| Document | Document Title |
|---|---|
| US08782809B2 |
Limiting information leakage and piracy due to virtual machine cloning
Techniques for detecting a cloned virtual machine instance. A method includes transmitting an identifier associated a virtual machine from an agent embedded in the virtual machine akin to a malware to a detection entity in a network, determining whether the identifier is a unique identifier or whether the identifier is a clone of an identifier associated with a separate virtual machine in the network, and initiating at least one remedial action with the agent embedded in the virtual machine if the identifier is determined to be a clone of an identifier associated with a separate virtual machine in the network. |
| US08782796B2 |
Data exfiltration attack simulation technology
Novel systems and methods for testing network security are disclosed. In one example, at least one specified data message and at least one specified access credential to at least one third-party web-based service is stored on a monitoring system. At least one software agent configured with the specified data message and the specified access credential to the third-party web-based service is installed on at least on system to be tested. The software agent is executed on the testing system to send the specified data message to the third-party web-based service using the specified access credential. A monitoring system which is independent of the network, access the third-party web-based service with the access credential. The monitoring system compares, if data on the third-party web-based service is equivalent to the specified data message sent by the software agent. In another example, the software agent is configured with a custom start-logging command. |
| US08782795B1 |
Secure tenant assessment of information technology infrastructure
Information technology infrastructure comprises a computing environment shared by multiple tenants of a service provider, and a secure assessment environment separate from the shared computing environment. An evidence collection module associated with the shared computing environment collects compliance evidence from the shared computing environment for storage in the secure assessment environment. A tenant assessment interface to the secure assessment environment is provided, through which the tenants can access the compliance evidence as stored in the secure assessment environment in a manner that does not undermine security of the shared computing environment. The compliance evidence may include, for example, information sufficient to allow a tenant to verify that the shared computing environment is configured in accordance with a specified security policy. In an illustrative embodiment, the information technology infrastructure comprises cloud infrastructure of a cloud service provider and the shared computing environment comprises a cloud computing environment. |
| US08782791B2 |
Computer virus detection systems and methods
Systems and methods for computer virus detection are presented. In one embodiment; an computer virus detection method includes: receiving an indication of a change to a file; performing a virus analysis process, including executing the changes to the file in a virtual machine and examining results of the executing the changes; and handling the file based upon the virus analysis. The virus analysis can be performed in a system in which the change to the file occurs. Handling the file can include treating the file as potentially infected with a virus based upon the virus analysis. In one exemplary implementation, examining the results includes comparing the results of executing the changes to the file to other results from executing changes to another file, wherein the file is identified as potentially infected with a virus if the examining results indicates the results of executing the changes to the file are similar to results from executing changes to another file. Examining results includes examining behavior resulting from executing the file (e.g., examining system calls, etc.). Outcome of the examining results can be forwarded for utilization in developing virus data sets. |
| US08782790B1 |
Signature creation for malicious network traffic
An endpoint on a network uses detection data to detect a malicious software attack. The endpoint identifies content associated with the attack, such as a component of a web page, and generates a description of the content. The endpoint sends the description to a security server. The security server analyzes the content and identifies characteristics of the content that are present when the content is carried by network traffic. The security server generates a traffic signature that specifies the identified characteristics and provides the traffic signature to inspection points. The inspection points, in turn, use the traffic signature to examine network traffic passing through the inspection points to detect network traffic carrying the content. The attack detection at the endpoint thus informs the traffic signature-based detection at the inspection points and reduces the spread of malicious software. |
| US08782789B2 |
System and method for detecting address resolution protocol (ARP) spoofing
There are provided a system and method for detecting Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) attacks. The ARP spoofing attack detection system includes: a reception module which receives an ARP packet, and which determines whether the received ARP packet is an unsolicited ARP packet; a transmission module which creates, if the ARP packet is an unsolicited ARP packet, an ARP request packet corresponding to the unsolicited ARP packet, and which broadcasts the ARP request packet; and a detection module which determines, if an ARP response packet corresponding to the ARP request packet is received, whether an input port of the ARP response packet is identical to an input port of the unsolicited ARP packet, and which determines that an ARP spoofing attack has occurred if the input port of the ARP response packet is not identical to the input port of the unsolicited ARP packet. |
| US08782788B2 |
Systems, methods, and apparatus for improved application security
A secure computing system includes a plurality of application nodes, each node including a device address, a platform address, and a node ID. A mapping is maintained between each of the node IDs and the platform addresses. A mapping is also maintained between each of the platform addresses and the device addresses. An analyzer analyzes communication to application nodes to detect a predetermined event. In response to the detection of an event, a reconfigurator may change a platform address of one or more of the application nodes. The mappings of addresses are updated in response to the change. A consensus state maintainer may ensure that application nodes communicating with each other are provided with the updated mapping. By changing the platform addresses of the application nodes, an ability of an external threat to communicate with the application nodes may be reduced. |
| US08782787B2 |
Distributed packet flow inspection and processing
Distribution of network processing load among a set of packet processing devices is improved by employing means for eliminating, controlling, or otherwise affecting redundant packet processing operations. In one embodiment, at least two packet processing devices are present, both capable of processing data packets flowing therethrough, such as, inspecting, detecting, and filtering data packets pursuant to one or more filters from a filter set. Redundancy is controlled by providing or enabling either or both of the packet processing devices with capability for detecting during its said inspection of said data packets that, for example, one or more filters had been previously executed on said data packets by the other packet processing device, and then not executing the previously-executed filters on said data packets. |
| US08782784B1 |
Framework for implementing security incident and event management in an enterprise
An improved technique involves verifying whether a client has proper resources, processes, procedures and ability to successfully implement SIEM infrastructure according to a SIEM maturity evaluation metric. Along these lines, a SIEM maturity evaluation program produces a SIEM maturity result that indicates whether the client has proper resources to successfully implement SIEM infrastructure in a computing environement. For example, the SIEM maturity result indicates whether there are enough people having a certain skill set within the enterprise to properly react to events in an event log to which SIEM software receives. When the SIEM maturity result indicates that the client has proper resources, processes, procedures and ability, then the program outputs the calculate score to the SIEM evaluator and client. Otherwise, the program delays such an installation or configuration to allow the enterprise time to acquire the proper resources. |
| US08782783B2 |
Method and system for tracking machines on a network using fuzzy guid technology
A method for querying a knowledgebase of malicious hosts numbered from 1 through N. The method includes providing a network of computers, which has a plurality of unknown malicious host machines. In a specific embodiment, the malicious host machines are disposed throughout the network of computers, which includes a world wide network of computers, e.g., Internet. The method includes querying a knowledge base including a plurality of known malicious hosts, which are numbered from 1 through N, where N is an integer greater than 1. In a preferred embodiment, the knowledge base is coupled to the network of computers. The method includes receiving first information associated with an unknown host from the network; identifying an unknown host and querying the knowledge base to determine if the unknown host is one of the known malicious hosts in the knowledge base. The method also includes outputting second information associated with the unknown host based upon the querying process. |
| US08782776B2 |
Photo combination lock
A simple, customizable and intuitive virtual combination unlock method and system. More specifically, an unlock system and method is disclosed which includes a virtual combination lock, where the virtual combination lock includes several rows of user-selectable images such as pictures or icons as the virtual combination wheels. In certain embodiments, the images are accessed via the user's database. To unlock the device, the user touches and drags pre-selected images into alignment with each other. Security can be adjusted by changing the number of images that need to be aligned to unlock the device. |
| US08782769B2 |
System and method for providing a rest-based management service in a traffic director environment
Described herein are systems and methods for providing software administration tools, for use in administering server configurations, such as in a traffic director or other type of server environment. In accordance with an embodiment, the system comprises a traffic director having one or more traffic director instances, which is configured to receive and communicate requests, from clients, to origin servers having one or more pools of servers. An administration server can be used to manage the traffic director, including a REpresentational State Transfer (REST) infrastructure and management service which maps REST calls to mbeans or other management components registered on the administration server, for use in managing the traffic director. |
| US08782765B2 |
Techniques for environment single sign on
Techniques for environment single sign on are provided. Multiple identifiers for devices are associated as a single environment. A principal can be authenticated via any of the devices once to access protected resources and once authenticated the principal can access the protected resources from the other devices without re-authenticating. |
| US08782764B2 |
System and method to provide built-in and mobile VPN connectivity
A system and method for facilitating the establishment of a virtual private network between a network and a remote computer, the system having: a mobile device connectable to the remote computer and storing a user profile, virtual private network information, and password information; virtual private network software being located on one of the mobile device and the remote computer; an access point communicating with the network; and communication means for communications between the access point and one of the mobile device and the remote computer, wherein the user profile, virtual private network information, and password information is passed to the virtual private network software upon connection of the mobile device to the remote computer, the virtual private network software using the user profile, virtual private network information, and password information to establish a virtual private network through the communications means and the access point to the network. |
| US08782763B2 |
Authentication system, authentication method, authentication device, information terminal, program and information recording medium
It is determined whether or not a subject operating an information terminal is a human without requiring a character input. A client device displays an authentication screen, sequentially acquires positional information on the authentication screen based on operation information which has been received, records a path which is indicated by the sequentially acquired positional information, and transmits the recorded path to an authentication server. The authentication server determines whether or not an operation indicated by the operation information is an operation performed by a human based on a fluctuation amount of the recorded path with respect to a path as a reference which is defined on the authentication screen. |
| US08782760B2 |
Authentication system, authentication server, and sub-authentication server
An authentication server transmits authentication information used to authenticate the transmission origin of an authentication request, to a sub-authentication server, when receiving the authentication request. The authentication server transmits identification information to identify the sub-authentication server to which the authentication information is transmitted, to a terminal. The terminal includes a transmission destination storage unit that stores identification information to identify the transmission destination of the authentication request and transmits the authentication request to the transmission destination identified with the identification information stored by the transmission destination storage unit. The terminal updates the identification information using the identification information, when receiving the identification information. The sub-authentication server includes an authentication information storage unit that stores the authentication information transmitted from the authentication server to the sub-authentication server, and authenticates the transmission origin of the authentication request using the stored authentication information, when receiving the authentication request. |
| US08782756B2 |
Time clock
A time clock 10, capable of outputting a datum to an USB memory 100 connected thereto, includes a controller authenticating whether or not the USB memory 100 is valid an external apparatus as an output destination to which the datum is output, and determining whether or not the datum is output on the basis of the authentication result. Further, the controller 25 authenticates an external apparatus on the basis of an authentication datum stored in the USB memory 100. The controller 25 performs the authentication on the basis of an identification datum of the time clock and an identification datum included in the authentication datum stored in the external apparatus. |
| US08782754B2 |
Implementing secured, event-based layered logout from a computer system
A secure, layered logout of a user session is implemented in a management tool. A logout strategy is provided to include a set of security levels of varying sensitivity, with each security level having a set of permissions that are enforced upon occurrence of an event. A succeeding security level in the set of security levels is reached upon occurrence of an event associated with that level, in which case the permissions associated with the level are then enforced against at least one object while the user session continues. As each next security level is reached, the set of permissions are then enforced, once again while the user session continues. The layered logout may enforce different permissions with respect to different objects. If the user takes no action, eventually a final security level will occur, at which point the user session is finally terminated. |
| US08782750B2 |
Collaborative gateway
A method and a system for monitoring and controlling remote devices are described. The system has a gateway, a web server, and a client device. The gateway is coupled to a security device. The web server has a management application configured to communicate with the gateway. The management application has a service manager module to enable additional services from the gateway and the security device. The client device communicates with the gateway identified by the web server. The gateway aggregates monitoring data from the security device and from other security devices respectively coupled to other gateways correlated with the gateway. The client device receives the aggregated monitoring data, controls the security device coupled to the respective gateway from a web-based user interface at the client device. |
| US08782749B2 |
Information processing device, information processing method, and program
An IC card compatible with a DES scheme and an AES scheme having a security strength different from that of the DES scheme, includes an inhibition information receiving section for receiving inhibition information for inhibiting predetermined manipulation from being performed in a storage region of the IC card using the DES scheme from an issuing device using the AES scheme, an inhibition flag setting section for performing inhibition processing for inhibiting the predetermined manipulation by the inhibition information, a manipulation request receiving section for receiving a manipulation request from a service providing device or the issuing device, and a manipulation executing section for executing the requested manipulation if the requested manipulation does not correspond to the predetermined manipulation inhibited by the inhibition information. |
| US08782747B2 |
Information processing apparatus and information processing method
According to the present invention, a workflow desired by a user can be easily implemented without making any change or installing any application program in an image processing apparatus. An information processing apparatus includes a generation unit which generates setting information of a button related to execution of a work item, which is included in a screen displayed on an image processing apparatus according to a user, based on an activity corresponding to the work item and information of a user, who can execute the work item, acquired based on a role allocated to the work item, when the work item is generated that represents a work executed by a person in charge in an activity which is a work unit of a workflow executed in the image processing apparatus; and a transmission unit which transmits the setting information generated in the generation unit to the image processing apparatus. |
| US08782746B2 |
System and method for supporting multiple identities for a secure identity device
A multiple-identity secure device (MISD) persistently stores a single identification code (a “seed identity”). The seed identity need not be a network address, and may be stored in an integral memory of the device, or on an interchangeable card received in a physical interface of the MISD. The MISD is provided with a transformation engine, in hardware or software form, that is subsequently used to generate one or more unique identities (e.g., network addresses) from the stored seed identity using predefined logic. The generated identities may be dynamically generated, e.g., in real-time as needed after deployment of a device into possession of a subscriber/customer/user, etc., or may be securely stored in the MISD for subsequent retrieval. The transformation engine may generate a unique identity in accordance with an addressing scheme identified as a default setting, a global/network setting, or as determined from a received data transmission. |
| US08782741B1 |
Access control interfaces for enhanced wireless router
A wireless router provides access control to information resources stored at the wireless router. The wireless router supports user profiles and/or device profiles that respectively enable user level and/or device level access control. The wireless router may register users via a user registration interface presented by the client device. The wireless router may register client devices using a device identifier. Requests to initiate a communication session may be received by the wireless router from client devices over a wireless local area network. The wireless router may authenticate a client device based on a device identifier and/or authenticate a user based on user credentials obtained via a login interface presented by the client device. The wireless router may control access to information resources stored at the wireless router during the communication session based, at least in part, on access privileges for the authenticated client device and/or authenticated user. |
| US08782737B2 |
Image forming apparatus, image forming method, and authentication program product
An image forming apparatus provided with a document transport unit that transports a document placed thereon, a confirmation unit that confirms whether a detachable recording medium is connected and whether the document is placed, an authentication control unit that controls an authentication and, when the authentication is succeeded, switches an authentication status from a non-authenticated mode to an authenticated mode, and a function execution unit that executes a function, while the authentication status is the authenticated mode. The authentication control unit controls a switching of the authentication status from the authenticated mode to the non-authenticated mode, on the basis of a status indicating whether the recording medium is connected and a status indicating whether the document is placed during the non-authenticated mode, as well as a status indicating whether the recording medium is connected and a status indicating whether the document is placed during the authenticated mode. |
| US08782735B1 |
Runtime risk detection based on user, application, and system action sequence correlation
A method for assessing runtime risk for an application or device includes: storing, in a rules database, a plurality of rules, wherein each rule identifies an action sequence; storing, in a policy database, a plurality of assessment policies, wherein each assessment policy includes at least one rule of the plurality of rules; identifying, using at least one assessment policy, a runtime risk for an application or device, wherein the identified runtime risk identifies and predicts a specific type of threat; and identifying, by a processing device, a behavior score for the application or device based on the identified runtime risk, wherein the action sequence is a sequence of at least two performed actions, and each performed action is at least one of: a user action, an application action, and a system action. |
| US08782734B2 |
Semantic controls on data storage and access
Methods and apparatus teach defining an access policy to digital data available on one or more computing devices, including identifying one or more semantic attributes of at least one first digital data set and using the identified attributes to define policy dictating user access privileges. On receipt of a user request to access at least one second digital data set, semantic attributes are compared to the at least one first digital data set and access is allowed or not allowed based on the policy. Semantic attributes are selected from at least one of a closeness attribute, a relatedness attribute, and a semantic vector attribute. Also is taught configuring a policy enforcement agent on the one or more computing devices to undertake the comparing and to allow or not allow access. In turn, computer program products and computing systems for accomplishing the foregoing are provided. |
| US08782727B1 |
Adaptive video stream testing
Systems and techniques for implementing adaptive video stream testing are presented. In particular, installation of a digital rights management (DRM) client is validated. Furthermore, a decrypted video stream at a particular bitrate is received in response to validating a DRM client. Data throttling is implemented to simulate one or more network speeds for the decrypted video stream. Additionally, video playback time is measured for a codec at the one or more network speeds and it is determined whether the video playback time for the codec exceeds a predetermined threshold value. A test report is generated that lists the codec and the video playback time for the codec at the one or more network speeds. |
| US08782726B1 |
Method for taking action based on a request related to an electronic media work
A computer-implemented method comprising the steps of receiving, at a user electronic device from a computer system including at least one computer, a media work and one or more associated tags; receiving, at the user electronic device from a user input device, a query related to at least one of the one or more associated tags; obtaining, at the user electronic device, instructions for an action to be performed based on the query; and performing, at the user electronic device, the associated action, in response to the query. |
| US08782725B2 |
Method of processing non-real time service and broadcast receiver
A method of processing a non-real time service of a broadcast receiver includes receiving a signaling information table including additional information on contents configuring a non-real time service and a content identifier for each content, acquiring the additional information on contents and the content identifier for each content from the signaling information table, storing contents being downloaded through a FLUTE or an internet in a storage medium, based upon the additional information on contents and the content identifier for each content, and displaying a list of recordings including the contents stored in the storage medium. |
| US08782723B2 |
Method and apparatus for power savings in staggercasting
A method and apparatus for saving power in a receiver includes a power savings mode selector for enabling a user input power savings mode or an automatic power savings mode based on detected battery life. When in power savings mode, a lower resolution time-advanced stream is selected and processed. The normal stream (generally at a higher resolution) is not decoded thereby requiring less power at the receiver decoder. |
| US08782717B2 |
Method of restoring AV session and a control point for the same
An AV session restoration method and a control point for performing the same are provided. The method includes collecting AV session information, and restoring the AV session based on the collected AV session information when an error occurs in the AV session. |
| US08782712B2 |
Method and system for creating a media playlist
An approach is provided for the creation of a media playlist for managing and scheduling content from a variety of media sources including broadcast and online sources. The playlist creation process facilitates efficient resolution of media scheduling conflicts by automatically identifying conflicts and generating alternate playlists to overcome them. The approach also enables a user to share the media playlist seamlessly with other devices and users. |
| US08782710B2 |
Method and system for optimizing electronic program guide data
Methods and systems of optimizing EPG data include: (i) receiving EPG data comprising a plurality of schedule objects; (ii) identifying a recurrence pattern in a subset of the schedule objects based on an association between properties of the schedule objects in the subset; (iii) based on the recurrence pattern, identifying at least one base schedule object in the subset, each at least one base schedule object comprising properties that are common to two or more of the schedule objects in the subset; (iv) generating at least one recurrence pattern property for identifying the recurrence pattern; (v) generating an optimized schedule grouping comprising the at least one base schedule object and a metadata object, wherein the metadata object comprises the at least one recurrence pattern property; and (vi) providing optimized EPG data in which the subset of schedule objects is substituted with the optimized schedule grouping. |
| US08782709B2 |
Method and apparatus for providing a program guide having search parameter aware thumbnails
A method, apparatus, article of manufacture, and a memory structure for presenting a program guide for a video-on-demand system describing a plurality of media programs, each media program having a plurality of video frames. In one embodiment, the method comprises the steps of accepting a search request from a user, the search request comprising a search parameter having a search value; searching the media program database for the search value, the media program database having first metadata associated with a first individual video frame of the media program; and providing the program guide comprising a thumbnail depicting the first individual video frame of the media program associated with the first metadata to the user if the first metadata includes the search value. |
| US08782706B2 |
Systems and methods for providing channel groups in an interactive media guidance application
The present invention relates an interactive media guidance application that provides channel groups. Channel groups may include media channels, such as television channels, radio stations, Internet web sites, etc. Channel groups may be organized around a common characteristic, by utilizing user profile information, and by human editorial selection (e.g., by a service provider or by a user). The guidance application provides information on the channel groups, including media listings, reminders, pending and completed recordings, purchased programs, and previously accessed programs for the channel group. The guidance application enables the user to focus a guidance application function on the channel group. In response to a user initiation to execute the function on the channel group, the function may be executed on all the media channels belonging to the channel group. Information on the channel group and access to functions that are executable on the channel group may be concentrated in a channel group portal screen of the guidance application. |
| US08782702B2 |
Method and apparatus for selecting a version of an entertainment program based on user preferences
A method and apparatus for selecting a version of an entertainment program based on user preference includes receiving entertainment programming input, identifying multiple available versions of an entertainment program, identifying, for each of the multiple versions, a set of descriptive information regarding the respective version, accessing user preferences, and selecting one of the multiple versions for display based on a comparison of the descriptive information to the user preferences. |
| US08782699B2 |
Method, system and terminal for acquiring electronic service guide information of mobile phone TV
The present invention provides a method for acquiring electronic service guide (ESG) information of a mobile phone TV, including: after encapsulating the ESG information into a multimedia message, the network side sends the multimedia message to a mobile phone TV terminal. The present invention also provides a system for acquiring the ESG information of a mobile phone TV, and the system is used for sending a multimedia message to a mobile phone TV terminal after encapsulating the ESG information into the multimedia message. The present invention also provides a mobile phone TV terminal, which is used for receiving the multimedia message from the multimedia message center and acquiring the ESG information from the multimedia message. The method for acquiring the ESG information as provided in the present invention allows the terminal to be able to quickly acquire the ESG information in real time by sending the ESG information via the multimedia message, thereby enhancing user experience. |
| US08782698B2 |
Customizable media channels
A computer-implemented method includes receiving an identification of a media program from a broadcast channel on an electronic program guide for inclusion in a personalized channel, adding the identified program to a personalized channel at a first time, and adding one or more additional programs to the personalized channel at times other than the first time. |
| US08782694B2 |
Systems and methods for determining user output preferences
A method is disclosed for determining audiovisual output preference. The method comprises providing first and second stimuli having respective sets of audio and visual characteristics. The method receives a user selection between the first and second stimuli, and includes the set of audio and visual characteristics corresponding to the selected stimuli in the audiovisual output preference. |
| US08782693B2 |
Interfaces to allow video ad serving into a mobile phone application video stream
A method of providing advertisements includes requesting, by a software development kit for an application, an advertisement from an advertisement server in response to playback of a video content item by the application; receiving the advertisement from the advertisement server based on the requesting; displaying, with the application, the advertisement received from the advertisement server; collecting a set of metrics while the advertisement is displayed; and providing the set of metrics to the advertisement server. |
| US08782690B2 |
Interactive product placement system and method therefor
A method for presenting advertisements for commercial products in video productions, whereby the commercial product is placed in the video production as an element of the video production. A viewer is enabled to interact with the video production to select the product. Information is then displayed about the selected product; and the viewer is enabled to purchase the selected product. |
| US08782688B2 |
Process and system for the secure broadcasting of protected audiovisual streams to a dynamic group of receivers
Embodiments of the invention may relate to the distribution of digital audiovisual sequences. The distribution of such sequences may involve generating and transmitting modified sequences and complementary information. The complementary information may allow reconstruction of the original sequences from the modified sequences. |
| US08782683B2 |
Method and apparatus for managing advertising
A system that incorporates teachings of the subject disclosure may include, for example, determining identified impressions that are detected from consumption data collected from a group of media processors where the identified impressions represent viewing of selected content and where the consumption data indicates channel tuning events at the group of media processors including changing of channels, applying a ridge regression analysis to the identified impressions to determine a predicted number of target impressions per advertisement slot, and generating a media plan based on a ratio of an advertisement slot cost to the predicted number of target impressions per advertisement slot. Other embodiments are disclosed. |
| US08782681B2 |
Method and system for rating media and events in media based on physiological data
Various embodiments of the present invention enable a bottom up analysis approach that derives physiological responses from measured physiological data of viewers of a media, and calculates scores of instances of an event type based on the physiological responses. The scores are then aggregated to rate the event type in addition to scoring the individual event instances. The approach can also form an overall rating of the media by aggregating the event ratings of set of event types within the media. |
| US08782680B2 |
Method and apparatus for displaying interactions with media by members of a social software system
A media viewing method and system monitors user interaction with an electronic program guide. An awareness engine collects data generated by the user interaction and forms awareness indicators and information. The awareness information is output to end users and is indicative of which users in a social circle are accessing (e.g. viewing, playing, or recording) or have accessed which media works. Some output enables user-to-user interaction. The media works may be supplied by cable television, satellite television, online or global computer network sources. |
| US08782679B2 |
Systems, methods, and computer products for periodic-fee limited access to videos
Systems, methods and computer products for providing periodic fee limited access to videos via Internet Protocol Television. Exemplary embodiments include a method for providing video, the method including receiving a request to download a video to a communications device via an Internet-Protocol-enabled connection, determining whether the download is permitted based on a periodic fee arrangement for providing the video to the communications device and providing the video to the communications device in response to a determination that the download is permitted. |
| US08782675B2 |
Method and system of accessing display window memory
A method and system of accessing display window memory. At least some of the illustrative embodiments are methods comprising abstracting display window memory by way of a first software object, accessing the display window memory by routines of a graphics library executed on a first processor (the accessing by way of the first software object), and displaying a window on a display screen, contents of the window selected at least in part by the routines of the graphics library. |
| US08782674B2 |
Wait on address synchronization interface
In a first thread of a process a determination is made that a current value at a target address is not a desired value. In response to this determination, a first application programming interface (API) is invoked to indicate that the first thread is to sleep and be woken up when a second thread modifies the value at the target address. When a second thread modifies the value at the target address, the second thread invokes a second API to indicate that the value at the target address has been modified. In response to the second API being invoked, the first thread is woken up. |
| US08782671B2 |
Systems and methods for flexibly controlling resource usage by a driver domain on behalf of a virtual machine
A method comprises determining a flexible limit on an amount of resource usage by a driver domain on behalf of a given virtual machine (VM). The method further comprises controlling the resource usage by the driver domain on behalf of the given VM so as not to exceed the flexible limit except under a permitted condition. In certain embodiments the resource usage by the driver domain on behalf of the given VM is controlled so as not to exceed the flexible limit except when a slack share of resource usage is available to the driver domain. Such a slack share of resource usage is a share of resource usage allocated to the driver domain that will not otherwise be used on behalf of another VM. |
| US08782667B2 |
Weather adaptive environmentally hardened appliances
Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system and computer program product for weather adaptive environmentally hardened appliances. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for weather adaptation of an environmentally hardened computing appliance includes determining a location of an environmentally hardened computing appliance. Thereafter, a weather forecast including a temperature forecast can be retrieved for a block of time at the location. As a result, a cache policy for a cache of the environmentally hardened computing appliance can be adjusted to account for the weather forecast. |
| US08782663B2 |
Terminal device, communication method used in the terminal device and recording medium
The present invention relates to a terminal device having an operation system and is capable of using a first application program for use in real time communication and a second application program for another purpose simultaneously on the operation system, the terminal device is characterized by being provided with a means for setting interval between system calls which calculates a frequency of system call executions when the issuance of the system call to the operation system by the second application program is simultaneously executed during the real time communication by the first application program, and when the execution frequency has exceeded a predetermined threshold, sets an execution interval time between the system calls to a given length of time or more. |
| US08782662B2 |
Adaptive computer sequencing of actions
A recommended sequence of tasks to complete a complex task is programmatically defined. The recommended sequence is adaptive in that the sequence can be altered based on the completion status of one or more of the tasks. |
| US08782658B2 |
System and apparatus for managing a storage array utilizing a plurality of virtual machines
A system for managing a storage array having a set of storage components comprises a storage array controller, the storage array controller including: a first instance of a controller firmware on a virtual machine in a privileged domain, the privileged domain having access to hardware of the storage array; and a second instance of the controller firmware on a separate virtual machine in a first non-privileged array domain. The privileged domain is configured to inspect an I/O request and determine whether a target of the I/O request is an existing non-privileged array domain, to initiate launch of the first non-privileged array domain array when the I/O request does not relate to an existing non-privileged array domain, and to present available storage components to the first non-privileged array domain when the I/O request relates to the first non-privileged array domain. |
| US08782657B2 |
Dynamic creation and destruction of IO resources based on actual load and resource availability
A method for binding input/output (I/O) objects to nodes. The method includes binding an I/O object group to a NUMA node of a plurality of NUMA nodes on a system, obtaining an I/O object group size of the I/O object group, and determining an I/O object group target size based on an I/O object group aggregate load of the I/O object group. The method further includes comparing, by the NUMA I/O Framework, the I/O object group target size and the I/O object group aggregate load, determining, by the NUMA I/O Framework, that a difference between the I/O object group target size and the I/O object group aggregate load exceeds a threshold, and instructing, by the NUMA I/O Framework, an I/O Subsystem associated with the I/O object group to change the I/O object group size, wherein the I/O Subsystem changes, in response to the instruction, the I/O object group size. |
| US08782656B2 |
Analysis of operator graph and dynamic reallocation of a resource to improve performance
An operator graph analysis mechanism analyzes an operator graph corresponding to an application for problems as the application runs, and determines potential reallocations from a reallocation policy. The reallocation policy may specify potential reallocations depending on whether one or more operators in the operator graph are compute bound, memory bound, communication bound, or storage bound. The operator graph analysis mechanism includes a resource reallocation mechanism that can dynamically change allocation of resources in the system at runtime to address problems detected in the operator graph. The operator graph analysis mechanism thus allows an application represented by an operator graph to dynamically evolve over time to optimize its performance at runtime. |
| US08782655B2 |
Controlling computing resource consumption
A method and a corresponding system, implemented as programming on a computer system, controls resource consumption in the computer system. The method includes the steps of monitoring current consumption of resources by workloads executing on the computer system; predicting future consumption of the resources by the workloads; adjusting assignment of resources to workloads based on the predicted future consumption, comprising: determining consumption policies for each workload, comparing the policies to the predicted future consumption, and increasing or decreasing resources for each workload based on the comparison; and providing a visual display of resource consumption and workload execution information, the visual display including iconic values indicating predicted consumption of instant capacity resources and authorization to consume instant capacity resources. |
| US08782653B2 |
Fine grain performance resource management of computer systems
Execution of a plurality of tasks by a processor system are monitored. Based on this monitoring, tasks requiring adjustment of performance resources are identified by calculating at least one of a progress error or a progress limit error for each task. Thereafter, performance resources of the processor system allocated to each identified task are adjusted. Such adjustment can comprise: adjusting a clock rate of at least one processor in the processor system executing the task, adjusting an amount of cache and/or buffers to be utilized by the task, and/or adjusting an amount of input/output (I/O) bandwidth to be utilized by the task. Related systems, apparatus, methods and articles are also described. |
| US08782650B2 |
Distributed processing of partitioned stream data including data element group and end data
A stream data processing apparatus creates a plurality of partition data on the basis of stream data, and distributes the partition data to a plurality of computers. Specifically, the stream data processing apparatus acquires from the stream data a data element group that is configured in the number of data elements based on the processing capability of the partition data destination computer, and decides an auxiliary data part of this data element group based on a predetermined value. The stream data processing apparatus creates partition data that include the acquired data element group and END data. The data element group is configured from the auxiliary data part and a result usage data part. |
| US08782646B2 |
Non-uniform memory access (NUMA) enhancements for shared logical partitions
In a NUMA-topology computer system that includes multiple nodes and multiple logical partitions, some of which may be dedicated and others of which are shared, NUMA optimizations are enabled in shared logical partitions. This is done by specifying a home node parameter in each virtual processor assigned to a logical partition. When a task is created by an operating system in a shared logical partition, a home node is assigned to the task, and the operating system attempts to assign the task to a virtual processor that has a home node that matches the home node for the task. The partition manager then attempts to assign virtual processors to their corresponding home nodes. If this can be done, NUMA optimizations may be performed without the risk of reducing the performance of the shared logical partition. |
| US08782644B2 |
Preventing unsafe sharing through confinement of mutable captured variables
The disclosed embodiments provide a system that facilitates the development and execution of a software program. During operation, the system provides a mechanism for restricting a variable to a runtime context in the software program. Next, the system identifies the runtime context during execution of the software program. Finally, the system uses the mechanism to prevent incorrect execution of the software program by ensuring that a closure capturing the variable executes within the identified runtime context. |
| US08782643B2 |
Device and method for controlling communication between BIOS and BMC
A communication control device controls communication between a BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) and a BMC (Baseboard Management Controller). The device includes a processor that performs a process of an OS (Operating System) and a process of the BIOS. When a communication request for communication with the BMC occurs from the BIOS or OS, the processor performs a process associated with the communication request by dividing it into a first process and a second process. The first process is configured to store contents of the communication request and make the OS restart a process without performing the communication between the BIOS and the BMC in response to the communication request. The second process is configured to actually perform the communication between the BIOS and the BMC in response to the stored communication request. |
