| Document | Document Title |
|---|---|
| US08533228B2 |
Limiting notification template modification based on user access levels
Methods for modifying a notification template based on user access levels are provided. In one aspect, a method includes receiving a first request, from a first user having a first level of access, to modify a first parameter from a first state to a second state in a notification template, and receiving a second request, from a second user having a second level of access, to modify a second parameter in the notification template from a first state to a second state. The method also includes storing the modified notification template. When the modified notification template is retrieved from storage, the first parameter is in the second state for both the first user and the second user, and the second parameter is in the first state for the first user and the second state for the second user. Systems and machine-readable media are also provided. |
| US08533227B2 |
Managing website blacklists
A method and system for managing website blacklists to control website access of a user. In one embodiment, a client queries a database regarding a location of a website before the client fetches a resource from the website. The database includes a list of websites based on which access by the client is controlled. If the location of the website in the query exists in the database, the client displays a warning dialog and receives a user input. The client determines whether to continue fetching the resource based on the user input to the warning dialog. |
| US08533225B2 |
Representing and processing inter-slot constraints on component selection for dynamic ads
Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for representing and processing inter-slot co-occurrence constraints on component selection for dynamically generated content items are disclosed. Components available for constructing the content items are organized into a hierarchy of categories. Co-occurrence constraints are specified in terms of categories in the hierarchy rather than explicit enumerated black-lists or white-lists at the component-to-component level. A set of processing rules based on the hierarchical taxonomy are used to expand a set of co-occurrence constraints specified in terms of categories into explicit enumerations of allowed component combinations, and to resolve potential conflicts in the set of co-occurrence constraints in a predictable manner. The explicit enumerations of allowed component combinations can be stored in a relational data table. When constructing a content item, candidate components can be obtained by querying the relational data table. |
| US08533223B2 |
Disambiguation and tagging of entities
Tagging of content items and entities identified therein may include a matching process, a classification process and a disambiguation process. Matching may include the identification of potential matching candidate entities in a content item whereas the classification process may categorize or group identified candidate entities according to known entities to which they are likely a match. In some instances, a candidate entity may be categorized with multiple known entities. Accordingly, a disambiguation process may be used to reduce the potential matches to a single known entity. In one example, the disambiguation process may include ranking potentially matching known entities according to a hierarchy of criteria. |
| US08533221B2 |
Provision of targeted content
Methods of providing services using a web marketing platform are described. The web marketing platform acts as a proxy associated with a host company and can intercept traffic passing to and from the host company. In an embodiment, an interface is provided which enables clients to easily request services. One example service is the provision of targeted content to users within web pages from sites hosted by the host company and in such an example, the actual content can be analyzed in real time to provide improved targeting based on the content, user behavior or any other criteria. |
| US08533218B2 |
Debugging system for multidimensional database query expressions on a processing server
The present invention relates to data processing systems and methods to facilitate debugging, development and execution of multidimensional database queries, such as MDX (Multi-Dimensional eXpressions), for a multidimensional database structure on a computer architecture running on a server, such as an OnLine Analytical Processing Server (OLAP). The expression or query can be broken down and executed incrementally and associated with contextual information which can be viewed by an end-user via an understandable user interface. The advantage is the drastic simplification of very complex computations, giving the user a perspective not available till now. This allows users to better understand multidimensional queries, find errors that occur in the execution and correct such errors. |
| US08533217B2 |
System and method for dynamically retrieving data specific to a region of a layer
A method for retrieving data from a data source by querying the data source with data points of a layer. The data points may be encompassed within a determined region of the layer. The steps of the method may include: determining the region of the layer, dynamically querying the data source with one or more data points of the layer encompassed within the region upon determining the region, and receiving the data from the data source. |
| US08533216B2 |
Database system workload management method and system
An improved workload management system and method for a database system. The improved workload management system evaluates certain workload management rules dynamically at key points during database query execution rather than relying on enforcement prior to query activation. In the case of product join operations, the workload management system evaluates the potential impact on system performance by the product join operation after input tables have been populated, but prior to the execution of the join operation. Delaying workload management enforcement to this point ensures that the sizes of inputs and outputs are reliably known and improves system performance impact estimates at a point early enough to prevent any serious performance degradation from an inefficient product join. |
| US08533214B2 |
System and method for assessing quality of address information for physical locations
An approach is provided for providing a user with a ranked list of possible physical addresses in response to an address submitted by the user. An address submitted by a user is parsed and a number of possible candidate addresses are generated from the user provided address. The quality of the candidate addresses is ranked according to the quality of their individual address elements and factors applied to these elements. An overall quality score for each candidate address is thereby derived. The list of candidate address is displayed to the user according to overall quality score ranking. |
| US08533210B2 |
Index of locally recorded content
A method includes generating index data from media events that include video content, the event index data being generated by a server, generating locator code data for the event index data, the locator code data being generated by the server, providing the generated event index data and the locator code data from the server to a memory device for storage, searching the generated event index data to identify a segment of the media events in response to receiving a search request, determining segment locator code data from the locator code data based on the identified segment, and transmitting over a network to the end user media device the segment locator code data that corresponds to the identified at least one segment to enable the end user media device to extract an image from a recorded media event for generating an index display using the extracted image. |
| US08533203B2 |
Identifying synonyms of entities using a document collection
Identifying synonyms of entities using a collection of documents is disclosed herein. In some aspects, a document from a collection of documents may be analyzed to identify hit sequences that include one or more tokens (e.g., words, number, etc.). The hit sequences may then be used to generate discriminating token sets (DTS's) that are subsets of both the hit sequences and the entity names. The DTS's are matched with corresponding entity names, and then used to create DTS phrases by selecting adjacent text in the document that is proximate to the DTS. The DTS phrases may be analyzed to determine whether the corresponding DTS is synonyms of the entity name. In various aspects, the tokens of an associated entity name that are present in the DTS phrases are used to generate a score for the DTS. When the score at least reaches a threshold, the DTS may be designated as a synonym. A list of synonyms may be generated for each entity name. |
| US08533201B2 |
Extension of write anywhere file layout write allocation
A plurality of storage devices is organized into a physical volume called an aggregate, and the aggregate is organized into a global storage space, and a data block is resident on one of the storage devices of the plurality of storage devices. A plurality of virtual volumes is organized within the aggregate and he data block is allocated to a virtual volume. A physical volume block number (pvbn) is selected for the data block from a pvbn space of the aggregate, and virtual volume block number (vvbn) for the data block is selected from a vvbn space of the selected vvol. Both the selected pvbn and the selected vvbn are inserted in a parent block as block pointers to point to the allocated data block on the storage device. |
| US08533189B2 |
Method and system for synthetic backup and restore
A method and system for backing up and restoring data. First, a full backup is performed to create a full dataset. Thereafter, incremental or differential datasets may be created by incremental or differential backups, respectively. When a new full dataset is needed, instead of performing a full backup, a previous full dataset may be combined with subsequent incremental or differential datasets to create the new full dataset. The new full dataset may be created on a computer other than the computer which hosts the data of the previous full dataset. The new full dataset may be used for offsite storage or to quickly restore data in the event of a failure or corruption of a computer's file system. |
| US08533188B2 |
Indexing semantic user profiles for targeted advertising
Embodiments facilitate greater flexibility in definition of user segments for targeted advertising, by employing indexed semantic user profiles. Semantic user profiles are built through extraction of online user behavior data such as user search queries and page views, and include user interest information that is inferred based on user behavior. Semantic user profiles are then indexed to facilitate search for a set of users that fit specified semantic search terms. Search results for semantic profiles are ranked according to a ranking model developed through machine learning. In some embodiments, building and indexing of semantic profiles and learning of the ranking model is performed offline to facilitate more efficient online processing of queries. |
| US08533185B2 |
Search engine graphical interface using maps of search terms and images
A system, method and computer program product for visualization of search results includes a map displayed to a user on a screen. The map shows search query terms and optionally other terms related to the search query terms. The display of the terms corresponds to relationship between the terms. A graphical image is displayed next to at least one of the search query terms. The graphical image is associated with a URL that corresponds to a search result. The graphical image is a favorite icon that is derived from the HTML script associated with a webpage at the URL, or an animated image, or a video, or a cycling GIF. A plurality of graphical images can be displayed in proximity to the search query term. The graphical image can be a logo or a paid advertisement. A plurality of graphical images are offered for sale in association with the query search term, and a size and/or placement of each graphical image corresponds to a price paid by each purchaser, or multiple images can be displayed at the same location on the screen, and a duration of display of each graphical image corresponds to a price paid by each purchaser. |
| US08533184B2 |
Numerical analysis data creating method and apparatus, and computer-readable program
A numerical analysis data creating method creates numerical analysis data that are obtained by analyzing an analyzing target. The method judges whether or not to create the numerical analysis data of the analyzing target using data that have been stored in a database part, searches the database part based on information related to the analyzing target and displaying a search result if the numerical analysis data of the analyzing target are to be created using the stored data, and creates and stores in the database part the numerical analysis data of the analyzing target by modifying usable data if necessary, when the usable data exist in the search result. The data that have been stored in the database part include numerical analysis data, analysis model data, material characteristic data and attribute data with respect to targets that have been analyzed. |
| US08533179B2 |
Avoiding three-valued logic in predicates on dictionary-encoded data
According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method for dictionary encoding data without using three-valued logic is provided. According to one embodiment of the invention, a method includes encoding data in a database table using a dictionary, wherein the data includes values representing NULLs. A query having a predicate is received and the predicate is evaluated on the encoded data, whereby the predicate is evaluated on both the encoded data and on the encoded NULLs. |
| US08533178B1 |
Collecting information about suggestions provided to users
A system includes a plurality of client devices and a server system. Each of the client devices is configured to implement at least one web browser and a panel application. The web browser is configured to access a plurality of different web pages that each provide search capability and are each configured to display search suggestions in response to character sequences entered by a user when using the search capability. The panel application is configured to send indications of displayed search suggestions and corresponding character sequences to a server system. The server system is configured to generate, based on the received indications, a data structure that correlates character sequences to lists of phrases. |
| US08533177B2 |
Multi-database query system and method
A system for retrieving data from a plurality of data sources is provided. The system includes a first data source for storing first data, a second data source for storing second data, and a server computer in communication with the first and second data sources. The server is programmed to receive a query execution request including a query definition reference and a query parameter definition wherein the query definition reference corresponds to a query definition that includes a first query block and a second query block, create a first executable query based on the first query block and the query parameter definition, create a second executable query based on the second query block and the query parameter definition, execute the first executable query at the first data source to create first query results, and execute the second executable query at the second data source to create second query results. |
| US08533169B1 |
Transactional replication
Writing data in a distributed database having a plurality of nodes is disclosed. Writing includes receiving a write request at a node, wherein the write request is associated with one or more operations to define an atomic transaction and performing the atomic transaction based on the request. The atomic transaction includes writing to a first version of the database in the node and writing to an entity representative of a state of the first version of the database. |
| US08533168B2 |
Automatic policy generation based on role entitlements and identity attributes
Policies defining the entitlements to be assigned to a new identity joining a role are automatically generated. An automatic policy assigns a new identity the entitlements commonly owned by a predetermined number of identities in the role, which may be all of the role identities. A conditional policy recommends that a new identity be assigned the non-commonly-owned entitlements associated with the role identity whose non-entitlement attributes most closely match the non-entitlement attributes of the new identity. This may be automatically determined by iterating through a vector that maps the non-commonly-owned entitlements with the non-entitlement attributes of each role identity, comparing the non-entitlement attributes of the new identity to find the closest match. The non-commonly-owned entitlements of that identity are then recommended to be assigned to the new identity, upon approval. |
| US08533166B1 |
Methods and systems for encoding/decoding files and transmission thereof
In one embodiment, the instant invention includes a computer system that includes at least the following components: a) a first computer that performs, in concurrent manner, at least the following tasks: dividing a computer file into a plurality of segments, compressing segments, and sending the compressed segments to a second computer over a network; b) the second computer that performs, in concurrent manner, at least the following tasks: decompressing the compressed segments and assembling the decompressed segment to reconstruct the computer file, where the compressing task performed by the first computer and the decompressing task performed by the second computer are synchronized and performed concurrently. |
| US08533164B2 |
Method and tool to overcome VIOS configuration validation and restoration failure due to DRC name mismatch
In a Virtual Input/Output (I/O) Server (VIOS) partition, a method comprises a cluster aware (CA) operating system (OS) of a VIOS partition performing the functions of: responsive to a restore command: retrieving a configuration backup file from storage; comparing a DRC name from the retrieved file with a DRC name of the current VIOS partition performing the restore operation; in response to an occurrence of a DRC name mismatch: retrieving an initial UUID of the VIOS from the configuration backup file; accessing a UUID table within a management tool; locating a matching UUID to the initial UUID within the UUID table; and in response to locating the matching UUID: verifying that the configuration data file belongs to the current VIOS initiating the restore operation; and performing the restore operation to restore the configurations of the hardware, logical and virtual devices of the first VIOS to an earlier configuration state. |
| US08533160B2 |
NAS system and remote copy method
The present invention relates to a system that includes one or more logical volumes for storing data; a snapshot producing section for producing snapshots for the logical volumes based on a pre-scheduled snapshot acquisition time; a remote copy section for remote copying difference data for the snapshots based on pre-scheduled remote copy start times; and a scheduling section for re-scheduling the time of one or more of an Nth snapshot acquisition time, an remote copy start time, and an (N+1)th remote copy start time, in such a manner that remote copying starting at the Nth remote copy start time finishes by the (N+1)th remote copy start time. |
| US08533157B2 |
Snapshot management apparatus and method, and storage system
A high-performance and highly-reliable snapshot management apparatus and method, and a storage system are provided that can prevent the adverse influence of overhead when they retain a multiplicity of snapshots. An operational volume is set in a storage area provided by a first storage apparatus and a plurality difference volumes are set in a storage area provided by a second storage apparatus. In response to data writing to the operational volume, difference data is saved in the difference volumes and management tables for it are created, with each snapshot being managed according to the management tables. Each management table is divided according to one or more snapshots in accordance with the snapshot creation time. The second and any following management tables store specified inheritance information to inherit the content of the preceding management tables. |
| US08533156B2 |
Abstraction for representing an object irrespective of characteristics of the object
Methods and systems for providing easy access to information and sharing are provided. Embodiments of the present invention enable a host to grant access to published content to one or more users in a manner in which the user(s) can scan small portions of information to decide which information is desired. The embodiments described herein enable, for example, a user to see a library of content that is larger than the storage capacity of the computing unit used by the user. The sharing of information is also secured through the use of auto-lock keys and the creation of abstract identities for the host and each user. |
| US08533155B2 |
Fixed content storage within a partitioned content platform, with replication
A content platform (or “cluster”) that comprises a redundant array of independent nodes is logically partitioned. Using a web-based interface, an administrator defines one or more “tenants” within the cluster, wherein a tenant has a set of attributes: namespaces, administrative accounts, data access accounts, and a permission mask. A namespace is a logical partition of the cluster that serves as a collection of objects typically associated with at least one defined application. Each namespace has a private file system with respect to other namespaces. This approach enables a user to segregate cluster data into logical partitions. According to this disclosure, tenant information, including all associated namespaces, in the cluster (the “source cluster”) is replicated to at least one target cluster over a replication link. Preferably, replication is available for multiple tenants in the source cluster, and a replication algorithm ensures that a particular tenant can be added to the replication link without stalling the progress of other tenants. |
| US08533149B2 |
Batch management systems and methods
Example systems and methods of managing product genealogy data across distributed systems are described. In one implementation, a method identifies a material associated with a product that is part of a product batch. Usage information associated with the material is accessed, and a handling unit associated with the product batch is identified. Delivery information associated with the product batch is also accessed. A genealogy is generated for the product batch based on the material, the usage information, the handling unit, and the delivery information. |
| US08533148B1 |
Document relevancy analysis within machine learning systems including determining closest cosine distances of training examples
Systems and methods that quantify document relevance for a document relative to a training corpus and select a best match or best matches are provided herein. Methods may include generating an example-based explanation for relevancy of a document to a training corpus by executing a support vector machine classifier, the support vector machine classifier performing a centroid classification of a relevant document in a term frequency-inverse document frequency features space relative to training examples in a training corpus, and generating an example-based explanation by selecting a best match for the relevant document from the training examples based upon the centroid classification. Determining the training example having the closest cosine distance to the relevant document includes ranking the training examples by stretching the internal best match scores for the training examples linearly to cover a complete unit interval. |
| US08533147B2 |
Method and system for creating a dynamic systems based hybrid model for reasoning systems
A method for creating a dynamic systems based hybrid model for reasoning systems is described. The method receives, at a server, a plurality of expert identified deal attributes. The method presents a conjoint analysis questionnaire for input by one or more respondents. The conjoint analysis questionnaire includes questions based on the plurality of expert identified deal attributes. The method receives responses of the one or more respondents to the conjoint analysis questionnaire. The method then defines an expert reasoning model based on the responses of the one or more respondents to the conjoint analysis questionnaire. The method accesses historical deal information of one or more deals, the historical deal information including one or more deals, each deal including a plurality of expert identified deal attributes and a part-worth associated with each of the deal attributes. Finally, the method validates the expert reasoning model based on the historical deal information. |
| US08533143B2 |
Rule-based content handling
An embodiment of a method includes receiving a content request including a first set of attribute values, using at least one of the attribute values from the first set of attribute values to determine a second set of attribute values, traversing a hierarchy of decision nodes, wherein each decision node implements business logic based on one of the attribute values from the first set of attribute values or the second set of attribute values, and generating a decision from a last node in the hierarchy, wherein the decision dictates how to respond to the content request. |
| US08533142B2 |
Product lifecycle management system using partial solve
Systems, methods, and computer readable mediums. A method includes receiving an input expression including a set of options joined using logical operators. The method includes converting the input expression into an order string. The method includes receiving at least one rule that defines relationships between variants of different option families and receiving a configuration expression that specifies values for some but not all variants of the option families. The method includes producing a conjunctive normal form (CNF) order expression corresponding to the order string, at least one rule, and configuration expression. The method includes performing a partial solve of the order expression, the partial solve producing a result set that describes all possible configurations that correspond to the configuration expression. |
| US08533139B2 |
Optimizing computation of minimum cut in graphs with grid topology
Approaches for optimizing computation of minimum cut or maximum flow on graphs comprising a plurality of nodes and edges with grid-like topologies are disclosed. Embodiments exploit the regular structure of input graphs to reduce the memory bandwidth—a main bottleneck of popular max-flow/min-cut algorithms based on finding augmenting paths on a residual graph (such as Ford-Fulkerson [1956] or Boykov-Kolmogorov [2004]). Disclosed embodiments allow more than 200% speed-up without sacrificing optimality of the final solution, which is crucial for many computer vision and graphics applications. Method and system embodiments replace standard linked list representation of general graphs with a set of compact data structures with blocked memory layout that enables fixed ordering of edges and implicit branchless addressing of nodes. The embodiments are orthogonal to other optimizations such as parallel processing or hierarchical methods and can be readily plugged into existing min-cut/max-flow computation systems to further improve their performance. |
| US08533137B2 |
Position resolved measurement apparatus and a method for acquiring space coordinates of a quantum beam incident thereon
The position calculation of prior art position sensitive detector systems relies on a known geometry pattern of individual electrodes and the distribution of the charge parts. A heuristic estimation is made in order to calculate an initial coordinate of irradiation. In contrast, the present invention allows one to calculate the position of an incident particle in terms of direct mapping of the measured detector response into position coordinates detector surface. The device for estimating the space coordinates of an irradiation position onto a detector comprises a position sensitive detector; an irradiation source; means for measuring the response of detector generated upon irradiation by irradiation source; and an artificial neural network structure provided such that the measured detector response is the input to the artificial neural network structure and the initial space coordinates of irradiation are the output of the artificial neural network structure. |
| US08533135B2 |
Model generating device and model generating method
A model generating device acquires event information including a time when execution of an event is started, a time when execution of the event is finished, and the type of the event. The model generating device assumes model candidates each showing a relationship between an event and another event triggered by the former event on the basis of the acquired event information, and makes a combination of the assumed model candidates. The model generating device searches the assumed model candidates to find a candidate that matches an existing model. The model generating device withdraws the model candidate searched for from the combination of the model candidates, and withdraws a candidate that is to be withdrawn from the combination of the model candidates in association with withdrawal of the model candidate found as a result of the search, thereby updating the combination of the model candidates. The model generating device thereafter generates a new model on the basis of the updated combination of the model candidates. |
| US08533130B2 |
Use of neural networks for annotating search results
A system for generating annotations of a document, including a plurality of neurons connected as a neural network, the neurons being associated with words, sentences and documents. An activity regulator regulates a minimum and/or maximum number of neurons of the neural network that are excited at any given time. The neurons are displayed to a user and identify the neurons that correspond to sentences containing a predetermined percentage of document meaning. The annotations can be also based on a context of the user's search query. The query can include keywords, documents considered relevant by the user, or both. Positions of the neurons relative to each other can be changed on a display device, based on input from the user, with the change in position of one neuron changing the resulting annotations. The input from the user can also include changing a relevance of neurons relative to each other, or indicating relevance or irrelevance of a document or sentence. |
| US08533129B2 |
Efficient data layout techniques for fast machine learning-based document ranking
A computer readable medium stores a program for optimization for a search, and has sets of instructions for receiving a first decision tree. The first decision tree includes several nodes, and each node is for comparing a feature value to a threshold value. The instructions are for weighting the nodes within the first decision tree, determining the weighted frequency of a first feature within the first decision tree, and determining the weighted frequency of a second feature within the first decision tree. The instructions order the features based on the determined weighted frequencies, and store the ordering such that values of features having higher weighted frequencies are retrieved more often than values of features having lower weighted frequencies within the first decision tree. |
| US08533128B1 |
Temperature retention and weatherization blanket system
A multi-layered, dual purpose thermal blanket constructed from materials rendering a first blanket side heat reflective and a second blanket side wind resistant. Blanket may be utilized in temperature retention and weatherizing systems for storage units, lockers and bins. System for units having roll up doors comprises blanket support assembly to retain blanket across doorway and insulated enclosure around roll up door assembly. System optionally further includes a sensor interface in association with the blanket to receive data including an open or closed position of the blanket. A graphics generator presents the data as correlated to mappings and calculates time periods during which the blanket is left in an open position. Associated fees may be calculated as a penalty for leaving blanket open while storage unit is unattended. |
| US08533127B2 |
Device alerting to expiration in a franking system
This invention relates to a device alerting to the expiration of tariffs for a franking system, comprising a random access memory (RAM) for recording postal data including a first table of postal tariffs relative to postal products and services and a processing unit for updating these postal tariffs, this RAM further comprising a second table of postal tariffs and the processing unit comprising means for comparing the postal tariffs of the first and second tables and for emitting a message alerting to the expiration of tariffs when a date of application of the postal tariffs of said second table is identical to or earlier than a desired date of franking and when one of these compared postal tariffs has been changed. |
| US08533124B2 |
Digital material management method, digital material management system, and workflow management system
An aspect of the present invention provides a digital material management method including a verification step of automatically verifying, in manufacturing of a product in which digital materials are used, digital materials that should be used and digital materials that are actually used in the product. According to the digital material management method of the present invention, whether the entire digital materials that should be used in the product manufactured using the digital materials are arranged and used is automatically checked, and the result is displayed. Therefore, the use of the digital materials that should be used in the product can be automatically checked. The efficiency is improved, and the power can be saved. |
| US08533122B2 |
Wireless payment with a portable device
A portable device transmits a payment card number to a merchant machine. The portable device generates an encrypted first message comprising a request to get information about a financial transaction. A packet filter maps the encrypted first message to a pre-established non-GBR bearer. The portable device generates a fourth message by encrypting the encrypted first message and transmits the fourth message. The portable device receives and decrypts a second encrypted message. The portable device decrypts the decrypted second message and sends financial transaction information to a display. |
| US08533121B1 |
Method and apparatus for phase identification in a three-phase power distribution network
A remote phase identification system identifies the unknown phase attribute of any energized conductor within a three-phase power distribution network. A field probe at a remote location obtains an instantaneous phase measurement at a precise GPS second and communicates this phase, GPS second, and GPS coordinates to a field client. Either wireless Internet or satellite modem communications is used by the field client to retrieve the reference phase taken by a base station at the same GPS second. Field client tagging reference phase configuration files are automatically created for any circuit and applied to the base station reference phase. Configuration files can be named, saved, and loaded and are used by the field client to identify and display the unknown phase attribute. A field client can be any personal computer, smartphone, or personal digital assistant. |
| US08533119B2 |
Value transfer with identity database
A value transfer system and methods are disclosed. A sending entity may initiate a cross-border value transfer by authenticating with an authentication system, where the authentication system communicates with an identity database populated with profiles for the sending entity and a recipient entity that contain government data, where the government data is used in the authentication process. |
| US08533117B2 |
Methods and apparatus for providing currency at an airline check-in machine
The present disclosure provides methods and apparatus for providing currency at an airline check-in machine. In general, the improved airline check-in machine dispenses one or more currencies for the user. Preferably, the currency(s) are selected from a database of currency based on the geographic location of the airline check-in machine and/or the user's flight destination. For example, the airline check-in machine may offer Euros based on a determination the user is traveling to Italy. In addition, the user may choose to pay for the currency using the same debit or credit card the user inserted into the airline check-in machine for identification or in any other suitable manner. |
| US08533114B2 |
Method and system for flexible payment processing
A system and method are provided that include determining eligibility of customers for flexible payment status and allowing the customers to implement the flexible payment status. The determination for eligibility is based on customer identity, payment date, and payment due date. Flex accrual is calculated if the customer is eligible for flexible payment status. The flex accrual is based on the payment amount, payment date, and payment due date. The system communicates the flex accrual to the customer and the customer is able to utilize the flex accrual by making a late payment without penalty. |
| US08533111B1 |
System and method for providing promotional pricing
A system and method for providing promotional pricing is disclosed. One or more pricing offers may be provided to a plurality of credit accounts, wherein the pricing offers may be directed to transactions associated with particular products and/or merchants. It may be determined whether a transaction associated with a credit account qualifies for certain pricing offers based on predetermined criteria. A balance incurred through a transaction may be assigned to a promotional bucket associated with a particular pricing offer if the transaction qualifies for the particular pricing offer, or the balance may be assigned to a default bucket if the transaction does not qualify for any pricing offer, thereby causing a total balance to be distributed among the default bucket and the promotional buckets. Payments associated with the credit account may be allocated to the default bucket and the one or more promotional buckets according to a payment hierarchy. |
| US08533105B1 |
Order centric tracking system and protocol for communications with handheld trading units
A computerized method and system for tracking orders implemented on a trading floor exchange is disclosed. The system is order-centric and is configured to route orders to a booth and floor broker in accordance with a symbol associated with the particular security being traded. Floor brokers communicate with the trading system through handheld devices connected to a handheld server via a wireless interface. A specific protocol for messaging protocol for communications between the handheld devices and the handheld server is also disclosed. |
| US08533103B1 |
Maintaining latency guarantees for shared resources
Usage of shared resources can be managed by enabling users to obtain different types of guarantees at different times for various types and/or levels of resource capacity. A user can select to have an amount or rate of capacity dedicated to that user. A user can also select reserved capacity for at least a portion of the requests, tasks, or program execution for that user, where the user has priority to that capacity but other users can utilize the excess capacity during other periods. Users can alternatively specify to use the excess capacity or other variable, non-guaranteed capacity. The capacity can be for any appropriate functional aspect of a resource, such as computational capacity, throughput, latency, bandwidth, and storage. Users can submit bids for various types and combinations of excess capacity, and winning bids can receive dedicated use of the excess capacity for at least a period of time. |
| US08533101B2 |
Systems and methods for compression of trade-related records
In certain embodiments, a computer system and process for use in a trading system are provided that allow trading entities to compress trade records while simplifying the reconciliation process. Advantageously, compressed trade records are processed by a custodian firm, while uncompressed reconciliation data are processed by a central counterparty. In some embodiments, a computer system and process are provided that allows trading entities to compress trade records across markets. Advantageously, compression across markets provides a larger pool of eligible trade records for compression, increasing the number of compressible trades, and thus reducing fees paid by the trading firm and the amount of data transmitted. |
| US08533099B2 |
System and method for electronically trading derivatives and other financial instruments
A computerized electronic trading system and method permits a customer using a customer computer to electronically request a market from a dealer using a dealer computer for a financial instrument through a network. The centralized computer system includes one or more computers and at least one message server for communicating electronic messages between the customer computer and the dealer computer, and a database system including at least one storage device, the database system storing at least information related to a plurality of financial instruments and to a trade executed between the customer and dealer. The computerized electronic trading system is programmed with a request for market module programmed with a trade negotiation sub-component to handle the exchange of messages related to the negotiation of trades, and a trade execution module to negotiate pricing for the financial instrument, including an ability to counter a price quote for the financial instrument are transmitted through the computerized electronic trading system, and execute a trade upon agreement between the customer and the dealer on the price quote. |
| US08533093B1 |
General obligation bonds for short asset life equipment
A new type of general obligation bond, called Ed-Tech bonds, is structured to provide on-going funding for a district's technology needs, match the term of the underlying bonds to the useful short-term life of technology assets to be purchased with bond proceeds, and address federal restrictions regarding use of bond proceeds. Further, techniques are described for determining the appropriate financing parameters for the Ed-Tech bonds. |
| US08533086B1 |
Variable rate payment card
A method of arranging for payment of a purchase includes receiving, from a supplier, agreement to accept a payment from a buyer via use of a payment card having variable payment terms; after a purchase by the buyer from the supplier, assessing the supplier a standard interchange rate; receiving, from the buyer, approval to pay the invoice; and issuing, to the supplier, a rebate, based upon when the approval to pay the invoice was received. the variable payment terms are calculated by: determining a first early payment date; determining a second standard payment date; assessing against the supplier a first percentage of the standard interchange rate if the invoice is approved by the first early payment date; and assessing against the supplier a second percentage of the standard interchange rate if the invoice is approved on or after the second standard payment date. |
| US08533083B2 |
Method and systems for generating dynamic rewards currency values
Systems and methods are disclosed for generating payment values of goods and services (rewards). The disclosed systems and methods may include receiving an input. Furthermore, the disclosed systems and methods may include dynamic calculating, based upon the received input, a plurality of payment pairs, each of the plurality of payment pairs comprising any (including a plurality of) non-monetary currency value and/or any monetary currency value (between 0% and 100% respectively 100% and 0%). |
| US08533082B1 |
Consumer leverage modeling
Embodiments of the present invention relate to systems, methods and computer program products that model consumer leverage and provide a leading indicator that predicts increases or decreases in consumer net non-collectibles. To do so, for example, the present invention determines the growth of consumers' spending and borrowing, and tracks a relationship between the value of a ratio that compares consumers' spending and borrowing and the value of the equilibrium of the ratio that compares consumers' spending and borrowing. This relationship is then applied to predict changes in consumers' ability to repay borrowed funds and consumer net non-collectibles. |
| US08533079B2 |
Integrated systems for electronic bill presentment and payment
The present invention relates generally to electronic commerce, and more particularly to methods and systems for integrating electronic bill presentment and payment among billers, consumers, banks and other financial institutions, electronic payment facilitators, and web portals and other spaces able to support an interface for presentment and/or payment of bills. |
| US08533075B1 |
Systems and methods for biomedical track and trace
The present invention describes a biomedical track-and-trace solution based on unique item-level QR codes printed on product packaging and encoding unique URLs to enable granular, item-level product management. In some embodiments of the invention, the information presented to users who access these unique URLs is tailored based on the role of the user in the supply chain. Embodiments of the invention may be used for the purposes of item authentication, anti-counterfeiting measures, product recall management, and the efficient distribution of supplementary product information. |
| US08533068B2 |
Distributing products from suppliers to consumers in a network environment
Systems and methods enabling suppliers to control the distribution of products to consumers in a network environment while accommodating the concerns of its brick and mortar distribution channels are described. Consumer orders for products are received, and consumer product orders are routed in accordance with fulfillment policies respectively selected by the supplier(s). The system includes a graphical consumer interface configured to receive consumer orders for products, and an order flow controller configured to route consumer product orders in accordance with fulfillment policies respectively selected by the supplier(s). The system also includes a graphical consumer interface that is accessible over the Internet and is configured to display price and availability information for the products of each of the suppliers organized by product category and is configured to receive consumer orders for products. A consumer may search through displayable product information within a given category by supplier, by product type, by product feature, or by a combination of two or more of these identifiers using a search engine. |
| US08533066B2 |
Method and apparatus for recommending media programs based on correlated user feedback
A method and apparatus for recommending a media program of a set of media programs to a user of a set of users is disclosed. The method and apparatus computes a measure wij of the implied similarity of a first media program (i) and a second media program (j) that corrects for the popularity of the media programs, thus resulting in a more accurate indication of the relatedness of the media programs. |
| US08533065B2 |
Customer-specific merchandising program
The invention is directed to facilitating the planning and ordering of a merchandising unit and associated products. A merchandising unit planning screen is presented that displays a representation of a merchandising unit having holders for holding and displaying the products. A product menu is provided for each holder to allow selection of a product from a set of products for each respective holder. Available choices in the product menu of at least one holder are constraining to a subset of the set of products based on predetermined criteria. For each holder for which a product has been selected, a product quantity is determined based on a capacity of the respective holder. An order is generated based on the selected products. |
| US08533063B2 |
Methods and system for making a project available for bidding to a plurality of qualified potential bidders
A bid processing system receives a project description and a baseline estimate for the project. The project is opened for bidding to multiple potential bidders. Each of the potential bidders have access to the project description and the baseline estimate for the project. The bid processing system receives multiple bids for the project and calculates a bid value associated with each of the multiple bids. The system then determines a best bid value from the plurality of received bids and awards the project to the bidder associated with the best bid value. |
| US08533062B2 |
System and method for operating a pawn shop
