| Document | Document Title |
|---|---|
| US08353361B2 |
Pneumatic tool
A pneumatic tool which can be easily assembled. This pneumatic tool includes a tool housing and an air supply pipe. The tool housing includes a motor housing having a tubular wall, and a tubular air supply/exhaust portion connected to the side surface of the tubular wall and extending rearwardly of the pneumatic tool. The air supply pipe has a valve unit, and is inserted into and set in the air supply/exhaust portion. The air supply/exhaust portion has an air supply passage extending from the motor housing. When the air supply pipe is inserted into and fixed to the air supply/exhaust portion, the forward end portion of the air supply pipe is communicated with a rear end opening of the air supply passage of the air supply/exhaust portion, whereby a compressed air supply passage to an air motor is formed. |
| US08353360B2 |
Pile driver
A pile driver provided with a housing and at least one body connected with the housing so as to be moved back and forth over a predetermined path, the pile driver being further provided with a drive for moving the body back and forth over the path for the purpose of pile-driving, the pile driver comprising at least two parts movable relative to each other, respectively having at least a first type of sliding surface and at least a second type of sliding surface which during pile-driving slide along each other and between which there is a lubricant, wherein the first type of sliding surface is provided with polyether ether ketone. |
| US08353358B2 |
Arrangement for reducing harmful effects from fire and explosion
Arrangement for reducing harmful effects from fire and/or explosion comprising wall elements that are placed in adjacent relationship to one another to form a continuous wall. The element are adapted, when an explosion occurs, to open the area towards the surroundings until the pressure in the area is balanced in relation to the surroundings. Thereafter the elements return to their closed state to enclose the area in relation to the surroundings, preventing air from the surroundings from entering the enclosed area and prevent fire extinguishing fluids from exiting the enclosed area. Preferably, the elements comprises an elastically deformable material so that when the element is forced open, elastic energy is stored in the element to rapidly return the element to the closed state. |
| US08353354B2 |
Crawler system for an earth boring system
A crawler system for an earth boring system comprises at least two expandable tools along a common axis and spaced apart from each other along the common axis by a piston cylinder device. The at least two expandable tools comprise a mandrel comprising a tubular body and an outer diameter, a plurality of blades, and a slidable sleeve capable of manipulating the plurality of blades into collapsed and expanded positions. The plurality of blades of one of the at least two expandable tools expand to an expanded position and engage a borehole wall. The piston cylinder device anchors against the engagement between the borehole wall and one of the at least two expandable tools to axially translate the other of the at least two expandable tools. |
| US08353343B2 |
Hydrocarbon production process
Methods and apparatus relate to producing hydrocarbons. Injecting a fluid mixture of steam and carbon dioxide into a hydrocarbon bearing formation facilitates recovery of the hydrocarbons. Further, limiting amounts of non-condensable gases in the mixture may promote dissolving of the carbon dioxide into the hydrocarbons upon contact of the mixture with the hydrocarbons. |
| US08353338B2 |
Well bore control valve
The well bore control valve comprises a housing (12) defining a throughbore (14), the throughbore adapted to receive a first tubular. The valve further comprises first (18) and second gates (20) located within the housing, the gates being movable in different directions transverse to the throughbore between the throughbore open position and the throughbore closed position. Movement of the gates from the throughbore open position to the throughbore closed position, in use, shares a tubular located between the gates. The valve also comprises a first seal seat (22) performing a seal of one of the gates in the throughbore closed position to seal the throughbore. In one embodiment, the gates are axially movable with respect to the throughbore. |
| US08353332B2 |
Integrated electronics cooling device
An integrated electronics cooling device including a substrate having a first surface for mounting one or more electronic components and a second surface, a cooling assembly including a cooling chamber bounded on one side by the second surface of the substrate, and a vacuum insulated coolant conduit for providing a coolant to and removing the coolant from the cooling assembly. |
| US08353328B2 |
Sand-forming apparatus
A sand-forming apparatus (10) comprising a box (20), a blow tube assembly (50) and a bonnet (90). The box (20) has a cope (30) and a drag (40) which together define a cavity (21) having a shape corresponding to a desired sand-shape. The blow tube assembly (50) comprises a blowplate (55), and at least one tube (50). The bonnet (90) may be fixed to and movable with the blowplate (55). Relative movement between the cope (30), the blowplate (55) and/or the bonnet (90) converts the apparatus (10) between a sand-blowing state and a catalyst-introducing state. |
| US08353326B2 |
Three-dimensional fabric with three-layered structure
A three-dimensional fabric with three-layered structure is provided. The three-dimensional fabric comprises a surface layer, a backing layer, an intermediate layer, a first interconnection portion for connecting the surface layer and the backing layer, and a second interconnection portion for connecting the intermediate layer and the backing layer. The three-dimensional fabric with three-layered structure can be woven on a single loom in a batch operation and undergo transformation between two-dimensional shape and three-dimensional shape. This fabric is applicable as materials for blinds with high light-shielding rate because intermediate portions have a multi-layered structure. |
| US08353325B2 |
Retractable shielding apparatus
A retractable shielding apparatus includes an adjusting base, a fixing base, two retractable shields, a shuttle, and a cable. The two retractable shields are assembled to two ends of the shuttle respectively with one corresponding end thereof. The adjusting base and the fixing base are respectively fixed to the opposite other end of the corresponding two retractable shields. The cable adjustably connects the adjusting base, the two retractable shields, the shuttle and the fixing base together. The shuttle is slidably located between the adjusting base and the fixing base and is configured to slide along the path formed by the cable, such that the two retractable shields can be extended or retracted together with the shuttle. |
| US08353324B2 |
Pneumatic tire
A pneumatic tire that can be manufactured according to the conventional method without requiring special tire manufacturing steps and without needing addition of material members and production steps, and having excellent rolling resistance and wet properties, and having conductivity is to be provided. A pneumatic tire 10 comprises a carcass 14, a rim strip 19, and a wing 24 in which one edge thereof is contacted with the carcass 14 and the other edge thereof is exposed to the surface of a ground contact edge region of a tread part 13, wherein a carcass ply 14 contacting the rim strip 19 and the wing 24 has a conductive ply 14X and a nonconductive ply 14Y on the circumference of the tire, and the conductive ply 14X and the rim strip and the wing form a continuous conductive path comprising a conductive rubber material, only the conductive path is used as a conducting path of the tire, and members other than the conducting path are selected and used from a conductive rubber material or a nonconductive rubber material. |
| US08353323B2 |
Sharpener with autostop feature
An electric pencil sharpener comprising a motor; a cutter assembly operatively connected to the motor, wherein the cutter assembly further includes: a conical housing defining a conical cavity therein for receiving a pencil; and at least one rotary blade mounted in close proximity to the conical cavity, wherein the at least one rotary blade further includes spiral cutting edges for sharpening the pencil; a switch assembly positioned at the narrow end of the conical housing, wherein the switch assembly further includes: a shutoff switch operative to deactivate the motor; mechanical means for actuating the shutoff switch when a desired degree of sharpening has been achieved by the cutter assembly; and an electronic control unit in electrical communication with the switch assembly and the motor, wherein the electronic control unit is operative to provide a delay of a predetermined period of time between when the shutoff switch is activated and when the motor is deactivated. |
| US08353320B2 |
Device for bottling particle-containing beverages
Apparatus for filling containers with liquids and in particular with beverages, includes a reservoir for the liquid to be bottled and a connecting line for transporting the liquid from the reservoir to a filling device. The filling device has a first valve device for controlling a liquid flow into the container. The apparatus has a second valve device arranged in the connecting line in series with the first valve device, wherein the quantity of liquid flowing past the second valve device and the quantity of liquid reaching the filling device are essentially identical. |
| US08353317B2 |
Soft crack arrestors for pipelines
An arrestor for arresting an axial ductile propagating fracture in a pipeline transporting a high-energy fluid is made from a material such that the arrestor deforms sufficiently when encountering a propagating fracture that the propagating fracture continues at least under the arrestor but the arrestor has enough strength that it ceases the crack propagation without ring-off of the pipeline. The material is filled with fiber characterized by having a stress-strain curve that passes thru the ranges between about 25 and 200 ksi in stress, and a deformation ranging from between about 5% strain and 35% strain, and having a diameter ranging between about 0.002 and 0.020 inches. |
| US08353315B2 |
End cap
An end cap for sealing an end of a tubular wall is provided. The end cap includes a circular-shaped body having an inner surface defining an aperture that extends into the circular-shaped body but not completely through the circular-shaped body. The end cap further includes a sealing member disposed on at least a portion of the inner surface of the circular-shaped body. The end cap further includes first and second finger portions extending in a first direction from the circular-shaped body that are configured to removably engage first and second notches in the tubular wall such that the inner surface contacts an outer surface of the tubular wall and the end cap is removably attached to the tubular wall. |
| US08353312B2 |
Piezoelectric valve
A motorized valve has a housing having an inlet and an outlet to be connected to a pipeline, a saddle connected with the housing, a turn plug having a rod, the turn plug cooperating with the saddle, and a drive for turning the valve body and formed as a piezoelectric drive, the piezoelectric drive including a piezoelectric generator of radially directed standing acoustic waves, which is connected with the housing and is connectable with a pulse current source, and a rotor operatively connected with the piezoelectric generator and kinematically connected with the rod of the turn plug so as to turn the turn plug when the rotor is actuated by the piezoelectric generator. |
| US08353311B2 |
Anti-flooding device
An anti-flooding device (10) including a duct (12) for passage of a flow of liquid, and a limiter (14) inserted along the duct (12) for passage of liquid and defining a section for passage of the liquid that decreases progressively as the flowrate of liquid increases, with closing of the duct (12) once a given threshold flowrate has been reached. The limiter (14) has at least one male element (18) and at least one female element (20), which are mobile with respect to one another so that they slide into one another as the flowrate of liquid increases. Progressive insertion into one another of the male element (18) and the female element (20) defines the section of passage. The male element (18) and female element (20) are shaped with respect to one another so as to reduce the section of passage as the flowrate increases, with closing of the duct (12) for passage of liquid as soon as a given threshold flowrate is reached. |
| US08353310B2 |
Valves having removable internal actuation mechanisms
Internal valve apparatus are described. An example internal valve includes a body having a valve seat disposed between an inlet and an outlet. A flow control member operatively coupled to the body moves between a first position in which the flow control member engages the valve seat to restrict the flow of fluid through the valve and a second position in which the flow control member is spaced from the valve seat to allow the flow of fluid through the valve. The example internal valve further includes a removable actuation member disposed within the body and responsive to a fluid pressure to cause the flow control member to move between the first and second positions. |
| US08353309B1 |
Hydrant lock
A hydrant locking device inhibiting unauthorized operation of a fire hydrant and includes a flip-top lid positioning between an open configuration and a closed configuration relative to a base. The flip-top lid is hingedly connected to the base of the locking device. The base may be releasably secured to an operating nut of the fire hydrant or more specifically an operating nut extension that engages the operating nut of the fire hydrant. The flip-top lid may also include a sealed cavity that may include electronics. These electronics may be in electrical communication with a wireless mesh network. |
| US08353306B2 |
Fuel divider system for gas turbine engine
A fuel divider system includes a housing assembly and a flow passage network having an inlet, a primary outlet, and a secondary outlet. A fuel divider piston is slidably disposed within the housing assembly and movable between a flow biasing position and a flow equalizing position. A control chamber is fluidly coupled to the flow passage network and fluidly communicates with the piston. An inlet chamber, at least partially defined by the piston and the housing assembly, is fluidly coupled to the inlet. At least one channel is provided through the piston and configured to cooperate with the flow passage network to port the FD control chamber to: (i) the fuel pressure at the secondary outlet when the FD piston is in the flow biasing position, and (ii) the fuel pressure within the inlet chamber when the FD piston is in the flow equalizing position. |
| US08353298B2 |
Smoking article with impaction filter segment
A smoking article having a cylinder of smoking material and a filter system attached to the cylinder of smoking material. The filter system includes an upstream plug of filtering material, a downstream plug of filtering material, and a cavity between the upstream plug of filtering material and the downstream plug of filtering material. A flow restrictor is positioned within the cavity and has at least one orifice and a series of perforations provide ventilation to the smoking article. |
| US08353297B2 |
Pulse manipulation for controlling a phacoemulsification surgical system
Methods of manipulating pulses of ultrasonic energy for use with an ophthalmic surgical device. |
| US08353289B2 |
Using motor speed in a PAP device to estimate flow
A method and apparatus are disclosed for determining airflow through a PAP device while applying PAP therapy. The actual speed of a blower 6 is measured. The desired motor current IDES required for the actual speed to approach or maintain a desired speed is used, together with the actual speed RPM ACT, in a flow estimation algorithm to determine flow through the PAP device. The estimation algorithm consists of a two-dimensional look-up table, where the inputs are the desired motor current and actual motor speed, and the output is the flow through the PAP device. |
| US08353287B1 |
Disposable drug solution cup for an ultrasonic nebulizer
A nebulizer includes a piezoelectric transducer for aerosolizing a drug solution in a disposable cup module disposed above the transducer. Acoustic waves generated by the transducer propagate sequentially through transmitting medium, a first barrier, coupling medium, and a second barrier that forms part of the cup module, and into the interior of the cup module. The transducer at least partially comprises silver. The silver fluidly contacts the transmitting medium to discourage bacteria growth in the transmitting medium. The device includes electronics components that drive the transducer and measure an electrical characteristic associated with the transducer during operation. The electronics components measure changes in the electrical characteristic to determine when the drug solution level falls below a predetermined threshold, and deactivates the device accordingly. |
| US08353279B2 |
Grill and method of use thereof
A grill comprising a front, a rear, a grill base, a first grill door and a second grill door. The first grill door comprises an opening and is in hinged communication with the grill base. The second grill door is in communication with the first grill door via a hinge, which is disposed at a rear portion of the opening. When the second grill door is in a closed position, the second grill door seals the opening in the first grill door. A method of grilling comprising the steps of opening the first grill door, placing food on the grill base and closing the first grill door to cook food. The method further comprises the steps of opening the first and the second grill door during the cooking process, thereby creating a flue that urges smoke away from the front of the grill and towards the rear of the grill. |
| US08353274B2 |
Exhaust gas recirculation system
An exhaust gas recirculation system having at least one cooler with a housing and at least one valve with a pivotably actuated valve member on an inlet side is characterized in that an actuator for the valve is mounted to the housing of the cooler, which is connected to the valve via at least one lever and at least one connection member such as a coupling rod, a ball-and-socket joint being provided between at least one lever and at least one connection member such as a coupling rod. |
| US08353272B2 |
Fuel injection system with compensation element
The present invention relates to a fuel injection system for the direct injection of fuel into a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine. At least one fuel injection valve is arranged on a cylinder head in a receiving bore in order to inject fuel into the combustion chamber. A fuel distribution line is provided for feeding the fuel to the fuel injection valve. A compensation element for a position compensation and/or tolerance compensation, is arranged in the radial direction between the fuel injection valve and the cylinder head and is arranged in the axial direction of the fuel injection valve between a first sealing element, sealing between the fuel injection valve and the cylinder head on a side facing the combustion chamber of the fuel injection valve, and a second sealing element, sealing between the fuel injection valve and the fuel distribution line. Further provided is a support ring, which is arranged between the fuel injection valve and the cylinder head and which provides support for the fuel injection valve in the axial direction on a step of the receiving bore and which has a clearance in the radial direction. |
| US08353268B2 |
Oiling system for timing chains
An oiling system for providing oil to a timing chain adjacent a cylinder head of an engine is provided. The oiling system includes a redirect feature, a vent window defined by the cylinder head, a rail feature, and a transfer feature. The redirect feature is configured to channel oil toward the vent window, the rail feature is configured to channel oil from the vent window to the transfer feature, and the transfer feature is configured to transfer oil to the timing chain. The oil is transferred from the transfer feature to the timing chain at substantially ambient pressure. The engine may be characterized by the absence of a nozzle configured to transfer oil onto the timing chain. Furthermore, the redirect feature, the rail feature, and the transfer feature may all be formed as integral, one-piece structures with the cylinder head. |
| US08353264B2 |
Valve drive arrangement
In a valve drive device, especially for an internal combustion engine including a camshaft with a cam element which is axially movably supported on the camshaft but in a rotationally fixed manner, the cam element includes a gate structure and an actuation device is provided with at least one shift element for engagement with the gate arrangement for axially displacing the cam element and the shift element has a rotationally asymmetrical basic shape in order to follow the gate structure when placed in engagement therewith. |
| US08353263B2 |
Valve timing adjuster
A valve timing adjuster includes a housing member, a vane rotor, and a seal plate. A first housing segment of the housing member receives the vane rotor therein. A second housing segment of the housing member faces with an opening of the first housing segment. The seal plate includes a base part and a resilient part. The base part is held by the first and second housing segments therebetween. The resilient part is in press-contact with the end surface of the vane rotor within a predetermined angular range. The resilient part, the second housing segment, and a camshaft define therebetween a pressure chamber. The resilient part has a pressurized oil introduction passage that provides communication between the pressure chamber and only one of advance and retard hydraulic chambers. |
| US08353256B2 |
Installation and device for guiding a gas for devices used to treat granular products by drying, film coating and coating
An installation for guiding a gas for devices used to treat granular products by drying, film-coating or coating includes: a central distribution channel that can be connected to a gas supplying device and is connected to outlets for the gas, that are arranged at a distance from the central distribution channel in an axial direction, via connection channels. The installation includes a functional channel which is arranged at a distance from the distribution channel and has a plurality of outlets, and the functional channel includes at least two axially interspaced inlet regions, each being connected to the distribution channel via a connection channel. The outlets are arranged, in the axial direction on the functional channel, between the mouth of two connection channels, which are adjacently arranged in the axial direction, in the functional channel. |
| US08353246B2 |
Quality inspection apparatus for sheet-shaped matter
Provided is a quality inspection apparatus including: gripper units provided to each delivery chain, each gripper unit configured to hold an end portion of a sheet; an arc-shaped track portion provided in a part of a movement track of the gripper units and formed by the movement track; an inspection unit installed at an opposite side of the arc-shaped track portion from an arc center of the arc-shaped track portion; and a vacuum cylinder installed at the same side of the arc-shaped track portion as the arc center. In the apparatus, while running along the arc-shaped track portion, the sheet is inspected by the inspection unit under a guidance of the vacuum cylinder. |
| US08353228B2 |
Lockable or releasable bicycle with bidirectional input and one-way output
The present invention relates to a lockable or releasable transmission with bidirectional input and one-way output, which is forward or reversely driven by human's foot for achieving the output at constant rotation direction to drive the load wheel group, and has the anti-locking function, through releasing the lockable or releasable mechanism, when reverse drive caused by back move occurs at output terminal. |
| US08353222B2 |
Force measuring device and related methods
A testing apparatus and related methods are disclosed. In one embodiment, the testing apparatus may include a platform, a first plurality of cables, a second plurality of cables and a third plurality of cables, with each of the cables coupled to a respective load cell. The first plurality of cables may suspend the platform and be substantially parallel to each other. The second plurality of cables may be coupled to the platform, may be substantially parallel to each other cable of the second plurality of cables, and substantially perpendicular to each cable of the first plurality of cables. The third plurality of cables may be coupled to the platform, and each cable of the third plurality of cables may be substantially parallel to each other cable of the third plurality of cables, and substantially perpendicular to each cable of the first plurality of cables and the second plurality of cables. |
| US08353219B2 |
Dryer felt tension indicator apparatus
A dryer felt tension indicator apparatus is disclosed for indicating a value which is proportional to a tension applied between a frame and a stretcher roll for guiding a dryer felt. The value is proportional to a tension of the dryer felt. The apparatus includes a carriage for rotatably supporting the stretcher roll. A wheel is rotatably secured to the carriage and a tensioner having a first and a second extremity cooperates with and extends around the wheel such that the wheel is disposed between the first and the second extremity of the tensioner. A tension indicator has a first and a second end. The first end of the tension indicator is anchored to the frame. The second end of the tension indicator is secured to the first extremity of the tensioner such that in use of the apparatus, when the tension is applied to the tensioner between the wheel and the second extremity of the tensioner, the carriage and the stretcher roll rotatably supported thereon is moved relative to the frame for tensioning the dryer felt. The tension indicator indicates the value which is proportional to the tension of the dryer felt. |
| US08353218B2 |
Scanning unit
A magneto-strictive scanning unit is formed through an actuation pushrod disposed and guided on an outside of a tight housing of a position sensor, in which the delicate sensor is tightly encapsulated, and components of an actuation unit can be disassembled and repaired without opening the sensor housing. |
| US08353216B2 |
Fast-fit fluidic connecting device for an electric household appliance pressure sensor, and relative pressure sensor
A fast-fit device for fluidically connecting a pressure sensor to a water collecting tank of an electric household appliance including: a supporting body securable to a housing of the electric household appliance and carrying a first, blind tubular element, having a first open end, opposite to a second blind end; a second tubular element integrally obtained in one piece with a casing of the pressure sensor, which overhangingly extends therefrom for the entire length thereof and which displays external diameter and length smaller than the internal diameter and length of the first tubular element; a closing plug of the first end provided with a through hole which fluid-tightly receives in use the second tubular element; and first and second fastening means which are reciprocally complementary and integrally carried by the supporting body and the casing of the sensor, respectively. |
| US08353215B2 |
Torque output differential pressure sensor
A fluid pressure differential measuring instrument comprises a diaphragm that is displaced by a pressure differential between two environmental pressure zones. Diaphragm displacement induced by the pressure differential between the two zones is converted to a torsional strain upon a cylindrical element in a third environmental zone. The torsional strain is measured by calibrated electrical sensing means positioned physically in the third environmental zone. |
| US08353213B2 |
Sensor element for sensing accelerations in three spatial directions
A sensor element is provided for sensing accelerations in three spatial directions, which furnishes reliable measurement results and moreover can be implemented economically and with a small configuration. The sensor element encompasses at least one seismic mass deflectable in three spatial directions, a diaphragm structure that functions as a suspension mount for the seismic mass, and at least one stationary counterelectrode for capacitive sensing of the deflections of the diaphragm structure. According to the exemplary embodiments and/or exemplary methods of the present invention, the diaphragm structure encompasses at least four electrode regions, electrically separated from one another, that are mechanically coupled via the seismic mass. |
| US08353212B2 |
Micromechanical rate-of-rotation sensor
A micromechanical rate-of-rotation sensor for detecting a rate of rotation about a sense axis includes a substrate, a detection unit, means for generating a rotational oscillation of the detection unit about a drive axis which is orthogonal to the sense axis, and a central suspension means rotatably coupling the detection unit to the substrate in a fulcrum of the detection unit. The central suspension means is configured to permit the detection unit to perform a detection movement about a detection axis orthogonal to the sense axis in the form of a rotational oscillation about the central suspension means. The sensor also includes at least two second suspension means coupling the detection unit and the substrate for providing a response behavior specific to rotation about at least one of the drive axis and the detection axis. |
| US08353211B2 |
Sensor housing
A sensor has a corpus comprising an insert opening through which a sensor element can be inserted in the corpus, and a cable opening for passing through a supply and/or signal line of the sensor element and a cover closing the insert opening. The cover comprises an interlock opening aligned with the cable opening. The supply and/or signal line comprises a bushing element which penetrates the cable opening of the corpus and the interlock opening of the cover. |
| US08353205B2 |
Measuring apparatus with AE sensor, installing method thereof, and set of the measuring apparatus
Provided is a measuring apparatus with AE sensors, which detects the same AE signals with respect to the same events that damage a geotechnical structure, regardless of ground conditions and formations in the geotechnical structure, thereby collecting reliable AE signals. Also, provided is(are) an installing method of the measuring apparatus with the AE sensor, and a set of the measuring apparatus with the AE sensor. |
| US08353204B2 |
Method and system for turbine blade characterization
Methods and systems providing for characterizing turbine blades, including characterizing the dynamics of one or more turbine blades or stages of a stage in terms of natural frequencies, normalized response intensity, and/or stage modal shape or nodal configuration. Such methods and systems comprise fluid (e.g., oil) excitation of bladed disks and quantitative modeling of the fluid excitation. Additionally or alternatively, such methods and systems may provide for analyzing modal shape or nodal configuration of a bladed disk (e.g., a turbine stage) based on a phase analysis of strain signals acquired from a bladed disk subjected to a fluid excitation, wherein the modal shape or nodal configuration corresponds to modes of blades coupled through a disc or shrouding. |
| US08353198B2 |
Diagnostic method and device for diagnosing an intake system of an internal combustion engine
An internal combustion engine has an intake system (1) and an exhaust gas system (4). An exhaust turbocharger of the internal combustion engine has a compressor (42) arranged in the intake system (1) and a turbine (48) arranged in the exhaust gas system (4) of the internal combustion engine for driving the compressor (42). In order to diagnose the intake system (1), a charge pressure (PHS_AIC_DOWN) of the compressor (42) is determined in a predetermined operating state of the internal combustion engine. A leakage of the intake system (1) downstream of the compressor (42) is recognized if the determined charge pressure (PHS_AIC_DOWN) is lower than the predetermined base charge pressure (PUT_BAS) in the predetermined operating state. |
| US08353195B2 |
Miniaturized gas chromatography module with pre-stage miniaturized unit
The invention relates to a miniaturized gas chromatography module, comprising: a gas injector unit having a gas injector sample inlet and outlet, the gas injector inlet being connectable with a source of a substance to be analyzed, a separation column having a separation column inlet and outlet, the separation column inlet being in fluid communication with the gas injector sample outlet, a thermal conductivity sensor having a sensor inlet and outlet, the sensor inlet being in fluid communication with the separation column outlet. The invention addresses the problem to broaden the field of application of such gas chromatography module. This is achieved by providing a pre-stage injector having a pre-stage injector sample inlet and outlet, the pre-stage injector sample inlet being connectable with the source of the substance to be analyzed, a pre-stage module having a module inlet and outlet, the module inlet being in fluid communication with the pre-stage injector sample. outlet and the module outlet being in fluid communication with the gas injector inlet, wherein the pre-stage module is adapted to transfer heat to a substance flowing from the module inlet to the module outlet. |
| US08353193B2 |
Mandrel assembly and method of using the same
A mandrel assembly has a mandrel, a biasing member, and a outer member. The biasing member biasly maintains the outer member in a first position, which corresponds to a contoured portion of the mandrel, when the outer member is either on the access or the blind side of a workpiece. The biasing member is compressible to allow the outer member to move into a second position as the outer member is moved through an opening in the workpiece. In the first position, the outer member includes a maximum outer circumference that is larger than the opening of the structural workpiece. In the second position, the outer member includes a maximum outer circumference that fits within the opening of the structural workpiece. |
| US08353192B2 |
Linear bearing plate for rolling mill
A linear bearing plate, or liner, for use within a rolling mill stand, said liner including lubrication ports in fluid communication with a lubrication source. A centralized lubrication source can provide a predetermined lubrication to a plurality of mill stands in response to a signal, such as from a rolling facility operator. Lubrication ports provide areas of active lubrication which are surrounded by areas of passive lubrication so as to provide adequate lubrication during a rolling campaign. |
| US08353189B2 |
Manual override mechanism for electromechanical locks
An override mechanism is for an electronic door lock assembly that includes a handle, a retractor and an electronic clutch mechanism with a movable coupler and an actuator. The coupler operatively connects the handle with the retractor when the coupler is located in an engaged position and the actuator is operable to displace the coupler between a nonengaged position and the engaged position. The override mechanism includes a movable override member configured to displace the clutch coupler between the nonengaged and engaged positions. The override member also retains the clutch coupler at the engaged position when the override member is disposed at an unlock position and prevents displacement of the coupler during actuator operation when the override member is disposed at a lockout position. Further, a manual drive, preferably including a cylinder lock, is configured to displace the override member between the unlock and lockout positions. |
| US08353184B2 |
Tamper indicating padlock
A travel padlock for securing an article comprises a housing having a shackle, a key lock and a combination lock. An indicator having at least first and second positions is moved from the first position to the second position upon insertion of an object longitudinally into a key hole of the key lock. In at least one embodiment, at least a portion of the indicator extends beyond the exterior of the housing when in the second position. In addition, in at least one embodiment of the present invention the shackle may be rotated to reset the indicator from the second position back to the first position. Furthermore, in at least one embodiment of the present invention the indicator may be reset from the second position back to the first position without rotating the shackle or unlocking the combination lock. Methods of making and using the padlock are also provided. |
| US08353183B1 |
Triple locking handcuffs
A pivot lock for use in a handcuff of the type having a body containing a primary locking system and having parallel strands extending laterally therefrom terminating at a pivoting end, which supports a pivoting locking arm with a plurality of ratcheted teeth for engaging the primary lock. The pivot lock positioned at the pivoting end includes a pivot gear affixed to the locking arm at a pivoting juncture of the strands and the locking arm. The pivot gear has a plurality of teeth about its periphery. A locking pawl has at least one detent and a projection therefrom and is supported by one of the parallel strands. The locking pawl is selectively rotatable between a locked position wherein the projection is in engagement with the plurality of teeth of the pivot gear and an open position wherein the projection is disengaged from the plurality of teeth. A plunger engages the at least one detent for maintaining the locking pawl in a selected rotated position. |
| US08353179B2 |
Refrigerator
A refrigerator is provided. A water supply passage unit of the refrigerator is installed going around a freezing compartment but via an outer side of the main body. Therefore, the water supply passage unit is not frozen. |
| US08353176B2 |
Liquid cooling system
In some embodiments, a cooling device may be mounted to a portion of a chassis of an electronic system, wherein the cooling device may be releasably and pivotably attached to the chassis in at least an open position to permit access to components within the electronic system and a closed position to permit installation of a cover on the chassis. Other embodiments are disclosed and claimed. |
| US08353174B1 |
Control method for vapor compression system
A chiller system is provided with a compressor, a condenser, and an evaporator connected in a closed refrigerant loop. A motor is connected to the compressor to power the compressor. A variable speed drive is connected to the motor. The variable speed drive is arranged to receive an input AC power at a fixed input AC voltage and a fixed input frequency and provide an output power at a variable voltage and variable frequency to the motor. The variable voltage has a maximum voltage greater in magnitude than the fixed input AC voltage and the variable frequency has a maximum frequency greater than the fixed input frequency. The variable speed drive includes a converter connected to an AC power source providing the input AC voltage, the converter is arranged to convert the input AC voltage to a DC voltage. A DC link is connected to the converter. The DC link is arranged to filter and store the DC voltage from the converter. An inverter is connected to the DC link. A controller is arranged to reference a first operating map associated with the compressor, a second operating map associated with the motor, and a third operating map associated with the variable speed drive. The controller further is arranged to analyze the first operating map second operating map and third operating map concurrently to select an operating point for the chiller system. |
| US08353168B2 |
Thermodynamic cycle for cooling a working fluid
A supersonic cooling system operates by pumping liquid. Because the supersonic cooling system pumps liquid, the compression system does not require the use of a condenser. The compression system utilizes a compression wave. An evaporator of the compression system operates in the critical flow regime where the pressure in an evaporator tube will remain almost constant and then ‘jump’ or ‘shock up’ to the ambient pressure. |
| US08353166B2 |
Gas turbine combustor and fuel manifold mounting arrangement
A mounting system for locating a combustor and a fuel manifold of a gas turbine engine within a gas generator casing thereof is described. The mounting system comprises at least three support pin assemblies which extend radially inwardly from the gas generator casing. The support pin assemblies support both the fuel manifold and at least an upstream end of the combustor and maintaining engagement between the fuel manifold and the combustor during operation of the gas turbine engine. |
| US08353165B2 |
Combustor assembly for use in a turbine engine and methods of fabricating same
A combustor assembly that includes a casing that includes a plenum, a combustor liner positioned within the plenum and defining a combustion chamber there within, and a transition piece that includes a forward portion that is coupled to the combustion liner and an aft portion that extends from the forward portion. The aft portion includes a transition piece frame. The transition piece frame includes an upstream surface, a downstream surface, and a radially inner surface extending between the upstream and downstream surfaces. The radially inner surface includes a leading edge that extends between the radially inner surface and the upstream surface. A plurality of first cooling passages extend from the upstream surface to the downstream surface. Each of the first cooling passages is oriented obliquely with respect to the leading edge from the upstream surface towards the downstream surface. |
| US08353162B2 |
Recoverable heat exchanger
A modular heat exchanger that can be submerged to great depths and then easily recovered in order to reduce the costs and disadvantages of the prior art. Because the heat exchanger is submergible and recoverable, it can be more easily maintained. This ease of maintenance allows the heat exchangers to be deployed at greater depths. This, in turn, allows for greater differences in temperatures, greater efficiency for the heat engine, and a more effective ocean thermal energy conversion system. |
| US08353161B2 |
High diffusion turbine wheel with hub bulb
A turbocharger including a turbine wheel having a hub-to-tip ratio of no more than 60% and blades with a high turning angle, a turbine housing forming an inwardly spiraling primary-scroll passageway that significantly converges to produce highly accelerated airflow into the turbine at high circumferential angles, and a two-sided parallel compressor. The compressor and turbine each produce substantially no axial force, allowing the use of minimal axial thrust bearings. |
| US08353160B2 |
Thermo-electric engine
A thermo-electric engine with a working fluid operative in a closed Rankine cycle to enable a harvesting energy from an external source of thermodynamic energy comprising an internal combustion engine or solar energy. The thermo-electric engine comprising an evaporator; a turbine fluidically coupled to the evaporator; a heat exchanger comprising a condenser for receiving working fluid from the turbine; a hot liquid input for coupling to a source of heated liquid coolant from an internal combustion engine to the evaporator; a liquid return for returning liquid coolant to the internal combustion engine; a cooling liquid input to the condenser for receiving cooling liquid from a radiator; and a cooling liquid return for returning the cooling liquid to the radiator. Alternatively, a solar energy collector can power a turbine fluidically coupled to the solar energy collector for receiving working fluid. |
| US08353155B2 |
Catalyst and method of manufacture
A catalyst system comprising a first catalytic composition comprising a first catalytic material disposed on a metal inorganic support; wherein the metal inorganic support has pores; and at least one promoting metal. The catalyst system further comprises a second catalytic composition comprising, (i) a zeolite, or (ii) a first catalytic material disposed on a first substrate, the first catalytic material comprising an element selected from the group consisting of tungsten, titanium, and vanadium. The catalyst system may further comprise a third catalytic composition. The catalyst system may further comprise a delivery system configured to deliver a reductant and optionally a co-reductant. A catalyst system comprising a first catalytic composition, the second catalytic composition, and the third catalytic composition is also provided. An exhaust system comprising the catalyst systems described herein is also provided. |
| US08353154B2 |
Thermally efficient exhaust treatment system for an internal combustion engine
An exhaust system for an engine comprises a cylinder head having an integral exhaust manifold to collect exhaust gas exiting the engine combustion chambers. An exhaust gas conduit in fluid communication with the exhaust manifold comprises an inlet end connected to the cylinder head, a portion that extends towards an upper end of the internal combustion engine and an outlet end configured to define an inlet end of a multistage catalytic converter. The catalytic converter comprises a canister having an inlet end located adjacent the top of the engine and includes first and second catalyst substrates and a collector closing an outlet end of the canister. The outlet end of the canister is located adjacent to the bottom of the engine, and the first and the second catalyst substrates receive and convert constituents of exhaust gas passing from the inlet end of the canister to the outlet end. |
| US08353153B2 |
Snapper valve for hot end systems with burners
A system for controlling the temperature of an exhaust stream includes a main exhaust passageway adapted to receive the exhaust stream from an engine. A bypass passage includes an inlet and an outlet in communication with the main exhaust passageway. The outlet is located downstream from the inlet. A burner is positioned within the bypass passage for treating the exhaust passing through the bypass passage. A valve is positioned within the main exhaust passageway downstream from the inlet and upstream from the outlet. The valve is operable to vary the exhaust flow through the burner. A controller selectively operates the burner to maintain a desired exhaust temperature downstream of the outlet. |
| US08353149B2 |
Forage harvester with a conditioning unit movable between an operating position and a non-operating position
A self-propelled forage harvester is provided having a frame, a chopping drum, an accelerator arranged downstream of the chopping drum and a channel between the chopping drum and the accelerator. The channel has a section in which a conditioning unit or a hollow shell can be selectively inserted. The conditioning unit and the hollow shell are jointly supported on a pivot arm pivotable by way of a displacement drive about a pivot axis running horizontally and transverse to the forward direction. The conditioning unit is mounted on the pivot arm rotatably about an axis parallel to the pivot axis. The conditioning unit cooperates with the frame by way of a positive guide, which has the effect that the conditioning unit rotates about the axis in the same direction as the pivot arm. |
| US08353148B2 |
Method of crop pickup floating
