| Document | Document Title |
|---|---|
| US08966975B2 |
Method and apparatus for packaging crash sensors
A crash sensor assembly including a printed circuit board and a crash sensor mounted on the printed circuit board, At least one connector pin is mounted to the printed circuit board so as to permit external electrical communication with the crash sensor. A first insert molded soft inner layer of material partially covers the printed circuit board and covers the crash sensor, and a second overmolded hard outer layer of material covers the first soft inner layer of material and bonded thereto and rigidly contacts the printed circuit board. |
| US08966972B2 |
Flexible fuel sensor
A flexible fuel sensor for measuring the fuel level in a tank in which the sensor is installed. The flexible fuel sensor comprises a fitting arranged to be mounted to a mated fitting on a fuel tank associated with a hole in the fuel tank, a flexible down member extending from the fitting in a first direction and including a fuel level sensing mechanism, the down member configured to be mounted to extend through the hole into the fuel tank, and a sensor head extending from the fitting in a second direction and including sensor electronics coupled to the fuel level sensing mechanism. The flexible down member may comprise a coil made of steel wire. |
| US08966968B2 |
External tire pressure gauge, mounting structure associated therewith, and handling tool thereof
An external tire pressure gauge mounting structure includes a base and a cap; the base and cap are locked together to provide an internal mounting space; the mounting structure also includes a gear, a cushion ring and a locking member; the gear is fixed on the base and has teeth; a through hole is defined in the cushion ring and teeth is provided on a sidewall of the through hole; the gear is inserted into the cushion ring, and the teeth of the cushion ring and gear mesh each other; the locking member is pressed against the cushion ring and gear; the locking member, gear and base all have their threaded holes. Also disclosed is a handling tool used for above mounting structure. The invention makes improvements upon the mounting structure of the tire pressure gauge and provides a handling tool which is easy to use. As such, mounting and dismounting of the tire pressure gauge becomes convenient. |
| US08966962B2 |
Measurement device of position of center of gravity of vehicle to be measured on truck scale and truck scale
As a measurement table (10), an object provided with a flat surface (11) having an area on which all wheels of a vehicle can be mounted at the same time and a front wheel mounting table (12) which is disposed in front of the flat surface (11) and is lifted by a step of a predetermined height is used, a wheel position detector (8) which is capable of detecting a front wheel position and a rear wheel position of a vehicle to be measured is provided, a computation processing device (3) is provided with anterior-posterior displacement calculation means, an inter-axle distance calculation means (21), a vehicle inclination calculation means (22), a front wheel axle load calculation means (23A), a rear wheel axle load calculation means (23B), an anterior-posterior gravity center position calculation means (24), a storage means (32), an anterior-posterior gravity center displacement calculation means (25), and a vehicle gravity center height position calculation means (26), and from a gravity center displacement which is calculated from anterior-posterior gravity center position information calculated on the flat surface (11) and anterior-posterior gravity center position information in the state in which front wheels are mounted on the front wheel mounting table (12) and a vehicle inclination which is calculated by the vehicle inclination calculation means (22), the position of the height of the center of gravity of the vehicle to be measured is calculated. |
| US08966960B2 |
Measuring device
A measuring device is configured to measure a reaction of test objects suspended in a first liquid. The measuring device includes a base and a vibration generator. The base has a first cavity and second cavities provided therein. The first cavity is configured to store the first liquid. The vibration generator generates a standing wave in the first liquid stored in the first cavity. The base has through-holes provided therein. Each of the through-holes allows respective one of the second cavities to communicate with the first cavity. The through-holes have opening sections. The opening sections open to the first cavity and are configured to capture the test objects. This measuring device can measure a test objects with a high efficiency. |
| US08966955B2 |
Hollow cone degassing
A degassing system includes a vessel. A liquid inlet lets liquid into the vessel. A liquid outlet lets liquid out of the vessel. A liquid receiving chamber receives the liquid that enters the vessel through the liquid inlet. The liquid receiving chamber is open on one side. The degassing system further includes a motor having a shaft and a pump coupled to the shaft. The pump has the shape of a cone. The cone has an axis, a narrow end and a wide end. The pump is positioned so that its narrow end is inserted into the open side of the liquid receiving chamber and so that its wide end is close enough to a wall of the vessel so that fluid ejected from the wide end when the pump is spinning will strike the wall. The degassing system includes a gas outlet for releasing gas from the vessel. |
| US08966954B2 |
Anthropomorphic phantom for medical imaging systems
An anthropomorphic phantom for medical imaging systems is disclosed, which is configured with organ models designed to mimic the three-dimensional shape of human organs, and also by the arrangement of plate-like first connecting elements inside their corresponding organ models, lesion phantoms for simulating tumors can be fixedly secured inside the corresponding organ model using a plurality of first connection holes formed on the first connecting element. Therefore, by the distribution of those first connection holes, not only the lesion phantoms can be arranged at any position inside the corresponding organ model at will as required, but also by modularized design of the anthropomorphic phantom, organ models can first be assembled to form a module structure while the whole module structure with the organ model can be moved into and assembled easily with a torso-like humanoid housing of the anthropomorphic phantom by the use of a handle element. |
| US08966949B2 |
Locking device
The invention relates to a locking device of a motor vehicle, having a key (10) and a lock cylinder, wherein the lock cylinder comprises a cylinder core rotatably supported in a cylinder housing of the lock cylinder, a channel comprising the cylinder core and into which the key (10) can be inserted, spring-loaded tumbler elements displaceably supported radial to the cylinder axis of the lock cylinder when inserting the key (10) into the channel radial to the cylinder axis of the lock cylinder, the plurality of outer surfaces (11a, 11b, 12a, 12b) on the key (10) comprising at least two encoding strips (51a, 51b) acting on the tumbler elements when the key (10) is inserted. |
| US08966941B2 |
Process for obtaining glass and glass obtained
The object of the invention is a continuous method for obtaining glass, comprising steps consisting of: charging raw materials upstream of a furnace, along which a plurality of burners is disposed, obtaining a mass of molten glass, and then leading said mass of molten glass to a zone of the furnace situated further downstream, at least one burner disposed in the region of this zone being fed with an over-stoichiometric quantity of oxidant, and then, forming a glass sheet, said glass sheet having a chemical composition that comprises the following constituents in an amount varying within the weight limits defined below: SiO260-75% Al2O30-10% B2O30-5%, preferably 0 CaO5-15% MgO0-10% Na2O5-20% K2O0-10% BaO0-5%, preferably 0, SO30.1-0.4% Fe2O3 (total iron)0 to 0.015%, Redox0.1-0.3. |
| US08966936B2 |
Expansion valve and air conditioner for vehicles having the same
An expansion valve and an air conditioner for vehicles having the same, the expansion valve comprising a main body having an inflow channel, first and second discharge channels and first and second orifices to expand refrigerant branched from the inflow channel to the first and second discharge channels; first and second valves to control flow rates of refrigerant passing through the first and second orifices by controlling the degree of opening of the first and second orifices respectively; and a shaft slidably mounted inside the main body for varying positions of the first and second valves simultaneously so that the first and second orifices are opened or closed at the same time by the movement of the shaft. |
| US08966928B2 |
Air conditioner for vehicle with heat pump cycle
An air conditioner for a vehicle includes a vapor compression refrigeration cycle switchable between a heat pump cycle and a cooler cycle, a heat core configured to heat air to be blown into a vehicle compartment by using coolant of an engine of the vehicle as a heat source, and a controller configured to control operation of the vapor compression refrigeration cycle. The controller controls the vapor compression refrigeration cycle to be operated as the cooler cycle so as to perform a defrosting control of the outdoor heat exchanger, and outputs an operation request signal to the engine, when the controller determines that the outdoor heat exchanger is frosted. |
| US08966923B2 |
Coupling unit for connecting the refrigerant lines of a refrigerant circuit
The invention relates to a coupling unit (16) for connecting refrigerant lines (11) of a refrigerant circuit (10), in particular for cooling a vehicle drive module, said coupling unit including an expansion valve (20) accommodated in the coupling unit (16), said expansion valve (20) separating the refrigerant circuit (10) into a first and a second sub-areas (30, 32), said coupling unit (16) being connected directly to a refrigerant feed and a refrigerant return for an evaporator (26), said coupling unit (16) respectively comprising a coupling connection (36, 38) of the refrigerant feed and the refrigerant return, which are detachably connected to the expansion valve (20) via a common fastening device (44), and with the common fastening device (44) having at least one fastening element (48) that is accessible for connecting and disconnecting from a side of the expansion valve (20) that faces away from the coupling connections (36, 38). |
| US08966922B2 |
Air-side economizer facilitating liquid-based cooling of an electronics rack
A cooling apparatus and method are provided for cooling an electronic subsystem of an electronics rack. The cooling apparatus includes a local cooling station, which has a liquid-to-air heat exchanger and ducting for directing a cooling airflow across the heat exchanger. A cooling subsystem is associated with the electronic subsystem of the rack, and includes either a housing facilitating immersion cooling of electronic components of the electronic subsystem, or one or more liquid-cooled structures providing conductive cooling to the electronic components of the electronic subsystem. A coolant loop couples the cooling subsystem to the liquid-to-air heat exchanger of the local cooling station. In operation, heat is transferred via circulating coolant from the electronic subsystem and rejected in the liquid-to-air heat exchanger of the local cooling station to the cooling airflow passing across the liquid-to-air heat exchanger. In one embodiment, the cooling airflow is outdoor air. |
| US08966913B2 |
Auxiliary air conditioner for vehicle
An auxiliary air conditioning apparatus may include a blower unit, wherein a blower may be provided therein to forcibly blow intake air, a temperature control unit fluid-connected to the blower unit to receive air blown from the blower unit, wherein the temperature control unit includes an evaporator and a heater therein and may be connected to an air duct to exhaust air that may be cooled by the evaporator or heated by the heater, an auxiliary temperature control unit fluid-connected to the blower unit to receive air blown from the blower unit and fluid-connected to the air duct, wherein the auxiliary temperature control unit includes a heat exchanger core provided therein, the heat exchanger core having a thermoelectric device, an auxiliary power supply supplying electrical power to the blower and the heat exchanger core, and an auxiliary cooling/heating control unit controlling operation of the blower and the heat exchanger unit. |
| US08966910B2 |
Methods and systems for cooling a transition nozzle
A turbine assembly includes a fuel nozzle configured to mix fuel and air and a transition nozzle oriented to receive the fuel and air mixture from the fuel nozzle. The transition nozzle includes a transition portion and a nozzle portion integrally formed with the transition portion. The transition nozzle includes a plurality of openings oriented to channel air to facilitate cooling the transition portion and/or the nozzle portion. The transition portion is oriented to channel combustion gases towards the nozzle portion. |
| US08966908B2 |
Phase and amplitude matched fuel injector
A fuel injector for a turbine engine may include a body member disposed about a longitudinal axis, and a barrel member located radially outwardly from the body member. The fuel injector may also include an annular passageway extending between the body member and the barrel member from a first end to a second end. The first end may be configured to be fluidly coupled to a compressor of the turbine engine and the second end may be configured to be fluidly coupled to a combustor of the turbine engine. The fuel injector may also include a perforated plate positioned proximate the first end of the passageway. The perforated plate may be configured to direct compressed air into the annular passageway with a first pressure drop. The fuel injector may also include at least one fuel discharge orifice positioned downstream of the perforated plate. The at least one fuel discharge orifice may be configured to discharge a fuel into the annular passageway with a second pressure drop. The second pressure drop may have a value between about the first pressure drop and about 1.75 times the first pressure drop. |
| US08966906B2 |
System for supplying pressurized fluid to a cap assembly of a gas turbine combustor
A system for supplying pressurized fluid to a combustor of a gas turbine is disclosed. The system may include an end cover and a fuel nozzle extending from the end cover. The fuel nozzle may include a downstream end. Additionally, the system may include a cap assembly configured to receive at least a portion of the fuel nozzle. The cap assembly may include an upstream wall spaced apart from the downstream end, a downstream wall disposed proximate to the downstream end and a cap chamber defined between the upstream and downstream walls. Moreover, a conduit may extend through the end cover and the upstream wall such that a discharge end of the conduit is in flow communication with the cap chamber. |
| US08966905B2 |
Combustion device
A combustion device includes a plurality of mixing devices into which a fluid containing oxygen and a fuel are introduced and mixed to form a mixture. The combustion device also includes a combustion chamber in which the mixture formed in the mixing devices is burnt. Each mixing device has a conical body with a lance projecting into the conical body, where the fuel is injectable into the conical body. Tips of the lances of different mixing devices have different distances from corresponding open ends of the respective conical bodies. |
| US08966902B2 |
Storage and recovery of thermal energy based on counter current principle of heat transfer medium transportation
A thermal energy storage device is provided. The device has a heat exchanger arrangement for guiding a flow of a heat transfer medium between a first end and a second end of the heat exchanger arrangement, and a heat storage material surrounding the heat exchanger arrangement. The heat exchanger arrangement transports the heat transfer medium from the first end to the second end if the thermal energy storage device is in a first operational mode, in which the heat storage material is supposed to receive thermal energy from the heat transfer medium, and transports the heat transfer medium from the second end to the first end if the thermal energy storage device is in a second operational mode, in which the heat storage material is supposed to release thermal energy to the heat transfer medium. |
| US08966899B2 |
System and method for storing energy
A system includes at least one body, a link for suspending the body for movement with gravity from a first elevation position to a second elevation position, and an electrical energy generator coupled with the body through the link to drive the generator to generate electricity upon movement of the body with gravity from the first to the second elevation position. The at least one body has a mass of at least approximately 100 tonnes; the first and the second elevation positions define a distance therebetween of at least approximately 200 meters; and/or the system further includes an operator configured to operate the link to controllably move the at least one body against gravity from the second to the first elevation position to increase a gravitational potential energy of the at least one body, and to maintain the gravitational potential energy of the at least one body. |
| US08966896B2 |
Secondary air injection system and method
According to one embodiment of the invention, an internal combustion engine includes a first exhaust port in a cylinder head of the internal combustion engine, a first one way valve coupled to a secondary air system, the first one way valve configured to restrict fluid communication from the first exhaust port to the secondary air system. The engine also includes a second exhaust port in the cylinder head and a second one way valve coupled to the secondary air system, the second one way valve configured to restrict fluid communication from the second exhaust port to the secondary air system, wherein the first and second exhaust ports are in fluid communication with a turbocharger. |
| US08966894B2 |
Turbocharger cartridge and engine cylinder head assembly
An turbocharger cartridge and engine cylinder head assembly includes a turbocharger cartridge that includes some but not all of the components of a turbocharger, while the engine cylinder head provides the components of the turbocharger that are not included in the cartridge. The cartridge includes a center housing rotating assembly having a shaft that joins a turbine wheel to a compressor wheel, the shaft passing through bearings housed in the center housing. The engine cylinder head defines a receptacle that receives the cartridge. The head also defines a diffuser and volute for the compressor, and a turbine volute. The cartridge defines a turbine nozzle and turbine contour, and further includes a wastegate unit as a part of the cartridge. |
| US08966892B2 |
Meterless hydraulic system having restricted primary makeup
A hydraulic system is disclosed. The hydraulic system may have a primary pump, a hydraulic actuator, and first and second passages fluidly connecting the primary pump to the hydraulic actuator in a closed-loop manner. The hydraulic system may also have a charge circuit, a makeup valve movable to selectively allow charge fluid from the charge circuit to enter the first or second passages, and at least one restricted pilot passage configured to direct pilot fluid to the makeup valve to move the makeup valve and allow the charge fluid into the first and second passages. |
| US08966890B2 |
Method and arrangement for active make-up in an overrunning actuator
A hydraulic system having an actuator having a piston and associated rod forming head and rod chambers and being adapted to move between retracted and extended positions within a cylinder, and first and second sources of fluid. A first pump provides fluid from the first source to the head chamber at a first pressure. At least one valve provides fluid from the second source at a second pressure to supplement fluid provided to the head chamber from the first pump when the second pressure is greater than the first pressure. |
| US08966888B2 |
Self-contained modular actuator
Pneumatic actuator apparatuses with expandable chambers, and methods of using same. In some embodiments, the apparatuses are self-contained and/or self-inflating. |
| US08966887B2 |
Reconfigurable bi-metallic mixer for an exhaust aftertreatment system and method of using the same
A mixer for an exhaust aftertreatment system is disclosed. The mixer includes a body portion that is configured to be disposed in an exhaust conduit of an exhaust aftertreatment system upstream of an exhaust aftertreatment device. The mixer also includes an airfoil portion that is disposed on the body portion and reversibly movable between a deployed position and a retracted position, wherein in the deployed position the airfoil portion provides a deployed resistance to an exhaust gas flow and in the retracted position provides a retracted resistance thereto, and the deployed resistance is greater than the retracted resistance, the body portion and airfoil portion comprising a mixer. The mixer further includes a bimetallic couple that is operatively joined to the mixer and configured to reversibly move the airfoil portion from the retracted position to the deployed position. |
| US08966886B2 |
Exhaust apparatus for internal combustion engine
An exhaust apparatus for an internal combustion engine wherein an on-off gate valve and a driving source therefor are not required for each bypass pipe. The exhaust apparatus includes a plurality of exhaust pipes extending independently from each other individually from a plurality of exhaust ports. Bypass paths communicate the exhaust pipes with each other in a region wherein the exhaust pipes are independent of each other. The bypass paths are opened or closed to control an exhaust characteristic. A plurality of bypass paths are provided and a bypass joining section at which the bypass paths are joined so as to be positioned in parallel to and in the neighborhood with each other is provided. At the bypass joining section, a single on-off valve that opens and closes the bypass paths simultaneously, and a single actuator for driving the on-off valve to open and close are provided. |
| US08966879B1 |
Acoustic igniter
An acoustic resonance igniter uses gas expanding through a nozzle to form a sonic, or under-expanded supersonic, jet directed against the opening of a blind resonance cavity in a central body, setting up a high-frequency sonic resonance which heats the gas within the cavity. A pintle extends coaxially with the nozzle and injects liquid propellant into the jet. The liquid propellant ignites with the heated gas within the resonance cavity forming combustion gases. The combustion gases flow through openings in a flange which supports the resonance cavity into a combustion chamber in the same direction as the gas jet flows. The liquid propellant is injected from within the support flange in the direction of combustion gas flow to film cool the combustion chamber wall and the flange and the central body supported by the flange. The acoustic resonance igniter may form a rocket engine ignition torch or a RCS thruster. |
| US08966878B2 |
Gas turbine
A compressor compresses air to produce compressed air. A mixture of fuel and the compressed air is combusted in a combustor to produce combustion gas. The combustion gas is supplied to a turbine to obtain rotational power. High-temperature gas accumulated in a space partitioned by an exhaust-side bearing portion that rotatably supports a turbine shaft and an exhaust diffuser is discharged through an exhaust gas passage. The high-temperature gas is sucked into the exhaust gas passage by exhaust gas flowing in the exhaust diffuser. |
| US08966870B2 |
Methods of controlling a lawn mower having electric drive and blade motors
A vehicle such as a riding lawn mower may have at least one electric drive motor configured to drive at least one wheel, at least one electric blade motor configured to drive at least one cutting blade, and a battery module connected to the drive and blade motors. According to some embodiments, a method of controlling the vehicle may include: operating the blade motor according to a blade target speed; monitoring a blade current load for the blade motor; comparing the blade current load to a light load low threshold for the blade motor; and if the blade current load is less than the light load low threshold, decreasing the blade target speed. |
| US08966869B2 |
Method for filling food containers
The invention relates to a method for filling thin wall food containers, in particular beverage cans, which are eventually closed gas-tight and have an inner pressure that is above ambient pressure for stabilizing the food container. The method includes the steps of providing the food container with an open filling orifice in a filling station; filling the food container in the filling station; covering the filling orifice of the food container with a lid directly after completing the filling process; fixating the lid at the food container without closing the food container gas-tight; and transporting the food container with the filling opening covered. |
| US08966868B2 |
Methods of stabilizing molecular weight of polymer stents after sterilization
Methods of stabilizing the molecular weight of polymer stents scaffolds after E-beam sterilization are disclosed. The molecular weight of the polymer of the irradiated scaffolds is stabilized through exposure to gas containing oxygen. |
| US08966863B2 |
Medicine inspection device, and medicine packaging device
A medicine inspection device includes an inspection unit for inspecting a medicine disposed on the inspection unit; a vibrator to impart vibration to the medicine disposed on the inspection unit; and a shooting unit capable of photographing the medicine disposed on the inspection unit. The medicine inspection device further includes a medicine information detector capable of detecting at least the quantity or type of the medicine based on an image obtained by the shooting unit and a distribution detector which is configured to detect a distribution of the medicine on the inspection unit based on the image obtained by the shooting unit. The inspection unit includes a plurality of inspection areas where the vibrator independently provides vibration to each inspection area. The medicine inspection device is characterized by operating the vibrator so as to provide vibration in the inspection areas chosen based on the detection result of the distribution detector. |
| US08966861B2 |
Lining board using of multi-layer fiber sheet
A lining board includes: a plate-like support structure which is made of a multi-layered fiber sheet and has a plurality of hollows; and an upper plate which is attached to the top of the support structure and has a plurality of LED leading lightings formed on the top of the upper plate. The honeycomb-structured lining board including fiber sheets stacked with a predetermined thickness has advantages of lightness, high impact-resistance and high noise-proofing due to high sound absorptiveness. |
| US08966857B2 |
Saddle hanger for a structure
A saddle hanger for connecting at least one bracing member to a truss chord includes a base having a first end portion for receiving a bracing member and an adjacent portion for receiving a truss chord. A projecting element extends from a transverse edge of the base portion, and has a width narrower than the transverse dimension of the hanger base. A plurality of flanges extends upward from side edges of the base and defines with the base a channel for receiving one of the truss chord and bracing member. The saddle hanger can be formed from a stamped metal blank, with portions of the saddle hanger being nested in side-by-side relation to minimize the amount of material used. |
| US08966849B1 |
System for mounting wall panels to a wall structure
A system for mounting wall panels to an existing wall structure, each wall panel including a main wall panel section, bent end sections extending at an angle from edges of the main wall panel section; main fastening extrusions, each including a base, and first and second spaced apart bent end securing walls extending from the base with the spacing therebetween greater than the wall thickness of two bent end sections; a plug member inserted in the spacing between adjacent bent end securing walls and held thereat by either a tape or lower wings; and a recess at a first surface of each bent end section which faces a second surface of a respective bent end securing wall, and a projection at the second surface of each bent end securing wall which is adapted to be received in a respective recess. |
| US08966848B2 |
Sun Louvre formed by a structure supporting an interweave of metal sheets
A sun louvre formed by a structure supporting an interweave of metal sheets is provided. The sun louvre includes a plurality of structural profiles and a plurality of supporting plates. The supporting plates have two perforations which are passed through by an outer tube and an inner tube. The sheets pass by a front portion of the outer tube and by a rear portion of the inner tube immediately precedent or previous with respect to the outer tube. Adjacent sheets are interwoven in an alternate manner with respect to the outer and inner tubes. Ends of the sheets have reinforcement plates from which a hook is gripped. The hook has a stud fixed thereto that is enclosed by a spring that tensions the sheets. |
| US08966845B1 |
Insulated reinforced foam sheathing, reinforced vapor permeable air barrier foam panel and method of making and using same
The invention comprises a product. The product comprises a composite panel comprising a foam insulating panel having a first primary surface and an opposite second primary surface, and a first layer of a polymeric elastomeric material on the first primary surface such that at least a portion of a first layer of reinforcing material is at least partially embedded in the polymeric elastomeric material. The composite panel also comprises a fastener for attaching the composite panel to a framing structure, wherein the fastener comprises a washer and wherein at least a portion of the first layer of a polymeric elastomeric material and the first layer of reinforcing material are disposed between the washer and the first primary surface. A method of making and using the composite panel is also disclosed. |
| US08966843B2 |
Wall for separating the inside of a building from the outside
The wall serves for separating the inside of a building from the outside. According to a first aspect, the wall has a water vapor diffusion resistance of at most 20 meters, wherein the heat transfer coefficient amounts to at most 1.5 W/(m2·K), and the moisture storage capacity amounts to at least 2 kg/m2. According to a second aspect, the wall has a bearing layer (10) as well as an outer layer (9) and an inner layer (11), which include moisture-buffering materials. |
| US08966841B2 |
Adjustable door threshold
A door threshold may comprise a main body formed from two feet. In certain example embodiments, a male-female connection between the feet may be used to adjust the depth of the door threshold. In certain other example embodiments, a center bridge insert to be used in connection with two female feet to adjust the depth of the door threshold. In still further example embodiments, one or more center layers may be disposed between two feet, with the size of the center layer(s) determining the depth of the door threshold. Also, the door threshold may include upper and lower members for sandwiching carpet and/or carpet padding therebetween which, in certain example embodiments, may grip the carpet to reduce the ease with which it may be pulled out from between the upper and lower members. Thus, certain example embodiments may reduce and/or eliminate the need for tacks proximate to the threshold. |
| US08966838B2 |
Photovoltaic systems, methods for installing photovoltaic systems, and kits for installing photovoltaic systems
The present invention relates particularly to photovoltaic systems for use in photovoltaically generating electrical energy. One aspect of the invention is a photovoltaic roofing system disposed on a roof deck. The photovoltaic roofing system includes one or more photovoltaic elements contiguously disposed on the roof deck, the contiguously-disposed photovoltaic elements defining a photovoltaic area; a plurality of roofing elements disposed adjacent the contiguously-disposed photovoltaic elements, along their side edges; side flashing disposed along the side edges of the contiguously-disposed photovoltaic elements, the side flashing having a cross-sectional shape comprising a vertically-extending feature and a flange extending from each lateral side at the bottom of the vertically-extending feature, with the flange facing the photovoltaic area being at least partially disposed between a photovoltaic element and the roof deck, and the flange facing away from the photovoltaic area being at least partially disposed between a roofing element and the roof deck. |
| US08966837B2 |
Post sleeve assembly
A post sleeve provides a substantially permanent base for supporting a post for a fence or sign, and from which one post can be removed and replaced with another post. The sleeve includes a concrete body that is poured on site, using a sleeve core prepositioned in the post hole, and around which wet concrete is poured. After the concrete is cured, the core is removed, leaving a post sleeve cavity configured to receive a post. The core can be rigid, or can include a flexible shell and stiffener. A preformed post sleeve top can be attached to the sleeve core and positioned therewith in the post hole, to become a permanent part of the post sleeve, once the concrete cures. A drain is attached to the core, and remains in the sleeve when the core is removed, and can be a percolation chamber, or passage extending below the sleeve. |
| US08966830B2 |
Safety device
The present invention relates to a device for the protection of living beings and objects from being buried in bulk material, a method for assembling said device and uses employing this device. |
| US08966827B2 |
Shelter assembly
A shelter assembly includes a multi-layered, fluid filled shelter that does not require rods for assembly. The assembly includes sidewalls that form a framework for a shelter. The sidewalls comprise air filled materials having a substantially planar shape. The sidewalls form a plurality of layers. Apertures in the sidewalls enable a fluid to pass between each layer for forming an insulating effect on the assembly. The apertures also serve as a cavity for a rod to pass through and fasten the shelter to a surface. A lower floor sidewall and an upper floor sidewall rest adjacent to each other, forming a sandwich configuration that creates insulation and air circulation between layers. At least one channel, such as a chimney, enables an external fluid to circulate through the assembly. A gate portion provides access to the assembly. A roof sidewall provides an external protective upper covering. |
| US08966825B2 |
Door module with integrated sensor electrode
A door module for a door of a motor vehicle. The door module has a support for receiving a window lifter drive and fixing points at which the door module can be fixed to the corresponding door. At least one sensor electrode of a capacitive and/or inductive control device is attached to the support in order to contactlessly operate an actuator in the motor vehicle. |
| US08966824B2 |
Cold static gasket for complex geometrical sealing applications
A gasket assembly (20) and method for forming the gasket assembly (20) for sealing two mating surfaces (46,48) over a complex geometrical contact region. The gasket assembly (20) is formed by a hollow silicone rubber tube (22) having a naturally straight configuration but easily bent into complex configurations without kinking. The tube (22) is filled with a curable liquid rubber compound (30) and then the ends (24,26) of the tube (22) are joined in end-to-end fashion to form a continuous loop. The joined ends (24,26) of the tube (22) can be reinforced with a connector (34,134) and then locally cured on a preliminary operation so that the liquid rubber compound (30) does not escape. The tube (22) is then laid up in a mold (40) having a complex geometrical feature (42) which replicates the complex geometrical contact region of the two mating surfaces (46,48) to be subsequently sealed. With the tube (22) held stationary in the mold form (40), the entrapped liquid rubber compound (30) is cured using a heat source (44) or other suitable curing accelerant. Once fully cured, the core of rubber compound (30′) takes a set in the complex geometrical form, and resists straightening of the tube (22) so as to hold the gasket assembly (20) in the complex geometrical shape required to later seal the mating surfaces (46,48). The tube (22) and core of cured rubber compound (30′) may be selected of materials which possess different durometers. |
| US08966822B2 |
Air and debris dam for moving coil balance assembly
An air and/or debris dam for moving coil balance assembly for a hung window is disclosed. The air and/or debris dam is located between the carrier and a mounting location of a moving coil window balance assembly. The air and/or debris dam can travel within the jamb channel of a window frame assembly to inhibit airflow and/or the deposition of dust and/or debris in the jamb channel. |
| US08966811B2 |
Tackle box for umbrella rigs
A tackle box specifically designed to accommodate an umbrella rig, fully assembled with four hook elements at the ends of the arms, and one hook assembly in the center of the umbrella rig, is disclosed. The tackle box provides four separate compartment in the four corners of the tackle box, one for each of the four hook elements at the ends of the umbrella arms, whereby each of the four hook elements is isolated and cannot entangle each other. A fifth central compartment is designed to accommodate the fifth, central hook element of the umbrella rig. At least four compartments are interspaced between four corner compartments to store tackle. |
| US08966806B2 |
Apparatus and method for calculating aiming point information
The present invention relates to target acquisition and related devices, and more particularly to telescopic gunsights and associated equipment used to achieve shooting accuracy at, for example, close ranges, medium ranges and extreme ranges |
| US08966805B2 |
Reflex sight
An optical sight is provided and may include a housing and a wedged, doublet objective lens supported by the housing. The wedged, doublet objective lens may include a first lens having a first amount of wedge and a second lens having a second amount of wedge different than the first amount of wedge. |
| US08966804B2 |
Removable flashlight body or storage container for a firearm
Device for removable attachment to a mounting rail including a body having first and second lateral members movable along respective first and second slots between a retracted position and an extended position; the first and second lateral members in the extended position include portions extending beyond the body for attachment to the mounting rail; a first lock to lock the first and second lateral members in the extended position with third and fourth lateral members depressible into respective third and fourth slots in the body when the first and second lateral members are in the retracted position and having respective bottom portions that engage respective top edge portions of the first and second lateral members when in the extended position; first and second springs to outwardly bias the respective third and fourth lateral members; and a second lock to prevent longitudinal movement of the body on the mounting rail. |
| US08966801B1 |
Modular shotgun box magazine
A modular shotgun magazine including an upper portion and a lower portion that are interchangeable with other upper and lower portions. The upper portion includes a first interior, and upper opening, a lower opening, and a lower flange. The lower portion includes a second interior with an upper opening and an upper flange. The upper flange of the lower portion is connected to the lower flange of the upper portion so that the first and second interiors form a cavity. A fastening mechanism selectively connects the upper portion to the lower portion. The upper portion of the modular magazine may be connected to various lower portions having different shell capacities. The lower portion of the modular magazine may be connected to different upper portions that are configured to mate with a receiver of different shotguns. |
| US08966796B2 |
Image display
An image display including an image substrate and a support structure. The image substrate has an image printed on a first surface. The support structure can include a front sheet, a back sheet and a plurality of side strips secured between the front sheet and the back sheet for forming a closed support structure. An internal support can be provided in an internal cavity of the support structure for enhancing the rigidity of the support structure. The image substrate can be adhered to an external surface of the front sheet so that the front sheet forms a rigid backing for the image substrate. A variety of image substrates are provided. |
| US08966793B1 |
Date indicating device
A date indicating device attachable to food storage containers is selectably set to indicate the date that the food product inside of the container. The device can be attached to the upper rim of the lid or handle of the container. The device includes a plurality of adjustable knobs which enable the date to be set and includes the month, day, and year. |
| US08966792B2 |
Machine having dipper actuator system
An actuator system for a machine includes a linear hydraulic actuator connected to a dipper of the machine, and a hydraulic system fluidly connected to the actuator and configured to selectively direct fluid to the actuator. A component of the hydraulic system is mounted on the dipper. The system also includes an overcenter link coupled to a door of the dipper and biased to maintain the door in a closed position. A piston assembly of the actuator is configured to move the overcenter link in a first direction, via contact between the piston assembly and the overcenter link, thereby transitioning the door from the closed position to an open position. |
