| Document | Document Title |
|---|---|
| US07945966B2 |
Nanometric emitter/receiver guides
The invention relates to a nanoprobe comprising a silica fiber (2) with an end opening having a diameter of less than 100 nm, and a metallic sheath (11). The total diameter of the silica part and the metallic sheath (11) is less than 300 nm. The invention also relates to a method for producing one such nanoprobe. |
| US07945964B2 |
Apparatus structure and scanning probe microscope including apparatus structure
Provided are a structure of an apparatus for analysis, inspection, and measurement in which a support structure supporting a detection unit is resistant to disturbance, suppresses a reduction in resolution during large-sample measurement, and has high rigidity, and a probe microscope using the apparatus structure. The apparatus structure supporting the detection unit which is opposed to a sample which is located on a unit movable in at least one axis direction and is an object to be analyzed has an arch shape. In the apparatus structure having the arch shape and supporting the detection unit, a surface substantially perpendicular to a flat surface portion of a sample holder located immediately under the apparatus structure is formed. The detection unit is supported on the perpendicular surface. The arch-shaped apparatus structure is a curved structure consistent with a catenary curve. |
| US07945962B2 |
Information memory apparatus using probe
In a two-dimensional probe array, an interval between the leading ends of probes adjacent to each other in an X direction is made shorter than that between the leading ends of probes adjacent to each other in a Y direction. Thus, the leading ends of the probes are arranged to form a lattice wherein many rectangles are arranged. Furthermore, the lowest resonance frequency of an actuator which moves a recording medium in the X direction is set higher than the lowest resonance frequency of an actuator which moves the recording medium in the Y direction. At the time of recording or reading information, the recording medium is reciprocated in the X direction at a frequency substantially equal to the lowest resonance frequency of the actuator. |
| US07945960B2 |
Dynamic conditional security policy extensions
Systems, methods, and machine-readable media are disclosed for providing conditional grants of permission in an externally configured security policy. In one embodiment, a method is provided which comprises reading a condition clause from a grant statement defined in the security policy. The grant statement can cause the granting of permission for a user to access a requested resource. One or more constraints on the grant statement can be determined based on the condition clause. Permission can be granted to access the requested resource based on the one or more constraints. |
| US07945958B2 |
Constraint injection system for immunizing software programs against vulnerabilities and attacks
A constraint is inserted into a program to address a vulnerability of the program to attacks. The constraint includes a segment of code that determines when the program has been asked to execute a “corner case” which does not occur in normal operations. The constraint code can access a library of detector and remediator functions to detect various attacks and remediate against them. Optionally, the detector can be employed without the remediator for analysis. The context of the program can be saved and restored if necessary to continue operating after remediation is performed. The constraints can include descriptors, along with machine instructions or byte code, which indicate how the constraints are to be used. |
| US07945957B2 |
Antiviral network system
A method, apparatus and program product initiate generation of a metafile at a client computer. The metafile is evaluated at a network server for a potential viral risk. Program code executing at the server may correlate the evaluated potential risk to a risk level stored in a database. The program code may attach a color designator or other assignment indicative of the assessed risk level to the data. A user at the client computer may act on the data based on the attached risk level. |
| US07945955B2 |
Virus detection in mobile devices having insufficient resources to execute virus detection software
A virus scanning system which scans a mobile device/mobile device for files containing viruses even if the files are not executable on the mobile device. Corrective actions such as removing the files can be performed once the viruses are detected. As a result, viruses which are not executable (as being designed for other mobile device types) can also be detected and removed from mobile devices. According to another aspect, a common interface is provided when a virus scanning program requests data from mobile devices, and the computer is provided with different remote application programming interfaces suited to retrieve the specified data from the corresponding mobile devices. As a result, the computer can be extended to integrate scanning of new device types easily. According to one more aspect, a scanning program retrieves only data portions required for continuing the scan operation. According to yet another aspect, the program modules and virus definitions for scanning are received from a server on a network. |
| US07945954B2 |
Controlling electronic messages
A receiver is shielded from undesirable electronic messages, sometimes referred to as “spam”, by requiring any sender who wants to send an electronic message to the receiver to first submit to a filter. The filter is specified by the receiver. The receiver-specified filter can be downloaded to the sender's computer and executed on the sender's computer. By execution, the filter elicits information from the sender and uses it without disclosing it to authorize, or not, the sending of electronic messages (such as email) from the sender to the receiver. Another embodiment according to the invention allows a sender to prevent undesirable receivers from viewing the sender-sent electronic messages by requiring any receiver who wants to view an electronic message from an authorized sender to first submit to a filter. One or more third parties can be involved. For example, senders can be recommended to and/or approved for receivers by one or more certifying third parties, and receivers can be recommended to and/or approved for senders by one or more certifying third parties. |
| US07945953B1 |
Method to identify buffer overflows and RLIBC attacks
A method and system detect buffer overflows and RLIBC attacks by determining if a critical call initiating function is a “potential threat”. In one embodiment, a critical call initiating function is considered a potential threat if the value of the return address of the critical call initiating function points to a location in memory between the location of the highest Thread Environment Block (TEB) or Process Environment Block (PEB) and the location of the lowest Thread Environment Block (TEB) or PEB. In another embodiment, a critical call initiating function making a call to a predefined critical operating system function is considered a potential threat if the value of the return address of the critical call initiating function points to the beginning of a new function with a zero offset. |
| US07945951B2 |
Rights-context elevator
System(s), techniques, and/or method(s) (“tools”) are described that enable a user to elevate his or her rights. The tools may do so by switching a user to an account having higher rights or a different, higher-rights context of a same account. The tools may elevate a user's rights after a user enters a secure access sequence, such as Control+Alt+Delete, clicks on a button, or enters credentials. The tools may also enable a user to identify tasks that need higher rights to be performed by visually correlating graphic indicia with these tasks. |
| US07945950B2 |
Generic interactive challenges in a distributed system
A challenge mechanism in which a challenge is issued from one message processor to another. In generating the challenge, the message processor may select any one or more of a number of available interactive challenge types, where each type of challenge type might use different user-originated information. Upon receiving the challenge, the challengee message processor may identify the challenge type based on information provided in the challenge, and perform different actions depending on the challenge type. The challengee message processor then generates an appropriate challenge response, and issues that challenge response to the challenger message processor. The challenger message processor may then validate the challenge response. |
| US07945949B2 |
Providing remote services to legacy applications
A developer can provide complex services to existing legacy applications using one or more components configured to tap into a service abstraction framework. In one implementation, for example, a developer of a remote service provider adds one or more authentication attributes to the remote service provider, and further creates a local client driver that incorporates a client proxy. When a legacy application generates a function request (e.g., to print, send a text message, initiate a voice communication), the client proxy intercepts the request through an appropriate communication subsystem, and relays the request to the server proxy. The server proxy determines the extent to which authentication measures may be required. If required, the client proxy can initiate out-of-band processing with various authentication managers to validate/process the request at the remote service provider. |
| US07945948B2 |
System, method and program for off-line user authentication
Disclosed is an off-line user authentication system, which is designed to present a presentation pattern to a user subject to authentication, and apply a one-time-password derivation rule serving as a password to certain pattern elements included in the presentation pattern at specific positions so as to create a one-time password. An off-line authentication client pre-stores a plurality of pattern element sequences each adapted to form a presentation pattern, and a plurality of verification codes created by applying a one-time-password derivation rule to the respective presentation patterns and subjecting the obtained results to a one-way function algorism. A presentation pattern is created using one selected from the stored pattern element sequences, and presented to a user. A one-time password entered from the user is verified based on a corresponding verification code to perform user authentication. The present invention provides an off-line matrix authentication scheme with enhanced security. |
| US07945943B2 |
Retrieving an access token via a coded surface
A method of gaining access to a resource using an access token linked to a print medium, comprising the steps of: determining a print media identifier from the print medium using a sensor module of a mobile telecommunications device, the print media identifier having been linked to the access token; identifying, using the mobile telecommunications device and the print media identifier, the access token; and, causing the access token to be supplied to a system, wherein the system is configured to authenticate the access token and, if the authentication succeeds, provide access to the resource. |
| US07945941B2 |
Flexible access control policy enforcement
A method and system for applying access-control policies. In particular implementations, a method includes determining one or more policies, and a prioritization order for the determined policies, based on the one or more parameters; accessing an indirection table to create an entry for the client, wherein the entry indicates the prioritization order of the determined policies; and creating one or more entries in one or more policy data structures for the one or more determined policies. |
| US07945940B2 |
Security rating method
Security rating method and a graphical tool for decision making especially for setting priorities which tool comprises at least one diagram (1) having a first scale (2) which reaches in a first direction along a first axis (3), at least a first (4) and a second (5) potential action fields the identified value of which (4a, 4b) is graphically represented on said first scale (2) in said diagram (1) whereby a second scale (6) is arranged along said first axis. Said second scale (6) reaches in an opposite direction to said first scale. |
| US07945939B2 |
Method and system for analyzing cable television signal leak information
A method involves identifying a leak location in a cable television system using a detection system, calculating a distance between the leak location and a plurality of shapes or points contained in map data to identify the nearest shape or point, and providing a piece of information corresponding to the nearest shape or point. The piece of information may be a street address or a device. |
| US07945938B2 |
Network camera system and control method therefore
A network camera system is provided that detects an occurrence of a condition change at a periphery of an image pickup apparatus, obtains a direction of the detected condition change, and notifies a user of the occurrence of the condition change and a direction of the condition change on a display of a terminal device. |
| US07945937B2 |
Programmable display device
A programmable display device selects and displays one screen data item from one of screen data groups each constituted of a plurality of screen data items indicative of control conditions. Further, the programmable display device includes a selection information forming section and a screen data group setting section. The selection information forming section is included in a project setting processing section, and based on screen data group information concerning the screen data groups, forms selection information by which one of the screen data groups is selected. The screen data group setting section is included in the project setting processing section, and sets, as a screen data group to be used, the one of the screen data groups which is selected based on the selection information. |
| US07945924B2 |
Detecting distribution of multimedia content
A system and method is disclosed for detecting distribution of multimedia content. The volume level of data traffic is monitored for a plurality of users to select any users with high-bandwidth usage. The time of day and the day of the week may be considered when determining whether a user is a high-bandwidth user. Upon selecting a user as one with high-bandwidth usage, such user may be subject to packet inspections of data traffic streams. In some embodiments, content identification parameters or watermarks are added to one or more packets in a data traffic stream carrying multimedia content. |
| US07945922B2 |
Electronic device
An electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a housing, a front panel, a strip-shaped decorative member and a projecting portion. The front panel is provided to the housing. The strip-shaped decorative member has a predetermined width and is arranged on the front panel. The projecting portion is integrally formed with the strip-shaped decorative member and includes a surface inclined in a depth direction at a position having a predetermined distance from a front edge of a lower surface of the strip-shaped decorative member. The strip-shaped decorative member including the projecting portion is attached to the front panel while the surface inclined in the depth direction being exposed to a front side. |
| US07945907B2 |
System and method for configuring application programs
A system includes a communication unit to receive a request to change a configuration of an application program, and a storage unit to access a configuration state that represents the configuration. The system further includes a processing unit to identify a further configuration state that is consistent with a system of rules. The further configuration state represents a further configuration that complies with the request. The processing unit uses an integrity preserving transition to change the configuration to the further configuration. The integrity preserving transition terminates with the further configuration when the integrity preserving transition changes the configuration. |
| US07945901B2 |
System and method for facilitating software profiling procedures
A system and method for facilitating software profiling procedures in a target device includes a target CPU that executes software instructions from target routines of the target device to perform various processing tasks. A program counter of the target device is periodically updated with a current program counter value corresponding to one of the software instructions that is being currently executed by the target CPU. A shadow register is advantageously implemented in the target device to be directly accessible by profiler software on a host computer. The shadow register is periodically updated with a profiling program counter value that corresponds to the current program counter value. The profiler software may then directly and transparently access the shadow register to read the profiling program counter value for performing the software profiling procedures. |
| US07945900B2 |
Debugging tool for debugging multi-threaded programs
A method includes running a debugging tool in regard to a program which is undergoing debugging. The program may support multi-threaded operation. The method further includes presenting an option to a user via the debugging tool with respect to a program instruction in a first thread of the program. The program instruction may be for putting an item of data into a queue. The method also includes, if the user exercises the option, identifying a program instruction in a second thread of the program. The second thread is different from the first thread. The identified program instruction in the second thread may be for getting the item of data from the queue. The method further includes stopping execution of the program at the identified program instruction in the second thread. |
| US07945898B1 |
Handling loops in programs and examining feasible software behavior for detecting malicious code
The present invention is directed to automatically analyzing software systems for identifying faults or bugs and/or detection of malicious code. In various embodiments, the present invention measures code coverage for high priority invocable program elements, uses a relaxed coverage estimation technique that, instead of guaranteeing which code units will be executed, guarantees that at least a certain number of code units will be executed, determines and solves constraints in code to identify infeasible paths containing one or more selected nodes, determines, for a composite data type, a range of values for each of at least two non-composite data fields, and/or translates, prior to code analysis complex code into simpler code having fewer operators. |
| US07945897B1 |
Method and system for running an application in a clean operating environment using a layered computing system
The disclosure is directed to computing systems that provide access to the content of layers. Layers may include, for example, application layers, baseline layers, data layers, patch layers, application patch layers, and sublayers. Prioritization schemes, including prioritization by layer type, by assigned priority weights, by access type, by sub-layers and by read-write indicators are provided. Layers may contain file reference information including exclusion or inclusion entries indicating what files may be written. Paths recorded in layers may also embed variables to true paths on a layered system. Detailed information on various example embodiments are provided in the Detailed Description, and the invention is defined by the appended claims. |
| US07945896B2 |
Implementing request/reply programming semantics using publish/subscribe middleware
A request/reply middleware wrapper that transposes an application's request/reply communications into publish/subscribe communications implemented by publish/subscribe middleware where every distributed application component of a distributed application is referenced by a component type and name. Each component type has associated with it a request publish/subscribe topic and a reply publish/subscribe topic. Each distributed application component subscribes to its request and reply topics and can publish to request and reply topics of other component types. By utilizing callback objects, the middleware wrapper facilitates the transmission of a request and replies between distributed application components by posting the requests or replies on an appropriate request or reply publish/subscribe topic. |
| US07945893B2 |
Mapping web services description language documents to XQuery functions
Using a WSDL document to exchange an interface definition for back-end business logic includes automatically mapping various elements of the WSDL document to corresponding XQuery elements to generate an XQuery interface definition “skeleton”. From such an XQuery interface skeleton, an XQuery statement can be generated by filling in the body of the function that implements the logic. The XQuery statement serves as an interface definition for an interface to the function. Furthermore, at runtime a Web Service request that is based on the WSDL document can be translated into an XQuery call into an XQuery function that implements the logic defined in the WSDL document. From there, results are obtained from the XQuery function, translated into the appropriate return format defined in the WSDL, and returned. |
| US07945892B1 |
Method of utilizing product proxies with a dependency graph
Changes to the outputs of a dependency graph, which has attribute nodes and operator nodes, are detected by forming product proxies for the outputs of dependency graph nodes. The product proxies can be formed by entering information about the dependency graph into a hashing algorithm. Before and after product proxies are then used to determine if the outputs have changed. |
| US07945887B2 |
Modeling spatial correlations
Modeling spatial correlations of semiconductor characteristic variations is disclosed. In one embodiment, a method includes developing a solution for each of a plurality of specific forms of spatial correlations of a characteristic of a circuit design and developing a plurality of solution methods for a given spatial correlation; selecting one of the solutions that is closest to a desired spatial correlation; and modeling the desired spatial correlation using the selected solution. |
| US07945884B1 |
Backplane routing arrangement with decreased crosstalk
Methods of designing a backplane, a backplane, and a packet switch using such a backplane are disclosed. The backplane comprises communication channels that connect each of a set of first card slots to each of a set of second card slots. Instead of forcing the backplane to route the communication channels to match a preset card configuration, the backplane communication channels are routed so as to reduce crosstalk and attenuation on at least the most difficult routing pairs. The cards perform logical translation of their backplane traffic to conform to the physical pin assignment for the particular card slot in which they are inserted. Other embodiments are also described and claimed. |
| US07945880B1 |
Constraint based retiming of synchronous circuits
In one embodiment of the invention, a method of retiming a circuit is disclosed. The method includes computing an upper bound and a lower bound for a clock period of a clock signal to clock a circuit in response to a netlist of the circuit; selecting a potential clock period for the clock signal to clock registers of the circuit in response to the computed upper bound and the computed lower bound for the clock period; computing an upper bound and a lower bound of a retiming value for each node of the circuit to determine if a retiming of the circuit is achievable with the potential clock period; and computing the retiming value for each node of the circuit to minimize circuit area in response to the computed upper bound and the computed lower bound of the retiming value for each node. |
| US07945877B1 |
Recognizing muliplexers
A chain of multiplexers disposed in a logic block is recognized as a selector and a group of logic gates disposed in the logic block and supplying signals to the select pins of the selector is recognized as a decoder, the selector and the decoder together define a n:1 multiplexer. To achieve this, a group of logic gates supplying signals to the select pins of the selector is identified within the logic block. A truth table defining the logic relationship between the signals applied to the group of logic gates and data signals received by the chain of muxes is generated. The chain of muxes is replaced with a selector upon determination that the rows in the truth table are disjoint. After replacing the chain of muxes with a selector, the process is repeated in a similar manner to replace the remaining logic blocks with a decoder. |
| US07945876B2 |
Method and apparatus for automatic synthesis of an electronic circuit model
Method and apparatus for synthesizing (constructing) an electronic circuit model in response to electromagnetic analysis data. The invention provides rapid automation of the synthesis of an electronic circuit model by incorporating one or more synthesized electronic model components that are selected from a larger plurality of synthesized (candidate) electronic components whose structure and electromagnetic characteristics are rapidly and automatically synthesized in response to the electromagnetic analysis data. |
| US07945867B2 |
Method for realizing an electric linkage in a semiconductor electronic device between a nanometric circuit architecture and standard electronic components
A method for realizes electric connections in a semiconductor electronic device between a nanometric circuit architecture and standard electronic components. The method includes: providing a nanometric circuit architecture comprising a succession of conductive nanowires substantially parallel to each other and extended along a direction x; realizing, above the succession, an insulating layer; opening, in the insulating layer, a window of nanometric width b extended along a direction inclined by an angle α with respect to the direction x to substantially cross the whole succession of nanowires, with exposure of a succession of exposed portions of the nanowires, one for each nanowire; realizing, above the insulating layer, a plurality of conductive dies extended along a direction y substantially orthogonal to the direction x and addressed towards the standard electronic components, each of such dies overlapping said window onto a respective exposed portion of a nanowire with obtainment of a plurality of contacts realizing said electric connections. |
| US07945861B1 |
Initiating communications with web page visitors and known contacts
Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, implementing and using techniques for initiating communication between two users among several users while at least one of the two users is browsing a web page. User information is collected about each user among the several users. Page information is collected about what web page each user among the several users is browsing. A portion of the user information and page information for a first user and a second user is shared between the first user and the second user when a predetermined criterion is met, and request by the first user to initiate communication with the second user is processed. |
| US07945858B1 |
System and method for controlling and operating an astronomical observatory
A system for operating an astronomical observatory made up of astronomical hardware, utilizing a web browser operated by a user, and a web server connected to the observatory, wherein both the control to, and feedback from the observatory are displayed to the user in real time independent of personnel support at the observatory site. The user submits a request to the observatory via the web browser, which displays the status and results of the request. A web server, coupled to the various astronomical hardware, processes the request on behalf of the user and responds with the status and results of the request. The status and/or results are then displayed by the web browser to the user. Requests may be made by the user interactively, or in the form of a script. The system may be used over wide area networks, like the Internet, or any other type of network. |
| US07945856B2 |
System and method for enabling users to interact in a virtual space
The present invention provides a highly scalable architecture for a three-dimensional graphical, multi-user, interactive virtual world system. In a preferred embodiment a plurality of users interact in the three-dimensional, computer-generated graphical space where each user executes a client process to view a virtual world from the perspective of that user. The virtual world shows avatars representing the other users who are neighbors of the user viewing the virtual word. In order that the view can be updated to reflect the motion of the remote user's avatars, motion information is transmitted to a central server process which provides positions updates to client processes for neighbors of the user at that client process. The client process also uses an environment database to determine which background objects to render as well as to limit the movement of the user's avatar. |
| US07945854B2 |
Systems and methods for the combination and display of social and textual content
Techniques are presented for determining a corpus of content portions, each content portion associated with at least one element. A first set of feature values is determined for each content portion. Clusters of content portions are then determined based on the first set of feature values. The features values are optionally associated with topics. Structural links between the elements are determined based on a second set of feature values. A layout of the element is then determined based on the clusters and the structural links. Optionally the N-most dominant topics are determined and also used to inform the layout of the elements in a display. |
| US07945850B2 |
Data mining and reporting
An integrated system is described that allows a user to easily mine and report data maintained by a customer relationship management (CRM) application. In general, the system automates the process of creating electronic reports, such as an electronic worksheet, in a format that can be directly manipulated and viewed from spreadsheet application. In one embodiment, the report is automatically generated to include a pivot table for displaying the data. The system includes a database adapted to store the CRM data. First and second reporting modules execute within the CRM software application and the worksheet software application, respectively. The reporting modules cooperate in order to integrate CRM application and spreadsheet application, thereby automating the process of generating a worksheet based on the CRM database. |
| US07945847B2 |
Recasting search engine results as a motion picture with audio
Computer-implemented methods, systems, and computer program products are provided for recasting search engine results as a motion picture with audio. Embodiments include identifying a search engine query; providing to a search engine the query; receiving from the search engine the results of the query; retrieving a plurality of legacy web pages in dependence upon the results; identifying audio objects in the plurality of legacy web pages for audio rendering; identifying video objects in the plurality of legacy web pages for motion picture rendering; associating one or more of the video objects for motion picture rendering with one or more of the audio objects for audio rendering; determining in dependence upon the selected audio objects and video objects a duration for the motion picture; selecting audio events for rendering the audio objects identified for audio rendering; selecting motion picture video events for rendering the video objects identified for motion picture rendering; assigning the selected audio events and the selected motion picture video events to playback times for the motion picture; rendering, with the selected audio events at their assigned playback times, the audio content of the each of the audio objects identified for audio rendering; rendering, with the selected motion picture video events at their assigned playback times, the video content of the video objects identified for motion picture rendering; and recording in a multimedia file the rendered audio content and motion picture video content. |
| US07945846B2 |
Application-specific personalization for data display
A method of optimizing a set of elements on a device display. The method includes positioning the set of elements on the device display, where the set of elements includes a first set of spatial indicia, and the device display further includes a first set of device characteristics. The method also includes generating a first set of workspace configuration indicia based, in part, on the first set of spatial indicia and the first set of device characteristics; and, if desired, re-positioning the set of elements on the device display, where the set of elements includes a second set of spatial indicia, and wherein the device display further includes a second set of device characteristics. The method further includes generating a second set of workspace configuration indicia based in part, on the second set of spatial indicia and the second set of device characteristics; wherein if the device display comprises the first set of device characteristics, positioning the set of elements according to the first set of workspace configuration indicia; else if, the display comprises the second set of device characteristics, positioning the set of elements according to the second set of workspace configuration indicia; else, positioning the set of elements according to a set of default workspace configuration indicia. |
| US07945843B2 |
Error correcting code
A system for protecting a codeword u against an error in at least one <7-ary symbol, where q is an rth power of two, r>1 (q=2r). The code word u includes information symbols u[0] . . . u[k−1] , k>1 , each information symbol representing an integer in the range {0 . . . 2w−1}, where w=n*r, n≧1. A processor includes an integer processing unit for, under control of a program, calculating a parity symbol u[k] for protecting the information symbols, where the parity symbol includes −(a[0]·u[0]+a[1] ·u[1]+. . . +a[k−1]•u[k−1]) mod M, where the multiplication · and the addition + are integer operations. The constants a[0] . . . a[£−1] lie in {0 . . . M−1}, M>1 and are chosen such that the elements a[i]*d*qi mod M are unique for iε{0, . . . ,k−1}, jε{0 . . . n−1}, −q |
| US07945842B2 |
Method and apparatus for rateless source coding with/without decoder side information
A method of and system for rateless source coding are disclosed. The method comprises the steps of providing a set of low-density parity check (LDPC) codes, each of which accepts a range of data input lengths and a range of target compression rates; identifying a data input having a data input length; and identifying a desired compression rate. The method comprises the further steps of selecting one of said LDPC codes based on said data input length and desired compression rate; encoding the data input, using the selected LDPC code, to generate a sequence of data values; and puncturing some of said encoded data values to achieve the desired compression rate. Preferably, the encoding step includes the steps of generating a syndrome and a parity sequence from the data input, puncturing the generated parity sequence, and mixing a remaining portion of the data input with the punctuated parity sequence. |
| US07945829B2 |
Semiconductor integrated circuit
[PROBLEMS] To provide a semiconductor integrated circuit by which what has been referred to as two-pattern test is made possible without greatly increasing an occupying area. [MEANS FOR SOLVING PROBLEMS] The semiconductor integrated circuit is provided with a plurality of flip-flop circuits and selectors corresponding to each flip-flop circuit. Each flip-flop circuit is provided with a master latch and a slave latch connected to the master latch. The selector is electrically connected with the master latch of the flip-flop circuit to which the selector corresponds, and is also connected with the master latch of the flip-flop circuit other than the one to which the selector corresponds. |
| US07945827B1 |
Method and device for scan chain management of dies reused in a multi-chip package
An apparatus and method for economical testing of dies in a multichip module. Internal I/O pins on a die are logically connected to external I/O pins of the multichip module through the use of a silicon interposer on which the dies are attached. Multiplexers on the interposer can select between the external pins of the multichip module and the internal pins of the dies. The silicon interposer can be economically manufactured using manufacturing technology having relatively a large feature size, such as is found in a relatively mature IC fabrication plant. Further, use of the present invention allows multichip modules to be tested for faults without the necessity of redesigning test circuitry or adding additional pins to the package. |
| US07945823B2 |
Programmable address space built-in self test (BIST) device and method for fault detection
A built-in self-test (BIST) circuit for testing addressable locations can include a BIST generator (202) that can generate test addresses for testing each addressable location. Defective addresses can be stored in a fault address store (216). An address range selector circuit (230) can limit the range of addresses generated by an address generator (234). Once defective addresses for a first range have been detected, an address range selector circuit (230) can test another range. An entire address range can thus be tested regardless of the depth of a fault address store (216). |
| US07945822B1 |
Storing data to multi-chip low-latency random read memory device using non-aligned striping
Described herein are method and apparatus for storing data to a low-latency random read memory (LLRRM) device using non-aligned data striping, the LLRRM device being implemented on a storage system. The LLRRM device may comprise a bank comprising a plurality of memory chips, each chip being simultaneously accessible for storing data on a plurality of erase-units (EUs). A storage operating system may maintain, for each chip, a reserve data structure listing reserve EUs and a remapping data structure for tracking remappings between defective EUs to reserve EUs in the chip. A defective EU in a chip may be mapped to a reserve EU from the reserve data structure. Upon receiving a data block to be stored to the LLRRM device at the defective EU, the storage operating system may stripe the received data block across a plurality of chips in a non-aligned manner using the remapped reserve EU. |
| US07945813B1 |
Automated delayed message redelivery
Method and system are disclosed for redelivering failed messages in asynchronous communication systems. The methods and systems automatically delay redelivery of such failed messages in order to allow required system resources to become available. In one implementation, the methods and systems provide two levels of redelivery: a micro level in which redelivery is attempted right away for a certain number of times, and a macro level in which a predefined, user-selectable delay is imposed before any additional micro level redeliveries are attempted. After a certain number of unsuccessful macro level redeliveries, the message is backed out to a backout queue for manual intervention by a system operator. Such an arrangement reduces or eliminates the burden on the system operator to manually resolve failed message deliveries. |
| US07945812B1 |
System and method for error correction
A hard disk controller includes a direct access module. The direct access module is configured to receive a data stream from a host, the data stream including a plurality of data words to be transferred to a storage device, generate data integrity information based on the plurality of data words, insert the data integrity information into the data stream prior to transmitting the data stream to a buffer memory, and transmit the data stream. A buffer control module is configured to receive the data stream including the data integrity information from the direct access module, and store the data stream in the buffer memory. |
| US07945807B2 |
Communication system for a plurality of I/O cards by using the GPIO and a method thereof
A communication system for a plurality of I/O cards by using the GPIO (General Purpose Input/Output) and a method thereof are disclosed for overcoming the problems of the prior art; wherein the prior art uses the I2C and UART communication channels causing a greater quantity of the connecting lines to connect, thus the bus resource of the chip is consumed, which raises its cost. The present invention uses at least one GPIO port to replace a failure line of the I2C communication channel, or a failure line of the UART communication channel. The present invention also uses one or a plurality of additional GPIO ports to be the backup GPIO ports. Therefore, the present invention has a lot of characteristics, including excellent back-up capability, low cost, the communication channels can be easily switched, the required quantity of the signal lines is reduced, and the reliability of the communication is increased. |
| US07945805B2 |
Architecture for a physical interface of a high speed front side bus
A design structure for a high speed computer processor system includes a high speed interface for a graphics processor. In a preferred embodiment, the high speed interface includes a front side bus (FSB) that interfaces to a similar high speed interface on the graphics processor. |
| US07945795B2 |
Enabling a client device in a client device/data center environment to resume from a sleep more quickly
A method, computer program product and system for enabling a client device in a client device/data center environment to resume from sleep state more quickly. The resource in the server blade used for suspending the activity of the computing state of the client device in order to enter the client device in a sleep state is not reallocated for a period of time. If the client device indicates to the server blade to resume the client device from sleep state prior to the ending of that period of time, then the server blade reinitializes the computing state using the same resource as used in suspending the computing state of the client device. By using the same resource, steps traditionally implemented in resuming the client device from sleep state are avoided thereby reducing the time in resuming the client device from sleep state. |
| US07945794B2 |
Portable computer with a power control function
A portable computer with a power control function is disclosed to include a first body, a hinge, a second body coupled to the first body through the hinge, an optical sensor having a transmitter and a receiver and mounted on the first body, an optical grating connected to the hinge and having a part located between the transmitter and the receiver, a control circuit, and an electronic component. When the second body is turned relative to the first body, the optical sensor generates a first sensing voltage and a second sensing voltage subject to the turning action of the optical grating so that the control circuit controls the power of the electronic component based on the first sensing voltage and the second sensing voltage provided by the optical sensor. |
| US07945793B2 |
Interface frequency modulation to allow non-terminated operation and power reduction
Embodiments of the invention are generally directed to systems, methods, and apparatuses for using interface frequency modulation to allow non-terminated operation and power reduction. In some embodiments, an apparatus includes an interface having a termination mode and a power management controller coupled with the interface. The apparatus may also include a power management controller coupled with the interface. In some embodiments, the power management controller is capable of dynamically reducing the operating frequency of the interface and disabling the termination mode to reduce the power consumed by the interface. Other embodiments are described and claimed. |
| US07945790B2 |
Low-cost pseudo-random nonce value generation system and method
Briefly, a low-cost system and method for pseudo-random nonce value generation is disclosed. |
| US07945781B1 |
Method and systems for inserting watermarks in digital signals
The presently claimed invention relates generally to digital watermarking and steganographic encoding. One claim recites a method of encoding a watermark in a digital signal. The method includes generating varying key bits; and encoding the varying watermark key bits in the digital signal as a watermark with reference to at least characteristics of the digital signal. The “digital signal” may represent audio, video or imagery. Another claim recites a system for encoding a watermark in a digital signal. The system includes a processor: i) to map pseudo-random key and processing state information to effect an encode/decode map; and ii) to encode a watermark in a digital signal using the encode/decode map and characteristics of the digital signal. Of course other combinations are provided and claimed as well. |
| US07945780B1 |
Apparatus for dynamically configurable interleaver scheme using at least one dynamically changeable interleaving parameter
An apparatus for encrypting and decrypting an original data stream is provided. The apparatus comprises: a key including a key-algorithm, an interleaver having at least one dynamically changeable interleaving parameter, and a de-interleaver adapted to communicate with a communication channel. |
| US07945779B2 |
Securing a communications exchange between computers
For use in a distributed system where a client computer is operable to communicate with a server computer and to receive a digital certificate associated with a remote external component, apparatus for securing a communications exchange between computers includes a hasher, responsive to the client computer receiving a digital certificate, for hashing data associated with the client computer and the server computer with data associated with the digital certificate to create a first message digest, and a first transmitter for transmitting the first message digest to the remote external component. |
| US07945778B2 |
Information processing apparatus, information processing method, information processing system and recording medium
A member-store functional unit transfers the name of a member store and the title of a campaign to an ID-assigning functional unit which assigns IDs to the title of the campaign and the name of the member store. The ID-assigning functional unit then transmits the IDs to an encoding functional unit. A broadcasting functional unit broadcasts the IDs, encoded by the encoding functional unit, by multiplexing the IDs in an audio signal. A reception functional unit receives the IDs whereas a decoding functional unit extracts and decodes the IDs. The decoding functional unit then outputs the IDs to a customer-number-assigning functional unit with a receiver ID. The customer-number-assigning functional unit forms a judgment on validity of the member-store ID, the campaign ID and the receiver ID, and assigns a customer number to the receiver ID if the member-store ID, the campaign ID and the receiver ID are found valid. An anonymous-customer management functional unit sends the customer number to a member-store functional unit so as to make a request for a transmission of a service identified by the campaign ID to the reception functional unit by way of an anonymous-service management functional unit. |
| US07945775B2 |
Method and equipment for controlling information provided to a user in a network
The invention relates to a method for controlling information provided to a user in a telecommunications network from at least one information provider. The network has identifying information defining the at least one type of information which can be provided to the user. The method comprises the steps of determining the type of information which an information provider proposed to provide to the user; and uses the identifying information and the determined type of information to control if the proposed information can be provided to the user. |
| US07945773B2 |
Failover of blade servers in a data center
Failover of blade servers in a data center, including powering off by a system management server a failing blade server, the failing blade server characterized by a machine type, the failing blade server mapped to remote computer boot storage administered through a Storage Management Initiative-Specification (‘SMI-S’) provider; identifying, by the system management server by use of the SMI-S provider from a pool of standby blade servers, a replacement blade server; remapping by the system management server through the SMI-S provider the remote computer boot storage of the failing blade server to the replacement blade server; and powering on the replacement blade server by the system management server. |
| US07945767B2 |
Recovery apparatus for solving branch mis-prediction and method and central processing unit thereof