| US08782642B2 |
Data processing system with data transmit capability
A data processing system with data transmit capability comprising an operating system for supporting processes, such that the process are associated with one or more resources and the operating system being arranged to police the accessing by processes of resources so as to inhibit a process from accessing resources with which it is not associated. Part of this system is an interface for interfacing between each process and the operating system and a memory for storing state information for at least one process. The interface may be arranged to analyze instructions from the processes to the operating system, and upon detecting an instruction to re-initialize a process cause state information corresponding to that pre-existing state information to be stored in the memory as state information for the re-initialized process and to be associated with the resource. |
| US08782638B2 |
Execution pathway for interfacing with legacy programs in a mainframe environment
A computer-implemented method is provided for creating an execution path for interfacing with legacy programs in a mainframe computing environment. The method includes: creating a run-time environment for programs on a mainframe computer by an initiator program; initiating execution of a configuration program in the run-time environment by the initiator program, where the configuration program is written in the high level programming language; specifying user-defined parameters for a Java Virtual Machine to the configuration program; and creating a Java Virtual Machine in another run-time environment of the mainframe computer, where the JVM is created by the configuration program using the user-defined parameters. |
| US08782636B2 |
Information processing apparatus, control method thereof, and program
An information processing apparatus is arranged to determine whether or not the software is installed from any one of the updater from the recording medium and the downloaded updater, in accordance with a type of the updater determined by a server based on version information of the software stored in the external recording medium and is also arranged to operate such that when the updater type includes a full updater, the software in the external recording medium is not installed but the full updater is downloaded from the server apparatus and installed, and when the updater type does not include the full updater, the software in the external recording medium is installed and a difference data is downloaded from the server and installed concurrently with it. |
| US08782633B1 |
Upgrading firmware of a power supply
A method, a system and a computer program product for upgrading firmware is disclosed. In one embodiment data storage is managed in a data storage system comprising a first enclosure having a first storage processor and a first power supply. A firmware upgrade is saved in the first storage processor. The firmware upgrade in the first storage processor and firmware in the first power supply are compared. The firmware upgrade is downloaded to the first power supply in response to the comparison determining a difference between the firmware upgrade in the first storage processor and the firmware in the first power supply. The firmware is upgraded in the first power supply with the firmware upgrade. |
| US08782631B2 |
Copy management of process versions over lifecycle
Structural information of a process is stored as an instance hierarchy (e.g. parent-child relation) between occurrence nodes comprising occurrence identifications (IDs) and links to objects of an object pool. Efficient management of process versions (e.g. design, build, test, productive, archive) is accomplished by handling occurrences and corresponding linked objects so that a minimum set of data is physically copied. An algorithm governing the physical copying of process data, is described. |
| US08782630B2 |
Smart rebinding for live product install
An upgrade of an application product is installed to a first location in a shared environment that is different than a second location in the shared environment. An indication of the newer version of the application product and an indication of the first location are recorded in a registry that comprises indications of a plurality of application products and locations corresponding thereto. Metadata and binding information are obtained from an instance of the previous version of the application product while the instance of the previous version of the application product continues running. The metadata and the binding information are instantiated for an instance of the newer version of the application product in execution space thereof. Work is diverted work from the instance of the previous version of the application product to the instance of the newer version of the application product while both instances continue running in the shared environment. |
| US08782625B2 |
Memory safety of floating-point computations
Concepts and technologies are described herein for determining memory safety of floating-point computations. The concepts and technologies described herein analyze code to determine if any floating-point computations exist in the code, and if so, if the floating-point computations are memory safe. The analysis can include identifying floating-point instructions and conditional statements in the code. The code can be symbolically executed, and behavior of the floating-point instructions and the conditional statements can be monitored to determine if a floating point calculation is ever involved in computation of any memory address during the execution of the code. |
| US08782624B2 |
Methods and systems for detection in a state machine
A device including a data analysis element including a plurality of memory cells. The memory cells analyze at least a portion of a data stream and output a result of the analysis. The device also includes a detection cell. The detection cell includes an AND gate. The AND gate receives result of the analysis as a first input. The detection cell also includes a D-flip flop including an output coupled to a second input of the AND gate. |
| US08782618B1 |
Instrument based processing
A computer-readable media may store instructions for receiving text-based technical computing code from a first technical computing environment running on a remote computer, where the first technical computing environment includes a set of functions. The media may store instructions for processing data captured using an instrument, where the data is processed using the received technical computing code in a second technical computing environment that includes a subset of the functions, where the captured data processed in non-real-time, and where the processing produces a result. The media may store instructions for translating the technical computing code from a first format compatible with the second technical computing environment into a second format adapted for parallel execution by a field programmable gate array (FPGA), the translating performed by a code generator when the result is satisfactory. The media may store instructions for processing input data in real-time using the FPGA. |
| US08782613B2 |
Optimizing applications using source code patterns and performance analysis
Applications are optimized using source code patterns and performance analysis. Patterns of inefficiently coded statements are stored, and source code that includes program statements are identified. The program statements are compared with the patterns to identify program statements that are inefficiently coded. An execution of a compiled version of the source code is monitored to identify program statements that cause performance issues The identified program statements that are inefficiently coded are compared with the identified program statements that cause performance issues to determine program statements that are inefficiently coded and cause performance issues. |
| US08782611B1 |
Visual inspection and debugging of threads in parallel computing systems
One embodiment of the invention sets forth a mechanism for debugging PPU code executing on a PPU where many thread groups simultaneously execute the same instruction on different slices of input data. A debugger engine receives breakpoint information associated with a breakpoint set on a specific instruction within PPU code. The debugger engine then injects a debugging routine into compiled PPU code. A driver notifies the debugger engine when the specific instruction within the PPU code is executed. The debugger engine then retrieves thread state information associated with each thread group in a set of thread groups being inspected from the PPU via the PPU driver. Among other things, thread state information includes the execution state of each thread in each thread group and values of variables included in the PPU code. The thread state information is then transmitted to the debugger user interface for display to a software developer. |
| US08782609B2 |
Test failure bucketing
Failure messages generated as a result of tests performed on a target application are bucketed in an effort to correlate related failure messages with minimal or no human interaction. An exemplary method for bucketing failure messages includes receiving a failure message, searching a stack trace of a target application for a blame stack trace frame from which the failure message originated, finding a most similar match bucket from a plurality of buckets, determining if the most similar match bucket at least meets a similarity threshold, adding the failure message to the most similar match bucket, if it is determined that the most similar match bucket at least meets the similarity threshold, and creating a new bucket and adding the failure message to the new bucket, if it is determined that the most similar match bucket does not at least meet the similarity threshold. |
| US08782606B1 |
Method and system for identifying non-executable human-readable test scenarios to be updated due to code changes
Identifying non-executable human-readable test scenarios to be updated due to code changes, including: receiving an old code version and a new code version of a data-oriented large-scale software system; identifying changed code by running impact analysis on the old code version and the new code version; identifying scenarios that use the changed code; wherein a scenario defines an activity that operates at least two transactions in a specific way and therefore scenario-based identification provides more accurate results than a transaction-based identification; comparing the changed scenarios with non-executable human-readable test scenarios; and identifying the non-executable human-readable test scenarios that correspond to the changed scenarios, referred to as error-prone non-executable human-readable test scenarios. |
| US08782604B2 |
Sandbox support for metadata in running applications
Techniques for using a sandbox to test changes to the metadata of a metadata-driven application. In one set of embodiments, a mainline and a sandbox are created in a runtime environment of a metadata-driven application. The mainline is configured to include a mainline version of a metadata document of the application. The sandbox is configured to include a sandbox (i.e., test) version of the metadata document. At application runtime, requests to access and/or modify the metadata document are serviced either from the mainline or the sandbox based on a sandbox context of the current user session. Thus, changes to the metadata document may be tested on the sandbox version without affecting the mainline version, and vice versa. In various embodiments, multiple sandboxes may be supported in the runtime environment. In further embodiments, the sandbox version may be merged into the mainline version without bringing the runtime environment offline. |
| US08782595B1 |
Systems and methods for rule based meta-programming of actions for rule based build systems
A build system and method, including receiving attribute rules and new rules, wherein the attribute rules correspond to one or more predefined default actions of the build system, wherein the new rules specify new actions that are to be added to the build system. A graph is generated to include files specified as attributes in the attributes rules and the one or more predefined default actions that correspond to the attributes rules. A request to enable at least one of the new rules is received. Action listener rules are received, wherein the action listener rules indicate default actions and corresponding new rules of the one or more new rules. The graph is checked for default actions that are indicated in the action listener rules. Additional actions are added to the graph for new rules based on the default actions indicated in the action listener rules. |
| US08782593B2 |
Thermal analysis of integrated circuit packages
A method includes retrieving a first component information of a secured portion of a package, wherein the first component information is encrypted. The step of retrieving includes decrypting the first component information. A thermal resistance-network (R-network) is generated from the decrypted first component information. A temperature map of the package is generated using the thermal R-network and a second component information of an unsecured portion of the package, wherein the secured portion and the unsecured portion are bonded to each other. |
| US08782591B1 |
Physically aware logic synthesis of integrated circuit designs
In one embodiment of the invention, a method of synthesizing physical gates from register transfer logic code for an integrated circuit design is disclosed. The method includes reading a register transfer level (RTL) input file describing an integrated circuit design; parsing and translating the RTL input file into a plurality of Boolean logic equations; translating the plurality of Boolean logic equations into a plurality of logic primitives; placing the plurality of logic primitives into a floorplan of the integrated circuit design, wherein the placement of the plurality of logic primitives defines wire interconnects; and optimizing each of the plurality of Boolean logic equations in response to wire costs and wire timing delays. |
| US08782585B2 |
Methods for integrated circuit C4 ball placement
Methods and systems for improving the reliability of C4 solder ball contacts performed at the design stage to reduce the incidence of thermally-induced failures, including those due to electromigration and thermal cycling. |
| US08782584B2 |
Post-placement cell shifting
A computer implemented method for reworking a plurality of cells initially placed in a circuit design. An expander allocates cells to tiles. The expander determines a high detailed routing cost tile class, wherein the high detailed routing cost tile class is a class of tiles that has high detailed routing costs. The expander selects a cell within a tile of the high detailed routing cost tile class to form a selected cell in a selected tile. The expander applies multiple techniques to reposition these cells at new locations to improve the detailed routability. The expander can place an expanded bounding box around the selected cell, wherein the bounding box extends to at least one tile adjacent the selected tile, and repositions the selected cell within the bounding box to form a modified design to improve the detailed routability. The expander may also inflate and legalize those cells. |
| US08782583B1 |
Waveform based variational static timing analysis
A system and method are disclosed for waveform based variational static timing analysis. A circuit is divided into its linear circuit parts and non-linear circuit parts and modeled together, by a combination of linear modeling techniques, into linear equations that may be represented by matrices. The linear equations in matrix form may be readily solved by a computer such that an input waveform to an input pin of the circuit can be sequentially “pushed” through the various interconnects and logic networks of the circuit to an output pin. Output voltage waveforms are obtained at each stage of the waveform pushing and may be used to perform static timing analysis. |
| US08782582B1 |
Efficient method to analyze RTL structures that cause physical implementation issues based on rule checking and overlap analysis
This invention provides a method for detecting physical implementation hot-spots in a pre-placement integrated circuit design. The method first identifies physical issues at an object level. Physical issues include timing, routing congestion, clocking, scan, power, and thermal. The method then analyzes these physical issues over a collection of connected logic cell and large cell instances and determines a physical implementation hot-spot severity based on the number and severity of physical issues as well as the number of objects in the related collection. |
| US08782580B2 |
Executing a hardware simulation and verification solution
One embodiment of the present invention provides systems and techniques to execute a hardware simulation and verification solution on a multiprocessor system. The hardware simulation and verification solution can be partitioned into different modules which can include a simulation kernel to simulate changes in signal values, a value change dump module to store the changes in the signal values on a computer-readable storage medium, a functional coverage module to check functionality, a toggle coverage module to check signal toggling, an assertion engine to check complex behaviors, and a testbench module to generate test scenarios. Embodiments of the present invention can execute different modules on different processors, thereby improving performance. |
| US08782579B2 |
Connection verification method, recording medium thereof, and connection verification apparatus
A connection verification method is disclosed. A computer verifies a connection between a first node and a second node by starting from the first node in a designed integrated circuit, based on connection information stored in a storage part. The computer detects whether a module connected to the second node is a predetermined module predetermined module having a logic condition therein, based on connection relationship logic information stored in the storage part. The computer conducts a connection verification starting the module to verify a connection between the module and a third node when the module is the predetermined module. |
| US08782576B1 |
Method and apparatus for a diffusion bridged cell library
A library of cells for designing an integrated circuit, the library comprises continuous diffusion compatible (CDC) cells. A CDC cell includes a p-doped diffusion region electrically connected to a supply rail and continuous from the left edge to the right edge of the CDC cell; a first polysilicon gate disposed above the p-doped diffusion region and electrically connected to the p-doped diffusion region; an n-doped diffusion region electrically connected to a ground rail and continuous from the left edge to the right edge; a second polysilicon gate disposed above the n-doped diffusion region and electrically connected to the n-doped diffusion region; a left floating polysilicon gate disposed over the p-doped and n-doped diffusion regions and proximal to the left edge; and a right floating polysilicon gate disposed over the p-doped and n-doped diffusion regions and proximal to the right edge. |
| US08782575B1 |
Conflict detection for self-aligned multiple patterning compliance
Among other things, one or more techniques and systems for performing design layout are provided. An initial design layout is associated with an electrical component, such as a standard cell. A conflict graph is generated based upon the initial design layout. The conflict graph comprises one or more nodes, representing polygons within the initial design layout, connected by one or more edges. A same-process edge specifies that two nodes are to be generated by the same pattern process, while a different-process edge specified that two nodes are to be generated by different pattern processes, such as a mandrel pattern process and a passive fill pattern process. The conflict graph is evaluated to identify a conflict, such as a self-aligned multiple pattering (SAMP) conflict, associated with the initial design layout. The conflict is visually displayed so that the initial design layout can be modified to resolve the conflict. |
| US08782573B2 |
Solutions for retargeting integrated circuit layouts based on diffraction pattern analysis
A computer-implemented method for retargeting an Integrated Circuit (IC) layout is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method includes generating a diffraction pattern for the IC layout including a set of diffraction-orders, the IC layout including a set of features defined by a set of target edges, analyzing the diffraction pattern with a merit function to estimate printability of the IC layout, monitoring a change in value of the merit function as a position of at least one of the set of target edges is adjusted across a range, and retargeting the set of target edges based on the monitoring of the merit function. |
| US08782572B1 |
Method of optical proximity correction
A method of optical proximity correction (OPC) includes the following steps. First, a layout pattern is provided to a computer system. Subsequently, the layout pattern is classified into a first sub-layout pattern and a second sub-layout pattern. Then, an OPC calculation based on a first OPC model is performed on the first sub-layout pattern so as to form a corrected first sub-layout pattern and an OPC calculation based on a second OPC model is performed on the second sub-layout pattern so as to form a corrected second sub-layout pattern. Afterward, the corrected first sub-layout pattern and the corrected second sub-layout pattern are output from the computer system into a photomask. |
| US08782569B1 |
Method for inspecting photo-mask
An inspection method for a photo-mask in a semiconductor process is provided. First, a first photo-mask with a first wafer anchor point (1st wafer FAM) is provided. Then, Dmax and Dmin are calculated according to the 1st wafer FAM. A second photo-mask and a second mask anchor point (2nd mask FAM) of the second photo-mask are provided. A CD average, and a CD range of the second photo-mask are measured. Finally, the second photo-mask is inspected by using equation A and/or equation B: CD average−2nd mask FAM |
| US08782568B2 |
Explicit character filtering of ambiguous text entry
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for explicit filtering in ambiguous text entry. The invention provides embodiments including various explicit text entry methodologies, such as 2-key and long pressing. The invention also provides means for matching words in a database using build around methodology, stem locking methodology, word completion methodology, and n-gram searches. |
| US08782565B2 |
System for selecting objects on display
In one embodiment, a method of detecting a mouse click on a virtual mirror display can include displaying a selectable object on the virtual mirror display. The method can include displaying a cursor position by displaying a circle on the virtual mirror display. The cursor position can correspond to a hand position. The method can include detecting the mouse click in response to the circle hovering over at least part of the selectable object. The circle can remain steady over the selectable object on the virtual mirror display for a predetermined period of time. |
| US08782563B2 |
Information processing apparatus and method, and program
An information processing apparatus may control display of a GUI image including indexes that allow a user to select the entirety or part of an image content piece. The information processing apparatus may include a controller configured to control display of a first GUI image including an index of each of at least one image content piece, and to control a display of a second GUI image including face thumbnail images, which serve as indexes that allow the user to select the entirety or part of an image content piece corresponding to an index selected from the first GUI image by the user, the face thumbnail images corresponding to faces detected from the entirety or part of the image content piece. |
| US08782558B1 |
Method, program and arrangement for highlighting failing elements of a visual image
Method, system and computer program for visually highlighting identified failing or erroneous pixel elements of a two-dimensional electronic image. Different visual highlighting techniques are stored in memory. A user selects one of the highlighting techniques using a user interface. A processor applies the selected technique(s) to the image and displays the image on a display with visual indications of the failing pixel elements. The techniques include coloring the pixels with a boundary box enclosing all of the erroneous pixels, enclosing separate irregular-shaped groupings of the pixels with a contour-type boundary line, and coloring pixels and enclosing each within a separate box. In the final technique, video lines with some failing pixels, but within allowable tolerances, will have those pixels colored differently and each pixel is enclosed within the same color box. In all cases, it is possible to convert the test image to black and white for display. |
| US08782553B2 |
Human-machine-interface and method for manipulating data in a machine vision system
This invention provides a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that operates in connection with a machine vision detector or other machine vision system, which provides a highly intuitive and industrial machine-like appearance and layout. The GUI includes a centralized image frame window surrounded by panes having buttons and specific interface components that the user employs in each step of a machine vision system set up and run procedure. One pane allows the user to view and manipulate a recorded filmstrip of image thumbnails taken in a sequence, and provides the filmstrip with specialized highlighting (colors or patterns) that indicate useful information about the underlying images. The programming of logic is performed using a programming window that includes a ladder logic arrangement. |
| US08782548B2 |
Workflow-based delivery management methods and systems
An exemplary method includes a delivery management system 1) receiving data representative of an order to deliver a network circuit-based product to a customer, 2) tracking completion statuses of each of a plurality of workflow steps associated with the delivery of the network circuit-based product and each of a plurality of milestones each representing a distinct level of completion of the order, 3) automatically identifying, based on the tracked completion statuses, one or more workflow jeopardy conditions that affect a completion of one or more of the milestones, and 4) providing one or more notifications of the one or more workflow jeopardy conditions for presentation within a graphical user interface to a user assigned to the order. Corresponding methods and systems are also disclosed. |
| US08782545B2 |
System and method for manipulating multiple clip items of data
A clip book system communicates with an operating system which controls temporal buffering of each clip item in a buffer. It requests the operating system to notify when a clip item of data is placed into the buffer and receives notifications from the operating system. When a notification is received, a data entry controller copies each clip item of data from the buffer into a selected section of a local memory. An information adder adds item information to the copied clip item of data. |
| US08782543B2 |
Product options calculator for a blood processing system
Systems, methods, and computer readable media are provided for product options calculation with respect to an apheresis instrument. An example product options calculator system for an apheresis instrument includes a preset information module including preset information regarding blood component products and configuration information. The system also includes a donor specific input module receiving donor specific information about a blood donor from a user. The system further includes a blood product options calculator calculating available blood component collection procedure options and associated settings within the constraints of the preset information and the donor specific information from which a user can choose to configure the apheresis instrument. Additionally, the system includes a display for displaying available component collection options to the user with respect to the apheresis instrument. The system also includes an interface accepting user input. |
| US08782541B2 |
System and method for capturing analyzing and recording screen events
A system and method for capturing screen events, and processing these events to form data in a data format which is susceptible to analysis. Preferably, the method also comprises analyzing the data in order to extract useful information about the user of the screen and computational device which generated these screen events. More preferably, the method of the present invention is able to assess the quality of the performance of the user whose interaction with the computational device caused the screen events to be generated. |
| US08782539B2 |
Generic utility supporting on-demand creation of customizable graphical user interfaces for viewing and specifying field device parameters
A universal device type manager (DTM) utility is described herein including a generalized architecture facilitating defining and generating user interfaces associated with a variety of field device types. The utility includes a device description data store interface that provides access to a device description store wherein standard device descriptions (DD files) for a variety of field device types are maintained. No specialized customization is done to the device descriptions by the device or tool vendors. A device type template store interface provides access to a set of device type manager definitions. A device type manager engine renders, on-demand, a device type manager user interface providing user access to parameters and other information for a field device type/instance based upon: (1) a device description and (2) a device type manager definition. |
| US08782536B2 |
Image-based instant messaging system for providing expressions of emotions
Emotions can be expressed in the user interface for an instant messaging system based on the content of a received text message. The received text message is analyzed using a text-to-speech engine to generate phoneme data and wave data based on the text content. Emotion tags embedded in the message by the sender are also detected. Each emotion tag indicates the sender's intent to change the emotion being conveyed in the message. A mapping table is used to map phoneme data to viseme data. The number of face/lip frames required to represent viseme data is determined based on at least the length of the associated wave data. The required number of face/lip frames is retrieved from a stored set of such frames and used in generating an animation. The retrieved face/lip frames and associated wave data are presented in the user interface as synchronized audio/video data. |
| US08782535B2 |
Associating electronic conference session content with an electronic calendar
Prior to, or during, a first electronic conference session, a user input is received indicating a request to record content of a first electronic conference session. Responsive to the user request, content of the first electronic conference session can be recorded. The recorded content of the first electronic conference session can be associated with at least one calendar entry in the electronic calendar. |
| US08782533B2 |
Collaborative device for enabling users to select collaborative content, and method thereof
The invention relates to a method of enabling a first user and a second user to obtain collaborative content. The method comprises steps of obtaining a plurality of content preference data comprising a first content preference data (121) of the first user and a second content preference data (131) of the second user, obtaining dependency data (114, 114a) indicating dependency of the first content preference data on the second content preference data, and using the plurality of content preference data for a selection of the collaborative content under control of the dependency data. The invention also relates to a collaborative device for enabling a first user and a second user to obtain collaborative content. |
| US08782532B2 |
Website object-request method and system
A mobile computing device adapted to request to receive a plurality of objects comprising a website in a new order, the new order being different than an original order, wherein, at least a portion of the original order comprises an order provided from a base level website object. The new order for requesting to receive the plurality of objects is based on at least one of a plurality of metrics. The metrics comprise a depth of each of the plurality of objects, one or more children of the plurality of objects, an object type for each of the plurality of objects, whether a connection has been established with a domain servicing each of the plurality of objects, and when the connection was last established to the domain servicing each of the plurality of objects. |
| US08782531B2 |
Multi-frame display system with perspective based image arrangement
Systems and methods are provided for presenting digital images using a plurality of digital media frames separated spatially along at least two axes. In one aspect the method comprises the steps of obtaining the digital images to be presented determining the multi-dimensional relationship between the digital media frames analyzing the digital images and any associated metadata to assign an image perspective determination to each of the digital images and determining an arrangement of the digital images for presentation on the plurality of the digital media frames according to the multi-dimensional relationship between the digital media frames and according to the determined image perspectives. |
| US08782529B2 |
System and method for offering multiple representations of an IPC ticket
A system and method for rendering different views of an incident, problem or change (IPC) ticket relating to an incident based on attributes of the user looking at or working with the ticket includes determining relevant information. An environment related to a usage by the user is determined. Based upon the relevant information and the environment, an IPC ticket is generated with different views where only a relevant view of the different views is provided to each particular user. |
| US08782528B2 |
Play control of content on a display device
A system for presenting and controlling content on a display device includes a network, a server system coupled to the network and comprising one or more servers, a display device coupled to the network and having a display, and a personal computing device operable to transmit a first message according to a specified format over the network to the server system. The server system stores an association between the personal computing device and the display device. The first message identifies user-selected content and a media player to play the content. The server system is operable, in response to receiving the first message from the personal computing device, to provide to the display device a second message identifying the user-selected content and the media player to play the content. In response to receiving the second message, the display device is operable to obtain a first media player needed to play the content, to load the media player and to present the content on the display. |
| US08782526B2 |
Method and device for processing network element object information in 3D topology view
A method and a device for processing network element object information in a three-dimensional (3D) topology view are provided. The method includes: in response to a user's operation of selecting a first network element object in the 3D topology view displayed in a window, sending a first instruction to a back-end server; receiving position coordinates and size information of the first network element object from the back-end server; and adjusting position coordinates of the first network element object in the window according to a size of the window and the position coordinates of the first network element object, multiplying the size information of the first network element object by a preset zoom factor to zoom the first network element object, and redisplaying the zoomed first network element object at the adjusted position coordinates in the window. Thus the user can identify the network element object quickly in the window. |
| US08782523B2 |
Unit video representing device, editing console, editing system, and animation editing method
A unit video representing device, which includes an input section inputting unit video information being information about unit video as an animation, a display section, a control section causing the display section to execute display representing contents of the unit video, on the basis of the unit video information inputted by the input section, and a self information notifying section capable of causing an external editing console to recognize self information when the self unit video representing device is placed on the editing console. |
| US08782520B2 |
Method for differentiating haptic feelings by a select menu of a rotary switch
The present invention relates to a method for differentiating haptic feelings by a selection menu of a rotary switch, in which haptic feelings of the switch or rotary switch can be differentiated by each menu when scrolling the rotary switch in order to setup or select a variety of functions of an electronic product. Specifically, the haptic feelings by vibration and resistance against turning the switch are transferred to a user at different strengths when the user scroll-manipulates a switch to select a variety of menus, selects items of a first menu, transits first menu from the first menu to a second menu, and selects items of each second menu, so that the user can easily perceive the positions of the respective menus even without watching a cluster display window. |
| US08782518B2 |
Multilingual forms composer
Digital documents are pre-loaded with expressions of underlying data in a plurality of output languages. Expressions of the underlying data are alternatively presented to users to facilitate data collection and information transfer between people who do not share a common language. |
| US08782516B1 |
Content style detection
Determination of content style attributes of an image having content thereon is disclosed. The content may be a paragraph of text with a column layout designation. The content style attribute determination may include determining one or more of paragraph alignment, vertical and horizontal margin values, indentation, line spacing, and tracking values. The content style attributes may be determined for each paragraph separately or by grouping paragraphs by the column layout designation. The content style attributes may be used to format content in images for presentation on end user devices. |
| US08782515B2 |
Document conversion correlation engine
Embodiments of the disclosure provide a system for correlating document pages. The system receives a source image of a document page and a rendered image of a markup language page converted from the document page. The system then performs a correlation analysis between the source image and the rendered image. Next, the system determines a correlation factor between the source image and the rendered image based on the correlation analysis, wherein the correlation factor indicates a page fidelity between the document page and the markup language page converted from the document page. |
| US08782507B2 |
Framework for providing visual context to WWW hyperlinks
A method and a system for presenting Internet information to a user including providing to a user a visual image of a web page containing at least one hyperlink, and at least partially concurrently providing a visual image of another web page of at least one web site which is represented by the at least one hyperlink. |
| US08782506B2 |
Method and apparatus for creating album, and recording medium
A required number of images for creating an album are compensated using existing still images, and an album with a fine appearance is created by effectively using a small number of available still images (still images in stock). A value N, which is obtained by subtracting the total number of selected images from the total number of images that a template of a photo album requires (the total number of combination frames), is determined as the minimum number of shortfall images that are required for compensating the shortage of images. An image (original image for creation) appropriate for the original, from which images for compensating the shortage of images are created, is selected from among selected images. New images are created by applying a predetermined image processing to the selected original image for creation, until the minimum number N of shortfall images is satisfied. |
| US08782505B2 |
Methods and devices to reduce outer code failure rate variability
The variability of outer code failure rate of memory pages of a solid state memory device can be reduced by selectively grouping the pages included in the outer code words. The data in the page groups are encoded into outer code words which are stored in the memory device. Encoding the data of the page groups and storing the encoded data includes intermittently accumulating an outer code parity as the pages are sequentially stored in the memory device according to a particular order. The pages can be randomly selected for the page groups or can be grouped based on predicted or measured failure rate information. In a memory device having multi-level memory cells, predicting the failure rate of a page can be based on whether the page is a most significant bit (MSB) page or a least significant bit (LSB) page. |
| US08782500B2 |
Systems and methods for error correction and decoding on multi-level physical media
Apparatus and methods for operating a flash device characterized by use of Lee distance based codes in a flash device so as to increase the number of errors that can be corrected for a given number of redundancy cells, compared with Hamming distance based codes. |
| US08782493B2 |
Correcting data in a memory
Methods of correcting data in a memory, and memories adapted to correct data, include prioritizing error correction of the read data in response to locations and likely states of known bad or questionable data positions of a segment of a memory array selected for reading. |
| US08782484B2 |
Method, program and device to add an error correction code to a transmission signal
A transmission device includes a first conversion unit converting first transmission target data into first transmission data formed by N symbol values, with predetermined units of data, based on a first conversion table, a second conversion unit converting first error correction data into first symbol data formed by the a symbol values, based on a second conversion table, a third conversion unit converting second transmission target data into second symbol data formed by the (N-a) symbol values, based on a third conversion table, an addition and generation unit adding the second symbol data to the first symbol data and generating second transmission data formed by the N symbol values, and a transmission unit transmitting a transmission signal formed by the first and second transmission data. |
| US08782479B2 |
Scan test of die logic in 3D ICs using TSV probing
A test architecture for 3D ICs is provided in which Through-Silicon-Vias and die logic can be tested pre-bonding dies in the stack for the 3D ICs. Post-bond scan test architecture is reconfigured to be accessed during pre-bond testing through using stratigically placed MUXs and TSVs. By connecting post-bond architecture including scan flops and boundary registers to gated scan flops used in TSV testing, an internal chain of scan flops such as typically used in post-bond testing can be selectively connected to gated scan flops connected to one end of each TSV for pre-bond testing of the internal logic through the TSVs. |
| US08782476B2 |
Memory and test method for memory
A test method for a memory having first and second cell arrays, first compressed data obtained by compressing output data of the first cell array and output data of the second cell array is outputted. When the first compressed data represents that a fail exists, output data of one of the first and second cell arrays is locked as normal data, and second compressed data obtained by compressing the normal data and output data of the other of the first and second cell arrays is outputted. |
| US08782472B2 |
Troubleshooting system using device snapshots
An information handling system (IHS) troubleshooting system includes a customer IHS including a plurality of components. A customer management system in the customer IHS detects a failure in a managed system and, in response, immediately triggers a device snapshot of the customer IHS. At least one managed system in the customer IHS includes a device snapshot engine that, in response to the customer management system triggering the device snapshot of the customer IHS, immediately create the device snapshot of the customer IHS. A device snapshot storage in the customer IHS stores the device snapshot of the customer IHS. A snapshot communication engine in the customer IHS sends the device snapshot of the customer IHS over the network to a support IHS. The support IHS may load the device snapshot into a virtual IHS and manage the virtual IHS to replicate the failure detected in the managed system for troubleshooting. |
| US08782471B2 |
Storage device procurement system
A storage device procurement system for managing storage failure and full warnings and conditions to minimize a need for storage device inventory. Such a system minimizes a need for storage system administrators to be knowledgeable with procurement options and procedures. Such a system provides for an end-to-end automated storage device procurement system by combining elements of a direct order model with elements of storage array monitoring. |
| US08782470B2 |
Generation of test data for web service-based test automation and semi-automated test data categorization
Test data for a software services (e.g., a Web service) can be automatically generated from a user-provided specification. The user-provided specification may identify mandatory data elements along with data elements to be tested. Test categories may be defined to specify the type of test to be performed. A value provider may serve as a source of data values for the generated test data. |
| US08782465B1 |
Managing drive problems in data storage systems by tracking overall retry time
A method is used in managing drive problems in data storage systems. It is determined, by a physical drive object, whether an I/O with a drive is able to be retried by another object. An overall retry time for the I/O is tracked. If the overall retry time is excessive, the drive is taken offline. |
| US08782463B1 |
Restoring a failed storage volume after removal of a storage device from an array
A storage device is detected as being decoupled from an apparatus. At least one partition of the storage device is part of a storage volume that includes an array of separate storage devices in an initial configuration prior to being decoupled. In response to the storage device being recoupled to the apparatus, a universally unique identifier (UUID) of the storage device is detected. In response to determining the UUID of the storage device was previously associated with the storage volume, the storage volume is reconfigured/restored to include the at least one partition of the storage device in the initial configuration. |
| US08782458B2 |
System and method of data communications between electronic devices
A system and method of data communications between a first device and a second device is disclosed. The method includes generating a first clock signal at the first device and generating a second clock signal having a phase offset from the first clock signal. The clock signals are transmitted from the first device to the second device. The method further includes regulating transmission of a read strobe signal sent from the second device to the first device utilizing the first clock signal. The method also includes regulating transmission of a data transfer signal sent from the second device to the first device utilizing the second clock signal. |