| US08966785B2 |
Method for controlling a laundry treatment apparatus according to target relative humidity
A control method of a laundry treatment apparatus is disclosed. The control method of a laundry treatment apparatus includes a humidity measuring step of measuring a relative humidity of an accommodating space accommodating laundry, a target humidity setting step of setting a target relative humidity based on the relative humidity measured in the humidity measuring step, to dry the laundry, and a heated air supplying step of supplying heated air to the accommodating space based on the target relative humidity. |
| US08966782B2 |
Optimization of nucleation and crystallization for lyophilization using gap freezing
This application discloses devices, articles, and methods useful for producing lyophilized cakes of solutes. The devices and articles provide for a method of freezing liquid solutions of the solute by the top and the bottom of the solution simultaneously and at approximately the same rate. The as frozen solution can then provide a lyophilized cake of the solutes with large and uniform pores. |
| US08966781B1 |
Sports equipment sanitizer system
An equipment rack system includes a plurality of holders at least including a pair of first holders, a pair of second holders, a pair of third holders, a pair of fourth holders, and a pair of fifth holders, a base; a vertical column have a first end and a second end; a valve; and a powerer. Each pair of first holders, the pair of second holders, the pair of third holders, the pair of fourth holders, and the pair of fifth holders comprise fluid apertures about their lengths. The equipment is placed on the pair of first holders, the pair of second holders, the pair of third holders, the pair of fourth holders, and the pair of fifth holders on the equipment rack during an in-use condition to sanitize and air dry equipment to neutralize odors, and eliminate bacteria, and germs. |
| US08966777B2 |
Levels and leveling systems
Embodiments of the present invention include levels, level assemblies and/or apparatus for leveling. Certain embodiments of the present invention are advantageous for the adjustment and leveling of cutting instruments, such as the blades of a mower. |
| US08966766B2 |
Reinforcement structure and method employing bulkheads
A structural reinforcement device for insertion into a cavity of a structure and method for making the same including a first reinforcement section that has at least one projection of a first expandable polymeric material secured to it; and a separate second reinforcement section mated with the first reinforcement section, the second reinforcement section being configured to include at least one cavity, into which the at least one projection penetrates upon mating, and at least one aperture defined therein through which the expandable material flows during expansion and where it will remain upon curing of the material, thereby causing the first reinforcement section to be coupled with the second reinforcement section. |
| US08966765B2 |
Medical boom with articulated arms and a base with preconfigured removable modular racks used for storing electronic and utility equipment
The present invention is directed to a medical boom with articulated arms and a base cabinet designed to accommodate modular equipment and utility racks that include video processing, computer, and electronic, and other utility equipment that can be easy inserted and removed from the base cabinet, as well as a method of manufacturing and using the same. The boom includes a stationary base that is configured to be installed into an operating room and one or more boom arms supported by the stationary base and configured to extend over an operating table in the operating room. The structural base includes one or more bays configured to receive a modular rack of electrical equipment. In various embodiments, the structural base cabinet further incorporates wiring to connect the equipment installed in the modular racks to video monitors and other equipment mounted on the articulated booms. The modular racks are preconfigured with a variety of electronic equipment such as computers, video processors and the like. The modular racks are installed in the base cabinet subsequent to the cabinet's structural installation in the operating room and may be readily removed or replaced at a later time. |
| US08966751B2 |
MMC cylinder liner and method for producing the same
An MMC cylinder liner comprises an inner tubular portion and an outer tubular portion. The inner tubular portion includes a metal matrix composite formed of a compact impregnated with an Al—Si alloy wherein the compact is made of a reinforcing material. The outer tubular portion is formed of the Al—Si alloy. The Si concentration of the Al—Si alloy impregnated into the compact of the inner tubular portion is different from the Si concentration of the Al—Si alloy of the outer tubular portion. |
| US08966748B2 |
Method for manufacturing an arrangement with a component on a carrier substrate and a method for manufacturing a semi-finished product
The invention relates to a method for manufacturing an arrangement with a component on a carrier substrate, wherein the method encompasses the following steps: Manufacturing spacer elements on the rear side of a cover substrate, arranging a component on a cover surface of a carrier substrate, and arranging the spacer elements formed on the carrier substrate so as to situate the component in the at least one hollow space and close the latter. In addition, the invention relates to an arrangement, a method for manufacturing a semi-finished product for a component arrangement, as well as a semi-finished product for a component arrangement. |
| US08966743B2 |
Electrode-changing device having improved safety
A device for changing the electrode of an electrode-holder tool of a welding device, with a first part configured to house an electrode-holder tool and including means to prevent the electrode-holder tool from moving, and a second part installed around the first part and covering the part of the electrode protruding outside the first part, where the second part can be separated from the first part by sliding along the electrode, and is able to rotate relative to the fixed part when it surrounds it, and where the second part is configured to tighten or untighten the mandrel and to attach the electrode and the second part, enabling it to be removed from the mandrel when the first part and the second part are separated. |
| US08966741B2 |
Method of making and assembling a one-piece sloped ceiling baffle
A one-piece, sloped baffle includes a generally cylindrical central opening having a central axis extending between an open circular end and an open elliptical end. A plane defining the open circular end is perpendicular to the central axis. A plane defining the open elliptical end is at an oblique angle relative to the central axis. The baffle further includes an opening extending between the ends and a pair of opposing edges substantially parallel with the central axis and on opposite sides of the opening. First projections are positioned on opposite sides of the opening and aligned with the opposing edges. Second projections are positioned on opposite sides of the opening at a radial distance from the first projections. The baffle further includes a plurality of grooves that extend circumferentially around an inner surface of the baffle. |
| US08966739B2 |
Weight activated device
A device including: a load bearing structure for supporting a load on a surface; a surface engaging assembly operably connected to the load bearing structure; and, a biasing arrangement configured to be energized when the load is applied to the load bearing structure, the biasing arrangement urging the surface engaging assembly towards a disengaged condition to allow the movement of the device relative the surface. |
| US08966736B2 |
Apparatus for attaching radiopaque markers to a stent
A mandrel for supporting a stent and rollers for pressing a radiopaque marker into a stent are disclosed. The mandrel can have a forward portion for carrying the stent and a rear portion for urging the stent forward portion into a gap between the rollers. The mandrel may be pushed or pulled into the gap, which is sized to allow the rollers to press the marker into engagement with the stent. Prior to moving the mandrel into the gap, the marker may be placed on a surface of the stent or partially inside a recess in the stent. Several markers can be efficiently and uniformly pressed onto the stent by moving the mandrel into the gap in one continuous movement in an axial or lateral direction. Markers can also be pressed onto the stent by placing the stent in the gap and rotating the stent about its central axis. |
| US08966733B2 |
Secured strand end devices
A woven, self-expanding stent device has one or more strands and is configured for insertion into an anatomical structure. The device includes a coupling structure secured to two different strand end portions that are substantially aligned with each other. The two different strand end portions include nickel and titanium. The coupling structure is not a strand of the device. |
| US08966732B2 |
Method of manufacturing custom sized plastic tote having intermediate sleeve
A method of manufacturing a custom sized plastic tote lighter in weight than heretofore known custom sized plastic totes is provided. The method comprises separating an injection molded tote into upper and lower portions by cutting the injection molded tote. A sleeve or middle portion of plastic material is secured to the upper and lower portions of the injection molded tote to create a custom sized plastic tote of a desired height. Alternatively, portions of different injection molded totes may be used to create a custom sized plastic tote. The sleeve may be made from different materials and may be made of multiple pieces. |
| US08966729B2 |
Method for manufacturing piezoelectric actuator
In sputter etching to improve the adhesion between upper electrodes and lead electrodes, the sputter etching of surfaces of the upper electrodes under an Ar gas flow at a flow rate of 60 sccm or more can reduce the residence time of Ar ions on the surfaces of the upper electrodes because of the Ar gas flow. This can prevent the charging of the upper electrodes due to the buildup of ionized Ar gas on the surfaces, reduce the influence of charging on piezoelectric elements, and provide a method for manufacturing a piezoelectric actuator that includes the piezoelectric elements each including a piezoelectric layer having small variations in hysteresis characteristics and deformation characteristics. |
| US08966728B2 |
System and method for forming barbs on a suture
A station for cutting a barb suture is provided. The barb cutting station includes a suture transport assembly for supporting a first suture, a first knife assembly for forming barbs on the first suture, and a first clamp and position assembly for approximating the at least first suture towards the at least first knife assembly. The barb cutting station may further include at least a first suture cutting mechanism configured for severing the at least first suture when a defect is detected. The station may also include at least a first visual inspection assembly configured for detecting defective barbs. |
| US08966725B2 |
Funeral urn system and method of using same
A funeral urn system comprising: a funeral urn defining an urn proximal attachment and a substantially opposed urn distal attachment, the funeral urn including an urn body defining an ashes receiving cavity and an urn aperture leading into the ashes receiving cavity, the funeral urn also including an urn cap selectively securable to the urn body in register with the urn aperture to seal the ashes receiving cavity; and a spear head cap, the spear head cap defining a cap proximal attachment and a substantially opposed cap distal end section tapering in a direction leading away from the cap proximal attachment. The urn proximal and distal attachments are configured and sized to be selectively attachable respectively to the urn distal and proximal attachments of another urn similar to the funeral urn. The urn distal attachment is configured and sized to be selectively attachable to the cap proximal attachment. |
| US08966718B2 |
Coupling ring, methods and applications
A coupler for a load-bearing, non-signal-transmitting cable includes a body portion having integral first and second ends and an integral gate having a key entry region, wherein the body portion has a free space at least partially enclosed by an inner surface of the body portion and the gate. A complimentary coupling ring includes an integral perimetal body having a head section, a foot section, and two arm sections therebetween, wherein at least one of the arm sections has a key region, further wherein the key region consists of a solid, integral portion of the at least one arm section. A coupler/coupling ring assembly includes a coupler and a coupling ring that is removeably engageable with the coupler. The coupler/coupling ring assembly is particularly suited for interconnecting lengths of load-bearing, non-signal-transmitting cable, particularly suited for, but not limited to, undersea applications such as attaching a seismic data recording device to the coupler via the coupling ring. |
| US08966717B2 |
Safety cord connector for window blind
A safety cord connector for a window blind includes a first half shell and a second half shell combined with the first half shell in such a way that a positioning protrusion extending from an inner surface of the second half shell is inserted into a positioning notch formed on an inner surface of the first half shell so as hold the first and second half shells together. When an external force exceeding the engaging force between the positioning protrusion and the positioning notch exerts between the first and second half shells, the positioning protrusion will separate away from the positioning notch to enable the combined first and second half shells to be split from each other so as to enhance safety in use. |
| US08966716B1 |
Apparatus for restraining distal portion movement of neck-worn clothing accessories
Exemplary embodiments will provide an apparatus for restraining a portion of a distal portion of a neck-worn clothing accessory, such as a neck tie, scarf, or other such clothing accessory, by connecting a rear, or underneath, portion of the clothing accessory to an underlying garment. Exemplary embodiments could restrain a portion of the distal portion of such a neck-worn clothing accessory without piercing or creasing any part of the exposed front surface of the neck-worn clothing accessory. An exemplary embodiment will include an underneath-portion engaging element, a connective element, and an exemplary garment-engaging element. |
| US08966710B1 |
Skin cleaning assembly
A skin cleaning assembly includes a housing that has a first end and a second end. The first end comprises a head that has a circular shape. The second end comprises a handle. The head includes a front wall, a back wall, and a perimeter wall extending between the front and back walls. A cleaning disk is rotatably coupled to the housing and is positioned in and extends away from the front wall. The cleaning disk includes a plurality of bristles. A massage disk is rotatably coupled to the housing and is positioned in and extends away from the back wall. The massage disk includes a plurality of hemispherical massagers. A control circuit is mounted to the housing. The control circuit is actuated to rotate the cleaning disk and actuated to oscillate the massage disk. |
| US08966707B2 |
Autonomous surface cleaning robot for dry cleaning
An autonomous floor cleaning robot includes a transport drive and control system arranged for autonomous movement of the robot over a floor for performing cleaning operations. The robot chassis carries a first cleaning zone comprising cleaning elements arranged to suction loose particulates up from the cleaning surface and a second cleaning zone comprising cleaning elements arraigned to apply a cleaning fluid onto the surface and to thereafter collect the cleaning fluid up from the surface after it has been used to clean the surface. The robot chassis carries a supply of cleaning fluid and a waste container for storing waste materials collected up from the cleaning surface. |
| US08966704B2 |
Dust removing device and dust removing method
In a piezoelectric device, a first electrode and a second electrode are disposed to be opposed to each other on plate surfaces of the piezoelectric device, a first electrode plane of the piezoelectric device is fixedly bonded to a plate surface of a vibrating plate, a piezoelectric material forming the piezoelectric device is polarized in a direction parallel to the first electrode plane, the piezoelectric device is fixed to a base through a second electrode plane of the piezoelectric device, and the piezoelectric device generates a thickness-shear vibration with the fixed second electrode plane being a reference plane. The piezoelectric vibration generated by the piezoelectric device generates a flexural vibration in the vibrating plate, to thereby remove dust adhering to a surface of the vibrating plate. |
| US08966703B1 |
Shock absorbing tool
An improved shock absorbing tool utilizing a push and pull action to absorb the reciprocation movement of the tool. A forward blade member has a wedge head and a shaft connected to a proximal end of the head. An insert is press-fitted within a handgrip, wherein the insert receives the shaft of the forward blade member. A rear blade member has a sleeve with a wedge blade and connected to a proximal end of the sleeve and extends downwardly away from the sleeve. The sleeve surrounds a portion of the shaft of the forward blade member. The coil spring surrounds a portion of the shaft of the forward blade member and located between the proximal end of the head and rests within the sleeve for absorbing the impact force of the reciprocation movement the forward blade member and the rear blade member. The O-ring is placed between the proximal end of the head and the upper end of the coil spring to further absorbs the impact force of the forward and rear blade members. |
| US08966702B1 |
Sponge cleaning apparatus for cutlery
A sponge cleaning apparatus for cleaning sharp-edged objects, such as the blades of knives and other cutlery apparatus. The present invention is a sponge cleaning device of an essentially unitary structure having an overall parabolic U shape, and having a protective, armored layer, wherein the protective armored layer has a varying thickness which provides varying rigidity for facilitating a gripping hold on the cutlery while being cleaned. The present sponge apparatus can readily receive the sharp edge of an item of cutlery in a substantially enclosing manner due to the more flexible distal ends, while simultaneously providing safety from any sharp edges of cutlery due to increased rigidity, so as to effectively provide cleaning of said sharp edged surfaces while being frictionally slid in a generally translational motion. The present invention further provides enhanced ergonomic features providing finger guides as well as an array of gripping members for facilitating safety and frictional engagement of the sponge apparatus when in use. |
| US08966698B2 |
Brush head for an electric toothbrush
A brush head for an electric toothbrush includes a housing and a plurality of bristle tufts extending through apertures in the housing. A gear train within the housing includes a drive gear configured to oscillate about an axis, and a plurality of first driven gears. Each first driven gear is meshed directly with the drive gear. Drive means are configured to provide motion to the gear train. The drive gear provides a first drive output including a first oscillating motion in a first direction. The driven gears each provide a second drive output including a second oscillating motion in a second direction which is opposite to the first direction. |
| US08966697B2 |
Electric toothbrush with excellent vibration efficiency
The present disclosure relates to an electric toothbrush, and more particularly, to an electric toothbrush, which has excellent vibration efficiency since vibrations of the vibration motor are directly transferred to the bristle holder, saves the battery power, reduces a size of the toothbrush, decreases the thickness of the head portion, allows the vibration motor to be stably fixed in a fixing groove formed at the upper surface of the head portion, and reduces noise. |
| US08966695B1 |
Closed mouth toothbrush
A first embodiment of the present invention is a closed mouth toothbrush which comprises a flexible brush head. A shaft is connected at a first end to the flexible brush head. An ergonomic handle is connected to a second end of the shaft, whereby a person can grip the ergonomic handle comfortably and manually move the shaft in a reciprocating manner to cause the flexible brush head to clean all surfaces within a closed mouth of the person. A second embodiment of the present invention contains a mechanism for automatically moving the shaft in a reciprocating manner from within the ergonomic handle to cause the flexible brush head to clean all surfaces within a closed mouth of the person. |
| US08966694B2 |
Electric toothbrush
There is provided an electric toothbrush with which teeth can be brushed in a relaxed pose while imperfect brushing is suppressed.In an electric toothbrush including: a body portion that is gripped by a hand during toothbrushing; and a brush component serving as an intraoral insertion portion inserted in a mouth cavity during the toothbrushing, the brush component including a brush at a leading end thereof, the brush component is inclined onto a rear surface side of the brush from the leading end toward the body portion, and a leading end portion of the brush component is located in a vicinity of an extended line (alternate long and short dash line) of a virtual line that connects centroids of sectional shapes perpendicular to a longitudinal direction in the body portion. |
| US08966690B2 |
Multi-tool apparatus
A multi-tool apparatus includes a frame having at least one opening and at least one gate element partially bounding the at least one opening. The at least one gate element is movable relative to the frame to permit access to the opening. The apparatus includes at least one cutting element partially bounding the at least one opening. The at least one gate element is movable into the opening so that the at least one gate element and at least one cutting element come into contact for wire stripping, crimping, and cutting operations. |
| US08966688B2 |
Washable mattress topper
Embodiments relate generally to a washable mattress topper. The washable mattress topper comprises a cushion element and a fabric cover enclosing and attached to the cushion element in a manner which divides the cushion element into a plurality of compartments. |
| US08966685B2 |
Flexible bariatric overlay
Apparatuses for assisting patient movement to/from a gurney to/from a patient handling system are provided. In one embodiment, a bariatric overlay is provided that includes a flexible top pallet and a rigid bottom pallet. A bladder resides between the flexible top pallet and the rigid bottom pallet. When actuated, the bladder expands and props up the flexible top pallet. The flexible top pallet, rigid bottom pallet, and bladder are made of a material translucent to an imaging modality. In various embodiments, the shape of the rigid bottom pallet is similar to the shape of a scanning bed of the patient handling system. For example, when the shape of the scanning bed is concave the rigid bottom pallet is concave in shape also. |
| US08966680B2 |
Top rail lock for playyard
A playyard includes a collapsible frame having a rail support adapted to support a playyard floor and a playyard top rail. The playyard top rail includes a left rail segment and a right rail segment. The left rail segment and the right rail segment move relative to one another from an inline use position to a folded-storage position when the playyard is collapsed for storage or transportation. |
| US08966679B2 |
Locking mechanism for a play yard frame
Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to a locking mechanism for a collapsible play yard frame. In various embodiments, the locking mechanism is configured to be adjusted between a locked position, in which the play yard frame is restricted from collapsing, and an unlocked position, in which the play yard frame is permitted to collapse. In particular embodiments, the locking mechanism is operatively connected to the play yard frame's lower frame members and includes a rotatable member configured for being rotated to adjust the locking mechanism between the locked position and the unlocked position. The locking mechanism's rotatable member enables the locking mechanism to be secured in the locked position when the play yard is in use and is easily adjusted by a user to the unlocked position when the play yard is to be collapsed for storage. |
| US08966677B1 |
Baby bath station
The baby bath station is a mobile bath and changing station for an infant. The station includes a wheel-supported housing having a bathtub therein. The tub has a downwardly sloping floor having a drain at the bottom. The drain empties into a wastewater holding receptacle. The receptacle is provided with converging funnel-shaped walls. The bottom of the holding receptacle is designed to be positioned over a conventional toilet for emptying. A bath water holding tank is positioned above the tub for containing warm bath water therein. A thermometer is mounted on the bath water tank to monitor the temperature of the bath water. A dispenser in the form of a shower head is attached to the bath water tank. The baby bath station is adapted for secure attachment to a kitchen sink for convenience and stability. |
| US08966676B2 |
Toilet apparatus
According to an aspect of the invention, a toilet apparatus includes a toilet, a bowl configured to receive solid waste being formed in the toilet, the bowl being hydrophilic; a spray unit configured to spray at least one selected from water and hypochlorous acid water onto a surface of the bowl; a detection unit configured to detect a state of use of the toilet; and a control unit configured to spray at least one selected from the water and the hypochlorous acid water from the spray unit before the use and to spray the hypochlorous acid water from the spray unit after the use. The cleanliness of the bowl surface of a toilet can be maintained by suppressing the affixation of solid waste and the propagation of bacteria caused by oil. |
| US08966670B2 |
Sports safety helmet
A safety helmet having an outer shell formed from a polycarbonate crown and an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene skirt, and an inner shell formed from expanded polystyrene. The inner shell is co-moulded with the outer shell. |
| US08966669B2 |
Shock wave generation, reflection and dissipation device
An outer hard-shell casing for a protection device that has airspace between the outer shell and inner shell or surface. This outer shell is designed to generate a shock wave during an impact to the casing. The generated shock wave then reflects off of the inner surface or shell. The reflected shock wave then dissipates along the air channel and out of the exit vents before it can be absorbed into the inner hard shell of the base or other protection device. |
| US08966668B2 |
Web and bladder suspension protection system
Lightweight and flexible personal protective padding systems for the protection of joints, bones and muscles, where one embodiment includes a hard outer shell structure as shielding, a gas filled compartment or bladder to stabilize the system and absorb and disperse impact energy and/or a web structure suspended across opposed peripheral edges of the outer shell and between the shell and user's body to absorb energy and to provide ventilation. Hybrid structures include both the bladder and web structure. |
| US08973159B2 |
Activating licensable component provided by third party to audio video device
An audio-video display device can download from a third party server a licensable component on which a royalty is to be paid. Various methods are disclosed for accounting for royalties associated with downloading the licensable component to the client device between the third party server and a client device manufacturer server. |
| US08973158B2 |
Trust level activation
An isolation execution environment provides an application with limited resources to execute an application. The application may require access to secured resources associated with a particular trust level that are outside of the isolation execution environment. A trust activation engine determines the trust level associated with a request for a resource and operates differently based on the trust level. A broker process may be used to execute components providing access to resources having a partial trust level in an execution environment that is separate from the isolation execution environment. |
| US08973156B2 |
Multi-user limited resource allocation processing method and system
Embodiments of the present application relate to a multi-user limited resource allocation processing method, a multi-user limited resource allocation processing system, and a computer program product for allocating a limited resource among a plurality of users. A multi-user limited resource allocation processing method is provided. The method includes receiving a plurality of participation requests for a limited resource from a plurality of users and determining the number of the plurality of users sending the plurality of participation requests. In response to the number of the plurality of users reaching a predetermined value, revising data corresponding to the limited resource according to a revision rule and allocating the limited resource to the plurality of users sending the participation request using the revised data. |
| US08973155B2 |
License management system, license management method and license management program
A license management system is connected to an authentication database holding information about license and user and manages a plurality of licenses. The system comprises a data receiving section, a data reading section and a license confirmation section. The data receiving section receives a user ID which is a code to identify a user. The data reading section reads out from the authentication database a user-type ID which is associated with the received user ID and is a code to identify the type of the user, and reads out from the authentication database a license ID which is associated with the user-type ID and is a code to identify the license. The license confirmation section confirms the content of a license which is associated with the read-out license ID and whether the license is correct on the basis of the confirmed content, and allows login by the user only when the license is correct. |
| US08973154B2 |
Authentication using transient event data
Some embodiments provide a method for authenticating a user to access computing resources that uses transient event data regarding previous interactions of the user with the computing resources. The method receives a notification that a user is unable to provide a correct user identifier and password. The method generates authentication questions for the remote user using the transient event data. The authentication questions are presented to the user. The method authenticates the user based on answers to the password recovery questions. The user may be a remote user and the computing resources are a set of application servers to which the user has forgotten a password. The computing resources may be a portable device that the user wishes to access remotely in order to delete data from the portable device. |
| US08973149B2 |
Detection of and privacy preserving response to observation of display screen
The security and privacy of a user is enhanced by monitoring the background environment in which the user is working for changes. In an embodiment, a first or reference image is acquired using a front-facing camera of the user's computing device. A second or target image is acquired using the front-facing camera. The images are compared and an alert is generated if there is a change in background that exceeds a threshold. The change may be a person who has entered the environment and is watching the computing device screen. The alert may include reducing the visibility of information shown on the screen. |
| US08973147B2 |
Geo-mapping system security events
A particular security event is identified that has been detected as targeting a particular computing device included in a particular computing system. A particular grouping of assets in a plurality of asset groupings within the particular computing system is identified as including the particular computing device. A source of the particular security event is also identified and at least one of a geographic location and a grouping of assets in the plurality of asset groupings is associated with the identified source. Data is generated that is adapted to cause a presentation of a graphical representation of the particular security event on a display device, the graphical representation including a first graphical element representing the particular computing device as included in the particular grouping of assets and a second graphical element representing the source associated with the at least one of a geographic location and a grouping of assets. |
| US08973146B2 |
Herd based scan avoidance system in a network environment
A method in one example embodiment includes generating a signature for an object in a compute node in a network, searching a memory element for the signature, and responsive to determining the memory element does not contain the signature, scanning the object. The method also includes updating the memory element with a scan result, and synchronizing the memory element of the compute node with one or more memory elements of one or more other compute nodes in the network. In specific embodiments, the scan result includes the signature of the object and a threat level of the object. In further embodiments, the synchronizing includes sending the scan result to one or more other compute nodes in the network. In more specific embodiments, the scan result is sent with one or more other scan results after a predetermined interval of time from a previous synchronization. |
| US08973143B2 |
Method and system for defeating denial of service attacks
Software, systems and methods for defeating DoS and DDoS attacks according to certain embodiments include detecting a DoS/DDoS attack, connecting to attacking node(s) by allowing a network handshake to complete between a network connected device and the attacking nodes. Then the network connected device under attack drops the traffic from the attacking node(s) rather that rejecting it. The acceptance and dropping is repeated until the attack is defeated. |
| US08973139B2 |
Detecting altered applications using network traffic data
A method, computer readable medium and apparatus for detecting an altered application are disclosed. Network traffic data is obtained for a number of endpoint devices to determine a network traffic signature for a first application. The signature comprises a set of flows within a time window. Network traffic data is monitored to determine a network traffic signature for a second application. The signature for the second application comprises the network traffic signature of the first application plus a flow to an additional address. The method determines a ratio of endpoint devices having network traffic data that matches the signature for the second application as compared to a percentage of endpoint devices having network traffic data that matches the signature for the first application. When the percentage satisfies a threshold, the method determines that the second application is the altered application comprising an altered version of the first application. |
| US08973129B2 |
System and method for detecting and evicting malicious vehicles in a vehicle communications network
In a vehicle communication network, some vehicles may be used by attackers to send false information to other vehicles which may jeopardize the safety of other vehicles. Vehicles should be able to detect malicious communications activities and to mitigate the impact of malicious vehicles by evicting (eliminating) suspected malicious vehicles from the system. Evicting a vehicle is to ignore the messages sent from the vehicle for a specified time period. Voting and sacrifice principles are combined using a mathematical model based on the “Mafia Game”. The Mafia Game model focuses on the relative size of the group of attackers within a neighborhood necessary to dominate the entire network in the neighborhood (i.e., to eventually evict all the innocent vehicles). |
| US08973127B2 |
Communications across a network address translator
A method, apparatus, and computer-readable media are presented that provide a configuration for communications through network address translation. The configuration includes receiving, by a computer device, a packet comprising a predetermined value indicating support by a node for an extension of a communications protocol, wherein the communications protocol is used for communications across a network translator device and the extension is capable of traversing network address translation, and in response to said receiving, determining that the node sending the packet supports the extension of the communications protocol. |
| US08973126B2 |
Determining occurrence of a network address translation
A method, apparatus, and computer-readable media are presented that provide a configuration for communications through network address translation. The configuration includes receiving, by a computer device, a packet comprising a predetermined value indicating support by a node for an extension of a communications protocol, wherein the communications protocol is used for communications across a network translator device and the extension is capable of traversing network address translation, and in response to said receiving, determining that the node sending the packet supports the extension of the communications protocol. |
| US08973122B2 |
Token based two factor authentication and virtual private networking system for network management and security and online third party multiple network management method
A two-factor network authentication system uses “something you know” in the form of a password/Pin and “something you have” in the form of a key token. The password is encrypted in a secure area of the USB device and is protected from brute force attacks. The key token includes authentication credentials. Users cannot authenticate without the key token. Four distinct authentication elements that the must be present. The first element is a global unique identifier that is unique to each key. The second is a private credential generated from the online service provider that is stored in a secure area of the USB device. The third element is a connection profile that is generated from the online service provider. The fourth element is a credential that is securely stored with the online service provider. The first two elements create a unique user identity. The second two elements create mutual authentication. |
| US08973118B2 |
Token based security protocol for managing access to web services
Token based techniques for managing client access to individual methods or resources provided by an application or service can be implemented at the application server hosting the application or service. Such techniques include performing client authentication and authorization based on information associated with the client as specified in a security token generated for the client. The security token associated with the client enables a service provider to monitor and control client access to the methods of the service on an individual basis. |
| US08973117B2 |
Propagating security identity information to components of a composite application
Various methods and systems for propagating identity information in a composite application are presented. State data of a composite application, as executed for a particular entity, may be transferred to and stored by a computer-readable storage medium. The state data may include a portion of a set of subject information linked with the entity. A security attribute of the subject may not be present in the portion of the set of subject information in the state data transferred to the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. After a period of time, such as an hour or a day, the state data of the composite application as executed for the entity may be retrieved and the security attribute of the set of subject information linked with the entity may be determined The composite application may then continue to be executed for the entity. |
| US08973110B2 |
Electronic receipt system, terminal device and method of providing electronic receipt
An electronic receipt system includes a terminal device, a first memory unit which a first user has, and a second memory unit which a second user who is a trading partner of the first user has. The terminal device includes biometric authentication obtaining means to obtain biometric authentication information of the first user and biometric authentication information of the second user; electronic tally generating means to generate electronic tallies based on the biometric authentication information of the both users; electronic receipt generating means to generate electronic receipts including transaction information of the first user and the second user, the electronic receipts including a first electronic receipt having one of the electronic tallies and a second electronic receipt having another of the relevant electronic tallies; means to store the first electronic receipt in the first memory unit; and means to make the second electronic receipt to be stored in the second memory unit. |
| US08973108B1 |
Use of metadata for computing resource access