The invention relates to a computer-implemented data processing system which comprises a database, an offering module comprising an offering user interface for a pawner to enter an indication of an item to be pawned into the database, a bidding module comprising a bidding user interface for at least one bidder to enter at least one bid into the database, a selection module for selecting one of the at least one bid as a winning bid and the bidder of the winning bid as a pawnee, a release declaration module for declaring a release of the item if the release declaration module receives a release remark, and a release notification module for notifying the pawnee that the item was released if the release declaration module declares a release of the item. |
| US08533061B2 |
Systems and methods for automated internet-based auctions
The present invention relates to systems and 5 methods for implementing an automated auction process that is held at a designated time on the Internet, and that ends after bidding has been completed. In accordance with these systems and methods, a server connected to a plurality of workstations may establish 10 several auctions that allow for efficient trading of multiple goods, while simulating the live and dynamic setting of traditional auctions. |
| US08533058B1 |
Method and computer-readable medium for automated dynamic pricing of products with parameter-driven state transitions
The pricing of a product is programmatically managed by defining a plurality of pricing states for the product. Each pricing state has a pricing mechanism associated therewith. A pricing mechanism can be a variable pricing mechanism such as an auction. It can also be a fixed pricing mechanism for the sale, rental, or subscription of the product. One or more triggers are defined, each of which may include one or more trigger parameters, to enable the pricing of the product to transition from one pricing state to another pricing state. In this manner, an automated, systematic approach to pricing management is provided. |
| US08533054B1 |
Buyer global search
Embodiments for implementing a buyer global search in electronic commerce include a method of detecting, by a computing device, that a search query for a product item within a first marketplace is unsuccessful and in response to the unsuccessful search query, executing the search query for the product item within a second marketplace. The method further includes detecting that the search query for the product item within the second marketplace is successful; and in response to the successful search query in the second marketplace, offering a user that submitted the search query in the first marketplace to purchase the product item being sold by a seller. |
| US08533053B2 |
Inventory pooling for multiple merchants
Disclosed are various embodiments for implementing inventory pooling for multiple merchants. A first inventory of an item held at a first fulfillment center on behalf of a first merchant is contributed to a common pool of inventory. A second inventory of the item held at a second fulfillment center on behalf of a second merchant is contributed to the common pool of inventory. Fulfillment of an order placed by a customer of the first merchant is initiated from the second inventory of the item that was contributed by the second merchant to the common pool of inventory. |
| US08533052B1 |
Method for exposing research note data based upon user activity data
Comparative decision systems and methods are disclosed for gathering and mining data representative of purchase decisions. One disclosed comparative decision system detects when a user is comparing items and provides the user with the ability to create a research note storing comparative information for the alternative items. The system displays information about items according to a variety of factors. The user can customize the factors and enter information for each alternative item according to the various factors. Some information may be pre-populated by the system. The research note may be made visible to other users, and may be suggested to another user based on the note's expected helpfulness and relevance to that user. One disclosed method for mining data stored within research notes identifies which factors are given higher relative priorities by users considering a purchase. Another mining method analyzes the effects of price changes on item popularity. |
| US08533049B2 |
Value add broker for federated advertising exchange
For a multi-party advertising exchange, including publishing entities and advertising entities from disparate advertising networks, which facilitates transactions for publishing inventory, a value add broker is provided to aggregate information from third parties having valuable information for input to the exchange or to perform services that are valuable to transactions in the exchange. The valuable information or services further facilitate the transactions for the publishing inventory automatically generating a benefit for the third parties providing the valuable information or services commensurate with the value added to the transactions. |
| US08533046B2 |
Advertisement server, user terminal, advertisement method, and advertisement viewing program
When a user accesses an advertisement site by a browser unit and requests transmission of the advertisement moving image, an advertisement server requests the user to connect an electronic money card to a reader/writer. The advertisement server can communicate with the electronic money card via the browser unit. Thus, the advertisement server reads an electronic money functional unit ID which is ID information of the electronic money card from the electronic money card to store it therein, and further transmits to the user terminal moving image data of the advertisement moving image stored in the advertisement moving image database. While the user terminal is reproducing the advertisement moving image, the advertisement server accesses the electronic money card through the browser unit for every given interval, and confirms that the electronic money card is connected to the reader/writer. |
| US08533042B2 |
Neuro-response stimulus and stimulus attribute resonance estimator
A system determines neuro-response stimulus and stimulus attribute resonance. Stimulus material and stimulus material attributes such as communication, concept, experience, message, images, audio, pricing, and packaging are evaluated using neuro-response data collected with mechanisms such as Event Related Potential (ERP), Electroencephalography (EEG), Galvanic Skin Response (GSR), Electrocardiograms (EKG), Electrooculography (EOG), eye tracking, and facial emotion encoding. Neuro-response data is analyzed to determine stimulus and stimulus attribute resonance. |
| US08533033B2 |
System and method for providing a discount
Systems and methods are provided for delivering a discount using a partner-issued currency or a combination of virtual currency and partner-issued currency, offering a high-perceived savings value to an end-user while maintaining the perception of product value. An embodiment of an inventive method includes presenting a display of a price paid by a consumer without access to the virtual currency along with a display of an amount payable by the end-user in actual currency in combination with an amount payable in virtual currency. The end-user perceives a benefit to using the virtual currency and since the price paid in actual currency is less than the displayed price to be paid by a consumer without access to the virtual currency. |
| US08533032B2 |
Method of generating and redeeming coupons
A method of generating and redeeming a plurality of coupons includes generating a first coupon, generating a second coupon, distributing the first coupon to the first consumer, and distributing the second coupon to the second consumer. Generating a first coupon includes selecting a first group of offers from a plurality of offers such that the first group of offers is individually customized to the first consumer, and printing a first bar code identifying a first account and indicating that the first coupon relates to the first group of offers. Generating a second coupon includes selecting a second group of offers, and printing a second bar. Each of the plurality of offers is redeemable for a discount on a corresponding one of a plurality of products offered for sale, and the first group of offers differs from the second group of offers. |
| US08533030B1 |
In-bound telemarketing system for processing customer offers
A computer-implemented system and method for processing applications for products or services based on solicited offers made to consumers are provided. A plurality of offers are communicated to a plurality of consumer recipients using a computer, each offer being identified by a solicitation identifier and an offer identifier. Offer information of said offers is stored in an offer database that further includes consumer identification information associated with the consumer recipients. A response to a specific offer is received from a specific consumer recipient at a VRU via a communication link with the specific consumer recipient. At least some offer identification data and consumer identification data is received from the specific consumer recipient at the VRU. Data received at the VRU is used to query the offer database to identify other targeted offers targeted to the specific consumer recipient and data associated with those other targeted offers, including consumer identity verification data. The identity of the specific consumer recipient is verified based on the consumer identification data and the consumer identity verification data. The communication link is transferred from the VRU to a live agent. The live agent is provided with (a) information received from the specific consumer at the VRU and (b) data from the query of the offer database including data regarding other targeted offers. |
| US08533028B2 |
Method for supporting accreditation of employee based on training
Methods, computer-readable media, and apparatuses support the accreditation of an employee based on training provided to the employee. Different employment areas are supported, including services and manufacturing. The employee's experience level and performance rating are compared with a predetermined experience duration and an acceptable performance rating, respectively, in order to determine a number of training modules and an allowed time frame to complete the number of training modules. The number of training modules is selected from a collection of training modules based on a performance indicator that is associated with the employee. When the employee has completed the number of training modules in the allowed time frame, the employee is accredited. If an employee's performance is less than a satisfactory performance rating, the employee may forfeit accreditation. Consequently, the employee must repeat the accreditation process in order to regain accreditation. |
| US08533027B1 |
User interface enabling approval/disappoval of revised contract performance indicators
A user interface and processes are provided to monitor contracts for the delivery of products and/or services to different customers. The user interface provides a comprehensive visual display such that a user can view multiple contracts and a variety of performance information for each contract. The user interface also enables a user to update performance indicators for a contract and to identify contracts that require heightened scrutiny or action to mitigate current problems or potential issues. |
| US08533025B2 |
Method and apparatus for management of sales activity information
Systems and methods are described for management of sales activity information. In an embodiment, a system comprises a client system; and a server system, communicatively coupled to the client system, wherein the server system comprises: a client interface to receive sales activity data from the client system, wherein the sales activity is associated with a sales process and arranged using a multi-dimensional matrix; and a data storage system to store the sales activity data using a coordinate system that corresponds with the multi-dimensional matrix. Other embodiments are disclosed. |
| US08533024B2 |
System and method for managing users of a gym facility
The present invention relates to a method for managing users of a gym facility. The method comprises the steps of: analyzing a population of users or possible users of a gym facility by means of statistical tools in order to detect desires of attaining mean term objectives, or “ASPIRATIONS”, of the population being analyzed; determining, by means of statistical tools, a limited number of ASPIRATIONS present in the population being analyzed; subdividing the population being analyzed, by means of statistical tools, into homogeneous groups each belonging to a given ASPIRATION included in a limited number of ASPIRATIONS; and assigning a user to at least one of the homogeneous groups based on responses to a closed-response questionnaire. The invention also relates to a system for managing users of a gym facility and to an information technology product for managing a gym facility and the users of a gym facility. |
| US08533019B2 |
System and method for a household services marketplace
A system and method are disclosed for the operation of an In-home Assistant Service. The service provides a marketplace to connect households with assistants for frequent and specialized jobs. The service collects profile data of potential assistants including multiple skills the assistant can provide. It also enables the household to provide detailed request criteria. A locate process is then performed to determine, which assistants best meet the identified criteria. |
| US08533015B2 |
Method and system for creating electronic business referrals with cloud computing
A method and system for creating electronic business referrals with cloud computing. Existing clients, customers or patient of a provider of professional services request a unique referral identifier tracking code (e.g., a unique QR code, etc.). The unique referral identifier tracking code is used by others as an automatic referral method to automatically schedule and appointment at a provider of the professional services, automatically record a referral discount for fee charged by the provider of the professional services and automatically record a referral credit for the existing client, customer or patient at provider of the professional services. The automatic referral method is completed with an electronic referral application in a cloud computing application when the unique referral identifier tracking code is received anywhere on a cloud computing network using less bandwidth and less processing cycles via the cloud communications network than via a non-cloud communications network. |
| US08533013B2 |
Content management
A content management system can have one or more of an aggregation engine, a survey engine, a polling engine, an apparent-interest engine, an explicit-interest engine, and a results processing engine. |
| US08533011B2 |
Systems and methods for queuing access to network resources
One embodiment of the present invention provides apparatus and methods for queuing access by large numbers of Internet or other network-based users to networked systems and resources with limited capacity. In one example embodiment, a queuing system provides user access to network resources, such as that of a ticketing system. A ticket queue queues a request received from a client system. A request processing module causes the client system to repeatedly transmit messages to the system during a first period, and in response to determining that the client system has ceased transmitting messages during the first period, the request is remove from the queue and/or cause the request goes unfulfilled. |
| US08533009B2 |
Method and system for managing appeals
A system and method for managing insurance claim denials. The system and method reviews a denial of claim from an insurer and a patient medical record received from a healthcare provider to determine if an appeal should be filed for the denial. It prepares an appeal to the denial comprising an appeals overturn letter and supporting document and submits the appeal to the insurer if it determines that an appeal should be filed. The system then tracks and monitors the progress of the appeal and process the appeal determination received from the insurer. The system utilizes these tracking and monitoring information to streamline and improve the insurance claim process of the healthcare provider, such as developing and implementing claim denial reduction program. |
| US08533008B2 |
Clinical trials management system and method
Meta-models are made available to clinical trial protocol designers. A meta-model includes a list of preliminary patient eligibility attributes appropriate for a particular disease category. The protocol designer chooses the appropriate meta-model, and encodes the clinical trial protocol, including eligibility and patient workflow, within the selected meta-model in a protocol database. The resulting protocol database is stored together with databases of other protocols in a library of protocol databases. Sponsors and individual clinical sites have controlled access to the protocols. Study sites make reference to the protocol database in order to perform patient eligibility screening. Once a patient is enrolled into a study, the protocol database indicates to the clinician what workflow tasks are to be performed at each patient visit. |
| US08533007B2 |
Chronic illness goal management
A health management system includes a plurality of goal modules (14). Each goal module includes one or more content sessions (16, 18, 71, 72, 73, 74, 120, 122, 126, 140, 148) cooperatively directed toward achieving a health management goal. A user interface (30) is configured for presenting content sessions. At least one feedback path (30, 32, 36, 38) provides at least one input indicative of a user response to a content session presented by the user interface. A content flow engine (42) is configured to control an order of presentation of content sessions based on the at least one input and on content flow rules (44, 46, 48). |
| US08533003B2 |
Method and apparatus for selecting a supplemental product to offer for sale during a transaction
According to some embodiments, a supplemental product or service may be offered to a user during a transaction, either in addition to products and/or services the user is purchasing, or as a replacement to one or more of the products and/or services that the user is purchasing. The functionality may be implemented, for example, in a retail embodiment where a user is purchasing products and/or services at a cash register or other point-of-sale terminal. One or more embodiments may be implemented online where a user is purchasing products and/or services using a computer, terminal, telephone or other client or user device and accessing a World Wide Web site, online catalog, interactive voice response unit or system, etc. |
| US08532998B2 |
Selective bandwidth extension for encoding/decoding audio/speech signal
A method of receiving an audio signal includes measuring a periodicity of the audio signal to determine a checked periodicity. At least one best available subband is determined. At least one extended subband is composed, wherein composing includes reducing a ratio of composed harmonic components to composed noise components if the checked periodicity is lower than a threshold, and scaling a magnitude of the at least one extended subband based on a spectral envelope on the audio signal. |
| US08532990B2 |
Speech recognition of a list entry
The present invention relates to a method of generating a candidate list from a list of entries in accordance with a string of subword units corresponding to a speech input in a speech recognition system, the list of entries including plural list entries each comprising at least one fragment having one or more subword units. For each list entry, the fragments of the list entry are compared with the string of subword units. A matching score for each of the compared fragments based on the comparison is determined. The matching score for a fragment is further based on a comparison of at least one other fragment of the same list entry with the string of subword units. A total score for each list entry is determined based on the matching scores for the compared fragments of the respective list entry. A candidate list with the best matching entries from the list of entries based on the total scores of the list entries is generated. |
| US08532989B2 |
Command recognition device, command recognition method, and command recognition robot
A command recognition device includes: an utterance understanding unit that determines or selects word sequence information from speech information; speech confidence degree calculating unit that calculates degree of speech confidence based on the speech information and the word sequence information; a phrase confidence degree calculating unit that calculates a degree of phrase confidence based on image information and phrase information included in the word sequence information; and a motion control instructing unit that determines whether a command of the word sequence information should be executed based on the degree of speech confidence and the degree of phrase confidence. |
| US08532979B2 |
Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program for presenting data based upon a detection of a photographic subject
An information processing apparatus includes a holding unit configured to hold, in advance, presentation data to be presented to a person; a detection unit configured to detect, in a captured image obtained by capturing an image of a photographic subject, the photographic subject; a reading unit configured to read presentation data associated with a detection result of the photographic subject from among items of presentation data held in advance; and an output unit configured to output the read presentation data. |
| US08532978B1 |
Natural language interface, compiler and de-compiler for security policies
A method and system for enabling non-programmers to create certifiable Extensible Access Control Markup Language (XACML) policies. The graphical user interface (GUI) presents a form to the security policy author using a natural language such as English, as specified by a context-free grammar. The compiler software translates the GUI's filled-in form—representing a human-readable natural language policy—into XACML code. A reverse compiler or de-compiler provides a certification of the XACML code to render the original policy in a natural language format such as English. Optionally, a tokenized intermediate form, a set of policy-specific data sets and a graph theory-based intermediate representation can be configured. Logic checks and code validation checks can be also preferably configured. Apparatus and medium claims are also provided. |
| US08532975B2 |
System and method implementing a simulation acceleration capture buffer
A system and method for capturing and delivering emulation data from a hardware emulation system to a simulator running on a host workstation without considerably sacrificing emulation speed or sacrificing the emulation capacity available for a user's logic design. According to one embodiment, a system, comprises a logic software simulator running on a host workstation; a hardware emulation system having a system bus and an emulator chip, the emulator chip includes: an emulation processor cluster, and a capture buffer connected to the system bus; and a high-speed interface connecting the host workstation to the system bus of the hardware emulator, wherein the capture buffer captures a select output of the emulation processor cluster. |
| US08532970B2 |
Systems and methods for network monitoring and analysis of a simulated network
Systems and methods for monitoring and analyzing components and operation of a simulated network environment including a module configured for storing a predetermined baseline for the simulated network environment, monitoring the simulated network environment during one or more operations, analyzing the monitored operations and the impact of the operations on one or more components of the simulated network environment, and comparing at least one of the monitored operations and impacts of the operations against the predetermined baseline. |
| US08532968B2 |
Method of improving the production of a mature gas or oil field
A method of improving the production of a mature gas or oil field, the field comprising a plurality of existing wells, the method comprising the steps of providing a field simulator capable of predicting a production of the field in function of a given scenario, a scenario being a set of data comprising production parameters of the existing wells and, the case may be, location and production parameters of one or more new wells, determining drainage areas of the existing wells using the field simulator, determining locations of candidate new wells such that drainage areas of the candidate new wells, determined using the field simulator, do not overlap with the drainage areas of the existing wells, optimizing the value of a gain function which depends on the field production by determining a set of wells out of a plurality of sets of wells, which optimize the value of said gain function, each set of wells of said plurality of sets of wells comprising the existing wells and new wells selected among the candidate new wells. |
| US08532967B2 |
Executing a utility in a distributed computing system based on an integrated model
An integrated model based on plural underlying models relating to corresponding aspects of subterranean formation development is provided. A utility is created to perform a function using the integrated model. The utility is assigned to execute in a distributed computing system having a plurality of computer node. Computations performed by the utility are distributed across the plurality of computer nodes, where the computations are related to simulations using the integrated model. |
| US08532964B2 |
Computer simulation of photolithographic processing
Methods, systems, and related computer program products for photolithographic process simulation are disclosed. In one preferred embodiment, a resist processing system is simulated according to a Wiener nonlinear model thereof in which a plurality of precomputed optical intensity distributions corresponding to a respective plurality of distinct elevations in an optically exposed resist film are received, each optical intensity distribution is convolved with each of a plurality of predetermined Wiener kernels to generate a plurality of convolution results, and at least two of the convolution results are multiplied to produce at least one cross-product. A weighted summation of the plurality of convolution results and the at least one cross-product is computed using a respective plurality of predetermined Wiener coefficients to generate a Wiener output, and a resist processing system simulation result is generated based at least in part on the Wiener output. |
| US08532962B2 |
Approach for planning, designing and observing building systems
A system which may enable users to plan, design and observe various building systems in an abstract and intuitive view, such as with a map view. In this view, virtually all facility information and objects may be displayed as simple shapes (e.g., rectangles). Just by some drag-and-drop, a user may provide shapes and rearrange positions of these shapes quickly to reflect a desired space relationship. Objects (e.g., components, devices, controllers, and the like) may be placed, moved around, and associated with each other on a facility layer or floor. Further, the map view may be used together with a tree view and a list view to provide alternative design ways. Changes made in any of the views may be synchronized with the other views. Various presentations of the facility may be provided. |
| US08532960B2 |
Remotely collecting and managing diagnostic information
The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for remote collection and management of diagnostic information. Embodiments of the invention facilitate remote configuration, management, and collection of diagnostic results. A remote diagnostic system connects to the local diagnostics of a service or computer system in a non-invasive way to collect diagnostic information. Filter and subscription requests are used to guide the collection and retention of diagnostic information. A diagnostic user connects to the remote diagnostic system to dynamically change the filter and subscription requests as part of a diagnostic process. The collected diagnostic information can then be transmitted to interested system operators using either syndication subscriptions or push subscriptions. |
| US08532955B2 |
Minimization of false trigger in a mobile electronic system
Preventative actions normally performed in response to detecting a trigger event triggered by an accelerometer attached to a portable device may be bypassed during a quiet period. The quiet period may be initiated in response to detecting at least one repeated trigger event within a time window encompassing the first trigger event, and may be terminated based on an expiration criterion. |
| US08532950B2 |
Method for calibrating a stage-camera system, and a stage-camera system
In a method for calibrating a stage-camera system, a travel distance of a stage is determined in a first coordinate system and an object displacement distance of at least one object is determined in a second coordinate system. A calibration measure for calibrating the coordinate systems is computed from the travel distance and the object displacement distance. The object displacement distance is determined by registering a calibration image with a reference image based on the at least one object. The method enables an automatic and accurate calibration of the stage-camera system. |
| US08532949B2 |
Computer-implemented methods and systems for classifying defects on a specimen
Various computer-implemented methods for classifying defects on a specimen are provided. One method includes assigning individual defects detected on the specimen to defect groups based on one or more characteristics of the individual defects. The method also includes displaying information about the defect groups to a user. In addition, the method includes allowing the user to assign a classification to each of the defect groups. Systems configured to classify defects on a specimen are also provided. One system includes program instructions executable on a processor for assigning individual defects detected on the specimen to defect groups based on one or more characteristics of the individual defects. The system also includes a user interface configured for displaying information about the defect groups to a user and allowing the user to assign a classification to each of the defect groups. |
| US08532945B2 |
Method of estimating the non-measurable characteristics of an electrochemical system
The present invention relates to a method of estimating the internal state of an electrochemical system using mathematical models which allow management of an electrochemical battery during operation, and notably estimation of the characteristics of the battery that are not directly measurable. For applications relating to hybrid and electric vehicles, the most significant internal characteristics are the state of charge (SoC), the state of health (SoH) and the thermal state. Reconstruction of the internal characteristics is achieved using mathematical models of the battery. The method can be used synchronously with the operation of the battery itself (real time) with a reduced or off-line mathematical model, for calibration, optimization or validation of management and estimation strategies. The method is useful for battery sizing, which has to be optimized according to the energy and thermal management strategies. |
| US08532938B2 |
Testing-dependent administration of a nutraceutical
A method, system, and computer program product are described for receiving a test result of a state of a subject and indicating an amount of a nutraceutical partly based on the test result and partly based on a regimen. |
| US08532935B2 |
Method and device for providing offset model based calibration for analyte sensor
Methods and devices to detect analyte in body fluid are provided. Embodiments include processing sampled data from analyte sensor, determining a single, fixed, normal sensitivity value associated with the analyte sensor, estimating a windowed offset value associated with the analyte sensor for each available sampled data cluster, computing a time varying offset based on the estimated windowed offset value, and applying the time varying offset and the determined normal sensitivity value to the processed sampled data to estimate an analyte level for the sensor. |
| US08532933B2 |
Insulin optimization systems and testing methods with adjusted exit criterion accounting for system noise associated with biomarkers
Embodiments of a testing method for optimizing a therapy to a diabetic patient comprise collecting at least one sampling set of biomarker data, computing a probability distribution function, a hazard function, a risk function, and a risk value for the sampling set of biomarker data wherein, wherein the probability distribution function is calculated to approximate the probability distribution of the biomarker data, the hazard function is a function which yields higher hazard values for biomarker readings in the sampling set indicative of higher risk of complications, the risk function is the product of the probability distribution function and the hazard function, and the risk value is calculated by the integral of the risk function, minimizing the risk value by adjusting the diabetic patient's therapy, and exiting the testing method when the risk value for at least one sampling set is minimized to an optimal risk level. |
| US08532931B2 |
Calculating sample size for clinical trial
A method for calculating a sample size for a clinical trial of a first treatment can be provided. The method can include reading a survival curve from a clinical trial for a second treatment, wherein the clinical trial may be selected by a user interacting with a user interface. The method can further include selecting a plurality of points on the survival curve and storing coordinates for each of the plurality of points, wherein the plurality of points are selected so as to capture substantial features of the survival curve. Then, a hazard curve is generated based on the coordinates that were stored, wherein the hazard curve may be a step function. The method can further include calculating a sample size for the clinical trial of the first treatment using a Markov model based on the hazard curve. |
| US08532930B2 |
Method for determining the number of copies of a chromosome in the genome of a target individual using genetic data from genetically related individuals
A system and method for determining the genetic data for one or a small set of cells, or from fragmentary DNA, where a limited quantity of genetic data is available. Genetic data for the target individual is acquired and amplified using known methods, and poorly measured base pairs, missing alleles and missing regions are reconstructed using expected similarities between the target genome and the genome of genetically related subjects. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, incomplete genetic data from an embryonic cell is reconstructed using the more complete genetic data from a larger sample of diploid cells from one or both parents, with or without genetic data from haploid cells from one or both parents, and/or genetic data taken from other related individuals. In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, incomplete genetic data from a fetus is acquired from fetal cells, or cell-free fetal DNA isolated from the mother's blood, and the incomplete genetic data is reconstructed using the more complete genetic data from a larger sample diploid cells from one or both parents, with or without genetic data from haploid cells from one or both parents, and/or genetic data taken from other related individuals. In one embodiment, the genetic data can be reconstructed for the purposes of making phenotypic predictions. In another embodiment, the genetic data can be used to detect for aneuploides and uniparental disomy. |
| US08532909B2 |
Procedure and control unit for operating a self-igniting Otto engine
Suggested is a procedure for operating a self-igniting Otto engine (OM) with at least one inlet valve (14), with one or several variably controllable outlet valves (15), with a sensor (21) for a continuous detection of an air-fuel-ratio (λ) of the Otto engine (OM) and with a sensor (22) for detecting an engine speed n of the Otto engine (OM), whereby the fuel is directly injected into at least one combustion chamber (10) and whereby the Otto engine (OM) is operated in such a way, that a desired combustion focus (MFB50%set) is adjusted. The procedure is thereby characterized, in that the self-igniting moment of the fuel is influenced by an injection moment depending on a combustion focus (MFB50%set). An independent claim relates to a control unit that is customized for controlling the process of the procedure. |
| US08532907B2 |
Cruise control system and cruise control method
A cruise control system includes: a traffic condition acquisition unit that acquires a traffic condition that includes a vehicle density on a road on which a vehicle runs; and a cruise control unit that performs cruise control on the vehicle so that a following distance has a less tendency to decrease as the road gets busier. |
| US08532903B2 |
Control system for internal combustion engine
A control system for an internal combustion engine having at least one fuel injection valve for injecting fuel in a combustion chamber of the engine. A main injection and a pilot injection are performed through the at least one fuel injection valve, the pilot injection being performed before the main injection. A demand output of the engine is temporarily reduced upon a request for reducing an output of the engine. The output of the engine is reduced when the demand output is reduced. A control of the pilot injection corresponding to a state where the demand output is not reduced is performed when the demand output is reduced. |
| US08532902B2 |
Method for controlling at least one electromechanical parking brake unit of an electromechanical parking brake system
In a method for controlling at least one electromechanical parking brake unit in a vehicle, the current vehicle speed is detected by a speed sensor system in the form of a speed measuring signal, and a deceleration measuring signal displaying the current vehicle deceleration is detected by at least one acceleration sensor system. In the event of a defective speed signal or a failure of the speed sensor system, the electromechanical parking brake system is operated in an emergency operation mode wherein, at the beginning of a braking, a dynamic braking function is provided by the electromechanical parking brake unit. Advantageously, the current vehicle deceleration is determined from the deceleration measuring signal and compared with a pre-determined minimum deceleration value, and if the determined current vehicle deceleration falls short of the pre-determined value in the emergency operation mode, a static brake function is provided by the electromechanical parking brake unit. |
| US08532897B2 |
Controller and method for detecting vehicle pull
Various embodiments of a controller for a vehicle braking system capable of determining vehicle pull during automated braking, are disclosed. The controller comprises a yaw rate input for receiving a yaw rate signal indicative of a yaw rate of the vehicle; a stability input for receiving a stability signal from a stability sensor of the vehicle; a deceleration input for receiving a deceleration signal indicative of an automated deceleration request and a brake output for transmitting a brake control signal. The controller includes control logic to determine vehicle pull based on the yaw rate signal and the stability signal. |
| US08532895B2 |
Power-assistance device for a vehicle
An assist device for a vehicle including a power train connected to drive wheels by a clutch, a bus, and a power-assist parking brake. The device includes sensors that transmit signals to the bus and a mechanism for learning-based estimation of a clutch curve on the basis of the signals, the curve connecting the position of the clutch pedal and a maximum torque range that can be transmitted by the corresponding clutch and a mechanism phasing the delivered signals to reduce an influence of noise on the sensors associated with the signals. |
| US08532892B2 |
Method and system for determining an accumulator pre-charge pressure in a fluid circuit
A system includes a pump, accumulator, a sensor which measures line pressure in a fluid circuit, and a controller. The controller plots and calculates respective slopes of first and second sets of measured pressure values from the sensor, calculates a slope ratio, and compares the slope ratio to a threshold. The controller also records the pre-charge pressure as the point of intersection of lines representing the slopes when the ratio exceeds the threshold. A control action is executed when the pre-charge pressure drops below a calibrated minimum threshold. A method includes measuring the pressure values, calculating the respective slopes and the slope ratio, comparing the slope ratio to a ratio threshold, recording the point of intersection of lines representing the slopes as an interpolated pre-charge pressure value when the ratio exceeds the threshold, and executing the control action. |
| US08532885B1 |
Automatic GNSS signal allocation between remote and base receivers
A differential global navigation satellite system (DGNSS)-based guidance system which is capable of utilizing satellites from multiple GNSS networks, for example in a real time kinematic (RTK) system. The remote rover receiver and the base station transceiver periodically synchronize to ensure that the satellites being tracked by the rover receiver correspond with those tracked by the base station transceiver. This ensures that redundant position data is filtered out and an accurate GNSS position of the rover unit can be determined. The ability to use satellites from different GNSS networks increases the accuracy of the positioning system and increases the chance of multiple satellites being available to a receiver under a greater number of circumstances. |
| US08532884B2 |
Engine-driven machine, control device for engine-driven machine, and method for controlling maximum output characteristic of engine
An engine-driven machine having plural kinds of load devices driven by an engine is provided with a load torque calculation unit that calculates a present load torque applied to the engine from a load device of at least one kind, and a control unit that performs variable control of a maximum output characteristic of the engine in accordance with the calculated load torque, such that a maximum output torque that can be outputted by the engine at the present engine revolution speed becomes a maximum output torque that is equal to or greater than the calculated load torque. |
| US08532883B2 |
Device for detecting the characteristics of an impact into a motor vehicle
A device for the detection of the characteristics of an impact into a motor vehicle includes at least one signal generating unit for generating a defined acoustic impulse sequence depending on the speed of the impact, particularly a structure-borne acoustic impulse sequence due to a deformation of a chassis component of the motor vehicle. The acoustic impulse sequence is generated by way of a mechanical activation of the signal generating device caused by the deformation. A sensor system is disposed to detect the defined acoustic impulse sequence. An analysis unit analyzes the signals supplied by the sensor system such that information can be supplied on the characteristics of the impact. |
| US08532882B2 |
Occupant restraint device control device
An occupant restraint device controller, including an electronic circuit substrate incorporating therein a control circuit that determines whether or not a vehicle has collided based on a detection output of a sensor detecting acceleration/deceleration of the vehicle and outputs a control signal for activating an occupant restraint tool. The electronic circuit substrate is accommodated inside a resin case provided with a structure for leading out a ground electrode from the inside to the outside of the resin case. The structure for leading out a ground electrode is configured such that a fixing leg, for fixing the electronic circuit substrate, is provided inside the case. This fixing leg is connected to a mounting portion, to be mounted to the vehicle, via a ground lead-out member that includes a first spring structure held between the fixing leg and the electronic circuit substrate, a ground terminal held between the case and part of the vehicle, and a second spring structure connecting the first spring structure to the ground terminal.As a result, grounding and sensor performance similar to that of conventional counterparts is achieved while a resin case is employed. |
| US08532880B2 |
Steering assist apparatus in response to lane departure direction and vehicle in neighboring lane
A steering assist apparatus of a vehicle includes: a lane set unit to recognize an environment of ahead the vehicle; a deviation determination unit to determine whether the vehicle has a deviation tendency from a traveling lane; a steering control unit to apply steering force in a deviation avoiding direction to the steering mechanism when it is determined that the vehicle has a deviation tendency; a neighboring vehicle detection unit to detect a neighboring vehicle, which travels ahead of the vehicle in a lane next to the traveling lane of the vehicle; and an approach degree calculation unit to calculate an approach degree of the neighboring vehicle toward the vehicle. When the vehicle has a deviation tendency in a direction away from the traveling lane of the neighboring vehicle, the steering control unit reduces the steering force in the deviation avoiding direction according to an increase of the approach degree. |
| US08532879B2 |
Information providing device for vehicle
An information providing device includes: a vehicle condition detector for detecting a vehicle condition; a support information generating element for generating support information for a driver; and a tactile sensibility notification element in a steering wheel for notifying the support information to the driver. The steering wheel includes a wheel element having a base, a movable portion and a driving unit. The movable portion is relatively movable with respect to the base. The driving unit drives the movable portion according to the support information. The movable portion and the driving unit provide the tactile sensibility notification element. Movement of the movable portion provides notification of the support information. |
| US08532872B2 |
Tire pressure adjustment
A tire pressure adjustment method and system is provided. The method includes receiving from a plurality of sensors in a vehicle, tread depth data associated with tread depths at multiple points on a tire tread comprised by a tire on the vehicle. The tread depth data is analyzed. A tire pressure value for an internal portion of the tire is determined based on results of the analysis. The tire pressure value is associated with modifying a group of tread depths during operation of the vehicle. In response, a command signal is generated. The command signal is configured to command a tire pressure modification device to adjust a current tire pressure value of the internal portion of the tire to the determined tire pressure value. The command signal is transmitted to the tire pressure modification device resulting in the current tire pressure value being adjusted to determined tire pressure value. |
| US08532871B2 |
Multi-modal vehicle operating device
A vehicle operating device includes: a voice operation unit (3) for recognizing an uttered voice and outputting a voice recognition result; a spatial operation unit (2) for recognizing a movement performed within a predetermined space and outputting a spatial recognition result; a main processing unit (4) for executing a processing corresponding to the voice recognition result and the spatial recognition result; and a display unit (5) for displaying an image generated in accordance with an instruction from the main processing unit, the image being superimposed on an actual scene that can be viewed through a windshield. |
| US08532870B2 |
Driver assistance system for motor vehicle/trailer combinations
A driver assistance system for motor vehicle/trailer combinations having a towing vehicle and at least one trailer, having a sensor unit for detecting the dynamics of the trailer, an electronic analysis unit for analyzing the data of the sensor unit, and an output unit for outputting an instability signal, which indicates a dynamic instability of the trailer established by the analysis unit, and having at least one assistance function which automatically triggers and controls a braking operation under specific conditions, the assistance function being designed to limit the absolute value of the deceleration of the vehicle during the braking operation to a value as a function of the instability signal. |
| US08532863B2 |
Audio based robot control and navigation
A computer implemented method for unattended detection of a current terrain to be traversed by a mobile device is disclosed. Visual input of the current terrain is received for a plurality of positions. Audio input corresponding to the current terrain is received for the plurality of positions. The video input is fused with the audio input using a classifier. The type of the current terrain is classified with the classifier. The classifier may also be employed to predict the type of terrain proximal to the current terrain. The classifier is constructed using an expectation-maximization (EM) method. |