A method of responding to obstacles encountered by a harvesting pickup apparatus that moves in the harvesting direction, the method including the steps of driving a pickup reel, pivoting at least one structural member, and positioning a path of continuous loop device. The driving of a pickup reel step includes driving the reel with a continuous loop device about a first axis. The pivoting step includes pivoting the at least one structural member about a second axis, the pickup reel being supported by the structural member. The positioning step includes positioning a path of the continuous loop device so that a tight side of the device is located in the harvesting direction from both the first axis and the second axis. This step also includes configuring the harvesting pickup apparatus so that the structural member is pivoted about the second axis in a generally upward direction when the harvesting pickup apparatus encounters an obstacle. |
| US08353140B2 |
Mechanical locking of floor panels with vertical snap folding
Floor panels are shown, which are provided with a mechanical locking system on long and short edges allowing installation with vertical snap folding that could be accomplished automatically without tools and where the short edge locking system has a tongue made in one piece with the panel. |
| US08353139B2 |
Wall gap fire block device, system and method
Fire block devices for application to a wall component. The fire block device can be a strip that includes a fire-resistant material strip comprised of a material that expands in response to sufficient heat to create a fire-resistant barrier. An optional foam strip comprised of a foam material can be placed side-by-side with the fire-resistant material strip. A cover layer covers the fire-resistant material strip and the optional foam strip, if present. The cover layer includes opposing side portions positioned on opposing sides of the fire-resistant material strip and foam strip, if present. The cover layer is comprised of a tape having an adhesive on an underneath surface thereof such that adhesive on the side portions are capable of securing the fire block strip to a wall component. The fire block strip can be applied to a header track, footer track or wall stud, among other possible components. |
| US08353138B2 |
Window frame with hidden weep
One embodiment of the invention relates to an apparatus for a window frame. The apparatus includes a window frame having a lower frame portion; a window glazing supported by the lower frame portion; a glazing bead; and at least two connectors operatively connecting the glazing bead to the lower frame. The connectors are spaced apart defining a fluid pathway allowing fluid to escape from the lower frame. |
| US08353136B2 |
Low profile support panel for a dock seal
Dock seal for use with loading docks are described. An example dock seal includes a compressible body having a front compressible body and a rear compressible body, where the rear compressible body is interposed between the wall and the front compressible body when the dock seal is mounted to the wall. A flexible panel pivotally couples the compressible body to the wall. |
| US08353131B2 |
Loq-kit building component system
Loq·kit is a mass-produced system of interchangeable building components for assembling single or multi-family houses. The building components are of three varieties: structural frame, in-fill, or snap-cladding components. Except for bolted structural frame connections, all connections between parts are snap-lock, and may be released. With snap-lock interfaces and a modular dimensional relationship between components, they can be reconfigured in near endless variety. The components all share a common dimensionality that is derived from a regulating grid. The grid utilizes an alternating sequence of two modules—a module A, and a smaller module B. The A,B,A,B rhythm of gridlines is used to regulate component connection locations in three dimensions. The alternating-sequence grid works by establishing a standard connection width, module B, for making connections between components. Each possible connection width is spaced from another by a common module A. This A,B,A,B grid sequence is used to determine connection locations along the length, width, and height of a building. Because the grid establishes a standard connection size and spacing, modular system dimensions result as a function of connection width and spacing. These modular system dimensions inform the size of structural frame members, and dictate directly the length and width, or length and height, of in-fill and snap-cladding components. The modular sizes and snap-lock interfaces result in a system of components that can be interchanged with each other, reconfigured, and reused. |
| US08353123B2 |
Shotgun forearm-stock shot shell carrier with hidden rail
A forearm stock for a shotgun includes a forearm stock main body, an integral shot shell carrier tube, disposed in the main body, an accessory rail, at the forward end of the main body, and a removable cover, adapted to cover the accessory rail. The forearm stock main body has a forward end, a back end, a contour, and an upper cavity for receiving a shotgun's tube magazine. The shot shell carrier tube is disposed below the upper cavity, and is adapted to receive a plurality of shot shells, with an opening toward the back end. A mechanism for urging the shot shells out of the carrier tube through the opening is provided, and a retention mechanism is adapted to selectively retain the shot shells in the carrier tube. The removable cover has a contour that substantially complements a contour of the main body. |
| US08353122B2 |
Firearm emitting whistle sound
A firearm having a barrel and a whistle, wherein when the firearm is discharged a bullet traveling down the barrel forces air through the whistle to cause a whistle sound. The whistle comprises a barrel port, a channel, and a whistle port and wherein when the firearm is discharged a bullet traveling down the barrel forces air through the barrel port, the channel, and the whistle port to cause a whistle sound. The whistle may be associated with a firearm attachment and the firearm attachment is removably couplable to the firearm. The whistle may also be modifiable and modification of the whistle is configurable to eliminate or change the whistle sound. The whistle sound may also be associated with a signal that is transmitted to another device or central location for analysis, wherein the signal comprises a firearm identification or locational information. |
| US08353120B2 |
Retractable and extendable display apparatus
An optionally extending or retracting display panel assembly, comprising a horizontally elongated support bracket configured for support at an upper portion of a relatively large first container, or the like, primary magnetic apparatus carried to magnetically attract the bracket toward the container, for removable bracket attachment to the container, and the display panel assembly and associated connections configured for horizontal displacement guiding by the bracket during panel extension and retraction relative to the container, while the panel remains generally vertically proximate a vertical side of the container. A counter-weight system assists panel leveling as well as extension and retraction. |
| US08353119B2 |
Iron holder
An iron holder is provided allowing for fixation of an iron, such that the iron holder, and thereby also the iron housed therein, may be moved in all directions without the iron falling off the iron holder, while simultaneously keeping the heating surface of the iron in a covered position, such that said heating surface will not pose a threat to the health of the user or pose a risk for setting fire to flammable materials. |
| US08353117B2 |
Decorative boot accessory
A boot accessory for attachment and wear along an upper portion of a boot for altering and enhancing the overall appearance of the boot includes a clip having a main body, a flexible finger extending from the main body, and first and second side body extensions that define first and second slots along two opposing sides of the main body. A space is formed between the finger and an inner surface of the main body for receiving an upper edge of the boot. The boot accessory also includes a decorative boot band having a first end and an opposing second end. The first end is fixedly attached to the first side body extension by passing through the first slot. An inner surface of the boot band includes at least one fastening element to permit the second end of the boot band to be folded onto itself and be attached to the inner surface of the boot band by first passing through the second slot and then being folded and attached to the inner surface so as to form a continuous circumferential member. |
| US08353109B2 |
Knife
A knife has a housing, a blade carrier supported in the housing and adapted to hold a blade, and an actuating element coupled to the blade carrier. A handle can move between a nonactuated position and an actuated position and is coupled to the actuating element such that on movement from the nonactuated position to the actuated position the actuating element displaces the blade carrier from a safety position in which blade mounted on the blade carrier is retracted into a seat of the housing in a first cutting position in which the blade projects out of the housing. A pivot joint connects the actuating element with the blade carrier. A guide supports the blade carrier in a translatory and a rotatable manner on the housing. |
| US08353108B2 |
Utensil and method for retrieving and applying spreadable food
A utensil has first and second arm members of substantially the same size and shape. Each arm member has a head section and a handle section. The head sections are concave or scoop-like in configuration and are connected by a rotatable hinge which permits rotation of the arm members in relation to each other. The head section of the first arm members has elongated openings through which spreadable food can be expelled. The head section of the second arm member is solid. With the first arm member nested within the second arm member, spreadable food is scooped onto the utensil, specifically on the top surface of the first arm member. Rotation of the second arm member around the first arm member such that the second arm member is now nested within the first arm member, causes the food to be expelled from the openings in the first arm member, where the food can be easily spread on bread and or food items. |
| US08353107B2 |
Two-piece cable stripper
A cable stripper is comprised of two components, each component including a main body portion, a coupling device at one end of the main body portion and a T-shaped handle disposed at an opposite end of the main body portion. The coupling device rotatably couples the two components together. A channel runs along an interior length of each of the main body portions, which provides a path into which the cable to be stripped is inserted. A blade housing on at least one of the components of the main body portion securely holds a utility knife blade with a predetermined amount of the tip or edge of the blade protruding into the channel. The exposed portion of the blade pierces the sheath or covering of the cable by a precise, predetermined amount. |
| US08353106B2 |
Wheel/rim fixing device and method of using the same
A device and method for fixing or repairing a wheel or rim of an automobile, truck, motorcycle or other vehicle is provided. The device has an adjustable shaft having a first side and a second side. The first side may act as a brace secured against the interior of a rim of, for example, an automobile. The second side may be the work end of the device which may be formed to fit the interior wall(s) of the rim. When the rim is heated and the shaft is extended, the device may allow a user to fix a dented rim. A bracing bar may be extended perpendicularly from the shaft and may act to secure the device in place while the work is performed. |
| US08353105B2 |
Method and apparatus for machining the blade tips of rotor wheel drums of turbomachines
With rotor wheel drums with integrally formed-on and/or separately attached blading (3, 8) blade tip machining is performed for the completely mounted drum assembly (1, 5) connected to a driven auxiliary turbomachine shaft acting as workpiece carrier (13) in a single apparatus by dry machining the separably assembled blades (8) and by wet machining the integrally formed-on blades (3), with the rotational speed of the workpiece carrier being lower in the wet machining process than in the dry machining process. The area for dry machining is protected by a shield (19) adjustable in the respective separating position against the matter generated in wet machining. Notwithstanding the fact that drums with integrally formed-on blades can be machined without being damaged, optimum gap conditions and correspondingly higher efficiency can be obtained. |
| US08353100B2 |
Disassembly apparatus of rotating electric machine
A disassembly apparatus of a power generator installed in a nacelle has an I-shaped beam, a pressing plate, anchor bolts, a trolley and a chain block. The I-shaped beam extends horizontally above the frame of the power generator. The pressing plate is disposed on the I-shaped beam. The anchor bolts extend along both sides of the I-shaped beam to pierce the pressing plate and are screwed into threaded holes extending downward of the frame. The trolley is provided movably to roll on the upper surface of the lower flange. The chain block is hung from the trolley. The flange removed from the frame is hung and moved vertically by the chain block, and is moved horizontally by the trolley. |
| US08353096B2 |
Method of minimizing inter-element signals for transducers
The present invention provides a method of packaging surface microfabricated transducers such that electrical connections, protection, and relevant environmental exposure are realized prior to their separation into discrete components. The packaging method also isolates elements of array transducers. Post processing of wafers consisting of transducers only on the top few microns of the wafer surface can be used to create a wafer scale packaging solution. By spinning or otherwise depositing polymeric and metallic thin and thick films, and by lithographically defining apertures and patterns on such films, transducers can be fully packaged prior to the final dicing steps that would separate the packaged transducers from each other. In the case of microfabricated ultrasonic transducers, such packaging layers can also enable flexible transducers and eliminate or curtail the acoustic cross-coupling that can occur between array elements. |
| US08353094B2 |
Method of forming sheet metal casket
A method of forming a sheet metal casket comprises providing a sheet metal casket shell having at least a portion of an end wall and at least a portion of a side wall and a round corner between the portion of the end wall and the portion of the side wall, and forming a generally planar corner oriented at about a 45° angle relative to the portion of the end wall and the portion of the side wall. |
| US08353093B2 |
Engine hood exhaust stack mounting method
For turbo-diesel application trucks, it is desirable to enable the quickest exit of the exhaust from the engine because, in most cases, the exhaust gas temperatures of these engines are very high. Thus, a hole is formed in the hood of the trucks and the exhaust stack is slid through the hole to permit the quickest exit of the exhaust into the atmosphere. However although the hood may be non-horizontally oriented, the stack should be kept in a vertical position. Thus, a stack mounting basket is positioned beneath the hole having three widely separated outwardly extending threaded bolt extensions that are positioned within three slotted downwardly extending elongated members affixed to the hood. The relative positions of the elongated members with respect to the threaded bolt extensions are adjusted, and nuts are tightened over the elongated members to permit the stack to maintain a vertical orientation. |
| US08353091B2 |
Stun gun dart active retrieval system
A stun gun dart acquiring, removing and housing device and method of using this device to remove a dart. The device provides a container, such as a tube, and a slider supported at least partially inside the container and is adapted to grasp a stun gun dart. The user places the slider over the dart, thereby engaging the dart into the distal end of slider and then moves the device away from subject, removing the dart. Then, the user moves the slider rearward into the container to store the dart in a safe location. The dart once locked in place inside the container can now be handled and viewed without concern of inadvertent contamination. |
| US08353090B2 |
Seal attach press tool
A press tool and method for attaching a seal to a surface are described. The seal attach press tool comprises a contact member having a curved contact surface, e.g., an arced surface. In a process of attaching a seal over an opening on a surface, the curved contact surface of the contact member is rolled over and in contact with the surface of the seal, thereby facilitating bonding the seal to the surface. According to an embodiment, the curved contact surface of the contact member comprises an elastomer and/or is covered with an elastomer pad. |
| US08353089B2 |
Method for manufacturing paste-type electrode of lead-acid battery and apparatus therefor
According to the present method, a paste-type electrode of lead-acid battery in which a space in the lower surface side of an electrode is favorably filled with a paste-like active material so that inner ribs of a current collector forming a grid shape does not remain exposed. The current collector is filled with a paste-like active material to obtain an electrode when the current collector passes below a filler including a hopper for containing the paste-like active material. An electrode surface is pressed during transfer of the electrode before the fed paste-like active material is hardened. The pressing step includes: a first pressing step of intensively pressing a first area of the electrode surface located on one side in a width direction that is perpendicular to a transfer direction in which the electrode is transferred and a thickness direction of the electrode; a second pressing step of intensively pressing a second area of the electrode surface located on the other side in the width direction; and a third pressing step of pressing the first and second areas of the electrode surface over the entire width of the electrode. The first to third pressing steps are each performed at least once. The pressing step is terminated by the third pressing step. |
| US08353086B2 |
Ring cling
A small pouch for holding/storing jewelry. This pouch is made of a flexible rubber material with a small, linear slit in the top of the device. The pouch is created in order to hold or store different articles of jewelry. The purpose of the linear slit is to allow the jewelry to enter/exit the device. Attached to this, is a small metal clip. The metal clip allows the device to be secured to different articles of clothing. The metal clip contains a small metal bead which can bounce around within the clip, thereby causing a rattling sound. The purpose of this is to alert the user of the device's presence, therefore reminding them of the jewelry that has been stored within the rubber pouch. |
| US08353084B2 |
Connector device on a retainer device for a cover of an openable vehicle roof
The invention relates to a connector device for a retainer device (2) on a cover of an openable vehicle roof on an operating mechanism, in particular, on an operating lever (3) with a bearing pin (4), comprising a mid axis (104), about which the operating lever (3) is mounted to pivot relative to the cover, characterized in that the bearing pin (4) is mounted to rotate relative to the operating lever (3) and has a housing device (10, 13) for the retainer device (2) in a region facing the a vehicle inner side (111), wherein the retainer device (2) is connected with fixing means (22) to the housing device (10, 13) in an axially and rotationally fixed manner relative to the bearing pin (4). |
| US08353082B2 |
Method and apparatus for a hinge
In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus including a first body, a second body, and a joint member, the joint member having supported therein a first shaft and a second shaft , the first shaft connected to the first body and the second shaft connected to the second body, wherein the joint member is configured to cause or to allow a change in a separation distance between the first shaft and the second shaft upon a rotational movement of the first body relative to the second body. |
| US08353081B2 |
Slide-cover handlebar device
The present invention discloses a slide-cover handlebar device whose handlebar body has a slide cover to conceal the button arranged in a recession of the handlebar body, and whose handlebar body also has a torsion spring. The torsion spring has a fixing ring press-fitted with a fixing protrusion of the slide cover. When the slide cover is pulled or pushed, the torsion spring is also driven to move. When the pulling or pushing force has reached a critical point, the torsion spring generates a rotation torsion force to keep on pulling or pushing the slide cover to reveal or conceal a button. The present invention can protect the button from being imprudently pressed. The torsion spring can assist the user in opening or shutting the slide cover. |
| US08353080B2 |
Umbrella handle
An umbrella handle includes a tubular member having an inclined bottom wall, and a housing having an axle extended from an inclined upper wall for rotatably engaging with the inclined bottom wall of the tubular member and for allowing the housing to be rotated relative to the tubular member to different directions and for allowing the housing to be folded and inclined relative to the tubular member to different folding statuses, a flashlight device is attached to the housing for facing or directing toward various or different directions and for lighting the environment when the housing is pivoted or rotated relative to the tubular member to different or various directions. |
| US08353078B2 |
Anchor and alignment device for carpet tiles
An anchor for a carpet tile includes a cross-shaped base having four arms extending from a vertex. The arms form a planar top surface and a planar bottom surface. A vertical blade centered on the base rises to engage the backing of a carpet tile when a corner of the carpet tile is placed near the vertex. The blade is preferably made of bendable and resilient material. Preferably, the anchor is used with a pedestal head of a raised-flooring system and has a nub extending from the bottom surface of each of the arms of the base to fit within holes in the pedestal head and thereby secure the anchor to the pedestal head. An alternative anchor includes a plate for the base and the blade in the shape of a cross rises from the plate. The plate may have a hole in each quadrant defined by the blade. |
| US08353074B2 |
Steam mop with shuttling steam distributor
A surface cleaning apparatus, and in particular a steam mop, comprises a steam delivery system for generating and distributing steam onto a surface to be cleaned. The steam mop further comprises a handle assembly mounted to a foot assembly that has a shuttling plate slidably mounted beneath the foot assembly, wherein the shuttle plate is configured to selectively divert steam through one of a pair of steam distributors positioned at a forward and rearward portion of the foot assembly dependent on the cleaning stroke direction of the steam mop. In one embodiment, the surface cleaning apparatus further comprises a vacuum source mounted thereto and at least one suction nozzle connected to the vacuum source and adapted to contact the surface to be cleaned and to draw moisture and debris from the surface. |
| US08353073B2 |
Brush arrangement for a carwash facility
The invention relates to a brush arrangement for a carwash facility, comprising at least one horizontal cross-beam (1), on which at least one support arm (2) is pivotally supported in the horizontal plane, wherein at one end of the support arm (2) an articulated joint (4) is provided, which is pivotally articulated at the upper end thereof about a horizontal articulated axis (5) on the support arm (2) and at the lower end thereof a washing brush (6) is pivotally supported about a horizontal brush pivot axis (7). It is provided according to the invention that the articulated axis (5) and the brush pivot axis (7) enclose an angle of 30° to 60° in order to configure such a brush arrangement such that the corner regions of the vehicles can thus also be cleaned satisfactorily. The invention also relates to a method for cleaning a vehicle in a carwash facility using a brush arrangement according to the invention. |
| US08353071B2 |
Removable integrated board and partial foot section
A patient support apparatus is convertible between a conventional bed position, having a generally horizontal sleeping surface upon which a person lies in a supine position, and a chair egress position, allowing a person to exit the support from a sitting position. The patient support comprises a deck and a foot panel removably coupled to the deck. The foot panel may allow a low seated height while the bed is in the chair egress position. |
| US08353070B1 |
Collapsible rail system
A collapsible rail system for attachment to a variety of surfaces such as a fluoroscopy or radiographic table and easily extended into a raised position or retracted into a lowered position which is flush with the surface. The collapsible rail system generally includes an upper rail, a lower rail and a plurality of post members, wherein each of the post members is pivotally connected to both the upper rail and the lower rail so as to allow the upper rail to collapse onto the lower rail. The lock plate is positioned within a lower channel of the lower rail for locking the rail assembly in an upright position. One or more brackets are provided for removably attaching the rail assembly to a table such as a fluoroscopy or radiographic table. |
| US08353066B2 |
Easily adjusted retention system for helmets
Strap buckles for headgear can be independently adjusted by single-handed operation while the headgear is worn. To tighten the straps, the wearer pulls a strap buckle toward the chin. The adjustment preferably involves a 1:1 length-adjustment ratio, such that the strap is shortened substantially by the amount the wearer pulls on the buckle. |
| US08353063B1 |
Protective garment for bridal gown
A garment worn under a bridal gown in a manner similar to a petticoat having vertical strips of elastic to retract the garment under the gown for photographs. The elasticized hem of the garment can be pulled from under the bottom of the gown to allow the wearer to carry the gown and protect it from being soiled. The garment is provided with a tight fitting waistband that secures around the wearer's waist. A skirt of the garment is somewhat circular with the front somewhat shorter in length than the back. Loops are provided near the hem as a means for holding the hem of the garment when carrying the gown within the garment. An elastic band from the garment's hem can be pulled from the casing as shoulder straps for carrying the gown hands-free. |
| US08356360B2 |
License management system and authentication method for the same
In a license management system, a terminal apparatus and a server apparatus are connected via a network, and the server apparatus manages licenses of software in the terminal apparatus. In this license management system, when the server apparatus receives a request to re-authenticate a license that has previously be authenticated from the terminal apparatus, the server performs re-authentication of the license based on different pieces of terminal identification information and a plurality of pieces of device information that have been transmitted from the terminal apparatus, and a plurality of pieces of device information that have been stored due to authentication processing. |
| US08356355B2 |
DVD copy protection
A record carrier for storing at least one stream of linked content cells thereon, which linking is performed based on navigation data. The record carrier includes modified navigation data and/or a stream arrangement of at least one stream of linked content cells, so that an access of the at least one stream of linked content cells on the record carrier under consideration of the navigation data is not disturbed, whereas a generally linear access of the at least one stream of linked content cells on the record carrier is disturbed. |
| US08356354B2 |
Silent-mode signature testing in anti-malware processing
Method and computer program product for signature testing used in anti-malware processing. Silent signatures, after being tested, are not updated into a white list and are sent directly to users instead. If the silent signature coincides with malware signature, a user is not informed. A checksum (e.g., hash value) of a suspected file is sent to a server, where statistics are kept and analyzed. Based on collected false positive statistics of the silent-signature, the silent-signature is either valid or invalid. Use of the silent signatures provides for effective signature testing and reduces response time to new malware-related threats. The silent signature method is used for turning off a signature upon first false positive occurrence. Use of silent signatures allows improving heuristic algorithms for detection of unknown malware. |
| US08356351B2 |
Method and device for verification of code module in virtual machine
A method for pre-verification of a code module when the code module is installed or updated in a virtual machine, comprising: loading codes in the installed or updated code module; performing code verification on the codes in the code module; if the code verification is passed, generating a certificate of the code module; and storing the code module passing the code verification and its certificate. The present invention also discloses a method for verification of a code module at runtime of the code module in a virtual machine, comprising loading codes in the code module; generating a certificate of the code module based on the loaded codes; if the generated certificate of the code module and a pre-stored certificate of the code module are identical, verifying the code module to be valid; otherwise performing a pre-verification on the code module. |
| US08356347B2 |
Migrating a virtual TPM instance and preserving uniqueness and completeness of the instance
A migration scheme for virtualized Trusted Platform Modules is presented. The procedure is capable of securely migrating an instance of a virtual Trusted Platform Module from one physical platform to another. A virtual Trusted Platform Module instance's state is downloaded from a source virtual Trusted Platform Module and all its state information is encrypted using a hybrid of public and symmetric key cryptography. The encrypted state is transferred to the target physical platform, decrypted and the state of the virtual Trusted Platform Module instance is rebuilt. |
| US08356345B2 |
Constructing a secure internet transaction
A method for constructing a secure Internet transaction, the method includes: receiving a user identification (userid) and user password on a client device for filling out a form generated by a secure web site; concatenating the user's Internet Protocol (IP) address with a separate password that is maintained on the secure web site that the user is authenticating to; encrypting the concatenated user IP and separate password to form an Internet Protocol password (IPPW); wherein the encrypting is carried out with asymmetric public-key cryptography using a public key; building a transaction consisting of the IPPW and userid; transmitting the transaction and form via a network towards the secure web site; wherein in response the secure website performs the following: decrypts the IPPW, and determines if the IP portion of the decrypted IPPW is equal to the user's IP address. |
| US08356344B2 |
Portable ice proxy and method thereof
This invention is to provide a method applied to a network system comprising Internet and at least two private networks each having at least one NAT router and at least one network terminal device. Each network terminal device can link to Internet through an ICE proxy and the NAT router in the corresponding private network. The method allows an ICE proxy in a private network to hijack connection signals sent from a network terminal device, to write a plurality of candidate access points provided by an ICE protocol standard into a SDP packet containing the connection signals, and to transmit the SDP packet to a remote ICE proxy in another private network via Internet. As a result, the ICE proxies of two private networks can selectively use the candidate access points provided by the ICE protocol standard in order to pass through the respective NAT routers and firewalls thereof. |
| US08356343B1 |
Session continuity on reauthentication
A method, system, and computer-readable medium are provided for maintaining a network session between a network element and a network despite the need to reauthenticate the network element. A computer-implemented method is provided for authenticating a network element to a network. According to this method, an authentication request is transmitted to the network element. In response, the network element provides identifying information for a home agent that previously routed messages to the network element. The identifying information is then used to generate a mobility key. Later, when a network registration request message is received on behalf of the network element, the generated key is used to validate the request. |
| US08356340B2 |
Secure subscriber identity module service
A method, apparatus, system, and computer program product for a secure subscriber identity module service. Communication via a mobile network is activated in response to receiving a request to activate communication service for the system by a secure partition of the system. In response to receiving the request, a key is retrieved for a permit service from storage accessible only by the secure partition. The key is included in a permit requesting to activate the communication service, and the permit is sent to a service provider for the communication service. The service provider communicates with the permit service to obtain a digital signature for the permit. The secure partition receives a signed permit from the service provider, confirms that the signed permit contains the digital signature by the permit service, and activates the communication service for the system in response to confirming that the signed permit contains the digital signature. |
| US08356339B2 |
Device controller, system, and method for authenticated printing
A device controller is connected with multiple terminals and with at least one input-output device via a network. The device controller has: a reception controller configured to perform first authentication according to data input from a first terminal and to cause the first terminal to obtain information on a specified series of processing based on a result of the first authentication; and an input-output controller configured to perform second authentication according to data input from a second terminal and to cause a specific input-output device selected out of the at least one input-output device to perform the specified series of processing, based on a result of the second authentication. The input-output controller allows the specific input-output device to perform the specified series of processing when the second terminal is selected in advance for the specific input-output device. |
| US08356327B2 |
Wireless video transmission system
A transmission system suitable for video where a sender encodes video for transmission to a receiver at an adjustable date rate. The data rate may be adjusted using a delay constraint that constrains the expected delay of transmitted packets. The expected delay may be measured from a time that a transmitter encodes a packet to a time that a receiver decodes a packet. |
| US08356323B2 |
UPnP/DLNA compliant MR-DVR
A method for operably connecting MR-DVR legacy systems with DLNA/UPnP compliant devices. An embodiment comprises an MR-DVR server translating DLNA/UPnP compliant protocols/data format to legacy protocols/data format used by MR-DVR legacy client devices. |
| US08356318B2 |
Terminal and method of controlling broadcasting therein
A terminal including a wireless communication unit configured to receive broadcast guide information, and a control unit configured to determine whether or not broadcast information included in the received broadcast guide information corresponds to an actual broadcast operation for a corresponding broadcast program, and to update the broadcast guide information when the broadcast information included in the received broadcast guide information does not correspond to the actual broadcast operation for the corresponding broadcast program. |
| US08356317B2 |
Presence based technology
A collaborative information system. |
| US08356313B2 |
Reduced thickness disc drive apparatus
A disc drive apparatus includes: an apparatus body to which a disc is inserted and from which the disc is ejected; a disc recording and reproducing unit having a disc loading unit configured to load the disc inserted into the apparatus body, a disc rotation drive mechanism configured to rotate the disc loaded onto the disc loading unit, an optical pickup configured to record and/or reproduce a data signal with respect to the disc, and a pickup feeding mechanism configured to convey the optical pickup in a radial direction of the disc; a disc conveying mechanism configured to insert the disc into the apparatus body and eject the disc from the apparatus body; and a conveyance drive mechanism provided in the apparatus body and configured to drive the disc conveying mechanism; wherein the apparatus body includes a shoulder which is reduced in thickness in the vicinity of an insertion end of the disc. |
| US08356311B2 |
Detecting method for limit switch of optical disc drive by sampling voltage of limit switch predetermined times
A method is disclosed to detect the voltage of a limit switch in an optical disc drive. The method includes following steps: loading an optical disc when the voltage of the limit switch is at a high level, completing the disc loading process when the voltage is changed to a low level, sampling the voltage of the limit switch predetermined times when the voltage is changed to the high level again, detecting the sampling voltages, completing the disc ejecting process when the sampling voltages are all at the high level, and determining a voltage bouncing to maintain the disc loaded status to avoid disc ejection misjudgment of the optical disc drive when the sampling voltages are not all at the high level. |
| US08356310B2 |
Executing business logic extensions on a client computing system
A server platform exposes server-hosted application services to client applications. Calls to the server-hosted application services may be executed along with custom business logic extensions. A client platform is also provided that exposes client-hosted application services to a client application. The same business logic extensions that execute on the server platform can be utilized by the client platform. When a client application is online and connected to the server platform, the client application utilizes the server-hosted application services in the manner described above. When the client application is offline, the client application utilizes the client-hosted application services. The server platform synchronizes the business logic extensions to the client platform. |
| US08356309B1 |
Graphical display of management data obtained from an extensible management server
An extensible management server (XMS) is disclosed that includes a management interface, a scripting engine, and a data store having management scripts and a management class library stored therein. The management interface provides functionality for receiving and responding to commands received from a management application. The management scripts include functionality for retrieving and setting management data on managed computers. The management scripts are configured to utilize classes contained in the management class library to perform the actual interaction with the managed server computers for retrieving or setting management data. The management scripts may also be configured to utilize a graphical display application programming interface for generating graphical display instructions for use by the management application in graphically displaying the management data. |
| US08356308B2 |
Blocking and bounding wrapper for thread-safe data collections
A membership interface provides procedure headings to add and remove elements of a data collection, without specifying the organizational structure of the data collection. A membership implementation associated with the membership interface provides thread-safe operations to implement the interface procedures. A blocking-bounding wrapper on the membership implementation provides blocking and bounding support separately from the thread-safety mechanism. |
| US08356304B2 |
Method and system for job scheduling
Logical processors/hardware contexts are assigned to different jobs/threads in a multithreaded/multicore environment. There are provided a number of different sorting algorithms, from which one is periodically selected on the basis of whether the present algorithm is giving satisfactory results or not. The period is preferably a super-context interval. The different sorting algorithms preferably include a software/OS priority. A second sorting algorithm may include sorting according to hardware performance measurements. The judgement of satisfactory performance is preferably based on the difference between a desired number of time quantum attributed per super-context switch interval to each job/thread and a real number of time quantum attributed per super-context switch interval to each job/thread. |
| US08356300B2 |
Multi-threaded processes for opening and saving documents
Tools and techniques are described for multi-threaded processing for opening and saving documents. These tools may provide load processes for reading documents from storage devices, and for loading the documents into applications. These tools may spawn a load process thread for executing a given load process on a first processing unit, and an application thread may execute a given application on a second processing unit. A first pipeline may be created for executing the load process thread, with the first pipeline performing tasks associated with loading the document into the application. A second pipeline may be created for executing the application process thread, with the second pipeline performing tasks associated with operating on the documents. The tasks in the first pipeline are configured to pass tokens as input to the tasks in the second pipeline. |
| US08356296B1 |
Method and system for minimal disruption during software upgrade or reload of a network device
A method and system for resetting a network device. Specifically, in one embodiment, a method is disclosed for upgrading and/or reloading software for a network device with minimal disruption. The method begins by separating operations associated with layer two of an International Standardization Organization Open Systems Interconnect (ISO/OSI) reference model from other layers in the ISO/OSI reference model in a network device. Then, the software operations in layer two of the network device are reset. The software operations are reset while maintaining continuity for a communication session between the network device and other network devices coupled together through a network. Thereafter, for minimal disruption, execution of the software operations is recovered at layer two before continuity of the communication session s terminated. |
| US08356288B2 |
Method and apparatus for monitoring runtime of persistence applications
A monitoring method and apparatus monitors a runtime application to collect and display static and dynamic data concerning software entities and database operations in a runtime environment. In one embodiment, monitoring classes are used to collect monitoring data from at least one PersistenceUnit (PU) and at least one PersistenceContext (PC) associated with the PU of an application the uses an in implementation of a Java Persistence Application Programming Interface (JPA). A Java Management Extension (JMX) MBean communicates with the monitoring classes to expose monitoring data outside the runtime environment. |
| US08356287B2 |
Device, system and method of debugging computer programs
Device, system, and method of debugging computer programs. For example, a method for debugging computer programs includes: locating a bug in a computer program based on a first score corresponding to a first instrumentation location of the computer program and a second score corresponding to a second instrumentation location of the computer program. |
| US08356286B2 |
Method and system for providing on-demand profiling infrastructure for profiling at virtual machines
A system and method are provided to employ a profiling infrastructure to perform profiling. In one embodiment, a communication between a first virtual machine at a server and a second virtual machine at a client is established, wherein the communication is established via a profiling infrastructure. An application at the first virtual machine is profiled via the profiling infrastructure. Results of the profiling are communicated from the first virtual machine to the second virtual machine, wherein the results are communicated via the profiling infrastructure. |
| US08356279B2 |
Program-generating device and method, program for implementing the program-generating method, and storage medium
A program generating device configured to be capable of reducing an operation burden on the user who has conventionally been required to extract portions to be changed from a script. A script acquiring section acquires script information for execution of a predetermined process. An attribute information-acquiring section acquires attribute information representing conditions for operation of a control target of the program generating device. A difference extracting section extracts difference. A script correcting section changes the script information based on difference between the attribute information and the script information. |
| US08356276B2 |
Flexible code generation
There are methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for a flexible generation framework. The generation framework encapsulates a variety of different code generation technologies within a common interface. This allows various types of generator cores operating in various development environments to be integrated into the framework, and enables the generation of code using various generating technologies. |
| US08356274B2 |
System and methods to create a multi-tenancy software as a service application
A method for providing multi-tenant services includes receiving a request from a user, establishing tenancy information for the user, wherein the tenancy information is selected which corresponds to a tenant of the user from among multiple tenants, customizing the request according to the tenancy information established for the user, forwarding the request to an application that is not multi-tenant aware, receiving results of the request from the application, customizing the results according to the tenancy information established for the user and corresponding to the tenant of the user, and returning customized results to the user. |
| US08356269B2 |
Dummy-metal-layout evaluating device and dummy-metal-layout evaluating method
A dummy-mesh-information creating unit separates a group of dummy metal blocks that are arranged in a pattern regularly staggered with respect to a direction of a wire object into meshes so that each mesh has the same layout of dummy metal blocks. An overlap determining unit determines whether a dummy metal block within a dummy mesh overlaps with the wire object. A dummy-information calculating unit calculates dummy information after any dummy metal block that is determined to be overlapped with the wire object is removed. An information integrating unit integrates the dummy information with information about the wire object, thereby generating a dummy-fill circuit layout. An evaluating unit evaluates whether the dummy-fill circuit layout satisfies the design criteria. |