Systems and methods for controlling access to one or more computing resources relate to generating session credentials that can be used to access the one or more computing resources. Access to the computing resources may be governed by a set of policies and requests for access made using the session credentials may be fulfilled depending on whether they are allowed by the set of policies. The session credentials themselves may include metadata that may be used in determining whether to fulfill requests to access the one or more computing resources. The metadata may include permissions for a user of the session credential, claims related to one or more users, and other information. |
| US08973105B2 |
System and method for computer authentication using automatic image modification
Computers can be authenticated using automatically combined images. During an authentication process, a server transmits an image to a client. The transmitted image is combined with a stored image using a randomly selected logical operator to generate a combined image. The combined image is transmitted back to the server. The server has a copy of the transmitted image and the stored image and generates a series of template combined images using different logical operators selected from a set of logical operators to determine whether any of the template combined images match the received combined image. If the received combined image matches one of the template combined images, the user is authenticated. |
| US08973103B2 |
Image forming apparatus, license server, terminal apparatus, method for installing application, and method for providing application file
An image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus includes: a communication interface which receives an application file containing an activation key, an installation unit which installs the received application file in the image forming apparatus, an authentication unit which authenticates a license of application corresponding to the application file using the activation key contained in the application file and apparatus information of the image forming apparatus, and a controller which, if the license is authenticated, activates the installed application, wherein the activation key is an encryption key that is generated using the apparatus information of the image forming apparatus. |
| US08973102B2 |
Systems and methods for authenticating a user and device
Systems and methods for authenticating a user request for authentication are provided. An authentication device that may be part of such a system includes a network interface component coupled to a network and configured to receive at least one data packet having authentication information including at least a username of a user and user credentials. The device also includes a memory coupled to the network interface component and configured to store the received authentication information, one or more instructions for authenticating the user, and account information of the user. The device further includes one or more processors configured to analyze the received information, calculate a score based on the received information, determine a threshold, compare the calculated score with the determined threshold, and authenticate the user and a device from which the data packet is received if the calculated score is greater than or equal to the determined threshold. |
| US08973099B2 |
Integrating account selectors with passive authentication protocols
Described is using a client-side account selector in a passive authentication protocol environment (such as OpenID) in which a relying party website trusts the authentication response from an identity provider website. The account selector may access and maintain historical information so as to provide user-specific identity provider selection options (rather than only general identity provider selection options). The account selector is invoked based upon an object tag in the page, e.g., as invoked by a browser extension associated with that particular object tag. The account selector may communicate with a reputation service to obtain reputation information corresponding to the identity providers, and vary its operation based upon the reputation information. |
| US08973097B1 |
Method and system for identifying business records
False or spam business listings may be identified by searching reviews associated therewith. The associated business reviews may be searched for one or more keywords that suggest the business listing is spam. Moreover, business listings may be categorized based on a type of business in the listing, and the associated reviews for business listings in each category may be searched for characteristics particular to that category. Further business reviews may be searched for hits matching portions of business reviews associated with known spam business listings. Once a business listing is identified as potential spam using these techniques, the listing may be flagged for further review. |
| US08973094B2 |
Execution of a secured environment initialization instruction on a point-to-point interconnect system
Methods and apparatus for initiating secure operations in a microprocessor system are described. In one embodiment, a system includes a processor to execute a secured enter instruction, and a chipset to cause the system to enter a quiescent state during execution of the secured enter instruction. |
| US08973093B2 |
Method of executing virtualized application able to run in virtualized environment
A method of executing a virtualized application able to run in a virtualized environment. The virtualized application includes application software and the virtualized environment. The application software includes a license monitor to search for a software license while monitoring an execution policy set by a software provider when software is installed or executed. The virtualized environment includes an environment monitor to monitor an execution environment provided to the application software by the virtualized environment. Therefore, it is possible to prevent software able to run in a virtualized environment from being freely copied without any limitations by the execution policy provided by the software provider. |
| US08973091B2 |
Secure authentication using mobile device
Representative embodiments of secure authentication include receiving, by a server, information from a mobile device identifying (i) the mobile device and (ii) an identifying tag read by the mobile device; accessing, by the server, a database to identify (i) a user associated with the mobile device, (ii) a secure device associated with the identifying tag, and (iii) a security policy associated with the secure device; and if the policy permits access by the identified user to the identified secure device, causing access to the secure device to be accorded to the user. |
| US08973085B2 |
Descrambling apparatus and television system utilizing the same
A descrambling apparatus includes a descrambling module and a one-time programmable module. The descrambling module descrambles an input data stream. When the one-time programmable module is in a first status, the descrambling module descrambles the input data stream by a first mode. When the one-time programmable module is in a second status, the descrambling module descrambles the input data stream by a second mode. |
| US08973084B2 |
Distributed recording of content
A method is disclosed for distributed recording of content in a client system having a home network connecting a content broker and a plurality of set-top boxes (STBs) with digital video recording capability. In a requesting STB, a command is received from a user to begin recording a content item. A query is sent from the requesting STB to the content broker to determine whether the content item is being recorded by any other STB of the plurality of STBs. A response is received from the content broker. If the response indicates that none of the plurality of STBs is then currently recording the content item, the content item is recorded in the requesting STB. If the response identifies a recording STB that is then currently recording the requested content, an internal content list is updated in the requesting STB to identify the recording STB. |
| US08973077B2 |
Method for streaming video content, node in a network for monitoring video content streaming
The invention relates to a method of streaming video content from a server to a client over a channel via a network. Video content is offered as a set of consecutive fragments, each fragment of said set of consecutive fragments being offered in a plurality of quality levels corresponding to respective encoded data rates. The method comprises a session of transmitting one or more of requests for fragments and receiving via the network one or more replies to the requests containing fragments with target quality levels at said client. These fragments are displayed at said client. At a capture node requests and/or replies to the requests of the session are captured. The captured data is used to reconstruct at least part of the session as experienced (QoE) at the client. |
| US08973076B2 |
Cross layer coordinated channel bonding
Different data communication architectures receive a wide variety of content, including audio and video content, for consumers. The architectures employ channel bonding to deliver more bandwidth than any single communication channel can carry. In some implementations, the communication architectures receive distributed video programming in the form of MPEG2 TS packets, flagged by marker packets. Channel bonding synchronization information may be present in packets defined above the data-link layer or received in fields within data-link layer frames. |
| US08973075B1 |
Metadata for compressed video streams
Systems and methods are provided for adding or extracting metadata for video streams. The system receives a video stream compressed according to a video encoding standard, and generates a packet for transmission across a packet-switched network. The system inserts at least one compressed segment of the video stream into a payload of the packet. The system also receives metadata that describes content within the video stream and is not compressed according to the standard, inserts the metadata into the packet without compressing the metadata according to the standard, and transmits the packet across the packet-switched network to a target device. |
| US08973074B2 |
Method and system for isochronous communication in audio/video networks
Method and system for isochronous communication between audio/video (AV) devices. One implementation comprises establishing isochronous connection between a source AV device and a destination AV device. Each AV device includes multiple I/O ports for connecting the AV device to another AV device via a communication link comprising multiple communication lanes. The isochronous connection is established by determining end-to-end temporal and spatial lane availability between the source AV device and the destination AV device to support a target date rate. Communication resources are allocated on the available lanes based on the target date rate for isochronous communication between the source AV device and the destination AV device. |
| US08973073B2 |
Weighted ingest policy management in a content distribution network
An ingestion controller, system, and method for managing ingestion of electronic content in a Content Distribution Network (CDN). The content is received from one or more content sources (CSs) through an inbound content pipe having a maximum bandwidth capacity. A database stores bandwidth weightings assigned to each CS by a network Policy Management System (PMS). The bandwidth weighting assigned to each CS corresponds to a fraction of the maximum bandwidth capacity of the inbound content pipe. An input buffer receives the content from the CSs in one or more input buffer queues associated with the CSs. A content retrieval mechanism retrieves the content from the input queues at an upload rate for each CS based at least on each CS's assigned bandwidth weighting, thereby causing a flow control mechanism to control the upload bitrate of each CS in proportion to the bandwidth weightings. |
| US08973071B2 |
Remote access to a media device
A voice telephone call may be received, from a telephony device, in a server configured to provide interactive voice response. A spoken command may be received from the telephony device. In the server, the spoken command may be converted to a format appropriate for the media storage unit. The converted command may be sent from the server to the media storage unit. |
| US08973069B2 |
Systems and methods for relocating media
A system and method may be provided that allows users to store, retrieve, and manipulate on-demand media content and data stored on a remote server network in an on-demand media delivery system. More particularly, the system may allow a user to access his or her on-demand media account from user equipment in different locations as long as the current user equipment can communicate with a remote server that stores user-specific information. The system upon user selection may freeze the delivery of on-demand media at a particular point and allow the user to resume the media at a later time from some other network location in system. Users may upload personal images or files to an on-demand delivery server for later retrieval and display. Users may be permitted to assign access rights to the uploaded files. |
| US08973063B2 |
Method and system for synchronization of digital media playback
A system and method for synchronizing digital media playback at multiple digital media playback devices interconnected on a network is provided. A digital media playback device comprising a processor, a synchronization component, a timekeeper component and a digital media source performs synchronization processes to arrange for other players to begin playback at a predetermined position and time in the digital media signal. Synchronization is accomplished by processes which approximate the arrival time of a packet containing audio and/or video digital content across the network and instruct the playback devices as to when playback is to begin, and at what point in the streaming media content signal to begin playback. One method uses a time-stamp packet on the network to synchronize all players. Other methods utilize reiterative processes to narrow approximations of packet arrival time at each playback device. |
| US08973061B2 |
Data distribution unit for vehicle entertainment system
A data distribution unit for a vehicle includes a wireless receiver configured to receive coded data wirelessly via a cellular network, a signal processor configured to decode the coded data into video data and audio data, and a wireless transmitter configured to transmit the video data wirelessly to a display and transmit the audio data wirelessly to a speaker. |
| US08973058B2 |
Method and system for monitoring and simultaneously displaying a plurality of signal channels in a communication system
A system includes a ground segment and a monitoring system displaying first thread view for a first channel and displaying a second thread view for a second channel. |
| US08973056B2 |
Interactive program guide system providing an application program interface for non-program guide applications
A system is provided in which an interactive television program guide application and non-program-guide applications are at least partially implemented on user television equipment. A program guide program application interface is provided that is used to maintain a consistent user interface between the program guide application and the non-program-guide applications. The user may select certain non-program-guide applications as favorites and may set parental controls for certain non-program-guide applications. While the non-program-guide application operates, the program guide may check for events that require immediate attention. When such an event is detected, operation of the non-program-guide application may be suspended and the user may be asked whether the detected event should take place or whether operation of the non-program-guide application should be resumed. The program application interface may perform authentication and access rights determination functions. Reminders may be set for the content of non-program-guide applications. |
| US08973053B2 |
Differentiated PSIP table update interval technology
An apparatus, method and data structure for generating at least one table in a broadcast environment, are provided. The apparatus includes a generator to generate an event information table (EIT) and an extended text table (ETT). The ETT has program guide information for an n-hour span and has a transmission interval. The ETT has a transmission interval and program description information according to the EIT. The transmission interval of the EIT is shorter than the transmission interval of the ETT. |
| US08973048B2 |
Differentiated PSIP table update interval technology
An apparatus, method and data structure for generating at least one table in a broadcast environment, are provided. The apparatus includes a generator to generate an event information table (EIT) and an extended text table (ETT). The ETT has program guide information for an n-hour span and has a transmission interval. The ETT has a transmission interval and program description information according to the EIT. The transmission interval of the EIT is shorter than the transmission interval of the ETT. |
| US08973047B2 |
Signal processing apparatus for producing a program information table and a method thereof
A broadcast receiving apparatus and a broadcast guiding method are provided. A broadcast receiving apparatus includes a video output unit which outputs a program information table in which broadcast information is arranged using rows and columns according to a plurality of references, an interface unit which enables a user to select at least one of the rows and the columns in the program information table, and a control unit which segments a reference corresponding to the at least one of the rows and the columns selected through the interface unit and reorganizes the program information table according to the segmented reference, and controls the video output unit to output the reorganized program information table. |
| US08973040B2 |
Control tools for media content access systems and methods
In one of many possible embodiments, a system includes a media content processing subsystem including an output driver configured to provide at least a component of a media content instance to a display for presentation to a user, and a receiver configured to receive an input command initiated by the user during the presentation of the component of the media content instance. The media content processing subsystem is further configured to select a control pane from a group of control panes based on the input command, each of the control panes including a different set of control tools, and provide, in response to the input command, the control pane to the display for concurrent presentation of both the component of the media content instance and the control pane to the user. |
| US08973034B1 |
Signal processing apparatus and methods
A unified system of programming communication. The system encompasses the prior art (television, radio, broadcast hardcopy, computer communications, etc.) and new user specific mass media. Within the unified system, parallel processing computer systems, each having an input (e.g., 77) controlling a plurality of computers (e.g., 205), generate and output user information at receiver stations. Under broadcast control, local computers (73, 205), combine user information selectively into prior art communications to exhibit personalized mass media programming at video monitors (202), speakers (263), printers (221), etc. At intermediate transmission stations (e.g., cable television stations), signals in network broadcasts and from local inputs (74, 77, 97, 98) cause control processors (71) and computers (73) to selectively automate connection and operation of receivers (53), recorder/players (76), computers (73), generators (82), strippers (81), etc. At receiver stations, signals in received transmissions and from local inputs (225, 218, 22) cause control processors (200) and computers (205) to automate connection and operation of converters (201), tuners (215), decryptors (224), recorder/players (217), computers (205), furnaces (206), etc. Processors (71, 200) meter and monitor availability and usage of programming. |
| US08973032B1 |
Advertisement insertion into media content for streaming
Methods and systems for advertisement insertion into streaming media content are described. In one method, an advertisement insertion tool receives advertisement insertion input that identifies a start time in media content to insert an advertisement. In response to receiving the advertisement insertion input, the advertisement insertion tool inspects an original slice of the media content that contains the media content at the start time to locate a preceding key frame at or prior to the start time and a last frame before the start time. The advertisement insertion tool creates a first new slice comprising the media content of the original slice up to the start time. The first new slice comprises the preceding key frame, the last frame and any intervening delta frames between the preceding key frame and the last frame. The advertisement insertion tool creates a second new slice comprising the media content of the original slice at the start time, including creating a subsequent key frame of the media content at the start time. The advertisement insertion tool stores the first new slice and second new slice at a content server for streaming the media content with the advertisement inserted to a media player executing on a client computing system. |
| US08973031B2 |
System for insertion of locally cached information into a received broadcast stream
A method and apparatus are provided for receiving a broadcast comprising a plurality of program channels and generating a playback stream using at least one of a buffered program channel and stored indexed content (e.g., commercials, programs, songs) for insertion. Control data controls which receivers insert which indexed content and when the indexed content is inserted into a received program channel, allowing for playback of songs from playlists, tiered subscription services, and sponsorship of broadcast program channels to provide market-directed content to selected receivers and listeners. Buffer management operations prevent uncontrolled buffer growth and commercial content avoidance through rapid channel changes. |
| US08973023B1 |
Methods and apparatus to determine audience duplication in cross-media campaigns
A disclosed example method to determine audience duplication in cross-media campaigns involves determining a first duplicated audience reach between a total television audience and an internet publisher audience for a demographic group. The total television audience is representative of audience members across a plurality of television networks, and the internet publisher audience is representative of audience members across one of a plurality of internet publishers. The example method involves determining a second duplicated audience reach between the total television audience and the internet publisher audience for a media campaign based on the first duplicated audience reach. The example method involves determining a third duplicated audience reach between a television network audience and the internet publisher audience for the media campaign based on the second duplicated audience reach. The television network audience is representative of audience members exposed to the media campaign via one of the plurality of television networks. |
| US08973020B2 |
Generating a web service
Web services are automatically generated from corresponding Web applications under service-oriented architecture. A Web service is generated based on a Web application, comprising: obtaining user input information of the Web application, obtaining call stack information that is generated by the Web application at runtime based on the user input information, performing parameter matching between the user input information and the call stack information, selecting a method from the call stack information as an application programming interface based on a result of the parameter matching and the call stack information, and generating the Web service using the application programming interface. |
| US08973016B1 |
Processing an input event within an application
Processing an input event within an application includes detecting an input event within an application executing on a first thread, the input event being associated with an event handler. A separate execution corresponding to a current state of the application is performed on a second thread based on the event handler associated with the input event. Within the separate execution, a determination is made whether the event handler modifies at least one of a document associated with the application or a default behavior of the application. In a case where the event handler does not modify at least one of the document or the behavior, the subject technology refrains from invoking the event handler on the first thread. |
| US08973015B2 |
Information processing device, system, control method, and program
An information processing device reduces a time of processing for adding an attribute name performed in each node. The device memorizes its own segment. This segment is at least one segment among each segment made by dividing a range of a key into a plurality of segments, so as to make the segments neighbor with each other. The key is generated about at least two attribute names using an attribute name and an attribute value based on a specified order relation and is of size-comparable form. The device judges whether a key generated from an attribute name and an attribute value is included in its own segment or not. |
| US08973014B2 |
Inter-device communication transmission system and method thereof
Disclosed are an inter-device communication transmission system and a method. The inter-device communication transmission system includes a first-communication platform disposed in a first electronic device and a second-communication platform disposed in a second electronic device. When the first electronic device installs an application program, the first-communication platform selectively transmits the application program to the second-communication platform, so that the second-communication platform can install the application program. When the second electronic device executes a function of the application program, the second-communication platform transmits a command corresponding to the function to the application program installed in the first electronic device through the first-communication platform, and the command is executed by the application program to retrieve data. The first-communication platform transmits the data to the second-communication platform, and the second-communication platform transfers the data to the application program in the second electronic device for display of the data. |
| US08973012B2 |
Composing analytic solutions
An approach for composing an analytic solution is provided. After associating descriptive schemas with web services and web-based applets, a set of input data sources is enumerated for selection. A desired output type is received. Based on the descriptive schemas that specify required inputs and outputs of the web services and web-based applets, combinations of web services and web-based applets are generated. The generated combinations achieve a result of the desired output type from one of the enumerated input data sources. Each combination is derived from available web services and web-based applets. The combinations include one or more workflows that provide an analytic solution. A workflow whose result satisfies the business objective may be saved. Steps in a workflow may be iteratively refined to generate a workflow whose result satisfies the business objective. |
| US08973008B2 |
Combining different resource types
Combining different resource types into a single logical resource can provide a perspective more suitable for managing a given computer program. Resources of different types that have similar characteristics are combined as a single resource type. Resource management policies are applied against the different resource types via the single combination resource type, wherein on a single computer or applied against a cluster of computers. |
| US08973007B1 |
Adaptive lock list searching of waiting threads
According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method and technique for adaptive lock list searching of waiting threads includes determining an average service time for a lock associated with a shared computing resource; determining an average search time for selecting a thread to next receive the lock from a plurality of threads waiting for the lock; summing the average service time and the average search time; applying a search factor to the summed average service time and average search time to obtain a target search time for searching the waiting threads for selecting the next thread for obtaining the lock; determining a quantity of waiting threads to consider for next obtaining the lock based on the target search time and the average search time, the quantity being less than a total quantity of waiting threads; and identifying the next thread to obtain the lock from the quantity. |
| US08972998B2 |
Processing annotation requests using multithreaded constituent task and independent input/output tasks
A system for handling client/server traffic and communications pertaining to the delivery of hypertext information to a client. The system includes a central server which processes a request for a web page from a client. The system operates by receiving a request for a web page from a client. Relevant information is then processed by an annotator to generate additional relevant computer information that can be incorporated to create an annotated version of the requested web page which includes additional displayable hypertext information. The central server then relays the additional relevant computer information to the client so as to allow the annotated version of the requested web page to be displayed. The central server can also interact with different servers to collect and maintain statistical usage information. |
| US08972990B2 |
Providing a seamless transition for resizing virtual machines from a development environment to a production environment
A method, system and computer program product for providing a seamless transition for resizing virtual machines from a development environment to a production environment. An administrative server receives an instruction from a customer to resize a virtual machine running on a cloud computing node, where the resized virtual machine requires physical resources (e.g., twenty physical processor cores) to be utilized in the production environment. Instead of the administrative server utilizing the same number of physical resources in the development environment that need to be utilized in the production environment, the administrative server utilizes a fewer number of physical resources by also utilizing virtual resources (e.g., twenty virtual processor cores and only two physical processor cores) so as to provide a development environment with the same resource capacity as the production environment but with fewer physical resources thereby more efficiently utilizing the physical resources on the cloud computing node. |
| US08972989B2 |
Computer system having a virtualization mechanism that executes a judgment upon receiving a request for activation of a virtual computer
A virtualization mechanism in a first computer of the plurality of computers generates at least one virtual computer on the first computer. The virtualization mechanism in the first computer executes at least one of a first judgment and a second judgment when a request for activating a first virtual computer of the at least one virtual computer is received, the first judgment being for judging whether or not the activation of the first virtual computer is prohibited based on first information stored in a memory of the virtualization mechanism, and the second judgment being for judging whether or not an identifier included in a logic I/O adapter device assigned to the first virtual computer is invalid based on second information stored in the memory of the virtualization mechanism. The activation of the first virtual computer is permitted or prohibited based on the executed judgment. |
| US08972986B2 |
Locality-aware resource allocation for cloud computing
Computing resource allocation for map-reduce job execution comprises determining the volume of input data to the map-phase and the reduce-phase of a map-reduce job prior to execution. Based on said determination, data blocks and virtual machines (VMs) are selectively placed for locality aware map-reduce job execution on a cluster of computing nodes in a network. Selectively placing data blocks and VMs comprises integrally placing the data and the VMs at selected nodes to lower data transfer network hops for a map-phase and a shuffle-phase of the map-reduce job upon execution by the VMs. |
| US08972980B2 |
Automated provisioning of secure virtual execution environment using virtual machine templates based on requested activity
Approaches for executing untrusted software on a client without compromising the client using micro-virtualization to execute untrusted software in isolated contexts. A template for instantiating a virtual machine on a client is identified in response to receiving a request to execute an application. After the template is identified, without human intervention, a virtual machine is instantiated, using the template, in which the application is to be executed. The template may be selected from a plurality of templates based on the nature of the request, as each template describe characteristics of a virtual machine suitable for a different type of activity. Selected resources such as files are displayed to the virtual machines according to user and organization policies and controls. When the client determines that the application has ceased to execute, the client ceases execution of the virtual machine without human intervention. |
| US08972977B2 |
Systems and methods for providing seamless software compatibility using virtual machines
Certain embodiments of the present invention are directed to a system for and method of providing seamless software compatibility by using virtual machines to provide an improved, more seamless method of user interaction with one or more virtual machines (VMs) that are resident on a host computer system. Several embodiments of the present invention provide a means in the host environment for directly invoking one or more guest operating system (OS) applications or files and displaying them in the host environment, rather than in a separate VM window. Furthermore, each embodiment of the present invention allows the possibility of multiple applications on multiple OSs (i.e., legacy or modern OSs), respectively, to run simultaneously and with the appearance of running seamlessly in the host environment. |
| US08972976B2 |
Device and method for automatic driver installation
Provided are a device and method for automatic driver installation. The device comprises: a remoter server, a client host and an information security device. The remote server stores driver and interface protocol program downloading service for the client host. The client host is in communication connection with the remote server, receives data information inputted by the information security device, and downloads the driver or interface protocol program from the remote server according to the data information and install or load the driver or interface protocol program. The information security device is in communication connection with the client host and feedbacks data information according to instruction issued by the client host. The present scheme can effectively reduce the number of times user account control (UAC) window pops up and ensure operating system security while installing and deploying middleware, thus simplifying user operation. |
| US08972975B1 |
Bounded installation time optimization of applications
A disclosed method may include, in a computing device including at least one processor, a memory, and an operating system with a plurality of modes of execution, accessing instructions received by the computing device for installation and optimization use at least one of the plurality of modes of execution. The instructions may include a plurality of subroutines. A fingerprint for each of the subroutines may be generated. Each fingerprint may be associated with a number of instructions in a corresponding subroutine. The subroutine may also include determining, for each of the plurality of subroutines and based on the fingerprint, performance score and estimated compilation time associated with each of the plurality of modes of execution, for compiling the corresponding subroutine. One of the plurality of modes of execution may be selected based on maximizing a total performance score for the plurality of subroutines, and limiting total compilation and installation time. |
| US08972973B2 |
Firmware update discovery and distribution
A firmware update system is described that collectively handles firmware updates for hardware resources of a computing device. The firmware update system may be configured to handle firmware updates in a consistent manner across different computing platforms/architectures. A data structure is defined to associate each updateable resource with a corresponding identifier to enumerate the updateable resources to the firmware update system. The firmware update system may reference the data structure to produce representations of the each individual resource that provide an operating system level abstraction through which detection, analysis, acquisition, deployment, installation, and tracking of firmware updates is managed. Using the representations, the firmware update system operates to discover available firmware updates collectively for the enumerated resources, match the updates to appropriate resources, and initiate installation of the updates. |
| US08972972B2 |
Handshaking methodology and redundant data channel between servers during software upgrade
A method for upgrading software having steps (A) to (D) is disclosed. Step (A) may deny a first server access to read from and write to a database controlled by a second server while second software in the second server is being upgraded. The second software as upgraded may be incompatible with first software running in the first server. Step (B) may generate data in the first server in response to a current operation of the first software while the second software is being upgraded. Step (C) may update the database by transferring the data from the first server to the database through the second server after the upgrade of the second software has finished. The first server generally remains denied to read from the database. Step (D) may upgrade the first software to be compatible with the second software in response to finishing the current operation. |
| US08972970B2 |
Firmware overwriting method in paired use wireless microphone and receiver
A firmware overwriting method for paired use wireless microphone and receiver is disclosed. The firmware update method comprises building a wireless connection between the at least one wireless microphone and the at least one receiver; and executing the determining program by the receiver processing module to determine if the installed wireless microphone compatible backup firmware is the same as the wireless microphone firmware. If yes, the overwriting program is not executed. If no, the receiver processing module sends a command to the wireless microphone processing module to download the installed wireless microphone compatible backup firmware from the receiver storage module, and the overwriting program is executed by the wireless microphone processing module to overwrite the wireless microphone firmware with the installed wireless microphone compatible backup firmware. |
| US08972967B2 |
Application packages using block maps
Deploying applications to a device often involves generating an application package for installing the application anew, and application patches for updating the application from a specific first version to a specific second version. Presented herein are alternative techniques for deploying the application to devices using a block map indicating hashcodes for respective blocks of respective resources of the application. A device may install the application by installing the application package, or may update a deployed application from an earlier version to a later version by retrieving the block map, identifying updated blocks having a different hashcode than the current hashcode of the block in the currently deployed application, and retrieving only the updated blocks. The block map also enables concurrent deployment of multiple application versions, and resource sharing among deployed versions and variants by sharing commonly used blocks and retaining alternatives of blocks differing between such versions and variants. |
| US08972966B2 |
Updating firmware in a hybrid computing environment
Systems, methods and products directed toward facilitating firmware updates in a hybrid computing environment. One aspect includes providing a primary operating environment and a secondary operating environment in an information handling device; downloading one or more firmware update packages appropriate for the secondary operating environment to the primary operating environment; and executing a firmware update tool from the primary operating environment, the firmware update tool being configured to install the one or more firmware update packages on the secondary operating environment. Other embodiments are described herein. |
| US08972965B2 |
Display device and method for controlling and upgrading the same
A display device and method for controlling and updating the same are disclosed herein. The display device may include a broadcast receiver for receiving a broadcast signal, a demultiplexer for demultiplexing the received broadcast signal, a decoder for decoding the demultiplexed broadcast signal, and a display for displaying the decoded broadcast signal. An external device interface may be provided for receiving upgrade data from an upgrade device. The display device may include a memory for storing the upgrade data and version information of the upgrade device. A controller may be provided to process and display the received broadcast signal on the display, determine whether the upgrade device is connected to the display device, determine whether a version of the upgrade device is an updated version, and assign authority to control the display device to the upgrade device. |
