a method thereof for network communications include a first data port interface and a second data port interface supporting a data port transmitting and receiving data at a first data rate and a second data rate, respectively. The switch has a CPU interface to communicate with a CPU and a memory management unit to communicate data from at least one of the first and second data port interfaces and a memory. The switch includes a communication channel communicating data and messaging information between the first and second data port interfaces and the memory management unit and lookup tables, including an address resolution lookup table and a VLAN table. The first or second data port interfaces determine an egress port for an incoming data packet from a search of the address resolution lookup table and the VLAN table using a VLAN ID from the incoming data packet. |
| US07796611B2 |
Method for providing efficient multipoint network services
A method, system and device for enabling efficient bandwidth utilization of a multipoint network service over an arbitrary topology network that includes a plurality of network elements (NEs). In a preferred embodiment, the method comprises the steps of setting up a full connectivity between the NEs and providing the multipoint network service using the full connectivity, whereby data packets of the multipoint network services are transmitted from a source NE to at least one edge NE through at least one intermediate NE, and whereby data packets that need to be flooded are not replicated or at the source NE. The full connectivity includes an arbitrary combination of a first plurality of point-to-multipoint connections between each source NE and each edge NE and a second plurality of point-to-point connections between each source NE and every edge NE. |
| US07796605B2 |
Apparatus, and associated method, for facilitating radio sub-system selection in a packet radio communication system
Apparatus, and an associated method, for selecting a radio subsystem in a radio communication system. Selection is made in a manner that optimizes better the selection for communication of data pursuant to a data communication service. A network capacity analyzer includes a capacity indicia collector that collects metric information associated with communication system capacities. Network information is collected pertaining, e.g., to a backhaul network, a radio access network, and a core network of the radio communication system. The collected information is provided to an aggregate capacity determiner that determines the aggregate capacities of the communication system. Such values are provided to a mobile station. The values are used pursuant to reselection procedures to select a radio subsystem through which to communicate. |
| US07796599B2 |
Multiplexing and demultiplexing apparatus for delivering MPEG-2 TS packet error signal through cablecard interface and multiplexing and demultiplexing method using the same
Provided are a multiplexing and demultiplexing apparatus and method for delivering an MPEG-2 TS packet error signal through a CableCARD interface. In the multiplexing apparatus, a TS packet reception unit receives TS packets, and a pre-header generation unit generates pre-headers corresponding to the received TS packets. A pre-header insertion unit inserts the pre-headers in front of the received TS packets to generate cable MPEG packets (CMPs), and an output FIFO unit stores the CMPs. A FIFO control unit transfers the CMPs without collision with CMPS of different channels, and an output signal generation unit generates output signals from the CMPs of the different channels. |
| US07796596B2 |
Methods, systems, and computer program products for producing, transporting, and capturing network traffic data
Methods, systems, and computer program products producing, transporting, and capturing network traffic data are provided. The method includes associating a mirroring policy with a service profile assigned to a service subscriber, the service subscriber identified by a static Internet Protocol address. The method also includes associating a routing policy with the service profile. Upon detecting an active session for the service subscriber, the method includes mirroring traffic data generated as a result of subscriber activity, the mirroring implemented in accordance with the mirroring policy. The method further includes routing the mirrored traffic data through a public network to a central collection facility in accordance with the routing policy. |
| US07796592B2 |
Optimizing static dictionary usage for signal, hypertext transfer protocol and bytecode compression in a wireless network
Methods and apparatus including a virtual machine and a compression network platform are provided especially for improving the application of compression algorithms and unique identifiers for bytecode and bytecode packages including associated static dictionaries utilized to advantage in wireless networks. In particular, a given virtual machine need only identify to a receiving virtual machine the unique package identifier for one or more of an algorithm, a static dictionary or a hash for decompressing a received data signal. The receiving virtual machine may advertise what it has locally available to it so that no uploading is necessary. The actuation of bytecode by identifier may be requested at a given destination within the parameters set by RFC 3320. Universal decompressor virtual machines may receive uploaded compression algorithms, bytecode identifiers, package identifiers or static dictionary identifiers and the like from proxy call session control functions of a wireless network, the compressing machine or a compression network platform resource which in one embodiment may comprise an IANA database. The methods and apparatus may find particular application in improving the efficiency of presence/group list management. |
| US07796591B2 |
Access multiplexer
In access multiplexers (1) for multiplexing Internet Protocol packets to be exchanged between network devices (2) and subscriber devices (3-5), the Internet Protocol packets are encapsulated at each side of the access multiplexers (1). By providing the access multiplexers (1) with Internet Protocol routers (6-8) for routing the Internet Protocol packets via direction dependent routes, the access multiplexers (1) have become transparent for routing protocols at Internet Protocol level which use multicast Internet Protocol destination addresses or broadcast Internet Protocol destination addresses. Between the network devices (2) and the access multiplexers (1) Ethernet packets are exchanged via virtual local area network connections (21-23) and between the subscriber devices (3-5) and the access multiplexers (1) Asynchronous Transfer Mode packets are exchanged via permanent virtual connections (31-33). The access multiplexers (1) are digital subscriber line access multiplexers and the network devices (2) comprise edge routers and the subscriber devices (3-5) comprise customer premises equipment. |
| US07796590B1 |
Secure automatic learning in ethernet bridges
A method of managing network traffic. The method includes initializing a database in communication with a network device. The database includes a number of MAC address entries and a network flooding entry associated with each of the number of MAC address entries. Each of the number of MAC address entries is associated with a station known to the network. The method also includes receiving network traffic at the network device. The network traffic is associated with a MAC source address. The method further includes determining whether the MAC source address is included in the database, automatically learning a location associated with the MAC source address, and forwarding the network traffic over the network if the MAC source address is included in the database. Additionally, the method includes dropping or trapping the network traffic if the MAC source address is not included in the database. Dropping the network traffic is performed without interaction with a CPU. |
| US07796589B2 |
Communication protocol
One aspect relates to a communication protocol for communicating between one or more entities, such as devices, hosts or any other system capable of communicating over a network. A protocol is provided that allows communication between entities without a priori knowledge of the communication protocol. In such a protocol, for example, information describing a data structure of the communication protocol is transferred between communicating entities. Further, an authentication protocol is provided for providing bidirectional authentication between communicating entities. In one specific example, the entities include a master device and a slave device coupled by a serial link. In another specific example, the communication protocol may be used for performing unbalanced transmission between communicating entities. |
| US07796584B2 |
Method for connection between communication networks of different types and gateway apparatus
A gateway apparatus for conducting connection between different types of communication networks, that are a line-switched network and a packet-switched network, there are provided a method and an apparatus in which sound breaks otherwise caused by delay or loss of speech encoded data is eliminated and deterioration of the speech quality is minimized to assure short delay in speech communication. A speech data processing circuit of the gateway apparatus compares the number of speech encoded data actually acquired with an expected value. The speech data processing circuit packetizes the so generated speech encoded data, along with the speech encoded data, to send the packetized data from a transmission circuit to the packet-switched network. The resulting data is sent from a data multiplexing circuit and a line-switched network terminating circuit to the line-switched network. |
| US07796575B2 |
Method and apparatus for orthogonal frequency division multiplex
An orthogonal code including an orthogonal code set capable of a plurality of parallel processes through a cyclic shift method is provided. Moreover, a multiple access method of effectively using a new cyclic orthogonal complementary code (cyclic-OC) is provided. |
| US07796570B1 |
Method for sparse table accounting and dissemination from a mobile subscriber device in a wireless mobile ad-hoc network
A system and method for performing continuous accounting on a mobile node within a wireless ad-hoc network, using a sparse matrix method for compaction of the accounting data when forwarding data to a core network. The system and method perform continuous accounting of network traffic on a mobile node, and collected data is periodically transmitted in summary report form to a core network when accessible. During periods when the core network is inaccessible, collected data is maintained for subsequent transmission to the core network once access is re-established. |
| US07796569B2 |
Digital broadcasting reception apparatus for quick channel switching and method thereof
Disclosed is a method for switching broadcasting channels in a digital broadcasting reception apparatus employing a time division multiplexing scheme. The method includes receiving and demodulating digital broadcasting data according to at least one broadcasting channel serviced in a frequency band used by the broadcasting station when the broadcasting channel of a predetermined broadcasting station is selected, outputting the digital broadcasting data of the selected broadcasting channel among the demodulated digital broadcasting data according to the broadcasting channels, storing digital broadcasting data according to the broadcasting channels except the selected broadcasting channel, and when there is a request for switching one of the broadcasting channels serviced by the broadcasting station, retrieving and outputting the digital broadcasting data of the requested broadcasting channel among the stored data. Since it is possible to quickly switch broadcasting channels in the apparatus during output of the digital broadcasting, the convenience for users is improved. |