| US08532862B2 |
Driverless vehicle
Each respective vehicle of a plurality of vehicles transports a vehicle navigation system. A position determining system determines a position and a velocity of the respective vehicle and an information acquisition system is operable to determine a displacement and velocity between the respective vehicle and a vehicle adjacent to the respective vehicle. An information communication system of a respective vehicle is operable to transmit first information (that vehicle's velocity and position) to other vehicles and to receive information from other vehicles regarding their velocities and positions. A vehicle routing system can determine a target routing and target velocity for moving the respective vehicle over a path including the roadway. Based on the received or determined information, the velocity of the respective vehicle can be controlled. |
| US08532855B2 |
Hybrid construction machine
A hybrid construction machine includes an engine, a hydraulic pump configured to be driven by the engine, a hydraulic actuator configured to be driven with a hydraulic pressure from the hydraulic pump, an electric motor configured to assist the driving of the engine, and a generator configured to be driven by the engine to generate power. The number of revolutions of the engine is caused to vary in accordance with the size of a load on the engine. In response to a decrease in the load requested of the engine, the engine is decelerated by causing the generator to generate power. In response to an increase in the load requested of the engine, the engine is accelerated by assisting the engine by driving the electric motor. |
| US08532850B2 |
System and method for communicating data in locomotive consist or other vehicle consist
A locomotive consist includes a lead locomotive, one or more trail locomotives, and a multiple unit (MU) cable bus interconnecting the first locomotive and the trail locomotives, which is used in the locomotive consist for transferring non-network control information between the lead vehicle and the trail locomotives. In a system and method for communicating data in the locomotive consist, network data is transmitted from the lead locomotive in the locomotive consist to one or more of the trail locomotives in the locomotive consist. The network data is transmitted over the MU cable bus. Each locomotive may include a computer unit or other electronic component, which along with the MU cable bus form a network in the train, e.g., an Ethernet network. |
| US08532849B1 |
System, device, and method for presenting course deviation information on an aircraft display unit
A present novel and non-trivial system, device, and method for presenting course deviation information on an aircraft display unit are disclosed. Lateral/vertical boundaries are established based upon lateral/vertical navigation data provided by one or more navigation data sources. Lateral/vertical deviation symbology data set(s) representative of lateral/vertical deviation scale(s) are generated and adapted to the lateral/vertical navigation data. The adapted lateral/vertical deviation symbology data set(s) representative of adapted lateral/vertical deviation scale(s) are provided to a display unit, whereby symbology(ies) of such adapted scale(s) are presented on a screen of the display unit. Each adapted scale is comprised of a desired course indicator and at least one deviation indicator, where the desired course indicator corresponds to a desired course and each deviation indicator corresponds to one navigation boundary. In response to changes of aircraft deviation, all indicators move together in unison within their respective, adapted deviation scale. |
| US08532848B2 |
Systems and methods for alerting potential tailstrike during landing
Systems and methods for alerting for potential tailstrike during landing. A processing device located onboard an aircraft determines whether the aircraft is in a landing operational mode. If the aircraft is determined within the landing operational mode, the processing device determines whether aircraft speed is less than a previously defined threshold speed and generates an alert signal if it is determined that the aircraft's speed is less than the previously defined threshold speed. An output device located onboard the aircraft, outputs an alert based on the generated alert signal. |
| US08532847B1 |
Vibration suppressing device for spacecraft
A vibration suppressing device for a spacecraft. A plurality of spacecraft deflection sensors measure a plurality of spacecraft deflections at specified locations on a spacecraft structure. A spacecraft modal coordinate calculation unit calculates a plurality of spacecraft modal coordinates. A high pass filter extracts a plurality of fluctuations of spacecraft modal coordinates. A cost function calculation unit calculates a cost function as a function of the plurality of fluctuations of spacecraft modal coordinates. A payload position calculation unit calculates an optimal payload position minimizing the cost function. A payload position adjustment device generates a control input suppressing a vibration transmitted to the payload system, and adjusts the payload position to the optimal payload position. |
| US08532845B2 |
Method of monitoring the effectiveness of a damper, and a device for implementing said method
The present invention relates to a method of monitoring the effectiveness of a damper system, wherein the method consists in measuring the relative movements of two strength members, in filtering the measurements in order to isolate those that relate to the lead-lag resonant frequency of the blade, in rectifying the signal, in recording the signal, in comparing the rectified signal (S) with a threshold value (SL), in determining an initial time interval (T0) as soon as the rectified signal exceeds the threshold value (SL), in calculating the integrals of the signal from T0 to T0+δ and from T0 to T0+pδ, in calculating the ratio R of the integrals, and in comparing the ratio R with a limit value RL, and in activating and delivering an alert signal (V1) if the ratio R is greater than or equal to the limit value RL. |
| US08532843B2 |
Engine automatic control system
A roadside communicator in a roadside around an intersection transmits, to vehicles around the intersection, traffic light information on traffic light at the intersection and mobile object information on vehicles and pedestrians around the intersection. An in-vehicle communicator mounted in a subject vehicle acquires the traffic light information and the mobile object information. An in-vehicle engine start determination section mounted in the subject vehicle determines a permission or prohibition of a start of an engine of the subject vehicle based on the traffic light information and mobile object information. The engine start determination section determines an engine start time in consideration of a display of the traffic light, and states of mobile objects that pass through the intersection. An in-vehicle engine control section in the subject vehicle starts the engine when the engine start determination section permits the start of the engine. |
| US08532838B2 |
System, method, and computer program product for controlling energy consumption in data centers
System and method for controlling energy consumption in a data center. An embodiment includes: segregating hot air from cold air by preventing hot air exhausted from hot aisles from flowing into cold aisles; measuring temperature and relative humidity values of the segregated hot and cold air; detecting temperature and relative humidity values of outside air; mixing the segregated hot air with a volume of the outside air, the volume of the outside air depending on a result of the measuring and the detecting; measuring temperature and relative humidity values of the mixed air; comparing the temperature and relative humidity values of the mixed air and the temperature and relative humidity values of the segregated cold air to IT specifications; cooling the mixed air based on a result of the comparison; and providing the cooled mixed air in the cold aisles. |
| US08532837B2 |
Household appliance
The present invention relates to a household appliance (1) comprising a control unit (4) that maintains to execute the selected program as much as possible within the discounted rate interval when the user enters the end time (tf) for the selected program, by evaluating the clock (2) data and the momentary energy tariff signal received from the sensing means (3) within the time passing until the end time (tf) and guarantees completion of the program to be executed before the selected end time (tf). |
| US08532834B2 |
Method for integrating controls for captive power generation facilities with controls for metallurgical facilities
A control system for a combined power generation and metallurgical plant facility integrates generator-side and load-side control to provide coordinated operation of the two processes. The power generation facility includes one or more generator units and the metallurgical plant facility includes one or more controllable loads. Operating characteristics of the one or more loads are fed back to the one or generator units through a master controller to determine input control parameters for the one or more generator units. Similarly control signals and operating characteristics of the one or more generators are fed forward to the one or more loads through the master controller to determine input control parameters for the one or more loads. Using feed-forward as well as feed-back loops to exchange generator output and load set-point information, power balance between the generator units and controlled loads is maintained within an operating envelope. |
| US08532830B2 |
Method and apparatus for controlling a compressor and method of cooling a hydrocarbon stream
Method and apparatus for controlling one or more first compressors (12), through which a compressor feed stream (10) is passed. At least one throttling valve (32) is provided downstream of a compressor recycle line (22), which is provided around the or each first compressor (12) and includes an in-line first recycle valve (24). Sometimes, at least a fraction of the compressor feed stream (10) is selectively allowed to bypass the or each first compressor (12) and the at least one throttling valve, via a bypass line (60). At least one of the throttling valves (32) is automatically controlled using the measurement values of at least one pressure and at least one flow of the group consisting of: the pressure (P1) of the compressor feed stream (10), the flow (F1) of the compressor feed stream (10), the pressure (P2) of the first compressed stream (20) and the flow (F2) of the first compressed stream (20). A first compressor controlled this way may be used in a method of cooling an initial hydrocarbon stream (100). |
| US08532829B2 |
Controller for water treatment
A controller for water treatment in a cooling system includes a processor, a user interface, a plurality of relays, at least one network port, and at least one communication port. The processor is configured to monitor cooling fluid in the cooling system and cause the system to drain fluid when an amount of dissolved solid in the fluid exceeds a predetermined threshold. The plurality of relays are configured for both wet operation and dry operation. The controller is accessed using a web server on the controller through a communication port. The controller is controller and control parameters are modified via the web server. A relay of the plurality of relays in the controller is configured for either wet operation or dry operation. The configuration of the relay of the plurality of relays is dynamically changed to the other of wet operation or dry operation. |
| US08532827B2 |
Prospective determination of processor wake-up conditions in energy buffered HVAC control unit
A thermostat includes at least a housing, a user interface, a memory, an environmental sensor, and a processing system. The processing system may be configured to operate in a wake state and a sleep state by determining wake-up conditions upon which the processor is to enter into the wake state from the sleep state that includes a threshold value associated with an environmental condition sensed by the environmental sensor, causing the wake-up conditions to be stored in the memory, operating in the sleep state during a time interval subsequent to causing the wake-up conditions to be stored in the memory, determining whether at least one of the wake-up conditions has been met, and operating in the wake state upon a determination that the at least one wake-up condition has been met. |
| US08532824B2 |
Control device for robot
A control device for a robot determines, as a desired driving force to be imparted to a joint, a component value corresponding to the displacement amount of each joint out of a desired generalized force vector τcmd that satisfies the relationship indicated by expression 01 given below by using basic parameter group of M, N, and G, Jacobian matrixes Jc and Js, a desired value ↑C of the motion acceleration of a contact portion representative element representing a motion of a contact portion of a robot 1, generalized variable observation information, and a desired value ↑S′ of a first-order differential value of a predetermine type of state amount, and then controls the operation of an actuator of the robot 1 on the basis of the determined desired driving force. S′+(Js*M−1*Tc−Js′)*q′=(Js*M−1*Pc)*(τcmd−τcmpn) Expression 01 |
| US08532821B2 |
Automatic veering structure for floor cleaning apparatus
An automatic veering structure for a floor cleaning apparatus comprises a driving wheel set to control moving direction of the floor cleaning apparatus, an auxiliary wheel set and a buffer module. It also has a detection module to detect whether the auxiliary wheel set is suspended in the air and whether the buffer module bumps into an obstacle, then output a first detection signal and a second detection signal to a control module to determine whether to trigger the driving wheel set to drive the floor cleaning apparatus to veer to prevent the floor cleaning apparatus from suspending and falling, or stopping moving when encounters the obstacle. Thus the lifespan of the floor cleaning apparatus is lengthened and cleaning efficiency improves. |
| US08532819B2 |
Manipulator with camera
Provided is a manipulator with at least one camera capable of observing an end effector from a direction suitable for work. A rotating portion rotatable coaxially with the end effector is provided to a link adjacent to a link located at a manipulator tip end. At least one camera for recognizing a work piece as an object is arranged on the rotating portion through a camera platform. An actuator for controlling a rotation angle of the rotating portion is driven according to a rotation angle of the link located at the manipulator tip end, and thus the camera is arranged in a direction perpendicular to a plane where the end effector can move when the end effector performs a grip work. In an assembly work, the rotating portion is rotated such that the camera is arranged in a direction parallel to the plane where the end effector can move. |
| US08532816B2 |
Truck restraint for loading dock
A device for restraining a horizontal bar at the rear of a vehicle to a stationary support adjacent a loading dock, the device having: a frame having a vertical track and a mounting bracket for securing the frame to the stationary support; a suspended carriage mounted to the track for vertical movement relative to the track, the suspended carriage having a forwardly and upwardly extending member. |
| US08532813B2 |
Method of controlling thread cutting
A method includes: (a) transferring a tool to where thread cutting is to start; (b) cutting threads in work with the tool; (c) performing tool deceleration along the Z-axis and acceleration along the X-axis during a predetermined acceleration/deceleration time Ta to retract the tool along the X-axis; and (d) returning the tool to a reference point. In Step (c), to shorten the incomplete thread portion, a command is issued concurrently with the start of the acceleration/deceleration time Ta to realize a pullout speed Ve along the X-axis that exceeds an allowable maximum speed Vmax to increase the acceleration along the X-axis. The speed command for moving the tool along the X-axis is maintained at the value of zero from the elapse of command time Te until the acceleration/deceleration time Ta expires to maintain the actual speed of the tool along the X-axis at or below the allowable maximum speed Vmax. |
| US08532812B2 |
System and method for identifying defects of surfaces due to machining processes
Embodiments of the invention disclose a method for determining defects of a surface of a model of an object generated from a model of an original object by a simulation of a machining process. The method determines orientations and rate of change in the orientation of the surface based on normal vectors to the surface and identifies the defects of the surface based on the rate of change and a threshold. The threshold is determined based on the machining process. |
| US08532811B2 |
Apparatus for and method of measuring workpiece on machine tool
A workpiece measuring apparatus has an external module provided outside an NC device to acquire position data of one or more movable axes of a movable unit having a measuring head attached thereto. The position data of the measuring head is acquired at the same time interval as that for the distance measurement by the measuring head. The position of the workpiece is acquired by calculation from the acquired distance measurement data and the position data of the measuring head. The continuous shape of the workpiece can be measured by performing continuous measurement while moving the measuring head. Therefore, no modification or change is required such as adding a new function to the NC device. In addition, the present invention is applicable to any machine tool equipped with an NC device of any configuration, without being restricted by constraints of the NC device. |
| US08532809B2 |
Network of fully automatic self-service key duplicating kiosks
A self-service, fully-automatic kiosk for duplicating keys includes a kiosk housing having a customer interface for receiving payment from a customer for the purchase of at least one duplicate of the customer's key. A key analysis system within the housing analyzes the blade of a key inserted in the key-receiving entry to determine whether the inserted key matches one of a group of preselected key types and, if so, which preselected key type is matched. A key blank extraction system extracts from a magazine within the kiosk a key blank for the preselected key type matched by the blade of the key inserted in the key-receiving entry. Then a key duplicating system within the kiosk replicates the tooth pattern of the blade of the key inserted in the key-receiving entry, on the blade of the extracted key blank. |
| US08532808B2 |
Systems and methods for measuring and verifying energy savings in buildings
A computer system for use with a building management system in a building includes a processing circuit configured to use historical data received from the building management system to automatically select a set of variables estimated to be significant to energy usage in the building. The processing circuit is further configured to apply a regression analysis to the selected set of variables to generate a baseline model for predicting energy usage in the building. |
| US08532807B2 |
Pre-operative planning and manufacturing method for orthopedic procedure
A pre-operative planning and manufacturing method for orthopedic surgery includes obtaining pre-operative medical image data representing a joint portion of a patient. The method also includes constructing a three-dimensional digital model of the joint portion and manufacturing a patient-specific alignment guide for the joint portion from the three-dimensional digital model of the joint portion when the image data is sufficient to construct the three-dimensional digital model of the joint portion. The patient-specific alignment guide has a three-dimensional patient-specific surface pre-operatively configured to nest and closely conform to a corresponding surface of the joint portion of the patient in only one position relative to the joint portion. The method further includes determining, from the image data, a size of a non-custom implant to be implanted in the patient and manufacturing the non-custom implant when there is insufficient image data to construct the patient-specific alignment guide therefrom. |
| US08532806B1 |
Process for manufacture of joint implants
An implant and process for manufacturing the implant for a joint of a patient comprises determining a dimension of a bone in the joint, generating a three-dimensional image of the bone, converting the image into a CAD model, determining a three-dimensional design for the implant according to the dimension of the bone, activating an electron beam melter, and additive-manufacturing the implant with the electron beam melter, the implant having a dimension equal to the dimension of the bone, the implant comprising a porous material. The porous material can be an osteoconductive material or an osteoinductive material or a combination thereof. |
| US08532805B2 |
System and method for controlling a manufacturing process
A method and a system control a manufacturing process of a plant via a MES system. The MES system is provided with a catalogue of a tool model, the catalogue of the tool model contains tool entities and tool methods on the tool entities. The tool entities contain engineering-time tool entities and run-time tool entities and the tool methods contain engineering-time tool methods and run-time tool methods. At engineering time or at run time, via a tool manager, the tool model catalogue is exposed and information on the tool model data is stored in a database. At engineering time, the specific engineering-time tool entities are defined by invoking engineering-time tool methods. At run time the specific tool entities are instantiated into run-time tool objects and the manufacturing process is controlled relative to physical plant tools by invoking the run-time tool methods on the run-time tool objects. |
| US08532804B2 |
Predictive resampler scheduler algorithm
A predictive resampler scheduler algorithm may be provided. An audio frame may be received from a producer. The audio frame may be transmitted to a consumer and a delay between receiving the audio frame and transmitting the audio frame may be calculated. In response to determining that the delay comprises a value not within a threshold time range, the size of the audio frame may be modified prior to transmitting the frame to the consumer. |
| US08532797B2 |
Mechanism for constructing generic control logic including versions in various protocols
A mechanism for constructing generic control logic with versions of the logic automatically generated and stored for one or more protocols. The complexity of the one or more protocols may be hidden under a hood of the mechanism from the view of engineers, programmers and users so as to improve their productivity relative to control logic designs and applications. |
| US08532791B2 |
Medical pacing wires
A medical pacing wire comprising a clamp that is adapted to be moved between an open position and a closed position and further adapted to allow a user to attach an electrode to a living tissue. In particular embodiments, the medical pacing wire may include a memory shape alloy having a memory state, which is adapted to cause the clamp to move from the closed position toward the open position when the memory shape alloy is caused to move from a non-memory state to the memory state. Also, in some embodiments, the clamp may comprise a superelastic material, and the medical pacing wire may be adapted to allow a user to remotely cause the clamp to substantially release the living tissue that has been closed within the clamp without substantially damaging the living tissue. |
| US08532790B2 |
Slidable fixation device for securing a medical implant
A fixation device for retaining a leadless medical implant to tissue includes an annular collar and an array of self-expanding tines extending from the collar. When deployed, the annular collar encircles the implant and the tines are preset to splay outwardly from the implant to grab body tissue and anchor the implant at a treatment site. The implant and fixation device are contained within a sheath for delivery to the treatment site and a pushing force is applied to a pusher of the delivery system to distally advance the fixation device relative to the implant and deploy the tines. A distal end of the implant having an electrode may form a distal tip of the delivery system, and a potential implantation site may be tested prior to deployment of the fixation device to allow for easy repositioning of the implant if the potential implantation site is determined to be unacceptable. |
| US08532784B2 |
Direct memory access (DMA) controlled stimulation
An implantable stimulation system (e.g., an implantable neurostimulation system (INS)) comprises memory including a first table and a second table. The first table stores blocks of stimulation event data corresponding to stimulation events that are to be performed during a period of time (e.g., a 0.5 sec. or 1 sec. period of time). The second table stores blocks of next stimulation event time data corresponding to the period of time. The implantable stimulation system also includes a direct memory access (DMA) controller including a first DMA channel and a second DMA channel. The first DMA channel selectively transfers one of the blocks stimulation event data from the first table to one or more registers that are used to control stimulation events. The second DMA channel selectively transfers one of the blocks of next stimulation event time data from the second table to a timer that is used to control timing associated with the stimulation events. In this manner, the DMA controller is able to control stimulation. |
| US08532783B2 |
Impact protection for implants
An implantable device includes an implantable housing having an outer surface and providing a hermetically sealed interior volume. A flexible electric lead is mechanically connected to the housing and electrically connected to circuitry within the interior volume. An impact protector overlies at least a portion of the outer surface of the housing and shields the underlying housing surface from the force of a mechanical impact. At least a portion of the impact protector may include an electrode electrically connected to the circuitry within the interior volume. |
| US08532781B1 |
Methods and systems of generating a graphical representation of an intracochlear trajectory of electrodes
Exemplary methods and systems of generating a graphical representation of an intracochlear trajectory of electrodes include using electrical field imaging to generate an electrical field spread curve for each of a plurality of electrodes contained within an electrode array at least partially inserted within a cochlear implant patient and generating a graphical representation of an intracochlear trajectory of the electrodes based on the electrical field spread curves. |
| US08532776B2 |
Package for an implantable neural stimulation device
The present invention is an improved hermetic package for implantation in the human body. The implantable device of the present invention includes an eclectically non-conductive bass including electrically conductive vias through the substrate. A circuit is flip-chip bonded to a subset of the vias. A second circuit is wire bonded to another subset of the vias. Finally, a cover is bonded to the substrate such that the cover, substrate and vias form a hermetic package. |
| US08532775B2 |
Modular medical device programmer
A medical device programmer comprises a medical device module and a computer module. The medical device module comprises a telemetry module that wirelessly communicates with an implantable medical device (IMD) and a medical device module processor communicates with the IMD via the telemetry module. The computer module housing mates with the medical device module housing to form a congruent external surface of the programmer. The computer module comprises a user interface including a touchscreen that displays data received from the IMD and receives input from a user, a memory that stores selectable patient therapy parameters for the IMD, a computer module interface in electrical communication with the medical device module interface, and a computer module processor that communicates with the medical device module. The medical device module processor forwards communications between the computer module processor and the IMD via the medical device module interface and the telemetry module. |
| US08532772B2 |
Method and apparatus for post-processing of episodes detected by a medical device
A method and system of post-processing of sensing data generated by a medical device that includes transmitting a plurality of stored sensing data generated by the medical device to an access device, the stored sensing data including sensed atrial events and sensed ventricular events. The access device determines, in response to the transmitted data, instances where the medical device identified a cardiac event being detected in response to the sensing data, and determines, in response to the transmitted sensing data, whether one of the sensed ventricular events and the sensed atrial events is initiating conduction of a heart associated with the stored sensing data. |
| US08532771B2 |
Maximum pacing rate limiter system
A maximum pacing rate limiter for use in adaptive rate pacing in conjunction with a cardiac rhythm management system for a heart. The maximum pacing rate limiter may function to measure an interval, termed the ERT interval, between a paced ventricular evoked response and a T-wave. The maximum pacing rate limiter may further function to maintain the ERT interval at less than a certain percentage of the total cardiac cycle. In one disclosed embodiment, a maximum pacing rate limiter calculates an ERT rate based on the detected paced ventricular evoked response and the T-wave, and the pacing rate limiter module further communicates the minimum of the ERT rate and an adaptive-rate sensor indicated rate to a pacemaker. |
| US08532768B2 |
Electrotherapy device for treating tachycardiac arrhythmias of a heart
An electrotherapy system, particularly an implantable heart stimulator, is configured as an electronic implant for electrical anti-tachycardia therapy of the heart, and includes at least one programmable therapy sequence (i.e. a sequence of several therapies that are delivered, one after the other, to treat a VT/VF episode). The implant has a therapy success memory for storing therapy success statistics for each therapy, as well as a therapy control unit that is configured to automatically undertake adaptation of the order of the therapies within a therapy sequence as a function of currently stored therapy success statistics. |
| US08532762B2 |
Discriminating polymorphic and monomorphic cardiac rhythms using template generation
Cardiac arrhythmias are classified based on the morphology of the arrhythmia episode beats. Templates are formed using morphological features of the cardiac beats of the episode. The arrhythmia episode is classified as a monomorphic tachyarrhythmia or polymorphic tachyarrhythmia based on the one or more templates. The arrhythmia episode may be classified based on a number templates formed from the arrhythmia episode. The templates are formed by determining a measure of similarity between morphological features of a cardiac beat to a template. The similarities can be determined based on a pairing rule that determines which beat morphologies are compared. Selection of therapy for treating the arrhythmia episode may depend on the historical success of a therapy at mitigating previous arrhythmias of the same type as the arrhythmia episode. |
| US08532759B2 |
Sensor signal alignment
Methods and systems, including computer readable mediums, are provided for transforming a measurement made relative to a first reference frame into a corresponding measurement relative to a second reference frame. Sensor signals that are produced by sensors in response to the sensors' motion relative to the first reference frame are transformed using a transformation matrix. The transformation generates corrected sensor signals that are relative to the axes of the second reference frame. |
| US08532756B2 |
Method for analyzing function of the brain and other complex systems
A method and system are provided for analyzing electromagnetic brain signals such as EEG and ECoG signals in a subject in real time and which avoids the need for time-intensive retrospective analysis of brain activity in the subject. This can be applied to all complex systems with multiple fluctuating signals to identify and predict significant events. |
| US08532755B2 |
ECG electrode and electrode support
An electrically non-conductive back plate for supporting the back of a patient in a supine position comprises on its front face facing the back of the patient a pair or more of ECG electrodes capable of maintaining electrically conductive skin contact with the patient's back. The pair of ECG electrodes is disposed at a sharp angle with the mean heart vector, in particular so as to form an angle β of about 45°±25° with the projection S of the patient's spine on the back plate. Also disclosed is an ECG electrode for mounting in a recess of the back plate and an apparatus for treating cardiac arrest by compression of the sternum comprising the back plate. |
| US08532752B2 |
Biosignal amplifying device
A biosignal amplifying device includes: an operational amplifier (op-amp); a capacitor load including a first capacitor connected with a first input terminal of the op-amp, and in which a first voltage is inputted from a first electrode, and a second capacitor which is connected with a second input terminal of the op-amp, and in which a second voltage is inputted from a second electrode; a feedback capacitor load including a first feedback capacitor connected with the first input terminal and an output terminal, and a second feedback capacitor connected with the second input terminal; and a feedback resistor load including a first feedback resistor connected with the first input terminal and the output terminal, and a second feedback resistor connected with the second input terminal. |
| US08532748B2 |
Devices useful in imaging
Biopsy devices and methods useful with Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Breast Specific Gamma Imaging (BSGI) are disclosed. A biopsy device including a flexible tube having a side aperture, and a PET or BSGI imageable material disposed within the flexible tube is disclosed. A biopsy method is disclosed that includes advancing a flexible tube having a PET or BSGI imageable material distally through the biopsy device. Various other embodiments and applications are disclosed. |
| US08532745B2 |
Breast biopsy and needle localization using tomosynthesis systems
Methods, devices, apparatuses and systems are disclosed for performing mammography, such as utilizing tomosynthesis in combination with breast biopsy. |
| US08532744B2 |
Method and system for design of spectral filter to classify tissue and material from multi-energy images
A method, system and apparatus for filtering multi-energy images using spectral filtering technique is described. In one embodiment, the method includes obtaining a first image of an anatomical object corresponding to a first radiation energy. In addition, the method includes obtaining at least one additional image, herein called a second image of the anatomical object corresponding to at least one second radiation energy. The at least one second radiation energy is distinct from the first radiation energy. The method also includes determining joint attenuation characteristics of each tissue at the first radiation energy and at the second radiation energy or their derivatives. The method also includes selectively filtering attenuation value in a multi-energy space due to at least one tissue to generate a filtered image from a reference image. The reference image is one of the first image or the second image or their derivatives. |
| US08532733B2 |
Mapping guidelet
The medical lead delivery device more easily and quickly delivers a lead to or through the coronary vein of a patient's heart. The medical lead delivery device includes an elongated body, a controller, a first and second spring, and a sleeve. The elongated body includes a proximal end and a distal end. The controller is disposed at the proximal end and provides enhanced control of the distal tip of the elongated body. |
| US08532731B2 |
Methods of determining analyte concentration
A region of skin, other than the fingertips, is stimulated. After stimulation, an opening is created in the skin (e.g., by lancing the skin) to cause a flow of body fluid from the region. At least a portion of this body fluid is transported to a testing device where the concentration of analyte (e.g., glucose) in the body fluid is then determined. It is found that the stimulation of the skin provides results that are generally closer to the results of measurements from the fingertips, the traditional site for obtaining body fluid for analyte testing. |
| US08532729B2 |
Moldable ear sensor
The present disclosure relates to sensors for use on a patient's ear. The sensors as provided may include a moldable member, such as a putty. The moldable member may be molded in place to affix the optical components of the sensor to a patient's ear tissue. For example, the moldable member may be sculpted around a curvature of a patient's earlobe. In particular embodiments, the moldable member may be activated, e.g., hardened, by exposure to particular temperatures or by exposure to light. |
| US08532726B2 |
Invasive chemometry
The invention relates to methods and devices for assessing one or more components of a selected tissue in an animal. The present invention permits non-invasive assessment of tissue components in a body structure containing multiple tissue types by assessing multiple regions of the animal's body for an optical characteristic of the tissue of interest and separately assessing one or more optical (e.g., Raman or NIR) characteristics of the tissue component for one or more regions that exhibit the optical characteristic of the tissue of interest. |
| US08532725B2 |
Parallel connected HTS utility device and method of using same
A method of controlling fault currents within a utility power grid is provided. The method may include coupling a superconducting electrical path between a first and a second node within the utility power grid and coupling a non-superconducting electrical path between the first and second nodes within the utility power grid. The superconducting electrical path and the non-superconducting electrical path may be electrically connected in parallel. The superconducting electrical path may have a lower series impedance, when operated below a critical current level, than the non-superconducting electrical path. The superconducting electrical path may have a higher series impedance, when operated at or above the critical current level, than the non-superconductor electrical path. |
| US08532721B2 |
Portable electronic device having sliding display providing event notification
A handheld electronic device comprises a housing having a keyboard support member on a front thereof and a base defining a cavity therebetween, wherein light generated within the cavity can be viewed from a front of the housing; a display assembly slidably mounted to the housing and comprising a display screen on a front face thereof, the display assembly being slidable between a retracted position and an extended position, wherein in the retracted position a lower portion of the display screen is received within the cavity underlying the keyboard support member and an upper portion of the display screen is viewable outside of the cavity, and in the extended position the lower portion and the upper portion of the display screen are viewable outside of the cavity, wherein the display screen is a light emitting diode display screen comprising a plurality of pixels that are selectively illuminatable to display an image; a processor configured to control operation of the display screen; and a position sensor for indicating to the processor when the display assembly is in the retracted position. When the position sensor indicates the display assembly is in the retracted position, and upon an occurrence of one or more predetermined events, the processor is configured to generate an event notification by illuminating pixels in the lower portion of the display screen. |
| US08532719B2 |
Methods and systems for application procedure management
Methods and systems for application procedure management are provided. First, an event is received, wherein the event defines a normal procedure and a specific procedure. In response to the event, a sensor is activated to detect a presence of at least one object. If the presence of the object is not detected, the normal procedure for the event is performed. If the presence of the object is detected, the specific procedure for the event is performed. In some embodiments, the executed specific procedure includes inactivating a display unit. |
| US08532715B2 |
Method for generating audible location alarm from ear level device
An audible location alarm is generated from an ear-level device of a type comprising a memory, a microphone and a speaker, each coupled to a processor. Communication is established between the ear-level device and a companion device, the companion device having an interface, a display associated with the user interface, and an audible location alarm program stored therein. The audible location alarm program is initiated. An audible location alarm signal is transmitted to the ear-level device, thereby providing instruction to the ear-level device to broadcast an audible location alarm through the speaker of the ear level device until detection of an end event. |
| US08532711B2 |
Mobile terminal device, and program used in mobile terminal device
A mobile terminal device, which is provided with the plurality of keys, includes: a touch detection interface for detecting that a user has touched a key; a press detection interface for detecting that the user has pressed the key; a controller for switching the mode in response to whether or not the user has touched a side key, in order to execute a first function assigned to the key in a case where the key is pressed by the user in a “shift mode,” and to execute a second function assigned to the key in a case where the key is pressed by the user in a “normal mode”; and a display unit for displaying an explanation on the first function assigned to the key in a case where it is detected in the “shift mode” that the user has touched the key. |
| US08532710B2 |
Integrated dialing
Call initiation on a device with potential for a large number of stored telephone numbers is simplified through the use of an integrated field for entry of an ambiguous filter string. As it is not clear, a priori, whether the user is manually specifying, in the integrated field, a telephone number or providing a filter string for filtering contacts, filtering is performed based on at least one filter string. Among the contacts that are part of a filtering result list, a default contact is selected for quick access. |
| US08532709B2 |
Method and apparatus for automatically converting phone number while roaming
Provided are a method of automatically converting a phone number while roaming using a mobile communication terminal, and a mobile communication terminal using the method. The mobile communication terminal sets an automatic conversion mode, stores at least one phone number, reads a phone number selected by a user from among the at least one stored phone number, converts the read phone number to be suitable for an international phone system of a visited country for connection to a home country if the set automatic conversion mode is ON upon when a calling command is input, and controls every module of the mobile communication terminal such that a call can be made to the converted phone number. |
| US08532704B2 |
Terminal of supporting enhanced near field communication and its processing method
The present invention provides a terminal supporting eNFC and its processing method, in which a card emulation mode is disabled when a user card does not support SWP, and NFC in non card emulation modes can further be supported. A mobile terminal disabling/enabling the NFC function is implemented by the interaction of the mobile terminal with a NFC emulation front end chip therein. When the terminal determines that the user card does not support the SWP interface, it disables the NFC function. If the terminal is required to work in a non card emulation mode, the terminal starts a NFC application in the non card emulation, mode, and enables the NFC function when determining that the NFC function is in a disabled state; after the NFC ends, the terminal disables the NFC function when determining that the user card does not support the SWP interface. |
| US08532702B2 |
Mobile electronic device with sound output function
According to one embodiment, a mobile electronic device includes a heat source unit that generates heat, a housing for holding the heat source unit; a temperature detection unit for detecting the temperature of the housing, a communication unit for performing communications, a sound output unit for outputting sound relating to the communications, and a control unit for controlling the heat source unit and the communication unit. The control unit changes sound output from the sound output unit depending on the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit and a set temperature. |
| US08532700B2 |
Method and apparatus for accessing a network service
A method and apparatus for initiating a call are disclosed. For example, the method receives via a tri-mode mobile endpoint device a request for initiating a call and a selection of an access mode from a user, wherein the tri-mode mobile endpoint device is capable of operating in a cellular mode, a Wi-Fi mode, and a wire-based mode for initiating the call. The method then provides the call using the selection of the access mode. |
| US08532695B2 |
Mobile telephone, telephone number managing server, telephone number changing system, telephone number requesting method, and telephone number requesting program
It is desired from the viewpoints of accessory and economy to make common use of one telephone number among a plurality of mobile telephones. A server makes an ID intrinsic to a mobile telephone and a telephone number correspond to each other thereby to relay communications between the mobile telephones made to correspond. A mobile telephone requests the server managing the telephone number and the ID of the mobile telephone from itself via the Internet, to change the correspondence between the telephone number and the mobile telephone ID. In response to this request, the server changes the correspondence between the telephone number and the mobile telephone ID. |
| US08532694B2 |
Interface authorization scheme
An authorization scheme controls whether an interface is established between communication nodes. Such a scheme may be used, for example, to determine whether to establish a direct interface (e.g., an X2 interface) between a pair of access points. A decision to establish a direct interface between nodes may be based on a node type of one or both of the nodes. A decision to establish a direct interface between nodes may be based on whether the nodes belong to the same group. |
| US08532691B2 |
Method and device for controlling a transmit power in a radio communications system
A method for controlling a transmit power in a radio communications system includes receiving a request to increase a transmit power of an uplink channel and determining whether the transmit power was at a maximum upon receipt of a previous request to increase the transmit power preceding the received request. If the transmit power was not at the maximum upon receipt of the previous request, the transmit power is increased by a first step size and if the transmit power was at the maximum upon receipt of the previous request, the transmit power is increased by a second step size greater than the first step size. |
| US08532690B2 |
Uplink control channel transit power control based on received transmission
A method and device are configured to receive, in simultaneous communication with stations via a wireless interface power control, commands from the stations. The method and device are configured to receive from a control unit further control information associated with a transmission parameter for use by the device for one or more transmissions to one of the stations other than the station that received transmissions from the device with a best quality parameter. The method and device are also configured to control one or more transmissions from the device to the one of the stations on the basis of a power control command from the station that receives transmissions from the device with the best quality parameter, and on the basis of the further control information received from the control unit. The further control information comprises a control command selected from control commands by the control unit. |
| US08532684B2 |
Interference reduction apparatus and interference reduction method thereof