| US08972961B2 |
Instruction scheduling approach to improve processor performance
A processor instruction scheduler comprising an optimization engine which uses an optimization model for a processor architecture with: means to generate an optimization model for the optimization engine from a design of a processor and data representing optimization goals and constraints and a code stream, wherein the processor has at least two execution pipes and at least two registers, and wherein the design comprises data for processor instruction latency and execution pipes, and wherein the code stream comprises processor instructions with corresponding register selections; and reordering means to generate an optimized code stream from the code stream with the optimal solution provided by the optimization engine for the optimization model by reordering the code stream, such that optimum values for the optimization goals under the given constraints are achieved without affecting the operation results of the code stream. |
| US08972959B2 |
Method of converting program code of program running in multi-thread to program code causing less lock collisions, computer program and computer system for the same
A method of converting a program code of a program running in multi-thread to a program code which causes fewer lock collisions. The method includes reading the program code into a memory and searching the program code for a first conditional statement making a branch to a path, which is in a synchronized block and has no side effect on the synchronized block; duplicating the path having no side effect to which the branch is made by the searched first conditional statement into the outside of the synchronized block; and adding a second conditional statement into the program code in response to the duplication, wherein the second conditional statement is a conditional statement making a branch to the duplicated path having no side effect. Also provided is a system and an article of manufacture which causes a computer to carry out the steps of the above method. |
| US08972957B2 |
Thermal-aware source code compilation
Thermal-aware source code compilation including: receiving, by a compiler, an identification of a target computing system, the identification of the target computing system specifying temperature sensors that measure temperature of a memory module; compiling the source code into an executable application including inserting in the executable application computer program instructions for thermal-aware execution, the computer program instructions, when executed on the target computing system, carry out the steps of: retrieving temperature measurements of one or more of the target computing system's temperature sensors; determining, in real-time in dependence upon the temperature measurements, whether a memory module is overheated; if a memory module is overheated, entering a thermal-aware execution state including, for each memory allocation in the executable application, allocating memory on a different memory module than the overheated memory module; and upon the temperature sensors indicating the memory module is no longer overheated, exiting the thermal-aware execution state. |
| US08972954B2 |
Debugging method using program inspectors to debug programs developed using frameworks and libraries
A debugging method for use with computer programs that may include a number of program components such as objects within a software framework. The debugging method includes providing a debugging environment with a debugger that generates debugging information, including runtime state information, for each of the program components. The method includes identifying one of the program components for inspection within the debugging environment. The method includes using an inspector selection module to select a set of program inspectors to perform the inspection of the identified program component, e.g., by first determining the type of object or program component that has been identified or based upon a type of issue being debugged. The method includes performing the inspection with these program inspectors or scripts that each define a particular potential user error or nonstandard usage of an object, and outputting a report of the programming issues identified by the program inspectors. |
| US08972950B2 |
Efficient automated translation of procedures in an constraint-based programming language implemented with notification and callback
A method is provided for translating sets of constraint declarations to imperative code sequences based on defining an instantiatable object per set, inserting calls to a notification callback mechanism on state modification and defining calls in the constraint context as imperative code sequences that, in response to these callbacks, take actions to maintain these constraints. This notification and callback mechanism can also be employed in connection with external events, thereby providing for efficient implementation of event-sequenced imperative procedures in a constraint programming language. |
| US08972949B2 |
Rule-based method for proving unsatisfiable conditions in a mixed numeric and string solver
A method includes, by computing devices, analyzing numeric and string constraints associated with a software module that includes numeric and string variables and operations applying to specific variables for numeric or string results. The numeric constraints apply to specific numeric variables. The string constraints apply to specific string variables. The method further includes determining an over-approximated constraint from the numeric constraints or operations, representing the over-approximated constraint and string constraints with finite state machines, representing the numeric constraints with an equation, determining whether a solution does not exist for the combination of the variables that satisfies the over-approximated constraint, the numeric constraints, and the string constraints using operations, and terminating attempts to solve for the variables based on the determination whether the solution does not exist. The over-approximated constraint includes a superset of the numeric constraints or operations and applies to specific string variables. |
| US08972945B2 |
Collaborative software debugging in a distributed system with client-specific access control
In a distributed system that includes a debug server and debug clients coupled for data communications through a data communications network, where the server includes a debug administrator, a message router, a back-end debugger, and a debuggee, collaborative software debugging includes receiving, by the debug server, a plurality of application-level messages, including receiving, from a session owner, a request to enable a predefined operational mode; enabling the predefined operational mode; routing, by the message router in accordance with an application-level message passing protocol and in accordance with the enabled predefined operational mode, the application-level messages among the debug clients, the debug administrator, and the back-end debugger, including providing distributed control of the back-end debugger to the debug clients with application-level messages routed to the back-end debugger; and returning, by the debug server to the debug clients in response to the application-level messages routed to the back-end debugger, client-specific debug results. |
| US08972944B2 |
Coordinating and controlling debuggers in a simulation environment
A simulation environment, in one embodiment, includes a debugger server, one or more debuggers, and one or more debugger adapters. Each debugger adapter couples a corresponding debugger to the debugger server. The debugger server coordinates the run mode of the debugger adapters. Each debugger adapter controls the run mode of its corresponding debugger. |
| US08972942B2 |
Unit testing an Enterprise Javabeans (EJB) bean class
An approach for unit testing an Enterprise JavaBeans® (EJB®) bean is presented. A test case for unit testing the EJB® bean is initiated. An indication of a JUnit or an in-container testing mode is received. The unit testing of the EJB® bean in the indicated mode is initiated by injecting the EJB® bean by an injection functionality included in a test framework if the JUnit testing mode is indicated, or by an EJB® container if the in-container testing mode is indicated. A test object in the injected EJB® bean operates business logic on business data by inserting, updating or deleting business data, or by selecting business data to send to a client, thereby generating a set of resulting business data. An assertion operation on the set of resulting business data against expected data determines whether the test case succeeds or fails. |
| US08972941B2 |
Integrated development environment-based workload testing in a networked computing environment
Embodiments of the present invention relate to an integrated development environment (IDE)-based approach for testing development projects (e.g., comprising one or more intended workloads). In a typical embodiment, a designation of a project (e.g. having a set of workloads) for testing on a network resource group is received via a user interface associated with an IDE. A current server instance in the network resource group having a highest availability for testing the project may then be identified (e.g., based on an analysis of various computing/cost characteristics). The project may then be deployed to the current server instance, and a network address corresponding to the current server instance may be associated with the project in a computer storage device. The project may then be tested by processing the set of intended workloads using the current server instance. |
| US08972939B1 |
Systems and methods for processing and producing content for web sites
Mechanisms for the publication of web content are disclosed. Various stages can be used in a general publishing framework in moving content to publication. For instance, a development stage for the content can be used, where the development stage allows entities, such as developers, to code any materials associated with the content. Also, a testing stage can be used in order to test content developed in the development stage. Once these two stages are complete, a staging stage can be used for storing the content, and a production stage can be used for the actual publication of the content. Moreover, various interfaces can be used to allow entities to make requests to submit content and to log the state of such content in the framework. Lastly, various entities can collaborate on the publication of web content using the framework. |
| US08972936B2 |
Version labeling in a version control system
Version labeling of an artifact in a version control system. An embodiment can include accepting at least one change set into a configuration for the artifact. Based on the change set, a new version of the artifact can be selected by the configuration. Via a processor, an identifier can be generated for the newly selected version of the artifact. The identifier can include at least a branch name for a branch in which the newly selected version of the artifact is contained and a sequence number for the newly selected version of the artifact. The newly selected version of the artifact can be labeled with the generated identifier. |
| US08972931B1 |
Contextual verification of generated code
Functional testing of computer programming code generated from an executable graphical model is performed. The model may include a plurality of graphical objects. The generated code may be stand-alone code, and may include a plurality of functions. A designation of one of the graphical objects may be received. The designated object has input/output defined graphically in the model. Meta-data mapping the designated object to one or more functions of the generated code may be created. The meta-data may also map the graphically defined input/output for the designated object to function input/output of the one or more functions of the generated code. A function interface may be generated using the meta-data that includes a call to the one or more functions, and the function input/output. During execution of the model, execution of the designated object is by-passed and the function interface and the portion of the generated code are executed. |
| US08972930B2 |
Generating text manipulation programs using input-output examples
A program creation system is described which generates a data manipulation program based on input-output examples. The created program may include a collection of subprograms together with a collection of corresponding selection conditions. When a new input item is received, a program execution module uses the selection conditions to select one of the subprograms. The program execution module then applies the selected subprogram to generate a new output item. The program creation system generates the program using a three-part approach, involving: generating sets of subprograms for the respective input-output examples; grouping the sets of programs into partitions and choosing representative subprograms for the partitions; and determining the selection conditions. A user interaction module provides various mechanisms which allow a user to interact with the program creation system and thereby improve the performance of the created program. |
| US08972929B2 |
Generic user input for GUI framework
A graphical user interface (GUI) environment that can consume generic property descriptions from a third party and generate visual properties to an end user based on a set of interface definitions, wherein said interface definitions include: a property descriptor interface that provides a root interface for a description of any visual property defined by the third party; a property change listener interface that defines a notification listener to listen to specialized property change events; a property interface that defines a visual property having a value that can be set; a property group interface for defining a logical grouping of properties; and a property type interface. |
| US08972924B2 |
Method for changing string arrangement, recording medium for string arrangement changing program, and information processor
A method for changing, by using a computer, an arrangement of strings that are arranged along an inner periphery of a graphic and partially overlap one another is offered. The computer arranges the strings in a radial pattern from a reference point determined within the graphic, determines whether overlapping strings are present, and moves the reference point in a direction to separate from the overlapping strings when the computer determines that the overlapping strings are present. |
| US08972920B1 |
Re-budgeting connections of a circuit design
Re-budgeting connections includes detecting a budget event for a circuit design and, responsive to detecting the budget event, calculating, using a processor, a delta for a selected combinatorial circuit element of the circuit design using an incoming slack and an outgoing slack of the selected combinatorial circuit element. Using the processor, a delay budget for a connection of the selected combinatorial circuit element is adjusted using the delta responsive to detecting the budget event. |
| US08972914B2 |
Coexistence of multiple verification component types in a hardware verification framework
Coexistence of multiple types of verification components in a single verification framework is provided. Particularly, the coexistence of proprietary e verification components in an open verification methodology framework is provided. |
| US08972908B2 |
Method for electron beam proximity correction with improved critical dimension accuracy
The present disclosure provides one embodiment of an integrated circuit (IC) method. The method includes receiving an IC design layout having a feature; fracturing the feature into a plurality of polygons that includes a first polygon; assigning target points to edges of the first polygon; calculating corrected exposure doses to the first polygon, wherein each of the correct exposure doses is determined based on a respective one of the target points by simulation; determining a polygon exposure dose to the first polygon based on the corrected exposure doses; and preparing a tape-out data for lithography patterning, wherein the tape-out data defines the plurality of polygons and a plurality of polygon exposure doses paired with the plurality of polygons. |
| US08972907B1 |
Layout correcting method, recording medium and design layout correcting apparatus
In a design layout correcting method of an embodiment, a design layout of a circuit pattern is divided to a first mask pattern and a second mask pattern. The mask pattern of the pattern defect area of the first or second mask pattern is set as the correcting target pattern. A correcting target region and a verifying region are set within the first or second mask pattern. The correcting target pattern is corrected within the correcting target region, and the first and second mask patterns are verified within the verifying region. |
| US08972903B2 |
Using gesture to navigate hierarchically ordered user interface screens
A method of navigating between user interface screens, including displaying a third user interface screen in a plurality of user interface screens that also includes a first and a second predefined user interface screen, the third user interface screen being other than the first and the second predefined user interface screen; detecting a finger gesture on the touch-sensitive display while displaying the third user interface screen, and in response to detecting the finger gesture on the touch-sensitive display, replacing display of the third user interface screen with display of the first predefined user interface screen when the detected finger gesture is a first finger gesture, and replacing display of the third user interface screen with display of the second predefined user interface screen when the detected finger gesture is a second finger gesture that is a reverse of the first finger gesture. |
| US08972897B2 |
Information presentation in virtual 3D
A method, system and program product for assisting a presentation owner in creating and presenting information to audience users in a virtual 3D cyclorama-like environment. A presentation object tool provides behavior in the cyclorama object to assist the presentation owner in resolving graphic objects into the cyclorama and in placing information onto the graphic objects. The presenter object tool also provides behavior in the graphic objects to allow the presentation owner to expand a graphic object into a larger viewing size, to increment and decrement the placement of graphic objects within the cyclorama's presentation space, and to place an expanded graphic object into a home viewing position for presentation to audience users. |
| US08972894B2 |
Targeting questions to users of a social networking system
Users of a social networking system post questions for other users to answer. Questions are automatically tagged based on keywords extracted from text within the posted questions as well as user-selected tags. Users also browse questions asked by other users on the social networking system using an interface that displays questions by topics and sub-topics. Answers may be voted on and sorted by social information related to the browsing user. Affinities for tags are recorded based on users' interactions with the question and answer service. Affinities for tags may also be used to target questions to other users and sort answers. |
| US08972892B2 |
Notification in immersive applications
A notification framework delivers notifications in a manner that is appropriate for a user's current experience. An API is implemented in the notification framework and provided to developers to develop applications utilizing such API to communicate with the framework. A display mode of an active application is determined by the framework. A notification generated by an alerting application is captured by the framework. The framework determines a mode of delivery based on the display mode and the notification, and delivers the notification accordingly. |
| US08972889B2 |
Display processing apparatus and display processing method
According to one embodiment, there is provided a display processing apparatus, including: a display unit configured to display an image, the display unit having a screen on which the image is displayed; an input module configured to receive a first manipulation and a second manipulation, the first manipulation being a trace manipulation performed on the screen to define a tracing locus on the image being displayed, the second manipulation being different from the first manipulation; and a display controller configured to control the display unit to enlargedly display the image in a given range, upon simultaneously receiving the first manipulation and the second manipulation through the input module, the given range being determined based on the tracing locus. |
| US08972886B2 |
Methods and apparatus for window displaying
An apparatus may include one or more memories and one or more processors. The one or more memories may include instructions. The one or more processors may be configured to execute the instructions to facilitate providing a window of an application for display from a perspective in front of the window, receiving a touch input, and in response to the touch input, providing multiple windows for display on the apparatus from a perspective vertically above the multiple windows. The multiple windows may include the window. A display of one window may be switched to a display of multiple windows based on a single touch input. Methods for displaying windows and machine-readable storage medium are also disclosed. |
| US08972881B2 |
Add-in for download, upload, and rewriting
[PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED] It is an object to expand the functions of web applications, so that labor or the like to directly use a method for an operating system can be reduced. [MEANS FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEMS] A processing means of a terminal device includes a memory means for storing an HTML object and drag information in relation to each other and drag information in relation to a certain HTML object is read out from the memory means (S35) in the case that the HTML object is moved from the inside of an HTTP client display area to the outside. The processing means of the terminal device makes out and registers a drag object for the operating system based on the read out drag information (S40, S45). The processing means of the terminal device receives real data corresponding to the drag object from an outer information providing system to store the same at the memory means of the terminal device. |
| US08972880B2 |
Application programming interface for transferring content from the web to devices
A tagging structure is used in web pages to identify content in such web pages that can be dragged and dropped into a wireless device when such web pages are rendered as a component of a web page served by a media management service. |
| US08972879B2 |
Device, method, and graphical user interface for reordering the front-to-back positions of objects
At a multifunction device with a display and a touch-sensitive surface, a plurality of objects are displayed on the display. The plurality of objects have a first layer order. A first contact is detected at a location on the touch-sensitive surface that corresponds to a location of a respective object of the plurality of objects. While detecting the first contact, a gesture that includes a second contact is detected on the touch-sensitive surface. In response to detecting the gesture, the plurality of objects are reordered in accordance with the gesture to create a second layer order that is different from the first layer order. In some embodiments, the position of the respective object within the first order is different from the position of the respective object within the second order. |
| US08972877B2 |
Information processing device for displaying control panel image and information image on a display
A control panel image generation unit generates a control panel image displayed to control an application. An application execution unit executes the application based on user control information input while the control panel image is being displayed. An information image generation unit generates an information image including information related to the application. An image switching unit switches an image displayed on a display from the control panel image to the information image. The information image generation unit uses image data stored in a storage device and generates the information image including a thumbnail image corresponding to the control panel image. |
| US08972874B2 |
Graphical user interface typing and mapping system
A graphical user interface (GUI) type model helps application designers create error free graphical user interface applications (GAPs). The GUI type model provides a reference set of GUI element types. The application designer assigns a selected GUI element type to each GUI element in a GAP design. The GUI element types help ensure consistent and proper treatment of the GUI element types at every stage in the development of the application, from initial planning and design, to compilation and execution. |
| US08972865B2 |
Method and device for providing easy access to pre-selected data resources
The present invention is directed toward a computer implemented method and device for providing a user with easy access to a plurality of frequently accessed resources. The invention provides a user agent (e.g., web browser) in which certain data resources (e.g., web pages) are displayed as thumbnail images within particular locations of a window. A user invocable instruction (e.g., mouse click or a particular keystroke combination) may be associated with each of the thumbnail images or locations in the window. Accordingly, the user may access a desired data resource by performing the user invocable instruction associated with the corresponding thumbnail image or location. |
| US08972861B2 |
Interactive point-of-view authoring of digital video content using a resizable overlay window and a cylindrical layout
The present invention provides electronic methods and apparatus for interactively authoring, sharing and analyzing digital video content. Methods for authoring include displaying visual data, defining each traversal as a time-based sequence of frames and annotating and storing a record of the traversal and its associated audio records. Defining the traversal Includes interactively panning the visual data by positioning an overlay window relative to the visual data and zooming in or out by resizing the overlay window. In alternative embodiments, the visual data may be displayed in a rectangular layout or a cylindrical layout. The methods are practiced using an integrated graphical interface, including an overview region displaying the visual data, a detail region displaying current data within the overlay window, and a worksheet region displaying a list of previously stored annotated traversal records. In a further aspect, the worksheet region list of annotated traversal records is published in a web document accessible via network using a standard HTML browser, and further annotations may be added by a community of network users. Analytical methods are also provided in which data markers corresponding to traversal records are plotted against an interactive abstract map enabling users to shift between levels of abstraction in exploring the video record. |
| US08972857B2 |
Generating user help information for customized user interfaces
A method for generating user help information for a customized user interface, the customized user interface including one or more user interface components from a library of user interface components, the method comprising the steps of: associating library component help information with each user interface component in the library of user interface components; identifying component help information from the library component help information for each component in the customized user interface; aggregating the identified component help information into user help information for presentation to a user of the customized user interface. |
| US08972856B2 |
Document modification by a client-side application
A method for modifying a document at a client-side application is disclosed. The method involves receiving a user-requested document at a client-side application from a server; querying a database by the client-side application with entities in the user-requested document, where at least one entity is associated with entity information stored in the database; in response to querying the database, receiving the entity information associated with the at least one entity at the client-side application; modifying the user-requested document at the client-side application to obtain a modified document, where modifying the document comprises adding the entity information or a link to the entity information associated with the at least one entity; and displaying the modified document with the client-side application. |
| US08972855B2 |
Method and apparatus for providing case restoration
A method and apparatus for providing case restoration in a communication network are disclosed. For example, the method obtains one or more content sources from one or more information feeds, and extracts textual information from the one or more content sources obtained from the one or more information feeds. The method then creates or updates a capitalization model based on the textual information. |
| US08972851B2 |
Method of coding or decoding a structured document by means of an XML schema, and the associated device and data structure
The present invention concerns a method and device for coding or decoding a structured document, for example an XML document, using a structure-describing file of the XML Schema type.The method comprises a step of configuring an encoder or decoder including the obtaining of data describing a document structure model and their storage in the form of recordings, and a step of calculating a number of items, referred to as “possible items”, able to succeed, according to the structure model, an item of said model, said number of possible items being stored in a recording associated with said item. In order to facilitate calculations, the recordings comprise the minimum and maximum numbers of occurrences of the item defined by the structure model. |
| US08972850B2 |
Tag aggregator
A system for managing tags on a web page is disclosed. Tags are managed by implementing primary and secondary tags. The secondary tags are aggregated to provide network and tag management efficiency. |
| US08972849B2 |
Method and system using heuristics in performing batch updates of records
Computer method and apparatus processing batch changes to a plurality of records employs heuristics. The system includes a computer based source of a plurality of records subject to a batch update. Each record in the plurality has respective meta data information. A computer processor projects application of changes forming the batch update in one record of the plurality. The processor applies heuristics including noting metadata information of the one record impacting changes to each record in the plurality. Using the noted metadata information and heuristics, the system further projects application of the batch update changes to remaining records in the plurality. A preview display of the projected results of the batch changes allows the user to commit, modify or revert batch updates per record. |
| US08972847B2 |
Apparatus and method for providing pictures according to sharing levels
A picture sharing apparatus and method are provided. The picture sharing apparatus includes technology for providing pictures differentiated according to sharing levels. The picture sharing technology may receive a picture request from a user's terminal and determine that user's sharing level and provide a picture differentiated in a predetermined form according to the user's sharing level. The picture sharing technology fulfills the two conflicting tasks of privacy protection and picture sharing. |
| US08972846B2 |
MALTweb multi-axis viewing interface and higher level scoping
A method, apparatus and computer program product for navigating in a multidimensional space containing an electronic publication formed from predefined portions of text-based data encoded using a markup language are disclosed. A selected predefined portion is displayed in a first display region. A point on a primary axis of the multidimensional space corresponding to the displayed pre-defined portion is also displayed. Also, a method, apparatus and computer program product for publishing an electronic publication formed from predefined portions of text-based data encoded using a markup language are also disclosed. Predefined portions are stored in terminal nodes. Higher level nodes are provided for organizing the terminal nodes into an hierarchical structure embodied in said electronic publication. Each higher level node contains the identity of a parent node, a position indicator for the higher level node and an associated identifier. |
| US08972845B2 |
Method for improving document review performance
The present invention is a method and system for accurately coding documents for a legal matter. The method, if used by experienced and motivated document reviewers, has the potential to dramatically improve adjusted review consistency, reduce coding errors, and produce the best review product. The method can also result in useful case history files, which are useful to litigation attorneys in every phrase of litigation including motion argument, merit trial, appeal, and future litigation. |
| US08972835B1 |
Encoding and decoding of information using a block code matrix
An encoder block to receive input data has a KR-Matrix block. The KR-Matrix block is configured to: exclusively OR combinations of subsets of data bits of the input data to generate (n−1) parity bits for n a positive integer greater than zero; and exclusively OR a combination of all of the data bits and all the (n−1) parity bits to generate an (n) parity bit. |
| US08972834B2 |
System and method for communicating with low density parity check codes
The present invention provides a low density parity check (LDPC) code system and method of using such a system. A transmitted LDPC code block size may be chosen such that the minimum transmitted block size is minimized. Further, the system provides for intermediate LDPC code block size support. Finally, a common decoder architecture may be used to decode different LDPC code rates and block sizes. |
| US08972831B2 |
Belief propagation processor
A processor includes a first memory module for storing a first set of storage values each representing a respective input, and a second memory module for storing a second set of storage values in analog form. An analog module is coupled to the first and the second memory modules. The analog module is configured to, in each operation cycle of at least one iteration, update at least some of the second set of storage values based on the first and the second sets of storage values. An output module is for generating a set of outputs from at least some of the second set of storage values. |
| US08972828B1 |
High speed interconnect protocol and method
A method of error mitigation for transferring packets over a chip-to-chip data interconnect using a high speed interconnect protocol, the method including grouping a pre-selected number of high speed interconnect protocol words to form a protection frame, adding at least one additional error protection bit to each word in the group, adding a synchronization bit to each word, using the synchronization bit in a first word in each frame for synchronization of the protection frame and detecting and correcting a single bit error in the protection frame using the additional error protection bits, thereby reducing packet drop when the frames are transferred over the high speed data interconnect. |
| US08972827B2 |
Method and apparatus for the joint design and operation of ARQ protocols with user scheduling for use with multiuser MIMO in the downlink of wireless systems
A method and apparatus is disclosed herein for performing wireless communication. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises a processing unit to run a scheduling selection algorithm to update user terminal scheduling weights in response to scheduling feedback transmitted by a plurality of user terminals by an end of an immediately preceding scheduling event; a scheduler and precoder, responsive to the updated user terminal scheduling weights generated by the scheduling algorithm and channel estimates of user terminals, to choose a set of user terminals for scheduling and to choose precoder beams and their power for such user terminal in the set of user terminals; a plurality of precoding blocks to receive one coded ARQ block for at least one packet for each user terminal in the set and, responsive to the precoder beams, to generate precoded data, where the one coded ARQ block is one of a plurality of ARQ blocks generated for a single packet and being generated using a single ARQ scheme for such each user terminal; and a transmitter to transmit the precoded data using MIMO transmission. |
| US08972826B2 |
Adaptive error correction codes for data storage systems
A data storage system configured to adaptively code data is disclosed. In one embodiment, a data storage system controller determines a common memory page size, such as an E-page size, for a non-volatile memory array. Based on the common memory page size, the controller selects a low-density parity-check (LDPC) code word length from a plurality of pre-defined LDPC code word lengths. The controller determines LDPC coding parameters for coding data written to or read from the memory array based on the selected LDPC code word length. By using the plurality of pre-defined LDPC code word lengths, the data storage system can support multiple non-volatile memory page formats, including memory page formats in which the common memory page size does not equal any LDPC code word length of the plurality of pre-defined LDPC code word lengths. Flexibility and efficiency of data coding can thereby be achieved. |
| US08972823B2 |
Error correcting for improving reliability by combination of storage system and flash memory device
According to this invention, a highly reliable memory device that uses up a life of a flash memory can be provided. The memory device is a nonvolatile memory device including a plurality of memory cells, in which: each of the plurality of memory cells is an FET which includes a floating gate; the plurality of memory cells are divided into a plurality of deletion blocks; and the nonvolatile memory device reads data stored in a first deletion block, detects and corrects an error contained in the read data, stores, when the number of bits of the detected error exceeds a threshold, the corrected data in a second deletion block, sets a smaller value as the threshold as an error frequency detected in the first deletion block is higher, and sets a smaller value as the threshold as the number of deletion times executed in the first deletion block is larger. |
| US08972821B2 |
Encode and multiplex, register, and decode and error correction circuitry
An electronic circuit includes a microcontroller processor (410), a peripheral (420) coupled with the processor, an endian circuit (470) coupled with the processor and the peripheral to selectively provide different endianess modes of operation, and a detection circuit (140) to detect a failure to select a given endianess, whereby inadvertent switch of endianess due to faults is avoided. Other circuits, devices, systems, methods of operation and processes of manufacture are also disclosed. |
| US08972814B2 |
Message rearrangement for improved wireless code performance
A system and method for permuting known and unknown message bits before encoding to provide a beneficial rearrangement of bits. Such a method can improve distance properties in the resulting subcode. In various embodiments, the structure of a beneficial rearrangement is dependent on the parameters of how known and unknown bits are grouped and on the specific type of code being used. Given these two parameters, the message bits can be rearranged to more efficiently leverage any apriori knowledge. |
| US08972812B2 |
Ultra low-power pipelined processor
A pipelined processor including a combinational logic of several stages, a voltage regulator, a counter, a comparator, and a plurality of stage registers. Each stage register is disposed between two adjacent stages of the combinational logic. The stage register includes a flip-flop, a latch, an XOR gate, and a MUX module. When the high level of a register clock is coming, the flip-flop latches first data at the rising edge, and the latch receives second data during the high level. The data latched by the flip-flop and the latch respectively are compared by the XOR gate. If they are same, the output Error of the XOR gate is low level, and the output of the flip-flop is delivered to the next stage. Otherwise, the output Error of the XOR gate is high level, and the output of the latch is delivered to the next stage. |
| US08972810B2 |
I/O circuitry free of test clock coupled with destination/source circuitry
The present disclosure describes using the JTAG Tap's TMS and/or TCK terminals as general purpose serial Input/Output (I/O) Manchester coded communication terminals. The Tap's TMS and/or TCK terminal can be used as a serial I/O communication channel between; (1) an IC and an external controller, (2) between a first and second IC, or (3) between a first and second core circuit within an IC. The use of the TMS and/or TCK terminal as serial I/O channels, as described, does not effect the standardized operation of the JTAG Tap, since the TMS and/or TCK I/O operations occur while the Tap is placed in a non-active steady state. |
| US08972808B2 |