| US08356261B1 |
Determining the gradient and hessian of the image log slope for design rule optimization for accelerating source mask optimization (SMO)
The Hessian (second derivative) of the image log slope (ILS) can be quickly and accurately calculated without the need to use approximate methods from the gradient of the ILS with respect to mask transmission and source intensity. The Hessian has been traditionally calculated using a finite-difference approach. Calculating the Hessian through a finite-difference approach is slow and is an approximate method. The gradient of the ILS improves the speed of calculation of the Hessian, and thus accelerated SMO operation is realized. The results of ILS evaluation can be used in design for manufacturing (DFM) to suggest changes in the design rules to improve imaging. For a fixed illumination, this information can help remove forbidden pitches and help select design rules for 1-D and 2-D patterns on a mask design layout. |
| US08356260B2 |
Method and apparatus for monitoring cross-sectional shape of a pattern formed on a semiconductor device
A method is provided for estimating a cross-sectional shape or for monitoring manufacturing process parameters of a semiconductor device pattern to be measured. In this method, in order to enable SEM-based management of the cross-sectional shape or manufacturing process parameters of the pattern to be measured, the association between the cross-sectional shape or process parameters of the pattern and SEM image characteristic quantities effective for estimating the cross-sectional shape or process parameters of the pattern, is saved as learning data, and then the image characteristic quantities that have been calculated from a SEM image of the pattern are collated with the learning data to estimate the cross-sectional shape or to monitor process parameters of the pattern. Estimation with high accuracy and reliability is achievable by calculating all or part of three kinds of reliability (reliability of the image characteristic quantities, reliability of estimation engines, and reliability of estimating results) based on the distribution of the image characteristic quantities and judging from the calculated reliability whether additional learning of the learning data is necessary, or selecting and adjusting image characteristic quantities and estimation engine based on the reliability. |
| US08356257B2 |
Method and system for generating a control system user interface
A method for providing navigation in a user interface for an industrial control system including a computer, a display device, a plurality of process graphics, and at least one user interface. A plurality of software objects are displayed for use in controlling and/or monitoring of real world objects controlled by the control system. One or more designated views are generated providing navigation between members of a group of context-related process graphics. Each process graphic with a designated view is a member of a predetermined group of process graphics, where each designated view includes one or more tabs directly linked to other members of the predetermined group in the industrial control system. A system and computer program for carrying out the method are described. |
| US08356254B2 |
System and method for interacting with a display
A system and method of interacting with a display. The method comprises recognizing a disturbance in a display zone of a projected image and displaying a selected state in response to the recognized disturbance. The method further includes recognizing a gesture which interrupts a light source and is associated with an action to be taken on or associated with the displayed selected state. An action is executed in response to the recognized gesture. The system includes a server having a database containing data associated with at least one or more predefined gestures, and at least one of a hardware and software component for executing an action based on the at least one or more predefined gestures. |
| US08356252B2 |
System and method for providing a computer display form layout
A system and method are disclosed that may provide a graphical user interface (GUI) within a web page on a display device forming part of a computer system, that may include defining attributes of user interface fields for use within the graphical user interface for display on the display device with program code; searching at least one image file for image data fields corresponding to one or more of the user interface fields; recording layout data of selected ones of the image data fields within the image file; and generating the GUI using information from the user interface field attributes and the recorded data. |
| US08356248B1 |
Generating context-based timelines
Context-based timelines can be generated for an item in an electronic catalog by extracting contextual terms and item events corresponding to the item. The contextual terms can be used to retrieve historical data on historical events from a data repository. The historical data can be associated with at least some of the contextual terms. A context-based timeline can be generated that includes at least some of the historical events. The context-based timeline can be output for presentation to one or more users. |
| US08356246B2 |
Method and system for notifying a client on server disconnection in a manufacturing execution system
A custom function is defined at engineering time for implementing actions to be executed in case of a disconnection event in which a client is unable to communicate with a server. At engineering time, code specifying the action to be implemented by the custom function is written into a function file that is stored on the web-server. Subsequently at run time, a browser running on a client requests a certain page to be displayed from the web-server. On occasion of a client-server disconnection; the communication component notifies a certain displayed page about the disconnection; and the custom function is executed with certain page being displayed. |
| US08356245B2 |
System and method of automatically mapping a given annotator to an aggregate of given annotators
A document corpus is annotated by given annotators and aggregates of the given annotators to generate a corpus of pre-annotated documents with given annotations. The same document corpus is annotated by a subject annotator to have subject annotations. The subject annotations are decomposed into superpositions of the given annotations. The decomposed subject annotations are mapped to a most representative superposition of the given annotations. The subject annotator may be mapped to the aggregate of given annotators corresponding to the most representative compatible superposition, resulting in a meaningful new aggregate annotator. |
| US08356239B2 |
Selective cache way mirroring
A data processing system has cache circuitry having a plurality of ways. Mirroring control logic indicates a mirrored way pair and a non-mirrored way of the plurality of ways. The mirrored way pair has first and second ways wherein the second way is configured to store cache data fields redundant to cache data fields of the first way. In one form, comparison logic, in response to an address hitting in the first way or the second way within the mirrored way pair, performs a bit comparison between cache data from the first way addressed by an index portion of the address with cache data from the second way addressed by the index portion of the address to provide a bit parity error signal. In another form, allocation logic uses a portion of the address and line locking information to determine whether a mirrored or non-mirrored way is selected for allocation. |
| US08356238B2 |
Trellis encoder for encoding dual transmission stream
A trellis encoder for trellis encoding a dual transmission stream. A first multiplexer selectively outputs one of a predetermined first bit of the dual transmission stream and a value stored in a first memory according to an external control signal. A first adder adds the value output from the first multiplexer to the value stored in the first memory, outputs the added value, and stores the added value in the first memory. A second multiplexer selectively outputs one of a predetermined second bit of the dual transmission stream and a value stored in a second memory according to the external control signal. A second adder adds the value output from the second multiplexer to the value stored in the second memory and stores the added value in a third memory. Thus, an initialization is effectively performed before trellis encoding is performed. |
| US08356235B2 |
Recording and reproducing data to/from a recording medium having a user data area and an information area for storing information about the recording medium
If a large minimum data unit for recorded data is used to record a small data amount of management information, the recording time is long, and furthermore when a WO (write once) is used as the recording medium, the number of recording operations is restricted. To solve the above problems, the present invention records data in a management area in units smaller than ordinary units for recorded data to suitably record information in a limited management area and thereby efficiently use the user data area. At that time, the present invention simplifies interleave processing usually applied to ordinary recorded data, and performs the simplified interleave processing on a data structure (for data of small size) of the present invention so as to ensure the signal processing compatibility between the ordinary data and data having the data structure according to the present invention. |
| US08356233B2 |
Pseudo-noise insertion on unacceptable input data sequence in optical networks
The present disclosure provides systems and methods for inserting pseudo-noise in a data stream based on an unacceptable input data sequence in an optical network thereby preventing unnecessary loss of frame in SONET/SDH or Optical Transport Network (OTN) systems. The present disclosure includes a SONET/SDH or OTN framer, a transceiver, and a method for detecting an unacceptable data sequence or pattern and inserting a keep-alive or pseudo-noise sequence in the data sequence to maintaining framing on subsequent network elements, framers, transceivers, etc. For example, the present invention, upon receiving an unacceptable pattern of zeros or low ones density caused by a loss of signal condition or the like, may insert a pseudorandom noise pattern into the transmitted frame. This allows the downstream network element to continue a frame lock on the incoming signal, and thus keep the frame overhead and data communications channels from being lost. |
| US08356230B2 |
Apparatus to manage data stability and methods of storing and recovering data
An apparatus to manage data stability, including a plurality of storage units and a control unit to determine when protected data is stored in a particular address row of at least one of the plurality of storage units, to select another storage unit of the plurality of storage units to store the protected data, and to store relevance data related to the protected data in the same address row of the selected storage unit. Methods of storing and recover data also included. |
| US08356229B2 |
Method and apparatus for encoding and decoding high speed shared control channel
A method and apparatus for encoding and decoding high speed shared control channel (HS-SCCH) data are disclosed. For part 1 data encoding, a mask may be generated using a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) identity (ID) and a generator matrix with a maximum minimum Hamming distance. For part 2 data encoding, cyclic redundancy check (CRC) bits are generated based on part 1 data and part 2 data. The number of CRC bits is less than the WTRU ID. The CRC bits and/or the part 2 data are masked with a mask. The mask may be a WTRU ID or a punctured WTRU ID of length equal to the CRC bits. The mask may be generated using the WTRU ID and a generator matrix with a maximum minimum Hamming distance. The masking may be performed after encoding or rate matching. |
| US08356228B2 |
Apparatus and method for reducing power consumption in a mobile communication system
An apparatus and method for reducing power consumption in a mobile communication system are provided. The apparatus includes a time slicing processor. When a frame border of the last section for determining a burst reception end time is not detected during a burst reception operation, the time slicing processor receives a burst enough to restore the whole MPE-FEC frame to the former state or receives an early burst reception end request for notifying that it is impossible to restore the whole MPE-FEC frame to the former state, and terminates the burst reception process. |
| US08356226B2 |
Method and apparatus for providing a data retransmission scheme
An approach is provided for efficient retransmissions by allocating a transmission resource for transmitting data and allocating a retransmission resource for retransmitting the data according to a transmission scheme that specifies relationship between the transmitted data and the retransmitted data for providing communication over a radio network. |
| US08356223B1 |
Apparatus and method for testing and debugging an integrated circuit
A system including a frame capture module, a serializer, and a deserializer. The frame capture module is configured to receive, from a device under test, data corresponding to test results, and package the data into first data frames. The serializer is configured serialize the first data frames to form serial messages that include serialized data. The serializer includes i) a first serial link configured to output the serial messages according to a first clock domain, and ii) a second serial link configured to output the serial messages according to a second clock domain. The deserializer is configured to deserialize the serial messages received on the first serial link and the second serial link to form second data frames. |
| US08356217B2 |
Storage circuit, integrated circuit, and scanning method
A storage circuit, an integrated circuit and a scanning method are provided. The storage circuit includes a first storage element, and a second storage element connected to an output of the first storage element. The storage circuit includes a first setting circuit that is configured to set data of a first logic value to the first storage element when a clear signal is applied, and a second setting circuit that is configured to set data of a second logic value to the second storage element and transmit the second logic value data to a different storage circuit when a second clock signal is in an off state and the clear signal is applied. |
| US08356216B2 |
Error scanning in flash memory
Various embodiments include methods, apparatus, and systems to scan at least a portion of a memory device for potential errors when a condition for scanning is met. The condition may be dependent on one or more of a number of read operations, a number of write operations, time, and others. Other embodiments including additional methods, apparatus, and systems are disclosed. |
| US08356211B2 |
Detecting browser failure
Embodiments are configured to improve the stability of a Web browser by identifying plug-in modules that cause failures. Data in memory at the time of a failure is analyzed, and a failure signature is generated. The failure signature is compared to a database of known failure signatures so that the source of the failure may be identified. If a plug-in module to a Web browser is identified as the source of a failure, options are presented to the user who may update the plug-in module with code that does not produce a failure or disable the plug-in module altogether. |
| US08356209B2 |
Self-managed processing device
A processing device may automatically provide protective services and may provide backup services for backing up and restoring user files, system files, configuration files, as well as other information. The processing device may be configured to check one or more performance conditions and perform an action to improve performance based on the one or more performance conditions. The processing device may monitor configuration and file changes and provide a user with a capability to persist or discard configuration changes and/or file changes made by an application during a session. The processing device may include a recovery button or switch, which when selected or pressed may cause the processing device to be restored to an operational state. The processing device may automatically detect instabilities and may automatically attempt to repair possible causes of the instabilities. The processing device may also include an additional chipset, which may perform backup and recovery services. |
| US08356208B2 |
Method of collecting information in system network
To quickly establish an inferring result when a problem is detected in an operation management system equipped with a rule-based inference processing function, there is provided a method of collecting information for managing a computer system equipped with a plurality of devices. The computer system holds rule for associating a plurality of events with a conclusion output when all of the plurality of events have been detected. The method includes: executing, at a first interval, polling to obtain information indicating whether each of the plurality of events has been detected; judging whether the plurality of events have been detected; and executing, upon judgment that at least one of the plurality of events has been detected and none of the remaining events have been detected, before execution of next polling at the first interval, polling to obtain information indicating whether at least one of the undetected remaining events has been detected. |
| US08356202B2 |
System and method for reducing power consumption in a device using register files
A device and method for reducing the power consumption of an electronic device using register file with bypass mechanism. The width of a pulse controlling the word write operation may be extended twice as long so that the extended portion substantially overlaps a following word read pulse. The extension of the pulse width of the read operation may enable lowering the Vcc Min value for the electronic device and thus may lower the power consumption of the device. |
| US08356201B2 |
Method, CAN bus driver and CAN bus system for the recovery of a clock frequency of a CAN bus
A method, a CAN bus driver and a CAN bus system for the recovery of a clock frequency of a CAN bus, which couples a master device, that has a clock generator for providing the clock frequency, to at least one slave device. A phase-locked loop is used in the slave device, in this context, which utilizes a predetermined bit pattern, that is extracted from a frame sent by the master device via the bus system, as reference signal. |
| US08356199B2 |
Logical battery partitions configured by user interface
A logical battery partitioning approach is disclosed. In one embodiment, a power management system in a portable computing device having a plurality of subsystems can include: (i) a battery coupled to a plurality of subsystems; (ii) a first battery variable provided to a first subsystem to indicate a characteristic of a first logical battery partition; and (iii) a second battery variable provided to a second subsystem to indicate a characteristic of a second logical battery partition. A battery variable can include an accessibility control, or a percent of battery power available, for example. |
| US08356193B2 |
Scaling energy use in a virtualized environment
A method, system, and computer usable program product for scaling energy use in a virtualized data processing environment are provided in the illustrative embodiments. A set of PIOAs is configured such that each PIOAs in the set of PIOAs is a functional equivalent of another PIOAs in the set of PIOAs. A utilization of each PIOA in the set of PIOAs is measured. A number of PIOAs needed to service a workload is determined. A first subset of PIOAs from the set of PIOAs is powered down if the number of PIOAs needed to service the workload is smaller than a number of operational PIOAs. The I/O operations associated with the first subset of PIOAs are transferred to a second subset of PIOAs remaining operational in the set of PIOAs. |
| US08356192B2 |
Method and device for power management and control of Advanced Telecom Computing Architecture system
An Advanced Telecom Computing Architecture system and a method for power management and control of the system are disclosed. The system includes a Front Board (FRB) and a Rear Transition Module (RTM)/Front Transition Module (FTM). The FRB includes a first power conversion/control module that supplies power to the FRB and RTM/FTM. The system further includes a control circuit that outputs control signal, and a second power conversion/control module that supplies power to the RTM/FTM according to the control signal. |
| US08356178B2 |
Method and apparatus for authenticated data storage
A method includes: computing a first message authentication code for each of a plurality of sets of data blocks on a data storage medium, and authenticating the sets of data blocks by computing a second message authentication code for each of the sets of data blocks to be authenticated and comparing the first and second message authentication codes. An apparatus that performs the method is also provided. |
| US08356177B2 |
Key transport in authentication or cryptography
A computer system for authenticating, encrypting, and transmitting a secret communication, where the encryption key is transmitted along with the encrypted message, is disclosed. In an embodiment, a first transmitting processor encrypts a plaintext message to a ciphertext message using a data key, encrypts the data key using a key encrypting key, and sends a communication comprising the encrypted data key and the ciphertext message. A second receiving processor receives the communication and then decrypts the encrypted data key using the key encrypting key and decrypts the ciphertext message using the data key to recover the plaintext message. |
| US08356172B2 |
Apparatus and method for monitoring certificate acquisition
A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a set-top-box (STB) having a controller to transmit a request to a remote management server for status information associated with a x.509 certificate intended for the STB, wherein at least one of the STB and the remote management server operate in an interactive television (iTV) network, and receive the status information associated with the x.509 certificate from the remote management server, wherein events associated with the status information are received by the remote management server from at least one of the STB, a certificates proxy, an external certificate web service, and a certificate authority, and wherein the status information comprises at least a portion of the received events. Other embodiments are disclosed. |
| US08356170B2 |
Management-apparatus card, measuring apparatus, health care system, and method for communicating vital sign data
The management-apparatus card capable of being attached to a management apparatus receives, from the measuring apparatus, first unique information indicating the measuring apparatus, and identification information indentifying a user of the measuring apparatus; stores second unique information indicating the management-apparatus card; generates a decryption key corresponding to an encryption key, using the first unique information, the second unique information, and the identification information; stores the generated decryption key; receives encrypted vital sign data from the measuring apparatus; decrypts the received vital sign data using the stored decryption key; and obtains the decrypted vital sign data. |
| US08356166B2 |
Minimizing code duplication in an unbounded transactional memory system by using mode agnostic transactional read and write barriers
Minimizing code duplication in an unbounded transactional memory system. A computing apparatus including one or more processors in which it is possible to use a set of common mode-agnostic TM barrier sequences that runs on legacy ISA and extended ISA processors, and that employs hardware filter indicators (when available) to filter redundant applications of TM barriers, and that enables a compiled binary representation of the subject code to run correctly in any of the currently implemented set of transactional memory execution modes, including running the code outside of a transaction, and that enables the same compiled binary to continue to work with future TM implementations which may introduce as yet unknown future TM execution modes. |
| US08356163B2 |
SIMD microprocessor and method for controlling variable sized image data processing
A disclosed SIMD microprocessor includes plural processor elements each having n arithmetic circuits and n registers configured to temporarily store data pieces to be input to the arithmetic circuits, n being a natural number equal to or greater than 2, and; a control circuit configured to determine an arrangement order of the processor elements and an arrangement order of the arithmetic circuits in the processor elements and determine whether to use the n arithmetic circuits as a single arithmetic circuit or as n arithmetic circuits. Each processor element further includes n shifter pairs each including a PE shifter and a bit shifter; and n shift data selection circuits configured to select arbitrary data pieces from the data pieces in the shifter pairs, perform bit extension on the data pieces, and transfer the data pieces to the arithmetic circuits. |
| US08356161B2 |
Adaptive processor for performing an operation with simple and complex units each comprising configurably interconnected heterogeneous elements
The present invention concerns a new category of integrated circuitry and a new methodology for adaptive or reconfigurable computing. The preferred IC embodiment includes a plurality of heterogeneous computational elements coupled to an interconnection network. The plurality of heterogeneous computational elements include corresponding computational elements having fixed and differing architectures, such as fixed architectures for different functions such as memory, addition, multiplication, complex multiplication, subtraction, configuration, reconfiguration, control, input, output, and field programmability. In response to configuration information, the interconnection network is operative in real-time to configure and reconfigure the plurality of heterogeneous computational elements for a plurality of different functional modes, including linear algorithmic operations, non-linear algorithmic operations, finite state machine operations, memory operations, and bit-level manipulations. The various fixed architectures are selected to comparatively minimize power consumption and increase performance of the adaptive computing integrated circuit, particularly suitable for mobile, hand-held or other battery-powered computing applications. |
| US08356158B2 |
Mini-translation lookaside buffer for use in memory translation
One or more methods and systems of improving performance and reducing the size of a translation lookaside buffer are presented. In one embodiment, the method comprises using a bit obtained from a virtual page number to store even and odd page frame numbers into a single page frame number field of a miniature translation lookaside buffer (mini-TLB). In one embodiment, even and odd page frame number fields are consolidated into a single page frame number field. In one embodiment, the mini-TLB facilitates the use of a buffer or memory of reduced size. Furthermore, in one or more embodiments, aspects of the invention may be found in a system and method that easily incorporates and adapts the use of existing control processor instruction sets or commands of a typical translation lookaside buffer. |
| US08356156B2 |
Method and system for using external storage to amortize CPU cycle utilization
A method and system for using external storage to amortize CPU cycle utilization, wherein translated instructions are stored in a storage medium and subsequently accessed on a subsequent execution of a non-native application in order to amortize CPU cycles used in generating the translated instructions. |
| US08356154B2 |
Storage system, data relocation method thereof, and recording medium that records data relocation program
There is a need to improve access speed for a file in a storage system that is provided with multiple storage units having different access speeds.The storage system (10) includes an access frequency acquiring part (14) that divides a past constant accessed data acquisition period into multiple unit periods, and obtains an access frequency for file stored in any of the multiple storage units (30 and 31), a similarity degree calculating part (16) that obtains, for each file, a similarity degree between the access frequency to the file for each unit period, and the access frequency to every other file for each unit period, a grouping process part (17) that groups one or more other files having a similarity degree equal to or higher than a predetermined value, in an identical group, and a file relocation part (18) that places a file belonging to the identical group into a storage unit (30) having a high access speed, when the file stored in the storage units (30 and 31) is accessed and there exists any other file within the identical group to which the file belongs. |
| US08356152B2 |
Initiative wear leveling for non-volatile memory
A method and apparatus for initiative wear leveling for non-volatile memory. An embodiment of a method includes counting erase cycles for each of a set of multiple memory blocks of a non-volatile memory, the counting of erase cycles for each memory block including incrementing a first count for a physical block address of the memory block, and if the memory block is not a spare memory block, incrementing a second count for a logical block address of the memory block. The method also includes determining whether the non-volatile memory has uneven wear of memory blocks based at least in part on the counting of the erase cycles of the plurality of memory blocks. |
| US08356146B2 |
Memory register encoding apparatus and methods
Apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed that operate to encode register bits to generate encoded bits such that, for pairs of addresses, an encoded bit to be coupled to a first address in a memory device may be exchanged with an encoded bit to be coupled to a second address in the memory device. Apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed that operate to invert encoded bits in logic circuits in the memory device if original bits were inverted. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed. |
| US08356145B2 |
Multi-stage multiplexing operation including combined selection and data alignment or data replication
A multi-stage multiplexing operation that includes combined selection and data alignment or data replication is disclosed. In a particular embodiment, a method includes performing a first stage of a multi-stage multiplexing operation. During the first stage, a first data source is selected from a first plurality of data sources. At least one of a first data alignment operation and a first data replication operation is also performed on first data from the selected first data source during the first stage. |
| US08356142B1 |
Memory controller for non-sequentially prefetching data for a processor of a computer system
A memory controller for non-sequentially prefetching data for a processor of a computer system. The memory controller performs a method including the step of storing a plurality of address pairs in a table data structure, wherein the address pairs include a first address and a second address. The first address and the second address are non-sequential as fetched by a processor of a computer system. The address pairs are prioritized in accordance with a frequency of use for each of the address pairs. A system memory of the computer system is accessed and a plurality of cache lines corresponding to the address pairs are stored in a prefetch cache. Upon a cache hit during a subsequent access by the processor, data is transferred from the cache lines stored in the prefetch cache to the processor. |
| US08356140B2 |
Methods and apparatus for controlling data between storage systems providing different storage functions
A system comprises a plurality of storage systems, which provides different storage functions, and is controlled by a management server. The management server determines whether to change the control of the storage controller between the storage systems, or to mount the target volume as an external volume and keep the storage controller under control so that the storage function provided to the source volume is maintained even after the configuration change between the storage systems. After the determination, the management server instructs the storage system to perform according to the determination. |
| US08356138B1 |
Methods for implementing programmable memory controller for distributed DRAM system-in-package (SiP)
A multi-port memory controller (MPMC) can be parameterized to selectively connect to different memory configurations. In particular, a programmable device that is combined with a DRAM in a die-stacked distributed memory in a single chip is provided with the programmable device forming the MPMC. The programmable device is parameterized to form a memory controller that can either aggregate or segment memory controller components to control different DRAM memory banks either together or separately. The aggregation or segmentation of the memory devices can be configured dynamically during operation of the programmable device. |
| US08356130B2 |
Mechanism for recording undeliverable user-level interrupts
A method includes recording a user-level interrupt as undeliverable in a mailbox at least partially based on an interrupt domain identifier and an interrupt recipient identifier included in a user-level interrupt message associated with the user-level interrupt. The recording is at least partially based on an indication that the user-level interrupt is undeliverable to a recipient application thread executing on a processor core of a plurality of processor cores in a multi-core system. |
| US08356128B2 |
Method and system of reducing latencies associated with resource allocation by using multiple arbiters
A digital processing system employing multiple arbiters, all designed to allocate a resource to a same entity in response to a same condition. In an embodiment, the entities needing the resource may send a request to all the arbiters, and the specific entity to which the resource is allocated, receives indication of the allocation from a closest one of the arbiters. As a result, the latency in receipt of indication of allocation may be reduced. The features are described in the context of a bus as a resource. |
| US08356123B2 |
Apparatus and method for storing context information on an electronic device
An electronic device includes a storage slot for storing context information for a storage device. The electronic device is configured to apply settings related to the context information to the storage device upon detecting connection of the storage device to the electronic device. A method of operating the electronic device may include acquiring context information from the storage device, storing the context information within a storage slot of the electronic device, and applying settings to the storage device. The settings may be related to the context information and may be applied upon detecting a reconnection of the storage device to the electronic device. |
| US08356120B2 |
Mechanism for memory state restoration of virtual machine (VM)-controlled peripherals at a destination host machine during migration of the VM
A mechanism for memory change tracking during migration of a virtual machine (VM) with VM-controlled assigned peripherals is disclosed. A method of the invention includes receiving a state of a VM-controlled peripheral device running on a destination host machine from an origin host machine, wherein the VM is executed by a hypervisor of the destination host machine, providing the received state of the peripheral device to at least one of the VM, a memory of the VM, or the peripheral device in order to cause the peripheral device to be restored to that state on the destination host machine, and interacting with the VM in order to cause the VM to start the peripheral device in the restored state. |
| US08356119B2 |
Performance by reducing transaction request ordering requirements
A data processing apparatus is disclosed that is configured to communicate via an output port with a plurality of devices and to issue a stream of transaction requests to the output port, the stream of transaction requests comprising at least some device transaction requests destined for the plurality of devices. Device transactions are transactions that may affect each other and therefore should be completed in an order in which they are received at the output port in. The output port is configured to output the received transaction requests as a single serial stream of transaction requests. The data processing apparatus comprises: a destination device detector for monitoring the device transaction requests and for determining which of the plurality of devices each of the device transaction requests are destined for; the output port comprises ordering circuitry configured to treat the plurality of devices as at least two subsets of devices, at least one of the subsets comprising at least two devices; the ordering circuitry being configured to receive the stream of transaction requests and to classify each of the device transaction requests into one of the at least two subsets in response to determination of a destination device by said destination device detector, and to maintain said order that said device transaction requests within each subset are received in, such that device transaction requests within each subset are output by the output port and executed by their respective destination devices in the received order, while device transaction requests within different subsets may be output in an order that is different to the received order. |
| US08356117B2 |
Control of electronic devices based on capability descriptions
Methods, systems, apparatuses, and computer readable media for controlling one or more electronic devices are described. According to one described aspect, an embodiment of a method includes providing a plurality of schemes, each scheme defining features that are operable on an electronic device and which features each of the features in the scheme can use, and receiving data for identifying the type of the electronic device, and selecting, based on the type, one of the schemes, and controlling the electronic device based on the selected scheme. |
| US08356116B2 |
Relay server and relay communication system
In a relay communication system in which remote LANs communicate with one another beyond a WAN, respective apparatuses confirm a virtual network environment of the relay communication system in real time. Relay servers relay mutual communication between client terminals. The relay server creates information shown below, and allows the whole of the relay communication system to share the information: a relay group information indicating virtual private IP addresses of the relay servers and a connection establishment state therebetween; and a relay server information indicating a virtual private IP address and connection establishment state of a client terminal capable of communicating with the relay server. The respective apparatuses in the relay communication system can share the information regarding the virtual private IP addresses and connection establishment states of all the apparatuses, and can flexibly execute communication in which the virtual private IP addresses are designated as destinations for communication. |
| US08356111B2 |
Method for buffer management for video swarms in a peer-to-peer network
A buffer for buffing multimedia content to enable reliable streaming of multimedia content in a peer-to-peer network. The buffer comprises a first section being loaded with a first portion of the multimedia content during a first time interval, wherein the first portion of the multimedia content is retrieved from at least one resource node; and a second section being loaded with a second portion of the multimedia content during a second time interval, wherein the second portion of the multimedia content is retrieved from at least one reliable node during a second time interval, wherein the buffer continuously delivers the multimedia content including the first and second portions thereof to a consumer node. |
| US08356107B2 |
Method, apparatus and system for updating PCC rules
A method, an apparatus, and a system for updating PCC rules are disclosed herein to ensure normal process of the user service in the process of updating the PCC rules. A method for updating PCC rules includes: obtaining a response made by a PCEF after the PCEF updates the PCC rules; and keeping consistency between PCC rules stored in the PCRF and the PCC rules currently executed in the PCEF according to the obtained response. |
| US08356099B2 |
Server resource allocation
A method, programmed medium and system are disclosed which provide for end-to-end QoS for a set of processes that comprise a workload over nfs. A set of processes that comprise a workload such as the processes of a WPAR, or an entire LPAR are given a class designation and assigned priority/limits. The data are then passed to the server which allocates resources based on the sum total of all the current classes and their priorities and/or limits. This requires re-engineering the nfs client code to be workload-aware and the nfs server code to accommodate the resource allocation and prioritization needs of the nfs clients. |
| US08356090B2 |
Method for a facilitator to assist an entrepreneur in creating an internet business
The present invention provides a method for an Entrepreneur to start an Internet business by creating an Entrepreneur's web site using tools provided at a Facilitator's web site. The method allows the Entrepreneur to access the Facilitator's web site, register a desired available domain name, trademark the domain name, design an Entrepreneur's web site accessible via the domain name, design a similar appearing store front web site to handle commercial transactions, copyright the Entrepreneur's web site, offer hosting services for the Entrepreneur's web site and submit the Entrepreneur's web site to one or more search engines. Tremendous synergies may be achieved and serious pitfalls avoided in creating the Internet business by receiving overall guidance and assistance from one web site, i.e. a Facilitator's web site, in performing these processes. |
| US08356087B1 |
Automatically configuring virtual private networks
Disclosed are various embodiments for configuring virtual private networks (VPNs). A request is made, through a service call, for creation of a VPN through a client VPN gateway and a server VPN gateway. In response to the service call, a generic gateway configuration document is received. The generic gateway configuration document is applicable to the client VPN gateway. The generic gateway configuration document is translated to a device-specific gateway configuration document. |
| US08356086B2 |
Distributed non-negative matrix factorization
Architecture that scales up the non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) technique to a distributed NMF (denoted DNMF) to handle large matrices, for example, on a web scale that can include millions and billions of data points. To analyze web-scale data, DNMF is applied through parallelism on distributed computer clusters, for example, with thousands of machines. In order to maximize the parallelism and data locality, matrices are partitioned in the short dimension. The probabilistic DNMF can employ not only Gaussian and Poisson NMF techniques, but also exponential NMF for modeling web dyadic data (e.g., dwell time of a user on browsed web pages). |
| US08356085B2 |
Automated transformation of specifications for devices into executable modules
A number of configuration elements are associated with a number of devices. Information about input configuration elements is accessed. An input configuration element is associated with one or more input rules. It is determined which of the configuration elements could be accessed by the input rules and any call chains emanating from the rules. Output rules are determined by using the accessed configuration elements, the input rules, and the way the input rule manipulates its accessed configuration elements. Each output rule may be derived from an input rule and corresponds to the same input configuration element associated with that input rule. An executable module is generated that is adapted to access at least a given one of the input configuration elements and to trigger one or more of the output rules corresponding to the given input configuration element. Read and write sets for rules are determined, and the triggered output rules ensure that restrictions associated with a configuration element are not violated. |
| US08356081B2 |
Automated domain name registration
An automated system and method to permit users to find and register available domain names in numerous different ccTLDs. The system provides real-time searching of large numbers of ccTLDs for each user so that during a single web session, the user can simply select the available ccTLDs from the resultant list, and purchase the desired ccTLDs online. The system also formats the user's information in the appropriate manner for each selected ccTLD and performs the necessary electronic transactions to register the ccTLDs. |
| US08356078B2 |
Multi-homed data forwarding storage
Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for multi-homed data forwarding storage. A method includes, in a computer system having multiple non-loopback network addresses, receiving a request to store data, directing the data to a memory location associated with a first non-loopback network address available to receive the data, continuously forwarding the data from the memory location associated with the first non-loopback network address to a memory location associated with another non-loopback network address in the computer system without storing on any physical storage device in the computer system. The continuously forwarding can include detecting a presence of the data in a memory location associated with a specific non-loopback network address, and forwarding the data to another memory location of another non-loopback network address in the computer without storing on any physical storage device. |
| US08356074B1 |
Inter point of presence split architecture
A system and method for accelerating web page delivery is disclosed in one embodiment. Web content requests are made to an edge server of a first point of presence (POP) of a content delivery network (CDN). The web content has embedded resource links. The first POP can rewrite the embedded resource links to route requests for the embedded resource links to any POP in the CDN or even the origin server. In some embodiments, the first POP can decide if the first POP and/or another POP referenced in a rewritten embedded resource link should cache and/or accelerate the resource referenced in the embedded resource link. |
| US08356070B2 |
High level network layer system and method