A recovery apparatus for solving a branch mis-prediction, and a method and a central processing unit (CPU) thereof are provided. The recovery apparatus includes an instruction buffer, at least one circular instruction buffer, and a decoding and pairing circuit. The decoding and pairing circuit is coupled to the instruction buffer and the circular instruction buffer. The instruction buffer stores a plurality of instructions, and the circular instruction buffer stores a recovery instruction queue corresponding to the instructions, wherein the recovery instruction queue includes a plurality of recovery instructions. The decoding and pairing circuit decodes and pairs the instructions and the recovery instructions. When the branch mis-prediction occurs, the decoding and pairing circuit outputs the recovery instructions to an instruction execution and processing circuit which is externally connected to the decoding and pairing circuit. |
| US07945762B2 |
Method and apparatus for memory management in a non-volatile memory system using a block table
An invention is provided for memory management in a non-volatile memory which includes a plurality of memory blocks. The invention includes loading a block table from a memory block of the non-volatile memory into system memory, where the block table includes, inter alia, a plurality of entries mapping a physical block address of the non-volatile memory to a logical block address of the non-volatile memory. The block table is updated as data is accessed in the non-volatile memory, and the updated block table is stored into a memory block of the non-volatile memory. Generally, the block table is stored periodically and/or at system shutdown. |
| US07945759B2 |
Non-volatile memory and method with phased program failure handling
In a memory with block management system, program failure in a block during a time-critical memory operation is handled by continuing the programming operation in a breakout block. Later, at a less critical time, the data recorded in the failed block prior to the interruption is transferred to another block, which could also be the breakout block. The failed block can then be discarded. In this way, when a defective block is encountered during programming, it can be handled without loss of data and without exceeding a specified time limit by having to transfer the stored data in the defective block on the spot. This error handling is especially critical for a garbage collection operation so that the entire operation need not be repeated on a fresh block during a critical time. Subsequently, at an opportune time, the data from the defective block can be salvaged by relocation to another block. |
| US07945755B2 |
Independent link and bank selection
Provided is a memory system that has a plurality of memory banks and a plurality of link controllers. For each memory bank, there is first switching logic for receiving output for each link controller, and for passing on the output of only one of the link controllers to the memory bank. For each link controller, there is second switching logic for receiving an output of each memory bank, and for passing on the output of only one of the memory banks to the link controller. According to an embodiment of the invention, there is switch controller logic for controlling operation of both the first switching logic and the second switching logic to prevent simultaneous or overlapping access by multiple link controllers to the same memory bank, and for preventing simultaneous or overlapping access to multiple banks by the same link controller. |
| US07945750B2 |
Storage system and remote copy control method for storage system
A storage system of this invention maintains consistency of the stored contents between volumes even when a plurality of remote copying operations are executed asynchronously. A plurality of primary storage control devices and a plurality of secondary storage control devices are connected by a plurality of paths, and remote copying is performed asynchronously between respective first volumes and second volumes. Write data transferred from the primary storage control device to the secondary storage control device is held in a write data storage portion. Update order information, including write times and sequential numbers, is managed by update order information management portions. An update control portion collects update order information from each update order information management portion, determines the time at which update of each second volume is possible, and notifies each-update portion. By this means, the stored contents of each second volume can be updated up to the time at which update is possible. |
| US07945747B2 |
Method and system for deleting allocated virtual server resources
In a virtual computer system controlling a disk volume and a virtual server which is connected to the disk volume, to which the area of the disk volume is allocated as a virtual disk and which executes a process using the allocated virtual disk, the virtual computer system erases information stored in the virtual disk allocated to the virtual server to be deleted correspondingly with the deletion of the virtual server. According to another embodiment of the present invention, an administrative server is provided to select a server system which is low in load from among plural server systems controlling virtual servers as a server system for erasing information stored in the virtual disk allocated to the virtual server to be deleted. |
| US07945745B2 |
Methods and systems for exchanging data
A method for exchanging data between a producer and a consumer is provided. The method includes writing the data with the producer without blocking the consumer and without waiting for access to the consumer. The method also includes reading the data with the consumer without blocking the producer and without waiting for access to the producer. The data is exchanged from the producer to the consumer upon reading the data. |
| US07945744B2 |
Interface circuit
An interface circuit comprising: a first output circuit configured to allow an access signal to be input thereto and output the access signal to a storage circuit, the access signal capable of being changed to one logic level or the other logic level for accessing the storage circuit; a second output circuit configured to output the access signal outputted from the first output circuit; and a comparison circuit configured to compare the number of times a logic level of the access signal inputted to the first output circuit is changed and the number of times a logic level of the access signal outputted from the second output circuit is changed, and output a comparison signal indicating whether predetermined access has been performed based on the access signal inputted to the first output circuit, after at least a part of the access signal is inputted to the first output circuit. |
| US07945740B2 |
Structure for a memory switching data processing system
A design structure embodied in a machine readable storage medium for designing, manufacturing, and/or testing a memory switching data processing system is provided. The memory switching data processing system includes one or more central processing units (‘CPUs’); random access memory organized in at least two banks of memory modules; one or more memory buses providing communications paths for data among the CPUs and the memory modules; and a flexibly configurable memory bus switch comprising a first configuration adapting the first CPU to a first bank of memory modules and a second CPU to a second bank of memory modules and a second configuration adapting the first CPU to both the first bank of memory modules and the second bank of memory modules. |
| US07945739B2 |
Structure for reducing coherence enforcement by selective directory update on replacement of unmodified cache blocks in a directory-based coherent multiprocessor
A design structure embodied in a machine readable storage medium for designing, manufacturing, and/or testing a design to reduce the number of memory directory updates during block replacement in a system having a directory-based cache is provided. The design structure may be implemented to utilize a read/write bit to determine the accessibility of a cache line and limit memory directory updates during block replacement to regions that are determined to be readable and writable by multiple processors. |
| US07945738B2 |
Multi-node computer system employing a reporting mechanism for multi-node transactions
A system may include a node and an additional node coupled by an inter-node network. The node includes an active device, an interface to the inter-node network, a memory, and an address network coupling the active device, the interface, and the memory. The active device sends an address packet to initiate a transaction to gain an access right to a coherency unit. In response to receiving the address packet, the memory is configured to send a report corresponding to the address packet to the interface if the transaction cannot be satisfied within the node. The interface is configured to ignore the address packet and to send a coherency message requesting the access right to the additional node via the inter-node network in response to the report. |
| US07945737B2 |
Memory hub with internal cache and/or memory access prediction
A computer system includes a memory hub for coupling a processor to a plurality of synchronous dynamic random access memory (“SDRAM”) devices. The memory hub includes a processor interface coupled to the processor and a plurality of memory interfaces coupled to respective SDRAM devices. The processor interface is coupled to the memory interfaces by a switch. Each of the memory interfaces includes a memory controller, a cache memory, and a prediction unit. The cache memory stores data recently read from or written to the respective SDRAM device so that it can be subsequently read by processor with relatively little latency. The prediction unit prefetches data from an address from which a read access is likely based on a previously accessed address. |
| US07945734B2 |
Removable storage device with code to allow change detection
A system that provides rapid detection of modifications to content on a removable storage device. The system includes a removable storage device having a code for indicating that modifications were made to the content on the removable storage device. The system also includes a media processor for reading the code of the removable storage device, comparing the code to a previously stored code in a memory, and mounting a pre-established file system database structure for the removable storage device when the value of the code of the removable storage device equals the value of the previously stored code. |
| US07945733B2 |
Hierarchical storage management (HSM) for redundant array of independent disks (RAID)
Hierarchical storage management (HSM) for redundant array of independent disks (RAID) which comprise a plurality of drive trays of different types is disclosed. In one embodiment, a method for hierarchically managing RAID which includes a plurality of drive trays of different types, includes writing data to a tray of a first type, periodically monitoring a use of the data, and moving the data to a tray of a second type if the use of the data yields less than a threshold value. Each one of the tray of the first type and the tray of the second type includes at least one hard drive, and a composite score of price, capacity, performance, and function of the tray of the first type which is higher than a corresponding composite score of the tray of the second type. |
| US07945729B2 |
System and method for tolerating multiple storage device failures in a storage system using horizontal and vertical parity layouts
A fault-tolerant system for storage arrays that stored parity values both on separate disks from the data elements (horizontally aligned) and on the same disks as the data elements (vertically aligned), a so-called horizontal-vertical code or HoVer code. The fault-tolerant system has embodiments that are supported on a variety of array sizes and has significant flexibility in parameter selection. Certain embodiments can tolerate all combinations of T failed disks and, among those, some embodiments can tolerate many instances of more than T failures. The fault-tolerant system has efficient XOR-based encoding, recovery, and updating algorithms and has simple redundancy formulas. |
| US07945727B2 |
Disk drive refreshing zones in segments to sustain target throughput of host commands
A disk drive is disclosed including a disk comprising a plurality of refresh zones, and a head actuated over the disk. The disk drive further comprises control circuitry for receiving access commands from a host. The control circuitry refreshes a refresh zone in a plurality of segments with an interval between each segment, and processes at least one of the access commands during the interval between at least two of the segments, wherein a size of each segment and the interval ensures an average throughput of access commands received from the host does not fall below a first threshold. |
| US07945720B2 |
Terminal apparatus and method for controlling processing of an interrupt event
In a terminal apparatus, the central control section 1-10 judges whether or not a function accompanied with an audio output is in operation when a change in a folding opening/closing state of the terminal apparatus is detected by the folding open/close detecting section 1-6, and changes the priority of the function in operation while maintaining the audio output of the function in operation when the function accompanied with the audio output being in operation is judged. Then, the system controls a reporting method reporting that the interrupt event is generated, based on the priority of an operating state in the terminal apparatus and the priority of the changed interrupt event, when the interrupt event is generated. |
| US07945715B2 |
System for data transfer between microcomputer devices
The system according to the present invention for data transfer between microcomputer devices contains a standard protocol controller, a generally known ethernet controller, for example, as a coupling device instead of the known multipart RAM. Instead of a parallel data connection, the microcomputer devices are coupled to one another via a standardized, serial data connection, for example, ethernet. Using functions of ethernet switches already known, a number of microcomputer devices in the system may be increased. |
| US07945712B2 |
Job status monitoring system, job status monitoring method, program, and storage medium
A job status monitoring system includes a job output unit configured to output a job to a job managing unit of an operating system. The job is issued in response to a job issue request. A status of the job output to a printer is monitored by a monitoring unit. The monitoring unit controls the job managing unit by monitoring the status of the job. An application or utility determines the status of the job by obtaining information about the job from the job managing unit and performs display control based on the determined status of the job. |
| US07945711B2 |
Appparatus and method for controlling power to USB device
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for controlling power to a Universal Serial Bus (USB) device. The present invention provides an apparatus for controlling power to a USB device, the USB device being used to connect a Personal Computer (PC) with a peripheral device, the power control apparatus including a plug-in port for connecting the peripheral device with the PC, a state detector for detecting whether the peripheral device is in a preparation completion state, a power supply unit for supplying power to the USB device, and a power control unit for controlling the power supply unit so that power is supplied to the USB device if it is determined that the peripheral device is in a plugged-in state, and if it is determined that the peripheral device is in a preparation completion state by the state detector. Accordingly, the present invention performs the supply of power only when the peripheral device is plugged into the USB device and its internal application program is in a preparation completion state, so that it can prevent power from being unnecessarily consumed. |
| US07945710B2 |
Apparatus enabling the human interface device to provide a smart card interface and operating method therein
The present invention provides an apparatus enabling the Human Interface Device (HID) to provide a smart card interface and an operating method therein. The apparatus is a virtual reader driver layer comprising a monitoring module for monitoring the connection and disconnection of the HID and obtaining the name of the HID object; a PC/SC interface module for providing a driver interface complying with the PC/SC Specification to the application layer, receiving the IRP sent from the application layer, and transmitting it to a data processing module; and a data processing module for receiving and processing the IRP sent from the application layer through the PC/SC interface module, and sending the IRP to the HID device class driver layer in accordance with the name of the HID object obtained by the monitoring module. |
| US07945709B2 |
Security apparatus and method
A system for locating and monitoring electronic devices utilizing a security system that is secretly and transparently embedded within the computer. This security system causes the client computer to periodically and conditionally call a host system to report its serial number via an encoded series of dialed numbers. A host monitoring system receives calls from various clients and determines which calls to accept and which to reject by comparing the decoded client serial numbers with a predefined and updated list of numbers corresponding to reported stolen computers. The host also concurrently obtains the caller ID of the calling client to determine the physical location of the client computer. The caller ID and the serial number are subsequently transmitted to a notifying station in order to facilitate the recovery of the stolen device. The security system remains hidden from the user, and actively resists attempts to disable it. |
| US07945708B2 |
Apparatus and method of receiving data from audio/video equipment
According to one embodiment, a data receiver apparatus comprises input ports complying with a digital interface standard, wherein each input port comprises a voltage signal terminal receiving a prescribed voltage signal, a detection terminal outputting a connection detection signal, a data input terminal receiving a data signal, and an address terminal transmitting a physical address. A nonvolatile memory is connected to the address terminal. A connection detection signal output from the detection terminal is set to a detection-state voltage irrespective of whether the data input terminal is selected. |
| US07945705B1 |
Method for using a protocol language to avoid separate channels for control messages involving encapsulated payload data messages
An interface device is associated with a local device. The interface device is configured to process payload data messages among the local device and peer devices. The payload data messages encapsulated according to a particular protocol. In at least one of the local device and the interface device, configuration messages are generated. The configuration messages are communicated among the local device and the interface device, the configuration messages associated with configuring the operation of the local device and the interface device with respect to the payload data messages. |
| US07945703B2 |
Matrix architecture for KVM extenders
A matrix architecture for KVM extenders connecting a plurality of console terminals and a plurality of computers. The matrix architecture for KVM extenders includes a plurality of first extenders and a plurality of second extenders. The first extenders transform keyboard, mouse analog signals into keyboard, mouse data packets and transform video data packets into video signals for console terminals. The second extenders transform video signals into video data packets and transform keyboard, mouse data packets into keyboard, mouse analog signals. The broadcasters broadcast keyboard, video, mouse data packets, each having a source address and a target address to couple computers to console terminals by broadcasting video data packets from second extenders to first extenders and to couple console terminals to computers by broadcasting keyboard, mouse data packets from first extenders to second extenders. |
| US07945702B1 |
Dynamic address mapping of a fibre channel loop ID
The present invention is a method and a system for dynamic mapping of a fiber channel loop ID in an ALPA loop. Based on reserved address information for the fiber channel system and a number of select ID bits for a slot ID, a dynamic drive mapping table is created. A unique address may be assigned to each drive and each controller in the ALPA loop. The created drive mapping table may be stored on logic decoding circuitry of an adaptor card coupled to each disk drive in the ALPA loop. When fiber channel loop ID signals are sent from a backplane, the fiber channel loop ID signals are translated into seven bits within an ALPA address range based on the dynamic drive mapping table. The converted signals may be sent to the disk drive coupled the adaptor card at boot up time. |
| US07945700B2 |
Method and system for remote diagnostic, control and information collection based on various communication modes for sending messages to a resource manager
A method, system, and program product for communicating with machines connected to a network. Information sent to or from the machines is transmitted using electronic mail or a via a direct connection. The electronic mail may be transmitted over the Internet to a service center or from a service center to a resource administrator, but also may remain within a local or wide area network for transmission between a machine and a resource administrator. E-mail messages may be transmitted from a computer which is attached to a device which is being monitored or controlled and include information regarding the status, usage or capabilities of the attached device. The device may send status messages and usage information of the device to either a resource administrator or to a service center on the Internet through a firewall. The message may be sent directly to the resource administrator station if urgent service is needed by the device. For routine information, the service center may manage all the resources on an intranet and may send predetermined types of information to the resource administrator using e-mail. |
| US07945699B2 |
Obtaining a destination address so that a network interface device can write network data without headers directly into host memory
A Network Interface device (NI device) coupled to a host computer receives a multi-packet message from a network (for example, the Internet) and DMAs the data portions of the various packets directly into a destination in application memory on the host computer. The address of the destination is determined by supplying a first part of the first packet to an application program such that the application program returns the address of the destination. The address is supplied by the host computer to the NI device so that the NI device can DMA the data portions of the various packets directly into the destination. In some embodiments the NI device is an expansion card added to the host computer, whereas in other embodiments the NI device is a part of the host computer. |
| US07945695B1 |
Smart secretary
A message-processing agent receives an object from a space in a Scalable Infrastructure System. The message-processing agent determines the destination of the object and checks a preference setting for the destination. The message-processing agent then routes the object to its destination as determined by the preference settings, possibly altering the destination in favor of an alternate destination indicated by the preference settings. |
| US07945692B2 |
Method and apparatus for increasing performance of HTTP over long-latency links
The invention increases performance of HTTP over long-latency links by pre-fetching objects concurrently via aggregated and flow-controlled channels. An agent and gateway together assist a Web browser in fetching HTTP contents faster from Internet Web sites over long-latency data links. The gateway and the agent coordinate the fetching of selective embedded objects in such a way that an object is ready and available on a host platform before the resident browser requires it. The seemingly instantaneous availability of objects to a browser enables it to complete processing the object to request the next object without much wait. Without this instantaneous availability of an embedded object, a browser waits for its request and the corresponding response to traverse a long delay link. |
| US07945688B1 |
Methods and apparatus for reducing streaming media data traffic bursts
A method for reducing output traffic bursts in a streaming media cache includes receiving a request from a first client system for a stream of media data, the stream of media data including a first streaming media data packet and a second streaming media data packet, receiving a request from a second client system for the stream of media data, receiving the first streaming media data packet from an upstream server, the first streaming media data packet including a delivery time, determining a first modified delivery time for the first streaming media data packet, determining a second modified delivery time for the first streaming media data packet, the first modified delivery time different from the second modified delivery time, modifying the first streaming media data packet with the first modified delivery time to form a first modified first streaming media data packet, modifying the first streaming media data packet with the second modified delivery time to form a second modified first streaming media data packet, outputting the first modified first streaming media data packet to the first client system at the first modified delivery time, and outputting the second modified first streaming media data packet to the second client system at the second modified delivery time. |
| US07945687B2 |
Method and apparatus for controlling database in mobile communication terminal
A method and apparatus for controlling a database of a mobile communication terminal that can automatically store information about a content file by downloading and storing the content file through an external network; extracting information about the stored content file; and adding information about the extracted content file to the database, wherein even through a content file is downloaded and stored through a protocol other than a MTP, a record of the content file can automatically be added to the database, thus allowing the management of content files using one database. |
| US07945686B2 |
Communication control apparatus and method
A communication control apparatus includes a registration request signal receiver, a registration section, a transmitter, a group communication control signal receiver, and a group communication controller. The request signal receiver receives, from at least one terminal differing from a plurality of group communication terminals that is performing or is to perform group communication through a communication network, a control terminal registration request signal requesting the registration of the terminal as a control terminal for controlling the group communication. The registration section registers the terminal which sent the control terminal registration request signal as a control terminal. The transmitter sends, to that terminal, information indicating that the terminal has been registered as a control terminal. The control signal receiver receives from the terminal a group communication control signal for controlling the group communication. The group communication controller starts or changes the group communication in accordance with the group communication control signal. |
| US07945684B2 |
Spam risk assessment
An apparatus, program product and method assess a spam risk associated with submission of a user's private information to an entity such as a web site. For example, the spam risk associated with an entity accessible over an electronic communications medium may be assessed by monitoring an account of a user for receipt of unsolicited communications from the entity in response to the user submitting private information solicited by the entity, and determining a spam risk for the entity based upon the monitoring. |
| US07945678B1 |
Link load balancer that controls a path for a client to connect to a resource
A system, apparatus, and method are directed to managing network communications between a client and a server by enabling the client to make decisions involving the selection of alternate network paths. The client and/or the server may be multi-homed to a network. In one embodiment, a link load balancer provides the client with a message and/or path data that enables the client to improve its connections with the server by redirecting network packets using an alternate network path. The message may be based on a static policy at the server, changes in availability of the network connections between the client and server, changes in a quality of the network connections, paths, or the like. Redirecting the network packet by the client may include closing one network connection and establishing another network connection, and/or employing an available alternate network path to re-route network packets towards the server. |
| US07945675B2 |
System and method for delegation of data processing tasks based on device physical attributes and spatial behavior
A method of a peer computing system for performing a data processing service for a remote peer computing system publishes a description of each of a plurality of data processing services which the peer computing system makes available to the remote peer system. The peer computing further publishes a description of at least one of the physical attributes of the peer computing system and the spatial behavior of the peer computing system. The spatial behavior is represented by at least one of a record of the location of the peer computing system with respect to time and a record of networks to which the peer computing system is coupled with respect to time. The peer computing system may receive a service request from the remote peer computing system, the service request may comprise one of: i) a request to perform one of the plurality of data processing services; and ii) a request to perform a new data processing service which utilized the physical and spatial attributes of the peer computing system in conjunction with instructions on how to perform the new data processing. |
| US07945670B2 |
Distributed access control system
An entrance and exit management system for controlling the entrance and exit at a plurality of management points according to the present invention includes a server connected to a network and managing right information generated from a request for a certain service, a ranking device for generating ranking with respect to the right information and generating sub-right information in response to the ranking, further included is an inquiry information device being responsive to the right information, local servers being connected to the server through the network and placed at the management points, the local server being allowed to make mutual transmissions, and entrance and exit managing means for reading information related to the right information. The means for managing entrance and exit being connected to the local server. Ranking is determined with respect to the relation between the local server and the right information. The server transmits to local servers the sub-right information and the inquiry information having the relation to the ranking of the local servers. |
| US07945667B2 |
Method and apparatus for inferring the presence of static internet protocol address allocations
A method and apparatus for inferring if an IP address allocation in a remote network is static or dynamic are disclosed. For example, the method contacts at least one remote peer to peer endpoint using a peer to peer application to obtain an IP address of the at least one remote peer to peer endpoint. The method then analyzes characteristics of the at least one remote peer to peer endpoint over a predefined period of time to infer whether the presence of static IP address allocation exists for the at least one remote peer to peer endpoint. |
| US07945664B2 |
System and method for accessing network services
The present disclosure relates to a system and method for accessing network services. In one arrangement, the system and method pertain to obtaining an address of a network service from a local device via a direct connection, and facilitating designation of the network service address as a default destination such that a user browser can be redirected directly to the network service when an appropriate command is received. |
| US07945662B2 |
Internet domain keyword optimization
A computerized system and method for optimizing contents of a domain landing page for increased revenues for the domain name owner. A landing server tracks user interactions with the domain landing page and generates an optimized keyword data set for the domain name. The keyword data set is used for selecting the information to be displayed on the domain name page. According to one embodiment, the keywords are associated with advertiser payment values. When a link to an advertiser bidding on a particular keyword is selected, revenue generated due to the click is shared with the domain name owner. Selection of links on pop-under pages displayed with a landing page are also shared with the domain name owner. Semantic analysis of keywords and domain names allows the generation of a related keyword data set when there is insufficient number of relevant user interactions for generating the optimized keyword data set. |
| US07945655B2 |
Scalable, high performance and highly available distributed storage system for internet content
A method for content storage on behalf of participating content providers begins by having a given content provider identify content for storage. The content provider then uploads the content to a given storage site selected from a set of storage sites. Following upload, the content is replicated from the given storage site to at least one other storage site in the set. Upon request from a given entity, a given storage site from which the given entity may retrieve the content is then identified. The content is then downloaded from the identified given storage site to the given entity. In an illustrative embodiment, the given entity is an edge server of a content delivery network (CDN). |
| US07945652B2 |
Display multi-layers list item in web-browser with supporting of concurrent multi-users
This invention takes the course of evolution and creating a web based computer user work environment for a control management station and its associated systems on the network crossing Intranet, Internet or LAN. Therefore, users can access and manage the control management station and all its associated system through web browser on any other systems or devices. To establish a web based computer user work environment, the resources information on control management station and on associated systems on network need to be collected and convert them to standard structured format for web based communication and further displaying them in web browser. These information need to be collected by control management station at its and the associated systems' boot up time or at the time when a user logins and requests to access and manage these resources. |
| US07945651B2 |
Method and system for network configuration
Methods and systems have been provided for pushing critical configuration to a set of network devices. According to various embodiments of the invention, a Network Management Station (NMS) creates a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) context and an SNMP view. Additionally, the NMS specifies a network configuration and a set time period. The NMS pushes the network configuration to the set of network devices. The set of devices apply the network configuration after the set time period. |
| US07945642B1 |
Method and system for providing software to a machine
A method and system for triggering installation of program logic on a machine, such as a PC. A server transmits installation-trigger logic to a wireless communication device (WCD), which the WCD stores in its data storage. When the WCD becomes connected with a PC, the PC views the WCD as a mass-storage drive, and the PC reads and executes the installation-trigger logic in the same manner that a PC would run an AUTORUN file on a conventional mass-storage drive. Per the installation-trigger logic, the PC then downloads and installs a designated software program. The PC then sends an installation-notice to the server, and the server responsively sends a cancellation-message to the WCD. In response to the cancellation-message, the WCD then deletes or otherwise disables the installation-trigger logic, so that the process will not be repeated the next time the WCD is connected with the PC. |
| US07945640B1 |
Methods and apparatus for network provisioning
In one aspect, a computer-implemented method includes receiving a storage request having a storage pool policy, a volume creation policy, and volume creation attributes; searching available storage in a dynamic storage pool and storage connectivity elements based upon the storage request; selecting front-end and back-end virtual local area networks (VLANs), zones, and virtual initiators (VIs) matching a service level agreement (SLA) for the storage request; determining a provisioning plan for the storage request including an array, array ports, the virtual targets (VTs), the VIs, the zones, the VLANs, virtual volume identity, and logical units by examining resources for the VTs and VIs including resource usage and input/output operations per second to select a VT/VI pair based on the SLA; masking and mapping the virtual volume to the array ports to the VIs; creating a back-end zone for connectivity between the virtual targets and host bus adaptor ports; and outputting the provisioning plan to a user for display. |
| US07945635B2 |
Internet receiving arrangement having quality test means
An Internet receiving arrangement, such as an Internet radio, is connected to the Internet and stores internet addresses of information servers which provide information data. The internet receiving arrangement has a quality test device for testing whether the received information data have a satisfactory quality. If the quality value of the received information data detected by the quality detector is below a quality threshold value, then the internet addresses stored in the internet receiving arrangement are updated with internet addresses of the information servers which are stored in an address server connected to the internet. |
| US07945634B1 |
Method to convert and share short message service messages on websites
The present invention relates to a computer program product and method of use thereof that converts short message service (SMS) message content, including but not limited to, text messages, photos, web links to articles, and advertisements, so that the content can be posted on websites. |
| US07945632B2 |
Correlating data indicating at least one subjective user state with data indicating at least one objective occurrence associated with a user
A computationally implemented method includes, but is not limited to: acquiring subjective user state data including data indicating at least one subjective user state associated with a user; acquiring objective occurrence data including data indicating at least one objective occurrence associated with the user; correlating the subjective user state data with the objective occurrence data based, at least in part, on a determination of at least one sequential pattern associated with the at least one subjective user state and the at least one objective occurrence; and presenting one or more results of the correlating. In addition to the foregoing, other method aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of the present disclosure. |
| US07945624B2 |
Wireless communications connection device
A method and apparatus is provided for setting up a wireless conference call, wireless non-call conference, and sharing audio and/or video content. The method includes the steps of providing an audio mixer that receives an audio input from each of at least three audio interfaces, mixes, cleans, and amplifies and/or de-amplifies the audio signal from the audio inputs and provides an equalized audio output to each of the at least three audio interfaces; providing a first local wireless interface; providing a second local wireless interface; and, providing a third wireless interface, so as to permit simultaneous two-way (incoming and outgoing) communications between each participant during wireless conferencing, and so as to permit simultaneous one-way communications between an audio and/or video content source and each local participant during wireless sharing of audio and/or video content between the local participants. |
| US07945622B1 |
User-aware collaboration playback and recording
Various embodiments include one or more of systems, methods, software, and data structures for user-aware time-shifted playback and recording of real-time collaborations, such as web conferences. Some embodiments include recording and presenting public and private collaboration data for time-shifted playback. Private collaboration data includes collaboration data intended for viewing by less than all collaboration participants. Further systems, methods, software, and data structures are disclosed. |
| US07945620B2 |
Chat tool for concurrently chatting over more than one interrelated chat channels
The present invention discloses a chat tool including a chat window configured to permit a user to simultaneously receive chat messages for two or more different chat sessions, thereby permitting side discussions within a secondary chat session. Each of the different chat sessions can correspond to a session specific chat channel. Different chat sessions can include private and public sessions. The participants of a private chat session can be participants of the public chat session and/or can be able to view discussions occurring in the public chat session. Further, members of the public chat session can be unaware of the existence of the private chat session. Any number of private chat sessions can be spawned from a public chat session using an invitation option, which automatically establishes new private sessions for invited individuals. |
| US07945619B1 |
Methods and apparatuses for reporting based on attention of a user during a collaboration session
In one embodiment, the methods and apparatuses view content that corresponds with a particular time period during a collaboration session; identify a plurality of attendee devices participating in the collaboration session at the particular time period; determine an attention status of each attendee device at the particular time period; and display the attention status of the plurality of attendee devices at the particular time period. |
| US07945616B2 |
Digital content delivery and viewing system and method
A media distribution system is provided whereby devices on a network are provided with native-mode, optimized content viewers adapted to receive and present digital content provided elsewhere on the network. An agent is downloaded to a device, where it gathers information regarding the device environment and uses that information to identify the appropriate application for that device. The appropriate application for a particular device is then downloaded to the device to enable the device to present the content to a user. |
| US07945615B1 |
Distributed shared persistent objects
A system and method are described for managing a shared object in a distributed collaboration environment. The distributed collaboration environment is composed of at least one edge server in communication with a central server. When a client desires to modify the shared object, it issues an object modification request to the edge server it is connected to. The edge server compares the version identifier of the client shared object against the version identifier of the edge shared object. If the versions do not match, the edge server rejects the modification. Otherwise, it will forward the modification request to the central server for further consideration. |
| US07945613B2 |
Method for non-disruptively associating applications and middleware components with information technology infrastructure
A methodology is presented for discovering and storing end-to-end associations between different types of entities in a system configuration model of a distributed middleware system. First associations are determined, at each distributed system tier, between instances of data and data-container configuration elements. Those first associations point to logical subdivision of a data service that is directly responsible for implementing an instance of data. Second associations are determined, at said each distributed system tier, between said data-container configuration elements and a server infrastructure. Said second associations point to a server infrastructure that hosts said data-container configuration elements. Third associations are composed, within said each distributed system tier, between said instances of data and said server infrastructure, using said first associations and said second associations. Fourth associations are composed, end-to-end, which represent dependency of an application using said instances of data to said server infrastructure. |
| US07945611B2 |
Arbitrating an appropriate back-end server to receive channels of a client session
The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for arbitrating an appropriate back-end server to receive channels of a client connection. Each front-end server in a server farm specifies a back-end server in the server farm that it deems appropriate for receiving channels of a client connection. Each specified back-end server is represented by an arbitration mechanism. A relevant set of potential back-end servers that can receive channels of a client connection is selected according to function configured to minimize performance impact. A load balancing service compares arbitration mechanisms for different back-end servers in the set of potential back-end servers to determine an appropriate back-end server for receiving channels of the client connection. |
| US07945608B2 |
Method and apparatus for generating an initial value for a pseudo-random number generator
Apparatus and method for generating an initial value for a pseudo-random number generator, with an oscillator configured to generate an oscillator signal; and a generator configured to generate the initial value based on the oscillator signal at least during part of a transient of the oscillator. |
| US07945604B2 |
System and method for managing object to relational one-to-many mapping
Instructions are generated to manipulate target objects and relationships in a relational database when a source object having a one-to-many relationship of privately owned type with the target objects is manipulated. To generate instructions, mapping meta-data is used which contains information as to how object classes of the object model map to tables in the database and how relationships map to foreign keys. |
| US07945603B2 |
System and method for efficiently storing information related to a telephone number
Information related to telephone numbers is efficiently stored and retrieved by generating an index based on a portion of a telephone number for which information is to be stored or retrieved. For example, the portion of the telephone number can be a prefix of the telephone number. Information related to the telephone number is stored and retrieved in accordance with the generated index. |
| US07945602B2 |
Web server document library
Document libraries that facilitate content contribution to and management of a website. In general, a document library comprises a database, a special “document library” file system folder and the documents in that folder (or within subfolders of that folder). The database maintains properties of documents in the document library file system folder, and is used to dynamically update views of the document library file system folder and views of properties of the documents. Each document folder is a folder in which content of a specified type may be read and saved. |
| US07945601B2 |
Reporting of approval workflow transactions using XMLP
Embodiments described in the application provide for reports that are generated in many different formats using an Approval Workflow Engine (AWE) and an XML Publisher (XMLP) component. The AWE can accept user parameters to extract data from at least one data source, transform the data, and generate a structured XML data file appropriate for the report. The AWE can pass this XML file, along with at least one report template and other necessary information to the XMLP, which is able to generate reports in any of a number of specified formats. Such an approach keeps the data separate from the formats and components, and allows for multiple reports to be generated without accessing an application for each format. The AWE also can store an audit history record for each transaction passing through the AWE in order to provide a concise location from which to retrieve the information. |
| US07945598B2 |