Controlling scan access to a scan chain
A technique for controlling scan access of multiple scan devices (including or more slave scan devices and a master scan device) to a scan chain includes sending, by a requesting slave scan device included in the one or more slave scan devices, a first request for access to the scan chain to the master scan device. The master scan device and the one or more slave scan devices are connected to the scan chain. The technique also includes receiving, at the requesting slave scan device, an evaluation result from the master scan device and accessing, by the requesting slave scan device, the scan chain in response to the evaluation result indicating access granted. Finally, the technique includes sending, by the requesting slave scan device, one or more second requests for access to the scan chain to the master scan device in response to the evaluation result indicating access denied. |
| US08972805B2 |
System and method of interfacing co-processors and input/output devices via a main memory system
A system for interfacing with a co-processor or input/output device is disclosed. According to one embodiment, the system includes a computer processing unit, a memory module, a memory bus that connects the computer processing unit and the memory module, and a co-processing unit or input/output device, wherein the memory bus also connects the co-processing unit or input/output device to the computer processing unit. |
| US08972804B2 |
Point of need access to an electronic maintenance manual utilizing current machine status
A method and system for providing point of need diagnostic information in an electronic service manual. A rendering device can be configured to transmit machine diagnostics related reports to a computer. The diagnostics are then integrated into an electronic service manual. In this way a reference can be created which includes point of need diagnostic information related to the machine, thereby increasing the productivity of user time spent on maintenance activities associated with the machine. |
| US08972802B2 |
Providing high availability to a hybrid application server environment containing non-java containers
A method, system and computer program product for providing high availability to a hybrid application server environment containing non-Java® containers. Each hybrid application server in the cluster includes a Java® container and a non-Java® container hosting Java® and non-Java® applications, respectively. Upon detecting the non-Java® container becoming unavailable (failing), an object, such as an MBean, identifies and deactivates those Java® application(s) that are dependent on the non-Java® application(s) deployed in the unavailable non-Java® container using dependency information stored in an application framework. The deactivated Java® application(s) are marked as being unavailable. A routing agent continues to send requests to those Java® application(s) that are not marked as being unavailable within that hybrid application server containing the unavailable non-Java® container. As a result of not deactivating the entire hybrid application server containing the unavailable non-Java® container, unimpacted applications continue to service requests thereby optimally using the resources. |
| US08972800B2 |
Systems and methods for enhanced media defect detection
Various embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for media defect detection. |
| US08972796B2 |
Support system and method for error recovery in an electronic device
An electronic device displaying an error recovery process includes an input unit, a display unit, a meta data transmitting unit, and a display control unit. The input unit accepts an operation of a user. The display unit displays an operation screen for the user. The meta data transmitting unit transmits screen image data on the display unit, user operation information input via the input unit, and state information about the electronic device, which are collected upon reception of a meta data acquisition command from a support service terminal apparatus, to the support service terminal apparatus as meta data. The display control unit displays an error recovery process on the display unit on the basis of user support data transmitted from the support service terminal apparatus in response to the transmitted meta data. |
| US08972795B2 |
Processor system optimization
In order to enable the optimization of a processor system without relying upon knowhow or manual labor, an apparatus includes: information obtainment unit for reading, from memory, trace information of the processor system and performance information corresponding to the trace information; information analysis unit for analyzing the trace information and the performance information so as to obtain a performance factor such as an idle time, a processing completion time of a task, or the number of interprocessor communications as a result of the analysis; and optimization method output unit for displaying and outputting a method of optimizing the system in response to a result of the analysis. |
| US08972788B2 |
Ticket consolidation
A method of ticket consolidation in computing environment may in one aspect analyze problem reports, determine whether problems reported by machines are caused by the same or substantially the same run-time configuration error or are occurring on the same physical server, and are within the given sensitivity time window, consolidate the problem tickets and increase the priority of the consolidated ticket. |
| US08972781B2 |
Session recovery during virtual mobile management
Disclosed is a method to enable wireless remote session recovery for a wireless device. Should a wireless device encounter a broken communication link during a virtual mobile management (VMM) operation, a method of automatic session recovery is disclosed which executes from a management console through a communication end-point gateway server in order to reconnect the mobile device. Under control of the session reconnection method, the device client listener and tools of wireless device re-establishes the signal and bearer links with a management console, over the air through the communication end-point gateway server (CEG). The communication utilizing the session recovery algorithm enables the wireless device to receive session information from the communication end-point gateway server, including the respective tools. |
| US08972780B2 |
Low-latency fault-tolerant virtual machines
A system and method are disclosed for managing a plurality of virtual machines (VMs) in a fault-tolerant and low-latency manner. In accordance with one example, a computer system executes a first VM and a second VM, and creates a first live snapshot of the first VM and a second live snapshot of the second VM. The computer system detects, after the creating of the first live snapshot and the second live snapshot, a failure that affects the executing of the first VM, and in response destroys the first VM and the second VM, creates a third VM from the first live snapshot and a fourth VM from the second live snapshot, and initiates execution of the third VM and the fourth VM. An output transmitted by the first VM to the second VM during the creating of the first live snapshot and the second live snapshot is not blocked. |
| US08972779B2 |
Method of calculating parity in asymetric clustering file system
Disclosed is a method of calculating parity. The method dividing, by a client system, a file which is to be stored into chunks of a preset size and distributively storing the chunks in a plurality of data servers; sending, by the client system, a data write complete notification message to a metadata server; storing, by the metadata server, a file sent through the data write complete notification message in a recovery queue; and sending, by the metadata server, a random data server a parity calculation request for the file stored in the recovery queue. |
| US08972778B2 |
Use of a virtual drive as a hot spare for a raid group
A method that includes identifying a failure indication for a first data storage device that is a member of a first RAID group within a storage array. The method further can include, via a processor external to the storage array, identifying a virtual drive that is defined to include at least one logical storage volume defined in a second RAID group. The virtual drive can be provisioned to serve as a virtual hot spare within the first RAID group to replace the first data storage device. |
| US08972777B2 |
Method and system for storage management
Multiple storage apparatuses are provided, at least part of which are individually incorporated into one of storage groups. Each of multiple control apparatuses is configured to, when assigned one or more of the storage groups each including one or more of the storage apparatuses, control data storage by storing data designating each assigned storage group redundantly in the storage apparatuses of the assigned storage group. An information processing apparatus is configured to, when a storage group with data redundancy being lost is detected, make a change in control apparatus assignment for the storage groups in such a manner that a storage group different from the detected storage group is not assigned to a control apparatus with the detected storage group assigned thereto. Subsequently, the information processing apparatus causes the control apparatus to execute a process of restoring the data redundancy of the detected storage group. |
| US08972776B2 |
Partial R-block recycling
An apparatus includes a non-volatile memory and a controller. The non-volatile memory includes a plurality of R-blocks. The controller is coupled to the non-volatile memory. The controller is configured to (i) write data using the R-blocks as a unit of allocation and (ii) perform recycling operations selectively on either an entire one of the R-blocks or a portion less than all of one of the R-blocks. |
| US08972775B2 |
Memory device and method of managing memory data error including determining verification voltages and changing threshold voltages based on a corrected error bit
Memory devices and/or methods of managing memory data errors are provided. A memory device detects and corrects an error bit of data read from a plurality of memory cells, and identifies a memory cell storing the detected error bit. The memory device assigns a verification voltage to each of the plurality of first memory cells, the assigned verification voltage corresponding to the corrected bit for the identified memory cell, the assigned verification voltage corresponding to the read data for the remaining memory cells. The memory device readjusts the data stored in the plurality of memory cells using the assigned verification voltage. Through this, it is possible to increase a retention period of the data of the memory device. |
| US08972774B2 |
Computing core application access utilizing dispersed storage
A computing core includes a processing module, main memory, and a memory controller. The memory controller receives a request to fetch an instruction from the processing module and determines whether the instruction is currently stored in the main memory. When the instruction is not currently stored in the main memory, the memory controller determines whether the instruction is stored in a distributed storage network (DSN) memory as one or more sets of encoded instruction slices; and, when it is, the memory controller addresses the DSN memory to retrieve the one or more sets of encoded instruction slices. When at least a threshold number of encoded instruction slices are retrieved for each of the one or more sets of encoded instruction slices, the one or more sets of encoded instruction slices are decoded using a dispersed storage error coding function to reconstruct the instruction, which is provided to the processing module. |
| US08972766B2 |
Power management methods and systems using an external power supply
A method for managing power to an information handling system (IHS) is disclosed wherein the method includes providing a battery and an external power supply operable to supply power to the IHS. The method also includes providing an application programming interface (API) to the IHS, wherein the API is configured to monitor a first parameter and a second parameter. The method further includes supplying power to the IHS via the external power supply if the first parameter reaches a first threshold level and supplying power to the IHS via the battery if the second parameter reaches a second threshold level. An information handling system (IHS) is further disclosed including an external power supply, a battery, and a controller operable to select between the external power supply and the battery to supply power to the IHS. The IHS further includes an application programmable interface (API) operable to monitor a first parameter and direct the controller to select the external power supply to supply power to the IHS if the first parameter reaches a first threshold level, and wherein the API is further operable to monitor a second parameter and direct the controller to select the battery to supply power to the IHS if the second parameter reaches a second threshold level. |
| US08972761B2 |
Systems and methods for idle clock insertion based power control
The present inventions are related to systems and methods for data processing, and more particularly to systems and methods for power governance in a data processing system. In one particular case, a system is disclosed that includes a first data processing circuit operable to apply a data detection algorithm to a data input synchronous to a first clock, and a second data processing circuit operable to apply a subsequent data processing algorithm to an output derived from the first data processing circuit synchronous to a second clock, and an idle time enforcement circuit operable to modify an average frequency of at least one of the first clock and the second clock. |
| US08972760B1 |
Method and apparatus for reducing power consumption in a mobile electronic device using a second launcher
Embodiments of the present invention provide methods and apparatuses for reducing power consumption for a mobile electronic device in order to extend battery life. In an embodiment, the mobile electronic device monitors a power level of the battery in the mobile electronic device, determines that the power level of the battery reaches a predetermined threshold, and based upon the determination, terminates a first launcher currently running on the mobile electronic device and activates a second launcher on the mobile electronic device. By activating the second launcher which has power saving features, the power consumption of the mobile electronic device is reduced and thus the battery life is extended while preserving the basic functions of the mobile device. |
| US08972755B1 |
AVS-adaptive voltage scaling
An integrated circuit includes an operational circuit module receiving a supply voltage from a voltage regulator external to the integrated circuit, and an adaptive voltage scaling module to adjust the supply voltage based on performance characteristics of the operational circuit module. The adaptive voltage scaling module can include a performance monitoring module disposed on the integrated circuit and configured to generate at least an indicator corresponding to at least one performance characteristic of the operational circuit module. The adaptive scaling module can include a voltage requirement determination and voltage feedback generator module disposed on the integrated circuit and coupled to the performance monitoring module. The voltage requirement determination and voltage feedback generator module is configured to output a feedback voltage signal having a voltage level as a function of at least the indicator. The voltage regulator can regulate the supply voltage as a function of the feedback voltage signal. |
| US08972754B2 |
Computer device and frequency adjusting method for central processing unit
A computer device and frequency adjusting method for central processing unit are provided. The computer device including a CPU, a voltage regulator module, a clock generator, a power-on module, a chip set and an embedded controller. The power-on module activates the voltage regulator module, the clock generator and the CPU respectively. The voltage regulator module provides the operating voltage of the CPU. The clock generator provides the operating clock of the CPU. Before the CPU is activated, the embedded controller adjusts the operating clock and the operating voltage provided from the clock generator and the voltage regulator module the CPU, the CPU performs overclocking/downclocking directly by using the adjusted operating clock and the adjusted operating voltage after the CPU is activated. |
| US08972751B2 |
Field-programmable gate array power supply system designer
A system may include a database configured to store information including characteristics of a plurality of components. The system may further include a server in communication with the database and configured to receive design parameters indicative of a plurality of loads of a multiple-load device; determine a plurality of power supply architectures that may be used to provide power supply solutions satisfying the plurality of loads, each power supply architecture including at least one position requiring a component configured to satisfy a load requirement; for each one of at least a subset of the plurality of power supply architectures, determine, based on the characteristics of the plurality of components, at least one component configured to satisfy the corresponding load requirement for each position of the one of the power supply architectures; and generate at least one power supply design in accordance with the power supply architectures and the determined components. |
| US08972750B2 |
Method and apparatus for securing transfer of secure content to a destination
A computer implemented method and apparatus for securing transfer of secure content to a destination. The method comprises receiving a request to copy selected content from a secure source document; extracting one or more security settings associated with at least one of the selected content or the source document; encrypting the selected content with the one or more extracted security settings; and storing the encrypted content and the one or more extracted security settings. |
| US08972749B2 |
Method and apparatus for securely storing data in a database
A method of securely storing data in a memory on a computer including a processor is provided. The method includes receiving unencrypted data; randomly selecting a key, wherein the key is a character of an alphabet of a data type of the unencrypted data; creating partially encrypted data by encrypting the unencrypted data by randomly mapping each character of the alphabet of the data type of the unencrypted data to a character of an alphabet of a data type of encrypted data, except each character of the unencrypted data matching the key is not encrypted; and storing the partially encrypted data in the memory. |
| US08972747B2 |
Managing information in a document serialization
In a method for managing information comprising a reference name of an atomic unit listed in a document serialization, a new name for the atomic unit reference name is generated and occurrences of the atomic unit reference name in the document serialization are replaced with the new name for the atomic unit to conceal the atomic unit reference name. In addition, a map file containing a map file entry for each of a plurality of workflow participants is generated, in which each of the map file entries includes the new name and an access key to access the atomic unit. |
| US08972737B2 |
Unauthorized contents detection system
A data processing device for playing back a digital work reduces the processing load involved in verification by using only a predetermined number of encrypted units selected randomly from multiple encrypted units constituting encrypted contents recorded on a DVD. In addition, the data processing device improves the accuracy of detecting unauthorized contents by randomly selecting a predetermined number of encrypted units every time the verification is performed. |
| US08972727B2 |
Method of identification or authorization, and associated system and secure module
Method of identification or of authorization using a system comprising at least one sensor for acquiring biometric data and one secure module storing a set of digital data obtained starting from a set of respective biometric data by means of a digitization algorithm. According to this method, a biometric data value is obtained, acquired by the sensor; a digital value is obtained by application of the digitization algorithm to the acquired biometric data value; within the secure module, at least some of the digital data from said set of digital data are ranked according to their proximity to the digital value obtained; and a biometric data value is obtained from said set of biometric data by taking into account a position of the corresponding digital data within the ranking. |
| US08972725B2 |
Security infrastructure for cloud services
A framework for handling a secure interaction between components in a cloud infrastructure system that wish to transfer information between each other during processing of a customer's subscription order is described. The framework orders the security zones of components based on security levels and protects the transfer of information between components in security zones with different security levels. The assignment of a component to a security zone is based upon the sensitivity of the data handled by the components, the sensitivity of functions performed by the component, and the like. |
| US08972723B2 |
Storage device and method for providing a partially-encrypted content file to a host device
A storage device and method for providing a partially-encrypted content file to a host device are provided. In one embodiment, the storage device retrieves a content file from memory in the storage device and partially-encrypts the content file by encrypting some portions of the content file. The storage device sends the partially-encrypted content file to a host device and informs the host device of which portions of the partially-encrypted content file are encrypted. In one embodiment, the remaining portions of the content file are in clear text form and do not need to be decrypted. Because the host device only needs to decrypt the portions of the content file that are encrypted—and not the entire content file—the host device can decrypt the partially-encrypted content file, even if it does not have the processing power to decrypt a fully-encrypted version. In another embodiment, at least some of the remaining portions of the content file are encrypted with at least one additional key. |
| US08972715B2 |
Cryptographic hash function
A first module divides a string into blocks. A second module associates the blocks with monoid elements in a list of first monoid elements to produce second monoid elements. A third module applies a first function to an initial monoid element and a first of the second monoid elements producing a first calculated monoid element and evaluates an action of the initial monoid element on the first function producing a second function. A fourth module applies the second function to the first calculated monoid element and to a second of the second monoid elements producing a second calculated monoid element and evaluates the action of the first calculated monoid element on the first function producing a third function. Further modules iteratively, corresponding to the number of blocks, apply the produced function to calculated monoid elements and the second monoid elements to produce a hash of the string |
| US08972713B2 |
Cloud transformable device
Technologies for performing a platform transformation on a computing device include transforming a transformable component of the computing device from a first hardware configuration in which a first set of hardware features is enabled to a second hardware configuration in which different hardware features are enabled. The computing device has a first capability when in the first configuration and a different capability when in the second configuration. In performing the platform transformation, the computing device determines a platform transformation build, establishes a communication connection with a cloud-based platform transformation service, and identifies and retrieves relevant platform definitions from the cloud-based platform transformation service. The platform definitions are used in effecting the desired platform transformation. |
| US08972709B2 |
Booting method for low temperature environment and electronic apparatus therefor
A booting method for low temperature environment and an electronic apparatus therefor are provided. The booting method includes the following steps: reading a booting process record from a memory unit of the electronic apparatus; executing a booting process according to the booting process record, wherein the booting process includes a plurality of booting subroutines; and when executing one of the booting subroutines, updating the booting process record stored in the memory unit of the electronic apparatus corresponding to the booting subroutine, wherein the booting subroutines include providing a power output by controlling a power supply unit of the electronic apparatus, and an output value of the power output gradually increases as executing the booting subroutines sequentially. |
| US08972707B2 |
Multi-core processor with core selectively disabled by kill instruction of system software and resettable only via external pin
Dynamically reconfigurable multi-core microprocessors and associated methods are provided. A multi-core microprocessor is provided that supports the ability of system software to disable, or kill, selected cores in such a way that they do not cause drag on the processor bus shared with the other cores. Another multi-core microprocessor is provided that supports reconfiguration of an inter-core coordination system of the microprocessor, wherein cores may be selectively designated as masters for purposes of driving signals onto an inter-core communication wire. |
| US08972705B2 |
Executing instructions for managing constant pool base register used for accessing constants during subroutine execution
A constant data accessing system having a constant pool comprises a computer processor having a constant pool base register, a compiler having a constant pool handler, and an instruction set module having a constant pool instruction set unit. The constant pool base register is configured to store a value of constant pool base address of one or a plurality of subroutines which have constants to be accessed. |
| US08972704B2 |
Code section optimization by removing memory barrier instruction and enclosing within a transaction that employs hardware transaction memory
A code section of a computer program to be executed by a computing device includes memory barrier instructions. Where the code section satisfies a threshold, the code section is modified, by enclosing the code section within a transaction that employs hardware transactional memory of the computing device, and removing the memory barrier instructions from the code section. Execution of the code section as has been enclosed within the transaction can be monitored to yield monitoring results. Where the monitoring results satisfy an abort threshold corresponding to excessive aborting of the execution of the code section as has been enclosed within the transaction, the code section is split into code sub-sections, and each code sub-section enclosed within a separate transaction that employs the hardware transactional memory. Splitting the code section sections and enclosing each code sub-section within a separate transaction can decrease occurrence of the code section aborting during execution. |
| US08972697B2 |
Gather using index array and finite state machine
Methods and apparatus are disclosed for using an index array and finite state machine for scatter/gather operations. Embodiment of apparatus may comprise: decode logic to decode a scatter/gather instruction and generate a set of micro-operations, and an index array to hold a set of indices and a corresponding set of mask elements. A finite state machine facilitates the gather operation. Address generation logic generates an address from an index of the set of indices for at least each of the corresponding mask elements having a first value. An address is accessed to load a corresponding data element if the mask element had the first value. The data element is written at an in-register position in a destination vector register according to a respective in-register position the index. Values of corresponding mask elements are changed from the first value to a second value responsive to completion of their respective loads. |
| US08972695B2 |
Automatic allocation of data replicas
Embodiments described herein are directed to providing scalability to software applications. A computer system partitions a portion of data stored in a directory services system into multiple different data partitions. Each data partition includes a primary writable copy and at least one secondary read-only copy of the data. The computer system receives a client request for a portion of the data that is stored in the directory services system and accesses various stored partition mappings to determine which of the different data partitions includes the requested data. The computer system also accesses a dynamic copy locator to determine which of the read-only copies of the indicated partition to access and provide the accessed primary writeable copy of the indicated partition and the determined read-only copy to the client in a virtualized manner so that the client is not aware of the data partitions. |
| US08972694B1 |
Dynamic storage allocation with virtually provisioned devices
A write operation writes first data to a target logical address range included in a first logical address range of a virtually provisioned device. It is determined that physical storage is not allocated for the target logical address range. First processing is performed to allocate a first portion of physical storage having a first corresponding logical address subrange that includes the target logical address range. The first portion is allocated from a physical device included in a first storage tier. The first processing includes selecting the first storage tier from multiple storage tiers in accordance with selection criteria including metrics characterizing an expected workload or level of activity for the first corresponding logical address subrange of the virtually provisioned device. Mapping information is updated to indicate that the first corresponding logical address subrange of the virtually provisioned device maps to the first portion of physical storage. |
| US08972693B2 |
Hardware managed allocation and deallocation evaluation circuit
A system and method is provided for improving efficiency, power, and bandwidth consumption in parallel processing. Rather than using memory polling to ensure that enough space is available in memory locations for, for example, write instructions, the techniques disclosed herein provide a system and method to automate this evaluation mechanism in environments such as data-parallel processing to efficiently check available space in memory locations before instructions such as write threads are allowed. These operations are handled efficiently in hardware, but are flexible enough to be implemented in all manner of programming models. |
| US08972690B2 |
Methods and apparatuses for usage based allocation block size tuning
Methods and apparatuses that maintain an access history of a file allocated with allocation blocks in storage devices are described. In response to receiving a usage request to allocate additional space for the file, an allocation block size may be adjusted or adapted based on the access history. The storage devices may be allocated with one or more allocation blocks using the adapted allocation block size to provide requested space for the file. |
| US08972689B1 |
Apparatus, method and system for using real-time performance feedback for modeling and improving access to solid state media
A storage processor identifies latency of memory drives for different numbers of concurrent storage operations. The identified latency is used to identify debt limits for the number of concurrent storage operations issued to the memory drives. The storage processor may issue additional storage operations to the memory devices when the number of storage operations is within the debt limit. Storage operations may be deferred when the number of storage operations is outside the debt limit. |
| US08972688B2 |
Memory system having a plurality of types of memory chips and a memory controller for controlling the memory chips
A memory controller converts controller output signals output from a controller into memory input signals according to the operation specifications of memory chips to operate, and outputs the resultant to the memory chips through a common bus. The memory controller also receives memory output signals output from the memory chips through the common bus, and converts the received signals into controller input signals receivable to the controller. This allows the single memory controller to access the plurality of types of memory chips. As a result, the memory controller can be reduced in chip size, lowering the cost of the memory system. |
| US08972684B2 |
Dispersed storage network for managing data deletion
A dispersed storage device manages deletion of data objects stored within a dispersed storage network by receiving a data delete request to delete a data object stored throughout a set of dispersed storage units within a dispersed network memory of the dispersed storage network, determining a deletion policy for the data object and selectively generating and transmitting, based on the deletion policy, a delete command to the set of dispersed storage units. |
| US08972681B2 |
Enhanced copy-on-write operation for solid state drives
A method for increasing the efficiency of a “copy-on-write” operation performed on an SSD to extend the life of the SSD is disclosed herein. In one embodiment, such a method includes receiving a first logical address specifying a logical location where new data should be written to an SSD. The first logical address maps to a first physical location, storing original data, on the SSD. The method further receives a second logical address specifying a logical location where the original data should be available on the SSD. The second logical address maps to a second physical location on the SSD. To efficiently perform the copy-on-write operation, the method writes the new data to a new physical location on the SSD, maps the first logical address to the new physical location, and maps the second logical address to the first physical location. A corresponding apparatus is also disclosed. |
| US08972677B1 |
Systems and methods for implementing a storage interface specific to an archiving platform
A computer-implemented method for implementing an archiving-platform-specific storage interface. The method may include defining an application programming interface specification for a specific archiving platform. The method may also include providing the application programming interface specification to a storage system vendor. The method may further include archiving, using the specific archiving platform, data to a storage system provided by the storage system vendor. Archiving the data may include calling an application programming interface that complies with the application programming interface specification and communicating with the storage system through the application programming interface. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed. |
| US08972675B2 |
Efficient post write read in three dimensional nonvolatile memory
Data that is stored in a higher error rate format in a 3-D nonvolatile memory is backed up in a lower error rate format. Later, the higher error rate copy is sampled to determine if it is acceptable. A sampling pattern samples all word lines of a string and at least one word line of each string of the block. |
| US08972669B2 |
Page buffering in a virtualized, memory sharing configuration
An apparatus includes a processor and a volatile memory that is configured to be accessible in an active memory sharing configuration. The apparatus includes a machine-readable encoded with instructions executable by the processor. The instructions including first virtual machine instructions configured to access the volatile memory with a first virtual machine. The instructions including second virtual machine instructions configured to access the volatile memory with a second virtual machine. The instructions including virtual machine monitor instructions configured to page data out from a shared memory to a reserved memory section in the volatile memory responsive to the first virtual machine or the second virtual machine paging the data out from the shared memory or paging the data in to the shared memory. The shared memory is shared across the first virtual machine and the second virtual machine. The volatile memory includes the shared memory. |
| US08972667B2 |
Exchanging data between memory controllers
A device with an interconnect having a plurality of memory controllers for connecting the plurality of memory controllers. Each memory controller of the plurality of memory controllers is coupled to an allocated memory for storing data. Further, each memory controller of the plurality of memory controllers has one accelerator of a plurality of accelerators for mutually exchanging data over the interconnect. |
| US08972661B2 |
Dynamically adjusted threshold for population of secondary cache
The population of data to be inserted into secondary data storage cache is controlled by determining a heat metric of candidate data; adjusting a heat metric threshold; rejecting candidate data provided to the secondary data storage cache whose heat metric is less than the threshold; and admitting candidate data whose heat metric is equal to or greater than the heat metric threshold. The adjustment of the heat metric threshold is determined by comparing a reference metric related to hits of data most recently inserted into the secondary data storage cache, to a reference metric related to hits of data most recently evicted from the secondary data storage cache; if the most recently inserted reference metric is greater than the most recently evicted reference metric, decrementing the threshold; and if the most recently inserted reference metric is less than the most recently evicted reference metric, incrementing the threshold. |
| US08972658B2 |
Game console and memory card
An example portable, handheld game console includes a main body incorporating a first display screen, and a cover body incorporating a second display screen. The main body is hingedly connected to the cover body along adjacent forward and rearward edges, respectively, such that the cover body is movable between closed and open positions. The main body is provided with a plurality of control buttons and a pair of game card slots for receiving game cards of different dimensions. One of the game cards is substantially square and comprises a substantially flat card body having a plurality of electrically conductive terminal strips adjacent the forward edge. One of the side edges of the card has a single continuous step configuration along substantially the entire length dimension of the card. A first notch is formed in a first forward corner of the card where the forward edge meets the other of the pair of side edges and a second notch is formed along the other of the pair of side edges, between the forward and rearward edges. |
| US08972656B1 |
Managing accesses to active-active mapped logical volumes
A method is used in managing accesses to active-active mapped logical volumes. A portion of a mapped logical volume associated with an I/O request is determined. Based on the determination, a set of storage processor paths for accessing the mapped logical volume is determined. The I/O request is sent using a storage processor path from the set of storage processor paths for accessing the mapped logical volume. |
| US08972651B2 |
Storage system and storage method
A storage system comprises a storage comprising a nonvolatile storage medium, and a storage control apparatus for inputting/outputting data to/from the storage. The storage control apparatus comprises a memory for storing management information, which is information used in inputting/outputting data to/from the storage, and a control part for controlling access to the storage. The control part stores the management information, which is stored in the memory, in the storage as a base image, and when the management information is updated subsequent to the base image being stored in the storage, creates a journal comprising information related to this update, and stores the journal in the storage as a journal group which is configured from multiple journals. |
| US08972649B2 |
Writing memory blocks using codewords
A generator matrix is provided to generate codewords from messages of write operations. Rather than generate a codeword using the entire generator matrix, some number of bits of the codeword are determined to be, or designated as, stuck bits. One or more submatrices of the generator matrix are determined based on the columns of the generator matrix that correspond to the stuck bits. The submatrices are used to generate the codeword from the message, and only the bits of the codeword that are not the stuck bits are written to a memory block. By designating one or more bits as stuck bits, the operating life of the bits is increased. Some of the submatrices of the generator matrix may be pre-computed for different stuck bit combinations. The pre-computed submatrices may be used to generate the codewords, thereby increasing the performance of write operations. |
| US08972648B2 |
Kernal memory locking for systems that allow over-commitment memory
Provided are techniques for allocating logical memory corresponding to a logical partition in a computing system; generating, a S/W PFT data structure corresponding to a first page of the logical memory, wherein the S/W PFT data structure comprises a field indicating that the corresponding first page of logical memory is a klock page; transmitting a request for a page of physical memory and the corresponding S/W PFT data structure to hypervisor, allocating physical memory corresponding to the request; and, in response to a pageout request, paging out available logical memory corresponding to the logical partition that does not indicate that the corresponding page is a klock page prior to paging out the first page. |