The present invention relates to an interference reduction apparatus, an interference reduction method and a computer storage medium. The interference reduction apparatus can estimates the channel of the cells comprehensively to obtain the combination information and the interference power level information. The combination information and the interference power level information is used to combine at least one precoding matrix of he codebook with each other to generate a combined precoding matrix which acts as the strongest signal power from the interference reduction apparatus and the weakest interference from the neighboring cells. |
| US08532680B2 |
Apparatus and method for compressing and restoring SMS message
An apparatus and method for compressing and restoring a Short Message Service (SMS) are provided. The apparatus includes an input unit through characters are input by a user; a display unit displays the characters input by a user; a control unit which compares the characters input by the user with a stored sentence table of recommended sentences to determine whether there is at least one recommended sentence in the sentence table that corresponds to the input characters, and if it is determined that there is the at least one recommended sentence that corresponds to the input characters, controls the display unit to display the at least one recommended sentence; a converting unit which converts a recommended sentence selected by the user from among the at least one recommended sentence into a compression code; and a transmission unit which transmits an SMS message that includes the recommended sentence converted into the compression code. |
| US08532679B2 |
System and method for providing a single telephone number for use with a plurality of telephone handsets
Systems and methods providing integrated voice and data services utilizing wired cordless access with unlicensed/unregulated connectivity sources and wireless access with licensed/regulated connectivity sources. A single telephone directory number is assigned for use with both a mobile wireless telephone and for use with a cordless wired Internet Protocol (IP) telephone. The mobile wireless telephone operates via a conventional licensed spectrum wireless network, and the IP telephone operates over voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) over a broadband packet data network service. Incoming calls simultaneously ring the user's mobile wireless telephone and IP telephone. The user may be provided a personal voice mailbox that may be accessed from their mobile wireless telephone or from their IP telephone. The user may be provided a single services bill associated with use of both telephones. |
| US08532678B2 |
Portable GPS navigation device
A portable GPS navigation device displays map information and navigation instructions; the device (a) includes a two-way wireless transceiver operable to connect to a mobile telephone; (b) is operable to enable a user to control one or more functions of the mobile telephone and (c) includes an audio output and a microphone to enable a voice call to be made using the mobile telephone. |
| US08532677B2 |
Model based channel state information feedback
The proposed methods and devices provide a new technique for feeding back CSI information of a channel between a network element and a user equipment to the network element by feeding back a location of the user equipment. The new technique opens completely new options for multi user scheduling and channel prediction. According to embodiments, a proposed user equipment configuration is indicated to the user by the user equipment. |
| US08532664B2 |
Method and apparatus to improve CDMA reverse link performance
Reverse link reception and reverse link capacity are improved at a multi-sector radio base station (RBS) by forcing always-softer reverse link handoff conditions for mobile stations served by the RBS. Whenever a serving sector reverse link is assigned to a mobile station at the RBS, one or more additional reverse links are assigned to it from remaining sectors of the RBS. Such assignments are made irrespective of whether those sectors are, or could be, used to serve the mobile station on the forward link. The RBS improves its reception of the mobile station's reverse link transmissions by combining signals from all of the assigned reverse links. With improved reception, mobile stations can be commanded or configured to reduce their reverse link transmit power, thereby reducing reverse link interference and increasing reverse link capacity. Always-softer handoff may not be forced unless the mobile station has a reverse supplemental channel, since the use of such channels makes interference reduction particularly beneficial. |
| US08532663B2 |
Configuring a base station to act as a regional mobility agent
Described herein are mechanisms and methods that facilitate utilizing a base station as a regional mobility agent (e.g., regional home agent, regional foreign agent, and/or the like). Thus, a base station can have functionality embedded therein that enables the base station to create tunnels with other base stations and selectively direct data intended for a wireless terminal to those base stations. Such base stations can then transmit the data to the wireless terminal. |
| US08532660B2 |
Method and apparatus for directing traffic between overlying macrocells and microcells
The present invention provides embodiments of methods for directing traffic between cells of different sizes. One embodiment of the method includes determining, at a mobile unit, whether to hand off from a source cell to a target cell based on information indicating sizes of coverage areas of the source cell and the target cell. |
| US08532658B2 |
Neighbor list provision in a communication network
Techniques for neighbor list provision in a communication network are described. From an access terminal, a query for potential access points within communication range of the access terminal is received; and neighbor list information is provided to the access terminal. The neighbor list information is associated with available access points capable of providing the access terminal with access to a network. |
| US08532657B2 |
System, method, and computer-readable medium for user equipment registration and authentication processing by a femtocell system
A system, method, and computer readable medium for processing registration and authentication procedures by an IP-based femtocell system are provided. The femtocell system includes a base transceiver station and a Session Initiation Protocol to Internet Operating System adapter. The femtocell system receives a registration message from a user equipment, issues a location update request on behalf of the user equipment, transmits a register message to a core network, receives an authentication request from the core network, and transmits an authentication challenge to the user equipment. |
| US08532656B2 |
System, method, and computer-readable medium for short message service termination processing by a femtocell system
A system, method, and computer readable medium for processing short message service terminations in a communication system featuring an IP-based femtocell system are provided. The femtocell system includes a base transceiver station and a Session Initiation Protocol to Internet Operating System adapter. The femtocell system receives message content from a core network over a packet interface that is to be delivered to a user equipment serviced by the femtocell system and depacketizes the message content. The Session Initiation Protocol to Internet Operating System adapter conveys the depacketized message content to the base transceiver station which transmits the message content to the user equipment via a data burst. |
| US08532654B2 |
Detecting subscriber input via a wireless communication device for initiating network provisioning of such device
Methods, systems, and apparatus for detecting subscriber input via a wireless communication device for initiating network provisioning of the wireless communication device are presented herein. A method can include receiving, via an interface of a wireless communication device, a first input from a subscriber of a wireless service associated with the wireless communication device; sending, by the wireless communication device based on the first input from the subscriber, a request for provisioning the wireless communication device via a wireless network associated with the wireless service; and outputting, via the interface of the wireless communication device, a first message including a condition for the provisioning the wireless communication device via the wireless network based on the request. In an example, the method can further include receiving, based on the request, the condition from a component of the wireless network. |
| US08532653B2 |
Managing control signalling over different radio access technologies (RATS) using different types of spectrum
A wireless multimedia point-to-multipoint network using different radio access technologies (RATs) is disclosed. Paired and unpaired frequency division duplexing (FDD) cellular spectrum may be used by the RATs. Controlling signaling and traffic may be sent using different RATs. |
| US08532647B2 |
Method and apparatus for determining downlink beamforming vectors in hierarchical cell communication system
Provided is a method and apparatus for determining a downlink beamforming vector in a hierarchical cell communication system. Small base stations may determine transmit beamforming vectors of the small base stations so that interference from the small base stations may be reduced in a macro terminal. A macro terminal and small terminals may determine receive beamforming vectors based on the transmit beamforming vectors of the small base stations. A macro base station may determine a transmit beamforming vector based on effective channels to terminals using the receive beamforming vectors of the terminals. |
| US08532644B2 |
System effective to modulate a code and provide content to a user
A system and method effective to provide content to a user. The system may include a sound device, a smart phone, and a processor. The sound device may modulate a code where a first set of frequencies represents a logic 0 and a second set of frequencies represents a logic 1. The smart phone may demodulate the modulated code to reproduce the code. The smart phone may send the code as a query to a processor. The processor may receive the query, determine content associated with the code, and send the content over the network to the smart phone. The smart phone may further receive the content and display the content on a display. |
| US08532643B2 |
Mobile phone comprising a streaming server with activation means for activating downloading of a file for streaming thereof
A mobile phone is provided. The mobile phone includes a first buffer memory, a downloader for downloading a data file from a web server in the first buffer memory, the file being accessible at a web address on the web server, the downloader being connected to the first buffer memory, and a streaming server for streaming data to a remote client equipment according to a predetermined network protocol, the streaming server being connected to the first buffer memory. The streaming server is adapted to be connected to the remote client equipment via a data link and is adapted to receive, from the remote client equipment, a data streaming request. The streaming server includes an activater for activating the downloader, the activater being adapted to activate the downloading of the data file. |
| US08532642B2 |
Autonomous, non-interactive, context-based services for cellular phone
Embodiments include but are not limited to cellular phones, methods practice thereon, for autonomously servicing a call or a message, on behalf of the user, without interacting with the user, are disclosed herein. In various embodiments, data about a user of the cellular phone, internal conditions of the cellular phone, or external environment of the cellular phone are locally collected and from a wireless communication network. In various embodiments, multiple agents are provided to the cellular phone, wherein each agent is configured to determine, on receipt of a received call or message, a current service context based at least in part on some of the data stored, and autonomously servicing the received call or message based on the results of the determination. Other embodiments may be described and claimed. |
| US08532641B2 |
System and method for managing media
A music enabled communication system includes a wireless telephone device with a display, a wireless communication module, a rechargeable power supply, a memory system, and a collection of instructions operable to utilize the wireless communication module to stream a signal representing a song to a recipient device using a given asynchronous wireless channel of a localized communications signaling network, to recognize receipt of an incoming call, and to alter the signal in connection with recognizing receipt of the call. |
| US08532635B2 |
System and method for providing short message targeted advertisements over a wireless communications network
A method and system for providing targeted advertisement information to consumers over a wireless communications network. In one embodiment, local advertisers register to advertise on wireless communications devices that are in close proximity to the advertiser. As a consumer enters a cell site that is near the location of the advertiser, the wireless network delivers a message to the wireless device specified by the local advertiser. An acknowledgement signal is then received by the network, and the local advertiser's account is charged for transmission of the advertisement. In a further embodiment, each of the messages stored in the database is also associated with one or more demographic codes, and users of wireless communications device select from one more demographic codes to describe their advertisement preferences. Messages to be transmitted to particular wireless communications devices are selected based upon both the location information and the demographic codes associated with the messages. |
| US08532634B2 |
System for targeting advertising content to a plurality of mobile communication facilities
A system for targeting advertising content includes the steps of: (a) receiving respective requests for advertising content corresponding to a plurality of mobile communication facilities operated by a group of users, wherein the plurality includes first and second types of mobile communication facilities with different rendering capabilities; (b) receiving a datum corresponding to the group; (c) selecting from a first and second sponsor respective content based on a relevancy to the datum, wherein each content includes a first and second item requiring respective rendering capabilities; (d) receiving bids from the first and second sponsors; (e) attributing a priority to the content of the first sponsor based upon a determination that a yield associated with the first sponsor is greater than a yield associated with the second sponsor; and (f) transmitting the first and second items of the first sponsor to the first and second types of mobile communication facilities respectively. |
| US08532633B2 |
System for targeting advertising content to a plurality of mobile communication facilities
A system for targeting advertising content includes the steps of: (a) receiving respective requests for advertising content corresponding to a plurality of mobile communication facilities operated by a group of users, wherein the plurality includes first and second types of mobile communication facilities with different rendering capabilities; (b) receiving a datum corresponding to the group; (c) selecting from a first and second sponsor respective content based on a relevancy to the datum, wherein each content includes a first and second item requiring respective rendering capabilities; (d) receiving bids from the first and second sponsors; (e) attributing a priority to the content of the first sponsor based upon a determination that a yield associated with the first sponsor is greater than a yield associated with the second sponsor; and (f) transmitting the first and second items of the first sponsor to the first and second types of mobile communication facilities respectively. |
| US08532632B2 |
Cellphone changing an electronic display that contains a barcode
A cellphone with a camera takes a photo of a barcode in a screen that can show different images. The barcode is decoded into a URL, and the cellphone uses wireless Internet access to visit the website of the URL. The website then makes a different image, that also has a barcode of a URL, and sends it to the screen for display. This can increase the interactivity of the screen and its value to advertisers. Several users with cellphones might simultaneously interact with the screen in this manner. |
| US08532629B2 |
Unstructured supplementary service data call control manager within a wireless network
A system and apparatus for call control management using the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) protocol. The system and apparatus uses USSD messages between the wireless private network subscriber and a wireless network to provide subscribers with information about callers and routing options of the call. The subscriber can also inform the system using USSD messages how to proceed with the call. The system provides USSD messages such as but not limited to, transferring the call to another subscriber with canned messages, transferring the call to a subscriber's voice mail, establishing a conference call, swapping to other call, creating new call, consulting with other person, transferring to specific predefined person, hold, consulting with other person via canned message, etc. The system and apparatus also exchanges device status information using USSD messages. |
| US08532628B2 |
Registering actionable alerts
Described are methods and systems, including computer program products, for registering, configuring, and invoking actionable alerts. For example, an alert action is determined based on an alert. The alert is sent to a device based on an alert logic and the alert action is sent to the device based on a device capability. A received communication is identified as a response from the first device based on the alert requesting performance of the alert action. |
| US08532627B1 |
Methods and systems for dynamic treatment of callers
Methods and systems for dynamic treatment of callers are described. Optionally, a communication system may include an application installed on a user communication device. The communication system may be utilized to receive and screen calls, enable a user to specify which calling parties may bypass a low indication mode and/or a non-indication mode, challenge callers, and/or identify urgent calls. |
| US08532624B2 |
System and method for storing and retrieving multimedia messages on low-cost tags in order to facilitate contextual communications
Systems, methods and computer program products for storing and retrieving of multimedia messages onto tags in order to facilitate contextual communications are disclosed. Such tags can be attached or affixed to physical, real-world objects thus allowing multimedia messages associated with the tags to be retrieved with the real-world objects in a time-shifted and space-shifted manner from when and where they were recorded. The present invention uses low-cost (metal, paper or plastic) tags—encoded using barcodes or RFID—as virtual message storage units and commercially-available terminals equipped with appropriate software and sensors, such as mobile telephones, as recording and reading devices. |
| US08532619B2 |
System for authorizing the use of communication devices by proximity
The present invention relates to the use of a transponder for wireless communication with the mobile phone, replacing the process of inserting the SIM card inside the device.The object of this patent is to provide a system that allows a plurality of communication devices, whether mobile, portable or fixed, with a second device which has as main feature the validation of user identity with the network of telecomunication providers. In this system, the device A comprises a SIM card that is activated when a device B is in a radius of less than 1 meter. The communication between two devices is done via radio frequency. Device B will make a periodic transmission of data within this radius to determine the continued presence of the device A. The device A containing the SIM card has a passive role, i.e., it only responds to requests from the device B, when receiving a transmission from the same. |
| US08532618B2 |
System and method for communications device and network component operation
A system and method for communications device and network component operation in an ID/Locator Split Based heterogeneous network is provided. A method for control node operation includes receiving an attach request, and attempting to authenticate/authorize the communications node. The attach request is a request from a communications node to attach to a heterogeneous network. The method also includes if the communications node authenticated/authorized successfully, causing an identification and a location to be assigned for the communications node, completing an attachment for the communications node, and transmitting information to the communications node. The method further includes if the communications node did not authenticate/authorize successfully, sending an attach reject message to the communications node. The identification and the location are separate values. |
| US08532612B1 |
Obtaining mobile information for networked transactions
A computer-implemented method of identifying a mobile device for carrying out a transaction includes receiving from a mobile device a purchase request, providing to the mobile device a redirect message to direct the mobile device to a device number identification service, and obtaining an identifier for conducting commerce with the device and using the identifier to request a transaction authorization from a billing service associated with the device. |
| US08532607B2 |
Integration of emergency alert information
A subscriber of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) receiving an EAS alert message can obtain additional multimedia information in based upon the location of the subscriber. The additional multimedia information can include information pertaining to available shelter, medical facilities, the location of emergency supplies, a plume map, evacuation routes, or the like. In an example embodiment, the Global Positioning System or other device location systems is utilized to determine the location of the subscriber. The location information along with EAS alert information is used to query a database to obtain the additional information. |
| US08532603B2 |
Transponder power supply, a transponder and a method for providing a transponder power supply current
A transponder power supply for providing a supply current based on an antenna input signal. The transponder power supply comprises an emergency circuit comprising a charging circuit, an emergency capacitor, and an output stage. The charging circuit is configured to charge the emergency capacitor based on the antenna input signal to a maximum voltage which is higher than a voltage of the antenna input signal. The output stage is configured to provide a contribution to the supply current using a charge of the emergency capacitor. |
| US08532601B2 |
Integrated low-IF terrestrial audio broadcast receiver and associated method
An integrated low-IF (low intermediate frequency) terrestrial broadcast receiver and associated method are disclosed that provide an advantageous and cost-efficient solution. The integrated receiver includes a mixer, local oscillator generation circuitry, low-IF conversion circuitry, and DSP circuitry. And the integrated receiver is particularly suited for small, portable devices and the reception of terrestrial audio broadcasts, such as FM and AM terrestrial audio broadcast, in such portable devices. |
| US08532600B2 |
System and transceiver clocking to minimize required number of reference sources in multi-function cellular applications including GPS
A system includes a first clock module, a global positioning system (GPS) module, a phase-locked loop (PLL) module, a cellular transceiver, and a baseband module. The first clock module generates a first clock reference. The GPS module operates in response to the first clock reference. The WLAN module operates in response to the first clock reference. The PLL module generates a second clock reference by performing automatic frequency correction (AFC) on the first clock reference in response to an AFC signal. The cellular transceiver receives radio frequency signals from a wireless medium and generates baseband signals in response to the received radio frequency signals. The baseband module receives the baseband signals, operates in response to a selected one of the first clock reference and the second clock reference, and generates the AFC signal in response to the baseband signals. |
| US08532595B1 |
Optimized power amplifier and switching power supply topology
The present disclosure relates to a single switching power supply that may either provide envelope power to a first RF power amplifier during a first operating mode, or simultaneously provide envelope power to the first RF power amplifier and to a second RF power amplifier during a second operating mode. In one embodiment, the single switching power supply and the first and second RF power amplifiers may be used in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) RF communications system. As such, during the first operating mode, the first RF power amplifier may transmit a first RF output signal to a first antenna, and during the second operating mode, the first RF power amplifier may transmit the first RF output signal to the first antenna and the second RF power amplifier may transmit a second RF output signal to a second antenna, which may provide diversity. |
| US08532590B2 |
Digital phase feedback for determining phase distortion
A feedback loop is used to determine phase distortion created in a signal by directly extracting the phase distortion information from a feedback signal using original frequency modulation information. |
| US08532589B2 |
Beam-hopping in a radio communications system
A radio communications system has at least one base station and subscriber station. To transmit messages to a subscriber stations, the base station uses successive emission directions that differ from one another. The base station transmits information concerning the sequence of the use of said emission directions to subscriber stations. |
| US08532584B2 |
RF switches
RF switching devices are provided that alternatively couple an antenna to either a transmitter amplifier or a receiver amplifier. An exemplary RF switching device comprises two valves, one for a receiver transmission line between the antenna and the receiver amplifier, the other for a transmitter transmission line between the antenna and the power amplifier. Each valve is switchably coupled between ground and its transmission line. When coupled to ground, current flowing through the valve increases the impedance of the transmission line thereby attenuating signals on the transmission line. When decoupled from ground, the impedance of the transmission line is essentially unaffected. The pair of valves is controlled such that when one valve is on the other valve is off, and vice versa, so that the antenna is either receiving signals from the power amplifier or the receiver amplifier is receiving signals from the antenna. |
| US08532583B2 |
Semiconductor device, wireless communication device and method for generating a synthesized frequency signal
A semiconductor device comprises synthesized frequency generation logic arranged to receive a reference signal, and to generate a synthesized frequency signal from the reference signal. The synthesized frequency generation logic comprises programmable divider logic arranged to receive the reference signal and to generate a divided signal comprising a frequency with a period substantially equal to N times that of the reference signal, where N comprises a programmable integer value. The synthesizer frequency generation logic is arranged to generate the synthesized frequency signal comprising a frequency with a period substantially equal to 1/M that of the divided signal, where M comprises a further programmable integer value. |
| US08532578B2 |
Method and system for spectrum management in communication networks, corresponding network and computer program product
Spectrum usage in a radio cognitive transmission system may be monitored in a distributed manner in space and time through a first set of monitoring apparatuses and a second set of monitoring apparatuses. The first set of monitoring apparatuses may be associated to apparatuses, such as base stations, having a monitoring precision level, for example, linked to the spectrum sampling frequency, greater with respect to the monitoring precision of the monitoring apparatus of the second set. The later may be suitable to be represented by a low-cost “sniffer” associated to consumer electronics devices. |
| US08532577B2 |
Method and system for compensating for estimated distortion in a transmitter by utilizing a digital predistortion scheme with a quadrature feedback mixer configuration
Aspects of a method and system for compensating for estimated distortion in a transmitter by utilizing a digital predistortion scheme with a quadrature feedback mixer configuration are presented. Aspects of the system may include an RF transmitter that enables generation of an RF output signal in response to one or more generated input signals. One or more feedback signals may be generated by performing frequency downconversion on the RF output signal within a corresponding one or more feedback mixer circuits. The generated one or more feedback signals may be inserted at a corresponding one or more insertion points in an RF receiver. Each insertion point may be between a receiver mixer circuit and corresponding circuits that generate a baseband signal based on the corresponding one of the feedback signals. |
| US08532575B2 |
System, method and apparatus for inter-vehicle communication
An application for a two-way communication system for communicating with a person who is within a second vehicle includes a short-range radio transmitter within a first vehicle to transmit audio to a radio within the second vehicle. Communication from the person in the second vehicle to a person in the first vehicle is performed by aiming a light beam from the first vehicle at the second vehicle and receiving reflections of the light beam at the first vehicle. The light beam is modulated by vibration of the second vehicle caused by the person speaking in the second vehicle. The received light beam is then processed to reproduce the sound of the person's voice. |
| US08532574B2 |
Destination information sharing for the automobile environment
An in-vehicle system may detect an occurrence of a triggering event, detect a short-range communication connection between the in-vehicle system and a mobile communication device, send a prompt, including a request for information, to the mobile communication device, and receive a response, including the requested information, from the mobile communication device via the short-range communication module. In some embodiments, a business review, an advertisement, or a redeemable electronic coupon may be sent to the mobile communication device after the requested information is provided. Furthermore, destination information may be shared between the in-vehicle system and the mobile communication device in response to the triggering event. |
| US08532573B2 |
Information terminal device and method of controlling the same
An information terminal device is disclosed that performs communication via a communication network. The information terminal device includes a short-range wireless communication unit that performs short-range wireless communication with an electronic device, a storing unit that stores information about communication via the communication network while the short-range wireless communication with the electronic device is disconnected, and a control unit that causes, upon restoration of the short-range wireless communication with the electronic device, the short-range wireless communication unit to transmit to the electronic device the information about the communication via the communication network if the information about the communication via the communication network is stored in the storing unit. |
| US08532572B2 |
Mobile integrated distribution and transaction system and method for NFC services, and a mobile electronic device thereof
A mobile distribution system includes a widget generator for creating a widget having a certificate and a communication interface for distributing the widget to a mobile electronic device with a transaction terminal having at least one secure element for storing a plurality of secure applications; and retrieving the widget information from the mobile electronic device on NFC transactions in use of the transaction terminal. |
| US08532565B2 |
Transparent commodity trading networks and methods of facilitating transactions among buyers and sellers of products and services
A transparent commodity trading network facilitates transactions among parties. A plurality of mobile communications devices are each configured to broadcast product/service needs and/or product/service offerings of a party associated with the respective mobile communications device. Each mobile communications device is configured to receive product/service needs and/or product/service offerings broadcast by other mobile communications devices when respective mobile communications devices pass within a predetermined distance of each other. Each mobile communications device is configured to identify when a product/service need or product/service offering broadcast by another mobile communications device matches a corresponding product/service offering or broadcast product/service need broadcast by the respective mobile communications device. A transaction service that is accessible by each mobile communications device is configured to allow two parties that have a matching broadcast product/service need and offering to identify and communicate with each other. |
| US08532562B2 |
Method and system for selectively broadcasting media during dayparts
A method and apparatus for broadcasting media events, the method including the steps of providing a sequence of media events in a first server, the sequence of media events including at least one media event and a plurality of advertisement spots; playing the sequence from the first server to a second server prior to a predetermined broadcast time; and storing at the second server at least a part of the sequence received from the first server. The method may further include the steps of skipping, at the second server, spots during the broadcast of a sequence of media events during a spot-free daypart, inserting preferred content media events in the broadcast sequence, and inserting markers indicating whether a media event has been played during a spot-free daypart are to be played in the sequence of media events. |
| US08532558B2 |
Printing machine
A printing machine includes: a reception unit configured to receive image data; a printing unit configured to print on a print medium based on the image data received by the reception unit; a first paper feeding unit configured to take out and convey a print medium on a paper feed tray one by one; a second paper feeding unit configured to convey a print medium conveyed by the first paper feeding unit to the printing unit; and a print control unit configured to drive the first paper feeding unit to start conveyance of a print medium upon start of reception of the image data by the reception unit. |
| US08532556B2 |
Toner collecting apparatus, cartridge, and image forming apparatus
A toner collecting apparatus which transports collected toner through a discharge pipe to discharge the collected toner from a discharge port of the discharge pipe, the toner collecting apparatus including: a cover pipe having an open window and being rotatable around the discharge pipe in a substantially concentric fashion; a protective wall covering at least apart of the cover pipe; and a rotation member which rotates the cover pipe, wherein the cover pipe is rotated by the rotation member between an open position in which the open window is aligned with the discharge port and a closed position in which the open window is shifted from the discharge port so that at least the open window is covered with the protective wall. |
| US08532552B2 |
Fixing device including reflecting plate with tilted ends
A fixing device includes a heating element disposed inside a flexible fusing member, a nip member disposed to contact with a surface of the flexible fusing member and to allow the flexible fusing member to slide along the nip member, a reflecting plate for reflecting radiant heat from the heating element toward the nip member, and a backup member for nipping the flexible fusing member with the nip member. The reflecting plate includes a central reflecting portion extending along a longitudinal direction of the heating element at least in a region corresponding to along a heat generating portion of the heating element, and end reflecting portions stationarily provided on both ends of the central reflecting portion. The end reflecting portions are disposed in positions longitudinally outward of the heat generating portion and each has a reflecting surface tilted with respect to the longitudinal direction of the heating element. |
| US08532549B2 |
Image forming apparatus featuring a rotatable supporting member for a transfer belt
An image forming apparatus includes a movable belt; a transfer member opposed to the image bearing member with the belt therebetween; wherein the transfer member has a contact surface substantially parallel with a surface of the belt and contacted to the belt, and wherein when the belt is moving, the belt rubs the contact surface, and a toner image is transferred from such a part of image bearing member as is opposed to the contact surface; and a supporting member for supporting the transfer member, the supporting member being swingable. |
| US08532546B2 |
Developer supply device and image forming apparatus having the same
A developer supply device is provided, which includes a transfer board including an activating section and an always-transferring section. The activating section is disposed in a position close to a developer holding member and lower than a position where development agent is transferred onto the developer holding member. The activating section is supplied with an activating voltage for making the development agent leave a developer transfer path and drop into the developer storage section during an activating process performed at an initial stage of a developer transferring operation while supplied with the transfer bias voltage after the activating process. The always-transferring section is disposed across a position facing the developer storage section to a position lower than and adjacent to the activating section, and always supplied with a transfer bias voltage during the developer transferring operation. |
| US08532544B2 |
Developer container, developing apparatus and process cartridge
A developer container for an image forming apparatus includes a developer accommodating chamber, provided with an opening, for accommodating a developer to be supplied to the opening; a feeding member, provided in the developer accommodating chamber and having an elasticity, for feeding the developer by rotation thereof; a deforming portion, provided in the developer accommodating chamber and contactable to the feeding member, for deforming the feeding member against the elasticity with the rotation of the feeding member; and a restoration portion for permitting the feeding member deformed by the deformed portion to restore elastically, thereby to throw the developer toward the opening, wherein a boundary portion between the deformed portion the restoration portion is disposed below a lower end of the opening. |
| US08532540B2 |
Image forming apparatus and toner container
An image forming apparatus includes: a feed portion that is fed with toner from above; a transport path that includes an inlet through which the toner fed to the feed portion enters, that allows the toner to be transported therethrough, and that is in a cylindrical shape; and a transporting member provided to continuously extend from the feed portion to the transport path, the transporting member transporting along the transport path the toner fed to the feed portion, wherein an amount of transportation of the toner per unit of time at a part of the transporting member located in the transport path is larger than an amount of transportation of the toner per unit of time at a part of the transporting member located in the feed portion. |
| US08532537B2 |
Image forming apparatus and image forming method
The image forming apparatus includes a latent image carrier that holds a latent image thereon, a developer carrier that develops the latent image on the latent image carrier by using a liquid developer including a toner and a carrier liquid, a squeeze roller being in contact with the latent image carrier, that holds an image developed by the developer carrier, to squeeze the liquid developer on the latent image, and a control unit that applies a first bias to the squeeze roller, when a first position of the latent image carrier that does not hold the latent image is in contact with the squeeze roller, and that applies a second bias being different from the first bias to the squeeze roller, when a second position of the latent image carrier that holds the latent image is in contact with the squeeze roller. |
| US08532530B2 |
Fixing device for fixing on a recording material a toner image formed on the recording material including a fixing roller and heating and pressing members
A fixing device fixes on a recording material a toner image formed on the recording material and includes a fixing roller, a heating member for heating the fixing roller in contact with an outer surface of the fixing roller, and a pressing member for forming a fixing nip between itself and the fixing roller. When the recording material which has been jammed so that its leading end passes through the fixing nip to reach a contact portion between the heating member and the fixing roller, a force for drawing the recording material upstream when nipped in the fixing nip is at least equal to the drawing force of the recording material, toward the upstream side with respect to the rotational direction of the fixing roller, nipped between the fixing roller in the rest state and the heating member. |
| US08532526B2 |
Image forming apparatus and image forming method
An image forming apparatus and an image forming method are provided that realize both the use of a decolorizing toner and a non-decolorizing toner and miniaturization of the apparatus. |
| US08532524B2 |
Image formation device having first frame for supporting image formation unit and second frame of lower flexure rigidity
An image formation device is provided with an image formation unit configured to form an image on a recording sheet, a first frame arranged to support the image formation unit, a second frame connected to the first frame, flexure rigidity of the second frame being smaller than flexure rigidity of the first frame, an electric substrate electrically connected with the image formation unit. With the above configuration, the electric substrate is arranged to extend from the first frame to the second frame and is secured onto the first frame with the position on the first frame being adjusted. |
| US08532522B2 |
Toner cartridge
A toner cartridge contains a toner container including an opening and configured to contain a toner. An engaging member includes a ring-shaped seal member disposed on a seal member installation surface. The engaging member is engaged with the toner container to cover the opening and rotatably mounted to the toner container while an edge of the opening is frictionally slid on a surface of the seal member. The toner container is configured to convey the toner into the engage member through the opening and discharge the toner therefrom as the toner container is rotated. The seal member includes a non-contact portion at a surface thereof facing the installation surface and being free from any contact with the installation surface so that the engage member includes a space extending from the surface of the seal member where the edge of the opening is frictionally slid to the non-contact portion. |
| US08532521B2 |
Image forming apparatus having waste toner box
An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming unit including a plurality of photoconductor drums arranged in tandem; a conveyor belt arranged opposite to the photoconductor drums and configured to convey a recording sheet; and a cleaning unit including a cleaning member positioned in contact with the conveyor belt and configured to collect substance adhering to the conveyor belt, and a receptacle configured to store the substance collected by the cleaning member. The cleaning member is arranged on the same side as the image forming unit with respect to the conveyor belt and upstream from the image forming unit as viewed in a sheet conveyance direction along which the recording sheet is conveyed on the conveyor belt, and the image forming unit and the cleaning unit are pulled out together from a main body of the image forming apparatus toward an upstream side of the sheet conveyance direction. |
| US08532520B2 |
Image forming apparatus having cleaning unit with collecting member and bias control
An endless belt circularly moves to convey a recording medium placed thereon in a conveying direction. A plurality of photosensitive bodies is juxtaposed in the conveying direction with confronting the endless belt. A plurality of process units supplies developer to the plurality of photosensitive bodies to form a developer image thereon, respectively. A first collecting member contacts the endless belt to collect the developer on the endless belt. A second collecting member is capable of collecting from the first collecting member the developer collected on the first collecting member. A control unit applies a bias between the first collecting member and the second collecting member to inhibit the developer collected on the first collecting member from being transferred to the second collecting member when the first collecting member rubs the endless belt with the toner collected on the first collecting member. |
| US08532518B2 |
Image forming apparatus
An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member; an image forming portion for forming a toner image on the image bearing member, the image forming portion being capable of forming an image to be formed on a recording material and forming a control image for controlling an image density at a position adjacent to the image to be formed on the recording material; an intermediary transfer member rotatable while carrying the toner image transferred from the image bearing member; a transfer member for forming a transfer portion where the toner image is to be transferred from the intermediary transfer member onto the recording material; an electrostatic cleaning member for electrostatically removing the toner deposited on the transfer member; a density detecting portion, provided upstream of the transfer member with respect to a rotational direction of the intermediary transfer member, for detecting a density of the control image transferred on the intermediary transfer member; an adjusting portion for adjusting an image forming condition of the image forming portion depending on an output of the density detecting portion; and a charge amount changing portion for adjusting a charge amount of the control image transferred onto the intermediary transfer member. |
| US08532517B2 |
Power control method and apparatus to heat a heating roller
A power control apparatus and an image forming apparatus include a non-heating control unit to control non-heating control components according to a power-on signal, and a heating control unit to increase a level of a source power supplied as roller power and to supply the increased level of the roller power to a heating roller according to phases of current of the source power such that heating the roller reaches a temperature before a power-on process of the non-heating control unit is completed. |
| US08532514B2 |
Image forming apparatus
An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member; a transfer member for transferring a toner image from the image bearing member onto a transfer material at a transfer portion; a control portion for controlling a voltage to be applied to the transfer member; a current detecting portion for detecting a value of a current passing through the transfer portion; a calculating portion for calculating a relationship between values of the voltage and the current obtained by applying voltages of different values at different intervals between adjacent images during execution of a continuous image forming mode in which the images are continuously formed on recording materials; a determining portion for determining the voltage value for a target current from the calculated relationship; and a switching portion for switching the voltage value to the voltage value determined by the determining portion during the execution of the continuous image forming mode. |
| US08532512B2 |
Image forming apparatus