| US08782456B2 |
Dynamic and idle power reduction sequence using recombinant clock and power gating
Methods and apparatus for dynamic and/or idle power reduction sequence using recombinant clock and/or power gating are described. In one embodiment, at least a portion of an Integrated Input/Output (IIO) logic is to enter a lower power consumption state based on a power reduction sequence. Other embodiments are also disclosed. |
| US08782455B2 |
Image processing apparatus, control method therefor, and storage medium storing control program therefor
An image processing apparatus, which is capable of preventing increase in power consumption and operating normally in a first electric power mode even when returning to the first electric power mode from a second electric power mode by an unknown return factor. A storage unit stores a destination setting of the image processing apparatus. A shift unit shifts the apparatus from the second electric power mode to the first electric power mode, when a shift factor is detected in the second electric power mode. A set unit sets a re-shift time for re-shifting the apparatus from the first electric power mode to the second electric power mode, according to the destination setting. A re-shift unit re-shifts the apparatus from the first electric power mode to the second electric power mode, when a predetermined event does not occur in the re-shift time in the first electric power mode. |
| US08782451B2 |
Power state synchronization in a multi-core processor
A multi-core processor includes microcode distributed in each core enabling each core to participate in a de-centralized inter-core state discovery process. In a related microcode-implemented method, states of a multi-core processor are discovered by at least two cores participating in a de-centralized inter-core state discovery process. The inter-core state discovery process is carried out through a combination of microcode executing on each participating core and signals exchanged between the cores through sideband non-system-bus communication wires. The discovery process is unmediated by any centralized non-core logic. Applicable discoverable states include target and composite power states, whether and how many cores are enabled, the availability and distribution of various resources, and hierarchical structures and coordination systems for the cores. The inter-core state discovery process may be carried out in accordance with various hierarchical coordination systems involving chained inter-core communications. |
| US08782448B2 |
Communication device for transmitting received start-up signal and power signal for starting up a designated node
According to one embodiment, a communication device includes a start-up signal reception unit that receives a start-up signal that a start node transmits for starting up a node to be started; a first interface connected to Ethernet; a second interface connected to Ethernet; a power reception unit that receives PoE power through the first interface; a PoE controller that receives the start-up signal and PoE power and gives a transmission instruction of a start-up power signal which is a PoE power signal having a signal pattern corresponding to the start-up signal; and a power transmission unit that receives the transmission instruction from the PoE controller and transmits the start-up power signal through the second interface. |
| US08782445B2 |
Information processing apparatus and power supply control method
According to one embodiment, an information processing apparatus includes: an optical disk apparatus; a receiver which receives a command indicating that a tray provided in the optical disc apparatus is ejected; a power supply module which supplies electric-power to each of modules of the information processing apparatus; and a power supply controller which controls supply of electric-power to each of the modules from the power supply module. When the supply of electric-power to each of the modules is stopped, the power supply controller continues the supply of electric-power to the optical disc apparatus during a certain time. When the power supply controller receives the command within the certain time, the power supply controller ejects the tray and stops the supply of electric-power to the optical disc apparatus. |
| US08782441B1 |
Methods and systems for storage of large data objects
A storage service receives a binary large object (blob) for storage, and the service creates first and second sets of data chunks from the blob. The chunks in the first set together equal the blob, and the service uses one or more encryption keys to encrypt each of the data chunks in the first set. The chunks in the second set also together equal the blob. The service assigns a message authentication code (MAC) to each data chunk in the second set. The service stores the encrypted data chunks in one or more data stores, and it stores the encryption keys and the MACs as metadata in a metadata memory. |
| US08782434B1 |
System and method for validating program execution at run-time
A pipelined processor comprising a cache memory system, fetching instructions for execution from a portion of said cache memory system, an instruction commencing processing before a digital signature of the cache line that contained the instruction is verified against a reference signature of the cache line, the verification being done at the point of decoding, dispatching, or committing execution of the instruction, the reference signature being stored in an encrypted form in the processor's memory, and the key for decrypting the said reference signature being stored in a secure storage location. The instruction processing proceeds when the two signatures exactly match and, where further instruction processing is suspended or processing modified on a mismatch of the two said signatures. |
| US08782423B2 |
Network based management of protected data sets
A system that includes an account management module configured to maintain protected accounts. For instance, a particular protected account includes a protected data set that is not readable outside of the system, and perhaps not even readable outside of the account. The particular data set corresponds to a particular entity assigned to the particular account and that includes keys corresponding to the particular entity. A security processor uses at least some of the plurality of keys to perform cryptographic processes in response to one or more trusted execution environment commands received from the particular entity. |
| US08782422B2 |
System and method for authenticating documents
A data processing system for distributing and authenticating documents from a plurality of parties to a recipient data processing apparatus is disclosed. The system comprises a plurality of document distribution devices each configured to generate an original hash value from the content of a file containing a document to be distributed. A recipient data processing apparatus is configured to generate an original super hash value from the plurality of the original hash values, and to distribute the original super hash value to each of the document distribution devices. The system provides assurance that distributed documents have not been tampered with during communication, by an unscrupulous distributing party, or by an unscrupulous recipient by only submitting a hash value of the document to be distributed. The hash value provides for assurance at the eventual recipient of the document that no changes to the document have been made. |
| US08782420B2 |
System and method for obfuscation initiation values of a cryptography protocol
A computer-implemented technique for determining whether a first computing device has the correct version of a software program may be used to provide a secure approach to verifying that a client computing device has a secure and approved version of content player software implemented for consuming downloaded copyright media content. With this technique, copyright media content providers are able to ensure that only secure and approved content players are implemented to access the content. |
| US08782417B2 |
Method and processing unit for secure processing of access controlled audio/video data
A method for verifying access conditions performed by two conditional access devices consecutively on a control message before releasing a control word to a descrambler. The control message includes a first part including first access conditions and a second part structured as a control message including at least second access conditions and a control word. A first conditional access device is configured for decrypting the control message with a common key specific to units having a first conditional access device and verifying the authenticity of said message. When the verification succeeds, the second part and a second right is transmitted to a second conditional access device, which decrypts the second part with a common key specific to units having a second conditional access device and verifies the authenticity of said second part and the second access conditions in relation to the second right encrypted by a personal key embedded therein. |
| US08782414B2 |
Mutually authenticated secure channel
A system and methods for establishing a mutually authenticated secure channel between a client device and remote device through a remote access gateway server. The remote access gateway server forwards secure connection requests and acknowledgements between the client and the remote device such that the remote access gateway does not possess any or all session keys necessary to decrypt communication between the client device and remote device. |
| US08782407B2 |
Information processing device, information processing method, and program
An information processing device includes: a memory having a protected area which is a data recording area in which access restriction is set; and a data processing unit that determines accessibility in response to a request for accessing the protected area from an access requesting device, wherein the data processing unit verifies a device certificate received from the access requesting device and determines accessibility to the protected area based on access control information recorded in the device certificate. |
| US08782405B2 |
Providing transaction-level security
A method and apparatus is presented for providing transaction-level security. The method comprises determining security information associated with at least one object of a transaction and determining if a remote device is capable of providing a level of security indicated by at least a portion of the security information. The method further comprises transmitting the object to the remote device in response to determining that the remote device is capable of providing the level of security. |
| US08782400B2 |
Trapdoor one-way functions on elliptic curves and their application to shorter signatures and asymmetric encryption
A new trapdoor one-way function is provided. In a general sense, some quadratic algebraic integer z is used. One then finds a curve E and a rational map defining [z] on E. The rational map [z] is the trapdoor one-way function. A judicious selection of z will ensure that [z] can be efficiently computed, that it is difficult to invert, that determination of [z] from the rational functions defined by [z] is difficult, and knowledge of z allows one to invert [z] on a certain set of elliptic curve points. |
| US08782399B2 |
Automated secure DNSSEC provisioning system
A system and method that maintains a secure chain of trust from domain name owner to publication by extending the trust placed in existing cryptographic identity systems to the records published in the Internet's Domain Name System (DNS) and secured by its DNS Security Extensions (DNSSEC) infrastructure. Automated validation and processing occur within a secured processing environment to capture and preserve the cryptographic security from the source request. |
| US08782387B2 |
Secure boot of a data breakout appliance with multiple subsystems at the edge of a mobile data network
A secure boot is provided for a breakout system having multiple subsystems at the edge of a mobile data network. The secure boot utilizes two trusted platform modules (TPM) to secure multiple subsystems. Further described is utilizing a first TPM to boot a service processor and then utilizing a second TPM to secure boot two additional subsystems. Booting of the final subsystem is accomplished in a two step process which first loads a boot loader and verifies the boot loader, and then second loads an operating system load image and verifies the operating system code. |
| US08782385B2 |
System and method of enabling use of software applications using stored software licensing information
A system and method of enabling use of software applications using stored software licensing information is disclosed. In one form, a method of enabling use of a software application is disclosed. The method can include accessing a first software licensing information of a first software application within a non-volatile memory of an information handling system. The first licensing information can be stored in association with an order fulfillment process. The method can also include executing an initialization routine in association with a BIOS of the information handling system. In one form, the initialization routine can be operable to initiate accessing the software licensing information from the non-volatile memory to enable use of the first software application. |
| US08782379B2 |
H.264 video decoder CABAC core optimization techniques
A device employing techniques to optimize Context-based Adaptive Binary Arithmetic Coding (CABAC) for the H.264 video decoding is provided. The device includes a processing circuit operative to implement a set of instructions to decode multiple bins simultaneously and renormalize an offset register and a range register after the multiple bins are decoded. The range register and offset registers may be 32 or 64 bits. The use of a larger range register allows renormalization to be skipped when enough bits are still in the range register. |
| US08782378B2 |
Dynamic instruction splitting
A data processing apparatus and method are provided. The data processing apparatus is configured to perform data processing operations in response to data processing instructions including a multiple operation instruction, in response to which multiple data processing operations are performed. The data processing apparatus comprises two or more data processing units configured to perform the data processing operations and an instruction arbitration unit configured to perform sub-division of a multiple operation instruction into a plurality of sub-instructions and to perform allocation of the plurality of sub-instructions amongst the two or more data processing units, wherein each sub-instruction is arranged to cause one of the two or more data processing units to perform at least one data processing operation of the multiple data processing operations. The instruction arbitration unit is configured to perform the sub-division and the allocation dynamically in dependence on a current availability of a resource for each of the two or more data processing units, enabling more efficient usage of the resources of each of the data processing units to be made. |
| US08782374B2 |
Method and apparatus for inclusion of TLB entries in a micro-op cache of a processor
Methods and apparatus for inclusion of TLB (translation look-aside buffer) in processor micro-op caches are disclosed. Some embodiments for inclusion of TLB entries have micro-op cache inclusion fields, which are set responsive to accessing the TLB entry. Inclusion logic may the flush the micro-op cache or portions of the micro-op cache and clear corresponding inclusion fields responsive to a replacement or invalidation of a TLB entry whenever its associated inclusion field had been set. Front-end processor state may also be cleared and instructions refetched when replacement resulted from a TLB miss. |
| US08782365B1 |
Systems and methods of processing data associated with rapid snapshot and restore of guest operating system states
The present disclosure relates to saving and restoring operating system states and, more particularly, towards systems and methods of processing information associated with obtaining snapshots of and restoring guest operating system states rapidly. |
| US08782363B2 |
Information processing system and method for controlling the same
The present invention concerns one of the plurality of first storage apparatuses, prior to a file migration to the second storage apparatus, notifies to the second storage apparatus of file migration information being information relating to the file migration, the second storage apparatus calculates an increment of a load on the second storage apparatus that is generated by the file migration based on information written in the file migration information, the second storage apparatus determines whether the file migration is allowable based on a current load on the second storage apparatus itself and the increment, the second storage apparatus notifies the determination result to the one of the plurality of first storage apparatuses that has notified the file migration information, and the one of the plurality of first storage apparatuses determines whether to migrate the file to the second storage apparatus based on the determination result. |
| US08782361B2 |
Management server and data migration method with improved duplicate data removal efficiency and shortened backup time
A management server and a data migration method shorten a data backup processing time and improve the efficiency of data duplicate removal in a storage apparatus. The management server includes a backup capacity calculation unit for calculating, based on duplicate information of data stored in a plurality of storage apparatuses, a backup capacity of the data if duplicate data is removed. The management server includes a migration source data determination unit for determining, based on the calculated backup capacity, data which is a target for migration to another storage apparatus among data stored in one of the storage apparatuses. The management server further includes a migration destination storage apparatus determination unit for determining, based on duplicate information of the migration target data and data of a storage apparatus which is a migration destination for the data, a migration destination storage apparatus for the data. |
| US08782356B2 |
Auto-ordering of strongly ordered, device, and exclusive transactions across multiple memory regions
Efficient techniques are described for controlling ordered accesses in a weakly ordered storage system. A stream of memory requests is split into two or more streams of memory requests and a memory access counter is incremented for each memory request. A memory request requiring ordered memory accesses is identified in one of the two or more streams of memory requests. The memory request requiring ordered memory accesses is stalled upon determining a previous memory request from a different stream of memory requests is pending. The memory access counter is decremented for each memory request guaranteed to complete. A count value in the memory access counter that is different from an initialized state of the memory access counter indicates there are pending memory requests. The memory request requiring ordered memory accesses is processed upon determining there are no further pending memory requests. |
| US08782354B2 |
Storage apparatus and method of controlling storage apparatus
Efficient data processing is implemented by using the functions of an external storage apparatus which is connected to the virtual storage apparatus.A storage apparatus which is connected to a host apparatus which requests data I/Os and to an external storage apparatus comprising a storage device respectively via a network, comprising a storage device storing data which is read and written by the host apparatus; and a control device which controls data writing to a storage area, wherein the control device provides a predetermined storage area of the storage device of the external storage apparatus to the host apparatus as one or more virtual volumes, and manages the virtual volumes and function information indicating the functions of the external storage apparatus in association with one another. |
| US08782349B2 |
System and method for maintaining cache coherency across a serial interface bus using a snoop request and complete message
Techniques are disclosed for maintaining cache coherency across a serial interface bus such as a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) bus. The techniques include generating a snoop request (SNP) to determine whether first data stored in a local memory is coherent relative to second data stored in a data cache, the snoop request including destination information that identifies the data cache on the serial interface bus and causing the snoop request to be transmitted over the serial interface bus to a second processor. The techniques further include extracting a cache line address from the snoop request, determining whether the second data is coherent, generating a complete message (CPL) indicating that the first data is coherent with the second data, and causing the complete message to be transmitted over the bus to the first processor. The snoop request and complete messages may be vendor defined messages. |
| US08782346B2 |
Dynamic prioritization of cache access
Some embodiments of the inventive subject matter are directed to determining that a memory access request results in a cache miss and determining an amount of cache resources used to service cache misses within a past period in response to determining that the memory access request results in the cache miss. Some embodiments are further directed to determining that servicing the memory access request would increase the amount of cache resources used to service cache misses within the past period to exceed a threshold. In some embodiments, the threshold corresponds to reservation of a given amount of cache resources for potential cache hits. Some embodiments are further directed to rejecting the memory access request in response to the determining that servicing the memory access request would increase the amount of cache resources used to service cache misses within the past period to exceed the threshold. |
| US08782345B2 |
Sub-block accessible nonvolatile memory cache
Subject matter disclosed herein relates to sub-block accessible cache memory. |
| US08782340B2 |
Hot sheet upgrade facility
Method and apparatus for managing data in a multi-device data storage array. In accordance with various embodiments, a storage array of independent data storage devices are arranged to form a fast pool and a slow pool of said devices. A controller is adapted to migrate a distributed data set stored across a first plurality of said devices in the slow pool to a second plurality of said devices in the fast pool. The migration is carried out responsive to a return on investment (ROI) determination by the controller that an estimated cost of said migration will be outweighed by an overall improved data transfer capacity of the storage array over a predetermined minimum payback period of time. In some embodiments, the fast pool is formed from a plurality of solid-state drives (SSDs) and the slow pool is formed from a plurality of hard disc drives (HDD). |
| US08782335B2 |
Latency reduction associated with a response to a request in a storage system
A method includes segmenting a virtual volume into an active area configured to map to a first type of storage and a non-active area configured to map to a second type of storage through a storage virtualization engine. The second type of storage includes data associated with a host device and the first type of storage includes point-in-time images corresponding to the data associated with the host device. The first type of storage offers a higher performance than that of the second type of storage. The method also includes allocating a portion of space in the first type of storage to serve as a cache memory during a write operation and/or a read operation, and reducing a latency associated with the response to a write request and/or a read request through performing the corresponding write operation and/or the read operation through the first type of storage. |
| US08782333B2 |
Data storage system, electronic system, and telecommunications system
A data storage system comprising a plurality of buffers configured to store data, a read pointer to indicate a particular one of the plurality of buffers from which data should be read, and a write pointer to indicate a particular one of the plurality of buffers to which data should be written. The write pointer points at least one buffer ahead of the buffer to which the read pointer is pointing. An electronic system and a telecommunications system are further disclosed. |
| US08782325B1 |
Data type based alignment of data written to non-volatile memory
The present disclosure includes systems and techniques relating to data type based alignment of data written to non-volatile memory. In some implementations, an apparatus includes an input, an output, and control logic coupled with the input and the output, where the control logic is configured to modify placement of data written to a non-volatile memory based on a first data type of the data. The first data type is distinct from a second data type also written to the non-volatile memory, and the placement of the data of the first data type is modified in relation to placement of data of the second data type in the non-volatile memory. |
| US08782323B2 |
Data storage management using a distributed cache scheme
A method for accessing data stored in a distributed storage system is provided. The method comprises determining whether a copy of first data is stored in a distributed cache system, where data in the distributed cache system is stored in free storage space of the distributed storage system; accessing the copy of the first data from the distributed cache system if the copy of the first data is stored in a first data storage medium at a first computing system in a network; and requesting a second computing system in the network to access the copy of the first data from the distributed cache system if the copy of the first data is stored in a second data storage medium at the second computing system. If the copy of the first data is not stored in the distributed cache system, the first data is accessed from the distributed storage system. |
| US08782322B2 |
Ranking of target server partitions for virtual server mobility operations
A computer implemented method, data processing system, and computer program product for automated ranking of target server partitions based on current workload partition performance state. When a violation of a stack tier policy for the virtualized process collection in a source logical partition is detected, the stack tier comprising the virtualized process collection is examined to determine a scalability of the stack tier. A set of logical partitions are examined to identify target logical partitions for the migration event, wherein the target logical partitions are compatible for migrating the virtualized process collection based on the scalability of the stack tier. A performance state of the virtualized process collection is analyzed, and the target logical partitions for selection in the migration event are ranked based on the performance states of the virtualized process collection and the stack tier policy. |
| US08782320B2 |
Multi-stage interconnection networks having fixed mappings
In one embodiment, a multistage interconnection network (MIN) has two or more configurable stages, each stage having a plurality of switches. The network has one or more unused input terminals, each mapped using fixed switch connections to an unused output terminal. The network also has a set of used input terminals that are selectively mapped to a set of used output terminals based on values of control signals supplied to the stages. Each stage receives a different control signal, and each control signal is generated by cyclically shifting a control seed by a corresponding cyclic-shift value. Fixing the mappings of the unused terminals ensures that the used input terminals are not mapped to any unused output terminals. By storing only the control seed, memory requirements are reduced over networks that explicitly store individual control signals for all of the stages. |
| US08782319B2 |
Expandable hybrid storage device and computer system and control method
An expandable hybrid storage device for a computer system includes a first storage unit, an expanded storage device including a disk controller and a second storage coupled to the disk controller via a second data transmission interface, and a selection unit coupled to the first storage unit via a first data transmission interface for selectively connecting the first storage unit to a south bridge circuit of the computer system or the expanded storage device, wherein when the expanded storage device connects to the computer system, the selection unit switches the first storage unit to the expanded storage device so that the disk controller is capable of controlling access to the first storage unit or the second storage unit. |
| US08782317B1 |
Computer system, method for accessing peripheral component interconnect express endpoint device, and apparatus
A computer system and a method are provided for accessing a peripheral component interconnect express PCIe endpoint device. The computer system includes: a processor, a PCIe bus, and an access proxy. The access proxy connects to the processor and the PCIe endpoint device; the processor acquires an operation instruction, where the operation instruction instructs the processor to access the PCIe endpoint device through the access proxy, and send an access request to the access proxy according to the operation instruction; and the access proxy sends a response message of the access request to the processor after receiving the access request sent by the processor. Because the processor does not directly access the PCIe endpoint device to be accessed but completes access through the access proxy, thereby avoiding an MCE reset for the processor. |
| US08782316B2 |
Systems and methods for performing a hot input function
A computer software system is disclosed for facilitating a user's replacement or insertion of devices in a computer server network system. The system allows a user to swap or add peripheral devices while the system is running, or in a “hot” condition, with little or no user knowledge of how the system carries out the “hot swap” or “hot add” functions. The system, which consists of a graphical user interface (GUI) and associated computer software modules, allows the user to select a desired peripheral device location within a server, and then provides the modular software structure to automatically execute a series of steps in the hot swap or hot add process. Each step is prompted by the user from the GUI, to invoke commands to instruct a network server through its operating system and hardware to suspend the appropriate device adapters, if necessary, power down the desired device slot or canister, allow the user to replace or insert a new device, and finally restart the adapters and the slot power. The system requires very little detailed input from the user other than identifying the particular peripheral device slot within the server to be maintained. |
| US08782315B2 |
Expansion card controller for controlling a radio system
An expansion card and method for controlling a radio system integrates PCDD operations into a PCMCIA or ExpressCard which can be inserted into an external display, smart screen PCMCIA slot, or laptop ExpressCard or PCMCIA slot to allow an operator to control the radio system with a computer without any modification of the computer. |
| US08782314B2 |
Scalable and configurable system on a chip interrupt controller
Embodiments include a system and method for an interrupt controller that propagates interrupts to a subsystem in a system-on-a-chip (SOC). Interrupts are provided to an interrupt controller that controls access of interrupts to a particular subsystem in the SOC that includes multiple subsystems. Each subsystem in the SOC generates multiple interrupts to other subsystems in the SOC. The interrupt controller processes multiple interrupts and generates an interrupt output. The interrupt output is then transmitted to a particular subsystem. |
| US08782310B1 |
Use of mobile devices for user input and output
A system for connecting the plurality of mobile devices to a computer is disclosed. The system includes a plurality of mobile devices connected to a computer through a network. Each of the plurality of mobile devices includes a mobile application configured to emulate the each of the plurality of mobile devices as a selected type of input/output (I/O) device for the computer. An operating system of the computer operates in conjunction with a session manager to connect the plurality of mobile devices as disparate selected types of I/O devices to the computer in a common user session. |
| US08782306B2 |
Low-contention update buffer queuing for large systems
A method for queuing thread update buffers to enhance garbage collection. The method includes providing a global update buffer queue and a global array with slots for storing pointers to filled update buffers. The method includes with an application thread writing to the update buffer and, when filled, attempting to write the pointer for the update buffer to the global array. The array slot may be selected randomly or by use of a hash function. When the writing fails due to a non-null slot, the method includes operating the application thread to add the filled update buffer to the global update buffer queue. The method includes, with a garbage collector thread, inspecting the global array for non-null entries and, upon locating a pointer, claiming the filled update buffer. The method includes using the garbage collector thread to claim and process buffers added to the global update buffer queue. |
| US08782304B2 |
Method for enabling several virtual processing units to directly and concurrently access a peripheral unit
The present disclosure relates to a method for enabling a virtual processing unit to access a peripheral unit, the virtual processing unit being implemented by a physical processing unit connected to the peripheral unit, the method comprising a step of transmitting to the peripheral unit a request sent by the virtual processing unit to access a service provided by the peripheral unit, the access request comprising at least one parameter and an identifier of the virtual unit, the method comprising steps, executed by the peripheral unit after receiving an access request, of allocating a set of registers to the virtual unit identifier received, storing the parameter received in the register set allocated, and when the peripheral unit is available for processing a request, selecting one of the register sets, and triggering a process in the peripheral unit from the parameters stored in the selected register set. |
| US08782302B2 |
Method and apparatus for routing transactions through partitions of a system-on-chip
A node having a node input is configured to receive a plurality of transactions intended for a plurality of different targets. The node has multiple node outputs. At least one target is provided, that target including an input configured to receive a respective output of the node. The node is configured to direct transactions to the at least one target or an output (for passing to a different partition) depending on whether the transactions are intended for the target or a different target. This determination is made in response to a conversion operation which converts a target address of the transaction to an identification associated with the target or the output. |
| US08782301B2 |
Semiconductor device and control method
When a data request signal is inactivated while a DMA controller is executing DMA data transfer in a burst transfer mode, an address at this time is held and a remaining number of transfer times is counted. After the DMA data transfer in the burst transfer mode is finished, the address and the remaining number of transfer times are re-set in the DMA controller and then the DMA data transfer is executed. This makes it possible to re-transfer data remaining at the timing when the data request signal is inactivated, and the DMA data transfer using the burst transfer mode is executed to or from a module requesting the DMA data transfer by using level of the data request signal. |
| US08782299B2 |
Re-configurable multi-purpose digital interface
Systems and apparatus are provided for a reconfigurable, multi-purpose input/output (I/O) interface. The system comprises a comparator coupled to a means for signal generation. The system further comprises a switch fabric configured to reconfigure the I/O circuit in real time to perform a variety of signal processing, signal generation and built-in-test functions. |
| US08782296B2 |
Method and device for incremental configuration of IMA type modules
The invention in particular has as an object the incremental configuration of an IMA-type module, the module comprising temporal and hardware resources as well as an operating system allowing a segregated running of at least two applications with the aid of at least one part of the resources. After having obtained (305) at least one first configuration parameter of at least one part of the resources, this parameter applying to a resource specific to the operating system or a resource common to the operating system and to at least one of the applications or to the applications, the module is configured (310) according to this parameter. A second configuration parameter of at least one part of the resources then is obtained (320), this second parameter applying to a resource specific to one of the applications. The module then is configured (330) according to the said at least one second parameter. |
| US08782290B2 |
Configuring a management module through a graphical user interface for use in a computer system
A customization program for use in customizing a baseboard management controller used for monitoring operation of various computer system components is disclosed. A user interacts with the customization program to customize the baseboard management controller based on a configuration of components specified for the baseboard of the computer system. The customization program provides a user interface having a repository of icons and a design page. The icons represent various components that may be connected, either directly or indirectly, to the baseboard. The design page is used for constructing a model representing the specified configuration of components. As a user drags icons onto the design page, the model is updated to reflect selection of the components corresponding to these icons. Further, the customization program creates a configuration file that identifies and describes each of the selected components. The configuration file is loaded into the baseboard management controller to effectuate the aforementioned customization. |
| US08782285B1 |
Lazy transcoding and re-transcoding of media objects in an online video platform
A method of managing resources dedicated to a content object in a content delivery network includes transcoding and storing the content object in one or more of a plurality of delivery formats, and associating a transcoding profile with the content object, the transcoding profile including records of the content object with respect to delivery of the content object to end users across the plurality of delivery formats. The method also includes periodically executing a process that determines, utilizing the transcoding profile, an elapsed time since a most recent delivery of the content object in a particular delivery format to one of the end users, and deletes a copy of the content object in the particular delivery format when the elapsed time exceeds a threshold. |
| US08782283B2 |
Lawful interception and data retention of messages
A method of configuring a messaging gateway to operate as an Intercepting Control Element or a Data Retention source. The method comprises the steps of receiving, at the messaging gateway, a source message addressed to a recipient and coded in a first format, converting the source message into a destination message, coded in a second format, and generating interception information data including information referred to both the source message and the destination message. |
| US08782281B2 |
Optimally adapting multimedia content for mobile subscriber device playback
A multimedia content distribution method including a) storing an item of a multimedia content, b) firstly transcoding the content for playback on a first multimedia device, c) generating a content ID of the firstly transcoded content, d) storing the content ID of the firstly transcoded content in association with the stored content, e) accessing the stored content using the content ID of the firstly transcoded content, and f) secondly transcoding the stored content for playback on a second multimedia device. |
| US08782279B2 |
Scaled domain name service
A method or system for transferring information during the domain name service (DNS) lookup to more effectively utilizing the content delivery network (CDN) is disclosed. Information gathered from DNS request is used to identify information on how to serve the content with a chosen IP address returned from the DNS lookup. The DNS server selects from a number of possible IP addresses after analyzing information from the DNS request and popularity of associated content. The different IP addresses will result in different edge servers providing content. An IP address could be provided for popular content in a way that will tend to populate more content caches from the pool of edge servers in one embodiment. |
| US08782274B2 |
Method and system for progressively transmitting a voice message from sender to recipients across a distributed services communication network
The progressive transmission of a voice message from server hop to hop across the network enables one or more recipients to review the voice message in real-time. A synchronization element is provided to synchronize in real-time the stored copies of the voice message at each server. A first server and any intermediate server hops between the first server and the one or more second servers are each configured (i) store a copy of the voice message, (ii) ascertain the next server hop or hops on the network to deliver the voice message from the sender to the one or more second servers and (iii) progressively transmit only a single copy of the voice message to the ascertained next server hop or hops on the network regardless if the voice message is to be delivered to more than one recipient through any of the ascertained next server hop or hops. |
| US08782273B2 |
Apparatus and method for generating a data stream and apparatus and method for reading a data stream
When generating a data stream, text data, an escape-start-sequence, a first number of data units, an escape-continuation-sequence and a second number of data units are entered into a data stream. A base decoder displays only the text data and skips the data units referenced by the escape-start-sequence and the escape-continuation-sequence, while an extension decoder reads those data units and processes them together. |
| US08782268B2 |
Dynamic composition of media
The subject disclosure relates to dynamic composition including the ability to create interoperable combinations of content by the publisher, e.g., determined to be an optimal combination, and offer such combinations to client devices in an interoperable way to allow simple selection by devices without complex programming, web pages, etc. specific to each device. Compositions are dynamic in that new audio, video, subtitle, etc. tracks can be added to a given composition without changing any of the other tracks, e.g., by updating the composition's extensible markup language (XML), and new compositions can be created or removed at any time without changing any audio or video files. Interoperable and scalable “discovery” is also enabled whereby random devices can contact a Web server, find and play a composition matched to the given devices and users, e.g., optimal composition for a given device and user. Using the content identification and description format of compositions, devices can search, sort, browse, display, etc. content that is available, determine if it is compatible at the device, decode, and determine digital rights management (DRM) level, and content level. |
| US08782262B2 |
Method and system for use in coordinating multimedia devices
Some embodiments of the present invention provide methods for use in playing back content. Some of these methods access a content package comprising media content to be locally played back; detect, as defined by the content package, whether a remote secondary device is available with which a connection can be established; determine whether an authorization to establish the connection has been confirmed; establish, when the authorization is confirmed, a communication connection; determine, as instructed by the content package and when the communication with the secondary device is established, whether one or more commands are received from the secondary device; and implement, as instructed by the content package and when it is determined that the one or more commands are received from the secondary device, the one or more commands in controlling playback experience of the media content. |
| US08782257B2 |
Communication apparatus, and communication method therefor
In a communication-parameter providing apparatus, a search is conducted at the start of a communication-parameter automatic setting process. Upon detection of a communication apparatus, the rate at which the communication-parameter providing apparatus sends a beacon per unit time is increased, whereby a communication-parameter receiving apparatus can easily detect the communication-parameter providing apparatus. |
| US08782253B2 |
Low latency handoff to or from a long term evolution network
A server device in a long term evolution (LTE) network may store, in a memory, context information, associated with a prior communication session between the LTE network and a user device, where the context information permits a communication session to be established within a time period, the time period being less than another time period to initially establish the communication session or to establish the communication session without the context information. The server device may further receive a registration request associated with the user device; determine whether the memory stores the context information; perform, within the time period, an abbreviated registration operation to establish the communication session with the user device, using the context information from the memory, when the memory stores the content information; and perform, within the other time period, a registration operation to establish the communication session when the memory does not store the context information. |
| US08782252B2 |
Automatic mapping of human-meaningful parameters to network-meaningful parameters for traffic importance in home network
A method of automatically discovering home network device capabilities, ranking devices using the capabilities in accordance with ranking heuristics, and implementing traffic policy in accordance with the ranking. |
| US08782248B2 |
Web services interface
A Call Session Control Function (CSCF) entity in an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network comprises a first interface for interfacing with other entities and uses signalling in an Extensible Markup Language (XML) format. The other entities that the CSCF interfaces with can be located outside the IMS network, such as servers supporting third party IT or web-based applications, or within the IMS network. The CSCF directs XML based service requests by filtering XML messages received via the first interface. |
| US08782244B2 |
Method and apparatus for a software programmable intelligent network
A reservation request is received for a data transport session. The reservation request contains a requested class of communication service through the asynchronous network. The state of the network along the route is then preferably determined and at least one end-to-end route through the network is obtained. The route is based on the requested class of communication service and the state of the network. The data transport session is then controlled, such that data is forced to travel along at least one route through the asynchronous network. This is preferably done by controlling multiple data controllers dispersed along the at least one route by mapping specific data protocols to specific routes, or mapping specific data protocols to specific ports in each data controller. If a state of the asynchronous network indicates that the route cannot transport data in conformity to the class of communication service, then the route is changed to a backup route through the network. |
