| Document | Document Title |
|---|---|
| US08266035B2 |
Financial instrument utilizing an optional benefit election
A data processing system for managing an annuity account associated with a first provision entitling a beneficiary to monetary transfers for a duration of time extending for the life of a first designated party and a second provision granting an option to modify the duration of time. The data processing system includes one or more processors and one or more memory devices storing logic. The logic is operable when executed by the one or more processors to determine whether an option has been elected and, based at least in part on the determination, process one or more monetary transfers to the beneficiary. |
| US08266034B1 |
Method, software program, and system for managing debt
In one embodiment, a method for managing variable rate debt in the form of at least one credit issued by a borrower, comprising: budgeting for interest owed on the variable rate debt by the borrower during a time period when an interest rate on the variable rate debt is below a first predetermined low interest rate level; applying at least a portion of any existing current budgetary excess by the borrower to reduce future interest rate risk by performing at least one of i) the early retirement of principal associated with the variable rate debt and ii) the funding of a sinking fund; and applying at least a portion of any accumulated budgetary excess by the borrower during a time period when the interest rate is above a first predetermined high interest rate level to reduce an amount of debt service. A corresponding software program and system are also disclosed. |
| US08266028B2 |
Expense tracking, electronic ordering, invoice presentment, and payment system and method
Systems and methods are described for electronic invoice presentment and payment processing. Requestors may place an order to purchase goods or services from one or more vendors. Invoice processing includes approval routing and dispute resolution. |
| US08266026B2 |
Derivative products
Systems and methods are described for processing and clearing derivatives products with a binary outcome and having a final settlement based on a triggering event. A computer system configured to process and clear derivative products can accept initial and adjusted performance bonds from buyers and sellers, and adjust the market price of the derivative product at intervals. The market price may be adjusted on a mark-to-market basis and through analysis of other information, e.g., the credit rating of a reference entity. As a result of price adjustments, cash flow may be generated between buyers and sellers. The derivative product may pay a predetermined final settlement amount or percentage upon the triggering of a predetermined event. However, upon expiration of the derivative product, the derivative's market price is settled to zero and the agreement is terminated. |
| US08266025B1 |
System and method for assuring the integrity of data used to evaluate financial risk or exposure
A method and system is provided for assuring the integrity of data used to evaluate financial risk or exposure in trading portfolios such as portfolios of derivative contracts by looking for sweeping changes or statistically significant trends suggestive of possible errors. The method and system uses Content Analysis to measure the changes in the information content or entropy of data to detect abnormal changes that may require human intervention. A graphical user interface can also be provided that provides a mechanism for alerting users of possible errors and also gives an indication of the severity of the detected abnormality. |
| US08266023B2 |
Information model for property records management
An information model for a party and property records management system includes a legal party role object for maintaining relationships between objects, such as legal party objects and revenue-object objects, within the information model. A legal party object could have several associated objects, such as an identification number object or a legal party communication object. |
| US08266022B2 |
Risk-cost analysis of currency exposure reduction for currency exposure management
Methods and apparatuses enable companies to analyze potential foreign currency exposure reduction actions. Value-at-risk (VaR) for currency exposures and cost of potential exposure reduction actions are used to order currency exposures representing foreign currency exposure for a company. Currency exposures associated with negative cost actions are ordered based on a ratio of VaR to cost. Currency exposure associated with positive cost actions can also be ordered, either based on VaR or cost. An output representation of the VaR versus accumulated cost is generated from the ordered currency exposures. Additionally, a graphical representation of VaR versus accumulated cost can be generated from plot points based on the ordered currency exposures. The output representation, whether a table, list, or graph, allows comparing potential exposure reduction actions. |
| US08266020B2 |
Methods and systems for collaborative demand planning and replenishment
The present invention provides systems and methods for generating replenishment orders for products sold to a multi-store retailer. Store trait data is mapped with planogram information and the mapped data is used to generate a fixture level safety stock for a particular product in a particular store. The fixture level safety stock triggers fixture level replenishment orders. |
| US08266018B2 |
Methods and apparatus for managing tote orders
Methods and apparatus for managing tote deliveries by a tote delivery service. The tote delivery service directs delivery of items ordered by customers via a network site to delivery addresses corresponding to the customers in reusable totes on upcoming tote delivery days. A user interface to the network site may provide a tote management user interface that includes one or more user interface elements via which a customer may view the customer's upcoming tote orders and modify the content, destination, or scheduling of upcoming totes. For example, the customer may move an item from one tote into another tote, remove or delete an item from a tote, and replicate an item or an entire tote order to another tote. A customer may have multiple tote delivery days and multiple delivery addresses; the tote management user interface enables the customer to manage tote deliveries across time and across location. |
| US08266015B2 |
Inventory sales system and method
A computer system and method of facilitating a sale which permits inventory information to be used in connection with a technology enabled selling (TES) system to facilitate a sale. The inventory information may be used during configuration of an item to be sold to a customer in a manner which allows the sales representative to more easily sell items from inventory if desired. |
| US08266014B1 |
Method and medium for creating a ranked list of products
A shared “universal” virtual shopping cart (“the cart”) may be provided by a host to enable information sharing between multiple disparate electronic marketplaces provided by various merchants. The host may obtain user information via the cart to improve interactions with a user. The host may recommend an item to the user that is offered at a lower price and related to an item retained in the user's cart. The host may also recommend items based on a user's purchase history, such as complementary items (e.g., up-sell items) and items other users may recommend. In some aspects, the host may compile best selling lists based on data from multiple electronic marketplaces. The host may also perform user specific operations such as indicate an item in a cart is a duplicate of a previous purchase and monitor a price and/or available quantities of an item in the cart. |
| US08266004B2 |
Method and system for efficiently relaying merchandise deal through public assessment in on-line market
Provided are an electronic commerce method and system that are capable of collecting information on a variety of goods or quotations in broad, intermediate, and narrow categories corresponding to attributes of goods that a buyer requests according to his or her needs, and managing the information in a database. The method and system are also capable of enabling a buyer to read and refer to quotation history, including quotation requests or process details for goods or services, and suggest appropriate price and conditions in a process of requesting a quotation. The method and system are also capable of enabling a plurality of verified sellers to respond to the quotation request, by storing, processing, and publishing the quotation history, such that the seller can obtain online sales routes at low cost and the buyer can purchase desired goods or services at a better price and under better conditions due to competition among sellers. |
| US08265997B2 |
Method and system for dynamic textual ad distribution via email
A system and method for providing dynamic pay-for-placement advertisements via graphics-enabled email that generates a display of advertisements when the email newsletter is opened so the advertisements displayed are based on rankings at the time the email is opened instead of when the email was generated and transmitted. In one embodiment, a graphical-content email having one or more embedded advertisement image references is provided to one or more email recipients. The advertisement image reference, in one embodiment, may include query string parameters indicating the context of the image reference and/or portion of the image reference (i.e., identifying the image reference as being part of a particular newsletter email), a position of the image reference in the email display, and the like. A URL reference also may be included with each advertisement image reference (.e.g., one URL for each advertisement portion of the image to be retrieved by the advertising image reference). |
| US08265996B2 |
Media play optimization
Systems, methods, and a user interface for automatically scheduling a media play is disclosed. The user can specify criteria for play of the media play, including times, stations, and/or external criteria such as a weather condition or the occurrence of an event. Information relevant to the entered criteria is received and assessed against the criteria to determine if the criteria are met. Responsive to the received information meeting the criteria for play of the media play, an accessor accesses the media play inventory and inserts the media play into a media feed. |
| US08265995B2 |
Predictive geo-temporal advertisement targeting
A method, system, and medium are provided for targeting advertisements to users of mobile devices based on geo-temporal models. Time-stamped location information is collected for a mobile device and a dynamic geo-temporal model is constructed and updated when new data is collected according to a sample design. Using the geo-temporal model, device location and instances of user interaction with the device can be predicted, and advertisements can be provided based on the predicted location. Advertisements can be cached on the mobile device for later presentation, and the sample design can be updated to improve efficiency and accuracy in the modeling system. |
| US08265990B2 |
Method and system for selecting and delivering media content via the internet
A system and method for selecting portions of content, and media content sets to be delivered over a packet based network is provided. The selected portions of content (such as a web page) may be keywords such as a word or a group of words. The media content sets may include one or more of video content (that may include an audio portion), audio content, graphics, images, or other multimedia or single media content. The media content set may include advertising, informational, business, educational, governmental, institutional, customized (e.g., personalized) content and/or other content. According to an example embodiment, the present invention provides a heuristic model employing a piece-wise linear optimization function to select keywords and the media content sets for delivery by a media delivery provider. |
| US08265989B2 |
Methods and apparatus to determine effects of promotional activity on sales
Example systems, methods, processes, and apparatus for determining expected base sales for a product include obtaining sales data for a product sold at a point of sale location. The sales data can be organized in a time series according to a predetermined time period. The method further includes identifying a promotional event for at least one of the product and the point of sale location and excluding sales data corresponding to the promotional event. The remaining sales data is processed using a smoothed moving average model involving a plurality of passes through the remaining sales data. Expected base data for the product is generated based on the smoothed moving average model and output to a user. |
| US08265987B2 |
Road-vehicle communication system
A road-vehicle communication system warns or gives caution to a vehicle traveling in a reverse way direction and may also give warning to vehicles traveling in a correct direction. The road-vehicle communication system includes a first roadside apparatus at an entrance gate that gives entry gate pass information indicating that a vehicle passing a communicative area has entered a toll road. A second roadside apparatus at an exit ramp acquires any given entry gate pass information from a passing vehicle. An administration device judges whether or not the entry gate pass information is acquired from the passing vehicle. If the entry gate pass information is not acquired, the second roadside apparatus provides the vehicle with reverse-way driving warning information for warning the vehicle that the vehicle is traveling in the reverse direction. |
| US08265985B2 |
Automated system and method for managing goals
A goal management system stores at least first and second goals. The goal management system also stores a relationship between the first goal and the second goal. In one aspect, the goal management system detects modification of the first goal and, in response, causes the second goal to be automatically highlighted for alignment verification. In another aspect, the second goal is a parent goal to the first goal, and the relationship is stored as a parent link associating the first goal with the parent goal. The goal management system also stores an owner for the first goal. In response to detecting modification of the parent goal, the goal management system causes the first goal to be automatically highlighted for alignment verification in a display associated with the owner of the first goal, based on the parent link. Additional aspects relate to additional technological solutions which facilitate goal management through, for example, goal alignment. |
| US08265981B2 |
Method and system for identifying a business organization that needs transformation
A method and system for identifying a business organization that needs transformation is provided. In one implementation the method and system may include providing information, such as financial, marketing, and internal information, related to a business organization; determining from the information whether the business organization has had a performance trigger; adding the business organization to a list of transformation candidates if the determination identifies the business organization as having had a performance trigger; and displaying on a display device whether the business organization is a candidate for transformation. |
| US08265979B2 |
Automatic generation of process models
A method for process modeling includes reading a record of executions of a process including at least first and second activities, and identifying in one of the executions in the record respective first and second lifespans of the first and second activities, defined by respective initiating and finish events, such that the initiating event of the second lifespan occurs during the first lifespan. A graphic model of the process is generated, so as to reflect a concurrency of the first and second activities, responsively to occurrence of the initiating event of the second lifespan during the first lifespan. |
| US08265976B2 |
Assessment of skills of a user
A method, operable on a processing device, for assessment of skills of a user may include receiving, by the processing device, an error message reporting an error associated with the user. The method may also include determining, by the processing device, a categorization of the error. Determining the categorization of the error may include assigning one of a plurality of predetermined skill ratings to the user. Each predetermined skill rating may be associated with a predefined condition. The method may additionally include generating, by the processing device, a report for assessment of the skills of the user. The report may include an identification of the user, the error, identification of a system if a system associated error, identification of a product if a product associated error, the categorization of the error and the predetermined skill rating assigned to the user. |
| US08265971B2 |
Method and apparatus for generating profile of solutions trading off number of activities utilized and objective value for bilinear integer optimization models
A method and system of generating at least one of a solution and a profile of solutions for a problem, including trading off a reduction of an objective of the problem against a number of activities utilized in a solution. The method and system further include partitioning activities into known and potential new activities, and generating, via non-linear integer programming, a model comprising a profile of solutions based on the known and potential new activities. |
| US08265965B2 |
Derivative products
Methods, systems and apparatuses are described for processing and clearing derivatives products with a digital outcome and a plurality of constituents. A computer system configured to process and clear derivative products can accept initial and adjusted performance bonds from buyers and sellers, and adjust the market price of the derivative product at intervals. The market price may be adjusted on a mark-to-market basis and through analysis of other information, e.g., a change in credit rating of reference entities of the derivative product. As a result of price adjustments, cash flow may be generated between buyers and sellers (e.g., credit and debit to accounts). The derivative product may pay a percentage of a predetermined final settlement amount upon the triggering of a predetermined event in each of the constituents of the derivative product. However, upon expiration of the derivative product, the derivative's market price is settled to zero and the agreement is terminated. |
| US08265964B2 |
System and method for processing data related to insurance coverage for a plurality of risks
A computer system for processing of data associated with insurance coverage includes a data storage device storing data indicative of: an insured; an aggregate benefit amount, the aggregate benefit amount being a maximum benefit amount payable under the insurance coverage; a first category of health risks; a second category of health risks; a first benefit allocation corresponding to the first category of health risks; and a second benefit allocation corresponding to the second category of health risks; the benefit allocations being fractions of and totaling the aggregate benefit amount. A processor of the system is configured to, responsive to the receipt of data indicative of a claim, determine eligibility for a benefit, and responsive to determining that the insured is eligible, provide output data indicative of a benefit amount, the benefit amount for each of the categories of health risks having a maximum equal to the corresponding benefit allocation. |
| US08265954B2 |
System for communication of health care data
A computer system that extracts health care data from one or more health care payors to identify meaningful relationships or patterns in treatments to compare the effectiveness of various treatment of specific diseases is provided. This computer system includes a computer and a staging database. The computer is configured to communicate with one or more payor computer systems of a type that includes one or more databases storing records of the health care data from one or more payors over the Internet. The staging database is in communication with the computer and is configured to receive the health care data from each of the payor computer systems. The health care data from each of the payor computer systems is configured to be converted into a normalized format. The normalized data is the made available to determine comparative effectiveness of various treatments of specific diseases. |
| US08265951B2 |
Medical inspection aid system, medical inspection aid method and computer readable medium
Adequate use item information and subject's condition criterion information are determined in advance. Actual use item information and actual subject's condition information are inputted. The actual use item information includes information of at least one used medical device and information of at least one used medicine. The actual subject's condition information indicates biological conditions of the subject after conduction of the inspection. The actual use item information is compared with the adequate use item information and the actual subject's condition information is compared with the subject's condition criterion information so that pieces of information with difference therebetween are extracted as difference information. Whether the conducted specific medical inspection was carried out adequately or not is determined based on the difference information. |
| US08265949B2 |
Customized patient surgical plan
Systems, methods, and devices are disclosed which generate surgical plans that have been customized for a particular patient. One such system includes a client, a surgical plan system and a computer assisted orthopaedic surgery system. The client generates a surgical plan request that includes data relevant to a patient and an orthopaedic surgical procedure to be performed upon the patient. The surgical plan system receives the surgical plan request and generates a surgical plan that has been customized based upon the data of the surgical plan request. The computer assisted orthopaedic surgery system assists a surgeon performing the orthopaedic surgical procedure per the surgical plan generated by the surgical plan system. |
| US08265942B2 |
Multi-authoring within benefits content system
Described are methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for multi-authoring within a benefits content management the system. Relationships are defined between content elements of the benefits content system. A first request is received to change a first content element of the benefits content system. Other content elements of the benefits content system having a relationship to the first content element are identified. A user interface is provided on a computing device to enable a user associated with the first request to control access by other users attempting to change one or more of the other content elements having a relationship to the first element while the user associated with the first request is changing the first content element. |
| US08265941B2 |
Method and an apparatus for decoding an audio signal
A method for decoding an audio signal comprises receiving a combined downmix, a combined object information, and a mix information, the combined downmix being generating using at least two downmix signals, the combined object information being made by combination of at least two sets of object information, generating a downmix processing information using the combined object information and the mix information, and processing the combined downmix using the downmix processing information.The method and an apparatus for decoding an audio signal comprising the combined downmix and the combined object information can control object gain and output in a remote conference and so on.The method and the apparatus for decoding audio signal that contains multi-object signals are fast and efficiently by reducing process time, computer resource, thereby relieving the resource requirement like the wide bandwidth by using the combined object information. |
| US08265939B2 |
Hierarchical methods and apparatus for extracting user intent from spoken utterances
A technique for determining intent associated with a spoken utterance of a user comprises the following steps/operations. Decoded speech uttered by the user is obtained. An intent is then extracted from the decoded speech uttered by the user. The intent is extracted in an iterative manner such that a class is determined after a first iteration and a sub-class of the class is determined after a second iteration. The class and the sub-class of the class are hierarchically indicative of the intent of the user, e.g., a target and data that may be associated with the target. The user intent extracting step may further determine a sub-class of the sub-class of the class after a third iteration, such that the class, the sub-class of the class, and the sub-class of the sub-class of the class are hierarchically indicative of the intent of the user. |
| US08265937B2 |
Breathing apparatus speech enhancement using reference sensor
Speech enhancement in a breathing apparatus is provided using a primary sensor mounted near a breathing mask user's mouth, at least one reference sensor mounted near a noise source, and a processor that combines the signals from these sensors to produce an output signal with an enhanced speech component. The reference sensor signal may be filtered and the result may be subtracted from the primary sensor signal to produce the output signal with an enhanced speech component. A method for detecting the exclusive presence of a low air alarm noise may be used to determine when to update the filter. A triple filter adaptive noise cancellation method may provide improved performance through reduction of filter maladaptation. The speech enhancement techniques may be employed as part of a communication system or a speech recognition system. |
| US08265935B2 |
Method and system for media processing extensions (MPX) for audio and video setting preferences
Device independent Media Processing Extension (MPX) data, corresponding to media data, may be decoded by a media rendering device and may be utilized to determine and/or execute processing steps and/or processing parameters for processing the media data. During the processing and/or rendering, processing steps and/or parameters may be dynamically determined and/or adjusted. A user preference profile, media rendering device profile and/or media rendering environment profile may be utilized to generate, store and/or restore MPX data. Furthermore, MPX data that may be input by a user, manufacturer or a vendor, may be stored in a plurality of ways, for example, within a media data file, an external file and/or within an MTP or PTP object property associated the media data. The media data may comprise one or more of video data, still image data and audio data, for example. |
| US08265930B1 |
System and method for recording voice data and converting voice data to a text file
The present invention relates to recording voice data using a voice communication device connected to a communication network and converting the voice data into a text file for delivery to a text communication device. In accordance with the present invention, the voice communication device may transfer the voice data in real-time or store the voice data on the device to be transmitted at a later time. Transcribing the voice data into a text file may be accomplished by automated computer software, either speaker-independent or speaker-dependent or by a human who transcribes the voice data into a text file. After transcribing the voice data into a text file, the text file may be delivered to a text communication device in a number of ways, such as email, file transfer protocol (FTP), or hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP). |
| US08265928B2 |
Geotagged environmental audio for enhanced speech recognition accuracy
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for enhancing speech recognition accuracy. In one aspect, a method includes receiving geotagged audio signals that correspond to environmental audio recorded by multiple mobile devices in multiple geographic locations, receiving an audio signal that corresponds to an utterance recorded by a particular mobile device, determining a particular geographic location associated with the particular mobile device, generating a noise model for the particular geographic location using a subset of the geotagged audio signals, where noise compensation is performed on the audio signal that corresponds to the utterance using the noise model that has been generated for the particular geographic location. |
| US08265927B2 |
Communication system for building speech database for speech synthesis, relay device therefor, and relay method therefor
A relay device 20 duplicates speech data received from a communication terminal that is engaged in voice communication with another communication terminal. The duplicated speech data is transmitted to and is stored at a media processing device 40. Media processing device 40 builds a database for speech synthesis based on the stored speech data. |
| US08265926B2 |
Handheld electronic device and method for disambiguation of compound text input and that employs N-gram data to limit generation of low-probability compound language solutions
A handheld electronic device includes a reduced QWERTY keyboard and is enabled with disambiguation software that is operable to disambiguate compound text input. The device is able to assemble language objects in the memory to generate compound language solutions. The device is able to analyze the combinations of language objects in light of N-gram data stored on the device to avoid proposing low-probability compound language solutions. |
| US08265924B1 |
Multiple language data structure translation and management of a plurality of languages
Techniques are presented for automatic language translation and management. A master language data structure houses information in a base language and houses linkages to the information for translations in a plurality of different languages. The information and translations are created, updated, managed, and distributed from the master language data structure on demand. |
| US08265923B2 |
Statistical machine translation employing efficient parameter training
A statistical machine translation (SMT) system employs a conditional translation probability conditioned on the source language content. A model parameters optimization engine is configured to optimize values of parameters of the conditional translation probability using a translation pool comprising candidate aligned translations for source language sentences having reference translations. The model parameters optimization engine adds candidate aligned translations to the translation pool by sampling available candidate aligned translations in accordance with the conditional translation probability. |
| US08265922B2 |
Method and apparatus for applying translation memory in automatic translation system
A translation-memory application method for automatic translation includes: generating TM-expanded forms by applying TM expansion rules respectively to source sentences whose morphemes have been analyzed; storing in an expanded TM database translated sentences corresponding to the generated TM-expanded source sentences; analyzing morphemes if an input sentence does not match any of the source sentences stored in basic TM database; generating a TM-expanded form by applying pertinent ones among the TM expansion rules to the input sentence whose morphemes have been analyzed; and producing, if the TM-expanded input sentence matches one of the TM-expanded source sentences stored in the expanded TM database, a translated output corresponding to the matched TM-expanded source sentence. |
| US08265921B2 |
Systems and methods for concurrently emulating multiple channel impairments
Systems and methods are provided for concurrently emulating multiple channel impairments. The systems and methods may include storing a plurality of channel impairment profiles, where each channel impairment profile corresponds to a respective channel impairment type; receiving a selection of two or more of the plurality of channel profiles; generating a composite impairment profile by combining the selected two or more channel profiles, the composite profile specifying time-variant impairments, the composite profile reflecting a combination of the respective impairment types of the selected channel profiles; and applying the time-variant impairments specified by the composite profile to an input real-time data stream to generate an impaired real-time data stream, where a timing of the application of the time-variant impairments is based at least in part upon timing data from a real-time clock. |
| US08265916B1 |
Test environment for accumulating cumulative metric data
A method for testing a system under test includes defining a test having a number of test elements where at least one of the test elements corresponds to a simulation model with a metric setting. A test vector is defined for the test, and it is used to determine a number of test iterations. The metric setting of the simulation model is mapped to a test variable, and when the test is run metric data is generated from the simulation model during each test iteration. The metric data generated for each test iteration is accumulated and displayed. |
| US08265913B2 |
Electromagnetic surveying
A method of analysing results from a controlled source electromagnetic survey of a region of interest containing a previously identified geological structure suitable for bearing hydrocarbons is described. The method comprises providing a first survey data set obtained outside the region of interest, i.e. off-target, for a range of source-receiver orientations and offsets, and providing a second survey data set obtained inside the region of interest, i.e. on target, for a range of source-receiver offsets. The method further comprises performing a mathematical inversion of the first survey data set to provide a model of the subterranean strata outside the region of interest, and processing the second survey data set to provide a model of the subterranean strata inside the region of interest, wherein the processing of the second survey data set takes account of the results of the inversion of the first survey data set. |
| US08265912B2 |
Method for modeling a mounting assembly and a mounting assembly
The present disclosure is directed to a computer-implemented method for modeling a mounting assembly having a mounting strap configured to couple a component to a bracket. The method includes modeling a loosened configuration of the mounting strap, wherein the loosened configuration provides a first substantially continuous curvature of portions of the mounting strap engaged with the bracket and the component. The method also includes applying simulated stresses to the mounting strap in the loosened configuration and outputting failure mode information of the mounting strap based on the simulated stresses on the mounting strap. |
| US08265910B2 |
Display of modeled magnetic fields
Methods and systems for modeling and displaying magnetic field intensities during Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) are described, particularly methods and system for modeling and displaying TMS using overlapping magnetic fields to stimulate deep brain regions. |
| US08265907B2 |
System and a method for physiological monitoring
A personal health monitor, including: (a) a physiological data input device operative to gather physiological data; (b) a detachable module that is detachably connected to a multi-purpose personal data accessory, operative to transmit the physiological data to the multi-purpose personal data accessory; and (c) the multi-purpose personal data accessory, whereas the multi-purpose personal data accessory is adapted to execute health monitoring software such as to enable the multi-purpose personal data accessory to receive the physiological data, process the physiological data to provide processed physiological data and control a long range transmission of the processed physiological data to a remote entity. |
| US08265905B2 |
Automated benchmarking of software performance
Methods for automated benchmarking of views of one or more windows of an application. The methods analyzes content of a window to benchmark views in the window automatically once a target application and/or target window have been specified for benchmarking by a user. Benchmarking is performed without requiring the addition or modification of any code in the target application. Views of a window may be analyzed directly through the window or through a view list or view hierarchy associated with the window. In some embodiments, views of a window are benchmarked through the application that creates the window. In some embodiments, a window is benchmarked directly through a resource file that defines the window without use of an application. In some embodiments, the method benchmarks one or more commands of a data file. In some embodiments, one or more introspectable objects in a collection is automatically benchmarked. |
| US08265903B2 |
Method for assessing data worth for analyzing yield rate
A method for assessing data worth for analyzing yield rate includes: getting measured data with data points that corresponds to control variables of semiconductor manufacturing; transforming the data points into a distance matrix with matrix distances corresponding to differences of the data points under the control variables; expressing sample differences recorded in the distance matrix by two-dimension vectors and calculating similarity degrees of the two-dimension vectors and the distance matrix so as to take loss information as a conversion error value; calculating discriminant ability of the transformed two-dimension data and expressing the discriminant ability by an error rate of discriminant; and taking the conversion error value and the error rate of discriminant as penalty terms and calculating a quality score corresponding to the measured data. Thereby, before analyzing the yield rate of semiconductor manufacturing, analysts can determine whether data includes information affecting the yield rate based on the quality score. |
| US08265899B2 |
Automatic procedure for merging tracks and estimating harmonic combs
The present invention relates to the field of data merging, the term “data” encompassing “observation data”. It relates notably to the data obtained from processing of sonar, radar or optronic signals. The subject of the invention is a method for carrying out the spectral merging and characterization of tracks, each track including the data relating to the evolution over time of the bearing position and of the Doppler frequency of an assumed object. This method includes: a first step of merging the initial tracks which correspond substantially to identical observation directions (azimuths); and a second step of frequency analysis of the tracks resulting from merging the initial tracks and of characterizing the merged tracks whose spectrum takes the form of a harmonic comb characteristic of a single real object. The invention finds for example its application in data merging and echo classification, for narrowband passive sonar applications. |
| US08265898B2 |
System and method for verifying a probe tip
A computing system and method verifies a probe tip of a coordinate measuring machine. The computing system simulates a virtual sphere and calculates coordinates of the center of the virtual sphere. The coordinates of first real contact points of the real sphere is obtained to calculate coordinates of the center of the real sphere and coordinates of the ideal contact points of the real sphere. The computing system obtains coordinates of second real contact points of the real sphere is obtained according to the coordinates of the ideal contact points of the real sphere. The radius of the probe tip is calculated according to the coordinates of second real contact points of the real sphere. The computing system determines if the calculated radius of the probe tip falls in an allowable range. |
| US08265896B2 |
Track detection device and track detection method thereof
A track detection device includes an insulating spherical housing including an inner surface, a plurality of electrostatic induction units embedded within the insulating spherical housing and evenly spaced around a center of the insulating spherical housing, a charged ball moveably attracted to the inner surface of the insulating spherical housing, and a processor electrically connected to the plurality of electrostatic induction units. The plurality of electrostatic induction units generate electrical signals when the charged ball rolls along the inner surface at a portion of the insulating spherical housing where the electrostatic induction unit is embedded. The processor is configured for detecting a track of the charged ball moving inside the insulating spherical housing according to the electrical signals. |
| US08265888B2 |
Method and apparatus for enhancing in-situ gas flow measurement performance
An in-situ gas flow measurement controller measures the temperature and rate of pressure drop upstream from a flow control device (FCD). The controller samples the pressure and temperature data and applies the equivalent of a decimating filter to the data to produce filtered data at a slower sampling rate. The controller derives timestamps by counting ticks from the sampling clock of the A/D converter that is sampling the pressure at regular intervals to ensure the timestamps associated with the pressure samples are accurate and do not contain jitter that is associated with software clocks. The controller additionally normalizes the temperature reading to account for power supply fluctuations, filters out noise from the pressure and temperature readings, and excludes data during periods of instability. It calculates the gas flow rate accounting for possible non-linearities in the pressure measurements, and provides the computed gas flow measurement via one of many possible interfaces. |
| US08265884B2 |
Method to measure the elastic modulus and hardness of thin film on substrate by nanoindentation
A method of measuring the elastic modulus and hardness of a thin film on substrate using nanoindentation technique is provided. The method includes calculating a series of experimental corrected stiffness and contact radius pairs associated with one or more presumed parameters and information obtained from a loading curve associated with the thin film and substrate. Also, the method includes calculating a series of theoretical corrected stiffness and contact radius pairs associated with the same one or more presumed parameters and information obtained from the loading curve associated with the thin film and substrate. Furthermore, the method includes using results obtained from the experimental and theoretical corrected stiffness and contact radius pairs to compute the elastic modulus and hardness of the film material. |
| US08265883B2 |
Systems and methods for baseline correction using non-linear normalization
Systems and methods are provided for calibrating emission data or other information signals collected during a polymerase chain reaction (PCR), amplification reaction, assay, process, or other reaction. Calibration of multiple detectable materials can be achieved during a single cycle or run, or during a plurality of runs of the reaction. A reading from every well, container, or other support region of a sample support does not have to be taken. Interpolation can be used to determine values for emission data or other information signals that were not taken, or are unknown, using detected emission data, or other detected information signals. By calibrating the detected emission data and the interpolated data, a more accurate reading of emission data or information signal can be obtained. |
| US08265880B2 |
Gene expression level analyzing method, gene expression level anlayzing program, and gene expression level analyzing device
A gene expression level analyzing method includes the steps of: acquiring expression levels of a plurality of target genes in a target cell every measurement time; extracting a maximum expression level and a minimum expression level from the expression levels of the target genes every measurement time; calculating a correlation coefficient of a frequency distribution of the gene having the maximum expression level at each measurement time and a frequency distribution of the gene having the minimum expression level at each measurement time; and comparing the correlation coefficient with a threshold value of the correlation coefficient. |
| US08265878B2 |
Method for rapid detection and identification of bioagents
Method for detecting and identifying unknown bioagents, including bacteria, viruses and the like, by a combination of nucleic acid amplification and molecular weight determination using primers which hybridize to conserved sequence regions of nucleic acids derived from a bioagent and which bracket variable sequence regions that uniquely identify the bioagent. The result is a “base composition signature” (BCS) which is then matched against a database of base composition signatures, by which the bioagent is identified. |
| US08265875B2 |
Interpolation of periodic data
A method for interpolating data. The method includes receiving data acquired at one or more locations where the data represents subterranean formations in the earth. The method also includes selecting one or more of the locations such that the selected locations are within a vicinity of an interpolation location. Next, the method includes forming a matrix of interpolation coefficients based on a first function having one or more interpolation variables, a bandwidth for an interpolation operator and one or more differences between the selected locations, wherein at least one of the interpolation variables is periodic. The method then includes forming a differences vector based on a second function having the interpolation variables, the bandwidth and one or more differences between the selected locations and the interpolation location. Using the matrix of interpolation coefficients and the differences vector, the method then forms an interpolation operator vector by applying an inverse of the matrix of interpolation coefficients to the differences vector. The method then estimates a data value for the interpolation location using the interpolation operator vector. |
| US08265871B1 |
Mobile record information entry and geotagging
Mobile record information entry and geotagging methods and systems are disclosed. A method for managing an accurate collection of geographical information system (GIS) data over the World Wide Web from a plurality of mobile computing devices operated by different users at various locations in a geographical area is disclosed. A browser may allow a user of a mobile computing device to enter record information associated with businesses based on observations made at different locations and may add geographical tags to the record information to obtain geotagged record information. The geographical tags may include geospatial location information that specifies the current geographical location of a mobile computing device at the time of user entry. GIS data may be updated based on the geotagged record information received from the browser. |
| US08265868B2 |
Broadcast receiver and method of processing data
A broadcast receiver and a method of processing data are disclosed. The broadcast receiver includes a signal receiving unit, a position information module, and a navigation unit. The signal receiving unit receives broadcast signal multiplexed mobile broadcast service data including traffic information and main broadcast service data. The position information module searches and generates a current position information of the broadcast receiver. The navigation unit assigns a weight to each link of a route to a destination based on the current position information received and the traffic information included in the mobile broadcast service data and searches for a bypass route based on the weighted link, and then performs route guidance using at least one of current route and the bypass route. |
| US08265865B2 |
Method for visualizing geographic data
In a method for visualizing geographic data using at least two-dimensional objects, at least one surface of the objects is covered with at least one texture, which texture is dynamically assigned to the at least one surface of the objects as a function of at least one input factor. |
| US08265862B1 |
System, method, and computer program product for communicating location-related information
A system, method, and computer program product are provided for communicating location-related information. In operation, a vehicular assembly is utilized to communicate with a mobile device. Additionally, a location of a vehicle associated with the vehicular assembly is identified, utilizing the vehicular assembly. Furthermore, information based on the location is generated. Still yet, the information is communicated utilizing the mobile device. |
| US08265860B2 |
Stop-start control apparatus for internal combustion engine
The stop-start control apparatus (20) is applied to the spark ignition type internal combustion engine (1), stops the internal combustion engine 1 in a case that a prescribed stop condition is fulfilled, and restarts the internal combustion engine (1) in a case that a prescribed restart condition is fulfilled. The control apparatus cuts spark ignition for the internal combustion engine 1 in response to the fulfillment of the stop condition, and carries on fuel supply to the internal combustion engine (1). When a restart condition is fulfilled after the fulfillment of a stop condition and prior to a complete stop of the internal combustion engine (1), the control apparatus restarts the internal combustion engine (1) by resuming spark ignition for the internal combustion engine (1) in order that fuel supplied after the fulfillment of the stop condition burns. |