| US07796567B2 |
Method and system for implementing soft time reuse in wireless communication system
A method for implementing soft time reuse includes: selecting for a cell or sector at least one time slot as a primary time slot and at least another one time slot as a secondary time slot; using the primary time slot at the border of the cell or sector; setting a first transmit power threshold for the primary time slot; setting a second transmit power threshold for the secondary time slot; the primary time slot selected for the cell or sector and a primary time slot selected for another cell or sector adjacent to the cell or sector are non-overlapped, and the first transmit power threshold is higher than the second transmit power threshold. A system is also provided by the embodiments of the present invention. The system and method reduce the interference between cells or sectors effectively and improve the resource utilization. |
| US07796565B2 |
Mixed voice and spread spectrum data signaling with multiplexing multiple users with CDMA
Systems, methods, and devices for mixed voice and spread spectrum data signaling with spread spectrum data hiding with CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) for three or more users. The disclosed systems, methods, and devices may be implemented in audio conferencing or video conferencing. Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a data and voice mixer, which includes an improved spread spectrum data hiding transmitter. The transmitter may comprise a CDMA chip sequence generator and a spreading encoder. Different users may be accommodated by selecting different initializations for the registers of the CDMA chip sequence generator. Different spreading code may be used for different users which are near orthogonal to each other. In some embodiments, the CDMA chip sequence generator pseudo-randomly selects the chip sequence from one of a plurality of Gold chip sequence generators. |
| US07796560B2 |
Performance of a receiver in interfering conditions
A device 22 includes a communication system transceiver 40 for exchanging signals in a first frequency band and a receiver 30 for receiving signals in a second frequency band. In order to improve the performance of the receiver. A processing portion 34 of the devices detects the presence of signals interfering with the signals in the second frequency band and also determines a timing pattern for interfering signals based on a timing information which is indicative of the timing for transmissions employed by the transceiver 40. A manipulation of signals reaching the receiver 30 during intervals defined by the determined timing pattern is then done, in order to reduce a performance degradation due to interfering signals originating from a transmitter 21 employing the same timing for transmissions as the transceiver 40. A corresponding method is also disclosed. |
| US07796557B2 |
Methods and apparatus for the communication of network capability information over a traffic channel
In one illustrative example, when a mobile station operative for communications in a wireless communication network is engaged in a call, an in-traffic channel message is transmitted from a base station to the mobile station. The message includes information indicative of whether the wireless network supports a predetermined concurrent service or feature. The predetermined concurrent service or feature may be a mobile-requested Quality of Service (QoS) parameter usage feature or a mobile-initiated position location determination feature. The in-traffic channel message may be an in-traffic system parameter message, a general handoff direction message, or a universal handoff direction message, as examples. Preferably, the wireless network is a cdma2000-type network. Since the mobile station is made aware of such information, more efficient operation may be realized. |
| US07796551B1 |
Parallel adaptive quantile wireless scheduler
A method, medium, and wireless system are provided for scheduling access terminals to prevent starvation of other access terminals connected to a communication network. The wireless system includes access terminals and base stations that are configured with a first wireless scheduler and a parallel wireless scheduler that select access terminals to communicate during specified time slots. The access terminals measure channel conditions associated with communications to the base station and transmit requests that specify a desired communication rate to the base station. The wireless schedulers on each base station receive the requests from each access terminal and select an access terminal to communicate during a subsequent time slot that may be based on, for example, the channel conditions and a combination of the probability estimates associated with the communication rate and a faction of unallocated slots or a second fraction—corresponding to the access terminal—generated by either the first wireless scheduler or the parallel wireless scheduler. |
| US07796549B2 |
Method and apparatus for time-aligning transmissions from multiple base stations in a CDMA communication system
Schemes to time-align transmissions from multiple base stations to a terminal. To achieve time-alignment, differences between the arrival times of transmissions from the base stations, as observed at the terminal, are determined and provided to the system and used to adjust the timing at the base stations such that terminal-specific radio frames arrive at the terminal within a particular time window. In one scheme, a time difference between two base stations is partitioned into a frame-level time difference and a chip-level time difference. Whenever requested to perform and report time difference measurements, the terminal measures the chip-level timing for each candidate base station relative to a reference base station. Additionally, the terminal also measures the frame-level timing and includes this information in the time difference measurement only if required. Otherwise, the terminal sets the frame-level part to a predetermined value (e.g., zero). |
| US07796545B2 |
Method and apparatus for scheduling in a wireless communication network
Techniques to efficiently schedule and serve stations in a wireless network are described. An access point may aggregate stations with flows carrying traffic having similar characteristics, e.g., VoIP flows. The access point may schedule these stations together in an overall service period. The access point may serve each station in a respective service period within the overall service period. The access point may send a multi poll frame at the start of the overall service period to indicate the start time and/or service period for each station. Each station may decide to power down until its start time. The service periods for the stations may overlap one another. The service period for each station may cover an initial transmission as well as additional transmission and/or retransmission. If additional transmission and/or retransmission are not needed for a given station, then the next station may be served right away. |
| US07796542B2 |
Method and apparatus for the prevention of unwanted calls in a callback system
In one method and apparatus for blocking unwanted calls in a callback system, parameters associated with a callback request (e.g., the user device to which the call is to be directed, the IP address from which the request originated or an identifier of the source computer from which the callback request originated, the party from whom the call is requested) are tracked for each call. A decision to automatically block the requested callback is made based on one or more criteria based on a combination of these parameters, which may be a total over a period of time. In a second method, one or both of the parties to the callback is queried as to whether the callback is unwanted and, if so, one or more parameters associated with the request are blacklisted. |
| US07796537B2 |
Creating non-transit nodes in a link network
In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a first link state initiation (HELLO) message from a first neighboring router. The HELLO message requests that a recipient node send a unique identifier for itself in a link state routing protocol. In response to receiving the first HELLO message, a first response message is sent that includes a first identifier from an identifier pool. The identifier pool contains for a local node a plurality of network identifiers that are unique among all nodes in the network that uses the link state routing protocol. A second HELLO message is received from a different second neighboring router. In response to receiving the second HELLO message, a second response message is sent that includes a different second identifier from the identifier pool. |
| US07796523B2 |
Network usage optimization with respect to a virtual circuit network
A network usage optimization method for minimizing the total network usage fee. The method includes the steps of (a) providing a network and a data processing apparatus, wherein the data processing apparatus communicates via a PVC of the network; (b) obtaining past network traffic data for traffic over the PVC; (c) predicting future network traffic data for traffic over the PVC for a future time period based on the past network traffic data; and (d) based on the predicted future network traffic data, specifying a CIR for the PVC for the future time period that will result in a minimum predicted total network usage fee for the future time period. |
| US07796520B2 |
System and methods for announcing and locating services in a distributed peer-to-peer network
Systems and methods for announcing and locating services that are shared in a distributed manner within a peer-to-peer packet-based network are provided. One or more network devices maintain a copy of a particular service and the service is shared by any network device in the network that requires the service. Network devices maintain lists of what services are available on the network as well as where the services are located. When a particular service is desired, the network device consults the lists and is able to request acquisition of the service from any network device known to host the service, either locally or on a remote network device. Service location functionality is also capable of allocating resources and/or services in the network based on statistical information gathered and maintained regarding service use in the network. |
| US07796518B2 |
Traffic policing
An apparatus and a method are described in which a flow of packets is distributed in several separate flows over several links (12) forming a logically aggregated link (11). The flow outgoing from each physical link is sent to its own policer (18) which applies to said flow a traffic policing algorithm with the policers being interconnected to exchange algorithm control parameter modification information to fit them in among the various policers while allowing for the control parameters of the others so that a distributed policer (15) is realized. |
| US07796515B2 |
Propagation of viruses through an information technology network