| US08972646B2 |
Superspeed inter-chip interface
An interface for low power, high bandwidth communications between units in a device in provided herein. The interface comprises a USB 3.0 system interface and a SuperSpeed inter-chip (SSIC) protocol adaptor configured to facilitate communications between the USB 3.0 system interface and an M-PHY interface. |
| US08972645B2 |
Request sent to storage device based on moving average
Embodiments herein relate to sending a request to a storage device based on a moving average. A threshold is determined based on a storage device type and a bandwidth of a cache bus connecting a cache to a controller. The moving average of throughput is measured between the storage device and a host. The request of the host to access the storage device is sent directly to the storage device, if the moving average is equal to the threshold. |
| US08972641B2 |
Device and method for addressing, and converter
It is provided to implement a different number of logical slaves in a field device for use in an AS interface network as a function of the assigned address, which slaves may be addressed using the assigned address in the standard or in the expanded addressing mode. Thus, in a field device, it is possible to provide slaves having different profiles, via which different data types may be exchanged. Furthermore, a method is provided, with which a field device having different slaves is able to be addressed in a simple manner while avoiding double addressing. |
| US08972639B2 |
Communication apparatus, relay apparatus, communication system and communication method
It is expected to provide a communication apparatus, relay apparatus, communication system and communication method for effectively performing a communication timing adjustment when a collision has occurred on a communication line, efficiently reducing the communication collision with reducing processing loads on each apparatus, for making each apparatus effectively perform the transmission timing adjustment, and for improving the communication efficiency. ECUs are connected to communication lines with a bus topology. A relay apparatus is connected to the communication lines, obtains a time distribution based on a number of messages transmitted to the communication lines. When the bias occurs in the transmission timings, the relay apparatus transmits an instruction message that instructs to perform the timing adjustment for messages transmitted between the ECUs. In addition, it is determined whether a message to be relayed is held. When it is determined that such a message is held, the instruction message is transmitted. |
| US08972636B2 |
Memory interface chip corresponding to different memories and method of establishing memory transmission channel
A memory interface chip is disclosed and includes a data output unit and a control module, wherein the data output module receives data from an external source. The data output unit can be selectively connected to different memory structures. The data output unit includes a first output channel and a second output channel, wherein the channels respectively generate a first output signal and a second output signal based on the data received. The control module selectively closes off the first output channel or the second output channel based on the memory architecture of the memory connected to the data output unit. |
| US08972635B2 |
Processor and information processing apparatus
A processor includes a first transmitting unit that transmits, when receiving from a second processor a transmission request indicating transmission of target data which is read from a main storage unit and stored in the first processor, a transfer instruction to the first processor, the transfer instruction indicating transfer of the target data and state information to the second processor, the state information indicating a state of the target data used when the second processor reads and stores the target data. The processor includes a second transmitting unit that transmits acquisition information indicating acquisition of the target data to the second processor before receiving a response to the transfer instruction transmitted by the first transmitting unit from the first processor. |
| US08972629B2 |
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. |
| US08972628B2 |
Expandable wireless storage device for streaming a multi-media file
An expandable wireless storage device is provided that includes an interface slot, internal memory, a wireless interface and an aggregated file system view providing component. An external memory, which stores a first subset of multi-media files, can be physically coupled with the expandable wireless storage device using the interface slot. A second subset of multi-media files can be stored on the internal memory. A multi-media file of the multi-media files can be streamed to a playing device using the wireless interface. The internal memory is used as a buffer when the multi-media file resides on the external memory. An aggregated file system view providing component provides an aggregated file system view of the multi-media files. |
| US08972625B2 |
Electronic apparatus and host determination method
An electronic apparatus includes a plurality of interfaces and a host determination controller. To the plurality of interfaces, a plurality of host candidate devices are individually connected. The plurality of host candidate devices are each capable of serving as a host device that performs control. The host determination controller is configured to determine, based on a reception signal received from one of the plurality of host candidate devices, a predetermined host candidate device serving as a transmission source of the reception signal to be a host device, and to control a disconnection and a connection of at least one of the plurality of interfaces, the at least one of the plurality of interfaces corresponding to at least one of the other host candidate devices. |
| US08972624B2 |
USB virtualization
Described herein are methods and systems for virtualization of a USB device to enable sharing of the USB device among a plurality of host processors in a multi-processor computing system. A USB virtualization unit for sharing of the USB device include a per-host register unit, each corresponding to a host processor includes one or more of a host register interface, host data interface, configuration registers, and host control registers, configured to receive simultaneous requests from one or more host processors from amongst the plurality of host processors for the USB device. The USB virtualization unit also includes a pre-fetch direct memory access (DMA) configured to pre-fetch DMA descriptors associated with the requests to store in a buffer. The USB virtualization unit further includes an endpoint specific switching decision logic (ESL) configured to schedule data access based on the DMA descriptors from the host processor's local memory corresponding to each request. |
| US08972622B2 |
Monitoring network performance and detecting network faults using round trip transmission times
A method of processing communications includes: receiving transmission data over a selected time interval for each of a plurality of communication paths between a host processor and a control unit configured to control at least one I/O device; calculating an average round-trip transmission time for each of the communication paths over the time interval; comparing an average round-trip transmission time for a communication path having the highest average round-trip transmission time to a threshold value and to a multiple of an average round-trip transmission time for a communication path having the lowest average round-trip transmission time; and determining, based on comparing the highest round-trip transmission time to the threshold value and to a multiple of the lowest round-trip transmission time, whether the time period indicates a delay in communication between the I/O subsystem and the control unit requiring at least one of a monitoring action and a recovery action. |
| US08972621B1 |
Methods, systems, and physical computer-readable media for multiplexing a single end-point memory structure between USB interfaces
Several embodiments including methods, systems, and physical computer-readable storage media are configured to multiplex a single end-point memory (EPM) structure between a HS USB interface and a SS USB interface, which includes determining whether the SS USB interface is enabled, if the SS USB interface is enabled, detecting the SS USB interface, selecting the HS USB interface, if the SS USB interface is enabled, but not detected, and multiplexing between a functionality of a HS USB device interface and a functionality of a HS USB host interface, if the SS USB interface is not enabled. |
| US08972619B2 |
Processing system, communication apparatus, and processing apparatus
In a processing system including a processing apparatus, an input/output apparatus and communication apparatuses, the communication apparatus includes: a first instructing unit that issues a configuration change instruction in accordance with set configuration information to the processing apparatus and the input/output apparatus; and a first setting unit that, when an operation change completion notification corresponding to the configuration change instruction is received, sets the configuration information in accordance with a state established after a configuration change, and each of the processing apparatus and the input/output apparatus includes: a second setting unit that sets the configuration information in accordance with the configuration change instruction received from the communication apparatus; a second instructing unit that issues an operation change instruction in accordance with the set configuration information; and a notifying unit that, when the operation change is completed, issues an operation change completion notification to the communication apparatus. |
| US08972613B2 |
System and method for increasing input/output throughput in a data storage system
There is provided a system and a method for increasing input/output (“I/O”) throughput in a data storage system. More specifically, in one embodiment, there is provided a method comprising determining an owning controller associated with each of a plurality of storage units of a storage system, receiving an I/O transaction for one of the plurality of storage units, determining if the I/O transaction is a read transaction, and selecting a path to the owning controller associated with the storage unit if the I/O transaction is a read transaction. |
| US08972610B2 |
Portable communication USB device for providing mobile internet access service or for providing other communication services
A portable USB device that enables mobile Internet accessing service is disclosed. The portable USB can be plugged into an external USB port of a computing device for enabling the Internet accessing service. Subsequent to receiving the Internet accessing service by the computing device via the portable USB device, the computing device may further share the Internet with other wireless devices over a local area network (e.g., network compatible, at least partly, with IEEE 802 standards). The portable USB device may include a wireless component and may further include wireless communication software or data for running at the computing device. The Internet accessing service may employ security data stored in a memory area of the portable USB device for enabling service verification or for security. The portable USB device may also be a non-wireless device connectable to a USB port for enabling phone calling. |
| US08972609B2 |
Intelligent network interface controller
A network interface for the secure transmission of data comprises a functionally encapsulated unit that encompasses the elements required to ensure a minimum functionality of the network interface, with access from the outside of said encapsulated unit being possible only via specific shared services. Reliable transmission between nodes of a communication network is ensured by encapsulating a network interface of at least one of the nodes, and by ensuring a minimal functionality of the network interface. |
| US08972608B2 |
User-selectable IEEE 1588 clock class and quality level mapping
Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method performed by a first network element, the method including: receiving first user inputs for mapping IEEE 1588 clock class into ITU-T G.781 quality levels; producing a first table that maps clock class to quality level; providing the first table to a second network element; receiving second user inputs for mapping ITU-T G.781 quality level into IEEE 1588 clock class; producing a second table that maps quality level to clock class; and providing the second table to the second network element. |
| US08972607B2 |
Relative timestamp when real time clock is unavailable
An operating system or other software resident on an electronic processing device employs aggregated timestamps. In this way timestamps can be generated and compared to one another without the need for a real-time clock with a power backup. Aggregated time includes the last known time that the device synchronized its clock with a reference time available over a network. Aggregated time also includes a relative time value which in part accumulates using a session clock whenever the device is powered-up. When network time becomes available the operating system or other software will use this information to fix up the already generated aggregated timestamps. A comparison of timestamps will most of the time be resolved for stamps generated on the same device and will generally be resolved by comparing time frames when the timestamps being compared are generated by different devices. |
| US08972604B1 |
Network address retention and assignment
A network-based services platform is configured to dynamically allocate network addresses to requesting machine instances. When a particular address becomes unassigned, it may be retained, and not allowed to be reassigned, during a period of time in which it is expected that the unassigned address may continue to be the target of outdated DNS records. |
| US08972602B2 |
Systems and methods for using ECMP routes for traffic distribution
The present application is directed towards systems and methods for using equal cost multi-path routing for traffic distribution in a cluster environment. Each intermediary device of a cluster may advertise, via a routing protocol to a router, a corresponding internet protocol (IP) address of a virtual server and one or more connection metrics having predetermined values. Upon determining that another intermediary device of the cluster is unavailable, each active device may re-advertise the IP address of the virtual server executing on the intermediary device and the one or more connection metrics with the previously advertised value reduced by a predetermined amount. In some embodiments, each active device may wait a predetermined time period, such as a time period for expiration of routing protocol tables, and then re-advertise the IP address of the virtual server executing on the intermediary device and the one or more connection metrics with the predetermined values. |
| US08972601B2 |
Flyways in data centers
Described is a technology by which additional network communications capacity is provided to an oversubscribed base network where needed, through the use of dynamically provisioned communications links referred to as flyways. A controller detects a need for additional network communications capacity between two network machines, e.g., between two racks of servers with top-of-rack switches. The controller configures flyway mechanisms (e.g., one per rack) to carry at least some of the network traffic between the machines of the racks and thereby provide the additional network communications capacity. The flyway mechanisms may be based on any wireless or wired technologies, including 60 GHz technology, optical links, 802.11n or wired commodity switches. |
| US08972599B2 |
Method and system for facilitating the integration of a plurality of dissimilar systems
The present invention is related to a host system for full customization of functional process logic in an integrated system having multiple nodes, each node being independent of other nodes in said system, said system capable of handling standard markup language data. The system has functional process logic that uses one of agents and agent management services approach and a payload processor approach. Each unit of functional process logic is a service, multiple services are grouped together to form an agent, and incoming standard markup language data is processed as a document object method and system for facilitating the integration of a plurality of dissimilar systems by allowing networks of integration framework installations and/or other compatible B2B servers to inter-operate across corporate enterprise boundaries to integrate the disparate systems operating within each corporate enterprise. In the payload processor approach the functional process logic units are tied to predefined elements within the incoming standard markup language data document and processed used an event based model. The functional process logic uses a web-based scripting language which allows for remote administration and customization of the functional process logic. The API of the host system is in code accessible to the web-based scripting language used. |
| US08972598B2 |
In-vehicle services for user-provided devices
An approach to facilitating in-vehicle services for user-provided devices is provided. One or more communication sessions with one or more user-provided devices may be facilitated by an in-vehicle computer system. One or more content items available to the one or more user-provided devices may be stored by the in-vehicle computer system. A list of the one or more content items may be provided by the in-vehicle computer system to the one or more user-provided devices. A selection of at least one content item from at least one user-provided device may be received by the in-vehicle computer system. Access to the at least one content item may be provided, by the in-vehicle computer system via the one or more communication sessions, to the at least user-provided device based on the selection. |
| US08972595B2 |
Communication apparatus, application communication executing method, and computer program product, configured to select software communication or hardware communication, to execute application communication, based on reference information for application communication
A software communication unit executes a plurality of application communications executed in parallel in a network according to a TCP/IP control by a software. A hardware communication unit executes the application communications according to a TCP/IP control by a TCP/IP offload engine (TOE). A communication allocating unit executes an allocation processing for allocating a hardware communication by the hardware communication unit and a software communication by the software communication unit based on reference information on each of the application communications, for application communications that are simultaneously executed. |
| US08972592B1 |
Extending an interface pack to a computer system
A method of extending an ID to a computer system comprises detecting, by a mobile communication device operating an ID, a computer system, wherein the IDs comprise an auto-installation routine and at least one of an application, a media file, and a widget; establishing a communication link between the mobile communication device and the computer system; and loading and activating the ID on the computer system. |
| US08972583B2 |
Session-reuse in networks
Systems and methods for establishing a first session with a first client device to deliver first content, receiving a request for a second session with a second client device to deliver second content, and re-using the first session for the second session. |
| US08972580B2 |
DNS outage avoidance method for recursive DNS servers
This disclosure describes systems, methods, and apparatus to protect users of the Internet from DNS outages. In particular, an outage avoidance system is provided that includes query processing, outage avoidance processing, and a local cache, all configured to extend the TTL of expired answers to DNS queries or to ignore the expiration of an answer's TTL value, and thereby provide the expired answer in response to a client request when a DNS server is unable to obtain an answer from a remote DNS server. |
| US08972579B2 |
Resource sharing in computer clusters according to objectives
A method of assigning resources of a computer duster with resource sharing according to objectives. The method includes monitoring resources of each of a plurality of cloud nodes, providing information descriptive of the cloud node resources, receiving a reservation, determining whether resources are available to satisfy the reservation and any other pending reservations, if resources are available, using a rapid search to determine resource assignments for the reservation and any other pending reservations according to one or more objectives, and allocating resources according to the resource assignments. |
| US08972578B2 |
Master data management system for monitoring cloud computing
An application provides cloud computing master data management. The application determines a rank associated with received server information from a server. The source rank is adjusted according to evaluation of server information against naming convention standards. The source rank is used in determining a category matching the server information. An assigned category includes instructions to configure assets of a server. The application assembles configuration information from the assigned category and provides the configuration information to the server. |
| US08972577B2 |
Masterless slot allocation
A masterless time slot allocation technique that collaboratively synchronizes, at a time slot level, devices communicating in an ad hoc network. Responsive to determining a current time slot allocated to a first device is occurring, the first device transmits a map to the other devices. The map includes an allocation of time slots to the devices, including indicators for whether each time slot is free, busy or overbooked, devices that own the time slots, and how recently information associated with each time slot was updated. After receiving the map, a second device determines a conflict in which the same time slot is allocated to the second device and to another device. The conflict is resolved by allocating another time slot to the second device and the result of resolving the conflict is each slot is allocated to no more than one device. |
| US08972576B2 |
Establishing a home relationship between a wireless device and a server in a wireless network
A method and system for establishing a persistent relationship between a mobile device and a server in a network is provided. Aspects of the invention include detecting the presence of the mobile device, and in response to determining that the device is unrecognized, automatically notifying a network administrator. In response to receiving the administrator's authorization to establish a relationship, a user of the mobile device is requested to authorize the establishment of the relationship. If the user then accepts the offer and authorizes the relationship, the relationship is automatically established between the device and the network, such that no additional configuration is required by the user of the device to communicate over the network once the relationship has been established. |
| US08972569B1 |
Remote and real-time network and HTTP monitoring with real-time predictive end user satisfaction indicator
In real-time network transaction monitoring, a mobile device receives instruction sets for executing and monitoring business transactions over networks. The instruction sets define steps of business transactions and transport protocol events to record. Each transport protocol event includes an incident marking a start, a change, or a completion of a state according to a transport protocol during the execution of the business transaction. During the execution of the business transactions, the transport protocol events are recorded, associated with location and network connectivity data for the mobile device, and stored as historical data. When a web system receives a request for a real-time predictive end-user satisfaction indicator, the web system retrieves the historical data matching the input parameters in the request and predetermined parameters, calculates an Apdex and a real-time mobile performance index using the retrieved historical data, and returns both indexes as the real-time predictive end-user satisfaction indicator. |
| US08972568B2 |
Quantifying user quality of experience by passive monitoring
A method is implemented in a network element to generate quality of experience (QoE) metrics for hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) sessions over a network between a user device and an HTTP server. The QoE metrics are based on detecting premature termination of a download process that indicate low QoE. This QoE metric data can then be utilized by network administrators or service providers to adjust network characteristics to improve the QoE or to offer changes in services to a customer that would improve the QoE. |
| US08972564B1 |
Reliability estimator for ad hoc applications
In certain embodiments, a computer-implemented method includes receiving a request for a reliability estimate associated with an ad hoc application. In response to the request, one or more components associated with the ad hoc application and upon which the ad hoc application relies are identified. The method also includes generating a directed graph. The directed graph identifies one or more dependency relationships among the identified components. The method also includes calculating, based at least in part on the directed graph, a reliability estimate for the ad hoc application. |
| US08972563B2 |
Updating changes to caches
A method and system for optimizing network bandwidth usage in a remote desktop system. A client generates a stream of input events that contain position information of a cursor shown on a display of the client. The client estimates characteristics of a network that couples the client to a server. Based on estimation of the characteristics, the client adjusts the number of input events batched into a packet to be sent from the client to the server over the network. |
| US08972562B2 |
Ordering tracing of wireless terminal activities
According to the invention a core network management device (32) in a core network section (CN) of the wireless network (WN) receives a request for a tracing regarding a wireless terminal (16). The request includes an address of a destination device (26) that is to receive trace log data or data enabling the locating of the address. The core network management device (32) then automatically orders, based on the request, network elements (10, 12, 14, 20, 22, 24) of an access network section (AN) of the wireless network (WN) to perform tracing regarding the wireless terminal (16) and ensures that the trace log data is sent to the destination trace log data handling device (26). The request with the address may be sent from an access network management device (26) in the access network section (AN). |
| US08972560B2 |
Shaping virtual machine communication traffic
Cloud computing platforms having computer-readable media that perform methods to shape virtual machine communication traffic. The cloud computing platform includes virtual machines and a controller. The controller limits the traffic associated with the virtual machines to enable the virtual machines to achieve desired communication rates, especially when a network servicing the virtual machines is congested. The controller may drop communication messages associated with the virtual machines based on a drop probability evaluated for the virtual machines. |
| US08972559B2 |
Methods, systems, devices, and products for providing alerts for communications
Methods, systems, and products provide alerts to a communications device. Sports scores may be associated to alerts, ringtones, and filenames. As communications are processed, a sports score may determine an alert. |
| US08972557B2 |
Topic-based community index generation apparatus and method and topic-based community searching apparatus and method
A topic-based community index generation apparatus and method and a topic-based community searching apparatus and method are described. The topic-based community index generation apparatus generates a community index based on a topic that is shared by nodes included in a same community and is differentiated from topics of other communities. The topic-based community index generation apparatus and method effectively search for a desired community in a vast and complex network. In addition, the topic-based community searching apparatus and method effectively search for the desired community based on the topic that is shared by nodes included in the same community and is differentiated from topics of other communities. |
| US08972553B2 |
Method and apparatus for handling policy and charging control rule or quality of service rule modification failures
Methods and apparatuses are provided that facilitate handling failures in policy rule installation and/or related bearer modification procedures. A set of modified policy rules can be provided to a gateway for enforcement thereof and/or correlation with a bearer of a device. The gateway can attempt to install the modified rules and can utilize a credit control request (CCR)/credit control answer (CCA) exchange to notify of a status of the modified rule installation and/or related bearer modification. A policy charging and rules function (PCRF) can, thus, determine the status based on the CCR/CCA exchange. If the status indicates failure, the PCRF can revert to previous policy rules. In addition, an application function can be notified of the status. |
| US08972550B2 |
Apparatus and method for establishing communications
A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a gateway comprising a controller to transport media data between a service provider network and one or more end user devices associated with the gateway, and transmit connection signals to a second gateway for establishing communications between the service provider network and the gateway and for establishing a plurality of queues at the second gateway, where the queues are dedicated to each of femtocell, internet and VoIP services associated with the gateway. Other embodiments are disclosed. |
| US08972549B2 |
User-preference-based DSL system
Methods, apparatus and computer program products allow a user of DSL or the like to implement user preferences to the extent feasible in light of operational limits and conditions. In some embodiments, an operational profile is imposed on the user. User preference data is evaluated to determine the extent to which one or more user preferences can be implemented in light of the operational profile. One or more controllers can assist in collecting user preference data, evaluating the user preference data, operational data and other data and information, and implementing user preferences as feasible. Evaluation of the user preference data and operational profile and/or data can include considering the compatibility of the user's preferences and the operational profile and/or data. Controllers assisting users can include a local controller at the user's location, one or more upstream-end local controllers, one or more remote location controllers, and/or one or more other downstream-end device controllers at locations other than the user's location. Data and information can be shared among the various controllers, either using the DSL system itself or using a proprietary or other alternative data system. |
| US08972548B2 |
Systems and methods for seamless host migration
Systems and methods of the present invention for maintaining network data distribution are provided. Network data may be distributed in such as manner as to allow a network session to weather interrupted communications between host and clients without significant loss of data. Embodiments of the present invention provide for one or more clients to serve as backup host(s) for the network session. When the other clients transmit data to the host, they may also transmit the data to one or more backup hosts if there are any indications of interrupted communication. |
| US08972544B2 |
System for presenting media programs
A system that incorporates the subject disclosure may use, for example, a method for sending a set-top box an identification of the media player, receiving operational instructions from the set-top box according to the emulator executed by the set-top box that emulates a user interface of the media player by presenting a representation of the media player in a graphical user interface, and transmitting media content to the set-top box according to the operational instructions. The emulator can be supplied to the set-top box by way of a multimedia system communicatively coupled to the set-top box. The user interface presented by the set-top box by way of the emulator substantially mimics functions of the media player. Additional embodiments are disclosed. |
| US08972539B2 |
Enabling communication between clients on network according to predetermined naming convention with location-based hostnames
A method of automatic hostname configuration includes receiving a request from a client device. A location detection module may be utilized for determining a location identifier representing a location at which the client device is located. A hostname is formed including at least the location identifier, and a control server assigns the hostname to the client device by sending an acknowledgement including the hostname to the client device. The request and acknowledgement may be communicated using DHCP. Simple network management protocol messages may be sent to one or more switches to query for a MAC address of the client device to determine the source switch and port from which the request originated. The switch-port-to-location table may include several ports that map to a same location identifier. The hostname may further be formed by including a device type identifier associated with the client device. |
| US08972538B2 |
Integration of heterogeneous computing systems into a hybrid computing system
An integrated hybrid system is provided. The hybrid system includes compute components of different types and architectures that are integrated and managed by a single point of control to provide federation and the presentation of the compute components as a single logical computing platform. |
| US08972536B2 |
Systems and methods for secure provisioning of consumer network services
Provided are systems and methods for secure provisioning of consumer network services. For example, there is a broadband modem for secure provisioning of a network service, where the broadband modem includes a controller having an embedded memory. The controller is configured to enable an unmanaged interface of the broadband modem, to establish a subscription interface link over the enabled unmanaged interface, and to download, over the subscription interface link, a subscriber firmware enabling a managed interface corresponding to the network service. Power cycling the broadband modem erases the downloaded subscriber firmware and disables the managed interface. |
| US08972534B2 |
Adjusting software settings
An arrangement permitting a user for example in a internet point or using a different profile in the same machine can connect to a web server to download and install local client software such as a java application or a browser plug-in the first time he accesses to this service from that browser in order to customize his environment. Once authenticated, he can choose the personalization to be performed in whatever application installed and eligible to be user customizable. For example he can replicate in the system his browser settings (favorites, cookies, forms etc) or word templates as a clone of environment setting of his personal machine. The customization can depend on pre-defined profiles to allow the user customization of a subset of settings, for example only browser settings. Models of different operating environments are defined and called upon to enable interactions with different client devices. |
| US08972533B1 |
Activating touch-sensitive keys utilizing configuration settings
One or more media for performing a method of activating a set of user-input elements (e.g., touch-sensitive keys) accommodated by a mobile device according to configuration settings is provided. Initially, a message sent from a transmitting device having a data file includes an address to identify the mobile device. Upon the identified mobile device sending a request to access the data file, a communications-network server performs a configuration-preparation process that includes the following steps: retrieving the appropriate data file, determining the capabilities of mobile device based on a user-agent profile, selecting configuration settings specific to the mobile device capabilities, and dynamically appending the configuration settings to the data file, which are then transmitted to the mobile device. Upon receipt, the mobile device applies the configuration settings to activate at least a portion of the user-input elements, where activation enables activated user-input element(s) to trigger a command on the mobile device. |
| US08972532B2 |
Providing hardware configuration management for heterogeneous computers
In certain embodiments, a method for providing hardware configuration management for one or more heterogeneous computers utilizing a LAN controller with imbedded remote management capabilities technology comprises receiving an initiation request from a LAN controller. A list of FPACL vendors is then obtained from the LAN controller. The LAN controller is configured according to the predetermined requirements of the FPACL vendors. The LAN controller may be configured according to the predetermined requirements of non-FPACL vendors. The list of non-FPACL vendors and the received FPACL vendors along with the corresponding predetermined requirements for proper configuration may be stored on a central server or on a plurality of devices accessible to the central server. Connection to the LAN controller may be through a network. An exemplare LAN controller is an INTEL® AMT device. |
| US08972529B1 |
Management of pre-fetched mapping data incorporating user-specified locations
Map tile data for displaying graphic elements of a web-based mapping system in a mobile computing device may be pre-fetched to the device based on selection of an option to store the data at the device. A request for mapping system data may be sent from a mobile computing device to a remote mapping system via a network connection. The request may include user-specified location data. The remote mapping system may retrieve the mapping data corresponding to the user-specified location data and send it to the mobile computing device via the network connection. The mobile computing device may receive the retrieved mapping data and display a selectable option to store or not store the mapping data in a cache memory of the mobile computing device. The retrieved mapping data may then be stored at the mobile computing device in response to selection of the option to store the mapping data. |
| US08972527B2 |
Method and system for reduction of delay and bandwidth requirements in internet data transfer
Techniques for efficiently and economically providing data transfer through data networks are disclosed. The techniques are particularly suitable for Internet data transfers. In one aspect, delayed response processing is utilized. Requests for common content are initially queued. After a short period of time, the queued requests are processed as a group so as to better utilize available bandwidth, particularly in times where traffic or congestion is high. In another aspect, multiple-destination data packets are utilized. |
| US08972525B1 |
Selecting an interactive content item based on device age
Method and apparatus for selecting an interactive content item based on an age of a network accessible device. In accordance with some embodiments, a signal is received from a network accessible device. An age of the device is determined responsive to the received signal. An interactive content item is selected responsive to the determined age, and the selected interactive content item is presented to the network accessible device. |
| US08972524B2 |
Internet protocol message routing over a wireless network of metering devices
Methods and apparatus are provided for routing Internet Protocol (IP) messages over a network of an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system that employs a different communications protocol. |
| US08972523B2 |
Adaptive localized content storage and distribution
A device receives, from a user device and via a first device, a first request for content, and determines whether the content is stored in memory. The device identifies first other requests for the content, received via the first device over a time period, and second other requests for the content, received via a second device over the time period, when the content is stored in the memory. The device identifies a first quantity of the first other requests and a second quantity of the second other requests, and determines whether the first quantity or the second quantity is greater than a threshold. The device transmits the content, to the user device and via the first device, when the first quantity is not greater than the threshold, and transmits, to the second device, an instruction to store the content when the second quantity is greater than the threshold. |
| US08972519B2 |
Optimization of multimedia service over an IMS network