Methodology for the automatic capture of process information in federated knowledge systems
A mechanism for automatically managing process information stored in federated repositories. When practice requirements are collected for a multi-step process, a process metadata data structure comprising process information conforming to the practice requirements is created in a metadata repository. The structure is created by creating a template document for each task in the multi-step process and populating the template documents with the procedure information in the practice requirements. Hierarchical and horizontal associations are created among the template documents based on the execution order of the tasks in the procedure information. Process documents for each task in the multi-step process are created and populated with information about the tasks. The task information, procedure information, and association information for each task is then stored as metadata in the process metadata structure. |
| US07945591B2 |
Identifying problems, usage patterns, and performance in a database interface using aspect-oriented programming
A method, computer program product, and data processing system for efficiently diagnosing errors and inefficiencies in database application code are disclosed. According to a preferred embodiment, techniques of aspect-oriented programming (AOP) are used to instrument database application code to monitor the usage of database resources. Specifically, pointcuts are defined to intercept accesses of database resources. Advice code associated with these pointcuts is used to collect information about the usage of database resources and to detect certain errors, such as resource leaks, when they occur. In a preferred embodiment, the AspectJ aspect-oriented programming language/system is used to define the pointcuts and advice code. |
| US07945584B2 |
Report system and method using prompt object abstraction
An reporting system that incorporates prompt objects in a report definition to enable a user to specify answers to questions to customize a report at execution time. A prompt object contains a single question to be answered, validation values for the answer, and attributes indicating how the prompt object is to be processed. A collection of answers is built up in a resolution object. A report is thus defined by selecting prompt objects in place of templates, filters, or any of the aspects of a template or filter. As a separate object, a single prompt may be issued once and the answer supplied to each reference to the prompt object in a report. A resolution object may be created and saved before the execution of a report. The saved resolution object can then be used to answer prompts at the time of the report execution. The resolution object may be created by third parties and transmitted as an XML resolution object, whereupon receipt by the reporting system, the XML resolution object is translated into a reporting system format. |
| US07945583B2 |
Technique for data mining using a web service
A technique for the deployment of data mining algorithms on a web service, such as IBM's WebSphere Application Server, is disclosed. Rather than having to deploy the data mining models with the data, the data can be transported to the web server as part of a message. Models can be cached on the web server and easily changed by operations executed by the client. This allows for efficient administration of the operational environment. Because a web services environment is inherently scalable, servers can be transparently enabled based on demand. Further, with web services communication is via data objects in memory which allows for ease of implementation and operational efficiency. |
| US07945582B2 |
Web-based interactive geographic information systems mapping analysis and methods of using thereof
A method, system, and computer-readable medium for providing geographic information systems (GIS) data is provided. The steps, functions, and instructions provided include receiving GIS data from a plurality of websites, populating a searchable database with the GIS data, and generating a search-specific electronic summary of GIS data. A method and system for networking users of a GIS data management system is also provided. The steps and functions provided by this method and system include populating a searchable database with GIS data received from a plurality of websites and providing a networking interface interoperable with the database such that users of the GIS data management system are networked according to GIS data queries. |
| US07945578B2 |
Optimizing scalar search in a text indexing and search server
Method, system, and computer program product for query processing are provided. In one implementation, the method comprises receiving a query that includes a full text portion. An invariant part of the full text portion is then compiled and stored. Additional queries received are executed by reusing the compiled invariant part. |
| US07945569B2 |
Method and apparatus for querying spatial data
The disclosed embodiments relate to an apparatus for performing query operations. The apparatus comprises a base table having spatial objects, an index table having data entries that are associated with the spatial objects. A module that is adapted to perform the query operation is configured to convert a query window into values, create a scan range for each of the values with a begin range value, an end range value, and a stop condition, scan the data entries for each of the scan range to identify one of the end range value and the stop condition, and return a result based upon the data entries that are within the scan range for each of the values. |
| US07945568B1 |
System for browsing through a music catalog using correlation metrics of a knowledge base of mediasets
A system and method to navigate through a media item catalog and generate recommendations using behavioral metrics such as correlation metrics (FIGS. 1,2) from a knowledge base (400) of mediasets (FIG. 4, 1-7). One implementation uses a knowledge base comprising a collection of mediasets. Various metrics (Metric 1-Metric m) among media items (m1 . . . ) are considered by analyzing how the media items are grouped to form the sets in the knowledge base (400). Such metrics preferably are stored in a matrix (100) that allows the system to dynamically build appropriate navigation lists (FIG. 3) from media items that a user selects (FIG. 5). |
| US07945565B2 |
Method and system for generating a hyperlink-click graph
A method of ascribing scores to web documents and search queries generates a hyperlink-click graph by taking the union of the hyperlink and click graphs, takes a random walk on the hyperlink-click graph, and associates the transition probabilities resulting from the random walk with scores for each of the documents and search queries. |
| US07945564B2 |
Synthesizing information-bearing content from multiple channels
A computing system and method receive a query; separate a plurality of information sources into individual elements of content (EOC); tag each EOC with metadata that indicate source, date, and other relevant information; pattern match each EOC; calculate the respective distance function from every EOC to every other EOC; and output EOC to a set of virtual buffers (404) containing appropriately related EOC less than a given distance value. The method further creates virtual summary buffers (406); then concatenates the EOC in each virtual buffer (404); applies a comparative analysis filter (318) to remove redundant sub-elements; and presents the results as summary digests (408). |
| US07945563B2 |
Search early warning
Systems and methods for automatically delivering information to a user concerning the embedded code contained in a web page before the user downloads the web page are disclosed. A search engine, in addition to performing a standard subject matter word search requested by a user, searches each web page to be listed to the user as part of the search results for information indicating that there is embedded code in the web page. If it is determined that a web page contains embedded code, the search results graphical user interface is provided with additional information indicating to the user which web page in the results contains embedded code. The user may also be alerted if a web page contains embedded code known to be malicious and the order of the search results may be modified based on the embedded code information of the web pages in the results. |
| US07945561B1 |
Methods and apparatus for processing a query joining tables stored at different data sources
Methods and apparatus for joining two or more tables are disclosed. A query including a join query is received, where the join query requests that a new table be generated from data obtained from two or more tables, where the two or more tables are stored at two or more data sources. One or more columns for each of the tables for which data is to be obtained are identified from the query. A query plan to execute the query to obtain data for the identified columns from the two or more tables is then generated. |
| US07945559B2 |
Completion of partially specified paths
Mechanisms are provided for completing partially specified paths. For example, users can partially specify paths by specifying some preferred entities and roles along the paths so that these paths have to incorporate these preferred entities and roles. From then, queries can automatically complete the paths, unless more specification information is needed. In completing these paths, numerous restrictions can be used, such as a role and its inverse cannot be used in a path, and no role may be traversed more than once in a path. |
| US07945553B2 |
Associative search engine
This invention relates to an advertisement machine which provides advertisements to a user searching for desired information within a data network. The machine receives, from the user, a search request including a search argument corresponding to the desired information and searches, based upon the received search argument, a first database having data network related information to generate search results. It also correlates the received search argument to a particular advertisement in a second database having advertisement related information. The search results together with the particular advertisement are provided by the machine to the user. |
| US07945550B1 |
System and method of managing internet browser navigation
The present invention provides a system and method of managing Internet browser navigation. Software code designed to interact with and control the user's Internet browser is embedded into web pages made available to remote users by a web server. Embedded software code is read by the user's Internet browser upon loading a requested web page. Embedded software code directs the browser to store one or more attributes upon the remote user's computer system. Stored attributes may then be compared to attributes embedded within subsequently requested web pages to determine if the requested web page, or a corrected web page, should be displayed. |
| US07945549B2 |
Electrical or electronic cable system design tool
A computer-assisted design tool for identifying, specifying, ordering, pulling, connecting and labeling one or more types of electrical cable at a job site uses a job plan as a primary organizing concept. The job plan has one or more applications for which the cable is to be provided and one or more device types to which one of several possible cable types is to be connected. Each device type is associated with one or more locations at which the identified device is located at the site. For each location, a cable length and number of pulls are specified, and a markup legend code is stored to show how the cable length should be marked up to indicate the location to which the cable length is to be connected. The design tool automatically generates markup legend images based on the stored markup codes and enables the user to order all cable requirements for the job over the Internet. The tool also generates comprehensive documentation for the job to be installed, including box labels and wire tags. |
| US07945546B2 |
Local search and mapping for mobile devices
A computer-implemented method is disclosed that includes receiving on a mobile device a search query associated with a geographic location, providing one or more search results in response to the search query, the search results each being associated with a geographic location, and presenting on a graphical display of the computing device icons corresponding to each search result and also corresponding to a key on the computing device. |
| US07945545B1 |
Method and system for utilizing user information to provide a network address
A method and system for utilizing user information to provide a network address. The method collects user information about a user from at least one electronic device that is associated with the user. In addition, a network address activity pattern is identified based on a combination of a network browsing activity and the user information. A list of network addresses that have been viewed in context of the activity pattern is then accessed. At least one network address on the list of network addresses is scored. Then, the at least one network address having a highest score is provided to the user. |
| US07945542B2 |
Distributed hierarchical cache
A solution may be provided in which a cache may assign a version to each object that it caches. The version may be saved in a database along with the object. Each time the business logic accesses the cache for a dependent object, such as a read from the bit mask field of the new parent member, the version of the object checked in the cache and its identification may be saved on a dependency list. Once changes to the object are performed, the business logic may issue a commit command. The cache may then verify that the version of each object on the dependency list matches the version that is in the database. If an object on the dependency list either does not exist in the database, or exists with another version, then the transaction may be canceled. |
| US07945535B2 |
Automatic publishing of digital content
In one embodiment, there is provided a method for a media storage device to manage digital content. The method comprises determining if there is digital content to be categorized into one or more galleries; automatically categorizing said digital content into the one or more galleries; and for digital content categorized into a gallery with an auto-publish flag, sending at least one of said digital content and a derivative form of said digital content to a server. |
| US07945534B1 |
Continuous data backup
Handling writing new data includes creating a journal entry that points to a first storage location containing old data to be replaced by the new data, where the journal entry is maintained after writing the new data, allocating new storage space having a second storage location, and writing the new data to the new storage space at the second storage location. The storage space may be provided by at least one storage device. Allocating new storage space may include remapping a switch coupled to the at least one storage device. The new data may be written by a host coupled to the switch. The switch may present the host with a logical storage area that is created by the switch mapping to different locations of the at least one storage device. The mapping may be transparent to the host. The switch may include at least one processor and a corresponding memory. The journal entry may be part of a journal that is stored in the memory. The storage space may correspond to a disk array storage device. The journal entry may be stored in the disk array storage device. The journal entry may be stored outside the disk array storage device. Allocating new storage space may include remapping a switch coupled to the disk array storage device and where the journal entry is stored on the switch. Each of the journal entries also includes a time stamp and/or a result of writing the data. |
| US07945533B2 |
Index replication using crawl modification information
Systems, methodologies, media, and other embodiments associated with index replication using crawl modification information are described. One exemplary system embodiment includes an enterprise search system comprising a target search system comprising an index logic that uses modified crawl information related to items associated with sources to maintain an index that supports searching of the items; and, a crawl search system comprising a pipeline processor configured to receive modified crawl information related to the items and to propagate the modified crawl information to the target system. |
| US07945532B2 |
System, and program product for rebasing an application
System, and program product for rebasing an application. The application is analyzed to identify the database components that require remapping to a new database. These components are remapped to utilize the new database and/or a new interface layer that utilizes the new database. The components can be remapped by rewriting the component and/or redirecting the component. However, the configuration that is used for the data in memory is maintained, thereby reducing the number of components in the application that require modification. |
| US07945517B2 |
Data distribution system and recording device for use therein
A memory card (110) stores access restriction information (AC1) to a license information hold unit (1440) arranged in a TRM area. Access restriction information (AC1) has information for example of a frequency of reproduction allowed and a number of licenses owned. A controller (1420) in reproducing and transferring content initially confirms access restriction information (AC1) and thereafter effects reproduction and transfer and after the reproduction and transfer are effected updates access restriction information (AC1), as required, for storage in a license information hold unit (1440). |
| US07945516B2 |
System and method for securing data through a PDA portal
Consumers may utilize computing devices to assist in the purchase and/or loyalty process, and in particular, the consumer may utilize a PDA to facilitate the purchase and/or loyalty process. During the purchase and/or loyalty process, the consumer may need to insure that any content downloaded or used in association with the PDA is secure in how it is collected, assembled, and delivered to the PDA device. This system and method secures the data from its source to when it is actually viewed or used by the authorized user. The PDA may have direct access to an Internet web site portal that offers secure personal content from a content provider, such as, for example, an on-line banking or financial institution. Using the web site portal, the content provider may offer personal or confidential data, such as financial information, to PDA users in a secure (e.g., encrypted) environment. The exemplary system and method may establish a PDA portal link to the web site for collecting specified information for a user and transmitting the information to the remote device. To receive the information, the PDA contacts the portal and establishes a connection, authenticates itself to the network, and allows the user to complete secured transactions or transmissions over the network. |
| US07945514B1 |
System and method for funding a collective account
A system and method for funding a collective account such as a charitable account includes issuing a plurality of financial instruments, linking the financial instruments to the collective account, aggregating individual financial instrument usage, calculating a bonus or other reward based on the aggregate financial instrument usage and funding or distributing the reward to the collective account. According to the invention, members of a civic, charitable, political or other entity may generate collective rewards or other benefits which may be attributed to the designated organization. |
| US07945512B2 |
Spending and savings secondary linked accounts
Embodiments describe a method and a system to link a secondary account to a primary account with an account management module associated with the primary account and to control access to funds in the secondary account with respect to a secondary account holder through the account management module. The secondary account includes a spending account and a savings account. |
| US07945511B2 |
Methods and systems for identity authentication
The Greenlist tool provides payors desiring to pay a merchant a means to locate, validate and effect the transfer of assets to another party by routing transaction requests to a third party that functions as the transaction enabler. This task is performed without divulging confidential information about transactors while assigning liability for certain risk consequences to the lowest cost risk bearers: banks. Greenlist verifies identities before making financial transactions or before obtaining access to restricted information. The Greenlist can be completely trusted by risk-bearers. Liability for risk can be transferred to the registrars of the information contained within the registry. This liability transfer substantially reduces the payor's cost of bearing risks. Banks or third parties responsible for certifying that someone or some entity claiming to be an authorized party is not an impostor can now offer new levels of service at a substantially lower cost for a variety of transactions. |
| US07945507B2 |
System and method for facilitating trading in an electronic market
A method and system for facilitating trading of financial instruments in a market are provided. The system comprises a server and an interface. The interface is configured to enable buy orders and sell orders to be entered. Each order has a price, a volume, and an entry time and relates to a respective futures contract The server is configured to match received buy orders having a first price to received sell orders having the first price. The match is effected by ensuring that the prices match, and then using the volume and entry time for each buy order and each sell order to assign a volume weight and a time weight, and then using the volume weights and the time weights to determine each match. The server uses the matches to complete respective trades. The volume and time weights may be adjusted based on market conditions. |
| US07945506B2 |
Transaction and account management system
An information management system that consists of data, a rules database, and user profiles is provided. The rules database stores information about system responses to modifications of the data. The user profiles store information concerning the availability of information and displays depending upon the user. Automatic updates to user profiles in response to modifications to the data are performed. |
| US07945500B2 |
System and method for providing an insurance premium for price protection
Systems and methods for providing an insurance premium in association with an insurance strike price for a commodity are disclosed. By paying the insurance premium a consumer may obtain price protection for a commodity purchase. In particular, in one embodiment a consumer may obtain the right to be reimbursed for any amount paid over the insurance strike price for the commodity. |
| US07945496B2 |
Reference price framework
A method of computer-assisted price modeling is provided, which uses a reference price to assist in evaluating discretionary pricing of transactional services provided (i) by a professional among his own transactions or (ii) by a target professional among others' transactions. A universe of pricing episode data is segmented into groupings based on price predictive parameters. These data are then arranged in each grouping according to price. A reference price is determined within each grouping based on a predetermined level, rank or percentile. This reference price can then be used to evaluate the pricing episode data and provide various calculations or comparisons, including the revenue opportunity that could have been obtained by pricing at the reference price. |
| US07945495B2 |
Integrated on-line system for identifying and valuing foreclosure properties
A system and method coordinates data and providing information to an external subscriber to the system relating to at least one foreclosure real estate transaction. The system comprises: (a) a centralized transaction coordination system for accessing a transaction database; (b) at least one interface device for accessing said transaction coordination system, each interface device associated with a party to said real estate transaction; (c) information relevant to said real estate transaction being provided directly to said transaction coordination system by at least one information originating party originating said information; (d) said information being stored in said transaction database; and (e) said information being accessible by at least one party having registered access to said real estate transaction database using said at least one interface device to access said transaction coordination system, the system comprising software enabling the creation and transmission of jurisdictionally required notice of a foreclosure based upon information input to the data base by authorized sources. |
| US07945494B2 |
Device with GPS to manage risk for financial transactions
The present teachings describe a system for processing financial transactions. In one embodiment, the system includes a remote terminal adapted to identify the location of financial transactions via global positioning system (GPS) information such that the remote terminal acquires transaction information from a user and transmits a first signal indicative of transaction information and GPS information. In addition, the system includes an authorizing host adapted to receive the first signal transmitted by the remote terminal such that the authorizing host evaluates the risk associated with financial transactions based, at least in part, on the GPS information so as to determine whether to accept or decline the financial transaction. The present teachings further describe devices and methods of acquiring GPS information for the purpose of managing risk for financial transactions. |
| US07945493B2 |
Creation of pseudo block to assist in system for facilitating trade processing and trade management
A system for facilitating the processing and settlement of securities trades is provided. The system includes a computer which receives trade execution information indicative of an executed trade by a first trading party and trade order information indicative of an executed trade by a second trading party. The system also includes software for determining block level trade execution information based upon the trade execution information and for determining block level trade order information based upon the trade order information. Further software is provided for comparing the block level trade execution information with the block level trade order information, and for determining that a match exists if the block level trade execution information and the block level trade order information correlate within a set of predefined acceptable trade parameters. |
| US07945492B1 |
System and method for integrating trading operations including the generation, processing and tracking of and trade documents
First and second components of the present invention, in combination, provide a customer interface for initiating a trade transaction and provides for the secure viewing of the status of the transaction. A third component assists in the automatic generation and verification of the voluminous and detailed documents required to support a trade transaction. The third component additionally tracks and assists in the management of the seller's manufacturing and shipment of the goods that form the basis of the trade transaction. A fourth component automatically generates a Letter of Credit from a Purchase Order and performs a reconciliation function on payments made pursuant to Letters of Credit or open Accounts. |
| US07945491B2 |
Integrated systems for electronic bill presentment and payment
Systems and methods for integrating electronic bill presentment and payment among billers, consumers, banks and other financial institutions, and electronic payment facilitators are enabled for operation with a plurality of different web portals and other spaces including bill presenters each of which are able to support an interface for presentment and/or payment of bills. |
| US07945490B2 |
Providing aggregate forecasted impact information for physical to financial asset reconciliation
A reconciliation process identifying financial assets in a financial system that do not also exist in the real world, such as is indicated in a discovery system, generates a list of exceptions that can be examined by type of exception. The list of exceptions also includes aggregate financial impact information for the exceptions, such as aggregate cost, fair market value, and net book value. An interface allows a user to view the financial impact information and better decide how to handle the assets corresponding to the exceptions, such as by retiring at least some of the assets, routing some of the exceptions to another user better able to handle the exceptions, or storing the list so that an investigation can be done into at least some of the assets. The financial impact information becomes particularly critical near quarter-end and year-end, as any material impact to the books requires timely disclosure. |
| US07945487B2 |
Method and apparatus for certified secondary market inventory management
A certified secondary market inventory platform maintains a certified catalog of items for sale on a secondary market. Certified items are tracked by the platform and have a verified chain of custody between the manufacturer and the current owner. The certified catalog of items is presented anonymously, such that current owners of certified items are not revealed to potential buyers. Anonymity also extends to fulfillment, with shipment of a certified item to a buyer being performed without revealing the buyer and the current owner to each other. Verification of the chain of custody may, for example, include evidence such as a goods-received note corresponding to a shipment of the certified item from the manufacturer to the current owner, or a shipping notification from the manufacturer. A physical audit may also be conducted in association with publication of the certified catalog of items, as a pre-requisite for such publication. |
| US07945486B2 |
Network photograph service system
By providing a network photograph service, prompt service can be provided to a customer without losing the advantages of easier understanding of where to access when placing an order and easier collective data management. A service center receiving an order of a printing service, and a minilab or a special laboratory spread across a plurality of places, are able to communicate through a network. A center server in the service center selects and assigns which photo-finishing laboratory will print the ordered picture, in response to order information transferred from a customer via the network. Thus, the printing processing can be carried out by a photo-finishing laboratory specified by the customer, instead of at the center server. |
| US07945481B1 |
System and method for a two phase online auction
A commerce system and methods thereof, comprising a remote server accessible via a network by client computers utilizing client software such as browsers for interfacing with the remote server. A server receives item information from a seller for listing of an item in an auction process associated with an end time, receives a first group of one or more proxy bids for the item during a first time period, receives a second group of one or more actual bids for the item during a second time period prior to the end time and determines at the end time a highest actual bid as a winning bid. |
| US07945479B2 |
Ordering system and method for pizza and other goods and services using a stateless communication protocol
A system and appertaining methods are provided that makes it possible to order pizza and other products using an instant messaging or other signaling mechanisms such as cell-phones and two-way pagers, using a tokenized representation of the order elements. Signaling mechanisms provide context sensitive help to facilitate the use of the tokens, and a system then processes the order to the end point system for immediate preparation and/or delivery of the products. Communications may be implemented by a system in which a non-secure channel is used to poll a central server to determine if there is any data available, and the actual data transmission, if available, is provided over a secure channel. |
| US07945475B2 |
Computer processes for identifying related items and generating personalized item recommendations
A computer-implemented service analyzes purchase histories and/or other types of behavioral data of users on an aggregated basis to detect and quantify associations between particular items represented in an electronic catalog. The detected associations are stored in a mapping structure that maps items to related items, and is used to recommend items to users of the electronic catalog. |
| US07945474B1 |
Unified automated billing
Various aspects can be implemented for providing a unified automated billing system for offline media (e.g., radio, television, newspaper, and the like) advertising that spans across different time zones based on the concept of a station local time (e.g., the local time where the broadcast station is located) for the broadcast advertising spots. In general, one aspect can be a method that includes recording a local time for an allocated advertising spot when the ad played during the allocated advertising spot, such that the allocated advertising spot is in a broadcast time zone different from a billing time zone of the advertiser. The method also includes generating a station local time for the allocated advertising spot. The method further includes generating a billing event based on the station local time. Other implementations of this aspect include corresponding systems, apparatus, and computer program products. |
| US07945473B2 |
System for individualized customer interaction
A method and system for using individualized customer models when operating a retail establishment is provided. The individualized customer models may be generated using statistical analysis of transaction data for the customer, thereby generating sub-models and attributes tailored to customer. The individualized customer models may be used in any aspect of a retail establishment's operations, ranging from supply chain management issues, inventory control, promotion planning (such as selecting parameters for a promotion or simulating results of a promotion), to customer interaction (such as providing a shopping list or providing individualized promotions). |
| US07945471B2 |
Monitoring system communication system and method
An electronic communication system and method that permits an environmental equipment system installer to install equipment without the need to run a data line such as a telephone line or other specialized data line thereby decreasing the cost and time required for installing the system. The electronic communication system comprises a first communication node to collect operating data and sensor data. A second communication node positioned proximate the first communication node may comprise a modern for connection to the Internet. A wireless or power line connection provides a node-to-node communication link. |
| US07945469B2 |
Providing an electronic marketplace to facilitate human performance of programmatically submitted tasks
A method, system, and computer-readable medium is described for facilitating interactions between task requesters who have tasks that are available to be performed and task performers who are available to perform tasks. In some situations, the tasks to be performed are human performance tasks that use cognitive and other mental skills of human task performers, such as to employ judgment, perception and/or reasoning skills of the human task performers. In addition, in some situations the available tasks are submitted by human task requesters via application programs that programmatically invoke one or more application program interfaces of an electronic marketplace in order to request that the tasks be performed and to receive corresponding results of task performance in a programmatic manner, so that an ensemble of unrelated human agents can interact with the electronic marketplace to collectively perform a wide variety and large number of tasks. |
| US07945467B2 |
Method for discerning and communicating organization's culture/posture towards business environment through segmented questionnaires
A method, apparatus and computer-usable medium for a policy guidance system comprising one or more Cartesian coordinate plots of a policy's adherence and compliance guidelines. One or more segmented questionnaires are created, comprising a range of weighted responses, that are electronically distributed to one or more predetermined reviewers such as, but not limited to, policy makers or enforcers. Responses to the questionnaire are aggregated, statistically analyzed and scored to derive quantitative values that are then graphically plotted as one or more coordinates in a Cartesian format. The resulting graphical depiction of the policy's guidance parameters is then presented such that it facilitates a policy viewer's comprehension of the possible implications of noncompliance. |
| US07945466B2 |
Scheduling system
A scheduler combines characteristics of a forward and backward schedulers to determine a schedule for activities that require the use of resources. The system handles conflicting requirements for resources by considering target dates and the relative priority of the activities. As a result, higher priority activities are more likely to be scheduled to complete on or before their target date than are lower priority activities. |
| US07945458B1 |
Care funding and care planning system
A care funding and care planning system (10) generates a care plan option report (192) for a care receiver. The system (10) includes a client computer (14) having an input data map (16) for receiving and storing care-receiver data (13) including predetermined, critical categories of care-receiver information. A system processor (36) processes the care-receiver data (13) through knowledge management software (12) to evaluate and select from the care-receiver data (13) at least physical functional status (72), cognitive and sensory status (74), prospective functional status (76), living environment status (84), and long-term care resource status abstractions (88). A meta needs-resource weighting engine (56) assigns care-receiver specific values (160A) to the care-receiver data abstractions (72). A dynamic data base (48) allocates values to the weighted care-receiver data abstractions (72). A report generator (58) produces a care plan options report (192) for the care receiver. |
| US07945455B2 |
Pharmaceutical distribution systems and methods
A method of distributing pharmaceutical items from a primary distributor to a secondary seller. A request for pharmaceutical items is received by the primary distributor from the secondary seller. Shelving information indicative of a sequential arrangement of pharmaceutical items along the secondary seller's shelving system is reviewed. A mobile cart having a plurality of compartments is provided, and a sequential order to the plurality of compartments is designated. Based upon the request, the shelving information, and the compartment order, a compartment assignment plan is generated that assigns the requested pharmaceutical items to respective compartments in an order corresponding with the sequential arrangement of the shelving system. The compartments are then loaded in accordance with the compartment assignment plan, and delivered to the secondary seller. |
| US07945453B2 |
Structured data authoring and editing system
The present invention offers an extensive suite of tools that facilitate and enhance the capability within a healthcare institution to establish and maintain an evidence-based best practice approach to providing patient care. Using evidence, term vocabulary and default structured content (order sets) embodiments of the invention enable the localization of said content in a well structured environment. |
| US07945445B1 |
Hybrid lexicon for speech recognition
Methods and apparatus for speech recognition based on a hidden Markov model are disclosed. A disclosed method of speech recognition is based on a hidden Markov model in which words to be recognized are modeled as chains of states and trained using predefined speech data material. Known vocabulary is divided into first and second partial vocabularies where the first partial vocabulary is trained and transcribed using a whole word model and the second partial vocabulary is trained and transcribed using a phoneme-based model in order to obtain a mixed hidden Markov model. The transcriptions from the two models are stored in a single pronunciation lexicon and the mixed hidden Markov model stored in a singe search space. Apparatus are disclosed that also employ a hidden Markov model. |
| US07945444B2 |
Optimization of detection systems using a detection error tradeoff analysis criterion
In detection systems, such as speaker verification systems, for a given operating point range, with an associated detection “cost”, the detection cost is preferably reduced by essentially trading off the system error in the area of interest with areas essentially “outside” that interest. Among the advantages achieved thereby are higher optimization gain and better generalization. From a measurable Detection Error Tradeoff (DET) curve of the given detection system, a criterion is preferably derived, such that its minimization provably leads to detection cost reduction in the area of interest. The criterion allows for selective access to the slope and offset of the DET curve (a line in case of normally distributed detection scores, a curve approximated by mixture of Gaussians in case of other distributions). By modifying the slope of the DET curve, the behavior of the detection system is changed favorably with respect to the given area of interest. |
| US07945442B2 |
Internet communication device and method for controlling noise thereof
The invention provides an Internet communication device. The Internet communication device plays a remote audio signal received via a network and transmits an audio signal back to the remote party to complete the communication. The Internet communication device comprises a line-in speech detection module and a line-in channel control module. The line-in speech detection module detects whether the remote audio signal is speech or not to generate a remote speech detection result. The line-in channel control module then attenuates the remote audio signal if the remote speech detection result indicates that the remote audio signal is not speech, thus, all noise including non-stationary noise is removed from the remote audio signal. |
| US07945441B2 |
Quantized feature index trajectory
Indexing methods are described that may be used by databases, search engines, query and retrieval systems, context sensitive data mining, context mapping, language identification, image recognition, and robotic systems. Raw baseline features from an input signal are aggregated, abstracted and indexed for later retrieval or manipulation. The feature index is the quantization number for the underlying features that are represented by an abstraction. Trajectories are used to signify how the features evolve over time. Features indexes are linked in an ordered sequence indicative of time quanta, where the sequence represents the underlying input signal. An example indexing system based on the described processes is an inverted index that creates a mapping from features or atoms to the underlying documents, files, or data. A highly optimized set of operations can be used to manipulate the quantized feature indexes, where the operations can be fine tuned independent from the base feature set. |
| US07945440B2 |
Audio stream notification and processing
Various embodiments provide techniques for allowing an application to opt out of system default audio stream behavior, as well as techniques for notifying applications on a computing device that a communication audio stream has been initiated. The techniques may differentiate between communication-related audio streams and audio streams that are not communication-related. In some embodiments, an application may register to receive notification that a communication stream has been initiated. The application may be configured to comply with system default audio stream handling policies, or it can perform custom behavior in response to the audio stream notification. In some embodiments, an application may register for filtered or unfiltered notification. In a filtered notification scenario, an application is notified that a communication stream has been initiated when an audio stream associated with the application has not already been modified in response to the initiation of a different communication stream. In an unfiltered notification scenario, an application/process is notified whenever a communication stream is been initiated. |
| US07945438B2 |
Automated glossary creation
A method and device for creating a glossary includes a processor operable for executing computer instructions for identifying, in at least one information source, at least one glossary item identifying a part or a component, determining at least one glossary item form as a canonical form, defining, by using the canonical form, at least one syntactic structure, that includes one of the at least one identified glossary items, for each of at least one semantic classes, and searching a second information source for the at least one syntactic structure of the semantic class. |
| US07945437B2 |
Systems and methods for using automated translation and other statistical methods to convert a classifier in one language to another language
Systems and methods for using automated translation and other statistical methods to convert a classifier in one language to another language are provided. In one embodiment of the invention, a method preferably includes marking target language examples of passages of text in order to obtain an initial classifier in the target language, re-classifying a plurality of target language examples in the initial classifier, and then questioning—i.e., determining the validity—of the marking used to obtain the initial classifier. Preferably, the questioning is based on the re-classifying. Then, preferably following the questioning, the method isolates a high-quality set of target examples based on the results of the questioning. Finally, the method uses the high-quality set of target examples to prepare a high-quality classifier in the target language. |
| US07945432B2 |
Spot weld failure determination method in a finite element analysis
Each spot weld in a structure is represented by a cluster of at least one solid element in a finite element analysis model of the structure. Each spot weld is used for tying together two parts. Each of the two parts are generally represented or modeled as a number of two-dimension shell elements. Since the tie-connection between the spot weld and the two parts can be located arbitrarily within the respective part, the shell elements representing the two parts do not have to be aligned in space. The only requirement is the two shell elements must be overlapped each other such that the spot weld can tie the two shell elements (i.e., one from each part) together. A spot weld failure criterion used for determining failure including shear and axial stresses acted on the spot weld, shell element size and spot weld location sensitivity scale factors and strain rate effect. |
| US07945431B1 |
Translating mates in geometric models into joint blocks in block diagram models
Methods and systems for translating models generated in one modeling environment into models that can be used in other modeling environments. In particular, information regarding a relationship between components of models in one modeling environment is translated into corresponding elements of models in other modeling environments. In some embodiments of the present invention, for example, mate information between rigid parts in geometric models may be translated into corresponding elements in other modeling environments. The mate information between parts in geometric models may be translated into information representing the degrees of freedom (DoFs) of the parts in the geometric models. The information on the DoFs of the parts in the geometric models may be utilized to build up corresponding elements in other modeling environments that represent the relationship between the parts of the geometric models. |
| US07945426B2 |
Method to improve requirements, design manufacturing, and transportation in mass manufacturing industries through analysis of defect data
A computer-implemented method of optimizing at least one of a design, production and testing process in a mass manufacturing process includes steps of: collecting error data relating to a product; classifying the error data into categories of symptoms; mapping the symptom to a revealing condition of the product; mapping the revealing condition to a test type; mapping a scope of a fix to phases of error injection mapping; and recommending modifications to an end user for at least one of the design, production, delivery, and testing process based on the scope of the fix. |