A technique for providing high level network layer functionality to an IM environment involves providing a high level platform through which IM clients can connect to IM networks. A platform according to the technique may include a low level network connect engine, an aggregated low level information database, and/or a high level function engine. A method according to the technique may include facilitating a high level login; checking user configurations; accomplishing one or more IM network logins in accordance with the user configurations; and providing high level services in association with at least one of the IM networks. Another method according to the technique may include logging into a high level platform; logging into a first IM network; logging into a second IM network; and accessing at the high level platform aggregated low level information associated with the first IM network and the second IM network. |
| US08356068B2 |
Multimedia training system and apparatus
A method for providing interactive training, whereby a video display and a base station are coupled in communication with a computer. A plurality of wireless handheld remotes are configured for wirelessly communicating with the base station, and each of the remotes is operable by a respective trainee of a group of trainees. Each remote has a remote ID unique from all other remotes and is stored in non-volatile memory of the computer; and the base station includes a base station ID code unique from all other base stations, and the base station ID is stored in non-volatile memory of each remote. Each remote remains in an inactive state and is operable to be activated via a respective activate signal transmitted from the base station, and the base station is operable to transmit an activate signal to one or more of the remotes, the activate signal being effective for enabling the remote to transmit a signal, wherein the remote is deactivated upon completion of transmission of signal. Using unique IDs prevents interference from other wireless devices including remotes paired with other base stations. It also makes it unnecessary for one training system to operate on a different channel from another training system. |
| US08356067B2 |
Servicing device aggregates
A constellation is determined in reference to a particular combination of devices and/or software, some or all of which may be coupled with a network. A constellation addresses aggregate capabilities provided by a combination of devices and/or software available on the network. The network may define multiple constellations. Services are written for constellations, and the services may be pulled from external sources for use on the network. A server on the network, such as a service host, may coordinate and manage obtaining services from the external sources, and removing or disabling services for constellations no longer valid. |
| US08356066B1 |
System and method for generating a fixed point approximation to nonlinear functions
A system and method are provided for use in an electronic device configured to process data to perform a method of generating a fixed point approximation of a number x by first locating the most significant bit of a given number, then retrieving predetermined values from electronic data storage, where the first value is based on a first index value generated from the most significant bit and contains fixed-point representation located in a table in storage. Then, output values are generated from look-up tables that correspond to index values generated from a number of bits that immediately following the most significant bit. Finally, the final mathematic result is computed using fixed-point arithmetic logic to generate a fixed point approximation. |
| US08356056B2 |
Functional extensions for business objects
A system may include generation of extension metadata defining a functional extension associated with a business object, and generation of a runtime metadata buffer comprising enhanced metadata, the enhanced metadata based on core metadata of the business object and the extension metadata. In some aspects, a service request associated with the business object is received, it is determined whether the service request is associated with the functional extension, an extension service associated with the functional extension is provided if it is determined that the service request is associated with the functional extension, and a core service associated with core data of the business object is provided if it is determined that the service request is not associated with the functional extension. |
| US08356054B2 |
Management of resources in a host system
A computer implemented method for managing access to system resources includes receiving a request from a user for write-access to a resource in a host system, the host system including write-access permissions to the resource for one or more selected users. The method also includes accessing the resource in the host system, presenting the resource to the user to allow the user to make changes to the resource, determining whether the user has write-access permission to the resource, and determining whether the resource is a temporarily writable resource. The method further includes, responsive to the resource being temporarily writable and the user not having write-access permission, discarding changes to the resource made by the user and returning the resource without the changes to the host system. |
| US08356051B2 |
Integrated saved search results
To provide an improved user experience for users of a web browser, embodiments of the invention save queries entered by a user via the web browser. The queries may be for execution on different network search services, such as search engines, social networks, message posting services, and the like. At various times in the future, the web browser then executes the saved search queries on their corresponding network search services, identifies search results that are new and highly relevant to the user, and provides the identified search results to the user. |
| US08356049B2 |
Landmark search apparatus, electronic apparatus and imaging apparatus having the same, and landmark search method
A landmark search apparatus includes a position obtaining unit configured to obtain a current position of the object, a first storage unit configured to store landmark information including a name of a landmark and position information of the landmark related to the name, an retrieving unit configured to retrieve the landmark information from the first storage unit based on the obtained current position, a second storage unit configured to store the retrieved landmark information as retrieved landmark information, and a determining unit configured to determine whether the retrieved landmark information is valid, based on the current position of the object, and a distance between a position of the subject at the time of storing the retrieved landmark information in the second storage unit and the landmark indicated by the retrieved landmark information. |
| US08356044B2 |
System and method for providing default hierarchical training for social indexing
A system and method for providing default hierarchical training for social indexing is provided. Articles of digital information for social indexing are maintained. A hierarchically-structured tree of topics is specified. Each topic includes a label that includes one or more words. Constraints inherent in the literal structure of the topic tree are identified. For each topic in the topic tree, a topic model that includes at least one term derived from the words in at least one of the labels is created. The topic models for the topic tree are evaluated against the constraints. Those of the topic models, which best satisfy the constraints are identified. |
| US08356040B2 |
Method and/or system for transforming between trees and arrays
Embodiments of articles, apparatuses, devices and/or systems for manipulating hierarchical sets of data are disclosed. In particular embodiments, the hierarchical information may be expressed as trees. Such hierarchical information expressed as a tree may be transformed to an array. Likewise, hierarchical information expressed in an array may be expanded as a tree. |
| US08356039B2 |
Providing multiple media items to a consumer via a simplified consumer interaction
Methods and systems of providing media to a media consumer are disclosed herein. A media rating for at least one media item can be received from a consumer and stored on a consumer profile. Using a consumer interaction, the media consumer can request to import all available media having a consumer rating higher than a predetermined threshold to an online media library of the consumer. In another embodiment, using a consumer interaction, the media consumer can request to add to an online music library all media items associated with an artist, a genre, or other media item attribute. |
| US08356036B2 |
Knowledge discovery tool extraction and integration
A method for integrating a data item into a knowledge model is provided. The method may include retrieving the data item from a data source, determining if the data item has been previously integrated into the knowledge model, and integrating the data element into the knowledge model if the data item has not been previously integrated. |
| US08356035B1 |
Association of terms with images using image similarity
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for associating terms with images. A plurality of images is received. One or more of the received images are associated with one or more terms. Degrees of similarity between a plurality of pairs of images in the plurality of images is determined. A respective weight with respect to a first image of the plurality of images is assign to one or more of the terms based at least on the degrees of similarity. One or more of the terms are selected based on the respective weights of the terms with respect to the first image, and the selected terms are associated with the respective image. |
| US08356032B2 |
Method, medium, and system retrieving a media file based on extracted partial keyword
A method, medium, and system retrieving a media file associated with a partial keyword which is generated by using a named entity extracted from the media file, when a query is received from a user, with the media file being associated with the partial keyword being retrieved by identifying the partial keyword associated with the query through speech recognition. That is, a media file may be retrieved by extracting the named entity from the media file, performing a word segmentation for the extracted named entity, generating the partial keyword from the word-segmented named entity, and retrieving the corresponding media file by using the partial keyword. |
| US08356024B2 |
System and method to retrieve search results from a distributed database
Some demonstrative embodiments include devices, systems and/or methods of retrieval of information from a distributed database, e.g., using distributed computation as a search engine. |
| US08356019B1 |
Method and apparatus for utilizing patterns in data to reduce file size
A method for managing records in an object-oriented database is disclosed. Modified representations of data in fields of records is generated in response to patterns in the data. The modified representations of the data is compressed utilizing similarities in the modified representations of the data. |
| US08356017B2 |
Replication of deduplicated data
Various embodiments for replicating deduplicated data using a processor device are provided. A block of the deduplicated data, created in a source repository, is assigned a global block identification (id) unique in a grid set inclusive of the source repository. The global block id is generated using at least one unique identification value of the block, a containing grid of the grid set, and the source repository. The global block id is transmitted from the source repository to a target repository. If the target repository determines the global block id is associated with an existing block of the deduplicated data located within the target repository, the block is not received by the target repository during a subsequent replication process. |
| US08356013B2 |
Systems and methods for a snapshot of data
In one embodiment, a user or client device is connected to a distributed file system comprised of one or more physical nodes. The data on each of the physical nodes store metadata about files and directories within the file system. Some of the embodiments permit a user to take a snapshot of data stored on the file system. The snapshot may include a single file, a single directory, a plurality of files within a directory, a plurality of directories, a path on the file system that includes nested files and subdirectories, or more than one path on the file system that each includes nested files and directories. In an embodiment, a snapshot tracking data structure is maintained for efficient creation and deletion of the snapshot. |
| US08356011B2 |
Organizing presence information into collections of publications
A method and system for managing presence information based on collections of publications is provided. The presence system creates collections of publications for a publisher. A publication includes a type and value. A publisher may define one collection of publications that is to be made available to certain subscribers and another collection of publications that is to be made available to other subscribers. The presence system may allow a publisher to update individual publications within a collection. Moreover, the presence system may identify subscribers of a collection at the time of subscription. |
| US08356005B2 |
Identifying events
Events may be identified by storing information in response to activating an event stamp function. As a result of activating the event function, the information collected may immediately be compared to event information in a database. Alternatively, the information collected may later be compared to event information in a database. One or more candidates for the event of interest may be automatically or manually retrieved, and the user may decide whether a candidate event of the one or more candidates correspond to the event of interest. Alternatively, a purchase of an item related to the event may be automatically made in response to activating the event stamp. |
| US08356000B1 |
Method and apparatus for designing structures
A method and apparatus for the automatic creation of novel designs, specifically electronic circuits, controllers, antennas, and mechanical systems to satisfy prespecified design goals, using search procedures, such as genetic programming, genetic algorithms, simulated annealing and hill climbing is described. Further, the techniques include automatically creates designs which do not posses key characteristics of preexisting technology. The present invention uses a population of entities which may be evolved to generate structures that may potentially satisfy the design goals. The behavior of the structures is evaluated in view of the design goals, and the structures are compared to a preexisting structure. Those structures more closely meeting the design goals and not similar to the preexisting structure are favored further until a structure is generated that either meets the prespecified design goal or some other process completion criteria. In this manner, a novel structure may be obtained. |
| US08355995B2 |
System and method for building a green community
Embodiments of the present invention relate a system and method for building a green community construction. The system and method may comprise preparing a site for green community construction, acquiring housing for the site, wherein the housing is acquired below assessed value, moving the housing to the site, and remodeling the housing at the site to form the green community. |
| US08355994B2 |
Sorting system for composite drugs
A system for sorting composite waste is provided. In some embodiments, the composite waste comprises two or more drugs, or two or more components. Composite waste is sorted efficiently and effectively using information regarding the different components in said waste, thus enabling proper disposal. |
| US08355990B2 |
Sharing and monetization of content
Embodiments of the invention provide a method, comprising hosting content on behalf of content owners who own the content; enabling content sharers to share the content through the creation of links to the content; generating revenue through the use of the content; and sharing said revenue with the content owners and the content sharers. |
| US08355987B2 |
Systems and methods to manage information
Systems and methods are provided to facilitate online transactions via mobile communications. In one aspect, a system includes a data storage facility and an interchange coupled with the data storage facility that stores purchase receipts in association with phone numbers. The interchange includes a common format processor and a plurality of converters to interface with a plurality of different controllers of mobile communications. The converters are configured to communicate with the controllers in different formats and with the common format processor in a common format, to obtain a confirmation of a payment request that identifies a phone number, a merchant and a purchase from the merchant. After a confirmation is received, the interchange is to use funds associated with the phone number to pay the merchant for the purchase and to receive and store a receipt for the purchase from the merchant. |
| US08355985B1 |
Systems and methods for providing enhanced account management services for multiple banks
This invention includes methods for delivering account management services to multiple financial institutions that provide for customer deposit accounts without transaction but than nevertheless offer interest and receive enhanced deposit insurance. The methods apply at least one customer transaction to that customer's deposit account, and then re-allocate customer-deposited funds among the plurality of financial institutions in order that, for each customer, the risk of loss is not substantially increased, and that, for each financial institution, the amount of customer-deposited funds is not substantially decreased. Preferably, risk of loss is reduced by increasing the fraction of each customer's deposited funds covered by FDIC deposit insurance, and interest and enhanced insurance are available by innovative management of customer transactions and accounts. This invention also includes computer systems for practicing the methods and program products for accordingly configuring such computer systems. |
| US08355982B2 |
Metrics systems and methods for token transactions
Systems and methods for monitoring token access transactions are provided. In one embodiment, the invention provides receiving transaction records for a plurality of bank card transactions, wherein the transaction records include transaction information and infrastructure information; determining whether a reportable event has occurred based on the transaction information with the transaction records; and providing an alert representing the reportable event. |
| US08355980B2 |
Out of band credit control
Systems and method for mediating risks associated with orders in an electronic trading system are provided. A front end component includes a plurality of trading engines that receive orders from traders. A back-end component includes a match system. The system includes a credit control module, which may be located at the back-end (e.g., clearinghouse), front end, a combination thereof, or other location that communicates with the plurality of trading engines. The credit control may monitor aggregate risk parameters for the trading engines and requests credits from trading engines. |
| US08355977B1 |
System, method, and computer readable medium for allocating dividends to a block of common stock shares
A system and a method for allocating dividends to stock shares are provided. The method includes creating a sub-class of a first stock share class. The method further includes allocating a first percentage of a total dividend amount to a first plurality of stock shares in the first stock share class. The method further includes allocating a second percentage of the total dividend amount to the second plurality of stock shares in the sub-class of the first stock share class. The method further includes storing the first percentage of the total dividend and the second percentage of the total dividend in a memory device. The method further includes buying-back stock shares in the first stock share class or sub-class of the first stock share class. |
| US08355970B2 |
Intelligent trust management method and system
Intelligent Trust Management provides a centralized security facility that gives system components a flexible mechanism for implementing security policies. System components such as applications create a request describing an action that needs to be checked against an appropriate security policy. The request is given to a trust system that determines which policy object applies to the request, and may pass request arguments to the policy. The policy objects include executable code that uses any arguments along with dynamically obtained variable information to make a decision. The decision is returned to the system component, which then operates accordingly. Policy objects may maintain state and interface with the user independent of the system component in order to obtain information to make their decisions. Policy objects may call other policy objects and/or mathematically combine the results of other policy objects to make a decision. |
| US08355969B2 |
Credit and/or debit card security
A system and method of providing heightened debit and/or credit card security is presented. The debit and/or credit card may be void of any information printed on the card that may provide identification of the user, an account number associated with the card, an expiration date for the card, and the like. In some examples, a portion of this information may be provided, but not all pieces of information, in order to reduce the likelihood of unauthorized use, such as during an online transaction where a user must input information generally found on the face of or rear of the card itself. |
| US08355968B2 |
Method of identifying potential targets for a capital transaction
A method of identifying potential targets (i.e., buyers, investors, sellers, or acquisition targets) for a financial transaction. The method enables a user to specify at least one investment criteria based on which to run a search to identify the prospective targets, and to select a universe within which to search for the prospective targets. The method also enables the user to specify a type of financial transaction. A scoring algorithm that is used to score the results of the search is selected based on the user's specification of the type of financial transaction. |
| US08355965B2 |
Battery exchange service system and charging method therefor, and portable device
There is provided a service system that allows a user to charge and repeatedly use a secondary battery and exchanges a battery pack for a charged battery pack. There is provided a battery exchange service system in which a terminal is connected to a management server. The terminal includes an information obtaining unit that obtains battery information and user information; a charging and discharging unit that charges and discharges a battery pack; and a power information generation unit that generates information on an amount of electricity based on the charging and discharging by the charging and discharging unit. The management server includes a battery information database that stores battery information distributed in the battery exchange service system; a contractor information database that stores contractor information for the battery exchange service system; a battery information verification unit that verifies the battery information by the battery information stored in the battery information database; a user information verification unit that verifies the user information by the contractor information stored in the contractor information database; and a charge calculation unit that calculates a charge based on the information on the amount of electricity. |
| US08355962B2 |
Product storage and retrieval system
A system for easily locating goods stored in a storage area including a computer coupled with a radio frequency transmitter or transceivers and goods placed in containers that are coupled to hangers that each has distinct electronic addresses. The hangers each have a hook that allows the hangers to be stored on rails coupled to racks in a storage area. The identifications of the goods and the electronic addresses for the corresponding hangers are associated with each other and stored on a computer database. When a user wants to pick up goods stored in the containers, the user inputs the identification for the goods and the computer will cause the radio frequency transmitter to emit a data packet that includes a search address and illumination data. The hangers each compare the search address to the electronic address and if there is a match, the hanger illuminates the light according to the illumination data. The system notifies the user of the color and flash pattern and the goods can then be easily found by locating the hanger having the corresponding illumination. |
| US08355961B1 |
Distribution center head-up display
A system is provided for determining an item location in a distribution center. The system includes an audio device, a transparent display, and a mobile device in communication with the audio device and the transparent display. The mobile device receives a request to determine item location from the audio device, determines a location of the mobile device, and determines an item location. The mobile device also outputs item location information to the transparent display and outputs additional information to the transparent display in response to a change of the location of the mobile device. |
| US08355960B2 |
Electronic acknowledgement of receipt of inventory
A method for tracking status of an inventory shipment sent to a recipient includes monitoring whether the recipient has transmitted an electronic acknowledgment of the status of the shipment; and automatically transmitting a message to the recipient requesting acknowledgment of receipt of inventory if the electronic acknowledgment is not transmitted by the recipient within a first predetermined amount of time. |
| US08355951B1 |
System and method for monetizing broadcast media based on the number of viewers
A system comprising at least one processor, at least one sensor electronically connected to the at least one processor, at least one means for electronically connecting at least one broadcasting device to the system, wherein the at least one means for electronically connecting at least one broadcasting device is electronically connected to the at least one processor, and computer executable instructions readable by the at least one processor and operative to use the at least one sensor to determine how many persons or the identity of a person that is capable of perceiving a content broadcasted through at least one broadcasting device electronically connected to the system. |
| US08355943B2 |
Method and system for automatically generating forecasts
A method and system for defining and generating forecasts. The forecast system receives a forecast definition from a user, generates a forecast in accordance with the forecast definition, stores a forecast snapshot of the generated forecast, and presents to users forecast information derived from the forecast snapshots. A forecast definition specifies the participants to be included in a forecast and when to generate the forecast. At the scheduled time, the forecast system automatically generates the forecast and stores the forecast snapshot. |
| US08355941B2 |
Optimal planning of building retrofit for a portfolio of buildings
Generating an optimal planning of building retrofit for a portfolio of buildings may include providing a plurality of objective functions that may be selected for maximizing cost reduction, maximizing green house gas emission reduction, or maximizing energy reduction, or combinations thereof. The objective function may be solved based on information including at least a retrofit cost for retrofitting a building, payback period specifying the length of time needed to recover the retrofit cost, a budget available for retrofitting the building, expected price of energy, estimated energy savings from retrofitting and estimated green house gas emission from retrofitting. The planning of building retrofit may be generated based on the solutions of one or more of the objective functions, which may provide for an optimal plan of building retrofit. |
| US08355940B2 |
Capability and maturity-based SOA governance
Methods, including service methods, articles of manufacture, systems, articles and programmable devices are provided for a service-oriented architecture governance model. Each of a plurality of governance dimension attributes of a service-oriented architecture are calibrated and mapped to each of a plurality of governance evolution element attributes. A maturity and capability assessment is performed for the service-oriented architecture as a function of the mapping, and a maturity-based and capability-based governance model is generated for the service-oriented architecture as a function of the maturity and capability assessment. In one aspect a programmable device is configured to perform at least one of the calibrating, the mapping, the performing the maturity and capability assessment and the generating the maturity-based and capability-based governance model. |
| US08355933B2 |
Method and apparatus for increasing liquid assets available to at least partially fund living expenses at an assisted living facility
A liquid asset enhancement system includes computing apparatus operated on behalf of an underwriter and a purchase coordinator. The underwriter's apparatus receives an individual's personal, medical history, and life insurance policy information via a communication network. The underwriter's apparatus determines (i) a mortality rating based at least on the individual's medical history, (ii) a life expectancy from a mortality table based on the mortality rating and the individual's personal information, and (iii) a proposed sale value for the policy based at least on the life expectancy and the policy information. If the individual elects to sell the policy, the underwriter's apparatus communicates at least the policy information, the individual's medical history, and the proposed sale value to the purchase coordinator's apparatus via a communication network for sale completion and delivery of proceeds therefrom to a party bound to use the proceeds to pay the insured's assisted living expenses. |
| US08355927B2 |
Neuropsychiatric test reports
Methods and reports for presenting genetic information that is patient-specific and relevant to treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders, including treatment resistant psychiatric disorders, to aid in patient treatment in a phenotype, genotype or biomarker-specific manner. The methods and reports examine biomarkers for dysfunction of three axes relevant to treating neuropsychiatric disorders and provide interpretive comments to aid in treatment. Combining biomarker information from each of the three axes (the autonomic arousal axis, the emotional valence, attention, reward and executive brain function axis, and the long-term potentiation and long-term depression (LTP-LTD) function axis) provides an unexpectedly comprehensive and effective means for directing treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders, including particularly treatment resistant disorders (TRD). |
| US08355922B1 |
Systems and methods for prioritizing review of items
A method for prioritizing review of items may include: 1) identifying a first group of items to be reviewed for relevance to a particular matter; 2) during a review of the first group of items, tracking a proportion of items from the first group that are indicated as being relevant; 3) determining a relevance trend for the first group of items that indicates a rate at which the proportion of items from the first group that are indicated as being relevant is changing as the review of the first group of items progresses; 4) using the relevance trend for the first group of items to prioritize the review of the first group of items. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed herein. |
| US08355915B2 |
Multimodal speech recognition system
The disclosure describes an overall system/method for text-input using a multimodal interface with speech recognition. Specifically, pluralities of modes interact with the main speech mode to provide the speech-recognition system with partial knowledge of the text corresponding to the spoken utterance forming the input to the speech recognition system. The knowledge from other modes is used to dynamically change the ASR system's active vocabulary thereby significantly increasing recognition accuracy and significantly reducing processing requirements. Additionally, the speech recognition system is configured using three different system configurations (always listening, partially listening, and push-to-speak) and for each one of those three different user-interfaces are proposed (speak-and-type, type-and-speak, and speak-while-typing). Finally, the overall user-interface of the proposed system is designed such that it enhances existing standard text-input methods; thereby minimizing the behavior change for mobile users. |
| US08355914B2 |
Mobile terminal and method for correcting text thereof
A method for selecting text created in a mobile terminal by word and correcting it or changing it to another word, and a mobile terminal implementing the same are disclosed. The mobile terminal includes: a display unit to display one or more words of text, and to display tags for each of the one or more words; an input unit to select at least one of the tagged one or more words as selected one word; and a controller to display candidate words having a similar pronunciation to that of the word selected via the input unit, select one of the candidate words as selected one candidate word, and change the selected one word from the text to the selected one candidate word. |
| US08355910B2 |
Methods and apparatus for audio watermarking a substantially silent media content presentation
Methods and apparatus for audio watermarking a substantially silent media content presentation are disclosed. An example method to audio watermark a media content presentation disclosed herein comprises obtaining a watermarked noise signal comprising a watermark and a noise signal having energy substantially concentrated in an audible frequency band, the watermarked noise signal attenuated to be substantially inaudible without combining with a separate audio signal, associating the watermarked noise signal with a substantially silent content component of the media content presentation, the media content presentation comprising one or more media content components, and outputting the watermarked noise signal during presentation of the substantially silent content component. |
| US08355908B2 |
Audio signal processing device for noise reduction and audio enhancement, and method for the same
In frequency signals obtained by converting input audio signals from time-domain signals to frequency-domain signals, a level control value setting unit 5 establishes a level control value for reducing the levels of spectrums at a noise-components level. A level control value smoothing unit 6 carries out a smoothing process of smoothing the level control value established by the level control value setting unit 5 temporally. A spectral adjustment unit 8 multiplies the level control value after the smoothing process by the frequency signals, performing a level control. |
| US08355907B2 |
Method and apparatus for phase matching frames in vocoders
In one embodiment, the present invention comprises a vocoder having at least one input and at least one output, an encoder comprising a filter having at least one input operably connected to the input of the vocoder and at least one output, a decoder comprising a synthesizer having at least one input operably connected to the at least one output of the encoder, and at least one output operably connected to the at least one output of the vocoder, wherein the decoder comprises a memory and the decoder is adapted to execute instructions stored in the memory comprising phase matching and time-warping a speech frame. |
| US08355901B2 |
CPU emulation system, CPU emulation method, and recording medium having a CPU emulation program recorded thereon
A CPU emulation system includes; a plurality of virtual CPUs each operating on a different physical CPU; an instruction sequence selecting section for selecting an instruction sequence to be optimized; a virtual CPU selecting section for selecting one of the plurality of virtual CPUs, which is to perform optimization processing of the selected instruction sequence, based on usage rates of the plurality of virtual CPUs; and an optimization level selecting section for determining an optimization level of the optimization processing that is to be executed by the selected one of the plurality of virtual CPUs, and giving a direction to perform the optimization processing to the selected one of the plurality of virtual CPUs. |
| US08355897B2 |
Generation of controls for a simulator mobile platform
The present invention relates to a method for generating motion controls for a mobile platform of a vehicle simulator. The method uses, as input, accelerations calculated by a process for simulating the behavior of the vehicle. The method according to the invention comprises the steps of: filtering the accelerations calculated accelerations by use of a filter constructed according to a mathematical model of human perception of a motion; calculating successive positions of the mobile platform as a function of the filtered acceleration controls; scaling the positions of the mobile platform as a function of physical limitations of the mobile platform, to produce scaled successive positions of the mobile platform; and calculating acceleration controls to be applied by the mobile platform, as a function of the scaled successive positions of the mobile platform, to produce calculated acceleration controls. |
| US08355893B2 |
Method and system for analysis and shape optimization of physical structures using a computerized algebraic dual representation implicit dimensional reduction
A method and system for simulating and analyzing the behavior of a structural component of a computerized model in response to a simulated event to determine an optimized shape for the component is disclosed. The shape is optimized using an implicit dimensional reduction rather than an explicit geometric replacement by discarding data of a 3D discretization that has little or no bearing on the performance of the component to a simulated event. The reduced dataset is then collapsed onto a lower dimension projection that is applied over a force vector that is representative of the simulated event to determine the behavior of the component to the simulated event. Optimization tools may then be used to modify the physical attributes of the component and performance of the component once again simulated until an optimized component is determined. |
| US08355892B2 |
Remote diagnostics for electronic whiteboard
A method and apparatus for diagnosing causes of a malfunction of an electronic whiteboard that includes a white-board surface, the method comprising the steps of linking a remote computer that includes a remote display to the electronic whiteboard from a remote location, interacting with the whiteboard surface to generate X and Y coordinates associated with surface activity, transmitting at least one of the X and Y coordinates associated with the surface activity to the remote computer, displaying at least a subset of the at least one of X and Y coordinates via the remote display and examining the at least a subset of the at least one of X and Y coordinates via the remote display to ascertain the cause of a board malfunction. |
| US08355890B2 |
System and method for predicting maximum cooler and rack capacities in a data center
A system and method for evaluating equipment in a data center, the equipment including a plurality of equipment racks, and at least one cooling provider. In one aspect, a method includes receiving data regarding each of the plurality of equipment racks and the at least one cooling provider, the data including a layout of the equipment racks and the at least one cooling provider, a power draw value for each of the equipment racks, and a maximum cooler capacity value for the at least one cooling provider; storing the received data; determining cooling performance of at least one of the plurality of equipment racks based on the layout; determining a cooling load for the at least one cooler and a difference between the cooling load and the maximum cooler capacity value; for each equipment rack, determining a maximum rack capacity based on the layout and the difference between the cooling load and the maximum cooler capacity value; and displaying an indication of the maximum rack capacity for each equipment rack. |
| US08355888B2 |
Pedestrian navigation system and method
An on-foot pedestrian navigation module useful for pedestrian navigation when operated with at least a control unit and another on-foot pedestrian navigation module, comprising (a) at least a first sensor unit and a second sensor unit, wherein each sensor unit including an up/down sensor adapted for sensing an ‘up’ condition and a ‘down’ condition associated with relative displacement of the module with respect to a surface, and a signal transmitter/receiver adapted, in response to an activation signal coming from a module controller, for generating a propagating signal (b) a module controller for controlling the operation of the module in response to a control signal coming from the control unit and (c) a communication unit for enabling said module to communicate with said at least the control unit and other module, thereby facilitating collecting motion data at the control unit and integrating the motion data with motion data coming from the other module, the motion data being indicative of a condition of each up/down sensor and receipt of the propagating signal by at least two sensor units of said other module, and wherein the motion data is useful for determining a momentary position of the pedestrian's foot during motion. |
| US08355887B1 |
Proximity based gesturing devices, systems and methods
A device may include a plurality of sensors substantially coplanar with one another in a sensor plane, each sensor generating a sense value that varies according to a physical distance between the sensor and an object without contacting the object; and control circuits that generates at least first position values, second position values and third position values in response to the sensor values, the first and second position values identifying a position in a space adjacent to the sensor plane. |
| US08355883B2 |
Measurement and apparatus for electrical measurement of electrical drive parameters for a MEMS based display
Methods and devices to measure voltage margins of electromechanical devices are disclosed. The voltage margins are determined based on responses to test voltages which cause the devices to change states. State changes of the devices are detected by monitoring integrated current or charge used to drive the devices with the test voltages. |
| US08355881B2 |
Device and process for machine diagnostics by means of vibration measurement
A device for machine diagnostics, with a vibration sensor (12) for detecting vibration signals on the machine (10), a unit (14) for conditioning the vibration signals, an A/D converter (16) for digitizing the conditioned vibration signals, a data processing unit (20) for splitting the digital signals into at least two frequency ranges, the data processing unit being made to scale the signal for each frequency range to an amplitude resolution which is less than the amplitude resolution of the A/D converter, and an evaluation unit (30) for further evaluation of the split signals. |
| US08355880B2 |
On-board method and system for monitoring onset of rapid oil oxidation and sludge formation in engine oils
In one exemplary embodiment, the state of engine oil degradation is monitored and determined using the size of viscosity hysteresis during heating-cooling cycles. In another exemplary embodiment, the state of engine oil degradation is monitored and determined using the sign of viscosity hysteresis during heating-cooling cycles. In yet another exemplary embodiment, the state of engine oil degradation is monitored and determined using relative viscosity changes hysteresis during heating-cooling cycles. |
| US08355878B2 |
Method and system for identifying partial order patterns in sequences of data
A method and system are disclosed for identifying partial order patterns of a set of motifs in a data sequence. The method comprises the steps of obtaining the data sequence, identifying a set of motifs in the data sequence, identifying a plurality of partial orders of the motifs in the data sequence, and using the identified partial orders to identify functions of the motifs. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the step of identifying the plurality of partial orders of the motifs includes the step of converting the identified motifs to an (n×m) incidence matrix, I, of expressions. Also, in this preferred embodiment, the step of identifying the plurality of partial orders of the motifs includes the steps of computing a partial order description of each of the expressions, and computing a redescription of each of the partial order descriptions. |
| US08355877B2 |
System for predicting responsiveness to a pharmaceutical therapy for obesity
Methods, systems, and computer program products using TRL V6 as a biomarker for the modulation of triglyceride and/or lipoprotein metabolism in a mammal induced by an investigational weight loss pharmaceutical agent. The biomarker may be used for predetermining if an individual patient will likely respond favorably to a given weight loss pharmaceutical agent and/or for testing a pharmaceutical agent's ability to modulate triglyceride and/or lipoprotein metabolism in a mammal. |
| US08355875B2 |
Food content detector
A system may include utensil means for portioning a foodstuff into a first portion and a second portion, a means for detecting a first portion size for the first portion with the utensil means, a means for detecting a second portion size for the second portion with the utensil means, and a means for determining a cumulative amount of portioned foodstuff based upon the first portion size and the second portion size. |
| US08355862B2 |
Graphical user interface for presenting location information
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for presenting location information. A first geographic area in which a device is currently located is estimated using a first positioning system. A second geographic area in which the device is currently located is estimated using a second positioning system. A first map view including an indication of the first geographic area on the first map view is presented if the first geographic area is contained within the second geographic area. A second map view including an indication of the second geographic area is presented if the first geographic area is not contained within the second geographic area. |
| US08355859B2 |
Accessory drive for a stop/start vehicle
An engine with vacuum and coolant pumps is disclosed. In one example, the vacuum and coolant pumps are mechanically coupled together and driven by a single motor. The approach may reduce system cost and complexity. |
| US08355858B2 |
Engine idle speed and turbocharger speed control
Various methods are described for controlling engine operation for an engine having a turbocharger and direct injection. One example method includes performing a first and second injection during a cylinder cycle, the first injection generating a lean combustion and the second injection exiting the cylinder unburned into the exhaust upstream of a turbine of the turbocharger. |
| US08355857B2 |
Control apparatus of internal combustion engine for vehicle