| US08265859B2 |
Method and system for pre-ignition control
Methods and systems are provided for mitigating engine pre-ignition based on a feed-forward likelihood of pre-ignition and feedback from a pre-ignition event. In response to an indication of pre-ignition, a cylinder may be enriched while an engine load is limited. The enrichment may be followed by an enleanment to restore exhaust catalyst feed-gas oxygen levels. The mitigating steps may be adjusted based on engine operating conditions, a pre-ignition count, as well as the nature of the pre-ignition. |
| US08265855B2 |
Methods and systems for mobile carbon dioxide monitoring
A telematics device coupled to vehicle onboard computer system calculates carbon dioxide output of the vehicle. The device uses inputs from existing vehicle performance and parameter sensors, such as speed, fuel efficiency, mass air flow and oxygen present in the vehicle's exhaust, to calculate carbon dioxide output. Speed divided by fuel efficiency results in gallons per hour. An emmission factor, EF, multiplied by the gallons per hour results in weight of carbon dioxide produced by the vehicle per hour. Dividing EF by the efficiency results in pounds per mile. Using input from the mass air flow and oxygen sensors, with an approximation of gasoline molecular weight may produce more accurate results without using EF. If the sensors do not provide values in the units needed, a calibration curve for the mass air flow sensor and oxygen sensor may be used. The telematics device can display the results or upload them. |
| US08265851B2 |
Method of controlling engine performance
The present invention provides a method of controlling engine performance that includes obtaining at least one optical wavelength-dependent measurement from at least one combustion event in at least one combustion chamber. The method further includes analyzing the optical wavelength-dependent measurement for determining adjustments to the at least one combustion event. Additionally, the method includes adjusting the at least one combustion event or at least a next combustion event by changing at least one physical parameter, at least one constituent parameter, or at least one physical parameter and at least one constituent parameter to control the engine performance. The engine can include steady-flow engines or periodic flow engines, and the engine performance can be selected by an engine user. |
| US08265850B2 |
Method and apparatus for target vehicle following control for adaptive cruise control
A host vehicle's speed is controlled with a target vehicle following control system when following a target vehicle. The target vehicle following control system monitors a range with respect to a target vehicle and a speed of the host vehicle. The target vehicle following device determines operation of the vehicle based upon a control region by comparing the range and the speed of the host vehicle to a simple sliding surface, which defines a minimum range between the host vehicle and target vehicle and a modified sliding surface, which increases the margin to the simple sliding surface as the speed of the host vehicle increases. The host vehicle has an acceleration determined based on the control region and is used to control operation of the host vehicle. |
| US08265849B2 |
Drive system for electrically driven dump truck
A drive system of an electrically driven dump truck is capable of achieving an operational feeling in which the operation amount of the accelerator pedal is well balanced with the output horsepower of the electric motors, particularly at the time of slow traveling. To achieve this, the target motor output horsepower Pm0 corresponding to the operation amount of an accelerator pedal 1 is calculated. The target motor torque Tr1R, Tr1L is calculated on the basis of the target motor output horsepower Pm0 and the rotational speed ωR, ωL of electric motors 12R, 12L respectively. The acceleration torque limit values of the electric motors 12R, 12L corresponding to the operation amount of the accelerator pedal 1 are calculated, respectively. Then, smaller values are selected, as motor torque instruction values TrR, TrL, between the acceleration torque limit value and the target motor torque Tr1R, Tr1L to control inverters 73R, 73L, respectively. |
| US08265846B2 |
Method for operating a vehicle brake system
A method for reducing or mitigating the effects of vibration in a vehicle brake system, particularly those that can lead to brake groan or other unwanted noise. According to an exemplary embodiment, when the vehicle brake system detects certain vibratory conditions, it makes slight braking adjustments (e.g., adjustments to fluid pressure, brake force, brake torque, etc.) that are aimed to address the brake groan. The vehicle brake system can then determine the effectiveness of the braking adjustments and, if need be, make additional braking adjustments. The method is particularly well suited for use with brake-by-wire systems, but can be used with a number of different vehicle braking systems. |
| US08265845B2 |
Right-left driving force control system
A right-left driving force control system includes: a selecting unit which: selects an adjusting unit adjusting distribution of a driving force between right and left wheels, when a shifting direction in which the driving force is shifted between the wheels and which is related to a control amount is the same as a first direction towards one of the wheels which has a larger speed; selects a limiting unit adjusting a differential action limiting force, when the shifting direction is the same as a second direction towards one of the wheels which has a smaller speed, and a difference between the wheel speeds is equal to or larger than a threshold value; and maintains the adjusting unit or the limiting unit, which has been selected, when the shifting direction is the same as the second direction, and the difference between the wheel speeds is less than the threshold value; and a control unit which controls the adjusting unit or the limiting unit, which is selected or maintained by the selecting unit, based on the control amount. |
| US08265840B2 |
Control device for automatic transmission
A control device for an automatic transmission is disclosed wherein a shift point depending on a variation in vehicle acceleration is modified on a real time basis in accordance with not only a corrected result on a shift point depending on piece-to-piece variations of automatic transmissions, but also actual acceleration for shortening a time required for learning with high precision with no need to be matched. Shift point real-time modifying means is provided for modifying the altered shift point based on a value of a ratio between a value of actual engine-rotation acceleration at an upshift-determining timing during a power-on running and a value of reference engine-rotation acceleration obtained by substituting a value of actual engine-rotation acceleration to a value for a reference running state having no impact on acceleration of a vehicle, and a target maximum engine rotation speed. |
| US08265837B2 |
Positive open grain saving unloading system
An unloading system for an agricultural harvesting machine for reducing grain loss by detaining a grain saver door after movement to a fully open position during the unloading process, and by rapidly returning the door to a closed position with sufficient force for urging grain in the door area back into an unloading tube a predetermined time after the unloading process pauses or ceases. The system can advantageously detain the door in the open position in the presence of varying or reduced amounts of grain for increasing consistency and cohesiveness in the flow discharging grain and reduce the amount of grain remaining near a discharge end of the unloading tube when the door is in the closed position. |
| US08265836B2 |
Load weight measuring device for a multi-stage mast forklift truck
A load weight measuring device for a multi-stage mast forklift truck has a mast assembly, an oil passage, a flow regulator valve, a pressure sensor, a detecting device, a memory, a selector, and a calculator. The mast assembly has a lift bracket for receiving a load weight, a multi-stage mast unit having masts, and a multi-stage lift cylinder unit having lift cylinders each having an oil chamber for raising the lift bracket along the masts. Hydraulic oil flows in the oil passage. The pressure sensor detects a pressure of hydraulic oil and outputs a pressure signal. The detecting device detects a state which stage of the lift cylinder raises the lift bracket and outputs a detection signal. The memory stores predetermined parameters from which the selector selects the parameter based on the detection signal. The calculator calculates the load weight based on the selected parameter and the pressure signal. |
| US08265834B2 |
Sensor system for vehicle
A sensor system has object detection sensors 4 which are mounted on door mirrors 2 and have a parking space search mode for searching for an object within ranges extending laterally from a vehicle 14, and a vehicle monitoring mode for searching for an object in rear lateral sides of the vehicle 14 by folding and retracting the door mirrors 2; and a control section 7 for causing the object detection sensors 4 to be driven when the vehicle 14 travels at a speed equal to or less than a prescribed value, and for making a search frequency of the object detection sensors 4 higher in the parking space search mode than in the vehicle monitoring mode. |
| US08265832B2 |
Vehicle comprising a spring-mounted vehicle seat and a spring-mounted vehicle cab, and suspension method
There is described a vehicle comprising a spring-mounted vehicle seat (3; 13) in a spring-mounted vehicle cab (2; 12), wherein the vehicle seat (3; 13) is spring-mounted by means of at least one first spring element (24) and/or one first damping element (25) relative to the vehicle cab (2; 12) in the vehicle height and/or vehicle length and/or vehicle width direction, and the vehicle cab (2; 12) is spring-mounted by means of at least one second spring element (15) and/or second damping element (14) relative to a vehicle frame (11) in the vehicle height and/or vehicle length and/or vehicle width direction, comprising a control device (34) which, as a function of a first measured acceleration value of an excursion of the vehicle frame (11), causes a first application of force for regulating the excursion of the first spring element (24) and/or damping element (25) and a second application of force for regulating the excursion of the second spring element (15) and/or the functional element (14), in mutual dependence on one another. A method for the suspension of such a vehicle is also described. |
| US08265830B2 |
Steering control method, steering control device, and watercraft
A watercraft includes an operating method in which a present steering wheel rotational angle is detected, and a steering wheel rotational angle variation is calculated by subtracting a steering wheel rotational angle in a preceding control period from the steering wheel rotational angle. Next, a steering angle ratio is set. A target steering angle variation is calculated by multiplying the steering wheel rotational angle variation by the steering angle ratio. Finally, a target steering angle in a present period is calculated by adding the target steering angle variation to a target steering angle in a preceding control period. A steering device is steered based on the target steering angle. The operating method operates to prevent a rider of a watercraft from feeling uncomfortable in the watercraft which has an electric steering mechanism when either a steering wheel or a steering device is turned in a state when a power supply is turned off or a case when steering wheel rotational angles of a plurality of operating stations differ from each other. |
| US08265825B2 |
Suspension system
A suspension system including: (a) a vibration obtaining device configured to obtain vertical vibration of each of at least one of a sprung portion and an unsprung portion of a vehicle; (b) a processing device configured to subject the obtained vibration to a phase advance processing, and having a plurality of characteristics different from each other with respect to a degree by which a phase of the obtained vibration is advanced; (c) a characteristic selector configured to select one of the plurality of characteristics, based on frequency of the obtained vibration of each of at least one of the sprung and unsprung portions, whereby the obtained vibration is subjected to the phase advance processing that is performed in accordance with the selected one of the plurality of characteristics of the processing device; and (d) a suspension controller configured to control a suspension disposed between the sprung and unsprung portions, based on the vibration subjected to the phase advance processing. |
| US08265822B2 |
In-vehicle equipment control device and in-vehicle equipment setting method using the device
A disclosed in-vehicle equipment control device “S” includes input units 2 and 3 for increasing and decreasing a set value of in-vehicle equipment, and a set value increase/decrease halting unit 13 for stopping the increase/decrease of the set value when the set value reaches a prescribed value after being increased and decreased by the input units 2 and 3. Further, the in-vehicle equipment control device “S” may further include a set value increase/decrease resuming unit 14 for resuming increasing or decreasing the set value when an input of the input unit 2 or 3 is continued after the increase or decrease of the set value is stopped by the set value increase/decrease halting unit 13. |
| US08265818B2 |
Open architecture command system
A command and control system is provided including a core unit, with a processor and a map display engine. The core unit is configured to exchange information with a multi-domain heterogeneous unmanned vehicle command and control module, a multi-sensor command and control module, and an asset tracking module. The asset tracking module estimates a location of an indeterminate object. A control unit exchanges information with an input device. A detecting unit detects modules that are associated with the core unit. A subscription unit logs parameters associated with the detected modules and determines types of data to send to the detected units based on the parameters. A script unit receives and implements command and control scripts for the detected modules. A display output provides display information of a combined representation of information from the detected modules and map information, including locations of the vehicles and sensors under control and the estimated location of the indeterminate object. |
| US08265817B2 |
Inertial measurement with an imaging sensor and a digitized map
The present invention relates to a system and method for determining vehicle attitude and position from image data detected by sensors in a vehicle. The invention uses calculated differences between the locations of selected features in an image plane and the location of corresponding features in a terrain map to determine the attitude of the vehicle carrying the sensors with respect to a ground frame of reference. |
| US08265813B2 |
Method and control architecture for optimization of engine fuel-cutoff selection and engine input torque for a hybrid powertrain system
There is provided a method and article of manufacture for operating an internal combustion engine adapted to transmit torque to a hybrid transmission. The method comprises determining an engine input torque transmittable to the hybrid transmission for a plurality of engine states, the engine states comprising a fueled-engine operation and an engine fuel-cutoff operation. Costs are determined costs for operating the engine and hybrid transmission in the engine states to substantially meet an operator torque request. The engine state is controlled to one of the fueled-engine operation and the engine fuel-cutoff operation based upon the costs. |
| US08265806B2 |
Method for updating meteorological information for an aircraft
Described is a method of updating meteorological information for an aircraft, which includes automatically providing a request by an on board computer (FMS, flight management system) for the meteorological data so as to anticipate the updating of the latter as soon as an update is available. This automation allows the crew to have the data ready for display and use without waiting, to reduce and smooth the workload of the crew by anticipating the request and the processing of these data, and to limit the potential confusion associated with the receipt, hitherto verbal, of the ATIS (Air Traffic Information Service) information. |
| US08265795B2 |
Mass flow controller
To improve PI performance of a mass flow controller, the mass flow controller changes a proportional coefficient, an integral coefficient, and a derivative coefficient used for PID operation in a stable state based on at least two out of a primary pressure, a time change amount of the primary pressure, and a flow rate set value. |
| US08265794B2 |
Knowledge based valve control method
A method associated with a valve controller configured to capture dynamic process conditions for monitoring, diagnosing and maintaining a valve assembly through knowledge-based valve performance criteria. The method includes determining the open and closed positions of a process valve. Measuring the peak torque value required by an actuator to open and close the process valve. Measuring the supply and exhaust pressure required by an actuator to open and close the valve. Determining a deviation zone associated with the peak torque value to open the valve where an alarm is triggered when the torque value falls outside the deviation zone. Creating the dynamic baseline over Nth process cycles when the valve is installed in-line. |
| US08265790B2 |
Method and system for planning/guiding alterations to a bone
A computer-assisted surgery system for planning/guiding alterations to a bone in surgery, comprises a trackable member adapted to be secured to the bone. The trackable member has a first inertial sensor unit producing orientation-based data for at least two degrees of freedom in orientation of the trackable member A positioning block is adapted to be secured to the bone, with at least an orientation of the positioning block being adjustable once the positioning block is secured to the bone to reach a selected orientation at which the positioning block is used to guide tools in altering the bone. The positioning block has a second inertial sensor unit producing orientation-based data for at least two degrees of freedom in orientation of the positioning block. A processing system providing an orientation reference associating the bone to the trackable member comprises a signal interpreter for determining an orientation of the trackable member and of the positioning block from the orientation-based data. A parameter calculator calculates alteration parameters related to an actual orientation of the positioning block with respect to the bone as a function of the orientation reference and of the orientation of the positioning block. |
| US08265785B2 |
External load port magazine and storage system and method of using same
An external load port magazine for use with a storage unit includes a casing detachably mountable on an exterior of the storage unit and defining therein a space for holding at least one item to be loaded into the storage unit. An opening is formed in the casing for enabling automatic withdrawal or insertion of the at least one item from or into the space when the casing is mounted on the exterior of the storage unit. A mechanism is provided for moving the at least one stored item towards the opening. |
| US08265781B2 |
Monitoring unit for a device for manipulating containers
A device for manipulating containers, comprising a manipulation unit manipulating the containers in a predetermined manner, this manipulation unit including at least one condition detection unit which detects at least one operating condition of the manipulation unit and sends out condition signals which are characteristic for this operating condition of the manipulation unit, and including a monitoring unit for monitoring the manipulation unit, the monitoring unit including a visual display device for displaying information as well as a storage device in which presentation data for components of the manipulation unit is deposited. According to the invention, the monitoring unit includes an image manipulation unit which as a response to emitted condition signals provides image sequences on the basis of presentation data stored on the storage device, which image sequences may be output via the display device. |
| US08265779B2 |
Automatic backlash estimation
A method is disclosed for automatic estimation of backlash in a control system which includes a controller and a process to be controlled, wherein said controller is capable of performing integrating control of said process using one or more controller parameters to control a process output signal of said process with respect to a setpoint value thereof. The method involves monitoring said process output signal to determine a value reflecting momentary differences between setpoint value and actual value of said process output signal during a time interval; and estimating the backlash from said determined value and said one or more controller parameters. |
| US08265778B2 |
Event prediction using hierarchical event features
Event prediction using hierarchical event features is described. In an embodiment a search engine monitors search results presented to users and whether users click on those search results. For example, features describing the search result events are universal resource locator prefix levels which are inherently hierarchically related. In an embodiment a graphical data structure is created and stored and used to represent the hierarchical relationships between features. An online training process is used in examples which enables knowledge to be propagated through the graphical data structure according to the hierarchical relations between features. In an example, the graphical data structure is used to predict whether a user will click on a search result and those predictions are used by the search engine to rank search results for future searches. In another example the events are advertisement impressions and the predictions are used by an online advertisement system. |
| US08265777B2 |
Pervasive model adaptation: the integration of planning and information gathering in dynamic production systems
A computer-based method and system for pervasive model adaptation are provided. The method includes providing a production plan to a production system, executing the production plan in the production system, collecting observation data produced by at least one sensor in the production system during execution of the production plan into computer memory, calculating changes to be made to a system model in the computer memory based on the collected observation data, dynamically updating the system model according to the calculated changes, creating an updated production plan based at least partially on the dynamically updated system model, and storing the updated production plan within the computer memory. |
| US08265773B2 |
Electrode assembly having a flexible tip
A cochlear implant electrode assembly device comprising an elongate electrode carrier member, a stiffening element, and a stiffening sheath that at least partially envelops the elongate member. The member is made of a resiliently flexible first material and has a plurality of electrodes mounted thereon. The member has a first configuration that allows it to be inserted into an implantee's cochlea. The member also has a second configuration wherein the member is curved to match an inside surface of the cochlea, and at least one intermediate configuration between the first and second configurations. Both the stiffening element and sheath are made of a material that is relatively stiffer than the member. The stiffening element and the stiffening sheath in combination bias the elongate member into the first configuration. If either the stiffening element or the stiffening sheath is removed or deactivated, the elongate member adopts an intermediate configuration. |
| US08265770B2 |
Driver circuitry switchable between energy transfer and telemetry for an implantable medical device
An external device, charge, system and method for an implantable medical device having therapeutic componentry, a secondary coil operatively coupled to the therapeutic componentry and an internal telemetry coil. A primary coil is capable of inductively energizing the secondary coil when externally placed in proximity of the secondary coil. An external telemetry coil is capable of communicating with the internal telemetry coil. Driver circuitry is selectively operatively coupled to the primary coil and to the external telemetry coil. The driver circuitry is switchable between (1) driving the primary coil for inductively energizing the secondary coil and (2) driving the external telemetry coil for communicating with the internal telemetry coil. |
| US08265766B1 |
Methods and systems of automatically detecting an impedance of one or more electrodes in a cochlear implant system
Methods and systems for automatically detecting an impedance of one or more electrodes in a cochlear implant system include providing an implantable cochlear stimulator coupled to one or more electrodes, generating an electrical stimulation current with the implantable cochlear stimulator in accordance with stimulation parameters, automatically detecting an impedance of at least one of the electrodes in accordance with a predefined schedule, and performing a predefined action in accordance with the detected impedance. |
| US08265761B2 |
Cranial-electro stimulator
A method of reducing muscle pain in a person by removably attaching an electrode to each ear on a person's head and connecting the electrodes to receive a modified pulse signal from a computer or a digital port. The signal from the computer or the digital port are rectangular voltage pulses of “1s” and “0s” at varying frequencies. The rectangular pulse signal from the computer or digital port is modified to have at least the leading square corner of each rectangular voltage pulse rounded before it is sent to the electrodes. A method of randomizing the stimulus at about 100 Hz for improved sleep and an alternate method of randomizing stimuli for the neurological reduction of perceived pain and a similar method for reducing pain output from a muscle and its associated tissues directly. |
| US08265760B2 |
Devices and methods for treatment of heart failure and associated conditions
Devices and methods of use identification, treatment, and/or management of heart failure and/or associated conditions. Methods may include providing a baroreflex therapy system, providing an implantable measurement device proximate a blood vessel of a patient, the implantable measurement device including a plurality of electrodes, determining an impedance of the blood vessel with the implantable measurement device over a time period of at least one cardiac cycle, generating at least one signal representative of a pressure waveform based on the impedance, activating, deactivating or otherwise modulating the baroreflex therapy system to deliver a therapy to treat heart failure based at least in part on the at least one signal representative of the pressure waveform. |
| US08265757B2 |
Regulatory compliant transmission of medical data employing a patient implantable medical device and a generic network access device
Various embodiments concern a method which may include communicating medical information between a PIMD and an interface module via a first channel in compliance with a predetermined medical information regulatory standard, preventing access to the PIMD via the interface module other than through the first channel, detecting a communication protocol used by an available generic network access device, selecting a communication protocol rule set from a plurality of communication protocol rule sets to effect communication between the interface device and an available generic network access device of a plurality of generic network access devices, and transferring at least some of the medical information to the remote network via a second channel established between the interface module and the available generic network access device using the selected communication protocol rule set. |
| US08265753B2 |
Data-driven pattern detection of implantable medical device data
Detecting patterns in sensed implantable medical device (IMD) data is described. One implementation involves an IMD that includes a data-driven pattern detection network embodied on the IMD to detect a pattern from sensed patient data. The IMD also includes one or more algorithms embodied on the IMD to utilize the pattern to effect patient therapy. |
| US08265746B2 |
System and method for providing feedback control in a vestibular stimulation system
A method is generally described which includes a method for altering a user's motional response to sound. The method includes receiving a sound produced by a sound device capable of producing sound and the sound device in communication with a sound data source. The sound data source includes information associated with at least one set of sounds. The method also includes detecting movement by a feedback sensor device and compared to information from an information source including information associated with at least one characteristic of the at least one set of sounds, and the comparison information being provided to a control program, the control program having a control algorithm configured to generate control data based on the comparison. Further, the method includes receiving current, by a vestibular system, from electrical contacts coupled to a current source, the current delivered being based on the control data and output control signals. Further still, the method includes causing alteration of the created movement in response to the current. |
| US08265744B2 |
Systems and methods for performing surgical procedures and assessments
The present invention involves systems and related methods for performing surgical procedures and assessments, including the use of neurophysiology-based monitoring to: (a) determine nerve proximity and nerve direction to surgical instruments employed in accessing a surgical target site; (b) assess the pathology (health or status) of a nerve or nerve root before, during, or after a surgical procedure; and/or (c) assess pedicle integrity before, during or after pedicle screw placement, all in an automated, easy to use, and easy to interpret fashion so as to provide a surgeon-driven system. |
| US08265742B2 |
Method, computer program, and system for automated real-time signal analysis for detection, quantification, and prediction of signal changes
A method, computer program, and system for real-time signal analysis providing characterization of temporally-evolving densities and distributions of signal features of arbitrary-type signals in a moving time window by tracking output of order statistic filters (also known as percentile, quantile, or rank-order filters). Given a raw input signal of arbitrary type, origin, or scale, the present invention enables automated quantification and detection of changes in the distribution of any set of quantifiable features of that signal as they occur in time. Furthermore, the present invention's ability to rapidly and accurately detect changes in certain features of an input signal can also enable prediction in cases where the detected changes associated with an increased likelihood of future signal changes. |
| US08265737B2 |
Methods and devices for identifying overdetection of cardiac signals
Methods, systems, and devices for signal analysis in an implanted cardiac monitoring and treatment device such as an implantable cardioverter defibrillator. In illustrative examples, sensed data including detected events is analyzed to identify likely overdetection of cardiac events. In some illustrative examples, when overdetection is identified, data may be modified to correct for overdetection, to reduce the impact of overdetection, or to ignore overdetected data. |
| US08265735B2 |
Apparatus and method for imaging anterior eye part by optical coherence tomography
An optical coherence tomography (OCT) anterior eye part imaging apparatus includes a tomographic image obtaining unit obtaining a tomographic image of an anterior eye part of subject's eye in a depth direction by optical coherence tomography, an imaging unit imaging a frontal image of subject's eye, a display unit displaying the image of subject's eye, a corneal apex location detecting unit detecting a location of subject's eye, an alignment unit moving an apparatus body relative to the holder so that the location of corneal apex corresponds with a predetermined image obtaining location, a designating unit designating an area or a location where the tomographic image is obtained on subject's frontal image displayed on the display unit, and a scan line setting unit setting a scan line in the tomographic image obtaining unit on a straight line passing the corneal apex according to the designated area or location. |
| US08265733B2 |
Injector and method for facilitating imaging of a patient
To facilitate imaging of a patient two different image recording methods are to be carried out at the same time. An auxiliary fluid, for example a contrast medium or a tracer, may be introduced into the body in each image recording method. The invention proposes mixing the two auxiliary fluids in situ immediately before dispensing to the patient. For this purpose it provides an injector with which the auxiliary fluids may be mixed and supplied to the patient. Devices for controlling dispensing of fluid from containers connected to the injector to produce a mixed solution may be electronically controlled by a control unit which calculates the total quantities, and optionally sub-quantities, of auxiliary fluids, which are used for a mixed solution, before activating the devices. |
| US08265731B2 |
Apparatus and method for aligning a light pointer with a medical interventional device trajectory
A pointing light device includes a light pointer, such as a laser pointer; and an elongated pointing member detachably associated with the light pointer. The pointing member contains at least two bead-like members. Also, a method for aligning a light pointer with a predetermined medical interventional device trajectory. The method includes attaching a pointing member to an output end the light pointer to form a movable pointing light device; imaging two or more bead-like members of the pointing member to create live projection images or shadows in the live projection image; projecting at least first and second points associated with the predetermined medical interventional device trajectory onto the live projection image; and moving the pointing light device until the live projection images of the two members are aligned with corresponding ones of the projected first and second points in the live projection image. |
| US08265730B2 |
Assessing the condition of a joint and preventing damage
Methods are disclosed for assessing the condition of a cartilage in a joint, particularly a human knee. The methods include converting an image such as an MRI to a three dimensional map of the cartilage. The cartilage map can be correlated to a movement pattern of the joint to assess the affect of movement on cartilage wear. Changes in the thickness of cartilage over time can be determined so that therapies can be provided. Information on thickness of cartilage and curvature of cartilage or subchondral bone can be used to plan therapy. Information on movement pattern can be used to plan therapy. |
| US08265729B2 |
Third party acquisition of images at the direction of an independent imaging application
A system and method for capturing and displaying images in an ordered manner. An image progression description (IPD) is generated using an imaging software application (ISA). The IPD defines an ordered sequence of image acquisition instruction sets (IAIS) and an image display layout (IDL). The ordered sequence of IAIS is transferred to a portable image acquisition device (PIAD) which reads and sequentially displays the ordered sequence of IAIS. A plurality of images is acquired using the PIAD in accordance with the ordered sequence of IAIS. The plurality of images are transferred back to the ISA and are displayed according to the IDL. |
| US08265727B2 |
Surgical vaporization electrode with an electrode head
A surgical vaporization electrode (1) including an electrode head (2) which in turn is fitted with a functional surface (6) and which is connected at a minimum of one connection site (10) to a feed conductor (3) enclosed by an insulating sheath (4), is characterized in that the surface zone (7) of the electrode head (2) surrounding the connection site (10) is fitted with a ceramic covering (8). |
| US08265725B2 |
Signal processing for continuous analyte sensor
Systems and methods for dynamically and intelligently estimating analyte data from a continuous analyte sensor, including receiving a data stream, selecting one of a plurality of algorithms, and employing the selected algorithm to estimate analyte values. Additional data processing includes evaluating the selected estimative algorithms, analyzing a variation of the estimated analyte values based on statistical, clinical, or physiological parameters, comparing the estimated analyte values with corresponding measure analyte values, and providing output to a user. Estimation can be used to compensate for time lag, match sensor data with corresponding reference data, warn of upcoming clinical risk, replace erroneous sensor data signals, and provide more timely analyte information encourage proactive behavior and preempt clinical risk. |
| US08265721B2 |
Biasing apparatus
An apparatus including a first housing; a second housing slidably connected to the first housing along a substantially straight linear path between a first position and a second position; and a biasing system configured to alternatively bias the second housing towards the first position and the second position. The biasing system includes a linkage connected to the first and second housings and a spring connected between the first housing and the linkage. |
| US08265720B2 |
Sliding device for cellular phone
Disclosed herein is a hinge device for a cellular phone, which has no device housing and thus, can achieve a greater slimness of the cellular phone and reduce the generation of a noise during a sliding operation of a slide body included in the cellular phone. The hinge device includes a first push rod connected to a main body of the cellular phone and having a pin and a pin hole, and a second push rod connected to a slide body of the cellular phone and having a pin and a pin hole. The pin of the first push rod is penetrated through the pin hole of the second push rod, and the pin of the second push rod is penetrated through the pin hole of the first push rod. A spring is provided around each pin. |
| US08265719B2 |
Link mechanism
The present invention concerns a portable electronic apparatus, such as a mobile phone, having an upper part being moveable in relation to a lower part of the apparatus. The movement of the upper part may both be a sliding and a tilting movement. The sliding movement is controlled by means of a sleeve and a guide placed in the upper part of the apparatus. The sleeve is connected to the lower part by means of pair of links at opposite sides of the apparatus. The links are received at opposite ends of each sleeve at fulcrums at the sleeve and lower part, respectively. The links are designed and positioned to give self-locking in at least three distinct positions of the upper part of the portable electronic apparatus in relation to the lower part of the apparatus. |
| US08265716B2 |
Mobile terminal device
A mobile terminal device including a movable side housing includes a movable side front case and a movable side rear case providing an LCD module is provided. The mobile terminal device includes a fixed side housing connected to the movable side housing with a connecting hinge, a frame member integrally fitted on a peripheral portion of the movable side front case, a display panel provided on the frame member by adhering to a peripheral portion of the frame member with double-sided adhesive tape, and a dust-proof sheet member in contact with the frame member, and positioned to an upper surface of the LCD module. |
| US08265715B2 |
Dustproof structure for slide type electronic device and slide type electronic device
There are a first packing 31 and a second packing 32 for covering and sealing a first opening portion 11a and a second opening portion 12a other than a groove portion 31a and a groove portion 32a for leading an FPC 20. The first packing 31 and the second packing 32 wipe surfaces of the FPC 20 corning in and going out of the groove portion 31a and the groove portion 32a by sliding operation of a second frame 12. |
| US08265712B2 |
Multiradio power aware traffic management
A system for managing the operation of a plurality of radio modules integrated within the same wireless communication device. In at least one embodiment of the present invention, time may be allocated for use in communicating over one or more wireless communication mediums. This time may be allocated based on a determination that a maximum power usage threshold will not be exceeded, and that potential communication conflicts may be avoided, over a period of time. The allocation may result in an operational schedule that may be utilized by radio modules in the wireless communication device that support the one or more wireless communication mediums. |
| US08265709B2 |
Single user input mechanism for controlling electronic device operations
A unique input mechanism for controlling several operations of an electronic device is provided. Using the unique input mechanism, which may be the single input mechanism for providing user inputs to the electronic device, a user may provide different inputs or combinations of inputs to control different operations based on the current mode or capacity of the electronic device. For example, a single, short click of a button may control a media operation (e.g., play/pause) in a media mode, and the same input may control a telephony operation (e.g., initiate/terminate call) in a telephony mode. In some embodiments, different inputs may be associated with different types of operations. The unique input mechanism may include, for example, a button, a switch, a key, or an actuator. |
| US08265704B2 |
Character input method of mobile terminal
A mobile terminal includes a display screen to display a screen image of a particular character and a virtual keypad, and to detect touch inputs; and a controller to detect a first touch input of touching the particular character and a second touch input of touching a particular key of the virtual keypad, and to control display of display characters on respective key buttons of the virtual keypad, the display characters having at least one attribute of the particular character, if the first and second inputs are a multi-touch. Because a font of particular character is applied to the display character of the virtual keypad or to a newly input character, characters or numbers can be easily input using the display screen of the mobile terminal. |
| US08265699B2 |
Feedback generation in multiple antenna systems
A quantized multi-rank beamforming scheme for multiple-antenna systems such as a multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) wireless downlink. User equipment (UE) estimates downlink channel and transmit power and determines rank and power allocations. A quantized beamforming matrix is then determined by the UE using successive beamforming. The UE also determines channel quality indices (CQI) which it feeds-back to the wireless downlink base station along with the index of the quantized beamforming matrix. The base station uses the CQI information to select a UE for scheduling of downlink transmission and the quantized beamforming matrix index received from the selected UE to beamform the downlink transmission to the UE. Base station overhead and is minimized while providing near-optimal performance given the constraints of a limited feed-back channel and computational complexity of the UE. |
| US08265696B1 |
Digital telecommunication system
A digital telecommunications system wherein the telecommunications centers of the calling and called terminal are arranged to perform handshaking concerning the speech codec used by the terminals. Depending on the link between the telecommunications centers, the telecommunications centers are arranged to connect call connections past a transcoder unit or to control the transcoder units to let encoded speech through without speech encoding operations in such a way that speech encoding and decoding are carried out only in the terminals. Handshaking between the telecommunications centers is carried out as outband signalling. |
| US08265694B2 |
System and method for storing contact information in document processing devices
The subject application is directed to a system and method for obtaining address data from a portable device to a document processing device. An address book, including address entries accessible via the document processing device, is stored in a data storage associated with a document processing device controller. Selection data is then received from an associated user, following which an address entry is retrieved from the address book. Document processing operations are then commenced in accordance with the retrieved address entries. A portable telecommunication device, proximate to the document processing device, is then discovered via a wireless transceiver. The portable device includes an integrated data storage containing contact data of contact information for contact destinations. After discovery, a data connection is established with the portable telecommunications device over which contact data is received. An entry is then added into the address book corresponding to the received contact data. |
| US08265691B2 |
Enhanced wireless handset, including direct handset-to-handset communication mode
A wireless handset is provided with enhanced features and capabilities. The wireless handset may be embodied as a full-featured handset that is capable of operating either within a wireless network (such as a cellular or PCS network) or in a direct handset-to-handset communication mode that is independent of the wireless network. Alternatively, the wireless handset may be embodied as a special purpose handset, that is capable of simply operating in a direct handset-to-handset communication mode. The wireless handset may additionally include features for supporting and enhancing direct communication between handsets. Such features may include a find feature that permits a user to determine which objects, including other wireless handset users, are located within a predetermined operating range of the wireless handset. A memorize feature may also be provided to permit handsets and other objects exchange information by wireless transmission. |
| US08265687B2 |
Electronic apparatus and control method of same
A mobile phone or other electronic apparatus capable of displaying a bearing and non-contact communication using electromagnetic waves wherein when detection processing of geomagnetism by a geomagnetism sensor and non-contact communication processing using electromagnetic waves are carried out at the same timing, measures are taken since there is a possibility that the geomagnetism detected by the geomagnetism sensor is not correct due to the influence of the electromagnetic waves. Further, when the detection processing of the geomagnetism by the geomagnetism sensor and the non-contact communication processing using electromagnetic waves are carried out at the same timing, bearing processing based on a detection signal of the geomagnetism sensor is restricted or the non-contact communication processing is restricted. |
| US08265686B2 |
System and method for sharing images using an upload menu
There is disclosed a system and method for uploading an image file to an image repository from a mobile handheld communications device having an integrated camera. In an embodiment, the method comprises: upon determining capture of an image using the integrated camera, automatically initiating an image upload module; configuring the image upload module to display an image upload user interface having user selectable image upload settings; and upon receiving user instructions, uploading the image file to the image repository with the selected image upload settings. The upload settings may be preselected and the device may be preauthorized to access an account on the image repository. |
| US08265685B2 |
Method and user equipment in a communication network
The invention relates to a user equipment (600) comprising a receiving unit (606) arranged to receive, when the user equipment (600) is in idle mode, data from a base station indicating an identification of a second cell of a second frequency, a control unit (610) arranged to determine, based on the received data, that the user equipment (600) is not allowed access to the second cell, and, upon determination that the user equipment is not allowed access to the second cell, to perform a cell selection process to change from a present camped first cell of a first frequency to a third cell of a third frequency being different than the first frequency. |
| US08265681B2 |
Outer loop transmit power control in wireless communication systems
Outer-loop power control methods and apparatus are disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment, a short-term block error rate is measured for a received signal, and a coarse adjustment to a target signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) is calculated as a function of the short-term block error rate, a target block error rate, and a first loop tuning parameter. In some embodiments, a fine adjustment to the target SIR is also calculated, as a function of a smoothed block error rate, the target block error rate, and a second loop tuning parameter. The coarse adjustment provides quick responsiveness to received block errors, while the fine adjustment moderates the coarse adjustments by accounting for a longer-term view of the received block error rate. The target SIR adjustments disclosed herein may be computed in each of several iterations of an outer-loop power control loop. |