A method of operating a first host within a network of a plurality of hosts. Over the course of a first time interval, requests received at the first host from a second host to send data to destination hosts are monitored. Identities of destination hosts monitored during the first time interval are compared with destination host identities in a record. Then, either data relating to requests which identify a destination host not in the record are stored in a storage buffer. Or the passage of data from the second host to the destination host within the network is limited over the course of the first time interval, so that during the first time interval the second host is unable to send data to more than a predetermined number of hosts not in the record. |
| US07796514B2 |
System and method for multi-services packet network traffic engineering
Systems and methods are described that provide network traffic engineering that obviate network over-provisioning by providing QoS to each traffic class. Embodiments dimension switching router LTE schedulers to ensure that each traffic class receives an appropriate QoS in terms of delay, jitter, Packet Loss Ratio and throughput. |
| US07796513B2 |
Packet classification using modified range labels
A method and system for encoding a set of range labels for each parameter field in a packet classification key in such a way as to require preferably only a single entry per rule in a final processing stage of a packet classifier. Multiple rules are sorted accorded to their respective significance. A range, based on a parameter in the packet header, is previously determined. Multiple rules are evaluated according to an overlapping of rules according to different ranges. Upon a determination that two or more rules overlap, each overlapping rule is expanded into multiple unique segments that identify unique range intersections. Each cluster of overlapping ranges is then offset so that at least one bit in a range for the rule remains unchanged. The range segments are then converted from binary to Gray code, which results in the ability to determine a CAM entry to use for each range. |
| US07796509B2 |
Method and apparatus for managing flow control in a data processing system
A method in a data processing system for managing transmission of pause frames. In response to detecting an overflow condition during a receipt of data from a network, enabling flow control in response to detecting the overflow condition. The flow control is enabled as long as the overflow condition is present. A determination is made as to whether the operating system unavailable after a period of time passes. If the operating system believed to have crashed and flow control is enabled, the flow control is disabled. |
| US07796508B2 |
Method of generically specifying congestion control and avoidance behavior
A method for controlling congestion control and avoidance behavior of a plurality of heterogeneous network processors in a network is disclosed. The network also includes at least one host processor that utilizes at least one congestion control application. The method include providing a plurality of generic application program interfaces (APIs). The generic APIs communicate with the congestion control application(s) and the heterogeneous network processors. The generic APIs communicate with the congestion control application(s) in the host processor(s) in a network processor independent manner, but manage the congestion control and avoidance behavior of the heterogeneous network processors in a network processor specific manner. Thus, the generic APIs allow the control application(s) to be network processor independent and to manage the congestion control and avoidance behavior of the heterogeneous network processors in the network processor specific manner. |
| US07796505B2 |
Method for processing traffic data in a wireless communications system
The present invention concerns a method of processing traffic data in Layer 2 of a wireless communications system, whereby the MAC layer is arranged, after receipt of a traffic data volume report from the RLC layer, to process said data volume report and to then issue an acknowledgement message to the RLC layer. The method ensures that the RLC and MAC layers are synchronized with respect to traffic data processing. The MAC layer may be arranged to issue an acknowledgement to the RLC layer only where it determines from processing a data volume report that the RLC layer is not permitted to transmit data in a next or subsequent corresponding TTI. The present invention also concerns a process for data discard in a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer of a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) wireless communications system such as a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). The process involves, responsive to thetriggering of a data discard operation, determining whether the RLC layer is permitted to transmit data. Where it is determined that the RLC layer is not permitted to transmit data in a next or subsequent TTI, the method includes the step of informing the RLC layer that data is not required. |
| US07796499B2 |
Method of and system for video fast update
A method of determining whether to generate a video refresh request includes receiving a packet and performing at least one of determining whether the received packet contains an error and determining whether a packet prior to the received packet was lost. Responsive to a determination that the received packet contains an error, an error index is increased. Responsive to a determination that a packet prior to the received packet has been lost, the error index is increased. Responsive to a determination that the received packet does not contain an error and that a packet prior to the received packet has not been lost, the error index is decreased. |
| US07796493B2 |
Cantilever on cantilever structure
In one embodiment, the present invention includes an apparatus having a first cantilever structure to move in a vertical direction, including a first plate formed of a conductive material, an insulation beam adapted on a portion of the first plate, and a second cantilever structure adapted on the insulation beam and including a second plate formed of a conductive material, where an air gap is present between the first and second plates. Other embodiments are described and claimed. |
| US07796486B2 |
Optical information reproducing apparatus and optical information recording apparatus using holography
An optical information reproducing apparatus using holography is provided. The holographic optical information reproducing apparatus includes an objective lens irradiating a reference beam to a predetermined position on a recording medium and receiving a reproducing beam reproduced from the recording medium, an optical information detector detecting the reproducing beam passing through the objective lens, a driving unit changing a distance between the optical information detector and the objective lens and an image adjusting unit adjusting magnification and a focus between an output image resulting from the reproducing beam passing through the objective lens and a detected image detected by the optical information detector with a variation in distance between the optical information detector and the objective lens. |
| US07796484B2 |
Tilt adjusting method and information recording/reproducing apparatus using the same
[Problems] To effectively perform optimal tilt adjustment. [Means for Solving the Problems] A tilt adjusting method adjusts a tilt angle of an actual incident light and reflected light with respect to an incident light and a reflected light under optimal tilt when recording and reproducing data onto/from an information recording medium. Two or more output signals having a balance between a signal component and a noise component changing with respect to a parameter of a correction object are extracted from the reproduction signal of the information recording medium and the signal component and the noise component are evaluated for performing signal correction, thereby calculating a first and a second coefficient. When the first coefficient is out of a set reference range, the tilt adjustment is performed by the first coefficient and when the first coefficient in the set reference range, the tilt adjustment is performed by the second coefficient. |
| US07796483B2 |
Method for evaluating read stability of optical disc and information reproduction apparatus
A method and apparatus for measuring the read stability of an optical disc are provided. Specifically, readout of the optical disc is repeated at each of at least two read laser beams powers being different from each other. A graph is drawn in which the inverses of the read powers are plotted on a horizontal axis and in which on a vertical axis is plotted the logarithm of a repeated readout number for each of the read powers. Here, the repeated readout number is the number of repetitions of the readout when a characteristic value for the number of repetitions of the readout varies and reaches a predetermined value. The read stability of the optical disc is evaluated by using the gradient of the graph. |
| US07796480B2 |
Apparatus and methods for light spot servo signal detection
An apparatus for light spot servo signal detection for reading an optical recording medium having a plurality of non-writable areas between writable data areas containing address information. An optical pickup provides a light spot to the non-writable areas of the optical recording medium with a predetermined state according to a control signal, and detects optical reflecting signals from the optical recording medium to generate a detection signal. A signal adjusting module offsets signal levels of the detection signal to an operating range to generate an offset shifted detection signal. An analog to digital converter digitizes the offset shifted detection signal to generate a digital signal. A detection circuit detects the servo detection signal according to the digital signal. |
| US07796477B2 |
Optical pick-up device having object lenses for correcting comatic aberration
An optical pick-up device in which two object lenses correct comatic aberration with respect to object lenses. First and second optical systems converge either one of light beams having first, second and third wavelengths onto an optical disc. Object lenses are displaced in three axial focusing directions including a direction perpendicular to the recording surface of the optical disc, a tracking direction radial to the optical disc, and either one of a radial tilt direction in a circular arc form on the axis of the radial direction and a tangential tilt direction in a circular arc form on the axis in a tangential direction perpendicular to the radial direction. Comatic aberration of the second optical system is corrected relative to the first optical system in the other direction of the radial tilt direction and the tangential tilt direction, which is not controlled by the object lens drive unit, is corrected. |
| US07796476B2 |
Optical disk device and optical disk gain adjusting method
An optical disk device includes a optical pickup head which emits a laser beam to an optical disk and detects light reflected therefrom, a signal output unit which outputs at least a servo signal and RF signal in accordance with the detected light, a gain control unit which determines the type of the optical disk from identification information recorded thereon, and sets first and second adjusted gains for a data recorded region and data unrecorded region, when determining that the optical disk is of a type wherein a light reflectance is higher in the data recorded region than in the unrecorded region, and a gain adjustment unit including a memory storing the first and second adjusted gains, the gain adjustment unit adjusting the gain of the servo signal in the data recorded region, using the first adjusted gain, and in the data unrecorded region, using the second adjusted gain. |
| US07796474B2 |
Clock diagnostics