An image forming apparatus includes: a charging unit which charges a surface of an image bearing member by contacting the image bearing member with a charging member to which a charging bias is applied, the charging bias being a voltage obtained by superimposing an AC voltage on a DC voltage; an electrostatic latent image forming unit which forms an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the image bearing member which is charged by the charging unit; a developing unit which develops the electrostatic latent image by using a developing bias formed by the voltage obtained by superimposing the AC voltage on the DC voltage; and a control unit which performs changing control of an AC frequency of the charging bias while maintaining a frequency ratio of an AC frequency of the developing bias to be an integral multiple of the AC frequency of the charging bias. |
| US08532500B1 |
System and method for receiving optical signals
A stream of wavelength division multiplexed optical signals can be converted into the electrical domain and processed electrically to discriminate the information on each optical signal. An optical medium can transmit multiple optical communication signals, each having a different wavelength and each imprinted with different information. Detectors can receive the optical communication signals, with each detector receiving some of each communication signal. Thus, any one of the detectors can output an electrical signal according to a composite of multiple optical communication signals. Accordingly, each output electrical signal can include features or energy of each of the optical communication signals. An electrical circuit can process the electrical signals output by the detectors. The processing can remove from each electrical signal contributions from all but one of the optical communication signals, so that each processed electrical signal carries the information of a single wavelength division multiplexed optical signal. |
| US08532499B2 |
Optical transmitter with adaptively controlled optically linearized modulator
An optical transmitter for generating a modulated optical signal to be transmitted over fiber optical link. The transmitter includes: an optical source for producing an optical signal; an optically linearized modulator (OLM) as external modulator for modulating the optical signal produced by the optical source with an information carrying signal. The external modulator includes a first input port for receiving a first DC bias signal, and a second input port for receiving a second DC bias signal. The optical transmitter further includes a pilot tone generator for generating a first pilot signal to be applied to the first input port and a second pilot signal to be applied to the second input port. The first and second pilot signals are capable of producing distortion products in the modulated optical signal. A differential modulation signal is imposed onto either the first pilot signal or the second pilot signal so as to generate a first control signal that alternately adjusts the first DC bias signal and the second DC bias signal in order to minimize the distortion products. The optical transmitter may include a digital based control system that is adapted to reduce composite even and odd order distortions in the OLM. |
| US08532496B2 |
Path establishment
A path is established through an optical communications network. One or more partial paths are evaluated according to a first criterion, and candidate end-to-end paths are then evaluated according to a second criterion. The end-to-end path evaluation disregards candidate end-to-end paths that include partial paths not meeting the first criterion. A path is established by selecting one of the candidate end-to-end paths on the basis of the second criterion. |
| US08532491B2 |
Optical multiplexing terminating device, passive optical network system and method for allocating wavelength
A passive optical network system such that the power consumption can be reduced as much as possible according to the end-user traffic. An OLT uses the DBA function thereof and sequentially uses frequencies in ascending order of transmission rate in order to sequentially allocate bands to ONUs in ascending order of the requested bandwidth. At this time, a frequency to be allocated is selected so that the bandwidth allocated to each ONU is narrower than a maximum bandwidth through which transmission using the allocated wavelength is enabled. An OLT uses a grant area to specify the transmission timing of the secondary station and to inform the specified transmission timing to the secondary station. In addition, an area is set for storing information used to inform the secondary station of a new frequency to be used. |
| US08532489B2 |
Multi-fiber ten gigabit passive optical network optical line terminal for optical distribution network coexistence with gigabit passive optical network
An apparatus comprising a wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) coupler configured to couple an optical line terminal (OLT) comprising a transmitter and a receiver, wherein the WDM coupler is coupled to the transmitter via a first fiber and to the receiver via a second fiber. An apparatus comprising a WDM coupler for a passive optical network (PON) comprising a plurality of filters and a plurality of ports, wherein the WDM coupler comprises fewer filters than ports. A method comprising receiving a downstream optical signal intended for an optical network terminal (ONT) via a first fiber, and transmitting an upstream optical signal received from the ONT via a second fiber. |
| US08532485B2 |
System and method for operating transparent node for WDM shared “virtual ring” networks
A system and method for a transparent WDM metro ring architecture in which optics enables simultaneous provisioning of dedicated wavelengths for high-end user terminals, while low-end user terminals share wavelengths on “virtual rings”. All wavelengths are sourced by the network and remotely modulated at customer “End Stations” by low cost semiconductor optical amplifiers, which also serve as transmission amplifiers. The transparent WDM metro ring architecture permits the communication of information and comprises a fiber optical feeder ring, at least one fiber optical distribution ring, a network node (NN), at least one access node (AN) said network node and said at least one access node connected via said fiber optical feeder ring and at least one end station (ES) connected via said fiber optical distribution ring to said at least one access node, wherein said user is attached to said at least one end station. |
| US08532480B2 |
Electronic device, cover and method
A cover part for an electronic device, an electronic device and a method. The cover structure (2) for an electronic device provides a cavity (3) into which an electronic part of the electronic device (1) may be arranged. The cover structure (2) includes an enclosing structure (5), which is tubular in shape and at least one end (6a, 6b) of which enclosing structure (5) is open, the end (6a, 6b) including a receiving structure (7a, 7b) for fitting an end element (8a, 8b), which closes the end, into the enclosing structure (5). |
| US08532479B2 |
Electronic appliance and camera device
An electronic appliance which can be a camera device includes a resin case containing electronic components for taking a camera images, and a metal shield member attachable to the inside of the case. The shield member is provided with two staking holes, and three staking tabs which protrude inwardly are provided around each of the staking holes. The case is provided with a boss in a position corresponding to each of the staking holes. When the shield member is attached to the case, each boss is pushed into the staking hole and fastened by the three deformed staking tabs, so that the shield member is fixed to the case. |
| US08532477B2 |
Lens control device having lens position control function for bringing, method of controlling the same, and storage medium
A lens control device which is capable of controlling lens positions such that an in-focus state of an object image can be maintained even when a variable power lens is positioned outside a normal zoom range from a wide-angle end to a telephoto end. A flash memory stores a positional relationship between the variable power lens and a focus lens, on an object distance-by-object distance basis. A system controller controls the movement of the focus lens by calculating the in-focus position of the focus lens with respect to the position of the variable power lens based on the positional relationship stored in the flash memory when the variable power lens is moved to a position outside the normal zoom range defined in the positional relationship stored in the flash memory. |
| US08532473B2 |
Reproduction control method, reproduction apparatus, and television set
A reproduction control method includes steps of converting first program data accumulated in a first apparatus into second program data reproducible in a second apparatus, transferring the converted second program data to the second apparatus, and converting the first program data accumulated in the first apparatus into reconstructable reproduction-disabled data. |
| US08532470B2 |
Picture editing device, picture editing method, integrated circuit, and recording medium
An electronic device (100) capable of editing, with greater focus on story configuration, a group of pictures to be successively displayed includes: a time information obtainment unit (111) which obtains time information (111a) of a video in which one or more of the pictures are successively displayed; a template reading unit (113) which reads template data (104d) for specifying (i) the number of repetitions of each of units of repetition made up of one or more switching effects used in switching between two of the pictures included in the video, and (ii) a unit time of each of the one or more switching effects of the unit of repetition; an adjustment unit (114) which adjusts the number of repetitions of the unit of repetition, based on the obtained reproduction time information (111a) and each of the unit times specified in the read template data (104d). |
| US08532467B2 |
Transmitting device, receiving device and transmitting/receiving device
A transmitting device, a receiving device and a transmitting and receiving device includes multiple devices connected. When these devices have duplicate functions for processing video signals or audio signals, these signals are processed using optimal circuits by comparing functions for processing video signals or audio signals in the devices. |
| US08532466B2 |
Video recorder having user extended and automatically extended time slots
The present invention is directed to a video recorder having user extended and automatically extended time slots. An embodiment of the present invention includes a set top box having an internal storage device, such as a hard drive where broadcasts are transferred from a broadcast input source to the storage device. The set top box is connected to an output device such as a television, which displays a graphical user interface (GUI) and an interactive program guide (IPG). The user has the option to extend a chosen time slot, in which a show is scheduled to be transferred to the storage device. The time slot may be extended before the show, after the show, or both. The system also implements an automatic extension of the time slot by default, which is used to ensure that the data is completely captured to the system, in case the broadcast and the set top box are slightly out of sync, the broadcaster unexpectedly begins a show's broadcast slightly early or late, or the show unexpectedly runs longer than the IPG indicates. |
| US08532462B2 |
Non-destructive file based mastering for multiple languages and versions
A method, system, apparatus, article of manufacture, and computer program product provide the ability to non-destructively generate a file based master. A domestic source (having domestic audio and video content) with textless content (have portions of the domestic source that is devoid of text) is obtained. A localized source (e.g., localized audio-video) based on the domestic source is received. The localized video is compared to the domestic source to determine differences. The localized video is bladed and realigned with the domestic source. Metadata (of the differences) is transposed onto the domestic source. Texted portions in the domestic source are obscured with corresponding portions of the textless content. Texted material (based on the localized video and texted portions) is created. The localized video content and the textless content are discarded. The domestic source, localized audio content, created texted material; and metadata are combined into a playlist that represents a localized file based master. |
| US08532458B2 |
Picture search method and apparatus for digital reproduction
A picture search method and apparatus for digital reproduction are provided. The picture search method includes, generating a multiple image screen by configuring one or more pictures provided before a reproduction start time selected by a user during a high-speed search to a screen or a plurality of screens, outputting the multiple image screen, and sequentially reproducing following pictures starting from a picture selected by the user among one or more pictures included in the output multiple image screen. Therefore, it is possible to allow a user to exactly select a desired reproduction start time during the high-speed search. |
| US08532453B2 |
High voltage cabtire cable
A high voltage cabtire cable 10 includes power cores 20 each of which has an inner semi-conductive layer 22, an insulation 23, and an outer semi-conductive layer 24 successively provided in this order around a copper conductor 21, and other cores 25, 30 stranded together with the power core 20, an inner sheath 11 and an outer sheath 13 successively provided in this order around peripheries of the power core 20 and the other cores 25, 30 stranded together, in which an adhesion force between the other cores 25, 30 and the inner sheath 11 is greater than an adhesion force between the power cores 20 and the inner sheath 11. |
| US08532448B1 |
Light emitting pixel structure using tapered light waveguides, and devices using same
A pixel structure, displays, and display panels comprising a plurality of pixel structures, are provided. The pixel structure comprising: a Continuous Resonant Trap Refractor waveguide having a tapered core with an aperture for emitting the light and a narrower end or tip, the tapered core having cladding disposed thereabout, the core and the cladding both being transmissive of light; and a plurality of light sources disposed for coupling light into the core via the cladding. Preferably the light sources are disposed within layers of substrate, which may form lateral waveguides. An optional plurality of light sources disposed at an angle offers emitting a simultaneous plurality of images, each having a different polarization, for 3D viewing, and other desired emissions at varying polarizations. |
| US08532447B1 |
Multi-mode interference splitter/combiner with adjustable splitting ratio
A multimode interference splitter/combiner that includes a monolithic device for photonically coupling an input optical waveguide to first and second output optical waveguides. The input waveguide may be optically coupled to a first end of a MMI portion, while the first and second output waveguides may be optically coupled to a second end of the MMI portion. The input waveguide is coupled to a planar facet of the MMI portion so that the input waveguide may have a propagation axis that is oriented at an angle with respect to the planar facet of the MMI portion. A desired splitting ratio may be achieved by adjusting the angle between the input waveguide and the MMI portion. |
| US08532440B2 |
Silicon-based electro-optic device
In an electro-optic device, a stack structure including a first silicon layer of a first conductivity type and a second silicon layer of a second conductivity type has a rib waveguide shape so as to form an optical confinement area, and a slab portion of a rib waveguide includes an area to which a metal electrode is connected. The slab portion in the area to which the metal electrode is connected is thicker than a surrounding slab portion. The area to which the metal electrode is connected is set so that a range of a distance from the rib waveguide to the area to which the metal electrode is connected is such that when the distance is changed, an effective refractive index of the rib waveguide in a zeroth-order mode does not change. |
| US08532439B2 |
Reproduction apparatus and reproduction method
A reproduction apparatus includes an attribute information recording unit for recording image attribute information in which an attribute value representing an image attribute is set for each of image, a target image selector for selecting an image of interest from among the images, a search condition setting unit for setting, as a search condition, an attribute value related to the image of interest set in the image attribute information, a reproduction information generator for generating reproduction information by setting one of pieces of image attribute information that satisfies the search condition, a search condition selector for selecting the search condition as a reproduction search condition, and a search result reproducing unit for, when the reproduction search condition is selected by the search condition selector, reproducing a search result with respect to the image of interest by displaying, on a display unit, an image whose image attribute information is designated with the reproduction information as a reproduction object. |
| US08532437B2 |
Systems and methods for block recomposition for compound image compression
A new approach is proposed that contemplates systems and methods to support block-based compression of a compound image by skipping “don't care” blocks in the layers of the image while neither introducing significant overhead nor requiring changes to the compression method used. The block-based compression approach first segments a compound image into multiple layers and then recomposes a new set of image layers, possibly with new dimensions, from only the non-“don't care” blocks in the layers of the original image. The approach may later decompress the compressed image layers and restore the image by copying the decompressed blocks to their respective positions in the original image. |
| US08532433B2 |
Image marker attaching apparatus and method
A marker attaching apparatus attaches to an image a positioning marker for detecting a specific area in the image, and includes: an area size detection unit detecting a size of an area to which the positioning marker is attached; a marker adjustment unit adjusting the positioning marker depending on the detected size of the area; and a marker attaching unit attaching the adjusted positioning marker to the image. |
| US08532432B2 |
Mobile communication terminal having image conversion function and method
A mobile communication terminal having an image conversion function arranges and displays area-specific images in a three-dimensional (3D) space on the basis of distance information of the area-specific images of a two-dimensional (2D) image. |
| US08532427B2 |
System and method for image enhancement
A method and system for forming an improved image from a series of frames comprising inputting a pixel value array for each image frame; summing the pixel values in each frame to obtain the frame intensity for each frame; multiplying the pixels in pixel value array by the frame intensity; summing the frame intensity multiplied pixel value arrays together and dividing by the number of frames to obtain an average of the frame intensity multiplied pixel value arrays; then, using the inputted pixel value arrays, creating an array of average pixel values; multiplying the array of average pixel values by the average frame intensity for all of the inputted frames; and subtracting the array of average pixel values multiplied by average frame intensity from the average of the frame intensity multiplied pixel value arrays to provide an array of modified pixel values to form an improved image. |
| US08532425B2 |
Method and apparatus for generating a dense depth map using an adaptive joint bilateral filter
A method and apparatus for generating a dense depth map. In one embodiment, the method includes applying a joint bilateral filter to a first depth map to generate a second depth map, where at least one filter weight of the joint bilateral filter is adapted based upon content of an image represented by the first depth map, and the second depth map has a higher resolution than the first depth map. |
| US08532424B2 |
Method and system for filtering image data
A device that includes at least one memory unit adapted to store image data; the device is characterized by including a configurable filter adapted to apply de-ringing filtering and de-blocking filtering such as to filter image data retrieved from the at least one memory unit, whereas the device is adapted to repetitively determine a configuration of the configurable filter in response to received image data and to at least one mode selection rule and to configure the configurable filter in response to the determination. A method for filtering image data, the method includes receiving or defining filtering mode selection rules; and receiving image data; whereas the method is characterized by including repeating the stages of: determining a configuration of a configurable filter that is adapted to perform de-ringing and de-blocking filtering, in response to the received image data and to at least one mode selection rule; configuring the configurable filter in response to the determination; and filtering, by the configurable filter, image data. |
| US08532419B2 |
Automatic image capture
A method of automatically capturing images with precision uses an intelligent mobile device having a camera loaded with an appropriate image capture application. When a user initializes the application, the camera starts taking images of the object. Each image is qualified to determine whether it is in focus and entirely within the field of view of the camera. Two or more qualified images are captured and stored for subsequent processing. The qualified images are aligned with each other by an appropriate perspective transformation so they each fill a common frame. Averaging of the aligned images reduces noise and a sharpening filter enhances edges, which produces a sharper image. The processed image is then converted into a two-level, black and white image which may be presented to the user for approval prior to submission via wireless or WiFi to a remote location. |
| US08532418B2 |
Image processing apparatus and image processing method
A main memory stores M-bit gradation image data (M is a natural number). A correction function generating unit generates a correction function in N-bit gradation (N is a natural number, N>M) from image data. A display image generating unit generates display image data using a correction function generated by the correction function generating unit. The display image generating unit uses a correction function so as to generate display image data resulting from correcting image data obtained by decoding compressed image data in M-bit gradation with the restriction of M-bit quantization. |
| US08532417B2 |
Optimization of image encoding using perceptual weighting
A method, system and computer program product for optimal encoding for an image defined by image data. The quantization table, run-length coding and Huffman codebook are selected to minimize a Lagrangian cost function, wherein the minimization includes iteratively determining the optimal run-size pairs and in-category indices for minimizing a rate-distortion cost function, and wherein the rate-distortion cost function includes a perceptual weighting factor applied to a quantization error. The perceptual weighting factor adjusts the rate-distortion cost function to apply greater weight to lower frequency quantization error than to higher frequency quantization error. |
| US08532416B2 |
Method and apparatus for encoding and decoding an image by using rotational transform
A method and apparatus for encoding an image is provided. The method and apparatus include quantizing and entropy encoding a second frequency coefficient matrix that is generated by performing a partial exchange of one or more values between rows and between columns of a first frequency coefficient matrix. A method and apparatus for decoding image data that is encoded by using the method and apparatus for encoding the image is also provided. |
| US08532414B2 |
Region-of-interest video quality enhancement for object recognition
A video-based object recognition system and method provides selective, local enhancement of image data for improved object-based recognition. A frame of video data is analyzed to detect objects to receive further analysis, these local portions of the frame being referred to as a region of interest (ROI). A video quality metric (VQM) value is calculated locally for each ROI to assess the quality of the ROI. Based on the VQM value calculated with respect to the ROI, a particular video quality enhancement (VQE) function is selected and applied to the ROI to cure deficiencies in the quality of the ROI. Based on the enhanced ROI, objects within the defined region can be accurately identified. |
| US08532413B2 |
Entropy encoding/decoding method and apparatus for hierarchical image processing and symbol encoding/decoding apparatus for the same
Entropy decoding, after encoding, includes performing symbol decoding on a bitstream of a received residual picture in units of two, three, or four symbols according to a context model which is set in the two, three, or four symbol units, and ordering the decoded coefficients of the residual picture in their original order in the frequency domain. Symbol and level decoding may be performed together. A unique symbol value may be used. |
| US08532412B2 |
Method and apparatus for encoding and decoding and multi-view image
A Method and apparatus for encoding and decoding a multi-view image are provided. The method of encoding a multi-view image includes determining whether each of pictures included in multi-view image sequences is a reference picture referred to by other pictures included in the multi-view image sequences for inter-view prediction, and encoding the pictures using at least one of inter-view prediction and temporal prediction based on the determination result, thereby efficiently encoding and decoding the multi-view image at high speed. |
| US08532407B2 |
Pseudo 3D image generation device, image encoding device, image encoding method, image transmission method, image decoding device, and image decoding method
A pseudo 3D image generation device includes frame memories that store a plurality of basic depth models used for estimating depth data based on a non-3D image signal and generating a pseudo 3D image signal; a depth model combination unit that combines the plurality of basic depth models for generating a composite depth model based on a control signal indicating composite percentages for combining the plurality of basic depth models; an addition unit that generates depth estimation data from the non-3D image signal and the composite depth models; and a texture shift unit that shifts the texture of the non-3D image for generating the pseudo 3D image signal. |
| US08532406B2 |
Partial expansion method of encoded images and image processing apparatus
A method and apparatus for partially up/downscaling an image encoded on a macroblock basis utilizing a computer. The method and apparatus performs operations of: storing the encoded image; creating map data from bitstream of the encoded image to decode at least one macroblock of the encoded image, creating a shrunken image of a predetermined size based on a screen resolution of a display device, storing the map data and the shrunken image so as to relate with the encoded image in the storage device; outputting the shrunken image related with the encoded image to be displayed based on a control request received from an input device, determining at least one macroblock to be decoded based on a display area of the shrunken image; partially decoding the encoded image for the determined macroblock using the map data; and outputting to the display device, the image data of the display area of the partially decoded image. |
| US08532404B2 |
Image processing apparatus, image processing method and computer-readable medium
An image processing apparatus includes a plurality of compression units and a switching unit. The plurality of compression units compress image information by different compression methods. The switching unit extracts plural pieces of color information from pieces of color information which constitute the image information in a color space expressing the image information, and selects one of the plurality of compression units in accordance with hue angles of the plural pieces of extracted color information. |
| US08532400B1 |
Scene classification for place recognition
Aspects of the invention pertain to identifying whether or not an image from a user's device is of a place. Before undertaking time and resource consuming analysis of an image using specialized image analysis modules, pre-filtering classification is conducted based on image data and metadata associated with the image. The metadata may include geolocation information. One classification procedure analyzes the metadata to perform a high level determination as to whether the image is of a place. If the results indicate that it is of a place, then a further classification procedure may be performed, where the image information is analyzed, with or without the metadata. This process may be done concurrently with a place match filtering procedure. The results of the further classification will either find a match with a given place or not. The output is a place match either with or without geolocation information. |
| US08532397B1 |
Method of creating a container file for large format imagery and organizing data within the container file
A method of creating a container file for large format imagery and organizing data within the container file are described. In one embodiment, the method of creating the container file includes validating user input parameters for the file container, and determining whether the container file already exists, the container file having file container metadata. If the file container does not exist, creating the container by creating one or more empty records in a storage device, the one or more empty records having an image file section reserved for storing an image, an image metadata section reserved for storing data about the image and a record metadata section having at least a mark indicating that the image file section is empty. A size of the image file section, a size of the image metadata section and a size of the record metadata section are determined using the user input parameters. |
| US08532392B2 |
Contour extraction device and program
An object of the present invention is to provide the technology capable of appropriately balancing the preciseness of contour extraction and calculation cost. In order to achieve this object, an energy function setting section sets an energy function that is expressed by a weighted linear sum of a plurality of kinds of energy terms defined correspondingly to a state of an active curve and is formulated so as to have a smaller value as approaching a shape of the contour to be extracted, and an iterative computation processing section minimizes the energy function by an iterative computation. An end instruction section sets an auxiliary function formulated so as to monotonously increase in accordance with the number of iteration times of iterative computation and sets a judging function expressed by a linear sum of the auxiliary function and the energy function. Then, a point of time when a local minimum appears in the judging function in the course of the iterative computation is judged as the end timing of iterative computing. |
| US08532389B2 |
Method for image analysis, especially for mobile stations
A robust OCR system requiring little computing capacity is obtained by first carrying out an adaptive pre-processing optimised in terms of pixel groups, which analyses the image in line segments. The most significant difference compared to previously known methods is that there is no longer a direct pattern comparison, instead the line segments are gone over in as optimum a manner as possible. The corresponding character is then deduced from the sequence of movements. As this sequence of movements can be scaled well and described in a relatively simple manner, this technique is especially suitable for mobile use. The sequence of movements of know characters is stored in a search word, such that the letters can be directly deduced from the movement. A dictionary/lexicon can also be used. If words are recognized by means of the dictionary/lexicon, the recognized letters can be used for an even more optimized character font identification. The invention is advantageous in that a robust OCR system is provided, which also requires little computing capacity. The system according to the invention is robust especially in that the recognition works better than with conventional systems even under bad conditions, especially light ratios and interferences. |
| US08532386B2 |
Electronic document producing device, electronic document producing method and storage medium
An electronic document producing device has a correcting unit for correcting distortion of a first image to obtain a correction image, and a character recognition unit for executing character recognition processing on a plurality of character images contained in the correction image to obtain text data. The device also has a unit for finding a base line of each character row in the first image, and a unit for finding a relative position from the base line in regard to each character image in the first image. The device also includes a producing unit for producing an electronic document including the text data and the first image, wherein a position of the text data is described based on the relative position from the base line. |
| US08532384B2 |
Method of retrieving information from a digital image
The method includes segmenting a document image to identify image objects within the document image and applying an automatic algorithm to the image objects so as to assign initial metadata to the image objects. The method further includes selecting image objects from the set of image objects whose metadata satisfy filtration criteria so as to exclude those selected image objects from processing and processing a rest of the image objects in the set of image objects. The method further includes presenting the document image, image objects, and metadata to the user and enabling input from the user to manage the image objects, subsets, and metadata. |
| US08532379B2 |
Image processing apparatus and image processing method
An image processing apparatus including: a determining processing section which binarizes a pixel value of a target pixel using a threshold; a calculation section which calculates feedback values by multiplying binarized pixel values of adjacent processed pixels by a feedback coefficient; a addition section which adds the feedback values to the pixel value of the target pixel before binarization; a diffusion section which diffuses a difference between the binarized pixel value and the unadded pixel value as an error to adjacent unprocessed pixels; and a subtraction section which subtracts the error from the unadded pixel value of the target pixel, wherein when all pixel values of processed pixels are 0 and an output value of the target pixel is a maximum value, it is determined that the target pixel is an isolated point and an output value of an adjacent pixel is set to a forced output value excluding 0. |
| US08532374B2 |
Colour document layout analysis with multi-level decomposition
Disclosed is a method of classifying segmented contents of a scanned image of a document. The method comprise partitioning the scanned image into color segmented tiles at pixel level. The method then generates superpositioned segmented contents, each segmented content representing related color segments in at least one color segmented tile. Statistics are then calculated for each segmented content using pixel level statistics from each of the tile color segments included in segmented content, and then determines a classification for each segmented content based on the calculated statistics. The segmented content may be macroregions. The macroregions may form part of a multi-layered document representation of the document. Each of a plurality of tiles of predetermined size of the image are converted into a representation having a plurality of layers, the representation corresponding to at least one said tiles comprising multiple colored layers, each tile comprising a superposition of the corresponding colored layers. For each of the colored layers, merging is performed with adjacent ones of the tiles, thereby generating a multi-layered document representation. |
| US08532372B2 |
System and method for matching color swatches
A system and method are disclosed that includes storing, on one or more processor readable media that are operatively coupled to one or more processors, at least one database. The database(s) includes electronic color information representing a plurality of colors, and electronic item information representing a plurality of items. Each of the plurality of items respectively contain at least one of the plurality of colors. The database(s) also store electronic user information representing a plurality of users. First electronic color information is received from a first user computing device associated with a first user. The first electronic color information represents a first color. A search request is received from the first user computing device for one or more items that contain a color that is at least associated with the first color. At least one of the plurality of items that respectively contains the color that is at least associated with the first color is determined, and the at least one of the plurality of items and the first color are displayed. |
| US08532371B2 |
Method and apparatus for evaluating color in an image
A method for evaluating a color of a sample includes acquiring an image having a plurality of pixels from a sample and a plurality of pixels from known color calibration patches. The image is color calibrated using the known color patches to endow the pixels from the sample with the tristimulus values they would have under one or more known illuminants. The calibrated image is transmitted, together with metadata, to a remote location where further computations and an approval process are performed. The further computations include comparing all of the pixels in the image of a standard that are of a first color to all pixels of a second color in the similarly calibrated image of the sample, where the second color is a color in the image of the sample that is most similar to the first color from the image of the standard. |
| US08532370B2 |
Image processing apparatus and image processing method
An image processing apparatus includes a determining unit, a modifying unit, a selecting unit, and a generating unit. The determining unit determines, with respect to a missing pixel position that does not have a signal of a specified color among colors forming an image, an interpolation process type indicating the type of an interpolation process of the signal of the specified color. The modifying unit modifies the determined interpolation process type based on interpolation process types of peripheral missing pixel positions located at the vicinity of the missing pixel position. The selecting unit selects a color-difference signal that is a difference between a signal of a color except the specified color and the signal of the specified color in correspondence with the modified interpolation process type. The generating unit generates an interpolation signal of the signal of the specified color at the missing pixel position based on the color-difference signal. |
| US08532369B2 |
Method and device for reordering image data having a distribution of the bayer pattern type
The present disclosure relates to a method for reordering data organized according to a matrix configuration, comprising steps of reading line by line input data having a matrix configuration to obtain an input data flow, and of processing a line of the input data involving: transferring into an output data flow a datum of the input data flow, belonging to the processed line, and transferring into the output data flow at least one datum of the input data flow stored beforehand, belonging to a previous line and having a same rank in the matrix configuration as the datum transferred from the processed line, and storing a datum of the input data flow belonging to the processed line and not transferred into the output data flow, to replace the transferred datum, belonging to a previous line. |
| US08532368B2 |
Method and apparatus for producing 3D model of an environment
The present invention provides a system (method and apparatus) for creating photorealistic 3D models of environments and/or objects from a plurality of stereo images obtained from a mobile stereo camera and optional monocular cameras. The cameras may be handheld, mounted on a mobile platform, manipulator or a positioning device. The system automatically detects and tracks features in image sequences and self-references the stereo camera in 6 degrees of freedom by matching the features to a database to track the camera motion, while building the database simultaneously. A motion estimate may be also provided from external sensors and fused with the motion computed from the images. Individual stereo pairs are processed to compute dense 3D data representing the scene and are transformed, using the estimated camera motion, into a common reference and fused together. The resulting 3D data is represented as point clouds, surfaces, or volumes. The present invention also provides a system (method and apparatus) for enhancing 3D models of environments or objects by registering information from additional sensors to improve model fidelity or to augment it with supplementary information by using a light pattern projector. The present invention also provides a system (method and apparatus) for generating photo-realistic 3D models of underground environments such as tunnels, mines, voids and caves, including automatic registration of the 3D models with pre-existing underground maps. |
| US08532365B2 |
Pattern detection apparatus, processing method thereof, and computer-readable storage medium
A pattern detection apparatus inputs an image of an object including repetitive patterns, estimates a period of the repetitive patterns in the input object, and generates a reference image based on images divided by the estimated period. Then, the pattern detection apparatus compares the reference image and the image of the object, and detects the positions of individual patterns in the repetitive patterns based on the comparison result. |
| US08532360B2 |
Imaging based symptomatic classification using a combination of trace transform, fuzzy technique and multitude of features
Characterization of carotid atherosclerosis and classification of plaque into symptomatic or asymptomatic and risk score estimation are of clinical value. A statistical system is described for symptomatic versus asymptomatic plaque automated classification of carotid ultrasound images and cardiovascular risk score computation. The technique is applicable for the following types of modalities for carotids: 2D Ultrasound, 3D Ultrasound, CT, MR. Wall region is segmented and features are extracted consisting of type 1 combination consisting of: (a) Higher Order Spectra; (b) Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT); (c) Texture and (d) Wall Variability; type 2 combination consisting of: (a) Local Binary Pattern; (b) Law's Mask Energy and (c) Wall Variability and type 3 combination: (a) Trace Transform; (b) Fuzzy Grayscale Level Co-occurrence Matrix and (c) Wall Variability. These features are trained using a training classifier on training images and the coefficients are applied to on-line test patient images. The system yields the cardiovascular risk score value using the feature combinations. |
| US08532358B2 |
System and method for segmentation of MR flow data using fluid dynamics and tracking
Methods for vessel segmentation and tracking using 7D MRI flow image data incorporate information from the velocity field and the magnitude. A vessel tracking methods selects a time containing sufficient blood flow through a vessel, uses the magnitude image to determine the vessel boundary and uses the velocity image to define the vessel direction. A method for segmenting tubular and circular objects segments the objects into separate vessels and then uses the velocity data to reunite the objects, where touching components are evaluated by the velocity field where they are connected. If vectors point towards the other component, the two components are reconnected. An advection-diffusion method based on fluid dynamics performs a fluid dynamics simulation with image forces according to the Navier-Stokes equations. With the 7D data, the vector field is available from the flow data, from the time point at which maximal flow occurs in the vessel of interest. |
| US08532355B2 |
Lighting compensated dynamic texture mapping of 3-D models
Methods, systems, and devices for generating textured 3D models are provided. The present disclosure describes methods, systems, and devices for combining multiple images onto a 3D model. In some instances, the textures of the images are applied to the 3D model dynamically so that the textured 3D model is viewable from different viewpoints in real time on a display. The present disclosure also describes methods, systems, and devices for selecting the images and, in particular, the portions of the selected images to map to defined portions of the 3D model. In addition, the present disclosure describes how to adjust the images themselves to remove the effects of directional lighting. Some aspects of the present disclosure are particularly useful in the context of a 3D modeling of dental preparations. In some instances, a 3D digitizer is used to produce 3D models of dental preparations. |
| US08532354B2 |
Method for providing visual simulation of teeth whitening
Method for enabling a teeth whitening simulator that is designed to help a user understand how the color of their teeth affects the look of their smile. The method executed by a computer, a mobile electronic device, an application on a smart phone, or equivalent machine. Selecting a Profile or uploading a photo or image. Detecting and determining the number and location of faces in a photo or image and the faces' associated teeth. Whitening is performed on the selected teeth and face. After whitening, a feathering feature may be used to more accurately simulate a more realistic image where the desired whitening level is blended around the borders of the teeth to the surrounding facial elements to provide a more natural looking simulation. Finally, to see how different shades of whitening might affect their image, a movable slider is provided to see the smile with different whitening values. |
| US08532352B2 |
Method and system for intraoperative guidance using physiological image fusion
A method and system for intraoperative guidance in an off-pump mitral valve repair procedure is disclosed. A plurality of patient-specific models of the mitral valve are generated, each from pre-operative image data obtained using a separate imaging modality. The pre-operative image data from the separate imaging modalities are fused into a common coordinate system by registering the plurality of patient-specific models. A model of the mitral valve is estimated in real-time in intraoperative image data using a fused physiological prior resulting from the registering of the plurality of patient-specific models. |
| US08532348B2 |
Iterative processing
A regional redefiner redefines a bounding area in sets of chromatographic/mass spectroscopic images. The redefiner defines and localizes peaks in the images which point to a common feature of interest. A redefined bounding area locates other peaks associated with the feature of interest. Peaks can be iteratively identified and extracted using constituent images or a composite image formed as a combination of a set of constituent images. |
| US08532347B2 |
Generation and usage of attractiveness scores
A digital image is obtained. A face depicted in the digital image is detected. A set of characteristics is obtained, where the set of characteristics are associated with at least some portion of a face. An attractiveness score is generated based at least in part on the detected face and the set of characteristics. |
| US08532346B2 |
Device, method and computer program product
A device is provided, in which a display screen displays an image; an image analyzer determines at least one potential area of interest in the image; a visual indicator highlights at least a boundary of the at least one potential area of interest, and an optical zoom and/or a digital zoom changes the magnification level of an area of interest selected from the at least one potential area of interest. The device permits a user to zoom in and/or zoom out of the selected area of interest by displacing the boundary of the selected area of interest over at least a portion of the display screen. |
| US08532345B2 |
Camera and image recording program product
A camera includes: an image-capturing unit that captures images of a photographic subject by image sensors and creates image data of a plurality of shot images based on an instruction for continuous shooting by a user; an identification unit that performs, each time when image data of one shot image from among the plurality of shot images is created, a state judgment whether or not eyes of a person included in the photographic subject appearing in the one shot image are open and identifies image data of the one shot image as identified image data when a result of the state judgment is YES; and a recording unit that records the identified image data in a nonvolatile storage medium. |