| US08782243B2 |
Resource management apparatus and method for supporting cloud-based communication between ubiquitous objects
A resource management apparatus and method for supporting cloud-based communication between ubiquitous objects are provided. According to the resource management apparatus and method, it is possible to effectively manage resources such that a ubiquitous object can perform cloud-based communication. Therefore, it is possible to provide any desired amount of cloud resources to a ubiquitous object that is equipped with limited resources and thus to allow the ubiquitous object to smoothly communicate with a correspondent object. |
| US08782241B2 |
Cloud computing assessment tool
A system is described for providing a cloud computing assessment tool. The system may include a memory, an interface, and a processor. The processor may receive a data center configuration from the user. The data center configuration may include a compute and storage capacity. The processor may determine a cloud computing configuration equivalent to the data center configuration. The processor may identify a time period for transitioning from the data center to cloud computing. The processor may identify a plurality of trend values representing changes in the compute capacity and storage capacity over the period of time. The processor may generate a strategy to transition from the data center to cloud computing over the period of time. The strategy may account for the changes in the compute capacity and the storage capacity. The processor may provide a graphical output and a numerical output of the strategy to the user. |
| US08782237B2 |
Audio/video streaming in a topology of devices
Resources may be managed in a topology for audio/video streaming. The topology includes audio/video sources and sinks and intervening branch devices. Messages between these sources, sinks, and branch devices may be used for resource management. |
| US08782228B2 |
Side loading
Side loading of content elements is provided. A selection of a content element from a terminal device may be received and a content format associated with the terminal device may be identified. If the content element is not available in the identified content format, the content element may be transcoded from a current content format to the identified content format and the content element may be transferred to the terminal device in the identified content format. |
| US08782215B2 |
Performance testing in a cloud environment
A test controller provisions a load generation unit and instructs the load generation unit to generate a load and apply the load to a first application server instance in a cloud computing environment. The test controller measures a performance level of the first application server instance to determine if the first application server instance reaches a saturation point. If the first application server instance reaches the saturation point, the test controller records a performance statistic of the first application server instance. |
| US08782214B1 |
Limiting site latencies and page weights
Methods are provided that comprise several tools that allow operators of sites (e.g. websites) to improve their respective site performance. More specifically, the methods provide operators with feedback tools related to site performance. The feedback tools allow operators to make informed decisions regarding the use of features and content on their respective sites. Additionally, tools are provided that support rich functionality, which operators may incorporate into their respective sites. The combination of rich functionality and feedback tools may result in high-performance sites that allow operators to implement rich functionality without having users experience unwanted latency. |
| US08782213B2 |
System and method for the application of psychrometric charts to data centers
A system and method of displaying the temperature and relative humidity data of sensors on a psychrometric chart. The system and method operate to display an environmental envelope on the psychrometric chart in order to compare the data of the sensors to the environmental envelope of the psychrometric chart, in order to ensure safe operating conditions for data center equipment. |
| US08782212B2 |
Detecting whether components are functioning together according to an operating hybrid solution
A method and apparatus for identifying operating hybrid solutions is provided. An operating hybrid solution includes a combination of hardware and software components operating together for a particular purpose, such as to provide particular functionality. In various embodiments, mappings are stored to associate operating hybrid solutions with operating criteria that describe devices when the devices are operating according to the operating hybrid solutions. During operation of a device, a monitoring process uses the mappings to determine whether the device is operating as part of an operating hybrid solution. The monitoring process stores an indication of whether the device is operating as part of the operating hybrid solution, and the indication may be provided in response to a request for operating hybrid solution information associated with the device. |
| US08782211B1 |
Dynamically scheduling tasks to manage system load
An example network device includes a data repository configured to store data defining a plurality of time slots, programmable processors that provide an amount of available system processing capacity for each of the time slots, a network communication protocol module configured to perform network communication events, and a system load prediction module. The system load prediction module predicts future events that the network device expects to perform in accordance with the network communication protocol, wherein each of the predicted events requires an amount of system processing capacity to complete, and distributes each of the predicted events across the time slots to reserve the amount of system processing capacity required to complete each of the predicted events from the amount of available system processing capacity of each of the time slots without exceeding a threshold that limits utilization of the amount of system processing capacity for each of the time slots. |
| US08782210B2 |
Network management control program, network management control device, and network management control method
A network management control device includes a link information storing unit that stores information about connections between nodes belonging to respective networks that are controlled by different protocols. The network management control device receives an input of the configuration information about each of the networks. The network management control device then generates combined information between different protocols, based on the information stored in the link information storing unit about connections between nodes and the received network configuration information. After that, the network management control device performs provisioning in accordance with the generated combined information between the different protocols. |
| US08782209B2 |
Insider threat correlation tool
Systems and methods for calculating threat scores for individuals within an organization or domain are provided. Aspects of the invention relate to computer-implemented methods that form a predictive threat rating for user accounts. In one implementation, a first threat score representing a first time period may be calculated. The first threat score may be compared with aspects of the same user accounts for a second time period. Weighting schemes may be applied to certain activities, controls, and/or user accounts. Further aspects relate to apparatuses configured to execute methods for ranking individual user accounts. Certain embodiments may not block transmissions that violate predefine rules, however, indications of such improper transmission may be considered when constructing a threat rating. Blocked transmissions enforced upon a user account may also be received. Certain activity, such as accessing the internet, may be monitored for the presence of a security threat and/or an ethics threat. |
| US08782208B2 |
Method and apparatus for use in a communications network
A method is disclosed for use by an Interrogating Call/Session Control Function (I-CSCF) of an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS). In the method, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) message is received by the I-CSCF, which the I-CSCF attempts to forward to a Serving Call/Session Control Function (S-CSCF) of the IMS assigned to provide services to a user. If the attempt is determined to have failed, the I-CSCF sends a message to a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) of the IMS to request capabilities information for selecting a S-CSCF, the request message also providing first information relating to the status of the assigned S-CSCF. On receipt of the capabilities information at the I-CSCF from the HSS, the I-CSCF selects a replacement S-CSCF to provide services to the user. Related methods are also disclosed for use by the HSS and S-CSCF. |
| US08782206B2 |
Load-balanced allocation of medical task flows to servers of a server farm
A method, a system and a computer program are disclosed for the load-balanced allocation of computer-aided medical task flows on at least one application server of a server farm. In at least one embodiment, request conditions and load information are configured in a configuration phase. The request conditions are then recorded in a load balancing phase. In addition the load information is recorded via load calculation agents. A load balancing service can then calculate a target application server, which according to the load information determined meets all recorded request conditions. |
| US08782200B2 |
System and method for optimizing website visitor actions
The invention includes a method and system for optimizing web visitor conversion—the science of measuring, testing, and improving the rate at which website visitors respond to website content. The system helps website operators create content variations, and then scientifically test and measure the impact of those variations on conversion rates. The invention includes a method of using a reverse proxy server to introduce page variations on existing website content without needing to modify the existing target server. The invention makes it possible to test any number of variations—in any combination—on a target server's visitors. Website operators learn how content variations impact visitor behavior and conversion rates. |
| US08782192B2 |
Detecting resource consumption events over sliding intervals in cloud-based network
Embodiments relate to systems and methods for detecting resource consumption events over sliding intervals in cloud-based network. A set of aggregate usage history data can record consumption of processor, software, or other resources subscribed to by a set of users, in one cloud or across multiple clouds. An entitlement engine can analyze the usage history data to identify a subscription margin for the subscribed resources, reflecting collective under-consumption of resources by the set of users on a collective basis, over different and/or dynamically updated subscription periods. |
| US08782189B2 |
Dynamic service level agreement for cloud computing services
A method for dynamically updating a service level agreement, performed by a cloud computing server, includes storing a preference for service selection, acquiring an actual usage level of a first service provided to a user during a predetermined time period in accordance with a first service level agreement, determining a second service level agreement different from the first service level agreement based on the actual usage level acquired during the predetermined time period, and selecting a second service that satisfies the second service level agreement. |
| US08782183B2 |
Methods for auto-configuring a router on an IP subnet
An autoconfiguring data router is connected to a communications network subnet having a second network data router. The autoconfiguring data router includes a configuration determination module that determines configuration attributes for operably connecting the autoconfiguring data router to the subnet, and an autoconfiguration module that configures the autoconfiguring data router according to the configuration attributes so that the autoconfiguring data router is operably connected to the subnet. |
| US08782182B2 |
Generating device-specific configurations
An approach to generating device-specific configurations is described. In one approach, a method of generating a device-specific configuration for a target device is described. The method involves receiving a configuration parameter, and receiving command syntax information. A state description is generated from the configuration parameter, with reference to a configuration library. Device information is retrieved from the target device, and the device-specific configuration is generated with reference to the command syntax information, the device information, the state description, and a command library. |
| US08782181B2 |
Method and system for upgrading network device
The disclosure discloses a method for upgrading a network device, which comprises: establishing, by a network management server, a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connection with the network device (101); during an upgrade process, transmitting, by the network management server, a private protocol born on the TCP to the network device to notify the network device to be upgraded, then executing, by the network device, a corresponding upgrade operation after receiving the notification and returning an upgrade result to the network management server through the private protocol born on the TCP (102). The disclosure also discloses a system for upgrading a network device. With the method and the system, the purpose of implementing automatic upgrade for a network device can be achieved without a third party and the implementation is simple. |
| US08782180B2 |
System and method for acquiring and/or configuring a mobile platform to provide a suite of services
A system and method for determining a service provider set of one or more service providers to provide a service suite of one or more services in a platform (e.g., a mobile device platform) and configuring such platform to utilize such service provider set to provide such service suite to a user, substantially as shown in and/or described in connection with at least one of the figures, as set forth more completely in the claims. |
| US08782179B2 |
Communication workspace
Multiple pieces of information can be arranged into a single construct that allows the employee to ascertain information quickly while at her workstation. Selection of information for placement into the construct can employ various statistical models and the like. Selective pieces of information can be masked for a user's construct based upon access rights of the user. Constructs can be configured by a user based on personal preferences as well as by an administrator. Population of metadata upon the construct can be performed automatically through an instruction of the administrator or be overridden by a user request. In addition, various types of synchronization can be implemented between constructs, such that identical or near-identical information is populated upon multiple constructs. |
| US08782177B2 |
Wireless communications to receiver devices using control terminal communication link set-up
Methods of delivering electronic content include exchanging communications with a network access point from a control terminal to establish a communication link configured for two-way communications. Electronic content transmitted by the network access point is received at a remote terminal over the established communication link without providing responsive communications to the network access point from the remote terminal. |
| US08782176B2 |
Synchronized video system
A method for media processing includes providing a source media clip, which includes at least source audio data, via a network to a client device. A media recording, including client video and client audio data recorded by a user of the client device while playing the source audio data, is received via the network from the client device. The received media recording is synchronized with the source media clip and is mixed with the source media clip to generate a mixed media clip. The mixed media clip is transmitted to client devices over the network for playback by users of the client devices. |
| US08782174B1 |
Uploading and downloading unsecured files via a virtual machine environment
Methods, computer program products, and apparatuses are provided for securely exchanging a data file between a client machine and a remote application server (e.g., a banking application operating on a banking server) in the context of a user communicating with the remote application server through a secure virtualized environment running on a virtualization server. |
| US08782171B2 |
Voice-enabled web portal system
A voice-enabled web portal system includes a web portal server and a call manager software module. The web portal server is operable to download data according to parameters of a web portal. The call manager software module is operable to accept a voice query from a user via telephone, to retrieve a portion of the downloaded data in response to the voice query, and to provide the portion of downloaded data to the user via telephone. A method of providing information from a web portal includes downloading data via a web portal according to parameters of the web portal at a predetermined time interval, filtering the downloaded data to produce portal information, and selectively providing portions of the portal information in response to a voice query. |
| US08782167B2 |
Transmission apparatus, transmission method, and transmission system to transmit identification information for virtual directory
A transmission apparatus is configured to transmit identification information for referring to a content and/or a sub directory included in a directory designated by a receiving apparatus to the receiving apparatus via a network. The transmission apparatus includes a loading unit configured to load a content, a generation unit configured to generate identification information for referring to a new directory for referring to the content loaded by the loading unit so that the new directory is referred to as a sub directory included in the directory designated by the receiving apparatus, an addition unit configured to add the identification information generated by the generation unit to the content information included in the designated directory, and a transmission unit configured to transmit the content information to which the identification information generated by the generation unit has been added by the addition unit to the receiving apparatus. |
| US08782165B2 |
Method and transcoding proxy for transcoding a media stream that is delivered to an end-user device over a communications network
Methods and transcoding proxies for transcoding media streams are described. In one embodiment, a method for transcoding a media stream that is delivered to an end-user device over a communications network involves selecting a transcoding technique for the media stream, transcoding a portion of the media stream using the selected transcoding technique, streaming the transcoded portion of the media stream to the end-user device, while the transcoded portion of the media stream is being streamed to the end-user device, detecting a change in a condition of the communications network, selecting a different transcoding technique in response to the change in the condition of the communications network, transcoding a subsequent portion of the media stream using the different transcoding technique, and streaming the transcoded subsequent portion of the media stream to the end-user device. Other embodiments are also described. |
| US08782163B2 |
Utilizing removable virtual volumes for sharing data on storage area network
The present disclosure provides data sharing through virtual removable volumes. A virtual volume of a SAN (storage area network) is presented to clients as a virtual removable volume. A controlling application controls access of clients connected to the SAN to the virtual removable volume. The controlling application allows only one client at a time to access the virtual removable volume. The controlling application allows a first client to mount the virtual removable volume as a removable volume. The controlling application then causes the first client to unmount the virtual removable volume and allows a second client to mount the virtual removable volume as a removable volume. In this way, the first client and second client are able to share data via the virtual removable volume without causing corruption of data and without requiring a shared file system or physical transfer of removable media. |
| US08782161B2 |
Method and system for offloading computation flexibly to a communication adapter
A method for offloading computation flexibly to a communication adapter includes receiving a message that includes a procedure image identifier associated with a procedure image of a host application, determining a procedure image and a communication adapter processor using the procedure image identifier, and forwarding the first message to the communication adapter processor configured to execute the procedure image. The method further includes executing, on the communication adapter processor independent of a host processor, the procedure image in communication adapter memory by acquiring a host memory latch for a memory block in host memory, reading the memory block in the host memory after acquiring the host memory latch, manipulating, by executing the procedure image, the memory block in the communication adapter memory to obtain a modified memory block, committing the modified memory block to the host memory, and releasing the host memory latch. |
| US08782160B2 |
Cluster control system, cluster control method, and program
A slave computer out of a plurality of slave computers that are connected to a plurality of clients through a front network and provide the front network with a single IP address that is a same IP address comprises: a responsible client table that indicates a client for which each of the plurality of slave computers is responsible; and an ARP processing unit that refers to the responsible client table when an ARP request for the single IP address has been received from one of the plurality of clients and sends an ARP response when a client that has sent the ARP request is present in the responsible client table, and otherwise does not send the ARP response, wherein a client in the responsible client table is added, changed, or deleted by a master computer connected through a back-end network. |
| US08782152B2 |
Providing a collaborative status message in an instant messaging system
A method, system and computer program product for providing a collaborative status message in an instant messaging system. Instant Messaging (“IM”) users that belong to a group are identified. A collaborative status message (e.g., “In Meeting with User 2 and User 3”) is generated that specifies the IM users of the group (e.g., User 2 and User 3) that are participating in an event (e.g., meeting) with an IM user upon the event occurring. The collaborative status message is broadcasted to other IM users. In this manner, more detailed information can be provided to other IM users regarding the status of the IM user in question. |
| US08782149B2 |
Smart address book
An apparatus, method, system, and computer-readable medium are provided for maintaining contact information associated with a contact. In some embodiments a request associated with a contact may be received. Contact information may be obtained from one or more external or internal sources. One or more confidence scores may be generated for the obtained contact information and for one or more values received with the request. Based on the confidence score(s), one or more values associated with the contact may be incorporated in one or more data stores. In some embodiments, suggestions for contact related information may be generated. Responses to the suggestions may be used to update the generated confidence score(s). |
| US08782147B2 |
Concurrent delivery for messages from a same sender
An apparatus and a method for processing messages. A transport protocol stack receives messages from senders. The transport protocol stack comprises a concurrent stack having an out of band thread pool and a non-out of band thread pool. A channel is formed with a thread from the non-out of band thread pool of the concurrent stack for each sender. Non-out of band messages are processed in parallel for each scope of an application with a non-out of band thread. Non-out of band messages pertains to processes of the application from a same sender. Processes from a scope of the application are unrelated to processes from another scope of the application. Non-out of band messages within a same scope are processed in a predefined order. |
| US08782146B2 |
Method, system, and computer program product for sending and receiving messages
A system and method for enabling the interchange of enterprise data through an open platform is disclosed. This open platform can be based on a standardized interface that enables parties to easily connect to and use the network. Services operating as senders, recipients, and in-transit parties can therefore leverage a framework that overlays a public network. |
| US08782144B2 |
Controlling the distribution of messages
In an example embodiment, described herein is an apparatus that comprises a user interface, a communication interface, and logic coupled to the user interface and communication interface. The logic is configured to receiving a request via the user interface to forward a message to a recipient to determine whether distribution of the message is restricted to a group. The logic is further configured to determine whether the recipient is a member of the group responsive to determining distribution of the message restricted to a group. The logic is configured to send the message to the recipient via the communication interface responsive to determining the recipient is a member of the group. |
| US08782141B2 |
Communication system, device and program for exchanging messages between members of cyber communities
In a communication system using a standby screen, a portable communication terminal accesses a communication server at a predetermined time interval, uses RSS to receive and store new messages in a cyber sub-community in which the portable communication terminal participates, and sequentially displays tag buttons on the standby screen to display new-message arrivals with message-issuing member names and titles displayed on the buttons. |
| US08782140B1 |
Methods and system for distributing information via multiple forms of delivery services
Systems and methods of managing content and content requests are described. A data store of profiles of potential content contributors is provided. A request from a first source for content comprising content criteria is received, the content criteria comprising content contributor characteristics and content subject matter. Based on the content contributor characteristics and the profiles, at least a first potential content contributor is identified. At least a portion of the content request content criteria is transmitted to the first potential content contributor. If recorded content is received from the first content contributor, the first source is provided with access to the received recorded content. At least partly in response to acceptance by the first source of the received recorded content, the first source is enabled to publish the accepted received recorded content. |
| US08782138B2 |
Predictive data objects
Profile information for a user is generated and based on the profile information predictive data objects associated with a particular user are generated. Predictive data objects for the user are transmitted and at least one data object from the generated predictive data objects is selected. An option for the user to discover an additional data object from an internal or external network related to the selected data object is provided and information on the discovered data object is stored. An option for the user to share the selected data object to other users within the internal or external network is provided and information on the selected data object is stored. The profile information comprises at least one of the following dynamic filters: personal filter, social filter or contextual filter. |
| US08782133B2 |
Multi-conversation instant messaging
A method for facilitating multiple simultaneous instant messaging conversations includes: receiving a first online instant message from a first instant messaging conversation, where the user is a participant in the first instant messaging conversation; receiving a second online instant message from a second instant messaging conversation, in which the user is also a participant; integrating the first online instant message and the second online instant message into a sequence of instant messages; and displaying the sequence of instant messages such that the more recently received instant messages are displayed either below or above less recently received instant messages. If the user directs input at the displayed sequence of messages, a second sequence of messages primarily comprising messages from the first instant messaging conversation is displayed. |
| US08782132B2 |
System and methods for developing, provisioning and administering composite mobile applications communicating in real-time with enterprise computing platforms
The present invention teaches a system & methods for developing & administering composite mobile applications communicating in real-time with enterprise computing platforms comprising combinations of the steps of transmitting a data message, intended for delivery to a mobile client device, from an enterprise server computer to a gateway computer system, receiving at the gateway computer system the data message, recording receipt of the data message in a transaction log at the gateway computer system, determining a mode of delivery of the data message from the gateway computer system to the mobile client device, transmitting the data message from the gateway computer system to the mobile client device via the determined mode of delivery, and recording the transmission of the data message to the mobile client device in the transaction log at the gateway computer system. |
| US08782130B2 |
Method and system for client-side scaling of web server farm architectures in a cloud data center
A novel web server farm architecture is provided that combines various cloud components and innovatively maximizes their strengths to achieve a scalable, adaptable, load balanced computing architecture. In one embodiment, this architecture includes a storage host for static content hosting, a cluster of virtual machines (operating as web servers) for dynamic content hosting, and a dedicated application engine for monitoring the load of the virtual machines. A browser or end-application user of a web application is first routed to a static anchor page hosted on the storage host. The browser is subsequently presented with a list of virtual machines and data corresponding to their respective current loads. To access dynamic content, the browser is able to select from the virtual machines based in large part on the reported current loads of the virtual machines. Once a virtual machine is selected, the browser may communicate directly with the selected web server. |
| US08782128B2 |
Global queue pair management in a point-to-point computer network
An approach is provided in which a local module receives a data frame initiated by a first virtual machine and has a target destination at a second virtual machine, which executes on a destination host system. The local module identifies a destination local port ID and a destination global queue pair number corresponding to the second virtual machine. In one embodiment, the destination local port ID corresponds to the destination host, but the destination global queue pair number is independent of the destination host. The local module includes the destination global queue pair number and the destination local port ID in an overlay header and encapsulates the data frame with the overlay header, which results in an encapsulated frame. In turn, the local module sends the encapsulated frame through a computer network to the second virtual machine. |
| US08782120B2 |
Elastic management of compute resources between a web server and an on-demand compute environment
Disclosed are systems, methods and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for managing resources between a web server and an on-demand compute environment. A system configured to practice the method receives, at the on-demand compute environment, an indication that web traffic directed to a web server should at least be partially served via the on-demand compute environment, provisions compute resources within the on-demand compute environment to respond to web traffic for the web server based on the indication to yield a provisioned on-demand compute environment. The system serves web traffic at the provisioned on-demand compute environment based on an established routing of the web traffic from the web server to the provisioned on-demand compute environment such that the use of the provisioned on-demand compute environment for the web traffic is transparent. After serving the web traffic via the provisioned resources, the system can release the provisioned compute resources for other uses. |
| US08782117B2 |
Calling functions within a deterministic calling convention
Different target functions at a target computing platform having limited resources are invoked by a single generic function call from a calling computing platform having substantial resources. A target function can be called in a consistent and efficient manner, so that custom code can be avoided at the target computing platform for each target function. The generic function call can have parameters which identify a memory location at which a target function is stored, and one or more parameters to be passed to the target function in a format (e.g., length, endianness, enumerated data type, structured record type, float or integer type) which the target function uses, so that further conversion at the target computing platform is avoided. Parameters can also identify a thread and processor on which the function should run. The target computing platform loads and executes the target function using the registers in a deterministic way. |
| US08782102B2 |
Compact aggregation working areas for efficient grouping and aggregation using multi-core CPUs
A system is described for creating compact aggregation working areas for efficient grouping and aggregation using multi-core CPUs. The system implements operations including computing a running aggregate for a group within a business intelligence (BI) query, and identifying a location to store running aggregate information within an aggregation working area of a cache. The aggregation working area includes first and second data structures. The first data structure stores running aggregate information that is associated with a group that is accessed frequently relative to a threshold. The second data structure stores running aggregate information that is associated with a group that is accessed infrequently relative to the threshold. The operations also include storing the running aggregate information in either the first or second data structure of the aggregation working area based on a characterization of the group as a frequently or infrequently accessed group. |
| US08782101B1 |
Transferring data across different database platforms
Methods and systems for transferring data across incompatible database platforms are provided. A method may include reading data from a database export file containing a representation of objects and data from a source database of a first database platform, where the file was generated by an export utility of the first database platform, has a format specific to the first database platform, and is stored outside of the source database. The data read from the file is parsed based on the format. At least one database table represented in the file is identified based on the parsing. Row-level data associated with the at least one database table is also identified based on the parsing. The row-level data is collected in a buffer and is then inserted into a destination database of a second database platform using at least one dedicated data insertion thread. |
| US08782094B2 |
Systems and methods for managing data in complex containers
Systems and methods for managing data in complex containers permit atomic addition of a plurality of data items to the containers. Each data item can occupy contiguous memory locations, although the plurality of data items may be mutually discontiguous. The method comprises creating a package object, which comprises an externally accessible array of pointer and associated integers. Each pointer points to the start of a memory location holding a distinct data item and the associated integer represents the size of the data item referenced by the pointer. A function associated with an external interface of the container determines a quantity of memory to hold the plurality of data items and invokes an externally accessible write function in the package object to add the plurality of individual data items to the container at specified locations if there is adequate memory available to hold the plurality of data items. |
| US08782093B2 |
System and method for managing construction projects
A system for managing construction projects includes a database, a component interface, a state interface, and a database interface. The component interface is operative to receive component identifiers identifying components of a construction project. The state interface is operative to receive state indicators, each state indicator indicating a particular state (e.g., ordered, in transit, installed, inspected, etc.) associated with one of the components. The database interface is operative to store the component identifiers and the associated state indicators in the database. A method of managing construction projects is also described. The method includes the steps of receiving a plurality of component identifiers from a user, associating an initial predefined state with each received identifier, storing the component identifiers and the associated initial states in a database, updating the states associated with the component identifiers in the data base, and retrieving the updated states from the database to determine the status of the construction project. Novel data structures, application program interfaces, and graphical user interfaces are also disclosed. |
| US08782080B2 |
Detecting social graph elements for structured search queries
In particular embodiments, a method includes receiving an unstructured text query, parsing the text query to identify n-grams; determining a score that the n-grams correspond to particular nodes and edges from a social graph, identifying those nodes and edges with a score greater than a threshold score, and then generating structured queries that include references to the identified nodes and edges. |
| US08782075B2 |
Query handling in databases with replicated data
The same data is stored in at least two different database management systems (DBMS's), including a columnar DBMS (320.2) and a non-columnar (e.g. row-oriented) DBMS (320.1). The columnar DBMS may provide fast responses to queries involving aggregation, and such queries can be routed to the columnar DBMS. A query may be routed to the non-columnar DBMS if for example the query execution involves only small DBMS tables on the non-columnar DBMS. In some situations, an execution time estimate can be obtained from each DBMS, and the query is routed to the DBMS providing the shortest estimate. |
| US08782073B2 |
System and method for dynamically generating a selectable search extension
A system and related techniques accept user-inputted search terms, for example to perform a search for files or other data or objects. Corresponding matches to those terms may be presented to the user in a “word-wheel”-type breakout list generated on the fly for groupings of hits by attributes or other criteria, as the system searches through the file system at the current level or point in the file system hierarchy. Search results may be continuously or dynamically updated as the user, for example, enters more characters or other data. |
| US08782072B2 |
Search engine supporting mixed image and text search input
Searching of images by correlating a search image with a plurality of images hosted in Internet based servers by an image search server. The image search server supports delivery of search result pages to a client device based upon a search string or search image, and contains images from a plurality of Internet based web hosting servers. The image search server delivers a search result page containing images upon receiving a search string and/or search image from the web browser. The selection of images in the search result page is based upon: (i) word match, that is, by selecting images, titles of which correspond to the search string; and (ii) image correlation, that is, by selecting images, image characteristics of which correlates to that of search image. The selection of images in the search result page also occurs on the basis of popularity. |
| US08782070B2 |
Data pattern for storing information, including associated version and audit information for use in data management
Information is stored in a data pattern. The data pattern includes an identity table, a version table that includes at least one reference to the identity table, and an audit table that includes at least one reference to the version table. The identity table stores information identifying the information. The version table stores version information identifying one or more versions of the information identified in the identity table. The audit table stores audit information identifying when each of the one or more versions of the information was modified. The audit table may also store effectiveness information identifying when each of the one or more versions of the information is in effect. |
| US08782069B2 |
Method and system of providing a search tool
A system and method of providing information to improve efficiency of human searchers obtaining information on behalf of users is described. A first responder to a request is provided with specialized tools for responding to a request. An initial evaluation of a query may be used to determine the responder and the type of tools which will be provided initially. A toolset which allows rapid responses based on data resources, common queries, and contextual information of a user, a request, partially matching queries and previous responses to previous queries is used to improve the probability that a first responder may provide a suitable response to a query. |
| US08782068B2 |
Method, apparatus and system for protocol identification
The embodiments of the present invention disclose a method, an apparatus and a system for protocol identification. The implementation of the method includes extracting the identification tuple of a message, wherein the identification tuple at least includes a network address; searching an identification table for the algorithm application list corresponding to the identification tuple; and performing a content identification for the message with an algorithm in the algorithm application list to obtain the protocol type of the message. By using the identification tuple which at least includes IP address and is extracted from the message to search for the corresponding algorithm, and then performing content identification for the message with the searched algorithm, the above implementation can improve the message identification precision and reduce the identification error. |
| US08782063B2 |
Generation and data management of a medical study using instruments in an integrated media and medical system
In general, a computer-implemented method is described for receiving one or more requests to generate a medical study, retrieving from one or more data repositories one or more medical study instruments, receiving a selection of a particular medical study instrument to use in the medical study, generating by one or more computers a list of one or more research collaborators invited to review the medical study, and generating by one or more computers a list of one of more participants invited to join the medical study. Additionally, the computer-implemented method generates by one or more computer systems a data filter to format medical data from a first data format to a second data format, wherein the second data format complies with a third data format associated with one or more medical study instruments. |
| US08782062B2 |
XML data model for remote manipulation of directory data
An XML data model and systems and methods for using the same are described herein that enable entities to interact with a remote directory service, such as an LDAP-style directory service, using industry standard Web services protocols that represent resources using XML, such as WS-Transfer and WS-Enumeration. |
| US08782059B2 |
Systems and methods for selecting and importing objects
Systems and methods are provided for selecting and importing objects. In one implementation, a computer-implemented method is provided for selecting objects for importation. Each object includes data and related processes. In the method, a search query is received including an object type. The object type identifies two or more key fields that uniquely identify the object type specified in the search query. A filter selection is received, which includes one or more values of characteristics or key figures of the specified object type. A database is searched and objects of the specified object type that meet the filter selection are identified. A result is returned to a user indicating the identified objects. |
| US08782058B2 |
Search index dictionary
Various embodiments are described herein that generally relate to systems and methods for generating context specific terms and performing various actions based on the context specific terms. One example embodiment includes a computer-implemented method for generating context specific terms comprising obtaining a collection of terms from at least one electronic file associated with a given context; comparing the collection of terms with a collection of expected terms to generate candidate terms that are not in the collection of expected terms; determining a relevance for each of the candidate terms; and determining whether to add a given candidate term to a collection of context specific terms for the given context if the relevance for the given candidate term is above a threshold. |
| US08782053B2 |
Data streaming for interactive decision-oriented software applications
Providing data to a computer software application by intercepting a request made by a computer software application to retrieve a first data set from a first data storage location, accessing a record, defined in advance of the request, that includes a reference to the first data set and a reference to a second data set, retrieving the first data set from a data storage location other than the first data storage location, and retrieving the second data set from a data storage location other than the first data storage location in advance of a request by the computer software application to access the second data set at the first data storage location. |
| US08782052B2 |
Tagging method and apparatus of portable terminal
A tagging method and apparatus of a portable terminal in which, if particular content is edited, only second tag information corresponding to the edited content is extracted and then automatically tagged to the edited content. The second tag information is part of the first tag information corresponding to a photography subject contained in the particular content. |
| US08782050B2 |
Database and index organization for enhanced document retrieval