Disclosed is a clock for use in a master/slave clock system, including a system and method for semi-automatically performing diagnostic self-tests on the status and operability of a plurality of components of one or more secondary clocks. The invention addresses a multitude of diagnostic and problem detection issues, including “no fault found.” |
| US07796470B1 |
Acoustic detection of weapons near transportation centers
Systems and methods are disclosed for determining location of a weapon firing incident. In one exemplary embodiment, there is provided a system for determining the location of a weapon firing incident in proximate position to a region traversed by vehicles. The system includes a first set of sensors associated with a first sub-region of the region, for detecting the weapon firing incident and for generating an output, and a processing component that determines a location of the weapon firing incident based upon the output. Moreover, the system may also include a second set of sensors arranged to detect the weapon firing incident along the travel path traversed by the vehicles and for generating a second output. Other exemplary embodiments may include arrangements of the sensors in patterns is associated with sub-regions and/or travel path as well as weapon fire location processing features. |
| US07796466B2 |
Apparatus, systems and methods for seabed data acquisition
Seabed sensor units, systems including same, and methods for acquiring seabed data are described, one seabed sensor unit comprising a base, the base containing at least one sensor able to detect a seismic signal, electronics comprising a clock and one or more electronic components enabling the sensor to communicate seismic data to one or more memory modules, and a local autonomous power source. This abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract, which will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. 37 CFR 1.72(b). |
| US07796461B2 |
Semiconductor device having a plurality of memory chips
A semiconductor device comprises a plurality of memory chips; and a controller configured to supply the plurality of memory chips with signals for controlling the plurality of memory chips. The plurality of memory chips include a chip selection signal input section configured to make a drive-targeted memory chip selected or non-selected, based on an input signal. They also include an address signal input section configured to provide a signal to address the memory chip, based on an input signal. They further include a select address signal input section configured to make the plurality of memory chips selected or non-selected, based on an input signal, and configured divertible to the address signal input section. |
| US07796456B2 |
Semiconductor device
A semiconductor device is configured to prevent misprogramming of fuse circuits therein. The semiconductor device includes the following elements. A group of fuse element circuits 911 is configured to store a first data defining the circuit configuration. A fuse element circuit 913 is configured to store a second data representing inhibition of programming the group of fuse element circuits. A control logic circuit 140 is configured to program the first and the second data on the fuse element circuits. An AND gate circuit 914 is configured to inhibit the control logic circuit 140 from programming the group of fuse element circuits 911 on condition that the fuse element circuit 913 has been programmed. |
| US07796455B2 |
Device controlling phase change storage element and method thereof
Devices controlling a phase change storage element and methods for increasing reliability of a phase change storage element. The invention introduces a first operation mode and a second operation mode. A reference phase change storage element is forced a write current for an ideal conduction period in the first operation mode. In the second operation mode, the invention generates a proper conduction period based on the resistance of the reference phase change storage element, and forces the write current into the controlled phase change storage element for the proper conduction period. |
| US07796453B2 |
Semiconductor device
A semiconductor device includes a column decoder that generates a column selecting signal that selects any of a plurality of bit line pairs to which memory cells are connected according to a column address that is input; a bit line selecting switch that connects by the column selecting signal any of a plurality of bit line pairs and a data I/O line pair that outputs data that has been read from a memory cell to the outside; a data amplifier that amplifies a voltage differential of a data I/O line pair and outputs data that has been read to an output buffer; a data I/O line switch that is provided in the data I/O lines; an I/O line precharge circuit that precharges a data I/O line pair that is not on the side of the data amplifier; and an amplifier precharge circuit that precharges a data I/O line pair that is on the side of the data amplifier. |
| US07796451B2 |
Integrated circuits and methods to compensate for defective memory in multiple layers of memory
Embodiments of the invention relate generally to data storage and computer memory, and more particularly, to systems, integrated circuits and methods to compensate for defective memory in third dimension memory technology. In a specific embodiment, an integrated circuit is configured to compensate for defective memory cells. For example, the integrated circuit can include a memory having memory cells that are disposed in multiple layers of memory. It can also include a memory reclamation circuit configured to substitute a subset of the memory cells for one or more defective memory cells. At least one memory cell in the subset of the memory cells resides in a different plane in the memory than at least one of the one or more defective memory cells. |
| US07796450B1 |
Radio frequency (RFID) tag including configurable single bit/dual bits memory
A configurable memory device includes an array of configurable memory units arranged into rows and columns. The configurable memory unit includes a memory cell comprising a first storage element configured to store a first value and a second storage element configured to store a second value. The memory unit can be either a single-ended or a differential configuration. In the single-ended configuration, the stored value of each storage element is interpreted as one bit. In the differential configuration, the stored first and second values of the storage elements are interpreted as a differential single bit. An external control signal determines in which configuration the unit is in. |
| US07796447B2 |
Semiconductor memory device having output impedance adjustment circuit and test method of output impedance
A semiconductor device has an output impedance adjustment circuit for automatically adjusting an output impedance of an output circuit including transistors connected in parallel. The output impedance adjustment circuit includes: a replica circuit including a circuit portion of the substantially same configuration as the output circuit; a comparator for comparing a magnitude of the output impedance of the replica circuit with a reference resistor and for outputting a comparison result as an internal counter control signal; a switching controller selectively switching between an external counter control signal from outside and the internal counter control signal; and a counter circuit for performing a count operation selectively according to the internal or the external counter control signal and for outputting a count value as an adjustment code which is supplied to the output circuit and the replica circuit so that each transistor is controlled to be on/off based on the adjustment code. |
| US07796443B2 |
Method of erasing a flash EEPROM memory
The invention is a new method for erasing a flash EEPROM memory device. The memory device has a first semiconductor region within a second semiconductor region, source and drain regions in the first semiconductor region, a well terminal inside the first semiconductor region, a charge storing layer electrically isolated from the first semiconductor region by a dielectric layer, and a control terminal electrically isolated from the charge storing layer by a inter layer dielectric. The method comprises the steps of: applying a first voltage bias of first polarity to the well terminal; allowing a first time period to elapse; applying a second voltage bias of second polarity opposite to the first polarity to the control terminal; resetting the first voltage bias to zero; allowing a second time period to elapse; and resetting the second voltage bias to zero. |
| US07796440B2 |
NAND flash memory device and method of programming the same
Provided are a NAND flash memory device and a method of programming the same. The NAND flash memory device may include a cell array including a plurality of pages; a page buffer storing program data of the pages; a data storage circuit providing program verification data to the page buffer; and a control unit. The control unit may program the pages and verify the pages using the program verification data following the programming of at least two of the pages. |
| US07796439B2 |
Semiconductor memory device and write method thereof
A semiconductor memory device includes a memory cell array, bit lines, a source line, a sense amplifier, a data buffer, a voltage generating circuit, and a control circuit, the control circuit being configured such that the control circuit writes batchwise the write data, in the plurality of memory cells of the bit lines, the control circuit, after the batchwise write, causes the plurality of first latch circuits to hold the write data once again, and the control circuit executes verify read from the memory cells, and executes, in a case where read data of the plurality of sense amplifier circuits by the verify read disagree with the write data that are held once again in the plurality of first latch circuits, additional write to write batchwise the held write data in the plurality of memory cells once again. |
| US07796438B2 |
Flash memory device and method of programming the same
A flash memory device may include a memory cell array, a page buffer unit, and a switching element. The page buffer unit may include first and second latches and is configured to program data into the memory cell array and read data from the memory cell array. The switching element enables the first latch during a verify operation of a first program based on a first verify voltage, and enables or disables the first latch in order to execute a verify operation of a second program based on a second verify voltage lower than the first verify voltage depending on whether data to be programmed has been stored in the second latch. |
| US07796437B2 |
Voltage regulator with reduced sensitivity of output voltage to change in load current
A voltage regulator is disclosed. The voltage regulator has a voltage generation circuit that outputs a regulated voltage and a load current. The voltage regulation circuit has a sensing circuit that senses a peak magnitude of the load current and stores a peak signal that is based on the peak load current magnitude. The sensing circuit receives at least one signal that is input to the voltage regulation circuit and senses the peak magnitude of the load current. The voltage regulation circuit has a current generation circuit that generates a compensation current that has a magnitude that is proportional to the peak load current magnitude. The current generation circuit generates the compensation current based on the peak signal. The compensation current is provided during a time interval that is defined by at least one signal that is input to the voltage regulation circuit. |
| US07796434B2 |