A control apparatus for an internal combustion engine of a vehicle sets the overlap amount of an intake valve and an exhaust valve small when the engine is idling and the vehicle is stopped. Also, the control apparatus sets the overlap amount large using normal control when the vehicle is traveling, even if the engine is idling. |
| US08355856B2 |
Engine torque reserve system diagnostic systems and methods
An engine control system of a vehicle comprises a reserves module and a fault diagnostic module. The reserves module controls airflow into an engine based on a driver torque request, increases the airflow into the engine when a reserve torque request is received, and outputs a torque output command for the engine based on the driver torque request. The fault diagnostic module selectively diagnoses a fault in the reserves module when the torque output command is greater than a sum of the driver torque request, a predetermined torque, and a load applied to the engine. |
| US08355853B2 |
Control system for a hybrid vehicle
A control system for a hybrid vehicle includes a control responsive to an indication of at least one of (a) a geographical location of the hybrid vehicle and (b) a programmed route of travel of the hybrid vehicle. The control, responsive to the indication, selects one of (a) electric-powered propulsion of the hybrid vehicle and (b) non-electric-powered propulsion of the hybrid vehicle. |
| US08355844B2 |
Vehicle motion control apparatus
The vehicle motion control apparatus includes a control unit 37A and sensors 2, 3, 4, 30, 31, 32, 33, etc. The actual state quantity obtaining unit 52 calculates a vehicle body actual slip angle βz_act, etc. The reference dynamic-characteristic model calculating unit 54 calculates a reference vehicle body slip angle βz_d, etc. by using a dynamic characteristic model. The vehicle motion control apparatus also includes a first anti-spin target yaw moment FB unit 68 which calculates a first anti-spin•target yaw moment Mc1_asp based on the vehicle body actual slip angle βz_act and a second anti-spin target yaw moment FB unit 82 which calculates a second anti-spin•target yaw moment Mc2_asp based on a lateral acceleration Gs, a vehicle speed Vact and an actual yaw rate γact. |
| US08355840B2 |
Influencing device for influencing an active chassis system of a vehicle
An influencing device for influencing an active chassis that includes a plurality of controllable spring or damper units of a vehicle is provided. The influencing device includes a roadway sensor that produces sensor data relating to a roadway located in front of the vehicle in a direction of travel, the sensor data being used to acquire a roadway profile. The influencing device also includes a pilot control unit that determines, as a function of the acquired roadway profile, a pilot control variable that is used to adapt the setting of the spring or damper units to the acquired roadway profile. An input signal for a vehicle body control system, which is used to control the position of the vehicle body, is calculated on the basis of the pilot control variable. |
| US08355839B2 |
Vehicle vision system with night vision function
A vision system for a vehicle includes a camera disposed at a vehicle equipped with the vision system. The camera has a forward field of view in the direction of forward travel of the equipped vehicle. The camera is operable to capture image data. An image processor is operable to process image data captured by the camera. At least in part responsive to processing of captured image data by the image processor, the vision system is operable to provide a night vision function and at least one of (i) a headlamp control function for controlling a headlamp of the equipped vehicle, (ii) a lane departure warning function, (iii) an adaptive cruise control function, (iv) a sign recognition function, (v) a rain sensing function, (vi) an object detection function and (vii) a pedestrian detection function. |
| US08355838B2 |
Vehicular input device and method for controlling the same
An indication unit indicates arranged selective areas on a display surface for accepting input. A move unit moves an instructed position on the display surface according to an operation quantity of an operation unit. A selected-state determination unit determines a selected-state area from the selective areas according to the instructed position. A width determination unit determines a width of the selected-state area in each of an x-axis direction and a y-axis direction of the display surface. A moving speed set unit sets a moving speed of the instructed position variably at least when the instructed position passes through the selected-state area such that: a velocity component in the x-axis direction becomes larger as the determined width in the x-axis direction becomes larger, and a velocity component in the y-axis direction becomes larger as the determined width in the y-axis direction becomes larger. |
| US08355832B2 |
Controlling power supply to vehicles through a series of electrical outlets
A system for supplying electrical power to a plurality of vehicles from a central power supply through a plurality of electrical outlets includes an outlet control unit for each of the outlets and a vehicle control unit for each of the vehicles. The outlet microprocessor switches the supply of power to the outlet to communicate data to the vehicle. The vehicle microprocessor communicates data by switching a load across the power supply to provide interaction between the microprocessors to manage requirement and availability of power. The data includes whether the power plant of the vehicle is gasoline powered, diesel powered, hybrid or electric battery powered. The microprocessor of the vehicle control unit is arranged to control switches which supply power to selected loads in the vehicle and includes an interface which is arranged to connect to a Canbus communication system of the vehicle. |
| US08355828B2 |
Determining optimal settings for resource actuators
A power model that relates the settings of resource actuators to power consumption levels of the resource actuators and a condition model that relates the settings of the resource actuators to an environmental condition at the location of the at least one entity and a power consumption level of the at least one entity are developed. A constraint optimization problem having an objective function and at least one constraint is formulated, where the objective function computes at least a proportional quantity of a total power consumption level of the resource actuators and the at least one constraint comprises a setpoint environmental condition at a location of the at least entity. A solution to the constraint optimization problem is determined, where the solution provides optimal values for the resource actuator settings. |
| US08355823B2 |
Method and system for controlling operation of a wind turbine
Methods and systems for controlling operation of a wind turbine. The method may comprise determining an alarm level for at least one component of the wind turbine. In the case that an alarm level for at least one component exceeds a predefined level, the method comprises estimating an expected remaining lifetime for the component under the current operating conditions, and controlling operation of the wind turbine in order to adjust the expected remaining lifetime for the component to a desired expected remaining lifetime for said component. Thereby, the expected remaining lifetime for the component can be prolonged until the next scheduled service event. Downtime of the wind turbine is considerably reduced, and unscheduled service events are avoided to the greatest possible extent. Mean time between inspections (MTBI) is also extended. |
| US08355820B2 |
Oven testing fixture and method
A testing apparatus is provided for opening and closing a door of an appliance being tested. The apparatus includes a framework; a first actuator attached to the framework, the first actuator having a retracted position and an extended position; a first attaching bar attached to the first actuator and to the door; and a controller for controlling the first actuator such that the first actuator causes the door to move to an open position when the actuator moves from a first one of the extended position and the retracted position to the other of the extended position and the retracted position, and the first actuator causes the door to move to a closed position when the actuator moves from the other of the extended position and the retracted position to the first one of the extended position and the retracted position. |
| US08355817B2 |
Robot system
A robot system including a robot arm driven by a servo motor; and a robot controller controlling an operation of the robot arm. The robot system further comprises a first detection section detecting a rotation amount of the servo motor; a second detection section attached to a tip portion of the robot arm, and detecting a velocity or acceleration of the tip portion of the robot arm; a computation section computing the velocity or acceleration of the tip portion of the robot arm based on values detected by the first detection section, and computing a deviation between this computed velocity or acceleration and the velocity or acceleration detected by the second detection section; and an emergency stop section for bringing the servo motor to an emergency stop when a magnitude of the deviation computed by the computation section is greater than a reference value. |
| US08355814B2 |
Media processing apparatus and controlling method of the same
A medium is transferred and loaded to a media tray provided with a media processing unit which is operable to perform information processing on the medium, by using a transfer arm of a media transfer mechanism. A distance from a surface of the medium loaded on the media tray to a reference position of the transfer arm is acquired. A difference between the acquired distance and a predetermined distance from a reference surface of the media tray to the reference position of the transfer arm is calculated. It is determined that a double transfer of the medium to the media tray occurs when the calculated difference is larger than a predetermined threshold value. |
| US08355812B2 |
Shaping machine system and computer program for controlling a shaping device
A shaping machine system is presented. The shaping machine system includes a shaping device including at least one jig mount body for mounting a jig for supporting a workpiece, a shaping tool support body for supporting a shaping tool for shaping the workpiece, a first drive device for rotating the shaping tool, and a second drive device for driving at least one of the shaping tool support body, the jig mount body, or to change a posture of the shaping tool relative to the workpiece. The shaping machine system also includes a computer including an input unit for receiving a jig selection, a shaping tool selection, a shape data reading unit for reading shape data representing a shape of the workpiece after shaping, a shaping data producing unit for producing shaping data for controlling the first and the second drive devices. |
| US08355810B2 |
Method and system for estimating context offsets for run-to-run control in a semiconductor fabrication facility
A method and system for estimating context offsets for run-to-run control in a semiconductor fabrication facility is described. In one embodiment, contexts associated with a process are identified. The process has one or more threads, and each thread involves one or more contexts. A set of input-output equations describing the process is defined. Each input-output equation corresponds to a thread and includes a thread offset expressed as a summation of individual context offsets. A state-space model is created that describes an evolution of the process using the set of input-output equations. The state-space model allows to estimate individual context offsets. |
| US08355809B2 |
System and method for designing a die to yield a desired coating uniformity
Computer implemented method for making a die includes: selecting coating uniformity required to produce a particular coated product with the die and a value for one or more dimensions of the die; determining (using a mathematical model determined by regression analysis) total indicated run-out (TIR) of a die surface and dimensions of the die not having a user specified value; and machining die part or parts to the determined TIR and dimensions. A thermal treatment process for reducing the number of finishing (e.g., grinding) cycles needed to produce a desired die flatness is provided. A coating fluid rheological characteristic can be an input to the method. |
| US08355807B2 |
Method and apparatus for using aerial image sensitivity to model mask errors
One embodiment of the present invention provides techniques and systems for modeling mask errors based on aerial image sensitivity. During operation, the system can receive an uncalibrated process model which includes a mask error modeling term which is based at least on an aerial image sensitivity to mask modifications which represent mask errors. Next, the system can fit the uncalibrated process model using measured CD data. Note that the mask error modeling term can also be dependent on the local pattern density. In some embodiments, the mask error modeling term can include an edge bias term and a corner rounding term. The edge bias term can be based on the sensitivity of the aerial image intensity to an edge bias, and the corner rounding term can be based on the sensitivity of the aerial image intensity to a corner rounding adjustment. |
| US08355805B2 |
Systems and methods for activation and deactivation of appliances
Systems and methods are provided for an appliance system. The system includes an appliance, and a processor connected to the appliance such that the processor places the appliance in one of an enabled state and a disabled state. The processor is configured to track usage of the appliance and to place the appliance in a disabled state when the usage of the appliance exceeds a threshold amount. The system also includes a data receiving device configured to receive a code, wherein upon receipt of a valid code, the processor is configured to adjust the threshold amount to allow additional usage of the appliance. |
| US08355803B2 |
Perfused core dielectrically loaded dipole microwave antenna probe
A microwave surgical ablation probe having an arrangement of coolant channels in fluid communication with a cooling chamber disposed within the distal end of the probe is disclosed. A hypotube having one or more longitudinal ribs extending radially inward from an inner surface thereof is coaxially disposed around a coaxial feedline. The longitudinal ribs of the hypotube engage an outer sheath of the feedline to define a fluid inflow channel to deliver coolant to the cooling chamber, and a fluid outflow channel to receive fluid from the cooling chamber. The cooling chamber may be formed from porous ceramic or porous metallic material that provides structural support to the probe while permitting coolant to circulate therethrough. The probe includes dielectric and choke members that are adapted to control the microwave radiation pattern (e.g., ablation shape), and which may provide improved coupling of the probe to tissue. |
| US08355802B2 |
Selective parylene coating for cardiac pacemaker electrodes
A stimulation electrode is produced having a porous film layer and being partially coated with an insulating parylene (polyparaxylylene) film, whose insulating film has a dielectric breakdown voltage of greater than 100 V. Parylene is deposited on the entire surface of a porous film coating and then partially removed again by plasma. After the partial removal of the parylene, this porous film still has a capacitance of greater than 15 mF/cm2 in a physiological NaCl solution at a frequency of 0.1 Hz. For the stimulation electrode, the transition from the insulating film to the porous film is formed so that the film thickness of the parylene film decreases continuously. In this way, a stimulation electrode having a porous film layer and being partially coated with an insulating parylene film is provided, whose electrode on the non-insulating parylene film-coated surface has a capacitance of greater than 15 mF/cm2 in a physiological NaCl solution at a frequency of 0.1 Hz and whose insulating film advantageously has a dielectric breakdown voltage of greater than 100 V. |
| US08355800B2 |
Coating package for an implantable device
The present invention is an implantable electronic device formed within a biocompatible hermetic package. Preferably the implantable electronic device is used for a visual prosthesis for the restoration of sight in patients with lost or degraded visual function. The package is formed from a thin film of hermetic biocompatible material to minimize the size of the implanted device. |
| US08355797B2 |
Systems and methods for delivering neural therapy correlated with patient status
Therapy systems for treating a patient are disclosed. Representative therapy systems include an implantable pulse generator, a signal delivery device electrically coupled to the pulse generator, and a remote control in electrical communication with the implantable pulse generator. The pulse generator can have a computer-readable medium containing instructions for performing a process that comprises collecting the patient status and stimulation parameter; analyzing the collected patient status and stimulation parameter; and establishing a preference baseline containing a preferred stimulation parameter corresponding to a particular patient status. |
| US08355795B2 |
Visual prosthesis
A visual prosthesis apparatus and a method for limiting power consumption in a visual prosthesis apparatus. The visual prosthesis apparatus comprises a camera for capturing a video image, a video processing unit associated with the camera, the video processing unit configured to convert the video image to stimulation patterns, and a retinal stimulation system configured to stop stimulating neural tissue in a subject's eye based on the stimulation patterns when an error is detected in a forward telemetry received from the video processing unit. |
| US08355794B2 |
Using a genetic algorithm in mixed mode device
Apparatus and method for at least partially fitting a medical implant system to a recipient is described. The medical implant system is configured to provide electrical stimulation and at least one other mode of stimulation to the recipient. These apparatuses and methods comprise executing a genetic algorithm to select a set of parameter values for the medical implant system. This genetic algorithm may comprise generating successive generations of child populations and then providing a determined set of parameter values to the medical implant system for use in providing stimulation to the recipient. |
| US08355793B2 |
Optical neural stimulating device having a short stimulating assembly
A cochlear implant is provided. The cochlear implant comprises a stimulator unit configured to generate electrical stimulation signals based on sound processor-encoded signals, and to generate one or more optical stimulation signals, and an implantable stimulating assembly. The implantable stimulating assembly is configured to be implanted into a basal region of a recipient's cochlea such that when the stimulating assembly is fully implanted, a distal end of the assembly extends to the basal turn of the cochlea. The stimulating assembly also comprises: an optical contact to deliver the one or more optical stimulation signals to the cochlea, and an electrical contact to deliver the electric stimulation signals to a basal region of the cochlea so as to cause perception by the recipient of one or more frequency components of the acoustic sound signal. |
| US08355787B2 |
High-resolution connector for a neurostimulation lead
An implantable connector comprises an electrically insulative housing including an outer wall, an interior cavity surrounded by the outer wall, a port through which the lead body portion can be introduced into the interior cavity, and a pair of first apertures disposed through the outer wall on a first side of the housing. The connector further comprises an electrical spring clip contact mounted to the housing. The contact includes a common portion and a pair of legs extending from opposite ends of the common portion. The legs respectively extend through the first apertures into the interior cavity, such that the legs firmly engage the electrical terminal therebetween when the lead body portion is introduced into the interior cavity. |
| US08355786B2 |
Lead connector, lead adapter, and lead insertion apparatus
A connector and adapter engage leads with each other or with an implantable medical device when a wedge is removed from the spring-loaded connector or adapter assembly, thereby permitting the connector or adapter to compress around the lead connector. The connector and adapter assembly may include a body with at least one lumen, at least one contact exposed within the at least one lumen of the body, at least one wire electrically connected to the at least one contact, at least one clamp ring capable of compressing around the body, and at least one wedge or similar tool capable of opening and closing the at least one clamp ring. |
| US08355780B2 |
Surgical access system and related methods
A surgical access system including a tissue distraction assembly and a tissue refraction assembly, both of which may be equipped with one or more electrodes for use in detecting the existence of (and optionally the distance and/or direction to) neural structures before, during, and after the establishment of an operative corridor to a surgical target site. |
| US08355779B2 |
Stimulation method for the sphenopalatine ganglia, sphenopalatine nerve, or vidian nerve for treatment of medical conditions
A method is provided for the suppression or prevention of pain, movement disorders, epilepsy, cerebrovascular diseases, autoimmune diseases, sleep disorders, autonomic disorders, urinary bladder disorders, abnormal metabolic states, disorders of the muscular system, and neuropsychiatric disorders in a patient. The method comprises positioning at least one electrode on or proximate to at least one of the patient's sphenopalatine ganglia (“SPG”), sphenopalatine nerves (“SPN”), or vidian nerves (“VN”), and activating the at least one electrode to apply an electrical signal to at least one of the SPG, SPN, or VN. In a further embodiment of the invention used to treat the same conditions, the electrode used is capable of dispensing a medication solution or analgesic which is applied via an electrode to at least one of the SPG, SPN, or VN. A method is also provided for surgically implanting an electrode on or proximate to at least one of the SPG, SPN, or VN of a patient. |
| US08355777B2 |
Apparatus and method for sensor deployment and fixation
A delivery system for fixation of an implant assembly having an intracorporeal device at a deployment site using an anchoring structure. This invention provides an implant assembly having an anchor for fixation within a vessel. The anchoring structure adapted to be delivered via a catheter. |
| US08355776B2 |
Hemoglobin contrast in magneto-motive optical doppler tomography, optical coherence tomography, and ultrasound imaging methods and apparatus
Provided herein are systems, methods, and compositions for the use of optical coherence tomography for detection of cells. |
| US08355774B2 |
System and method to evaluate electrode position and spacing
A method and apparatus for tracking and illustrating the location of leads positioned within the volume is disclosed. For example, the lead electrodes can be positioned within a heart of a patient that can be tracked over time. The lead electrodes can be tracked with an electrode potential or bioimpedance tracking system to determine the position of the lead electrodes. A method and apparatus is disclosed to analyze the position information for analyzing the selected position of the lead electrodes. |
| US08355773B2 |
Recording localization device tool positional parameters
A localization device display method and apparatus for recording positional parameters associated with a tool being navigated with the localization device. The localization device monitors the position of a tool and automatically records positional parameters associated with the tool when the positional parameters conform to an area of interest and the tool is stable. |
| US08355770B2 |
Conductive silicone material for human skin electrode
A conductive silicone material for human skin electrode is disclosed. In one embodiment, the conductive silicone material comprises a mixture of silicone and carbon powder such that the mixture has a resistivity of 0.08 to 0.12 Ω·m and a Shore A hardness of 50 to 60. In an exemplary embodiment, the mixture comprises 60 to 80 weight percent silicone and 20 to 40 weight percent carbon powder. A sensor for detecting human biological signal using a conductive silicone electrode is also disclosed. |
| US08355762B2 |
Electronic device and flat display module
Disclosed is electronic device including a case body including a front surface side portion of the case body and a rear surface side portion of the case body; a flat display module accommodated in the case body; a conductive layer formed on an internal wall of one of the front surface side portion of the case body and the rear surface side portion of the case body, the internal wall being around a contact portion of both portions of the case body; a circuit board having electrical components mounted thereon; and a ground means that electrically connects the conductive layer to a GND of the circuit board. |
| US08355759B2 |
Power management of radio transceiver elements
A radio receiver includes a power control module for selectively powering down and powering up radio receiver elements in between known communication periods according to one aspect of the present invention. According to a second aspect of the invention, the radio receiver operates in a low power mode of operation and periodically “sniffs” to determine whether an access point has messages or communication signals to transmit to it. |
| US08355758B2 |
Determining whether a wireless communication node is stationary by evaluating changes in information about peer wireless communications nodes
For supporting a switch between different service modes of some service, it is determined whether a wireless communication node is stationary by evaluating changes in information about peer wireless communication nodes detected by the wireless communication node. The result of the determination is then used as a decision criterion whether to switch the service to one of at least two modes. |
| US08355757B2 |
System and method providing low power operation in a multimode communication device
A system and method providing low-power operation in a multimode communication device. Various aspects of the present invention may, for example, include at least one radio module that is adapted to communicate in a plurality of communication modes. The at least one radio module may also be adapted to operate in at least a first power-save mode. At least one module may, for example, be adapted to analyze at least one non-informational aspect of a signal (e.g., a received radio signal) to determine whether a first communication network corresponding to a first communication mode of the plurality of communication modes might be available. The at least one module may then, for example, be adapted to determine, based at least in part on the determined availability of the first communication network, whether to operate the at least one radio module in a respective mode other than the first power-save mode. |
| US08355753B2 |
Medication injection site and data collection system
A medication injection site is provided that includes a medication port and an identification sensor. The medication injection site, when coupled to a medication container, can wirelessly transmit data characterizing the contents of the medication container to a remote data collection system. The housing of the medication injection site has a shape and size enabling it to be held by a first hand of a user while the user administers medication from the medication container via the medication port using his or her second hand. The housing can include a disposable sub-housing and a reusable sub-housing such that the reusable sub-housing is used by many patients. In some implementations, the medication injection site can be placed on an IV drip line. Related apparatus, systems, and kits are also disclosed. |
| US08355752B2 |
Using LO shifting to prevent a local transceiver from interfering with an FM radio
A cellular telephone includes cellular telephone circuitry and an FM receiver. An FM signal being received is downconverted by a mixer. The downconverted signal is processed to generate an FM signal that is supplied to a digital IF filter. If a blocker emitted by the cellular telephone circuitry would interfere with receiving of the FM signal due to interaction of an LO harmonic with the blocker if a conventional LO frequency were used, then a different LO frequency is used. Subsequent processing of the downconverted FM signal (for example, by a digital complex conjugate selector and an IF rotator) results in the signal supplied to the digital IF filter having the same center frequency as the digital IF filter despite the use of the different LO frequency. In some embodiments, the LO is shifted by different amounts depending on cellular telephone mode and on the FM signal. |
| US08355745B2 |
Coefficient decision apparatus, radio communication system, coefficient decision method, and memory medium
The present invention provides a radio communication system that can decide efficiently a filter coefficient used when averaging a transmission power value. The radio communication system of the present invention includes an acquisition unit (1) acquiring at least a transmission power value which each base station (105) measured, and a decision unit (2) specifying a congestion transmission power value, at which a congestion arises, among from the transmission power value acquired by the acquisition unit (1), selecting a filter coefficient according to the congestion transmission power value, and deciding the selected filter coefficient as a new filter coefficient, and decides whether the congestion arose, on the basis of an electric power mean value averaged with the new filter coefficient decided by the decision unit (2). |
| US08355743B2 |
Push-to-talk communication method and system
In a Push-To-Talk (PTT) communication method, during a PTT conversation between multiple mobile terminals in a PTT chat-room, a first mobile terminal specifies a second mobile terminal as a target for a forced leave and makes a request to a PTT server for a forced leave of the second mobile terminal. The PTT server forces the second mobile terminal to leave the PTT chat-room. During a PTT chat-room conversation, a disruptive member can be forced to leave the PTT chat room and is not allowed to later re-join the PTT chat room. Thus, it is possible to more smoothly run a PTT chat room in a manner fitting for the purpose, enhancing user convenience. |
| US08355739B1 |
Method and apparatus for locating a WLAN station based on a propagation delay of a signal
An RF transceiver of a first network device respectively receives first, second, and third coordinates of second, third, and fourth network devices. A control module determines first, second, and third delay periods respectively corresponding to transmissions between first and second, first and third, and first and fourth network devices. The control module determines first, second, and third distances between the first and second, first and third, and first and fourth network devices respectively based on the first, second, and third delay periods. The control module determines a location of the first network device based on the first, second, and third distances and the first, second, and third coordinates. |
| US08355735B2 |
Optimizing bandwidth usage in a cellular communication network
Base station apparatus (1) is provided for improving bandwidth usage in a cellular communication network serving at least one mobile terminal. The network is capable of supporting at least a first radio access technology (i.e. GSM) and a second radio access technology (LTE) and uses a predefined bandwidth range. The apparatus comprises a base band unit (3) including a counting means for determining the number of mobile terminals within a cell of the first radio access technology supporting the second radio access technology and a measuring means for determining the level of traffic carried by the first radio access technology cell; and a bandwidth assignment means for dynamically assigning a first portion of the bandwidth range to the first radio access technology and a second portion of the bandwidth range to the second radio access technology on the basis of the number of supportive mobile terminals and the level of first radio access technology traffic.In this way, the bandwidth assigned to GSM and LTE can be configured to take account of changes in the traffic levels and device capabilities in either RAT. |
| US08355733B2 |
Radio communication system
A radio communication system, preventing communication disconnection when a communication failure occurs in a base station, is provided. The radio communication system includes a common base station (BTS-C) communicable with each communication area of the plurality of BTS (FIG. 1A), in addition to a plurality of base stations (BTS) each located in each communication area. In place of a base station BTS which becomes a communication impossible state with a terminal in the communication area, the BTS-C communicates with the terminal MS in the communication area concerned. |
| US08355731B2 |
Intelligent interactive call handling
An intelligent interactive call handling system is provided that typically includes a central office, a call-handling device, and an internet call routing system. The central office typically triggers a query responsive to receiving a call request. The call-handling device is coupled to the central office, receives the query, and triggers an internet call routing query. The internet call routing system, which is coupled to the call-handling device, typically receives the internet call routing query, determines presence of the called party with respect to at least one registered communication device, sends a prompt to the called party at said at least one registered communication device responsive to the presence determination, receives a reply from said at least one registered communication device, and routes the call responsive to the reply. Methods and other systems are also provided. |
| US08355730B2 |
Radio network controller, mobile communication system, and method for avoiding a reduction in a call connection completion ratio for use therein
A radio network controller (1) to be connected to a mobile terminal via a radio base station comprises: holding means (UE check list 15 for each system) for, when each mobile terminal has failed to make a radio connection to a cell (s) selected by a cell selection algorithm that assigns a cell (s) under the radio base station to the mobile terminal, holding information of the cell (s) to which the mobile terminal has failed to make a radio connection, for a predetermined period; and execution means (cell selection processor 11) for excluding a cell (s) to which the mobile terminal has failed a radio connection once in the past, from adjacent cell candidates of said mobile terminal, based on the cell information held by the holding means, for a predetermined period, and to execute the cell selection algorithm. |
| US08355729B2 |
Method for changing route in wireless communication
A method for changing a route in wireless communication involves: when there is subscriber equipment requesting a change of route in a cell, a base station negotiates downlink measurement contents with a relay station facilitating the route change in the cell; a network side informs the subscriber equipment requesting a change of route of the negotiated downlink measurement contents, and the subscriber equipment executes a downlink measurement according to the received measurement contents and reports the downlink measurement results to a radio access point; and the radio access point executes the route change for said subscriber equipment according to the received measurement results. The method can effectively improve the accuracy of the route change and alleviate the delay due to the route change. |
| US08355728B2 |
Method for operating service unavailable mode of femto base station
The present invention relates to a broadband wireless access system, and more particularly, to a method for efficiently operating a service unavailable mode of femto base station. The method for operating a service unavailable mode of femto base station in the broadband wireless access system according to one embodiment of the present invention, comprises the steps of: determining whether the preset condition for the operation of a service unavailable mode is satisfied; and broadcasting service unavailable mode information for indicating the state of service unavailable mode of the femto base station in accordance with the result of determination on the preset condition. |
| US08355727B2 |
Proximity detection in a network
Techniques for facilitating a hand-in using proximity-detection and dual-pilot operation detect a presence of a client device in proximity to the network-side device; and transmit a first signal over a first communication channel to the client device, the first signal enabling the client device to access information transmitted in a second signal from the network-side device. |
| US08355726B2 |
Device for facilitating overlay network operation in an underlay network environment
A wireless communication server device facilitates overlay network communications in an underlay network environment. A database portion is configured to store information regarding overlay network devices within the underlay network environment. An overlay device management portion is configured to communicate with overlay devices and to provide operation information to the overlay devices. An underlay network communication portion is configured to communicate with at least one underlay network device at least to facilitate communications between a mobile station and a selected overlay device. |
| US08355724B2 |
Handover control method, cell reselection method and mobile station
A handover control method comprises a step in which a mobile station measures radio qualities in a plurality of different frequency cells at predetermined measurement intervals and a step in which the mobile station, when determining that the radio quality in a specific frequency cell satisfies a report condition, starts up a timer for the specific frequency cell and, when the timer for the specific frequency cell has expired, transmits to a radio base station a measurement report including the radio quality in the specific frequency cell. The mobile station, even when a timer for a second frequency cell has expired, does not transmit to the radio base station a measurement report including the radio quality in the second frequency cell if a timer for a first frequency cell having a higher priority than the second frequency cell is running. |
| US08355716B2 |
Communication system, communication apparatus, communication method and computer program
Disclosed herein is a communication system wherein, non-periodical communications of data are carried out between an information transmitting terminal and one or more information receiving terminals, the information transmitting terminal periodically broadcasts network control information to the information receiving terminals, each of the information receiving terminals receives the network control information from the information transmitting terminal at a rate determined in advance, each of the information receiving terminals receives the network control information from the information transmitting terminal in a fixed-length information acquisition period; and at least some specific ones of the information receiving terminals each arbitrarily shift the starting point of the information acquisition period of the specific information receiving terminal. |
| US08355712B2 |
Method for remotely controlling a mobile terminal
The invention relates to a method for controlling remotely a mobile terminal (30). The method envisages providing a command (COM) to be sent from a remote server (2) to the mobile terminal (30), and a voice signal (V) to be transmitted from a remote server (20) to the mobile terminal (30). The voice signal (V) is encoded in a voice data packet flow (VOICE_FLOW) and the command (COM) in command data packets (COMk) so as to generate a packet data flow (DATA_FLOW) comprising the voice data packet flow (VOICE_FLOW) and the command data packets (COMk). This packet data flow (DATA_FLOW) is thus sent from the remote server (20) to the mobile terminal (30). |
| US08355711B2 |
Collaborative computing for mobile devices
Embodiments of the present disclosure include systems and methods for collaborative computing for mobile devices. The system includes methods for leveraging a mobile device and computing resources in a peer-to-peer network in a manner that does not require a central controlling entity, nor the transmission and/or downloading of computer-executable code (e.g., program applications) such that mobile device applications can defer the costly execution of said program applications to the collaborative computing resources in a peer-to-peer network where computing resources are cheaper and network bandwidth and connectivity is more reliable and less expensive in comparison to a mobile device. |
| US08355710B2 |
System and method of initiating user notification for a wireless device
A System and Method of initiating user notification for a wireless device is provided for allowing a user to locate the wireless device when it has been accidentally misplaced. Notification settings of a wireless device indicate whether incoming communication triggers user notification. If the wireless device has been configured to not ring, then calling the wireless device will not help the user to locate the wireless device. A message (e.g. email, SMS) configured for prompting user notification notwithstanding the notification settings is sent to the wireless device. The message is routed through a wireless network and received by the wireless device. In accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure, in response to the message, the wireless device executes a user notification notwithstanding the notification settings. In some implementations, the user notification includes audible ringing, which might help the user to locate the wireless device based on the audible ringing. |
| US08355704B2 |
Method and system for implementing interconversion between ring back tone and ringing tone
A method and a system for implementing interconversion between a ring back tone and a ringing tone are disclosed. The method for converting the ring back tone into the ringing tone includes: configuring ring back tone information for a user according to a ring back tone configuration request; obtaining relevant data of corresponding ringtone information according to the ring back tone information configured, and sending the relevant data to a user terminal. The method for converting the ringing tone into the ring back tone includes: generating a ring back tone configuration request according to ringing tone configuration information, where a user terminal configures the ringing tone with the ringing tone configuration information; and configuring the ring back tone corresponding to the ringing tone to be a ring back tone information of the user terminal according to the ringing tone configuration information in the ring back tone configuration request. |
| US08355703B2 |
Intelligent text message-to-speech system and method for visual voice mail
A visual voicemail system can convert visual voicemail message content to an alternate format based on the location of the recipient device, whether and how the recipient device is in motion, a priority of the message content, user preferences, or other criteria. Alternately, a recipient wireless device may also convert content to an alternate format based on the similar criteria. Content may be presented automatically to a user on recipient device based on such criteria. Content may be converted from audio to text, text to audio, or from any format to any other format. Location, motion data, user preferences, etc. may be obtained from a location based service system, a recipient wireless device, or any other source. |
| US08355702B2 |
System and method for delivering information to a transmitting and receiving device
The present invention provides systems and method for delivering information to a transmitting and receiving device. The device receives a notification alerting a user of the device that information is available to be obtained and, in some embodiments, providing a short description of the information. After receiving the notification at the device, the user can then use the device to obtain or otherwise act on the information at a time and at a place convenient to the user. |
| US08355701B2 |
Display of secure messages on a mobile communication device
A mobile communications device for the display of an incrementally received message includes a message viewer application for scanning the received portions of the message. On determination that the received portion of the message includes a first displayable portion of the message content, the system signals to a message server to halt the message server from forwarding further portions of the message content. The system provides a mechanism for the user of the mobile communications device to cause the mobile communications device to further signal the message server to recommence the forwarding of further portions of the secure message content to permit the verification of the e-mail based on the further portions of the secure message content. |
| US08355700B2 |
Method and mobile terminal for rapidly searching for messages received from or sent to same phone number
Disclosed are a method and a mobile terminal for easily and rapidly searching for messages received from or sent to the same phone number of a currently displayed message. The method includes a first step of detecting whether a user inputs a key to select a previous or next message received from or sent to the same phone number of a currently displayed message; a second step of searching for the previous or next message received from or sent to the same phone number upon detecting the user's key input; and a third step of displaying the detected message on a display unit of the mobile terminal. |
| US08355699B1 |
Method of preventing data of mobile phone from being stolen
A method of preventing data of a mobile phone from being stolen, particularly the method of preventing personal data stored in a mobile phone from being stolen by the means of sending short messages and inputting an instruction code is disclosed, and the method comprises: defining plurality of confidentiality levels of the mobile phone, and each confidentiality level defines a corresponding instruction code and is added to personal data stored in the mobile phone, and the mobile phone compares and determines whether the short message contains the instruction code when receiving the short message, and reads the confidentiality level corresponding to the instruction code, and updates all personal data of the of the confidentiality level to achieve the effect of preventing the data from being stolen. |
| US08355697B2 |
Apparatus and method for providing broadcast service in mobile communication system