| US08265678B2 |
Adaptive application data packaging to improve packet efficiency in a fixed frame packet communication system
A method (400) of communicating data and a communication device (104) that communicates data. At least a first portion of the data can be encoded into at least one frame (202, 204, 208, 210) having a first bit length, and encoding at least a second portion of the data into at least one frame (206, 212) having a second bit length. The method also can include placing the at least one frame having the first bit length and the at least one frame having the second bit length into an adaptive data packet (108) having a fixed bit length and a fixed number of frames. The adaptive data packet can be communicated to a communication device (106). |
| US08265673B2 |
Short message distribution center
A message distribution center (MDC) is interposed between content providers and a wireless carrier to subjectively examine and direct messages via SMTP based on desired rules (e.g., non-peak hours, paying subscribers only, etc.) using standard SMTP Gateway and other well-known protocols. The MDC includes a queue for each subscriber. A provider is informed through conventional SMTP protocol messages when a short message has been accepted. If the carrier has specifically disallowed service for a particular MIN, the content provider is informed through an SMTP interchange that the recipient is invalid. An MDC provides a single mechanism for interacting with subscribers of multiple carriers, regardless of each carrier's underlying infrastructure. An MDC can protect a carrier's SS7 network by intelligently throttling messages and configuring network friendly message delivery parameters. A content provider preferably communicates with the MDC using SMTP protocol messages. The MDC preferably communicates with wireless carriers using RMI/SMPP techniques. |
| US08265663B2 |
Messaging services for pre-pay users
A communication system providing messaging services can have a receiving unit configured to receive a request to send a message, an authorization unit configured to authorize the sending of the message in response to the request, and a transmitting unit configured to transmit the authorization to send the message. |
| US08265662B1 |
Data mode paging in wireless communication networks
What is disclosed is a method of operating a wireless communication system which includes a base station and a wireless communication device in communication over a voice communication link and a data communication link. The method includes, in the wireless communication device, receiving a first page over the voice communication link. The method also includes, in the wireless communication device, entering into a data-only communication mode over the data communication link, where the voice communication link is not monitored by the wireless communication device when in the data-only communication mode, and transferring a page halt message to the base station upon entry into the data-only communication mode, where the page halt message indicates the wireless communication device is halting receipt of further pages over the voice communication link. The method also includes, in the base station, if the page halt message has been received and upon receipt of a second page for delivery to the wireless communication device, transferring the second page over the data communication link. |
| US08265661B2 |
Methods and systems for idle mode operation in multi-mode mobile stations
Certain embodiments of the present disclosure provide techniques for a multi-mode mobile station to establish paging intervals in different radio access technology (RAT) networks in an effort to avoid consecutive collisions between paging intervals of a first and a second network. |
| US08265660B1 |
Incoming call processing for mobile stations currently in an access state or paging state
Methods are described for handling an incoming call at a mobile switching center when the mobile station is currently in either an access state (in the process of making an outgoing call) or in a paging state (in the process of receiving an earlier incoming call). The mobile switching center waits until the mobile station transitions out of the access state or paging state into a traffic state. The mobile switching center sends an alert message to the mobile station alerting the user of the new incoming call. The mobile switching center handles the incoming call per a response to the alert message. One option would be to send the new incoming call to the user and drop the other incoming call (or the outgoing call). Another option would be to direct the incoming call to voice mail. In either case, the handling of the incoming call is per the user's direction, i.e., as dictated by the response message. |
| US08265657B2 |
Method and system for device discovery in a wireless video area network
A method and system for device discovery in a wireless network is provided. The device discovery involves directionally transmitting a data unit from a transmitting station over a channel in different directions to emulate omni-directional transmission, receiving the data unit transmissions from different directions at a receiving station, determining the quality of the transmissions received from the different directions, and detecting location information for the transmitting station relative to the receiving station based on the highest quality transmission among the transmissions received from the different directions. Further, if a channel has sufficient bandwidth to satisfy direct link communication between two stations, then during a direct link set-up stage, the two stations conduct a probing message exchange using omni-direction transmission, and upon successful probing, obtain communication link status information and set proper communication configurations for the two stations based on the communication link status information. |
| US08265656B2 |
Positioning technique
A technique for positioning a target object in a wireless communication environment. A data model models several sample points. Each sample point includes a location and a set of expected signal values therein. A set of relevance indicators indicates one or more sets of relevant sample points, which are subsets of the sample points in the data model. Signal values are observed at the target object's location. Based on the signal value observations and the set of relevance indicators, a current set of relevant sample points is determined and used, along with the signal value observations, to estimate the target object's location. Computational burden is reduced because sample points not included in the current set of relevant sample points can be omitted from calculations. |
| US08265655B2 |
Procedure to increase position location availability
A device, method and system are provide which permits the methodology used to make the position determination to change dynamically in connection with achieving a position fix of a desired accuracy. |
| US08265651B2 |
System and apparatus for integrated wireless location detection
An apparatus, system and method are provided for integrated wireless location detection. The system includes a location detection (LD) transmitter that transmits first and second radio frequency signals in first and second formats, respectively. First and second LD receivers, respectively, receive the first and second signals and determine first and second information relating to a location of the LD transmitter. An LD server wirelessly receives the first and second information and calculates the location of the LD transmitter from one of the first and second information. The LD server may receive a signal indicating a preferred one of the first and second information and calculate the location from the preferred one of the first and second information. |
| US08265649B1 |
Method and system for location determination in a composite wireless/landline communication system
A method and system for determining reporting the location of an originating telephone device. A location interoperability platform receives a signaling message from a switch, reflecting a call request from an originating device and carrying data indicating whether the originating device is a landline device or a wireless device. If the data indicates that the originating device is a landline device, then the location interoperability platform invokes a landline location-determination process to determine the location of the originating device. On the other hand, if the data indicates that the originating device is a wireless device, then the location interoperability platform invokes a wireless location-determination process to determine the location of the originating device. The location interoperability platform may then report the determined location to the called party, to help facilitate a location-based service such as emergency response. |
| US08265647B2 |
Communication terminal and device
The present invention enables assignment to a terminal a sub-band having satisfactory communication quality. A reference-signal reception unit receives from a terminal a reference signal spreading over sub-bands. A communication-quality measurement unit measures the communication quality of each of the sub-bands on the basis of the reference signal. A sub-band assignment unit assigns one of the sub-bands to the terminal on the basis of the communication quality, for the terminal to perform wireless communication with the communication device. A reference-signal transmission unit transmits to the communication device a reference signal spreading over the sub-bands. A sub-band-assignment-information reception unit receives information on one of the sub-bands which is assigned to the terminal by the communication device on the basis of the reference signal. A data transmission unit transmits data to the communication device through the sub-band assigned to the terminal. |
| US08265645B2 |
Assigning an access channel based on a timer in a wireless communication system
In a communication system, a wireless access node receives an access request from a wireless communication device. In response, the access node starts an access timer and transfers signaling to the communication system indicating the access request. If the access timer expires before a response to the signaling is received, then the access node provides the wireless communication device with wireless access to the communication system. The access node receives the response to the signaling. If the response is negative and is received before the access timer expires, then the access node denies the access request. If the response is negative and is received after the access timer expires, then the access node terminates the wireless access to the communication system for the wireless communication device. |
| US08265641B2 |
Wireless communication device configured to enter an active state based upon a detection of a potential request for communication session resources
Embodiments are directed to determining whether one or more physical user interactions are present, at a wireless communication device, that indicate a near-future potential communication session resource request. Before the determination, a communication interface of the device is in a dormant state characterized by the device not being permitted to engage in a communication session with a wireless communication network. The device transitions the communication interface, after the determination, from the dormant state to an active state. In the active state, the device performs one or more actions to reduce a delay associated with a transmission of the potential communication session resource request in the event that the potential communication session resource request is actually transmitted by the device. For example, in the active state, the device can power-up or wake-up a radio bearer or modem to reduce a delay before transmission of the potential communication session resource request. |
| US08265639B2 |
System and method for modulation scheme changes
A system and method are disclosed that allow changes of a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) without overhead signaling. A priori, a network device and a user device know the manner in which the MCS will be changed. In one embodiment, the network device indicates the MCS to be used to decode a second portion of a message in a first portion of the message. In another embodiment, the user device blind detects the MCS used over a sub-set of MCSs. |
| US08265637B2 |
Systems and methods for modifying antenna radiation patterns of peripheral base stations of a terrestrial network to allow reduced interference
A wireless communications system may include a terrestrial network including a plurality of base stations providing communications service for radioterminals over a terrestrial network coverage area. The plurality of base stations may include interior base stations providing communications service for radioterminals in an interior portion of the terrestrial network coverage area and peripheral base stations providing communications service for radioterminals at a peripheral portion of the terrestrial network coverage area. At least one of the peripheral base stations provides transmissions directed toward an interior portion of the terrestrial network coverage area with greater power than transmissions directed away from interior portions of the terrestrial network coverage area. Related methods are also discussed. |
| US08265634B1 |
Wireless spectrum valuation
A wireless spectrum valuation system receives input data. The system processes the input data to identify and display a geographic area with a population density greater than the population density threshold. The system calculates and displays a number of cell sites required for an initial deployment in the identified geographic area and calculates a first number of subscribers per cell site. If the first number of subscribers per cell site is greater than a cell site utilization threshold, then the system calculates and displays an additional number of cell sites required for the initial deployment and recalculates a number of subscribers per cell site. The system calculates a number of carriers required per cell site, calculates a cost for the initial deployment, and calculates and displays a value of a wireless spectrum. |
| US08265632B2 |
Radio communication system, movement management method, management apparatus, and base station apparatus
A radio communication system includes a plurality of base station apparatuses. In the radio communication system, the communication areas of the plurality of base station apparatuses are connected in a loop to form a borderline separating the inside and the outside of a management area. The radio communication system detects a mobile terminal which enters the management area by crossing the borderline on the basis of communication between the base station apparatuses and a mobile terminal. |
| US08265631B2 |
Mobile communication method and mobile station
A mobile communication method according to the present invention includes: transmitting, from a mobile station, a retransmission-control applied dedicated physical data channel to which a retransmission control processing is applied and which is configured not to contain any transmission data blocks, when there is no transmission data block that should be transmitted, at a predetermined cycle, with a transmission power having a predetermined offset relative to a transmission power of a dedicated physical control channel; generating, by a radio base station, transmission power control information for controlling a transmission power of the dedicated physical control channel, by a closed-loop power control based on a reception quality of the dedicated physical control channel, and by an outer-loop power control based on a reception quality of the retransmission-control applied dedicated physical data channel, and transmitting the transmission power control information to the mobile station; and determining, by the mobile station, the transmission power of the dedicated physical control channel, based on the transmission power control information, and transmitting, from the mobile station, the dedicated physical control channel to which the re-transmission control processing is not applied with the determined transmission power. |
| US08265630B2 |
Antenna adaptation to manage the active set to manipulate soft hand-off regions
A method of managing the number of base station engaged in soft hand-off in a mobile communication system. The method involves manipulating a subscriber based directional antenna so as to control the number of base transceiver stations, pilot channels, beacon signals or other signals detected to be used in soft hand-off processing. The adaptive antennas are modified to manage the number of active set members, such as by manipulating direction, beamwidth, or other antenna parameters. |
| US08265628B2 |
Method and apparatus for seamless handover in a wireless communication network
In a wireless communication network where base stations receive protocol data units (PDUs) from mobile stations for decompression and deciphering for ordered, sequential transfer as service data units (SDUs) to an associated core network, the teachings presented herein provide a method of supporting seamless handover of a mobile station from a source base station to a target base station. By way of example, the teachings herein apply to a network based on the E-UTRA specifications, as promulgated by the 3GPP. However, that example is non-limiting, as the teachings herein apply to any network that employs in-sequence data delivery and duplicate data detection at handover. Broadly, the source base station forwards out-of-sequence SDUs and corresponding sequence number information to the target base station in support of seamless handover, and the target base station uses that information to request retransmissions as needed for packet reordering. |
| US08265626B2 |
Method of setting up connection in a communication system, radio network controller, and communication system
A method of setting up a connection in a communication system is provided, wherein the communication system includes a user equipment (UE). The present method includes following steps. When a first radio resource control (RRC) connection request message is received from the UE, whether the first RRC connection request message has been received before is determined. If the first RRC connection request message has been received, a first RRC connection setup message is sent back to the UE. If the first RRC connection request message has not been received, whether there is an accessible Femto access point (FAP) near the UE is further determined. If there is the accessible FAP near the UE, a first RRC connection reject message is sent back to the UE. If there is no accessible FAP near the UE, the first RRC connection setup message is sent back to the UE. |
| US08265623B2 |
Radio communications system, and base station apparatus and mobile radio terminal apparatus employed in the system
The present invention relates to a system conducting multi-carrier communications between a base station and a plurality of mobile terminals. When a transmission format of an individual information channel transmitted from the base station to the mobile terminals is output over a control channel from the base station to the mobile terminals, the transmission is conducted over the control channel of the same chunk as the chunk used in the individual information channel. |
| US08265622B2 |
Method and saving entity for setting service
A service setting method and a service setting saving entity are disclosed in order to solve the problem that it is impossible to perform distinctive settings according to the equipments in a scenario that one user has several equipments. The method includes the following steps: a service setting saving entity receives user setting information, a user identifier, user equipment (UE) setting information, and UE identifiers uploaded by user terminals (UTs) of the same user, and the service setting saving entity bindingly saves the user setting information and the user identifiers, and bindingly saves the UE identifier and the UE setting information of the same UT. Due to the corresponding binding saving, the equipments can be set distinctively. |
| US08265621B2 |
Wi-Fi based geo-location connectivity
A wireless device capable of matching a user with content based on the user's proximity to other users, by searching for a match between profiles of wireless devices within a wireless coverage area. Wireless devices broadcast profiles within a wireless coverage area. Other wireless devices within the wireless coverage area receive the broadcasted profiles, determine a match between the received profile and a profile stored on the wireless device, and display a match indicator if a match is determined. In this manner, a user having a wireless device may be matched with content based on the user's proximity to other users. |
| US08265618B2 |
Mobile service maintenance management
Disclosed is a method and system for managing inconsistencies between a radio communications network and a network database. In one aspect, the system is informed of one or more inconsistencies and various decisions are made as to what actions to take. One possible action is to simply inform a network operator of the discrepancy. Another possible action is to determine which network elements are affected by the inconsistency and to update the network database in relation to those network elements to compensate for the inconsistency. |
| US08265616B2 |
System and method for traffic routing
The present invention provides a system and method for traffic routing. An embodiment includes an engine for identifying groupings of subscriber stations within a particular ISP. The engine can also obtain a block of contiguous addresses for assignment to the subscriber stations. The addresses are assigned from the block to each of the subscriber stations in substantially contiguous sub-blocks based on the groupings. The groupings can be geographic or based on other desired criteria. |
| US08265615B2 |
System apparatus and method for updating communication services
A system for updating communication services includes user equipment configured to communicate using a first communication service standard and a second communication service standard, a subscriber database, an application server, and a network device. The network device detects an update trigger corresponding to a user equipment, requests that the user equipment discontinue using the first communication service standard, and flags the user equipment as updated by communicating with the application server and the subscriber database. The network device also receives a communication from the user equipment and determines whether the communication corresponds to the first communication service standard or the second communication service standard. If the communication corresponds to the first communication service standard the network device communicates an error message to the user equipment. However, if the communication corresponds to a second communication service standard, the network device processes the communication. |
| US08265613B2 |
Enterprise femto based kiosk
Methods and apparatus for employing femto technology in an enterprise kiosk are presented herein. A content component can receive multimedia content from a base station coupled to a core network. Further, a transfer component can wirelessly transfer the received multimedia content to a mobile device utilizing a femto based wireless protocol based on, at least in part, a sale of the received multimedia content. A database component can store the received multimedia content in a data store, and the transfer component can wirelessly transfer the stored multimedia content to the mobile device utilizing the femto based wireless protocol. The transfer component can alternatively record the received multimedia content in a removable data storage device. |
| US08265612B2 |
Pocket broadcasting for mobile media content
Storing and providing access to media content such as pictures, video, or audio at an accessible service, that can be accessed by mobile devices and wired devices using any appropriate communication protocol including message services such as SMS, MMS, IM, CHAT, and the like. Users can upload content from a mobile device or a wired device, can specify or select access and payment/monetization options that are to apply to the uploaded content, and can download content that was provided by other users and subject to various download/payment terms. Free access can be accompanied or followed by advertising. Content can be converted into and/or provided in different formats and resolutions. In addition, key words and optionally short codes can be associated with specific content examples to improve ease and accuracy of upload and download. |
| US08265609B2 |
System, method and computer program product for providing customer service on a mobile device
A system, method, and computer program product for providing customer services on a mobile device can provide a user-interface on a mobile device to display one or more customer service options, store state information of the customer's interaction with the user-interface, and provide a user-interface element that provides the customer an option to contact a customer service agent. In response to the customer's exercising the option to contact the customer service agent, the stored state information is sent to the customer service agent. |
| US08265602B2 |
Visual voicemail privacy protection
Visual voicemail privacy protection is implemented by requiring a credential from a user or a user device before providing voicemail data to the user. The credential may be a user name and password combination, a digital certificate, or the like. The user may enable or disable this privacy protection feature at will. A first device being used for visual voicemail services may detect a second device within a defined area around the first device and either enable or disable privacy protection features based on whether the second device is determined to be an authorized or unauthorized device. Privacy protection features may be implemented locally or remotely. |
| US08265601B2 |
Method and apparatus for transmitting message in mobile communication terminal
Provided are a method and an apparatus for transmitting a message in a dual mode terminal which supports a mobile communication network and a wireless Internet network. If an event for transmitting the message occurs in a mode supporting the mobile communication network, it is determined whether the wireless Internet network exists in a current position of the dual mode terminal; if it is determined that the wireless Internet network exists in the current position of the dual mode terminal, the mode supporting the mobile communication network is changed into a mode supporting the wireless internet network; and the message is transmitted through the wireless Internet network. |
| US08265597B2 |
System, method, and device for intelligence gathering and position tracking
A mobile communication device that may be used by an investigator to secretly record a suspect and track the investigator's location includes a microphone for detecting sounds, a communication component for transmitting signals or data representative of the sounds to one of the portable computers via the wireless communication network, a display for displaying information related to operation of the device, a computing device, and a computer program implemented by the computing device. The computer program is operable to place the device in a stealth mode in which the display is turned off or otherwise deactivated to make the entire device appear to be turned off while the microphone continues to detect sounds and the communication component continues to transmit signals or data representative of the sounds to a surveillance or support team operating one of the portable computers. The mobile communication device may also include a location-determining component for determining geographic locations of the device and for transmitting location data to the portable computer. |
| US08265595B1 |
Managing application permissions on a mobile device
A method for managing and tracking a permission status for an application on a mobile device is provided. The privacy policy on a mobile device may require users to grant permission for an application to access certain capabilities (e.g., GPS, personal information manager) on the mobile device. The user may be presented an interface on the mobile device that allows the user to grant an application permission to access the capability. When the user grants an application permission to access a capability a message is sent to a remote privacy manager that tracks the permission status of applications on the mobile device. The user may view the permission status of each application through the Internet. The user may also use the privacy manager to remotely change the permissions on the mobile device. |
| US08265594B2 |
Method for bypassing passkey exchange and authentication procedures
A method and system thereof for establishing a wireless connection to a device while bypassing passkey exchange and authentication procedures. Passkeys are authenticated and exchanged with another device. At the user's discretion, the passkey for the other device can be stored in memory. In the case in which the passkey is stored, the other device is considered a “trusted device.” Subsequently, when a trusted device is discovered and selected, and a wireless connection to the trusted device is made, the passkey for the trusted device is automatically retrieved from memory. As such, it is not necessary for the user to manually input a passkey or for the devices to perform a passkey exchange and authentication procedure. |
| US08265589B2 |
Method and system for the collection of voice call statistics for a mobile device
A method and system for collecting and tracking statistics of a mobile device having the steps of: adding a call statistics server at an enterprise, the call statistics server adapted to receive call statistics information from one or more mobile devices or adapted to gather call statistics information directly through monitoring call setup, throughput and disconnection traffic; and providing call statistics information to a recipient. The mobile device can then obtain and display the call statistics. |
| US08265586B2 |
Apparatus and method for low-noise amplification in a wireless communication system
A low-noise amplification apparatus and method in a receiver in a wireless communication system are provided, in which a main amplifier amplifies a received signal, a sub-amplifier amplifies a third-order harmonic component more strongly than a signal component in the received signal and cancels the third-order harmonic component by combining the amplified signal with the signal received from the main amplifier. A noise eliminator amplifies noise included in the received signal and eliminates the noise by combining the amplified noise with the signal received from the main amplifier or the signal received from the sub-amplifier. |
| US08265585B2 |
IBOC broadcasting receiver
An broadcasting receiver suitable for receiving a broadcasting signal transmitted in an IBOC signal format, includes: a narrowband filtering means suitable for processing an analog broadcasting signal included in the broadcasting signal; a wideband filtering means suitable for processing a digital broadcasting signal included in the broadcasting signal; a demodulating means for demodulating the broadcasting signal; a signal level detecting means for detecting a level of the broadcasting signal; a digital determining means for determining whether the broadcasting signal includes digital broadcasting signal or not; and a filter switching means for switching filtering means for use in processing the broadcasting signal to be input to the demodulating means between the narrowband filtering means and the wideband filtering means, according to the level of the detected broadcasting signal, when the digital determining means determines that the broadcasting signal does not include the digital broadcasting signal. |
| US08265584B2 |
Providing image rejection calibration for a receiver
According to one embodiment, a method for updating filter values of an image canceller is provided. The method may include determining a channel-to-image (C/I) ratio between a channel signal and an image signal at the canceller input and generating a gain control value based at least in part on the C/I ratio. Then correlations between the channel signal and the image signal at the canceller's input and output can be generated, along with a gear control value based at least in part on a ratio between the correlations. In turn, one or more filters of the canceller can be updated using the control values. |
| US08265578B2 |
Radio receiving apparatus
In a radio receiving apparatus, an analog received signal is converted into a digital received signal. An unwanted wave in an adjacent channel band is rejected, that is adjacent to a passband for the digital received signal. The digital received signal with no unwanted wave is converted into a first demodulated signal. The first demodulated signal is converted into a second demodulated signal in analog form. A noise component is extracted from the first demodulated signal. The second demodulated signal is suppressed under squelch control when a squelch voltage that is a voltage of the noise component after rectification and smoothing becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold level. |
| US08265571B2 |
Circuit arrangement with improved decoupling
A circuit arrangement includes a component having a closed signal path, that closed signal path connected to a first port, a second port and at least a third port. The component has a directed signal flow of a signal applied to one of that ports. Such a coupling device can be connected to a transmitter and to a receiver path, respectively. |
| US08265570B2 |
RFID reader and RF transmission method thereof
A Radio Frequency (RF) transmission method of a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) reader using a plurality of channels is provided. The method includes: selecting at least part of the plurality of channels, measuring an RF power of each of the selected channels, determining a transmission environment of the RF according to a measurement determination, and modulating an RF signal according to the determined transmission environment. |
| US08265569B2 |
Apparatus and method for transmit/receive switching
Apparatus and methods are disclosed, such as those involving an electronic device. One such apparatus includes a transmitter; a receiver; and a transmit/receive switch configured to electrically block the receiver from the transmitter during a transmit period. The transmit/receive switch includes one or more MOSFETs coupled between an input node and an output node, the input node being electrically coupled to the transmitter, the output node being electrically coupled to the receiver. The one or more MOSFETs are configured to be off during the transmit period. The transmit/receive switch further includes a clamp circuit configured to couple the output node to ground during the transmit period. This configuration effectively protects the receiver while minimizing switching artifacts. |
| US08265566B2 |
Communication scheme for channel quality information
The invention relates to a method for transmitting and a method for reconstructing channel quality information in a communication system. Further, the invention also provides a transmitter and receiver performing these methods, respectively. The invention suggests a scheme for communicating channel quality measures that on the one hand allows for an accurate reconstruction of the channel quality measures at the receiver and on the other hand requires an acceptable transmission overhead. This is achieved by partitioning channel quality measures into at least two partitions and to compress the values partition-wise, for example by means of a discrete cosine transform and the transmission of only a subset of the resulting coefficients. |
| US08265565B2 |
Communications system employing non-polluting pilot codes
Transmitting non-polluting dummy pilot signals in a wireless communication network permits estimation of the downlink propagation channels between a number of joint transmitters and a lesser number of receivers. With fewer receivers than transmitters, loop back information from the receivers is not sufficient to determine the downlink propagation channels between the transmitters and receivers. For N transmitters and M receivers, (N−M) dummy pilot symbols are transmitted to facilitate downlink channel estimation. Each dummy pilot signal is transmitted to an imagined or dummy receiver that is virtually located such that its downlink channel coefficient vector is orthogonal to those of the real receivers. Transmit pre-filtering based on estimated propagation channels is applied to the information signals for the real receivers and to the dummy pilot signals. The extent to which the dummy pilot signals interfere at each receiver is an indication of mismatch between estimated and actual propagation channels. |
| US08265555B2 |
Tube nozzle for a respirator
A coupling device (1) is provided, especially a tube nozzle (2), for a medical device (3), especially a respirator (4), for the mechanical and electromagnetic coupling of the medical device (3) with the accessory (6), especially a tube system (19). The device includes a mechanical device for coupling the medical device (3) with the accessory (6), at least one inductance (8), at least one capacitance (12) and at least one electric line (18) for forming an electric circuit as a resonant circuit for the electromagnetic coupling of an inductance (8) at the medical device (3) with an inductance (8) at the accessory (6). The coupling device (1) is able to be checked for trouble-free operation without the accessory (6). The coupling device (1) is able to be manufactured at a low cost and make safe and reliable handling possible. The coupling device (1) has a semiconductor chip (16) for storing and/or processing at least one piece of information and/or for sending and/or receiving at least one signal. |
| US08265550B2 |
Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for utilizing a repeating function to improve quality of service
Methods, systems, and computer-readable media provide for utilizing a repeating function to improve quality of service. According to embodiments, a method for utilizing a repeating function to improve quality of service is provided. According to the method a first mobile cellular device is selected. An instruction is transmitted to the first mobile cellular device instructing the first mobile cellular device. The instruction causes the first mobile cellular device to relay communications between the second mobile cellular device and the cellular service provider. The first mobile cellular device thereby provides the repeating function for the second mobile cellular device. |
| US08265547B2 |
Resource management and interference mitigation techniques for relay-based wireless netoworks
Embodiments of a system and methods for resource management and interference mitigation techniques for relay-based networks are generally described herein. Other embodiments may be described and claimed. |
| US08265546B2 |
Gain adjustment stepping control in a wireless repeater
A method for controlling gain in a wireless repeater includes providing one or more gain control metrics where the gain control metrics is indicative of a loop gain of the repeater; measuring the one or more gain control metrics; and adjusting a variable gain of the repeater using a gain adjustment step size being a function of at least the loop gain of the repeater as measured by the one or more gain control metrics. In another embodiment, the gain control algorithm block is configured to divide the loop gain of the repeater into multiple gain adjustment control zones. The gain adjustment control zones may include a first zone having a loop gain in a stable operating region and a second zone having a loop gain outside the stable operating region. |
| US08265544B1 |
Educational voting game
An online voting game that teaches the participants the mechanics behind running for office. Registered users can run for office or participate as a voter or do neither and, for example, observe the results as they roll in. Registered users that run for office are required to comply with a set of predetermined rules. Voting at state and city level is performed based on each voter's recorded residence (e.g., city and state); users can run in national elections such as running for President so long as they satisfy the age, residency and citizenship requirements to run for President. In one embodiment, registered users running for office provide photographs and video clips that disclose their views on political issues of the day. |
| US08265543B2 |
Participant response system and method
A participant response system comprises a plurality of handsets for allowing a participant of an event to input a response. Each handset comprises a wireless handset having a keyboard for allowing a user to input a response. The handsets are configurable either as a participant response handset to allow a participant to enter a response, or as a base station. The handset also includes audio capability to allow participants to receive and input audio. |
| US08265542B2 |
Flight training and synthetic visualization system and method
A low-cost training and synthetic visualization system and method directed to improving an individual's airborne performance in general aviation, skydiving, and other aerial applications. The system is comprised of a self-contained mobile sensor and data storage device for recording the travel path, orientation, and forces acting upon an object as it moves through space, a desktop graphics software program for creating a playback of the recorded data on a three-dimensional representation of the environment through which the object moved, a means of linking the sensor and data storage device to the software program for the purpose of exchanging information, and a centralized data storage and retrieval system designed to accept, assimilate and redistribute the recorded data. |
| US08265539B2 |
Method of cleaning a toner image carrier
A method and apparatus for cleaning an image carrier that is used for transferring a toner image onto a recording medium which includes a black image step in which a black image, i.e., an image of the entire area which is filled with toner, is formed on the image carrier and is transferred onto a cleaner that engages the image carrier for removing dust therefrom, wherein, prior to the black image step, a black page step is carried out in which a black page is printed by transferring a black image from the image carrier onto the recording medium. |
| US08265538B2 |
Fixing device and image formation apparatus
Fixing belt is brought into pressure-contact with the surface of fixing roller such that fixing belt rotates according to rotation of fixing roller, thereby forming, between fixing belt and fixing roller, fixing nip portion through which recording sheets pass. A pressing area of an opposing surface of pressing member contacting the surface of fixing roller via fixing belt is smaller in each end portion of the opposing surface in the axis direction of fixing roller than in a central portion of the opposing surface in the axis direction of fixing roller. This makes speed of conveying recording sheets faster in each edge portion in the width direction perpendicular to a recording sheet conveyance direction than in a central portion in the width direction. Thus, creases of recording sheets can be prevented while a recording sheet passes through fixing nip portion between fixing roller and fixing belt mutually brought into pressure-contact. |
| US08265523B2 |
Image forming apparatus having replaceable developer cartridges
An arrangement for providing developer to process cartridges is described. Developer agent storing members may be insertable into a body containing the process cartridges through a front of the body. The developer agent storing members may be provided on two sides to reduce the stacked height of the developer agent storing members in the body. |
| US08265519B2 |
Lid device and image forming apparatus
A lid device includes a main body, an opening/closing member, a support portion and a fall preventing member. The opening/closing member is attached to the main body so as to be opened and closed. The support portion is provided on the main body, and supports the opening/closing member in such a manner which the opening/closing member is disengaged from the main body when receiving force of opening the opening/closing member beyond a predetermined opening/closing angular range. The fall preventing member prevents the opening/closing member disengaged from the support portion from coming off the main body. |
| US08265515B2 |
Process cartridge including cleaning member for cleaning charging wire
A process cartridge includes a charging wire for charging a photosensitive member and a cleaning member for cleaning the charging wire. When the cleaning member moves from a first position to a second position while sliding on the charging wire, a moving member in a third position is moved to a fourth position. However, the moving member remains in the fourth position when the cleaning member moves from the second position to the first position. |
| US08265514B2 |
Removing toner during printer process-control frame
Toner is removed from a skive mount in a dry electrophotographic printer. An end block is disposed at one end of the rotatable development member, and a skive mount disposed adjacent to the development member connects a skive to the end block. A timing device measures time intervals of printer operation. A process-control time interval and a cleaning time interval that is a non-negative multiple of the process-control time interval are selected. Prints are made until the process-control time interval elapses. A process-control patch is produced in a process-control frame. Once the cleaning interval has elapsed, in the process-control frame, a backup bar is lifted lift away from the photoreceptor, then, after a selected time delay, brought into physical contact with at least one point on the end block, so that toner is removed from the skive mount. |
| US08265513B2 |
Image forming apparatus
The present invention provides a configuration in which an electrically connected condition can further be stabilized in electrical-connection zones between a body of an image-forming apparatus, and an image-forming unit and a plurality of image-forming cartridges. Developing electrode members and wire power-feed electrodes are attached to a slide frame. Each of the developing electrode members has a first body-side contact. The developing electrode members are electrically connected with the developing-roller output terminals. The wire power-feed electrodes are electrically connected with wire output terminals through contact with the wire output terminals. The developing electrode members are elastically deformed as a result of their first body-side contacts being pressed in a direction, which is along a slide direction, by the developing-roller output terminals. The wire power-feed electrodes are pressed in a paper width direction by the wire output terminals. |
| US08265499B2 |
Image forming apparatus having transfer member bias control
Constant current control is performed with a target current It in each delivery interval between recording materials to sample a control voltage V1 applied to a secondary transfer roller. A transition to the constant current control with the target current It is made after a recording material divided voltage according to a kind of the recording material is applied to the constant voltage V1 at a head of the recording material. A voltage in which 0.9 is multiplied by addition of the sampled control voltage V1 and the recording material divided voltage Vp according to the kind of the recording material is set to a lower limit value Vlimit to perform the constant current control, and the constant voltage Vlimit is applied to the secondary transfer roller when a control voltage is lower than the lower limit value Vlimit in a calculation stage. |
| US08265498B2 |
Method and apparatus for determining media thickness in a feeder section of an image production device
A method and apparatus for determining media thickness in a feeder section of an image production device is disclosed. The method may include receiving one or more multi-dimensional images of a media stack from an imaging device, the media stack including one or more media clips that each contain a plurality of media sheets, deriving a multi-dimensional feature signal from the received one or more multi-dimensional images, converting the derived multi-dimensional feature signal to a one-dimensional feature signal, estimating media clip thickness using the one-dimensional signal, estimating media sheet thickness using the estimated media clip thickness, and adjusting at least one image production device parameter based on the estimated media sheet thickness. |
| US08265497B2 |
Image forming apparatus
An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member for carrying a toner image; a rotatable transfer member constituting a transfer portion for transferring the toner image from the image bearing member onto a recording material; a voltage source for applying a voltage to the transfer member; an executing portion for executing an image forming mode for continuously forming an image on a plurality of recording materials having different widths measured in a direction of a rotational axis of the transfer member; an interval adjustment portion for adjusting, during execution of the image forming mode, an interval between adjacent recording materials to a first interval when the width of the recording material is larger than the width of the previous recording material, and for adjusting, during execution of the image forming mode, the interval between adjacent recording materials to a second interval when the width of the recording material is smaller than the width of the previous recording material. |