Non-volatile memory device and method of operating the same
Program voltages of a non-volatile memory device are controlled variably according to a program/erase operation count. The non-volatile memory device includes a program voltage supply unit for applying a program voltage to a memory cell, a program/erase count storage unit for storing a total program/erase operation count of the non-volatile memory device, a program start voltage storage unit for storing levels of program start voltages to be differently supplied according to the program/erase operation count, and a program voltage controller for controlling the program start voltage according to the program/erase operation count. |
| US07796431B2 |
Page buffer used in a NAND flash memory and programming method thereof
A page buffer used in a NAND flash memory comprises a first latch circuit, a second latch circuit, a bit line voltage supply circuit and a verification circuit comprising a first verification path, a second verification path and a third verification path. The first latch circuit and the second latch circuit latch the data programmed into and read from the NAND flash memory. The bit line voltage supply circuit supplies bit line voltages to the corresponding bit line of the NAND flash memory. The verification circuit verifies the programming operations of the NAND flash memory. The first verification path is for the verification of a first LSB programming operation. The second verification path is for the verification of a second LSB programming operation before the first LSB programming operation is verified. The third verification path is for the verification of the second LSB programming operation after the first LSB programming operation is verified. |
| US07796425B2 |
Control of set/reset pulse in response to peripheral temperature in PRAM device
A driver circuit for a PRAM (phase-change random access memory) device includes a write driver that generates a set/reset current in response to a set/reset pulse. In addition, a temperature compensator controls a pulse width of the set/reset pulse in response to a peripheral temperature of the PRAM device. For example, the temperature compensator maintains the pulse width to be substantially constant irrespective of the peripheral temperature. In another example, the temperature compensator decreases the pulse width for higher peripheral temperature. |
| US07796420B2 |
Coil sensor memory device and method
A non-volatile random access memory device. The non-volatile random access memory device may include a magnetic bit, a write/sense, and a read pulse module. The read pulse module may be configured to send a read pulse signal to the magnetic bit. In addition, a write module may be in communication with the write/sense coil and may be configured to thereby change the magnetic bit between a first magnetic polarity state and a second magnetic polarity state. A read module may be in communication with the write/sense coil and may be configured to detect a first characteristic of the write/sense coil when a read pulse signal is delivered to the magnetic bit in the first magnetic polarity state and to detect a second characteristic of the write/sense coil when a read pulse signal is delivered to the magnetic bit in the second magnetic polarity state. |
| US07796418B2 |
Programmable memory cell
A disclosed embodiment is a programmable memory cell comprising an elevated ground node having a voltage greater than a common ground node by an amount substantially equal to a voltage drop across a trigger point adjustment element. In one embodiment, the trigger point adjustment element can be a diode. The trigger voltage of the programmable memory cell is raised closer to a supply voltage when current passes through the trigger point adjustment element during a write operation. The programmable memory cell can comprise a pair of cross-coupled inverters, and first and second programmable antifuses that can be coupled to each inverter in the pair of cross-coupled inverters. Since the trigger voltage of the programmable memory cell is raised closer to the supply voltage, a programmed antifuse can easily reach below the trigger voltage and result in a successful write operation even when the supply voltage is a low voltage. |
| US07796416B2 |
Variable resistance element, its manufacturing method and semiconductor memory device comprising the same
Provided is a variable resistance element capable of performing a stable resistance switching operation and having a favorable resistance value retention characteristics, comprising a variable resistor 2 sandwiched between a upper electrode 1 and lower electrode 3 and formed of titanium oxide or titanium oxynitride having a crystal grain diameter of 30 nm or less. When the variable resistance 2 is formed under the substrate temperature of 150° C. to 500° C., an anatase-type crystal having a crystal grain diameter of 30 nm or less is formed. Since the crystalline state of the variable resistor changes by applying a voltage pulse and the resistance value changes, no forming process is required. Moreover, it is possible to perform a stable resistance switching operation and obtain an excellent effect that the resistance fluctuation is small even if the switching is repeated, or the variable resistance element is stored for a long time under a high temperature. |
| US07796413B2 |
AC to DC Power converter for aerospace applications
Three coils, each having several serial windings, have selected windings connected in a delta. Input AC power is applied through outrigger windings at the delta apices. At least two strategically located, direct tap, natural output points are provided at each side of the delta. For 6-phase output, only the six natural output points are required. For 9-phase output, an additional central output terminal connects to each side of the delta through a stub winding. The 6-phase or 9-phase output is passed to a rectifier circuit. |
| US07796412B2 |
Method and apparatus for converting direct current to alternating current
A method and apparatus for converting Direct Current (DC) to Alternating Current (AC). The method comprises performing system analysis on at least one of a DC current, DC voltage, or an AC voltage; utilizing the system analysis for selecting at least one conversion parameter; and converting DC to AC utilizing the at least one conversion parameter. |
| US07796409B2 |
Multilevel push pull power converter
A power converter for converting an input voltage (Vin) into an output voltage (Vout), comprising a first supply potential and a second supply potential established by the input voltage, and at least one primary winding having two terminals, a center tap arranged between the two terminals and connected to the first supply potential, and at least one secondary winding magnetically coupled to the primary winding for providing at least one output voltage (Vout) and a first controllable switch connected between the second supply potential and one terminal of the primary winding and a second controllable switch connected between the second supply potential and the other terminal of the primary winding and a third controllable switch connected between the second supply potential and the one terminal of the primary winding and a fourth controllable switch connected between the second supply potential and the other terminal of the primary winding, and a control unit for controlling the switches such that the first, second, third, and fourth switches are turned on sequentially wherein at any time maximum one switch is turned on. |
| US07796407B2 |
Method and apparatus of providing synchronous regulation for offline power converter
A synchronous regulation circuit is provided to improve the efficiency for an offline power converter. A secondary-side switching circuit is coupled to the output of the power converter to generate a synchronous signal and a pulse signal in response to an oscillation signal and a feedback signal. An isolation device transfers the synchronous signal from the secondary side to the primary side of the power converter. A primary-side switching circuit further receives the synchronous signal to generate a switching signal for soft switching a transformer. The pulse signal is utilized to control a synchronous switch for rectifying and regulating the power converter. The synchronous switch includes a power switch and a control circuit. The control circuit receives the pulse signal for turning on/off the power switch. The power switch is connected in between the transformer and the output of the power converter. In addition, a flyback switch is operated as a synchronous rectifier to freewheel the inductor current of the power converter. The flyback switch is turned on in response to the off of the power switch. The on time of flyback switch is correlated to the on time of the power switch. |
| US07796402B2 |
Radio apparatus including no less than two housings
A radio apparatus includes a first housing containing a first printed circuit board, second housing containing a second printed circuit board and being connected so as to be opened and closed to the first housing, an unbalanced-fed type antenna configured to be fed from one of the first printed circuit board and the second printed circuit board, and a magnetic material layer arranged to be located between the first printed circuit board and the second printed circuit board if the second housing is closed to the first housing. |
| US07796400B2 |
Modular integrated circuit chip carrier
An apparatus and method is disclosed that allows for the arranging in a three dimensional array semiconductor chips on a circuit board. A unique chip carrier is disclosed on which any IC chip can be positioned on above the other on a circuit board. Additionally, the carrier allows for the testing of IC chips on the carrier and underneath it without having to remove the carrier and chips from the system even if they are of the BGA or CSP type. The carrier includes exposed test points to allow an on site test. |
| US07796399B2 |
Thin multi-chip flex module
A multichip module comprises a multilayer substrate circuit having conductive patterns on its surface(s) to which microelectronic device(s) are attached. The conductive patterns include a series of electrical contacts adjacent to one edge of the substrate. The substrate is bonded to two rigid frames, one on each opposite surface. Each substrate has a series of castellations on one edge that are aligned and electrically connected to the respective contacts on the substrate, preferably by soldering. The castellations can serve as a self-aligning mechanism when the module is brought into contact with a low-profile pin array, and the module may be held in place on a motherboard by guide rails in a socket that engages the edges perpendicular to the castellated edge of the module. The module may further be provided with protective heat spreading covers. |
| US07796396B2 |
Integrated CRU latch
A latch for retaining moving parts on an enclosure service module (ESM) is provided. This latch comprises a retaining groove in the latch that holds a self-clinching standoff fastener attached to the ESM. A return spring is contained within a molded cavity in the latch, and an alignment groove in the latch is placed at one end of the return spring. The alignment groove guides an alignment pin on the ESM into a secure position, and the return spring applies pressure against the pin while the pin is in the alignment groove. |
| US07796389B2 |
Method and apparatus for cooling electronics
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for methods and devices for improving the heat dissipating properties of a heatsink to provide increased cooling for electronic equipment, such as power converters. In one embodiment, a heatsink includes at least one fluid cooled portion and at least one heat pipe disposed adjacent to the fluid cooled portion. The heat pipe improves the conduction of heat away from heat sources. |