Predetermined multimedia services are provided to a plurality of users through a IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS). A request is received at a placement server of a multimedia service by at least one user, and the placement server retrieves on a presence server information about the at least one user. The placement server identifies application servers including a multimedia application capable of providing the requested multimedia service, and the placement server selects an application server that is located a minimum average distance from at least one user. In response to the minimum average distance being greater than a predetermined threshold, a local application server is selected with an average distance from the user that is less than the predetermined threshold. A virtual image of the multimedia application is created on the selected local application server, and a connection is established between the user and the selected local application server. |
| US08972518B2 |
Integrated data-model and flow based policy system
Disclosed is a system for managing policies related to services offered to customers of network and service providers. The system enables operators and service providers to efficiently manage and define generic policies on top of their services via a code-free centralized interface. The infrastructure solution enables the operators, subscribers and application providers to define and enforce their service policies for each application, such as access control, charging schemes, privacy, campaign promotions, cross-selling and up-selling and mobile advertising, from one central point on top of all services and resources. Once integrated, no additional programming is required to create new policies or modify existing policies. The disclosed system enables operators to easily view and manage the data related to their business entities, such as services, handsets, subscribers and the like, and define the associated policies. The system allows defining policies on any type of service, traffic type or policy domain. |
| US08972517B2 |
Method and apparatus for maintaining and migrating a distributed cache in a networked environment
In general, methods and apparatus according to the invention mitigate these and other issues by implementing caching techniques described herein. So when one device in a home network downloads and plays a particular content (e.g., a video, song) from a given site, the content is cached within the network such that the same content is available to be re-played on another device without re-downloading the same content from the Internet. |
| US08972513B2 |
Content caching
A gateway within a network intercepts a request by a client within the network for content associated with a server outside the network, the client having a direct connection with the server outside the network. The method further includes determining whether a copy of the requested content is available in a cache within the network. The method further includes, if the copy of the requested content is determined to be available in the cache within the network, transmitting a redirect response to the client to cause the cause to retrieve the copy of the requested client from the cache within the network. The method further includes if the copy of the requested content is determined not to be available in the cache within the network, permitting the intercepted content request by the client to be transmitted to the server outside the network to cause the requested content to be retrieved via the direct connection between the server outside the network and the client within the network. |
| US08972507B1 |
Agent-assisted and directed web-channel customer care apparatus, method, and computer program
An agent-assisted and directed web-channel customer care apparatus, method, and computer program is provided to receive, from a first device, an inbound message via an inbound messaging channel and create a web session utilizing a web session server. Session identification is received from the web session server and a unique identifier is transmitted to the first device in order for a second device to connect to an agent device via a web session. Communications is simultaneously maintained with the first and second device via the inbound messaging channel and the web session. |
| US08972503B2 |
System and method of automatic entry creation for blogs, web pages or file-sharing sites based on game events
Systems and methods are provided for at least partially automating content generation of blog entries chronicling an entity's interaction with a multiuser environment. The same may combine automatic data generation with user-generated and/or user-edited or created narrative. The systems and methods may be employed for automatically generating and publishing descriptions, such as posting blog articles. In one implementation, a system automatically posts blog articles with automatic screenshots and automatically-generated descriptive copy of events that occur within a video game, such as in a massive multiplayer online role-playing game. |
| US08972502B2 |
Apparatus and method for managing user chat experiences with businesses
A computer-implemented method of managing a chat experience of a user desiring to chat with a selected one of a plurality of businesses utilizes in various aspects a chat management server running computer processes for communicating with user devices. In another aspect, a computer-implemented method of providing a chat experience to a user having a user device and desiring to chat with a selected one of a plurality of businesses utilizes computer processes running on the user device. Corresponding embodiments similarly provide an apparatus performing any of the foregoing methods. Other corresponding embodiments similarly provide a computer readable medium storing instructions, which when loaded into a computer, perform processes corresponding to any of the foregoing methods. |
| US08972501B2 |
Adding user to logical group based on content
Systems and methods for the transmission of content are provided. A user group is defined and a group data structure corresponding to the user group is stored. An item of content is received and stored as a child data structure of a parent data structure of the group data structure. In response to this storage, the item of content is automatically transmitted to all other users of the user group. |
| US08972496B2 |
Content sharing
Content can be shared between devices by transmitting an encoded signal that indicates, to each capable device within range, instructions for accessing the content. For example, a first device can emit an encoded audio signal that can be received by any capable device within audio range of the device. Any device receiving the signal can decode the information included in the signal and obtain a location to access the content from that information. Using such an approach, a first user can quickly and easily share content with several users at the same time without any of the receiving users having to determine or navigate to the content being shared. Further, using signals, such as audio signals, provides the ability for most existing devices to easily share content without significant hardware modification or additional expense. |
| US08972494B2 |
Scheduling calendar entries via an instant messaging interface
A computer implemented method, data processing system, and computer program product for scheduling calendaring entries within the context of an instant messaging client. The instant messaging client receives input from a user to schedule an instant messaging chat session with one or more invitees, wherein the one or more invitees are selected from a list of contacts in the instant messaging client. The instant messaging client provides a scheduling interface to the user, wherein the scheduling interface allows the user to define properties for the instant messaging chat session. Responsive to receiving user input defining the instant messaging chat session, an entry is created in the user's calendaring system to form a scheduled instant messaging chat session, wherein the entry is based on the properties defined in the scheduling interface. |
| US08972486B2 |
Terminal apparatus, processing system, processing method, and program
A terminal apparatus includes a communication unit, a storage unit, and a controller. The communication unit is capable of communicating with a web server and receives information of a web page from the web server. The controller displays the web page in a window displayed on a display unit, generates an image of the web page before a change each time the web page is changed to a different web page, associates the generated image with a change history of the web page to store the generated image in the storage unit, and reads the image corresponding to the change history from the storage unit based on an instruction made by a user to display the image, to display the image on the display unit. |
| US08972483B2 |
Method and system for providing connectivity between clients connected to the internet
A method and a system (5) for identifying and connecting clients (1a-1d) connected to the same network (2) comprising a control server (6), performing the steps of connecting a first client (1a-1d) running a web browser application (4a-4d) to the control server (6) and registering client specific connection information associated with the first client, receiving from the web browser application (4a-4d) a request for an unique URI defined by the control server (6) and associated with a second client (1a-1d), requesting the control server (6) to mediate a connection to the second client (1a-1d) associated with the unique URI and receiving data from the second client (1a-1d) on the direct connection and forwarding the data to the web browser application (4a-4d) for displaying the received data in a graphical user interface. |
| US08972481B2 |
Playlist generation method and apparatus
A method and system for playlist generation is disclosed. In one aspect, the system may include at least one analysis module for receiving and analyzing an unknown work and generating a corresponding representation thereof, and at least one identification (ID) server for receiving the representation from the analysis modules and determining the identity of the unknown work. |
| US08972476B2 |
Evidence-based virtual world visualization
When evidence is received, a determination is made as to whether the evidence is sufficient to determine whether to block transmission of virtual world data to a client device. If it is determined that the evidence is sufficient, then another determination is made as to whether to block transmission of virtual world data to the client device based on the evidence. If it is determined to block transmission of virtual world data to the client, a data protection and abstraction module is transformed to a first state that blocks transmission of the virtual world data to the client device. |
| US08972474B2 |
Logarithmic/inverse-logarithmic conversion circuit
A logarithmic conversion circuit comprises: an operation amplifier; an input resistor connected at a preceding stage of an inverting input terminal, of the operation amplifier, to which a current signal is inputted; and a logarithmic conversion device and a current feedback device connected in series between the inverting input terminal and an output terminal of the operation amplifier, and an inverse-logarithmic conversion circuit comprises: a current/voltage conversion circuit which, after the current signal having passed through the current feedback device is inputted, converts the inputted current signal to a voltage value corresponding thereto; and a subtraction circuit outputting the difference between an output voltage of the current/voltage conversion circuit and a predetermined reference voltage, a circuit constant of the subtraction circuit being set such that the difference output of the subtraction circuit has a linearity proportional to the current signal. |
| US08972473B2 |
Efficient and reliable computation of results for mathematical functions
For efficient computation of results for mathematical functions, a method receives a mathematical function call. The call includes a plurality of arguments for which a range of computable results for the mathematical function of the function call varies with respect to the values for the arguments. The method determines whether executing the mathematical function using the plurality of arguments will produce a result within the range of computable results. The method further aborts the mathematical function call prior to initiating execution of the mathematical function in response to determining that the values for the plurality of arguments produce a result outside the range of computable results. |
| US08972470B2 |
Method of generating random number using nonvolatile memory in two-track scheme and apparatus for the same
A method of generating a random number using nonvolatile memory and an apparatus for the same are provided. The method of generating a random number includes reading random number state information from nonvolatile memory when power is supplied; updating the random number state of a random number generator using the random number state information and a saving entropy source, thereby producing updated random number state information; storing the updated random number state information in the nonvolatile memory; updating a random number state of the random number generator using the updated random number state information and a generating entropy source, thereby producing a generating random number state information; and producing a random number to be used in an application program using the generating random number state information and the generating entropy source. |
| US08972469B2 |
Multi-mode combined rotator
A system and method for efficiently rotating data in a processor for multiple operand sizes. A processor comprises a rotator configured to support multiple operand sizes. The rotator receives a rotate amount and an input operand with a size less than a maximum operand size supported by the processor. The rotator generates a mask with a same size as the received input operand. The mask comprises a number of asserted most-significant bits equal to the rotate amount. The remaining bits in the mask are deasserted. For a given rotation result bit position with an associated asserted mask bit, the rotator selects a value in the input operand at a bit position with a distance from the given result bit position equal to the rotate amount plus a difference between the maximum operand size supported by the processor and the input operand size. |
| US08972465B1 |
Burst buffer appliance with small file aggregation
A burst buffer appliance is adapted for coupling between a computer system and a file system. The burst buffer appliance comprises a flash memory or other high-speed memory having a substantially lower access time than the file system, and an analytics engine, and is configured to aggregate multiple data files having a size below a designated threshold into a container having at least one associated metadata file for processing by the analytics engine. The burst buffer appliance directs storage of the container in the file system. The analytics engine is configured to generate at least a content-based portion of the one or more metadata files of the container based at least in part on content of one or more of the multiple data files so as to permit one or more subsequent processing operations to be performed using the metadata file(s) rather than the corresponding multiple data files. |
| US08972462B2 |
Display of temporal data over multiple orders of magnitude
Described herein are technologies that facilitate representing instances in time over 62 orders of magnitude as well as graphically depicting events over various time ranges and resolutions in time. A filter window is selected as a function of a resolution of a display, such filter window is applied over a representation of an instant in time. The position of the filter window along the representation of the instant in time defines a resolution in time, and such resolution in time is utilized to select graphical objects for display. |
| US08972457B2 |
Computer systems and methods for the query and visualization of multidimensional databases
A computer displays a graphical user interface on its display. The graphical user interface includes a schema information region and a data visualization region. The schema information region includes multiple operand names, each operand corresponding to one or more fields of a multi-dimensional database that includes at least one data hierarchy. The data visualization region includes a columns shelf and a rows shelf. The computer detects user actions to associate one or more first operands with the columns shelf and to associate one or more second operands with the rows shelf. The computer generates a visual table in the data visualization region in accordance with the user actions. The visual table includes one or more panes. Each pane has an x-axis defined based on data for the one or more first operands, and each pane has a y-axis defined based on data for the one or more second operands. |
| US08972455B2 |
System and method for traffic surge control
System and method for traffic surge control. A control message may be received for registering or managing a device in a network. A measure of a number of current control messages already being processed in the network may be retrieved. A condition may be retrieved, from among a plurality of conditions, that corresponds to the retrieved measure of current control messages, each condition defining different rules for discarding a control message of the same type and corresponding to one of a plurality of measures of current control messages. Based on whether or not the retrieved condition is met, the control message may be processed to register or manage the device or discarded. |
| US08972453B2 |
Method and system for longest prefix matching of variable-sized hierarchical names by treelets
A method for determining a location of a requested resource, comprising receiving a request for a resource, wherein the resource is identified by a hierarchically structured name, decomposing the hierarchically structured name into a plurality of segments, comparing each of the plurality of segments to parent nodes of a plurality of two-level treelets, wherein the comparing of at least two of the plurality of segments to parent nodes of the plurality of two-level treelets is performed in a parallel manner, wherein combinations of two-level treelets comprise a hierarchical name of a network resource, and determining a longest prefix match of the hierarchically structured name. |
| US08972452B2 |
Data feeds platform
A data feeds platform, comprising a data feed using a data feed protocol. The data feed protocol comprises, a feed header defining at least one identification attribute, a data header defining a data structure comprising data nodes, each data node corresponding to a subset of the data, and a data section, the data section storing the data according to the data structure. A plurality of heterogeneous data protocols is stored. A data input is received in one of the plurality of heterogeneous data protocols. The data input is converted to the data feed protocol, creating the data feed. |
| US08972451B2 |
System and method for event driven publish-subscribe communications
The present invention provides a system and a method for delivering an event from an event publisher to an event subscriber via an event broker. The event broker performs several functions such as receiving an event published by an event publisher of a first domain, assigning a priority based on a second domain to a plurality of subscribers of the second domain, processing the event based on a rule and the priority, and further delivering the event published by the event publisher of the first domain to the plurality of event subscribers of the second domain in accordance with the priority. |
| US08972448B2 |
Cloud storage of game state
Methods, systems, and computer programs are presented for managing game state for one or more games accessed by devices of a user. One method includes an operation for providing a database on a server. The database is accessible by the devices of the user and is structured to identify one or more applications of the user, each application being associated with a plurality of slots, and each slot including metadata and a map table. Further, an Application Programming Interface (API) is provided to enable access to the database. The method further includes an operation for receiving a request using the API from an application executed at one of the devices of the user. The request identifies a first slot associated with the application and an action to perform regarding one or both of the metadata and the map table. The request from the application is verified, including comparing a first version associated with the first slot and a second version provided in the request. The action is enabled if the comparing indicates that the second version is not stale, else the request is denied. |
| US08972445B2 |
Systems and methods for storage of declarative knowledge accessible by natural language in a computer capable of appropriately responding
Systems and methods for natural language communication with a computer. A builder module constructs tables in a database by generating concept symbols for each language element in an expression to form a string of ordered concept symbols, and, in a series of rounds, combining pairs of concept symbols into newly generated concept symbols to form shortened strings of concept symbols until a single concept symbol remains. Each generated concept symbol is stored in a row in the database. A parser module may then utilize the database to parse an input expression by identifying rows in the database that correspond to language elements of the input expression to generate a string of concept symbols, and, in a series of rounds, replacing pairs of concept symbols in the string of concept symbols by identifying rows in the database that comprise the pairs of concept symbols until a single concept symbol remains. |
| US08972441B2 |
Extensions to generational data distribution methods
An elastic parallel database system where metadata is specified out-of-band during database operations via a set of augmentation rules. The rules are used to augment or modify commands received, and indicate whether they are to be used for specific connections on which they are received, for all client connections, or some other scope. |
| US08972440B2 |
Method and process for semantic or faceted search over unstructured and annotated data
A semantic query over a corpus of data is constructed using a graphical user interface to create an aggregation of graphical representations of annotations associated with a plurality of data elements contained within the corpus of data and graphical representations of search terms contained within the plurality of data elements. The aggregation includes at least one annotation and at least one search term. The relative positions of the graphical representations of the annotations and the search terms are manipulated within the aggregation within the graphical user interface to express relationships among the annotations and search terms, yielding a visual spatial representation of the semantic query. The annotations, search terms and expressed relationships define the semantic query that is used to search the corpus of data. |
| US08972439B2 |
Method and system for exploring objects in a data dictionary
Mechanisms and methods for exploring objects in a data dictionary may enable embodiments to provide a simple and efficient tool for understanding dependencies between entities. The ability to provide a visual format for representing dependency information of entities may enable database developers to efficiently explore objects in a data dictionary and better understand the dependencies of entities in the database. In an embodiment, methods for exploring objects in a database can be applied to multi-tenant database systems. |
| US08972438B2 |
Database access for native applications in a virtualized environment
A database may be accessed by creating a virtualized environment on a computer system and instantiating a driver for a database within the virtualized environment. A first execution thread within the virtualized environment is created and a first unique identifier is associated with the first execution thread within the driver for the database. A first connection to the database is then opened from within the first execution thread using the first unique identifier. A first native program containing embedded structured query language (SQL) statements is executed within the first execution thread and the first native program is provided with access to said database using the first connection to said database. |
| US08972437B2 |
Auto-population of a table
Automatically generating and/or populating a table is described. In some embodiments, in response to receiving an indication to include data from a set of documents in a table, each of at least a subset of documents included in the set of documents is parsed to identify a set of one or more common elements, a table with a structure derived from at least a subset of the set of common elements is generated, and an entry for each of one or more documents in the set of documents included in the table is populated with data values extracted from the content of that document. |
| US08972431B2 |
Synonym supported searches
Systems and methods for performing a data search through a search query is disclosed. The method includes receiving the search query and parsing the search query to retrieve a search term. The search term includes a plurality of words. In the search term, a first combination of two or more of the plurality of words and a second combination of two or more of the plurality of words are indentified. The first combination and the second combination include a common term. The first combination ends with the common term and the second combination begins with the common term. The method further includes retrieving synonyms for the first combination and the second combination exist in a synonym storage and the search query is then modified to include the first combination in a logical OR relationship with the synonyms of the first combination and the second combination in a logical OR relationship with the synonyms of the second combination. The modified search query is executed against a data store. |
| US08972429B2 |
Calendar-based suggestion of a travel option
Calendar-based suggestion of travel options involves suggesting a travel option based on events stored in a calendar of a user. For example, a user in San Francisco may be scheduled for a business trip to New York, and the user's calendar may show a dinner reservation in San Francisco on Saturday, September 3 and business meeting in New York on Monday, September 5. A suggestion machine accesses calendar data of the user and travel data for several available travel options (e.g., flights from San Francisco to New York). Based on the accessed calendar data and travel data, the suggestion machine determines that one or more travel options (e.g., a flight on Sunday, September 4) are compatible with the dinner reservation and the business meeting on the user's calendar. The suggestion machine presents these compatible travel options to the user. |
| US08972426B2 |
Storage device presenting to hosts only files compatible with a defined host capability
A method includes defining a host capability; creating for a storage device a second directory tree from a first directory tree of the storage device that is included in a file system within the storage device; and, for a data file that is stored in the storage device and is selectable for consumption by a host through the first directory tree that is included in the storage device's file system, determining whether the data file requires for consumption a host having the defined host capability. If the data file requires a host having the defined host capability, an entry is created in the second directory tree in which the data file is not selectable for consumption by the host. Otherwise, an entry is created in the second directory tree in which the data file is selectable for consumption by the host. |
| US08972420B1 |
Systems and methods for associating stories with related referents
Systems and methods are provided for enabling a user to associate a story with one or more referents. In some embodiments, information representing a first version of a story may be caused to be displayed, and in the display of information representing the first version of the story, a user may be enabled to associate a referent with a first point in the first version of the story, where the referent is at least one of an event, a character, an object, a subject, a time, a place and a person. In some embodiments, the referent may be automatically associated with a second point in a second version of the story based at least in part on a point map associated with the first version of the story and the second version of the story. |
| US08972416B1 |
Management of content items
Disclosed are various embodiments of a content management application that facilitates a content management system. Content items that can include audio and/or video can be stored in the content management system. A transcript is generated that corresponds to spoken words within the content. Content can be tagged based upon the transcript. Content anomalies can also be detected as well as editing functionality provided. |
| US08972415B2 |
Similarity search initialization
A similarity search initialization system includes a leaf selector to select a leaf of a suffix tree generated from a target string representing a target sequence. The selected leaf is associated with a prefix in the suffix tree having a longest match to a suffix of a query string representing a query. The system further includes a distance module to determine a distance between the query and a subsequence of the target sequence represented by a candidate substring of the target string. The candidate substring includes the prefix associated with the selected leaf. The determined distance is to provide an initial upper bound in a similarity search of the target sequence using the query. |
| US08972413B2 |
System and method for matching comment data to text data
Methods and comment association systems for associating one or more comments with one or more primary electronic documents are described. In one aspect, the method comprises: identifying, at a comment association system, one or more key terms from at least a portion of the one or more primary electronic documents; identifying, at the comment association system, one or more comments associated with the identified key terms; determining, at the comment association system, whether an identified comment is sufficiently related to the one or more primary electronic documents by calculating one or more relation score for that identified comment and comparing the relation score to one or more threshold; and if the identified comment is sufficiently related to the one or more primary electronic documents, then associating the identified comment with the one or more primary electronic documents at the comment association system. |
| US08972409B2 |
Enabling search for conversations with two messages each having a query team
A conversation server system having one or more processors and memory stores a plurality of index components in an index. The server associates a first message having a first term with a conversation that includes at least a second message. The first term is not included in the second message and the second message includes a second term that is not included in the first message. The server stores, in the index, a plurality of index components for a same referenced object, including an index component indicative of the first term and an index component indicative of the second term. In some embodiments the same referenced object is associated with index components for a first sender of the first message and a second sender of the second message, so that a search for a conversation with messages from the first sender and the second sender retrieves the referenced object. |
| US08972402B1 |
Ranking users and posts in social networking services
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for receiving, from computer-readable memory, a particular item of digital content distributed by a user through a computer-implemented social networking service; identifying, using the one or more processors, a set of items of digital content distributed by the user through the computer-implemented social networking service; receiving interaction data from the computer-readable memory; determining, based on the received interaction data, at least one of a user ranking score associated with the user and an item ranking score associated with the particular item of digital content; and storing the at least one of the user ranking score and the item ranking score in the computer-readable memory. |
| US08972401B2 |
Search spam analysis and detection
Defeating click-through cloaking includes retrieving a search results page to set a browser variable, inserting a link to a page into the search results page and clicking through to the page using the inserted link. Investigating cloaking includes providing script associated with a suspected spam URL, modifying the script to de-obfuscate the script and executing the modified script to reveal cloaking logic associated with the script. |
| US08972400B1 |
Profile data management
In an embodiment, a profile data management system provides a central repository for data and information associated with a user. The information may be presented through an electronic user interface as a profile of the user. In an embodiment, the profile data management system maintains profiles for many users and enables users and/or secondary users to submit information and to modify the user profiles. Modifications are made to user profiles when the submitted information is sufficiently reliable. In general, the method of building and modifying profiles in the profile data management system based on the contributions of many users may be referred to as crowdsourcing profiles. Crowdsourcing profiles may advantageously enable the generation and verification of large amounts of data related to many individuals. The crowdsourcing profiles model allows secondary users to provide updates, modifications, comments, ratings, preferences, and/or other inputs to the profile data management system. Crowdsourcing profiles may advantageously reduce redundant profile management efforts by generating and/or updating profile data based on data that is reported as reliable by one or more users. |
| US08972391B1 |
Recent interest based relevance scoring
A computer-implemented method for processing query information includes receiving prior queries followed by a current query, the prior and current queries being received within an activity period an originating with a search requester. The method also includes receiving a plurality of search results based on the current query. Each search result identifying a search result document, each respective search result document being associated with a query specific score indicating a relevance of the document to the current query. The method also includes determining a first category based, at least in part, on the prior queries. The method also includes identifying a plurality of prior activity periods of other search requesters, each prior activity period containing a prior activity query where the prior activity query matches the current query, and where the prior activity period indicates the same first category. The method also includes obtaining category based selection statistics of the other requesters search results based on the last queries of the other activity periods. The method also includes obtaining general selection statistics of a more general population of requesters based on the current query. The method also includes generating adjusted scores for the search result documents by adjusting the respective scores based on the query specific score and the category specific score. The method also includes ranking the search result documents according to the respective adjusted scores. |
| US08972387B2 |
Smarter search
Provided are techniques to search for an entity in an entity resolution system. Search input comprising one or more attribute values of one or more attribute types is received. A resolution search is performed to generate a search result set comprising one or more entities and zero or more generic attribute values for generating additional entities. In response to determining that the resolution search generated at least two generic attribute values, one or more query searches are performed for a unique generic group by generic attribute type to identify the additional entities, wherein the unique generic group comprises a subset of the search input and includes at least two generic attribute types; the identified additional entities are combined with the entities in the search result set; and the search result set is returned. |
| US08972386B2 |
Dynamic routing of instant message
A computer system executes an instant message session in a host message program of a first collaborative tool between users. The computer system executes the instant message session in a participant message program of a second collaborative tool. The computer system further receives a first request from the users to automatically or manually route the instant messages of the instant message session from the host message program of a mobile message program of a third collaborative tool. The computer system further transmits the instant messages from the host message program to the mobile message program based on conditions. The computer system further receives a second request from the mobile message program to route the instant message of the instant message session from the mobile device. The computer system transmits the instant message session based on the second request. |
| US08972379B1 |
Centralized web-based software solution for search engine optimization
A system and method for modifying a parameter of a website in order to optimize an organic listing of the website at one or more search engines is described. Several embodiments include methods and systems for generating scored representations based upon different portions of data associated with a website, and then combining the scored representations to achieve a result. The result indicates a feature of the website that may be modified in order to optimize the organic ranking of the website at one or more search engines. |
| US08972376B1 |
Optimized web domains classification based on progressive crawling with clustering
Techniques for optimized web domains classification based on progressive crawling with clustering are disclosed. In some embodiments, optimized web domains classification based on progressive crawling with clustering includes crawling a domain (e.g., a web site domain) to collect data for a subset of pages (e.g., web pages) of a corpus of content associated with the domain; classifying each of the crawled pages into one or more category clusters, in which the category clusters represent a content categorization of the corpus of content associated with the domain (e.g., a URL content categorization for the domain, host of that domain, and/or directory of that domain); and determining which of the one or more category clusters to publish for the domain. |
| US08972375B2 |
Adapting content repositories for crawling and serving
A system for searching files stored in a closed file source that is not accessible via a web crawler obtains file identifiers for files stored in the file source and creates a unique URL for each of the identifiers. Each URL may be based on a file identifier and a domain portion of a URL associated with the system. The system may provide the unique URLs to a search engine. The system may respond to a crawl request from the search engine for a particular URL by converting the URL back into a file identifier, obtaining the contents of the file, creating an HTTP response from the contents of the file, and returning the response to the search engine. The system may respond to a request for a seed URL with a plurality of URLs as links in a single HTTP response. |
| US08972366B2 |
Cloud-based directory system based on hashed values of parent and child storage locations
Embodiments relate to systems and methods for a cloud-based directory system based on hashed values of parent and child storage locations. Platforms and techniques are provided to store a data object to cloud storage resources in two or more locations recorded in a consistent hash structure. A file management tool can store one copy of the data object to a location corresponding to the hashed value of the file path or name, and a second copy to a location corresponding to the hashed value of the parent directory of the data object. All files sharing a common parent directory or other location therefore have at least one copy stored to the same location, in common with the parent. Directory-wide read, write, and/or search operations can therefore be performed more efficiently, since the constituent files of a directory or other location can be accessed from one location rather than distributed locations. |
| US08972361B1 |
Providing system management services
Methods and systems for use in providing system management services are disclosed. In at least one embodiment, a method and system may comprise receiving a management operation request at a recommendation service. Based on the management operation request and recommendation control policies, management operation recommendations associated with an information management system are determined.In at least one embodiment, a method and system may comprise receiving information associated with an information management system at a learning service. Based on the information, dimensions of a situational state space characterizing operating conditions of the information management system are determined. Best practices for at least one state of the situational state space are determined. |
| US08972358B2 |
File storage apparatus, file storage method, and program