| US08265494B2 |
Image forming apparatus including a toner supply controller to control a supply of toner
An image-information acquiring unit acquires the image information divided at least in one of a main-scanning direction and a sub-scanning direction. A supply control unit calculates basic-supply patterns of a supply amount of toner and controls the supply amount at a supply point in a developing unit using a toner supply pattern combined with the basic-supply patterns that eliminate temporal variation in toner density of the developer, at the specific point, due to development of the latent image. |
| US08265490B2 |
Transamplifier, system and method for amplification of optical signals at plural wavelengths
Disclosed herein are embodiments of a device, method of use and system for an analog multi-wavelength transamplifier. The transamplifier embodiments described herein allow the use of multiple wavelengths to segment logical service groups, such as for use in a CATV distribution system and a FTTH system having a broadband overlay. Improved optical signal power performance can be achieved by using direct modulating transmitters and maintaining polarization of the optical signals that are modulated by a phase modulator, such as an external waveguide. |
| US08265489B2 |
Optical field transmitter and optical field transmission system
It is provided an optical field transmitter comprising a light source, a DA converter and an optical field modulator. The optical field transmitter modulates an information signal into an optical field signal. The information signal includes one of multilevel signals arranged irregularly on a complex plane and multilevel signals arranged by combining mutually different numbers of phase values in at least two amplitude values. The optical field transmitter further comprises a phase pre-accumulation circuit for outputting phase pre-accumulation complex information obtained by previously accumulating a phase component of the information signal at predetermined time intervals. The DA converter converts the information signal including the output phase pre-accumulation complex information into an analog signal, and inputs the converted analog signal to the optical field modulator. The optical field modulator modulates output light into the optical field signal by using the analog signal, and transmits the modulated optical field signal. |
| US08265486B2 |
Optical communication module
An optical communication module which uses a single optical fiber to enable bidirectional communication or multiplexing communication is provided. The optical communication module includes a platform configured to have a through-hole therein which vertically passes through the platform; an optical receiver configured to be provided on the platform and include a light-receiving element; an optical transmitter configured to be provided on the platform and include a light-emitting element; and an optical filter configured to be provided on one surface of the platform to correspond to the through-hole, transmit light from the light-emitting element to an optical line, and transmit light input through the optical line to the light-receiving element, where one of the light-receiving element and the light-emitting element is provided on one surface of the platform on an opposite side of the optical line with the optical filter interposed therebetween, and the other is provided on the other surface of the platform to correspond to the through-hole. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost, minimize the optical or electrical crosstalk, and maximize the optical coupling efficiency. |
| US08265483B2 |
Parallel optical polarization tracking
A system to communicate optical data signals in parallel includes an optical splitter to split the data signals into two polarization multiplexed (PM) signals; and two reception channels coupled to the optical splitter, where each reception channel tracks and isolates a PM signal independently. |
| US08265482B2 |
Device and method to allow for uni-directional traffic on local area networks
A communication network access device is adapted for duplex communication and provides transmit and receive signal paths. A controllable socket is coupled to the transmit and receive signal paths and linked to a control interface for activating/deactivating the control interface. A pluggable module is coupled to the transmit and receive signal paths via the controllable socket in an activated status and to a transmission path carrying uni-directional signals. The module includes a first optical device and a splitter in the transmission path and is coupled to a second optical device via the splitter. The second optical device responds to a portion of uni-directional signals provided by the splitter for placing the communication access device in a link up condition for uni-directional signals provided by the first optical device to the transmission path serving an optical local area network. |
| US08265481B2 |
Wavelength assignment in an optical WDM network
The path selection and wavelength assignment to a selected path are performed by mapping the wavelength reach to the demand distribution (agile reach) resulting in a 50-60% increase in the network reach. The network reach is further increased (about 2.2 times) when on-line measured performance data are used for path selection and wavelength assignment. The connections may be engineered/upgraded individually, by optimizing the parameters of the entire path or of a regenerator section of the respective path. The upgrades include changing the wavelength, adjusting the parameters of the regenerator section, controlling the launch powers, mapping a certain transmitter and/or receiver to the respective wavelength, selecting the wavelengths on a certain link so as to reduce cross-talk, increasing wavelength spacing, etc. |
| US08265479B2 |
Camera module
A camera module advantageous in simplifying an assembly process is provided. A camera module 22 includes a barrel unit 66 having a housing space S; a lens holding unit 68 which holds an imaging optical system 34, which is housed in the housing space S, and which is supported such that the lens holding unit 68 is movable along an optical axis of the imaging optical system 34; an image pickup element 29 which is disposed in the barrel unit 66 and which picks up an object image guided by the imaging optical system 34; and a driving unit 72 which moves the lens holding unit 68 along the optical axis of the imaging optical system 34. The barrel unit 66 includes an inner barrel 80 in which the housing space S is formed and an outer barrel 78 disposed outside the inner barrel 80. A retaining plate 86 includes a front plate portion 86A and two side plate portions 86B. The retaining plate 86 clamps the inner barrel 80 and the outer barrel 78 in the optical axis direction in the state in which the front plate portion 86A retains a front end of the outer barrel 78 and distal ends of the two side plate portions 86B retain the rear end-face wall 8002. |
| US08265478B1 |
Plenoptic camera with large depth of field
Methods and apparatus for light-field capture with large depth of field. A design methodology is described in which the relationships among various plenoptic camera parameters, including inverse magnification, F-number, focal length, wavelength, and pixel size, may be analyzed to design plenoptic cameras that provide increased depth-of-field when compared to conventional plenoptic cameras. Plenoptic cameras are described, which may be implemented according to the design methodology, and in which both Keplerian telescopic and Galilean telescopic imaging can be realized at the same time while providing a larger depth of field than is realized in conventional plenoptic cameras, thus capturing light-field images that capture “both sides” in which all but a small region of the scene is in focus. In some embodiments, apertures may be added to the microlenses so that depth of field is increased. |
| US08265477B2 |
Stereo camera with preset modes
There is disclosed a stereographic camera system and method. A stereographic camera may include a left camera and a right camera including respective lenses and an interface for receiving a selection of a selected mode from a plurality of preset operating modes. One or more preset stereo parameters associated with each of the plurality of operating modes may be stored in a preset parameter memory. An interocular distance mechanism may set an interocular distance between the left camera and the right camera based on, at least in part, the one or more preset stereo parameters associated with the selected mode. |
| US08265475B2 |
Focus-point selection system, autofocus system, and camera
A focus-point selection system comprising an image sensor, a target detector, a location detector, and a first selector is provided. The focus-point selection system selects a subset of focus points corresponding to the location of a target in an image capturing area from a plurality of focus points positioned at predetermined locations. The target is a subject that is brought into focus according to a phase-difference autofocus method. The image sensor generates an image signal corresponding to the captured optical image. The target detector detects the target on the basis of the image signal. The location detector detects a subject location. The subject location is a location of the target detected by the target detector in the image capturing area. The first selector selects the focus point with the shortest distance from the subject location. |
| US08265472B2 |
Imaging apparatus
An imaging apparatus is provided with a lens barrel that includes a flexible substrate that is electrically connected to a magnetically driven apparatus and drive ring that drives the lens barrel by rotating. The drive rings include through grooves that pass through the drive ring and a flexible substrate passes therethrough from the inside to the outside of the lens barrel and a strobe cam that is provided on the outer circumferential side of the drive ring. In addition, the through groove and the strobe cam are disposed so as to coincide in the rotation direction of the drive ring. |
| US08265471B2 |
Lens barrel and imaging device
The lens barrel includes a first supporting frame, an optical element, a second supporting frame, and a guide shaft. The first supporting frame has a first base portion and a first seat portion that projects in a first direction from the first base portion. The second supporting frame supports the optical element and has a first bearing portion. The guide shaft is coupled to the first seat portion and inserted into the first bearing portion. The first seat portion is disposed within the circumference of the guide shaft when viewed in the first direction. |
| US08265465B2 |
Pebble stone-shaped aroma diffuser
A pebble stone-shaped aroma diffuser includes a top cover shell, an upper panel, a gasket ring, a lower panel, a bottom cover shell, a heater and a base member. The gasket ring is tightly set between the top cover shell and the upper panel, thereby forming with the top cover shell and the upper panel a fluid container. The lower panel is supported on the bottom cover shell and closely attached to the upper panel of the fluid container. The heater is kept in contact with the bottom side of the lower panel. The base member is arranged at the bottom side of the bottom cover shell to provide power supply to the heater for producing heat that is transferred through the lower panel and the upper panel to heat the aromatic fluid in the fluid container. The fluid container is rapidly detachable from the lower panel for cleaning. |
| US08265464B2 |
Administering a time-shifting cache in a media playback device
Methods, apparatus and products for administering a time-shifting cache in a media playback device are disclosed, where the media playback device receives from a digital media provider a digital media stream of digital media content and administering the time-shifting cache includes caching the digital media content of the digital media stream in the time-shifting cache; dynamically identifying one or more non-preferred segments of the cached digital media content; and managing the time-shifting cache in dependence upon the identified non-preferred segments. |
| US08265463B2 |
Information processing apparatus, method for the same and information gathering system
Video data and audio data corresponding to a predetermined attribute is retrieved from the video data and the audio data, each of which is stored in association with an attribute, and the retrieved items of the video data and the audio data are listed in a form showing a correlation between the video data and the audio data. In a case that items of the video data and audio data are selected, wherein said items of the video data and audio data are displayed and correlated with each other, the selected video data and audio data can be synchronized with each other and played-back. |
| US08265462B2 |
Recording medium having a data structure for managing a transport stream recorded thereon and methods and apparatuses for recording and reproducing
The recording medium stores a transport stream formed of packets. The packets represent one or more PES packets and are grouped into units of a fixed number of packets. A first portion of each unit corresponds to a first portion of a PES packet. |
| US08265460B2 |
Systems and methods for recording programs of lesser interest when convenient
Systems and methods for recording a program are provided. Alternate transmissions of a program with a “when convenient” recording priority may be recorded in whole or in portions whenever recording does not interfere with other uses of the user's equipment. When the recording device is out of space to record programs, recorded programs having a “when convenient” deletion priority may be deleted and scheduled for re-recording at a later time. |
| US08265459B2 |
Recording apparatus, method of controlling recording apparatus, and computer-readable recording medium
A recording apparatus has a configuration in which plural reservation cards having different strengths are distributed to each user, each user being able to set its own reservation card when actually reserving an operation of recording data. The strengths of the reservation cards set by users are compared when there is conflict of reservation time between the users. The reservation of the recording operation of the stronger user according to the result of the comparison is accepted, and the reservation card corresponding to the reservation accepted by the accepting part is invalidated. |
| US08265455B2 |
Apparatus, method, and program for processing information
Disclosed is an apparatus, a method, and a program for processing information, applicable to a record playback system etc. wherein a control unit provides information regarding an input imaging record mode inputted by a user to a rate information creation unit; the rate information creation unit creates rate information based on the information and provides the rate information to a record unit; the record unit records the rate information etc. onto an optical disc as being controlled by the control unit; a playback unit is controlled by a control unit to read out the rate information recorded on the optical disc and provide it to a rate information determination unit; the rate information determination unit determines a processing mode at each unit based on the rate information and provides the information to the control unit; and the control unit controls the playback unit, an image audio processing unit, and an output unit based on this information. |
| US08265454B2 |
Video/audio playback apparatus
A video/audio playback apparatus that can continue playback even if the external storage means are disconnected during playback, includes a virtual file system section 24 for merging the video/audio information and playback control information of the optical disc 12 with the video/audio information and playback control information of the local storage 7 to configure a virtual file system; a pseudo file system generator 2a for generating a pseudo file system 4a; a RAM 4 for storing the generated pseudo file system 4a; a disconnection detector 2b for detecting disconnection of the local storage 7 from the connecting section 15; and a playback manager 21 for causing the virtual file system section 24 to merge the video/audio information and the playback control information of the optical disc 12 with the information of the pseudo file system 4a immediately after the disconnection is detected, thereby newly configuring the virtual file system. |
| US08265453B2 |
Recording medium, playback apparatus, recording apparatus, playback method, recording method, and program
A BD-ROM has recorded thereon: a plurality of subtitle streams each configured for playback in sync with a video stream; and PlayList information. The PlayList information includes PlayItem information and a display method flag. The PlayItem information defines a playback section with information indicating In_time and Out_time of a playback time axis of the video stream and includes a stream information table. The display method flag indicates whether or not control according to a subtitle display method is valid. The stream information table specifies to, a playback apparatus, one of the subtitle streams to be selected if the control according to the subtitle display method is valid. |
| US08265452B2 |
Recording apparatus and method for recording a program and management information
As a method of quickly displaying a thumbnail for navigation display of an AV stream, it is necessary to associate the AV stream with a thumbnail file when recording the thumbnail file separately from the AV stream file. The association, therefore, is performed by use of a serial number of the recorded AV stream file as a name of the related thumbnail file. |
| US08265451B2 |
Recording medium capable of interactive reproducing and reproduction system for the same
On an optical disk, video object sets (VTST_VOBS) to be reproduced and video title set information (VTSI) serving as management information on the video object sets have been stored. In each video object set (VTST_VOBS), many data cells, each containing video, audio, and sub-picture data, are arranged. Management information on programs chains, which are combinations of programs to be reproduced one after another, has been written in a video title set PGC table (VTS_PGCIT). By referring to the program chain table (VTS_PGCIT) according to the user's input, the playback order of program chains can be changed, enabling the program chains to be reproduced one after another in various modes. |
| US08265450B2 |
Capturing and inserting closed captioning data in digital video
Some embodiments of the invention provide a novel method for processing a high definition (“HD”) digital video that includes video data and closed captioning data. The method (i) imports an HD digital video in a computer system, (ii) extracts closed captioning data from the HD digital video and (iii) stores the extracted closed captioning data in a storage of the computer system (e.g., hard drive of the computer system). Some embodiments first import all of the video before extracting closed captioning data from it, while other embodiments extract closed captioning data from the video as they import the video into the computer system. In some embodiments, a video editing application of a computer system performs this HD-video processing method. Accordingly, in some such cases, the method also edits the video that is extracted from the HD digital video. In addition, when video data is edited, the extracted closed captioning data is also edited in some embodiments. |
| US08265449B2 |
Information delivery apparatus, stream recording apparatus, recording system, stream reproducing apparatus, and record reproducing system
An information delivery apparatus includes an encoder for encoding and packetizing digital data of an image or an audio, a frame assembly identification packet insertion unit for inserting a frame assembly identification packet including time information in the data packetized by the encoder on a frame assembly basis, and a transmission side communication module for outputting to a network the stream data having the frame assembly identification packet inserted therein by the frame assembly identification insertion unit. |
| US08265447B2 |
Modular fiber optic enclosure with external cable spool
A fiber optic enclosure includes a housing and a cable spool assembly. The housing includes a main body and a cover mounted to the main body. The cover and the main body cooperatively define an interior region. The cable spool assembly is connected to an exterior of the housing. The cable spool assembly includes a drum portion and a strain relief post. |
| US08265446B2 |
Kit of optical fibers for percutaneous ablative treatment
The kit of optical fibers for percutaneous ablative treatment, comprises at least two optical fibers (5), each of which is equipped; at a first end with a connector (5A) to a laser source (7); and in proximity to a second end with a device (5B) for constraining to a pervious needle (9). The kit comprises a coding system that characterizes one fiber with respect to the other, allowing said fibers to be distinguished from one another. |
| US08265441B2 |
Hydrogen-resistant optical fiber/grating structure suitable for use in downhole sensor applications
A hydrogen-resistant optical fiber particularly well-suitable for downhole applications comprises a relatively thick pure silica core and a depressed-index cladding layer. Interposed between the depressed-index cladding layer and the core is a relatively thin germanium-doped interface. By maintaining a proper relationship between the pure silica core diameter and the thickness of the germanium-doped interface, a majority (preferably, more than 65%) of the propagating signal can be confined within the pure silica core and, therefore, be protected from hydrogen-induced attenuation problems associated with the presence of germanium (as is common in downhole fiber applications). The hydrogen-resistant fiber of the present invention can be formed to include one or more Bragg gratings within the germanium-doped interface, useful for sensing applications. |
| US08265431B2 |
Rotated single or multicore optical fiber
An apparatus for estimating a shape, the apparatus including: an optical fiber configured to conform to the shape and having a first core offset from a centerline of the optical fiber, the first core having an optical characteristic configured to change due to a change in shape of the optical fiber wherein a change in the optical characteristic is used to estimate the shape. A method for estimating a shape is also disclosed. |
| US08265429B2 |
Image processing apparatus and methods for laying out images
An image processing apparatus, includes an input unit that inputs a plurality of input images. The image processing apparatus also includes an acquisition unit that acquires photographic information added to each of the plurality of input images. The image processing apparatus further includes a first setting unit that sets control information used to control a layout of each of the plurality of input images in accordance with whether or not the photographic information indicates that the respective input image is photographed with emphasis on an object. The image processing apparatus further includes a generator that generates an output image on which each of the plurality of input images is configured to have an image size according to the control information of the respective input image. |
| US08265428B2 |
Method and apparatus for detection of data in a data store
A method of determining whether particular data is included in a data store. The particular data comprises a plurality of first data values and the data store comprises a plurality of second data values. The method comprises obtaining identification data associated with the particular data. The identification comprises a subset of said first data values. A portion of the data store is retrieved and it is determined whether at least a predetermined number of data values of the identification data have a predetermined relationship with corresponding second data values of the retrieved portion of the data store. |
| US08265427B2 |
Interpolator and designing method thereof
Interpolation of signed values A and B is efficiently performed by simple circuitry. To calculate an interpolated value C based on a 4-bit values A (bits a3a2a1a0) and B (bits b3b2b1b0) expressing a negative number by twos complement notation and a 4-bit interpolation rate D (bits d3d2d1d0) consisting of only a decimal part, a basic expression of C=(1−D)*A+D*B is transformed into an expression composed of an unsigned part that includes a sum of products with a bit di or a logically inverted value ei of the bit di (i=0, 1, 2, and 3), and indicates an absolute value of the interpolated value C, and a signed part indicating a sign of the interpolated value C. Then, 7 bits of bits c6 through c0 are generated from an arithmetic operation of the unsigned part, and logic judgement of the signed part is performed by considering a carry from the digit of the bit c6 of the arithmetic operation of the unsigned part to generate a bit c7. Significant digits of the obtained 8-bit value (bits c7 through c0) are outputted as an interpolated value. |
| US08265426B2 |
Image processor and image processing method for increasing video resolution
According to one embodiment, an image processor comprises an image converter and a controller. The image converter is configured to convert a first video signal of a first resolution to a second video signal of a second resolution higher than the first resolution. The conversion is based on a parameter indicating a ratio of high-frequency component pixels of the first video signal to be interpolated and pixels forming the first video signal to be interpolated. The controller is configured to change the parameter based on a type of broadcast wave of the first video signal. The type of broadcast wave may include, but is not limited or restricted to satellite broadcasting or terrestrial broadcasting. |
| US08265424B1 |
Variable seam replication in images with energy-weighted priority
A system and method for expansion and reduction of images uses variable seam replication to expand an image. Seam carving techniques may be used to identify one or more low-cost seams of an input image, and these low-cost seams may be replicated to produce a resized version of the image. A different replication factor may be applied to different ones of the low-cost seams, dependent on the average or total energy value of each seam. For example, the lowest cost seam may be replicated twice as many times as the next lowest cost seam. The replication factor applied to each seam may be dependent on the number of low-cost seams identified for replication, which may be configurable by users. A configurable look-up table may map seam costs to replication factors, and may be accessed to determine a respective replication factor to be applied to each of the identified low-cost seams. |
| US08265423B2 |
Image processing for arranging images based on size ratio
A plurality of images are input, specific regions are set for each of the inputted plurality of images, a typical size of the specific regions of each of the plurality of images is determined, and the ratio of the typical size to the size of the entire image is calculated as a typical size ratio. A typical size ratio used as a reference is selected from the typical size ratios calculated for the respective images as a reference ratio, and a candidate region upon trimming that image is determined based on the specific regions of each of the plurality of images. A trimming region for each of the plurality of images is determined based on the reference ratio, and the typical size ratio and candidate region of each image, and each of the plurality of images is trimmed according to the trimming region. |
| US08265420B2 |
Digital image exposure correction
Techniques are disclosed for correcting the exposure of a digital image. An exposure predictor may be generated based on a set of images for which ground truth data are known. After identifying an optimal set of features, the exposure of the digital image may be corrected by extracting values of the selected optimal features from the image, using the predictor to predict a desired exposure correction for the image, and correcting the exposure of the image by the predicted desired amount. Exposure correction is based on a model that relates intensity of light in the world to the RGB digits of the digital image. The model comprises a gamma function that models the response of a typical monitor and a S-shaped curve that compresses the large dynamic range of the world to the small dynamic range of the RGB digit space. |
| US08265419B2 |
Image processing apparatus and image processing method
An image processing apparatus includes an edge keeping index (EKI) generating unit and a noise reducing unit. The image decoding unit decodes a data stream to generate a plurality of image comprising at least a current image having the target pixel. The adjusting unit, coupled to the image decoding unit, comprises an edge keeping index (EKI) generating unit, for generating an edge intensity value of the target pixel according to an original luminance value of the target pixel and an original luminance value of at least one neighboring pixel associated with the target pixel, and a noise reducing unit, coupled to the EKI generating unit, for determining a first adjusted luminance value of the target pixel according to the original luminance value of the target pixel and the original luminance value of the at least one neighboring pixel associated with the target pixel, and for generating a static adjusted luminance value of the target pixel according to the original luminance value, the first adjusted luminance value and a first adjustment value of the target pixel. The adjustment value is determined by the edge intensity value. |
| US08265417B2 |
Image processing apparatus, method, and program for adding shadow information to images
An image processing apparatus processes an input image while also considering the luminous intensity information thereof, and thereby generates an output image wherein the apparent object surface roughness has been enhanced with respect to the input image. The image processing apparatus includes a luminous intensity information separator that separates the input image information into global luminous intensity information and local luminous intensity information, a shadow component generator that generates a shadow component of the image on the basis of the local luminous intensity information, and an image compositor that generates an output image by adding shadow image information to the input image information, with the shadow image information being generated from the shadow component and from a value based on the input image information. |
| US08265413B2 |
Digital image degraining filter and method
A method of filtering and a degraining filter employ lowest edge activity (LEA) to assign a pixel value in a filtered image. A method of filtering includes selecting a set of pixels that includes a central pixel and pixels surrounding the central pixel from a digital image. The set has a plurality of subsets of pixels where at least one subset includes the central pixel. The method of filtering further includes assigning a value of a corresponding central pixel in a filtered image. The assigned value is a mean value of pixels in an identified subset of the plurality having the LEA. A degraining filter includes a processor, a memory and a computer program having instruction that implement selecting the set, identifying the subset with LEA and assigning the value. |
| US08265412B2 |
Image processing method
An image processing method for removing a noise component contained in an original image includes: smoothing a noise component contained in an original image on a temporary basis by using a noise fluctuation index value; extracting a temporary noise component free of a non-noise component based upon a differential signal representing a difference between the original image and a smoothed image; extracting an actual noise component by further excluding a component less likely to be a noise component from the extracted temporary noise component by comparing the extracted temporary noise component with the noise fluctuation index value again; and removing noise from the original image based upon the extracted actual noise component having been extracted. |
| US08265409B2 |
Edge preservation image processing device and image processing method
An image processing device and an image processing method of the invention generate multiple images having different edge preservation performances based on an original image, and synthesize the multiple images based on edge information. In the synthesis, the generated images are synthesized in such a manner that an image of an edge portion in the generated image having a low edge preservation performance is replaced by the generated image having a high edge preservation performance. |
| US08265406B2 |
Parallel entropy encoding of dependent image blocks
A method of entropy encoding image or video data may include entropy encoding a number of blocks independently and in parallel to generate a number of bit streams. At least one of the number of bit streams may include an assumed value in place of a value that would be determined by another bit stream. The method may also include selectively correcting the assumed value based on a value in another one of the number of bit streams. The number of bit streams may be combined into an output, entropy encoded bit stream corresponding to the number of blocks. |
| US08265405B2 |
Image encoding apparatus, image decoding apparatus, image encoding method, image decoding method, image encoding program, and image decoding program
A variable-length encoder that feeds a Coded Block Pattern (CBP) as an input symbol to variable-length code output part. Coded symbol memory supplies CBPs in neighboring blocks as coding map table reference information to coding map table provider. Coding map table provider determines a coding map table used in coding of the CBP, based on these CBPs in the neighboring blocks, and provides a coding map table H4 to variable-length code output part. Variable-length coding table provider feeds a variable-length coding table to variable-length code output part. Then the coding target CBP is subjected to variable-length coding, and the resultant is outputted as coded data. This allows information source coding of coding symbols to be performed efficiently according to the coding condition and the property of image. |
| US08265403B2 |
Picture coding method and picture decoding method
The method includes the following units: a coefficient number detecting unit (109) for detecting the number of coefficients which has a value other than 0 for each block according to the generated coefficient, a coefficient number storing unit (110) for storing the number of coefficients detected, a coefficient number coding unit (111) for selecting a table for variable length coding based on the numbers of coefficients in the coded blocks located on the periphery of a current block to be coded with reference to the selected table for variable length coding so as to perform variable length coding for the number of coefficients. |
| US08265401B2 |
Image compressing apparatus, image compressing method, image decompressing apparatus, image decompressing method, image forming apparatus and recording medium
When compressing continuous tone bit map image data, the image compression section of the image compressing apparatus segments the continuous tone bit map image data into bit map image data for lossy compression, index image data for lossless compression and bit map image data for lossless compression based on pixel identification information data. The lossy compression section of the image compression section performs lossy compression process according to the JPEG method for the bit map image data for lossy compression, and the first lossless compression section thereof performs lossless compression process according to the JBIG method for the index image data for lossless compression. Furthermore, the second lossless compression section thereof performs lossless compression process according to the JPEG-LS method for the bit map image data for lossless compression. |
| US08265398B2 |
Image analysis system and image analysis program
There is provided an image analysis system which captures image data of an arbitrary pair of a first image RI and a second image LI among images obtained by color-photographing a single object from different positions into an analysis computer, wherein the computer includes corresponding point extraction means for assigning a weighing factor to a pixel information value based on the contrast size of the pixel information value in each of a first local area ROI1 set around an arbitrary reference point in RI and second local areas ROI2s at which scanning is performed on LI, calculating the similarity between ROI1 and ROI2s, and extracting a corresponding point which corresponds to the reference point from a ROI2 having the highest similarity, and depth information calculating means for calculating depth information of the object based on coordinates of the reference point and the corresponding point. |
| US08265394B2 |
Multi-image file editing apparatus and multi-image file editing method
A multi-image file includes one representative main image data and one or more sub-image data other than the main image data in one file. Each of the image data is provided with a header area. When dividing the multi-image file into individual image files, related information indicative of a relationship between the main image data and the one or more sub-image data is recorded in the header area of the main image data and in the header area of each of the one or more sub-image data. The related information is necessary for reconstructing the multi-image file from a plurality of divided image data and includes, for example, a total number of the sub-images, an image identification number, main image file identification information, an image type, and the like. |
| US08265390B2 |
Probabilistic segmentation in computer-aided detection
Described herein is a method and system for facilitating segmentation of images. A difference image is received and processed to extract at least one histogram (402). A noise component is determined by fitting a symmetric Gaussian distribution to the extracted histogram such that the negative portion of the Gaussian distribution coincides with the negative portion of the histogram (403). The noise component is then subtracted from the histogram to generate a probability distribution function (404), which may be converted to a cumulative distribution function (406) and applied to the difference image to generate a probabilistic representation of contrast enhancement (408). |
| US08265389B2 |
Color enhancement for digital images
Techniques for identifying and enhancing colors in a digital image associated with one or more target color shades. In an embodiment, the target color shades may include a shade of blue associated with the sky, a shade of green associated with outdoor foliage, or the color red. In an embodiment, the blue chroma (Cb) and red chroma (Cr) coordinates of a pixel are evaluated to determine whether to apply an enhancement factor. The enhancement factor may incorporate an exposure index (EI) auxiliary enhancement factor, a color temperature (D) auxiliary enhancement factor, and a luminance (Y) of each pixel. Further aspects for implementing the techniques in software and hardware are disclosed. |
| US08265385B2 |
Image processing apparatus and method of enhancing depth perception
Disclosed is an image processing apparatus and method for enhancing a depth perception. The image processing apparatus and method for enhancing the depth perception may classify an input image including a plurality of layers according to a depth into a foreground layer, a middle layer, and a background layer, and process a color component of each of the layers. The image processing apparatus and method for enhancing the depth perception may enhance the depth perception by stages according to the depth, thereby generating an image expressing natural realism. |
| US08265383B2 |
Method and communication terminal for searching phone book for desired contacts
A method for searching a phone book for desired contacts and a communication terminal using the method are provided. The method includes the steps of: enabling an image acquisition device to capture a present image, calculating a color value of the present image, comparing a reference color value for each contact in the phone book with the color value of the present image, selecting the desired contacts for which the reference color value matches the color value of the present image and displaying the desired contacts. |
| US08265382B2 |
Electronic annotation of documents with preexisting content
In a pen-based computing system, a printed version of a document having preexisting content is annotated using a smart pen. The smart pen captures handwriting gestures to obtain an electronic representation of the annotations. The smart pen computing system identifies a digital version of the document having the preexisting content and stores the electronic representation of the annotations in association with the digital document. The smart pen computing system may overlay the electronic representation of the annotations with the preexisting content to provide a digital representation of the annotated document. |
| US08265375B2 |
Method and apparatus for remote sensing of objects utilizing radiation speckle
Disclosed are systems and methods to extract information about the size and shape of an object by observing variations of the radiation pattern caused by illuminating the object with coherent radiation sources and changing the wavelengths of the source. Sensing and image-reconstruction systems and methods are described for recovering the image of an object utilizing projected and transparent reference points and radiation sources such as tunable lasers. Sensing and image-reconstruction systems and methods are also described for rapid sensing of such radiation patterns. A computational system and method is also described for sensing and reconstructing the image from its autocorrelation. This computational approach uses the fact that the autocorrelation is the weighted sum of shifted copies of an image, where the shifts are obtained by sequentially placing each individual scattering cell of the object at the origin of the autocorrelation space. This computational approach reconstructs the image by eliminating all but one of these copies. |
| US08265374B2 |
Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and program and recording medium used therewith
An image processing apparatus acquires and transforms first plane image data representing a space having a depth. The apparatus includes a vanishing point estimating unit for estimating a vanishing point of the first plane image data, an angle-of-view estimating unit for estimating an angle of view of the first plane image data, and an image generating unit for generating, on the basis of the vanishing point estimated by the vanishing point estimating unit and the angle of view estimated by the angle-of-view estimating unit, second plane image data corresponding to a case in which the first plane image data is projected onto a portion corresponding to the angle of view on a curved surface of a cylinder having a predetermined radius by using, as a reference point, a position being the center of the cylinder and being equal in height to the vanishing point. |
| US08265373B2 |
Method and apparatus for inspecting appearance of long-length objects
An apparatus for inspecting appearance of long-length object takes images of lighted line every predetermined timing while making the hose move in the long-length direction. By this, the contours of the hose are taken continuously and correctly over the length direction of the hose. The height direction position data of the lighted line corresponding to each of the width direction position of the hose are extracted, and the height direction position data are subtracted by the base data provided so as to correspond to each of the width direction position. Thus, the arc shape of the outer surface of the hose is canceled from the height direction position data. Also, the height direction position data of each taken image which are given the subtracting is put in image-taking order, and an inspection image is made on the basis of the predetermined color. |
| US08265371B2 |
Method for evaluating cell detachment, method of detaching cultured cell, apparatus for evaluating cell detachment and automated cell culture apparatus
A novel method for evaluating cell detachment which can be used in passage operation and the like in culture of adhesive cells; a method of detaching a cultured cell utilizing the same; an apparatus for evaluating cell detachment for carrying out the aforementioned method for evaluating cell detachment; and an automated cell culture apparatus in which the apparatus is used are provided. |
| US08265368B2 |
Image analysis apparatus, image processing apparatus, image analysis program storage medium, image processing program storage medium, image analysis method and image processing method
Plural sectional images are acquired at a plurality of slice positions arranged in a predetermined direction in a subject. Each of the plural sectional images acquired by the image acquisition section is binarized based on a predetermined reference image density. Each image included in the sectional images binarized by the binarizing section is classified into a first image group having the images inside the subject and a second image group having the images outside the subject, based on the relative position of the each image from the other images in the same sectional image and also the relative position of the each image from other images contained in another sectional images. |
| US08265364B2 |
Gradient search integrated with local imaging in laser surgical systems
Techniques and systems for gradient search are provided based on sensing or measuring at selected locations of a target object without performing full-field sensing or measuring over the entire field of the target object. Search methods are provided to include determining a coordinate of a boundary of a region in relation to a loop in a proximity of a first location, determining a direction of a gradient of the coordinate corresponding to the first location, and selecting a second location based on the determined direction. A search system can be implemented to include an imaging system to determine a coordinate of a feature of an object on a loop in a proximity of a first location, and a controller, coupled to the imaging system, to determine a direction of a gradient of the coordinate corresponding to the first location, and to select a second location based on the determined direction. |
| US08265363B2 |
Method and apparatus for automatically identifying image views in a 3D dataset
A method is provided for automatically identifying image views in a three-dimensional dataset comprises accessing with a processor a three-dimensional dataset comprising a plurality of image frames and fitting with the processor at least one deformable model to at least one structure within each of the image frames. The method further comprises identifying with the processor at least one feature point within each of the image frames based on the at least one deformable model and displaying on a display at least one image view based on the at least one feature point. |
| US08265359B2 |
Computer-aided cytogenetic method of cancer diagnosis
The present invention relates to noninvasive diagnostic systems for cancer detection comprising RGB-imaging of cancer cells, buccal epithelium cells and uses of the system for drug discovery. The present invention provides novel algorithms for the detection of malignancy associated changes of buccal epithelial cells based on RGB analysis. |
| US08265358B2 |
Ultrasonic image processing apparatus and method for processing ultrasonic image
A contour detector detects the contour of a specific tissue based on ultrasonic image data having been acquired in a predetermined time phase. A contour tracking part obtains the position of each of points composing the contour of a specific tissue in ultrasonic image data having been acquired in each time phase, by pattern matching for each time phase. A computing part obtains motion information indicating the motion state of a specific tissue in each time phase, based on the position of each of points composing the contour in each time phase. A display controller controls a display to display an ultrasonic image based on ultrasonic image data having been acquired in each time phase, for each time phase. Furthermore, the display controller controls the display to display the motion information in each time phase, on each occasion of each time phase. |
| US08265356B2 |
Method and apparatus for efficient automated re-contouring of four-dimensional medical imagery using surface displacement fields
A technique is disclosed for generating a new contour and/or a 3D surface from contour data using a surface displacement field. The technique is preferably applied to un-contoured target images within a 4D image sequence for which contour data is desired. The technique can be initialized with contour data related to a reference image that has already been contoured, e.g. by a doctor who manually enters contour information into a computer. Image registration (calculation of correspondence between the reference image and target image) can be performed simultaneously with segmentation (identifying regions of interest in the target image). This allows one to make use of segmentation information in a reference image to improve the accuracy of contouring within the target image. |