A user authentication process when a portable terminal receives multimedia broadcasting requiring authentication is provided. The broadcasting is provided by a mobile communication system including a portable terminal capable of a user authentication process if a message indicating that broadcasting requires the authentication process is received while using the broadcast service, the portable terminal provides the broadcast service if the authentication process is successful, and stops the broadcast service if the authentication process fails; and a multimedia broadcast server for transmitting to the portable terminal the message, which indicates that the broadcasting requires the authentication process, when the broadcasting requires the authentication process while the broadcast service is being provided to the portable terminal. |
| US08355691B2 |
Land mobile radio dispatch console
An exemplary land mobile radio dispatch console and method are provided. In one embodiment, the console has the capability to process and handle Requests To Talk (RTT) and emergencies. In another embodiment, the console has the capability to provide a history. In another embodiment, the console provides the capability for operators to configure and save patches of predefined groups for later use. In another embodiment, the console includes a telephone interconnect interface component, and combinations of features mentioned above. |
| US08355689B2 |
Independent field device for automation purposes with intrinsic safety barrier
The invention relates to an autarkic field device or an autarkic radio adapter (2) for a field device (1), of automation technology fed with limited energy via an energy supply unit (3) associated, or associable, with the field device (1) or the radio adapter (2), characterized in that, between the energy supply unit (3) and an internal voltage source (4), whose voltage exceeds, or at times can exceed, the voltage of the energy supply unit (3), a barrier (5a; 5b) of at least one diode group having at least two diodes (6) connected in parallel is arranged, which blocks flow of electrical current from the internal voltage source (4) to the energy supply unit (3) or to the connection terminals (7) of the field device (1) or of the radio adapter (2) for the energy supply unit (3). |
| US08355684B2 |
Channel determination apparatus and method of broadcast reveiver
A channel determination apparatus and method for a broadcast receiver are provided. The method includes estimating, when the broadcast receiver operates in a sleep state over a preset time period, inter-modulation distortion interference of a plurality of channels by scanning the channels, and receiving, when the sleep state is transitioned to an active state, broadcast data on a channel having the least inter-modulation distortion interference. Accordingly, the inter-modulation distortion interference of individual channels is taken into account to select an optimum channel, thereby resulting in improvement of channel determination accuracy. |
| US08355683B2 |
Simplified high frequency tuner and tuning method
A disclosed method tunes a signal from a channelized spectrum having a predetermined channel spacing. A signal of interest having a predetermined maximum bandwidth is mixed with a local oscillator signal, which has a frequency that is an integer multiple of the channel spacing or one-half of a channel spacing displaced from an integer multiple of the channel spacing. The local oscillator signal is selected to frequency translate the signal of interest to within a near-baseband passband whose lower edge is spaced from DC by at least about the maximum bandwidth of the signal of interest. Problems associated with 1/f noise, DC offsets, and self-mixing products are avoided or substantially diminished. Other methods and systems are also disclosed. |
| US08355680B2 |
Radio wave propagation analysis result display system
A radio wave propagation analysis result display system calculates an analysis result of radio wave propagation inside a building by subtracting a transmission loss caused by an external wall of the building from an analysis result of radio wave propagation outside the building, and displays a map capable of expressing the height, on which the calculated radio wave propagation analysis result is displayed and superimposed on the building, on a display device. |
| US08355677B1 |
Selecting modulation and coding scheme in the presence of interference
A wireless device comprises an interference sensing module, a modulation and coding schemes (MCS) selection module, and a transmit module. The interference sensing module selectively receives an interference signal over a channel. The interference signal is modulated using P MCSs, where P is an integer greater than or equal to 1. The MCS selection module selects an MCS based on the P MCSs. The transmit module transmits a transmit signal over the channel using the MCS. |
| US08355676B2 |
System and method for reducing radio frequency interference
A system and method for determining the source of and/or reducing radio frequency interference in an RF communications system is disclosed. The system and method is configured to compare first transmission data and second transmission data for conflicts and provide notification of a conflict to a relevant entity. The first transmission data can include first frequency data, first destination data, and first time data for an RF transmission associated with the first RF device. The second transmission data can include second frequency data, second destination data, and second time data. The system and method analyzes the first transmission data and the second transmission data for any conflicts and can provide notification of any conflicts or potential conflicts to interested parties. |
| US08355672B2 |
Method for identification using bluetooth wireless key
A Bluetooth host solves the aforementioned problems by evaluating a Bluetooth service provider server ID and by determining which of a plurality of access IDs map to the server ID and, correspondingly, providing a Bluetooth access ID that corresponds thereto. Accordingly, one Bluetooth host may readily gain access to any one of a plurality of different devices and different types of devices. Additionally, the Bluetooth host includes capacity to store and provide additional supporting information according to the type of device that is the Bluetooth service provider. Generally, the Bluetooth host stores a plurality of access or link IDs in relation to a plurality of master device IDs and, upon detecting a beacon, determines what access or link ID to provide and whether to provide additional stored information. |
| US08355667B2 |
Apparatus, method, and computer program product for obtaining broadcast content
An apparatus is provided for obtaining broadcast content disseminated by a broadcaster with which a perceiver of content is in unilateral communication. The apparatus includes a communications unit configured to receive a message from the content perceiver, the message including time information associated with the content and source information for the content. A processing device in communication with said communications unit and at least one broadcaster database is configured to obtain the time and source information included in the message and to use the time and source information to obtain identification of the content from the broadcaster database. The processing device may be in communication with at least one content provider database and is further configured to cause the identified content to be distributed from the content provider database to the perceiver. Methods and computer program products are also provided. |
| US08355665B2 |
Process for computerized grading of formula-based multi-step problems via a web-interface
The method of computerized grading of formula-based multi-step problems includes the steps of providing a memory for storing problems and data to enable and facilitate assessment of correctness of problems, storing at least one formula-based multi-step problem in the memory, a complete solution to the problem requiring calculation of at least one intermediate answer and a subsequent calculation using said intermediate answer to arrive at said complete solution, providing a computer program that can grade submitted answers to the steps of said problem, providing a user interface with selective access to the memory and the computer program, and providing a global computer network with which the user interface can be connected to the memory and grading program. |
| US08355660B2 |
Fixing device with a shielding member having an insulated circumferential part and image forming apparatus including same
A fixing device is provided with a heating member, a pressing member, a coil, a fixed core, a movable core and a shielding member provided on the movable core and a position switching unit moving the shielding member between a shielding position where a ring part shields magnetism and a retracted position where the ring part does not shield magnetism. A first area requiring magnetic shielding and a second area not requiring magnetic shielding are selectively set in the heating member. The shielding member includes a first annular portion provided at a position corresponding to a boundary part between the first and second areas, and the first annular portion has a shape closed in a circumferential direction and is electrically insulated at a circumferential part when viewed in an axial direction of the movable core. |
| US08355656B2 |
Image-forming apparatus
An image-forming apparatus includes: image-forming units arranged along a direction inclined at an acute angle relative to a horizontal direction, each of the image-forming units forming an image with developer; developer-containing units positioned above the image-forming units and arranged along the horizontal direction or along a direction inclined relative to the horizontal direction at an angle smaller than the acute angle; and developer conveyance paths that connect the image-forming units to respective developer-containing units, each developer conveyance path having a tubular passage that defines a space through which the developer contained in the developer-containing unit is conveyed to the image-forming unit, wherein the tubular passage of a developer conveyance path connected to an image-forming unit located at a position higher than that of another image-forming unit has a vertically extending portion shorter than that of the tubular passage of a developer conveyance path connected to the another image-forming unit. |
| US08355652B2 |
Development cartridge and image forming apparatus
An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a plurality of development cartridges each having a developer bearing member bearing a developer for developing an electrostatic image and a developer container accommodating the developer, a rotary configured to rotate and move the attached development cartridges toward a development position, an opening defined in an apparatus main body and allowing the development cartridge to pass through for attachment and detachment to and from the rotary, and an indicator provided on a second development cartridge arranged adjacent to a first development cartridge passing through the opening and detached from the rotary being stopped, wherein the indicator indicates an attachment method usable to attach the first development cartridge to the rotary, and wherein the indicator is located at such a position on the second development cartridge as to be visible from outside of the apparatus main body via the opening. |
| US08355651B2 |
Image forming apparatus
An image forming apparatus includes a power interrupting structure and a cover opening and closing structure. The image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body, a first cover and a second cover to open and close the apparatus body, a switch configured to be turned on/off according to an opening and closing operation of the first cover, and a safety device, operatively connected to the second cover, to selectively restrict the switch from being turned on by the first cover. |
| US08355650B2 |
Color electrophotographic image forming apparatus
A color electrophotographic image forming apparatus, wherein a plurality of cartridges is detachably mountable to a main assembly of the apparatus, includes a cartridge supporting member movable between an inside position which is inside the main assembly and an outside position which is outside the main assembly, supporting the cartridges, wherein the cartridges are mounted to and dismounted from the cartridge supporting member placed in the outside position; an opening which is provided in the main assembly and through which the cartridge supporting member is passed when the cartridge supporting member moves between the inside position and the outside position; a receiving member for receiving developed images from photosensitive members provided on the cartridge supporting member in the state that cartridge supporting member is placed in the inside position, the receiving member is rotatable along below the photosensitive members; a transfer member for transferring the developed images transferred on the receiving member onto a recording material at a transfer position; a fixing member for fixing the developed images transferred onto the recording material on the recording material; and a feeding path for feeding the recording material to a removing position by way of the transfer position, the inside of the opening and the fixing member from a stacking portion for stacking the recording material, wherein the cartridge supporting member is movable between the inside position and the outside position intersecting the feeding path. |
| US08355647B2 |
Electronic device and image forming apparatus
An electronic device includes: a display that displays at least a status of the device; a controller that is provided on a back surface of the display and controls a display on the display; a heat source; a shield that shields the controller from the heat source; and an opening that is connected to a space formed by the controller and the shield and allows air outside the device to flow in and out of the controller. |
| US08355643B2 |
Toner image height measurement apparatus and image forming apparatus having the same
A toner image height measurement apparatus capable of accurately measuring heights of toner images of respective colors with a relatively simple construction and without being affected by toner colors. With motion of an image carrier, there occurs a change in reflection light amount detected by a photodiode of the height measurement apparatus in timing when laser light having been irradiated onto the image carrier starts to be irradiated onto or intercepted by a toner image and in timing when the laser light having been irradiated onto the toner image starts to be irradiated onto the image carrier. Based on a principle that these timings vary according to a toner image height, the height measurement apparatus detects the timing when the reflection light amount changes by a predetermined amount, thereby detecting the toner image height. |
| US08355641B2 |
Paper wrinkle sign monitoring device, paper wrinkle sign monitoring method, and computer readable medium
A paper wrinkle sign monitoring device includes: at least one timing detecting unit that is set on a transport path of a printing medium, and that detects transport timing of the printing medium; and a sign output unit that detects a sign of paper wrinkle generation in the transporting time of the printing medium based on the transport timing of the printing medium detected by the timing detecting unit, and that outputs the sign. |
| US08355640B2 |
Document feeding device that performs an initial operation, image forming apparatus including the same, and method of controlling a document feeding device that performs an initial operation
Provided is a document feeding device including: a document feeding portion for feeding a document; a document set detecting portion for detecting presence/absence of a set document; a determination portion for determining whether power supply to the device is started by turning-on of main power or by cancellation of a power saving mode; an initial operation portion for performing an initial operation of initializing the document feeding portion when the power supply to the document feeding device is started by the turning-on of the main power, and restricting execution of the initial operation when the power supply to the document feeding device is started by the cancellation of the power saving mode; and a display portion for displaying, when there is a set document at the start of the power supply, a request to reset the document. |
| US08355638B2 |
Receiver for optical transverse-mode-multiplexed signals
A representative optical receiver of the invention receives an optical transverse-mode-multiplexed (TMM) signal through a multimode fiber that supports a plurality of transverse modes. The optical receiver has a plurality of optical detectors operatively coupled to a digital signal processor configured to process the TMM signal to determine its modal composition. Based on the determined modal composition, the optical receiver demodulates each of the independently modulated components of the TMM signal to recover the data encoded onto the TMM signal at the remote transmitter. |
| US08355636B2 |
PMD insensitive direct-detection optical OFDM systems using self-polarization diversity
A self-polarization diversity technique to combat PMD in a direct-detection optical OFDM system. This technique does not require any dynamic polarization control, and can simultaneous compensate PMD in a WDM system with one device. Simulation results show that this technique virtually completely eliminates the PMD impairments in direct-detection optical OFDM systems. |
| US08355632B2 |
Transmission apparatus
In a transmission apparatus, unlike in the conventional transmission apparatus, a protection switch is not arranged on the signal path, but a TSI having only the basic function performs the function of the protection switch as a substitute, a processing unit to perform the switching function at a low rate is artificially constructed on a TSI, the switch process of SONET protection type is artificially executed by the TSI, and a signal for controlling the TSI function is further controlled thereby to realize the protection switch function. The logic of switching at the main signal rate in addition to the conventional TSI function is deleted. |
| US08355629B2 |
Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for providing notification of a power failure
Methods, systems, and computer-readable media provide for notifying an optical line termination (OLT) of a power failure. According to embodiments, a method for notifying an OLT of a power failure is provided. According to the method, a notification of a power failure at an optical network termination (ONT) is received. In response to receiving the notification, power is retrieved from a dedicated power storage unit dedicated to providing power for the transmission of a dying gasp alarm. The dying gasp alarm is transmitted to the OLT utilizing at least a portion of the power from the dedicated power storage unit. The dying gasp alarm notifies the OLT of the power failure. |
| US08355628B2 |
Compact camera module
The invention provides a compact camera module. The compact camera module includes an image sensing device, a set of optical elements, and a zooming device. The set of optical elements connects to the image sensing device, and comprises a lens set. The zooming device connects to the set of optical elements for adjusting a distance between the lens set and the image sensing device. The zooming device directly electrically joins with the image sensing device. |
| US08355626B2 |
Lens-interchangeable camera performing focus control, lens barrel, and program
A lens-interchangeable camera includes a focus detector performing focus detection and a controller performing a drive control of a lens based on a defocus amount. The controller finishes focusing operation without driving the lens when the defocus amount is out a range of a first in-focus determination width, and performs the focusing operation when the defocus amount is out a range of the first in-focus determination width. The controller finishes the focusing operation without performing the focus detection again after completing the drive when the defocus amount is out a range of a second in-focus determination width, and performs the focus detection again after completing the drive when the defocus amount is out a range of the second in-focus determination width. The second in-focus determination width is set to be greater than the first in-focus determination width and be greater than or equal to a drive limit value. |
| US08355625B2 |
System for and a method of heating water
A system for heating water which includes a first container and a second container, an air-tight connection between upper ends of the first and second containers, each container including a respective water heating element, and a water outlet port and a water inlet port, a manifold which is operatively connected to the respective inlet and outlet ports of each container and which connects, in a controlled manner, the respective inlet port of each container to a pressurized source of cold water, and each container, at least in a respective upper volume thereof, and in the air-tight connection, containing a gas, and whereby cold water which is introduced into the first container via the manifold displaces gas via the air-tight connection from the first container into the second container thereby to expel warm water from the second container through the respective outlet port. |
| US08355623B2 |
Temperature limited heaters with high power factors
Certain embodiments provide a heater. The heater includes a ferromagnetic member. The heater also includes an electrical conductor electrically coupled to the ferromagnetic member. The electrical conductor is configured to conduct a majority of time-varying electrical current passing through the heater at about 25° C. The heater is configured to provide a first heat output below the Curie temperature of the ferromagnetic member. The heater is configured to automatically provide a second heat output approximately at and above the Curie temperature of the ferromagnetic member. The second heat output is reduced compared to the first heat output. |
| US08355622B2 |
Reproducing apparatus, reproducing system, reproducing method, and recording medium thereof
There are provided a reproducing apparatus, a reproducing system, a reproducing method, and a recording medium that prevent deterioration in a subjective appraisal value of an output frame. Therefore, in the case where when interpolation is impossible for a frame whose abnormality is confirmed among frames obtained by decoding image data, an already output frame is maintained until a normal frame can be output. |
| US08355601B2 |
Real-time geometry aware projection and fast re-calibration
Aspects of the present invention include systems and methods for recalibrating projector-camera systems. In embodiments, systems and methods are able to recalibrate automatically the projector with arbitrary intrinsic and pose, as well as render for arbitrarily desired viewing point. In contrast to previous methods, the methods disclosed herein use the observing camera and the projector to form a stereo pair. Structured light is used to perform pixel-level fine reconstruction of the display surface. In embodiments, the geometric warping is implemented as a direct texture mapping problem. As a result, re-calibration of the projector movement is performed by simply computing the new projection matrix and setting it as a camera matrix. For re-calibrating the new view point, the texture mapping is modified according to the new camera matrix. |
| US08355600B1 |
Presenting wireless-telecommunications coverage areas
Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for displaying an area of wireless-telecommunications coverage of a geographic region by a plurality of images is provided. In embodiments, an image representing an amount of wireless-telecommunications coverage for a geographic region is referenced. A plurality of image data points, including corners, are mapped to real-world geographic coordinates to create a registered image. A plurality of colors, each representing a different wireless-telecommunications coverage area, are identified. A second image is created that includes only pixels associated with selected colors and, thus, only represents the wireless-telecommunications coverage areas associated with the selected colors. |
| US08355598B2 |
Image processing method, image processing apparatus, and imaging apparatus
A distortion of image data is corrected by performing a coordinate transformation of the image data by using { X = x + f ( x - x 0 , y - y 0 ) Y = y + g ( x - x 0 , y - y 0 ) where X and Y represent coordinates of a transformation source which is the image data after the correction of the distortion, x and y represent coordinates of a transformation destination which is the image data having the distortion, x0 and y0 are offset values in x direction and y direction, respectively, and f and g are correction functions. |
| US08355594B2 |
Information processing apparatus, line noise reduction processing method, and computer-readable storage medium
An information processing apparatus performs first filter processing to combine pixels of an image along a predetermined direction. A line noise image is extracted by executing second filter processing for the processed image along a direction different from the predetermined direction. The extracted line noise image is subtracted from the image to acquire a line noise reduced image. |
| US08355593B2 |
Image restoring apparatus and method thereof
Disclosed is an image restoring apparatus and a method thereof, which sets a restoration image area to establish a portion of a target image area to be restored as a restoration image area to be restored with priority according to a request for an image restoration; sets a search area to establish an area with a predetermined size including the restoration image area as a search area; detects a similar image area to search for the most similar image area to the restoration image area within the search area; and reconstructs the deteriorated image in a natural manner by copying the image of the detected similar image area and attaching the same to the restoration image area. |
| US08355590B2 |
Image data compression method, pattern model positioning method in image processing, image processing apparatus, image processing program, and computer readable recording medium
There is provided a data compression method for increasing a reduction ratio, while keeping a sufficient characteristic amount, to seek speeding up of processing, the method being for compressing image data in pattern model positioning in image processing of searching out of an image to be searched and positioning a pattern model corresponding to a pre-registered image. The method includes the steps of: computing an edge strength image having edge strength information and an edge angle image having edge angle information with respect to each pixel constituting an image; transforming the edge angle image of each pixel into an edge angle bit image expressed by an edge angle bit indicating an angle with a pre-defined fixed width; and compressing the edge angle bit image to create an edge angle bit reduced image by taking a sum with respect to each edge angle bit. |
| US08355589B2 |
Method and apparatus for field picture coding and decoding
A field picture coding/decoding apparatus and method is provided. The field picture coding method includes selecting a reference field with respect to an input image, generating a predictive image by deinterlacing with respect to the selected reference field, and performing predictive coding with respect to the input image using the predictive image. |
| US08355587B2 |
Image processing apparatus capable of writing compressed data into frame buffer and reading buffered data from frame buffer alternately and related image processing method thereof
An image processing apparatus includes a processing circuit and a storage system. The processing circuit generates a first processing result and a second processing result by processing a first horizontal line group of a first frame and a second horizontal line group of a second frame preceding the first frame, respectively. The storage system includes: a frame buffer; a write circuit for storing the first processing result into the frame buffer; a read circuit for reading the second processing result from the frame buffer; and a timing controller for controlling the write circuit to start storing the first processing result at a first time point not prior to a specific time point when the processing circuit finishes receiving the first horizontal line group, and controlling the read circuit to start reading the second processing result at a second time point which is prior to the specific time point. |
| US08355584B2 |
Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and computer program product
An image processing apparatus generates code data by connecting a plurality of first compressed codes output from one or more threads. The image processing apparatus includes a compressing unit that compresses image data by using the threads corresponding to divided compression processes; an identification-information attaching unit that attaches identification information to the first compressed codes thereby generating second compressed codes; and a code-data generating unit that generates code data including the second compressed codes. |
| US08355578B2 |
Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and storage medium
Even when captions of a plurality of objects use an identical anchor expression, the present invention can associate an appropriately explanatory text in a body text as metadata with the objects. |
| US08355577B2 |
Image processing apparatus and method
The operability of a user when reusing a vectorized illustration is improved. An image processing apparatus of the present invention comprises an illustration region specifying component configured to specify an illustration region within an input image, a color region extracting component configured to extract a color region from the specified illustration region, a contour line extracting component configured to extract a contour line from the extracted color region, a vector data generating component configured to generate vector data from image data of the illustration region, a kind discriminating component configured to discriminate a kind of the generated vector data, and a circumscribed rectangle coordinate deriving component configured to derive circumscribed rectangle coordinates in accordance with the kind discriminated by the kind discriminating component. |
| US08355575B2 |
Image processing apparatus and image processing method
This invention provides an image processing apparatus including a unit which generates index image data, a unit which obtains a position of thumbnail image data in the index image data, a unit which divides the index image data so as to prevent overlap of the thumbnail image data, a unit which calculates a histogram of a luminance value of image data corresponding to each partial area including the thumbnail image data, a unit which determines image correction characteristics of each piece of image data based on the histogram and performing image correction, and a unit which reconfiguring the index image data using the corrected image data to output the reconfigured index image data. |
| US08355573B2 |
Method for matching colors by using human observer color matching functions
A method for matching colors includes providing a first source of a first color and a second source of a second color; measuring a set of spectral values for first color stimuli associated with the first color; calculating a first set of tristimulus values; defining a first set of human observer color matching functions; calculating a first set of corrected tristimulus values from the first set of spectral values using the first set of human observer color matching functions; measuring a second set of spectral values for second color stimuli associated with the second color; calculating a second set of tristimulus values; defining a second set of human observer color matching functions; calculating a second set of corrected tristimulus values from the second set of spectral values; determining a difference between the first and second set of corrected tristimulus values; and adjusting one of the sources to reduce the difference. |
| US08355570B2 |
Systems and methods for raster-to-block converter
A raster to block converter and equivalently a block to raster converter can be implemented using enough memory to contain a single image band, that is a band of pixels of height equal to a single block but spanning the entire width of an image. The raster to block converter can operate at full rate so that as soon as a pixel is read out from the memory a new pixel can be stored in its place. The location of a pixel can be tracked using a mapping involving basic modular arithmetic. This raster to block converter is scalable so that it can work with any size image and block size. |
| US08355569B2 |
Object region extracting device
Region dividing means (3) divides an inputted image by color or edge. Partial feature value providing means (4) extracts visual feature values of the divided region. Area sorting means (5, 6) sorts the feature values of the divided regions and part feature values (32) which are visual features of the parts into which an object is divided in order of area of the region. Part matching means (7) selects the part feature value (32) which the region of the largest area has, selects a visual feature value which the divided region of the largest area has out of the divided regions whose similarities are not calculated, calculates the similarity of the selected visual feature value, and extracts candidate regions. If the visual feature value of the joined region formed by combining the candidate regions is similar to the visual feature value of the whole object stored in storage means (2), the joined region is treated as a region similar to the object. |
| US08355564B2 |
Corresponding point searching method and three-dimensional position measuring method
A plurality of images (I, J) of an object (M) when viewed from different viewpoints are taken in. One of the images is set as a standard image (I), and the other image is set as a reference image (J). One-dimensional pixel data strings with a predetermined width (W) are cut out from the standard image (I) and the reference image (J) along epipolar lines (EP1, EP2) calculated from a camera parameter (CPR) and the reference point (p). Calculating a phase-only correlation function from the cut one-dimensional pixel data strings will obtain a correlation peak position (Pa1). A positional shift amount (d) from the correlation peak position (Pa1) is obtained. A search is made for a corresponding point (q) corresponding to the reference point (p) based on this position shift amount (d). |
| US08355562B2 |
Pattern shape evaluation method
A pattern shape evaluation method and semiconductor inspection system having a unit for extracting contour data of a pattern from an image obtained by photographing a semiconductor pattern, a unit for generating pattern direction data from design data of the semiconductor pattern, and a unit for detecting a defect of a pattern, through comparison between pattern direction data obtained from the contour data and pattern direction data generated from the design data corresponding to a pattern position of the contour data. |
| US08355558B2 |
Money handling system
A money handling system includes: a sort pattern setting unit 107 configured to set a sort pattern showing one or more denominations of the banknotes to be sorted into the stacking units 103; a storage unit 109 configured to store the sort pattern set by the sort pattern setting unit 107, and to store a recognition result and a count result by the recognition unit 102 on the banknotes stacked in the stacking units 103; and a control unit 108 configured to control the transport unit 105 so as to transport the banknotes respectively to the stacking units 103 and the reject unit 104, based on the recognition result by the recognition unit 102 and the sort pattern stored in the storage unit 109. |
| US08355556B2 |
Method of synthetic image generation for magnetic resonance imaging
A method, system and user interface for synthetic image generation for magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is described. A plurality of MR imaging data sets is received, each data set being acquired at a different value for a MR acquisition parameter. A response value for a particular property of tissues is determined, based on a calculated fit of each pixel to a property response model. A synthetic image is generated for a selected value of the MR acquisition parameter, based on the determined response value. An option is provided to dynamically change the selected value of the MR acquisition parameter and the synthetic image is re-generated for the changed value. An option may be provided to dynamically change the value. Another option may be provided to calculate a reliability measure for the synthetic image. |
| US08355548B2 |
Load independent index of diastolic function
Methods and related apparatus and systems for determining a load-independent index of diastolic function in the heart are described. |
| US08355543B2 |
Method and system for identifying a person based on their tongue
A method for identifying a person based on their tongue is provided in which an image of a tongue of a person is compared to recorded details of tongues in a database. If a match is found, the person is identified. |
| US08355541B2 |
Texture sensing
A device for modeling a texture is described. An example device may include a plurality of image sensors, a data storage, and a processor operatively associated with the data storage and adapted to execute computer implemented instructions to capture a set of images of a surface with one or more of the plurality of image sensors, analyze the set of captured images to determine one or more surface variables, and convert the analyzed set of captured images into a surface texture type based on the one or more surface variables. A method for modeling a surface texture using a hand-held device is also described. |
| US08355537B2 |
Image processing apparatus and control method thereof
In an image included in a moving image, a specific area is registered as a reference area, and a specific hue range of the reference area is set as a first feature amount based on the distribution of hues of pixels in the reference area. When the occupation ratio of pixels having hues included in a second feature amount, obtained by expanding the hue range of the first feature amount in a surrounding area larger than the reference area, is smaller than a predetermined ratio, an area having a high degree of correlation is identified from an image using the second feature amount in the subsequent matching process. When the occupation ratio is equal to or larger than the predetermined ratio, an area having a high degree of correlation is identified from an image using the first feature amount in the subsequent matching process. |
| US08355533B2 |
Method for providing photographed image-related information to user, and mobile system therefor
System for providing a mobile user, object related information related to an object visible thereto, the system including a camera directable toward the object, a local interest points and semi global geometry (LIPSGG) extraction processor, and a remote LIPSGG identifier, the camera acquiring an image of at least a portion of the object, the LIPSGG extraction processor being coupled with the camera, the LIPSGG extraction processor extracting an LIPSGG model of the object from the image, remote LIPSGG identifier being coupled with the LIPSGG extraction processor via a network, the remote LIPSGG identifier receiving the LIPSGG model from the LIPSGG extraction processor, via the network, the remote LIPSGG identifier identifying the object according to the LIPSGG model, the remote LIPSGG identifier retrieving the object related information, the remote LIPSGG identifier providing the object related information to the mobile user operating the camera. |
| US08355531B2 |
Position and orientation measurement method and position and orientation measurement apparatus
Indices allocated or set on an object are detected from sensed images of frames, which are time-serially sensed by an image sensing device. In association with each index detected from the sensed image of the frame of interest, a detection condition from frames before the frame of interest is acquired. According to the acquired detection condition of the index, the reliability of this index is calculated. The position and orientation of the object or the image sensing device are calculated using at least information associated with the image coordinates of the detected indices and the reliabilities of the indices. |
| US08355530B2 |
Liveness detection method and apparatus of video image
Object feature points are tracked in a video image, and detected feature points are affine-transformed. Then, it is determined whether the video image is a real object using characteristics of the affine-transformed feature points. Therefore, liveness detection resistant to spoofing can be performed without requiring user intervention and additional hardware. |
| US08355524B2 |
Magnetic circuit
A magnetic circuit includes a cylindrical yoke member having an inner circumferential surface and a collar formed at one end thereof and turned back substantially at right angles, and a plurality of permanent magnet segments of a partially circular arc in cross section. Each of the permanent magnets has an outer surface attracted magnetically to the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical yoke member, and one end face attracted magnetically to the collar of the cylindrical yoke member. The magnetic circuit is applied to an actuator or a speaker. |
| US08355513B2 |
Convertible filter
Apparatus and method for implementing a convertible filter in differing ones of its delay and weighting elements are powered through different power conductors, thereby enabling the convertible filter to be dynamically configured to be operable as different types of digital filter through selective provision of power to differing ones of the power conductors. |
| US08355510B2 |
Reduced latency low frequency equalization system
A frequency equalization system is provided that substantially equalizes the room frequency responses generated by at least one loudspeaker within a listening area so that the frequency responses in the listening area are substantially constant and flat within a desired frequency range with minimum signal latency. The frequency equalization system may use multiple microphones to measure the audio signals of one or more subwoofers to achieve an improved bass response that is flat across the relevant frequency range. The system employs an algorithm that is a closed-form, non-iterative, mathematical solution and features short computation time with reduced delays. |
| US08355509B2 |
Parametric joint-coding of audio sources
The following coding scenario is addressed: A number of audio source signals need to be transmitted or stored for the purpose of mixing wave field synthesis, multi-channel surround, or stereo signals after decoding the source signals. The proposed technique offers significant coding gain when jointly coding the source signals, compared to separately coding them, even when no redundancy is present between the source signals. This is possible by considering statistical properties of the source signals, the properties of mixing techniques, and spatial hearing. The sum of the source signals is transmitted plus the statistical properties of the source signals which mostly determine the perceptually important spatial cues of the final mixed audio channels. Source signals are recovered at the receiver such that their statistical properties approximate the corresponding properties of the original source signals. Subjective evaluations indicate that high audio quality is achieved by the proposed scheme. |
| US08355507B1 |
Optical switching and delay systems and methods for optical encryption and/or optical decryption
An optical switching and delay system for optical encryption and/or optical decryption may comprise a switch bank, a set of optical delay lines, a combiner, and a processor. The switch bank may be configured to receive an optical signal in a first arrangement and route the optical signal to the set of optical delay lines according to a switching arrangement key. The set of optical delay lines may be configured to provide delays to the optical signal. The combiner may be configured to receive the optical signal with delays from the set of optical delay lines and combine the optical signal into a second arrangement. The processor may be configured to receive the switching arrangement key and control the switch bank according to the switching arrangement key. The switching arrangement key may comprise a set of instructions for routing the optical signal. |
| US08355505B2 |
Picture taking apparatus and method of controlling same
The camera includes a sensor for sensing the photographer's iris image and registering the image in advance. The iris image is recorded in the image of a subject by a digital MCU at a timing different from that at which the image of the subject is captured. The recording timing is that at which the camera power supply is turned off, that at which a recording medium is ejected from the camera or that at which the iris image to be recorded is changed to changed to the registered iris image of another photographer. The recording of the iris image is achieved by embedding it as a watermark or by appending it to metadata. |
| US08355503B2 |
Adding randomness internally to a wireless mobile communication device
A mobile communication device is provided with an integral transducer used to refresh a random data pool without connection to an external source of new random data. |
| US08355498B2 |
Communication line interface
A communication cable interface having a plurality of interface input jacks, each interface input jack capable of receiving an input connector of a service provider communication cable. The interface has an interface output jack for outputting a plurality of service provider signals onto another communication cable and into a distribution panel for distribution of signals to cabling that has been run throughout a residence. The signals are combined from the interface input jacks onto the interface output jack in a one-to-one relationship among terminals of the respective jacks. |
| US08355497B2 |
Provision of telecommunication services
An apparatus (100) suitable for providing telecommunication and data services in a telecommunications network to a plurality of subscribers, comprising a first distribution matrix (104), a crossover matrix (108) and a second distribution matrix (106). Said crossover matrix (108) is adapted to be connected to a main cable (130) and to a distribution cable (120). The apparatus further comprises a DSLAM unit (112) and crossover switching elements in said crossover matrix (108) and distribution switching elements in said distribution matrices (104, 106) are controlled from a remote location. The apparatus is adapted to add data services to a subscriber line by switching the subscriber line from the crossover matrix (108) to the first distribution matrix (104) and then via splitter (110) to the second distribution matrix (106) and back to the crossover matrix (108), wherein the splitter (110) is adapted to receive data signal from the DSLAM unit (112). |
| US08355494B2 |
System and method for handling toll free number telephone calls
A system and method for processing toll free telephone calls by a telecommunications service provider may include receiving, by the telecommunications service provider, a telephone call request for a telephone call being placed to a toll free telephone number from a telephone within a service area of the telecommunications service provider. The telecommunications service provider may determine that the toll free telephone number is one operated by the telecommunications service provider. The telephone call may be routed via a network of the telecommunications service provider to a telephone associated with the toll free telephone number to connect the telephone call. |