A customized, specialty-oriented database and index. of a subject matter area and methods for constructing and using such a database are provided. Selection and indexing of articles is done by experts in the topic with which the database is concerned. As a result, articles are indexed in a manner that allows facile, rapid retrieval of highly relevant articles with few or no false positives with much reduced database maintenance cost through frugal limitation of number of documents in the database, number of terms in a Master Index, and number of codes assigned to each document. A thesaurus allows indexing and search in accordance with terminology familiar to different anticipated groups of users (e.g. doctors, patients, nurses, technicians, and the like). Key articles collections and rapid access to documents therein are also provided. Additional classifications may be applied to articles or documents and searched as an additional search criterion such as a potential use. The context of key word(s) included in the search query can be specified from the hierarchical list of key words without requiring additional classification of articles/documents. Search results may also be filtered and/or sorted based on components included in the articles/documents. |
| US08782049B2 |
Keyword presenting device
In one embodiment, there is provided a keyword presenting device including: an extraction unit configured to extract a plurality of keywords from a browsing document; a determination unit configured to arrange keywords with spellings similar to each other among the plurality of keywords to obtain a plurality of groups of similar keyword; an integration unit configured to classify the keywords into main keywords that are titles and the other sub-keywords for each group of similar keywords, and to integrate the sub-keywords into the main keywords; and a presentation unit configured to present the main keywords to a user. |
| US08782047B2 |
Fixed content storage within a partitioned content platform using namespaces
Content platform management is enhanced by logically partitioning a physical cluster that comprises a redundant array of independent nodes. Using an interface, an administrator defines one or more “tenants” within the archive cluster, wherein a tenant has a set of attributes including, for example, 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 such that access to one namespace (and its associated objects) does not enable a user to access objects in another namespace. A namespace has capabilities (e.g., read, write, delete, purge, and the like) that a namespace administrator can choose to enable or disable for a given data account. Using the interface, an administrator for the tenant creates and manages namespaces such that the cluster then is logically partitioned into a set of namespaces, wherein one or more namespaces are associated with a given tenant. This approach enables a user to segregate cluster data into logical partitions. Using the administrative interface, a namespace associated with a given tenant is selectively configured without affecting a configuration of at least one other namespace in the set of namespaces. This architecture enables support for many top level tenants, with multiple namespaces per tenant, and wherein configuration is effected at the level of a namespace. |
| US08782041B1 |
Text search for weather data
Systems and methods for providing weather data are adapted to receive requests in a free-form format, such as a text input, and specifying a geographic area. The system is adapted to identify geographic areas likely corresponding to the free-form input and retrieve weather data corresponding to those identified geographic areas from a weather observation location proximate to the geographic area. |
| US08782036B1 |
Associative memory based desktop search technology
An embodiment of the current invention is a computer implemented method and computer product for searching resources of a computer system comprising, enabling a user to input a keyword, wherein the keyword is used to generate a list of search results corresponding to resources, enabling the user to select one or more filters of a plurality of filters, wherein selection of a filter filters the list of search results of the resources and displaying the resources and associations between the filtered list of the resources based on the keyword and selection of filters; wherein the associations represent a user's interactions with the resources of the computer system. An alternative embodiment of the current invention is a computer implemented method and computer product for creating searchable associations of a user's interaction with a computer system's resources comprising recording the user's interactions with the computer system's resources, and creating associations between the resources based on the user's interactions. |
| US08782033B2 |
Entity following
The present invention outlines a genuine entity following system that also addresses data source limitation. When reviewing entity-related objects in web content, a web user designates one or more entities to follow in real time. More particularly, the present invention is directed through strategic deployment of a dynamic crawler upon selection of a “follow” pointer over an object in a web browser such that a web user can automatically designate entities to be followed and receive alerts at predetermined temporal intervals when new information regarding such designated entities becomes available. A web entity engine of the present invention is designed to discover trending entities at any given time while generating output activity (i.e., signal) streams for this entity. |
| US08782032B2 |
Minimizing visibility of stale content in web searching including revising web crawl intervals of documents
A method includes comparing a first instance with a second instance of a document in a plurality of documents. The first instance is obtained from a remote location at a specified time before the second instance is obtained from the remote location, and (i) the specified time is determined in accordance with a first crawl interval associated with the document, (ii) each document in the plurality of documents is assigned to a tier in a plurality of tiers, each tier having a distinct associated range of web crawl intervals, and (iii) the first crawl interval is assigned a first tier. The method also includes computing a second crawl interval for the document, which is a function of the document comparison; and determining whether the second crawl interval is in the first tier. When the second crawl interval is not, the first document is reassigned to another tier. |
| US08782030B1 |
Using a query log from a two-box interface to identify standalone locations
One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that automatically identifies a standalone location, wherein a standalone location is a location which can be unambiguously identified by a name for the location alone. During operation, the system receives inputs from an interface for a search engine, wherein the interface includes two or more boxes, including a non-location box for receiving terms specifying what a user is searching for in a query, and a location box for receiving terms specifying a geographic location associated with the query. Next, the system receives a term to be evaluated. The system then uses the inputs to determine: a non-location score for the term which indicates how frequently the term appears in the non-location box; and a location score for the term which indicates how frequently the term appears in the location box. Next, the system determines whether the term is a standalone location based on the non-location score and the location score for the term. |
| US08782026B2 |
Color harmony with process and environmental feedback
A computerized system and method for analyzing color consistency on automotive parts and for providing feedback on painting processes occurring in an assembly plant. The system and method facilitates data collection and analysis at numerous points during the assembly paint processes and the identification of possible adjustments so that parts are painted within a specified tolerance. Body and bumper parts are measured during an inspection process. Measurement and colorimetric data is stored in association with an identifier for the body part or bumper. Measurements relate to equipment and paint mix variables as well as environmental variables that influence the paint results. A software application facilitates analysis of the data and troubleshooting possible causes for color discrepancies. As the color trends away from a specified standard, paint process, including environmental, changes are made, prior to the painting of parts in the bumper or body so that color mismatches are prevented. |
| US08782021B2 |
Systems and methods for folder redirection
A method for redirecting, to a second machine, without user intervention, a request for access to a folder on a first machine, the request made by a resource executing within a remote access session on the first machine, includes receiving, by a component on a first machine, folder mapping information associated with a folder provided by a shell namespace on a second machine. The component intercepts a request by a resource executing on the first machine for access to file system data on the first machine. The component redirects the request to the second machine responsive to the received folder mapping information. |
| US08782019B2 |
Separation of data chunks into multiple streams for compression
For on-line separation of data chunks for compression, unrelated data chunks are classified based on various attributes. The classified data chunks are sent to at least one available compression contexts. The classified data chunks are related. The classified data chunks are encoded by at least one the compression operations. A compression ratio is achieved and included as feedback. |
| US08782018B2 |
Storage device and data processing device utilizing determined dictionary compression
A data processing device for a storage device can include a dictionary storage unit that is configured to store a plurality of dictionaries and a compression unit that is configured to determine a selected dictionary from the plurality of dictionaries based on received data, and compress the received data using the selected dictionary to provide compressed data. Each of the plurality of dictionaries can include a plurality of pattern-symbol correspondence relations defining a one-to-one correspondence between respective ones of a plurality of patterns and respective ones of a plurality of symbols. |
| US08782017B2 |
Representing and manipulating RDF data in a relational database management system
Techniques for generating hash values for instances of distinct data values. In the techniques, each distinct data value is mapped to hash value generation information which describes how to generate a unique hash value for instances of the distinct data value. The hash value generation information for a distinct data value is then used to generate the hash value for an instance of the distinct data value. The hash value generation information may indicate whether a collision has occurred in generating the hash values for instances of the distinct data values and if so, how the collision is to be resolved. The techniques are employed to normalize RDF triples by generating the UIDS employed in the normalization from the triples' lexical values. |
| US08782013B1 |
System and method for archiving data
Systems, methods, apparatus and software can utilize a markup language to import and export data that is archived using a backup and restore system. An export utility extracts data produced or processed by an application program, converts it into a markup language format, and provides it to a backup and restore system. An import utility extracts data in a markup language format, converts it to another format, and provides the data for use by the application program. In one example, the application program is a database management system. |
| US08782011B2 |
System and method for scalable reference management in a deduplication based storage system
A system and method for managing a resource reclamation reference list at a coarse level. A storage device is configured to store a plurality of storage objects in a plurality of storage containers, each of said storage containers being configured to store a plurality of said storage objects. A storage container reference list is maintained, wherein for each of the storage containers the storage container reference list identifies which files of a plurality of files reference a storage object within a given storage container. In response to detecting deletion of a given file that references an object within a particular storage container of the storage containers, a server is configured to update the storage container reference list by removing from the storage container reference list an identification of the given file. A reference list associating segment objects with files that reference those segment objects may not be updated response to the deletion. |
| US08782009B2 |
Method and system for electronic file lifecycle management
A method and system for managing a file lifecycle is disclosed. The method incorporates a virtual file cabinet having virtual drawers. Files are moved from drawer to drawer throughout their lifecycle in accordance with policies associated with each drawer. The files are moved automatically and as such, a file's lifecycle is managed from file creation to file deletion in an automated fashion. By using an archiving device such as magneto optical storage media, the files are automatically moved to their final archived location in an archiving drawer once certain policies of their present drawer are met. The system is an electronic system employing the inventive method. |
| US08782008B1 |
Dynamic proxy server assignment for virtual machine backup
A computer-implemented proxy server local to a backup target system performs a backup method for a system supporting a plurality of virtual machines. The backup method includes receiving an initialization of a connection over a network from a backup server identifying the system to backup to the backup target system, establishing a communication connection over the network with the system to backup including identifying an interface for accessing data of the system to backup, receiving an image of the system to backup from the backup server, retrieving a data set corresponding to the image from the system to backup over the network, and writing the data set to a local file in the backup target system. |
| US08782006B1 |
Method and apparatus for file sharing between continuous and scheduled backups
Method and apparatus for file sharing between continuous and scheduled backups is described. One example relates to backing up source data stored by a computer system. A first portion of the source data is backed up at points in time in response to a backup schedule to produce a plurality of partial backups. A second portion of the source data is backed up continuously in response to changes of the second portion to maintain a replica of the second portion. The replica of the second portion is linked to the plurality of partial backups to produce a respective plurality of full backups of the source data. |
| US08781996B2 |
Systems, methods and computer program products for searching within movies (SWiM)
Systems, methods and computer-readable media process a series of media files into a searchable format. The method includes generating a media database by processing each of a plurality of programs. The steps of the method include extracting a subtitle track from each of the programs, retrieving at least one frame associated with the subtitle track, adding metadata to the extracted subtitle track and at least one frame, processing the subtitle track, program statistics and at least one frame in a media database. Another aspect includes receiving a user query associated with dialog in a program, searching the media database and presenting a listing of results, receiving a user selection or program from their listing and transmitting at least one frame, a portion of associated subtitle track and prompts for ordering the program. |
| US08781993B2 |
Nearly orthogonal latin hypercubes for optimization algorithms
Nearly orthogonal latin hypercubes are used in optimization algorithms for creating an expanded and synthetically-generated data set to improve an initial optimization algorithm. |
| US08781989B2 |
Method and system to predict a data value
Embodiments of the present invention include methods and systems for predicting the likelihood of topics appearing in a set of data such as text. A number of latent variable methods are used to convert the data into a set of topics, topic values and topic profiles. A number of time-course methods are used to model how topic values change given previous topic profiles, or to find historical times with similar topic values and then projecting the topic profile forward from that historical time to predict the likelihood of the topics appearing. Embodiments include utilizing focus topics, such as valence topics, and data representing financial measures to predict the likelihood of topics. Methods and systems for modeling data and predicting the likelihood of topics over other dimensions are also contemplated. |
| US08781985B2 |
Addressing system degradation by application disabling
In some embodiments, a routine is executed that identifies one or more applications that consume resources of the computer without a benefit that justifies such consumption, with the routine comprising evaluating at least some data from a source external to the computer, and an ability of the one or more identified applications to start on the computer absent user input requesting or authorizing use of such an application is disabled. In some embodiments, the external source of data may, for example, comprise a remote database identifying potentially undesirable applications and/or a remote software reputation service. In some embodiments, a routine is executed that identifies one or more applications that consume resources of the computer without a benefit that justifies such consumption and that also identifies one or more resources or utilities that utilize the one or more applications. An ability of the one or more identified applications to start on the computer absent user input requesting or authorizing use of such an application is disabled, and an ability of the one or more resources or utilities to attempt to utilize the one or more applications absent user input requesting or authorizing such an attempt is also disabled. |
| US08781984B2 |
Techniques for generating a trustworthiness score in an online environment
Some embodiments of this disclosure relate to techniques for determining trustworthiness scores for entities in an online environment. Often, the techniques gather behavioral information regarding entities from a number of different online sources, and then process this information to generate the trustworthiness scores. In some embodiments, a portion of one entity's score can be scaled with regards to a corresponding portion of another entity's score. In still other embodiments, an entity can be provided with a trustworthiness score that has different category components. |
| US08781979B2 |
Prediction method for monitoring performance of power plant instruments
Disclosed is a prediction method for monitoring performance of power plant instruments. The prediction method extracts a principal component of an instrument signal, obtains an optimized constant of a SVR model through a response surface methodology using data for optimization, and trains a model using training data. Therefore, compared to an existing Kernel regression method, accuracy for calculating a prediction value can be improved. |
| US08781978B2 |
Support vector machines processing system
An implementation of SVM functionality improves efficiency, time consumption, and data security, reduces the parameter tuning challenges presented to the inexperienced user, and reduces the computational costs of building SVM models. A system for support vector machine processing comprises data stored in the system, a client application programming interface operable to provide an interface to client software, a build unit operable to build a support vector machine model on at least a portion of the data stored in the system, the portion of the data selected using a stratified sampling method with respect to a target distribution, an apply unit operable to apply the support vector machine model using the data stored in the system. |
| US08781976B1 |
Paperless mortgage closings
Concepts and technologies are disclosed herein for providing an electronic document processing system, an electronic document generation mechanism, an encrypted digital certificate generator, a tool for coordinating the processing of electronic documents, a packaging mechanism for finalizing and authenticating electronic documents, a tracking log for recording relevant electronic document information, and a transferring protocol for transferring the ownership of electronic documents. The present disclosure also is directed to an electronic authentication system including an electronic document authentication watermark seal or signature line for confirming a document's signing within the view. The present disclosure also is directed to a system, software program, and method for generating electronic documents, coordinating the signing of electronic documents, digitally authenticating and certifying electronic documents, and organizing electronic documents for retrieval and transfer in a mortgage closing and/or other financial services application. |
| US08781974B2 |
System and method for a private and secure financial transaction system using a central system
A financial transaction system between a customer and a financial institution has a central system that facilitates private and secure payment transactions from a customer of the financial institution to a payee and that stores personal and private data of a customer that is referenced to an identification of a wireless mobile device of the customer. The central system receives financial transaction requests from the mobile device for transaction from a one or bank accounts of the customer. The central system identifies and verifies the customer and assembles payment authorization transaction requests and submits the payment transaction record to the customer's financial institution, thereby reducing the number of people and systems who would have access to the private data of the customer, and thus reducing the number of fraudulent financial transactions. |
| US08781973B1 |
Event marketing automated system
In a method of processing customer applications at an event, an application is received from a customer on a customer interface computer. The data in said application is verified on the customer interface computer and encrypted. The encrypted data is transmitted wirelessly to a portal computer via a private wireless network, and then transmitted to a processing computer system for approval of the application. |
| US08781972B2 |
Distributed license management
Techniques for distributed license management are provided. Three or more services or servers cooperate and negotiate with one another to establish primary, secondary, and tertiary licensing services. Initially, the primary is designated as a master licensing service and manages a license for a plurality of users over a network. If the primary fails to respond within a configurable period of time to both the secondary and tertiary licensing services, then the secondary dynamically assumes a master licensing service role for purposes of managing the license. |
| US08781970B2 |
System, method and program product to determine resolution when software installed on a computer is not properly licensed
Computer system, computer implemented method and computer program product for determining a recommended course of action to resolve an unlicensed software installation of a type of software in a computer of a company. A determination is made as to an amount or level of use of the type of software by the company during a predetermined period of time. A determination is made if the type of software is currently installed on another computer of the company. A determination is made if the software of the unlicensed software installation can be relocated to the other computer of the company and encompassed under another existing license for the other computer. Alternately, automatic evaluations are made of characteristics of the company's use of (a) the type of software which would permit removal of the type of software from all computers of the company, (b) the software installation which would permit removal of the software installation, and (c) the type of software which would permit relocation of the software from the unlicensed software installation to another computer of the company at which the software would be licensed. |
| US08781959B2 |
Systems and methods for generating payment due notifications
Systems and methods for generating payment due notifications are provided. A payor and a payee of the payor may be identified by a payment service provider system. At least one notification control parameter associated with communicating payment due notifications to the payor may be identified. Based at least in part upon evaluating a payment history associated with one or more payments made to the payee on behalf of the payor, a payment frequency pattern may be determined. Based at least in part on a portion of the payment history and the determined payment frequency pattern, a next expected payment date may be calculated. In accordance with the at least one notification control parameter, a payment due notification including an identity of the payee and the next expected payment date may be generated. The payment due notification may be transmitted to the payor. |
| US08781955B2 |
System and method for providing time to cure negative balances in financial accounts while encouraging rapid curing of those balances to a positive net position
A computer implemented method and system for providing financial services are described. The system and method include determining an account balance for a financial account. If the account balance is negative, notice of the negative balance is sent to the account holder in real time. After a predetermined period of time or grace period, and/or by a predetermined end time or cut-off date or time, it is determined whether the negative balance was cured. If the negative balance was not cured during the grace period, an overdraft fee is assessed to the financial account. If the negative balance was cured during the grace period, any assessed overdraft fee for the negative balance is rebated or reversed. |
| US08781954B2 |
Systems and methods for identifying financial relationships
Improved systems and methods are provided for identifying financial relationships. In particular, financial relationships may be identified by associating tradelines with one or more people who sign or co-sign on the tradeline. In various embodiments a method is provided comprising, receiving, at a computer-based system for credit data analysis comprising a processor and a tangible, non-transitory memory, credit reporting data relating to a tradeline, parsing, by the computer-based system, the credit reporting data to yield primary debtor data and secondary debtor data, and linking, by the computer-based system, the tradeline with the primary debtor data and the secondary debtor data. |
| US08781953B2 |
Card management system and method
A method of registering a credit card user's credit card information by a credit card management organization. A card user accesses the card management computer system in a computer network. The method provides a user interface whereby the user grants authorization to the card management organization to obtain the card user's credit report from a credit reporting bureau. The method further transmits a request for the user's credit report to a credit reporting bureau and automatically downloads the user's credit report when received. The method further parses the credit report to determine a card issuer for each card on the credit report using a database of card issuer aliases. The method then fully or partially automatically registers each card with the user's account in the card management association and then presents the opportunity to the user to review and edit each card. |
| US08781952B1 |
Systems, methods and computer software related to pooled credit risk and financial instrument allocation
One embodiment of the present invention is directed to a system related to pooled credit risk. Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method related to pooled credit risk. Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to computer software related to pooled credit risk. Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a financial instrument allocation optimization algorithm. In one example, the financial instrument allocation optimization algorithm may relate to a maximum matching algorithm. In another example, the financial instrument allocation optimization algorithm may relate to a maximum dispersion algorithm. |
| US08781951B2 |
Method and system for providing financing
Methods for financing dealer debt instruments for customers of a dealer are disclosed. One method, among others, an underwriter system that finances a dealer debt instrument based upon at least one of customer information, product information, and transaction information for the dealer debt instrument. The underwriter system may calculate an initial purchase offer, and then adjust the initial purchase offer based at least upon at least one of product information and transaction information. In some situations, the underwriter system may provide a dealer with multiple purchase offers for one debt instrument. |
| US08781947B2 |
System and method for analyzing and displaying security trade transactions
Processing and charting security exchange trading and market information shows security traders if current transactions originated as buy orders or sell orders, and simultaneously indicates traded quantity. Security exchange trading information is received that includes the price, volume and time of each trade. In addition, security exchange market information is received from buyers, specifying bide prices and quantities, and from sellers, specifying asking prices and quantities. The security exchange trading and market information is processed simultaneously and displayed as a continuously updated real-time chart depicting the exchange auction process whereby buyers and sellers agree to trade at specified prices, including details of individual transactions. The chart is formed by plotting each trade at the price traded, and for each plot point shows a distinctive icon indication whether the transaction was initiated by a buyer or seller. |
| US08781943B2 |
Method and system for offset matching
The trading of interest rate swaps or other interest rate derivatives gives rise to mismatch exposure. This can be offset by a series of FRA trades. Rather than conducting a series of exposure neutral trades, FRAs can be bought or sold for the entire amount of a trader's reset exposure. To hedge the offset trades, a series of IMM FRA trades are conducted. The relative size of the IMM contracts will be determined by the distance in time from the IMM quarterly contract settlement date. A system is disclosed for performing offset trades and IMM hedges. The embodiments allow for non-neutral trading and subsequent hedging brings trading back to a neutral position. |
| US08781942B2 |
System and method for matching electronic proposals to electronic requests
A system for receiving bid requests and bid proposals sent thereto over a data-packet-network (DPN) and for matching the bid proposals to the bid requests includes at least one input/output port for receiving the bid requests and the bid proposals, at least one memory utility for storing the bid requests and bid proposals, and a set of machine readable instructions for enabling matching of the stored bid proposals to the stored bid requests. |
| US08781941B2 |
Method and apparatus for conducting loan repurchase transactions
Systems, methods, apparatus, computer program code and means for conducting repurchase transactions include identifying at least a first bank loan held by a first party. The at least first bank loan is transferred to a second party in exchange for a first sum, and the parties agree, at substantially the same time as the parties agree to the transfer, that the first party repurchases the first bank loan at a later date for a second sum. In some embodiments, reverse repurchases may also be performed. |
| US08781938B2 |
Computer-implemented method and apparatus for adjusting the cost basis of a security
A computer-implemented method and apparatus for determining a cost basis associated with a plurality of shares of a security. In response to information identifying an issuer, the purchase date and the sale date, a list of capital events that occurred in connection with the security between the purchase date and the sale date is retrieved from a database. One or more shares held adjustment ratios are then retrieved from a database. Each of the shares held adjustment ratios corresponds to one of the capital events that occurred in connection with the security between the purchase date and the sale date. A current cost basis associated with the security may then be determined in accordance with the one or more cost adjustment ratios and the purchase price per share of the security. |
| US08781936B2 |
Financial data entry system
A method of tracking and aggregating all Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) “shelf” registration and all capital market activity related to those shelf registrations. The method includes the steps of accessing a first database containing data associated with investment registrations, wherein the data is organized as a series of individual filings. The method further includes the steps of retrieving data from the first database associated with selected ones of the filings, organizing the data into tables based on at least one aggregate aspect of the data common to multiple filings, and storing the retrieved data in at least one table. |
| US08781934B2 |
Pre-paid financial savings and investment card system
A savings and investment system and method including a plurality of pre-paid investment cards (PPICs) which can be purchased by individuals as investment products for themselves or as gifts for PPIC recipients. The PPICs are pre-paid stored value cards that are provided for use with the investment system by a PPIC company, which establishes relationships with partner financial services providers and partner retailers to provide investment vehicles and the PPICs. The value stored on the PPICs can be redeemed through a PPIC website maintained by the PPIC company or the partner financial services provider(s), whereby the value on the PPIC is deposited in an investment account established for the PPIC recipient, and then allocated among specified investment vehicles. The PPIC purchaser may optionally define usage rules governing how the PPIC value is allocated. |
| US08781933B2 |
Determining commercial share of wallet
Commercial size of spending wallet (“SoSW”) is the total business spend of a business including cash but excluding bartered items. Commercial share of wallet (“SoW”) is the portion of the spending wallet that is captured by a particular financial company. Commercial SoW is a modeling approach that utilizes various data sources to provide outputs that describe a company's spend capacity. These outputs can be appended to data profiles of customers and prospects and can be utilized to support decisions involving prospecting, new account evaluation, and customer management across the lifecycle. Company financial statements are utilized to identify and calculate total business spend of a company that could be transacted using a commercial credit card. A spend-like regression model may then be developed to estimate annual commercial SoSW value for customers and prospects within a credit network. |
| US08781931B1 |
Method and system for allocating deposits over a plurality of depository institutions
A computer system, computer-implemented method, and program product for managing a plurality of client transaction accounts associated with a plurality of respective clients for a plurality of transactions, the system comprising: one or more configured to perform the steps: administering clients' deposits/transfers to and withdrawals/transfers from client transaction accounts; performing the following steps for each client transaction account, i, of a plurality of client transaction accounts: determining a client available deposit amount, Di, comprising funds to be distributed over Ni respective banks in the program; determining, for Di, a value of Ni banks for the respective client transaction account, wherein Ni is a whole number and (X) times (Ni) is equal to or less than 100, where X is a distribution percent value to be distributed to each of the Ni banks; allocating, the percentage, X, multiplied by the respective client available deposit amount, Di, calculating, for each bank of a plurality of the banks in the program, a respective net bank deposit amount for allocation; generating instructions to transfer funds to or from one or more of the aggregated deposit accounts in one or more of the respective banks in the program; and updating one or more of the electronic databases with update data for each of a plurality of the client transaction accounts. |
| US08781927B2 |
Passive RFID postage stamps and method of using the same
A system and method for postage payment utilizes passive RFID tags as postage “stamps”, with the amount of the postage automatically billed to a previously-established customer account. The tags are stored in a separate stamp database and are “enabled” by linking the individual tag to a customer account. The use of the RFID stamps eliminates the need for the customer to know the proper postage beforehand. The existence of a customer account with a proper return address reduces the likelihood of a dead letter. Also, a special category of stamps may be used for automatic reply mail. By virtue of using an RFID tag, the mailed item's progress through the postal delivery system may be tracked from dispatch to delivery. |
| US08781926B2 |
Communications techniques for an intelligent digital audiovisual reproduction system
Method for communication between a central server and a computerized juke-box which operates in a conference mode, including: sending a header before any transaction, which includes the identity of the destination together, the identity of the emitter, and the size of the packets; responding from the server in the form of a data packet, each packet sent by the server being encoded using the identification code of the juke-box software; and receiving a data packet by the juke-box, which decodes the packet, simultaneously performs a check on the data received by the CRC method and sends an acknowledgement of receipt to the server indicating the accuracy of the information received, to allow it to prepare and send another packet to the juke-box. |
| US08781925B1 |
Accounts payable process
Techniques for performing an accounts payable process may include receiving transaction data including at least one of invoice data, purchase order data, and vendor data; and verifying a transaction by matching a dynamic data set of client-specified multi-dimensional criteria to the transaction data. An accounts payable system may include a host system in communication with one or more client systems. The host system may include a matching database configured to receive an accounts payable file including at least one of invoice data, purchase order data, and vendor data; and verify a transaction by matching a dynamic data set of client-specified multi-dimensional records to attributes of the accounts payable file. |
| US08781924B2 |
Remote program development mediation system and method for mediating a program development contract and development of program using virtual development environment of client
Disclosed is a remote program development mediation system and method for enabling remote program development by mediating a program development contract between a development consignor and a developer, constructing the development environment of a developer terminal for developing a program in a Client/Server (C/S) environment in a virtualization server, and allowing a virtualization server to provide the developer terminal with a development tool image of a virtualized development framework. When a consignor requests a plurality of development pools to develop programs, a chronic difficulty to secure developers can be solved, and developers can develop programs remotely. |
| US08781917B2 |
System and method for directing a customer to additional purchasing opportunities
A dynamic merchandising system creates for each of a plurality of products in a plurality of purchase orders a list of products purchased together. This information is then used to create ordered lists reflecting relationships between various product attributes, e.g., the relationships between different brand names purchased together, different product categories purchased together, different catalog pages of products purchased together, etc. From these ordered relationship lists information may be selected and presented to the customer for the purpose of directing the customer to additional purchasing opportunities. |
| US08781915B2 |
Recommending items to users utilizing a bi-linear collaborative filtering model
A recommender system may be used to predict a user behavior that a user will give in relation to an item. In an embodiment such predictions are used to enable items to be recommended to users. For example, products may be recommended to customers, potential friends may be recommended to users of a social networking tool, organizations may be recommended to automated users or other items may be recommended to users. In an embodiment a memory stores a data structure specifying a bi-linear collaborative filtering model of user behaviors. In the embodiment an automated inference process may be applied to the data structure in order to predict a user behavior given information about a user and information about an item. For example, the user information comprises user features as well as a unique user identifier. |
| US08781913B1 |
System and method for conducting an online auction via a social networking forum
The invention relates to a system and method for conducting an online auction via a social networking forum for a cohort of users that have a pre-established association with an experience scheduled to occur at a predetermined time, a predetermined date and a predetermined location. The system may provide a social networking forum that facilitates social networking communications amongst members of the forum combined with auction capabilities that provide items that may be relevant to its members. Users in the cohort may join the social networking forum as members. The social networking forum may provide a supplier of an item for auction with a target audience that may be interested in the item by virtue of their pre-established association with an experience. Similarly, from the perspective of a member of the forum, the system may provide an auction that includes items that may be of interest to the member. |
| US08781907B2 |
Financial transaction approval system and method
A method of processing a retail transaction includes processing a plurality of items for purchase using a point-of-sale terminal, which is part of a transaction approval system at a point of sale in a retail store. Processing the plurality of items includes using the point-of-sale terminal to determine associated price information for each item. Processing the plurality of items begins when information regarding an identifier of a first one of the plurality of items is entered into the point-of-sale terminal and ends when the information regarding the identifiers associated with all of the plurality of items has been entered into the point-of-sale terminal. The method further includes, before processing the plurality of items ends, electronically receiving an identification of a financial account to pay for the plurality of items, and after electronically receiving the identification of the financial account, determining a total cost of the plurality of items. |
| US08781906B2 |
Systems and methods for managing consumer transaction-based investments
The field of the invention relates to systems and methods for controlling investment funds, and more particularly to systems and methods for real-time projections based on consumer transactions. In one embodiment, an investment fund management system may include a consumer communication device configured to create a payment gateway with a Point of Sales (POS) terminal. The system further includes a portfolio server accessible over a data network. The consumer communication device is configured to execute a process including the steps of intercepting a transaction through the payment gateway; computing an expected return based on the investment of a transaction amount from said transaction; and providing the expected return to the consumer communication device. |
| US08781905B2 |
System and method for transponder-enabled account transactions
A transponder-initiated transaction system is electromagnetically coupled to an account transponder device at the point of sale. The account transponder device may be embedded within a watch, key chain or other personal article for convenience or affinity. The transponder device may communicate account information to an RF-enabled point of sale device, enabling transactions to take place without resort to remote data processing facilities. In other embodiments partial or complete account information may be accessed or stored at co-located or remote sources. New account registrants may access a Web site to enter a transponder ID and activate a new account, which may be a credit account, debit account, cash account, special purpose vending account, or other types of accounts. |
| US08781900B2 |
Method and system of providing information to an occupant of a vehicle
Providing information to an occupant of a vehicle. At least some of the illustrative embodiments are methods including: identifying an occupant of a vehicle, the identifying creates an indicia of occupant identity; determining an identity of the vehicle, the determining creates an indicia of vehicle identity; tracking location of the vehicle when occupied by the occupant; and providing information to the occupant, the information selected based on the indicia of occupant identity, the indicia of vehicle identity, and/or the locations of vehicle when occupied by the occupant. |
| US08781895B2 |
Web campaign promotion system and method
Events generated by customer interaction during an internet-based session are made available for use by a system for tracking the effectiveness of web advertising campaigns. Event occurrences are collected for evaluation to determine whether campaign goals are being met. Campaigns are defined by rules indicating which ad content is to be displayed to which customers. Event types to be reported are selected depending on the needs of the particular campaign. |
| US08781893B2 |
System and method for managing customized reward offers
In accordance with some embodiments of the present invention, a method is provided for managing reward offers. A first performance target that is associated with a financial account is determined. Transaction data that is associated with the financial account is received, and a second performance target for the financial account is determined based on the transaction data. |
| US08781889B2 |
System for providing offers using a billing statement
A billing statement according to one aspect of the invention includes a description of a transaction and an offer pointer associated with the transaction, wherein the offer pointer includes information that may be used to review an offer. In one example of this aspect, a telephone number or a hyperlink is provided adjacent to a total amount owed listed on a statement (e.g., an electronically-displayed billing statement). The offers reviewed may be customized, for example, based on details of the transaction such as the product purchased or the amount of the purchase, the identity of the consumer, and/or on other data. |
| US08781887B2 |
Method and system for out-of-home proximity marketing and for delivering awarness information of general interest
The method comprises: programming a plurality of dispersed computer units for receiving and transmitting information from a centralized computer unit independently located with respect to that plurality of computer units, each of the latter being provided with a wireless transceiver, Bluetooth type, for collecting, storing and transmitting ID data from OBEX capable wireless devices situated at range of the computer units; providing a plurality of displaying units, each located adjacent to the plurality of computer units; and programming the centralized computer unit for: receiving the ID data, storing information from sponsors to be displayed on plurality of displaying units and to the wireless devices. General interest information is also send to the former and latter. For carrying out the method the system comprises computer and displaying units and a centralized computerized unit. |