| US08532344B2 |
Methods and apparatus for generation of cancelable face template
Techniques for generating a distorted template for a given facial image are provided. First, at least one facial feature point from a given facial image is selected. The selected facial feature has location information associated therewith. A representation of a region proximate to the selected facial feature point is then generated. Next, the location information associated with the selected facial feature point and/or the representation of the region proximate to the selected facial feature point are distorted. A distorted template is then formed, wherein the distorted template comprises the distorted location information associated with the selected facial feature point and/or the distorted representation of the region proximate to the selected facial feature point. |
| US08532343B1 |
System for non-repudiable registration of an online identity
A method of generating irrefutable evidence of registration that cannot be repudiated by the registrant for a network-based application is described. The method initiates an image capture session to capture a plurality of images of an individual user. The method, during the image capture session, provides a sequence of tasks to be performed by the individual user in order to validate the image capture session in capturing an image of a person participating in a real-time event. |
| US08532341B2 |
Electronically documenting locate operations for underground utilities
A technician performs a locate operation of an underground utility in a dig area of proposed excavation by applying one or more physical colored markers (e.g., paint, flags, other colored markers) to ground, pavement or other surface to indicate a presence or an absence of the underground utility in the dig area. A digital image of a geographic area comprising the dig area is displayed on a display device, and one or more electronic colored markers corresponding to the physical colored marker(s) are added to the displayed digital image so as to generate a marked-up image. Information relating to the marked-up image is electronically transmitted and/or electronically stored so as to document the locate operation. |
| US08532340B2 |
Projecting patterns for high resolution texture extraction
Camera-based texture extraction in Augmented Reality (AR) systems is enhanced by manipulating projected patterns. One or more fine line patterns are projected onto a textured surface, a Moiré interference pattern measured, and different properties of the projected pattern(s) adjusted until the Moiré interference pattern measurements indicate that a similar texture pattern to that of the three dimensional target is being projected. Thereby, the target texture may be more closely matched even as sub-pixel resolutions, variable lighting conditions, and/or complicated geometries. |
| US08532337B2 |
Object tracking method
An object tracking method includes steps of obtaining multiple first classifications of pixels within a first focus frame in a first frame picture, wherein the first focus frame includes an object to be tracked and has a first rectangular frame in a second frame picture; performing a positioning process to obtain a second rectangular frame; and obtaining color features of pixels around the second rectangular frame sequentially and establishing multiple second classifications according to the color feature. The established second classifications are compared with the first classifications sequentially to obtain an approximation value, compared with a predetermined threshold. The second rectangular frame is progressively adjusted, so as to establish a second focus frame. By analyzing color features of the pixels of the object and with a classification manner, the efficacy of detecting a shape and size of the object so as to update information of the focus frame is achieved. |
| US08532331B2 |
Method for monitoring a picture or multimedia video pictures in a communication system
A method for monitoring a picture or multimedia video pictures in a communication system is provided. The method includes following steps: a monitoring node extracts a picture or multimedia video pictures from communication data; a preprocessing system divides the picture or multimedia video pictures into multiple parts, and executes hash calculation respectively to obtain hash value of each part; the preprocessing system processes multiple hash values to construct a single ID; a primary monitoring system searches a template base for the ID, the template base includes multiple items, and each item includes an ID and hash values of which the ID in the item is composed; if the ID is not found, the primary monitoring system searches the template base for each hash value respectively; and the primary monitoring system informs the search result to the preprocessing system and the monitoring node. The present invention improves the efficiency of monitoring a picture or multimedia video pictures in communications. |
| US08532329B2 |
Device and method for testing systems with visual output
The invention relates to a device and a method for testing systems or devices with visual output and at least one mechanical input element. The device comprises an input unit for the automated mechanical actuation of the at least one input element of the device, an image analysis unit, which acquires and analyzes the visual output of the device, and a control unit, which controls the input unit and image analysis unit, and automatically determines a test result based on predetermined desired outputs and the findings of the image analysis unit. |
| US08532327B2 |
Diaphragm and speaker device provided with the same
A diaphragm is provided with a plurality of thick portions radially from an inner circumferential side to an outer circumferential side. The thick portions are composed of at least two kinds having different lengths in a radiation direction and formed to be gradually thinner in the radiation direction from the inner circumferential side to the outer circumferential side. With this configuration, separate vibrations in the diaphragm can be suppressed. Further, a speaker device provided with the diaphragm having the above-described configuration can reproduce sounds faithfully in accordance with input signals. |
| US08532326B2 |
Fastener structure and reversed sounding structure using the same
A fastener structure is for retaining a speaker unit on a sound tank housing. The fastener structure includes a spring piece and an elastic protrusion rib. The spring piece includes a board, a first bending portion and a second bending portion. The board located within a through hole of the sound tank housing. The first bending portion located at one end of the board is for retaining the speaker unit on a second side of the sound tank housing. The second bending portion located at the other end of the board is exposed over a first side of the sound tank housing and used as an elastic contact. The elastic protrusion rib is disposed within the through hole, and is protruded from one side of the board to lean against between the board and the through hole, so that the board is wedged within the through hole. |
| US08532325B2 |
Earphone device with bass adjusting function
An earphone device with a bass adjusting function is provided. The earphone device includes an accommodating portion and an extension segment. The accommodating portion has an inner chamber for accommodating a speaker. The extension segment which is hollow-shaped and has a first space and a second space therein, and the first space is in communication with the inner chamber of the accommodating portion, and when a portion of the extension segment is adjusted from a first position to a second position, the first space, the second space, and the inner chamber of the accommodating portion are in communication, so as to increase a volume of the back chamber of the speaker. |
| US08532323B2 |
Earphone assembly with moisture resistance
An acoustic system includes a receiver or microphone, a tube, a barrier, and an equalization device. The receiver is capable of outputting an audio signal. The tube is in connection with the receiver and the audio signal travels along a length of the tube. The barrier is fitted along the tube and the barrier prevents moisture from passing along the tube toward the receiver. The barrier causes an amount of damping to the audio signal. The equalization device is in connection with the receiver and the equalization device counteracts the damping by the barrier. The barrier is configured to have a submersion rating greater than or equal to 7 IP. |
| US08532322B2 |
Bone conduction device for a single sided deaf recipient
Methods and systems are provided for determining whether signals to be applied by a bone conduction device would be masked by signals arriving at the good ear of a single sided deaf patient. The bone conduction device then applies stimulation for frequency components of the sound received by the bone conduction device that would not be masked by sound received by the patient's good ear. In applying the stimulation, the bone conduction device may apply a gain to compensate for the head shadow effect. This gain may be determined by inverting at least a portion of a curve for the head shadow effect. |
| US08532320B2 |
Method and system for fitting a hearing aid
In a method and system for fitting the gain of a hearing aid (300) for a hearing impaired person, a loop gain of the hearing aid in the ear canal (350) of the hearing impaired person is measured for at least one frequency band. An effective vent parameter such as a corresponding vent diameter for the hearing aid by determining a vent parameter that generates the best fit between a modelled and the measured loop gain is estimated, a vent effect value based on the estimated effective vent parameter is determined, and a corrected hearing aid gain is provided by means of the determined vent effect value. The invention provides a method, a computer program, a system for fitting a hearing aid, a hearing aid and a computer system. |
| US08532319B2 |
Filter bank configuration for a hearing device
A filter bank configuration for a hearing device has filters in an analysis filter bank and corresponding filters in a synthesis filter bank that are coupled pair-wise to form a channel in each case. In order to compensate for a hearing loss, sub-band signals are amplified in the individual channels with the aid of multipliers. In the process, an audible distortion of an output signal Y of the filter bank configuration as a result of differences between amplification factors of the multipliers of neighboring channels should be prevented. Here, at least one channel changes a phase of a sub-band signal transmitted by the channel such that a difference between a group delay of the filter bank configuration and a prescribable reference value is reduced for at least one predetermined frequency. The filter bank configuration is particularly suited to hearing aids. |
| US08532317B2 |
Programmable auditory prosthesis with trainable automatic adaptation to acoustic conditions
An auditory prosthesis (30) comprising a microphone (27) for receiving the sound and producing a microphone signal responding to the received sound, an output device for providing audio signals in a form receivable by a user of the prosthesis (30), a sound processing unit (33) operable to receive the microphone signal and carry out a processing operation on the microphone signal to produce an output signal in a form suitable to operate the output device, wherein the sound processing unit (33) is operable in a first mode in which the processing operation comprises at least one variable processing factor which is adjustable by a user to a setting which causes the output signal of the sound processing unit (33) to be adjusted according to the preference of the user for the characteristics of the current acoustic environment. |
| US08532316B2 |
Flat panel piezoelectric loudspeaker
A flat panel piezoelectric loudspeaker includes a piezoelectric element, a first electrode and a second electrode. The piezoelectric element includes a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface. The first electrode is electrically connected to the piezoelectric element and disposed on the first surface. The second electrode is electrically connected to the piezoelectric element and disposed on the second surface. At least one of the first electrode and the second electrode includes a carbon nanotube structure. The carbon nanotube structure includes a plurality of carbon nanotubes approximately aligned along a same direction. |
| US08532311B2 |
Digital audio communication and control in a live performance venue
In embodiments of the present invention improved capabilities are described for digitally transmitting audio that is converted from analog audio received from analog media pickup devices in a live performance venue by a stage box to a base unit over off-the-shelf twisted pair cable while sending pre-amplification control signals and power over the cable to the stage box. Audio for the performance venue is remotely managed from a virtual audio engineering mixing board that wirelessly communicates audio control commands to the stage box from a handheld computing device. |
| US08532310B2 |
Frequency-dependent ANR reference sound compression
Apparatus and method of controlling provision of ANR, possibly of a personal ANR device, in which amplitudes of a piece of audio employed in the provision of ANR are monitored, and the compression of one or both of feedback and feedforward ANR reference sounds is made dependent on frequency such that a first sound of one frequency need only reach a lower amplitude to trigger compression, while a second sound of another frequency must reach a higher amplitude to trigger compression. |
| US08532308B2 |
Standing wave detection apparatus and method of controlling the same
To efficiently detect a standing wave generated in a room, a standing-wave detection apparatus for detecting a standing wave in a predetermined space, comprises: a sound-receiving unit adapted to receive a sound generated from a sound source arranged in the predetermined space; a storage unit adapted to store time series sound pressure level data acquired by the sound-receiving unit during movement along a path in the predetermined space; an adjustment unit adapted to adjust the time series sound pressure level data stored in the storage unit, based on an adjustment curve determined using a lower envelope of the time series sound pressure level data stored in the storage unit; and a detection unit adapted to detect an existence position of a standing wave in the predetermined space based on the adjusted time series sound pressure level data. |
| US08532307B2 |
Method and system for providing binaural hearing assistance
A method of providing binaural hearing assistance to a user, comprising: capturing audio signals at an ear unit worn at each side of the users head; defining a target signal with regard to background noise; determining the difference in the target-signal-to-background-noise ratio of the audio signals captured at the each ear unit; exchanging audio signals between each ear unit according to the determined difference in the target-signal-to-background-noise ratio; selecting, as a function of the determined difference in the target-signal-to-background-noise ratio, as input to each of the stimulating means the audio signals captured at the respective ear unit, the audio signals received from the other one of the ear units, and/or mixtures thereof; and stimulating the user's right ear and the user's left ear according to the selected respective audio signals. |
| US08532302B2 |
System and method for registering a personal computing device to a service processor
In one aspect, a system for registering a personal computing device to a service processor is disclosed. The system includes a computer-executable first registration module that is executable to perform functions that include providing a device identifier associated with a personal computing device to a service processor over a communications link. The system also includes a computer-executable second registration module that is executable to perform functions that include receiving the device identifier over the communications link and retrieving stored user access data associated with a particular authorized user of the personal computing device who has remote access to the service processor via a management computer. The second registration module is further executable to generate a cryptographic key based on the device identifier and configuration data associated with firmware of the service processor, and to provide the cryptographic key to the personal computing device over the communications link. |
| US08532300B1 |
Symmetric is encryption key management
Secure key management is provided for a symmetric encryption key. The symmetric encryption key is encrypted differently for two or more devices via which the symmetric encryption key is stored. |
| US08532296B2 |
Processor, memory device, computer system, and method for transferring data
A processor connected to a memory device includes a random number generator that generates random numbers identical to random numbers generated in the memory device; an XOR logic unit that performs a XOR operation of the random numbers and an address in the memory device to be accessed; and an after-operation-address sending unit that sends an after-operation-address indicating a result of the XOR operation. |
| US08532294B1 |
Just in time delivery of entitlement control messages (ECMs) and other essential data elements for television programming
Essential data elements, particularly entitlement control messages (ECMs), are inserted in a manner that reduces the overhead bit rate without effecting overall tuning time at the customer receiver or security in satellite, cable or other programming networks. ECMs are inserted into the transport stream by detecting random access points (RAPS) in the encoded programming and inserting the ECM packets in a window just ahead of the RAP. |
| US08532292B2 |
Stream generation method, broadcast receiving apparatus, and display method
Provided is a system far receiving a initialization packet containing an initial vector for initializing stream encryption algorithm and an identifier of a key for decrypting an encrypted stream, initializing a decryption module, and decrypting the encrypted stream, wherein the system stores an identifier of a key which is needed to decrypt a next program in a initialization packet of a current program and informs a user of whether a desired key has been acquired or not at timing close to start time of the next program. |
| US08532290B2 |
Content playback APIS using encrypted streams
One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for decrypting digital content in a secure environment. The technique includes the steps of receiving a digital rights management (DRM) license associated with a first frame of encrypted data from a DRM server, where the DRM license includes a decryption key for decrypting the first frame of encrypted data, transmitting the DRM license to a secure content playback pipeline for storage, and transmitting the first frame of encrypted data to the secure content playback pipeline for decryption, where, in response to receiving the first frame of encrypted data, a trusted processing entity within the secure content playback pipeline decrypts the first frame of encrypted data based on the decryption key included in the DRM license to generate a first set of decrypted data and store the first set of decrypted data in a secure memory space. |
| US08532282B2 |
Tracking user operations
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide systems and methods for capturing user interface operations. Briefly described, in architecture, one embodiment of the system, among others, includes logic configured to monitor an operation performed by an application interface; logic configured to determine whether the operation is at least one milestone event that is to be saved, wherein the at least one milestone event is a user-interface operation for a process in a particular field of operation; and logic configured to save milestone event information from a user, the information including identification of the user performing the operation and a computer application that was being accessed by the user for the process. Other systems and methods are also included. |
| US08532279B2 |
Method for increasing the efficiency of automated telephony systems
The problem of an automated telephony system having only a single way to measure a caller's difficulty in processing a transaction when using the system is solved by selecting from multiple thresholds for measuring the caller's difficulty. Having a choice of alternative thresholds to measure the caller's difficulty, referred to as inefficiency thresholds, allows for a more responsive approach to managing an automated telephony system. This choice of inefficiency thresholds overcomes multiple problems of systems only using one inefficiency threshold, such as: (1) transferring a call to a live agent too quickly, (2) transferring a call to a live agent too slowly, and (3) giving a caller a feeling that the automated telephony system is unresponsive to his or her needs. Having multiple inefficiency thresholds allows for a more dynamic response to a diverse audience of callers and serves different needs of a caller during various parts of a call. |
| US08532277B2 |
Location derived presence information
The number of messages required in networks where both location and presence services are deployed may be reduced, by retrieving presence data from messages otherwise intended to provide only location information. Thus, information determined in a location service scheme is utilized to provide a presence service as well. A location server requests mobile subscriber (MS) information from a Core Network (CN) Node (i.e. HLR, MSC, etc.) that can be used in determining the Location of the MS. A single message aggregates retrieval of information for two services, specifically, for both location and presence. |
| US08532273B2 |
Home appliance and home appliance system
A home appliance and a home appliance system are provided. The home appliance may convert product information into an acoustic signal and externally output the same as a sound. The home appliance system may receive the sound, convert the same into the acoustic signal, and then inversely convert the acoustic signal into the product information and read the same. Accordingly, the home appliance may externally output the acoustic signal as the sound so that the user may be easily notified of transmission. Also, the home appliance system may easily transmit the sound to a management device to read the product information because the sound may be transmitted via a communications network. |
| US08532272B2 |
Service entry device
A system is described in which, in some embodiments, a centralized service entry device may be used to coordinate communications going into and out of a home or premises. The service entry device may be physically connected to a plurality of external access networks, such as a cable television coaxial or fiber connection and a twisted-pair wire connection, and may coordinate access to those networks by a plurality of in-home devices. Within the home, the system may include a plurality of client devices to assist in the coordination of communications with devices in different rooms within the home. |
| US08532270B2 |
Telecommunication and multimedia management method and apparatus
A telecommunication and multimedia management apparatus and method that supports voice and other media communications and that enables users to: (i) participate in multiple conversation modes, including live phone calls, conference calls, instant voice messaging or tactical communications; (ii) review the messages of conversations in either a live mode or a time-shifted mode and to seamlessly transition back and forth between the two modes; (iii) participate in multiple conversations either concurrently or simultaneously; (iv) archive the messages of conversations for later review or processing; and (v) persistently store media either created or received on the communication devices of users. The latter feature enables users to generate or review media when either disconnected from the network or network conditions are poor and to optimize the delivery of media over the network based on network conditions and the intention of the users participating in conversations. |
| US08532259B2 |
Method and apparatus for computed imaging backscatter radiography
Systems and methods of x-ray backscatter radiography are provided. A single-sided, non-destructive imaging technique utilizing x-ray radiation to image subsurface features is disclosed, capable of scanning a region using a fan beam aperture and gathering data using rotational motion. |
| US08532251B2 |
Multi-detector array imaging system
An imaging system (100) includes a radiation source (108) that emits radiation that traverses an examination region (106) and a detection system (114) that detects radiation that traverses the examination region (106) and generates a signal indicative thereof. The detection system (114) includes a first detector array (1141-114N) and a second detector array (1141-114N). The first and second detector arrays (1141-114N) are separately distinct detector arrays and at least one of the detector arrays (1141-114N) is moveable with respect to the radiation beam. A reconstructor (116) reconstructs the signal and generates volumetric image data indicative thereof. |
| US08532241B2 |
Time synchronization apparatus based on parallel processing
A parallel processing-based time synchronization apparatus employs a double-filter structure based on parallel processing, providing more precise and reliable time synchronization between a master device and a slave device. A first filter is implemented as hardware so as to realize time synchronization despite cyclic synchronization message transmission at short intervals and the second filter is implemented as software so as to realize precise time synchronization. |
| US08532234B2 |
Automatic frequency offset compensation method and device
The disclosure aims to implement an automatic frequency offset compensation of the frequency between emitter and receiver equipments, in radio frequency modules, with a frequency offset that can be larger than that the receiver can allow, without time loss and extra consumption. To solve this problem, the disclosure provides an automatic frequency offset compensation device comprising a reception front end, at least a filter, an I/Q demodulator for obtaining the I (In Phase) and Q (Quadrature) parameter, an automatic frequency control AFC unit for comparison of a received frequency with the real frequency of the equipment, and a microcontroller and a frequency synthesizer. In this device, the frequency offset is calculated by the AFC unit from the information given by the I/Q demodulator. A coarse detection with wide filter can be used for the reception of the first part of the data called preamble signal, and a fine detection with narrow filter can be used for reception of the second part of the data called useful data frame. A frequency synthesis is made using the frequency offset. |
| US08532230B2 |
Instantaneous phasor determination for poly-phase electrical grids
In one embodiment, three substantially simultaneous phase waveforms may be converted into a first quadrature signal and a zero sequence signal. For each phase waveform, a power system digital frequency may be determined through analysis of the first quadrature signal (e.g., and at least one additional prior quadrature signal) while eliminating waveform phase angles from the analysis. Subsequently, demodulation of the first quadrature signal and zero sequence signal based on the power system digital frequency results in a positive sequence phasor, a negative sequence phasor, and a zero sequence phasor. |
| US08532225B2 |
DC compensation for VLIF signals
Receiver circuitry for processing a received Very Low Intermediate Frequency signal wherein the receiver circuitry comprises a main processing path. The main processing path comprises mixing circuitry arranged to mix a received VLIF signal with a frequency down conversion signal to produce a main path signal. The receiver circuitry further comprises a direct current cancellation path comprising mixing circuitry arranged to mix a DC element of the received VLIF signal with the frequency down conversion signal to produce a DC cancellation signal. The receiver circuitry still further comprises signal summing circuitry arranged to add the DC cancellation signal in anti-phase with the main path signal. |
| US08532218B2 |
Method and terminal for channel state information feedback
A method and terminal for feeding back channel status information, include: when the channel status information is fed back on the physical uplink control channel, code words contained in the used codebook CPUCCH(r) with a layer number or rank being r is a subset of the code words contained in the codebook CPUSCH(r) with a layer number or rank being r in the overall codebook defined in the LTE-A; wherein, the CPUCCH(r) is a single codebook or a single codebook equivalent to dual codebooks; and the CPUSCH(r) is a single codebook or a single codebook equivalent to the dual codebooks; and the single codebook equivalent to the dual codebooks refers to an actually defined single codebook in which 2 pre-coding matrix identifiers are required to determine the codebook of the code words therein for an established r. |
| US08532215B2 |
Multi-carrier amplifier linearization system and method
The invention relates to a method and circuit for linearizing amplifiers and other nonlinear circuits for multi-carrier signals. An output signal from the amplifier is sampled, and a correlation matrix of size N×N is computed from the sampled signal, wherein N exceeds the number of multiplexed carriers in the signal. A signal-to-distortion ratio (SDR) is then estimated based on a ratio of one or more largest to one or more smallest eigenvalues of the correlation matrix, and the signal into the amplifier is pre-distorted so as to maximize the SDR. |
| US08532210B2 |
Method and apparatus for implementing space frequency block coding in an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing wireless communication system
The present invention is related to a method and apparatus for implementing space frequency block coding (SFBC) in an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) wireless communication system. The present invention is applicable to both a closed loop mode and an open loop mode. In the closed loop mode, power loading and eigen-beamforming are performed based on channel state information (CSI). A channel coded data stream is multiplexed into two or more data streams. Power loading is performed based on the CSI on each of the multiplexed data streams. SFBC encoding is performed on the data streams for each of the paired subcarriers. Then, eigen-beamforming is performed based on the CSI to distribute eigenbeams to multiple transmit antennas. The power loading may be performed on two or more SFBC encoding blocks or on each eigenmodes. Additionally, the power loading may be performed across subcarriers or subcarrier groups for weak eigenmodes. |
| US08532207B2 |
Methods and systems for distinguishing a signal of interest from interference signals
A method for distinguishing a signal of interest from one or more interference signals in a received analog signal comprises receiving an analog signal at a radio front end, and transmitting the received analog signal to an analog-to-digital converter to sample data in the received analog signal and output a digital signal. A sub-channel Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) is performed on the digital signal, and sub-channel FFT bin magnitudes are averaged over a set period of time to determine a shape of the received signal. The shape of the received signal is compared to one or more signal reference patterns by computing a metric for the shape of the received signal, and computing a metric for the one more signal reference patterns. The computed metrics are then compared to a predetermined threshold value to determine the presence, or lack thereof, of a signal of interest in the received signal. |
| US08532206B2 |
Method and apparatus for creating frame of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) specification using frequency domain spreading
A method and an apparatus for creating a frame of an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) specification using a frequency domain spreading (FDS). The method and the apparatus determine a number of padding bits based on various FDSs and a size of an interleaver and constitute a frame including a determined number of padding bits, so that there is provided a frame which is adequate for a data transmission rate using various FDSs and which includes a minimal number of redundant OFDM symbol. |
| US08532199B2 |
Dynamic image compression device
A deblock filter as defined by the MPEG-4 AVC/H. 264 standard is effectively controlled, and an increase of a compression strain is prevented while the resolution or details are preserved to realize compression of a moving image with high image quality.A moving image compression apparatus according to the present invention includes an imaging section configured to take a moving image of a shooting subject via an optical system and outputting moving image data; a camera control section configured to output control information for controlling an operation of at least one of the optical system and the imaging section at the time of imaging; a moving image compression section configured to compress the moving image data using the correlation between an image to be compressed and a reference image included in the moving image, the moving image compression section including a deblock filter configured to alleviate a block strain of the reference image in accordance with a set deblock filter strength condition; a deblock filter control section configured to set the deblock filter strength condition based on the control information; and a stream generation section configured to embed the deblock filter strength condition in compressed output data. |
| US08532196B2 |
Decoding device, recording medium, and decoding method for coded data
According to one embodiment, a decoding device includes a storage section, a control section, a decoding processing section. The storage section stores control information showing a progress state of process stages for a decoding process as to a plurality of processing data included in coded data. The control section allocates process stages corresponding to executable processing data which is executable in parallel, to a processor on the basis of the control information, a dependence relation between the processing data in the decoding process, and a dependence relation between the process stages. The decoding processing section parallelly executes allocated process stages corresponding to the executable processing data. |
| US08532194B2 |
Picture decoding method
The invention relates to a method for ordering encoded pictures consisting of an encoding step for forming encoded pictures in an encoder. At least one group of pictures is formed of the pictures and a picture ID is defined for each picture of the group of pictures. In the method a transmission step is performed for transmitting said encoded pictures to a decoder. The encoded pictures are rearranged in decoding order and decoded for forming decoded pictures. In the encoding step a video sequence ID separate from the picture ID is defined for the encoded pictures, the video sequence ID being the same for each picture of the same group of pictures. In the decoding step the video sequence ID is used for determining which pictures belong to the same group of pictures. The invention also relates to a system, encoder, decoder, electronic device, software program and a storage medium. |
| US08532191B2 |
Image photographing apparatus and method of controlling the same
A method of controlling an image photographing apparatus to track a subject using a non-viewable pixel region of an image sensor includes detecting a motion vector of a subject when a moving image is photographed, determining whether a non-viewable pixel region of an image sensor is present in the direction of the detected motion vector of the subject, and moving a photographing region to the non-viewable pixel region so as to track the motion of the subject. Accordingly, the moving subject may be tracked within a range of a predetermined Field of View (FOV) of the image photographing apparatus without an additional hardware system. |
| US08532189B2 |
Method for detecting scene change in a video picture sequence
The method comprises the following steps: detection of the static areas in the current picture, calculation of a histogram for the non-static areas of the current picture calculation of the difference between the histogram of a current picture and the histogram of at least one preceding picture, declaration of scene change if the difference is greater than a predetermined threshold. The applications related to video processing using picture movement such as up-conversion of video pace, reduction of motion compensated noise. |
| US08532188B2 |
Methods and apparatus for generating a transport data stream with image data
A transport data stream is generated by generating a data stream of successive second data frames with a GOP structure for each program containing image data of an image of an image sequence recorded digitally and belonging to the respective program by a source encoder. The transmission start, transmission period and transmission time are determined. At the start of first data frames, second data frames realized as P-frames or B-frames to be transmitted are replaced by second data frames realized as I-frames in each of the data streams belonging to a program and each first data frame of the transport data stream is packed with second data frames of data streams belonging in each case to one program whose transmission time fits the transmission start and the transmission period of the respective first data frame by means of a multiplexer. |
| US08532185B2 |
Method and apparatus for encoding video in consideration of scanning order of coding units having hierarchical structure, and method and apparatus for decoding video in consideration of scanning order of coding units having hierarchical structure
A method and apparatus for decoding a video and a method and apparatus for encoding a video are provided. The method for decoding the video includes: receiving and parsing a bitstream of an encoded video; extracting, from the bitstream, encoded image data of a current picture of the encoded video assigned to a maximum coding unit, and information about a coded depth and an encoding mode according to the maximum coding unit; and decoding the encoded image data for the maximum coding unit based on the information about the coded depth and the encoding mode for the maximum coding unit, in consideration of a raster scanning order for the maximum coding unit and a zigzag scanning order for coding units of the maximum coding unit according to depths. |
| US08532184B2 |
Method and apparatus for decoding/encoding a video signal with inter-view reference picture list construction
A method of decoding a video signal is disclosed. The present invention includes obtaining identification information indicating whether a coded picture of a current NAL unit is an inter-view picture group, obtaining interview reference information of the inter-view picture group, and constructing a reference picture list for inter-view prediction using the inter-view reference information according to the identification information, wherein the inter-view reference information includes view identification information of an inter-view reference picture. |
| US08532181B2 |
Method and apparatus for decoding/encoding a video signal with inter-view reference picture list construction
A method of decoding a video signal is disclosed. The present invention includes obtaining identification information indicating whether a coded picture of a current NAL unit is an inter-view picture group, obtaining interview reference information of the inter-view picture group, and constructing a reference picture list for inter-view prediction using the inter-view reference information according to the identification information, wherein the inter-view reference information includes view identification information of an inter-view reference picture. |
| US08532174B2 |
Method and apparatus for distributing video program material
A method of distributing video program material includes encoding the program material in accordance with a first distribution constraint (CBR) to produce a first stream (A), encoding the program material in accordance with a second distribution constraint, which is more relaxed that the first distribution constraint, to produce a second stream (B), and employing the first and second streams to produce a third stream (C) representing differences between the first and second streams. |
| US08532172B2 |
Adaptive language descriptors
A disclosed methodology for processing language descriptors includes receiving streaming multimedia content that includes initial language descriptors. Portions of the multimedia content stream are encapsulated into packets that include an indication of the initial language descriptors. Later in time, further language descriptors are received with the streaming multimedia content. As a series of packets created from the multimedia content stream are processed, the indication of received language descriptor is adapted to account for any change in the language of audio tracks received with the streaming multimedia content. |
| US08532171B1 |
Multiple stream adaptive bit rate system
A method and apparatus for segmenting multiple live media streams of differing qualities into a single output stream. The live media streams may have constant or unpredictable key frame intervals. |
| US08532170B2 |
Enhanced presentation of sub-picture information
A system is provided for processing video images for display. In one example, the system comprises a stream parser for retrieving a compressed main video data and a sub-picture identifier. A video decoder generates a main video image having a main video intensity value for each pixel in the main video. A sub-picture decoder determines a sub-picture image based on the sub-picture identifier. The sub-picture image includes a pixel data for each pixel in the sub-picture image indicative of a sub-picture pixel type including a background pixel type and a pattern pixel type. Each pixel includes a command code indicative of a background contrast level, a pattern contrast level, a background color level and a pattern color level. An intensity formatter generates a sub-picture pixel intensity for each pixel in the sub-picture image. A preprocessing function calculates, for each sub-picture pixel, a sub-picture pixel intensity by alpha-blending the sub-picture pixel with no main video pixel when the background color intensity is greater than the pattern color intensity. A filtering function performs anti-aliasing filtering on the sub-picture image. A sub-picture alpha-blending function combines the sub-picture image with the main video image using alpha-blending. |
| US08532168B2 |
Receiver and method for adjusting adaptive equalizer of receiver
A receiver includes an adaptive equalizer, a power detecting unit and an adjusting unit. The adaptive equalizer is for receiving a signal and generating an equalized signal. The power detecting unit, coupled to the adaptive equalizer, is for detecting the strength of the equalized signal during a first period to generate a first strength signal, and detecting the strength of the equalized signal during a second period to generate a second strength signal. The adjusting unit, coupled to the power detecting unit and the adaptive equalizer, is for adjusting the compensation strength for the adaptive equalizer according to the first and second strength signals. |
| US08532165B2 |
Indicating and detecting the start of signal transmission employing frequency division multiplexing
A modem for use with a subsea transmission line comprises a digital signal processor responsive to a succession of segments of a data signal to produce a respective set of orthogonal frequency division multiplexed signals and to transmit those signals as a burst on the transmission line, and to prepend the burst with a start signal comprising a cyclically time-varying signal envelope-modulated with a Gaussian waveform. The modem is also arranged to convert signals received from the transmission line into a succession of digital samples and to process those samples to obtain an indication of the peak of the Gaussian waveform whereby to provide a datum for decoding a received burst of OFDM signals. |
| US08532164B2 |
Wireless communication apparatus, wireless communication system, and wireless communication method
To improve throughput by reducing the resource used for transmitting a parameter relating to retransmission control and decreasing the overhead of retransmission control signaling. In a case where a retransmission control method is employed in consideration of adaptive MCS control in which the encoding rate can be changed, the scheduling section sets the MCS in accordance with CQI notified from the communication counterpart apparatus. When transmission data is encoded, the RV parameter bit-number setting section sets the number of bits used for signaling the RV parameter to decrease as the encoding rate of the first transmission is decreased and sets the RV parameter based on the number of bits. For example, in a case where the encoding rate R is R>2/3, two bits are set. In a case where the encoding rate 1/3 |
| US08532162B2 |
Transceiver front end for software radio system
A digital front end transceiver system (300) for a software radio system comprising: a transmitter module (310) adapted to digitally interpolate, up-convert and combine baseband digital in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) channels to form a digital intermediate frequency (IF) IQ signal for conversion to an analogue IF IQ signal for transmission; and a receiver module (320) adapted to separate, down-convert and decimate a received digital IF IQ signal into baseband digital I and Q channels. The transmitter and receiver modules use a common fixed sampling and IF conversion rate fs, where fs is a quadruple of the bandwidth of the baseband signal, such that the system can be applied in a software radio system for a wireless communication application having any baseband bandwidth by selecting the fixed sampling rate based on the baseband bandwidth. |
| US08532160B2 |
Radio communication device and response signal spreading method
A radio communication device capable of randomizing both inter-cell interference and intra-cell interference. In this device, a spreading section primarily spreads a response signal in a ZAC sequence set by a control unit. A spreading section secondarily spreads the primarily spread response signal in a block-wise spreading code sequence set by the control unit. The control unit controls the cyclic shift amount of the ZAC sequence used for the primary spreading in the spreading section and the block-wise spreading code sequence used for the secondary spreading in the spreading section according to a set hopping pattern. The hopping pattern set by the control unit is made up of two hierarchies. An LB-based hopping pattern different for each cell is defined in the first hierarchy in order to randomize the inter-cell interference. A hopping pattern different for each mobile station is defined in the second hierarchy to randomize the intra-cell interference. |
| US08532152B2 |
Frequency tunable wire lasers
The present invention provides frequency tunable solid-state radiation-generating devices, such as lasers and amplifiers, whose active medium has a size in at least one transverse dimension (e.g., its width) that is much smaller than the wavelength of radiation generated and/or amplified within the active medium. In such devices, a fraction of radiation travels as an evanescent propagating mode outside the active medium. It has been discovered that in such devices the radiation frequency can be tuned by the interaction of a tuning mechanism with the propagating evanescent mode. |
| US08532148B2 |
Time synchronization system and time synchronization method in train
An inter-vehicle network that connects monitoring and control devices communicating with an intra-vehicle network that couples in-vehicle devices with the monitoring and control devices. A train clock station at an uppermost level in a hierarchical structure and a vehicle clock station in a middle level in a hierarchical structure are established from the monitoring and control devices. Other devices are established as a correction information waiting station at a lowermost level in the hierarchical structure. The train clock station performs a time correction of its own station with time information that is arbitrarily obtained as reference time. The vehicle clock station performs a time correction of its own station based on a message transmitted from the train clock station. The correction information waiting station performs a time correction of its own station based on a message transmitted from the vehicle clock station. |
| US08532146B2 |