| US07796388B2 |
Direct cooled power electronics substrate
The disclosure describes directly cooling a three-dimensional, direct metallization (DM) layer in a power electronics device. To enable sufficient cooling, coolant flow channels are formed within the ceramic substrate. The direct metallization layer (typically copper) may be bonded to the ceramic substrate, and semiconductor chips (such as IGBT and diodes) may be soldered or sintered onto the direct metallization layer to form a power electronics module. Multiple modules may be attached to cooling headers that provide in-flow and out-flow of coolant through the channels in the ceramic substrate. The modules and cooling header assembly are preferably sized to fit inside the core of a toroidal shaped capacitor. |
| US07796383B2 |
Heat transfer apparatus
The present application relates to apparatus (100) for cooling a light valve device (103), the apparatus comprising an array of elongate members (119), the elongate members (119) each having a tip (131) for contacting the light valve device (103). The apparatus (100) is suitable for cooling a digital micro-mirror device (103). A duct (117) may be provided for directing a flow of air from a fan to the light valve device (103). |
| US07796382B1 |
Stylus ejecting mechanism for portable electronic device
A stylus ejecting mechanism includes a housing, a control mechanism, a driving mechanism and a stylus. The housing defines a cavity and forming a latching portion. The control mechanism includes a button, the button forms a projection, the button engaging with the latching portion. The stylus is received in the cavity, the stylus defines a groove. The projection is engaged in the groove for releasably locking the stylus, and the driving mechanism is positioned at one end of the stylus for ejecting the stylus from the cavity of the housing. |
| US07796381B2 |
Battery cover latching assembly for portable electronic device
A battery cover latching assembly is for a portable electronic device including a housing, a first cover configured for attaching to a first side of the housing, and a second cover configured for attaching to a second side of the housing. The battery cover latching assembly includes a locking portion, a resisting portion, and a latch. The locking portion is formed on the first cover. The resisting portion is formed on the second cover. The latch is attached to the housing and abutting the resisting portion. The latch includes an engaging portion and a button portion. The engaging portion is engageable with the locking portion so as to lock the first cover and the housing with each other. The button portion is movable so as to disengage the engaging portion from the locking portion, thereby unlocking the first cover from the housing. |
| US07796376B2 |
Electrical enclosure cooling structure assembly and method
An electrical enclosure assembly comprises an enclosure having walls defining an interior space for housing electrical components and having a front flange surrounding a front opening. A cover is hingedly mounted to the enclosure for selectively closing the front opening. The cover comprises a front wall larger than the front opening and a rearwardly extending peripheral rim. Cooling structure is integrally formed on an interior surface of the cover proximate the peripheral rim. The cooling structure comprises a plurality of spaced apart cooling ribs each having a shoulder engaging the enclosure front flange when the cover is in a closed position to provide an air flow path between the interior space and outside of the enclosure through spaces between the cooling ribs. |
| US07796374B2 |
Power switchgear
A power switchgear includes a circuit breaker including a container filled with an insulating gas, a stationary contact arranged in the container, and a movable contact that makes a movement to make contact with the stationary contact; an operation unit including a biasing member, and opens and closes the circuit breaker; and a linkage unit that transmits an biasing force of the biasing member to the circuit breaker. The linkage unit includes a rotary shaft, a lever including an engaging hole to be engaged with an outer periphery of the rotary shaft, and a pressing member that presses the rotary shaft onto an inner periphery of the engaging hole. |
| US07796370B1 |
Apparatus and method for lightning sensor and controller
A lightning protection device is provided. The device includes a lower field coupler, an upper field coupler, a lightning sensor, and a controller. The lightning sensor includes a differential voltage window comparator. The lower field coupler is capacitively coupled to the earth ground, and the upper field coupler is coupled to the local atmospheric electric field. If a ground potential rise (GPR) event occurs, the differential voltage window comparator trips. If the differential voltage window comparator trips or if a power line transient occurs, the controller disconnects the power phase, neutral, and ground wires to isolate sensitive equipment. In some embodiments, the controller also detects power line transients and disconnects the power, phase, neutral, and ground wires if a power line transient is detected. |
| US07796369B2 |
Devices, systems, and methods for shunting a circuit breaker
Certain exemplary embodiments comprise an electrical bypass conductor adapted for installation in a circuit breaker. The electrical bypass conductor can be adapted to be operatively electrically coupled to a load side of the circuit breaker. The electrical bypass conductor adapted to transfer electrical energy from a source of electrical power to the load side of the circuit breaker during a short circuit event. |
| US07796360B2 |
Perpendicular magnetic recording head and method of manufacturing the same
A perpendicular magnetic recording head and method of manufacturing the same are provided. The perpendicular magnetic recording head records or reads information on or from a perpendicular magnetic recording medium. The perpendicular magnetic recoding head includes a coil, a main pole, and a return pole. The coil serves as a source for generating a magnetic field. The main pole and the return pole constitute a magnetic path of the magnetic field. The main pole includes an end facing the perpendicular magnetic recording medium. The end includes a leading part serving as a front side and a trailing part serving as a rear side with respect to a movement direction of the perpendicular magnetic recording medium. Both edges of the trailing part are chamfered, and the leading part has a plane inclined with respect to an air-bearing surface (ABS). The return pole has an end spaced from the main pole, and the other end connected with the main pole. |
| US07796354B2 |
Method and apparatus for controlling data rate of a tape drive
A method for controlling data rate of a tape drive is disclosed. The tape drive is connected to a computer system. The tape drive stores data by dividing the data into multiple codeword quads (CQs). A local memory within the tape drive includes drive to iteratively monitor data rate during write operations. If a number of CQ skips exceeds a pre-defined threshold value, the drive code reduces a maximum allowable data rate of the tape drive. |
| US07796350B2 |
Interchangeable lens barrel, program rewriting system for interchangeable lens barrel
An interchangeable lens barrel and a program rewriting system, in which a program included in the interchangeable lens barrel is easily changeable, are provided. An interchangeable lens barrel 2 is detachable from a camera body 1, and includes a storage section 36 for storing a first program concerning a function of the interchangeable lens barrel 2, a connection section 38 for connecting to an external input/output device 60, a reception section 32 for receiving a second program concerning the function of the interchangeable lens barrel from the input/output device 60 through the connection section 38, and a rewriting section 37 for replacing the stored first program with the received second program. |
| US07796349B2 |
Miniature image capture lens
A miniature image capture lens is disclosed, comprising an aperture diaphragm having an aperture through which an image is captured and a wafer-level lens system, comprising a first lens group including a first substrate, a first lens disposed on a first side of the first substrate and a second lens disposed on a second side of the first substrate, and a second lens group including a second substrate, a third lens disposed on a first side of the second substrate and a fourth lens disposed on a second side of the second substrate. The first lens, the second lens, the third lens and the fourth lens are aspherical and the miniature image capture lens meets the following condition: L/fe<1.6; f1/fe=0.5˜1.5; f2/fe=−1˜−3; Tgroup2/TBFL=0.8˜1.2; Tair/Tgroup2=0.4˜0.8; L: total track length (TTL) from the first lens to an image plane fe: effective focal length of whole lens system f1: effective focal length of the first lens f2: effective focal length of the second lens Tgroup2: thickness of the second lens group Tair: distance between the second lens and the third lens Tlens2: thickness of the second lens Tlens2: thickness of the second lens TBFL: back focal length from the last lens surface to the image plane. |
| US07796345B2 |
Zoom lens system
A zoom lens system includes, in order from an object side to an image side, first to fifth lens group respectively having positive, negative, positive, positive, and positive refractive power. When zooming from a wide-angle end to a telephoto end, the first, third and fourth lens groups move to the object side and the second lens group moves to the image side, whereby a spacing between the first and second lens groups and a spacing between the fourth and fifth lens groups are both increased and a spacing between the second and third lens groups is decreased. The following condition is satisfied: 0 < M G 2 · Y f 2 ≤ 0.05 where MG2 represents the movement range of the second lens group when zooming from the wide-angle end to the telephoto end, Y represents a maximum diagonal length of the image plane, and f2 represents the focal length of the second lens group. |
| US07796344B2 |
Zoom lens system, interchangeable lens apparatus and camera system
A zoom lens system is provided that includes a compactly constructed focusing lens unit and that has a suppressed change in the image magnification at the time of movement of a focusing lens unit. The zoom lens system according to the present invention, in order from an object side to an image side, comprises: a first lens unit having positive optical power; a second lens unit having negative optical power; and at least two subsequent lens units, wherein the at least two subsequent lens units include a lens unit A and a lens unit B arranged on the image side relative to the lens unit A, at the time of zooming, all lens units move in a direction along the optical axis so that intervals between the lens units vary, at the time of focusing, the lens unit A moves in a direction along the optical axis, and the following condition is satisfied. 0.10<|fBAK/fF|/(fT/fW)<15.0 (here, fT/fW>4, ωW<20° |
| US07796342B2 |
Imaging lens system and capsule endoscope
A capsule endoscope has an imaging lens system that forms an image of a substantially spherical object in a plane shape on the imaging surface. The imaging lens system includes first to fourth lenses and an aperture diaphragm. The surface shapes and arrangement thereof are set in consideration of a front cover of the capsule endoscope and a cover glass of an imaging device. Further, the imaging lens system is configured so that the following conditional expression is satisfied with respect to an arbitrary half angle of view ω: 0.7<(Y(ω+Δω)−Y(ω))/Y(Δω) where Y(ω) denotes an image height for the half angle of view ω of the imaging lens system, and Δω denotes an amount of minute change of the half angle of view (ω). |