| US08265355B2 |
System and method for automated detection and segmentation of tumor boundaries within medical imaging data
A method for segmenting regions within a medical image includes evaluating a set of candidate segmentations generated from an initial segmentation. Based on distance calculations for each candidate using derivative segmentations, the best candidate is recommended to clinician if it is better than the initial segmentation. This recommender realizes a most stable segmentation that will benefit follow-up computer aided diagnosis (i.e. classifying lesion to benign/malignant). |
| US08265354B2 |
Feature-based composing for 3D MR angiography images
Multiple volumes that are to be aligned to form a single volume are processed. The system and method use an equalization step, a edge detection step and a correlation step to determine the overlapping positions between the first volume and the second volume of a volume pair having a maximum correlation value, and the best alignment of the first volume and the second volume of the volume pair is determined by the correlation value. A coarse correlation step using lower resolution volumes can be performed first followed by a fine correlation step using higher resolution images to save processing time. Initial preprocessing steps such as volume shearing can be performed. Equalization involves equalizing voxel size and edge detection can be performed using a Canny edge detector. |
| US08265345B2 |
Image processing method, image processing apparatus, image forming apparatus, and image reading apparatus
A document matching process section calculates feature points (e.g., the centroid) on the basis of an inputted document image, then selects a plurality of feature points from among the calculated feature points, and then calculates a hash value on the basis of the selected feature points. Then, on the basis of the calculated features, the document matching process section determines whether the document image is similar to a preliminary reference format (reference image). When it is determined as being similar, the document matching process section determines whether write-in is present in the document image, and then outputs a determination signal (a determination result indicating the presence or absence of write-in). In the determination of similarity of the document image, permission or non-permission for processing such as copying is determined more accurately than in the prior art. |
| US08265341B2 |
Voice-body identity correlation
A system and method are disclosed for tracking image and audio data over time to automatically identify a person based on a correlation of their voice with their body in a multi-user game or multimedia setting. |
| US08265332B2 |
Speaker diaphragm and speaker
A speaker diaphragm with a circular opening in a center zone thereof has a pattern of concave and convex sections formed on a front surface or a rear surface thereof. A plurality of concave and convex sections are formed in each of regions provided at a regular interval with a specific angle in a circumferential direction of the diaphragm. The concave and convex sections formed in each region have different sizes in a radial direction of the diaphragm. The concave and convex sections formed in adjacent regions are displaced from each other in the radial direction. The concave and convex sections formed on the diaphragm are aligned on at least a first and a second imaginary curved line, respectively, each imaginary curved line passing regions and approaching an inner periphery of the circular opening from an outer periphery of the diaphragm. |
| US08265330B2 |
Material for speaker device and speaker device using it
A material for improving the sound pressure level at the bass reproduction limit of the present invention is composed of an activated carbon having a cumulative pore volume of 0.4 ml/g or more for the pores each having a radius of 50 angstroms or less. Preferably, this activated carbon has a cumulative pore volume of 0.1 ml/g or less for the pores each having a radius of 7 angstroms or less. In particular, when a sound pressure level improving material in which the activated carbon has a cumulative pore volume of 0.5 ml/g or more for the pores each having a radius of 18 angstroms or less is installed in a cabinet of a loudspeaker device, the material alleviates pressure fluctuations of a gas within the cabinet caused by vibration of a loudspeaker, and thus a very good bass reproduction effect is attained. Moreover, in the case where a sound pressure level improving material in which the activated carbon has a cumulative pore volume of 0.4 ml/g or more for the pores each having a radius of 18 to 50 angstroms is installed in the cabinet, a loudspeaker device having a good bass reproduction effect even in an atmosphere of high humidity is obtained. |
| US08265329B2 |
Compact housing for portable electronic device with internal speaker
Improved approaches for providing a speaker within a housing of a portable electronic device are disclosed. The housing of the portable electronic device can be compact, such as a low profile housing. In one embodiment, an acoustic chamber for a speaker can be formed internal to a housing for a portable electronic device using non-dedicated space. In another embodiment, irregular surfaces can be sealed so that an acoustic chamber for a speaker can be formed internal to a housing for a portable electronic device. |
| US08265328B2 |
Earphone
There is provided an earphone having an ear hook, at one end of which is arranged a first end of a sliding shaft and at the other end of which (at the ear lobe abutment end) the cable is fixed. The housing of the electroacoustic transducer is connected to the second end of the shaft in such a way that the housing of the electroacoustic transducer can be moved in the longitudinal direction of the shaft. |
| US08265325B2 |
Earphone device for portable terminal
An earphone device for a portable terminal, including a body connected to the terminal; an earphone having a pair of ear speakers, a connection plug, and a cable joining the ear speakers to the connection plug; a fixed member fixedly positioned on the cable; and a coupling member adapted to slide on the cable while surrounding overlapping portions of the cable, which is bent at the fixed member. The cable between the coupling member and the fixed member is used as a strap of the terminal when the ear speakers are mounted on the body. This makes it possible to carry the terminal conveniently and prevents the cable from being tangled. |
| US08265322B2 |
Headphone
A headphone has a speaker unit with a diaphragm and a driving source that vibrates the diaphragm along a driving axis that passes through the speaker unit. The speaker unit has a first face and an opposing second face along the driving axis. The diaphragm and the driving source are installed in the speaker unit between the first and second faces. First and second weighting members are fixed as being in contact with the first and second faces, respectively. The speaker unit and the weighting members are installed in a housing. At least either of the weighting members is fixed to the housing. The speaker unit is installed in the housing via the weighting members so that the speaker unit is not in direct contact with the housing. The weighting members have a higher specific gravity than the housing. |
| US08265320B2 |
Loudspeaker
A loudspeaker for projecting siren and other warning signals which is compact to facilitate installation in emergency vehicles, and which provides a horn projector in the compact space. The loudspeaker has a support in which an electrically driven driver unit is mounted. A chamber providing a plurality of cyclonic or spiral paths for sound from the speaker is located at one end of the support as by being connected to the support or being a part thereof. The support has a plurality of passageways for sound from each of the paths to exit ports at an end of the support opposite to the end thereof attached to or having the chamber. The cyclonic paths and the passageways are of like length and taper so that the sound from the exit ports combined in reinforcing relationship and projects outwardly from the exit port end of the support. The support provides a recombiner for the sound propagating along the cyclonic paths and passageways to provide the effect of a long horn in the compact space. |
| US08265315B2 |
Listening system comprising a charging station with a data memory
A listening system, e.g. a hearing aid system, including a charging station and one or more listening devices, e.g. hearing instruments. The hearing aid system includes a) a hearing instrument including a rechargeable battery for energizing the hearing instrument, and a volatile data memory, wherein basic data for the configuration of the hearing instrument are stored during normal operation, b) a charging station adapted for allowing a hearing instrument to be mounted and the battery to be recharged without removing the battery from the hearing instrument, and c) a connection allowing communication between the charging station and the hearing instrument, to allow the basic data for the configuration of the hearing instrument to be transferred from the data memory of the charging station to the data memory of the hearing instrument, when the hearing instrument is mounted in the charging station. |
| US08265312B2 |
Hearing aid having improved RF immunity to RF electromagnetic interference produced from a wireless communications device
A hearing aid has improved immunity to RF electromagnetic interference produced from wireless communications devices. A microphone receives audio signals from the environment. Audio circuitry is connected to the microphone and amplifies the audio signals. A speaker is connected to the audio circuitry and directs the audio signals into an ear canal of the user of the hearing aid. The audio connection lines connect the microphone and audio circuitry and the speaker and audio circuitry. A filter is connected into each of the audio connection lines and operative for reducing the RF coupling from a wireless communications device. |
| US08265308B2 |
Apparatus including two housings and a piezoelectric transducer
An apparatus (100) including two housings and a piezoelectric transducer is disclosed. The apparatus may include a first housing (110), a hinge (115) coupled to the first housing, and a second housing (140) coupled the first housing via the hinge. The first housing can have a closed position when the first housing is substantially adjacent to the second housing and the first housing can have an open position when a portion of the first housing is substantially away from the second housing. The apparatus can also include a first piezoelectric element (130) coupled to the second housing where the first piezoelectric element can be substantially in contact with the first housing when the first housing is in the closed position. The apparatus can further include a user interface (140) coupled to the second housing and a controller (150) coupled to the first piezoelectric element and the user interface. The controller can drive the first piezoelectric element to cause the first housing to vibrate against the second housing when the first housing is in the closed position. The controller can also drive the first piezoelectric element to provide tactile feedback in response to user activation of the user interface. |
| US08265307B2 |
Acoustic transducer
An acoustic transducer radiates a sound wave into a medium, and includes: a shaft member which extends at a center portion of the acoustic transducer; first and second cylindrical acoustic radiation plates which have a cylindrical shape, a central axis of the first and second cylindrical acoustic radiation plates agreeing with the longitudinal axis of the shaft member, the first and second cylindrical acoustic radiation plates alternately arranged in a direction of the central axis; a plurality of connection members which have a ring shape, and connect adjacent first and second acoustic radiation plates to each other; a plurality of bending vibration plates each of which connects the shaft member and one of the connection members to each other; and a plurality of vibrators which are provided on the bending plates. The first acoustic radiation plate has a sectional shape which is curved outwardly in a radial direction thereof, and the sectional shape of the first acoustic radiation plate is along a plane including the central axis. The second acoustic radiation plate has a sectional shape which is curved inwardly in a radial direction thereof, and the sectional shape of the second acoustic radiation plate is along a plane including the central axis. |
| US08265306B2 |
Digital microphone and power supply unit for a digital microphone
Provided is a digital microphone having a power supply. In this case the power supply is configured so as to provide a P48 V phantom power. |
| US08265303B2 |
Circuits and methods for reducing pop noise in class D amplifiers
In one embodiment the present invention includes a method for starting up a class D amplifier. The method comprises increasing, gating, and driving. The increasing includes increasing a duty cycle of a pulse train from a first duty cycle to a second duty cycle. The gating includes gating a signal based on the increasing of the duty cycle. The gating results in a gated signal. The driving includes driving an output signal from the gated signal to charge an output capacitor. The output capacitor is coupled to a speaker. The increasing of the duty cycle contributes to the charging of the output capacitor such that switching sounds detectable by the human ear are reduced. |
| US08265300B2 |
Method and apparatus for controlling volume
Some embodiments of the invention provide a method for controlling the volume of an audio track. This method represents the volume of an audio track with a graph. This graph is defined along two axes, with one axis representing time and the other representing the volume level. A user can adjust the graph at different instances in time in order to change the volume level in the audio track at these instances. Different embodiments use different types of graphs to represent volume. For instance, some embodiments use a deformable line bar. |
| US08265299B2 |
Method and an apparatus for processing an audio signal
A method for processing an audio signal is disclosed. The present invention includes obtaining a plural-channel audio signal including a speech component signal and other component signals, obtaining gain of the audio signal, obtaining modification strength parameter determining the strength of the modification of the speech component signal, modifying the gain based on the modification strength parameter, and modifying the speech component signal based on the modified gain. |
| US08265297B2 |
Sound reproducing device and sound reproduction method for echo cancelling and noise reduction
A sound reproducing device is provided including a communication unit that transmits/receives signals; at least one sound output unit that outputs sound based upon a signal having been received, a sound pickup unit that picks up sound and generates audio data, an echo canceller unit that stores any echo signal contained in the signal having been received at the communication unit and generates a dummy echo signal by using the stored echo signal, and a noise reducing unit that generates a cancel signal to be used to cancel noise by using the audio data if the sound picked up at the sound pickup unit contains noise originating from a noise source and outputs a composite signal generated by combining the output signal from the echo canceller unit and the cancel signal. |
| US08265296B2 |
Method and apparatus for encoding and decoding noise signal
Provided is a method and apparatus for encoding/decoding an audio signal. Sections which are not used to output noise components near important spectral components and sub-bands which are not used to output noise components, are determined to be encoded or decoded, so that the efficiency of encoding and decoding an audio signal increases, and sound quality can be improved using less bits. |
| US08265294B2 |
Public address system utilizing power transmission medium communication
A public address system includes at least one monitoring device, a transmission medium and at least one level monitoring device. The monitoring device is connected to the transmission medium and powered by an AC voltage with a supply frequency present on the transmission medium. The monitoring device receives or transmits or transmits and receives a communication signal utilizing a carrier frequency upon the transmission medium. The carrier frequency is different from the supply frequency and the level monitoring device is adapted to monitor the level of the AC voltage. |
| US08265293B2 |
Audio signal output method and apparatus for short-range communication enabled headset
An audio signal output method and apparatus for a short-range communication enabled headset are disclosed. An audio signal of the headset can be output through an internal speaker or be transmitted to an in-vehicle speaker unit. The audio signal output method includes checking, when an audio signal is present, an operating mode of the headset, outputting, if the headset is in a normal headset mode, the audio signal through an internal speaker and transmitting, if the headset is in a frequency modulation (FM) transmission mode, the audio signal through an FM channel to an in-vehicle speaker unit for reproduction, wherein the input and output gains are adjusted based on a determined vibration levels. |
| US08265292B2 |
Removing noise from audio
The subject matter of this specification can be embodied in, among other things, a computer-implemented method for removing noise from audio that includes building a sound model that represents noises which result from activations of input controls of a computer device. The method further includes receiving an audio signal produced from a microphone substantially near the computer device. The method further includes identifying, without using the microphone, an activation of at least one input control from among the input controls. The method further includes associating a portion of the audio signal as corresponding to the identified activation. The method further includes applying, from the audio model, a representation of a noise for the identified activation to the associated portion of the audio signal so as to cancel at least part of the noise from the audio signal. |
| US08265289B2 |
Method and system for clear signal capture
A method and system for clear signal capture comprehend several individual aspects that address specific problems in improved ways. In addition, the method and system also comprehend a hands-free implementation that is a practical solution to a very complex problem. Individual aspects comprehended related to echo and noise reduction, and divergence control. |
| US08265285B2 |
System for monitoring audible tones in a multiple planar chassis
Aspects for monitoring audible tones indicative of operational status of each planar in a multiple planar chassis are described. Included in the aspects is the monitoring of a speaker channel of each planar of a plurality of planars in a common chassis for state changes of beep tones. An operational status of a specific planar emitting the beep tones is identified based on the state changes. |
| US08265283B2 |
Acoustic processing device and acoustic processing method
An acoustic processing device, includes an inputting section which receives a first audio signal and a second audio signal, a first input signal amplifying section which amplifies the first audio signal at an amplification factor, a second input signal amplifying section which amplifies the second audio signal at an amplification factor, a first initial delayed amplifying section, a first adding section which adds the first audio signal amplified by the first amplifying portion and the first audio signal amplified by the first input signal amplifying section, a second adding section which adds the first audio signal amplified by the second amplifying portion and the second audio signal amplified by the second input signal amplifying section, a first supplying section which supplies an audio signal output from the first adding section to a first sound emitting section, and a second supplying section which supplies an audio signal output from the second adding section to a second sound emitting section different from the first sound emitting section. |
| US08265282B2 |
Method of and system for secure management of data stored on electronic tags
A method of secure management of data records stored in an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag includes data fields whose contents are provided by different parties. Some of the data-fields contain public information data accessible to authorized end users. The data records are stored in encrypted form by encrypting data provided by different parties with different keys so as to set different access rights for contents providers and end users. The end users are supplied only with the keys allowing access to information data fields, whereas proprietary data are accessible only to the data owners. The keys are provided to the users in encrypted form. |
| US08265281B2 |
IP service authorization in wireless communications networks
Systems and methodologies are described that facilitate protocol address assignment using protocols compatible with specified domains for mobile devices. Devices can request wireless network access through a gateway, which can forward an authentication/authorization request to an authentication server. Upon successful authentication, the authentication server can transmit one or more domain identifiers related to the device or a user thereof. Using the domain identifier, compatible protocols can be determined for use in configuring the device for subsequent domain communication. |
| US08265279B2 |
Polarization coding quantum cryptography system
Provided is a polarization coding quantum cryptography system. The quantum cryptography includes a light source, a quantum channel, an optical path selector, and a path-dependent polarization selector. The light source generates a signal light. The quantum channel is used as a path to transmit the signal light to a receiver unit. The optical path selector is disposed between the light source and the quantum channel to transmit the signal light to one of a plurality of propagation paths. The path-dependent polarization selector is disposed between the optical path selector and the quantum channel. Herein, the path-dependent polarization selector is configured to determine the polarization direction of the signal light according to the propagation path of the signal light. |
| US08265276B2 |
Method for combining transfer functions and predetermined key creation
A method for combining transfer functions with predetermined key creation. In one embodiment, digital information, including a digital sample and format information, is protected by identifying and encoding a portion of the format information. Encoded digital information, including the digital sample and the encoded format information, is generated to protect the original digital information. In another embodiment, a digital signal, including digital samples in a file format having an inherent granularity, is protected by creating a predetermined key. The predetermined key is comprised of a transfer function-based mask set to manipulate data at the inherent granularity of the file format of the underlying digitized samples. |
| US08265275B2 |
System and method for cryptographically authenticating data items
A cryptographic authentication system comprises an authentication media key block that comprises media key precursors. The system generates transformed keys by applying a function to a media ID of a media and each of the media key precursors, and generates entries in a binding table by applying an encrypting function to a media key of an encrypted content and each of the transformed keys. To play encrypted content, a media player processes the authentication media key block using a device key to extract a media key precursor, extracts a media key from the binding table using the extracted media key precursor and the media ID, and verifies that the extracted media key matches the media key of the encrypted content, allowing the media device to decrypt and play the encrypted content. |
| US08265274B2 |
Data processing device, data processing method, data processing program, recording medium containing the data processing program and integrated circuit
A data processing device for processing stream data composed of a plurality of frames generated with encoded contents data, which includes a protected storage unit for storing data, being protected from external access, a non-protected storage unit for storing data, a receiving unit for receiving stream data, a separating unit for separating the stream data into protected data including frames necessary for decoding of other frames, and non-protected data not including frames necessary for decoding of other frames, and storing the protected data in the protected storage unit and storing the non-protected data in the non-protected storage unit, and a combining unit for restoring the stream data by combining the protected data stored in the protected storage unit and the non-protected data stored in the non-protected storage unit. |
| US08265270B2 |
Utilizing cryptographic keys and online services to secure devices
The claimed subject matter in accordance with an aspect provides systems and/or methods that generates, allocates, or utilizes strong symmetric cryptographic keys to secure storage devices. The system can include components that determine whether a storage device with an associated credential cache has been affiliated with the system. The system extracts authentication information included within the credential cache and establishes communications with a web service that utilizes the authentication information to generate and return a set strong symmetric cryptographic keys to the system. The system employs one of the set of strong symmetric cryptographic keys to encrypt or decrypt the storage device to make content persisted on the storage device available and thereafter removes the distributed set of strong symmetric cryptographic keys from the system. |
| US08265268B2 |
Converter, encryption/decryption system, multi-stage converter, converting method, multi-stage converting method, program, and information recording medium
A converter uses a predetermined parameter a. A generating unit accepts generated inputs x1, . . . , xn, and generates generated outputs, y1, . . . , yn, using recurrence formulas, y1=F1(x1, a) and yi+1=Fi+1(xi+1, y1)(1≦i≦n−1). A key accepting unit accepts key inputs, k1, . . . , kn, and gives them as generated inputs to said generating unit. A repetition controller gives the generated outputs as generated inputs to said generating unit, for an “m” (m≧0) number of times, and sets one of the generated outputs to be given at the end as a random number string, r1, . . . , rn. The data accepting unit accepts data inputs, d1, . . . , dn. The converting unit converts data using, ei=di⋆ri, and, outputs data outputs, e1, . . . , en. The converter can be used both for encrypting and decrypting data. |
| US08265265B2 |
Circuit arrangement and method for RSA key generation
In order to further develop a circuit arrangement for as well as a method of performing at least one operation, in particular at least one cryptographic calculation, wherein the problem of creating at least one key, in particular the R[ivest-]S[hamir-]A[dleman] key, satisfying at least one defined digital signature laws, in particular satisfying the German Digital Signature Law, is solved it is proposed that at least one, preferably two, prime numbers (p; q) for key generation, in particular for R[ivest-]S[hamir-]A[dleman] key generation, are searched in compliance with at least one defined digital signature law, in particular with the German Digital Signature Law. |
| US08265263B2 |
Delayed adaptation structure for improved double-talk immunity in echo cancellation devices
In a system having an adaptive filter block for receiving a reference signal and adapting to an input signal, and a block for detecting corruption of the input signal by an interference signal and in response limiting adaptation of the adaptive filter block, the improvement comprising delaying and applying the input signal to the adaptive filter block while applying the input signal to the block for detecting corruption without delay. |
| US08265260B2 |
Methods, systems, and computer program products for providing human-assisted natural language call routing
Exemplary embodiments relate to methods, systems, user devices and computer program products for providing human-assisted natural language call routing. Systems include a call interface device on an IVR system for receiving a telephone call from a caller. The system also includes a level one agent processing module for facilitating the handling of the telephone call when it is not directed by the IVR system after an initial interaction and a second interaction between the caller and the IVR system. The system further includes a level two agent processing module for facilitating the handling of the telephone call when it is not directed by the IVR system after the initial interaction and when a level two agent is available. In addition the system includes a level three agent processing module for facilitating the handling of the telephone call when a level three agent is available. |
| US08265259B2 |
Functionalities for local number portability in a telecommunications network
According to various embodiments of the present invention, systems and methods for local number portability in a telecommunication network are disclosed. An embodiment of a method includes receiving a telephone number (TN) to test for its porting activity as part of a local number portability (LNP) order, accessing a LNP call tester (LCT) to determine a current local routing number (LRN) for the TN, and determining, based on the TN and current LRN, whether the porting activity is completed for the TN in relation to a core telecommunications carrier servicing an owner of the TN. The porting activity may include at least one of port in, port out, and migration of the TN. In one embodiment, the planned porting activity for the TN associated with the LNP order is known prior to determining whether the porting activity has been completed. Other embodiments are also disclosed. |
| US08265256B1 |
Method and apparatus for locating and reserving items via a web application
A method and apparatus for providing a web based service that allows subscribers to specify the particular item they desire to purchase, to input a zip code, and to activate a web based tool to search stores within a specified radius of the specified locales to locate and reserve the item for purchase and pickup are disclosed. |
| US08265255B1 |
End-to-end session without signaling protocol
An endpoint system for media communication comprises a resource-limited device and a base station. The resource-limited device at least one of receives and outputs at least one of audio and graphic information. The base station communicates media and control packets with the resource-limited device via a permanent virtual circuit, establishes a switched virtual circuit with an endpoint device via a communications channel, and translates media packets between the permanent virtual circuit and the switched virtual circuit. |
| US08265251B1 |
System and method to provide services from a communication network to a media-delivery network via a host device connected to the media-delivery network
The present invention relates to a system and method for integrating telecommunications and cable networks for the purpose of providing telephone services to a cable host device over a cable network. The methods include registering a cable host device to receive telephone services, downloading telephone service software to a cable host device, cable host device sign on to the telephone services, associating a telephone with a cable host device, temporarily registering a cable host device, and activating and deactivating telephone services for a cable host device. Also described are systems for connecting telephone and cable networks to enable telephone services to be provided by cable host devices. |
| US08265249B2 |
Changing a state of a remote switch box which connects a phone to a network
A computer implemented method, and apparatus for changing a state of a remote switch box. On a master switch box, a request is received from a user to set a state of the remote switch box to a selected state. A request to change the remote switch box to the selected state is transmitted from the master switch box to the remote switch box. The remote switch box connects a remote phone to a phone line. The master switch box receives a confirmation from the remote switch box of the change to the selected state. The confirmation contains the state of the remote switch box. The state of the remote switch box is displayed on the master switch box. |
| US08265241B2 |
Apparatus for citizen requests for assistance
A method and system for initiating an incident-specific request for assistance from a citizen call station by touching a sequence of positions on a display screen. The citizen call station comprises a display having a touch-responsive mechanism for entering a call sequence of statements including initiating an alert, reporting a concern, and selecting help needed. A transmission mechanism for transmitting the call sequence to a control location is provided. A confirmation of the request, sent from the control location, may be received at the call station. The call station may also deliver information from a central location. The call station may include cameras, various sensors, two-way communications, and may be used to provide information on demand, outside of the normal security concerns. |
| US08265237B2 |
System and method for facilitating a custom ring in connection with a call
A system and method are disclosed for facilitating a custom ring in connection with a call. A ring tone delivery system may include an interface operable to receive a calling signal that indicates a request to place a call from a calling party to a communication device of a called party. The system may also include a network node communicatively coupled to the interface. The network node may be operable to determine whether the calling party is able to use a calling party selected ring tone. The network node may also be operable to determine whether the communication device will accept the calling party selected ring tone. The network node sends the calling party selected ring tone to the communication device when the calling party is able to use the calling party selected ring tone and when the communication device will accept the calling party selected ring tone. |
| US08265234B2 |
Systems and methods for enabling a user to more easily navigate an interactive voice response (IVR) menu
In one aspect, the present invention provides a system and method for enabling a user to more easily navigate an IVR menu by, for example, displaying to the user a visual representation of the IVR menu. |
| US08265233B2 |
Method for providing early-media service based on session initiation protocol
The present invention relates to a method of providing an early media service based on a session initiation protocol (SIP), wherein early media of a multimedia form can be provided under SIP-based B2BUA mode operation. According to the present invention, in a case where early media are provided to an originating terminal when a call connection with a terminating terminal is established at the request of the originating terminal, the early media is provided in the form of multimedia data, such as text, image, moving image, flash animation and the like, as well as audio data, and thus users desires are fulfilled and users satisfactions are maximized. In addition, with individual operation management of the terminating terminal and the originating terminal according to B2BUA mode operation based on the session initiation protocol and an early session initiation with the originating terminal, an early media service can be normally provided to the originating terminal even when the terminating terminal is in an abnormal operation state. |
| US08265232B2 |
Estimation of transmission line insertion loss
A method and arrangement for estimating line insertion loss of a customer transmission line at a frequency (f1) or a plurality of frequencies. Values of line insertion loss for at least two reference transmission lines are pre-measured at each frequency and stored in a memory. A calibration quantity representing an amplitude of a far-end Time Domain Reflectometer (TDR) reflection is also measured for each of the reference transmission lines. The pre-measured line insertion loss of each reference transmission line is then calibrated by the calibration quantities of the reference transmission lines. The calibration quantity for the customer transmission line is then measured, and an estimate of the line insertion loss at each frequency for the customer transmission line is generated based on the calibrated line insertion losses of the reference transmission lines and the measured calibration quantity of the customer transmission line. |
| US08265226B2 |
X-ray image acquiring apparatus
The present invention relates to an X-ray image acquiring apparatus having a structure for improving the quality of an image signal representing an X-ray image captured. The X-ray image acquiring apparatus (5) comprises an imaging section (7), a connecting section (8), and a signal cable (L1). The imaging section (7) outputs an image signal representing an X-ray image captured. The connecting section (8) has a structure attachable/detachable to a control circuit (6) for controlling the imaging section (7). The signal cable (L1) has one end connected to the imaging section (7) and the other end connected to the connecting section (8), and is flexible. The signal cable (L1) includes a detection signal line (L11), a control signal line (L12), an image signal line (L13), and a GND line (L14), which are used for transmitting signals exchanged between the imaging section (7) and the control circuit (6), and a shield member (5a) covering these lines (L11 to L14). The connecting section (8) includes a resistor (5c) provide between the shield member (5a) and a grounding terminal (81a) of the connecting section (8). |
| US08265224B2 |
System for adjusting angiographic X-ray imaging parameters based on image content
An Angiographic X-ray imaging system includes a detector for automatically detecting a transition between different phases of contrast enhanced blood flow in vessels of a portion of patient anatomy, in response to pixel luminance content of at least one image of a sequence of acquired images of the portion of patient anatomy. An X-ray imaging device uses the detector and information associating different sets of X-ray imaging device settings with corresponding different phases of contrast enhanced blood flow in vessels for automatically sequentially acquiring images in different phases using different imaging settings, in response to detection of transitions between different phases. |
| US08265221B2 |
Debris trap
A debris trap catches debris falling through a fuel bundle orifice in a nuclear reactor. The debris trap includes a shaft and a debris capture tray attached to an end of the shaft. The debris capture tray includes a tray cavity sized larger than the fuel bundle orifice. |
| US08265220B2 |
Rate adaptation for use in adaptive multi-rate vocoder
The present invention includes a time-division-multiple-access (TDMA) communication system having a base station and at least one mobile station, each transmitting and receiving an analog radio-frequency signal carrying digitally coded speech. The speech is encoded using a vocoder which samples a voice signal at variable encoding rates. During periods when the radio-frequency channel is experiencing high levels of channel interference, the encoded voice channel having a lower encoding rate is chosen. This low-rate encoded voice is combined with the high degree of channel coding necessary to ensure reliable transmission. When the radio-frequency channel is experiencing low levels of channel interference, less channel coding is necessary and the vocoder having a higher encoding rate is used. The high-rate encoded voice is combined with the lower degree of channel coding necessary to ensure reliable transmission. The appropriate levels of channel coding necessary for reliable transmission are determined by various channel metrics, such as frame erase rate and bit error rate. The determination of the appropriate vocoder rate and level of channel coding for both the uplink and downlink may be determined centrally at the base station, with the vocoder rate and level of channel coding for the uplink being relayed to the mobile station. Alternatively, the appropriate vocoder rate and level of channel coding for the downlink may be determined by the mobile station, and the appropriate vocoder rate and level of channel coding for the uplink may be determined by the base station. |
| US08265219B1 |
Method and apparatus for fast PLL initialization
A method and apparatus for fast PLL initialization have been disclosed where control of a VCO is based on a selected control signal which is based upon either a comparison signal or a prespecified signal. |
| US08265216B2 |
Techniques for asynchronous data recovery
A data recovery circuit includes a pulse width indicator circuit, an edge detection circuit and a first storage. The pulse width indicator circuit is configured to receive, at an input, a data stream and provide pulses, at respective outputs, that are indicative of respective data bits in the received data stream. The edge detection circuit is configured to receive, on respective inputs, the pulses from the pulse width indicator circuit and provide respective storage signals, on respective outputs that are indicative of a logic level of the respective data bits, responsive to the pulses. The first storage is configured to receive and store the respective storage signals. |
| US08265215B1 |
Method and system for determining symbol boundary timing in a multicarrier data transmission system
Improved techniques for acquiring symbol boundary timing at a receiver of a multicarrier data transmission system during a training sequence are disclosed. One aspect is symbol boundary determination at a receiver wherein minimal interference is used as a criterion in selecting from a plurality of potential symbol boundary timings. The symbol boundary determination at the receiver can be performed in a time domain or a frequency domain manner. Another aspect pertains to an improved training sequence wherein pairs of identical symbols are transmitted by a transmitter. These symbols can be supplied to the transmitter in a time domain or a frequency domain manner. |
| US08265214B2 |
Method and apparatus for adaptive timing synchronization in a communication network
An adaptive timing synchronization process dynamically adapts timing synchronization parameters for both wide and local area channels based on channel estimates. Timing synchronization parameters are dynamically adapted according to C/I estimates calculated from WID/LID energies. The timing synchronization algorithm 102 takes as the primary input, the current channel estimate 110 and produces an output comprising a correction to the current Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) sampling window position delta T (or offset) for locating the start of data within a current symbol 108. After dynamic parameter adjustment of noise filtering thresholds 104 and weak channel tap sensitivities 106 based on a calculated C/I from the channel estimate, a timing synchronization algorithm 102 locates the beginning of each continuous symbol by finding the boundary between the preamble, or cyclic prefix, and the useful data portions interlaced with pilots for channel information defining the start of a symbol 108. |
| US08265211B2 |
Device and method for improving the carrier-to-noise ratio for a receiver with diversity
The method of improving the carrier-to-noise ratio for a receiver with diversity, and the associated device, consists, after extracting, by phase shifting, the noise component of the signals to be demodulated, in optimizing the cancellation of the useful component via a feedback loop acting on the phase shifter and in summing the noise component in phase and in phase opposition with these signals to improve the carrier-to-noise ratio. |
| US08265209B2 |
Method and apparatus for channel and noise estimation
Techniques for performing channel and noise estimation for a MIMO transmission sent from multiple transmit antennas to multiple receive antennas are described. Samples are obtained from the receive antennas. For a first scheme, channel estimates are derived by correlating the samples with at least one pilot sequence, and signal, noise and interference statistics are also estimated based on the samples. For a second scheme, total received energy as well as signal and interference energy are estimated based on the samples. Noise is then estimated based on the estimated total received energy and the estimated signal and interference energy. For a third scheme, signal and on-time interference statistics are estimated based on the samples. Noise and multipath interference statistics are also estimated based on the samples. Signal, noise and interference statistics are then estimated based on the estimated signal and on-time interference statistics and the estimated noise and multipath interference statistics. |
| US08265205B2 |
Receiver architecture
A wireless receiver uses a joint detection Viterbi (JDV) algorithm to demodulate a signal that has a desired signal component and an interference signal component. The desired signal component includes a training sequence and at least one data field. The training sequence and a corresponding portion of the interference signal component is demodulated using the JDV algorithm to evaluate possible transmitted training sequences and interference signal sequences, and channel estimations for the desired signal component and the interference signal component are generated. The at least one data field is demodulated according to the JDV algorithm using the channel estimations as initial channel estimates for the JDV algorithm. |
| US08265202B2 |
Method for estimating hidden channel parameters of a received GNNS navigation signal
For the reduction of the multipath error of received GNSS navigation signals, a sequential Bayesian estimation is used, with a movement model underlying this estimation, which model is particularly designed for dynamic channel situations. Sequential Monte Carlo methods are used to calculate the posterior probability density functions of the signal parameters. To facilitate an efficient integration in received signal tracking loops, the invention builds on complexity reduction concepts that have previously been used in maximum likelihood (ML) estimators.Applicable with GNSS satellite navigation receivers, e.g. GPS and Galileo. |
| US08265197B2 |
OFDM transmission methods in three phase modes
Systems and methods for power line transmission are disclosed in which transmitters and receivers are connected to one or more phases of the power line. At least one symbol stream to be transmitted on the power line network is generated. The at least one symbol stream is scaled using a weight vector to generate a plurality of scaled symbol streams. The weight vector comprises a plurality of weights, each corresponding to a phase of the power line network. Each of the scaled symbol streams are transmitted on a corresponding phase of the power line network. A zero crossing detector identifies phase information for a receiver. A concentrator adapts signals to be sent to the receiver based upon the phase associated with the receiver. |
| US08265191B2 |
Receiver for object locating and tracking systems and related methods
A communications system, such as part of a real-time location system, includes a transmitter that can be part of a location processor, tag emission reader or tag interrogator that generates a frequency shift key (FSK) modulated wireless communication signal representative of digital data and transmits the communications signal over a wireless communications channel. A receiver such as incorporated within a tag transceiver used in the real-time location system receives the FSK modulated communication signal. The receiver includes a circuit for calculating the magnitude of low and high tones of the FSK modulated communication signal and a threshold for amplitude shift keyed (ASK) channel data and FSK channel data to derive the digital data even in the presence of on-tone jammers in the communications channel. |
| US08265186B2 |
Minimum mean squared error approach to interference cancellation and maximum likelihood decoding of space-time block codes
Block-encoded transmissions of a multi-antenna terminal unit are effectively detected in the presence of co-channel interfering transmissions when the base station has a plurality of antennas, and interference cancellation is combined with maximum likelihood decoding. More specifically, the signals received at the base station antennas are combined in a linear combination that relates to the channel coefficients between the various transmitting terminal units and the base antennas. By selecting proper coefficients for the linear combination and choosing probable transmitted signals that minimize a minimum mean squared error function, the signals of the various terminal units are canceled when detecting the signal of a particular unit. In another embodiment of the invention, the basic approach is used to obtain an initial estimate of the signals transmitted by one terminal unit, and the contribution of those signals is removed from the received signals prior to detecting the signals of other terminal units. In still another embodiment, the decoding process is repeated at least twice by detecting the signals of the terminal units in a different order, and selecting the detections that produce the lowest uncertainty measure. The disclosed techniques are viable for any number K of terminal units transmitting concurrently over a given channel, where each terminal unit is using a space-time block code with N transmit antennas, and a base station has at least K receive antennas. |