| US08355493B2 |
Next generation auto-dialer
A communications system for placing a plurality of calls with a common message to a plurality of subscribers via a public switched telephone network is provided. The communications system includes an end office switch disposed in an end office and in communication with the public switched telephone network. The communications system further includes an auto-dialer disposed in the end office and interconnected with the end office switch for placing the plurality of calls to the plurality of subscribers via the end office switch. |
| US08355492B1 |
Systems and methods for remote call redirection detection and treatment
Systems and methods in which call intelligence, such as may be deployed in communication with signaling systems utilized in controlling calls and telecommunication databases, is used to analyze information about a call in order to make a determination as to the likelihood or risk that call redirecting, such as call forwarding or remote call forwarding, will be invoked with respect to a call are shown. The call intelligence, upon a determination that an unacceptable risk that call redirecting will be invoked, preferably institutes appropriate call treatment or handling procedures, such as to block the call or to allow the call while invoking additional call treatment action. |
| US08355487B2 |
Multiple maximum durations defined for sessions over a communication network
Communication networks and associated methods and systems are disclosed that provide dynamically-configurable maximum durations for sessions over a communication network. For a session, the communication network determines the traditional static maximum duration and the calculated maximum duration (for prepaid sessions). In addition to these maximum durations, the communication network also determines a dynamic maximum duration for the session based on duration criteria. The communication network then selects one of the maximum durations based on the duration criteria, and monitors the session based on the selected maximum duration. By defining the duration criteria in a particular manner, a new dynamically-configured maximum duration for sessions may be used instead of relying only on the static maximum duration and the calculated maximum duration (for prepaid sessions). |
| US08355485B2 |
System and method for reporting telecommunications utilization and forecasting
A system and method for forecasting and reporting telecommunications usage by a telecommunications carrier. The method includes storing data indicative of telephone number usage of telephone numbers assigned to the telecommunications carrier in a first database. The first database may be queried to obtain a first set of data including telephone number information associated with the telecommunications carrier. A second database operating on a network may be queried to obtain a second set of data including telephone number information associated with the telecommunications carrier. Telephone number usage and forecast data may be generated from the first and second sets of data. |
| US08355484B2 |
Methods and apparatus for masking latency in text-to-speech systems
A technique for masking latency in an automatic dialog system is provided. A communication is received from a user at the automatic dialog system. The communication is processed in the automatic dialog system to provide a response. At least one transitional message is provided to the user from the automatic dialog system while processing the communication. A response is provided to the user from the automatic dialog system in accordance with the received communication from the user. |
| US08355483B2 |
Stroke diagnostic and intervention tool for emergency dispatch
A system and method to assist an emergency medical dispatcher in responding to emergency calls. A computer implemented emergency dispatch protocol includes interrogatories for a dispatcher to ask a caller to generate an appropriate response. A diagnostic tool is provided to diagnosis as to whether a patient has likely suffered a stroke. The diagnostic tool determines whether the patient has likely suffered a stroke based on caller-relayed information about the patient. The diagnostic tool can be launched automatically by the emergency dispatch protocol, or manually by a dispatcher. The diagnostic tool presents a user interface that provides, among other things, instructions, questions, and input fields. |
| US08355480B2 |
Methods and apparatus for synchronizing communication with a memory controller
A memory controller receives data and phase-providing signals from a memory device. The phase-providing signal is not a clock signal, but is used by the memory controller to phase align a local data-sampling signal with the incoming data. The memory controller samples the data signal with the data-sampling signal. The memory controller can perform maintenance operations to update the phase relationship between the phase-providing and data-sampling signals. |
| US08355478B1 |
Circuit for aligning clock to parallel data
Method and system for aligning a clock signal to parallel data are described. According to one embodiment, a clock shifting circuit shifts an incoming clock signal relative to an incoming data signal, and a data clocking circuit uses the shifted clock signal to reclock the incoming data signal. The clock shifting circuit may comprise a phase locked loop (PLL) coupled with multiple D flip flops (DFFs) connected in series. Divisional combinatorial logic may be disposed between DFFs in the series. Data clocking circuits may comprise one DFF to reclock each incoming data bit, a pair of DFFs to reclock each incoming data bit, or other circuits such as true-complement blocks to serve as local oscillators to mixers. Multiple shifted clock signals may be produced, such as those shifted 60, 90, 120, 180, 240, and 270 degrees relative to the incoming clock signal. |
| US08355476B2 |
Timestamping method and apparatus for precise network synchronization
A timestamping apparatus for network synchronization includes a recovery unit and a timestamping unit. The recovery unit extracts a recovery clock operating at an operation frequency of a transmission terminal from a sync signal received from the transmission terminal. The timestamping unit measures a timestamp value of an arrival time of the sync signal by measuring a phase difference between the recovery clock and a local clock of a receiving terminal. |
| US08355475B2 |
Diversity technique for wireless communications
A simple block coding arrangement is created with symbols transmitted over a plurality of transmit channels, in connection with coding that comprises only simple arithmetic operations, such as negation and conjugation. The diversity created by the transmitter utilizes space diversity and either time or frequency diversity. Space diversity is effected by redundantly transmitting over a plurality of antennas, time diversity is effected by redundantly transmitting at different times, and frequency diversity is effected by redundantly transmitting at different frequencies: |
| US08355474B2 |
Apparatus and method for interference cancellation in multiple-antenna communication system
An apparatus and method for interference cancellation in multiple-antenna communication system is disclosed. Accordingly, a receiver of a multiple-antenna communication system cancels interference by selecting either a multiple-symbol processing scheme or a single-symbol processing scheme depending on a signal type, thereby improving performance of the communication system. |
| US08355473B2 |
Methods and systems with simplified doppler spread classification
Certain embodiments of the present disclosure propose methods and systems for classifying the Doppler spread based on the output of the frequency-tracking loop (FTL) discriminator in WiMAX systems to improve the performance of the channel estimation. The Doppler spread may be classified as low, medium or high based on the statistics of the output of the discriminator in the fine-tracking mode. |
| US08355472B2 |
Frequency deviation error compensation in an MLSE receiver
A method is described to compensate for deviation error in a H-CPM sync or data burst received by a MLSE receiver in a communication device. The deviation error is estimated and matched filter coefficients are adjusted using the estimated deviation error. Metrics are determined for the current state using the adjusted matched filter coefficients. The state having the minimum metric is determined to be the most likely current state. The most likely previous state is similarly determined. The burst is reconstructed backward from the last state to the initial state. The metric is the squared magnitude of the difference between the channel estimate multiplied by the matched filter coefficient associated with one of the possible states and the current state. Timing and frequency errors are compensated for before estimation and correction of the deviation error. Pilot or sync symbols are used in estimating the deviation error. |
| US08355466B2 |
Cancelling non-linear power amplifier induced distortion from a received signal by moving incorrectly estimated constellation points
A method and system are provided for reducing power amplifier induced distortion. Power amplifier induced distortion is iteratively estimated and cancelled. When the difference between the current estimated power amplifier distortion and the previous estimated power amplifier distortion is less than a convergence threshold, particular M-QAM constellation points that are still in error are determined A M-QAM constellation point correction routine is provided that can move the incorrectly estimated M-QAM constellation points that are in error towards their expected quadrants by generating updated M-QAM constellation points. The remaining estimated non-linear power amplifier induced distortion in the received signal can then be estimated and canceled. |
| US08355457B2 |
Correction-calculation algorithm for estimation of the signal to noise ratio in high bit rate DMT modulation
A method for correcting signals received on a channel. Signals are received along the channel and it is determined how many of the signals are outside a predetermined range relative to a plurality of predetermined constellation points (i.e., erasures). Then, the noise power is estimated the noise power based on the number erasures, and the noise power is used to correct the signals. Specifically, the estimated noise power can be used to correct the signals which have been determined to be outside the predetermined range and which have been determined to contain a large error component (i.e., based on distance from the closest constellation point). A look up table can be used to determine the correction to be applied, and a separate look up table can be used for each tone. |
| US08355451B2 |
Channel equalizer and method of processing broadcast signal in DTV receiving system
A method of processing a digital broadcast signal includes Reed-Solomon (RS) encoding enhanced service data for each column of at least one RS frame payload and adding a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) checksum byte at a right end of each row of the at least one RS frame payload to build at least one RS frame and forming data groups including the enhanced service data in the built RS frame and a plurality of known data sequences. Forming the data groups includes mapping the RS encoded enhanced service data into each of the data groups and inserting a place holder for a non-systematic RS parity into each of the data groups. The method further includes deinterleaving data in each of the data groups including the enhanced service data and the place holder and multiplexing the enhanced service data in each of the formed data groups with main service data. |
| US08355448B2 |
Carriage of SEI messages in RTP payload format
A system and method of modifying error resiliency features by conveying temporal level 0 picture indices, such as tl0_pic_idx, within an SEI message instead of optionally including them in the NAL unit header is provided. In addition, a mechanism is provided for enabling repetition of any SEI messages in Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) packets. Enabling such repetition of any SEI messages facilitates detection of lost temporal level 0 pictures on the basis of any received packet. |
| US08355447B2 |
Video encoder with ring buffering of run-level pairs and methods for use therewith
A run-level coding module can be used in a video encoder that generates a processed video signal from a video input signal. The run-level coding module includes a run-level coder that generates a first plurality of run-level pairs from a first stream of quantized data. A first ring buffer buffers a first number of the first plurality of run-level pairs. The processed video signal is generated based on the buffered first number of run-level pairs. |
| US08355446B2 |
Temporal vector processing device and method for motion estimation
A temporal vector processing device includes a motion vector estimation device for performing a motion estimation on a first pixel to generate a first motion vector. A motion vector compensation device performs a motion vector compensation on the first pixel based on the first motion vector to obtain a second pixel. A buffer temporarily stores motion vectors of the pixels of the image. A motion vector determination device determines whether a second motion vector is stored in the buffer at a corresponding storage location of the second pixel. In determining that the second motion vector is stored in the buffer at the corresponding storage location of the second pixel, the corresponding storage location of the second pixel in the buffer is updated based on a determination mechanism, and otherwise the first motion vector is directly stored in the buffer at the corresponding storage location of the second pixel. |
| US08355445B2 |
Method and apparatus for processing an image
A method and apparatus for processing an image. The method and apparatus may each perform the operations of extracting motion information of an input signal calculating true motion information, which indicates whether an object of interest moves and an area where the object of interest moved, from the motion information, and deinterlacing the input signal by using the motion information with respect to an area that is determined to have true motion, such that the input signal is in a form before being compressed for transmission. The method and apparatus may further perform an operation of converting resolution of the deinterlaced input signal. In the converting of the resolution, the resolution may be converted by using the true motion information and the motion information. |
| US08355443B2 |
Recursive motion for motion detection deinterlacer
A recursive motion detector, comprises: a first frame motion detector receiving a next field and a first previous field; a second frame motion detector receiving a current field and a second previous field; and a third frame motion detector receiving a next field and a third previous field; wherein motion is detected when the first, second and third frame motion detectors combine to produce a frame motion result. |
| US08355442B2 |
Method and system for automatically turning off motion compensation when motion vectors are inaccurate
Certain aspects of a method and system for automatically turning off motion compensation when motion vectors are inaccurate may include determining quality of a plurality of generated motion vectors. The interpolation of a plurality of output pictures may be controlled based on the determined quality. A plurality of original input pictures may be interpolated when the determined quality of the plurality of generated motion vectors is below a threshold value. A plurality of motion compensated pictures may be interpolated when the determined quality of the plurality of generated motion vectors is above a threshold value. A reduced interpolation mode may be utilized if a generated cut-off value is less than an entry threshold value and/or above an exit threshold value. |
| US08355437B2 |
Video error resilience
The invention provides a method that reduces degradation in the perceived quality of images in a video sequence due to data loss. This effect is achieved by effectively delaying the insertion of an INTRA coded frame after a periodic INTRA frame refresh, INTRA update request, or scene cut. Frames associated with INTRA frame requests are not themselves coded in INTRA format, but instead a frame occurring later in the video sequence is chosen for coding in INTRA format. Preferably, the actual INTRA frame is selected such that it lies approximately mid-way between periodic INTRA requests. Frames occurring prior to the actual INTRA coded frame are encoded using temporal prediction, in reverse order, starting from the actual INTRA frame, while those frames occurring after the INTRA coded frame are encoded using temporal prediction in the forward direction. |
| US08355436B2 |
Method and apparatus for control of rate-distortion tradeoff by mode selection in video encoders
A Method And Apparatus For Control of Rate-Distortion Tradeoff by Mode Selection in Video Encoders is Disclosed. The system of the present invention first selects a distortion value D near a desired distortion value. Next, the system determines a quantizer value Q using the selected distortion value D. The system then calculates a Lagrange multiplier lambda using the quantizer value Q. Using the selected Lagrange multiplier lambda and quantizer value Q, the system begins encoding pixelblocks. If the system detects a potential buffer overflow, then the system will increase the Lagrange multiplier lambda. If the Lagrange multiplier lambda exceeds a maximum lambda threshold then the system will increase the quantizer value Q. If the system detects a potential buffer underflow, then the system will decrease the Lagrange multiplier lambda. If the Lagrange multiplier lambda falls below a minimum lambda threshold then the system will decrease the quantizer value Q. |
| US08355435B2 |
Transmission of packet data
A method for transmitting encoded video data includes determining an available space for transmitting an encoded video data in a last remaining information block of a video packet. The method further includes if the available space is sufficient, based on a comparison of the an estimated size of the encoded video data with the available space, then transmitting the encoded video data using the last remaining information block of the video packet. The method further includes if the available space is insufficient, changing a coding scheme associated with the encoded video data to transform the encoded video data into reduced size video data and transmitting the reduced size video data using the last remaining information block of the video packet. |
| US08355434B2 |
Digital video line-by-line dynamic rate adaptation
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for compressing video data for wireless transmission. The invention continually monitors the output of a video data encoder and maintains a running average for the data output rate over multiple lines of video data. The encoder compresses video data on a line-by-line basis. The invention also monitors the occupancy of the data buffer and as well as the performance of the wireless subsystem to determine real time available channel capacity. If the average data rate exceeds the available channel capacity, the invention increases data compression on subsequent lines of video data until the average data rate falls within the channel capacity. If the average data output rate is less than the channel capacity, the invention reduces data compression on subsequent lines of video data until the average data rate increases to match the channel capacity. |
| US08355430B1 |
Adaptive demodulation of a data communication
An embodiment of the invention pertains to demodulating a data communication into a sequence of symbols. In this embodiment, a first filter generates a first convolution between a first plurality of coefficients and the data communication. The data communication is a distortion of a first sequence of symbols selected from a plurality of symbols in a constellation. A first error circuit maps the first convolution to a second sequence of symbols. An adaption circuit adjusts the first coefficients until a convergence at a last one of the symbols in the second sequence. A second filter generates a second convolution between a second plurality of coefficients and the data communication. The second coefficients are initialized to the first coefficients from the adaption circuit. A second error circuit maps the second convolution to a third sequence of symbols. |
| US08355429B2 |
Jitter reduction device and method
In accordance with a representative embodiment, a method for reducing the effect of jitter in a sampled signal is described. The method comprises: obtaining a frequency-domain data set representing the sampled signal; obtaining an average sideband amplitude distribution generated by jitter around one or more principal frequencies of the signal; estimating the jitter phases for sidebands generated by jitter in the frequency-domain data set; subtracting a jitter contribution characterized by the average sideband amplitude distribution and the estimated jitter phases from the data record. |
| US08355423B2 |
VCSEL with non-circular mesa and current confinement aperture for higher order lateral mode emission
A vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) (100) has a substrate (104), on which are disposed first and second distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) (106, 112), each DBR comprising a stack of layers of alternating refractive index, an active layer (108) disposed between the DBRs, and an aperture layer (110) disposed either between the DBRs or within one of the DBRs. The aperture layer (110) has a border (116) having an internal boundary with a plurality of indented portions defining one or more apertures. Such a VCSEL is easily manufacturable and provides a narrow bandwidth output, as well as mitigating at least some of the problems of prior art VCSELs. Mesa (102) may be etched to be non-circular and subsequent selective oxidation of aperture layer (110) results in a non-circular current confinement aperture (114) promoting higher-order lateral modes (LP21). |
| US08355420B2 |
Light-emitting device and manufacturing method therof
Provides is a semiconductor light-emitting device. The semiconductor light-emitting device includes a first conduction-type cladding layer, an active layer, and a second conduction-type cladding layer, on a substrate. Portions of the substrate and the first conduction-type cladding layer are removed. According to the light-emitting device having the above-construction, damage to a grown epitaxial layer is reduced, and a size of an active layer increases, so that a light-emission efficiency increases. Even when a size of a light-emitting device is small, a short-circuit occurring between electrodes can be prevented. Further, brightness and reliability of the light-emitting device are improved. |
| US08355411B2 |
Method and arrangement for handover in a radio access network
An object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism for handling a handover in a more efficient way. The invention relates to a method in a mobility controller (180) in a radio access network for preparing a handover. The method comprises the following steps to be taken during data transmission between a mobile terminal (140) and a source base station (120), before the handover: Sending a request to a candidate base station (122), which request aims at measuring and reporting timing alignment to be used by the mobile terminal (140) when communicating with the destination base station (122) after the handover, if the candidate base station becomes the destination base station (122) after the handover; receiving a report from the destination base station (122) comprising said requested timing alignment; and when the destination base station (122) is selected among the at least one candidate base stations, sending a message to the mobile terminal (140) to use said timing alignment received from the destination base station (122) when communicating with the destination base station (122) after the handover. |
| US08355409B2 |
Powered device analysis and power control in a power-over-ethernet system
A system and method of analyzing a powered device (PD) in a Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) system are presented. The system includes an Ethernet interface having a physical layer (PRY) chip capable of providing a signal pulse in addition to physical layer 1 functions. The system further includes a pulse transformer, coupled to the PRY chip, capable of relaying the signal pulse provided by the PRY chip to the PD via the transmit line and a second PRY chip. The first PRY chip receives one or more return pulse signals from the PD, analyzes characteristics such as voltage and/or frequency of the return pulse signal(s), and determines attributes of the PD based on those characteristics. The attributes can include powered device validity and power classification. A method of supplying power to a PD is also presented. |
| US08355408B2 |
System with distributed analogue resources
The present disclosure relates to a system comprising at least a first and a second essentially analogue portion and an essentially digital portion, the analogue portions forming a part of a unidirectional circular network. First communication means is provided between the digital portion and the first analogue portion. Second communication means is provided between the first and second analogue portions. The first and second communication means are configurable for establishing communication between the digital portion and the second analogue portion. The first and second communication means are arranged to determine if a packet communicated over the first or second communication means is of interest for any of the analogue portions. |
| US08355404B2 |
Method and system for an asymmetric PHY in extended range ethernet LANs
Aspects of a method and system for an asymmetric physical (PHY) layer in extended reach Ethernet local area networks (LANs) are provided. Reducing the communication rate provided by an asymmetric Ethernet multi-rate PHY may extend the standard distance over twisted-pair cabling where customer premises equipment (CPE) may be located in the MTU. Downstream and upstream rates may be aggregated evenly or unevenly over each twisted-pair wire in the copper cabling. The asymmetric Ethernet multi-rate PHY may support signal-processing operations, such as echo cancellation and/or equalization, which may be applied to the reduced communication rate to enable range extension. The reduced communication rate may be achieved by reducing the symbol rate provided by the asymmetric Ethernet multi-rate PHY. Reducing the communication rate may also enable utilizing cabling with greater insertion loss than those used for a standard connection distance. |
| US08355400B2 |
System and method for transmitting information over a plurality of communication links
A system and method for transmitting information over a plurality of communication links. In one embodiment, the invention includes a method for transmitting information over a plurality of physical communication links. The method includes bonding the plurality of physical communication links to generate a logical link comprising the plurality of physical communication links. Control means are provided for controlling the logical link. The information is transmitted over the plurality of physical communication links belonging to the logical link under the control of the control means. |
| US08355397B2 |
Mobile body-mounted communication apparatus and address management apparatus
A mobile body-mounted communication device mounted in a mobile body such as a vehicle and making difficult the long-time tracking of the moving path of the mobile body. The mobile body-mounted communication device mounted in a mobile body and used for transmitting/receiving packet information is characterized by comprising a borrowing address acquiring section for acquiring lending addresses as borrowed addresses from an address management device managing lending addresses, a borrowing time information acquiring section for acquiring information representing predetermined times during which the borrowing addresses can be used from the address management device, and a transmitting section for transmitting packet information including information on a borrowing address out of the borrowing addresses and the mobile body during the predetermined borrowing times determined for the borrowing addresses. |
| US08355394B2 |
System and method for dynamic telephony resource allocation between premise and hosted facilities
A population of networked Application Gateway Centers or voice centers provides telephony resources. The telephony application for a call number is typically created by a user in XML (Extended Markup Language) with predefined telephony XML tags and deployed on a website. A voice center provides facility for retrieving the associated XML application from its website and processing the call accordingly. The individual voice centers are either operated at a hosted facility or at a customer's premise. Provisioning Management Servers help to allocate telephony resources among the voice centers. This is accomplished by suitably updating a voice center directory. In this way, the original capacity at a premise, predetermined by the hardware installed, can be adjusted up or down. If the premise is under capacity, it can be supplemented by that from a hosted facility. If the premise has surplus capacity, it can be reallocated for use by others outside the premise. |
| US08355388B2 |
System and method for initial access to relays
A user agent (UA) in a wireless communication system. The UA is configured to transmit a preamble on a random access channel (RACH) to an access node in order to attach to the access node. The UA transmits a message to the access node, wherein the message contains an identity of one or more relay nodes to which the UA can be transferred. The UA requests the access node to hand-over the UA to one relay node of the one or more relay nodes. |
| US08355385B2 |
Apparatus and method for managing resource to decrease inter-cell interference in a broadband wireless communication system
An apparatus and method for resource management in a wireless communication system are provided. The method includes allocating resources and transmit power to maximize Quality of Service (QoS) satisfaction of User Equipments (UEs) and a sum rate using long-term channel information of the UEs, determining a transmit power constraint per resource block using a power distribution of the resources and transmit power allocation results and control information of at least one neighboring BS, and allocating resource and transmit power to maximize the QoS satisfaction of the UEs and the sum rate using short-term channel information of the UEs under a condition of the transmit power constraint. |
| US08355381B2 |
Mobile terminal
When handover is performed from a first network to a second network, a terminal transmits a reply request message to a home agent through the first network after new configuration of a tunnel for transmitting and receiving a packet through the second network. If the terminal receives a reply message corresponding to the reply request message through the first network, the terminal detects that the configuration of the tunnel for transmitting and receiving the packet through the first network can be deleted, and deletes the configuration of the tunnel. |
| US08355380B1 |
Mesh power conservation
A method and apparatus for conserving power in a mesh point in which in response to the mesh point participating in mesh activity while in an awake mode, the mesh point continues in the awake mode for a first awake time period. In response to the first awake time period expiring without the mesh point participating in the mesh activity, the mesh point is operated in a low power mode for a first sleep time period. In response to the first sleep time period expiring, the mesh point is operated in the awake mode for a second awake time period to detect additional mesh activity. And in response to the second awake time period expiring without detecting the additional mesh activity, the mesh point is operated point in the low power mode for a second sleep time period. |
| US08355378B2 |
Hierarchical cell deployment
A hierarchical cell structure that may be applicable to any wireless communications network utilizing cells. One or more characteristics associated with a mobile device configured to communicate with the base stations via a wireless communications protocol are determined while the mobile device is communicating with a base station. The one or more characteristics are utilized to determine a subsequent base station to be the target of a handoff procedure. |
| US08355376B2 |
Broadcast scheme for a multi-carrier wireless network
A base station for use in an OFDM/OFDMA wireless network. The base station transmits system-specific broadcast control channel (BCCH) information in a first group of time-frequency slots and transmits cell-specific BCCH information in a second group of time-frequency slots. The time-frequency slots in the first group are orthogonal to the time-frequency slots in the second group. The base station transmits the system-specific BCCH information in the same time-frequency slots as a neighboring base station. The neighboring base station transmits cell-specific BCCH information in a third group of time-frequency slots that may or may not be orthogonal to the time-frequency slots in the second group. |
| US08355373B2 |
Methodology for base station assisted channel selection for interference handling in mobile networks
A mechanism is disclosed where a Base Station provides assistance to a mobile device in the channel-switch process because a mobile device might have to perform frequent channel switches to overcome adverse channel conditions due to interference in the 900 MHz ISM band. The Base Station broadcasts channel-specific information that will be used by all mobile devices to accurately select prospective channels for future channel-switches, thereby cutting down the latency that is experienced during an actual switch. |
| US08355372B2 |
Transmission mode and rate selection for a wireless communication system
To select a transmission mode to use for a data transmission via a MIMO channel from station A to station B, station A obtains channel information used for spatial processing and determines the age of this information. Station A selects one of multiple transmission modes based on the age of the channel information and possibly other information (e.g., the fading characteristic of the MIMO channel). To select rate(s) to use for the data transmission, station A obtains channel state information (CSI) indicative of the received signal quality for the MIMO channel, e.g., received SNRs or “initial” rates. Station A determines the age of the CSI and selects one or more “final” rates based on the CSI, the age of the CSI, the selected transmission mode, and possibly other information. Station A processes data in accordance with the selected transmission mode and final rate(s) and transmits the processed data to station B. |
| US08355371B2 |
Wireless communication device and wireless communication system
A wireless communication device of the present invention receives a signal on a channel that another wireless communication device allocates to the wireless communication device from a plurality of channels. The wireless communication device includes: an update channel selector that selects a plurality of request channels that are candidates to be allocated to the wireless communication device from the channels, calculates a difference between a group of the request channels and a group of predetermined channels, and generates difference information indicative of the difference; and a multiplexer that multiplexes the difference information to a signal to be transmitted to the other wireless communication device. |
| US08355368B2 |
Method and system for automatic selection of detour paths in a wireless mesh network
Method of detour path determination for data packets re-routing in a mesh network comprising a plurality of N nodes, arranged according to a network topology, each node has a K-hops neighborhood knowledge of the network topology, with 1≦K |
| US08355367B2 |
Method and apparatus for transmitting/receiving a reference signal in a wireless communication system
A method and apparatus for transmitting/receiving reference signals in Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) systems includes determining whether a dedicated reference signal is detected in a current subframe; estimating, if a dedicated reference signal is detected in the current subframe, a data channel using the dedicated reference signal to receive data; and estimating, if no dedicated reference signal is detected in the current subframe, a data channel using a common reference signal detected in the current subframe to receive data. The transmission scheme uses a DeModulation Reference Signal (DM-RS) for channel response estimation. To secure backward compatibility of the LTE-A system, a Common Reference Signal is transmitted in normal subframes. |
| US08355365B2 |
Hybrid fiber twisted pair local loop network service architecture
A new architecture capable of utilizing the existing twisted pair interface between customer premises equipment and an associated serving local switching office is used to provide a vast array of new services to customers. Using an intelligent services director (ISD) at the customer services equipment as an interface for the equipment to an existing twisted cable pair and a facilities management platform (FMP) at the serving local switching office as an interface to various networks and service opportunities, new services such as simultaneous, multiple calls (voice analog or digital), facsimile, Internet traffic and other data can be transmitted and received over the twisted cable pair by using digital subscriber loop transmission schemes. The new services include but are not limited to videophone, utility meter reading and monitoring, broadcasting and multicasting. The architecture provides for fault-tolerant, transparent interaction of components and services and supports a variety of standards for each level of the open systems interconnection layers and layers of TCP/IP. The FMP connects electronically or optically to the public switched telephone network, Internet backbone, a private Intranet as well as other possible network connections. |
| US08355364B1 |
Systems and methods for using topology to determine whether to grant an access request from an access terminal
The present invention provides a method and system for determining whether to accept an access request from an AT. In an embodiment of the invention, a base station receives an access request from an AT that is located within a sector served by the base station. In response to receiving the access request, the base station obtains the physical location of the AT within the sector. The base station then determines whether to accept the access request based on the physical location of the AT within the sector. |
| US08355363B2 |
Intelligent association of nodes with PAN coordinator
According to one implementation of the present invention, a business logic application may function as a package tracking application to manage access to wireless access points in different WLANs along the route. A sensor node is initialized and configured with one or more connection parameter sets allowing it to associate with a given wireless network implemented by one or more access points. Before the sensor node disassociates with the wireless access point, the wireless access point transmits a new connection parameter set to the sensor node. This new connection parameter set may include a network ID for another wireless network. In one implementation, the sensor node re-initializes itself using the new connection parameter set information. This process may continue until the sensor node arrives at its final destination. |
| US08355359B2 |
Secondary payload interface
A secondary payload interface for payload communications using a primary payload communications channel is provided. The secondary payload interface may include a plurality of input/output couplers which may connect the primary payload communications channel to a secondary payload. The plurality of input/output couplers may establish an isolated secondary payload communications channel within the primary payload communications channel. The secondary payload interface may be designed such that control and telemetry interactions with the operators of the communications satellite are limited. |
| US08355357B2 |
Apparatus and method for admission control for service flow in broadband wireless access communication system using multi-hop relay scheme
An apparatus and method for an admission control for a service flow in a broadband wireless access communication system using a multi-hop relay scheme is provided. In a method for operating a relay station in a broadband wireless communication system using a multi-hope relay scheme, a request message requesting an admission control decision for a service flow is received from an upper node. It is determined whether a requested QoS parameter set included in the request message is supportable. If the requested QoS parameter set is supportable, the request message is forwarded to a subordinate relay station corresponding to a next hop in a data transmission path. If the requested QoS parameter set is unsupportable, a response message indicating the unsupportability of the requested QoS parameter set is transmitted to a base station. |
| US08355355B2 |
Method and apparatus for multicast group management
It provides a method for multicast group management. The apparatus determines a request for joining a multicast service derived during establishment of a connection for carrying multicast service between a first device and a second device, and it sends a message indicative of joining said multicast service based on the request for joining if the multicast service is not available in said network device. As a consequence, it reduces the messages exchanged in unreliable wireless connection so as to reduce the probability of service interruption. |
| US08355354B2 |
Local and wide-area transmissions in a wireless broadcast network
To broadcast different types of transmission having different tiers of coverage in a wireless broadcast network, each base station processes data for a wide-area transmission in accordance with a first mode (or coding and modulation scheme) to generate data symbols for the wide-area transmission and processes data for a local transmission in accordance with a second mode to generate data symbols for the local transmission. The first and second modes are selected based on the desired coverage for wide-area and local transmissions, respectively. The base station also generates pilots and overhead information for local and wide-area transmissions. The data, pilots, and overhead information for local and wide-area transmissions are multiplexed onto their transmission spans, which may be different sets of frequency subbands, different time segments, or different groups of subbands in different time segments. More than two different types of transmission may also be multiplexed and broadcast. |
| US08355352B2 |
Access point agitation
A technique for controlling the amount of power consumed by access points (APs) of a wireless network involves implementing power-saving APs (PSAPs). It would be desirable for the PSAPs to be in sleep mode during periods of low activity, and at full power during periods of high activity. To that end, a PSAP agitation (PSAPA) engine can be implemented to agitate PSAPs in response to increases in wireless activity, and put PSAPs to sleep in response to decreases in wireless activity. |
| US08355351B2 |
Method, apparatus and system for forming time division duplex multi-input multi-output downlink beams
A method, an apparatus, and a system for forming Time Division Duplex (TDD) Multi-Input Multi-Output (MIMO) downlink beams are disclosed herein. The method includes: generating a transmitting beam of a first data stream according to a Maximum Rate Transmission (MRT) criterion; and generating transmitting beams of other data streams except the first data stream, wherein the transmitting beams of other data streams are confined in a null space of the transmitting beam of the first data stream. Through the embodiments of the present invention, the Base Station obtains precise Partial Channel State Information by using only reciprocity without requiring feedback information, and thus the calculation is simplified and the rate of data streams is improved. |
| US08355337B2 |
Network based service profile management with user preference, adaptive policy, network neutrality, and user privacy
Various embodiments are disclosed for a services policy communication system and method. In some embodiments, a network device implements a service profile for assisting control of a communications device use of a service on a network, in which the service profile includes service policy settings for the communications device; monitors use of the service by the communications device based on the service profile; and modifies a service policy setting to achieve a service usage goal. |
| US08355332B2 |
Ethernet service testing and verification
A method of testing a service connection within a container in an Ethernet network comprises coupling a test device to a port on a node in a path that includes the container, switching traffic of the service connection to the port, measuring selected parameters of the switched traffic in the test device, and using the measured parameters to evaluate the performance of the service connection. In one implementation, the switching uses service and container identifications, and switching the traffic to the test device is based on the service and container identifications. The test device may be capable of inserting traffic within the service connection, and the container may be a tunnel. |
| US08355331B2 |
Method for transmitting PDCP status report
A method of transmitting PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol) status reports, is performed by a mobile terminal by receiving, from an upper layer, a request for PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol) re-establishment; detecting whether there are any out-of-sequence PDCP SDUs (service data units) stored; and if there is at least one out-of-sequence PDCP SDU stored, allocating a bitmap field of length in bits equal to the number of PDCP SNs from and not including the first out-of-sequence PDCP SDU up to and including a last out-of-sequence PDCP SDU. |
| US08355329B2 |
Packet relay device
The packet relay device includes a clock generation portion adapted to generate a clock signal of prescribed frequency as a standard for operation of the packet relay device; a timer portion adapted to count up a timer value over a first number of clock cycles on the basis of the clock signal; a relay control portion adapted relay received packets while limiting to a prescribed amount of packets the amount of packets forwardable per a predetermined increment of the timer value; and a power control portion adapted to reduce the frequency of the clock signal to 1/n in order to reduce power consumption by the packet relay device. If the frequency of the clock signal has been reduced to 1/n by the power control portion, the timer portion counts up the timer value over a number of clock cycles equivalent to 1/n the aforementioned number of clock cycles. |
| US08355326B2 |
CPU connection circuit, data processing apparatus, arithmetic processing device, portable communication terminal using these modules and data transfer method