| US07945416B2 |
Software or hardware test apparatus and method
A software or hardware test system and method repeatedly obtains testing status of a plurality of test units in a group while the test units are testing hardware or software being executed on the test units. The system and method provides for display of the current testing status of the plurality of units of the group while the plurality of test units is performing software testing. In another embodiment, a test system and method compiles heuristic data for a plurality of test units that are assigned to one or more groups of test units. The heuristic data may include, for example, data representing a frequency of use on a per-test unit basis over a period of time, and other heuristic data. The test system and method evaluates job queue sizes on a per-group basis to determine whether there are under-utilized test units in the group and determines on a per-group of test unit basis whether a first group allows for dynamic reassignment of a test unit in the group based on at least the compiled heuristic data. If the unit is allowed to be dynamically reassigned, the test system and method reassigns the test unit whose heuristic data meets a specific set of criteria. |
| US07945414B2 |
Method for detecting abnormality in fluid supply line using fluid control apparatus with pressure sensor
A method for detecting abnormality in a fluid supply line is provided that uses a fluid control apparatus with a pressure sensor so that abnormality of malfunction and sheet leaks of a plurality of valves incorporated into the fluid supply line can be checked easily, promptly and accurately by operating the flow rate control apparatus possessing the pressure sensor. Specifically, using a fluid supply line provided with the flow rate control apparatus possessing the pressure sensor equipped with a flow rate setting mechanism, a flow rate/pressure display mechanism, and/or a flow rate self-diagnosis mechanism, abnormality of the control valves, installed with the flow rate control apparatus and on the upstream side and downstream side thereof, is detected by using the pressure value displayed and/or the value diagnosed with a self-diagnosis mechanism of the flow rate control apparatus. |
| US07945412B2 |
Methods and apparatuses for calibrating sensors
Methods and apparatuses to perform calibration of imprecise sensors for power monitoring in a data-processing system are described. The system includes a load coupled to one or more sensors. An electronic load changes a first input signal through one or more sensors by a predetermined amount. A difference in an output signal from the one or more sensors in response to the changing is obtained. The output signal is measured and sampled. A distribution of samples of the output signal is determined. The estimated parameters of the distribution that most likely to explain actual data are determined. Next, a transfer function of the one or more sensors is determined based on the estimated parameters. The input signal through the load is accurately predicted using the transfer function of the one or more sensors to monitor the power usage by the load. |
| US07945411B2 |
Method for determining pump flow without the use of traditional sensors
A technique for determining pump flow without using traditional sensors features steps and modules for creating a calibrated power curve at closed valve conditions at several speeds; calculating coefficients from a normalized power curve based on a pump's power ratio; and solving a polynomial power equation for flow at the current operating point. The calibrated power curve may be created by increasing the speed of the pump from a minimum speed to a maximum speed and operating the pump with a closed discharge valve. This data is used to correct published performance for shutoff power and best efficiency point power at rated speed in order to determine the pump's power ratio. It is also used to accurately determine closed valve power at the current operating speed. The pump's power ratio is determined by the equation: Pratio=Pshutoff @100%/PBEP—corr. The polynomial power equation may, for example, include a 3rd order polynomial equation developed using coefficients from the normalized power versus flow curve, and corrections may be made for speed, hydraulic efficiency and specific gravity in the polynomial power equation. Complex roots may be determined to solve the 3rd order polynomial equation using either Muller's method or some other suitable method, and the calculated actual flow may be determined for a specific operating point. |
| US07945409B2 |
Method for verifying position on an angioplasty balloon
A monitoring system and data archive system for a stent crimping process. The information concerning the crimped stent is used in deciding whether the stent is acceptable for insertion into the body cavity of a human or animal. |
| US07945408B2 |
Time delay estimation
A time differential is estimated between a plurality of signals by determining a filter response of a first electrical signal with a first filter array, determining a filter response of a second electrical signal with a second filter array, and determining, based at least on the filter response of the first electrical signal and the filter response of the second electrical signal, a time differential between the first electrical signal and the second electrical signal. A first optical signal is converted into the first electrical signal and a second optical signal is converted into the second electrical signal. The filter response of the first electrical signal and the filter response of the second electrical signal are sampled and the time differential between the first electrical signal and the second electrical signal is determined based at least on the sampled filter response of the first electrical signal and the sampled filter response of the second electrical signal. |
| US07945406B2 |
Measuring device and method for measuring relative phase shifts of digital signals
M periods of the test signal and of the reference signal are received. The periods of the test signal and of the reference signal are in each case Tsig long. The test signal is sampled with N sampled values at a sampling frequency fs=1/Ts. Also, N*Ts=M*Tsig, where N>M. The sampled values are numbered progressively by n, for which 0≦n ≦N−1. The sampled values have a defined relative phase shift with respect to the reference signal. The phase shift Tφ is calculated by ∑ i = 0 M - 1 Idx ( i ) + K , K being a constant and Idx(i) corresponding to the number n which is either the first sampled value after a test signal zero crossing during the reference signal's ith period or the last sampled value before a test signal zero crossing during the reference signal's ith period. Either only rising or only falling zero crossings are taken into account. |
| US07945405B2 |
Jitter measurement apparatus, jitter measurement method, recording media, communication system and test apparatus
Provided is a jitter measurement apparatus, including a sampling section that samples a signal under measurement having a cycle T, a waveform reconfiguring section that shapes a reconfigured waveform having the cycle T by rearranging ordinal ranks of sample values sampled by the sampling section, a distribution generating section that generates a timing distribution of edges in the reconfigured waveform, and a statistical value calculating section that calculates a statistical value of the timing distribution. The sampling section may sample the signal under measurement having the cycle T a certain number of times N while the signal under measurement repeats for M cycles, where M and N are coprime. |
| US07945402B2 |
Monitoring apparatus for secondary battery
When the number of battery cells of a certain battery block is different from a reference number of cells, the inter-terminal voltage of the battery block is converted into the voltage corresponding to the reference number of cells. Thus, even when a plurality of battery blocks being different in the number of battery cells are included, a map for calculating the SOC may only be one. That is, since conventional software or calculation methods can be used, it is not necessary to increase the capacity of SOC calculation software or allowable battery output calculation software. As a result, a plurality of assembled batteries being different in the number of battery cells constituting each battery block can appropriately be monitored. |
| US07945400B2 |
Systems and methods for detecting high-impedance faults in a multi-grounded power distribution system
The system and methods monitor odd harmonics within a power distribution system quantity using a special digital filter. A normal level of odd harmonics for the monitored quantity is established. Over predetermined time periods, the odd harmonics within the power distribution quantity are compared to the normal level, and a determination of whether a high-impedance fault is present in the monitored power distribution system is made. |
| US07945399B2 |
Capacitive detection systems, modules and methods
Capacitive detection systems, modules, and methods. In one embodiment, time interval measurement(s) are generated that are monotonic functions of the capacitance(s) of capacitive sensor(s) in a capacitive sensing area. In one embodiment, the generated time interval measurement(s), or any other monotonic function(s) of capacitance(s) of capacitive sensor(s) in a capacitive sensing area, may be analyzed to detect the presence of an object near the capacitive sensing area and/or to detect the position of an object near the capacitive sensing area. |
| US07945393B2 |
Detection of pathogenic microorganisms using fused sensor data
A system and method to search spectral databases to identify unknown materials, specifically pathogenic microorganisms. A library is provided, having sublibraries containing reference data sets of known materials and test data sets, both generated by at least one spectroscopic data generating instrument. For each test data set, each sublibrary associated with the instrument used is searched. A set of scores for each searched sublibrary is produced, representing the likelihood of a match between the reference data set and test data set. Relative probability values are calculated for each searched sublibrary. All relative probability values are fused producing a set of final probability values, used in determining whether the unknown material is represented through a known material in the library. The known material represented in the libraries having the highest final probability value is reported, if the highest final probability value is greater than or equal to the minimum confidence value. |
| US07945391B2 |
Method and apparatus for computer controlled rare cell, including fetal cell, based diagnosis
A computer controlled method for detecting and diagnosing a rare cell type in a tissue sample is provided, said method comprising treating the tissue sample such that it generates a first signal indicative of the presence at a location of a rare cell, detecting the first signal, treating the location at which the first signal is detected to generate a second signal indicative of a diagnostically useful cellular characteristic and detecting the second signal. The first signal can be morphological or a color present in a sought cell either before or after staining. The second signal can be generated by in situ PCR or PCR in situ hybridization. In one preferred embodiment, the rare cell type is a fetal cell in a maternal blood tissue sample, said sample consisting of a smear of unenriched maternal blood. In another embodiment, the method is used to diagnose or genotype cancer cells in a blood or tissue biopsy sample. |
| US07945390B2 |
System and method for mild cognitive impairment class discovery using gene expression data
A system and method for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) class discovery using gene expression data are provided. The method comprises: acquiring gene expression data of a patient having MCI; and identifying a putative MCI subtype based on an expression signature in the gene expression data, wherein the putative MCI subtype is identified by using a boosting tree. |
| US07945388B2 |
Test bed for in-situ studies
An impact test system for collecting hail storm data comprises a vehicle, a video recorder, a container, a plurality of dynamic force sensors, an atmospheric instrument system, a mounting fixture, and a data processing system. The plurality of dynamic force sensors is capable of detecting force generated by an impact of an object. The plurality of markers is capable of being used to determine an orientation of an incoming object. The mounting fixture is capable of holding a test specimen. The data processing system is capable of collecting data from the plurality of dynamic force sensors, the atmospheric instrument system, and the video recorder. |
| US07945385B2 |
GUI interface for a road maintenance management control system
A display device for displaying a graphical user interface is disclosed. The graphical user interface includes a first window configured to display a road maintenance map of a mine road network, and one or more links configured to access a second window. The second window is configured to facilitate selection of one or more data files containing data associated with the mine road network. The graphical user interface also includes one or more links configured to access a third window. The third window is configured to access to one or more analysis tools configured to analyze the data. |
| US07945381B2 |
Method for vehicle communication
A method is disclosed for communication between a vehicle travelling along a route and a stationary system. The vehicle is equipped with a communication unit to communicate messages to the stationary system. The method includes dividing the route into a plurality of partial sections, defining for each partial section a required information flow from the vehicle, and adapting the communication to this definition. The method makes it possible to command the communication unit to communicate with correctly adjusted accuracy. This also improves the possibility of effectively utilizing the traffic information in local units, for instance for displays and traffic signals. |
| US07945379B2 |
Knock determination device and method for internal combustion engine
An engine ECU executes a program including the steps of: calculating a coefficient of correlation K in accordance with a result of comparing a waveform of a vibration of a frequency band including a resonance frequency of an engine with a knock waveform model previously created as a waveform of a vibration caused when the engine knocks; calculating a knock intensity N from an intensity of a vibration of a frequency band excluding the resonance frequency of the engine; if knock intensity N is larger than a reference value and coefficient of correlation K is larger than a threshold value, determining that the engine knocks; and if knock intensity N is smaller than the reference value and/or coefficient of correlation K is smaller than the threshold value, determining that the engine does not knock. |
| US07945373B2 |
Method and apparatus for controlling an engine capable of operating on more than one type of fuel
A control system for an engine capable of operating on more than one type of fuel includes an engine control unit that determines a default fuel volume to be injected into the engine based on relevant engine parameters and characteristics of a default fuel type. A default mass fuel flow rate is derived from the default fuel volume and relevant engine parameters. The actual mass fuel flow rate into the engine is inferred from the mass air flow rate into the engine and the exhaust gas air-to-fuel ratio, which is determined using a wide range oxygen sensor. A fuel correction factor is calculated from the default mass fuel flow rate and the inferred mass fuel flow rate. The fuel correction factor is used to increment or decrement the default fuel volume in a subsequent fuel injection cycle thereby incrementing or decrementing the inferred mass fuel flow rate toward the default mass fuel flow rate. |
| US07945372B2 |
System and method for adjusting fuel injector on-times
A fuel system has a fuel rail containing pressured fuel coupled to a plurality of fuel injectors. The system is operable in one embodiment to adjust fuel injector on-times by selecting one of the fuel injectors, determining a critical on-time for the selected injector corresponding to a minimum on-time duration to which the selected fuel injector is responsive to inject a discernable amount of fuel, generating an on-time for the selected fuel injector, determining an adjusted on-time for the selected fuel injector based on the generated on-time for the selected fuel injector, the critical on-time for the selected fuel injector and a reference critical on-time, and activating the selected fuel injector for the adjusted on-time to inject fuel into the engine. Alternatively or additionally, the adjusted on-time may be based on one or more estimated fuel injection quantities injected by the selected fuel injector. |
| US07945365B2 |
Method for influencing an automatic gearbox, taking into consideration the tractional resistance
A method of influencing an automated transmission of a motor vehicle having a tractional resistance detection unit, the method comprising the steps of reading data, via the tractional resistance detection unit, containing at least information about a torque of a drivetrain, a rotational speed of the drive train, and an acceleration of the vehicle, determining the external tractional resistance of the vehicle based upon the read data, and influencing the shift program by at least one of activation, adaptation and variation of the shift program, on a basis one of an actual and a statistically prepared data about the external tractional resistance of the vehicle. |
| US07945357B2 |
Movable body system having linear motor
Primary coils of a linear motor are arranged along a travel route. A movable body has a secondary side of the linear motor. The travel route is divided into a plurality of zones, and a zone controller is provided for each zone or controlling the coils of the linear motor in the zone. A coordinate of the movable body outputted from a linear scale of the coil is converted into a coordinate based on the travel route. |
| US07945356B2 |
Portable autonomous terminal guidance system
A portable autonomous terminal guidance system can be located in an aircraft landing zone. The terminal guidance system generates a signal indicative of the position, the terrain, and the meteorological conditions where the guidance system is located. A receiving aircraft may process the signal produced by the terminal guidance system to generate a self-contained GPS obstacle-avoidance approach path for the aircraft to the landing zone. |
| US07945354B2 |
Apparatuses and methods for displaying and receiving tactical and strategic flight guidance information
Methods and apparatuses for displaying and receiving tactical and strategic flight guidance information are disclosed. A method in accordance with one aspect of the invention includes displaying at least one first indicator to an operator of the aircraft, with a first indicator corresponding to a first instruction input by the operator for directing a first aircraft behavior and implemented upon receiving an activation instruction from the operator. At least one second indicator corresponding to a second instruction for directing a second aircraft behavior at least proximately the same as the first aircraft behavior is displayed, with the at least one second instruction to be automatically implemented at a future time. The at least one second indicator is at least approximately the same as the at least one first indicator. Indicators can be hierarchically organized to simplify presentation and reduce pilot training time. |
| US07945352B2 |
Generalized predictive control (GPC) based position control method for an axle
A position value, a desired position value and future desired position values as well as, for each future desired position value, a value which is characteristic of the temporal offset between said future desired position value and the respective immediately preceding desired position value are predefined for a position controller for an axle. The position controller uses a model of the axle to determine a manipulated variable and a respective expected manipulated variable and an expected position value for the future desired position values. The position controller determines the manipulated variable, the expected variables and the expected position values in such a manner that a total deviation of the position value and the expected position values from the corresponding desired position values is optimized in accordance with a predetermined assessment function. It drives the axle in accordance with the manipulated variable. |
| US07945351B2 |
Method for controlling the operation of a wind turbine based on deviation between operating and predetermined frequency response functions
A method for controlling the operation of a wind turbine includes determining a first measure of a mechanical input of a component of the wind turbine, and concurrently, determining a second measure of a mechanical output of the component, determining an operating frequency response function of the component from an analysis of the relation between the first measure and the second measure, comparing the operating frequency response function with a predetermined operating frequency response function and determining a possible deviation between the two, and controlling the operation of the wind turbine so as to alter the mechanical input to the component in response to the deviation. A wind turbine that implements such a method is also disclosed. |
| US07945348B2 |
Methods and systems for controlling a semiconductor fabrication process
Software for controlling processes in a heterogeneous semiconductor manufacturing environment may include a wafer-centric database, a real-time scheduler using a neural network, and a graphical user interface displaying simulated operation of the system. These features may be employed alone or in combination to offer improved usability and computational efficiency for real time control and monitoring of a semiconductor manufacturing process. More generally, these techniques may be usefully employed in a variety of real time control systems, particularly systems requiring complex scheduling decisions or heterogeneous systems constructed of hardware from numerous independent vendors. |
| US07945347B2 |
Inertia compensated tension roll in closed loop belt systems
A printing apparatus, an associated method, and computer program of designing a floating roller in a tensioning system for a closed loop belt comprises inputting an external radius of the floating roller, a measure of elasticity of the belt, a thickness of the belt, a width of the belt, and angles over which the belt contacts the floating roller; and adjusting a mass of the floating roller and a rotational inertia of the floating roller such that the floating roller maintains a constant tension on the closed loop belt. |
| US07945344B2 |
Computational method for design and manufacture of electrochemical systems
A method for manufacturing an electrochemical cell. The method includes generating spatial information including an anode geometry, a cathode geometry, a separator geometry, and one or more current collector geometries. The method also includes storing the spatial information including the anode geometry, the cathode geometry, the separator geometry, and the one or more current collector geometries into a database structure. In a specific embodiment, the method includes selecting one or more material properties from a plurality of materials and using the one or more material properties with the spatial information in a simulation program. The method includes outputting one or more performance parameters from the simulation program. |
| US07945341B2 |
Graphical user interface for selecting pulse parameters in a phacoemulsification surgical system
A graphical user interface for use in phacoemulsification surgical systems that allows a user to select different pulse modes by touching portions of the display screen. The user interface includes first and second display elements. One display element includes a representation of the on-time of the pulses, and the other display element includes a representation of the off-time. The representations show how the on-time and off-time change relative to a position of a controller, such as a foot pedal. The representation show a constant time, or that a time increases or decreases as the foot pedal is pressed. To select a pulse mode, a user can scroll through different pulse representations by touching the screen at the display elements. The selected pulse mode can be continuous, pulse, burst and other modes. |
| US07945328B2 |
Strain reliever for a lead of an implantable heart stimulator
A strain reliever for a lead of an implantable heart stimulator, the lead including at least one cable having an electric conductor, has a body of electrically conducting material in electric contact with the electric conductor. The body is lockable in a position in electric contact with electric circuitry of the heart stimulator. The body has a fastening arrangement for fastening the proximal end of the cable at the fastening point on the peripheral surface of the body located at a distance from the distal end of the body. A fixing arrangement is provided at the distal end of the body for fixing the cable to extend in the distal direction from a departure point at the body distal end. The cable is intended to extend in a helical path on the peripheral surface of the body between the fastening point and the departure point. |
| US07945324B2 |
Pressure sensing lead systems for implantable stimulators
Various different implementations of lead systems are disclosed for use with implantable stimulation systems. Generally, the lead systems incorporate, within an elongate lead body, one or more electrical conduits that connect to one or more distal electrodes, and a liquid-filled pressure transmission catheter lumen that extends proximally from a distal entry port. Use of the lead systems allows accurate pressure sensing at a location near where the electrodes are positioned. In addition, a defibrillator lead is disclosed having such features, and a system using that lead is capable of directly monitoring pressure within a heart chamber, and using that information to confirm the delivery of a defibrillation pulse. |
| US07945323B2 |
Treatment of obesity and/or type II diabetes by stimulation of the pituitary gland
Methods of treating obesity and/or type II diabetes include applying at least one stimulus to the pituitary gland of a patient with an implanted stimulator in accordance with one or more stimulation parameters. The at least one stimulus is configured to treat obesity and/or type II diabetes. Systems for treating obesity and/or type II diabetes include a stimulator configured to apply at least one stimulus to the pituitary gland of a patient in accordance with one or more stimulation parameters. The at least one stimulus is configured to treat obesity and/or type II diabetes. |
| US07945320B2 |
Iontophoretic drug delivery system
The iontophoretic drug delivery system includes electrodes controlled by a microprocessor controller to drive charged molecules contained in a drug reservoir through the skin into the issues of a patient. The iontophoretic drug delivery system further includes an antenna connected to the programmable microprocessor. The antenna allows for the programming of the microprocessor and for the exchange of patient, drug, and treatment related information between the microprocessor and an external device. The iontophoretic drug delivery system is also provided with buttons to allow a patient to manually activate the drug delivery system. The iontophoretic drug delivery system is housed within a thin polyester film membrane. |
| US07945319B2 |
Methods of delivering a drug using a medical device with a coating comprising a self-assembled molecular structure
A method for local delivery of a drug is provided. The method comprises acts of: (a) implanting a medical device including a drug-containing coating in a patient for the delivery of the drug, wherein the coating comprises a drug and a polymer; and (b) applying an electric current for an interval of time to the topcoat to cause the polymer to transform from a crystalline structure to an amorphous structure so as to increase the rate of release of the drug during the time interval, wherein after the electric current is terminated, the crystallinity of the polymer returns back to essentially the same degree of crystallinity or a more crystalline structure than that of when the polymer was exposed to the current. |
| US07945316B2 |
System and method for monitoring or treating nervous system disorders
A medical device system for comparing a cardiopulmonary signal to a brain signal. In one embodiment of the invention, a medical device system is provided that includes a brain monitoring element, respiratory monitoring element and a processor. The processor is configured to receive a brain signal from the brain monitoring element and a respiratory signal from the respiratory monitoring element. The processor is further configured to compare the brain signal to the respiratory signal. Methods of comparing a brain signal to a cardiopulmonary signal are also provided. |
| US07945315B2 |
System for analysis of electrograms
A system for use in analysis of electrograms comprising: an input signal generator (302); an input electrode (304) for applying an input signal to a driving region of a heart (316); an output electrode (306a-c) for receiving an output signal at a driven region of the heart; a processing system (300) operable to receive signals indicative of said recorded value from the output electrode for analysing conduction paths through the heart, wherein the signal generator is operable to generate an input signal comprising a plurality of pulses, being spaced from each other by a pacing interval; and the processing system being arranged to identify signal delay between the input signal and the output signal on the basis of the signal received by the output electrode in relation to the plurality of pulses, and to identify a rate of variation in signal delay over a range of values of pacing interval. |
| US07945314B1 |
System and method for emulating a surface EKG for use with transtelephonic monitoring of an implantable medical device
A surface electrocardiogram (EKG) is emulated using signals detected by internal leads of an implanted device. In one example, emulation is performed using a technique that concatenates portions of signals sensed using different electrodes, such as by combining far-field ventricular signals sensed in the atria with far-field atrial signals sensed in the ventricles. In another example, emulation is performed using a technique that selectively amplifies or attenuates portions of a single signal, such as by attenuating near-field portions of an atrial unipolar signal relative to far-field portions of the same signal. The surface EKG emulation may be performed by the implanted device itself or by an external programmer based on cardiac signals transmitted thereto. A transtelephonic monitoring network is also described, wherein the emulated surface EKG (or raw data used to emulate the EKG) is relayed from an implanted device to a remote monitor, typically installed in a physician's office. |
| US07945313B2 |
Method and device for monitoring heart rhythm in a vehicle
An heart rhythm monitoring device for a vehicle, which determines whether a driver has an arrhythmia includes a vehicle state determining portion that determines whether the vehicle is stopped; an electrode arranged on a steering wheel in a position where the driver grips the steering wheel; an electrocardiogram waveform obtaining portion that obtains a first electrocardiogram waveform from the electrode; and a signal processing and calculating portion that determines whether the heart rhythm of the driver is erratic based on the first electrocardiogram waveform. When the vehicle is in motion, the signal processing and calculating portion determines whether the heart rhythm of the driver is erratic based on the waveform component that is strong with respect to noise in the first electrocardiogram waveform. |
| US07945309B2 |
Dynamic metal immunity
The disclosure concerns position-sensing apparatus, having radiators which generate electromagnetic energy fields and a position sensor which generates sensor signals responsive to the energy fields. Reference elements are placed at respective positions near the sensor to generate reference signals responsive to the energy fields. And, a control unit is used to calculate a position of the sensor based on sensor signals and reference element errors in order to account for the effects of interfering metal objects. |
| US07945308B2 |
Systems, methods and apparatus for an endo-rectal receive-only probe
Systems, methods and apparatus are provided through which a compact pod insertable into the rectum for Magnetic Resonance Imaging/Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRI/MRS) examination of the prostate and containing two receive coils, each connected to transmit blocking and pre-tuned trap circuitry which can be superimposed within the pod in close proximity, can, without either circuit interfering with the other, efficiently gather, for imaging and tissue analysis, radio frequency signals emanating from magnetically disturbed nuclei in prostate tissue. |
| US07945307B2 |
Marker delivery system with obturator
A marker delivery device is described which has an obturator with an elongated shaft, an inner lumen, a proximal end, and a substantially sealed distal end. One or more tissue markers are deployed within the inner lumen of the elongated shaft of the obturator. Preferably, the tissue marker(s) is disposed within an inner lumen of a marker delivery tube which is disposed within the inner lumen of the elongated shaft of the obturator. The marker delivery tube has an opening for discharging the tissue markers into a body (e.g. biopsy) cavity. The distal tip of the marker delivery tube is configured to penetrate the substantially sealed distal end of the obturator so that tissue markers can be delivered while the obturator is in place within the body. Preferably, the obturator includes a detectable element capable of producing a relatively significant image signature during MRI. |
| US07945303B2 |
Noninvasive pulmonary performance measurement method and system
A system and method for measuring a pulmonary performance value of a subject. In one embodiment, a system includes one or more imaging devices, each configured to capture one or more images of a subject inside an interior chamber, such as a plethysmograph chamber. An exemplary system also includes an imaging processor in communication with the one or more imaging devices for estimating a change in volume of the subject from information about the one or more images. |
| US07945302B2 |
Wound mapping system
A tissue mapping system comprising a two dimensional array of test electrodes 10 for application to the surface of tissue under investigation and circuit means 50-66 for measuring an electrical characteristic of the tissue underlying each test electrode. In one embodiment the electrical characteristics is the impedance of the tissue underlying each test electrode. |
| US07945301B2 |
Methods and apparatus for the administration of CO
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for the administration of carbon monoxide (CO) to a patient. It allows the safe and effective use of carbon monoxide as a medicament. |
| US07945300B2 |
Plural channel superconducting filter circuit having release of resonance frequency degeneracy and usable in radio frequency equipment
There is provided a signal processing method comprising: inputting an input signal having a certain band; dividing said input signal into a signal in a stop band and a signal in a pass band outside said stop band with a use of a band stop filter which has a center frequency of said input signal inside said stop band and includes a first resonator having said center frequency as a resonance frequency; extracting a signal in a desired band from the signal in said pass band with a use of a plurality of second resonators; decomposing the signal in said stop band into signals whose degeneracy of said resonance frequency are released; combining a degeneracy-released signals and the signal in said desired band to obtain a combined signal; and outputting the combined signal. |
| US07945296B2 |
Module for exchanging information by carrier-currents comprising activated and deactivated states
The module for exchanging information by carrier-currents (22, 24) for controlling an electrical member (12, 14) includes first receiver means (34A, 36A) for receiving an information-conveying signal. The first receiver means (34A, 36A) may take on two states, respectively an activated state and a deactivated state. The module (22, 24) further includes second receiver means (34B, 36B) for receiving a wakeup signal for activating the first receiver means (34A, 36A) to switch from the deactivated state to the activated state. |
| US07945292B2 |
System and method for a remote wireless ringer
A system and method for extending alerts for a wireless device. A wireless ringer and a wireless device are linked through a wireless connection. User input selecting an alert for the wireless ringer is received. The wireless ringer is alerted in response to receiving an incoming communication on the wireless device in order for a user to access the wireless device to respond to the incoming communication. |
| US07945289B2 |
Implementing hardware/software reset using PC card W— disable line
A wireless communication module for wirelessly communicating with other devices a control pin for controlling at least one function of the communication module, an input device operatively coupled to the control pin, wherein actuation of the input device toggles a signal on the control pin between one of two different states, and a hardware reset circuit configured to implement a hardware reset of the communication module. The control pin is operatively coupled to the hardware reset circuit to at least partially implement the hardware reset, the hardware reset being different from the at least one function. |
| US07945286B1 |
Communication device
A communication device, such as a mobile phone, which implements a voice communication mode, a digital mirror mode, and an auto responding mode, wherein the image retrieved from the camera is displayed in an inverted manner when the digital mirror mode is implemented, and a predetermined message is sent to a caller device upon receiving a phone call from the caller device when the auto responding mode is implemented. |
| US07945280B2 |
Radio channel control method and receiving apparatus
According to the present invention, in response to a propagation environment of a radio channel, based on transmission power control information for controlling transmission power of the radio channel, a receiving apparatus generates information concerning a transmission parameter; notifies the information concerning a transmission parameter to a transmitting apparatus; the transmitting apparatus control the radio channel based on the information concerning a transmission parameter from the receiving apparatus, and thereby, the transmitting apparatus can rapidly change the transmission parameter in response to a fluctuation of the propagation environment of the radio channel. |
| US07945276B2 |
Methods and terminal devices
A method and terminal device are provided which effect the steps of receiving a message indicating that a user of another terminal device has pressed a talk button, the message including a geographical location of the other terminal device, or any information derived therefrom; and indicating the geographical location of the other terminal device to a user of the terminal device. A further method and terminal device are provided which effect the steps of: in response to a user of a terminal device pressing a talk button, writing information describing the geographical location of the terminal device, or any information derived therefrom, into a message; and sending the message to another terminal device or to a communications network. |
| US07945273B2 |
Method of operating a portable communication device, and a portable communication device
A method of operating a portable communication device, wherein: in a response to receiving a paging request from a cellular network over a first communication channel the portable communication device discards the paging request, or delays transmitting a paging response, if the portable communication device has an established GPRS PDP context on a second communication channel requiring an action that can be performed within a predefined time. |
| US07945271B1 |
Location inference using radio frequency fingerprinting
A method for inferring location of a mobile device is provided. A radio frequency fingerprint is taken for a mobile device, wherein the radio frequency fingerprint includes cell tower data and cell sector data that includes a cell sector through which the mobile device is not communicating. Whether the radio frequency fingerprint matches a previous radio frequency fingerprint associated with a location fix is determined. A location fix technology is executed for the mobile device in response to a determination that the radio frequency fingerprint does not match the previous radio frequency fingerprint. |
| US07945265B2 |
System and method for fast network re-entry in a broadband wireless access communication system
A system and method for fast network re-entry in a broadband wireless access communication system. A mobile station transmits a first message requiring fast network re-entry to a base station and performs the fast network re-entry together with the base station when receiving a second message approving the fast network re-entry from the base station. The base station receives the first message, authenticates the first message using final session information of the mobile station that is previously stored in the base station, transmits the second message to the mobile station when succeeding in authentication of the first message, and performs the fast network re-entry together with the mobile station. |
| US07945263B2 |
Mobile station handover for base stations with adaptive antenna system
Method for transferring service for a mobile station call signal from a first base transceiver station to a second base transceiver station in a wireless mobile telecommunication system, while a call is in progress. The method can include receiving at a base transceiver station an access burst from a mobile station with a call already in progress and requiring service from the base transceiver station. Based on the received access burst, the base transceiver station can electronically steer a beam of an adaptive antenna array of the base transceiver station toward a location of the mobile station. |
| US07945255B2 |
Method and apparatus for providing deferable data services in a cellular communication system
A communication system, upon receiving an instruction to transfer deferrable data, determines whether an air interface is congested and, when the air interface is congested, defers a transfer of the deferrable data or transfers the deferrable, lower priority data as higher priority data. When, during a transfer of deferrable data, the system determines that the air interface is congested, the system may terminate the call and save a state of a partially completed deferred data transfer. Subsequent to the termination of the call, the system establishes another data connection over the air interface and transfers any remaining, not yet transferred deferrable data. In order to discourage subscribers from transferring higher priority data as lower priority data, the system may further restrict a transfer of lower priority data to designated time periods while allowing a transfer of higher priority data during the designated time periods and other time periods. |
| US07945254B2 |
Real-time mobile conferencing solution
A method of conferencing communication devices in a system having (i) a conference server, (ii) a voice interface unit (VIU), and (iii) at least one conference bridge, the method including, at a first communication device: (a) establishing a first connection between the VIU and the first communication device via the switching point, the switching point enabled to establish connections for the communication devices; (b) sending first validation data from the first communication device to the VIU for forwarding to the conference server for validating the first validation data, and, in response to the validating the first validation data: (b)(i) terminating the first connection; and (b)(ii) establishing a second connection between the at least one conference bridge and said first communication device, to establish a conferencing session. |
| US07945253B2 |
Method, system, and storage medium for providing comprehensive originator identification services
A method for transmitting enhanced originator information over a communications network includes retrieving a service profile for a recipient terminal from a service profile database in response to initiation of a communication by an originator terminal to the recipient terminal. The service profile specifies a service plan and a terminal capability of the recipient terminal to retrieve the enhanced originator information from the originator terminal. The method also includes retrieving multiple information elements associated with the originator terminal from a network database based upon the service plan and the terminal capability of the recipient terminal, and transmitting a communication including the multiple information elements to the recipient terminal prior to establishing a communications session with the recipient terminal. The service plans are stored in a dual format that accommodates both graphically-enabled caller identification devices and caller identification devices that are not graphically enabled. |
| US07945252B2 |
Customer service messaging, such as on mobile devices
A mobile device and corresponding service provider are configured to provide a user of the mobile device with access to one or more instant messaging help entities, from the mobile device. The one or more instant messaging help entities may be associated with the corresponding service provider or with a service that is external to the corresponding service provider. In some cases, some of the one or more instant messaging help entities may be embedded as part of the mobile device or service, so that access to the one or more help entities may not be permanently terminated by the user. In some cases, the user may control access to some of the one or more instant messaging help entities, such as by adding or removing the access to the instant messaging help entities from a list of instant messaging entities. |
| US07945251B2 |
Locating a service device for a portable communication device
A portable communication device (10) may send a service device locating request (42) including a position associated with the portable communication device to a service device locating device (12). The service device locating device (12) may determine at least one service device located close to the indicated position and respond to the request by sending a response (46) including at least one network identifier of a service device (16) capable of handling the desired service. The portable communication device may then directly contact (48) the service device (16). |
| US07945250B2 |
Method and arrangement for providing user information to a telecommunication client
A method and arrangement for providing information to a client (200) from a client access network (202) regarding a requested set of users (204), at least some of which are connected to other access networks (206). In response to a client subscription request, the client access network establishes a network subscription with the other access networks. Information updates regarding users in the set are then continuously received and stored in a database (214) of the client access network, whenever the users change their state. In response to a subsequent request for user information from the client, corresponding stored user information is retrieved from the database and sent in a notification to the client. |
| US07945246B2 |
System and method for establishing authenticated network communications in electronic equipment
A method for establishing an authenticated network connection in a packet-switched network with an electronic equipment, the method including transmitting a request from an electronic equipment through a packet-switched network connection to an authentication server. The authentication server generates a first unique identifier and transmits the first unique identifier to the electronic equipment through the packet-switched network connection. The electronic then transmits a message from the electronic equipment to a short message service (SMS) server through a circuit-switched network connection, wherein the message includes the first unique identifier and a second unique identifier (e.g., a telephone number of the electronic device). The message is routed to the authentication server and authenticated. After authentication, the electronic equipment may utilize a packet-switched connection for a variety of communication services (e.g., chat sessions, voice over Internet Protocol) with other authenticated electronic equipment. |