| US08265182B2 |
Radio transmission device and radio reception device
Provided is a radio transmission device (100) which can flexibly cope with a request for assuring an error ratio feature during a high transmission rate, a request for increasing a cell coverage, or the like. The radio transmission device (100) includes a first subcarrier modulation unit (104) which forms a first subcarrier modulation signal obtained by converting a plurality of modulation signals into a frequency region; a second subcarrier modulation unit (105) which forms a second subcarrier modulation signal obtained by parallel conversion of a plurality of signals; an IFFT unit (111) which forms an OFDM signal by performing inverse Fourier transform on the first and the second subcarrier modulation signal; and a subcarrier mapping unit (110) which controls allocation of the first and the second subcarrier modulation signals. |
| US08265181B2 |
Phase tracking in frequency domain in a wireless communication system
Techniques for correcting sampling frequency offset (SFO) and carrier frequency offset (CFO) in a wireless communication system are disclosed. An apparatus for correcting SFO and CFO may include a pilot tone extractor for extracting a plurality of pilot tones from one or more first symbols, a demodulator, an error signal generator, a loop filter, an angle generator, and a device for applying a correction phase to one or more symbols subsequent to the one or more first symbols. The demodulator is configured to demodulate the pilot tones. The error signal generator is configured to generate an error signal by summing and calculating the arctangent of the plurality of demodulated pilot tones. The loop filter is configured to generate an estimated phase rotation due to a residual CFO and the angle generator is configured to generate a correction phase for the plurality of tones. |
| US08265180B2 |
OFDM cognitive radio with zero overhead signalling of deleted subcarriers frequencies
A system, device and method are described for suppressing certain sub-carrier frequencies within a multi-path transmission system and efficiently notifying a receiver (400) of the suppressed sub-carriers. In various embodiments of the invention, an OFDM system uses the preamble (210) of an OFDM burst for indicating which sub-carrier frequencies are being suppressed by a transmitter (300). |
| US08265175B2 |
Methods and apparatuses for signaling with geometric constellations
Communication systems are described that use signal constellations, which have unequally spaced (i.e. ‘geometrically’ shaped) points. In many embodiments, the communication systems use specific geometric constellations that are capacity optimized at a specific SNR. In addition, ranges within which the constellation points of a capacity optimized constellation can be perturbed and are still likely to achieve a given percentage of the optimal capacity increase compared to a constellation that maximizes dmin, are also described. Capacity measures that are used in the selection of the location of constellation points include, but are not limited to, parallel decode (PD) capacity and joint capacity. |
| US08265174B2 |
Method and apparatus for detection of load impedance modulation in a transformer circuit
A method and apparatus for detection of load impedance modulation as a result of communication of data from the secondary to the primary side of a transformer are presented. The load impedance on the secondary of the transformer barrier is modulated differentially using data to be communicated across the barrier. A detection circuit on the primary side isolates the load current from the magnetizing current in the primary. The load current is subsequently integrated over two consecutive Manchester periods and the integrated value from the first Manchester period is compared against that of the second period thereby recovering the receive data. |
| US08265172B2 |
Method and apparatus for analytical and empirical hybrid encoding distortion modeling
There are provided a method and apparatus for analytical and empirical hybrid encoding distortion modeling. An apparatus includes a distortion calculator for modeling video encoding distortion by dividing the video encoding distortion into a first portion and a second portion, calculating the first portion using empirical calculations, and calculating the second portion using analytical calculations. |
| US08265169B2 |
Video block memory read request translation and tagging
According to some embodiments, a video block memory read request may be received from a processing unit. For example, a codec may request to access a macroblock of pixel information from a memory unit. The video block memory read request may then be translated into a plurality of memory access requests. |
| US08265168B1 |
Providing trick mode for video stream transmitted over network
Systems and methods for performing a trick mode of video streams transmitted over a network without increasing the amount of data transmitted over the network. A video server transrates a source video stream to a target video stream by removing pictures from the source video stream. The target video stream has a reduced number of pictures compared to the source video stream. Therefore, when the target video stream is played on a display device, the target video stream has a playback speed faster than the playback speed of the source video stream. |
| US08265167B2 |
Application specific video format
A method, system, and medium are provided for formatting video frames such that a region of interest is emphasized and the video frames can be encoded, communicated, and rendered without excessive processing burdens. A region of interest is identified in a video frame and a feature mask is created that represents the region of interest. The feature mask can be used to crop the video frame to remove background images that are not within the region of interest and the cropped video frame can be overlayed on a simulated background before being encoded and communicated to a display device. |
| US08265165B2 |
Method and apparatus for video decoding to improve picture quality based on picture quality estimation, in the presence of noise
A method and apparatus for decoding video data that is encoded by bit rate control to keep a bandwidth of a bit stream in a predetermined range are provided. The encoded video data is decoded, picture quality estimation information is estimated, the estimation including information about a bit stream size of a decoded video frame, the number of fragmented macro blocks included in the video frame, and the number of skip-mode macro blocks included in the video frame, the picture quality of the video data is determined based on a correlation between picture quality estimation information and SNR, and the video data is output by applying a picture quality improving algorithm to the video data, if the determined picture quality is lower than a predetermined level. |
| US08265163B2 |
Video shape padding method
Horizontal and vertical video shape padding (with or without attendant motion compensation) are facilitated through use of a two-dimensional small array of processing elements. Multiple pixel value assignments are determined and made with each clock cycle or iteration, thereby greatly reducing overall cycle time to complete the shape padding. This approach is compatible with MPEG 4. |
| US08265160B2 |
Parallel three-dimensional recursive search (3DRS) meandering algorithm
Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method and related motion estimation unit for performing motion estimation on video data comprising a plurality of frames. The method may begin by reading a current frame of the plurality of frames from a memory of a motion estimation unit. The method may then select a motion vector for each respective block of pixels in a current row of the current frame. The step of selecting the motion vector may include, for each respective block, selecting, by the motion estimation unit, a candidate vector for at least one block directly surrounding the respective block based on a determination of whether the directly surrounding block has been processed for the current frame, calculating, for each candidate vector, a difference value, and selecting, as the motion vector, the candidate vector with the lowest difference value. |
| US08265157B2 |
Motion vector refinement for MPEG-2 to H.264 video transcoding
A method for transcoding is disclosed. The method generally includes the steps of (A) generating a decoded frame by decoding an input video stream in an MPEG-2 format, the decoded frame including a plurality of decoded macroblocks; (B) determining a current search center to be used in encoding a current macroblock into an H.264 format, the current macroblock corresponding to a pair of the decoded macroblocks on consecutive macroblock rows, wherein when (i) the encoding uses a predictive field mode and (ii) a current field being encoded comprises a second field of a current frame and has a first field of the current frame as a reference field, the current search center comprises a temporally scaled version of a decoded motion vector from one of an upper macroblock of the pair and a lower macroblock in the pair; (C) generating a refined motion vector by searching in a temporal search direction about the current search center; and (D) generating an output video stream in the H.264 format by the encoding of the current macroblock based on the refined motion vector. |
| US08265152B2 |
System and method for low-latency processing of intra-frame video pixel block prediction
A method and system for low-latency processing of intra-frame video pixel block prediction including: predicting a pixel block based on boundary pixels of left and upper neighbor blocks of said pixel block; subtracting said predicted pixel block from a source pixel block to generate a prediction error; forward transforming and quantizing said prediction error to generate a residual data; inverse transforming and quantizing said residual data; adding said predicted pixel block to said inverse transformed and quantized residual data to generate a reconstructed pixel block; pre-computing blocks of DC-coefficients used with luma and chroma intra prediction modes; pre-computing mode selection of a best prediction mode of said luma and chroma intra prediction modes; and outputting said residual data to be used in entropy or arithmetic coding, and a reconstructed data used for motion prediction. |
| US08265150B2 |
Picture coding apparatus, picture decoding apparatus and the methods
A weighting factor mode determination unit determines whether to code an interlaced picture in a field mode or a frame mode, based on a value of a flag “AFF” indicating whether or not to switch between the field mode and the frame mode on a block-by-block basis and notifies switches and a multiplexing unit of the determined mode. The switches select either the field mode or the frame mode according to the notified mode. A field weighting factor coding unit or a frame weighting factor coding unit performs respectively the coding of respective weighting factors when the respective modes are selected. |
| US08265149B2 |
Method and apparatus encoding and/or decoding image by using diffusion properties of the image
Provided are a method and apparatus for encoding/decoding a moving picture by using the diffusion properties of the image. In the method, a value of a current pixel is predicted from the values of neighboring pixels of the current pixel, based on the variations between the values of the neighboring pixels present in directions toward the current pixel; a correction value of the predicted value is calculated from at least one variation from among the variations; the value of the current pixel is determined by reflecting the correction value into the predicted value; and then, the original image is reconstructed using the determined value of the current pixel. |
| US08265148B2 |
Parameterization for fading compensation
Techniques and tools for performing fading compensation in video processing applications are described. For example, during encoding, a video encoder performs fading compensation using fading parameters comprising a scaling parameter and a shifting parameter on one or more reference images. During decoding, a video decoder performs corresponding fading compensation on the one or more reference images. |
| US08265146B2 |
Information processing apparatus, imaging device, information processing method, and computer program
An information processing apparatus includes a data processor configured to execute processing for selecting a plurality of frame pictures from moving-picture data and for displaying an array of the selected frame pictures. In selecting frame pictures to be displayed, the data processor preferentially selects frame pictures corresponding to highlight points as frame pictures to be displayed, using highlight point information that allows identification of picture portions corresponding to important scenes, the highlight point information being recorded in association with the moving-picture data. |
| US08265143B2 |
Method and apparatus for coding image information, method and apparatus for decoding image information, method and apparatus for coding and decoding image information, and system of coding and transmitting image information
An image information decoding method for decoding a bit stream in an image decoding apparatus. The decoding process includes decoding, in a decoding unit in the image decoding apparatus, the bit stream and generating a chroma component of quantized coefficients; and performing, in a dequantization unit in the image decoding apparatus, dequantization on the chroma component of quantized coefficients using a chroma quantization parameter calculated on the basis of a luma quantization parameter weighted by an addition operation. |
| US08265140B2 |
Fine-grained client-side control of scalable media delivery
Techniques and tools for adjusting quality and bit rate of multiple chunks of media delivered over a network are described. For example, each of the multiple chunks is encoded as multiple layers (e.g., a base layer and multiple embedded residual layers) for fine-grained scalability at different rate/quality points. A server stores the encoded data for the layers of chunks as well as curve information that parameterizes rate-distortion curves for the chunks. The server sends the curve information to a client. For the multiple chunks, the client uses the curve information to determine rate-distortion preferences for the respective chunks, then sends feedback indicating the rate-distortion preferences to the server. For each of the multiple chunks, the server, based at least in part upon the feedback, selects one or more scalable layers of the chunk to deliver to the client. |
| US08265139B2 |
Packet comparator
A packet comparator includes a match packet buffer and a first in first out (FIFO) buffer that stores a reference packet stream. Once a packet in the reference stream and a candidate stream are matched to the match packet, the reference stream and the candidate stream are considered synchronized. Thereafter, the two streams are passed through a compare function and a resultant stream is output from the packet comparator. Possible resultant streams include the results of an exclusive OR (XOR) operation between all, or selected parts, of packets in each of the streams. |
| US08265136B2 |
Motion refinement engine for use in video encoding in accordance with a plurality of sub-pixel resolutions and methods for use therewith
A motion compensation module can be used in a video encoder for encoding a video input signal that includes a sequence of images are segmented into a plurality of macroblocks. The motion compensation module includes a motion search module, that generates a motion search motion vector for a plurality of subblocks for a plurality of partitionings of a macroblock of a plurality of macroblocks. A motion refinement module generates a refined motion vector for the plurality of subblocks for the plurality of partitionings of the macroblock of the plurality of macroblocks, based on the motion search motion vector for each of the plurality of subblocks of the macroblock of the plurality of macroblocks. The motion refinement module can operate in a plurality of selected modes including a first mode corresponding to a first sub-pixel resolution and a second mode corresponding to a second sub-pixel resolution. |
| US08265135B2 |
Method and apparatus for video processing
In one embodiment, the invention includes a method for compressing video data using redundant binary mathematics. Other embodiments are described and claimed. |
| US08265132B2 |
Conditioning circuit that spectrally shapes a serviced bit stream
A high-speed bit stream interface module interfaces a high-speed communication media to a communication Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) via a Printed Circuit Board (PCB). The high-speed bit stream interface module includes a line side interface, a board side interface, and a signal conditioning circuit. The line side interface includes a media coupler that receives the line side media, such as copper media or optical media. The board side interface couples the high-speed serial bit stream interface module to the PCB. A signal conditioning circuit communicatively couples to the line side interface and to the board side interface. The signal conditioning circuit receives an RX signal from the line side interface, conditions the RX signal, and provides the RX signal to the board side interface. The signal conditioning circuit receives a TX signal from the board side interface, conditions the TX signal, and provides the TX signal to the board side interface. |
| US08265129B1 |
Digital receiver with system for controlling the operating mode of an adaptive equalizer
A radio receiver for receiving a selected digital HDTV signal, irrespective of whether it is a complex-amplitude-modulation (QAM) or a vestigial sideband (VSB) signal, using the same tuner. The tuner supplies a final IF signal in a 6 MHz frequency band, the lowest frequency of which is not appreciably more than 2.38 MHz. The final IF signal is digitized for synchrodyning to baseband, with the 2.375 MHz difference between the carrier frequencies of QAM and VSB signals being taken into account in the digital synchrodyning circuitry. The carrier frequencies of the QAM and VSB final IF signals are regulated to be submultiples of symbol frequency by applying automatic frequency and phase control signals developed in the digital circuitry to a local oscillator of the tuner. The presence of the pilot carrier accompanying a selected VSB HDTV signal is detected for automatically switching the radio receiver for operation in a VSB signal reception mode. The absence of pilot carrier accompanying a selected QAM HDTV signal is detected for automatically switching the radio receiver for operation in a QAM signal reception mode. |
| US08265128B2 |
Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) with relay nodes
A method for providing multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) feedback information and configuration information. The method includes transporting the MIMO feedback information, configuration information, or both over an uplink relay link using higher layer signaling. Also included is a method for providing uplink data transmission over an access link. The method includes transporting the uplink data over an uplink access link using orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing access (OFDMA). Also included is a relay node comprising a processor configured to promote transmitting MIMO feedback information, configuration information, or both over an uplink relay link using higher layer signaling. Also included is a user agent (UA) comprising a processor configured to promote transmitting uplink data over an uplink access link using OFDMA. |
| US08265127B2 |
Detecting data symbols
In one embodiment, a method includes generating a set of sequences of chip values and calculating a correlation between a demodulated signal and each one of two or more of the sequences. Each of the correlations has an absolute value, and one of the correlations has a highest absolute value. The method includes selecting the one of the sequences with the correlation having the highest absolute value; identifying a sequence index corresponding to the selected one of the sequences; and, for each of one or more data symbols in the demodulated signal, determining a value of the data symbol based on the sequence index corresponding to the selected one of the sequences. |
| US08265123B2 |
CDMA receiving apparatus and CDMA receiving method
A CDMA receiving apparatus includes a path searcher which outputs path timing that corresponds to sample timing where a correlation value between a received data sequence and a reference code sequence reaches a peak, and outputs the correlation value calculated at a sample timing adjacent to the path timing as an adjacent timing correlation value; an interpolation adjuster; and a despreader which despreads an output of the interpolation adjuster at the path timing, wherein the interpolation adjuster includes an interpolator for generating an interpolating data sequence which is a data sequence displaced in time by a specified fraction of one sample period with respect to the received data sequence, and outputs the received data sequence or the interpolating data sequence by switching therebetween based on a result of a comparison between the correlation value calculated at the path timing and the adjacent timing correlation value. |
| US08265119B2 |
Method and apparatus for frequency assignment in a frequency hopping mode of a wireless communication system
A frequency allocation method and apparatus using a mirroring-assisted frequency hopping pattern is provided for retransmission in a wireless communication system operating in frequency hopping mode. A frequency allocation method for a wireless communication system operating in frequency hopping mode includes generating a mirroring pattern having a mirroring-assisted frequency hopping interval identical with a data retransmission interval; and allocating different frequency bands for an initial transmission and retransmission by performing frequency hopping according to the mirroring pattern. Preferably, the mirroring-assisted frequency hopping interval is shorter than the data retransmission interval. |
| US08265117B2 |
Bandwidth-limited and long pulse master oscillator power oscillator laser systems
Laser systems have a line-narrowed master oscillator and a power oscillator for amplifying the output of the master oscillator. The power oscillator includes optical arrangements for limiting the bandwidth of radiation that can be amplified. The limited amplification bandwidth of the power oscillator is relatively broad compared to that of the output of the master oscillator, but narrower than would be the case without the bandwidth limiting arrangements. The bandwidth narrowing arrangements of the power oscillator function primarily to restrict the bandwidth of amplified spontaneous emission generated by the power oscillator. |
| US08265109B2 |
Systems and methods for implementing an interaction between a laser shaped as line beam and a film deposited on a substrate
A laser crystallization apparatus and method are disclosed for selectively melting a film such as amorphous silicon that is deposited on a substrate. The apparatus may comprise an optical system for producing stretched laser pulses for use in melting the film. In still another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, a system and method are provided for stretching a laser pulse. In another aspect, a system is provided for maintaining a divergence of a pulsed laser beam (stretched or non-stretched) at a location along a beam path within a predetermined range. In another aspect, a system may be provided for maintaining the energy density at a film within a predetermined range during an interaction of the film with a shaped line beam. |
| US08265105B2 |
Scanning temporal ultrafast delay and methods and apparatuses therefor
The present invention is directed to methods and apparatuses for performing temporal scanning using ultra-short pulsewidth lasers in which only minimal (micro-scale) mechanical movement is required. The invention also relates to methods for obtaining high-accuracy timing calibration, on the order of femtoseconds. A dual laser system is disclosed in which the cavity of one or more of the lasers is dithered, by using a piezoelectric element. A Fabry-Perot etalon is used to generate a sequence of timing pulses used in conjunction with a laser beam produced by the laser having the dithered laser cavity. A correlator correlates a laser pulse from one of the lasers with the sequence of timing pulses to produce a calibrated time scale. The methods and apparatuses of the present invention are applicable to many applications requiring rapid scanning and time calibration, including, but not limited to metrology, characterization of charge dynamics in semiconductors, electro-optic testing of ultrafast electronic and optoelectronic devices, optical time domain reflectometry, and electro-optic sampling oscilloscopes. |
| US08265102B2 |
System and method for reacquisition of a gated pilot
Systems and techniques are disclosed wherein a gated pilot signal can be re-acquired faster by searching a last known pilot offset and/or searching a last coset in which the last pilot signal was found. |
| US08265098B2 |
Flash position signaling: multiplexing and interference management
Systems and methodologies are described that facilitate use of power and phase coherence to multiplex or manage interference in a wireless communication environment. In accordance with various aspects set forth herein, systems and/or methods are provided that receive a spectrum of tones that include additional data, ascertain whether or not tone intensities of received tones included in the spectrum of tones exceeds a threshold, based on whether or not the tone intensities of the received tones exceed the threshold, decode information included in the received tones to extract the additional data, and thereafter decode information included in one or more remaining tones that fail to exceed the threshold in order to extract primary data. |
| US08265096B2 |
Method for constructing frame structures
A method of constructing a frame structure for data transmission, the method comprising generating a first section comprising data configured in a first format compatible with a first communication system, generating a second section following the first section, the second section comprising data configured in a second format compatible with a second communication system, wherein the second format is different from the first format, generating at least one non-data section containing information describing an aspect of data in at least one of the first section and the second section, and combining the first section, the second section and the at least one non-data section to form the frame structure. |
| US08265093B2 |
Multi-service channelized sonet mapper framer
An embodiment of a multi-service mapper framer device and methods for operating same are described. This device may support the interconnection of synchronous optical networks using the SONET and SDH standards to Ethernet packet networks, and may be capable of mapping up to 2.5 gigabits per second of traffic from a variety of client-side interfaces including time division multiplex T1/E1 and T3/E3 data interfaces, a System Packet Interface, and Ethernet packet data interfaces. The device may support a trunk-side connection using a T3/E3 data interface, and the ANSI T1X1.5 Generic Framing Procedure and ITU X.86 Ethernet-over-SONET Recommendation may also be supported. Functionality to enable Virtual Concatenation with Link Capacity Adjustment Scheme may be included. |
| US08265092B2 |
Adaptive low latency receive queues
A receive queue provided in a computer system holds work completion information and message data together. An InfiniBand hardware adapter sends a single CQE+message data to the computer system that includes the completion Information and data. This information is sufficient for the computer system to receive and process the data message, thereby providing a highly scalable low latency receiving mechanism. |
| US08265085B2 |
State information and routing table updates in large scale data networks
In a communication network comprising nodes and links between the nodes, a controller node disseminates link state information. A nodal routing table exists at each node comprising routes between pairs of nodes. The nodal routing table is either populated by the given node based on network information received from the controlling node or populated at the controlling node and received by the given node. Each node receives heartbeat signals from its neighboring nodes. An unexpected delay between heartbeat signals may be perceived as a failure of a link. The perceived failure of that link is reported by the perceiving node to the controlling node. Upon receiving link failure information from a node, the controlling node may determine a subset of nodes in the network influenced by the link failure and indicate the link failure to the determined subset of influenced nodes. |
| US08265083B1 |
Systems and methods of providing communications services
An IP telephony system allows users of the IP telephony system to register extension telephony devices with the IP telephony system. An extension telephony device is one that is provided with service by a separate telephony service provider. Once an extension telephony device is registered, a user can obtain communications services from the IP telephony system using the extension telephony device. A extension telephony device may be tied to a user's main telephony services account with the IP telephony system such that when the user obtains communications services from the IP telephony system using an extension telephony device, the user will be billed for those communications services through the user's main account. |
| US08265081B2 |
Obtaining multiple port addresses by a fibre channel from a network fabric
Apparatus and program product for assigning or confirming multiple address identifications to a single channel adapter. A server contains multiple partitions connected to a single channel adapter which is used to send data and commands to a fabric. A request is sent to the fabric on behalf of each of the partitions, and the fabric assigns or confirms and returns to the adapter, an address identification associated to each partition on whose behalf the request was sent. The assigned or confirmed address is used to communicate between controllers connected to the fabric and the associated partition through the same channel adapter. |
| US08265079B2 |
Discriminatory MTU fragmentation in a logical partition
Communication between nodes on distinct physical computer systems typically involves fragmentation of packets, such that packet size complies with a communication protocol's specified maximum transmission unit (MTU). However, communications between logical partitions on the same computer system (“virtual nodes”) do not have to comply with a MTU. A computer system can handle packet sizes for intra-system communications between virtual nodes larger than the MTU. Functionality can be implemented to determine that a packet's source and destination are virtual nodes on the same physical machine. This can enable the system to virtually transfer packets for intra-system communication without fragmentation. |
| US08265077B2 |
Lawful interception method and architecture for transparent transmission of interception information
A system, method, and gateway in a telecommunication network for providing intercepted Content of Communications (CC) information from an Intercepting Control Element (ICE) to a Law Enforcement Monitoring Facility (LEMF). The system splits the intercepted CC information into CC control and CC payload information. A control point receives the control information and controls the gateway in accordance with the control information. The gateway receives the payload information and routes it to the LEMF over a payload Handover Interface. |
| US08265074B2 |
Collecting network performance data from multiple autonomous systems
A computer apparatus comprises first Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) logic comprising BGP route table data; a network interface to communicatively couple to a first autonomous system; data collection logic in computer-readable storage media when executed operable to perform discovering an address prefix of a data collector that is communicatively coupled to second BGP logic of a router within a second autonomous system that is coupled to the first autonomous system, wherein the second autonomous system is independent of the first autonomous system; determining a path through the first autonomous system, the one or more networks or internetworks, and the second autonomous system to the data collector based on the BGP route table; requesting the data collector to provide one or more data values relating to performance of network elements of the second autonomous system; receiving and storing the one or more data values. |
| US08265073B2 |
Method and system which enables subscribers to select videos from websites for on-demand delivery to subscriber televisions via a television network
Provisioning of network element with a provisioning element having a number of provisioning servers. Each provisioning server being active to support its own provisioning and to actively backup the provisioning of the provisioning servers such that operations of the provisioning servers is maximized while providing redundancy in the event that one of the other provisioning servers is lost or disabled. |
| US08265070B2 |
System and method for implementing a multistage network using a two-dimensional array of tiles
A network, including: a first tile having a processor, a first top brick connected to the processor, a first bottom brick, and a first intermediate brick; a second tile having a second intermediate brick and a second bottom brick; multiple connections connecting the first top brick with the second intermediate brick and the first intermediate brick with the second bottom brick using a passthrough on an intermediate tile between the first and second tiles, where the first, the intermediate, and the second tiles are positioned in a row; and a third tile having a plurality of caches connected to a third bottom brick, where the second and third tiles are positioned in a column, and the first bottom brick, the second bottom brick, and the third bottom brick belong to a bottom layer of the network, and where the first and second intermediate bricks belong to an intermediate layer of the network. |
| US08265067B2 |
System and method for supporting concurrent communication over multiple access points and physical media
A system and method for enabling communication concurrently over multiple access points and multiple physical media including but not limited to: cellular, network (e.g., Ethernet), broadband wireless, audio communication schemes. |
| US08265063B2 |
Transmission system
A transmission system is provided which multiplexes and transmits synchronous data and asynchronous data, while maintaining the communication quality required of synchronous data and of asynchronous data respectively. A tag having information used to identify the data as synchronous data or as asynchronous data is added to both synchronous data and to asynchronous data. Tags added to each data item are extracted, and based on the information contained in the tag, each data item is identified as synchronous data or as asynchronous data, and synchronous data is transferred to a time-division switch, while asynchronous data is transferred to a packet switch. |
| US08265061B1 |
Optimal expansion of a telecommunications network
There is assigned at least one first cost for expanding at least one link to a circuit-switched network that is part of a hybrid network comprising the circuit switched network and a packet switched network. All paths in the packet switched network are represented with a virtual link. A cost is assigned to the virtual link. An integer programming problem is solved to determine a number of links to add to the network, the integer programming problem having as inputs a model of the hybrid network and a demand forecast matrix. |
| US08265056B2 |
Packet decoding for H-ARQ transmission
Techniques for efficiently decoding packets sent with H-ARQ are described. Packet decoding for H-ARQ may be performed based on local search around a start of packet (SOP) decision for a packet. The SOP decision for the packet may be made based on traffic detection results for received transmissions. At least one SOP hypothesis may be determined for the packet based on the SOP decision, and the received transmissions may be decoded based on the at least one SOP hypothesis. A sliding SOP window may be used to keep track of SOP hypotheses for the packet. The sliding window may be initialized at an earliest received transmission, moved forward for each subsequent received transmission with no detected packet data, and maintained at the first received transmission with detected traffic. Rotating buffers may be used to store received transmissions for packets for decoding. |
| US08265055B2 |
Method and apparatus for transmitting signals for multiple input multiple output wireless communication system
A storage unit stores a preamble signal defined in a legacy system and a preamble signal defined in a MIMO system. A monitoring unit in a transmitting apparatus monitors the existence of any communication apparatus which is not compatible with the MIMO system but accepts the legacy system. A channel characteristics acquiring unit derives the characteristics of a radio channel between the transmitting apparatus and a receiving apparatus. A selector selects a packet format based on a monitoring result obtained by the monitoring unit. The selector also selects where to place LTS, based on the characteristics of wireless channel derived by the channel characteristics acquiring unit. |
| US08265053B2 |
Configuration of rank indicator reporting instances
A method for setting a periodicity and an offset in rank indicator (RI) reporting in a user equipment in a wireless communication system receives a radio resource control (RRC) signal from a base station, decodes a RI periodicity and offset configuration index, sets the periodicity and offset in accordance with said decoded periodicity and offset configuration index and reports a RI according to the set periodicity and offset. The periodicity is an integer and reporting a RI reports with equal the product of the periodicity and a period of reporting of the channel quality indicator (CQI) and the preceding matrix indicator (PMI). |
| US08265048B1 |
Wireless local area network ad-hoc mode for reducing power consumption
A system on chip (SOC) includes a media access control (MAC) device that controls transitions of a wireless local area network (LAN) station between an active mode and a low power mode. A first timing device generates a first clock signal based on timing signals from a crystal oscillator external to the SOC. A second timing device comprises a first oscillator. The first oscillator generates an oscillator signal and generates a second clock signal based on the oscillator signal. During the active mode, the MAC device powers up the first timing device causing a radio frequency (RF) transceiver external to the SOC to transmit data during a predetermined time slot that is assigned to the wireless LAN station and is not assigned to other wireless LAN stations in a LAN. During the low power mode, the MAC device powers down the first timing device and generates the second clock signal using the second timing device. |
| US08265044B2 |
Method, system and base station using frame configuration which supports relay for wireless transmission
A method using a frame structure which supports relay for wireless transmission, which divides the time slots of a sub-frame into some zones, in which the data is transmitted using the manner of TDD, wherein further including that at least one time slot in a sub-frame is set as a hybrid zone; the transmission of the data is realized through frequency division multiplexing the access link and relay link in the hybrid zone of the sub-frame; and also the multi-hop relay is supported under the two work manners of relay in sub-frame and relay in frame. |
| US08265036B2 |
Apparatus and method for a centrally managed handoff between two technologies
An apparatus and method for a centrally managed handoff comprising originating a service using a first technology and connecting the service using the first technology; activating a second technology that is different from the first technology; receiving a first request for the handoff from the first technology to the second technology; sending a second request for the handoff from the first technology to the second technology, wherein the second request relates to the first request; receiving an acknowledgement that the second technology is available; implementing the handoff from the first technology to the second technology; and determining that the handoff is successfully implemented before terminating the first technology. |
| US08265034B2 |
Method and system for a signaling connection release indication
A method and system for processing a signaling connection release indication between user equipment and a wireless network, the method comprising the steps of: monitoring, at the user equipment, whether a signaling connection release indication should be sent to the wireless network; appending, at the user equipment, a cause for the signaling connection release indication to the signaling connection release indication; sending the appended signaling connection release indication to the wireless network; receiving the signaling connection release indication at the wireless network; and filtering said cause to determine whether to raise an alarm. |
| US08265033B2 |
Closed subscriber group cell handover
A radio terminal connection may be handed over from a serving base station associated with a serving cell to a closed subscriber group (CSG) cell served by a CSG base station in which only radio terminals belonging to the CSG are permitted to access and receive service from the CSG cell. Radio terminals in the serving cell are generally informed not to report to the serving base station signal quality measurements of signals transmitted by CSG base stations. But if a radio terminal in the serving cell is authorized to access and receive service from the CSG cell, then that radio terminal is instructed to report to the serving base station signal quality measurements of signals transmitted by the CSG base station. Based on that report, the connection may be handed over to the CSG base station. A central node provides a CSG authorization list identifying CSG authorized radio terminals to the serving base station when a listed CSG cell is a neighboring cell which the radio terminal is authorized to access. |
| US08265031B2 |
Base station and broadcast channel transmission method
A disclosed base station transmits a broadcast channel to a user device a predefined number of times in a predetermined cycle for communication with the user device. The base station includes a repetition unit configured to repeat the broadcast channel, after the broadcast channel is channel-coded, for the predefined number of times to generate multiple broadcast channels; and a signal waveform changing unit configured to process the generated broadcast channels such that the processed broadcast channels have different signal waveforms. Positions of the broadcast channels in the order of transmission in the predetermined cycle are associated with the signal waveforms of the broadcast channels. |
| US08265027B2 |
Method, access point and terminal for selecting channel in wireless local area networks
A method for selecting a channel for an access point (AP) in a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN). The method includes the AP receiving network conditions of APs within the sensing range of a terminal sent by the terminal, and the AP selecting a channel based on the received network conditions. By forwarding the network conditions of other APs which can be detected by the terminal, the method of the present invention enables an AP to select a channel from the view of a terminal to avoid conflicts at the terminal, thereby improving the available bandwidth of the terminal, and giving a better experience to users. |
| US08265025B2 |
Radio transmission device and radio transmission method
Disclosed is a radio transmission device and a radio transmission method which reduces the RACH conflict ratio and improve the RACH detection characteristic. When the device and the method are used: as the number of signature numbers allocated for UE by the network side increases, the condition for allocating a signature by UE itself is mitigated and an expectation value which is a statistic average value of the RA quantity using the signature allocated by UE for itself is decreased; and as the number of signature numbers allocated for UE by the network side decreases, the condition for allocating a signature by UE itself is limited and an expectation value of the RA quantity using the signature allocated by UE for itself is increased. |
| US08265023B2 |
Method and apparatus for sending control signaling
A method for sending control signaling, including: a transmitter using different states of one field in the control signaling to indicate the payload size or RV; and sends the control signaling indicative of the payload size or RV in the field. It is appropriate that some states of one field indicate different payload sizes, and the remaining states of the field indicate different RVs. An apparatus for sending control signaling is disclosed. The apparatus may be integrated in a base station, and may include a control signaling generating unit and a control signaling sending unit. |
| US08265018B2 |
System and method for dynamic allocation of capacity on wireless networks
A wireless communication system is described for allocating limited network access according to priorities designated for requested transactions of wireless communications. The wireless network has a number of access links for transmitting transactions for wireless communications. A plurality of wireless communications devices request transmission of transactions on the wireless network. A designated priority level is associated with each transaction. In response to the transaction requests, an access control manager in the wireless network schedules transmission of transactions when all of the plurality of access links are occupied, by authorizing a transmission of a transaction of higher priority than another transaction that is being transmitted, and discontinuing the transmission of the transaction of lower priority. |
| US08265017B2 |
Methods and apparatus for network capacity enhancement for wireless device coexistence
Methods and apparatus for enhancing network capacity in a network comprising multiple wireless communication that overlap at least partly in frequency spectrum. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises a portable device such as a laptop or smartphone having both a WLAN (e.g., Wi-Fi) interface and a PAN (e.g., Bluetooth) interface which each operate with approximately the same frequency range. One variant places the WLAN interface into a power-saving mode as a default, thereby mitigating interference with the PAN interface in cases where the WLAN interface is not in active use. In another variant, an aggressive PAN management algorithm is used to enforce network policy on the PAN interface, thereby mitigating interference between the PAN interface and the WLAN interfaces of other devices in the network (as well as the parent device). AP-based variants are also described. Methods of operation and doing business utilizing the aforementioned apparatus are also disclosed. |
| US08265013B2 |
Apparatus and method for supporting interactive broadcasting service in broadband wireless access (BWA) system
An apparatus and method for providing an interactive broadcasting service in a Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) system are provided. The method includes receiving content attributes, including a terminal interaction request time index information, and corresponding contents from a content provider; after transmitting the contents to a terminal, sending a burst allocation request message to a Base Station (BS) to allocate an uplink bandwidth to the terminal at the terminal interaction request time; and receiving interactive information from the terminal over the uplink bandwidth allocated to the terminal. The content provider or the service provider can request a response from a plurality of recipients through the MBS service, gather their responses, and reflect the gathered information in the contents. |
| US08265010B2 |
Wireless communication system and routing method for packet switching service, femto AP using the routing method
A wireless communication system, a routing method for a packet switched service, and a Femto AP (FAP) using the routing method are provided. The wireless communication system may include a core network, a broadband IP network, a FAP and at least a user equipment (UE). The UE connects the core network through the FAP and the broadband IP network. The routing method is as follows. The FAP may evaluate a request of the packet switched service sent by the UE, and may reply an accept message to the UE. The accept message may include a FAP address. The UE may use the FAP address to send a packet switching data to the FAP in order to obtain the packet switched service. The FAP may directly conduct the packet switched service with a packet switched service supply end through the broadband IP network without routing through the core network. |
| US08265004B2 |
Transferring data using ad hoc networks