| US08781886B2 |
Graphical user interface for presenting image evaluation information
A method is disclosed for operating a computer to transform and present data gathered from respondents to electronic surveys and to evaluate preferences related to digital two dimensional and three dimensional images. The method includes receiving computational results for an electronic survey in the form of data files, which include one or more cluster scores for clusters identified in an image presented in the electronic survey. The computational results are transformed for presentation on a graphical user interface. The method provides a summary of the computational results for all images viewed in the survey and detailed survey results for selected images from the survey. The method further provides formatting options for presentation of the computational results, with the formatting options including mode selection, cluster selection, and data display adjustment. The final formatted computational results are presented on the graphical user interface for review by an operator. |
| US08781885B2 |
Method for compliance of standards registrar with accreditation requirements
A methodology for standards registrars to meet requirements of governmental accrediting agencies includes a unique set of procedures and work instructions for certifying or registering an organization as conforming to one or more national or international standards. The procedures and work instructions assure adherence to the international guidance document government registrars, while providing easily used and maintained instructions for employees. The procedures and work instructions are amenable to translation into various foreign languages. In one embodiment, the methodology includes procedures and work instructions governing the quotation process and scheduling of audits, including selection of auditors, as well as audit package review and issuance of appropriate certificates of compliance are. The procedures and work instructions for all audits and certifications are preferably controlled (150) and directly auditable via a single location or office, such as the registrar's headquarters. |
| US08781884B2 |
System and method for automatically generating work environment goals for a management employee utilizing a plurality of work environment survey results
Employees of an organization are surveyed concerning their opinions about the work environment provided by the organization. A computer system that includes a survey question storage module, a survey administration component, a survey results storage module, and a survey analysis component is used to administer the survey and to analyze the survey results. The computer system generates work environment index (WEI) scores for the managers in the organization to summarize the results of the survey as to employees who are within the managers' departments. The WEI scores are made the subject of performance goals for the managers and are displayed to the managers via their personal computers. |
| US08781876B2 |
Computer product, charge calculating apparatus, and charge calculating method
A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium stores therein a charge calculating program that causes a computer that manages a database of different data items to execute recording for each data item, information indicating the number of clients that receive the data item; extracting from the information recorded at the recording and for each data item to be received by a given client, information indicating the number of clients receiving the data item; calculating charges for the given client, based on the extracted information; and outputting the calculated charges. |
| US08781874B2 |
Network analytics systems and methods
In one method, a request is received for a market trend report corresponding to a designated payment type over a designated timeframe. A payment type dataset is identified from aggregated POS data. The payment type dataset comprises POS datasets corresponding to the timeframe and to transactions categorized by payment type. Market trend data is generated as a function of the payment type dataset and is output as a report. The method may produce a variety of reports. For example, a report may display the percentage of transactions for each payment type in terms of numbers of transactions. A report may further show whether each payment type is increasing or decreasing in numbers of transactions over the timeframe. |
| US08781873B2 |
Method and system for scheduling activities
Techniques to schedule activities. In one method, a request to book an appointment for an activity in a particular schedule is initially received. In response, time slots available in the schedule for booking the activity are determined, and a set (all or a subset) of the time slots is provided as possible appointment choices. The time slots in the set are temporarily locked. A next set of time slots or more time slots may be requested (if the time slots provided are not acceptable or desirable), in which case additional time slots may be provided. Thereafter, a selection for one of the time slots is received. In response, the activity is booked in the selected time slot and previously locked time slots are released. The locked time slots may also be released if no selection is received after a particular amount of time. |
| US08781871B2 |
Methods and systems for assigning operators to print production cells based on relationships
A system of assigning operators to cells in a document production environment may include a computing device and a computer-readable storage medium in communication with the computing device. The computer-readable storage medium may include one or more programming instructions for identifying a first plurality of cell operators, where each cell operator is associated with one or more skills, identifying a cell to be staffed, wherein the cell is associated with one or more functions, identifying, from the first plurality of cell operators, a subset of cell operators comprising a group of cell operators who collectively possess the skills necessary to perform the one or more functions associated with the cell, selecting, from the subset, a second plurality of cell operators based on at least one relationship amongst the second plurality of cell operators, and assigning the second plurality of cell operators to the cell. |
| US08781867B2 |
Monitoring system
A monitoring system comprising an extracting device monitoring business data used in a business process on a business device and extracting monitoring target data specifying a predetermined item of data from the business data, and a monitoring device processing the monitoring target data given from one or more extracting devices, wherein the extracting device judges, when the business process occurs on the business device, whether or not the business data used in the business process is the monitoring target data, and transmits the monitoring target data to the monitoring device, and the monitoring device aggregates the monitoring target data extracted by the extracting device from one or more extracting devices, stores the aggregated data, analyzes the stored data, then stores the analyzed result data, and notifies the monitoring client of the stored result data. |
| US08781865B2 |
Handling consolidated tickets
Handling problem tickets in a computing environment, in one aspect, may comprise identifying a plurality of tickets generated in the computing environment that are candidates for consolidation. The identifying may be done based on whether the tickets have the same or similar root cause, whether they are generated from virtual machines having same configuration, and/or one or more other criteria. The tickets which are candidates for consolidation may be grouped into a bundled group, and marked as bundled. Resolving a ticket from the bundled group may potentially resolves all tickets from the bundled group. |
| US08781864B2 |
Anticipatory presentation of travel information
Systems and techniques for presenting travel information to a user are described. A code that includes predetermined travel parameters specified by the user is included in a web page. Access to the web page by a user is detected. A travel query is populated with the predetermined travel parameters and a variable parameter based on identification information associated with the user. Cached travel options that are obtained from prior queries and that satisfy the travel query are presented to the user. |
| US08781863B2 |
Automation of auditing claims
Described are computer-based methods and apparatuses, including computer program products, for automation of auditing claims. A data file is received comprising one or more auditable items, each auditable item comprising a word string having one or more words. Each word string for each auditable item is translated using one or more translation steps into a translated item description. Each translated item description is compared to a plurality of terms to generate matching information. Each translated item description is associated with an item identifier based on the matching information. Each auditable item is accepted or rejected based on the item identifier and one or more rules associated with the data file. |
| US08781853B2 |
Integrated medical software system with location-driven bill coding
An integrated medical software system with location-driven bill coding is disclosed. The system comprises an information component that automatically retrieves payment method data and demographic data for a patient and location data for a healthcare provider; a clinical component that captures at least one of a diagnosis code, a procedure code, and an evaluation and management (E&M) code as at least one of a clinician and a staff member at the healthcare provider inputs clinical data for the patient into the an electronic document during an encounter with the patient; a mapping component that automatically associates a billing code with the at least one of a pathology code, a procedural code, and an E&M code and assigns a service cost to the billing code based on a pre-defined fee schedule, said pre-defined fee schedule being automatically chosen based on the location data for the healthcare provider; and a service detail entry component that uses the payment method data and the demographic data for the patient and the service cost to automatically generate at least one of a bill, a claim, and a statement for the patient. |
| US08781851B2 |
Dynamic claims adjudication
A dynamic claims adjudication system is provided that implements a dynamic claims adjudication process to provide flexible determination of the adjudication rule set to be used to adjudicate a claim for a particular prescription drug regardless of the mandates of the formulary and the rigidity of the tier into which the drug is placed on the formulary. The claims adjudication system and corresponding methods dynamically determine the adjudication rule set to be used to adjudicate a claim based on an analysis of criteria and identification of a tier changing criteria. Accordingly, the rigidity of conventional formulary based claims adjudication is eliminated in favor of dynamic and flexible real time claims adjudication. |
| US08781850B2 |
System and method for enhancing and authenticating an insurance eligibility transaction
The disclosure presents a system, method, and computer readable medium for execution on a computer processor, for authenticating and enhancing an insurance eligibility transaction, such as a 270/271 healthcare system transaction. In a particular embodiment, an insurance eligibility transaction request, such as a 270 transaction, is received/intercepted by the system prior to being received by the payor and data from one or more sources, such as a credit bureau database containing credit file data, is used to enhance, verify and correct the accuracy of data fields particular to the insurance eligibility transaction. The payor's database(s) can also be enhanced accordingly. The system also has capability to, among other things, identify fraud-related issues, charity qualification, and patient payment estimation as part of the transaction. |
| US08781846B2 |
System and method for the analysis of pricing data including pricing flexibility for vehicles and other commodities
Embodiments disclosed herein can provide consumers with an effective tool for evaluating the negotiability of prices for vehicles in the marketplace. The tool may include a Price Flexibility Score which measures the elasticity of transaction prices by vehicle model. Specifically, a method may dynamically incorporate factors that affect price variance, convert those factors into variables, generate order statistics for each of the variables, apply a weighting factor to the variables to generate a price flexibility score for each make-model, and determine a negotiability index utilizing the price flexibility score. In one embodiment, the process of determining the negotiability index may be fully driven by a price flexibility model that incorporates a plurality of factors. |
| US08781845B1 |
Service configuration management system and method
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a method for service configuration management. One embodiment of the present invention includes providing a configuration question and capturing an answer to the question. The embodiment also includes linking the answer to a requirement, tracing the requirement to a potential solution, and storing integrated information. Further, the integrated information of the embodiment includes the requirement, the potential solution, and a link between the requirement and the potential solution. |
| US08781844B2 |
Audio coding
A method for encoding an audio signal including: processing a selected subset of a lower series of samples forming a lower frequency spectral band of the audio signal and a higher series of samples forming a higher frequency spectral band of the audio signal to parametrically encode the higher series of samples forming the higher frequency spectral band by identifying a sub-series of the lower series of samples. |
| US08781841B1 |
Name recognition of virtual meeting participants
An example method is provided that may include receiving a first request to join a communication session; receiving voice data from a telephonic device in response to an audio prompt requesting a voice input from a dial-in user; interpreting the voice data to identify a particular name; and presenting the particular name in a graphical user interface associated with the communication session, the presentation of the particular name identifying that the dial-in user has joined the communication session. |
| US08781836B2 |
Hearing assistance system for providing consistent human speech
Broadly speaking, the embodiments disclosed herein describe an apparatus, system, and method that allows a user of a hearing assistance system to perceive consistent human speech. The consistent human speech can be based upon user specific preferences. |
| US08781834B2 |
Communication device transforming text message into speech
The application discloses a communication device and method of processing a text message in the communication device. An aspect of the present application is a method of processing text message in a communication device, the method including receiving a text message from an external sender, receiving a request to transform the text message into voice data, transforming the received text message into voice data according to the request, and transmitting the voice data to an external sound reproduction device through a wireless communication module. |
| US08781829B2 |
Document extension in dictation-based document generation workflow
An automatic speech recognizer is used to produce a structured document representing the contents of human speech. A best practice is applied to the structured document to produce a conclusion, such as a conclusion that required information is missing from the structured document. Content is inserted into the structured document based on the conclusion, thereby producing a modified document. The inserted content may be obtained by prompting a human user for the content and receiving input representing the content from the human user. |
| US08781827B1 |
Filtering transcriptions of utterances
A method for facilitating mobile phone messaging, such as text messaging and instant messaging, includes receiving audio data communicated from the mobile communication device, the audio data representing an utterance that is intended to be at least a portion of the text of the message that is to be sent from the mobile phone to a recipient; transcribing the utterance to text based on the received audio data to generate a transcription; and applying a filter to the transcribed text to generate a filtered transcription, the text of which is intended to mimic language patterns of mobile device messaging that is performed manually by users. The method may also be applied to the audio data of a voicemail, with the filtered, transcribed text being communicated to a mobile phone as, for example, an SMS text message. |
| US08781826B2 |
Method for operating a speech recognition system
A method for operating a speech recognition system is described in which a speech signal (S1) of a user is detected and analyzed so as to recognize speech information contained in the speech signal (S1). The speech recognition system determines a reception quality value (SQ) or a noise value which represents a current reception quality. The speech recognition system is switched over to a mode of operation which is less sensitive to noise and/or outputs an alert signal (SW) to the user when the reception quality value (SQ) drops below a given reception quality threshold or when the noise value exceeds a noise threshold. An appropriate speech recognition system is also described. |
| US08781825B2 |
Reducing false positives in speech recognition systems
Embodiments of the present invention improve methods of performing speech recognition. In one embodiment, the present invention includes a method comprising receiving a spoken utterance, processing the spoken utterance in a speech recognizer to generate a recognition result, determining consistencies of one or more parameters of component sounds of the spoken utterance, wherein the parameters are selected from the group consisting of duration, energy, and pitch, and wherein each component sound of the spoken utterance has a corresponding value of said parameter, and validating the recognition result based on the consistency of at least one of said parameters. |
| US08781823B2 |
Voice band enhancement apparatus and voice band enhancement method that generate wide-band spectrum
A voice band enhancement apparatus is used that includes a frequency transform unit to perform frequency transform on an input signal to calculate a spectrum, a mapping function calculating unit to calculate, by use of the spectrum, a mapping function for generating high-range components from low-range components of the spectrum, a wide-band spectrum generating unit to generate, in a higher range than a band of the spectrum, a high-range spectrum based on the mapping function and to integrate the generated high-range spectrum and the spectrum calculated by the frequency transform unit, thereby generating a wide-band spectrum wider than the band of the spectrum calculated by the frequency transform unit, and an inverse frequency transform unit to perform inverse frequency transform on the wide-band spectrum to calculate an output signal. |
| US08781822B2 |
Audio and speech processing with optimal bit-allocation for constant bit rate applications
Methods and apparatus for audio and speech processing including generating a plurality of frames, each of the frames comprising a plurality of transform coefficients, and allocating bits to the transform coefficients in each of the frames such that at least two of the transform coefficients in the same frame have different bit allocations and the total number of the bits allocated to the transform coefficients in at least two of the frames is equal. |
| US08781821B2 |
Voiced interval command interpretation
A method is disclosed for controlling a voice-activated device by interpreting a spoken command as a series of voiced and non-voiced intervals. A responsive action is then performed according to the number of voiced intervals in the command. The method is well-suited to applications having a small number of specific voice-activated response functions. Applications using the inventive method offer numerous advantages over traditional speech recognition systems including speaker universality, language independence, no training or calibration needed, implementation with simple microcontrollers, and extremely low cost. For time-critical applications such as pulsers and measurement devices, where fast reaction is crucial to catch a transient event, the method provides near-instantaneous command response, yet versatile voice control. |
| US08781818B2 |
Speech capturing and speech rendering
The invention proposes extracting one or more speech signals (151-154) as well as one or more ambient signals (131) from sound signals captured by microphones, wherein each of the speech signals corresponds to a different speaker. The invention proposes to transmit both the one or more speech signals (151-154) and the one or more ambient signals (131) to a rendering side, as opposed to sending only speech signals. This enables to reproduce the speech and ambient signals in a spatially different way at the rendering side. By reproducing the ambient signals a feeling of “being together” is created. In an embodiment, the invention enables reproducing two or more speech signals spatially from each other and from the ambient signals so that speech intelligibility is increased despite the presence of the ambient signals. |
| US08781813B2 |
Intent management tool for identifying concepts associated with a plurality of users' queries
Linguistic analysis is used to identify queries from a plurality of users over a period of time that use different natural language formations to request similar information. Common intent categories are identified for the queries requesting similar information. Intent responses can then be provided that are associated with the identified intent categories. An intent management tool can be used for identifying new intent categories, identifying obsolete intent categories, or refining existing intent categories. The said intent categories are used in identifying ontologies associated with the intent categories to help in selecting concepts as ontology parameters. |
| US08781805B1 |
Simulating fluid structures
A system includes a computing device that includes a memory configured to store instructions. The computing device also includes a processor configured to execute the instructions to perform a method that includes defining a simulated fluid object that includes a first portion and a second portion being represented by a signed distance function. The method also includes applying at least one constraint to the first portion of the simulated fluid object to match a velocity of a target. The method also includes applying a collection of calculated forces to the second portion of the simulated fluid object. Also, the method includes rendering the first portion applied with the at least one constraint and the second portion applied with the collection of calculated forces to present the simulated fluid object. |
| US08781799B2 |
Simulation method
(a) Regarding a particle system S in which the number of particles is N, the mass of each particle is m, and inter-particle interaction potential energy can be expressed by εf, α greater than 1, γ equal to or greater than 0 and equal to or smaller than d, and δ equal to or greater than 0 are determined using a dimension number d of a space where the particle system S is arranged to obtain the number N′ of renormalized particles by N′=N/αd, to obtain the mass m′ of each of the renormalized particles by m′=mαδ/αγ, and to obtain a renormalized interaction coefficient ε′ by ε′=εαγ. (b) Molecular dynamics calculation is carried out on a particle system S′ in which the number of renormalized particles is N′, the mass of each particle is the mass m′ of each renormalized particle, and inter-particle interaction potential energy is expressed by ε′f. |
| US08781797B1 |
Virtual drive test tool
A channel emulator reads a record of captured radio signal data of a group of cellular base stations in a fielded cellular network from a memory. Based on the record of the captured radio signal data, the channel emulator generates a simulation of a radio environment of the fielded cellular network. In one aspect, the simulation generates a number of live cellular base station signals fewer than the group of cellular base stations in the fielded cellular network. In another aspect, a terrain environment model is applied based on the captured radio signal data. |
| US08781793B2 |
Light emission analyzing device
The light emission analyzing device includes: a first light intensity calculation unit that performs polynomial approximation on a spectroscopic spectrum indicating a light intensity for each wavelength in a container as measured by a spectrometer so as to calculate the light intensity; a second light intensity calculation unit that subtracts, for each wavelength, the light intensity calculated by the first light intensity calculation unit from the light intensity indicated by the spectroscopic spectrum measured by the spectrometer so as to calculate a light intensity corresponding to a bright-line spectrum of a molecule; and a ratio calculation unit that calculates, by using the light intensity calculated by the second light intensity calculation unit, a ratio between (a) a peak value of a molecular spectrum of a first molecule and (b) a peak value of a molecular spectrum of a second molecule. |
| US08781791B2 |
Touchscreen with dynamically-defined areas having different scanning modes
Methods, devices, and computer programs are presented for managing power consumption by a display. One method includes an operation for identifying one or more possible inputs for an activity monitoring device based on a state of the activity monitoring device. The one or more possible inputs are defined to be entered via a touchscreen of the activity monitoring device. Further, the method identifies a first region and a second region in the touchscreen, the first region being associated with the one or more possible inputs, and the second region being defined outside the first region. Further, the method includes operations for establishing in the first region a first touchscreen setting for scanning the first region for touch, and for establishing in the second region a second touchscreen setting for scanning the second region, where the first touchscreen setting defines higher processing than the second touchscreen setting. |
| US08781789B2 |
Method for determining incline angle of electromagnetic pointer
A method for determining an incline angle of electromagnetic pointer is disclosed. The method comprises the following steps. First of all, an electromagnetic input pen/stylus is provided over antennas Xn/Yn along X/Y axes. Then a plurality of antennas at two sides of the antennas Xn/Yn are scanned. Next the signal distributions of the antennas Xn/Yn and the antennas at two side are analyzed. Then the number of antenna sampled of the signal distributions of the antennas at two side is determined. Next the antennas at two side are selected and the signal distributions are sampled and received according to the number of antenna sampled. Finally, an incline angle of the electromagnetic pointer is determined according to the sampled signal distributions. |
| US08781782B2 |
System and method for conditional multi-output regression for machine condition monitoring
A method for predicting sensor output values of a sensor monitoring system, includes providing a set test input values to a system of sensors, and one or more known sensor output values from the sensor system, where other sensor output values are unknown, calculating, for each unknown sensor output value, a predictive Gaussian distribution function from the test input values and the known output sensor values, and predicting each unknown output ym by integrating over a product of the predictive Gaussian distribution function and a conditional Gaussian distribution of the unknown output sensor values with respect to the test input values and other unknown output sensor values. A mean and covariance of the predictive Gaussian distribution function are determined from a training phase, and a hyperparameter of the conditional Gaussian distribution are determined by another training phase. |
| US08781781B2 |
Dynamic care areas
Various embodiments for determining dynamic care areas are provided. In one embodiment, a first inspection process is performed on a wafer after a first fabrication step has been performed on the wafer and before a second fabrication process has been performed on the wafer. One embodiment includes determining care areas for a second inspection process based on inspection results generated by the first inspection process. The second inspection process will be performed on the wafer after the second fabrication step has been performed on the wafer. |
| US08781772B2 |
Detection apparatus with a matching network for nulling and associated methods
A detection apparatus includes a transmitter to generate a detection signal, and a coil assembly including a transmit coil and a receive coil. The transmit coil transmits the detection signal toward an object to be detected, with the object to be detected emitting a target signal in response to the transmitted detection signal. The receive coil receives the target signal emitted from the object along with an undesired coupling signal from the transmit coil. A matching network is coupled to the transmitter and generates an adjusted detection signal by adjusting a profile of the detection signal to match a profile of the undesired coupling signal. An output stage has a first input coupled to the receive coil to receive the target signal and the undesired coupling signal, and a second input coupled to the matching network to receive the adjusted transmit signal. The output stage subtracts the adjusted detection signal from the target signal and the undesired coupling signal so that the target signal remains. |
| US08781770B2 |
Method and system for estimating battery percentage
A method and a system for estimating a battery percentage are provided. The method includes the following steps. A coulomb counter calculated battery index (CCBI) relating to an accumulated amount of current flowing out of a battery is obtained. A battery voltage curve tracer calculated battery index (VCBI) relating to a temperature, an output voltage of the battery, and a current flowing out of the battery is obtained. A modified calculated battery index (MCBI) ranging between the CCBI and the VCBI is generated according to the CCBI and the VCBI. |
| US08781769B2 |
Networked device with power usage estimation
A request for energy usage status is received by a networked device over a network. A set of power usage data is retrieved from a non-volatile memory located within the networked device. The set of power usage data, which includes information related to power usage of the networked device, was previously stored in the non-volatile memory in advance of positioning the networked device for normal use. A best estimate of the energy usage status of the networked device is calculated based, at least in part, on the set of power usage data retrieved from the non-volatile memory without measuring electrical parameters of a power source of the networked device during normal use. The best estimate of the energy usage status is then sent by the networked device over the network as a reply to the energy usage status request. |
| US08781767B2 |
Systems and methods for data anomaly detection
Systems and methods for performing data anomaly detection and/or removal are usable to accurately assess baseline power consumption. According to one embodiment of the invention, a system can be provided. The system can be operable to receive energy consumption data of a location; select, based at least in part on a collection period of the energy consumption data, an algorithm for detecting anomalies in the energy consumption data; perform the algorithm on the energy consumption data to detect the anomalies in the energy consumption data; and determine an energy consumption baseline for the location based at least in part on a result of the algorithm. |
| US08781761B2 |
Rotary speed detection method and device therefor, reaction liquid viscosity detection method and device therefor, and method for manufacturing reaction product
The method for detecting rotary speed includes: a step (I) for deeming the difference between input power (P) and loss power (A) to be a first order approximation value (PM1) of the mechanical output of an induction motor, and for obtaining a first approximation value (N1=NS(1−S1)) (NS is the synchronous speed) of the rotary speed from the functional relationship (PM1=κS1) of the output (PM) and slip (S) known for the induction motor; a step (II) for obtaining loss power (B1) based on the value (N1); and a step (III) for deeming a second order approximation value (PM2) of the motor output to be P−(A+B1), and for obtaining a second order approximation value (N2=NS(1−S2)) of the rotary speed from the functional relationship (PM2=κS2) (κ is the motor constant) of the output (PM) and slip (S). |
| US08781759B2 |
Meter electronics and methods for processing sensor signals for a multi-phase flow material in a flowmeter
Meter electronics (20) for processing sensor signals for a multi-phase flow material in a flowmeter (5) is provided according to an embodiment of the invention. The meter electronics (20) includes an interface (201) for receiving first and second sensor signals (210 and 211) for the multi-phase flow material and a processing system (203). The processing system (203) is configured to receive the first sensor signal (210) and the second sensor signal (211), generate a first ninety degree phase shift (213) from the first sensor signal (210) and generate a second ninety degree phase shift (214) from the second sensor signal (211), compute a frequency (221) using one of the first ninety degree phase shift (213) or the second ninety degree phase shift (214), compute a phase difference (220) using one or more of the first ninety degree phase shift (213) and the second ninety degree phase shift (214), and compute one or more of a mass flow rate (223), a density (224), or a volume flow rate (225) for the multi-phase flow material. |
| US08781752B2 |
Measuring control method and arrangement
The method is for controlling a measurement process of blood glucose of a patient. At least one repeatedly occurring even is selected within a period of time. A blood glucose measurement difference data is obtained that is associable to the event. Trend data is calculated from the difference data. The measurement process is controlled by using the trend data. Also an arrangement, computer program product and a device are disclosed. |
| US08781751B2 |
Biological information trend display device and method thereof
A biological information trend display device and method which allow the trend and an abnormal value of biological information to be checked with ease are provided. When a curve (50) showing the ST level in lead V3 exceeds the upper limit of a normal range, the part of the curve above the upper limit is displayed in an abnormal color “b” (red, for example). To indicate that the ST level derived from the lead V3 has exceeded the upper limit, a lead icon (32) in an upper part of the display screen is displayed in the abnormal color “b.” |
| US08781748B2 |
System and method for generating images of subsurface structures
A system and method for generating images of a subsurface region of interest is provided. In one embodiment, a computer-implemented method of generating images related to a subsurface region of interest includes: accessing, via a central processing unit (CPU), seismic data and an earth model related to the subsurface region of interest; forward propagating a source wavefield using the earth model at a first time interval via at least one external co-processor coupled to the CPU; transferring, at a second time interval, the forward propagated source wavefield to the CPU for compression and external storage; backward propagating the seismic data at the first time interval via the external co-processor to derive backward propagated receiver wavefield; and transferring, at the second time interval, the backward propagated receiver wavefield to the CPU. Via the CPU, the method further includes retrieving the stored forward propagated source wavefield; decompressing the retrieved forward propagated source wavefield; and applying imaging conditions to the decompressed forward propagated source wavefield and backward propagated receiver wavefield to construct image data representative of the subsurface region of interest. |
| US08781744B2 |
Downhole surveying utilizing multiple measurements
Certain embodiments described herein provide an estimate of the magnetic interference incident upon a drilling system using multiple magneticclaim sensors within a downhole portion of the drilling system in a first wellbore. Certain embodiments utilize the magnetic measurements to determine an axial interference resulting from one or more magnetic portions of the downhole portion and to provide an estimate of a relative location of a second wellbore spaced from the first wellbore. |
| US08781742B2 |
Maps from sketches
A sketch can be received. The sketch can include one or more sketched graphical elements and one or more sketched representations of text. Pattern matching of the one or more sketched graphical elements and the one or more sketched representations of text with a map region can be automatically performed. A map of the map region can be automatically generated and displayed. |
| US08781738B2 |
Automated location-intelligent traffic notification service systems and methods
Traffic notification systems include a location determination system that can determine a geographic location of a subscriber, and an automated traffic notification system that can automatically transmit a traffic notification message that is based on the geographic location of the subscriber to a wireless terminal associated with the subscriber. |
| US08781736B2 |
Data-driven traffic views with continuous real-time rendering of traffic flow map
A computer-implemented method, apparatus and article of manufacture is provided for displaying traffic flow data on a graphical map of a road system. The graphical map includes one or more segments and the traffic flow data represents traffic conditions on a road system. A status of each segment on the graphical map is determined, wherein the status corresponds to the traffic flow data associated with that segment. An animated traffic flow map of the road system is then created by combining the graphical map and the status of each segment. The animated traffic flow map is created by being continuously rendered in real time. The traffic flow data is updated in real-time, and the traffic flow map immediately reflects the updated traffic data. |
| US08781735B2 |
Adaptive clustering of locations
Example techniques and systems include generating cluster information to consolidate multiple locations. In one example, a method includes receiving, at a computing device, a plurality of location identifiers corresponding to a plurality of locations at which a mobile computing device was previously located, defining, by the computing device, a plurality of geographic regions based at least in part on the plurality of location identifiers, wherein each of the plurality of geographic regions defines a physical area in which at least one of the plurality of locations is located, selecting, by the computing device, a subset of the plurality of geographic regions based on respective distances between a current location of the mobile computing device and a respective reference point within each of the geographic regions, and outputting, by the computing device and for display, an indication of the subset of the plurality of geographic regions. |
| US08781732B2 |
Apparatus and method for recognizing position of moving object
An apparatus for recognizing a position of a moving object includes a sensor information collector to collect sensor information associated with movement of the moving object, a camera to capture a front image based on the movement of the moving object, and a GPS receiver configured to receive a GPS position of the moving object. Further, the apparatus includes a location recognizer to display N number of particles, each of which indicates a candidate position of the moving object, in a certain region about a GPS location of the moving object on a map. The location recognizer then updates a location of the particles based on the movement of the moving object, and progressively reduces number of particles on the basis of accuracy of the position-updated particles, thereby recognizing the position of the moving object. |
| US08781731B2 |
Adjusting method and system of intelligent vehicle imaging device
An adjusting method and an adjusting system of an intelligent vehicle imaging device are provided, wherein a real feature point for comparison is disposed in a monitoring area around a vehicle. A camera captures images around the vehicle. The images are transmitted to the controller and displayed on a touch display panel. The controller performs image processing on the images and the real feature point, and compares the real feature point with position data of predetermined feature points, and generates a bird's-eye view image. If the images are captured, the bird's-eye view image is rotated and scaled after conversion according to a predetermined position and a predetermined proportion and then is located on a stitched image and outputted. A blind spot area size or a lane departure parameter is selected through the touch display panel, and the stitched image is adjusted through the touch display panel. |
| US08781726B2 |
Method and system for adjusting a demand-response transit schedule
A method and system for adjusting a demand-response transit schedule is provided. A demand-response transit schedule is reviewed during performance of the demand-response transit schedule. The fact that the demand-response transit schedule may need to be adjusted is detected. The demand-response transit schedule is then adjusted. |
| US08781711B2 |
Combustion detecting method of engine
A combustion phase detection method of an engine has the advantages of being able to reduce exhaust gas and to improve combustion stability, to compensate injection and ignition delay time between combustion chambers and between cycles, and to detect a combustion phase in real time such that a heat generation rate and heat release can be effectively calculated in an early state of combustion with a simple calculation method to control combustion of an engine, by using a combustion pressure and a motoring pressure difference of an engine not affected by an offset value of the cylinder pressure. For this, a combustion phase detection method may include detecting a combustion phase by using a specific point of DRdV as follows: DR ⅆ V : P diff ⅆ V ⅆ θ max ( P diff ⅆ V ⅆ θ ) Here, the Pdiff (P−Pmotoring) is a difference between a cylinder measure combust pressure (P) and a motoring pressure (Pmotoring), and V is a combustion chamber volume. |
| US08781709B2 |
Monitoring of a filter of the fuel-supply system of an aircraft engine
A monitoring method for monitoring a filter of a feed circuit for feeding an aircraft engine with fuel, the method including: detecting clogging of the filter; issuing an indication message; determining a current stage from among a plurality of successive stages of a mission of the aircraft, including at least a stage during which clogging of the filter is not capable of being caused by ice, and a stage during which clogging of the filter might be caused by ice; and in response to detecting clogging, determining the type of clogging as a function of the current stage; wherein during the issuing an indication message, the message that is issued depends on the type of clogging. |
| US08781707B2 |
Vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and vehicle control system
The amount of traffic on the road is greatly affected by both an inter-vehicle distance and a vehicle speed. When the amount of traffic increases and is more than a threshold value, an ECU 20 and an ACC 30 control the inter-vehicle distance and the vehicle speed such that the amount of traffic is a predetermined value equal to or more than the threshold value. In this way, it is possible to effectively suppress traffic congestion. |
| US08781706B2 |
Monitoring apparatus and method
An apparatus for monitoring one or more target objects in an environment external to a host vehicle by means of at least one sensor, the apparatus being arranged to trigger at least one action responsive to the detection of prescribed relative movement between the host vehicle and the one or more target objects. The apparatus is arranged to determine whether the at least one sensor is correctly aligned with respect to the host vehicle whereby, when the apparatus commences monitoring of the environment, the apparatus is arranged not to trigger the at least one action until the apparatus has determined that the at least one sensor is correctly aligned. |
| US08781702B2 |
Control device of braking device and braking device
In a control device of a braking device, a brake force holding control that holds a brake force generated by a braking device main body to wheels of a vehicle to a predetermined value or more is executed based on a change amount per unit time of an operation amount of a brake operation member. Accordingly, since the brake force holding control that holds the brake force to the predetermined value or more is executed by the braking device main body based on at least a change amount per unit time of an operation amount of the brake operation member, holding of the brake force can be appropriately executed regardless of an operation state. |
| US08781698B2 |
Method for controlling the shifting of an automatic geared transmission
A method for controlling shifts in an automated multi-step variable-speed transmission, in a drive-train of a motor vehicle, between a drive engine in the form of an internal combustion engine and an axle drive. During driving, besides current vehicle, road and driver-specific operating parameters, topographical data relating to a road section ahead of the motor vehicle, in particular the road section height profile, are determined, and from this information, the driving resistance profile (FFW(xF)) of the motor vehicle for the road section ahead is determined. In the automatic mode of the multi-step variable-speed transmission, control commands for traction upshifts and/or traction downshifts are derived, during the traction operation, as a function of the driving resistance profile (FFW(xF)) and are implemented in the transmission. A limiting gear progression (GGr(xF)) is determined, which consists of the sequence of gears, and is evaluated for the derivation of control commands. |
| US08781696B2 |
Variable transmission and method
A powertrain includes an engine, a transmission having a first input connected to an engine output shaft, and a variator. The variator includes a pump connected to the engine output shaft and a motor connected to a second input of the transmission. The pump has a variable setting that is determinable by a position of a pump actuator in response to a command signal. A controller associated is disposed to control operation of the variator, at least in part, by providing the command signal to the pump actuator. The command signal is determined based on an operator command and on a compensation term, which depends on a correlation function of a parameter related to the speed ratio between a pump speed and a motor speed and a flow characteristic of the pump actuator. |
| US08781694B1 |
Combine harvester drive system
A combine harvester (102) drive system switches between a first isochronous operating curve (622) and a second isochronous operating curve (628) of an isochronously governed engine (126) when a load on the combine harvester engine (126) reaches one or more threshold load conditions. |
| US08781693B2 |
Method for automatic location identification of electronic devices on agricultural implements