Digital broadcast transmission/reception apparatus for rapid channel change
Disclosed is a digital broadcasting transmission apparatus for rapid channel change to an A/V stream of a predetermined channel, the apparatus including a program specific information (PSI) generation unit for generating PSI of the A/V stream, a PSI length detection unit for detecting a length of the PSI generated by the PSI generation unit; a channel information (CI) generation unit for generating CI which includes PSI of all digital broadcasting channels input to the digital broadcasting transmission apparatus, a CI insertion unit for dividing and inserting the CI generated by the CI generation unit into a PSI transmission area generated by the PSI generation unit, according to the length information detected by the PSI length detection unit, and a transport stream (TS) multiplexing unit for multiplexing and outputting the A/V stream and an output of the CI insertion unit. |
| US08532144B2 |
Point-to-point communication in a high voltage power transmission system
A method for sending signals from an active computer in a high-voltage power transmission system including active protection computers and active and standby control computers in a hierarchical structure having at least two hierarchical levels. A high-voltage power transmission system and a control station for at least a part of such a transmission system. In the system all computers on the various hierarchical levels are connected to at least two separate computer communication networks. An active computer sends signals that are to be received by at least one other computer at the same or another hierarchical level simultaneously on the two separate computer communication networks to which it is connected. |
| US08532142B2 |
System and method for delivery of packets
A system and method for delivery of packets is provided. In an embodiment, a client is operable to query a first layer of the protocol stack used to provide a link that carries packets for said client. Based on the query, the client is operable to adjust how those packets are delivered over another layer of the protocol stack in order to help improve the likelihood of successful delivery of those packets. |
| US08532134B2 |
Tiered contention multiple access (TCMA): a method for priority-based shared channel access
Quality of Service (QoS) support is provided by means of a Tiered Contention Multiple Access (TCMA) distributed medium access protocol that schedules transmission of different types of traffic based on their service quality specifications. In one embodiment, a wireless station is supplied with data from a source having a lower QoS priority QoS(A), such as file transfer data. Another wireless station is supplied with data from a source having a higher QoS priority QoS(B), such as voice and video data. Each wireless station can determine the urgency class of its pending packets according to a scheduling algorithm. For example file transfer data is assigned lower urgency class and voice and video data is assigned higher urgency class. There are several urgency classes which indicate the desired ordering. Pending packets in a given urgency class are transmitted before transmitting packets of a lower urgency class by relying on class-differentiated urgency arbitration times (UATs), which are the idle time intervals required before the random backoff counter is decreased. In another embodiment packets are reclassified in real time with a scheduling algorithm that adjusts the class assigned to packets based on observed performance parameters and according to negotiated QoS-based requirements. Further, for packets assigned the same arbitration time, additional differentiation into more urgency classes is achieved in terms of the contention resolution mechanism employed, thus yielding hybrid packet prioritization methods. An Enhanced DCF Parameter Set is contained in a control packet sent by the AP to the associated stations, which contains class differentiated parameter values necessary to support the TCMA. These parameters can be changed based on different algorithms to support call admission and flow control functions and to meet the requirements of service level agreements. |
| US08532133B2 |
Pilot pattern design for a STTD scheme in an OFDM system
A transmitting device for transmitting data symbols and pilot symbols in an OFDM transmission system; the device comprising symbol generating means for generating said data symbols and said pilot symbols, means for transmitting said data symbols and pilot symbols respectively by using a plurality of subcarriers of said OFDM transmission system, wherein said symbol generating means is designed to selectively generate a first type pilot symbol and a second type pilot symbol being orthogonal to said first type pilot symbol so that a pilot symbol pattern in the frequency dimension comprises at least said first type pilot symbol to be transmitted by using a predefined subcarrier and second type pilot symbol to be transmitted by using other predefined subcarrier, and wherein said pilot symbol pattern has a different pattern from a succeeding pilot symbol pattern in time dimension. |
| US08532130B2 |
Service interface for QoS-driven HPNA networks
An in-band signaling model media control (MC) terminal for an HPNA network includes a frame classification entity (FCE) and a frame scheduling entity (FSE) and provides end-to-end Quality of Service (QoS) by passing the QoS requirements from higher layers to lower layers. The FCE, located at an LLC sublayer of the MC terminal, receives a data frame from a higher layer of the MC terminal that is part of a QoS stream. The FCE classifies the received data frame for a MAC sublayer of the MC terminal based on QoS information contained in the received data frame, and associates the classified data frame with a QoS stream queue corresponding to a classification of the data frame. The FSE, located at the MAC sublayer of the MC terminal, schedules transmission of the data frame to a destination for the data frame based on a QoS requirement associated with the QoS stream. |
| US08532129B2 |
Assigning work from multiple sources to multiple sinks given assignment constraints
Assigning work, such as data packets, from a plurality of sources, such as data queues in a network processing device, to a plurality of sinks, such as processor threads in the network processing device is provided. In a given processing period, sinks that are available to receive work are identified and sources qualified to send work to the available sinks are determined taking into account any assignment constraints. A single source is selected from an overlap of the qualified sources and sources having work available. This selection may be made using a hierarchical source scheduler for processing subsets of supported sources simultaneously in parallel. A sink to which work from the selected source may be assigned is selected from available sinks qualified to receive work from the selected source. |
| US08532128B2 |
Relaying apparatus and packet relaying method
A packet storing unit stores relay instructions for received packets in different queues depending on priority and a VLAN number. DRR schedulers take out relay instructions from respective queues through a DRR technique. A priority control transmission scheduler transmits the packets to another apparatus according to the relay instructions in a descending order of priority. |
| US08532127B2 |
Network routing using indirect next hop data
A router maintains routing information including (i) route data representing destinations within a computer network, (ii) next hop data representing interfaces to neighboring network devices, and (iii) indirect next hop data that maps a subset of the routes represented by the route data to a common one of the next hop data elements. In this manner, routing information is structured such that routes having the same next hop use indirect next hop data structures to reference common next hop data. In particular, in response to a change in network topology, the router need not change all of the affected routes, but only the common next hop data referenced by the intermediate data structures. This provides for increased efficiency in updating routing information after a change in network topology, such as link failure. |
| US08532126B2 |
Mediated network address translation traversal
A method of establishing a connection traversing at least one network address translation (NAT) gateway is presented. In the method, a bind request is sent from a source device to a mediation element via a NAT gateway. A bind response associated with the bind request is received. A connection request is sent to the mediation element. The mediation element causes the connection request to be sent to a destination device. A connection response associated with the connection request is received. A hello message is sent to a predicted destination address. The predicted destination address is based on an address received in the connection response. A data connection is established between the source device and the destination device using the predicted destination address. |
| US08532122B2 |
Method for dynamical adjusting channel direction and network-on-chip architecture thereof
A method for dynamical adjusting channel direction and Network-on-Chip architecture thereof are provided. The Network-on-Chip architecture of dynamical adjusting channel direction comprises a first channel, a first router and a second router. The first channel has a first transmission direction. The first router generates and outputs a first output request when receiving a first data. The second router is coupled to the first router through the first channel. The second router receives the first data through the first channel when receiving the first output request. |
| US08532120B2 |
Routing facility for a subsea electronics module
A routing facility (1) for a subsea electronics module (7) has a microcontroller (3), a field programmable gate array (4) and at least two router resources (5) on a single circuit board (2), each router resource (5) comprising a respective local transceiver (9) for a differential serial bus and a respective remote transceiver (10) for the differential serial bus, wherein each local transceiver (9) is connected with the corresponding remote transceiver (10) and with the field programmable gate array (4) that is able to route data packets between the router resources (5). |
| US08532117B2 |
Flexible buffer allocation entities for traffic aggregate containment
An apparatus comprising a plurality of physical ingress ports configured to receive data, each data having a data type; a plurality of physical egress ports configured to transmit data; a memory configured to buffer data that has been received; a plurality of virtual routing devices, wherein each of the virtual routing devices is associated with a particular data type and each of the virtual routing devices is configured to: virtually buffer data associated with the respective data type, and regulate the quality of service provided to the respective data type; and a data manager configured to manage the receipt and transmission of data. |
| US08532116B2 |
Extended subnets
There is provided a router for use in a datacenter, the router including a frame receiving module operative to receive a traffic frame and a frame forwarding module operative to forward the traffic frame to a second router in a second datacenter if a Destination Media Access Control (DMAC) address included in the traffic frame is different from all of the following: a Burned in Address of the router; a Burned in Address of at least one server associated with the router; a Media Access Control (MAC) address of one of a Hot Standby Routing Protocol (HSRP) group and a Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) group of the router; and a MAC address of one of a HSRP group and a VRRP group of a subnet hosted by the router. |
| US08532114B2 |
Cluster router and cluster routing method
A cluster router includes at least one control apparatus and at least two forwarding apparatuses. The control apparatus is connected to the forwarding apparatuses, and the forwarding apparatuses are connected with each other. The control apparatus is configured to generate a routing table of each forwarding apparatus and a packet processing information conversion table of each forwarding apparatus. The forwarding apparatus is configured to receive the routing table of the forwarding apparatus and the packet processing information conversion table of the forwarding apparatus, and execute data exchange between the forwarding apparatuses according to the routing table and the packet processing information conversion table. |
| US08532113B2 |
Algorithm for managing data loss in software demodulators
Embodiments of methods for receiving and processing multi-band signals in wideband and narrowband environments are described herein. Other embodiments may be described and claimed. |
| US08532112B2 |
Interleaving for wideband code division multiple access
Described embodiments provide a wideband code division multiple access (W-CDMA) system, that employs an interleaving rule having a modified pruning algorithm. Interleaving, by pruning a sequence of bits in the W-CDMA system, includes determining a non-pruned interleaved vector having a length N. The determination of the non-pruned interleaved vector is based on a received length of an input vector from the sequence of bits. The input vector is padded. An interleaver generates a pre-pruned interleaved vector having a length equal to the length N, wherein the pre-pruned interleaved vector is a function of the padded input vector and the non-pruned interleaving vector. The interleaver prunes one or more elements from the pre-pruned interleaved vector based on a corresponding pruning indication in a pruning indication table, thereby providing a pruned interleaved vector as a portion of the interleaved sequence of bits. |
| US08532108B2 |
Layer 2 seamless site extension of enterprises in cloud computing
Various embodiments relate to a Cloud Data Center, a system comprising the Cloud Data Center, and a related method. The Cloud Data Center may include a logical customer edge router to send packets between addresses in a private enterprise network and addresses in a logical network within a cloud network using Layer 2 protocol and MAC addressing. The logical network may have resources, known as virtual machines, allocated to the private enterprise network and may share a common IP address space with the private enterprise network. A directory at the Cloud Data Center may correlate the enterprise IP addresses of virtual machines with a MAC address, cloud IP address, and a location IP address within the logical network. The Cloud Data Center may double encapsulate packets with MAC, cloudIP, and locIP headers, when sending a packet to a destination in the logical network. |
| US08532103B2 |
Resource initialization method and system, and network access server
A resource initialization method and system, and a network access server are provided. The resource initialization method includes: receiving a network access request transmitted from a User Equipment (UE), where the network access request includes: UE identity (ID) information; locally searching for, according to the UE ID information in the network access request, and find a preconfigured unicast and multicast resource threshold corresponding to the UE ID information; and transmitting the unicast and multicast resource threshold of the UE to a Resource Manager (RM), so that the RM assigns unicast resources and multicast resources according to the unicast and multicast resource threshold. Through the method, the process of obtaining the unicast and multicast resource threshold can be simplified, and thus the efficiency of resource initialization configuration is improved. |
| US08532100B2 |
System and method for data exchange in a heterogeneous multiprocessor system
A method is provided in one example embodiment and includes generating a request for header data, the request is sent to a first processor. The method also includes receiving a response from the first processor that is indicative of video data for a virtual frame to be communicated. A multiplex table is generated based on the response. The method also includes evaluating a multiplex entry in the multiplex table for synchronization with a line number, and requesting the first processor to send at least a portion of the virtual frame after the synchronization. The method further includes communicating a packet, which includes a payload associated with the virtual frame and a packet header that includes multiplex data associated with the multiplex entry. |
| US08532098B2 |
System and method for virtual channel communication
A system and method for communicating over a single virtual channel. The method includes reserving a first group of credits of a credit pool for a first traffic class and a second group of credits of the credit pool for a second traffic class. In addition, a first and second respective groups of tags are reserved from a tag pool for the first and second traffic class. A packet may then be selected from a first buffer for transmission over the virtual channel. The packet may include a traffic indicator of the first traffic class operable to allow the packet to pass a packet of the second traffic class from a second buffer. The method further includes sending the packet over the virtual channel and adjusting the first group of credits and the first group of tags based on having sent a packet of the first traffic class. |
| US08532097B2 |
Method for generating an address field, method and device for transmitting electronic message and data packet
A simple and flexible method for generating an address field for an electronic message involves forming first and second address part from a string with several characters, such that the second address part denotes those characters of an address whose value is determined by the corresponding character in the first address part and/or denote those characters of the address whose values are variable and generating an address field from the first and the second address parts. |
| US08532096B2 |
Local exchange routing guide information maintenance system and method
The present invention system and method facilitates efficient and accurate maintenance of LERG information. The present system and method periodic implementation of LERG downloads permits network devices to automatically update LERG information. A local exchange routing guide update method includes performing an automated LERG maintenance initialization process; engaging in an automated LERG parsing process; and executing an automated LERG synchronization process. |
| US08532092B2 |
Methods, systems, and computer readable media for providing next generation network (NGN)-based end user services to legacy subscribers in a communications network
The subject matter described herein includes methods, systems, and computer readable media for providing NGN-based end user services to legacy subscribers in a communications network. According to one aspect, the subject matter described herein includes a method for providing NGN-based end user services to legacy subscribers in a communications network that includes, at a service creation system (SCS) node having at least one processor, using the at least one processor for receiving a SS7 call setup message associated with a call involving a legacy subscriber access device and holding the SS7 call setup message. The method also includes, while holding the SS7 call setup message, generating a SIP call setup message related to the SS7 call setup message, and initiating the providing of at least one NGN-based end user service for the call using the SIP call setup message. The method further includes determining whether to modify the SS7 call setup message based on the at least one NGN-based end user service, and, in response to determining to modify the SS7 call setup message, modifying the SS7 call setup message, and routing the SS7 call setup message towards a destination. |
| US08532081B1 |
Data rate adaptation in multiple-in-multiple-out systems
A transmit data rate adaptation method in a multiple-in-multiple-out (MIMO) system with a first transceiver and a second transceiver. The first transceiver transmits signals to the second transceiver. The second transceiver analyzes channel quality of the received signals and uses link adaptation to generate a shortlist of transmit modes to send back to the first transceiver. The first transceiver cycles through the shortlist of transmit modes to find an optimum transmit mode. |
| US08532078B2 |
Method, apparatus and system of spatial division multiple access communication in a wireless local area network
Some demonstrative embodiments of the invention include a method, apparatus for concurrently transmitting data to two or more wireless stations. |
| US08532073B2 |
Discontinuous reception operation during continuous transmission
The present invention relates to communicating between a network and a mobile terminal in a wireless communication system. The invention includes receiving a coded data unit from a network, determining whether the coded data unit can be successfully decoded, determining not to receive a transmission from the network for a first predetermined amount of time independent of whether the data unit is successfully decoded, and determining not to receive a transmission from the network for a second predetermined amount of time when the data unit is successfully decoded. |
| US08532071B2 |
Method of updating proxy information
A method of updating proxy information in a mesh network is provided. The method includes transmitting a first multi-hop management frame from a source mesh point (MP) to a destination MP, the first multi-hop management frame comprising a proxy update information element (IE) to update the source MP's proxy information, and receiving a second multi-hop management frame from the destination MP, the second multi-hop management frame comprising a proxy update confirmation IE in response to the first multi-hop management frame. When proxy information updated, flooding overhead may be released. |
| US08532070B2 |
Fast handoff for wireless devices in a wired-wireless network
A method and apparatus for handoff of a wireless client from a first network device to a second network device in a wired network are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method includes receiving data from a new wireless client at the second network device and transmitting a request for a route update for the new wireless client to the wired network. Prior to network convergence for the route update, data traffic for the new wireless client is received from the first network device and forwarded to the new wireless client. Context information for the new wireless client is transmitted from the second network device to other network devices in a proximity group of the second network device. |
| US08532066B2 |
Transmission structure supporting multi-user scheduling and MIMO transmission
Techniques for transmitting data in a manner to support multi-user scheduling, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transmission, and interference cancellation are described. A base station assigns multiple time segments of a transmission time interval (TTI) to at least one terminal, maps data for each terminal to at least one time segment assigned to the terminal, and spreads the data in each time segment with at least one channelization code used in the TTI. A terminal receives an assignment of at least one time segment from among multiple time segments of the TTI, obtains input samples for the at least one time segment, and despreads the input samples with the at least one channelization code used in the TTI. |
| US08532064B2 |
Radio communication device and arrival direction estimation method
A receiver having an array antenna estimates arrival directions of multiple paths that arrive with an angular spread. Consequently, arrival direction estimation accuracy can be ensured without increasing throughput even if the power every path is low by estimating an average arrival direction of an entire set of multiple paths having the angular spread from a result of one angular spectrum by multiple correlation operation units that perform mutual correlation operations with pilot signals for baseband signals received by the array antenna, a path detection unit that detects multiple arrival path receiving timings by generating a delay profile based on output of each of the correlation operation units, a path correlation value synthesis unit that synthesizes a correlation operation value calculated in the multiple correlation operation units and an arrival direction estimation unit that collectively estimates multiple path arrival directions using output of the path correlation value synthesis unit. |
| US08532056B2 |
Device mobility for split-cell relay networks
Systems and methodologies are described that facilitate supporting mobility for UEs and relay eNBs in split-cell relay configurations. Parameters regarding communicating with one or more UEs can be provided to disparate eNBs from a donor eNB to provide mobility for one or more of the UEs or a serving relay eNB. In addition, a donor eNB can request establishment of one or more radio bearers at a target relay eNB for continuing communications with one or more UEs. Moreover, a donor eNB can provide information regarding one or more core network bearers to a target donor eNB to facilitate establishing the core network bearers at the target donor eNB for communicating with the one or more UEs. Furthermore, uplink buffer contents from a relay eNB can be provided to a target donor eNB so communications from the one or more UEs can be continued by the target donor eNB. |
| US08532054B2 |
System, method, and computer-readable medium for user equipment handoff within an IP-femtocell network
A system, method, and computer readable medium for provisioning communication services by an IP-based femtocell network is provided. Service of a user equipment may be transferred from one femtocell to another femtocell via a femtocell handoff procedure. Femtocell systems of the femtocell network perform link quality measurements and may distribute the link quality measurements to neighbor femtocells. A femtocell system may periodically evaluate the link quality with the user equipment. If an evaluation is made that the user equipment needs to be transferred to another site, the servicing femtocell site may evaluate the most recent link quality measurements received from neighboring femtocell sites and select a femtocell site for handoff. In the event that the femtocell network is deployed in an area serviced by a macrocellular network, handoff routines may provide preference for transferring the user equipment to a target femtocell system rather than a macrocell site. |
| US08532050B2 |
Resource allocation
Efficient encoding techniques are described for encoding resource allocation data to be signalled to a user device. In one encoding technique one or more frequency blocks are assigned to a user device and a plurality of resource blocks within the assigned frequency blocks are allocated to the user device. The assignment of frequency blocks and the resource block allocation are encoded separately and signalled to the user device. On receipt of the signalled information the user device interprets the frequency block assignment and uses this when interpreting the resource block allocation. |
| US08532049B2 |
Radio base station, user device, and method used in mobile communication system
A radio base station used in a mobile communication system is disclosed. The radio base station includes a scheduler configured to allocate one or more resource blocks, which are defined by a predetermined bandwidth and a predetermined transmission time interval, to a user device; and a reporting unit configured to report scheduling information indicating radio resource allocation to the user device. The scheduler is configured to generate the scheduling information such that downlink data channels and downlink control channels are transmitted using the transmission time interval as a transmission unit and uplink control channels are transmitted using an integral multiple of the transmission time interval as a transmission unit. |
| US08532043B2 |
Method for signaling of resource allocation to adjust granularity in cellular multi-carrier system
A method for adjusting a granularity of resource allocation in a wireless mobile communication system supporting a compact scheduling is discussed. A resource indication value (RIV) corresponds to a start index (S) of one set of consecutive virtual resource blocks (VRBs) and a length of the VRBs. The start index (S) is selected from among ‘s’ values (where s−P+mT |
| US08532041B1 |
Method for transmitting information in a regulated spectrum and network configured to operate in the regulated spectrum
Methods for transmitting information in a regulated spectrum and networks configured to operate within a regulated spectrum (and optionally, within a given geographic region) are disclosed. The methods generally include receiving or transmitting radio signals encoded with spectral allocation information, analyzing the spectral allocation information to determine available bands in the regulated spectrum for signal transmission, and transmitting signals on at least one of the available bands in the regulated spectrum. The spectral allocation information includes restriction(s) on a bandwidth or bandwidth range in the regulated spectrum; The network generally includes a central database storing the spectral allocation information, a transmitter configured to transmit radio signals encoded with the spectral allocation information, and a receiving device configured to receive the radio signals, analyze the available bands in the regulated spectrum from the spectral allocation information, and transmit signals on at least one of the available bands. |
| US08532036B2 |
System and method for providing voice over internet protocol quality of service support in a wireless communication network
A system for providing Quality of Service (QoS) for voice over internet protocol (VoIP) provides a remote station with the address of an SIP proxy server. The initiates a VoIP service flow by sending an Invite to the proxy server via a base station. If the service flow is authorized, the remote station transmits a request to the base station to establish a service flow having a selected QoS. The proxy server also provides a dynamic address for a voice gateway. Once the service flow is established, the remote station transmits RTP packets to the designated voice gateway using the service flow having the designated QoS level. |
| US08532035B2 |
Method for resource partitioning with predefined pattern and adaptive resource partitioning method
An adaptive resource partitioning method includes: selecting a predefined pattern-based partitioning method or an informed map-based partitioning method according to the number of channels used for resource allocation, data characteristics, and a channel environment variation, if the predefined pattern scheme is selected, selecting any of predefined patterns, partitioning distributed and localized resource allocation areas according to the selected pattern, and transmitting a pattern index of the selected pattern to a terminal, and if the informed map scheme is selected, partitioning distributed and localized resource allocation areas according to an arbitrary pattern, and transmitting bitmap control information indicating information of the partitioned areas to the terminal. So, it effectively obtains a diversity and a scheduling gain when distributed and localized resource allocations are simultaneously used, such that it increases flexibility of resource allocation, increases an available data transfer rate, and reduces an amount of necessary control information. |
| US08532034B2 |
Method and system for coordinating wireless communication of different waveforms in the same frequency band
A method and system for coordinating wireless communication of different waveforms in the same frequency band, is provided, the network including multiple wireless stations of different types operating at the same wireless frequency band but at different waveform formats. Channel bandwidth is allocated by scanning all available channels in the frequency band to detect available channels. When the number of detected available channels is not less than the number of wireless station types, then scheduling and transmitting beacon periods for the different types of wireless stations to different available channels, wherein each type of wireless station may have a dedicated available channel period for wireless communication in parallel with other types of wireless stations. |
| US08532033B2 |
Selective RAB assignment
Method of controlling radio access bearer setup in a radio network, wherein a set of pre-determined RAB setup criteria are defined, the method comprising the steps of—receiving from a mobile station an Activate PDP Context Request (1) including RAB selection parameter, —evaluating the request from the mobile station (not shown) and if positive send a Create PDP Context Request (4) to a gateway node (GGSN), —evaluating (4B) the response from the gateway (GGSN) and if receiving a positive response, —evaluating (4C) RAB setup criteria for the mobile station, —if at least one RAB setup criteria evaluation is positive performing RAB set-up (5), and—if the RAB setup is successful (5B), transmitting a PDP Context Accept message (9) to the mobile station. Alternatively, the method comprises the steps of—receiving from a mobile station an Activate PDP Context Request (1) including a RAB selection parameter, —evaluating the request from the mobile station (not shown) and if the evaluation is positive sending a Create PDP Context Request (4) to a gateway node (GGSN), —evaluating (4B) the response from the gateway (GGSN) and if receiving a positive a Create PDP Context Response, and—unconditionally transmitting a PDP Context Accept message (9) to the mobile station. |
| US08532031B2 |
Enhanced information services using devices in short-range wireless networks
A method is implemented by an access terminal associated with a wireless network. The method includes identifying content stored within a paired device in a short-range wireless network, initiating a voice session, over a wireless carrier network, with an information services provider, and initiating a data session, over the wireless carrier network, with a mobile user content server associated with the information services provider. The method also includes uploading a portion of the content stored within the paired device to the mobile user content server based on the initiated voice connection. |
| US08532029B2 |
TNL connection setup method and apparatus for base station using downlink receiver
A Transport Network Layer (TNL) connection setup method for a base station includes monitoring Physical Cell Identity (PCI) values of neighboring cells. When it is monitored that the PCI values are changed, IP addresses of neighboring base stations corresponding to the changed PCI values are acquired. Thereafter, it is determined whether it is necessary to perform a new TNL connection setup with respect to other neighboring base stations, based on the changed PCI values and the acquired IP addresses. When it is determined that it is necessary to perform the new TNL connection setup, the TNL connection setup is performed with the acquired IP addresses. |
| US08532026B2 |
System, method, and computer-readable medium for multi-stage transmit protection in a femtocell system
A system, method, and computer readable medium for transmit protection in a femtocell system are provided. A multi-stage transmit protection routine prohibits radio transmissions for unregistered femtocell systems and transmissions from femtocell systems in unauthorized areas. A femtocell system may request transmission authorization from a base station manager. The base station manager may provide an authorization failure if the femtocell system is not registered or if the source address of the femtocell system is not within a predefined distance of a registered location of the femtocell system. If the femtocell is provided a transmission authorization, the femtocell system may obtain a GPS location from a user equipment and provide the GPS location to the base station manager which evaluates the location. The base station manager may provide an authorization failure if the GPS location is not within a predefined distance of the registered location of the femtocell system. |
| US08532024B2 |
Method and apparatus for determining coupled path loss
A method and apparatus is provided for determining coupled path loss in a small geographical which is served by a plurality of transmitters and is subject to broad signal level variation. A method is also provided for determining performance of a signal received by a wireless device located within a bin of a cell of a cellular communication system. The method comprises determining the value of the received signal level as a function of the sum of the signal levels received from a primary base station at a primary cell divided by a number of signal level measurements from the primary base station. |
| US08532017B2 |
TPC command signaling in DL control channel identifying the target and limiting blind decoding
The present invention provides a method for long term evolution in 3GPP. More particularly, the transmission of transmission power control command signaling in a down link control channel to user equipment. The present invention also provides a method and apparatus for identifying a target user equipment for a transmission power control command. The transmission power control command for physical uplink control channel and for persistent physical uplink shared channel assignments is transmitted via a downlink control channel format 3. |
| US08532012B2 |
Methods and devices for scalable reception in wireless communication systems
Methods and apparatuses for reception of point-to-multipoint (PTM) transmissions in a wireless communication system including a set of receiving devices. The method includes receiving location information respectively associated with each of a plurality of PTM data versions, and retrieving the plurality of PTM data versions using the location information. The method also includes combining the retrieved plurality of PTM data versions to generate a combined PTM data version, and decoding the combined PTM data version. |
| US08532011B2 |
Method and apparatus for transmitting multiple multicast communications over a wireless communication network
Apparatus and method for allocating bandwidth for multicast communications in a wireless communication network. The base station allocates certain bandwidth for handling multicast communications through a multicast communication channel. When a new multicast communication arrives, the base station assigns a predefined number of bandwidth to the multicast communication channel according to a predefined algorithm. A wireless device will monitor all slots in a multicast channel and discard all the packets not belonging to its call. |
| US08532010B2 |
Transmission method for uplink transport layer
A transmission method for an uplink transport layer in a mobile communication network provided with a plurality of mobile stations, a plurality of base stations and a radio network controller includes the step of: each base station receiving and decoding a data packet from the mobile station; each base station storing a correctly-decoded data packet into a transmission queue and transmitting the correctly-decoded data packet to the radio network controller; the radio network controller updating reception status in accordance with the received data packets and sending the reception status to the plurality of base stations; and each base station updating the transmission queue in accordance with the received reception status. |
| US08532009B2 |
Method and a device for saving power in a wireless user terminal
A method for use in a cellular system with at least one controlling node, eNodeB, which controls user terminals, UEs, in a cell. According to the method, a UE can be in one of at least two different states, an idle state, a DRX state, and an “on duration” state. A UE can receive at least a first and a second type of traffic from its eNodeB. If the first type of traffic is received by a UE during an on duration period, the UE assumes the idle (DRX) state at the end of the on duration period, and if the second type of traffic is received by the UE during an on duration period, the UE prolongs the current on duration period by a certain amount of time. |
| US08532001B2 |
Beaconing and frame structure for directional antenna communications
In a wireless communications network containing network devices capable of both directional and omnidirectional communications, a network controller may arrange a series of superframes into groups of multiple consecutive superframes, in which only one superframe in each group contains an omnidirectional beacon, and the remainder of the superframes in the group contain only directional beacons. |
| US08532000B2 |
Method for establishing a multimedia session with a remote user of a communications network
For establishing a multimedia session with a remote user's terminal, a terminal starts a signaling intended to establish the multimedia session addressed to the remote user's terminal. Predetermined acknowledgement messages indicate to the terminal and to the remote terminal that the multimedia session is established. The terminal and/or the remote terminal run at least a module of a multimedia application before reception of the predetermined acknowledgement messages. |
| US08531999B2 |
Method of communication supporting half-duplex frequency division duplex
A communication supporting half-duplex frequency division duplex and receiving a broadcast message. A control signal for a broadcast message is received and decoded partially or entirely according to an indication bit included in the control signal. |
| US08531990B1 |
Handover signaling in wireless networks
A base station receives a first radio resource control (RRC) message comprising parameter(s) indicating whether a wireless device supports an enhanced physical downlink control channel (ePDCCH). The base station selectively transmits second RRC message(s) configuring first radio resources of a first ePDCCH. The base station makes a handover decision for the wireless device. The base station transmits a third message to a target base station. The third message comprises at least one of: parameter(s) indicating whether the wireless device supports an ePDCCH, and configuration information of the first ePDCCH. |
| US08531987B2 |
Performing a time measurement in a communication network
A method for performing a time measurement on a data flow transmitted from a transmitter to a receiver of a communication network is provided. The method comprises: at the transmitter, dividing the data flow in first and second time alternating blocks of data units, transmitting them, increasing a transmission counter while the first blocks are transmitted and setting a transmission timestamp to a current time when a predetermined data unit of each first block is transmitted; at the receiver, receiving the first and second blocks, increasing a reception counter while the first blocks are received and setting a reception timestamp to a further current time when the predetermined data unit of each first block is received; and at a management server, periodically detecting values of the transmission counter, the reception counter, the transmission timestamp and the reception timestamp, and using them for performing the time measurement. |
| US08531983B2 |
System and method for identifying a length of an installed fiber cable
Current approaches for determining and identifying whether a correct length of fiber cable is installed between network elements configured to communicate using specific lengths of cable require manual inspection. Such manual inspection may include the use of markers used for visual inspection of cables matching corresponding network elements. An embodiment of the present invention utilizes identifiers unique to cables of various lengths to determine whether a correct length of cable has been installed. Further, embodiments of the present invention determine whether the unique identifier is received by a network device according to a channel mapping corresponding to a unique physical mapping associated with cables of various lengths. The use of the identifiers and channel mappings enable automatic discovery of lengths of cable that are installed between network devices. |
| US08531982B1 |
Quality of service aware channel quality indicator
Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with QoS-aware CQI are described. In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a channel quality indicator (CQI) determination logic configured to compute a quality of service (QoS) aware CQI as a function of a QoS associated with a wireless channel over which a first wireless communication apparatus and a second wireless communication apparatus communicate. The apparatus may also include a CQI report logic configured to report the QoS-aware CQI, in a CQI report message, to a wireless communication apparatus that requested the QoS-aware CQI in a CQI request message. |
| US08531981B2 |
Arrangement for determining a characteristic form of an input signal
A receiver and method for determining a characteristic from an input signal is disclosed. A characteristic is at least one selected from a group comprising preamble detect, frequency offset and timing offset. The input signal comprises an IF frequency fIF and a preamble signal which is a sequence of M similar data symbols. The data symbols have a symbol period SP, and M is an integer greater than or equal to 2. The method comprises: —receiving N subsequent samples of the input signal, the N subsequent samples representing a part of the input signal approximating the symbol period SP, —rotating N subsequent samples to obtain N rotated symbols; —correlating the N rotated symbols with P correlation functions to generate a set of N×P correlation values, P being an integer greater than or equal to 2; and, —selecting a maximum correlation value from the set of N×P correlation values and determining the characteristic. The invention enables to perform an efficient antenna diversity circuit, which can be used for simultaneously timing offset and frequency offset estimation, and preamble detection for both antennae with only one radio unit. |
| US08531967B2 |
Optimizing the usage of radio resources by cross-layer reading of information from higher level control plane protocol layer
Methods and apparatuses relating to optimization of radio network resources between user equipments operating in a cell and nodes in a cellular radio communication network are provided. Cross-layer information is read from higher level control plane protocol layer packets being transported, before or during lower level control plane protocol layer procedures being performed between a user equipment and a node or between two nodes. The lower level control plane protocol layer procedures are optimized by using the analyzed control plane information received. |
| US08531966B1 |
Uplink sounding transmission with carrier aggregation
A wireless device receives message(s) configuring transmissions of sounding reference signals on a secondary cell in a secondary cell group. The wireless device receives an activation command to activate the secondary cell. The wireless device transmits one or more of the sounding reference signals on the secondary cell after applying a timing advance command to the secondary cell group. The wireless device is configured to not transmit any of the sounding reference signals on the secondary cell during a period between receiving the message(s) and applying the timing advance command to the secondary cell group. |
| US08531965B2 |
Message processing method and system
A message processing method includes receiving by a base station a physical shared channel reconfiguration request transmitted from a control radio network controller, the physical shared channel reconfiguration request including priority queue specific deleting information; and deleting a priority queue corresponding to the priority queue specific deleting information. |
| US08531960B2 |
Method and system of using counters to monitor a system port buffer
Methods and systems for using counters to monitor port buffers are described. In one embodiment, the method includes receiving data packets into a system port buffer having different queues. Also, counters are associated with the queues. Further, the method includes scanning the counters, in which the counters count the number of dropped data packets associated with an individual queue of the different queues. Moreover, the method includes determining if the number of dropped data packets for an individual queue is greater than a predetermined number. If the number of dropped data packets is greater than the predetermined number, then a message is generated. |
| US08531957B2 |
Method and apparatus for providing multiple quality of service levels in a wireless packet data services connection
The packets generated by each of multiple packet data applications are provided to a single Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) stack and a single High-level Data Link Control (HDLC) framing layer to convert data packets into byte streams suitable for transmission through Radio Link Protocol (RLP) connections. Each of the resultant multiple byte streams is then provided to one of multiple RLP connections having different retransmission and delay properties. The RLP connection selected for sending data from each application is based on the grade of service most appropriate for the application. At the receiver, the data from the multiple RLP connections is provided to a single PPP stack. |