| US07945245B2 |
Authentication system and authentication method for performing authentication of wireless terminal
An authentication system for performing authentication of a wireless terminal is a system that issues an authentication request to an authentication server connected to a communication network and includes a wireless base station and an authentication server. The wireless base station includes: an authentication information acquisition means for acquiring authentication information from a wireless connection request packet; and an authentication request transmission means for transmitting the authentication information acquired by the authentication information acquisition means and RAS unique information registered in the wireless base station to the authentication server. The authentication server includes a means for acquiring the transmitted authentication information and RAS unique information and comparing the acquired authentication information and RAS unique information with previously registered wireless terminal authentication information previously registered to determine whether or not they coincide with each other. In the case where the acquired authentication information and RAS unique information and previously registered wireless terminal authentication information coincide with each other, the wireless terminal is authenticated. |
| US07945244B1 |
Method and apparatus for communicating using a plurality of identities
A method and apparatus for communicating using a plurality of identities is disclosed. The method includes communicating on a mobile communications device using a first identity having an associated first content and communicating using a second identity having an associated second content. The apparatus includes a processor for communicating with a communications network using the first identity having the associated first content and using the second identity having the associated second content. |
| US07945236B1 |
Communication device
A communication device, such as a mobile phone, which implements a voice communication mode, a digital mirror mode, and a GPS mode, wherein the image retrieved from the camera is displayed in an inverted manner when the digital mirror mode is implemented, and the current geographic location of the communication device is indicated on the display when the GPS mode is implemented. |
| US07945230B2 |
Time-multiplexed common mode feedback for passive quadrature RF mixers
A passive, differential RF mixer reduces second order intermodulation interference while maintaining I/Q isolation via common mode feedback wherein the I and Q error signals in the feedback path are time multiplexing using a four-phase LO signal. An RF signal is received at a differential input having a center tap. The RF signal is mixed with an in-phase differential signal of the four-phase local oscillator signal in a differential mixer (I mixer). The RF signal is also mixed with a quadrature-phase differential signal Q components of the four-phase local oscillator signal in a differential mixer (Q mixer). The common mode levels of the I and Q differential mixer outputs are compared to a reference DC voltage to generate I and Q error signals. The I and Q error signals are time-multiplexed, and fed back to the RF input center tap. |
| US07945228B2 |
Receiver and electronic apparatus using the same
A receiver has a first semiconductor chip and second semiconductor chip for receiving signals of a first radio frequency band, and a communication unit for performing communication using signals of a second radio frequency band. A second mixing unit in the second semiconductor chip uses second local signals supplied from a second local signal oscillator when the frequency of first local signals fed from a first-local-signal-output terminal to a first-local-signal-input terminal is within a predetermined range from the second frequency band, or uses first local signals supplied from the first-local-signal-input terminal when the frequency of the first local signals fed from the first-local-signal-output terminal to the first-local-signal-input terminal is out of the predetermined range from the second frequency band. |
| US07945226B2 |
Method and circuit for adaptive automatic gain control
A method for adaptive automatic gain control and an automatic gain control circuit are provided. A predetermined waveform is injected into the automatic gain control circuit. A signal is sampled at at least one point in the automatic gain control circuit in which the sampled signal includes the injected predetermined waveform. A small-signal control characteristic is calculated using the sampled at least one signal. A determination is made as to whether the calculated small-signal control characteristic is valid. In the case of a valid determination, the calculated small-signal control characteristic is used to adjust the gain of the automatic gain control circuit. |
| US07945225B2 |
Medium loss high power IBOC combiner
A method and apparatus are disclosed for combining digital sidebands with an FM analog signal for IBOC transmission by a single antenna. Specifically, a high power filter combiner for combining an FM analog and a digital signal of the same channel, or frequency, is disclosed. The combiner has two inputs that respectively receive an FM analog and a digital signal to be transmitted in the same FM channel. The combiner has mild tuned filters interposed between the inputs and the output which are tuned to pass the FM analog signal while reflecting the digital signal such that the passed FM analog signal and the reflected digital signal combine as IBOC, i.e., an FM analog signal with digital sideband signals. The combined IBOC signal is provided at an output of the combiner, capable for transmission through a single antenna. |
| US07945221B2 |
Transmitter device with quasi-constant LO leakage, for wireless communication equipment with a direct conversion architecture
A transmitter device for wireless communication equipment, comprises at least one path (P1) comprising i) a low-pass filter (LPF 1+, LPF1−) for filtering differential signals and applying a chosen first attenuation to each of them to decrease their amplitudes, ii) a differential transconductor (TC1+, TC1−) arranged for applying a chosen second attenuation to each differential signal coming from the low-pass filter (LPF1+, LPF1−) to decrease its continuous component, and iii) a mixer (M1) for mixing separately the differential signals delivered by the transconductor with local oscillator carriers at a chosen radio frequency to deliver output RF signals to be transmitted. The transconductor (TC1+, TC1−) comprises two original cells (OC) for defining two original signals from the differential signals having the first attenuation, and N first and N second signal copy cells (CC1-CC6) each arranged for generating a copy of one of the original signals. The number of signal copy cells used defines the second attenuation and the first and second attenuations to be applied are chosen so that the value (defined by the offset between the continuous component of the differential signals delivered by the transconductor divided by the amplitude of one of these signals) stays below a chosen maximum value over the whole gain range of the path. |
| US07945220B2 |
LINC power transmitter
A linear amplification with nonlinear components (LINC) power transmitter is provided. The LINC power transmitter includes a digital signal processing unit which controls the LINC power transmitter; a frequency modulation unit which modulates or converts a digital signal output from the digital signal processing unit into a radio-frequency (RF) signal; a signal amplification unit which amplifies the RF signal output from the frequency modulation unit using a gain amplifier and a power amplification module; and a direct current/direct current (DC/DC) conversion unit which controls bias of the power amplification module. Here, the DC/DC conversion unit controls a base bias and/or a collect bias of the power amplification module, and the power amplification module operates in saturation. |
| US07945218B1 |
Method and system for tuning quality factor in high-Q, high-frequency filters
A method for tuning quality factor (Q) in a high-Q, high-frequency filter is provided that includes filtering an input signal to generate a filtered signal. The input signal comprises a specified frequency. The filtered signal comprises an actual phase shift with respect to the input signal. The actual phase shift is compared to a desired phase shift for the filtered signal to determine a difference between the actual phase shift and the desired phase shift. The desired phase shift corresponds to the specified frequency. The filter is tuned based on the difference between the actual phase shift and the desired phase shift. |
| US07945212B2 |
Network overlay geo-location system with smart antennas and method of operation
A system and method in a wireless communication system having plural base stations (10a, 10b, 10c) and a MSC (45) with a network overlay geo-location system. |
| US07945211B2 |
Method and apparatus for adaptive activation or deactivation of the coordination of the radio activities of two mobile-radio transmitting and/or receiving devices
The method is based on the capability for coordination of the radio activities of two mobile radio transmitting and/or receiving devices. In the case of the method, a value of at least one characteristic variable is first of all determined, which is characteristic of the requirement for coordination of the radio activity of one or both transmitting and/or receiving devices. The coordination of the radio activity of one or both transmitting and/or receiving devices is then activated or deactivated as a function of the value. |
| US07945207B1 |
Wireless communications gateway
Systems and methods for facilitating communications between a monitoring and monitored device using a mobile station are provided. The mobile station includes a wide area network interface for communicating with a monitoring device via a wide area network. The mobile station also includes a short-range wireless network interface for communicating over a short-range wireless communication link with the monitored device. Using these communication links the mobile station can forward data between the monitoring and monitored devices. |
| US07945205B1 |
System and method for optimization of network delivery of streaming data
A system and method for optimizing network delivery of streaming data is provided. Streaming delivery of data using point-to-point transmitters and broadcast transmitters can be dynamically controlled to maximize the usage of network resources. Current usage of respective systems can be analyzed, as can projected usage be analyzed. Network resources can be reallocated, and connecting devices can be redirected as needed to maintain high efficiency of allocated resources. |
| US07945199B2 |
Fixing device including separation part for separating medium from fixing belt
A fixing device including a heating roller; a fixing roller facing the heating roller; a fixing belt wound between the heating roller and the fixing roller, and including, a cylindrical substrate, and an elastic layer provided on or above the substrate except at end parts of the substrate; a pressure roller configured to press the fixing roller through the fixing belt; and a separation part configured to separate media from the fixing belt. |
| US07945192B2 |
Drive transmitting mechanism for an image forming apparatus
A drive transmitting mechanism configured to rotate the photosensitive drum of a color copier has a driving shaft, a driven shaft, and first and second coupling members. The first coupling member has a projection extending in a diametrical direction. The first coupling member is attached to the driving shaft, with amount of freedom to oscillate in a direction intersecting at right angles to the lengthwise direction of the projection. The second coupling member has a recess in which the projection is fitted. The second coupling member is attached to the driven shaft, with amount of freedom to oscillate in the lengthwise direction of the recess. The first and second coupling members oscillate in the diametrical direction and slide on the contacting surface in a diametrical direction intersecting at right angles to the diametrical direction, thus suppressing the rotational speed change of the driven shaft, which results from the de-centering and declination between the driving shaft and the driven shaft. |
| US07945187B2 |
Image forming apparatus
An image forming apparatus includes: an image bearing member, on which an electrostatic image is formed; a development unit which is provided with a developer bearing member for bearing and conveying a developer, so as to develop the electrostatic image; a storage place which can store therein the developer spattering from the development unit; a shielding member which is disposed in a region outside of a development region in the storage place; and a foreign material collecting member which is disposed in a region farther outside of the shielding member in the storage place. |
| US07945186B2 |
Image forming apparatus including a heat shielding device
An image forming apparatus includes an image forming device that forms a toner image on a recording medium, a heat fixing device provided adjacent to the image forming device to fix the toner image onto the recording medium by heat, and a heat shielding device that shields the image forming device from the heat radiated from the heat fixing device. The heat shielding device includes a heat shielding member interposed between the image forming device and the heat fixing device to receive the heat radiated from the heat fixing device, a heat transferring member attached to the heat shielding member to transfer the heat received by the heat shielding member to one end portion thereof, a heat radiating fin device provided at the one end portion of the heat transferring member to radiate the transferred heat, and a fan that supplies air to the heat radiating fin device. |
| US07945183B2 |
Image forming device
An image forming device includes: a high voltage generating circuit for applying an oscillating voltage to a charging member disposed in contact with or proximity to an image carrier, the oscillating voltage having a DC voltage Vdc and an AC voltage Vac superimposed thereon; a current detecting portion for detecting the value of a DC current Idc between the image carrier and the charging member; an AC voltage control portion for controlling the value of the AC voltage Vac so as to secure the detected value of the DC current Idc within a target current range; and an aging control portion for performing rotation driving of the image carrier while securing the AC voltage Vac and the DC voltage Vdc at preset voltage values and setting the frequency of the AC voltage Vac at a frequency different from a frequency during an image forming operation. |
| US07945180B2 |
Apparatus and method for forming image
When an image forming apparatus, after a feeding error of a recording material occurs in a fixing device, re-forms on the recording material an image corresponding to image data which image was formed on a sheet which caused the feeding error, an image forming condition is caused to be different from an operation condition used when the feeding error has occurred. This makes it possible to prevent a JAM corresponding to the same image from recurring in the fixing device. |
| US07945178B2 |
Image forming apparatus including density control and control method thereof
An image forming apparatus is provided that forms an image using developers of different tone and the same hue. When forming images for measurement for density control, the apparatus performs density control by forming a greater number of density levels of an image for measurement developed using a light developer than the number of density levels of an image for measurement developed using a dark developer. Thus, even if the amount of applied light developer may fluctuate, the fluctuation can be compensated to prevent the occurrence of pseudo-contours that lower image quality. |
| US07945174B2 |
Secure optical communications system and method with coherent detection
The invention provides a system and method for secure communication that involves encoding and transmitting an optical communications signal that is encoded based on a multi-dimensional encoding technique. This technique may include at least one or more of encoding a phase, a polarization, and a frequency of the signal. Light encoding is independent from its modulation with data. The data is modulated using any format; in the preferred embodiment the QPSK format is implemented. The encoded and modulated light is transmitted through free space or via a fiber optic network to a receiver, where the information is decoded. A coherent detection based on 90-degrees or 120-degrees optical hybrid is used to decode and recover the data from the received signal. Because the encoding of the transmitted light varies according to a specific pattern or sequence, one without knowledge of the transmission encoding sequence is prevented from decoding the transmitted information. |
| US07945170B2 |
Method and system for optical transmission signal level configuration
The invention relates to an optical transmission system comprising transmitter and receiver devices and comprising automatic optical signal level configuration means which provide the same fixed output signal level for a received signal level range, and the system comprising at least one automatic self-level unit in the transmitter device and at least one automatic self-level unit in the receiver device. |
| US07945167B2 |
Preventing mobile communications in a quiet zone using artificially imposed signal time delay
Terminating or otherwise preventing communications in a predefined quiet zone by imposing a time delay. In one embodiment an existing call is terminated during a transition between two wireless access points by imposing a time delay on communications through one of the access points. The time delayed signal is interpreted as noise and causes a base station to drop the call if the noise causes the signal strength from the other access point to fall below a threshold. Within a quiet zone, a signal time delay prevents a client device from responding to a base station connection instruction, which causes the base station to believe that the client device is out of range of a quiet zone access point. The time delay may be imposed by an optical fiber spool between the quiet zone access point and the base station, or other delay mechanism. One embodiment is aboard a vessel. |
| US07945166B2 |
Independent upstream/downstream bandwidth allocations in a common hybrid telecommunications network
A network interface apparatus comprises a bidirectional optical signal port, an optical diplexer connected to the bidirectional optical signal port, a first RF signal port (bidirectional), a second RF signal port, a first RF diplexer, and an RF splitter. The RF diplexer transmits a first received RF input signal from the first RF signal port to the optical diplexer to modulate an optical output signal transmitted by the optical diplexer to the optical signal port. The RF splitter receives from the optical diplexer an RF signal derived from an RF-modulated optical input signal received from the bidirectional optical signal port, transmits a first portion of the derived RF signal as a first RF output signal to the first RF signal port through the first RF diplexer, and transmits a second portion of the derived RF signal as a second RF output signal to the second RF signal port. |
| US07945164B2 |
Multiple fiber optic gigabit ethernet links channelized over single optical link
A method, an apparatus, and a system where multiple lower bandwidth optic Ethernet (e.g. 1000Base-FX) signals can be interleaved or encoded onto a single fiber optic link by overclocking the physical layer elements in such a manner as to be transparent to the data link layer and other higher network layers in the Open Systems Interconnection Reference Model (OSI Model) are provided. Such embodiments may provide increased port density over the existing fiber optic gigabit Ethernet (GbE) standards. In embodiments where multiple GbE signals are not channelized, overclocking the physical layer elements may provide increased bandwidth for a single link over existing fiber optic GbE standards. |
| US07945162B1 |
Method and apparatus for accommodating different switch matrix granularities in optical networks
A method is disclosed for replacing legacy interfaces of add drop ring optical networks using STS-3 granularity with an optical hub using STS-1 granularity. In order to avoid locking up ports on the optical hub with dedicated STS-3 packages, a signal broadcast feature of the optical hub, originally provided for remote provisioning, may be adapted to allow a single port to broadcast a signal on multiple and contiguous timeslots to the legacy networks expecting STS-3 granularity. |
| US07945161B2 |
Channel power pre-emphasis in wavelength division multiplex optical communication systems
An iterative method for power pre-emphasis of N optical channels in a Wavelength Division Multiplex (WDM) signal in an optical communication systems in accordance with which representative Xi characteristics are defined for the channels with among the characteristics there being included at least one characteristic that is a function of the Bit Error Rate (BER). The method including the iterative phases of running through the WDM signal channels and appraising for each channel said characteristics for the channel and for the channels adjacent thereto; comparing said channel characteristics with the homologous characteristics of the adjacent channels and, based on the results of the comparisons, selecting a predetermined action to be performed on the power transmitted on the ith channel; for all the channels, performing on the power of each the corresponding selected action; calculating a metric quality function of all the channels with the new powers changed with the selected actions and repeating the previous iterative phases from the beginning until the quality improvement is greater than a predetermined figure and/or a predetermined maximum number of iterations is reached. |
| US07945153B2 |
Focus adjustment mechanism and photo device having the same
A focus adjustment mechanism is used for a photo device for adjusting a focus of a lens assembly of the photo device. The focus adjustment mechanism comprises a focus adjustment button connected to a casing of the photo device and comprising a contact portion, and a pressure detection module disposed in the photo device in a position corresponding to the focus adjustment button to contact the contact portion, and the pressure detection module is electrically coupled with the lens assembly. When the focus adjustment button is pressed, the pressure detection module can generate a signal value according to a displacement value of the focus adjustment button so that a focus of the lens assembly is determined according to each signal value. Furthermore, the present invention discloses a photo device having the focus adjustment mechanism. |
| US07945152B2 |
Focus adjustment method, focus adjustment apparatus, and control method thereof
An apparatus comprises a face position detection section for detecting at least a position at which is present a person's face inside a frame using an image signal obtained from an image sensor for photoelectrically converting an object image captured by a photographing optical system, a focus control section for controlling the photographing optical system by referencing in-focus positions of the object image obtained inside focus detection areas for detecting focus states of the object image positioned in the frame, and a control section for controlling the focus control section so as to reference at least one or the other of an in-focus position obtained in a first focus detection area in which is present a person's face and an in-focus position obtained in a second focus detection area in which is expected to be present a body of a person determining from the position of the face of the person. |
| US07945148B2 |
Method and apparatus for correcting hand-shake in digital image processing apparatus
Provided is a digital image processing apparatus that supports a hand-shake correcting function. The digital image processing apparatus includes: a shutter button operating in two stages that comprises a half-shutter state and a full-shutter state; a first filter filtering shock-waves generated in the half-shutter state when a half-shutter signal is in an ON state; and a second filter filtering shock-waves generated in the full-shutter state when a full-shutter signal is changed from an ON state to an OFF state. |
| US07945146B2 |
Tankless hot water heater with power modulation
A tankless hot water heater includes a pipe, at least one heating element, sensors, an input means and a microprocessor. The pipe has an inlet and an outlet. The at least one heating element is configured to heat water flowing through the pipe. At least one sensor is configured to measure a temperature of water flowing through the pipe prior to heating by the at least one heating element. At least one sensor is configured to measure a flow rate of water flowing through the pipe. The input means is configured for entering a set point for a temperature of water heated by the at least one heating element. The microprocessor is configured to receive as input the temperature of water flowing through the pipe prior to heating, the flow rate of water flowing through the pipe, and the set point for a temperature of heated water, and the microprocessor is configured to provide as output a power setting to the one or more heating elements. |
| US07945144B2 |
Information storage medium and information recording/playback system
There are provided an information storage medium capable of real-time recording/playback of digital moving picture information, and a digital information recording/playback system using this medium. In a medium that records/plays back data including video data and control information, the control information (DA21 in FIG. 4; RTR_VMG in FIG. 30) includes information (VOBU entry in FIG. 31) for accessing a specific portion (VOBU) of the video data. |
| US07945141B2 |
Information storage medium including event occurrence information, and apparatus and method for reproducing the information storage medium
An information storage medium storing event information for generating an event with reference to an audio/video data structure and an apparatus and method thereof. The information storage medium includes: core data, that includes audio/video data and navigation data for reproducing the audio/video data; and program data that is used for interaction with a user, wherein the program data includes event occurrence information for generating an event with reference to a structure of the audio/video data. |
| US07945138B2 |
Modular optical fiber cassette
The present disclosure includes apparatus and methods for a modular optical fiber cassette. One embodiment includes a base housing configured to receive additional nested components and an adapter plate resiliently connected to the housing and comprising a plurality of optical fiber connectors. The adapter plate is releasable from the housing and providing access to both sides of the adapter plate. The cassette further includes a radius limiter nested with and resiliently connected to the base housing, a first expansion housing having an exterior contour substantially aligned with the base housing and configured to resiliently interlock with the base housing, and a cover resiliently connected to the expansion housing. |
| US07945137B2 |
Fiber optic connector holder
A fiber optic connector holder including a housing with at least one cavity for receiving a fiber optic connector with a dust cap in place about a terminal end of the connector. The housing may be integrally molded with retaining structures for releasably engaging the fiber optic connector and releasable catches for mounting the housing at a mount location. The presence of a fiber optic connector within a cavity of the housing may prevent the removal of the housing from a mounting location. |
| US07945123B2 |
Information storage medium storing graphic data and apparatus and method of processing the graphic data
An information storage medium including graphic data and presentation information, and an apparatus and method of processing the graphic data are provided. The information storage medium includes the graphic data, page composition information which defines page composition of the graphic data, and the presentation information indicating when graphic screen data, which is composed with reference to the page composition information of the graphic data, is output to a display screen. Therefore, a graphic object is reusable in graphic data processing, and accordingly, a time taken to process the graphic data is reducible and memory area may be saved. |
| US07945121B2 |
Method and apparatus for interpolating image information
A method and apparatus for interpolating image information obtains pixel information for a plurality of pixels surrounding a location of a pixel to be interpolated, whether the pixel is a missing pixel or an existing pixel whose color or intensity information is to be changed, and applies a gradient square tensor operation on a plurality of surrounding pixels to determine if the pixel to be interpolated is part of a geometric feature. If it is determined that the interpolated pixel is part of a geometric feature, such as a diagonal line or other suitable geometric feature, the method and apparatus uses pixel information from at least some of the surrounding pixels that are also determined to be the in geometric feature. This may be performed on a group of pixel basis and may include, for example, utilizing a block or kernel of pixels and a moving window of blocks of pixels to utilize the plurality of surrounding pixels. |
| US07945120B2 |
Apparatus for enhancing resolution using edge detection
According to one embodiment, an edge detection module detects edges in a frame of a moving picture signal in accordance with an edge determination reference value. A resolution conversion module converts a resolution of the frame from a first resolution to a second resolution, thereby generating a provisional high-resolution image. A corresponding pixel point detection module detects corresponding pixels in the provisional high-resolution image, which correspond to each of the detected edges. An image quality enhancement process module executes an image quality enhancement process for sharpening for each of the detected corresponding pixels in the provisional high-resolution image. A control module varies the edge determination reference value based on the detected edge number and a maximum edge number at which an information processing apparatus is able to complete the resolution-enhancing process for one frame within a target process time. |
| US07945118B2 |
Image processing apparatus and control method thereof
This invention makes it possible to obtain an enlarged image while suppressing noise and maintaining the sharpness of an original image only by setting a simple enlargement ratio without no special knowledge. Original image data (Ia) is enlarged in accordance with a set enlargement ratio (E) to generate an enlarged image (IA). The enlarged image (IA) is smoothed by using a smoothing filter with a size depending on the enlargement ratio (E) to generate smoothed image data (IB). Difference image data (IC) is generated by calculating the difference between the enlarged image data (IA) and the smoothed image data (IB). The generated difference image data is multiplied by an emphasis coefficient. The product is added to the enlarged image data, thereby obtaining image data (IS) that has undergone enlargement/unsharp masking. |
| US07945111B2 |
Image processing method for adaptively filtering image data
An image processing method for filtering image data, which is constituted with a plurality of pixels, at each pixel position by using pixel values indicated by pixels present within a predetermined range containing a target pixel, includes: determining two arguments that are a first argument defined by a spatial distance from the target pixel and a second argument defined by a difference in signal intensity relative to the target pixel, in correspondence to each of the pixels present within the predetermined range; obtaining a weighting coefficient to be used when filtering each of the pixels present within the predetermined range, based upon a single integrated argument represented by a product of the first argument and the second argument; and filtering the image data by using a filter coefficient corresponding to the weighting coefficient having been obtained. |
| US07945110B2 |
Methods and apparatuses for enhancing image quality
A method for enhancing image quality includes: performing a peaking operation on an image signal to generate a peaking signal; selecting a plurality of pixels from the peaking signal and the image signal; and deciding a luminance value for a target pixel of the image signal according to luminance values of the plurality of pixels. |
| US07945106B2 |
Method for simulating film grain by mosaicing pre-computer samples
Film grain is simulated in an output image using pre-established blocks of film grain from a pool of pre-established blocks. Successive film grain blocks are selected by matching the average intensity of a block from the pool to the average intensity of a successive one of a set of M×N pixels in an incoming image. Once all of the successive pixel blocks from the image are matched to selected film grain blocks, the selected film grain blocks are “mosaiced”, that is composited into a larger image mapped to the incoming image. |
| US07945105B1 |
Automated target shape detection for vehicle muon tomography
Techniques, apparatus and systems for muon tomography vehicle imaging use autonomous processing of 3-dimensional muon tomography vehicle images based on Data Modeling techniques and various applications including analyzing vehicle voxel data such as muon vehicle images to detect potential threat objects and then to further discriminate the identified potential threat objects by shape. |
| US07945100B2 |
Apparatus and method for detecting secure document
An apparatus and method for detecting a secure document is provided. The apparatus includes an image input unit which receives the image of a document; an edge image detecting unit which detects an edge image of the document having a predetermined size; a similarity checking unit which checks the similarity between the detected edge image and comparative edge images of secure documents which are previously stored; and a document attribute determining unit which determines whether the document is one of the secure documents according to the result of the similarity checking unit. |
| US07945097B2 |
Classifying digital ink into a writing or a drawing
A method for classifying digital ink receives digital ink comprising ink strokes. A plurality of the ink strokes can be classified. A temporal line grouping is performed on a plurality of the classified ink strokes that are grouped to form a temporal line group. The temporal line group is segmented into a cluster. The cluster can be classified. |
| US07945093B2 |
Simplified color workflow
A method for predicting a color response of a device comprises: operating the device with image information wherein operating includes utilizing a first correction transform for modifying device color values; determining a first device response based on a device output associated with a device input wherein the device response includes a color response; obtaining a second correction transform; and predicting a modified color response of the device, applicable to operating the device while utilizing the second correction transform instead of the first correction transform, wherein predicting is based on the first color response and the first and second correction transforms. |
| US07945089B2 |
3D-image processing apparatus, 3D-image processing method, storage medium, and program
A 3D-image processing apparatus includes a storage unit which stores data of a first 3D image together with data of a second 3D image as a combining target with the first 3D image and data of a third 3D image relevant to the second 3D image, a misregistration calculating unit which calculates a misregistration between the first 3D image and the third 3D image, and an image combining unit which registers and combines the second 3D image with the first 3D image on the basis of the calculated misregistration. |
| US07945087B2 |
Alignment of printed circuit board targets
A method for micromachining a material, including configuring an optical system to provide illumination of an illumination wavelength to a site via a given element of the optical system, the illumination generating returning radiation from the site. The method further includes configuring the optical system to receive the returning radiation via the given element, and to form an image of the site therefrom, calculating an actual position of a location at the site from the image and outputting a signal indicative of the actual position of the location, generating a beam of micromachining radiation having a micromachining wavelength different from the illumination wavelength, positioning the beam to form an aligned beam with respect to the location in response to the signal, and conveying the aligned beam to the location via at least the given element of the optical system so as to perform a micromachining operation at the location. |
| US07945083B2 |
Method for supporting diagnostic workflow from a medical imaging apparatus
A method for supporting diagnostic workflow from a medical imaging apparatus. A set of at least two images are obtained from a patient and displayed according to a user-specified image display layout selected from a plurality of image display layouts. One or more markers are associated with a region of interest in the displayed images. A list of regions of interest is generated, each having an entry for each associated marker. A classification is assigned to each entry in the list of regions of interest according to health risk. |
| US07945082B2 |
Analysis method for data of an examination object, featuring correlation of a volume data record with a number of projection images
Data of an examination object comprises a volume-data record and a plurality of two-dimensional projection images. The volume-data record includes voxels where each voxel is assigned to a location in three-dimensional space. Each projection image includes pixels where each pixel is assigned to a location in a two-dimensional-projection plane and has a value. Each pixel is assigned a projection volume, this being specified in that it is mapped by the radioscopy onto the pixel to which it is assigned. A sub-volume of the volume-data record is selected. The projection images are registered in relation to the volume-data record. A functional parameter of the examination object is specified for the pixels of the projection images, depending on their values. For each pixel, when specifying the functional parameter, consideration is given to the locations and/or the number of those voxels which are positioned both within the sub-volume and within the projection volume. |
| US07945076B2 |
Vision-based operating method and system
A vision-based operating system is provided in which a computer-based system accepts visual inputs and takes appropriate actions in a wide variety of environments. One environment is a security environment in which the vision-based operating system acquires an image of a face and determines, with an arbitrarily small probability of a false positive, whether the face is of a person who is authorized to enter the environment. The method employed may include acquiring a digital image for comparison to a reference image and identifying two or more groups of pixels in the acquired image. The pixel groups in the reference image that are the best match for the two or more pixels groups in the acquired image are selected. The relative locations of the selected pixel groups in the reference image and the two or more pixel groups in the acquired image are compared, and the probability that the relative locations occurred randomly is determined. |
| US07945075B2 |
Converting a digital image from color to gray-scale
Converting a digital image from color to gray-scale. In one example embodiment, a method for converting a digital image from color to gray-scale is disclosed. First, an unconverted pixel having red, green, and blue color channels is selected from the color digital image. Next, the red color channel of the pixel is multiplied by α. Then, the green color channel of the pixel is multiplied by β. Next, the blue color channel of the pixel is multiplied by γ. Then, the results of the three multiplication operations are added together to arrive at a gray-scale value for the pixel. Finally, these acts are repeated for each remaining unconverted pixel of the color digital image to arrive at a gray-scale digital image. In this example method, α+β+≈1 and α>β. |
| US07945073B2 |
Vein authentication device
Provided in this invention is a vein authentication device comprising: an interface on which a part of a living body; one or more light sources for emitting infrared light; an image pickup unit for picking up a blood vessel image of the part of the living body using infrared light emitted from the light sources; an image computing unit for processing the blood vessel image picked up by the image pickup unit; and a light shielding unit for shielding infrared light emitted from the light sources and preventing the infrared light from traveling in an image pickup direction of the image pickup unit, wherein the interface has an opening opened in the image pickup direction of the image pickup unit, and wherein the light sources irradiates the part of the living body with infrared light from an image pickup side of the part of the living body. |
| US07945071B2 |
Automatically generating precipitation proximity notifications
A method and system for automatically generating a notification of a status of precipitation being received by a user-defined detection zone within a geographic area. An image of the geographic area is received. The image includes pixels associated with the detection zone. Each pixel is associated with a sub-area of the detection zone. Characteristics (e.g., colors) of the pixels are obtained. The characteristics indicate intensities of precipitation being received by sub-areas of the detection zone. The intensities of precipitation that are greater than a first user-defined threshold are counted to produce a count. Based on the count's comparison to a second user-defined threshold, a status of precipitation being received or not being received by the detection zone is determined. A notification of the status is generated and sent. |
| US07945070B2 |
Geographic-based watermarking keys
The disclosure relates generally to digital watermarking and steganography, e.g., for use with cell phones and signal processing. One claim recites a method including, in a cell phone, determining a current geographic are of the cell phone; selecting a first digital watermark detector that is associated with the current geographic area, a selected first digital watermark detector being selected from a plurality of different digital watermark detectors; and controlling the cell phone to employ the selected first digital watermark detector to analyze a signal to obtain a digital watermark message there from, wherein the selected first digital watermark detector corresponds to a particular digital watermark embedder that is uniquely assigned to the geographic area. Other claims and combinations are provided too. |
| US07945068B2 |
Dental bone conduction hearing appliance
An intra-oral hearing appliance includes an actuator to provide bone conduction sound transmission; a transceiver coupled to the actuator to cause the actuator to generate sound; and a first chamber containing the actuator and the transceiver, said first chamber adapted to be coupled to one or more teeth. |
| US07945066B2 |
Method and apparatus for a hearing assistance system with adaptive bulk delay
A hearing assistance system having adjustable bulk delay for cancellation of a time varying acoustic feedback path. The hearing assistance system including an FIR filter, coefficient update module, and delay rules module for programmable adaptive filtering. The hearing assistance system adjustable for continuous bulk delay adjustments. The hearing assistance system providing a number of coefficient update routines, including, but not limited to an LMS coefficient update process and a normalized LMS coefficient update process. |
| US07945063B2 |
Microphone shield system
A microphone shield system captures sound in adverse conditions. The system includes a microphone positioned within a membrane. The membrane is inflated around the microphone to form an enclosure. The inflated membrane passes signals within a selected frequency range. The membrane may block or attenuate signals above and/or below the frequency range to pass a desired sound with little surrounding interference. |
| US07945062B2 |
Microelectromechanical microphone packaging system
The invention relates to a microelectromechanical microphone packaging system. The microelectromechanical microphone packaging system comprises a substrate, a chip, a microelectromechanical microphone, a conductive glue, a non-conductive glue and a cover. The substrate has a first surface. The chip is mounted on the first surface of the substrate. The microelectromechanical microphone is mounted on the first surface of the substrate, and electrically connected to the chip. The chip is enclosed by the non-conductive glue. The non-conductive glue is enclosed by the conductive glue. The cover is mounted on the first surface of the substrate to form a containing space, and has an acoustic aperture. The microelectromechanical microphone packaging system utilizes the conductive glue enclosing the chip and the non-conductive glue to shield interference from outside noise and obtain a shielding effect. In addition, the cover does not need to be made of metal material. |
| US07945061B1 |
Scalable architecture for subspace signal tracking
A real-time implementation of a subspace tracker is disclosed. Efficient architecture addresses the unique computational elements of the Fast Approximate Subspace Tracking (FAST) algorithm. Each of these computational elements can scale with the rank and size of the subspace. One embodiment of architecture described is implemented in digital hardware that performs variable rank subspace tracking using the FAST algorithm. In particular, the FAST algorithm is effectively implemented by a few processing elements, coupled with an efficient Singular Vector Decomposition (SVD), and the realization/availability of high density programmable logic devices. The architecture enables the ability to track the possibly changing dimension of the signal subspace. |
| US07945052B2 |
Method of distributing a decryption key in fixed-content data
Secondary content in encrypted for distribution to client terminals by selecting at least a portion of raw encrypted audio-video data (REAVD) that is provided on a media article as an encryption key, encrypting secondary content using the encryption key, and storing encrypted secondary content at a remotely located host. The media article can then be used for providing access to the encrypted secondary content to client terminals by receiving encrypted secondary content at a client terminal, extracting a decryption key from a media article encoded with REAVD, the decryption key being determined by at least a portion of the REAVD, using the decryption key to decrypt the secondary content, and outputting the decrypted secondary content from the client terminal. |
| US07945044B2 |
Method and system for performing an untraceable secret matching
Performing an untraceable secret matching between a first credential associated with a first property of a first user and a second credential associated with a second property of a second user includes receiving the first credential, receiving a matching reference formed so the first user can detect a matching of the first property with a remote property from a credential of another user, supplying a first nonce value to the second user, receiving a hidden version of the second credential from the second user formed by the second user on the basis of the second credential, the first nonce value supplied by the first user and a random value locally generated on a side of the second user, and performing the matching by combining the first credential and the received hidden credential with the first nonce value and comparing the combination with the matching reference. |
| US07945038B2 |
Methods and systems for releasing a voice mail system from a communication and further processing the communication
Methods and systems relating to a communication in an Advanced Intelligent Network from a caller to a subscriber's directory number where the communication has been terminated to a voice mail system (VMS) instead having been terminated to the subscriber's directory number. The methods and systems transfer the communication from the VMS so the VMS is no longer involved in the communication. A message indicating a release of the communication by the VMS is generated. The message also indicates an action to be taken regarding the communication such as a transfer to a different number. The action and related information may be provided in a remote operations parameter of a GR-1129 message. In response, directions are provided to carry-out the action. As a result, the communication is released from the VMS, and is acted upon without further involvement of the VMS. |