A system for performing agricultural operations includes a plurality of electronic modules for use on an agricultural machine, the plurality of electronic modules configured for controlling agricultural operations associated with the agricultural machine, at least one shared data bus operatively connected to each of the plurality of electronic modules, wherein each of the plurality of electronic modules being configured to monitor the at least one shared data bus and determine an unused location for itself and claim the location, wherein the system uses the location of each of the plurality of electronic modules in controlling the agricultural operations associated with the agricultural machine. A method provides for automatic assignment of a physical (or logical) address to each of a plurality of devices mounted on either a vehicle or implement used for an agricultural operation. |
| US08781688B2 |
Method and system for combining sensor data
A method is provided for combining sensor data collected by at least two sensors coupled to at least one application, wherein at least one of the sensors provides driver-related sensor data of a driver-related behavior and at least one external sensor provides sensor date not related to driver-related behavior. The sensor data of the at least two sensors are combined as the respective measurement errors of the data are uncorrelated in time with respect to the at least one application. |
| US08781687B2 |
Security system comprising a self-mixing laser sensor and method of driving such a security system
A security system is described, comprising a sensor module (15) which accommodates a laser sensor (10) working with self-mixing interference. The laser sensor (10) generates measurement data which are related to the velocity of an object such as the body of a human being and, optionally, the distance between the laser sensor (10) and the object. Dependent on the measurement data assembled by the laser sensor (10) and supplied to a control circuit (30) such as an airbag computer, the airbag computer activate security means such as an airbag (35)in order to prevent injuries of the human body. Furthermore, a method of driving such a security system is described. |
| US08781685B2 |
System and method for integrating automatic electrical steering with GNSS guidance
A guidance and vehicle control system for automatically steering a vehicle, such as an agricultural vehicle or a tractor, through a field. The system includes a GNSS receiver and antenna for determining the vehicle's instantaneous position, a guidance CPU, and an automatic steering subsystem integrated with the vehicle's electrical power system. The automatic steering subsystem can be interfaced with the steering column of the vehicle, and mechanically activates the steering column, thereby steering the vehicle according to instructions received from the CPU based upon the vehicle's position and a predetermined path. An interrupt element, such as a wheel movement sensor or a slip gear, may be interfaced with the automatic steering subsystem to allow for manual steering override of the automatic steering control. |
| US08781680B2 |
Bicycle suspension control setting device
A bicycle suspension control setting device includes a control device, an indicating unit, a selecting unit and a communication unit. The control device includes a plurality of setting information relating to a plurality of operating states for a bicycle suspension device. The indicating unit is operatively connected to the control device to indicate the setting information to a user. The selecting unit is operatively connected to the control device to selectively select at least one of the setting information that is to be indicated by the indicating unit. The communication unit includes at least one of a wireless connection section and a wired connection section configured to detachably connect to a bicycle suspension control apparatus to transmit the setting information selected by the selecting unit to the bicycle suspension control apparatus. |
| US08781678B2 |
Method for adjusting tire pressure
A method for adjusting the pressure in at least one first and one second tire of a vehicle from a starting value to a target value, includes that the target value is located between the starting value and a pressure of a pressure reservoir. The method includes allowing air to flow through a first line between the first tire and the reservoir and through a second line between the second tire and the reservoir, determining which tire is likely to reach the target value sooner and throttling the air flow through the line of the tire identified in the determining increasing the air flow through the line of the tire that was not identified in the step of determining. |
| US08781672B2 |
System and method for importance sampling based time-dependent reliability prediction
A system and a method of generating a reliability prediction for components of a vehicle. The system and the method include implementing importance sampling in dynamic vehicle systems when the vehicle is subjected to time-dependent random terrain input. Alternatively, simulation data may be implemented. The system and the method include determining a decorrelation length, scaling up the standard deviation of white noise, and calculation of a likelihood ratio. |
| US08781671B2 |
On-board brake system diagnostic and reporting system
A brake valve diagnostic and reporting system for a pneumatic only brake valve on a rail car which includes a brake pipe transducer for measuring brake pipe pressure; and a brake cylinder transducer for measuring brake cylinder pressure. A processor receives measurements from the transducers, compares the measurements against stored brake performance profiles, determines brake status from the comparison and prepares an event report for preselected brake statuses. A wireless transmitter connected to the processor transmits the report. An energy storage device powers the processor and transmitter. |
| US08781670B2 |
Controlling vehicle lateral lane positioning
Methods and systems for controlling vehicle lateral lane positioning are described. A computing device may be configured to identify an object in a vicinity of a vehicle on a road. The computing device may be configured to estimate, based on characteristics of the vehicle and respective characteristics of the object, an interval of time during which the vehicle will be laterally adjacent to the object. Based on the characteristics of the vehicle, the computing device may be configured to estimate longitudinal positions of the vehicle on the road during the interval of time. Based on the respective characteristics of the object, the computing device may be configured to determine a lateral distance for the vehicle to maintain between the vehicle and the object during the interval of time at the longitudinal positions of the vehicle, and provide instructions to control the vehicle based on the lateral distance. |
| US08781668B1 |
Location-based vehicle powertrain regulation system
A vehicle control system to control operation of a vehicle includes a powertrain system operable according to a plurality of operating modes that drive the vehicle. A sensor is mounted to the vehicle to detect a quality of air surrounding the vehicle. A vehicle control module is configured to select an operating mode of the powertrain system. The operating mode is selected to reduce at least one emission exhausted from the vehicle that contributes to a low air quality measure by the sensor. |
| US08781666B2 |
Vehicle and method of controlling the same
A vehicle includes: an engine; an electric motor connected to the engine via a gear; and a controller configured to perform control that includes at least one of increasing a rotational speed of the engine to a value that is equal to or higher than a given value and changing an output torque of the electric motor to a value that is out of a given range including zero, provided that a target output torque of the electric motor is within the given range including zero and a target rotational speed of the engine is lower than the given value, during deceleration accompanied by motoring of the engine. |
| US08781664B2 |
System, method, and apparatus for controlling power output distribution in a hybrid power train
A method includes defining an application operating cycle and a number of behavior matrices for a hybrid power train that powers the application, each behavior matrix corresponding to operations of the hybrid power train operating in a parallel configuration. The method includes determining a number of behavior sequences corresponding to the behavior matrices and applied sequentially to the application operating cycle, confirming a feasibility of each of the behavior sequences, determining a fitness value corresponding to each of the feasible behavior sequences, in response to the fitness value determining whether a convergence value indicates that a successful convergence has occurred, and in response to determining that a successful convergence has occurred, determining a calibration matrix in response to the behavior matrices and fitness values. The method includes providing the calibration matrix to a hybrid power train controller. |
| US08781663B2 |
Bicycle drive apparatus
A bicycle drive apparatus comprises a bicycle crankset, a bicycle transmission, a drive assistance electric motor, a crank variation determining sensor and a microcomputer. The crank variation determining sensor is arranged to determine a variation value related to rotation of the bicycle crankset. The microcomputer includes a shift command section, a limiting section, a determining section and a limitation cancelling section. The shift command section issues a shift command commanding the bicycle transmission to change gears. The limiting section limits an output of the drive assistance electric motor upon issuance of the shift command. The determining section determines completion of a gear shift operation upon the variation value being within a prescribed range. The limitation cancelling section cancels the limitation of the output of the drive assistance motor upon the determining section determining the completion of the gear shift operation. |
| US08781661B2 |
Electric drive shaft and retrofit system
A machine having a transmission, a differential, and a drive shaft disposed therebetween has an improvement including a stator with a substantially cylindrical opening extending therethrough, and a rotor that rotates relative to the stator. The rotor is attached to the drive shaft in axial alignment, and rotation of the drive shaft causes a corresponding rotation of the rotor. At least a portion of the drive shaft extends through the opening in the stator. A semi-rigid coupling extends between the stator and the transmission. |
| US08781660B2 |
Tiered, subtractive method to solve a linear constraint function associated with controlling a hybrid powertrain system
A method for controlling a hybrid powertrain system includes employing a system constraints function to identify a feasible solution for an objective variable that satisfies a plurality of independent and dependent constraints for an objective function. The objective variable is associated with a parameter of the hybrid powertrain system. Upon determining that the system constraints function fails to provide a feasible solution for the objective variable that satisfies all of the independent and dependent constraints, a problem recomposition scheme is executed to remove all of the dependent constraints and then reapply and adjust selected ones of the dependent constraints to obtain a feasible solution for the system constraints function that achieves a preferred state for the objective variable. |
| US08781658B2 |
Systems and methods for determining the target thermal conditioning value to control a rechargeable energy storage system
Systems and methods for determining the target thermal conditioning value to control a rechargeable energy storage system. Target thermal conditioning values are determined using a required thermal power value and a heat generation value in order to appropriately condition the RESS for heating and cooling. |
| US08781657B2 |
Roadside handling for alternate-propulsion systems
The described method and system allow a service provider to remotely interact with a vehicle analysis system, high voltage battery contactors, and other vehicle systems to eliminate certain sources of inconvenience for service personnel and users. For example, when the high voltage battery contactors are disconnected inadvertently or as a precaution, they may later need to be safely reengaged to allow the user to drive the disabled but otherwise operational vehicle. Conversely, when an electric vehicle has become disabled and needs to be towed or serviced, the disengagement of the high voltage battery contactors as well as the activation or deactivation of related systems will assist the servicing entity in properly moving and servicing the vehicle. |
| US08781648B2 |
System for operating model vehicles and a model vehicle therefor
A system for operating model vehicles comprising at least one model vehicle having an energy self-sufficient drive and a steering axle, which, with the aid of a magnet, follows a contact wire laid directly under a road, further comprising a positioning system, a control module and a wireless communication system for transmitting information to and/or from the vehicle. |
| US08781641B2 |
Method and apparatus for external processor thermal control
A system and method for throttling a slave component of a computer system to reduce an overall temperature of the computing system upon receiving a first signal is disclosed. The first signal may be from a master component indicating that a temperature for the master component has exceeded its threshold temperature. The slave component may send a second signal to indicate that a temperature for the slave component has exceeded its temperature. The master component would then initiate throttling of the master component to reduce the overall temperature of the computing system. The master component may be throttled to a degree less than the slave component. A first component may be designated the master component and the second component may be designated the slave component based on a selection policy. |
| US08781638B2 |
Campus energy manager
An energy management system serves an arbitrary collection of loads via interfacing with related field devices and external information sources and responding to events including pricing events, demand response events, and carbon reduction events by managing the loads and local generation. |
| US08781636B2 |
Robust electric screw compressor blocked air line detection via motor current monitoring
Systems and methods for detecting a blocked air discharge line of an air compressor are described, which include monitoring motor current (IMTR) drawn by a compressor motor, and calculating a three-point moving average for a steady state current drawn by the compressor motor upon the motor reaching steady state (nominal) operating speed. After expiration of a predetermined time period T1 that commences upon the compressor motor reaching steady state speed, a determination is made regarding whether a difference between a current drawn by the compressor motor and the three-point moving average has exceeded a predetermined current value I2 and is consistent with a current profile indicative of a blocked air line. If a blocked air line is detected, a compressor shut-off command is generated and transmitted to the compressor motor to shut the compressor motor off prior to opening of a safety valve on the compressor. |
| US08781633B2 |
Monitoring and control systems and methods
A system and a method for controlling and monitoring a system within a facility are disclosed. The system includes a facility component configured to include at least one control point configured to be disposed within a facility and to monitor and control at least one element of the system within the facility; a network component configured to be communicatively coupled to the facility component and configured to process information received from the at least one control point; a remote client component configured to be communicatively coupled to the network component and configured to provide monitoring and control of the facility via the network component and the facility component. The remote client component is configured to receive processed data from the network component and generate instructions to the control point via the network component. |
| US08781631B2 |
Robot arm and detecting device having same
A robot arm includes a support arm, an adjusting rod and a detecting unit. The adjusting rod rotatably extends through the support arm. The detecting unit is attached to the adjusting rod. The detecting unit includes an image capture device and a probe device. The image capture device captures images of a workpiece. The probe device includes a driving device and a probe. The driving device may drive the probe to move between a first position where the probe does not visually prevent images of the workpiece being captured by the image capture device, and a second position where the probe does block the images of the workpiece being captured by the image capture device. |
| US08781629B2 |
Human-robot interface apparatuses and methods of controlling robots
A method of controlling a robot using a human-robot interface apparatus in two-way wireless communication with the robot includes displaying on a display interface a two-dimensional image, an object recognition support tool library, and an action support tool library. The method further includes receiving a selected object image representing a target object, comparing the selected object image with a plurality of registered object shape patterns, and automatically recognizing a registered object shape pattern associated with the target object if the target object is registered with the human-robot interface. The registered object shape pattern may be displayed on the display interface, and a selected object manipulation pattern selected from the action support tool library may be received. Control signals may be transmitted to the robot from the human-robot interface. Embodiments may also include human-robot apparatuses (HRI) programmed to remotely control a robot. |
| US08781628B2 |
Walking robot and control method thereof
A torque-based walking robot and a control method thereof which stably controls walking of the robot. In the control method, in which high rigidity, equal to that achieved through a position-based control method, is achieved using a torque-based control method without switching between the position-based control method and the torque-based control method while the robot is in motion, a difference between a target torque and a measured torque is forcibly generated by limiting a torque range measurable by each torque sensor, thereby increasing voltage applied to each actuator, and thus achieving high rigidity, equal to that achieved through the position-based control method, using the torque-based control method without switching between the position-based control method and the torque-based control method. |
| US08781627B2 |
Robot confinement
A robot lawmnower includes a body, a drive system carried by the body, at least one caster wheel supporting the body, a grass cutter carried by the body, a controller in communication with the drive system, and a bump sensor in communication with the controller. The controller is configured to maneuver the robot to turn in place and to redirect the robot in response to the bump sensor sensing contact with an obstacle. The drive system is configured to maneuver the robot across a lawn and includes differentially driven right and left drive wheels positioned rearward of a transverse center axis defined by the body. The at least one caster wheel is positioned substantially forward of the right and left drive wheels, and the grass cutter is positioned at least partially forward of the right and left drive wheels and at least partially behind the at least one caster wheel. |
| US08781625B2 |
Control computer and method of controlling robotic arm
A computer determines a first origin of a first coordinate system of a PCB, and controls a robotic arm to position a probe above the first origin. Furthermore, the computer determines a second origin of a second coordinate system of the robotic arm, and determines displacement values from the first origin to a test point in controlling movements of the robotic arm in the second coordinate system. A graph representing the test point is recognized in an image of the PCB, pixel value differences between the graph center and the image center are determined and converted to displacement correction values for controlling the movements of the robotic arm and determining 3D coordinates of the test point. The robotic arm is moved along a Z-axis of the second coordinate system to precisely position the probe on the test point of the PCB. |
| US08781623B2 |
Interactive bulk packaging system
A system for dispensing a bulk product includes an interactive display. The system may be linked to another system which selects a variety of the bulk product and automatically causes the dispenser to dispense the selected variety. The dispensing system may also include a container associated with a remote carrier, so that the bulk product may be dispensed into the container in which the user wishes to store the bulk product long term. |
| US08781622B2 |
Mobile device assisted retail system and process in a vending unit, retail display or automated retail store
Systems and methods for users of an automated retail store, vending unit, digital signage or interactive retail display (self-service units) to interact with such display/unit, collectively referred to in this text as a machine, directly and/or simultaneously using a one or more mobile devices. In addition, system and methods are provided that can recognize registered users within a set proximity to the machine and broadcast messages and notifications such as machine information, inventory information, rewards, discounts and free products, all of which could be tailored to the specific user based on understanding gathered through analysis of prior interactions. |
| US08781621B2 |
Moving cartridges between library strings
The present description is directed to moving a cartridge including a storage medium between library strings (LS) using a car able to move within a shuttle connection in a shuffle complex system in which, in one embodiment, a first cartridge is to be moved from a first LS to a second LS, a car located in the LS nearest to the first LS due to movement of a second cartridge is used to move the second cartridge to the first LS , and the empty car is used to move the first cartridge from the first LS to the second LS. In one aspect, movement of empty cars may be reduced, and cartridges may be moved between library strings more efficiently in less time. Other features and aspects are described. |
| US08781620B2 |
Apparatus and method to store information
A data storage facility comprising a plurality of data storage media, an automated data storage library comprising a first plurality of storage cells, one or more data storage devices in communication with the controller, and a controller in communication with one or more host computers, a vault comprising a second plurality of storage cells, wherein the vault does not comprise any data storage devices, and a robotic accessor in communication with the controller, wherein the accessor comprises a gripper mechanism, and wherein the robotic accessor can bidirectionally transport each of the plurality of portable data storage media between the first plurality of storage cells and the one or more data storage devices. |
| US08781619B2 |
Automatic clothes receiving and retrieving system for laundry
An automatic clothes receiving and retrieving system for laundry, mainly includes a clothes receiving unit and a clothes retrieving unit. The clothes receiving unit is for inputting a verification information. The clothes are automatically received through a clothes receiving entrance and packed in clothes containers and identification tags are attached to the clothes containers. Each clothes container is arranged with a transfer device for moving the clothes container to a laundry factory and to send the clothes to the storage portion of the clothes retrieving unit after the clothes are cleaned. The clothes retrieving unit is for automatically transferring the cleaned clothes from the storage portion to the retrieving exits according to data of the consumer after the input of the verification information. |
| US08781612B2 |
Method and device for digitally processing an audio signal and computer program product
A method of digitally processing an audio signal by sequentially performing a plurality of operations on an input audio signal by a plurality of algorithms to provide an output audio signal is provided. The method comprises automatically performing the following steps: sequentially performing the plurality of operations (a, b, c, . . . ) on an input audio signal (20) in a first sequence of operations and independently in at least one different sequence of operations; evaluating the quality of respective output audio signals (output . . . 1, output . . . 2 . . . , output . . . n!) achieved with the first sequence and the at least one different sequence; and selecting the sequence of operations providing the highest quality output audio signal for further processing of input audio signals. |
| US08781608B2 |
Systems and methods for improved start-up in feedback controllers
A system for controlling start-up of a feedback controller includes a memory device and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to receive a gain parameter from the feedback controller and to store the gain parameter in the memory device. The processing circuit is further configured to multiply the stored gain parameter and to cause the feedback controller to use the multiplied gain parameter in response to a determination that the feedback controller has restarted. |
| US08781605B2 |
Unitary dual-chamber leadless intra-cardiac medical device and method of implanting same
An assembly for introducing a leadless intra-cardiac medical device includes a sheath having an internal passage, wherein the sheath is configured to be maneuvered into the heart of the patient. A housing may be retained within the internal passage, wherein the housing is configured to be pushed out of the sheath, the housing having a first anchoring member configured to anchor the housing to a first implant location within the heart. The assembly may also include an electrode trailing the housing within the internal passage, wherein the electrode is also configured to be pushed out of the sheath. The electrode has a second anchoring member configured to anchor the electrode to a second implant location within the heart. A conductive wire connects the housing to the electrode, wherein movement of the housing out of the sheath causes the electrode to follow the movement to a distal end of the sheath. |
| US08781599B2 |
Flexible protected lead
Designs for an implantable lead are disclosed. In one embodiment, the lead includes at least one conductive pathway and a protective element surrounding at least a portion of the at least one conductive pathway. A stiffness of the protective element varies along a length of the protective element. The stiffness may be varied by varying a material composition of the protective element. Alternately, the protective element may be one or two helically-wound wires, and the stiffness may be varied by varying a pitch of one or both helically-wound wires. Alternately, the protective element may be a perforated tube and the stiffness may be varied by varying a ratio of openings to tube in the perforated tube. Alternately, the protective element may be a patterned mesh and the stiffness may be varied by varying a pattern of the patterned mesh. The implantable lead may be used in a cochlear implant. |
| US08781595B2 |
Chopper mixer telemetry circuit
This disclosure describes a chopper mixer telemetry circuit for use in a wireless receiver. The receiver may be located in an implantable medical device (IMD) or external programmer. The chopper mixer telemetry circuit may include a mixer amplifier that operates as a synchronous demodulator to provide selective extraction of wireless signals received from a transmitter while suppressing out-of-band noise that can undermine the reliability of the telemetry link between an IMD or programmer and another device. The mixer amplifier may utilize parallel signal paths to convert the received telemetry signal into an in-phase (I) signal component and a quadrature (Q) signal component and recombine the I and Q signal components to reconstruct the total signal independently of the phase mismatch between the transmitter and receiver. Each signal path may include a chopper-stabilized mixer amplifier that amplifies telemetry signals within a desired band while suppressing out-of-band noise. |
| US08781586B2 |
Hemostasis valve and guidewire pacing system
Systems and methods for temporarily pacing a patient's heart are provided. One system includes a hemostasis valve with an adjustable electrical connection, the adjustable electrical connection having one or more adjustable contacts. The adjustable contacts have a first, radially expanded configuration and a second, radially constricted configuration. In the radially constricted configuration, the adjustable contacts are configured to pierce through a layer of an elongate medical device that is disposed in the hemostasis valve. The elongate medical device has a distal electrode and a conductor extending along a portion of the elongate medical device. The adjustable contacts pierce through a make contact with the conductor, providing an electrical pathway to the distal electrode. Also provided are vascular access systems including a hemostasis valve and a guide catheter, guide wire torquers with adjustable contacts and methods of temporarily pacing a patient's heart. |
| US08781582B2 |
Vagal stimulation
The disclosure herein relates generally to methods for treating heart conditions using vagal stimulation, and further to systems and devices for performing such treatment. Such methods may include monitoring physiological parameters of a patient, detecting cardiac conditions, and delivering vagal stimulation (e.g., electrical stimulation to the vagus nerve or neurons having parasympathetic function) to the patient to treat the detected cardiac conditions. |
| US08781579B2 |
Implantable medical device for cardiac therapy
An implantable medical device, IMD, (100) is connectable to at least one ventricular lead (210) having a ventricular basal electrode (214) and a ventricular apical electrode (212). The IMD (100) comprises a pulse generator (120) for generating pacing pulses applied to a heart (10) through the ventricular lead (210). The operation of this pulse generator (120) is controlled by a controller (130) that is configured to control the pulse generator to first deliver a pacing pulse to the ventricular basal electrode (214) to stimulate the basal portion of the ventricle (12, 14) before a pacing pulse is delivered to the apical portion of the ventricle (12, 14) by the ventricular apical electrode (212). This pulse sequence achieves a biologically more correct cardiac stimulation and a contraction pattern that reduces the risk for valvular regurgitation. |
| US08781577B2 |
Coordinated resuscitation perfusion support
This document relates to systems and techniques for the treatment of a cardiac arrest victim via electromagnetic stimulation of physiologic tissue. |
| US08781573B2 |
Multi-frequency electrical field generator and use thereof
An apparatus for the treatment of pathogens within a body comprising at least a pair of conductive electrodes adapted to conductively engage physically separated points on the body; and a signal generation device comprising signal-generating means for generating an oscillatory signal of a selected frequency which can range between a first frequency level and a second frequency level of greater than 1.0 MHz; means for causing said signal-generating means to step in frequency from said first frequency level to said second frequency level at predetermined frequency steps for predetermined intervals; and power transfer means, and preferably a power amplifier, responsive to said signal-generating means for supplying a voltage to said electrodes which voltage oscillates at said selected frequency. The output signal from the apparatus has a frequency range from 0.01 MHz to 660 MHz, and a preferred frequency range of 1.0 MHz and 5.4 MHz, has been found to provide greater flexibility in the treatment of pathogens. |
| US08781566B2 |
System and methods for sliding-scale cardiac event detection
A system for the detection of cardiac events occurring in a human patient is disclosed to include at least two electrodes for obtaining an electrical signal from a patient's heart. At least two electrodes are included in the system for obtaining an electrical signal from a patient's heart. An electrical signal processor is electrically coupled to the electrodes for processing the electrical signal. The system determines the presence of a cardiovascular condition by applying a sliding scale rule to heart signal feature values. When the cardiovascular condition is ischemia, the ST segment may be analyzed. A sliding scale is applied to ST segment shifts such that when the magnitudes of ST segment shifts are relatively small, a larger number of beats is required to detect ischemia compared to the case when the magnitudes of ST shifts are large. |
| US08781565B2 |
Dynamically configurable biopotential electrode array to collect physiological data
Methods, systems, and devices are described for collecting physiological data using a configurable biopotential array. The array is embedded on a surface area of a handheld device. The array includes a number of electrode tiles. The electrodes include biosensors to collect the physiological data of a user. The electrodes are polled to detect contact with the user's skin. Electrodes in contact with the skin are electrically coupled to form an active electrode area. The coupled electrodes collect the physiological data relating to the user via the biosensors. The electrodes are decoupled after contact with the user's skin is terminated. The physiological data is analyzed and an emotional state or health state of the user is determined from the analyzed data. |
| US08781559B2 |
Method of evaluating metabolism of the eye
A method and apparatus for measuring the retinal auto-fluorescence of a subject retina includes an excitation light source for providing an excitation light at a wavelength of at least 450 nm and an image capture device for recording an ocular auto-fluorescence signal generated in response to the excitation light. The image capture device includes a filter for reducing background non-signal wavelengths from the ocular auto-fluorescence signal and an image intensifier for increasing the ocular auto-fluorescence signal strength. The method and apparatus may further include a processor that analyzes the ocular auto-fluorescence signal to determine a contrast change or pattern to thereby detect retinal disease or damage. The processor may compare the images with control images, past images of the same eye or other diagnostic modalities such as fundus photography, angiography, or visual field testing to detect the retinal disease or damage. |
| US08781558B2 |
System and method of radiation dose targeting through ventilatory controlled anatomical positioning
The system and method of the present application includes an image guided radiation therapy (IGRT) system, combined with a medical ventilator, to form a closed-loop system to optimize treatment of a tumor for patients who cannot comply with a normal respiratory management procedure. The ventilator may be used to generate respiratory maneuvers to facilitate clean images for dose planning, so that clinicians can more clearly visualize a target with fewer of the image artifacts associated with respiratory motion. The combined IGRT and ventilation systems approach facilitates treatment of specific organs most susceptible to respiratory motion artifact, and helps minimize the doses to the heart in left-breast treatments. Improved positioning of the anatomical target structures for exposure to external beam radiation may be accomplished through combinations of respiratory-gating, respiratory pause, and selective right or left lung mechanical ventilator techniques. |
| US08781556B2 |
Interchangeable localizing devices for use with tracking systems
A system for tracking the position of an instrument relative to an area of interest includes a first fixator configured to carry first and second localizing devices. A second fixator is configured to carry the first localizing device. A third localizing device communicates with the first localizing device and the second localizing device communicates with the first localizing device such that the position of the second localizing device can be determined relative to the position of the third localizing device. The second localizing device is attachable to the instrument and the first localizing device is attachable to the first fixator such that the first localizing device communicates with the second localizing device on the instrument in order that the position of the second localizing device on the instrument can be determined relative to the third localizing device. |
| US08781552B2 |
Localization of aorta and left atrium from magnetic resonance imaging
The aorta and left atrium are localized from magnetic resonance data. The locations of the aorta and left atrium are detected jointly. The aorta and the left atrium are, at least in part, treated as one object. The detection may be from data representing a two-dimensional region. The two-dimensional region may be determined by first detecting the left ventricle from data representing a volume. |
| US08781550B2 |
Communication protocol that supports structured collection procedures used in diabetes care
A computer-implemented diabetes management system is provided for configuring a structured collection procedure implemented on a collection device having a meter that measures the concentration of glucose in blood. The system includes: a collection application that executes a structured collection procedure for obtaining measurement data from the meter and provides access to the measurement data via a communication protocol defined in accordance with IEEE standard 11073-20601; a configuration application that accesses and manipulates the parameters of the structured collection procedure using a set of action commands, where the set of action commands are defined in compliance with the communication protocol; and a collection interface that receives an action command from the configuration application, executes the received action command and issues a response command in response thereto, where the response command is defined in compliance with the communication protocol. |
| US08781549B2 |
Noninvasive oximetry optical sensor including disposable and reusable elements
A pulse oximetry sensor includes reusable and disposable elements. To assemble the sensor, members of the reusable element are mated with assembly mechanisms of the disposable element. The assembled sensor provides independent movement between the reusable and disposable elements. |
| US08781548B2 |
Medical sensor with flexible components and technique for using the same
According to various embodiments, a hat-based or headband sensor assembly may include thin or flexible optical sensing components, such as optical fibers or ultra thin emitters or detectors. In embodiments, the sensor assembly may be a hat-based sensor that includes a gripping region, for example on the inside of the hat band, to help secure the hat to a patient's head. |
| US08781547B2 |
Method and apparatus for calibrating an absolute oxygen saturation sensor
A method for using a medical device comprising an optical sensor to measure calibrated oxygen saturation in a body tissue uses a standard spectral response of blood established for multiple of oxygen saturations and a standard spectral response of a reference material. The standard responses are established using a spectrometer. The spectral power output of the optical sensor is measured using a spectrometer. The optical sensor output signal response to the reference material is obtained. A processor computes a device-specific calibration curve for the medical device using the measured spectral power output and the standard spectral response of blood and computes an optical gain using the standard spectral response of the reference material and the measured spectral power output of the optical sensor. The device-specific calibration curve and optical gain of the optical sensor are stored in a memory of the medical device. |
| US08781546B2 |
System and method for differentiating between tissue-specific and systemic causes of changes in oxygen saturation in tissue and organs
A method for monitoring oxygen saturation that includes the following steps: (i) measuring an oxygen saturation of a target area of a person or animal over time; (ii) measuring an oxygen saturation of a reference area of the person or animal over time; and (iii) classifying the oxygen saturation status of the target area based upon a comparison of the oxygen saturation of the target area relative to the oxygen saturation of the reference area over time. |
| US08781545B2 |
Body monitoring device, body data acquiring method and method of determining the presence, location and/or stage of a wound
Body monitoring device, having a surface and configured to be applied to and/or near the body, comprising at least one light source and at least one photo detector. The at least one light source emits light in at least a direction away from the surface. The at least one photo detector is configured to detect light that is emitted by the at least one light source and reflected by the body in a direction towards said surface. |
| US08781542B2 |
High-temperature superconducting magnetic sensor and fabrication method of the same
A high-temperature superconducting magnetic sensor having a superconducting layer formed on a substrate and a plurality of superconducting quantum interference devices fabricated on the superconducting layer, which includes: a plurality of input coils that are formed on the superconducting layer and connected to or magnetically coupled with each of the plurality of the superconducting quantum interference devices; a pickup coil that is formed on the superconducting layer and connected so as to form a closed loop together with the plurality of the input coils; and a plurality of trimming wires that are formed on the superconducting layer and can be cut off, while making a short-circuit between both ends of each of the plurality of the input coils. |
| US08781540B2 |
Portable electronic device
A portable electronic device having an immovable body, a movable body, and a sliding module. The sliding module has a fixing frame fixed to the immovable body, a movable frame fixed to the movable body and slidably coupled to the fixing frame, and an elastic element having a fixing end fixed to the fixing frame and a movable end fixed to the movable frame. When the movable body slides with respect to the immovable body from a first position to a second position by the sliding module, the movable end relatively moves from a first stop position to a second stop position along a moving path. The distance from the orthographic projection of the fixing end on the moving path to the first stop position is larger than the distance from the orthographic projection of the fixing end on the moving path to the second stop position. |
| US08781539B1 |
Method and apparatus for reducing wake up time of a powered down device
A method includes, in at least one aspect, connecting an input of a bias circuit and an output of the bias circuit to another circuit while the other circuit is in a first power mode, such that the bias circuit has an operating state corresponding to the first power mode; switching the input of the bias circuit and the output of the bias circuit from the other circuit to a dummy circuit when a power mode of the other circuit is changed from the first power mode to a second power mode; and maintaining the bias circuit at the operating state corresponding to the first power mode using the dummy circuit while the other circuit is in the second power mode. |
| US08781538B2 |
Portable terminal, portable apparatus and supply power control method
The cellular phone 100 according to the present invention comprises a plurality of solar cell modules 110 arranged on different surfaces of a casing, a plurality of electric power control parts 132 connected to each of said plurality of solar cell modules 110, a mechanical form detection sensor 120 as a state detection part for detecting a state of said cellular phone 100, and an electric power selection part 134 (FIG. 1). |
| US08781535B2 |
System, method and apparatus for wireless communication between a wireless mobile telecommunications device and a remote wireless display
A method and apparatus provide for removal of a display screen from a wireless device, or, in a different embodiment, provide for a display screen as a separate and additional device that functions in real time in the same way as if the screen were incorporated in the wireless device. This functionality is enabled by a short range wireless connection, such as Bluetooth, between transceivers located in the wireless device and the display screen device. The display screen device allows a user to monitor the associated wireless device without needing to operate the full device. The display screen device may also have control capability for controlling the wireless device. Thus, a user can monitor, and control, a mobile device from a smaller remote display device while being presented with the information that would be displayed on the display screen of the wireless device. |
| US08781534B2 |
Recording a signature on a touch screen enabled wireless phone and mobile device
A cellular phone and mobile device is configured with the ability to accept a signature. A user may write a signature on a touch sensitive display of a mobile device using touch or a pen. A user may be further authenticated by using voice or password. The signature may be viewed on a second mobile device in real time. The signature may be synchronized with a server or an Internet device. The system may allow for multiple parties to sign an electronic document using mobile devices and Internet servers. |
| US08781526B1 |
Communication device
The communication device comprising a voice communication implementer, an incoming communication ID implementer, a map displaying implementer, a multiple language mode implementer, and a remote control implementer. |
| US08781517B2 |
Method for cell sleep/wakeup, method and apparatus for controlling carrier power
The present invention discloses a method for cell sleep/wakeup, and a method and an apparatus for controlling carrier power, wherein the method for controlling carrier power comprises: a SON judging whether a cell of a base station requires sleep and/or wakeup, wherein when the judgment result is that the cell requires sleep, the SON indicates the base station to make the cell to sleep, so that the base station reduces pilot channel power of a carrier of the cell to zero or closes the carrier to make the cell enter an energy-saving state; and when the judgment result is that the cell requires wakeup, the SON indicates the base station to wake up the cell, so that the base station recovers the pilot channel power of the carrier of the cell to an operation state value to make the cell exit the energy-saving state. |
| US08781515B2 |
Method and apparatus for providing a group communications follow mode
A method and apparatus for enabling a group communications follow mode at a first group communications (GC) user equipment (UE) device. A GC server receives a request from a first client UE device to follow a second Client UE device, and responsively: affiliates the first client UE device with a same one or more talk groups with which the second client UE device is currently affiliated, monitors for talk group affiliation and disaffiliation requests from the second client UE device and automatically affiliates or disaffiliates both the first client UE device and the second client UE device from a first particular talk group in accordance with a corresponding affiliation or disaffiliation instruction received from the second client UE device. |
| US08781512B1 |
Systems and methods for managing wireless links
Systems and methods for increasing a combined data rate for communication links between a plurality of radio systems and a plurality of base stations. |
| US08781511B2 |
Image processing apparatus, control method thereof, and image processing system