A method for a local device to establish an ad hoc communications channel with a broadcast device is disclosed. The method comprises upon determining that the ad hoc communications link with the broadcast device is required, accessing memory to obtain connection parameters for the broadcast device; and establishing a communications link with the broadcast device by sending a connection request to the broadcast device based on the connection parameters. |
| US08265000B2 |
Method for receiving common channel in wireless communication and terminal thereof
A method for receiving a common channel of a mobile terminal is disclosed. The mobile terminal receives a shared control channel, determines whether to receive a shared data channel or a common channel, and receives the shared data channel or the common channel according to control information transmitted via the shared control channel. |
| US08264997B2 |
System and method for providing message push service in wireless communication system
A method and a system for providing a push service in a wireless communication system adopting an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) scheme or an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) scheme are provided. The method includes when receiving a message from another network or another messaging server, transmitting, at a messaging server, a push service request message to a push server; when a Mobile Station (MS) of which the push service is requested using the push service request message of the messaging server, operates in an awake mode, transmitting, at the push server, a first push deliver message comprising a message designated for the MS, to a Base Station (BS), and when receiving the first push deliver message, transmitting, at the BS, a second push deliver message based on a Media Access Control (MAC) layer comprising the message designated for the MS, to the MS. |
| US08264993B2 |
Method for minimizing current consumption at handover in multimode terminal and terminal for use in the same
A method and a multimode terminal for minimizing current consumption and simultaneously reducing a handover processing time when a handover occurs between communication networks which provide communication services using different mobile communication technologies. The communication network modems of the multimode terminal are interconnected via a one-to-one communication path, so that a handover target communication network modem is powered on only when handover actually occurs. In this way, by efficiently determining a time point when the handover target communication network modem is powered on, a processing time according to the occurrence of handover can be reduced, and additional current consumption can be minimized. |
| US08264991B2 |
System and method for improving symmetry in data transfer in LLC layer of peer to peer NFC device
A data transmission/reception method in Near Field Communications (NFC) for improving data throughput is provided. Communications between a first NFC device and a second NFC device which perform NFC includes (a) transmitting, by the first NFC device, a data frame to the second NFC device, (b) setting, by the second NFC device, an indication of presence or absence of more-data in a bit of a Logical Link Control (LLC) information frame and transmitting the LLC information frame as a response frame responding to the data frame transmitted from the first NFC device, and (c) checking, by the first NFC device, the bit of the response frame and waiting for predetermined time or immediately transmitting a next transmission data bit without waiting for the predetermined time according to the check result. |
| US08264988B2 |
Method for inferring physical network topology from end-to-end measurement
A method for inferring end-to-end network topology and to accurately determine a layer-3 routing tree between one sender and a set of receivers in the presence of anonymous routers in a network. |
| US08264983B2 |
Method for provisioning circuits on multiple parallel links with a single setup message
A method and system for provisioning circuits on multiple parallel links with a single setup message is disclosed. A setup message specifying links in a circuit path is transmitted to switches along the circuit path. If a switch determines that a link specified in the setup message has insufficient bandwidth for the circuit, the switch substitutes a parallel link having sufficient bandwidth for the specified link in the circuit path. The setup message can indicate whether substitution for a link is permitted. This can be used to prevent substitution for links when provisioning service routes for new circuits in order to maintain diversity requirements, while allowing substitution for links when provisioning restoration routes for failed circuits in order to reduce restoration time. |
| US08264981B2 |
Inter-multipoint voice conversation apparatus
A quality level analysis unit 504 specifies a coding method, communication line conditions, and a quality level, such as an S/N ratio and the like, of voices of an input channel, received by a corresponding receiving unit 501. A channel allocation/mixing unit 502 controls the allocation or mixing of voices of respective input channels to or into respective output channels 503 (output units 505) on the basis of the results of analysis by the quality level analysis unit 504. Consequently, loud speakers from which poor quality voices and good quality voices are output can be separated from one another, thus improving the total intelligibility of received voices. |
| US08264977B2 |
Signal quality indicator
A method of deriving an indicator of the signal quality in an in-service packet-based network at least having means to detect errors in packets and means to determine the overall amount of network traffic received. The method comprises the steps of: obtaining a value of the number of packets received having errors therein; obtaining a value of the overall amount of the network traffic received; calculating the indicator of signal quality (eBER) using the ratio of the number of packets received having errors therein to the overall amount of network traffic received. |
| US08264971B2 |
Method for managing resources in a platform for telecommunication service and/or network management, corresponding platform and computer program product therefor
A method and system for managing resources in telecommunications services and networks. The method and system regard execution of processes by distributed agents on processing machines to perform predetermined tasks on the network, and are characterized by setting target data including goals on processes and constraints on resource utilization to be met by the system; monitoring computational resources utilization and processes execution by agents, and collecting performance data representative of resource utilization and process execution; comparing the collected performance data with the set data, a penalty being established when performance data do not fulfill target data; and re-allocating resources for process execution by agents so as to minimize the penalty determined on the basis of the comparison. |
| US08264970B2 |
Continuity check management in a link state controlled Ethernet network
An OAM link trace message is sent from a source node to a target node in a link state protocol controlled Ethernet network. The link trace message using an 802.1ag format except, as a destination address, it uses either the unicast Ethernet MAC node ID of the target node, or the multicast destination address of the service instance. A method of network topology verification in a link state protocol controlled Ethernet network checks the link state protocol database at a node to ascertain the control plane topology view of at least part of the network. It then executes one or more Ethernet OAM commands from the node to ascertain the data plane topology view of the same part of the network. The control plane topology view of the network is compared to the data plane topology view of the network to see if they match. An error is flagged if they do not match. |
| US08264953B2 |
Resilient data communications with physical layer link aggregation, extended failure detection and load balancing
Rapid channel failure detection and recovery in wireless communication networks is needed in order to meet, among other things, carrier class Ethernet channel standards. Thus, resilient wireless packet communications is provided using a physical layer link aggregation protocol with a hardware-assisted rapid channel failure detection algorithm and load balancing, preferably in combination. This functionality may be implemented in a Gigabit Ethernet data access card with an engine configured accordingly. In networks with various topologies, these features may be provided in combination with their existing protocols. |
| US08264948B2 |
Interconnection device
A plurality of system board modules are connected to a crossbar module. An error detection unit detects an error in a packet received from a corresponding system board module. When an error is detected by the error detection unit, a transmission control unit issues a completion data generation request. When receiving the completion data generation request, a packet completion unit generates completion data. When receiving an error packet, a selector circuit outputs a completion packet in which completion data is provided in place of a data unit involving error. |
| US08264944B2 |
Manufacturing method for optical recording medium, optical recording medium, optical information device, and information reproducing method
An optical recording medium includes a cover layer, a plurality of recording surfaces, and a plurality of intermediate layers. The thicknesses of the layers are specifically determined and set at values which suppress a back focus problem. Because the optical recording medium suppresses back focus, the recording and reproducing of information using the optical recording medium is not obstructed. |
| US08264939B2 |
Optical pickup apparatus
An optical pickup apparatus includes: a laser diode configured to emit a laser beam; and an objective lens configured to condense the laser beam into a laser spot through which a signal recorded on a signal recording layer of an optical disc is read out by the laser beam, the objective lens having formed thereon a lens surface with a second numerical aperture for acting as a lens, which is larger than a first numerical aperture for forming the laser spot. |
| US08264937B2 |
Optical pickup device
An astigmatism element converges laser light in first and second directions to generate focal lines. A spectral element makes propagating directions of light fluxes entered into first through fourth areas different from each other to disperse the four light fluxes from each other. The direction along which the first and second areas are aligned is in parallel to a direction of a track image of a recording medium projected onto the spectral element. Each of the first and second areas has a surface area larger than a surface area of each of the third and fourth areas, and a boundary portion between the first and second areas, and the third and fourth areas includes a straight portion extending in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the track image. |
| US08264928B2 |
Method and system for fluid mediated disk activation and deactivation
Embodiments of methods and systems for controlling access to information stored on memory or data storage devices are disclosed. In various embodiments, fluid-mediated modification of information or access to information is utilized. According to various embodiments, data storage devices designed for rotating access are described which include rotation-activated fluid control mechanisms. |
| US08264927B2 |
Write-once information recording medium, information recording apparatus, information recording method, information reproducing apparatus and information reproducing method
According to the present invention, multiple space bitmaps (SBMs #0 and #1 30) are provided for the user data area of each recording layer. A disc management structure update unit including one of those space bitmaps and a disc definition structure (TDDS 32) and having a size of one block is written on a management information area (TDMA 17). As a result, data including the disc definition structure (TDDS 32) can always be arranged in the first block at the top of the management information area (TDMA 17). |
| US08264926B2 |
Information recording medium with power calibration area
The invention provides an information recording medium including highly reliable power calibration areas, as well as an information recording and reproducing device utilizing it. The medium is an information recording medium having a recording layer including a data recordable area 50 for recording user information signals, a lead-in area provided on the inner periphery of the data recordable area 50, an inner power calibration area provided further on the inside of the lead-in area for recording test recording patterns, and a recording management area for recording management information related to the inner power calibration area. An outer power calibration area 70 is provided on the outer periphery of the final point of recording of the user information signal on the recording layer. |
| US08264919B2 |
Thermal assisted magnetic recording head having spot size converter
A spot size converter according to the present invention is capable of shortening the waveguide length in the spot size converter and of promoting a size reduction of the optical waveguide itself because two cores having a taper portion are combined and those tapering angles are mutually aligned. Furthermore, spot size conversion efficiency is favorable even in a small size. |
| US08264918B2 |
Near-field recording device having heating mechanism positioned near a trailing side of a magnetic pole
One purpose of the invention according to one embodiment is to provide a magnetic recording apparatus of high recording density in which magnetization transition curvature amount of a recording pattern is small. In one embodiment, the center of a heating area is arranged at a track edge side of a recording pattern as compared with the width-direction center position of a main magnetic pole of a recording head, and a recording magnetic field is applied while a medium is locally heated at the time of signal recording. A switching magnetic field of the medium is locally reduced by heating, so that a line where the switching magnetic field of the medium is equal to the recording magnetic field from the head approaches the heating center position, and a desired recording pattern in which the transition curvature amount is reduced can be realized. Other systems and methods are also presented. |
| US08264916B1 |
Microwave assisted magnetic head and magnetic disk device
A microwave assisted magnetic head of the present invention includes: at least two or more auxiliary coils that are arranged in a periphery of a writing main pole; and microwave current supply means that applies microwave currents to the at least two or more auxiliary coils. The at least two or more auxiliary coils respectively include linear body parts linearly arranged on an ABS side, two of the linear body parts of the at least two or more auxiliary coils are arranged in a substantially orthogonal positional relationship, and the microwave current supply means is configured such that the microwave current supply means changes phase differences of the microwave currents applied respectively to the at least two or more auxiliary coils. Therefore, the microwave current can be easily controlled, and thus, a circularly polarized magnetic field with high magnetization inversion efficiency can be generated as an assistance magnetic field. |
| US08264915B2 |
Time information-acquiring apparatus and radio wave timepiece
A time information-acquiring apparatus comprises an input waveform generator which generates an input waveform, a predicted waveform generator which generates plural phase-shifted predicted waveforms, a correlation calculator which calculates a positive correlation based on a first value of the input waveform and a first value of the predicted waveform or a second value of the input waveform and a second value of the predicted waveform, and calculates a negative correlation based on the first value of the input waveform and the second value of the predicted waveform or the second value of the input waveform and the first value of the predicted waveform, a comparator which compares the correlation values to detect an optimal value, and a controller which detects a head position of a second based on a predicted waveform related to the optimal value. |
| US08264912B2 |
Watch with calendar mechanism having two date indicators
A watch with a calendar mechanism has a rotatable first date indicator for displaying a ones place of a date, a rotatable second date indicator for displaying a tens place of the date, and a second date indicator feeding lever for rotating the second date indicator. The first date indicator has calendar shift teeth and first date indicator tooth portions. The calendar shift teeth include a first calendar shift tooth, a second calendar shift tooth arranged relative to the first calendar shift tooth at a first interval, a third calendar shift tooth arranged relative to the second calendar shift tooth at a second interval greater than the first interval, and a fourth calendar shift tooth arranged relative to the first calendar shift tooth at a third interval greater than each of the first and second intervals. The second date indicator feeding lever has a spring portion and is mounted to undergo movement from a first position toward the second date indicator in accordance with rotation of the first date indicator and is restored to the first position by a spring force of the spring portion. |
| US08264911B2 |
Universal wristwatch and relevant time setting system in twelfths and twenty-fourths according to the different time zone
A universal wristwatch and relevant system for setting the time according to the time zone, the wristwatch (1) including concentric dials (A, B, C) showing the 24 hours (dial B), the 24 time zones (dial C) and the minutes (winder A) and including also selecting devices (11) suitable to implement a temporary connection between the rotation of the time zone dial (C) and the 24-hour dial (B) in order to realize an identical synchronous rotation further to which it will be possible to set the hour hand (O) on the new place thus obtaining independently and at the same time the collimation with the joint unit of dials (B) and (C). Once the collimation is completed, the previous different rotation of dials (B) and (C) is restored. The wristwatch (1) showing the time of the current time zone in twelfths and twenty-fourths, universal wristwatch, in addition to the other 23 places. |
| US08264908B2 |
Method of detecting and compensating for precipitation in sodar systems
A method of detecting precipitation with a sodar apparatus that transmits sound beams into the atmosphere, detects echoes returned from the atmosphere, from the echoes determines a Doppler-shifted spectrum comprising the relative strength of the echoes at various Doppler-shifted frequencies, and estimates wind speed and direction. The method includes automatically estimating the presence of precipitation based on the Doppler-shifted spectrum. |
| US08264903B1 |
Systems and methods for refreshing a memory module
A memory module according to certain aspects has a plurality of memory devices arranged into one or more logical ranks. Each logical rank may correspond to a set of at least two physical ranks. The memory module can include a circuit operatively coupled to the plurality of memory devices and configured to be operatively coupled to a memory controller of a computer system to receive a logical rank refresh command. In response, the circuit can initiate a first refresh operation for one or more first physical ranks and then initiate a second refresh operation for one or more second physical ranks. The memory module can further include a memory location storing a refresh time (tRFC) value accessible by the memory controller and based at least in part on a calculated maximum amount of time for refreshing the logical rank. |
| US08264896B2 |
Integrated circuit having an array supply voltage control circuit
An integrated circuit comprises a plurality of memory cells and an array supply voltage control circuit. The plurality of memory cells are organized in rows and columns. A row comprises a word line and all of the memory cells coupled to the word line. A column comprises a bit line pair and all of the memory cells coupled to the bit line pair. The array supply voltage control circuit is coupled to the plurality of memory cells. The array supply voltage control circuit is for receiving a power supply voltage and for providing a reduced power supply voltage to memory cells of a selected column during a write operation in response to a voltage differential on the bit line pair of the selected column. |
| US08264889B2 |
Memory device and semiconductor device
A memory device has a pair of conductive layers and an organic compound having a liquid crystal property that is interposed between the pair of conductive layers. Data is recorded in the memory device by applying a first voltage to the pair of conductive layers and heating the organic compound, to cause a phase change of the organic compound from a first phase to a second phase. |
| US08264887B2 |
Nonvolatile memory device and method of programming the same
A nonvolatile memory device includes a memory block including a number of cell strings, a channel voltage detection unit configured to detect channel voltages of the cell strings in which the channel voltages are changed based on voltages supplied to memory cells of the cell strings during a program operation and to generate channel voltage code based on an average channel voltage of the detected channel voltages, and a voltage supply unit configured to change a level of a pass voltage of the voltages supplied to memory cells in which the pass voltage is supplied to the memory cells during the program operation according to the channel voltage code. |
| US08264883B2 |
Semiconductor memory device and method of reading the same
A semiconductor memory device includes a memory cell array including an even page cell group and an odd page cell group, and a page buffer configured to read data stored in memory cells of the even page cell group and the odd page cell group and store the read data. The page buffer comprises a first latch configured to store first even page data of the even page cell group when a first read operation is performed, a second latch configured to store odd page data of the odd page cell group when a second read operation is performed, and a third latch configured to store second even page data of the even page cell group when a third read operation is performed. |
| US08264882B2 |
Charge loss compensation during programming of a memory device
In programming a selected word line of memory cells, a first program verify or read operation is performed, after one page of a selected word line is programmed, in order to determine a first quantity of memory cells that have been programmed to a predetermined reference point in the programmed first page distribution. Prior to programming the second page of the selected word line, a second program verify or read operation is performed to determine a second quantity of cells that are still at the reference point. The difference between the first and second quantities is an indication of the quantity of cells that experienced quick charge loss. The difference is used to determine an adjustment voltage for the second page verification operation after programming of the second page. |
| US08264880B1 |
Reprogramming non-volatile memory devices for read disturbance mitigation
The present disclosure includes systems and techniques relating to non-volatile memory. A described device includes a non-volatile memory structure including a first data area, and a second data area that stores information. The information can include a first value corresponding to the first data area, the first value being set responsive to a last programming cycle on the first data area, and a second value indicating a total number of programming or erasing operations on the first data area. |
| US08264878B2 |
Method and apparatus for increasing memory programming efficiency through dynamic switching of bit lines
A method of efficiently programming charge-trapping memory cells includes sense amplifiers being dynamically connected to cells to be programmed, by switching bit lines. The method increases a number of cells that can be programmed simultaneously, such that an optimal use of sense amplifier resources is obtained. |
| US08264872B2 |
Column decoder for non-volatile memory devices, in particular of the phase-change type
A column decoder is for a phase-change memory device provided with an array of memory cells, a reading stage for reading data contained in the memory cells, and a programming stage for programming the data. The column decoder selects and enables biasing of a bitline of the array and generates a current path between the bitline and the reading stage or, alternatively, the programming stage, respectively during a reading or a programming operation of the contents of the memory cells. In the column decoder, a first decoder circuit generates a first current path between the bitline and the reading stage, and a second decoder circuit, distinct and separate from the first decoder circuit, generates a second current path, distinct from the first current path, between the bitline and the programming stage. |
| US08264871B2 |
Phase change memory device
A phase change memory device is constituted of a plurality of memory cells including a plurality of phase change memory elements, which are arranged at intersecting points formed between a plurality of word lines and a plurality of bit lines. A write circuit which operates based on a write voltage source (Vwrite) is controlled by control signals (e.g. WE, RDIS, SDIS, and DIN) output from a control circuit which operates based on a voltage source (VDD), where Vwrite>VDD. All the control signals based on VDD are applied to the gates of N-channel MOS transistors included in the write circuit. This allows adequately high write currents to be supplied to phase change memory elements; and this eliminates the necessity of arranging a potential switch circuit in the write circuit, thus reducing the scale of the phase change memory device. |
| US08264867B2 |
Nonvolatile semiconductor storage device
According to one embodiment, a nonvolatile semiconductor storage device having a plurality of operation modes, includes: a plurality of first lines; a plurality of second lines; a plurality of memory cells; a first selection unit that charges the first line to a first selection voltage; and a second selection unit that charges a second line to an unselection voltage and discharges the second line to a second selection voltage after the first line is charged to the first selection voltage by the first selection unit, wherein the second selection unit adjusts at least one of a level of the second selection voltage to which the second line to be selected is to be discharged and a time constant when discharging the second line to be selected, in accordance with an operation mode in which the nonvolatile semiconductor storage device operates among the plurality of operation modes. |
| US08264865B2 |
Nonvolatile memory element, manufacturing method thereof, and nonvolatile semiconductor device incorporating nonvolatile memory element
A nonvolatile memory element of the present invention comprises a first electrode (103), a second electrode (108); a resistance variable layer (107) which is interposed between the first electrode (103) and the second electrode (107) and is configured to switch a resistance value reversibly in response to an electric signal applied between the electrodes (103) and (108), and the resistance variable layer (107) has at least a multi-layer structure in which a first hafnium-containing layer having a composition expressed as HfOx (0.9≦x≦1.6), and a second hafnium-containing layer having a composition expressed as HfOy (1.8 |
| US08264862B2 |
Low power SRAM based content addressable memory
An apparatus comprising a memory array and a plurality of processing circuits. The memory array may be configured to store a plurality of data bits in a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns. A plurality of data words may be stored in a respective plurality of the columns. The plurality of processing circuits may each be configured to compare (i) a test bit of a plurality of bits of an input data word with (ii) a test bit of one of the plurality of columns to determine a match. The compare may occur on a first clock cycle of an input clock signal. Each of the plurality of processing circuits may be configured to power down a respective column of the memory array if the test bit of the input data word does not match the test bit of the column. |
| US08264860B2 |
System and method for power factor correction frequency tracking and reference generation
A power factor correction (PFC) system includes a period determination module, a frequency generation module, an angle generation module, a signal generation module, and an angle correction module. The period determination module determines a period of an input alternating current (AC) line signal based on a time between rising edges of the input AC line signal. The frequency generation module generates a frequency based on the period. The angle generation module generates an angle based on the frequency. The signal generation module generates a sinusoidal reference signal based on the frequency and an adjusted angle. The angle correction module generates the adjusted angle based on the angle and based on a comparison of a falling edge of the sinusoidal reference signal, the period, and a rising edge of the input AC line signal. |
| US08264859B2 |
Direct power converting apparatus
A transistor is brought into conduction when, for example, a voltage between both ends of a second clamp capacitor exceeds a predetermined reference voltage. A resistance value of a discharge resistor is smaller than a value obtained by dividing the reference voltage by the maximum value of a current flowing through the discharge resistor. When the transistor is brought into conduction as a result of a voltage between both ends of the second clamp capacitor exceeding the predetermined reference voltage, a voltage applied to the discharge resistor, which results from a regenerative current, is larger one of the voltage between both ends of the second clamp capacitor and a voltage drop of the discharge resistor due to the regenerative current. The voltage drop and the voltage between both ends are smaller than a voltage between DC power supply lines, whereby it is possible to reduce an electrostatic capacitance of the discharge resistor. |
| US08264858B2 |
Electronic circuit control element with tap element
A technique for controlling a power supply with power supply control element with a tap element. An example power supply control element includes a power transistor that has first and second main terminals, a control terminal and a tap terminal. A control circuit is coupled to the control terminal. The tap terminal and the second main terminal of the power transistor are to control switching of the power transistor. The tap terminal is coupled to provide a signal to the control circuit substantially proportional to a voltage between the first and second main terminals when the voltage is less than a pinch off voltage. The tap terminal is coupled to provide a substantially constant voltage that is less than the voltage between the first and second main terminals to the control circuit when the voltage between the first and second main terminals is greater than the pinch-off voltage. |
| US08264856B2 |
Lightweight audio system for automotive: applications and method
A lightweight radio/CD player for vehicular application is virtually “fastenerless” and includes a case and frontal interface formed of polymer based material that is molded to provide details to accept audio devices such as playback mechanisms (if desired) and radio receivers, as well as the circuit boards required for electrical control and display. The case and frontal interface are of composite structure, including an insert molded electrically conductive wire mesh screen that has been pre-formed to contour with the molding operation. The wire mesh provides EMC, RFI, BCI and ESD shielding and grounding of the circuit boards via exposed wire mesh pads and adjacent ground clips. The PCB architecture integrally forms a resilient beam portion adjacent an edge thereof carrying a grounding pad. The major components and subassemblies are self-fixturing during the final assembly process, eliminating the need for dedicated tools, fixtures and assembly equipment. The major components and subassemblies self-interconnect by integral guide and connection features effecting “slide lock” and “snap lock” self-interconnection. |
| US08264855B2 |
Electronic device with a locking assembly
An electronic device includes an enclosure and a locking assembly. The enclosure defines an accommodating hole and includes a bottom wall defining a pair of receiving portions. Centers of the pair of receiving portions define an imaginary line. The accommodating hole is configured on a perpendicular bisector of the imaginary line. The locking assembly includes a guiding part, a pair of sliding portions, and a control portion. The guiding part and the bottom wall cooperatively define a receiving space receiving the sliding portions. Each of the sliding portions includes a securing portion, a blocking portion and a groove closing to the blocking portion. One end of the control portion passes through the accommodating hole, and the other end is received in the receiving space. The control portion defines a pair of guiding grooves symmetrical about and inclined to the perpendicular bisector and used to engage with the securing portions. |
| US08264853B2 |
3D electronic module
The invention relates to a 3D electronic module comprising a stack (100) of at least a first slice (10) and a second slice (30), the first slice (10) having on a face (101) at least one set (4) of electrically conductive protrusions (41), and the second slice (30) comprising at least one zone (61) of electrically insulating material, traversing the thickness of the slice. The second slice (30) comprises at least one electrically conductive element (3) traversing said slice in a zone (61) of electrically insulating material, able to receive a set (4) of protrusions (41) of the first slice (10). |
| US08264850B2 |
Electronic device package with connection terminals including uneven contact surfaces
An electronic device package includes an electronic device including a plurality of input/output terminals, a wiring board which places the electronic device on a first surface and includes wiring connected to the input/output terminals of the electronic device, and a first connection terminal formed on a second surface of the wiring board and connected to the wiring, wherein the first connection terminal has an uneven contact surface formed to receive solder material placed thereon. |
| US08264849B2 |
Mold compounds in improved embedded-die coreless substrates, and processes of forming same
An apparatus includes a coreless substrate with an embedded die that is integral to the coreless substrate, and at least one device assembled on a surface that is opposite to a ball-grid array disposed on the coreless substrate. The apparatus include an at least one stiffener layer that is integral to the coreless substrate and the stiffener layer is made of overmold material, underfill material, or prepreg material. |
| US08264846B2 |
Ceramic package substrate with recessed device
A ceramic package substrate has a recess. This allows a device in that recess to be close to a die attached to the substrate's top side, for better performance. The device may be an array capacitor, an in-silicon voltage regulator, or another device or devices. |
| US08264845B2 |
Electronic device with cover ejection mechanism
An electronic device includes a main body including a guiding portion, and a back cover and a cover ejection mechanism. The cover ejection mechanism includes an ejection member and a locking member. The ejection member includes a sliding block defining an inclined surface. The locking member includes a locking element defining a first inclined surface and a second inclined surface, and en elastic element. To close the back cover, the back cover is rotated and the sliding block is pushed to slide. When the inclined surface touches the first inclined surface, the locking element is pushed to move, causing the elastic element to be compressed. After the sliding block slides over the locking element, the elastic element rebounds to push the locking element to return to an initial position where the sliding block is blocked by the second inclined surface of the locking element. |
| US08264843B2 |
Mobile communication device and card socket thereof
The invention discloses a card socket comprising a base, a first resilient member, a holder, a second resilient member and a driving rod. The base comprises a bottom surface and a side wall with a block portion. The first resilient member is disposed on the bottom surface. The holder is pivotally connected to the base and compresses the first resilient member. The holder comprises an accommodating space, and a card member is removably accommodated in the accommodating space. The second resilient member and the driving rod are also disposed in the accommodating space. The driving rod comprises a hook and a recess. The hook is against the second resilient member and is capable of driving the card member to move. The block portion restrains the driving rod on the base. Furthermore, the restriction between the driving rod and the block portion can be removed through the recess. |
| US08264832B2 |
Hard disk connecting mechanism and hard disk assembly using the same
A hard disk assembly includes a first and a second hard disk, and a hard disk connecting mechanism for holding the first and the second hard disks. The first and second hard disks both each have a composite receptacle. The hard disk connecting mechanism includes a frame for mounting the first and the second hard disks and a composite connector detachably positioned in the frame. The composite connector includes a base, a first composite plug engaged with the composite receptacle of the first hard disk and a second composite plug engaged with the composite receptacle of the second hard disk. The frame defines a sliding slot. The base form a sliding protrusion slidably received in the sliding slot to slidably position the composite connector in the frame. |
| US08264825B2 |
Flat type image display apparatus
A flat image display device that has a bracket and a frame section integrally formed by a transparent material, an apparatus mounting section is disposed in an inner peripheral edge of the frame section, and parts fixing sections that are disposed on the outside of the frame section. A front panel is formed by a transparent material and disposed on the front surface side of the bracket; an apparatus body section has a screen surface that is mounted at the apparatus mounting section of the bracket. One or more signal paths send and receive electric signals between the apparatus body section and the functional sections. This enables sending and receiving of electric signals between the apparatus body section and the functional sections that send and receive electric signals to exhibit a predetermined function. |
| US08264824B2 |
Drive bay assembly
An exemplary assembly includes a drive that includes two substantially parallel sides and, for receipt of media, a substantially rectangular opening; a plate that includes a tab; a positioning mechanism to position the plate with respect to either one of the two parallel sides of the drive; and a bay configured to at least partially receive the drive, with the plate, in first and second orientations of the substantially rectangular opening with respect to the bay where the bay includes a lower slot configured to receive the tab if the plate is positioned with respect to one of the two parallel sides of the drive in the first orientation of the opening and where the bay includes an upper slot configured to receive the tab if the plate is positioned with respect to the other of the two parallel sides of the drive in the second orientation of the opening. Various other apparatuses, systems, methods, etc., are also disclosed. |
| US08264820B2 |
Handheld computing device
A handheld computing device and handheld music player are disclosed. The handheld computing device includes a seamless enclosure formed from an extruded tube. The extruded tube includes open ends and internal rails which serve as a guide for slidably assembling an operational assembly through the open ends of the extruded tube, a reference surface for positioning the operational assembly relative to an access opening in the seamless enclosure, and a support structure for supporting the operational assembly during use. The handheld music player includes an elongated extruded tube extending along a longitudinal axis. The elongated extruded tube has a first open end and a second open end opposite the first open end, and defines an internal lumen which is sized and dimensioned for slidable receipt of operational components of the handheld music player. The lumen includes rails for guiding the operational components to their desired position within the lumen. |
| US08264817B2 |
Dielectric ceramic and laminated ceramic capacitor
A laminated ceramic capacitor which has a dielectric ceramic with a high dielectric constant and has excellent reliability against changes in temperature and mechanical shocks, even when dielectric ceramic layers are reduced in thickness employs a dielectric ceramic containing (Ba1-xCax)yTiO3 (where 0.045≦x≦0.15 and 0.98≦y≦1.05) as its main constituent and containing Re2O3 (where Re is at least one of Gd, Dy, Ho, Yb, and Y), MgO, MnO, V2O5, and SiO2 as accessory constituents, which is represented by the general formula: 100(Ba1-xCax)yTiO3+aRe2O3+bMgO+cMnO+dV2O5+eSiO2, and satisfies each of the following conditions: 0.65≦a≦1.5; 0.98≦y≦1.05; 0.15≦b≦2.0; 0.4≦c≦1.5; 0.02≦d≦0.25; and 0.2≦e≦3.0. |
| US08264815B2 |
Multilayer ceramic capacitor and method for manufacturing the same
A multilayer ceramic capacitor includes: a ceramic element; a plurality of first and second inner electrodes formed at the interior of the ceramic element and including capacity contribution portions facing each other and capacity non-contribution portions extending from the capacity contribution portions and having one end alternately exposed from the side of the ceramic element; first and second outer electrodes formed at the side of the ceramic main body and electrically connected with the first and second inner electrodes, wherein the thickness of the capacity non-contribution portion is greater than that of the capacity contribution portion and connectivity of the capacity non-contribution portion is higher than that of the capacity contribution portion at one or more of the first and second inner electrodes. |
| US08264814B2 |
Downhole sequentially-firing casing perforating gun with electronically-actuated wireline release mechanism, and actuation circuit therefor
A downhole release tool for use in conjunction with multiple select-fire perforating guns and a method for electronically actuating the release tool using either positive or negative control voltage. In a preferred embodiment, the release tool employs operating circuitry that allows actuation of the release tool by either a positive or a negative voltage at an absolute magnitude greater than the absolute magnitude of positive or negative voltages used to arm or fire the perforating guns. |
| US08264810B2 |
Electrically assisted safing of a linear actuator to provide shock tolerance
Electrically assisted safing of a solenoid linear actuator to provide shock tolerance is provided for a solenoid actuator, the actuator having an armature and at least one electromagnetic inductive coil. A controller, receiving an output from a motion sensor, adjusts an electrical power input to the electromagnetic inductive coil. When the output of the motion sensor indicates onset of an environmental transient exceeding a predetermined threshold of intensity, the controller adjusts the electrical power input such that an electromagnetic field generated by the coil is sufficient to restrain the armature in a desired position during the environmental transient. |
| US08264805B2 |
Dual voltage hot swap module power control
A module hot swap circuit includes a low voltage-drop rectifier adapted to receive either positive or negative voltages of different absolute values. The rectifier is coupled to a power manager that provides dual startup/shutdown voltage thresholds and inrush current limiting. A detector prevents reverse current flow allowing the module to hold up during input voltage drop-outs. |
| US08264800B2 |
Magnetic field detecting element having a tunnel barrier formed on an amorphous layer
A magnetic field detecting element has a first lower layer, a second lower layer, a tunnel barrier layer, and an upper layer, wherein the first lower layer, the second lower layer, the tunnel barrier layer, and the upper layer are stacked adjacent to each other in this order, the first lower layer is formed in an amorphous state; and the second lower layer is made of cobalt, iron, nickel or a combination thereof and that is formed in a substantially amorphous state, the second lower layer being in touch with the first lower layer and the tunnel barrier layer on both sides and a film thickness of the second lower layer is approximately between 0.2 and 1.5 nm. |
| US08264795B2 |
Flexible circuit for use with a magnetic head
A flexible circuit having a first end attached to a clamping mechanism and a second end attached to a carriage to move, a magnetic head to read a tape. The clamping mechanism has a curved surface to allow the flexible circuit to maintain an S-shape when the magnetic head moves with respect to the magnetic tape. |
| US08264791B2 |
Pass-through mechanism for linear tape library
A pass-through mechanism that couples a first linear tape library string to a second linear tape library string is maintained. A first robotic assembly associated with the first linear tape library string places a tape from the first linear tape library string into the pass-through mechanism. The pass-through mechanism moves the tape to a position where the tape can be removed by a second robotic assembly associated with the second linear tape library string. The second robotic assembly removes the tape from the pass-through mechanism and places the tape into the second linear tape library string. |
| US08264789B2 |
Servo controlling method, recording/reproducing apparatus, magnetic tape, and magnetic tape cartridge
A servo controlling method of the present invention is a servo controlling method for controlling a position of a magnetic head against a magnetic tape that is accommodated in a cartridge and has at least a data track and a servo track, and the method includes the steps of: reading tape variance information from a magnetic tape cartridge (23) side, the magnetic tape cartridge (23) being composed of a cartridge (20) and a magnetic tape (21); reading a servo signal recorded in the servo track by the magnetic head and converting the servo signal into head position information; and controlling the position of the magnetic head according to an off-track value based on the tape variance information and an off-track value calculated from the head position information. With this configuration, even in the case where a recording track width is narrowed and a tape speed is increased, the magnetic head can follow a recording track accurately at a high speed. |
| US08264786B2 |
Lens module
A lens module includes a lens barrel, a lens and an aperture plate. The lens barrel includes a main body. The lens barrel includes a main body with an inner sidewall. The lens is received in the main body and includes an optical portion and a non-optical portion surrounded the optical portion. The aperture plate is disposed on the image-side surface of the non-optical portion of lens. The aperture plate defines a plurality of cutouts on the outer periphery thereof and thereby leaving a plurality of flanges at the outer periphery thereof. The flanges abut the inner side wall. The cutouts are coated adhesive to firmly attach the aperture plate on the image-side surface of the lens and fixed on the inner sidewall of the main body. |
| US08264782B2 |
Imaging lens
Provided is an imaging lens, the imaging lens including in an orderly way from an object side, a first lens including an incidence surface having a positive (+) refractive power and incident with light, a reflecting surface reflecting the incident light and an exit surface outputting the reflected light; a second lens having a negative (−) refractive power; a third lens having a positive (+) refractive power; a fourth lens having a positive (+) refractive power; a fifth lens having a negative (−) refractive power; a sixth lens having a positive (+) refractive power; and a seventh lens having a positive (+) refractive power, wherein the second lens through the seventh lens are disposed in an orderly way from an exit surface of the first lens. |
| US08264779B2 |
Zoom lens and image pickup apparatus including same
A zoom lens includes, in order from an object side to an image side and arranged along an optical axis, first to fifth lens units having positive, negative, positive, positive or negative, and positive refractive power, respectively. When zooming, the second lens unit moves monotonically to the image side, the third lens unit moves to the object side in a convex locus, the fifth lens unit moves nonlinearly, and the first and fourth lens units do not move. The fourth lens unit includes a first sub lens unit and a second sub lens unit; the first sub lens unit is an image-stabilizing lens unit that includes a first lens having negative refractive power and a second lens having positive or negative refractive power. The focal length of the fourth lens unit, the focal length of the entire system at the wide-angle end, the Abbe numbers of the materials of the first and second lenses are set appropriately based on predetermined conditions. |