| US07945032B2 |
Method and apparatus for connecting and operating lockers for home deliveries via video interphones and remotely via a virtual doorman
A method and apparatus for connecting and operating plurality of lockers in a multi apartment or multi office building connected via an interface to a video interphone system and via a local guardman or a virtual guardman over a network, for providing access to the building and opening a locker for a deliveryman to deliver packages, parcels and ordered goods. The tenants receiving a message through their video interphone monitor can retrieve the deliveries by opening the specific locker from their video interphone monitor, through the entry panel and through associated accessories. |
| US07945031B2 |
Internet-based method for alerting an individual with an unlisted telephone number that an acquaintance wishes to contact that individual
An Internet-based method for alerting an individual with an unlisted telephone number that an acquaintance wishes to contact that individual, including the steps of: establishing, by a webmaster, a website having an administrator; registering, by the individual with the unlisted telephone number, the unlisted telephone number of the individual on the website for a recurring fee after the individual has been guaranteed confidentiality; logging onto the website, by the acquaintance; determining, by the acquaintance, if the individual the acquaintance is trying to contact is in fact registered on the website; terminating, if answer to the determining step is no; paying a fee, by the acquaintance, if answer to the determining step is yes; entering information on the website, by the acquaintance, pertaining to the acquaintance for helping the individual with the unlisted telephone number recognize the acquaintance, and contact information of the acquaintance including the telephone number of the acquaintance; forwarding, by the administrator of the website, the information of the acquaintance to the individual with the unlisted number; simultaneously, informing the acquaintance, by the administrator of the website, that the information of the acquaintance has been forwarded to the individual with the unlisted number; and determining using the information of the acquaintance, by the individual with the unlisted telephone number, if the individual with the unlisted telephone number wants to contact the acquaintance. |
| US07945030B2 |
Accessing messages stored in one communication system by another communication system
The present disclosure provides systems and methods for accessing messages in one communication system by another communication system. In some embodiments, a request to access data is received from a second communication system. The data is located at a first communication system. The first communication system is configured to communicate using a first standard communication protocol, while the second communication system is configured to communicate using a second standard communication protocol. The received request is converted to a command of the first standard communication protocol. Using the command, the data at the first communication system is accessed. |
| US07945028B2 |
Coalescence of voice mail systems
A coalescence voice mail service provider enables a user to access all of the user's voice mail systems implemented within the various telecommunications systems the user has accounts with. Using any one of the telecommunications devices of the user, the user accesses voice mail from any one or more of the user's cell phone, home phone, work phone, PDA, home computer and work computer. A voice mail broker communicates with each of these different voice mail systems to collect voice mail messages and send messaging for manipulating such voice mail messages to and from each of the telecommunications systems. Such a system provides the user with a single interface for accessing the user's diverse voice mail systems. |
| US07945027B1 |
Message-indication testing
A computer-implemented method and system to remotely test message-waiting notifications over a communications network is provided. The method includes receiving broadband signaling from a voicemail platform; converting the broadband signaling to narrowband signaling; and transmitting the narrowband signaling, which generates status notifications, and transmits the status notifications to a remote test location. The system includes a switching element that routes the broadband signaling generated by the voicemail platform. The switching element routes the broadband signaling to a message processing component that executes code that searches a message-waiting-notification database to generate appropriate tones based on the broadband signaling received from the switching element. |
| US07945023B2 |
Stereotactic radiotherapy with rotating attenuator
A radiotherapy system including a radiation source operable to produce a radiation beam towards a target, an orientation changer operable to change a relative position of the radiation source with respect to the target, and a multileaf attenuator including attenuating leaves including respective spatially varying attenuation properties and a positioner in communication with the orientation changer, each of the attenuating leaves having a leaf length, leaf thickness, leaf center and leaf direction, wherein the leaf direction is a line intersecting the leaf center along the leaf thickness, wherein the radiation beam includes one or more beam segments, wherein a beam segment is the part of the beam intercepted by one of the attenuating leaves, and wherein the target includes one or more target segments, wherein a target segment is that part of the target that intercepts a corresponding one of the beam segments, wherein each of the attenuating leaves is operative to modulate an intensity of a corresponding beam segment by selective attenuation of the leaf thickness along the leaf length, and wherein the positioner is operable to vary at least one of a leaf center position and a leaf direction relative to the radiation source in accordance with positions of the corresponding target segment and the radiation source. |
| US07945022B2 |
Radiation therapy plan dose perturbation system and method
A method of determining a patient dose during or prior to therapy from an external radiation beam includes determining a dose distribution from a patient plan as delivered in a QA phantom at each appropriate beam angle and comparing the dose distribution determined from measurements or calculations to a corresponding treatment planning system (TPS) dose modeled distribution in the QA phantom and providing a correction distribution when applied to the TPS dose modeled distribution results in the dose distribution determined. The correction distribution may optionally be interpolated to non-measured points for each beam angle and geometrically projected toward the source of radiation through a volume that equals a dose volume of the TPS for a patient beam for each beam angle. The correction distribution is applied to the TPS patient dose volume for each beam angle for providing a corrected dose distribution in the patient. |
| US07945018B2 |
Method for producing projective and tomographic images using an X-ray system
An embodiment of the present invention discloses a method for producing projective and tomographic images using X-rays, allowing structures of similar composition to be imaged particularly well by combined evaluation of the behaviour of the test object with respect to the phase displacement during passage of the X-rays and its absorption. At least one embodiment of the invention also relates to an X-ray system and a CT system with respective source grids, phase grids, and analytical grids for carrying out the method. |
| US07945016B2 |
Dental radiology apparatus and associated method of use
A dental radiology apparatus includes: a generator (18) emitting X-radiation provided with a collimation device collimating the radiation in an appropriate manner using several forms of collimation slits, at least one radiation sensor (20a, 20b) including a first, a second and a third image acquisition surface which are each positioned opposite an appropriate form of slit in order to use the apparatus in panoramic mode, cone beam tomographic mode and mode determining a trajectory which will be used in panoramic mode respectively. In the third mode a form of slit elongated along a plane P is arranged opposite the third surface corresponding to a part of the second surface along a Z-axis perpendicular to the plane P and the assembly is driven in rotation about an axis parallel to the Z-axis. |
| US07945009B1 |
Jitter measurement
A specialized structure measures clock-to-data jitter in an optical memory interface by averaging the result of two second-order estimates of zero crossing using measured signal values on either side of the zero crossing. In one embodiment, a first estimate uses two sample points before the zero crossing and one sample point after while the second estimate uses one sample point before the zero crossing and sample two points after. An existing clock associated with an internal analog-to-digital converter is used to evenly space the samples in time. To simplify the second-order estimate calculations, the three samples of the exemplary embodiment are give x values of −1, 0, and +1 respectively. Which of the two roots of the second-order estimates is used is based on the slope of the signal at the zero crossing. |
| US07945007B2 |
Multi-antenna wireless receiver chains with vector decoding
A receiver chain is provided for use in wireless data communication including a plurality of receive antennas and a vector Barker decoder or a CCK decoder. The vector Barker decoder operates on the plurality of received signals, preferably processed through a plurality of channel matched filters. The weightings of the plurality of channels can be done using a slicer variance, a PLL variance or another method. |
| US07945005B2 |
Method and module for estimating transmission chanels of a multi-antenna multi-carrier system
A method and a module for estimating transmission channels in a multi-antenna system. A matrix A is calculated which is constructed in the form of blocks from training sequences and an appropriate Fourier matrix. For a receive antenna RXj concerned, the method and the module calculate Nt impulse responses in the time domain by multiplying Np pilot symbols extracted from a frequency-domain signal Rj(n) obtained after demodulation of a time-domain signal received by the receive antenna RXj concerned by a product of matrices comprising the pseudo-inverse matrix of the product of the Hermitian matrix of the A matrix with the A matrix enabling decorrelation of modulated carriers adjacent null carriers. |
| US07945002B2 |
Information read device and read signal processing circuit
An information read device enabling obtaining of a data pattern recorded on an information recording medium as a readout signal, includes an analog to digital converter for converting the readout signal to a digital signal for a predetermined clock, a phase locked loop circuit that supplies the clock used in the analog to digital converter, a first FIR filter for equalizing the digital-converted digital signal under a first equalization condition, a Viterbi decoder to decode outputs of the FIR filter into binary data, wherein the phase locked loop circuit enables detection of a cycle slip of the phase locked loop circuit, and a detector which detects the cycle slip of the phase locked loop circuit. The FIR filter returns tap coefficients of the FIR filter, and the Vitabi decoder returns a target level of a decode operation to an initial value when an out-breaking of the cycle slip occurs. |
| US07945000B2 |
Wireless communication apparatus
An object of the invention is to provide a wireless communication apparatus which can correct error flexibly without wasting consumed resources while maintaining the improvement of reliability resulted from error correction. The wireless communication apparatus (relay station) 12 includes a receiving antenna 41 for receiving signals transmitted from the transmission station, a receiving RF section 42 for high-frequency amplifying the received signal, an error correction decoding section 43 for subjecting the received signal to the error correction decoding processing and outputting soft decision values and decoded bits, an error detection section 44 for subjecting the signal after the error correction decoding processing to the hard decision processing to detect error of the signal subjected to the hard decision processing, a switching section 45 for switching the soft decision values and the decoded bits, a re-coding section 46 for re-coding extracted ones of the soft decision values, a transmission RF section 47 for modulating the re-coded soft decision values and a transmission antenna 48 for transmitting the signal to the receiving station. |
| US07944999B2 |
Robust fine frequency and time estimation in mobile multimedia multicast system receivers
A technique for estimating a carrier frequency offset and a timing offset in a MediaFLO™ (Forward Link Only) system, wherein the method comprises receiving Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols; interpolating pilots on odd or even symbols of the received OFDM symbols; determining a phase difference between two successive symbols using the interpolated pilots; obtaining an estimate of the carrier frequency offset and the timing offset from the determined phase difference between two successive symbols; and correcting a sampling frequency in accordance with the estimated carrier frequency offset and timing offset. |
| US07944998B2 |
Audio correlation system for high definition radio blending
A system that blends a hybrid radio signal may provide reduced audio content skipping and may determine an audio correlation between analog and digital signal components in the hybrid radio signal before blending from the analog signal component to the digital signal component. The system may reduce volume level transitions during blending by adjustment of blend and cross-fade variables, as well as setting a hysteresis mode to prevent undesirable sequential jumping from digital mode back to analog mode. The system also may compensate for digital AM frequency quality issues by adjustment of a filter bandwidth when the receiver blends an AM signal from analog to digital mode. |
| US07944997B2 |
GPS M-code receiver tracking system
An m-code GPS receiver receives m-code GPS communication signals having a multimodal autocorrelation, using an m-code mode identifier unambiguously determining a mode value of one of the m-code modal peaks coherently aligned to a coherent unimodal detected envelope, based on sequential probability estimation in an m-code envelope tracking filter using filter residual estimation or with a coherent m-code and c/a-code tracking filter also based on filter residual estimation, for generating m-code phase errors, for unambiguous and precise m-code code phase tracking in closed feedback loops, for preferred use in navigation systems. |
| US07944996B2 |
OFDM reception device and OFDM receiver using the same
An OFDM reception device includes: a first channel estimation unit for estimating a channel distortion by using a signal that is supplied from the reception unit and has a first time interval; a second channel estimation unit for estimating a channel distortion by using a signal that is supplied from the reception unit and has a second time interval shorter than the first time interval; a selection unit for selecting and outputting one of a signal from the first channel estimation unit and a signal from the second channel estimation unit, according to a control signal from the control unit; and a correction unit for correcting a reception signal supplied from the reception unit, according to the channel estimation signal from the selection unit. The control unit determines the control signal to be supplied to the selection unit, according a reception state of the reception unit. |
| US07944994B2 |
Data converter and data conversion method, and transmitter circuit, communications device and electronic device using the same
A data converter that converts an input signal to a signal to be inputted to an amplifier. Specifically, the data converter includes: an amplitude detection section that detects an amplitude level of the input signal; a region determination section that determines whether or not an input power to the amplifier is in a non-linear region of the amplifier based on the amplitude level of the input signal detected by the amplitude detection section; and a signal processing section that converts the input signal to a signal having a lower resolution than that of the input signal if the region determination section determines that the input power to the amplifier is in the non-linear region of the amplifier. |
| US07944990B2 |
System and method for transmitting and receiving data in a communication system
A system and method for transmitting and receiving data in a communication system are provided, in which upon generation of data of communication services to be transmitted to a receiver, a transmitter classifies the data according to the service types of the communication services, inserts a guard interval between the classified data of the service types, and transmits the data with the guard interval to the receiver. |
| US07944988B2 |
Configuration for implementing enhanced VSB on the studio side
Enhancements allowing multiplexing of normal and robust data in wireless digital video transmissions using vestigial sideband modulation are implemented as an enhanced vestigial sideband encoder on the studio side and a standard vestigial sideband modulator at the transmitter. The enhanced encoder conventionally processes multiplexed data into encoded packets, with backwards compatible parity data supplied for normal data, then deinterleaves the processed data, removes a trailing portion from each packet, and derandomizes the remainder before forwarding the processed encoded data as MPEG compliant packets to the standard modulator for VSB modulation and transmission. |
| US07944979B2 |
High bandwidth data transport system
The present invention provides for a methods, system, and apparatus relating to data transmission. One method of the present invention includes representing data using at least one ultra wideband pulse, sending the at least one ultra wideband pulse over an electrically conductive guided media, and recovering the data from the at least one ultra wideband pulse. The present invention can be used in conjunction with telephony applications, cable TV applications, power line applications, fiber optic applications, and data bus applications. |
| US07944977B2 |
Picture coding method and picture decoding method
A picture coding apparatus (300) is a picture coding apparatus that codes a difference between picture data (Img) representing an input picture and predictive picture data (Pred) representing a predictive picture for the input picture and generates coded picture data, and includes a picture decoding unit (104) for decoding coded picture data (Img) after the picture data (Img) is coded; inter pixel filters A and B (303 and 304) for performing inter pixel filter operation for decoded picture data (Recon) obtained by the picture decoding unit (104); switches (301 and 302) for selecting one of the inter pixel filters; and an inter picture predicting unit (108) for generating the predictive picture data (Pred) for the input picture data (Img) using filtered decoded picture data (FilteredImg1), as reference picture data (Ref), obtained by the selected inter pixel filter. |
| US07944976B2 |
Data edition system, data edition method, data processing device, and server device
This invention proposes arrangements for implementing processes free of signal degradation without entailing increased strains on transmission. Parameter information such as compression, decoding and editing parameters is stored in a database in correspondence with unique information (UMID). Material data (baseband signal) decoded (from compression) for editing purposes is supplemented with the unique information when transmitted. Where the material data is to be edited or re-encoded, the parameter information about the processes performed previously on the data in question is acquired from the database using the unique information as the key, so that the data is subjected to degradation-free signal processing in reference to the acquired parameter information. |
| US07944973B2 |
Video encoding/decoding method and apparatus
A video encoding apparatus comprises a frame memory/predictive image generator having a first predictive mode for generating a predictive image signal by selecting a combination from among a plurality combinations of a reference image number and a plurality of predictive parameters, and a second predictive mode for generating a predictive image signal according to a predictive parameter computed based on reference image numbers of reference images and an image-to-image distance, and a variable-length encoder to select one of the first and second prediction modes by the number of reference images, and encode orthogonal transformation coefficient information concerning a predictive error signal of a predictive image signal with respect to input video signal, mode information indicating an encoding mode, motion vector information and combination of selected reference image number with predictive parameter index information indicating combination of selected reference image information. |
| US07944972B2 |
Video encoding/decoding method and apparatus
A video encoding apparatus comprises a frame memory/predictive image generator having a first predictive mode for generating a predictive image signal by selecting a combination from among a plurality combinations of a reference image number and a plurality of predictive parameters, and a second predictive mode for generating a predictive image signal according to a predictive parameter computed based on reference image numbers of reference images and an image-to-image distance, and a variable-length encoder to select one of the first and second prediction modes by the number of reference images, and encode orthogonal transformation coefficient information concerning a predictive error signal of a predictive image signal with respect to input video signal, mode information indicating an encoding mode, motion vector information and combination of selected reference image number with predictive parameter index information indicating combination of selected reference image information. |
| US07944969B2 |
Method and system for sampling video data
A method and system for sampling video data uses re-sampling filters having lengths optimized relative to a quantization parameter of video processing. The method uses modeling of an optimal length of the re-sampling filter as a function of the quantization parameter to derive empirical formulas and a look up table for optimal lengths of re-sampling filters. The resulting re-sampling filters are selectively adapted for sampling video data having different bit rates. |
| US07944964B2 |
Apparatus and method for stable DEF using selective FBF
A decision feedback equalizing apparatus selectively using a feedback filter and a method thereof are provided. The apparatus includes: an equalizing unit including a feed forward filter (FFF) for correcting a distorted transmission channel by receiving a match-filtered signal and a feedback filter (FBF) for reducing inter symbol interference ISI of the corrected transmission channel for driving only the FFF in a blind mode and driving the FFF and the FBF in a decision directed mode; a diverge/converge determining unit for determining whether the decision feedback equalizing apparatus is diverged or converged using a unit square error obtained through a least unit square algorithm; and a filter controlling unit for controlling the equalizing unit in a blind mode if the decision feedback equalizing apparatus is determined as divergence, and for controlling the equalizing unit in a decision directed mode if the decision feedback equalizing apparatus is determined as convergence. |
| US07944962B2 |
Method and apparatus for transmission of command combinations by means of coded frequency-shift keying
A method is disclosed for transmission of commands or command combinations via a communication link by coded frequency-shift keying. Each command or command combination is associated with one frequency pair. When a command changes from a preceding command or command combination to a subsequent command or command combination, one frequency (which will be the first to be transmitted) in the frequency pair of the subsequent command or command combination is chosen as a function of at least one other associated frequency pair. |
| US07944961B2 |
Systems and methods for improving pull-in performance in GPS signal processing
Systems and methods for avoiding non-linear behavior of conventional early-minus-late correlator-based code loop discriminators. The present invention provides a model of correlator behavior that takes into account whether both correlators are on the same side of the correlation peak or they straddle the peak. The result is a piecewise solution that can be stitched together quite readily to produce an extended range of linear response, thereby improving the pull-in capability of GPS code loops when closely spaced correlators are being used. |
| US07944960B2 |
Integration of laser sources and detectors for a passive optical network
Various methods and apparatuses are described in which an array of optical gain mediums capable of lasing are contained in a single integral unit. The array may contain four or more optical gain mediums capable of lasing. Each optical gain medium capable of lasing supplies a separate optical signal containing a band of wavelengths different than the other optical gain mediums capable of lasing in the array to a first multiplexer/demultiplexer. A connection for an output fiber exists to route an optical signal to and from a passive optical network. |
| US07944958B2 |
Pulsed laser light source based on frequency conversion
A light emitting device including a waveguide having an electrically pumped gain region, a saturable absorber, a nonlinear crystal, an inclined mirror, and a light-concentrating structure. Light pulses emitted from the gain region are reflected by the inclined mirror and focused by the light-concentrating structure into the nonlinear crystal in order to generate frequency-converted light pulses. The gain region, the saturable absorber, the light-concentrating structure and the inclined mirror are implemented on or in a common substrate. The resulting structure is stable and compact, and allows on-wafer testing of produced emitters. The folded structure allows easy alignment of the nonlinear crystal. |
| US07944953B2 |
Method and apparatus for transmitting data in a data stream
The invention provides a method and apparatus that addresses and resolves the issues currently affecting the ability to offer Enhanced TV, in particular, those issues concerning timing and synchronization, interaction with other modules in the STB, and distribution. |
| US07944949B2 |
Multiservice system and method for packet and time division multiplexed transport
A system and method are presented for providing packet and time division multiplex (TDM) services in a data communication interface. The method accepts packets at a first rate over a packet interface, and transfers time-sensitive data in the packets as packet data units (PDUs) having a smaller number of bits than a packet and a second rate, faster than the first rate. The method transforms the PDUs into frames in a first TDM protocol. Typically, the PDUs are transformed into units having a smaller number of bits than the PDU and a third rate, faster than the second rate. Then, the TDM frames are transmitted over a line interface. |
| US07944946B2 |
Virtual memory protocol segmentation offloading
Methods and systems for a more efficient transmission of network traffic are provided. According to one embodiment, a method is provided for performing segmentation offloading, such as TCP segmentation offloading (TSO). An interface performs direct virtual memory addressing of a user memory space of a system memory on behalf of a network processor to fetch payload data originated by a user process running on a host processor. Then, the network processor segments the payload data across one or more packets. |
| US07944945B2 |
Encapsulation of STM-n/STS-m frames under ethernet
Apparatus (D1) is dedicated to processing STM-n/STS-m type data frames in a communications network. It comprises at least one STM-n/STS-m interface unit (LIU1) adapted to receive STM-n/STS-m type data frames from a communications network and processor means (MTj) adapted, on receiving data from an STM-n/STS-m frame coming from said line interface unit (LIU1): i) to segment the whole of said received frame into m groups of p successive bytes; ii) then to associate with each group a control header containing data representing its position within the STM-n/STS-m frame; and iii) to encapsulate each group and the associated control header in a payload data field of an Ethernet frame. |
| US07944943B2 |
Method and apparatus for MAC layer inverse multiplexing in a third generation radio access network
A channel inverse multiplexer/multiplexer (IMUX/MUX) (14a) of a MAC sublayer (14) of a UTRAN RNC (11) for providing to a UE (18) traffic (communication signals including in general both control and user data) at a higher rate than the UE can accept over a single channel. The channel IMUX/MUX performs inverse multiplexing of traffic for downlink, and multiplexing of traffic on uplink, and does so in a way that is transparent to all other layers/entities of the UTRAN (11 17) and to the UE (18). |
| US07944942B1 |
Look up table (LUT) for Point-to-Point Protocol identification (PPP ID)
A Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) identifier (PPP ID) value of a PPP frame, including data, is converted to an associated Ethernet Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) tag identifier (ID) value to enable the PPP ID value information to be communicated in an Ethernet frame to the next transmission layer for use in routing the data from the PPP frame. |
| US07944941B1 |
High speed Ethernet based on SONET technology
A high-speed Ethernet using Thin SONET technology as the physical layer carrier makes use the large embedded base of SONET equipment, and is a step forward in integrating WANs, MANs and LANs. The HS Ethernet also takes advantage or current SONET functionality, such as framing, scrambling, integrity, etc. FEC fields are provided in the TOH for achieving a high level of error correction. The HS Ethernet frame comprises a length-type field generated at the PCS sublayer and a HEC field generated at the PMA layer. The frames are routed within a network using the source address, the destination address and a label. |
| US07944940B2 |
Method and apparatus for media access in contention-based networks
A method and apparatus are described for gaining access to a communication medium in a contention-based network, including determining a slot count based on a number of stations in the contention-based network, adjusting the slot count, initiating a frame transmission when the slot count reaches a predetermined value and wherein said number of stations and an address queue are adjusted to reflect a priority. Further, a method and apparatus are described for gaining access to a communication medium in a contention-based network, including receiving a slot count based on a number of stations in the contention-based network, adjusting the slot count, initiating a frame transmission when the slot count reaches a predetermined value and wherein said number of stations and an address queue are adjusted to reflect a priority. |
| US07944939B2 |
Adaptive synchronous media access protocol for shared media networks
In some embodiments of the present invention, asynchronous network nodes and synchronous network nodes coexist on a shared media network. |
| US07944938B2 |
Service-specific logical interfaces for providing VPN customers access to external multicast content
A network device seamlessly handles multicast traffic flow between virtual private networks (VPNs) and content providers located external to the VPNs. For example, the network device, such as a router, comprises an interface card and a forwarding component. The forwarding component maintains forwarding data for a public network and forwarding data for the virtual private network. The interface card receives a multicast packet from a virtual private network destined for a multicast content provider external to the virtual private network. When forwarding the multicast packet, the forwarding component bypasses the forwarding data for the public network and forwards the multicast packet to the multicast content provider in accordance with the forwarding data for the public network. |
| US07944936B2 |
Stream-oriented interconnect for networked computer storage
An apparatus and method for connecting a plurality of computing devices, e.g. web servers, database servers, etc., to a plurality of storage devices, such as disks, disk arrays, tapes, etc., by using a stream-oriented (circuit oriented) switch that has high throughput, but that requires non-negligible time for reconfiguration is disclosed. An example of such stream-oriented switch is an optical switch. The system decodes the requests from the computing devices and uses this information to create circuits, e.g. optical paths in embodiments where the stream-oriented switch is an optical switch, through the stream-oriented switch. The system uses these circuits to route traffic between the computing devices and the storage devices. Buffering of data and control in the device memory is used to improve overall throughput and reduce the time spent on reconfigurations. |
| US07944934B2 |
Efficient memory allocation in a wireless transmit/receiver unit
The present invention allows for effective sharing of the hardware memory of a wireless transmit receive unit (WTRU). The memory will be shared among various buffers of different entities. More particularly, memory will be shared among the MAC reordering buffers and the RLC reception buffers. |
| US07944930B2 |
Memory buffering with fast packet information access for a network device
A networking device employing memory buffering in which a first memory is logically configured into blocks, and the blocks are logically configured into particles, where a second memory is configured to mirror the first memory in which a fixed number of bits in the second memory are allocated for each particle in the first memory so that scheduling and datagram lengths of packets stored in the first memory may be stored in the second memory. Other embodiments are described and claimed. |
| US07944927B2 |
Efficient use of persistent scheduling with OFDMA wireless communications
Various embodiments of the invention may take advantage of persistent scheduling in a wireless network to achieve efficiencies of operation. One embodiment dynamically adjusts the duration of persistent scheduling based on changing channel conditions. When mobile stations are grouped together for persistent scheduling, another embodiment uses a bitmap to indicate which mobile stations in the group have data in the current frame. Still another embodiment eliminates the Connection Identifier from a packet header when bitmaps are being used. |
| US07944926B2 |
Method and system for migrating a peer in a distributed BGP system
A method for peer migration in a distributed Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) system includes: disconnecting a peer relationship between a source BGP process and a network device, wherein first routing information received from the network device is recorded in a forwarding instruction process; establishing a peer relationship between a target BGP process and the network device, and receiving second routing information from the network device; and updating the first routing information recorded in the forwarding instruction process according to the second routing information. |
| US07944925B2 |
System and method for grouping multiple VLANs into a single 802.11 IP multicast domain
A system and method for identifying and grouping multiple virtual local area networks into a single multicast domain is provided. The system and method may be configured to designate a virtual local area network within as a multicast virtual local area network to streamline the delivery of multicast messages via a network. A station may be configured with multiple group keys so that it can receive messages from multiple broadcast or multicast domains. |
| US07944924B2 |
Handling of received implicit null packets
A router includes a network ingress processor and a network egress processor. The network ingress processor is configured for modifying a received MPLS packet such that an internal header thereof includes a pre-configured IP flow identifier therein in place of an as-received MPLS flow identifier. Such modifying is performed in response to the network ingress processor parsing a MPLS label stack of the received MPLS packet to determine if an existing MPLS label of the label stack needs to be replaced with an Implicit Null label and in response to determining that there is no other label in the MPLS label stack. The network egress processor includes a flow selector configured for directing packets dependent upon a type of flow identifier included in an internal header thereof, for receiving the modified MPLS packet, and for replacing the internal header with a port-specific header. |
| US07944921B2 |
Method and system for distributing mobile broadcast service and mobile terminal
A method and a system for distributing a mobile broadcast service are provided. The method includes: adding header information into broadcast service contents, the header information comprising integrality information and version information of a service packet containing the broadcast service contents; distributing the service packet to a user terminal; updating or accepting, by the user terminal, its own service data by use of the service packet in accordance with the integrality information and version information of the service packet. The method and the system according to the embodiments in the present invention may bring about higher transmission efficiency of data packet. |
| US07944915B2 |
Third party VPN certification
A virtual private network (VPN) over a telecommunications network is created by sending a request from a first VPN device to a second VPN device for establishing a VPN between the first and second VPN devices. The request includes a first signed certificate having a verified VPN parameter for the first VPN device. A reply is received at the first VPN device from the second VPN device that includes a second signed certificate having a verified VPN parameter for the second VPN device. The VPN is established between the first and second VPN devices based on each verified VPN parameter for each of the first and second VPN devices. |
| US07944905B2 |
Method for dynamically identifying locations of mobile nodes in a time division multiple access based ad hoc communication network
Disclosed is a method for dynamically identifying locations of a plurality of mobile nodes in a time division multiple access (TDMA) based ad hoc communication network, wherein one or more mobile nodes are being moved in and out of a predefined region. The method comprises allocating a hello slot in a dedicated channel of the TDMA based ad hoc communication network to each of the mobile nodes and announcing the allocation to the mobile nodes through hello slot allocation map, receiving location information from each of the mobile nodes during their hello slot and determining mobile nodes that are inside the predefined region based on the received location information, allocating a data slot to each determined mobile nodes inside the predefined region and announcing the allocation to the mobile nodes through data slot allocation map, and receiving updated location information from each determined mobile nodes during their data slot. |
| US07944904B2 |
Systems and methods for managing timing functions in multiple timing protocols
One embodiment of the present invention includes a system for managing timing functions associating with at least one timing protocol. The system comprises a controller configured to implement a plurality of functions at each of a respective plurality of scheduled times. The system also comprises a time protocol converter configured to convert each of the plurality of scheduled times to a respective plurality of time values associated with a master timing protocol. The system further comprises a master timer controller configured to generate a plurality of control signals associated with the plurality of functions based on an accumulated value of a master timer associated with the master timing protocol relative to the plurality of time values. |
| US07944903B2 |
Multi-cell joint-detection method in time-slotted CDMA system
A multi-cell joint-detection method in a time-slotted CDMA system includes: performing a multiple code set channel estimation on received signal data and obtaining channel estimation results of a home cell and of neighboring cells; adjusting the channel estimation results of the home cell and/or neighboring cells or the estimation result of a combined channel response according to a comparative delay difference between signals of users in different cells; and performing a joint-detection according to the estimation result of the combined channel response obtained by adjusting the channel estimation results of the users in different cells or according to the estimation result of the combined channel response. The MAI between neighboring universal-frequency cells having comparative delays and especially large comparative delays is greatly suppressed and the performance of the time-slotted CDMA system when working in neighboring universal-frequency cells is improved. |
| US07944899B2 |
Predictive routing technique in the ad hoc wireless network
In a particular embodiment of the present invention, a forwarding node in an ad hoc network collects sets of node information pertaining to its neighbor nodes. An example of a type of node information is history information that indicates previous time periods during which a neighbor node has been available for communication. Other types of node information may include proximity information that indicates how far a neighbor node is from the forwarding node. In selecting a routing path, the forwarding node takes into account information collected in the sets of node information. A routing path can be selected to include a neighbor node having the highest probability to be available for communication. Additionally or alternatively, a routing path may be selected to minimize the power transmission level required for the forwarding node to forward data packets. |
| US07944894B2 |
Packet transmission in a wireless communication system using multiple antennas
A method of retransmitting packet data in a wireless communication system comprises receiving a link map information element from a transmitting station having three antennas to achieve space time transmit diversity, wherein first, second and third packet data are transmitted from first, second and third antenna of the transmitting station, respectively. The method also comprises transmitting a non-acknowledgement signal to the transmitting station if at least one packet data from the transmitting station is not properly decoded. The method also comprises receiving the packet data from the transmitting station, wherein at least two of retransmitted packet data are transmitted from different antennas of the transmitting station, and one of retransmitted packet data is transmitted from the same antenna of the transmitting station. The retransmitted packet data are received with an information element comprising a retransmission count associated with a number of retransmission made by the transmitting station. |
| US07944893B2 |
Signal transmission method and base station in mobile communication
A signal transmission method checks, when detecting an occurrence of a communication request, whether the communication request is a high speed communication (step S302). In the case of the high speed communication, it checks whether the number of current high speed communications (m) plus one is greater than the upper limit (mmax) of the high speed communication (step S312). If greater, it cancels the request as a call loss (S316), and sets to a variable a the ratio (h) of the rate of the high speed communication to that of a low speed communication. If the communication request is the low speed communication, it sets one to the variable a (step S304). It compares n plus a with nmax (step S306), where n is the total number of all the current communications, a is the value associated with the communication request, and nmax is the upper limit of the number of communications acceptable in a bandwidth, all of which are expressed in terms of the number of the low speed communications. If n plus a is greater than nmax, the communication request is canceled as a call loss (S316). Otherwise, the total number of the current high speed communications (m) and the total number of all the current communications (n) expressed in terms of the number of the low speed communications are updated, and a channel is assigned to the communication request (step S310). |
| US07944891B2 |
Frequency transformation based transmit beamforming in a communication system
The present invention provides a system and method for transmit beamforming in a Frequency Division Duplex communication system. A first step (600) includes correcting for differences between transceiver receive and transmit responses within a base station. A next step (604) obtaining a beamforming weight of a phase antenna array on an uplink. A next step (606) transforming the uplink beamforming weight a downlink beamforming weight by applying a phase correction that is a function of wavelength at the uplink and downlink frequencies and distance between antenna elements. |
| US07944890B2 |
Using windows specified object identifiers (OIDs) for an antenna steering algorithm
A communications device operates in a wireless local area network (WLAN), and includes a processor operating in accordance with an operating system that includes a standardized set of object identifiers (OIDs) associated therewith. An antenna steering algorithm is executed by the processor for generating a driver query. A driver generates an antenna query in response to the driver query. A smart antenna is driven by the driver and generates antenna beams for receiving signals, and generates metrics based upon the received signals. The smart antenna provides to the driver a metric associated with the antenna query. The driver associates the metric received from the smart antenna with one of the object identifiers from the standardized set of object identifiers, and provides the same to the antenna steering algorithm. |
| US07944889B2 |
System and method for rate shifting for wireless VoIP
A method of rate shifting specially suited for the voice traffic, which differentiates poor channel conditions from a heavily loaded channel of a WLAN and adapts to the network traffic condition and channel condition promptly with low rate of false shifting. Determining when to rate shift is based on a combination of the received signal strength indication and the retry rate. |
| US07944887B1 |
Method and system for forcing mobile IP home agent handoff
When a mobile node hands off to a new network access server/foreign agent (NAS/FA) and establishes a data link layer connection with the new NAS/FA, the NAS/FA will determine whether the mobile node is registered with a preferred home agent. If not, the NAS/FA will force the mobile node to hand off to the preferred home agent, while maintaining the data link layer connection with the mobile node. |
| US07944886B2 |
Infrastructure-based enabling indication for dynamic frequency selection in wireless networks
A wireless access point selection system. In particular implementations, a method includes receiving a notification that identifies a wireless access point that detects radar on an operating channel and identifies the operating channel; updating neighbor lists of one or more neighboring wireless access points to remove the wireless access point from the neighbor list, where the neighbor list comprises neighbor wireless access points, corresponding operating channels, and corresponding enable indications, where each enable indication indicates if a channel availability check is required before performing active scanning; and transmitting the updated neighbor list to the neighboring wireless access points. In one implementation, a system provides a DFS enable indication to wireless clients so they can know whether a channel availability check is required prior to transmitting. |
| US07944884B2 |
Voice and data communication services using orthogonal sub-channels