An image processing apparatus for performing wired and wireless communication includes: an image processing unit; a first access point module which communicates with an external apparatus through a first wireless communication channel and relays a communication between a plurality of external apparatuses through the first wireless communication channel; a client module which communicates with a second external access point module through a second wireless communication channel different from the first wireless communication channel; and a controller which switches communication data received through the first wireless communication channel or the second wireless communication channel to be selectively transmitted through one of the first wireless communication channel or the second wireless communication channel. |
| US08781509B2 |
Interworking circuit service fall back
Techniques, apparatuses, and systems can include mechanisms for interworking circuit service fallback. |
| US08781505B2 |
Location determination of mobile device
The subject matter disclosed herein relates to determining a location fix of a mobile station based on identification information of a cellular base station included in a pilot signal. |
| US08781498B2 |
Enabling social interactive wireless communications
A computer-implemented system and method for enabling social interactive wireless communication between at least two mobile devices is presented. In particular, the system and method comprises affiliating and/or synchronizing a first mobile device and a second mobile device with an interactive social network. Further, the present invention comprises associating at least one first social interactive pairing criterion with the first mobile device, and associating at least one second social interactive pairing criterion with a second mobile device. Upon disposition of the first and second mobile devices in a physical and/or geographic proximity to one another, the present invention further comprises determining whether the first and second social interactive pairing criterion at least partially coincide with one another, and establishing a communication channel between the first and second mobile devices for communication therebetween. |
| US08781492B2 |
Device for round trip time measurements
An appliance facilitates localization of a station (STA) in a network, for example, a short-range wireless network. An automatic response to a request for a measurement related communication is provided. The appliance can include a radio frequency (RF) interface and a media access control (MAC) section. The MAC section can receive the request and generate the automatic response immediately after a uniform period that is uniform among any such appliance within the network. The appliance performs only the generation of the automatic response, though the response can include additional information such as (x, y) coordinates of the appliance. |
| US08781485B2 |
Method and apparatus for transmitting signal in a wireless communication system using comp
A method for transmitting a signal to a UE by a BS in a wireless communication system is disclosed. The method includes determining a signal transmission scheme for transmitting a signal to the UE, dividing a basic resource allocation unit, if the signal transmission scheme is CoMP transmission, allocating transmission resources to the UE using the divided basic resource allocation unit, and transmitting the signal to the UE through the allocated transmission resources. |
| US08781483B2 |
Controlling access to private access points for wireless networking
An invitation to use a personal access point to access a wireless network is transmitted to an access terminal. An indication that the invitation has been accepted is received and the personal access point is authorized to provide the access terminal with access to the network.At an access terminal, an invitation to use a personal access point to access a wireless network is received, an instruction to accept the invitation is received from an operator of the access terminal, and an acceptance of the invitation is communicated. |
| US08781482B2 |
Method and apparatus to initiate point-to-point call during shared-channel delivery of broadcast content in a wireless telephone network
A method for managing a point-to-point call initiated (702) between a wireless mobile station (114, 400) and a remote party while the mobile is receiving broadcast content via one or more multi-user forward-link broadcast channels (508). The mobile station notifies (704) the network (110) of preferences as to prescribed categories of operating conditions, such as whether to continue receiving the broadcast content, and election between the point-to-point call and broadcast content concurrently. In accordance with the preferences, communications are conducted (706) in one of the following operating modes: (1) conducting the point-to-point call and discontinuing reception of the broadcast, (2) conducting the point-to-point call and continuing reception of the broadcast, (3) aborting completion of the point-to-point call and continuing reception of the broadcast. |
| US08781477B2 |
Handover method and system in relay network, relay node, control base station and base station
Embodiments of the present invention provide a handover method and system in a relay network, a relay node, a control base station and a base station. The method includes: receiving, by a relay node, a first area identifier that identifies the relay node; sending a system information broadcast message carrying the first area identifier to a terminal in a coverage area; receiving a handover request message forwarded by a control base station; and performing, according to the handover request message, a control operation of accessing the relay node on the terminal. The first area identifier that identifies the relay node is allocated to the relay node, so that the terminal in the relay network can be normally handed over from the base station to the relay node. |
| US08781472B2 |
Method and arrangement in a communication network
Method and arrangement in a network control node, for performing access control of a mobile node in a handover from a source cell to a target subscriber group cell. The method comprises obtaining a network based allowed subscriber group list, receiving a target subscriber group identification, checking if the target subscriber group identification is comprised in the obtained network based allowed subscriber group list. If it is, information from a target network control node is obtained, verifying that the received subscriber group identification corresponds to the target subscriber group cell. Still further, the method comprises granting the mobile node access to the target subscriber group cell. Also, a method and arrangement in a target network control node, for assisting a network control node in performing access control for a mobile node in a handover from a source cell to a target subscriber group cell is provided. |
| US08781471B2 |
Dedicated signature assignment
Optimization of the LTE handover procedure is provided by presenting alternatives for allocating a dedicated signature used for contention-free random access during the handover procedure as well as using an expiry time for a dedicated signature and different alternative behaviors for a mobile terminal upon expiry of the dedicated signature. |
| US08781465B2 |
Scanning neighboring base stations in wireless access system
A method of scanning neighboring base stations for measuring channel quality in a wireless communication system includes receiving, by a mobile station from a serving base station, information associated with at least one neighboring base station; transmitting, by the mobile station to the serving base station, a scanning request message to request an allocation of a scanning interval for scanning, the scanning request message including parameters associated with a requested scan duration, a requested interleaving interval, and a requested scan iteration, wherein the requested interleaving interval is interleaved between each scan; and receiving, by the mobile station from the serving base station, a scanning response message including an allowed scan duration parameter in response to the scanning request message, wherein the allowed scan duration parameter is set to zero to indicate that the request for the allocation of the scanning interval is denied. |
| US08781462B2 |
Methodology and apparatus for validating network coverage
Disclosed are apparatus and methodology for validating network coverage (i.e., desired functionality) of newly installed network devices. Per use of presently disclosed technology, equipment installers may confirm both one and two way communications abilities of newly installed network devices as well as receive network diagnostic related data to assist them in the equipment installation process. Validation of communications operation may be initiated by any of the newly installed equipment, a handheld device, or via mobile device communications. |
| US08781461B2 |
Method of distributing application related information in cellular system
In a cellular radio system a message is transmitted in the uplink from a mobile station running an application to the cellular radio system informing the radio system of the status of the application thereby enabling the operator of the radio system to collect such data for use in optimizing the planning of the radio system or as an input parameter when detecting and trouble shooting problems in the radio system network. |
| US08781458B2 |
Method and apparatus for maintaining user settings for over-the-air upgrades
A method and apparatus for performing a software upgrade are disclosed. The method determines a plurality of mobile endpoint devices affected by a wireless network access software upgrade, and schedules a deployment of the wireless network access software upgrade. The method transmits a notification to the plurality of mobile endpoint devices, wherein the notification is configured to cause each of the plurality of mobile endpoint devices to store user settings in a memory of each of the plurality of mobile endpoint devices. The method downloads the wireless network access software upgrade wirelessly to the plurality of mobile endpoint devices, wherein the wireless network access software upgrade is configured to cause each of the plurality of mobile endpoint devices to install the wireless network access software upgrade and to restore the user settings from the memory of each of the plurality of mobile endpoint devices. |
| US08781454B2 |
Methods and apparatus for automated communications forwarding
Methods and apparatus for the automated updating of forwarding preferences for communications in a telecommunications network. In one embodiment, the network includes a wireless (e.g., cellular) network with user mobile user devices configured to detect a change to their configuration (such as a user changing out SIM cards or virtual access clients). In response, the device causes an update to its associated communication forwarding preferences to reflect the change. If the configuration alteration meets certain criteria (e.g., changes the phone number at which the device may be reached), the device sends a forwarding message instructing a network entity (e.g., routing server) to direct communications addressed to the old phone number to the new phone number. Thus, a user with two or more user profiles (such as two different carrier accounts) may be reached at any number associated with any of the profiles, even if only one profile is currently active. |
| US08781450B2 |
Method and system for creating a personalized journal based on collecting links to information and annotating those links for later retrieval
A system and method is provided for handling data in wireless communication devices where data may be captured and linked to a personal journal via indexing and mapping of context data tags abstracted from captured data. The captured data may be retrieved by matching a query to one or more context data tags indexed and mapped to the personal journal. A user preference utilizing one or more of the context data tags linked to the personal journal may facilitate captured data retrieval. The captured data may include multimedia data of an event pre-tagged with indexed information such as user ID, time, date, location and environmental condition or optionally one or more user's biometric data in response to the event. The pre-tagged captured data may be stored in the local host device or transferred to a remote host or storage for later retrieval or post processing. |
| US08781447B2 |
Techniques to wirelessly transmit data
Techniques are described to transmit multimedia content to a mobile station using a combination of a mobile/cellular network as well as a TV Whitespace (TVWS) network. Scalable video coding can be used to transmit a baseline layer of multi-media content using the mobile/cellular network and one or more enhancement layers over the TVWS channels. Joint source-channel coding can be used to adjust the transmission scheme used by mobile/cellular and/or TVWS based on end user experience. |
| US08781443B2 |
System and method for handling message receipt notification
Systems and methods for operation upon a wireless mobile device to handle message notifications. A method can include receiving a message by the wireless mobile device over a wireless communications network. The received message is processed so that at least a portion of the sender's message is displayed to a user of the wireless mobile device before a signed receipt is provided to the sender. |
| US08781442B1 |
Personal assistance safety systems and methods
Disclosed are methods and systems related to a Personal Assistance Safety System. In one aspect, disclosed are methods and systems for vehicle communications comprising an antenna selecting unit configured to select an antenna according to an antenna selection strategy and a first antenna switch coupled to the antenna selecting unit configured to direct communications through the selected antenna. |
| US08781432B2 |
Circuit coupling
An apparatus for coupling a baseband integrated circuit that uses a first signalling standard to a radio frequency integrated circuit that uses a second signalling standard includes a buffer coupled to the baseband integrated circuit and a resistor network coupled between the buffer and the radio frequency integrated circuit. The resistor network implements a voltage divider so as to convert a first voltage used by the baseband integrated circuit to a second voltage used by the radio frequency integrated circuit. The apparatus may be used in a mobile telecommunications device. |
| US08781431B2 |
Techniques for determining communication state using accelerometer data
Techniques for communicating with a user on a network include receiving acceleration data that indicates acceleration of a mobile network node associated with a user of a network. A communication state for the user is determined based at least in part on the acceleration data. The communication state indicates a type of network communication suitable for communicating with the user. Network communications with the user are based on the communication state. Among other uses, such techniques allow a network communicating with a human through a mobile node carried by the human to infer from stopped or unusual motions when the human's ability to receive or act on communications is impaired or otherwise affected. |
| US08781428B2 |
Frequency synthesizer
A frequency synthesizer includes a controlled oscillator configured to extend a temperature range and phase noise of the synthesizer without compromising the frequency coverage of the synthesizer. The frequency synthesizer also includes bias generation circuitry that sets a bias current of a charge pump to reduce bandwidth variations of the synthesizer. The frequency synthesizer further includes switching circuitry to dynamically turn a charge pump on and off to reduce effects of current leakage in the charge pump. |
| US08781424B2 |
Radio receiver apparatus of a cellular radio network
A radio receiver apparatus of a cellular network includes a channel estimator configured to calculate channel estimates on the basis of a common pilot channel. The apparatus further includes a weight calculation unit configured to calculate a weighting factor on the basis of a signal power of the common pilot channel and control data depending on a transmit signal power of a dedicated data channel. The control data is signaled by the cellular network to the radio receiver apparatus. The radio receiver apparatus further comprises a combiner that combines the signals from multiple cells by using the channel estimates and the weighting factor. |
| US08781421B2 |
Time-domain diversity combining of signals for broadcast receivers
Systems and methods are disclosed for time-domain diversity combining of radio frequency (RF) broadcast signals. Two channelized quadrature (I/Q) signals are generated by different tuner circuitry coupled to two different antennas, are converted to frequency-domain signals, and are used to generate frequency-domain diversity weighting signals. The frequency-domain diversity weighting signals are then converted to time-domain weights and applied to the channelized I/Q signals. The weighted and channelized I/Q signals are then combined in the time-domain to provide a time-domain diversity combined signal. The resulting combined signal can be further processed, as desired, such as by using a demodulator to generate demodulated output signals. Disclosed methods and systems can be applied to a variety of receiver systems configured to receive RF broadcast signals. |
| US08781420B2 |
Adjustable wireless circuitry with antenna-based proximity detector
An electronic device such as a portable electronic device has wireless communications circuitry. Antennas in the electronic device may be used in transmitting radio-frequency antenna signals. A coupler and antenna signal phase and magnitude measurement circuitry may be used to determine when external objects are in the vicinity of the antenna by making antenna impedance measurements. In-band and out-of-band phase and magnitude signal measurements may be made in determining whether external objects are present. Additional sensors such as motion sensors, light and heat sensors, acoustic and electrical sensors may produce data that can be combined with the proximity data gathered using the antenna-based proximity sensor. In response to detecting that an external object such as a user's body is within a given distance of the antenna, the electronic device may reduce transmit powers, switch antennas, steer a phased antenna array, switch communications protocols, or take other actions. |
| US08781419B2 |
Method of cooperative data transmission between terminals and a method of receiving data
The present invention relates to a method for reducing power consumption when performing the cooperative transmission in a cooperative transmission system, the method comprising: defining a cooperative transmission participation rate or a cooperative transmission non-participation rate to adjust the participation rate of at least one terminal capable of cooperative transmission within at least one cooperative cluster, the participation rate adjustment being carried out in the at least one terminal capable of cooperative transmission by generating a random value having a preset range; comparing the generated random value with a threshold as a reference indicating whether a corresponding terminal is participating in cooperative transmission; and determining whether the corresponding terminal has participated in cooperative transmission, on the basis of the comparison result. |
| US08781418B2 |
Power amplification based on phase angle controlled reference signal and amplitude control signal
Methods and systems for vector combining power amplification are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a plurality of signals are individually amplified, then summed to form a desired time-varying complex envelope signal. Phase and/or frequency characteristics of one or more of the signals are controlled to provide the desired phase, frequency, and/or amplitude characteristics of the desired time-varying complex envelope signal. In another embodiment, a time-varying complex envelope signal is decomposed into a plurality of constant envelope constituent signals. The constituent signals are amplified equally or substantially equally, and then summed to construct an amplified version of the original time-varying envelope signal. Embodiments also perform frequency up-conversion. |
| US08781411B2 |
Baseband filter and upconverter with configurable efficiency for wireless transmitters
A baseband filter and upconverter with configurable efficiency for use in wireless transmitters is disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment, an apparatus is provided that includes a baseband filter having configurable efficiency, and an upconverter having configurable efficiency and coupled to the baseband filter. The baseband filter and upconverter are configured to operate at a first efficiency level in a first output power range and to operate at a second efficiency level in a second output power range. |
| US08781409B2 |
Radio frequency unit and integrated antenna
A radio frequency unit and an integrated antenna are provided. The radio frequency unit includes a duplexer, a power amplifier circuit board, and a transceiver circuit board. The duplexer connects to the power amplifier circuit board and the transceiver circuit board. The power amplifier circuit board connects to the transceiver circuit board. The power amplifier circuit board and the transceiver circuit board are respectively located at two end portions of the duplexer. The power amplifier circuit board and the transceiver circuit board are projected onto the same plane along a direction being vertical to the power amplifier circuit board with their projections on the same plane non-overlapped each other. |
| US08781397B2 |
System and method for initiating a secure communication link based on proximity and functionality of wireless communication devices
A method for initiating a security relationship by a first communication device, wherein the first device communicates with a number of other communication devices, selects, in dependence on the result of the communicating step, one of the other devices, and initiates the negotiation of a security relationship with that selected device. |
| US08781396B2 |
Contactless receiver, resonant circuit, and variable capacitance element
A contactless receiver is provided with a receiving section and a rectification section. The receiving section has a resonant circuit including a resonant capacitor having a variable capacitance element formed with a ferroelectric material, a capacitance of the variable capacitance element changing according to a received voltage at a predetermined frequency, and a resonance coil connected to the resonant capacitor. The rectification section converts an alternating current voltage output from the receiving section into a direct current voltage. |
| US08781395B2 |
Transmitting circuit for a contactless communicating communication partner device
In a near field communication partner device (1) intended for the contactless transmission of digital data to be transmitted having a transmission circuit (2), the transmission circuit (2) comprises a modulation circuit (17) for the amplitude modulation of a carrier signal (CS), which modulation circuit (17) comprises a circuit stage (20, 20′) for producing a plurality of different resistance values (RW1, RW1′) that act on a signal output (TX1, TX2), which resistance values (RW1, RW1′) can be transformed, by means of a signal processing circuit (3) arranged to transform resistance values that belongs to the communication partner device (1), into transformed resistance values (RW2, RW2′), which transformed resistance values (RW2, RW2′) are responsible for damping a transmission coil (7) of the communication partner device (1) when modulated low-level carrier signal sections are generated in a modulated carrier signal. |
| US08781390B2 |
Knowledge assessment tool
The present description refers in particular to a computer-implemented method, a computer program product, and a computer system for processing and managing test data. The computer-implemented method for processing and managing test data may comprise: providing a plurality of questions for a test in a tool, the tool being located in a first shared folder; providing a data storage device on a second shared folder, wherein the data storage device comprises a plurality of database files, wherein each database file of the plurality of database files is assigned to a user name from a list of user names used to identify a plurality of users; retrieving date-times of time-stamps of the database files and assigning the date-times to the corresponding user names in the list of user names; if a user from the plurality of users accesses the test, providing a subset of questions from the plurality of questions to the user, wherein the subset of questions is randomly determined by making an order assignment to each of the plurality of questions, wherein the order assignment is based on random numbers associated with each of the plurality of questions; storing a test result of the test in a database file corresponding to a user name of the user; and updating the time-stamp of said corresponding database file. |
| US08781389B2 |
Image forming apparatus, image forming apparatus control method, and storage medium storing image forming apparatus control program
An image forming apparatus includes a printing device to print images on sheets using a printing operation and to initiate a discharge of printed sheets from a sheet discharge port onto the discharge tray disposed for the image forming apparatus; a counter operatively connected to the printing device to count the number of printed sheets based on content of a print job; a controller to determine whether the number of printed sheets counted by the counter reaches a maximum sheet stacking capacity of the discharge tray, the maximum sheet stacking capacity being determined by a distance between the sheet discharge port and the discharge tray; and a reporting device to report that the discharge tray is full when the controller determines that the number of printed sheets counted by the counter reaches the maximum sheet stacking capacity. |
| US08781385B2 |
Medium-feeding device and recording device
A medium-feeding device includes: a feeding unit for feeding a fed medium in a feed direction, a first separating unit provided downstream in the feed direction relative to the feeding unit to separate a multi-fed medium; a second separating unit provided downstream relative to the first separating unit to switch between a compressive holding state in which the multi-fed medium is compressively held, and a released state in which compressive holding is released; and a contact part provided downstream relative to the second separating unit to switch between a protruding state and a retracted state relative to a feed path for guiding the fed medium. The medium-feeding device has a first separating mode, in which separation of the multi-fed medium is performed using the first separating unit, the second separating unit, and the contact part, and a second separating mode, in which separation is performed using the first separating unit. |
| US08781384B2 |
Cleaning blade and image forming apparatus
A cleaning blade, which is configured to be pressed against a toner image carrier that rotates in one direction, for removing residual toner from the toner image carrier, the cleaning blade having: a contact layer that is located in a side to come into contact with the toner image carrier; and a supporting layer that is located in a side not to come into contact with the toner image carrier, wherein tensile stress characteristic curves of a material of the contact layer and a material of the supporting layer intersect with each other. An image forming apparatus having a toner image carrier and the cleaning blade. |
| US08781383B2 |
Fuser topcoat comprising electrospun non-woven polymer nanofabrics
Exemplary embodiments provide materials and methods for a non-woven fabric, a fuser member, and a fusing apparatus used in electrophotographic printing devices, wherein the non-woven fabric can be at least part of the topcoat layer of the fuser member and can include a plurality of non-woven electrospun fibers bonded with a fluoropolymer. |
| US08781380B2 |
Fixing device
A fixing device includes: a tubular member having an outer peripheral surface, an inner peripheral surface defining an internal space, and an axis defining an axial direction, the tubular member being configured to move around the axis; a heater disposed in an internal space to radiate heat; a nip member that contacts the inner peripheral surface to transmit the heat to the tubular member; a backup member that is in contact with the outer peripheral surface to form a nip region between the backup member and the tubular member, the backup member applying a load to the nip member; and a stay disposed in the internal space to support the nip member against the load. The nip member includes: a first member that contacts the inner peripheral surface; and a second member disposed between the first member and the stay to transmit the load to the stay. |
| US08781379B2 |
Fusing device, print device and apparatus for heating belt
A fusing device includes a belt, a first stretching member contacting an inner circumference of the belt and stretching the belt tightly, a heating member having a heating element on the surface, a second stretching member having a heating member facing part that faces the heating member and a curved surface part that faces the belt, and stretching the belt tightly with the first stretching member. |
| US08781376B2 |
Toner supply device and image forming apparatus
A rotary-type toner supply device includes a toner container and a scraping member. The toner container has a peripheral wall section which is shaped so as to surround a side face of an imaginary column K1 along the side face and has a toner discharge port formed therein, and contains toner in space surrounded by the peripheral wall. The scraping member is contained in the space so as to freely rotate around a central axis S of the imaginary column K1, and has first and second curved parts, each of the first and second curved parts extending along a portion of a half cycle or more of a spiral on the side face of the imaginary column K1. |
| US08781373B2 |
Image forming structure, image forming apparatus, and developing device including shutter member
An image forming structure includes an image holding member holding a latent image and an image obtained by developing the latent image, a developing device developing the latent image on the image holding member with a powder to form an image on the image holding member, a container mounting section demountably mounted with a container storing a powder to be supplied to the developing device, a shutter member that is disposed in a supply path including a powder introducing portion of the developing device and that blocks the supply path, and a supply member that is disposed at a position where the supply member engages with the shutter member and that rotates to supply the powder in a direction of a rotation shaft, wherein the supply member rotates to move the shutter member to an open position where the supply path is opened. |
| US08781372B2 |
Image forming apparatus and toner container
A toner container includes container main body, conveying screws and container gear. A developing device includes developer housing including container mounting portion, gear holder including output gear which rotates upon receiving rotational drive force from motor and displaceable to engaged position where the output gear is engaged with the container gear and retracted position retracted outward from the engaged position, and biasing spring. The container main body includes a second pressing plate and the gear holder includes a contact portion with which the second pressing plate comes into contact. The second pressing plate and the contact portion displace the gear holder from the engaged position to the retracted position as the toner container moves in a mounting process. When the toner container reaches a predetermined assembled position, the gear holder is returned to the engaged position by a biasing force of the biasing spring. |
| US08781371B2 |
Stir-transport member, development device provided therewith, and image forming apparatus
A stir-transport member is formed on a circumferential surface of a rotation shaft with a first spiral blade, and a second spiral blade formed to overlap the region of the first spiral blade and is opposite the first spiral blade in phase and having a smaller radial-direction height than the first spiral blade. Sections of the spiral blades along the cross longitudinal direction thereof have trapezoidal shapes. The first spiral blade have a plurality of first swell portions, a part of each corresponding to a bottom of the trapezoidal shape and is more swollen than the other portions. The second spiral blade have a plurality of second swell portions, a part of each corresponding to the bottom of the trapezoidal shape and is more swollen than the other portions. The first spiral blade cross the second spiral blade at least at one of the first swell portions per turn. |
| US08781370B2 |
Developer unit for an image forming apparatus
A developer unit for an image forming apparatus is provided. The developer unit includes a developer device having a developer agent carrier, a developer agent supplier, and a restricting member, a developer agent container, which contains the developer agent, and a plurality of conveyers, including a first conveyer and a second conveyer, to convey the developer agent in an axial direction of the developer agent supplier. The first conveyer and the second conveyer are arranged along a circumference of the developer agent supplier and in parallel with the first conveyer. |
| US08781369B2 |
Charging roller and process for its production
A roller for electrophotography has an electrically conductive support and an elastic layer as a surface layer. The elastic layer holds spherical particles each having a plane on their peripheral surfaces, in such a way that part or the whole of the plane comes exposed to the surface of the elastic layer, and the plane of each of the spherical particles standing exposed to the surface of the elastic layer and a plane that is i) orthogonal to a straight line passing through an axis of a section orthogonal to an axis of the roller for electrophotography and being directed toward the peripheral surface of the roller for electrophotography and is ii) tangential to the peripheral surface of the roller for electrophotography form an acute internal angle. |
| US08781364B2 |
Replacement fixing belt and method of replacing a fixing belt
A replacement fixing belt to be used in a fixing apparatus, the replacement fixing belt including: an endless base layer; a toner releasing layer provided on a surface of the replacement fixing belt; and a lubrication film formed on an inner surface of the endless base layer by applying to the inner surface a liquid in which a fluorinated oil and fluorinated solid lubricant particles are dispersed in a volatile solvent. |
| US08781350B2 |
Image forming apparatus
An image forming apparatus includes: a first photosensitive member; a second photosensitive member; a third photosensitive member; a first scorotron-type charger that is configured to charge the first photosensitive member; a second scorotron-type charger that is configured to charge the second photosensitive member; a third scorotron-type charger that is configured to charge the third photosensitive member; a first voltage applying circuit, which is connected to the first scorotron-type charger, and which is configured to apply a voltage to the first scorotron-type charger; and a second voltage applying circuit, which is commonly connected to the second scorotron-type charger and the third scorotron-type charger, and which is configured to apply a voltage to the second scorotron-type charger and the third scorotron-type charger. |
| US08781349B2 |
Image forming apparatus performing image concentration stabilization control
An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier that carries a toner image, an image forming device that forms the toner image on the image carrier, a sensing device that senses a toner concentration of the image carrier and a control device that makes the image forming device form a test toner image on the image carrier, and determines necessity to execute each adjustment operation for adjusting a plurality of kinds of driving conditions for the image forming device at the time of forming the toner images, based upon a toner concentration of the test toner image. |
| US08781347B2 |
Image forming apparatus and method of driving the same
An image forming apparatus and a method of driving the same are provided in which, if a driving environment is determined to be a low temperature environment, a driving load of an image forming unit is decreased by repeating driving and stopping a driving motor under a high load driving condition to generate a torque higher than a torque generated under a normal warm-up driving condition; and a warm-up operation is performed by driving the driving motor under the normal warm-up driving condition. |
| US08781342B2 |
Image forming apparatus with a function of detecting an amount of remaining developing agent
An image forming apparatus is provided that includes an image forming unit including an agitation unit for agitating developing agent contained in a container unit, and a sensor which includes a light emitting unit configured to emit light and a light receiving unit configured to receive the light emitted from the light emitting unit and passing through the container unit. The sensor generates an output in accordance with an amount of light received by the light receiving unit while the agitation unit agitates the developing agent. The image forming apparatus also includes has a medium with instructions stored therein that when executed perform steps including calculating a measurement result based on the output generated by the sensor, and determining, after the agitation is started, whether a current period is an unstable period in which the measurement result is unstable or a stable period in which the measurement result is stable. |
| US08781336B1 |
Optical filter for use in a laser transmitter
In an embodiment, an optical communication system includes an optical transmitter and an optical discriminator. The optical transmitter is configured to emit a frequency modulated signal having a bit rate frequency and a frequency excursion between 20% and 80% of the bit rate frequency. The optical discriminator is configured to convert the frequency modulated signal to a substantially amplitude modulated signal and includes a delay line interferometer (DLI). The DLI includes an input, an output, a first optical path coupling optical signals from the input to the output and a second optical path coupling optical signals from the input to the output. The first and second optical paths have different lengths. |
| US08781333B2 |
Clock recovery apparatus
The invention relates to a clock recovery apparatus being configured to recover clock information from an input signal. The clock recovery apparatus comprises Fourier transforming means (201) being configured to transform the input signal into a frequency domain signal upon the basis of a Fourier transform, correlating means (215) being configured to correlate the frequency domain signal to obtain a correlation value associated with a certain frequency, and clock recovery means (217) being configured to determine whether the certain frequency corresponds to a clock frequency in order to recover the clock information. |
| US08781331B2 |
Controllable optical add/drop multiplexer
The invention relates to a method for operating a controllable selective optical add/drop channel for a fiber-optic communication system provided with 2N of wavelength-division multiplexing channels, whose optical frequencies are returnable at a constant frequency separations Δv between adjacent channels, with the aid of the inventive controllable optical add/drop multiplexers (70, 80, 90) that comprise multi-stage structures of optical filters ({75-i}, {85-i}, {95-i}), that are connected in a different manner and provided with devices, for example electro-optical and thermo-optical phase shift devices, for controllable tuning the transmissions characteristics thereof. The optical filters are embodied in the form of single-stage (20), two-stage (40) and/or multi-stage (60) asymmetric Mach-Zehnder interferometers. The controllable optical add/drop multiplexer can be produced according to integrated optic technique in the form of monolithic solid-state device. |
| US08781329B2 |
Dispersion compensation design method and dispersion compensation design system
A dispersion compensation design system includes a segment dividing unit to divide an optical network into segments of a linear network or a ring network, a path classifying unit to classify one of paths of the optical network, as a specific type path, the one of the paths being incapable of transmitting an optical signal and contained in a longer path having a route longer than that of the one of the paths and capable of transmitting the optical signal, a segment reconfiguration unit to reconfigure the segments so as to maximize a number of the specific type paths, a dispersion compensation amount computing unit to compute a dispersion compensation amount in any of spans of the optical network so as to minimize the number of the specific type paths within the reconfigured segment, and an update unit to update the dispersion compensation amount with the computed dispersion compensation amount. |
| US08781322B2 |
Migratable wavelength division multiplexing passive optical network
A hybrid passive optical network (“PON”) includes a time-division multiplexing (“TDM”) optical line terminal (“OLT”) and a wavelength-division multiplexing (“WDM”) OLT. The TDM OLT communicates with a first group of customer premises (“CPs”) via TDM signals while the WDM OLT communicates with a second group of CPs via WDM signals. A remote node power splitter is coupled to receive the TDM and WDM signals and broadcast both the TDM signals and the WDM signals on all of its ports facing towards the CPs. Optical filters are disposed between the remote node power splitter and the second group of CPs. Each optical filter is configured to pass a sub-group of the WDM signals while blocking other WDM signals such that each of the second group of CPs receives its own allocation of WDM signals but does not receive WDM signals allocated to other CPs of the second group of CPs. |
| US08781321B2 |
Gigabit passive optical network transmission convergence extension for next generation access
An apparatus comprising a data framer configured to frame a data stream into a plurality of frames each comprising a plurality of fields sized to align the frames with a word boundary greater than or equal to about four bytes long, and an optical transmitter coupled to the data framer and configured to transmit the frames. Included is an apparatus comprising at least one component configured to implement a method comprising encapsulating a data stream with at least one Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) Encapsulation Method (GEM) payload aligned with a word boundary at least about four bytes long, encapsulating the GEM payload with a GPON Transmission Convergence (GTC) frame aligned with the word boundary, and transmitting the GTC frame. |
| US08781318B2 |
Data processing in an optical network
A method and an optical component for data processing in an optical network are provided, wherein two sets of wavelengths are allocated; wherein at least one set of wavelengths is monitored; and wherein a collision between the two sets of wavelengths is avoided or compensated by adjusting at least one laser of an optical component. Furthermore, an optical communication system is suggested including said optical component. |
| US08781317B1 |
Monitoring phase non-linearities in an optical communication system
Phase nonlinearities of an optical communications system are monitored by generating a test signal which includes a predetermined property that is uniquely associated with at least one phase nonlinearity of the optical communications system. The predetermined property of the test signal is then detected at a monitoring point of the optical communications system, and used to estimate the associated phase nonlinearity. |
| US08781314B2 |
Image sensing apparatus, control method, and user interface display apparatus
An image sensing apparatus on which a plurality of lens units are interchangeably mountable includes a system controller configured to acquired information specific to a mounted lens unit from the mounted lens unit, a detection unit configured to detect a focus shift amount of the mounted lens unit, a display circuit configured to display the specific information acquired by the system controller in association with a focus correction value for correcting the focus shift amount detected by the detection unit, an operation switch configured to be operated by a user, and a setting unit that sets the focus correction value according to an operation on the operation switch. |
| US08781313B2 |
Lens apparatus and image pickup system
A lens apparatus detachable from an image pickup apparatus includes a focus lens, a driver configured to drive the focus lens, a first position detector configured to detect a position of the focus lens, and a controller configured to correct the position of the focus lens detected by the first position detector to a position of the focus lens in a predetermined optical characteristic, to transmit a corrected position of the focus lens to the image pickup apparatus, to correct driving information of the focus lens in the predetermined characteristic received from the image pickup apparatus to driving information of the focus lens in a current optical characteristic, and to instruct the driver to drive the focus lens in accordance with the position of the focus lens detected by the first position detector and corrected driving information of the focus lens. |
| US08781312B1 |
Airtight bag for cameras and other electronic equipment
A protective cover for a camera having a lens and an image viewer, the protective cover comprises a molded elasticized housing forming a chamber having a body shaped portion and a lens shaped portion for receiving the camera and lens respectively. The housing has at least one opening with a peripheral edge. A fastening system is provided for the opening. The fastening system has an internal fastener attachable to a part of the camera and an external fastener attachable to the internal fastener. The internal fastener and external fastener capture therebetween the peripheral edge of the lens opening when secured to each other, and the external fastener is being movable from a rest view position to an alternate view position to view a wider area of the camera or lens. |
| US08781309B2 |
Heat treatment apparatus heating substrate by irradiation with light
A capacitor, a coil, a flash lamp, and a switching element such as an IGBT are connected in series. A controller outputs a pulse signal to the gate of the switching element. A waveform setter sets the waveform of the pulse signal, based on the contents of input from an input unit. With electrical charge accumulated in the capacitor, a pulse signal is output to the gate of the switching element so that the flash lamp emits light intermittently. A change in the waveform of the pulse signal applied to the switching element will change the waveform of current flowing through the flash lamp and, accordingly, the form of light emission, thereby resulting in a change in the temperature profile for a semiconductor wafer. |
| US08781307B2 |
Variable voltage portable vaporizer
A portable vaporizer having an electronic control unit electrically coupled to a power source and an atomizer. The electronic control unit utilizes a voltage regulator which allows changes in an output voltage supplied to the atomizer in response to a change in electrical resistance of a potentiometer incorporated therewith. |
| US08781306B2 |
Herbal vaporizer with electric heating element
A smokable material vaporizer is disclosed, comprising of an enclosure having an elongated heating tube, a heating element, an air pump and a vapor collection receptacle for vaporizing a smokable material and allowing inhalation thereof. The heating tube is an elongated structure with a material loadable cap at its distal end and a screen for communicating vaporized material into the enclosure. The proximal end of the heating tube comprises a heating lamp element and a means to force air via a pump into the tube and through the screen. The heating lamp is powered by an electrical connection that includes a timer switch for safety and an activation switch. The lid of the enclosure is removable to reveal the attached heating tube, wherein smokable material is placed for the heating lamp to raise its temperature above vaporization levels, whereafter it is pumped into a collection receptacle bag for inhalation. |