There are provided a CPU connection circuit and a method wherein the CPU connection circuit is a circuit to be employed by two CPUs by alternately conducting a changeover between two buffers disposed therebetween to prevent an event that data processing cannot be fully executed by the CPU on the receiving side. There is included a memory controller 303 which monitors whether or not an amount of data stored by a CCPU 1 in either one of buffers 301 and 302 reaches a predetermined threshold value; when the amount of data stored by the CCPU 1 in the buffer 301, 302 reaches the threshold value, the memory controller 303 requests an ACPU 2 to acquire the data stored in the buffer and changes the storage destination of data from the CCPU to the other one of the buffers; the threshold value is a value more than a unit quantity of data which the CCPU 1 sends to the buffer 301, 302. |
| US08355322B2 |
Data communication systems, radio base stations, and data communication methods
A radio base station transmits a communication channel establishment rejection signal that contains information that denotes that a delay transmission that transmits the data later is to be executed to the mobile station and registers an identifier of the mobile station to a list if the communication channel establishment request signal contains the information that denotes that the data is not instantaneous data and the radio resource does not have free space equal to or greater than the threshold, and transmits a call signal that contains information that denotes that execution of the delay transmission is to be started to a mobile station whose identifier has been registered to the list if the radio resource has free space equal to or greater than the threshold. |
| US08355321B2 |
System and method for avoiding stall using timer for high-speed downlink packet access system
At least one timer is used to prevent a stall condition. If a timer is not active, the timer is started for a data block that is correctly received. The data block has a sequence number higher than a sequence number of another data block that was first expected to be received. When the timer is stopped or expires, all correctly received data blocks among data blocks up to and including a data block having a sequence number that is immediately before the sequence number of the data block for which the timer was started is delivered to a higher layer. Further, all correctly received data blocks up to a first missing data block, including the data block for which the timer was started, is delivered to the higher layer. |
| US08355320B1 |
Systems and methods for providing presence information
Systems and methods for communicating presence information are provided. A communication station establishes a persistent connection with a proxy server and a temporary connection with a presence server. The temporary connection is established independent of the proxy server. The communication station provides and obtains presence information directly from the presence server over the temporary connection. After providing or obtaining information, the communication station terminates the temporary connection, while still maintaining the persistent connection with the proxy server. |
| US08355319B2 |
Multicast dual join for ring network topologies
A network node includes a primary incoming interface, a secondary incoming interface and a data flow control unit. The primary incoming interface is operable to receive traffic associated with a particular source and multicast group. The secondary incoming interface is operable to serve as a backup interface if the primary incoming interface or a transmission path coupled to the primary incoming interface is inoperative. The data flow control unit is operable to determine whether the network node is part of a ring topology and if so, forward traffic received on the primary incoming interface associated with the source and multicast group to both a host which joined the multicast group and the secondary incoming interface and forward traffic received on the secondary incoming interface associated with the source and multicast group to the primary incoming interface. |
| US08355316B1 |
End-to-end network monitoring
A system, comprising a computer having a processor and a memory and an application stored in the memory that, when executed by the processor, identifies a plurality of routers traversed by data packets sent from a source customer edge router to a destination customer edge router, determines a performance of each of the identified routers with reference to their transport of the data packets sent from the source customer edge router sent to the destination customer edge router, identifies a configuration of the source customer edge router, determines a performance of the source customer edge router, identifies a configuration of the destination customer edge router, determines a performance of the destination customer edge router, analyzes the performance of each of the identified routers, the performance of the source customer edge router, the performance of the destination customer edge router, the configuration of the source customer edge router, and the configuration of the destination customer edge router, and based on the analysis, one of diagnoses a source of a communication problem associated with data packets sent from the source customer edge router to the destination customer edge router and recommends a change in the configuration of at least one of the source customer edge router and the destination customer edge router. |
| US08355312B2 |
Information recording medium, method and apparatus for recording and reproducing information
An information recording medium includes a lead-in area and a data area for storing contents information. The lead-in area includes a first lead-in information area and a second lead-in information area. The first lead-in information area corresponds to a first playback mode. The second lead-in information area corresponds to a second playback mode different from the first playback mode. The first lead-in information area has a first depth and is designed for storing lead-in information related to the contents information stored in the data area. The second lead-in information area includes pre-pits having a second depth greater than the first depth. The pre-pits represent predetermined information, such as information of copyright protection, related to the contents information stored in the data area. |
| US08355309B2 |
Optical pickup device
An optical pickup device includes a first optical system and a second optical system. The first optical system and the second optical system each include a mirror member that reflects light from a light source to change a direction of propagation of the light to a direction substantially perpendicular to the information storage surface of an optical disc. The first optical system and the second optical system are arranged such that a direction in which light from a first light source enters a first mirror member is substantially perpendicular to a direction in which light from a second light source enters a second mirror member. |
| US08355304B2 |
Optical information recording medium, reproducing device for optical information recording medium, control method and control program for the reproducing device, and medium with the control program recorded therein
A super-resolution medium (1) has a medium identification information for specifying a type of medium recorded in a medium information area (3) by use of pre-pits having a length not shorter than a length of a resolution limit of an optical system in a reproducing device (10). |
| US08355302B1 |
Offset loop for wobble
Aspects of the disclosure can provide a method for generating an offset correction signal with a reduced circuit footprint. The method can include converting samples of a wobble signal into digital values having a reduced number of bits, integrating the digital values having the reduced number of bits over a specified time interval to determine an error signal, and generating an offset correction signal based on the determined error signal. |
| US08355301B2 |
Disc transportation mechanism and disk processing device
A disc transportation mechanism for a disc processing device holds and transports discs by gripping the center hole of the disc. The disc transportation mechanism has a hole position detector and a position adjustment mechanism. The hole position detector detects the position of the center hole in a disc discharged to a disc transfer position from a label printer. The position adjustment mechanism can change the position of the gripping mechanism on the arm. After moving the arm to the disc transfer position, the transportation mechanism control unit controls the arm moving mechanism and/or position adjustment mechanism based on the detected position of the center hole to move the gripping mechanism to a picking position where it can grip the disc. The gripping mechanism can therefore correctly grip the disc even when the disc is not correctly discharged to the disc transfer position, and label damage can therefore be prevented. |
| US08355300B2 |
Thermally-assisted recording (TAR) patterned-media disk drive with optical detection of write synchronization and servo fields
A thermally-assisted recording (TAR) bit-patterned-media (BPM) magnetic recording disk drive uses optical detection of synchronization fields for write synchronization and optical detection of servo sectors for read/write head positioning. The synchronization fields and servo sectors extend generally radially across the data tracks and are patterned into discrete nondata blocks separated by gaps in the along-the-track direction. A near-field transducer (NFT) directs laser radiation to the disk and generates a power absorption profile on the disk that has a characteristic along-the-track spot size less than the along-the-track length of the gaps between the nondata blocks in the synchronization fields and servo sectors. A sensor provides an output signal in response to radiation from the nondata blocks and gaps in the synchronization fields and servo sectors as the disk rotates to control the timing of the magnetic write field applied to the data islands and to control the positioning of the read/write head on the data tracks. |
| US08355297B2 |
Watch assembly having a plurality of time-coordinated belts
A watch for providing a digital time display comprises a movement mechanism disposed in a case that includes a number of continuous belts. The belts each have a numerical indicia consistent with hours, minutes and optionally second. The belts mounted over opposed drums, and the drums are rotated through gear engagement motors to move the belts. The arrangement of belts and drums are mounted on a frame separate from the case. The motors are operated to move the belts to cause the numerical indicia of the combined belts to register with one or more windows visible through a transparent cover to provide a time display. The belts may be oriented to overlap one another. The watch includes a microcontroller for controlling the operation of the motors, an optical sensor to determining the position of the belts, and a wirelessly rechargeable battery pack for powering the motors. |
| US08355292B2 |
Volatile memory elements with soft error upset immunity
Memory elements are provided that exhibit immunity to soft error upset events when subjected to high-energy atomic particle strikes. The memory elements may each have ten transistors. To overcome difficulties in writing data into the memory elements, signal strengths for one or more of the signals provided to the array may be adjusted. There may be two positive power supply voltages that are used in powering each memory element. One of the power supply voltages may be temporarily lowered relative to the other power supply voltage to enhance write margin during data loading operations. Other signal strengths that may be adjusted in this way include other power supply signals, data signal levels, address and clear signal magnitudes, and ground signal strengths. Adjustable power supply circuitry and data read-write control circuitry may be used in making these signal strength adjustments. |
| US08355289B2 |
Memory device, semiconductor memory device and control method thereof
A semiconductor memory device comprises a memory cell array, first and second bit lines, first and second amplifiers, and a sense amplifier control circuit. An amplifying element in the first sense amplifier amplifiers the signal of the first bit line and converts it into an output current. The second bit line is selectively connected to the first bit line via the first sense amplifier. A signal voltage decision unit in the second sense amplifier determines the signal level of the second bit line being supplied with the output current. The sense amplifier control circuit controls connection between the amplifying element and the unit in accordance with a determination timing, which switches the above connection from a connected state to a disconnected state at a first timing in a normal operation and switches in the same manner at a delayed second timing in a refresh operation. |
| US08355287B2 |
Method and apparatus for operation of a NAND-like dual charge retaining transistor NOR flash memory device
A method and apparatus for operation for the NAND-like dual charge retaining transistor NOR flash memory cells begins by erasing, verifying over-erasing the threshold voltage level of the erased charge retaining transistors to an erased threshold voltage level. Then method progresses by programming one of two charge retaining transistors of the NAND-like dual charge retaining transistor NOR flash memory cells to a first programmed threshold voltage level, and programming the other of the two charge retaining transistors of the NAND-like dual charge retaining transistor NOR flash memory cells to the first programmed threshold voltage level or to a second programmed threshold voltage level. Combinations of the erased threshold voltage level and the first and second programmed threshold voltage levels determine an internal data state of the NAND-like dual charge retaining transistor NOR flash memory cells which are then decoded to ascertain the external data logical state. |
| US08355285B2 |
Method and system for adaptively finding reference voltages for reading data from a MLC flash memory
A method and system for adaptively finding reference voltages for reading data from a multi-level cell (MLC) flash memory is disclosed. According to one embodiment, a first total number of cells of the flash memory above a first threshold voltage in a shifted threshold voltage distribution is provided. Search to find a second threshold voltage such that a second total number of the cells above the second threshold voltage is approximate to the first total number. An initial reference voltage or voltages of the initial threshold voltage distribution are shifted with an amount approximate to a voltage difference between the second threshold voltage and the first threshold voltage, thereby resulting in a new reference voltage or voltages for reading the data from the MLC flash memory. |
| US08355284B2 |
Analog interface for a flash memory die
A flash disk controller includes an input operable to receive analog signals from a flash memory die. The flash memory die includes multiple flash memory cells. The analog signals represent data values stored in the flash memory cells. An analog-to-digital conversion module is coupled to the input to convert received analog signals into digital data. A control module selects memory cells from which the input receives analog signals. |
| US08355283B2 |
Sensing of memory cells in NAND flash
An analog voltage NAND architecture non-volatile memory data read/verify process and circuits is described that senses analog voltages in non-volatile cells utilizing source follower voltage sensing. In a source follower sensing or read operation the programmed threshold voltage of a cell in a NAND string of a NAND architecture Flash memory array is read by applying an elevated voltage to the source line, an elevated pass voltage (Vpass) is placed on the gates of the unselected cells of the string to place them in a pass through mode of operation, and a read gate voltage (Vg) is applied to the gate of the selected cell. The selected memory cell operates as a source follower to set a voltage on the coupled bit line at the read gate voltage minus the threshold voltage of the cell (Vg−Vt), allowing the voltage of the cell to be directly sensed or sampled. |
| US08355282B2 |
Logic-based multiple time programming memory cell
A non-volatile memory system includes one or more non-volatile memory cells. Each non-volatile memory cell provides a floating gate, a coupling device, a first floating gate transistor, and a second floating gate transistor. The coupling device is located in a first conductivity region. The first floating gate transistor is located in a second conductivity region, and supplies read current sensed during a read operation. The second floating gate transistor is located in a third conductivity region. Such non-volatile memory cell further provides two transistors for injecting negative charge into the floating gate during a programming operation, and removing negative charge from the second floating gate transistor during an erase operation. The floating gate is shared by the first floating gate transistor, the coupling device, and the second floating gate transistor, and extends over active regions of the first floating gate transistor, the coupling device and the second floating gate transistor. |
| US08355281B2 |
Flash memory having multi-level architecture
Subject matter disclosed herein relates to a multi-level flash memory and a process flow to form same. |
| US08355280B2 |
Data storage system having multi-bit memory device and operating method thereof
A data storage device includes a non-volatile memory device which includes a memory cell array; and a memory controller which includes a buffer memory and which controls the non-volatile memory device. The operating method of the data storage device includes storing data in the buffer memory according to an external request, and determining whether the data stored in the buffer memory is data accompanying a buffer program operation of the memory cell array. When the data stored in the buffer memory is data accompanying the buffer program operation, the method further includes determining whether a main program operation on the memory cell array is required, and when a main program operation on the memory cell array is required, determining a program pattern of the main program operation on the memory cell array. The method further includes issuing a set of commands for the main program operation on the memory cell array to the multi-bit memory device based on the determined program pattern. |
| US08355277B2 |
Biasing circuit and technique for SRAM data retention
A SRAM system includes: a SRAM cell array coupled between high and low supply nodes, a difference therebetween defining a data retention voltage (VDR) for a low power data retention mode; a main power switch coupling one of high and low supply nodes to a main power supply and disconnecting the one high and low supply nodes from the main power supply during the low power data retention mode; a monitor cell including a SRAM cell preloaded with a data bit and configured for data destruction responsive to a reduction in VDR before data destruction occurs in the SRAM cell array; and a clamping power switch responsive to data destruction in the monitor cell to couple the one of the high and low supply nodes to the main power supply. |
| US08355276B2 |
Controlling voltage levels applied to access devices when accessing storage cells in a memory
A semiconductor memory storage device is disclosed. This memory device has a plurality of storage cells for storing data; a plurality of access devices for allowing access to the corresponding plurality of storage cells, the plurality of access devices being arranged in at least two groups, each of the at least two groups being controlled by an access control line; access control circuitry for controlling a voltage level supplied to a selected one of at least two of the access control lines during access to the storage cell, the access control circuitry comprising a capacitor and switching circuitry; and control circuitry responsive to a data access request to access a selected storage cell to: connect a selected one of the access control lines to a voltage level to allow access via one of the access devices to the selected storage cell; and to control the switching circuitry of the access control circuitry to connect the capacitor of the access control circuitry to the selected access control line and thereby change the voltage level supplied to the selected access control line. |
| US08355269B1 |
Pushed-rule bit cells with new functionality
A memory bit cell suitable for use in semiconductor integrated circuits that utilizes pushed design rules and layout geometries optimized by a semiconductor foundry for standard memory bit cells and edge-cell structures that provides a different functionality from that provided by the foundry standard bit cell. This different functionality is achieved by interconnecting the elements of one or a plurality of standard foundry bit cells and edge cells to implement a different circuit with different operation from the original bit cells and edge cells. The positioning and interconnection of the standard bit cells and edge cells are implemented in a manner so as to maintain the same periodic geometric proximity effects to the maximum degree possible. A preferred embodiment of this invention is to interconnect two standard foundry six-transistor SRAM bit cells and two edge cells to create a Ternary Content Addressable Memory bit cell with mask and compare functionality in addition to bit storage functionality. |
| US08355267B2 |
Method of detection for output short circuit of a flyback power supply
Disclosed are methods of detection for output short circuit of a flyback power supply, which detect the current sense signal provided by a current sense resistor serially connected to a power switch of the flyback power supply, and thus quickly identify whether or not the flyback power supply suffers output short circuit. |
| US08355266B2 |
Apparatus and method for sensing of isolated output
A controller for use in a power converter includes a control circuit to be coupled to a current controller coupled to an energy transfer element. A first, second or third current is enabled in the current controller in response to the control circuit. The first current is substantially zero, the second current is greater than the third current, and the third current is greater than the first current. The third current only partially discharges a capacitance coupled to a terminal coupled between the energy transfer element and the current controller. A first feedback circuit coupled to the control circuit generates a first feedback signal after a full discharge pulse of current through the current controller. A second feedback circuit coupled to the control circuit generates a second feedback signal after a partial discharge pulse of current through the current controller. |
| US08355265B2 |
DC-to-DC power conversion
Systems and methods for managing interaction between inverter-based DC and other power systems are disclosed. In one embodiment, a 3-phase isolation transformer is fluxed to create a 3-phase rotating field from the output of a source inverter. An inductive filter turns that output into three sine waves. A secondary inverter regenerates the system, sometimes after the isolation transformer is fluxed, and by advancing or retarding the secondary inverter's phase, current (and, thus, the DC voltage and power direction) is controlled. In another embodiment, an inverter is supplied by a DC source. The inverter is controlled to match its output voltage, current, and phase to a live AC grid, then the two are connected. The inverter frequency is then driven to advance the phase of the inverter in relation to the grid. Alternatively, the inverter voltage is then driven at a level greater than that of the grid. |
| US08355260B2 |
Portable terminal
A portable terminal includes a main body unit having an opening at a side thereof, a port cover rotatably formed on the side of the main body unit to open or close the opening, and a port assembly formed within the main body unit configured to be projected out of the opening when the port cover opens the opening. |
| US08355258B2 |
Support method and apparatus for printed circuit board
An orthogonal array is formed by performing electromagnetic field analysis only once and determining a range by using the mount position and type of a capacitor and the number of capacitors as parameters to perform circuit analysis a small number of times. An estimation equation is formed by using as an index a result of the absolute value of the calculated power source impedance, and a capacitor is disposed to reduce noises by using the estimation equation. |
| US08355251B2 |
Remote exhaust for rack systems
Embodiments of remote exhaust for dissipating heat in computers or other electronic devices are disclosed. An exemplary method may include coupling branch lines to each of a plurality of fan-less chassis in the rack system. The method may also include coupling the branch lines to at least one main line. The method may also include connecting the main line to at least one exhaust pump to remove heat generated in each of the plurality of fan-less chassis to a physically remote environment. |
| US08355248B2 |
Apparatus and system for improved thermal radiation for a mobile computing device and case
Embodiments of an apparatus and system are described for a thermally radiating mobile computing device and case. An apparatus may comprise, for example, a thermally radiating case for a mobile computing device having a first portion arranged to receive the mobile computing device, a thermally conductive coupling arranged to removably couple the case to one or more internal heat generating components of the mobile computing device, and a second portion thermally coupled to the first portion and the thermally conductive coupling, the second portion comprising one or more thermally conductive materials arranged to radiate thermal energy away from the one or more heat generating components. Other embodiments are described and claimed. |
| US08355245B2 |
Display device
A display device includes a display part, a base part including a neck part projecting from a surface thereof to support the display part, a connecting bracket having a first end formed to be insertable into the neck part, and a guide bracket disposed in the display part to guide a second end of the connecting bracket to be connectable with the display part. Accordingly, the display device can have a slim external appearance and a base part with a simple structure. |
| US08355241B2 |
Laminated electronic component
A laminated electronic component includes a component body including a plurality of laminated functional layers, a plurality of internal conductors provided inside the component body, and an external terminal electrode that is electrically connected to an internal conductor via an exposed portion of the internal conductor and that is defined by a direct plating film. An average grain diameter of metal grains defining the plating film is about 0.1 μm or less. |
| US08355238B2 |
Ion generator and heat dissipation device using the same
An ion generator to generate ion flow to ventilate heat comprises an emitter, a receiver and a power supply. The emitter comprises a needle electrode having one needle shaped tip configured as a discharging portion. The receiver comprises a plurality of flow channels for airflow and at least one receiving portion. The at least one receiving portion comprises a line edge arranged around a concave spherical surface, and the discharging portion is at a substantial center of the concave spherical surface. The power supply provides a voltage potential difference between the discharging portion of the emitter and the receiving portions of the receiver. |
| US08355237B2 |
Ion generator
A maintenance operation of an ion generator can be easily performed. A device main body has an inner case and an outer case, and the inner case having a support block and an air supply pipe is inserted into the outer case. An opposite electrode is detachably mounted in the support block from a front side of the device main body, and a discharge needle unit is detachably mounted from a reversed direction thereto. The discharge needle unit has a holder, in which the discharge electrode is provided, and a sleeve, which forms an ion generating space between the opposite electrode and the sleeve, is detachably mounted in the holder. Air supplied from an outside is supplied to the ion generating space via a flow path in the air supply pipe. |
| US08355235B2 |
Driving apparatus and control method for electric actuator
A plurality of reference signals output from a controller which computes an operation amount of an electric actuator is subjected to the logical operation, and the power supply to a drive circuit for the electric actuator is shut off based on an output by the logical operation. |
| US08355230B2 |
Extended instantaneous protection
Certain exemplary embodiments can comprise an apparatus comprising: a current transformer adapted to provide a signal correlated to an amperage of an alternating current of a first phase of an electric circuit, the alternating current flowing through a circuit breaker; and a microprocessor adapted to receive the signal from said current transformer, and to cause the circuit breaker to trip responsive to the signal exceeding a predetermined threshold. |
| US08355228B2 |
Semiconductor integrated circuit having protection circuit capable of protecting against ESD and EOS
A semiconductor integrated circuit has an internal circuit having an input terminal connected to a connection terminal, a protection circuit that discharges an over-voltage supplied to the connection terminal to a power line. The protection circuit includes a first discharge circuit connected to the connection terminal, a second discharge circuit connected to the connection terminal and discharges the over-voltage to the power line, and an over-voltage detect circuit that detects a discharge current flowing through the second discharge circuit and generates an over-voltage detect signal when the discharge current is detected. The first discharge circuit is disabled to discharge the over-voltage when the over-voltage detect signal is supplied. |
| US08355227B2 |
Electrostatic discharge circuitry with damping resistor
An apparatus formed on a substrate includes a pad, electrostatic discharge circuitry, and a metal damping resistor connected between the pad and the electrostatic discharge circuitry. |
| US08355220B2 |
Upstream spoiler with integrated crash stop
Approaches for a single part that comprises an upstream spoiler and a crash stop for use within a hard-disk drive (HDD). The integrated upstream spoiler and crash stop has one or more wings which diverts and reduces the flow of air, resulting from the rotation of the magnetic-recording disks within the HDD, from a magnetic-recording head of the HDD. The integrated upstream spoiler and crash stop has a structure that also prevents the actuator from moving beyond a particular location. After the integrated upstream spoiler and crash stop has been affixed within the HDD, the one or more wings may be rotated between the one or more magnetic-recording disks into a desired position. |
| US08355218B2 |
Optical element position adjusting mechanism and optical element position adjusting method, exposure apparatus using same, and device manufacturing method
The optical element position adjusting mechanism includes a holding member for holding an outer periphery of an optical element, a fixing portion for pivotally fixing the holding member to adjust the position of the optical element, a clamping portion capable of fixing or releasing the holding member against the fixing portion, a driving section for driving the holding member fixed to the fixing portion by the clamping portion in a pivot direction, and a flexure that is interposed between the clamping portion and the holding member and elastically deforms to guide the holding member driven by the driving section in the pivot direction about the clamping portion. The holding member positioned by the pivot is released from the fixing portion by the clamping portion to restore the flexure to the state prior to being elastically deformed, whereby it is again fixed to the fixing portion by the clamping portion. |
| US08355216B2 |
Image pickup module and image forming lens for the same
An image forming lens includes a lens element having a flange part that is integral with the lens element. When assembled with an image pickup element to form an image pickup module, an outside perimeter portion of the lens element having a flange part, at a region nearest an image pickup element, is inclined so that outer diameters thereof increase when successively measured at positions nearer to the image pickup element. A frame of the image forming lens according to the invention has an inclined portion on the object side with an outer diameter that becomes smaller when successively measured nearer the object side. Satisfying one or more conditions insures accuracy in assembly and that there will be sufficient room near the object side outside the inclined portion to mount a light source, such as an LED, without having to increase the maximum outer diameter of the image pickup module. |
| US08355213B2 |
Photographing lens system
This invention provides a photographing lens system comprising, in order from an object side to an image side: a first lens with positive refractive power having a convex object-side surface; a second lens with negative refractive power, both its two surfaces being aspheric; a third lens having a concave image-side surface, both its two surfaces being aspheric and at least one of them having at least one inflection point; and an aperture stop disposed between an imaged object and the first lens; wherein there are only three lenses with refractive power; the focal length of the photographing lens system is f, the focal length of the first lens and the second lens is f1 and f2, respectively, the radius of curvature of the object-side surface of the first lens is R1, the Abbe number of the first lens and second lens is V1 and V2, respectively, and they satisfy the relations: 1.28 |
| US08355212B2 |
Lens unit and image sensing apparatus incorporated with the same
In a lens unit 1, and an image sensing apparatus 15 incorporated with the lens unit 1 of the invention, a fixed cylinder 2 is formed with an oblong hole 21 extending in an optical axis direction in a lateral surface of the fixed cylinder 2. A driving force from a driving member such as a motor 12 is transmitted to a gear portion formed on an outer periphery of a cam cylinder 3 by a major axis gear 10 received in the oblong hole 21. Thereby, the cam cylinder 3 is rotated, and a lens holding frame is driven in the optical axis direction for a zoom operation. A pressing member 13 for pressing the major axis gear 10 in the optical axis direction during the zoom operation is provided at an end surface of the major axis gear 10. |
| US08355211B2 |
Optical lens systems
Optical lens attachments and cameras are disclosed. The attachment comprises a coupling mechanism for mating engagement with at least one of a camera and an optical lens. A barrel is coupled at one end to the coupling mechanism. A negative lens unit is coupled to the other end of elongated barrel. A diopter lens is disposed between the barrel and the coupling mechanism. The coupling mechanism, the diopter lens, and the barrel are aligned with an optical axis. Also disclosed is a double swivel optical system, comprising a negative lens unit, a mirror oriented at an angle to the optical axis of the negative lens unit, a roof prism for rotating incident light rays by 90 degrees and inverting an image, a rotation mechanism permitting rotation of the negative lens unit about a vertical axis, an image rotator comprising a prism that can invert an image, the prism disposed within the image rotator, and another rotation mechanism permitting rotation of the roof prism about an optical axis of the image rotator. |
| US08355208B1 |
Quick adjustment mechanism for head or helmet mounted displays
A quick adjustment assembly for a head or helmet mounted display. The quick adjustment assembly includes an adjustment plate assembly securely attachable to the head of a user via a helmet or head gear. An eye relief assembly is mountable on the adjustment plate assembly. The eye relief assembly includes a main frame for supporting at least one image source assembly (ISA). A pair of opposing pressure plate assemblies are supported by the main frame. Each pressure plate assembly includes an eye relief adjustment release element engageable by the user; and at least one pressure plate friction pad assembly operatively engageable with the adjustment plate assembly. The pressure plate friction pad assembly provides selectable positioning of the eye relief assembly along a plane of movement relative to the adjustment plate assembly allowing three-degrees of freedom movement along the plane of movement. The eye relief assembly preferably includes an interpupillary (IPD) adjustment assembly securely mounted thereon. |
| US08355201B2 |
Catadioptric projection objective
A catadioptric projection objective for imaging a pattern provided in an object plane of the projection objective onto an image plane of the projection objective has a first, refractive objective part for imaging the pattern provided in the object plane into a first intermediate image; a second objective part including at least one concave mirror for imaging the first intermediate imaging into a second intermediate image; and a third, refractive objective part for imaging the second intermediate imaging onto the image plane; wherein the projection objective has a maximum lens diameter Dmax, a maximum image field height Y′, and an image side numerical aperture NA; wherein COMP1=Dmax/(Y′·NA2) and wherein the condition COMP1<10 holds. |
| US08355197B2 |
Electromagnetic wave oscillating devices
An oscillating device includes an oscillating substrate of a non-linear optical crystal and having an incident face where a pump wave and an idler wave are made incident; a first waveguide provided in the oscillating substrate and between the incident face and an interacting part of the pump wave and idler waves; and a second waveguide provided in the oscillating substrate and between the incident face and the interacting part. The first waveguide guides the pump wave and the second waveguide guides the idler wave. |
| US08355193B2 |
Electrophoretic display device and electronic apparatus
An electrophoretic display device, which includes a first substrate, a second substrate, and an electrophoretic element disposed between the first substrate and second substrate, includes a plurality of pixel electrodes provided on the first substrate and arranged in a row direction and in a column direction, and a counter electrode provided on the second substrate. In conjunction with the pixel electrodes, the counter electrode applies a voltage to the electrophoretic element. The counter electrode includes an opening portion extending in at least one of the row direction and the column direction at a location opposite an area between the pixel electrodes that are adjacent to each other. |
| US08355192B2 |
Optical scanning apparatus
The optical scanning apparatus including a light source unit having plurality laser light sources for emitting laser light and one lens in which the laser light emitted from the plurality laser light sources is transmitted, a deflect device that deflects and scans the laser light on an image bearing member, an optical member that images the laser light on the image bearing member, a housing that internally includes the deflect device and the optical member, the housing forms an opening portion that passes through the laser light emitted from the plurality of the laser light sources, and an elastic member that blocks a gap between the lens and the opening portion, the elastic member being pinched between the lens and the housing. It achieves sealing of the flow-in path and sealing of the gap between the light source unit and the housing with a simple configuration. |
| US08355191B2 |
Actuator, optical scanner and image forming apparatus
An actuator includes a mass section; a support section; a coupling section for coupling the mass section rotatably to the support section so as to support the mass section with cantilever structure; and a pair of driving sources including a piezoelectric element for rotating the mass section, wherein the pair of driving sources are provided separately from each other with respect to a central axis of rotation of the mass section, each of the driving sources is provided slidably with respect to the coupling section or the support section, and the actuator is structured such that it causes the pair of piezoelectric elements to expand and contract in phases opposite to each other, so as to rotate at least a part of the coupling section while torsionally deforming the mass section. |
| US08355178B2 |
Apparatus including a determination unit, and method and program including a determination step
An object of the present invention is to reduce influences of showthrough where a copy-forgery-inhibited pattern is visualized after printing. In order to attain the above object, the apparatus of the present invention is provided with determination means for determining whether a setting for printing a copy-forgery-inhibited pattern image in which a character portion is rendered to a minor dot portion on both sides of a sheet is made and control means for controlling so that a warning screen is displayed where the determination means determines that the above setting has been made. |
| US08355176B2 |
Image processing apparatus and image processing method for halftoning screen processing
Disclosed herein is an image processing apparatus including: a screen processor for determining each pixel value of a screen processing application unit region composed of a plurality of pixels to which a threshold matrix is applied, in an inputted image; and for carrying out a screen processing by applying one threshold matrix among a plurality of threshold matrices in which applied positions of the threshold values are different from each other, to the plurality of pixels in the screen processing application unit region based on each determined pixel value. |
| US08355175B2 |
Image forming apparatus capable of reproducing fine line of high quality
In an image forming apparatus, a line width detection unit detects a line width from attribute data inputted from an attribute data input unit, an edge detection unit detects an edge from image data inputted from an image data input unit, and an AND calculation unit calculates an AND of results of these detections. A coefficient storage unit stores a coefficient set for each line width. A line width correction coefficient multiplication unit acquires a correction coefficient corresponding to the detected line width with regard to an edge and the detected pixel and performs a multiplication to thereby correct the line width. |
| US08355171B2 |
Alignment compensation by printer driver
A method of compensating for misalignment of a print engine of an image forming apparatus, which includes: (a) forwarding a request from a host computer having a printer driver to an image forming apparatus for reference data of a printable area of the print engine; (b) sending the reference data of the printable area of the print engine to the printer driver; (c) comparing the reference data of the printable area of the print engine to an ideal reference data of the printable area of a print job; and (d) if the reference data of the printable area of the print engine is different than the ideal reference data of the printable area of the print job, generating a new reference data of the printable area of the printable area to adjust for the difference in printable area between the ideal reference data of the printable area of the print job and the reference data of the printable area of the print engine. |
| US08355168B2 |
Processing apparatus, image reading processing apparatus, image forming apparatus, image processing method, and storage medium, all of which carry out automatic color selection (ACS) regardless of color setting of output image data
In an image processing apparatus, a color/monochrome determination section determines whether color image data is image data indicative of a color document or image data indicative of a monochrome document, regardless of which color setting is selected to output image data, and a control section stores a determination result and the color image data in a storage device so that they are correlated with each other. Upon receiving a change instruction to change the color setting, the control section generates output image data, following a color setting that is changed according to the change instruction, on the basis of the determination result and the color image data each stored in the storage device. As a result, even if the color setting is desired to be changed, it is possible to carry out output processing without reading the document from an image reading apparatus again. |
| US08355166B2 |
Image-printing device with image correction of an original image using characteristics of a sample image
An image-printing device includes a reading unit, a sample characteristic amount extracting unit, an original characteristic amount extracting unit, an image converting unit, and a printing unit. The reading unit reads a sample image and an original image. The sample image has a sample characteristic amount indicating a characteristic of the sample image. The original image has an original characteristic amount indicating a characteristic of the original image. The sample characteristic amount extracting unit extracts the sample characteristic amount from the sample image. The original characteristic amount extracting unit extracts the original characteristic amount from the original image. The image converting unit converts the original image based on both the sample characteristic amount and the original characteristic amount. The printing unit prints the converted original image. |
| US08355165B2 |
Image processing apparatus and control method for restoring color image data
An apparatus is capable of processing luminance data and color-difference data of color image data. The apparatus includes a generation unit configured to generate digital watermark image data based on the color-difference data of the color image data, and an output unit configured to output the luminance data and the digital watermark image data generated by the generation unit. Color image data can be generated based on the digital watermark image data and the luminance data output from the output unit. |
| US08355163B2 |
Apparatus and method for performing gradation adjustment of a display image
A printing control device included in an image processing device for displaying an observed image on a display screen, the printing control device including: a printing instruction detecting unit for detecting whether or not there is a printing instruction to print the observed image; and a gradation correction information output control unit for outputting information on gradation correction made temporarily for observation of the observed image to one of a printing device and an external storage medium together with original image data of the observed image when a printing instruction is detected. |
| US08355160B2 |
Detection of roller eccentricity in a scanner
A method and apparatus for detecting roller eccentricity in a CIS scanner is disclosed. An image of a target is captured using the CIS scanner. The image of the target is analyzed for periodic horizontal banding. The period of the periodic horizontal banding is compared with the circumference of a pressure roller in the CIS scanner. When the period matches with the circumference of the pressure roller, an error is set. |