A method for using orthogonal sub-channels (OSCs) in a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU). A capability report is received from the WTRU, including an indication whether the WTRU supports OSCs. A determination is made whether to use OSCs for the WTRU and the result of the determination is signaled to the WTRU. If OSCs are used with the WTRU, the signaling includes an OSC assignment for the WTRU. In one embodiment, two resources are assigned to the WTRU and each resource is assigned to a different OSC. |
| US07944881B2 |
Method for transmitting control channel in a mobile communication system
In a mobile communication system using both a discontinuous transmission scheme and a compressed mode transmission scheme, if a preamble and/or a postamble of a channel including control information for transmitting a specific channel overlaps a compressed mode (CM) gap, an overall transmission unit is not transmitted or remaining signals of the transmission unit excluding the preamble and/or the postamble overlapping the CM gap are transmitted. |
| US07944880B2 |
Method and arrangement for establishing a communication session for multimedia
A method and arrangement for establishing a packet-switched multimedia session for a mobile terminal connected to a mobile access network. A first Radio Access Bearer RAB is obtained, and the multimedia session is started by communicating media over the first RAB. Simultaneously with the media communication, a quality of communicated media is monitored and evaluated. If the monitored quality is deemed unacceptable, a media-adapted second RAB is obtained, and the session is continued over the second RAB. Thereby, it is not necessary to delay the communication of media by waiting for the second RAB to be obtained. |
| US07944875B1 |
Enforcement of user level policies from visited networks in a mobile IP environment
In one embodiment, a system for providing mobile Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity includes a memory and a processor. The memory stores one or more user level policies associated with an access terminal. The processor establishes a mobile IP connection with the access terminal. The processor receives the user level policies from a home IP gateway of the access terminal, and applies the user level policies to the mobile IP connection. |
| US07944872B2 |
Adaptive coding and modulation aware network load balancing
Methods, systems, and devices are described for determining a preferred routing path for communicating source data from a data source to a data terminal over a network having multiple routing path options. Embodiments include receiving a source dataset at a network node; determining multiple routing path options for routing the source dataset, each comprising a set of communication links that communicatively couple the data source with the data terminal; determining a hierarchical encoding scheme for encoding the source dataset to generate a transmission; generating routing path profiles for each routing path option by evaluating each routing path option against a routing metric; determining a preferred routing path for routing the transmission by comparing the routing path profiles; and routing the transmission over the preferred routing path according to the hierarchical encoding scheme. |
| US07944871B2 |
Communication relay apparatus and communication relay method
A communication relay apparatus wherein the error rate characteristic of a relay destination is improved to raise the throughput, while reducing the given interference power to prevent the reduction of the throughput of the whole communication system. In the apparatus, a signal addressed to a base station is received (ST1010), and a decoding process and other processes are performed (ST1020). A bit error determination is performed (ST1030), and if there is no bit error, a reproduction/relay process (ST1050) is performed. If there is any bit error, a threshold-based determination of reception quality is performed for each of subcarriers (ST1120-1130). If the reception quality is greater than a threshold value, the corresponding subcarrier is outputted (ST1140); otherwise, the corresponding subcarrier is not relayed (ST1150). A signal, which has been subjected to either process, is transmitted (ST1060). |
| US07944861B2 |
System and process for mass telephony conference call
A method of providing conference call connections includes initiating a conference call between multiple conferees using a conferencing controller, placing each of the multiple conferees in a half-duplex listen only mode using the conferencing controller, and receiving a signal at the conferencing controller from at least one of the multiple conferees to actively participate in the conference call. Active participation can be in the form of asking questions, giving comments, or providing a keypress to vote or provide other information. The conference call can also be broadcast to increase participants. Also, after the conference call is initiated, additional potential conferees can be added. |
| US07944859B2 |
Network design method
A network design method for Ethernet-type networks exhibiting capacities sufficient for operation during normal periods as well those as periods when a single node or link has failed. |
| US07944856B2 |
Method and apparatus for providing redundancy for an access network
A method and apparatus for providing redundancy for an access network are disclosed. For example, the method receives an access network structure, and removes one or more unnecessary 2D edges or 3D edges from a simplex cover for the access network structure. The method then performs a search on the simplex cover; and, generates a new access network structure that includes the redundancy. |
| US07944855B2 |
Digital subscriber line (DSL) network upgrade tool
A network upgrade tool creates an upgrade project designating a source digital subscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM), a target DSLAM, and an upgrade type and determines whether the source DSLAM and target DSLAM are eligible for upgrade based on the upgrade type. At least one new digital subscriber line (DSL) path associated with the target DSLAM is identified when the source DSLAM and target DSLAM are eligible for upgrade. Pre-provisionable elements associated with the at least one new DSL path are identified and the identified pre-provisionable elements are provisioned prior to transition from at least one existing DSL path to the at least one new DSL path. A cutover selection is received that indicates that physical network changes associated with the target DSLAM have been made and non-pre-provisioned elements are provisioned following receipt of the cutover selection. |
| US07944852B2 |
Intelligent presentation network management system
A system and method has been provided for the intuitive management of communication networks including a large number of network elements diffused across large geographical areas. The network management system permits the system operator to identify system problems while monitoring the top-level map of the communications network. The organization of network displays permits an operator to “zoom” from the higher levels of network abstraction, depicting a large number of elements across a large geographic area, to local geographical areas where specific problems associated with individual elements can be identified. |
| US07944848B2 |
Upstream signal quality monitoring
The problem is that a measurement of the average signal quality (average modulation error ratio), does not identify poor quality signals that may be originating from an individual cable modem. The device of the present invention displays the modulation error ratio (MER) for each packet received. Since the media access control (MAC) address is associated with a packet received from an individual cable modem, a graph displaying the MER for each packet received is also displaying the MER for signals from the individual cable modems. Thus a technician viewing the display will be able to identify whether a low MER is a result of an impairment in the network or the from an individual cable modem. |
| US07944840B2 |
Method for facilitating latency measurements using intermediate network devices between endpoint devices connected by a computer network
Network latency measurements of RTP traffic are measured using an intermediate network device positioned between endpoints that do not necessarily support RTCP. During an active RTP stream between two endpoints, the intermediate device detects whether the endpoints are already providing their own RTCP packets and responding to RTCP packets from the other endpoint. If not, the intermediate device generates RTCP packets on behalf of the non-responsive or non-providing endpoint(s), acting as a proxy for the endpoint(s), so the packets appear to one endpoint as if they were generated by the other endpoint. Thus, if at least one endpoint supports RTCP, a single intermediate device is sufficient to generate the RTCP packets that allow the latency calculation to be performed. |
| US07944838B2 |
Apparatus, method and computer program for traffic control
Traffic control for a communication network using a token bucket. Tokens stored in the token bucket and data throughput to/from a data buffer are monitored, and a new token rate is determined based on the data throughput during the period that at least one token is stored in the token buffer. |
| US07944836B2 |
Adaptive method and apparatus for adjusting network traffic volume reporting
An adaptive method and apparatus for accurate network traffic volume limit reporting including receiving a network traffic volume limit for each subscriber based on the subscriber's level of service and reporting the network traffic volume on a more frequent basis for subscribers who are approaching their network volume limit. |
| US07944835B2 |
Data transmission method using the number of stations joined multicast service, base station and terminal device therefor, and wireless communication system having the same
The present invention relates to a wireless communication data transmission method considering the number of terminals requesting services. The present invention provides a wireless communication base station for use in a network where a multicast service is received from a network entity and is provided to at least one or more terminals in contention-based channel access mode of a wireless communication. The base station comprises a storage unit for storing terminal information including the number of terminals which have joined the multicast service, and a priority determining unit for setting a user priority of a data frame to be transmitted using the terminal information. According to the present invention, a priority of data to be transmitted is determined in consideration of the number of serviced terminals, and thus, the data can be reasonably transmitted. |
| US07944830B2 |
Methods and appratus for evaluating a utilization of a system that provides connections using a normalized bandwidth scheme
Methods and apparatus are provided for evaluating the throughput limit of a communication system, such as a network node or system. A throughput limit of a communication system is evaluated by receiving a request to allocate at least one connection of a given data type; obtaining an assigned weight for the at least one connection, wherein the assigned weight is based on the throughput limit and a processing limit indicating a throughput of the communication system for the given data type within a given time window; and determining whether to allocate the at least one connection of a given data type based on whether a sum of the assigned weights for each existing allocated connection for each data type exceeds the throughput limit. The assigned weight for a given data type can be subtracted from the sum upon receiving a request to de-allocate a connection. |
| US07944829B2 |
Mechanism for managing access to resources in a heterogeneous data redirection device
A system and method for policing of access to resources in a heterogeneous data redirection device is disclosed. The invention utilizes Random Early Detection to determine whether or not a given packet should be dropped or accepted into the resource. The invention uses a combination of different metrics each of which utilizes a different version of RED. Schemes can include a Per-Flow Weighted RED metric, a Global RED metric and a Fair Share Pool metric, where shared resource allocation is dependent dynamically upon the number of users at the time a packet requests access. These metrics can be combined in variety of ways to yield a final drop or accept decision for an incoming packet so that it does not access resources. |
| US07944828B2 |
Dynamically assigning packet flows
In general, in one aspect, the disclosure describes a method includes accessing data of an egress packet belonging to a flow, storing data associating the flow with at least one queue based on a source of the data of the egress packet. The method also includes accessing an ingress packet belonging to the flow, performing a lookup of the at least one queue associated with the flow, and enqueueing data of the ingress packet to the at least one queue associated with the flow. |
| US07944825B2 |
ATM cell/packet switch and communication control method using the same
In order to provide an ATM cell□packet switch which can easily maintain the band for the normality confirmation packet of the user data transfer path without influencing the user band at a state of in□band, and a communication control method using the switch, at least provided in the switch are: an SDRAM for storing the user data; a normality confirmation packet generator; a timing generator for generating the timing of a refresh cycle of the SDRAM; a selector for transferring the normality confirmation packet at the time of the refresh; and a packet reception unit for extracting the packet identifying information from the received packet data, and comparing the normality confirmation packet directly received from the packet generator to the normality confirmation packet received via the switch unit thereby to confirm the normality when the packet data is the normality confirmation packet. |
| US07944824B2 |
Terminal of portable internet system and method of transmitting uplink data in terminal
A terminal of a portable Internet system comprising a medium access control (MAC) layer and a physical layer, the MAC layer comprising: a classifier classifying packets into classes; a delayer calling queue operating functions when a predetermined period of time is passed after the packets are classified by the classifier; a wait queue storing packets by the queue operating functions; and a packet processor processing the packet in the wait queue and transmitting the processed packet to the physical layer. |
| US07944817B1 |
Hierarchical virtual trunking over packet networks
The present invention establishes reserved paths between nodes in a central packet network and in local networks attached to the central network. Each reserved path has a defined bandwidth and may be implemented as an LSP in an MPLS network or as a PVC in an ATM network. Associated with each reserved path is a virtual trunk group representing the same bandwidth as the virtual path. Telephony calls requiring media flows associated with a channel in the virtual trunk group will transport packets along the reserved path associated with the virtual trunk group. Access to the reserved path is limited to telephony media flows associated with a virtual trunk group to ensure adequate bandwidth at all times for the number of channels associated with the virtual trunk group. Backup reserved paths may be associated with the primary reserved path to provide the necessary redundancy required for voice-based telephony applications. |
| US07944815B2 |
System and method for network recovery from multiple link failures
Methods and systems for fast and reliable network recovery from multiple link failures. In accordance with one example of the method, a master node receives a request from a transit node having a blocked port to open the blocked port for data forwarding, wherein the blocked port is associated with a restored link. The master node starts a health-check timer and transmits a health-check message on its primary port to determine that all failed links of the network are restored. Upon determining that the health-check message is received at its secondary port, the master node transmits a message to each transit node indicating that all failed links are restored. Upon determining that the health-check message is not received at its secondary port before the health-check timer lapsed, the master node transmits a message to the transit node to open the blocked port associated with the restored link for data forwarding. |
| US07944806B2 |
Method for modifying optical path on optical recording medium having distortion regions
Theft, distribution, and piracy of digital content on optical media (software, video, audio, e-books, any content of any kind that is digitally stored and distributed) is often accomplished by copying it directly to another disc using commonly available copy tools and recordable optical media, or the copying of media to another mass manufactured disc. Methods which cause—the copy process to become lengthy and inconvenient, or which produce copies that are significantly measurably different from the original and therefore be recognizable as copies, deter or prevent an unauthorized individual from making copies. This is accomplished by modifying the optical path of an optical medium to include regions of selective distortion. This, in turn, modifies the read operation of the data in the regions, which can be used to identify and authenticate the medium. |
| US07944804B2 |
Optical disk recording method, optical disk device, program, and recording medium
In an optical disk recording method adapted to record information on an optical disk by a light beam incident to the disk in one direction, the disk has a plurality of rewritable recording layers including a first layer nearest to a plane of incidence and a second layer distant from the plane of incidence. A target layer where user data is to be recorded is specified from the first and second layers. Prior to recording the user data to a requested address in the second layer when the target layer is the second layer, a partial region of the first layer corresponding to a same radial position as the requested address in the second layer is set to either a non-recorded state or a recorded state depending on a characteristic of the disk. The user data is recorded to the requested address in the target layer. |
| US07944796B2 |
Recording apparatus and information processing apparatus equipped with the same
A recording apparatus includes a first light source irradiating first laser light, a second light source irradiating second laser light, an optical spatial modulating unit applying information to the first laser light, and an objective lens collecting the first laser light and the second laser light at different positions on the same optical axis. A hologram recording operation uses a first optical path and a second optical path. The information light is conducted to the objective lens along the first optical path. The reference light is conducted to the objective lens along the second optical path. At the same time, an address/servo control operation is carried out by employing a third optical path along which the second laser light is conducted to the objective lens. The DVD recording operation uses the second optical path. The CD recording operation uses the third optical path. |
| US07944791B2 |
PRML (Partial Response Maximum Likelihood) information reproducing method and information reproducing apparatus for implementing the same
An information reproducing method using PRML technology which provides asymmetry compensation and also assures media interchangeability. To compensate for asymmetry, target levels are basically adapted to readout signals and either restriction type (1) (time reversal and level reversal symmetry) or restriction type (2) (time reversal symmetry) is imposed between target levels. As a consequence, asymmetry compensation is made regardless of a readout signal distortion such as mark shift which might deteriorate media interchangeability. |
| US07944787B2 |
Method for adjusting a focus position on an optical disc and an optical disc apparatus applying the same therein
In a method for adjusting a focus position for an optical disc, onto/from which in formation is recorded or reproduced, while adjusting the focus position of an optical reproducing means, upon a recording surface of an optical information recording medium having an area where information of the optical information recording medium is recorded in advance, comprising the following steps of: memorizing plural numbers of information relating to focus positions determined appropriately, which can be obtained from the area where the information of the optical information recording medium is recorded in advance; and adjusting the focus position for the optical disc loaded into an apparatus, from at lease one (1) signal relating to the focus position, which can be obtained from the optical disc, with utilizing a relationship between the plural numbers of information relating to the focus positions determined appropriately, memorized in advance, when reproduction of the information is impossible when the optical disc is loaded into the apparatus, thereby providing the focus position adjusting method and an optical disc apparatus applying the same therein, for enabling an appropriate focus adjustment even in case when DMA area cannot read out due to damages or defects therein. |
| US07944786B2 |
Optical disc apparatus and recording power determining method thereof
A method of determining a recording power used to record information to an optical disc, includes carrying out test recording which records predetermined data to a predetermined area of the optical disc to determine the recording power, and recording predetermined data with a power equal to or more than the determined recording power to an area adjacent to the predetermined area. |
| US07944780B2 |
Magnetic recording device and magnetic recording head drive mechanism having a magnetic applying section of a specific length
Provided is a magnetic recording device which can perform high density magnetic recording by simple constitution. The magnetic recording device is provided with a disk driving device for rotating a magnetic disk; a head having a heating section for heating a circular track of the magnetic disk and a recording element for applying a magnetic field modulated by an electric signal to the magnetic disk; and a head drive device for circularly moving the head in the radius direction of the magnetic disk by rotating about a driving shaft. The recording element has a magnetism applying section that traverses any track heated by the heating section in the radius direction of the magnetic disk. |
| US07944778B2 |
Motor drive control circuit, semiconductor device, electronic timepiece, and electronic timepiece with a power generating device
A motor drive control circuit that operates using a primary power supply and controls driving a motor has a drive circuit that drives the motor, a power supply circuit that is disposed between the primary power supply and the drive circuit, and uses electrical energy supplied from the primary power supply to supply a drive voltage to the drive circuit, and a power supply control circuit that controls operation of the power supply circuit. The power supply control circuit monitors the drive voltage, stops the power supply circuit and stops supplying the drive voltage when the drive voltage is greater than or equal to a prescribed constant voltage, and activates the power supply circuit and supplies the drive voltage when the drive voltage is less than the prescribed constant voltage. |
| US07944774B2 |
Method for determining adequacy of seismic data coverage of a subsurface area being surveyed and its application to selecting sensor array geometry
A method for marine seismic surveying includes towing seismic sensors in a plurality of streamers in the water, actuating a seismic energy source in the water at selected times and detecting seismic signals at the sensors resulting from the actuation of the source. A data trace is created for each of the detected signals. At least one Fresnel zone is determined for at least some of the seismic data traces. A contribution of each of the traces to each one of a plurality of bins defined in a predetermined pattern is computed, based on the Fresnel zone associated with each trace. Based on the computed contributions, a maximum lateral distance between corresponding seismic sensors is determined that will result in a contribution sum above a selected threshold. |
| US07944772B2 |
Semiconductor memory device and method for generating output enable signal
A semiconductor memory device includes a DLL for detecting a phase difference between an external clock signal and a feedback clock signal to generate a delay control signal corresponding to the phase difference, and delaying the external clock signal by a delay amount corresponding to the delay control signal to generate a DLL clock signal; a clock counter reset signal generator for synchronizing an output enable reset signal with the external clock signal, delaying the synchronized signal by a delay amount corresponding to the delay control signal, and latching the delayed signal in response to the DLL clock signal to output a clock counter reset signal; and an output enable signal generator, reset in response to the clock counter reset signal, for counting the external clock signal and the DLL clock signal to generate an output enable signal corresponding to a read command and a CAS latency. |
| US07944770B2 |
Static random access memory system and control method for static random access memory system
A static random access memory system used within a microprocessor includes a static random access memory array including a plurality of static random access memories, a storage unit configured to store a context ID used in the execution of a program or a process in association with an access pattern of the plurality of static random access memories in the execution of the program or the process, a search unit configured to, every time context switching occurs, search the storage unit for an access pattern that is associated with a context ID corresponding to a context ID of a program or a process to be executed after the context switching; and a power control unit configured to cause a static random access memory to be readable and writable on the basis of the access pattern of the plurality of static random access memories found by the search unit. |
| US07944765B1 |
Programmable logic device with built in self test
In one embodiment of the invention, an integrated circuit such as a programmable logic device includes volatile memory, nonvolatile memory, and a data shift register for reading data from the nonvolatile memory and for reading data from and writing data to the volatile memory. A built in self test (BIST) circuit is operable to test the nonvolatile memory without the data shift register reading data from the nonvolatile memory. The BIST circuit may include a finite state machine for performing at least one of the following tests on the nonvolatile memory: bulk erase, bulk program; margin bulk program; and/or margin bulk erase. A memory controller responsive to the finite state machine is operable to write data to and read data from the nonvolatile memory during testing of the nonvolatile memory. |
| US07944764B1 |
Writing to non-volatile memory during a volatile memory refresh cycle
Writing to non-volatile memory during a volatile memory refresh cycle is described. In one example, a write command is received and data is received to write into a memory cell. The data is temporarily stored in response to the write command. A refresh command is received and the temporarily stored data is written into the memory cell in response to the refresh command. |
| US07944763B2 |
Semiconductor memory device for preventing mal-operation induced by misrecognizing addresses/data as commands and operating method thereof
A semiconductor memory device and an operating method thereof prevent the mal-operation of the semiconductor memory device induced by misrecognizing addresses or data as commands. The semiconductor memory device includes a plurality of input pads, a data information path, a command path, a transfer block configured to transmit signals coupled through the input pads to the data information path and the command path, a command decoding block configured to decode signals transmitted through the command path to verify an inputting of a command, and a transmission control block configured to generate a control signal for controlling the signal transmission from the transfer block to the command path according to the verified result of the command decoding block. |
| US07944761B2 |
Memory device having strobe terminals with multiple functions
A memory device has data transceivers, write strobe transceivers, and read strobe transceivers. The data transceivers transfer input data to the memory device and transfer output data from the memory device. The write strobe transceivers transfer timing information of the input data. The read strobe transceivers transfer timing information of the output data. The memory device also has an auxiliary circuit for generating auxiliary information. The auxiliary information includes information different from the timing information of the input data and the output data. The auxiliary circuit uses the write and read transceivers to transfer the auxiliary information to and from the memory device. |
| US07944760B2 |
Read enhancement for memory
An electronic circuitry is provided for reading out a memory element (ME). The electronic circuitry comprises a first electronic path (IP) being coupled to the memory element (ME), a second electronic path (RP) having predetermined electrical properties, and a basic detection element (BDE) being coupled to the first and second electronic paths (IP, RP) such that the information contained in the memory element (ME) can be determined by the basic detection element (BDE) based on the relation of a digital signal being propagated over the first path (IP) to a digital signal being propagated over the second path (RP). |
| US07944758B2 |
Non-volatile memory device and method for copy-back thereof
A method for performing a copy-back operation in a non-volatile memory device includes: measuring and recording a maximum program voltage used to program a part of target data to copy-back when a copy-back command is inputted; and performing a copy-back operation using the recorded maximum program voltage. |
| US07944757B2 |
Non-volatile multilevel memory cell programming
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods, devices, modules, and systems for programming multilevel non-volatile multilevel memory cells. One method includes increasing a threshold voltage (Vt) for each of a number of memory cells until the Vt reaches a verify voltage (VFY) corresponding to a program state among a number of program states. The method includes determining whether the Vt of each of the cells has reached a pre-verify voltage (PVFY) associated with the program state, selectively biasing bit lines coupled to those cells whose Vt has reached the PVFY, adjusting the PVFY to a different level, and selectively biasing bit lines coupled to cells whose Vt has reached the adjusted PVFY, wherein the PVFY and the adjusted PVFY are less than the VFY. |
| US07944755B2 |
Erase verify in memory devices
In one or more embodiments, methods for erasing memory devices, and a memory system are disclosed, one such method comprising determining which cells of a sample are not erased, either directly or indirectly. The number of unerased cells in the sample can be compared to a threshold. An erase operation can be performed on the memory block responsive to the comparison until the number of unerased cells is less than the threshold. |
| US07944754B2 |
Non-volatile memory and method with continuous scanning time-domain sensing
A page of non-volatile multi-level memory cells on a word line is sensed in parallel by sense amps via bit lines. A predetermined input sensing voltage as an increasing function of time applied to the word line allows scanning of the entire range of thresholds of the memory cell in one sweep. Sensing of the thresholds of individual cells is then reduced to a time-domain sensing by noting the times the individual cells become conducting. Each conducting time, adjusted for delays in the word line and the bit line, can be used to derive the sensing voltage level that developed at the word line local to the cell when the cell became conducting. The locally developed sensing voltage level yields the threshold of the cell. This time-domain sensing is relative insensitive to the number of levels of a multi-level memory and therefore resolve many levels rapidly in one sweep. |
| US07944748B2 |
Erase block data splitting
A Flash memory device, system, and data handling routine is detailed with a distributed erase block sector user/overhead data scheme that splits the user data and overhead data and stores them in differing associated erase blocks. The erase blocks of the Flash memory are arranged into associated erase block pairs in “super blocks” such that when user data is written to/read from the user data area of a sector of an erase block of the super block pair, the overhead data is written to/read from the overhead data area of a sector of the other associated erase block. This data splitting enhances fault tolerance and reliability of the Flash memory device. |
| US07944746B2 |
Room temperature drift suppression via soft program after erase
Providing for suppression of room temperature electronic drift in a flash memory cell is provided herein. For example, a soft program pulse can be applied to the flash memory cell immediately after an erase pulse. The soft program pulse can help to mitigate dipole effects caused by non-combined electrons and holes in the memory cell. Specifically, by utilizing a relatively low gate voltage, the soft program pulse can inject electrons into the flash memory cell proximate a distribution of uncombined holes associated with the erase pulse in order to facilitate rapid combination of such particles. Rapid combination in this manner reduces dipole effects caused by non-combined distributions of opposing charge within the memory cell, reducing room temperature program state drift. |
| US07944745B2 |
Flash memory array of floating gate-based non-volatile memory cells
A flash memory array comprises a plurality of memory cells organized in a matrix of rows and columns. Each of the memory cells includes a floating gate memory transistor having a source region and a drain region, and a coupling capacitor electrically connected to the memory transistor. A plurality of word lines are each electrically connected to the capacitor in each of the memory cells in a respective row. A first set of bit lines are each electrically connected to the drain region of the memory transistor in each of the memory cells in a respective column. A plurality of high voltage access transistors are each electrically connected to a bit line in the first set of bit lines. A second set of bit lines are each electrically connected to the source region of the memory transistor in each of the memory cells in a respective column. Various combinations of voltages can be applied to the word lines and the first and second sets of bit lines in operations to erase, program, inhibit, or read the logic state stored by the memory transistor in one or more of the memory cells. |
| US07944742B2 |
Diode assisted switching spin-transfer torque memory unit
A memory array includes a cross-point array of bit and source lines. A memory is disposed at cross-points of the cross-point array. The memory unit includes a magnetic tunnel junction data cell electrically coupled to a bit line and a source line. The magnetic tunnel junction data cell is configured to switch between a high resistance state and a low resistance state by passing a polarized write current through the magnetic tunnel junction data cell. A transistor is electrically between the magnetic tunnel junction data cell and the bit line or source line and a diode is in thermal or electrical contact with the magnetic tunnel junction data cell to assist in resistance state switching. |
| US07944741B2 |
Apparatus and systems using phase change memories
Apparatus and systems that use phase-change memory devices are provided. The phase-change memory devices may include multiple phase-change memory cells and a reset pulse generation circuit configured to output multiple sequential reset pulses. Each sequential reset pulse is output to a corresponding one of multiple reset lines. Multiple write driver circuits are coupled to corresponding phase change memory cells and to a corresponding one of the reset lines of the reset pulse generation circuit. |
| US07944738B2 |
Spin torque transfer cell structure utilizing field-induced antiferromagnetic or ferromagnetic coupling
A magnetic memory cell including a soft magnetic layer and a coupling layer, and methods of operating the memory cell are provided. The memory cell includes a stack with a free ferromagnetic layer and a pinned ferromagnetic layer, and a soft magnetic layer and a coupling layer may also be formed as layers in the stack. The coupling layer may cause antiferromagnetic coupling to induce the free ferromagnetic layer to be magnetized in a direction antiparallel to the magnetization of the soft magnetic layer, or the coupling layer may cause ferromagnetic coupling to induce the free ferromagnetic layer to be magnetized in a direction parallel to the magnetization of the soft magnetic layer. The coupling layer, through a coupling effect, reduces the critical switching current of the memory cell. |
| US07944736B2 |
Magnetoresistive device
The device comprises two magnetoresistive elements (10, 20) placed relative to each other in magnetostatic interaction in such a manner that a magnetic flux passing between these elements (10, 20) closes through soft ferromagnetic layers (26, 27) of said elements (10, 20). A write device (15) is associated with the elements (10, 20) to control the magnetization of each soft layer (26, 27). A read conductor line (11, 12, 13, 14) is associated with each magnetoresistive element (10, 20) to detect the magnetic state of the soft layer (26, 27) by measuring the corresponding magnetoresistance. The soft ferromagnetic layers (26, 27) of the elements (10, 20) remain oriented substantially in antiparallel relative to each other, while the hard ferromagnetic layers (24) of said elements (10, 20) are oriented substantially in parallel. |
| US07944735B2 |
Method of making a nanotube-based shadow random access memory
Random access memory including nanotube switching elements. A memory cell includes first and second nanotube switching elements and an electronic memory. Each nanotube switching element includes conductive terminals, a nanotube article and control circuitry capable of controllably form and unform an electrically conductive channel between the conductive terminals. The electronic memory is a volatile storage device capable of storing a logic state in response to electrical stimulus. In certain embodiment the electronic memory has cross-coupled first and second inverters in electrical communication with the first and second nanotube switching elements. The cell can operate as a normal electronic memory, or can operate in a shadow memory or store mode (e.g., when power is interrupted) to transfer the electronic memory state to the nanotube switching elements. The device may later be operated in a recall mode where the state of the nanotube switching elements may be transferred to the electronic memory. |
| US07944733B2 |
Static random access memory (SRAM) of self-tracking data in a read operation, and method thereof
A system and method for self-tracking data in a read operation of a SRAM are disclosed. The self-tracking data selection SRAM comprises: a plurality of memory cell arrays, comprising: a plurality of memory cells each generating a first signal and outputting a first read data; a plurality of first buffers each receiving the first signal outputting a second signal; a first multiplexer receiving the plurality of first read data and the first signals; a plurality of second buffers each receiving the second signals and outputting a third signal; and a second multiplexer receiving a plurality of second read data from the plurality of memory cell arrays and outputting a third signals. |
| US07944728B2 |
Programming a memory cell with a diode in series by applying reverse bias
A method of programming a memory cell comprises applying a reverse bias to the memory cell using a temporary resistor in series with the memory cell. The memory cell comprises a diode and a resistivity switching material element in series. The state of the resistivity switching material element changes from a first initial state to a second state different from the first state. |
| US07944724B2 |
Ternary content addressable memory having reduced leakage effects
A column of ternary content addressable memory (TCAM) cells includes a bit line pair that is twisted at a location at or near the center of the column. Data is written to (and read from) TCAM cells located above the twist location with a first bit line polarity. Data is written to (and read from) TCAM cells located below the twist location with a second bit line polarity, opposite the first bit line polarity. As a result, read leakage currents introduced by TCAM cells storing ‘Don't Care’ values are reduced. |
| US07944720B2 |
Semiconductor integrated circuit, PWM signal output device, and power conversion control apparatus
Provided is a control technique of a PWM conversion type power converter capable of compensating for a voltage error due to voltage drop mainly at a switching element and managing a switching time of a PWM signal at the same time, and capable of suppressing increase/decrease of software operation load and addition of a hardware circuit to the minimum. A semiconductor integrated circuit having a PWM signal generating unit which generates a PWM signal is provided with a PWM timer unit including a counter counting a pulse width of a pulse signal inputted from the outside with delay from a PWM signal, a register loading a counter value of the counter in synchronization with the PWM signal, and an A/D converting unit converting an analog signal serving as a source signal of the pulse signal inputted from the outside to a digital signal. |
| US07944714B2 |
Zero voltage switching high-frequency inverter
There is provided a zero-voltage switching high-frequency inverter capable of supplying a current of a large amplitude operation to a load, while suppressing a main switch current. The zero-voltage switching high-frequency inverter according to the present invention comprises: a first switch S1 and a second switch S2 that are connected in series between power sources Ed; a first capacitor C1, an impedance element R, and an inductor element L that are connected in series between a connecting path connecting the first switch S1 and the second switch S2 and one end of the power sources Ed; and a second capacitor C2 connected in parallel to the impedance element R and the inductor element L that are connected in series. |
| US07944712B2 |
Plasma display device
A PDP (plasma display panel) is attached to an electrically conductive board with a heat dissipation sheet sandwiched therebetween. A first driving circuit board is fixed on the electrically conductive board by a plurality of electrically conductive supports. On one surface, which faces the electrically conductive board, of the first driving circuit board, one or a plurality of electronic components are mounted, while a second driving circuit board is fixed. A plurality of support terminals of the second driving circuit board are connected to the first driving circuit board, and the first driving circuit board is attached to the electrically conductive board by the electrically conductive supports. Thus, one surface of the second driving circuit board is in contact with the electrically conductive board. One or a plurality of surface mount components are mounted on the other surface of the second driving circuit board that faces the first driving circuit board. |
| US07944709B2 |
Micro-sensor and manufacturing method thereof
The micro-sensor includes a first circuit substrate and a second circuit substrate. One surface of the first circuit substrate has an image sensing device electrically connected to main printed wires formed by a first wire group and a second wire group. On the other surface of the first circuit substrate has a main connector electrically connected to the second wire group. A plurality of first signal transmission lines connected to the first wire group. The second circuit substrate has a sub-connector that is electrically connected to sub printed wires having an equivalent number as and corresponding to the second wire group. The other end of the sub printed wires is electrically connected to a plurality of second signal transmission lines. Through connecting the connectors respectively disposed in different circuit boards to overcome the difficulty in the manufacturing process of concentrating all devices on a single circuit board. |
| US07944708B2 |
Structured light-emitting module for lighting apparatus
A light-emitting module for a lighting apparatus comprises at least two substrates, each provided with a printed circuit having an LED, and plural matching terminal blocks and buckles so that the substrates can be structured into a planar light-emitting module having a relatively large area by assembly of the terminal blocks and the buckles. The light-emitting module is adaptive to be used in a billboard, a traffic sign, a three-dimensional lighting apparatus or a lighting display screen. |
| US07944706B2 |
Electrical unit for boat and outboard motor
An electrical unit includes one of a large current relay, a circuit protection fuse, and an operation time display section fixed on a circuit board having an external connector. The electrical unit is incorporated in a case having an opening, and the electrical unit is sealed by a sealing resin which fills the case. An operation time display section sealed in the case extends from the sealing resin at the opening of the case. |
| US07944705B2 |
Compatible circuit for integrated circuits and layout method for the same
A compatible circuit for integrated circuits (ICs) includes three input terminals coupled to corresponding pins of an IC, and three function terminals corresponding to the three input terminals. Each input terminal coupled to the three function terminals via three transmission lines, each transmission line has an open segment, and each input terminal is electrically coupled to a corresponding function terminal by selectively mounting a connection component on the open segment of the corresponding transmission line according to a specification of the IC. |
| US07944697B2 |
Electronic equipment
Electronic equipment installed outdoors to house an internal unit is provided, meeting the waterproof standard and having an easily replaceable structure of the internal unit. The electronic equipment has an enclosure having a cover and a case with an opening and an air vent, and an internal unit in which an electronic component is mounted. The internal unit has a heat sink and radiation fins for releasing heat generated by the electronic component. The fins are inserted into the opening. The heat sink has a draining portion formed below the fins in a direction perpendicular to an extending direction of the radiation fins, a groove for waterproofing around the fins except an upper portion thereof, and two protrusions for fitting above the fins. The case has a rib for waterproofing around the opening except an upper portion thereof, and two holes for fitting above the opening. |
| US07944695B2 |
Motor controller
A motor controller which is inexpensive and has high cooling performance by using an extrusion heat sink (1), reducing the number of parts, and reducing the man-hours of assembling is provided. In a motor controller including an extrusion heat sink (1), and a power semiconductor module (4) including a plurality of external electrode terminals which closely contact the extrusion heat sink (1), and a printed circuit board having the plurality of external electrode terminals connected thereto, die-casting frames (2) in which a pedestal (2a) for attaching a motor controller and bosses (2b) for attaching a printed circuit board are molded are provided at both ends of the extrusion heat sink (1). |
| US07944693B2 |
Housing for holding electronic plug-in assemblies
A housing for holding electronic plug-in assemblies having a component installation space open toward the front side of the housing for the plug-in assemblies and a fan space arranged above the component installation space with a cover plate and a lateral air outlet. The fan space contains at least one axial fan with an air outlet on the top side of the fan. The axial fan is arranged in the fan space such that air is drawn out from the component installation space. An air-guiding plate that runs in the direction of the air outlet of the fan space is positioned between the top side of the fan and the cover plate of the fan space. |
| US07944691B1 |
Shock and vibration proof locking handle and pawl assembly