| US08531956B2 |
Channel assignment for a wireless network
Channel assignment for access points (APs) in a wireless network includes determining at least one of a MaxSum and a MaxMin, and determining a channel assignment for the APs based on at least one of the MaxSum and the MaxMin. The MaxSum is a maximization of a system throughput and the system throughput is a sum of throughput of nodes in the network. The MaxMin is a maximization of a minimum throughput of a set of AP-client links in the network. The AP-client link is a link between an AP and a client associated with the AP. |
| US08531954B2 |
System and method for handling reservation requests with a connection admission control engine
A system and method for handling reservation requests. Network performance information of a communications network is gathered using performance information packet data packets. Available bandwidth is determined based on the PIP data packets of a data stream. The available bandwidth is allocated for a number of customers based on reservations. |
| US08531953B2 |
System and method for network traffic splitting
A system is described where a routing server is configured to receive data packets from one or more servers on a computer network. Data packets may contain system event data that represent, for example, security events or system status. Each data packet is opened at the routing server and may be forwarded to one or more destination hosts depending on the contents of the data packet. Routing server compiles statistics on the source and destination of the data packets and periodically or in response to a command, writes the compiled statistics to a file. |
| US08531948B2 |
Technique for admission control of packet flows
A technique for admission control of packet flows is disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the technique may be realized as a method for admission control of packet flows in a network. The method may comprise determining at least one flow rate associated with a plurality of packets. The method may also comprise marking at least one predetermined bit in at least one of the plurality of packets if the at least one flow rate is greater than a predetermined rate. The method may further comprise controlling an admission of additional packets into the network based at least in part on the marking of the at least one predetermined bit in the at least one of the plurality of packets. |
| US08531945B2 |
Method and apparatus to support deep packet inspection in a mobile network
As part of mobility management messaging in current systems, only static quality of service (QoS) profiles and their statically configured classifiers are reported. These classifiers are known a priori and are typically used for hosted traffic. Once advanced application classifiers are matched and mobility messaging is done, the deep packet inspection (DPI) learned subscriber context is lost. An embodiment of the invention is configured to associate DPI-learned dynamic classifiers with the classifier's policy information as payload over mobility management messaging. The embodiment is useful for identifying protocols and applications, for authentication purposes, solving congestion-based issues between elements in a network, guaranteeing QoS without reserving resources statically, attaching traffic packets to a particular subscriber, and creating mobile signaling to provision end-to-end communication in a network. Thereby enabling the transfer of subscriber parameters and information to be associated with the subscriber throughout subscriber movement through multiple elements of a network. |
| US08531939B2 |
Apparatus and method for transmitting and receiving of cyclic shift parameter for supporting orthogonality in MIMO environment
A method includes: determining a Cyclic Shift (CS) parameter that implicitly indicates an orthogonality allocation rule and orthogonality-related information, by determining a multiple access state of a User Equipment (UE), and transmitting the determined CS parameter to the UE, wherein the orthogonality-related information includes an Orthogonal Cover Code indicated by the CS parameter, the orthogonality allocation rule is determined as a uniform scheme or a non-uniform scheme according to the CS parameter, determining the CS parameter by which the non-uniform scheme is applied if the UE is in a Single User Multiple Input Multiple Output state, and determining the CS parameter by which the uniform scheme is applied if the UE is in a Multiple User Multiple Input Multiple Output state. |
| US08531937B2 |
Channel sounding for improved system performance
A transmitter generates and transmits a low rate signal to its intended receiver. Upon receiving the low rate signal, the intended receiver generates and transmits a channel sounding response (CSR), said CSR being a short burst having a predefined transmit format and carrying predetermined information. The transmitter then analyzes the CSR and determines uplink channel response, estimates downlink channel response, and determines appropriate transmit parameter settings based on the analysis and downlink response estimate. Adjustment of the transmit parameters can be made in either the MAC or PHY layer or in a combination of both. After adjusting its transmit parameters and modulating sub-carriers with user-data according to the determined transmit settings, the transmitter transmits the user-data to the receiver on a preferred portion of bandwidth. In a preferred embodiment, the transmitter also generates and transmits a transmit format control (TFC) signal containing the determined transmit parameter settings, including sub-carrier modulation information, to the receiver. |
| US08531936B2 |
Storage medium, reproducing method, and recording method
According to an embodiment, a storage medium includes a transparent resin substrate having a concentric or spiral groove and a recording film formed on the groove on the transparent resin substrate, a recording mark being formed by irradiation of a laser beam, wherein a reproduction durability count in a case where reproduction is continuously carried out by a laser beam is 1,000,000 or more. |
| US08531933B2 |
Sync mark correction for holographic data pages
The presented invention relates to a method for reading data from a data page from an optical data storage medium, e.g. a holographic storage medium and to an apparatus for performing this method. At least one missing or wrong positioned sync mark on a read data page is identified and its corrected position is estimated. The estimated corrected sync mark position is used for further processing. |
| US08531927B2 |
Optical disc apparatus, tilt correction method, and program
An optical disc apparatus includes: a light irradiation/reception section to irradiate an optical disc recording medium with light via an objective lens and receive return light of the light; a tilt adjustment section to tilt the lens; a focus servo control section to exert focus servo control over the lens; a focus bias application section to apply a focus bias to a focus servo loop; a tracking direction error signal generation section to generate a tracking direction error signal representing an error between light-reception signals; and a control section to perform a tilt adjustment value search process for making a search for a tilt adjustment value with which the tracking direction error signal is maximized, a tilt adjustment value revision process for revising the tilt adjustment value found by the tilt adjustment value search process, and an adjustment control process for causing the tilt adjustment section to perform tilt adjustment. |
| US08531926B2 |
Optical system for optical pickup
An optical system for optical pickup includes a magnification conversion optical element moving along an optical axis direction in accordance with each of optical recording medium recording surfaces, and an objective lens element converging a light beam incident through the magnification conversion optical element, to form a spot on a corresponding one of the recording surfaces, and satisfies the following formula: 4.0×10−4 |
| US08531925B2 |
Optical disc device and laser beam power controlling method for optical disc device
Erroneous data erasure owing to radiation of laser beam with excessive power to the recording layer of the multilayered optical disc upon servo-off while reproducing data of the disc is prevented. When detecting the servo-off based on the amplitude of the tracking error signal or the focus error signal, the laser beam power is reduced to a predetermined minimum value, and the laser beam power value is set again based on the address of the recording medium, which has been obtained later for reproduction. The laser beam power value is changed by applying an offset to the drive current or changing the target value under APC. |
| US08531923B2 |
Method for storing audio-centered information with a multi-level table-of-contents (TOC) mechanism with one master-TOC and sub-TOCs for various audio formats, a device for use with such mechanism and a unitary storage medium containing such mechanism
Audio information is stored on a unitary storage medium with a Table-of-Contents (TOC) mechanism for therein specifying an actual configuration of various audio items on the medium. In particular, one or more Sub-TOCs are each assigned to a respective different audio format. A single Master-TOC is provided for specifically pointing to each Sub-TOC. |
| US08531921B2 |
Electronic timepiece and control method for an electronic timepiece
An electronic timepiece includes a reception unit that receives satellite signals from positioning information satellites; a time information generating unit that generates an internal time; and a manual reception processing unit that activates the reception unit through operation of an operating member and executes a first or a second time correction processing to correct the internal time. The first time correction processing includes acquiring time information from a satellite signal received from one of the positioning information satellites and correcting the internal time based thereon. The second time correction processing includes acquiring time information and satellite orbit information from satellite signals from one or more of the positioning information satellites, calculating the position of the electronic timepiece, and correcting the internal time using the acquired time information and the calculated position. The selection of the first or second time correction processing is based on manual operation. |
| US08531920B2 |
Electronic device and method providing improved management of multiple times from multiple time zones
An improved electronic device and method provide an improved clock feature that includes a time zone management function which enables multiple times from multiple time zones to be managed by the user. Responsive to a detection that the electronic device has been moved from one time zone to another, a dialog is initiated wherein the user is queried whether a current time on the electronic device should be changed and whether multiple times should be output on the display. |
| US08531916B2 |
Channel impulse response estimation
A human-machine interface system adapted to track movement of an object in air is disclosed. In one aspect, the human-machine interface includes an acoustic transmitter, an acoustic receiver, and logic configured to apply a calculated inverse matrix of an impulse signal transmitted by the acoustic transmitter to a signal received by the acoustic receiver, wherein movement of the object is used to control the machine. |
| US08531915B2 |
Acoustic and ultrasonic concealed object detection
An acoustic/ultrasonic detection system can detect, for example, an object concealed under the clothing of a subject. The system includes a signal generator configured to output an electrical signal. An acoustic/ultrasonic transducer can be configured to convert the electrical signal into an acoustic/ultrasonic signal, transmit the acoustic/ultrasonic signal, receive a reflected acoustic/ultrasonic signal from an object in the target area and convert the reflected acoustic/ultrasonic signal into a received electrical signal. The transducer is at least one of an air-coupled transducer and an electro-magnetic acoustic transducer. The system can also include an acoustic/ultrasonic antenna aperture operatively connected to the transducer and configured to focus the transmitted acoustic/ultrasonic signal to create a narrow beam in the target area, a processor configured to extract object information from the received electrical signal and an object indication device to provide an indication of a detected object based on the extracted object information. |
| US08531913B2 |
Estimating subsurface elastic parameters
A method for estimating subsurface elastic parameters is described herein. One or more slowness vectors may be determined based on a vertical seismic profile of a subsurface area. A model containing anisotropy parameters and a well deviation estimate may be generated based on survey data. The slowness vectors may be corrected for the well deviation estimate based on the model. One or more modeled slowness vectors may be calculated using the corrected slowness vectors and the anisotropy parameters in the model. |
| US08531911B2 |
Ultrasonic observation apparatus, operation method of the same, and computer readable recording medium
In a feature data space including a first coordinate system that contains at least some of sets of feature data being respectively extracted for known specimens as its coordinate components an ultrasonic observation apparatus calculates coordinate values of the feature data of a specimen in a second coordinate system and assigns display parameters corresponding to the calculated coordinate values, wherein the second coordinate system has a new coordinate axis as one of its coordinate axes, the new coordinate axis is an axis on which sum of distances between adjacent representative points is large, the representative points represent respective groups obtained by classifying the known specimens on the basis of information regarding each known specimen, the distances are obtained when the adjacent representative points, which are adjacent along a predetermined coordinate axis in the first coordinate system, are projected on a predetermined axis. |
| US08531909B2 |
Delay-locked loop having loop bandwidth dependency on operating frequency
Circuits, methods, and apparatus that vary one or more attributes or parameters of a closed-loop clock circuit as a function of a characteristic of its operating frequency. One example provides a delay-locked loop having a loop bandwidth that can be varied as a function of its operating frequency. In this specific example, operating frequency is determined. This determination may be made directly, either by measuring operating frequency, or indirectly, by taking a measurement or reading, such as by reading a value for column address select latency. Once the operating frequency is determined, the loop bandwidth can be set. In one example, the loop bandwidth is set by adjusting the depth of the delay-locked loop's loop filter. |
| US08531897B2 |
Delay control circuit and semiconductor memory device including the same
A delay control circuit includes a delay locked loop configured to delay an external clock by a first delay amount and generate an internal clock, a first delay unit configured to delay an input signal by a first delay amount, a first replica delay unit having a replica delay amount corresponding to a modeled delay amount of a system, a delay control unit configured to control the replica delay amount in response to a latency of an input signal, a measurement unit configured to measure the first delay amount and the controlled replica delay amount and generate path information, an operation unit configured to generate delay information in response to the latency of the input signal and the path information, and a latency delay unit configured to delay the delayed input signal of the first delay unit by the delay information and generate a latency signal. |
| US08531891B2 |
Non-volatile semiconductor storage device
For data erase from an electrically erasable and programmable non-volatile memory cell, the following operations are performed: an erase operation to apply an erase pulse voltage to a memory cell for data erase, an erase verify operation to verify whether data erase is completed, and a step-up operation to increase the erase pulse voltage by a certain step-up voltage if data erase is not completed. A control unit controls voltages so that at least a first erase pulse voltage initially generated in the erase operation has a longer rise time than that of a second erase pulse voltage generated subsequent to the first erase pulse voltage. |
| US08531890B2 |
Nonvolatile semiconductor memory device and method for driving same
According to one embodiment, a nonvolatile semiconductor memory device includes a memory string including a plurality of memory cells and, a driving unit. In sequentially reading data stored in the memory cells by applying a first signal to the memory cells, a second signal is applied to a second cell. The driving unit applies a third signal to the gate electrodes of all the memory cells prior to the sequential reading. The third signal has a voltage smaller than the second signal and time duration equal to or more than that of a sum of time duration during which the first signal is applied to all the memory cells. In a period prior to the third signal application, the driving unit performs at least one of applying a fourth signal to the gate electrodes and matching a potential of the gate electrodes with that of the semiconductor layer. |
| US08531889B2 |
Non-volatile memory and method with improved sensing having bit-line lockout control
In sensing a group of cells in a multi-state nonvolatile memory, multiple sensing cycles relative to different demarcation threshold levels are needed to resolve all possible multiple memory states. Each sensing cycle has a sensing pass. It may also include a pre-sensing pass or sub-cycle to identify the cells whose threshold voltages are below the demarcation threshold level currently being sensed relative to. These are higher current cells which can be turned off to achieve power-saving and reduced source bias errors. The cells are turned off by having their associated bit lines locked out to ground. A repeat sensing pass will then produced more accurate results. Circuitry and methods are provided to selectively enable or disable bit-line lockouts and pre-sensing in order to improving performance while ensuring the sensing operation does not consume more than a maximum current level. |
| US08531886B2 |
Hot carrier programming in NAND flash
A memory device includes a plurality of memory cells arranged in series in the semiconductor body, such as a NAND string, having a plurality of word lines. A selected memory cell is programmed by hot carrier injection using a boosted channel potential to establish the heating field. Boosted channel hot carrier injection can be based on blocking flow of carriers between a first side of a selected cell and a second side of the selected cell in the NAND string, boosting by capacitive coupling the first semiconductor body region to a boosted voltage level, biasing the second semiconductor body region to a reference voltage level, applying a program potential greater than a hot carrier injection barrier level to the selected cell and enabling flow of carriers from the second semiconductor body region to the selected cell to cause generation of hot carriers. |
| US08531882B2 |
Semiconductor memory device including a plurality of stacked semiconductor memory chips
A memory includes stacking chips. The chip includes a pad commonly connected to the chips and receiving an enable signal that enables access to each chip. The chip includes a chip address memory that can store a chip address. The chip includes a determining part comparing a select address to the chip address for determining whether they match each other. The chip includes a control-signal setting part setting the control signal inputted to the chip itself to be valid or invalid depending on a determination made by the determining part. The chip includes a chip-address setting part determining whether the chip address is stored in the chip address memory depending on number of fail bits. The device includes a memory controller allocating respectively different ones of the chip addresses to the chips based on the number of fail bits. |
| US08531877B2 |
Fractional bits in memory cells
Methods, devices, modules, and systems for programming memory cells can include storing charges corresponding to a data state that represents an integer number of bits in a set of memory cells. Programming memory cells can include storing a charge in a cell of the set, where the charge corresponds to a programmed state, where the programmed state represents a fractional number of bits, and where the programmed state denotes a digit of the data state as expressed by a number in base N, where N is equal to 2B, rounded up to an integer, and where B is equal to the fractional number of bits represented by the programmed state. |
| US08531875B2 |
Magnetic memory
According to one embodiment, a magnetic memory includes at least one memory cell including a magnetoresistive element, and first and second electrodes. The element includes a first magnetic layer, a tunnel barrier layer, a second magnetic layer, and a third magnetic layer provided on the second magnetic layer and having a magnetization antiparallel to the magnetization direction of the second magnetic layer. A diameter of an upper surface of the first magnetic layer is smaller than that of a lower surface of the tunnel barrier layer. A diameter of a lower surface of the second magnetic layer is not more than that of an upper surface of the tunnel barrier layer. |
| US08531870B2 |
Semiconductor device and driving method of semiconductor device
A memory cell includes a capacitor, a first transistor, and a second transistor whose off-state current is smaller than that of the first transistor. The first transistor has higher switching speed than the second transistor. The first transistor, the second transistor, and the capacitor are electrically connected in series. Accumulation of charge in the capacitor and release of charge from the capacitor are performed through the first transistor and the second transistor. In this manner, the power consumption of the semiconductor device can be reduced and data can be written and read at higher speed. |
| US08531869B2 |
Nonvolatile memory device and method of writing data to nonvolatile memory device
A resistance variable layer changes: to a second resistance state in such a manner that its resistance value stops decreasing when an interelectrode voltage reaches a negative first voltage; to a first resistance state in such a manner that its resistance value starts increasing when the interelectrode voltage reaches a positive second voltage which is equal in absolute value to the first voltage; to the first resistance state in such a manner that the resistance variable layer flows an interelectrode current such that the interelectrode voltage is maintained at a third voltage higher than the second voltage, when the interelectrode voltage reaches the third voltage; and to the first resistance state in such a manner that its resistance value stops increasing when the interelectrode current reaches a first current in a state where the interelectrode voltage is not lower than the second voltage and lower than the third voltage. |
| US08531865B2 |
Semiconductor memory device
A semiconductor memory device according to the embodiment comprises a memory cell array including first line, second line crossing the first line, and memory cell containing variable resistance element provided on the intersection of the first and second lines; a data write unit operative to cause the variable resistance element to make a transition from a first resistance to a second resistance different from the first resistance; and a resistance state detection unit including an abnormality detection circuit operative to detect a transition of the resistance of the variable resistance element to a third resistance when the data write unit causes the variable resistance element to make the transition from the first resistance to the second resistance (where the third resistance |
| US08531863B2 |
Method for operating an integrated circuit having a resistivity changing memory cell
A method for operating a resistivity changing memory including applying a programming voltage to a resistivity changing memory cell to define a programmed state and applying a refresh voltage to the resistivity changing memory cell for maintaining the programmed state of the resistivity changing memory cell. In one embodiment, the refresh voltage is less than the programming voltage. |
| US08531862B2 |
Generating and exploiting an asymmetric capacitance hysteresis of ferroelectric MIM capacitors
The present invention relates to an electric component comprising at least one first MIM capacitor having a ferroelectric insulator with a dielectric constant of at least 100 between a first capacitor electrode of a first electrode material and a second capacitor electrode of a second electrode material. The first and second electrode materials are selected such that the first MIM capacitor exhibits, as a function of a DC voltage applicable between the first and second electrodes, an asymmetric capacitance hysteresis that lets the first MIM capacitor, in absence of the DC voltage, assume one of at least two possible distinct capacitance values, in dependence on a polarity of a switching voltage last applied to the capacitor, the switching voltage having an amount larger than a threshold-voltage amount. The invention is applicable for ESD sensors, memories and high-frequency devices. |
| US08531861B2 |
One time programming memory and method of storage and manufacture of the same
One time programming memory and methods of storage and manufacture of the same are provided. Examples relate to microelectronic memory technology and manufacture. The one time programming memory includes a diode (10) having a unidirectional conducting rectification characteristic and a variable-resistance memory (20) having a bipolar conversion characteristic. The diode (10) having the unidirectional conducting rectification characteristic and the variable-resistance memory (20) having the bipolar conversion characteristic are connected in series. The one time programming memory device of this example takes the bipolar variable-resistance memory (20) as a storage unit, programming the bipolar variable-resistance memory (20) into different resistance states so as to carry out multilevel storage, and takes the unidirectional conducting rectification diode (10) as a gating unit. The rectification characteristic of unidirectional conducting rectification diode (10) can not only enable the bipolar variable-resistance storage (20) to be programmed only once but also inhibit crosstalk in a cross-array structure. |
| US08531860B2 |
Semiconductor memory device, method of controlling read preamble signal thereof, and data transmission system
A controller, includes a plurality of external terminals configured to supply a command and an address to a semiconductor memory device, communicate a data with the semiconductor memory device, and communicate a strobe signal related to the data, at least one external terminal among the plurality of external terminals being configured to be capable of supplying an information specifying a length of a preamble of the strobe signal before the semiconductor memory device communicates the data. |
| US08531858B2 |
Power conversion with current sensing coupled through saturating element
An architecture for current-modulating power-handling circuits, such as power converters, where a small saturating inductance is used to obtain a pulse edge when the main current value crosses zero. |
| US08531852B2 |
System and a method for controlling at least one voltage converter having a plurality of cells in series
A method of controlling at least one voltage converter having a plurality of cells in series, comprising an AC part and a DC part, characterized in that the AC input voltage (Vei) of each cell is determined directly by the use of a high speed current control loop relating to the AC part and a lower speed voltage control loop relating to the cells, the method including choosing the following voltage control law: Ψ i = C i 2 ( 2 R pi C i Z i + ⅆ ⅆ t Z i _ ref - K 1 Zi - K 2 Zi sign ( E Zi ) ) where: K1zi and K2zi are positive adjustment gains; Ci is the continuous capacitance of the capacitor Ci of each cell; Rpi is the losses associated with each cell; Zi—ref is the reference value of Zi=(UDCi)2, UDCi; being the direct voltage across the capacitor Ci; and EZi is such that EZi=Zi−Zi—ref. |
| US08531849B1 |
Supply voltage or ground connections including bond pad interconnects for integrated circuit device
Embodiments disclosed herein may relate to supply voltage or ground connections for integrated circuit devices. As one example, two or more supply voltage bond pads on an integrated circuit die may be connected together via one or more electrically conductive interconnects. |
| US08531845B2 |
Structure of anti tamper case for solid state disk
A structure of an anti tamper case for the solid state disk includes an upper housing and a lower housing. The upper housing has an extending portion formed respectively on the two sides of the flange. The extending portion has at least one opening. The lower housing corresponds to the upper housing and a space is formed there-between for receiving the solid state disk. The lower housing has a hook formed at the flange corresponding to the opening. The hook and the opening are buckled to each other. The hook will be broken by the flange in the opening when the upper and lower housings are separated, thus prevent the user from forcefully opening the case for self maintenance or internal component replacement. |
| US08531842B2 |
Display module
A display module includes a display panel, a unit disposed on an outer side of the display panel, and an adhesive sheet with which the display panel and the unit are stuck together. The adhesive sheet has a first adhesive surface adhering to the display panel and a second adhesive surface adhering to the unit. The edge of the first adhesive surface and the edge of the second adhesive surface are displaced from each other in the adhesive surface direction. |
| US08531841B2 |
IC thermal management system
The present invention provides a non-intrusive method for dissipating heat from open-frame DC-DC power converters where bottom side components are exposed. A thermal interface material is placed between the motherboard to which the power converter is soldered and power dissipating and temperature sensitive components on the bottom of the power converter. The thermal interface material fills the gap between the power converter components and the motherboard, thereby providing a heat conductive path for dissipating heat from the power converter to the motherboard. |
| US08531837B2 |
Pad mechanism capable of adjusting height thereof and electronic device therewith
A pad mechanism includes a step fixing structure having a plurality of step platforms. A height difference is formed between the two step platforms. A first engaging portion is formed on each step platform. The pad mechanism further includes a pad component having a pad body, a sleeve and a constraining portion. A second engaging portion is formed on the pad body for selectively engaging with the corresponding first engaging portion so as to adjust a height of the pad body protruding from the step fixing structure. The pad mechanism further includes a resilient component sheathing with the sleeve for driving the sleeve, and a constraining component installed on a side of the resilient component and connected to the constraining portion so as to prevent the resilient component from separating from the sleeve. |
| US08531833B2 |
Portable electronic device case with battery
A case for an electronic device protects and extends the battery life of the electronic device. The case has a lower case portion and an upper case portion, which assemble together to protect the top, side, and bottom edges of the electronic device. The lower case portion includes a battery to extend the battery life of the electronic device. |
| US08531830B2 |
Notebook computer
A notebook computer comprises a first machinery, a first latch, a second machinery, a slider, a second elastic element and a push element. The second machinery has one side pivotally connected to the first machinery, and the other side formed with at least one latching hole. The slider comprises a body, a second latch and a first elastic element. The body is slidably disposed in the second machinery along a first moving path. The second latch disposed on the body latches or unlatches the first latch disposed on the first machinery. The first elastic element has one end connected to the body, and the other end pressing the first latch. The second elastic element has one end connected to the slider, and the other end connected to the second machinery. The push element, slidably disposed in the second machinery along a second moving path, pushes the first elastic element. |
| US08531826B2 |
Display supporting structure, manufacture method thereof and display device having the display supporting structure
The present invention discloses a display supporting structure, a manufacture method thereof, and a display device having the display supporting structure. The display supporting structure accommodates a flat display panel and includes a housing and a connector, wherein the housing includes a first cover and a second cover. The connector is movably coupled with the first housing and the second housing. The first housing and the second housing respectively include a first coupler and a second coupler for accommodating a friction end of the connector. The friction end generates a friction by making contact with inner surfaces of both the first coupler and the second coupler. The friction is used to selectively fix the housing in position. |
| US08531823B2 |
Electronic device
An electronic device including a housing, a detachable member, and a latch is provided. The detachable member is assembled to the housing and has a position limiting unit with a guiding surface and a limiting surface. The latch is movably disposed in the housing between a first and a second positions for locking or unlocking to the detachable member. The latch has an elastic unit, and the position limiting unit is on a moving path of the latch. When the latch moves from a first position toward a second position, the elastic unit moves along the guiding surface to the limiting surface and is position-limited at the second position. |
| US08531815B2 |
Capacitor with multiple elements for multiple replacement applications
A capacitor provides a plurality of selectable capacitance values, by selective connection of six capacitor sections of a capacitive element each having a capacitance value. The capacitor sections are provided in a plurality of wound cylindrical capacitive elements. Two vertically stacked wound cylindrical capacitance elements may each provide three capacitor sections. There may be six separately wound cylindrical capacitive elements each providing a capacitor section. The capacitor sections have a common element terminal. A pressure interrupter cover assembly is sealingly secured to the open end of case for the elements and has a deformable cover with a centrally mounted common cover terminal and a plurality of section cover terminals mounted at spaced apart locations. A conductor frangibly connects the common element terminal of the capacitor section to the common cover terminal and conductors respectively frangibly connect the capacitor section terminals to the section cover terminals. Deformation of the cover caused by failure of the capacitor element breaks at least some of the frangible connections sufficient to disconnect the capacitive element from an electric circuit in which it is connected. A cover insulation barrier mounted on the deformable cover, has a barrier cup substantially surrounding the common cover terminal and a plurality of barrier fins each extending radially outwardly from the barrier cup, and deployed between adjacent section cover terminals. |
| US08531812B2 |
Surge arrester with a varistor element and method for producing a surge arrester
A surge arrester has a varistor element. A first and a second armature body are pressed against the varistor element by way of a bracing device. At least one of the armature bodies has a shoulder on which a cross-member of the bracing device is supported. A tensioning leg is fitted to the cross-member. |
| US08531808B2 |
Device and method for securing an electric line with a controllable switching element
The present invention relates to a device and a method for reliably securing an electric line with a controllable switching element, wherein the device and the method can be easily adapted to the properties of an electric line. The device comprises a controllable switching element (110, 610) that is designed to take on at least two states, specifically a first state with a first resistance and a second state with a second resistance that is lower than the first resistance. The invention further comprises a current measuring device (120, 620) for measuring a current via the line; an averaging device (125, 625) for determining at least one first current pulse on the basis of the measured current, averaged over a first duration, and a second current pulse, averaged over a second duration that is longer than the first duration; and a controller (130, 630) for controlling the switching element such that the switching element switches into the first state when the first or the second averaged current pulse exceeds a first or second threshold value of a tripping characteristic curve. |
| US08531807B2 |
ESD clamp adjustment
Embodiments of this disclosure relate to electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection techniques. For example, some embodiments include a variable resistor that selectively shunts power of an incoming ESD pulse from a first circuit node to a second circuit node and away from a semiconductor device. A control voltage provided to the variable resistor causes the transistor to change between a fully-off mode where only sub-threshold current, if any, flows; a fully-on mode wherein a maximum amount of current flows; and an analog mode wherein an intermediate and time-varying amount of current flows. In particular, the analog mode allows the ESD protection device to shunt power more precisely than previously achievable, such that the ESD protection device can protect semiconductor devices from ESD pulses. |
| US08531801B1 |
Method and system for providing a read transducer having a composite magnetic shield with smooth interfaces
A method and system provide a magnetic transducer including first and second shields, a read sensor, and magnetic bias structure(s) adjacent to the read sensor. The read sensor and magnetic bias structure(s) are between the shields. The second shield includes first and second ferromagnetic layers, a nonmagnetic spacer layer and a pinning layer. The nonmagnetic spacer layer is between the first and second ferromagnetic layers. The first ferromagnetic layer is between the read sensor and the nonmagnetic spacer layer. The pinning layer is adjacent to the second ferromagnetic layer. The first and second ferromagnetic layers are coupled antiparallel. The first ferromagnetic layer includes magnetic layers interleaved with trilayer(s). Each magnetic layer includes crystalline grains. The trilayer(s) include an amorphous nonmagnetic layer less than three Angstroms thick. Thus, the magnetic layers are ferromagnetically coupled but the crystalline grains in different magnetic layers are decoupled. |
| US08531800B1 |
Magnetic write head having dual parallel capacitors for integrated transmission line compensation
In one embodiment, a magnetic head includes a write pole; a write coil adapted for causing the write pole to emit a magnetic field upon excitation of the write coil; and a first capacitor and a second capacitor electrically connected in parallel with the write coil, each capacitor including a planar bottom plate, a top plate positioned parallel to the bottom plate, and at least one dielectric layer positioned between the top plate and the bottom plate, wherein a parasitic capacitance between the bottom plate of each capacitor and a substrate positioned below the bottom plate exists during writing operations of the magnetic head, and wherein the parasitic capacitances of the capacitors are about balanced. |
| US08531794B2 |
Patterned media with an alternating series of concentric servo zones and overlap zones
Embodiments described herein provide for patterned media concentric zones with an alternating series of concentric servo zones and overlap zones. The overlap zones facilitate the writing of servo data between servo zones of different servo frequency. The overlap zones may be dual frequency zones. The dual frequency zones have a first set of overlap patterns with the substantially identical pattern as the bordering lower frequency servo zone and a second set of overlap patterns with the substantially identical pattern as the bordering higher frequency servo zone. A bootstrap zone can be included near the inner diameter to assist initial servo writing. Alternatively the overlap zones are bootstrap zones. Such bootstrap zones have both bootstrap patterns and overlap patterns, the overlap patterns have the substantially identical pattern as a bordering servo zone. Bootstrap patterns only require DC magnetization for servo operability. |
| US08531793B2 |
Disk drive with variable incremented counting of writes to the data tracks for minimizing the effect of far track erasure
A hard disk drive (HDD) minimizes the effects of far track erasure (FTE) by counting the number of writes to the data tracks and incrementing counters based on the known effect of FTE on each track. The extent of the FTE effect is determined for each track within a range of tracks of the track being written, and based on the relative FTE effect for all the tracks in the range a count increment (CI) is determined for each track within the range. A counter is maintained for each track. For every writing to a track, a count for each track within a range of the track being written is increased by the CI value associated with the track number within the range. When the count value for a track reaches a predetermined threshold the data is read from that track and rewritten, preferably to the same track. |
| US08531790B2 |
Linear actuator assemblies and methods of making the same
A linear actuator assembly is provided, the assembly including a linear actuator, an elongated guide spaced in parallel alignment with the linear actuator and a movable carriage disposed therebetween. The carriage includes a first notch to receive a rod of the linear actuator and a second notch to receive the guide. The carriage remains in direct and continuous contact with the linear actuator and the guide at the first notch and second notch, respectively, when the carriage moves linearly back and forth along a travel axis. |
| US08531789B2 |
Leaf spring with high thrust
A leaf spring supports a pillar shaped movable portion disposed in a center portion with respect to a cylindrical fixed portion disposed around the movable portion in the direction of a center axis shiftably so as to position the movable portion in a radial direction. The leaf spring is made of stainless steel having relative magnetic permeability which is not less than 1.1. |
| US08531788B2 |
Lens device
A lens device includes a main body unit, a guiding shaft unit, a lens unit, a focus adjusting unit and a resilient component. The guiding shaft unit includes three parallel guiding shafts disposed in the main body unit. The lens unit includes a lens frame disposed in the main body unit and having three guiding portions that receive slidably and respectively the guiding shafts, and a lens mounted co-movably in the lens frame. The focus adjusting unit is disposed in the main body unit and includes a driven member abutting against the lens frame and driven by a driving member for driving the lens unit to slide along the guiding shafts. The resilient component is disposed for biasing resiliently the lens frame toward the driven member. |
| US08531785B2 |
Prime lens for a projector
The present invention provides a projection prime lens including first lens group, a second lens group, and a third lens group arranged in sequence along an optical axis from a screen side to a light modulator side. The first lens group has negative refractive power and includes a first lens with negative refractive power and a second lens with negative refractive power. The second lens group has positive refractive power and includes a third lens with positive refractive power and a fourth lens with positive refractive power The third lens group has positive refractive power and includes a fifth lens with negative refractive power, a sixth lens with positive refractive power, and a seventh lens with positive refractive power. Therefore, the projection prime lens of the present invention has a small size and a good image quality. |
| US08531783B2 |
Imaging method and system for imaging with extended depth of focus
An optical processor is presented for applying optical processing to a light field passing through a predetermined imaging lens unit. The optical processor comprises a pattern in the form of spaced apart regions of different optical properties. The pattern is configured to define a phase coder, and a dispersion profile coder. The phase coder affects profiles of Through Focus Modulation Transfer Function (TFMTF) for different wavelength components of the light field in accordance with a predetermined profile of an extended depth of focusing to be obtained by the imaging lens unit. The dispersion profile coder is configured in accordance with the imaging lens unit and the predetermined profile of the extended depth of focusing to provide a predetermined overlapping between said TFMTF profiles within said predetermined profile of the extended depth of focusing. |
| US08531776B2 |
Zoom lens system
A zoom lens system includes, from the object-side to the image-side thereof, a first lens group, a second lens group, and a third lens group. The first lens group includes a first lens and a second lens. The second lens includes a third lens, a fourth lens, and a fifth lens. The fourth lens and the fifth lens are attached to each other. The third lens group includes a sixth lens. The zoom lens system satisfies the following conditions: 0.35 |
| US08531775B2 |
Liquid lens and image pickup apparatus
In one example embodiment, a liquid lens includes a pair of transparent members and a transparent liquid composed of a silicone oil not having compatibility with the fluorinated elastomeric membrane. In one example embodiment, at least one of the transparent members is a deformable deformation membrane formed of a fluorinated elastomeric membrane. In one example embodiment, the transparent liquid fills an enclosed space sandwiched between the pair of transparent members. |
| US08531774B2 |
Eyepiece optical system having a reflective surface and electronic view finder incorporating the same
The eyepiece optical system of the invention is characterized by comprising, in order from the display plane side on which images being viewed are formed toward the exit side, a first lens component of positive refracting power, a reflecting member having only one reflective surface, a second lens component of negative refracting power and a third lens component of positive refracting power. The lens component here means a lens block that, in an optical path involved, contacts air at only two surfaces: the display-plane-side refractive surface and the exit-side refractive surface. |
| US08531773B2 |
Substrate guided relay having a homogenizing layer
Briefly, in accordance with one more embodiments, a substrate guided relay for a photonics module includes a slab guide having a first end and a second end, and a first surface and a second surface. An input coupler disposed at the first end of the slab guide at an interface between the input coupler and the slab guide receives an input beam and feeds the input beam into the slab guide which generates multiple copies of the input beam. An output coupler disposed on the first surface of the slab guide causes the multiple copies of the input beam to exit the slab guide via the output coupler as an output. A homogenizer disposed on the second surface of the slab guide reflects at least some of the multiple copies of the input beam to increase uniformity of the output. |
| US08531771B2 |
LED light source with collimation optics
The invention relates to a LED light source comprising a preferably aspheric glass lens having an aspect ratio of more than 0.1. |
| US08531769B2 |
Dispersion element, spectral device, and wavelength selective switch
A dispersion element includes a prism having a first transmission surface and an oppositely disposed second transmission surface, and an optical element having a third transmission surface and an oppositely disposed diffraction optical surface on which a diffraction grating is arranged. The prism and the optical element are integrated into one body by cementing the first transmission surface to the third transmission surface. The third transmission surface and the diffraction optical surface are non-parallel to each other in a plane perpendicular to grooves of the diffraction grating. |