| US07796337B2 |
Optical microstructure plate and fabrication mold thereof
An optical microstructure plate and mold for fabricating the same is disclosed. The optical microstructure plate comprises a substrate. An optical microstructure element is formed on the substrate. A period alignment mark is disposed on the substrate to provide alignment for fabricating the optical microstructure element by a mold. A universal alignment mark is disposed on the substrate to provide alignment for bonding another plate therewith. Specifically, the mold comprises a concave within a mold substrate, a spoiler around the concave, and a buffer zone adjacent to the spoiler. |
| US07796336B2 |
Lens, lens array and method for making lens array
An exemplary lens includes a light pervious substrate, a first optically active part, and a light blocking film. The light pervious substrate has a first surface, an opposite second surface, and a recess defined in the first surface. The recess includes a bottom surface. The first optically active part is formed on the bottom surface. The light blocking film is formed on the bottom surface surrounding the first optically active part. |
| US07796333B2 |
Encoded microparticles and a method for fabricating
A method for fabricating microparticles. The method includes providing a removable substrate that has a photosensitive material. The substrate has a plurality of inner regions. Each inner region surrounds a corresponding outer region. The method also includes providing at least one optically detectable code within at least one of the inner regions of the substrate and etching lines into the substrate to create a plurality of microparticles having at least one optically detectable code therein. The microparticles have elongated bodies that extend in an axial direction. The optically detectable codes extend in the axial direction within the microparticles. |
| US07796331B2 |
Laser image display device and laser image display screen
A laser image display device and a laser image display screen used for the laser image display device. The laser image display device is provided with a laser light source for emitting laser beams and a laser image display screen (10) for projecting the laser beams. The laser image display screen (10) is provided with a reflection scattering body (11) for scatter reflecting the laser beams, and a semi-transmissive diffusion layer (12) arranged substantially parallel to the reflection scattering body (11). The semi-transmissive diffusion layer (12) reflects at least a part of the laser beams, transmits the rest, diffuses the transmitting laser beams and projects them. |
| US07796323B2 |
Display particle and method for producing the same, display particle dispersion, display medium, and display device
A display particle includes: a colored particle including a polymer having a charging group and a colorant; and a reactive silicone polymer or a reactive long-chain alkyl polymer, the polymer being bound to or covering the surface of the colored particle. |
| US07796321B2 |
Mirror device
A spatial light modulator supported on a device substrate includes a plurality of light modulation elements to modulate a light emitted from a light source. The spatial light modulator and the device substrate further comprises a cyclic structure on a surface of the spatial light modulator and/or the device substrate for preventing a reflection of the incident light from the cyclic structure. In an exemplary embodiment the cyclic structure includes cyclic structural elements having a distance between two cyclic elements shorter than the wavelength of an incident light for preventing a reflection of the incident light from the cyclic structure. |
| US07796317B2 |
Processing method and processing apparatus using interfered laser beams
Provided are a processing method and a processing apparatus which are capable of suppressing a disturbance attributable to a surface wave in a processing by interfered laser beams, in particular, a processing by the interfered laser beams of a pulsed laser having a pulse width of equal to or more than 1 fs and of equal to or less than 1 ps, in which the wavelength of a surface wave that propagates in a direction of the interference of the laser is made longer than a pitch of the interference of the laser on a surface of an object to be processed to process the object. |
| US07796316B2 |
Micro-optic shutter
A shutter includes micro-optics having first and second concentrator arrays. A transducer laterally displaces one of the first and second concentrator arrays between transmissive and shuttered modes. In the transmissive mode, the arrays of concentrators are optically aligned to permit electromagnetic energy passing through the first array of concentrators to pass through the second array of concentrators. In the shuttered mode, the electromagnetic radiation is blocked from passing through the second array of concentrators. The concentrators may be compound parabolic concentrators, or lenslets positioned on opposing plates with pinholes printed therethrough. The shutter may increase f-number of radiation passing therethrough, and may be used in a limited f-cone radiation source with shuttering abilities, for example reducing f-cone of radiation output from the radiation source. |
| US07796314B2 |
Method and apparatus for two-axis, high-speed beam steering
Dual axis, beam-steering devices are disclosed. An exemplary device includes a support platform having a top surface. A reflective surface is coupled to the top surface of the support platform. First and second galvanometers are coupled via respective linkages to the support platform such that the first galvanometer rotates the support platform about a first rotational axis, and the second galvanometer rotates the support platform about a second rotational axis that is orthogonal to the first rotational axis. The support platform can be simultaneously rotated with respect to both the first rotational axis and the second rotational axis to steer a beam of electromagnetic energy (e.g. light beam) reflected by the reflective surface. |
| US07796313B2 |
Holographic information recording-reproducing process and apparatus therefor
A process for recording information on and reproducing information from a reflection-type holographic information recording medium, having a reflecting layer. Recording includes (i) branching a light beam from a light source into a first branched light beam and a second branched light beam, (ii) forming an information light beam from the first branched light beam by modulation with a spatial light modulation element, and (iii) recording the information by forming an interference fringe by projecting the second branched light beam as a recording reference light beam together with the information light beam onto the recording medium. Reproducing includes projecting a light beam from the light source as a reproducing reference light beam onto the interference fringe. An angle of incidence of the recording reference light beam and an angle of incidence of the reproducing reference light beam into the interference fringe are one hundred eighty degrees from one another. |
| US07796310B2 |
Image reading apparatus and control method therefor, as well as storage medium
An image reading apparatus capable of increasing the detection accuracy of the size of an original and eliminating the need for an image sensor dedicated to detection of the size of an original. A first reading unit has a first light source disposed on one side of a conveyance path of an original for emitting light to one surface of the original. A second reading unit has a second light source disposed on the other side of the conveyance path for emitting light to be received by the first reading unit, an optical opening for causing the light emitted from the second light source and subsequently received by the first reading unit to pass therethrough toward the first reading unit. The original is detected on the basis of the resultant output of the first reading unit upon receipt of the light emitted from the second light source. |
| US07796309B2 |
Integrating analog markups with electronic documents
A document with one or more analog markups is obtained. An original electronic document corresponding to the document is also identified. The one or more analog markups are converted to one or more digital annotations, and the one or more digital annotations are stored in one or more parts of a package of the original electronic document. |
| US07796308B2 |
Image reading apparatus
An image reading apparatus capable of easily detecting the width of a document is provided that can reduce the number of component parts. A surface to be detected of a moving section that moves in linkage with the movement of a document guide is detected using an image pickup device, so that the width dimension of the document is detected. This allows the image reading apparatus to detect the width dimension of the document by using the image pickup device. |
| US07796306B2 |
Image processing apparatus with a deleting portion, image processing method for deleting image data, and image processing program product with image data deleting function
An image processing apparatus includes a compression/expansion device capable of compressing and expanding image data in a form of JBIG format, a nonvolatile memory which stores the image data compressed in the form of the JBIG format by the compression/expansion device, a deleting portion which makes image data-to-be-deleted stored in the memory un-restorable by deleting only head data of each plane having restoration information of the data-to-be-deleted. |
| US07796304B2 |
Print cartridge assembly with media drive for a mobile handset
The invention provides for a print cartridge assembly for a mobile handset. The assembly includes a chassis defining a number of slots for operatively receiving ink bearing structures therein, the chassis also defining a plurality of tortuous ink paths for supplying ink from the ink bearing structures to a printhead integrated circuit mounted to said chassis. The assembly also includes a media drive shaft mounted to said chassis, the shaft configured to operatively move print media past the printhead integrated circuit, as well as power and data contacts defined on said housing, the contacts in signal communication with the printhead integrated circuit to facilitate supply of power and data signals from a controller of the mobile handset to the integrated circuit. |
| US07796299B1 |
Composite rendering intent for color proofing applications
An apparatus, method and computer program product for transforming data from a source device color space to a destination device color space using a source device color profile, a source rendering intent, a destination rendering intent, and a destination device color profile, such that the source rendering, intent and the destination rendering intent determine a method of mapping colors from the source device color space to the destination device color space. |
| US07796298B2 |
Image processing method, image processing apparatus, and storage medium
In generating a conversion characteristic look-up table between an output device dependence color space and device independence color space, when white and black correction is performed for a colorimetric value of a sample chart output from an output device, the values of the chromaticity components of the white point of the colorimetric value are maintained even after the correction. In addition, the conversion characteristic look-up table is generated such that only a corrected white point is corrected to a reference white point so as to make the reference white point smoothly continue to other grid points. |