A locking handle and pawl assembly mounted on a removable memory cartridge or RMC and adapted for releasable attachment to a removable memory cartridge bay or RMC bay. The assembly includes a handle with handle base and handle arm extending outwardly therefrom. The handle base includes pin holes and a handle dwell slot. The handle base is pinned to one or two locking members called pawls and pinned between a pair of outwardly extending RMC enclosure brackets on an RMC enclosure or housing. When the handle arm is rotated upwardly, an RMC Bay catch on a cam surface of the pawl(s) is released from a side of a catch opening in the top of the RMC Bay. The upwardly rotation of the handle leverages another feature of the handle called the handle nose against another side of the RMC Bay causing linear movement of the RMC relative to the RMC Bay which disengages the male connector on the RMC's hard disk drive from the female connector on the RMC Bay's printed circuit board allowing for easier removal of the RMC from the RMC Bay while only holding the handle arm with one hand. |
| US07944690B2 |
Housing, electronic equipment, and housing disassembly method
A housing, comprises: a first housing part, one side of which is an opening, including a hook member having a hook at its tip and projected from an inner surface thereof; and a second housing part, one side of which is an opening, having an engagement recess to be engaged with the hook, wherein the openings of the first housing part and the second housing part are closed by engaging the engagement recess and the hook to make a closed space inside, the hook member has a recess to which a release member is insertable from an outer surface of the first housing part, an engagement state of the hook and the engagement recess is released by bending the hook member by the release member inserted into the recess of the engagement recess. |
| US07944689B2 |
Cosmetic computer
This laptop apparatus is built not only with a computer but also with a cosmetic compact. It is complete with makeup and can be matched with any skin type. The compact is mounted at the top of the laptop for easy and quick access. What's so great about this laptop is that it makes traveling a breeze and is fashion forward. Not only can you surf the net, catch up with work, but you can look great doing it. |
| US07944683B2 |
Image display apparatus
An image display apparatus includes a display panel that displays an image, a support unit that supports a rear surface of the display panel, and an exterior member that covers the support unit. The support unit includes a first plate-like member and a second plate-like member having a concave-convex shape, wherein the first plate-like member is fixed to the display panel at a plurality of first fixing portions with bonding members, convex portions of the second plate- like member are fixed to the first plate-like member at a plurality of second fixing portions, and concave portions of the second plate-like member are fixed to a support member at a plurality of third fixing portions. |
| US07944681B2 |
Electrical junction box
This invention provides an electrical junction box that can restrain a temperature from increasing in a casing. An electrical junction box comprises a casing made of a synthetic resin material, a circuit board contained in the casing, semiconductor relay mounted on the circuit board, a bus bar. The bus bar is insert-molded in the casing. The bus bar includes an embedment section embedded in the casing, and a connecting section that is not embedded in the casing and thermally connected to the semiconductor relay. |
| US07944675B2 |
Negative ion generating device for water
A negative ion generating device includes a housing having a number of water flowing passages, a number of electrically conductive boards engaged with sockets of the housing and electrically coupled to negative and conductive electricity respectively and disposed alternatively with each other for generating an electromagnetic field in the water, a copper plate is disposed in the housing and disposed above the electrically conductive boards for attracting and removing positive ions and for generating negative ions, and a processor device coupled to the conductive boards for receiving signals and for controlling the conductive boards. |
| US07944673B2 |
Driving method of electromagnetic valve, electromagnetic valve driving unit and apparatus for coloring electric wire
A coloring apparatus 1 includes a coloring nozzle 31 for spouting a coloring material, a signal generator 53, and a controller 19. The coloring nozzle 31 includes an electromagnetic valve 51. The signal generator 53 outputs signals for spouting the coloring material from the coloring nozzle 31 to both a CPU 62 of the controller 19 and a driving circuit 64. The CPU 62 outputs a signal for keeping the electromagnetic valve 51 open to the driving circuit 64 when a frequency of the signals from the signal generator 53 is higher than a specific frequency. When at least one of the signals from the CPU 62 and the signal generator 53 is inputted, the driving circuit 64 applies a spike voltage A and then applies a hold voltage B to a coil 40. While at least one of the signals from the CPU 62 and the signal generator 53 is inputted, the driving circuit 64 applies a spike voltage A and then continuously applies a hold voltage B to a coil 40. |
| US07944672B1 |
Control device for an actuator
A control device applicable to an actuator and including a voltage detection unit and a limit switch control unit. The control device is inbuilt inside the actuator without any additional control circuit for the control of the limit switches and the detection of the input voltage range. The limit switches are used to limit the travel of an actuating member of the actuator so as to avoid collision of the mechanism. The voltage detection unit serves to detect the input voltage range to control the operation of the actuator. Accordingly, the mechanism or the motor is protected from damage due to excessively low or high input voltage. The limit switches are freely adjustable in position and protected from high current. Therefore, the contacts of the limit switches are not liable to damage and the lifetime of the limit switches is prolonged. The control device further has electronic brake effect. |
| US07944671B2 |
Control apparatus and control method of electromagnetic drive valve operating mechanism
When a target valve timing determined in accordance with the state of operation of an internal combustion engine is acquired, a feed forward control of setting a command timing of a valve body on the basis of the target valve timing and a predicted delay time is performed, and a feedback control of setting the actual delay time in the previous cycle as a predicted delay time for the next cycle is performed. The valve timings (opening, closure) are specified at a timing at which the valve body reached a position that is apart from a pre-determined position on a basis of a buffer height of a buffer mechanism. This makes it to possible to accurately detect the actual delay time in the feedback control, and allows the command timing to be properly set in the feed forward control. |
| US07944665B2 |
Control and protection system for an output of automation equipment
An electric control and protection system for an output channel of automation equipment, the output channel being capable of controlling an electrical load as a function of a control signal from the automation equipment, the control and protection system including: a device that switches the electrical load including an MOS switching transistor, a source of the MOS switching transistor being connected to a positive voltage terminal via a resistor and a drain of the MOS switching transistor being connected to the electrical load, the MOS switching transistor being switchable between an on-state in which the electrical load is connected to the resistor and an off-state. |
| US07944660B2 |
Micro-electromechanical system based selectively coordinated protection systems and methods for electrical distribution
Electrical distribution systems implementing micro-electromechanical system based switching devices. Exemplary embodiments include a method in an electrical distribution system, the method including determining if there is a fault condition in a branch of the electrical distribution system, the branch having a plurality of micro electromechanical system (MEMS) switches, re-closing a MEMS switch of the plurality of MEMS switches, which is furthest upstream in the branch and determining if the fault condition is still present. Exemplary embodiments include an electrical distribution system, including an input port for receiving a source of power, a main distribution bus electrically coupled to the input port, a service disconnect MEMS switch disposed between and coupled to the input port and the main distribution bus and a plurality of electrical distribution branches electrically coupled to the main distribution bus. |
| US07944653B2 |
Self fault-detection circuit for ground fault circuit interrupter
A self fault-detection circuit for a ground fault circuit interrupter comprising: (i) a Metal Oxide Varistor (MOV) fault detection unit for detecting a fault condition of the MOV, and sending a first trigger signal if a fault condition of the MOV is detected, (ii) a trip circuit fault detection unit for detecting a fault condition of a trip circuit, and sending a second trigger signal if a fault condition of the trip circuit is detected; and (iii) a fault reaction unit for receiving at least one of the first trigger signal and the second trigger signal, and responding to the first and second trigger signals with an action, when at least one of the first and the second trigger signals is received by the fault reaction unit, the fault reaction unit indicates that at least one fault condition exists in the ground fault circuit interrupter. |
| US07944647B2 |
Optical path for a thermal-assisted magnetic recording head
An optical path or waveguide for a laser-assisted transducing head is disclosed. The optical path extends between the poles of the transducing head to near the write gap. A solid-state laser is attached to or incorporated into the slider or head and is positioned to direct thermal energy through a waveguide and onto a track of a read/write surface to lower the coercivity of the recording medium to facilitate the write process. |
| US07944644B2 |
Rotating disk storage device having a spoiler
Embodiments of the present invention effectively control utilizing a spoiler, the windage vibration of a magnetic head caused by the airflow generated in accordance with rotation of a magnetic disk, while reducing the dust flowing in on the downstream side of the spoiler. According to one embodiment, a spoiler is provided with wings facing a plurality of magnetic disks and a supporting section for the wings is disposed on the upstream side of a head stack assembly in the airflow direction in accordance with the rotation of the magnetic disks. Further, the wings each extend in a direction from the outer circumferences of the magnetic disks towards the spindle shaft while reducing the width of the wing, and is formed to have the width of the wing in a range of 2.7% through 2.9% of the circumferential length of the magnetic disks in a range of two thirds of the length of the wing in a direction towards the spindle shaft from a region located at the outer circumferences of the magnetic disks. |
| US07944639B1 |
Disk drive adapting equalizer relative to bit error rate of sequence detector
A disk drive is disclosed comprising a disk and a head actuated radially over the disk, wherein the head generates a read signal. A sampling device samples the read signal to generate a sequence of read signal samples, and an equalizer comprising a plurality of coefficients, equalizes the read signal samples to generate a sequence of equalized samples. A sequence detector detects an estimated data sequence from the equalized samples, wherein the sequence detector operates according to a target response comprising a plurality of target values. Control circuitry adapts the equalizer coefficients by computing error values in response to a difference between expected samples and the equalized samples, computing a gradient in response to a correlation of the read signal samples with the error values, and adjusting at least one of the equalizer coefficients in response to the gradient. |
| US07944637B2 |
Polarizing resin lens and process for producing same
A UV adhesive is applied on the rear surface of a polarizing film molding 4 to form a UV adhesive layer 3. The front surface of a lens base 2 is laid on the UV adhesive layer 3 and is glued by UV irradiation to form a laminated lens substrate 5. On the polarizing film molding 4 of the laminated lens substrate 5 is formed a curing resin monomer layer 6, which is cured to integrate the curing resin monomer layer 6 with the laminated lens substrate 5. |
| US07944629B2 |
Camera lens assembly
Disclosed is a camera lens assembly that enables a lens assembly mounted in a digital camera, a mobile communication terminal or the like to be supported in an initial position and to be movable in the direction of an optical axis when the lens assembly is driven. The camera lens assembly includes a lens assembly, a housing for receiving the lens assembly, a driving part retained in the housing for driving the lens assembly in the direction of the optical axis, and one or more resilient supporting parts coupled with the lens assembly for supporting the lens assembly in the housing, wherein the supporting part is elastically deformed when the lens assembly moves in the direction of the optical axis, and wherein the resilient supporting part restores the lens assembly to its initial position. |
| US07944625B2 |
Optical system and image pickup apparatus having the same
An optical system includes a first lens unit, an aperture stop, and a second lens unit having a positive refractive power. In the optical system, the first lens unit includes at least one positive lens made of a material whose Abbe number (νdGP) and relative partial dispersion (θgFGP) satisfy a predetermined condition. |
| US07944624B2 |
Method for homogenizing light
A method of homogenizing light includes the steps of providing a plurality of large diameter lenses selected from a group of lenses consisting of positive or negative spherical, positive or negative cylindrical lenses and positive or negative axicons, selecting a predetermined number of lenses from the group of lenses, segmenting each selected lens in a manner common to all selected lenses, selecting from each lens a predetermined number of lens segments, and arranging the selected lens segments in a predetermined array so that the light passing through each lens segment, when arranged in the predetermined array, recombines at a common plane. |
| US07944620B2 |
Zoom lens
A zoom lens includes a first lens group and a second lens group disposed between the first lens group and an image side. The first lens group has three lenses. Refractive powers of the three lenses arranged from an object side to the image side are respectively negative, negative, and positive. The second lens group has five lenses. Refractive powers of the five lenses arranged from the object side to the image side are respectively positive, negative, positive, negative, and positive. Effective focal lengths (EFL) of the first and the second groups are respectively f1 and f2. The EFL of the zoom lens is fw when the zoom lens is switched to a wide end. The zoom lens satisfies −2.8 |
| US07944601B2 |
Display device
An ornamental display device having an interferometric modulator for displaying an ornamental image. The ornamental device may also have a signal receiver configured to receive an external signal. The ornamental device may further have a processor configured to control an image on the display based on the external signal. The external signal is emitted from a controller configured to control a plurality of ornamental devices to display coordinated images. The ornamental device may have a patterned diffuser formed on a transparent substrate to provide an ornamental image or information. The ornamental device may be a piece of jewelry or an article that may be worn. The image displayed may have an iridescent appearance. A controller may also be used to control images displayed on multiple ornamental device to provide coordinated images based on externals received or pre-programmed images. |
| US07944587B2 |
Image data generation device, image data generation processing program and thermal transfer recording device
An image data generation device is provided with: an image data acquisition unit for acquiring image data; a division unit for spatially dividing the acquired data by a plurality of matrices; a priority order setting element for setting the priority order for performing gradation conversion of picture elements that make up the image data that corresponds to each of the matrices, and sets the priority order so that the priority order becomes lower going from picture elements located in the center of the matrix toward picture elements located on the outside edges of the matrix; a gradation conversion member for performing gradation conversion of the picture elements according to the priority order; and an image data generation unit for generating image data for printing based on a dot pattern that is formed by the picture elements after the gradation conversion. |
| US07944583B2 |
Image processing apparatus and method
The type of profile used in color processing is determined and a calibration method of correcting color reproducibility of an output device is set selectively in accordance with the type of profile determined. In determining the profile type, it is determined whether the profile is a device-link profile. |
| US07944582B2 |
Carriage drive control method and printing apparatus which adopts the method
A carriage drive control method capable of detecting the acceleration of a carriage at low cost, improving external disturbance suppression of the carriage, and thus improving image quality. This method is applied to a printing apparatus which prints by relatively moving on a printing medium a carriage to which a printhead is mounted. In the printing apparatus, the moving velocity of the carriage is detected, the acceleration of the carriage is detected on the basis of outputs from first and second strain gauges which are respectively attached on the two sides of a fixing portion for fixing the carriage on a belt for transmitting a drive force from a carriage motor to the carriage, the carriage velocity is compensated on the basis of the carriage acceleration detected for the detected moving velocity of the carriage, and driving of the carriage motor is feedback-controlled on the basis of the compensated carriage velocity. |
| US07944579B2 |
Apparatus and method for document counting and reporting
A method and a multi-function machine are provided for scanning and counting documents, generating a summary report thereof, and dispatching the summary report to at least one destination. The summary report contains a count of the number of documents scanned or, additionally or alternatively, the number of document sides which contain an image; thumbnail representations of at least one of the scanned pages; and/or metadata. In particular, the multi-function machine includes a scanning assembly; a counting and reporting module configured to count documents scanned by the scanning assembly and to format a report corresponding to the scanned and counted documents, said counting and reporting module further configured to process said report for printing by a printing assembly, for saving to a storage device, and/or for transmitting to a network device or a facsimile device; and at least one processor configured to sense, in accordance with user input, the completion of a document scanning procedure by the scanning assembly, and after the completion of the document counting and scanning procedure, to automatically dispatch said report to recipients in accordance with user selections. |
| US07944575B2 |
Image forming apparatus client/server type information processing system and information processing method
There is described an image forming apparatus that serves as a client in the client/server type information processing system. The apparatus includes a communicating section to communicate with the server; a device information acquiring section to acquire device information for specifying the device; an information storing section to store server information for specifying the server and client information for specifying the client itself; and a control section to transmit the device information, acquired by the device information acquiring section, and the client information, stored in the information storing section, to the server specified by the server information through the communicating section, in order to request the server to send an application program corresponding to the device information back to the client. When the control section receives the application program from the server, the control section develops the application program into the storage so as to make the device available. |
| US07944571B2 |
Image forming device with carbon copy function
Tray information for bth copy is read from a RAM. Next, print data is read from the RAM, and format data corresponding to a macro ID for the bth copy is read from the RAM. Then, image data is generated by combining the print data and the format data. Finally, based on the image data, an image is formed on a recording medium that was supplied from a tray designated by the tray information for the bth copy. |
| US07944570B2 |
Printing workflow server
To keep track of which process each process job currently exits and when it comes in own charge or which job must be processed, it is necessary to use a workflow system on a PC, and this necessitates to move back and force between the PC and the apparatus, thereby leading to the deterioration of the operational efficiency. An object of the invention is to provide a system in which the apparatus and the workflow server are connected, and by moving forward the processing by using the operation unit of the apparatus, the workflow of the operator in the centralized copy room and the print center of the company can be smoothly moved forward. |
| US07944569B2 |
Method and apparatus for imaging three-dimensional structure
An apparatus for determining surface topology of a portion 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. |
| US07944562B2 |
Device and method for the topographical determination of surface properties
The invention relates to a portable device (1) for the determination of surface properties with a measurement apparatus (10) which directly determines locally the topography of a surface (8) under investigation and issues at least one measured value that is characteristic of this local topography, and with a processor apparatus which, taking account of a multiplicity of initial measured values, issues at least one result value characteristic of the global topography of the surface. |
| US07944561B2 |
Measuring an appearance property of a surface using a bidirectional reflectance distribution function
An apparatus for measuring a spatially under-sampled Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) of a surface. The apparatus may comprise a first light source directed to illuminate the surface from a first illumination direction, and a plurality of sensors positioned to receive light reflected by the surface. The plurality of sensors may comprise first, second and third sensors positioned to receive light reflected by the surface in first, second and third non-coplanar directions. In various embodiments, the apparatus may also comprise a computer in communication with the plurality of sensors. The computer is configured to convert light sensed by the plurality of sensors into a first appearance property of the surface considering the first, second, and third reflectance directions. |
| US07944555B2 |
High-speed, rugged, time-resolved, Raman spectrometer for sensing multiple components of a sample and for diagnostics of pathological skin conditions such as cancer
A new architecture for implementing a time-resolved Raman spectrometer is 2-3 orders of magnitude faster than current systems. In one embodiment, the invention employs a rotating optical switch to time multiplex an input signal through multiple band-pass filters and into a single optical detector which is electrically activated only when the filtered input light pulse is about to impact it.Time-multiplexing the input signal through multiple optical filters and time-sequencing the optical detector enables the device to detect and analyze 2-3 orders of magnitude faster than current designs. In one embodiment, the system may be employed for the diagnostics of a pathological condition of skin tissue in patients, such as malignant melanoma or other types of skin cancers and abnormal conditions. |
| US07944554B2 |
Inspection head supporting structure in surface inspecting apparatus and surface inspecting apparatus
A pair of angular contact bearings 20A, 20B are disposed between a bearing house 16b of an inspection head 16 and a head supporting tube 8, and a spacer 25 and a spring bearing ring 26 are disposed between outer races 20o of the bearings 20A, 20B. The spacer 25 and the spring bearing ring 26 are urged by a coil spring 27 toward the side of the outer race 20o. An O-ring 28 is disposed between the spacer 25 and the outer race 20o of the bearing 20B, and the outer circumference of the O-ring is brought into closely contact with the inner circumference of the bearing house 16b. The outer races 20o are constrained by a step part 16f in the bearing house 16b and an end cap 29 screwed into the inspection head 16. Removing the end cap 29 makes it possible to take out the bearing housing 16b and a main shaft part 16c integrally from atop of the bearings 20A, 20B. |
| US07944547B2 |
Method and system of generating 3D images with airborne oblique/vertical imagery, GPS/IMU data, and LIDAR elevation data
This invention relates to a three-dimensional image of ground surface and the method and system that generates the three-dimensional image. Here, a three-dimensional image is an image that has three-dimensional XYZ coordinates in a ground coordinate system for every pixel of the image and the ground surface means the bare-earth surface plus all the objects on the bare-earth surface. The scene covered and represented by such a three-dimensional image is a three-dimensional real world scene where everything visible in the three-dimensional image has three-dimensional coordinates. The three-dimensional XYZ coordinates of all the pixels of a three-dimensional image are attributed by the method and system of this invention for generating three-dimensional images with airborne oblique/vertical imagery, GPS/IMU, and LIDAR ground surface elevation or range data. On such a three-dimensional image, one can make direct measurements of location, length, distance, height, area, and volume and indirect measurements including but not limited to profile and sight of view all in the real world three-dimensional coordinate system. Additionally, application systems that utilize three-dimensional images can make three-dimensional displays or perspective views of the ground surface with fly-through or walk-through, rotations and zoom in and out, and three-dimensional manipulation and simulation of ground surface. |
| US07944537B2 |
Thin film transistor array panel for liquid crystal display
Disclosed is a liquid crystal display capable of high quality image and bright display. Gate signal lines are curved at near switching elements of the liquid crystal display. A pixel area is defined by the gate signal lines and their intersecting data signal lines. Pixel electrodes and common electrodes are disposed along a longitudinal direction of a pixel. A pixel signal and a common signal line is connected to the pixel electrode and the common electrode respectively. A storage capacitor may be formed in the middle of a longitudinal direction of the pixel, or where generally a texture may arise during display. One half of the pixel may be symmetrical with the other half with respect to the storage capacitor. A common signal line may be parallel with the data signal line and be disposed nearer to the data signal line than a pixel signal line. The pixel may be disposed symmetrically with respect to the data signal line therebetween. The pixel shape may also be repeated in the direction of the gate signal line. |
| US07944536B2 |
Reflective bilateral liquid crystal device and electronic apparatus
A liquid crystal device includes a first substrate and a second substrate that face each other, a liquid crystal layer that is interposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, light reflecting films that are selectively provided on the side facing the liquid crystal layer of the first substrate and reflect light entering from the second substrate, light reflecting films that are selectively provided on the side facing the liquid crystal layer of the second substrate, corresponding to the regions of the first substrate where the light reflecting films are not provided and reflect light entering from the first substrate, transmissive electrodes that are selectively provided in the regions of the side facing the liquid crystal layer of the first substrate where the light reflecting films are not provided, and transmissive electrodes that are selectively provided in the regions of the side facing the liquid crystal layer of the second substrate where the light reflecting films are not provided. |
| US07944531B2 |
Liquid crystal panel and liquid crystal display apparatus
There are provided a liquid crystal panel and a liquid crystal display apparatus each having an excellent screen contrast, a small color shift, and small display unevenness. The liquid crystal panel includes a liquid crystal cell, a first polarizer, a second polarizer, a protective layer, a first optical compensation layer and a second optical compensation layer. The protective layer has relationships of 0 nm≦Δnd (550)≦10 nm and 0 nm≦Rth(550)≦20 nm. The first optical compensation layer has an absolute value of a photoelastic coefficient of 40×10−12 (m2/N) or less, and has relationships of Δnd(380)<Δnd(550)<Δnd(780), nx>ny≧nz and 90 nm≦Δnd(550)≦200 nm. The second optical compensation layer has relationships of Rth(380)>Rth(550)>Rth(780) and nx=ny>nz. |
| US07944530B2 |
Optical film, polarizing plate and liquid crystal display device including an optically anisotropic layer formed from a mixture including two or more liquid crystal compounds
An optical film, which is an optically compensatory film that comprises: at least two optically anisotropic layers comprising a first optically anisotropic layer and a second optically anisotropic layer, wherein the first optically anisotropic layer is formed by mixing two or more liquid crystal compounds having different structures with each other. |
| US07944518B2 |
Liquid crystal display device
A liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal display panel, a backlight and a power supply controlling circuit substrate. The backlight has a rectangular shaped frame member with long and short sides, light sources in rod form within the frame member, and first and second electrode supporting members electrically connected to opposite ends of the light sources. A wire guide member is arranged along one long side of the frame member and holds a wire for electrically connecting at least one of the first and second electrode supporting members to the power supply controlling circuit substrate. The wire guide member has a wire securing portion where the wire is secured and a temporary wire securing portion which at least temporarily secures the wire running between the wire securing portion and the power supply controlling circuit substrate. |
| US07944510B2 |
Broadcast receiving apparatus for capturing broadcast signal and method thereof
A broadcast receiving apparatus, and method, for capturing a broadcast signal, the apparatus including a signal processor to receive broadcast signals and process the broadcast signals, a controller to capture a certain frame data from the broadcast signals processed by the signal processor, check an input resolution of the broadcast signals, and decide whether to perform a down-scaling with respect to the captured frame data, a down-scaler to down-scale the frame data which is decided by the controller to be down-scaled, and a storage unit to store the down-scaled frame data. Accordingly, an image can be captured and a captured frame data can be stored without being degraded, preventing memory consumption. |
| US07944508B1 |
Method and system for automatic detection and suppression of cross-luma and cross-color in a component video signal
A method for automatically detecting and suppressing cross-color and cross-luma present in a baseband component video signal includes receiving component pixel data of a current pixel, a first previous pixel and a second previous pixel. First, second and third differences are calculated based on the component pixel data of the current, first previous and second previous pixels, and the presence of cross-luma and/or cross-color is determined for the current pixel based on an absolute value of at least one of the first, the second and the third differences. A per pixel count associated with the component pixel data of the current pixel is determined based on the determined presence of at least one of cross-luma and cross-color, and the component pixel data of the current pixel is modified based on the per pixel count. The modified component pixel data of the current pixel is outputted as a corrected output color video signal, where the corrected output color video signal is substantially without visual artifacts caused by the at least one of cross-luma and cross-color. |
| US07944500B2 |
Image processing system, image capturing apparatus, and system and method for detecting backlight status
An image processing system for properly correcting brightness of a subject area and a background area of a captured image. The image processing system includes an image capturing apparatus, including: an image capturing instruction unit for generating a first instruction signal and a second instruction signal for instructing a capturing of the subject; and an image pick-up unit for capturing a first image of the subject in response to the first instruction signal, and a second image of the subject in response to the second instruction signal. The image processing system also includes an image processing apparatus, including: a backlight status detector for detecting backlight status based on the first image and the second image; and a correction unit for correcting the second image when the backlight status detector detects the backlight status. |
| US07944493B2 |
Solid-state imaging device with specific contact arrangement
In each photosensitive cell, a photodiode 101, a transfer gate 102, a floating diffusion layer section 103, an amplifier transistor 104, and a reset transistor 105 are formed in one active region surrounded by a device isolation region. The floating diffusion layer section 103 included in one photosensitive cell is connected not to the amplifier transistor 104 included in that cell but to the gate of the amplifier transistor 104 included in another photosensitive cell adjacent to the one photosensitive cell in the column direction. A polysilicon wire 111 connects the transfer gates 102 arranged in the same row, and a polysilicon wire 112 connects the reset transistors 105 arranged in the same row. For connection in the row direction, only polysilicon wires are used. |
| US07944491B2 |
Solid-state image-pickup device including unit pixels having a 3-transistor design and wherein a vertical selection pulse provides a reset potential
Since the great number of elements constituting a unit pixel having an amplification function would hinder reduction of pixel size, unit pixel n,m arranged in a matrix form is comprised of a photodiode, a transfer switch for transferring charges stored in the photodiode, a floating diffusion for storing charges transferred by the transfer switch, a reset switch for resetting the floating diffusion, and an amplifying transistor for outputting a signal in accordance with the potential of the floating diffusion to a vertical signal line, and by affording vertical selection pulse φVn to the drain of the reset switch to control a reset potential thereof, pixels are selected in units of rows. |
| US07944489B2 |
Solid-state image-capturing device, driving method thereof, camera electric charge transfer device, driving method and driving device for driving load, and electronic equipment
A solid-state image-capturing device which has built in an image-capturing area including a light receiving element provided on a semiconductor substrate, a substrate bias circuit, and a clamp circuit for receiving output of the substrate bias circuit and applying the output of the substrate bias circuit to the semiconductor substrate in accordance with a substrate pulse, comprises a substrate bias control circuit for controlling so as to reduce an electric current of the clamp circuit during a predetermined period. |
| US07944488B2 |
Defective pixel correction method and system
A defective pixel detection and correction mechanism for use in an image sensor integrated circuit determines whether a current pixel is a defective pixel in a consistent manner from frame to frame. The defective pixel detection and correction mechanism also replaces defective pixels with stable replacement values. The defective pixel detection and correction mechanism has a defective pixel detection mechanism that employs a look-up table with defective pixel locations for providing a non-varying determination of whether a pixel is defective or non-defective. The defective pixel detection and correction mechanism also has a defective pixel correction mechanism that employs a consistent replacement choice facility to provide a previous pixel value in the same frame, on the same row, and a predetermined number of pixels from the current pixel location as a replacement value and a replacement unit (e.g., multiplexer) for replacing the defective pixel value with the replacement value. |
| US07944487B2 |
Image pickup apparatus and image pickup method
The present invention provides an image pickup apparatus and an image pickup method capable of suppressing degradation of the picture quality caused by correction of optical distortion. A distortion correction circuit corrects optical distortion contained in digital image data obtained by photographing conducted via a lens. Correction coefficients (gain) are set by a CPU so as to increase a correction quantity of contour correction as a quantity of correction for the optical distortion increases. Contour correction using the correction coefficients set by the CPU is conducted on the digital image data corrected in optical distortion. |
| US07944485B2 |
Method, apparatus and system for dynamic range estimation of imaged scenes
A method, apparatus, and system for dynamic range estimation of imaged scenes for automatic exposure control. For a given exposure time setting, certain areas of a scene may be brighter than what a camera can capture. In cameras, including those experiencing substantial lens vignetting, a gain stage may be used to extend dynamic range and extract auto-exposure data from the extended dynamic range. Alternatively, dynamic range can be extended using pre-capture image information taken under reduced exposure conditions. |
| US07944481B2 |
Apparatus and method for processing 3D video signal
Provided are an apparatus and method for processing a three-dimensional (3D) video signal which corrects first and second video signals to prevent a reduction in a 3D effect and a disparity estimation error due to a difference between the first and second video signals. The method includes: a video signal detection unit detecting a difference between respective characteristics of received first and second video signals; and a video signal correction unit correcting the first video signal or the second video signal to equalize the characteristics of the first and second video signals. When the apparatus and the method are used, a reduction in the 3D effect and the disparity estimation error due to the difference between the first and second video signals can be prevented. |
| US07944479B2 |
Image-capture apparatus, camera control unit, video camera system, and method of transmitting warning information
An image-capture apparatus having an intercom connecting unit, capable of voice communication with an external camera control unit (CCU) is provided. The apparatus includes a control unit, a warning-sound signal generator, a receiving unit, a voice synthesizer and a transmitting unit. The control unit outputs a warning-command signal when determining that a control-information signal value indicating a state of the apparatus varies from a predetermined standard. The warning-sound signal generator outputs a warning-sound signal corresponding to the warning-command signal. The receiving unit receives a multiplexed signal from the CCU and extracts an intercom-voice signal at the multiplexed signal. The voice synthesizer combines the intercom-voice signal extracted at the receiving unit with the warning-sound signal from the warning-sound signal generator to generate a voice-synthesized signal. The transmitting unit multiplexes the warning-command signal, the control-information signal, and the intercom-voice signal of the image-capture apparatus and transmits a multiplexed signal to the CCU. |
| US07944474B2 |
Image pickup apparatus, image pickup method and program
An image pickup apparatus which includes a camera shake correction mechanism and determines exposure conditions including at least a shutter speed in response to brightness of an image pickup object, including acquisition means, decision means, and setting means. The acquisition means is configured to acquire a focal distance of a lens for converging an optical image of the image pickup object. The decision means is configured to decide a camera shake limit shutter speed corresponding to the acquired focal distance. The setting means is configured to set, where the camera shake correction mechanism is valid, a shutter speed lower than the camera shake limit shutter speed by an amount corresponding to a predetermined difference in exposure value to one end of a setting range of the shutter speed of the exposure condition. |
| US07944473B2 |
Card based image manipulation method with card skew correction
A method of operating a handheld camera comprises sensing an image via an image sensor, controlling the sensing of the image via a camera manager, receiving predetermined data in the form of a card image, the card image read from a card by a card reader, rotating the card image in accordance with a skew of the card with respect to the card reader, manipulating the image via an image processing manager, and controlling printing of the manipulated image via a print manager. |
| US07944472B2 |
System and method for standardized speed-evaluation of athletes
A system and method for standardized speed-evaluation of athletes that uses a photoelectric sensor configuration to create a laser grid by which an athlete's position over time will be monitored during, and analyzed after a test session. The photoelectric laser sensors are configured to establish the athlete's starting and stopping time along with the integrated synchronized video motion sensing. The athlete's motion is processed and transmitted by both a high-speed motion camera and a secondary test camera installed at specified distances. The secondary camera streams video data to the remote viewers in a wide-angle perspective. The athlete's movement is captured on video and transmitted to remote viewers via internet-streaming. |
| US07944471B2 |
Object detecting apparatus and method, program and recording medium used therewith, monitoring system and method, information processing apparatus and method, and recording medium and program used therewith
An object detecting apparatus and method accurately detect an event while reducing power consumption. A photosensor is used to detect an object entering a monitoring region, and a microwave sensor is used to detect the object, which enters another monitoring region. State data representing the state of the object is generated based on detection information obtained by both sensors. |
| US07944468B2 |
Automated asymmetric threat detection using backward tracking and behavioral analysis
A method and system of predictive threat detection is provided which utilizes data collected via a ubiquitous sensor network spread over a plurality of sites in an urban environment. The method includes the steps of: triggering an inquiry regarding a suspect entity at a current site in response to commission of a triggering action by the suspect entity; in response to the inquiry, compiling the data corresponding to the sites at which the suspect entity was detected by the sensor network; and analyzing the data to determine a threat status regarding the suspect entity. |
| US07944465B2 |
Apparatus and system for reproducing 3-dimensional images
This invention enables the construction of equipment for reproduction of static and moving (live) 3-dimensional stereo representations (3-dimensional display), and is capable of recording and transmitting stereo representations of 3-dimensional objects (scenes). The equipment of the present invention provides to the user comfortable conditions for viewing a volumetric representation without eye strain. The viewing of such 3-dimensional images does not require the use of any supplementary means such as glasses, does not drastically limit the position of the viewer with respect to the display, and allows simultaneous viewing of the 3-dimensional display by many viewers from a sufficiently wide field of view. |
| US07944462B2 |
Exposure head, image forming unit, and image forming apparatus
An exposure head includes a light emitting substrate having a transparent substrate, a plurality of light emitting elements that is disposed on one face of the transparent substrate, and one or a plurality of light detecting units that is disposed on the transparent substrate and can detect light emitted from the plurality of light emitting elements and propagating inside the transparent substrate. The light that is emitted from the plurality of light emitting elements and is transmitted through the transparent substrate is projected on an image carrier that faces the plurality of light emitting elements with the transparent substrate interposed therebetween so as to form a predetermined pattern on the image carrier. Inside the transparent substrate, a plurality of reformation points that diffusely reflects light propagating inside the transparent substrate is formed. |
| US07944456B2 |
Content optimization for receiving terminals
The invention discloses a method, server and a computer program for optimizing content delivered to a variety of terminal devices. In the solution disclosed in the invention, a user is able to create exact layouts and optimize the amount of content to different media environments simultaneously. |
| US07944452B1 |
Methods and systems for reusing memory addresses in a graphics system
Methods and systems for reusing memory addresses in a graphics system are disclosed, so that instances of address translation hardware can be reduced. One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a method, which includes mapping a footprint in screen space to a group of contiguous physical memory locations in a memory system, determining a first physical memory address for a first transaction associated with the footprint, wherein the first physical memory address is within the group of contiguous physical memory locations, determining a second transaction that is also associated with the footprint, determining a set of least significant bits associated with the second transaction, and combining a portion of the first physical memory address with the set of least significant bits associated with the second transaction to generate a second physical memory address for the second transaction, thereby avoiding a second full address translation. |
| US07944447B2 |
Adaptive and dynamic text filtering
A device sensor determines an external state of a device. Text to be displayed on a display screen of the device is dynamically filtered based on the external state of the device. |
| US07944446B2 |
Device and method for displaying delay analysis results, and computer product
Fluctuations of cumulative delay value and delay dispersion in a path of a circuit are displayed graphically. Cumulative delay values of circuit elements in the path are obtained from delay analysis results of the circuit and dispersion is obtained from a probability density distribution of the delay of the circuit elements. Corresponding to the location of the circuit element in the path, the former and the latter are plotted on a coordinate plane. |
| US07944444B2 |
3D image processing apparatus and method
A three-dimensional (3D) image processing apparatus and method are provided for use with a 3D image divided into a left-eye image and a right-eye image. The apparatus includes a disparity estimation unit estimating disparities between the left-eye image and the right-eye image; a horizontal movement determination unit determining a horizontal movement value for the left-eye image and the right-eye image using the estimated disparities; and a horizontal movement unit horizontally moving the left-eye image and the right-eye image based on the determined horizontal movement value. In the method and apparatus, a receiving end which receives and displays a 3D image can enhance 3D effects and reduce eye fatigue by adjusting the disparity of the 3D image. |