| US08264778B2 |
Display substrate, method of manufacturing the same and electrowetting display panel having the display substrate
A display substrate includes a base substrate, a reflection-polarization member, a first electrode, an insulation layer and a pixel wall. The reflection-polarization member is disposed on the base substrate to reflect and polarize incident light. The first electrode is disposed in a unit pixel area of the reflection-polarization member. The insulation layer is disposed on the first electrode. The pixel wall is disposed on the insulation layer and defines the unit pixel area. Therefore, the entire area of a unit pixel may be used as a reflective area or a transmissive area, and thus an aperture ratio may be improved in a reflection mode or a transmission mode. |
| US08264777B2 |
Portable electronic device having an electro wetting display illuminated by quantum dots
A portable electronic device (510) having a self illuminating display (200, 202, 204, 206, 300, 512) that reduces both the thickness of known displays and processing steps in the fabrication thereof is provided. The portable electronic device (510) includes an electrowetting display (200, 202, 204, 206, 300, 512) having a plurality of transparent layers defining a cavity (219). A combination of a first fluid (218, 236) and a second fluid (210, 234, 244, 254) are positioned in the cavity. First circuitry (224) is configured to be coupled to a first voltage source (222) for selectively repositioning the second fluid (210, 234, 244, 254) in relation to the first fluid (218, 236). A plurality of quantum dots (208, 360) is positioned within the second fluid (210, 234, 244, 254), and a light source (209, 309) is disposed contiguous to the plurality of layers. Second circuitry (228) is configured to be coupled to a second voltage source (226) for selectively causing the light source (209, 309) to emit photons to strike the plurality of quantum dots (208, 360). Additional similar stacks of layers (204, 206) may be added to provide a color display. |
| US08264776B2 |
Lens array apparatus
A lens array apparatus and a manufacturing method thereof are provided in which in the lens array apparatus includes a predetermined angle of gradient in relation to a thickness direction for each of a plurality of lenses, an exiting direction of light emitted from each lens is at an angle of gradient allowing respective converging points of the light emitted from each lens to be positioned on a predetermined straight line that corresponds to each lens and is parallel with the thickness direction, under a plurality of different ambient temperatures. |
| US08264774B2 |
Method and apparatus for generating reconstructions of information encoded in ambient light modulators
The present invention relates to a method and device for the generation of reconstructions of information encoded on spatial light modulators by way of illumination with coherent incident waves. The invention includes the following steps: Splitting of the incident wave into at least two incident sub-waves, Modulation of the incident sub-waves with the help of selected apodization functions so to form modulated incident sub-waves, Direction of the modulated incident sub-waves towards the corresponding, spatially separated and pixel-matrix-shifted spatial light modulators, Diffraction of the modulated incident sub-waves at the encoded pixels of the respective spatial light modulators, Additive combination of the sub-waves emitted by the respective spatial light modulators to form one common emitted wave, and Transformation of the emitted wave into the Fourier plane with the help of a projection system. |
| US08264764B1 |
Multiple-FSR DPSK demodulator
A switchable free-spectral-range mode selector is used to change the free spectral range of a free-space delay-line interferometer. The mode selector consists of a rotatable device with at least one transparent plate selected to produce the desired change in the free spectral range of the delay-line interferometer. The device may be rotated in and out of the free-space optical path of on of the interferometer arms. If used as a DPSK demodulator, the device enables operation at multiple predetermined free spectral ranges. In the preferred embodiment, the demodulator includes a 50/50 beam-splitter cube combined with two cavities. The mode selector consists of a plurality of different transparent slabs attached to a rotatable shaft so that any one of the slabs or none may be inserted in the appropriate optical path to obtain the desired FSR mode of operation. |
| US08264762B2 |
Image displaying apparatus and display controlling device
An image displaying apparatus includes laser light sources corresponding to a plurality of colors, while at least one of the laser light sources corresponding to one of the colors includes a plurality of wavelength conversion laser light sources corresponding to a mutually same color and has a plurality of outputs. The image displaying apparatus is operable to display a color image by causing a spatial modulation element to perform a spatial modulation process on laser beams output from the laser light sources by using a field sequential method. When the spatial modulation element performs the spatial modulation process on the laser beams output from one of the laser light sources (e.g., the green laser light source) having a plurality of outputs, a drive controlling device causes green laser emitting units serving as the wavelength conversion laser light sources to sequentially output pulses so that the laser beams output from the green laser emitting units continuously form substantially constant laser outputs that have substantially the same peak power as each other. |
| US08264760B2 |
E-ink display device and method for manufacturing the same
An E-ink display device includes an active element array substrate, an E-ink layer, a protective layer and a sealant. The active element array substrate has a surface, and the surface includes a contacting region and a sealing region. The E-ink layer is disposed on the contacting region and has a first side wall, and a first included angle defined between the first side wall and the surface being smaller than 90 degrees or larger than 90 degrees. The protective layer is disposed on the E-ink layer and has a second side wall, and a second included angle defined between the second side wall and the surface is smaller than 90 degrees or larger than 90 degrees. The sealant is disposed on the sealing region and surrounds the E-ink layer and the protective layer. A method for manufacturing the E-ink display device is also provided. |
| US08264759B2 |
Fast all-optical switch
An apparatus, system, and method for fast all-optical switching is presented. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a first light transmitting medium. The apparatus may also include a second light transmitting medium coupled to the first light transmitting medium and disposed to form an interface region between the first light transmitting medium and the second light transmitting medium. Additionally, the apparatus may include a plurality of Lambda atoms disposed in the interface region, the Lambda atoms adapted to cause Electromagnetically-Induced Transparency (EIT) in the interface region in response to an incident photon. |
| US08264756B2 |
Device for recording holograms
An apparatus for recording holograms on an optical medium, in particular on an optically addressable spatial light modulation device is disclosed. For this purpose, the apparatus comprises an illumination device for emitting light, an optical medium, an image source having at least one modulation element, and an arrangement of microlenses. In this case, the arrangement of microlenses is arranged at a distance from the optical medium in such a way that the image focal points of the microlenses lie on the optical medium, such that the hologram can be generated on the optical medium. |
| US08264754B2 |
Document feeding device, image reading device and image forming device equipped with same
A document feeding device includes: a document tray on which a document is loaded; a discharge tray to which the original document is discharged; a conveyance path which conveys a document on the original document tray to the discharge tray via a document reading position; a detection unit which is disposed in the conveyance path and detects a jam of the original document in the conveyance path; and an illumination device which illuminates the conveyance path in a state visible from the exterior when the detection unit has detected a jam of the original document. |
| US08264753B2 |
Automatic document feeder, image reading device having the same and image forming apparatus having the same
Disclosed are an automatic document feeder capable of moving a pickup device between a standby position and a pickup position and carrying out a document pickup operation by using a single driving source, an image reading device having the same and an image forming apparatus having the same. The automatic document feeder includes a pickup device, a lifting device and a pickup driving device. The pickup device includes a pickup roller to pick up a document sheet. The lifting device moves the pickup device between a standby position and a pickup position. The pickup driving device includes a pickup motor to rotate in a first direction and a second direction. The pickup motor drives the pickup roller by rotating in the first direction, and drives the lifting device by rotating in the second direction. |
| US08264750B2 |
Image reading apparatus
There is provided an image reading apparatus including: a light source with arrayed light emitting elements; a light guide unit that scatters light emitted from the light source such that the light intensity is greater at end portions than at the central portion in the array direction of the light emitting elements, and guides the light to a reading position of a medium to be read; and an optical system that guides the light reflected at the reading position to a light detection unit that detects the light intensity. |
| US08264747B2 |
Image reading device and image reading method
In an image reading device, a sampling-and-holding circuit generates a plurality of analog image signals by sampling an image signal at each sampling-and-holding timing and holding sampled image signals for a predetermined amount of time, an analog-to-digital converting unit converts the analog image signals into a plurality of digital image signals at each sampling-and-holding timing, a phase regulating unit performs phase regulation of each sampling-and-holding timing based on corresponding digital image signals to obtain phase-regulated sampling-and-holding timing. The sampling-and-holding circuit generates the analog image signal at each phase-regulated sampling-and-holding timing. |
| US08264744B2 |
Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and program to execute image processing method
An instruction of image processing for an image and an object included in the image is received from a client. The operation environment of the client is stored as the metadata of the object included in the image. When an instruction is input to re-evaluate the attribute of the object included in the image, a record is made as metadata indicating that the attribute has been re-evaluated. Upon receiving another image different from the image, when the operation environment of a client which has given an instruction to perform image processing of the other image is identical to the operation environment of the client which is stored by the storage unit, and the record is in the recording unit indicating that the attribute has been re-evaluated, the attribute of the received other image is re-evaluated. |
| US08264742B2 |
Information processing apparatus, recording method, and computer-readable storage medium
A recording method includes providing setting of recording with a special-color recording material in a designated region of a sheet; determining whether the designated region with the special-color recording material setting is a region in which printing is performed; recording the special-color recording material to the designated region determined such that the printing is performed, in accordance with the setting; and canceling the setting of the designated region determined such that the printing is not performed. |
| US08264741B2 |
Color to black only percent threshold option for customers
A system prints documents according to non-color content. The system includes a processing component that receives a print job that includes at least one of color and non-color content. A threshold selection component allows a user to select a minimum value of non-color content within the received print job. An analysis component evaluates the non-color content within each print job, compares the non-color content with the value selected via the threshold selection component, and modifies the color parameters of the print job to appear as non-color, if the threshold is met or exceeded. A print devices receives the print job information from the evaluation component and outputs the print job as a non-color print job if the non-color content threshold is met or exceeded, and outputs the print job as a color job if the non-color content threshold is not met. |
| US08264736B2 |
Variable data print verification mechanism
A printing system is disclosed. The printing system includes a first printer to print a first type of data to a medium and to print a first barcode on the medium including variable to be printed on the medium and a second printer to print the variable data to the medium based on the first barcode and to print a second barcode to the medium for verification that the variable data has been accurately printed to the medium. |
| US08264735B2 |
Image processing apparatus, image formation apparatus, image processing method, and recording medium storing program
An image processing apparatus, which includes: an extraction section that extracts a drawing element to be printed in a black color; a contour portion determination section that determines a contour portion of the drawing element extracted by the extraction section; and a controller that controls a printing unit such that, for a portion determined as the contour portion by the contour portion determination section, the portion is overprinted on a printed background image, and for a portion not determined as the contour portion by the contour portion determination section, the portion is printed without printing the background image. |
| US08264734B2 |
Print management apparatus, print management system, medium for storing print management program and print management method
A print image acquiring section acquires print images to be aligned and printed on a print medium. An arrangement storing section stores prescribed arrangements preset under a predetermined prescription and a free arrangement to be added. An arrangement data preparing section prepares a free arrangement and stores the free arrangement in the arrangement storing section. An arrangement searching section finds an arrangement where the same number of pages as a designated number are aligned, through the arrangements stored in the arrangement storing section. An arrangement designation receiving section receives designation of an arrangement for printing, of the arrangements found by the arrangement searching section. A print data preparing section prepares, according to the print image acquired by the print image acquiring section and the arrangement designated by the arrangement designation receiving section, print data representing a print image to be printed on a print medium and an arrangement of the print image. |
| US08264731B1 |
Printing management system and printing management method
According to this invention, a printing management system which manages a log of a print job includes a creation unit which creates log information for specifying a print job on the basis of issued print job data, a save unit which saves the log information created by the creation unit in a save location corresponding to the log information in a storage unit, a determination unit which determines, in accordance with a request to access the log information saved in the save unit, whether to permit or reject the access request, and an access unit which reads log information subjected to the access request when the determination unit determines to permit the access request. |
| US08264714B2 |
Sheet conveyance system, control program thereof, and sheet conveyance method
In a sheet conveyance system in which a plurality of apparatuses each including a communication unit with a plurality of communication channels are connected, and a sheet is conveyed between the apparatuses, each of the plurality of communication channels can be switched between a transmission mode and a reception mode. When a plurality of transmission channels are set by channel assignment, communication can be executed by giving a priority to each transmission destination. If transmission data are accumulated in an apparatus, and they include data for a transmission destination with a higher priority over the current data transmission destination, the number of transmission channels is increased, and the priority is raised. |
| US08264712B2 |
Method and apparatus of processing wireless printing based on wireless LAN
Provided are a wireless printing system and method based on wireless Local Area Network (LAN). A method of requesting a wireless printing, includes: requesting a printer that exists in a wireless LAN to perform a print job; and communicating with the printer according to a standard of the wireless LAN in order to transmit data regarding the print job to the printer. The method provides wireless direct printing suitable for a wireless LAN environment. |
| US08264708B2 |
Printing system
A printing system is provided. A user directs an instruction apparatus to an electronic board in a state where an image of image data to be desirably printed is displayed, and presses a file selection button. While pressing the file selection button, the user directs the instruction apparatus to a printer desirably caused to print, and while directing the instruction apparatus to the printer, the user releases the file selection button. When the print instruction button is pressed while the instruction apparatus being directed to the printer, desired image data is printed from the printer to which the instruction apparatus is directed. |
| US08264707B2 |
Enforcing reproduction rights for hard copies of documents
Mechanisms for enforcing reproduction rights for hard copies of physical hard copy articles are provided. The mechanisms electronically scan a surface of the physical hard copy article using a scanning mechanism to generate scanned data. A reproduction control identifier is extracted from the scanned data and output of a copy of the article is controlled based on the reproduction control identifier that was extracted from the scanned data. The physical hard copy article has a plurality of reproduction control identifiers present in multiple locations on the surface of the physical hard copy article such that content of portions of the physical hard copy article provided on the surface cannot be electronically scanned by the scanning mechanism without detecting a reproduction control identifier. |
| US08264706B2 |
Image reading apparatus and method of reading image
An image reading apparatus reads the image of an original document. An original document reading section scans an original document to read the image of an original document. A scanned data producing section produces scanned data based on the image read from the original document. A communication section receives a read command from the external apparatus, the read command containing a first item of identification information and a command to read the image from the original document, and transmits scanned data produced in the scanned data producing section to the external apparatus. A user inputs a second item of identification information through an inputting section. If the first item of identification information and the second item of identification information coincide, then a controller allows the original document reading section to scan the original document. |
| US08264704B2 |
Method of automatically controlling print quality in digital printing
A method of automatically monitoring and controlling print quality in digital printing with a first and second scanner capturing an image from different locations in the printing engine. In an exemplary embodiment, a first scanner captures an image from a surface internal to the print engine while an external scanner captures an image from a printed sheet. If the external print image quality is acceptable, the internally captured image is saved as a reference. The system periodically compares internally captured images with the saved reference and provides automatic image correction if the variation from the reference is within a correctable range. If the image variation is not within a correctable range, the system runs a new test print and creates a new reference image. |
| US08264702B2 |
Method and system for determining root cause of problems in members of a fleet of multi-function devices
A distributed data mining system and method for determining root cause of problems associated with a MFD cloud. The MFD cloud may be configured to include a fleet of networked MFDs within an enterprise firewall to perform data analytics in real time. High frequency data with describing the state of each MFD can be captured and stored locally in a file system (distributed or not). The high frequency data may be acquired at regular intervals and/or in response to a specific event with a much higher cadence and finer granularity than currently practiced. A distributed data mining module associated with the enterprise firewall may then continuously analyze the data stored within the cloud to identify actual, pending or, difficult to detect problems based on available computational cycles of idle MFDs in the network. The data associated with the problems may then be securely transmitted to a back-end unit to verify and propagate the results of the analysis of the problems more rapidly. |
| US08264700B2 |
Image forming apparatus
Image forming apparatus that forms an electrostatic latent image on a surface of a photosensitive member with a laser beam, including a generation unit configured to generate a high-speed clock and a low-speed clock mutually different in frequency, a scanning unit configured to perform scanning of the laser beam in a main scanning direction based on the low-speed clock, a detection unit configured to detect the laser beam during a scanning operation performed by the scanning unit, a first shift register unit configured to receive a detection signal from the detection unit according to the high-speed clock, and an output unit configured to receive a parallel output of the first shift register unit in synchronization with the low-speed clock and to output detection timing of the laser beam as a detection signal synchronized with the low-speed clock and a value corresponding to a shift number defined by the high-speed clock. |
| US08264699B2 |
Apparatus and methods for converting print data supplied from a host computer to a print media processing apparatus into print image data before a print command is asserted
A control method for a print media processing apparatus that prints on a print medium based on print data supplied from a host computer, comprising converting the print data supplied from the host computer to the print media processing apparatus before a print command is asserted to print image data in a buffer based on a print data conversion command, and controlling printing in response to a print command by accessing the buffer and retrieving the print image data. |
| US08264689B1 |
Micro gas cell array device and method
A device and method for the detection of one or more gases is disclosed.A MEMS structure comprising a micro gas cell array is provided comprising one or more micro gas cells having a predetermined gas therein. The micro gas cells define an optical path therethrough and may comprise a micro lens. Electromagnetic energy from a scene is collected and passed through one or more micro gas cells whereby electromagnetic energy emitted or reflected from a gas of interest in a scene is absorbed by a substantially identical gas contained within a micro gas cell. In this manner, the micro gas cell acts as a spectral filter.The electromagnetic outputs of the micro gas cells, which may comprise one or more spectrally inert micro gas cells, are received by one or more detector elements such as a photon detector array. The ratio of the outputs of the related detector elements are computed by processing electronics, resulting in the identification of the gas of interest. |
| US08264680B2 |
Biochip reader and electrophoresis system
A biochip reader wherein spectroscopic information of a sample under analysis is arranged in spaces between images of the sample arranged on a biochip. The reader comprises a confocal microscope and the biochip comprises a transparent substrate to allow passage of the excitation light and fluorescent light from the sample with the excitation light being applied from the side opposite that on which the samples are arranged so that noise from dust and the like is avoided by the transmitted light avoiding contact with the dust. Another aspect is an electrophoresis system wherein different coloring material are used for each of a variety of target substances, so that the same lane and area are utilizable to concurrently detect a polychrome fluorescent pattern of the different targets. A confocal scanner or fluorescence imaging system is used with a plurality of filters to detect the multi-colored fluorescences of the target substance. Advantageously, in the biochip reader, a lower S/N ration is obtained together with lower cost; and in the electrophoresis system, concurrent detection of multiple polychromatic fluorescence patters is attained. |
| US08264677B2 |
Optical path monitoring device and optical path monitoring system
An optical path monitoring device according to the present invention includes: a measurement unit which irradiates optical pulses to an optical path as a monitoring target to cause back scattered lights, the measurement unit generating measurement data based on the back scattered lights; and a processing unit which controls operation of the measurement unit, the processing unit acquiring the measurement data from the measurement unit, the processing unit performing an arithmetic processing of the measurement data to identify an abnormal point of the optical path, and after acquiring the measurement data the processing unit sending the measurement unit instructions to start the next measurement. |
| US08264676B2 |
Detecting a disturbance in the phase of light propagating in an optical waveguide
A partially coherent Optical Time Domain Reflectometry (OTDR) apparatus has a light source comprising a directly modulated semiconductor Distributed FeedBack (DFB) laser diode for transmitting partially coherent light pulses along a monomode optical fibre. Light Rayleigh backscattered from the light pulses as they travel along the optical fibre is output from the end of the fibre into which the light pulses are transmitted to a Fibre Bragg Grating (FBG) filter. The FBG filter reduces the supectral width of light received at a photodetector. In one embodiment, the supectral width of the FBG filter is around one fifth of the supectral width of the light pulse after it has travelled around 1 km along the optical fibre. As a consequence of reducing the supectral width of the light received at the photodetector, the FBG filter increases the temporal coherence of the light. So, the FBG filter can ensure that the detected light is sufficiently coherent that a temporal supeckle pattern can be detected at the photodetector. At the same time, the light traveling in the optical fibre can be relatively supectrally broad so that non-linear effects in the optical fibre, such as Brillouin scattering, can be reduced. |
| US08264669B2 |
Movable body drive method, pattern formation method, exposure method, and device manufacturing method for maintaining position coordinate before and after switching encoder head
Positional information of a stage within a movement plane is measured, using three encoders which include at least one each of an X encoder and a Y encoder. Based on position measurement values of the stage, the encoder used in position measurement is switched from an encoder (Enc1, Enc2 and Enc3) to an encoder (Enc4, Enc2 and Enc3). On the switching, a coordinate linkage method or a phase linkage method is applied to set an initial value of an encoder (Enc4) which is to be newly used. Accordingly, position measurement values of the stage before and after the switching are stored even though the encoder used in position measurement of the stage is sequentially switched, and the stage can be driven accurately two-dimensionally. |
| US08264668B2 |
Illumination system of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus
The disclosure relates to an illumination system of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus. The illumination system can include a depolariser which in conjunction with a light mixing system disposed downstream in the light propagation direction at least partially causes effective depolarisation of polarised light impinging on the depolariser. The illumination system can also include a microlens array which is arranged upstream of the light mixing system in the light propagation direction. The microlens array can include a plurality of microlenses arranged with a periodicity. The depolariser can be configured so that a contribution afforded by interaction of the depolariser with the periodicity of the microlens array to a residual polarisation distribution occurring in a pupil plane arranged downstream of the microlens array in the light propagation direction has a maximum degree of polarisation of not more than 5%. |
| US08264666B2 |
Exposure apparatus, exposure method, and method of manufacturing device
An exposure apparatus of one aspect of the present invention is provided with a moving mechanism that moves a first portion of a belt-shaped substrate that has photosensitivity in a first heading along a first direction and moves a second portion of the substrate in a second heading along the first direction, a stage mechanism that holds a mask and moves it in a third heading along a second direction in synchronization with the movement of the substrate, and a projection optical system. The projection optical system forms a first projection image of the pattern on the first portion so that the third heading on the mask and the first heading on the first portion optically correspond, and forms a second projection image of the pattern on the second portion so that the third heading on the mask and the second heading on the second portion optically correspond. |
| US08264665B2 |
Cooled spider and method for grazing-incidence collectors
A cooled spider for grazing-incidence collectors includes an outer ring, an inner ring and spokes that mechanically and fluidly connect the inner and outer rings. Cooling channels in the outer and inner rings and in the spokes define a general cooling-fluid flow path through the spider. The general cooling-fluid flow path has input and output points located substantially 180° apart so that the flow path diverges at the input point into two branch flow paths that flow in opposite directions through the spider, and then converge at the output point. Input and output cooling fluid manifolds are fluidly connected to the outer ring at the input and output points and serve to flow cooling fluid over the cooling-fluid flow path. |
| US08264660B2 |
Polymer dispersed liquid crystal display with lateral light source and method of fabricating the same
There are provided a polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) display not using a backlight unit and a method of fabricating the same. The PDLC display comprises a rear substrate over which a thin film transistor (TFT), a first electrode, and a second electrode are formed, a front substrate apart from the rear substrate and having a first black matrix formed thereon corresponding to a region where the TFT is formed, a PDLC layer disposed below the first black matrix and formed between the front and rear substrates, a light source formed on one side of the PDLC layer and configured to provide light to the side of the PDLC layer, and a first reflection plate formed on the other side of the PDLC layer and configured to reflect light incident via the PDLC layer. |
| US08264659B2 |
Liquid crystal display device
A liquid crystal display device includes a sealed housing part, a liquid crystal display part disposed at the front face of the housing part, a light source part housed in the housing part to generate the light to be displayed on the liquid crystal display part, an electric power supply part housed in the housing part to perform electric power supply, a control part housed in the housing part to perform control, and a heat exchange part disposed at the rear face of the housing part to cool the heat generated in the housing part. The heat exchange part includes an air stirring part for stirring the air in the housing part, a forced air cooling part covered with a duct in which the air stirring part is installed and constructed from a plate extending into the housing part, and a natural air cooling part constructed from a plate extending to the outside of the housing part. The forced air cooling part and the natural air cooling part are integrated with a rear face plate of the housing part. |
| US08264650B2 |
Liquid crystal display
A liquid crystal display includes a first substrate, a second substrate and a liquid crystal layer. The first substrate has a pixel electrode having many first slits and many second slits, connected to a third slit. Each first and second slit respectively stretches along a first and a second vector with a starting point in a junction with the third slit. Liquid crystal molecules near an alignment layer of the second substrate is aligned by the alignment layer to pre-tilt. Each projection of the long-axis of at least part of the pre-tilted liquid crystal molecules on the second substrate forms a third vector with a starting point at the end of the liquid crystal molecule near the alignment layer. An included angle between the first and the third vector is θ1, and an included angle between the second and the third vector is θ2. 90°<θ1<160°, and 90°<θ2<160°. |
| US08264646B2 |
Transflective display with white tuning
In an embodiment, a multi-mode LCD comprises pixels, each comprising sub-pixels, each sub-pixel comprising a first polarizing layer; a second polarizing layer; a first substrate layer and an oppositely oriented second substrate layer, the first and second substrate layers are between the first and second polarizing layers; a liquid crystal material between the first and second substrate layers; a first reflective layer that is adjacent to the first substrate layer and comprises at least one opening that forms a transmissive part of the sub-pixel and wherein a remainder of the first reflective layer that forms a reflective part of the sub-pixel; a first filter of a first color opposite to and covering the transmissive part with an area larger than that of the transmissive part; a second filter of a second color opposite to and partially covering the reflective part, wherein the second color is different from the first color. |
| US08264643B2 |
Active matrix type liquid crystal display device and manufacturing process for the same
An active matrix liquid crystal display device of the invention includes a liquid crystal display panel operating in a normally black mode having a first substrate provided with a color filter and a second substrate provided with an active matrix array, wherein the first substrate is provided with a laminated colored layer with three colors, a laminated colored layer with two colors and a colored layer with one color in a frame part surrounding a display area without being provided with a black matrix, and the second substrate is provided with a conductive film formed in a region which is opposed to the laminated colored layer with two colors and the colored layer with one color, between the display area and the laminated colored layer with three colors. |
| US08264640B2 |
Optical sheet
There is provided an optical sheet for use as a display device surface, which has a functional layer on at least one side of a transparent base material and has a diffusion factor on the outer surface and/or interior of the functional layer, wherein the relationship represented by the following formula (I) is satisfied. 1.92<γ<5.11 (I) γ: The diffusion angle representing 1/10 of the diffusion intensity, obtained by extrapolating a straight line connecting the reflection intensity at diffuse regular reflection ±2 and the reflection intensity at diffuse regular reflection ±1, to the diffuse regular reflection angle. |
| US08264633B2 |
Backlight unit and liquid crystal display using the same
A backlight unit and a liquid crystal display using the same are provided. The backlight unit includes a plurality of lamps, each including first and second electrodes, first and second substrates, a bottom case for receiving the substrates and lamps, first and second inverter units, and first and second wires. First and second common electrode patterns are formed on the first and second substrates and are commonly connected to the first and second electrodes, respectively. The first and second inverter units are disposed on a rear surface of the bottom case at positions corresponding to the first and second substrates, respectively. The first wire connects the first common electrode pattern and the first inverter unit via holes in the first substrate and the bottom case. The second wire connects the second common electrode pattern and the second inverter unit via holes in the second substrate and the bottom case. |
| US08264632B2 |
Repair structure and method for liquid crystal display
A data line repair structure for a liquid crystal display panel is disclosed. The data line repair structure includes a first repair line parallel to the scan line and crossing a first end of the data line; a fourth repair line formed in an oblique line area of the liquid crystal panel, coupled to the first repair line; a second repair line parallel to the data line, coupled to the gate driving chip and the fourth repair line; a third repair line parallel to the scan line, coupled to the second repair line and separated from a second end of the data line; and a floating line connected between the third repair line and the second end of the data line when the data line has a broken point. |
| US08264631B2 |
Common repair structures for close bus in a liquid crystal display
One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a common repair structure for repairing scanning and/or data line defects in a liquid crystal display panel. In one embodiment, the common repair structure includes a plurality of “H” shaped structures, where each “H” shaped structure is placed over a corresponding segment of two neighboring scanning lines located between and associated with two neighboring pixels along the second direction or a corresponding segment of two neighboring data lines located between and associated with two neighboring pixels along the first direction. |
| US08264630B2 |
Active matrix substrate and liquid crystal display device
In an auxiliary capacitance electrode of each pixel region, a side end on one side in a direction in which a drain electrode crosses an end of a gate electrode so as to enter from the outside of the gate electrode to the inside thereof is disposed inside of an auxiliary capacitance line, and a side end on the other side in a direction in which the drain electrode crosses the end of the gate electrode so as to go out from the inside of the gate electrode to the outside thereof is disposed outside of the auxiliary capacitance line. |
| US08264628B2 |
Capacitor element, method for manufacturing the same, and electro-optic device
A capacitor element includes a lower conductive portion, an underlying film which covers the lower conductive portion, a lower electrode formed on the underling film, a capacitor insulating film including (i) a dielectric film formed on the lower electrode and (ii) a protective film formed on the dielectric film and having a lower etching rate than that of the dielectric film, and an upper electrode formed on the capacitor insulating film. The upper electrode and the lower conductive portion are electrically connected to each other through a connection portion exposed from the underlying film by partially removing the underlying film and the capacitor insulating film. |
| US08264625B2 |
Display device and method of displaying three dimensional stereoscopic images
A display device includes a first display panel, a second display panel, and an optical panel. The first display panel has a plurality of first display areas and provides a first frame. The second display panel has a plurality of second display areas and provides a second frame. The optical panel has a plurality of optical units with a zooming function. The first display areas and the second display areas are disposed corresponding to the optical units. The first frame is transformed into a first real image through the optical units. The second frame is transformed into a second real image through the optical units. There is a first depth of field between the first real image and the optical panel, and there is a second depth of field between the second real image and the optical panel. The first depth of field differs from the second depth of field. |
| US08264623B2 |
Liquid crystal geometrical phase optical elements and a system for generating and rapidly switching helical modes of an electromagnetic wave, based on these optical elements
Geometrical phase optical elements comprising, as a birefringent means, a liquid crystal material with a spatially inhomogeneous orientation of the molecular director in a plane orthogonal to the direction of propagation of an input radiation beam, ordered according to a predetermined geometrical pattern. Also, an optical system for generating helical modes of propagation of an optical radiation beam, including a geometrical phase optical element orientated transversely to the direction of propagation of the beam, whose optical axis is orientated according to a predetermined geometrical relation adapted to transform a circular polarized input radiation beam into a helical mode with a wavefront having a helical surface whose handedness is a function of the handedness of the input polarization, in which the switching between different orders of helicity of the radiation beam emerging from the geometrical phase optical element is carried out by switching the circular polarization state of the input radiation. |
| US08264621B2 |
Viewing device for widescreen comprising means of correcting the doubling of images due to said widescreen
The general technical field of the invention is that of viewing devices mounted on vehicles and comprising a display whose image is reflected by the windscreen of the vehicle, making it possible to superimpose the displayed image on the outside world. One of the major problems with this type of display is that the windscreen gives, by reflection, two non-superimposed doubled images. The basic principle of the invention is that the initial image is such that the combination of the first reflected image and the second image reflected by the windscreen gives a “clean” or “ideal” perceived image without any offsets. To perform this function, an image is generated on the display that comprises, obviously, the “ideal” image, but also a succession of offset images comprising negatives of the “ideal” image so that the resultant sum of the first reflected image and of the second reflected image includes no more than the “ideal” image. Obviously, the principle of the invention can be applied to simple displays or to displays comprising an image collimated to infinity or to a great distance. |
| US08264618B2 |
Remote control apparatus
A remote control apparatus for remotely operating an electronic device. The remote control apparatus including: an operation section having a plurality of operation keys; and a reader/writer configured to read and/or write information from or to an information storage medium, wherein in said operation section, at least one of the plurality of operation keys is arranged so as to overlap a read/write portion of said reader/writer, the read/write portion being used for the reading and/or writing of the information from or to the information storage medium. |
| US08264617B2 |
Analog TV broadcast signal receiving apparatus and analog TV broadcast signal demodulating apparatus
Disclosed herein is an analog television broadcast signal receiving apparatus including: a tuner section configured to convert an analog television broadcast signal into a predetermined intermediate frequency band signal; a demodulation circuit section configured to obtain a picture output signal and a sound intermediate frequency signal from the predetermined intermediate frequency band signal coming from the tuner section; a picture processing circuit section configured to convert the picture output signal into a display-ready picture signal; a sound demodulation processing circuit section configured to demodulate the sound intermediate frequency signal; and a control section. |
| US08264612B2 |
Method of raster-scan search for multi-region on-screen display and system using the same
A method of raster-scan search for multi-region OSD and a system using the same are provided. The multi-region OSD is to be displayed on a screen after an alpha-blending of a mixer. The method includes at least following procedures. First, a global header search is executed in the first memory module for each or a portion of a plurality of search lines so as to determine a blending region and store header addresses of OSD regions in a second memory module. Next, whether there is a dummy region at the search line is determined. In addition, an alpha value for the dummy region, a dummy data of the dummy region and the OSD data of the OSD regions at the search line are transmitted to the mixer. |
| US08264602B2 |
Method for image format conversion with insertion of an information banner
The present invention relates to a method for image processing to generate, from a source image having a predefined width to height ratio, called initial ratio, and an information banner having predefined width to height ratio, called banner ratio, a final image having a width called final and a height called final and for which the width to height ratio, called final ratio, is different from the initial ratio, comprising the following steps: determine a ratio called useful according to the final ratio and the banner ratio, extract from the source image a part of the image having a width to height ratio equal to the useful ratio, and generate, from the part of the image extracted and the information banner, a final image comprising in juxtaposition an image representative of the extracted image part having a width to height ratio equal to the useful ratio and an image representative of the information banner having a width to height ratio equal to the banner ratio. |
| US08264601B2 |
Video picture format conversion method and corresponding device
The present invention can be implemented in a video coder or decoder or directly in any type of display device. According to the invention, a distance representative of the edge orientation in the input picture is calculated, for at least one point situated inside a zone delimited by a first set of neighbouring pixels of the input picture, it is calculated independently from the grid of pixels of the output picture. For at least one pixel of the output picture situated in this zone, a second set of pixels is determined in the input picture from the distance and the position of said pixel of the output picture in this zone. The value of this output pixel is then determined from the value of the pixels of said second set of pixels. This method enables a reduction in the number of calculations for this format conversion. |
| US08264600B2 |
Image processing apparatus for converting a lower resolution image into a higher resolution image using cyclic coefficients
An image processing apparatus includes a converter converting an interlace image including a first number of pixels into a first progressive image, an interpolator interpolating the first progressive image to generate a second progressive image including a second number of pixels, a classification unit classifying, in accordance with a feature of the second progressive image, into classes, subject pixels forming a third progressive image, which serves as a target image, including the second number of pixels and having a quality higher than the second progressive image, a storage unit storing a prediction coefficient for each of the classes obtained by conducting learning using a plurality of progressive images, each including the second number of pixels, and a computation unit performing computation using the second progressive image and the prediction coefficient for each of the classes to determine the third progressive image from the second progressive image. |
| US08264590B2 |
Imaging apparatus and method
An imaging apparatus includes an imaging device, a light guide mechanism, and a signal processing unit. The imaging device converts light incident on a photoelectric conversion portion of the imaging device into electric signals. The light guide mechanism, arranged adjacent to the photoelectric conversion portion of the imaging device, includes a plurality of apertures that guide light from a subject to the photoelectric conversion portion of the imaging device. The signal processing unit performs desired signal processing on the electric signals output from the imaging device on the basis of subject information units derived from the light guided onto the photoelectric conversion portion of the imaging device through the apertures. |