| US07796296B2 |
Personalized color reproduction
A method is provided of personalizing color reproduction of an output device by determining a user-specific color mapping. A user is enabled to individually select different color reproductions of a plurality of different test images according to the user's preferences, wherein the different color reproductions are associated with different color mappings. The test images are reproduced by the output device or a display device simulating the output device. The user-specific color mapping is determined by combining the color mappings of the selected color reproductions. |
| US07796293B2 |
Image processing apparatus, and computer product, allowing selective resolution of an area of a document
A desired area, a desired resolution of the desired area, and a desired reduction ratio of an area other than the desired area are specified. An image data of the desired area is extracted from an image data of a document read at the desired resolution. A changed image data is created by changing the image data of the document based on the desired reduction ratio. The image data of the desired area and the changed image data are subjected to multi-page filing and saved as one file. |
| US07796285B2 |
Supplementing facsimile image data
The present disclosure provides supplemental data for facsimile image data representing an image of a document for transmission. The supplemental data can describe an aspect of the document, such as by uniquely identifying the document that the facsimile image data represents. The supplemental data can be provided with the image of the document, in a manner that will not essentially obscure the image of the document. The supplemental data can be in a machine readable form that identifies the document and that can be separate from the image of the document. The supplemental data permits facsimile transmitted documents to be processed automatically by facsimile connected systems. |
| US07796281B2 |
Image forming system having reprint function
In an image forming system in which a printing device is communicably connected to a server and a terminal, an automatic determination is performed to determine whether or not print data created by the terminal needs to be stored in a memory for placing the data in a reprintable condition. The print data stored in the memory can be reprinted without need for resending the same print data from the terminal or server to the printing device. The automatic determination is, for example, performed by referring to the header of the print data and determining whether the print data is from the terminal or the server. |
| US07796277B2 |
Method and apparatus for imaging three-dimensional structure
An apparatus for determining surface topology of a portion (26) of a three-dimensional structure is provided, that includes a probing member, an illumination unit, a light focusing optics, a translation mechanism, a detector and a processor. |
| US07796264B2 |
Method and system for enhanced remote detection of low concentration vapors
There is provided a method for detecting a target material, preferably a solid or liquid target material. The method may comprise the steps of targeting a material for analysis, heating the material with a heating source from a remote distance to effectively increase a temperature of the material and to effectively increase a vapor pressure of the material in an environment adjacent to the material, measuring with a sensor the material vapor in the adjacent environment from the remote distance, and detecting the identity of the material using data generated during the measuring step. There is also provided a system for detecting a target material having a low vapor pressure comprising a first energy generating source, a sensor for measuring properties of gaseous materials from a standoff distance, the sensor producing data, and a computer for determining the target material based on the data produced by the sensor. |
| US07796263B2 |
Method and apparatus for determining fluid content downhole
Method and apparatus for estimating a downhole fluid parameter include a high-gain semiconductor light emitter device conveyed into a well borehole, a semiconductor light emitter having a gain region that produces light having a first center wavelength responsive to a selected fluid property, the semiconductor light emitter being carried by the carrier. The apparatus may include an electrical current source that applies an electrical current pulse train to the semiconductor light emitter and an analyzer device that analyses a first response of light emitted from the semiconductor light source after emitted light interacts with the fluid, the analyzed first response being used to estimate the fluid property using the first center wavelength. A current modulator modulates the electrical current pulse train to vary a temperature of the gain region to change the first center wavelength in the emitted light to a second center wavelength and a second response of the emitted light is analyzed by the analyzer device after interaction with the fluid to estimate the fluid property using the second center wavelength. |
| US07796259B2 |
Rapid acquisition ellipsometry
Disclosed embodiments pertain to optical assemblies which impart a spatially dependent rotation to linearly polarized light. A pair of optical assemblies may be used to apply a spatially dependent rotation to linearly polarized light in the region between the optical assemblies, and produce a spatially independent rotation after traversing the second optical assembly. A pair of optical assemblies may be used in combination with a wave plate to allow a determination of the Stokes parameters of an elliptically polarized beam of light. |
| US07796255B2 |
Optical particle sensor with exhaust-cooled optical source
The invention relates to particle sensors that are capable of passively cooling high-powered optical sources within the sensor, thereby extending the optical source lifetime without requiring additional power. The sensor detects particles within a sample fluid by optical interaction of the optical source with flowing sample fluid in the sample chamber. Sample fluid that exits the sample chamber is directed into thermal contact with the optical source, thereby cooling the optical source. Sample fluid that has come into thermal contact with the optical source is continuously removed from the sensor to ensure the optical source is adequately cooled. A variety of elements are used to facilitate thermal contact between the optical source and sample fluid including plenums, heat sinks, and airflow cavities. Provided are related methods for cooling a one or more heat-producing device within a particle sensor. |
| US07796241B2 |
Egg micro-crack detection systems
An avian eggshell egg-check/crack detection system was developed to aide official egg graders. It includes an imaging system and a device to produce negative pressure in an egg chamber. |
| US07796234B2 |
Low loss transflective device display comprising a light guide including optical fibers
A device display includes a light guide with an optical fiber embedded in an optically transparent material, a pixel array that has a pixel aligned with a first end of the optical fiber, and a reflective mechanism provided at a second end of the optical fiber. The reflective mechanism is capable of reflecting light, received by the pixel, back to the pixel via the optical fiber. |
| US07796231B2 |
Liquid crystal display device with sealing material having spacer therein
A liquid crystal display device has a pair of substrates disposed in opposition to one another with a liquid crystal interposed therebetween, active elements formed on one of the pair of substrates, an organic film layer formed to cover the active elements, a light-shielding film formed on another of the pair of substrates, and a sealing material which sticks the pair of substrates together. In the liquid crystal display device, the sealing material is formed integrally along the entire periphery of a display screen, and one of the light-shielding layer and the organic film layer is formed to be extended beyond an area where the sealing material is formed, and the other of the light-shielding layer and organic film layer is formed inside the area where the sealing material is formed. |
| US07796228B2 |
Display substrate, method of manufacturing the same and display device having the same
A display substrate includes a base substrate having a display area and a peripheral area which surrounds the display area, a pixel electrode formed on the display area, a pad part formed on the peripheral area, an adhesion part formed on the peripheral area and having a plurality of holes formed in an area adjacent to the pad part on the peripheral area and a conductive adhesion member formed on the pad part and the adhesion part to make electrical contact with the pad part and a terminal of an integrated circuit. |
| US07796227B2 |
Liquid crystal display panel and fabricating method thereof
This invention relates to a liquid crystal display panel adapted to prevent corrosion of a pad electrode and reduce a liquid crystal margin area, and a fabricating method thereof. A liquid crystal display panel includes first and second substrates bonded with a sealant; a signal line on the first substrate; a pad formed on a different plane than the signal line; and a contact part overlapping the sealant and connecting the signal line to the pad. |
| US07796224B2 |
Liquid crystal display device
A liquid crystal display device includes a first substrate, a second substrate, and liquid crystal. The first substrate includes pixel electrodes, at least one common electrode, and a circuit wiring. The second substrate is opposed to the first substrate and includes a translucent conductive film. The liquid crystal is held between the first substrate and the second substrate. The circuit wiring is arranged outside a pixel area in which a plurality of pixels, which are formed of the pixel electrodes and the at least one common electrode, are arranged. The translucent conductive film is arranged on an opposite side of the second substrate to a side where the liquid crystal is present, and the translucent conductive film is opposed to the pixel electrodes and the at least one common electrode. The translucent conductive film is maintained at a predetermined electric potential. The translucent conductive film has an outer periphery that is located closer to a center of the second substrate than an outer periphery of the second substrate. |
| US07796223B2 |
Liquid crystal display apparatus having data lines with curved portions and method
A liquid crystal display apparatus includes a plurality of data lines each having a plurality of straight line portions and a plurality of curved portions connected to a plurality of the straight line portions; a plurality of gate lines intersecting the data lines; thin film transistors connected to the data lines and the gate lines; and pixel electrodes connected to the thin film transistors. Accordingly, even in a case where driver inversion becomes column inversion, apparent inversion can become dot inversion. As a result, it is possible to eliminate transverse line flicker and to increase a charging rate of pixels. In addition, uniformity of the pixels can be maintained, so that the inversion driving schemes can be applied to a PVA mode. As a result, it is possible to obtain a wide viewing angle and to improve side or lateral visibility. |