A file storage apparatus comprises: duplication determination unit that determines whether file supplied from client apparatus and file stored in storage unit coincide with each other in same format, and stores the file supplied from client apparatus in the storage unit if the files do not coincide in the same format; and storage management unit that associates, if duplication determination unit determines that the files coincide in the same format, format of the file supplied from the client apparatus with the file stored in the storage unit, reads file stored in the storage unit in response to file read request from client apparatus, converts, if format associated with the read file exists, the read file into the format, and provides the converted file. |
| US08972357B2 |
System and method for data collection to validate location data
A data collection system that provides the means to collect, store and make data available for a location analytics inference pipeline. The system incorporates a feedback mechanism enabling algorithms produced from the inference pipeline to drive the collection strategy to yield higher data quality and to produce reference data for model validation. |
| US08972352B1 |
Probe based backup
A method, article of manufacture, and apparatus for efficiently backing up information are disclosed. In some embodiments, this may comprise determining a probe frequency, polling, at the probe frequency, at least one probe to obtain information about a computer system, and backing up data based on the information. In some embodiments, determining the probe frequency includes receiving a user-defined interval. |
| US08972351B1 |
Systems and methods for creating selective snapshots
A computer-implemented method for creating selective snapshots may include (1) determining that a snapshot has been taken of a volume of data that includes at least one file, (2) identifying a first attempted modification to a first block of the file, (3) determining, based on a block map of the file, that the first block falls within a scope of the snapshot, (4) copying the first block before the first attempted modification for use in the snapshot, (5) identifying a second attempted modification to a second block of the file, (6) determining, based on the block map of the file, that the second block does not fall within the scope of the snapshot, and (7) allowing the second attempted modification without first copying the second block for use in the snapshot. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed. |
| US08972347B1 |
Recovering a file system to any point-in-time in the past with guaranteed structure, content consistency and integrity
A data management system (DMS) includes a continuous real-time object store that captures all real-time activities, with associated object metadata information. The DMS is capable of reintroducing any point-in-time view of data ranging from a granular object to an entire file system. A set of algorithms (for creation of a file or directory, modification of a file or directory, deletion of a file or directory, and relocation/renaming of a file or directory) are used to generate and maintain a file system history in the DMS and to ensure that a latest version of a directory always refers to a latest version of its children until the directory changed. Any point-in-time recovery is implemented using the file system history in one of various ways to provide strong individual file integrity, exact point-in-time crash consistency, and/or recovery of last version of all files in the file system. |
| US08972346B2 |
Method and system for minimizing synchronization efforts of parallel database systems
Operating a parallel database server system, where the database server system comprises at least two database servers and one data source. A client identifier is received from a client requesting services from one of said database servers. Information associated with said client is retrieved. The client is allocated to one of said database servers based on the retrieved information. |
| US08972345B1 |
Modifying data structures in distributed file systems
Embodiments include methods, apparatus, and systems for modifying data structures in distributed file systems. One method of software execution includes using minitransactions that include a set of compare items and a set of write items to atomically modify data structures in a distributed file system. |
| US08972341B2 |
Services provisioning using communications and collaboration platform
Data migration using communications and collaboration platform provides an efficient and flexible method for migrating data from an existing system to a new system. In particular, the method includes extracting data, cleansing the extracted data based on a master record, receiving approval for the cleansed data, and migrating the approved data into the new system. |
| US08972340B1 |
Managing properties collection
A method is used in managing properties collection. Storage objects for which properties information is to be refreshed are determined. A bulk request for properties information from file systems corresponding to the storage objects is generated and is issued to the file systems. Based on a response to the bulk request, a blocking transaction is used to update a model of the storage objects that is made available to management software. |
| US08972334B2 |
Transparent data service suitable for modifying data storage capabilities in applications
A method includes monitoring, on a computing device, data events corresponding to manipulation of data by an application. The monitoring is performed by a data library service that is embedded in the application. The method includes, in response to the monitoring indicating first data on the computing device is modified by the application, synchronizing, by the computing device under control at least in part of the data library service, second data stored on one or more storage providers in a network with the first data modified by the application and stored on the computing device. Apparatus and computer program products are also disclosed. |
| US08972332B2 |
Method and system for detecting anomalies in web analytics data
A server system stores web analytics data for a web page in a device. The web analytics data comprises a plurality of prior time-value pairs, each pair including a value of an attribute associated with the web page and a time associated with the value. For a particular attribute, the server system collects a new time-value pair including a new value associated with the web page and a new time indicating when the value was determined. The server system estimates a predicted value for the attribute and an associated error-variance at the new time by applying a forecasting model to the prior time-value pairs in respective subsets of the web analytics data. The collected new time-value pair is tagged if its value is outside the error variance of the predicted value for the particular attribute. |
| US08972331B2 |
Deciding an optimal action in consideration of risk
A method and system for deciding an optimal action in consideration of risk. The method includes the steps of: generating sequentially, by way of a Markov decision process based on a Monte Carlo method, a series of data having states on a memory of a computer; computing a risk measure of a present data by tracking generated data from opposite order to generation order, where the risk measure is calculated from a value at risk or an exceedance probability that is derived from risk measures of a plurality of states transitionable from a state of the present data; and executing the step of computing the risk measure while tracking back to starting data, where at least one of the steps is carried out using a computer device. |
| US08972327B2 |
Transformation of a source model to a target model
An aspect of the invention includes transforming a source model to a target model. A source model is received and a transformation specification that includes a set of rules is accessed. Each rule includes a pattern description and a production component. The pattern description includes a pattern in the source model and the production component includes an algorithm for generating an output in the target model from the pattern. For each expression in the source model, the expression is decomposed into sub-expressions, matching rules in the transformation specification for the expression and the sub-expressions are detected, one of the matching rules having the most specific pattern description is selected, and the production component of the selected rule is executed to generate the output in the target model. The target model is created from the generated output. |
| US08972325B2 |
Role based identity tracker
Particular embodiments use roles to determine anomalies in a user's behavior. Different roles may be defined for a business. For example, users that have similar job responsibilities are grouped in a role. Behavior information is then monitored for the plurality of users in the role. This may include transactions or other actions taken by the user. Over time, a profile can be generated for the user based on the monitored behavior. This profile learns the user's behavior. Information for the user's behavior may then be compared to other users' profiles in the same role to determine anomalies in the user's behavior over time. For example, when differences in activities occur for a user as compared to other users with the same role, a message may be generated that indicates that there may be an anomaly in the user's behavior. This alert may then be output. |
| US08972320B2 |
Smart containers
Smart containers are disclosed. A system for managing content comprises an interface to receive an operation associated with an instance of a smart container. The smart container comprises a logical structure configure using a definition to manage associated content. The system for managing content comprises a processor configured to determine whether the operation is allowable based at least in part on a policy; and in the event that the operation is allowable, perform the operation. A memory is coupled to the processor and is configured to provide the processor with instructions. |
| US08972319B2 |
Method and system for dimensionality reduction and evaluating the class of a test datum in a large-dimension data space
A method and a system for evaluating the class of a test datum in an original metric space, each datum belonging to at least one class grouping a plurality of data, includes a step of graphical representation of the spatial organization of a set of learning data of the original space in a representation metric space, a conjoint membership level indicating if any two data from the learning set belong to the same class. The method also includes a step of relating the test datum to the projections of the data from the learning set, the most probable class of the test datum being the class of the projections of the data from the learning set related to the test datum. Application: assistance with decision-making in discrimination, shape recognition. |
| US08972314B2 |
Interestingness recommendations in a computing advice facility
The present disclosure provides a recommendation to a user through a computer-based advice facility, comprising collecting topical information, wherein the collected topical information includes an interestingness aspect; filtering the collected topical information based on the interestingness aspect; determining an interestingness rating from the collected topical information, wherein the determining is through the computer-based advice facility; and providing a user with the recommendation related to the topical information based on the interestingness rating. |
| US08972311B2 |
Intelligent spectrum allocation based on user behavior patterns
A platform to facilitate transferring spectrum rights is provided that includes a database to ascertain information regarding available spectrum for use in wireless communications. A request for spectrum use from an entity needing spectrum may be matched with available spectrum. This matching comprises determining a pattern in user requests overtime to optimize spectrum allocation. The Cloud Spectrum Services (CSS) process allows entities to access spectrum they would otherwise not have; it allows the end user to complete their download during congested periods while maintaining high service quality; and it allows the holder of rental spectrum to receive compensation for an otherwise idle asset. |
| US08972307B1 |
Method and apparatus for machine learning
A computationally efficient method and apparatus is disclosed for machine learning an unknown, n-dimensional γ-margin halfspace to accuracy 1−ε in the presence of malicious noise, when the noise rate is allowed to be as high as Θ ( ɛγ log ( 1 / γ ) ) . A smooth boosting module repeatedly calls a weak learner module that generates candidate classifiers based on a majority vote of randomly-generated classifiers. |
| US08972304B2 |
System and method of vessel scheduling for product distribution
A system, computer-implemented method, and software for automatically planning and scheduling ocean-going vessels for oil distribution is provided. The scheduling of the vessels is based on a filtered beam search and greedy heuristic. A server can be used for receiving a schedule request and one or more constraints for scheduling one or more vessels from one or more users. An optimization engine can be used for generating a schedule based at least in part on the one or more constraints using a beam search algorithm. |
| US08972300B2 |
Content distribution system
A transmission device including: copy unit that extracts part or all of partial contents, as tracking information, from a content, and copies the extracted tracking information, thereby generating pieces of tracking information; candidate information obtaining unit that obtains pieces of candidate information respectively corresponding to the pieces of tracking information; evidence information obtaining unit that obtains evidence information generated dependently on a piece of candidate information selected by the reception device from among the pieces of candidate information; hash generating unit that generates hash values respectively in accordance with the pieces of candidate information; embed unit that embeds the hash values respectively into the pieces of tracking information, and embeds the evidence information into each piece of tracking information; and transmit unit that transmits each piece of tracking information in which a hash value and the evidence information have been embedded. |
| US08972299B2 |
Methods for biometrically identifying a player
Various systems, gaming devices, and methods for biometrically identifying a player are disclosed herein. The capture of the biometric information is undisclosed to the player. The captured biometric information may be used to verifying a player's age, prevent underage gambling, promote responsible gaming, authorize and/or authenticate an electronic funds transfer. The biometric information may also be used to provide player-centric gaming. The player's preferences are associated with the biometric information, and a gaming device is reconfigured to the player's preferences once the player's biometric information is obtained at the gaming device. |
| US08972291B2 |
Systems and methods for monitoring inventory of a product within a storage bin
A system and method can monitor inventory of product within storage bins of a storage facility by mounting cameras to the storage bins. The cameras and a user processing device may be operably connected to a network such that the user processing device is in communication with the cameras. Further, the user processing device may search records of a database that correspond to product stored in the storage facility. Once a product of interest is identified, a location of the relevant storage bin may be provided to the user processing device, along with an image and/or video captured by the camera to show contents of the storage bin. |
| US08972288B2 |
System and method for online matrix-based dosage scheduling
An online system for scheduling tablet dosage is described. The system comprises a server accessible via a network by at least one client. An application is hosted on the server. The application comprises a user interface configured to receive a designation of a tablet to be ordered. The user interface is further configured to display a scheduling matrix comprising a plurality of cells. Each cell of the matrix is configured to receive a tablet quantity designation. The application is further configured to generate a dosing schedule based on the tablet quantities entered into the scheduling matrix. |
| US08972282B2 |
Method for transformation of a website
A method for websites to be transformed and repurposed into other forms of design, use, and functions for other purposes, to benefit the original websites, website purposes, and owners of websites. A user would first speak or type into a computer. The GUI is a website campaign manager located on/at a website URL. A user creates a campaign and submits their website URL. The system then information form the website or uses that entered by a user. A data processor module, running on a computer or equivalent machine, assembles the extracted information. The system provides a language selection option where the final product can be created using one or more languages and then published, publically or privately, printed, and submitted for creation. A website campaign or advertisement is created along with a complementary website search software application, which can later be edited. |
| US08972281B2 |
Media marketing system and method
A system and process is provided for distributing branding and content messages to wireless mobile devices such as mobile handsets. The system has a mobile media portal process that enables a content owner and one or more sponsors to cooperate in negotiating, planning, and executing a branding or content campaign. For a campaign, a set of consumers has indicated a desire to receive particular content information on their mobile handset, and may have used a web interface or their phone to provide demographic information and content choices. A media center interface, either automatically or under human control, associates a particular marketing message from a sponsor with the content information, and distributes the marketing message and information to the user's handset. Since the marketing message has been selected and adapted to the demographics and preferences of the user, it is likely that the user will positively respond to receiving the marketing message. |
| US08972280B2 |
Method and apparatus for controlling a public device
Provided are a method and apparatus for controlling a public device that provides services that are shared by a plurality of users. The plurality of users may control an operation of the public device in order to provide a public service desired by the users. |
| US08972278B2 |
Recommending print locations
Systems, methods, and computer-readable and executable instructions are provided for recommending print locations. Recommending print locations can include receiving recommendation, user, and geographic information for a first mobile print location (MPL) and a second MPL. Recommending print locations can also include indexing the recommendation, user, and geographic information for each of the first MPL and the second MPL as an automatically created uniform resource indicator (URI) on an MPL system. Furthermore, recommending print locations can include ranking the first MPL and the second MPL based on the recommendation, user, and geographic information and presenting a list, via a user interface, of the ranked first MPL and the second MPL. |
| US08972277B2 |
System and method of marketing using an intelligent coupon for passive data capture in an applied layered image assembly
A method of manufacturing a layered image assembly and a marketing method are provided including a passive consumer behavior tracking method without requiring an “opt-in” process. The layered image assembly includes a base layer and a top layer with an inner area formed between. An opening is provided within a perimeter of the base layer to provide access to the inner layer. The inner layer is provided with a media that may comprise coupons, offers, advertisements, collapsible springs, animated collapsible springs having an image, etc. The media may include one or more symbols for conveying information. The layered image assembly may be attached to an item, such as a substrate, envelope, package, magazine, etc. The customer information relating to the item may be associated, or merged, with the information from the one or more symbols from the media. This merging of information may be used to track customer purchases, customer information, and the like. |
| US08972262B1 |
Indexing and search of content in recorded group communications
In one embodiment, indexing content in streamed data includes receiving streams of audio data encoding a recording of a live ongoing group communication, where each stream of audio data encodes a different one of multiple voices. Each of the streams of audio data is provided to a recognizer to cause separate recognition of words in each of the streams. The recognized words are indexed to corresponding locations in each of the streams, and the streams are combined into a combined stream of audio data by synchronizing at least one common location in the streams. Embodiments allow accurate recognition of speech in group communications in which multiple speakers have simultaneously spoken, and accurate search of content encoded and processed from such speech. |
| US08972260B2 |
Speech recognition using multiple language models
In accordance with one embodiment, a method of generating language models for speech recognition includes identifying a plurality of utterances in training data corresponding to speech, generating a frequency count of each utterance in the plurality of utterances, generating a high-frequency plurality of utterances from the plurality of utterances having a frequency that exceeds a predetermined frequency threshold, generating a low-frequency plurality of utterances from the plurality of utterances having a frequency that is below the predetermined frequency threshold, generating a grammar-based language model using the high-frequency plurality of utterances as training data, and generating a statistical language model using the low-frequency plurality of utterances as training data. |
| US08972259B2 |
System and method for teaching non-lexical speech effects
A method and system for teaching non-lexical speech effects includes delexicalizing a first speech segment to provide a first prosodic speech signal and data indicative of the first prosodic speech signal is stored in a computer memory. The first speech segment is audibly played to a language student and the student is prompted to recite the speech segment. The speech uttered by the student in response to the prompt, is recorded. |
| US08972252B2 |
Signal processing apparatus having voice activity detection unit and related signal processing methods
A signal processing apparatus includes a speech recognition system and a voice activity detection unit. The voice activity detection unit is coupled to the speech recognition system, and arranged for detecting whether an audio signal is a voice signal and accordingly generating a voice activity detection result to the speech recognition system to control whether the speech recognition system should perform speech recognition upon the audio signal. |
| US08972248B2 |
Band broadening apparatus and method
A band broadening apparatus includes a processor configured to analyze a fundamental frequency based on an input signal bandlimited to a first band, generate a signal that includes a second band different from the first band based on the input signal, control a frequency response of the second band based on the fundamental frequency, reflect the frequency response of the second band on the signal that includes the second band and generate a frequency-response-adjusted signal that includes the second band, and synthesize the input signal and the frequency-response-adjusted signal. |
| US08972244B2 |
Sampling and optimization in phrase-based machine translation using an enriched language model representation
Rejection sampling is performed to acquire at least one target language translation for a source language string s in accordance with a phrase-based statistical translation model p(x)=p(t, a|s) where t is a candidate translation, a is a candidate alignment comprising a biphrase sequence generating the candidate translation t, and x is a sequence representing the candidate alignment a. The rejection sampling uses a proposal distribution comprising a weighted finite state automaton (WFSA) q(n) that is refined responsive to rejection of a sample x* obtained in a current iteration of the rejection sampling to generate a refined WFSA q(n+1) for use in a next iteration of the rejection sampling. The refined WFSA q(n+1) is selected to satisfy the criteria p(x)≦q(n+1)(x)≦q(n)(x) for all x∈X and q(n+1)(x*) |
| US08972243B1 |
Parse information encoding in a finite state transducer
In automatic speech recognition, certain parsing information, such as rules and tags, may be embedded into a finite state transducer (FST) to produce FST output that includes speech recognition results along with codes indicating parsing results of the recognized speech. The codes in the FST output may be formatted using a markup language, such as XML or JSON, for processing by a later application. The FST may be constructed according to a grammar defining the parsing information. The codes for inclusion in the FST output may be embedded into arcs of the FST and then included in the FST output when the speech recognition engine traverses the arcs of the FST. |
| US08972241B2 |
Electronic device and method for a bidirectional context-based text disambiguation
A system and method provide bidirectional context-based text disambiguation. In one implementation, a processor receives an input text comprising a set of string objects, which may include ambiguous objects such as incomplete or unrecognizable words of a selected language. The processor identifies a set of candidate word objects corresponding to at least a first one of the string objects and a second one of the string objects. Each candidate word object represents, for example, a complete or recognizable word of the selected language. The processor outputs a selected word object in place of a first one of the string objects, as a function of a contextual comparison between one or more candidate word objects corresponding to the first string object and one or more candidate word objects corresponding to the second string object. |
| US08972239B2 |
Syntax analysis information generation apparatus, translation apparatus, translation system, syntax analysis information generating method and computer program
A syntax analysis information generation apparatus includes an information generation unit. The information generation unit extracts grammatical information corresponding to a word candidate for an analysis target from first syntax analysis information (for example, syntax analysis information for translation) that represents grammatical constraint conditions, and generates second syntax analysis information (for example, syntax analysis information for character recognition) that represents the grammatical constraint conditions corresponding to the word candidate based on the extracted grammatical information. |
| US08972237B2 |
Optimizing quantum simulations by intelligent permutation
A state (i.e., ket) of a set of qubits may be simulated via a classical computer. Ordering characteristics of the ket (i.e., the “current” permutation associated with the state) may be determined. An operator (which may be associated with a certain operation to perform on the ket) may be defined and simulated. Ordering characteristics of the operator (i.e., the “current” permutation associated with operator) may be determined. If the current permutations of the state and operator match, then the operation may be performed to generate a new ket. Alternatively, the operator may be permuted to match the permutation of the current state. Or the state may be permuted to match the current operator permutation. The operation may then be performed, and the state and permutation remembered for the next operation. The process may be repeated for each operation in the series. |
| US08972234B2 |
Method and system to reduce: memory requirements, device-to-host transfer bandwidth requirements, and setup time, for seismic modeling on graphics processing units
A method for seismic modeling on a GPU includes creating a discretized model containing a volume enclosed by boundaries with arbitrary boundary conditions, dividing the discretized model into subsets, transferring a data to the GPU, initializing the data stored in a selected number of the subsets on the GPU, performing computation related with a number of time steps for the selected number of the subsets on the GPU, and substantially simultaneously computing, off-loading a finished subsets data from the GPU, and up-loading a new subsets data to the GPU. The provided method and corresponding system can reduce the amount of data stored in GPU memory by an order of magnitude, minimize the GPU device-to-host transfer bandwidth requirements, and reduce the GPU setup time. |
| US08972231B2 |
System and method for predicting fluid flow in subterranean reservoirs
A reservoir prediction system is disclosed that uses a kernel-based ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) capable of representing non-Gaussian random fields characterized by multi-point geostatistics. The EnKF uses only the covariance and cross-covariance between the random fields (to be updated) and observations, thereby only preserving two-point statistics. The kernel-based EnKF allows the creation of nonlinear generalizations of linear algorithms that can be exclusively written in terms of dot products. By deriving the EnKF in a high-dimensional feature space implicitly defined using kernels, both the Kalman gain and update equations are nonlinearized, thus providing a completely general nonlinear set of EnKF equations, the nonlinearity being controlled by the kernel. By choosing high order polynomial kernels, multi-point statistics and therefore geological realism of the updated random fields can be preserved. |
| US08972229B2 |
Fast 3D mask model based on implicit countors
Computer-readable medium and methods for photolithographic simulation of scattering. A design layout comprising a layout polygon is received. A skeleton representation of a mask shape that is created responsive to e-beam writing of the layout polygon is generated. The skeleton representation is defined by a plurality of skeleton points. Individual scattering patterns for the skeleton points are selected from a lookup table of pre-determined scattering patterns. Each of the individual scattering patterns representing an amount of optical scattering for a corresponding one of the skeleton points. A simulated wafer image is produced responsive to the individual scattering patterns. |
| US08972227B2 |
Computation of radiating particle and wave distributions using a generalized discrete field constructed from representative ray sets
The present system and method for simulating particles and waves is useful for calculations involving nuclear and full spectrum radiation transport, quantum particle transport, plasma transport and charged particle transport. The invention provides a mechanism for creating accurate invariants for embedding in general three-dimensional problems and describes means by which a series of simple single collision interaction finite elements can be extended to formulate a complex multi-collision finite element. |
| US08972220B2 |
Methods, systems and devices for activity tracking device data synchronization with computing devices
Methods, devices and system are provided. One method includes capturing activity data associated with activity of a user via a device. The activity data is captured over time, and the activity data is quantifiable by a plurality of metrics. The method includes storing the activity data in storage of the device and, from time to time, connecting the device with a computing device over a wireless communication link. The method defines using a first transfer rate for transferring activity data captured and stored over a period of time. The first transfer rate is used following startup of an activity tracking application on the computing device The method also defines using a second transfer rate for transferring activity data from the device to the computing device for display of the activity data in substantial-real time on the computing device. |
| US08972210B2 |
Power management module and power supply apparatus
A power management module electrically coupled between an AC/DC switching power supply and an electronic apparatus comprises a memory device, voltage and current detecting units, a writing unit, and an alarm signal generation unit. The memory device generates an output data to the electronic apparatus. The voltage and current detecting units detect voltages and currents of the output terminals of the switching power supply, respectively. The writing unit writes a new input data and the voltage and current data to the memory. The alarm signal generation unit generates an alarm signal to the electronic apparatus according to the data stored in the memory device and according to the operation condition of the switching power supply. |
| US08972202B2 |
Diagnosing fetal chromosomal aneuploidy using massively parallel genomic sequencing
Embodiments of this invention provide methods, systems, and apparatus for determining whether a fetal chromosomal aneuploidy exists from a biological sample obtained from a pregnant female. Nucleic acid molecules of the biological sample are sequenced, such that a fraction of the genome is sequenced. Respective amounts of a clinically-relevant chromosome and of background chromosomes are determined from results of the sequencing. A parameter derived from these amounts (e.g. a ratio) is compared to one or more cutoff values, thereby determining a classification of whether a fetal chromosomal aneuploidy exists. |
| US08972198B2 |
Analyte sensors and methods
Methods of determining analyte concentration. The methods use a fraction of the predicted total charge, from analyte electrolysis, instead of using time, for determination of a data collection endpoint. The total charge is then extrapolated from the data collection endpoint. The analyte concentration is determined from the total charge. |
| US08972193B2 |
Formation resistivity imager with reduced leakage to mandrel
A method of estimating a parameter of a formation contacting a borehole with an instrument that includes a mandrel and a pad includes providing a measurement voltage to the pad; applying a biasing voltage to the mandrel while the measurement voltage is applied to the pad; measuring a received current during at least a portion of time the measurement voltage is provided; and estimating the parameter based on the received current. |
| US08972182B1 |
Indoor/outdoor pedestrian navigation
Among other things, positioning a magnetic instrument on a pedestrian; positioning an inertial instrument on a foot of a pedestrian; receiving positioning signals at the pedestrian; aligning the inertial instrument based in part on the received positioning signals; calibrating the magnetic instrument using the inertial instrument; and tracking the pedestrian using the calibrated magnetic instrument and the inertial instrument. |
| US08972181B2 |
System for interaction of navigation and connectivity programs and personal information management applications
A system and method for providing fluent interaction between connectivity applications, personal information management applications and navigation applications. The present invention enables a user to launch navigation application directly from a “Contacts” application. This invention also enables the same result to be achieved in reverse, enabling direct access from a navigation application to contact information, eliminating the need for the user to manually access and enter information. |
| US08972180B1 |
Method and apparatus for managing multiple sensors in a navigation system
A mobile device operable in multiple navigation modes and includes navigation devices, a mode selection module, and a power management module. The navigation devices provide respective data associated with at least one of movement, a position, and a location of the mobile device. Each of the navigation devices is individually operable in an active mode and at least one of an inactive mode and a sleep mode. The mode selection module receives the respective data and selects one of the navigation modes based on the data received from one of the navigation devices. Each of the navigation modes corresponds to different ones of the navigation devices operating in the active mode. The power management module, based on the selected one of the navigation modes, transitions the navigation devices between the active mode and the at least one of the inactive mode and the sleep mode. |
| US08972178B2 |
Method of using a computing device to identify an occupied parking spot
Techniques are disclosed for reporting occupied and unoccupied parking spaces are disclosed. The techniques include determining that a mobile computing device has entered a parking area and determining whether the mobile computing device has entered a pedestrian mode. The pedestrian mode is indicative of a user of the mobile computing device parking a vehicle and exiting the vehicle. When the mobile computing device has entered the pedestrian mode, the technique includes determining a first location of the mobile computing device at a first time corresponding to the mobile computing device entering the pedestrian mode, and providing an occupied notification to a remote computing device, the occupied notification including the first location and indicating that a parking spot corresponding to the first location is occupied. Techniques are further disclosed for reporting unoccupied parking spaces to the mobile computing device. |
| US08972177B2 |
System for logging life experiences using geographic cues
A system logs life experiences using geographic cues. The system variously provides a comprehensive life-logging tool for recording a plurality of different types of life events. In one implementation, the system receives a user's GPS log files and multimedia content at a website. The system segments the GPS log files into geographic routes corresponding to user trips, and tags the multimedia content with geographic cues from the GPS log files. Then, the system indexes the geographic routes so that users can retrieve the geographic routes by browsing or by search techniques. The system displays animations of selected routes on a map, and displays the multimedia content at corresponding locations along the map route, as the route is replayed. The system also provides browsing and spatial and temporal techniques to search a person's travels and can provide graphical displays of the person's activity statistics. |
| US08972176B2 |
Method for displaying marker in a map service
A method for displaying a marker in a map service is provided. In the method, a plurality of markers each representing information are displayed differentially in a propagation range set according to importance of a user in the map service, and when the plurality of markers are displayed overlapped, only a marker representing information of highest importance is displayed. |
| US08972173B2 |
Method for determining the length of the route travelled by a vehicle
A method for determining the length of the route travelled by a vehicle using a position measuring device that records positions of the vehicle and a digital road map, which is composed of road segments of known segment lengths. The method including recording positions of the vehicle on the route by means of the position measuring device, matching the recorded vehicle positions to a sequence of road segments, and determining the route length from the segment lengths of these road segments, wherein from the angle between at least two consecutive road segments and an assumed road width of the two road segments, a turn-off route of the vehicle from the one road segment into the other road segment is calculated. The calculated turn-off route is taken into consideration in the determination of the route length. |
| US08972169B2 |
Navigation system with constrained resource route planning mechanism and method of operation thereof
A method of operation of a navigation system includes: receiving an entry for a destination; and generating a travel route to the destination through a sufficient number of one or more replenishment locations required for reaching the destination for displaying on a device. |
| US08972164B2 |
Collaborative robot manifold tracker
A collaborative control method for tracking Lagrangian coherent structures (LCSs) and manifolds on flows employs at least three autonomous sensors each equipped with a local flow sensor for sensing flow in a designated fluid medium, e.g. water or air. A first flow sensor is a tracking sensor while the other sensors are herding sensors for controlling and determining the actions of the tracking sensor. The tracking sensor is positioned with respect to the herding sensors in the fluid medium such that the herding sensors maintain a straddle formation across a boundary; obtaining a local fluid flow velocity measurement from each sensor. A global fluid flow structure is predicted based on the local flow velocity measurements. In a water medium, mobile autonomous underwater flow sensors may be deployed with each tethered to a watersurface craft. |
| US08972163B2 |
Vehicle fuel efficiency optimization based on vehicle usage patterns
Approaches for indicating vehicle fuel efficiency for vehicle usage patterns are provided. Patterns of inefficient operation are detected and conveyed to a user to inform the user of the impact of his/her inefficient operation. In these embodiments, a fuel efficiency tool provides this capability. The fuel efficiency tool comprises: an analysis component configured to analyze usage patterns of a vehicle; a calculation component configured to calculate a vehicle fuel efficiency for each of the usage patterns; and a notification component configured to: provide a real-time notification to a user of the vehicle indicating each of the following via a feedback device within the vehicle: a numerical representation of the vehicle fuel efficiency calculated for each of the plurality of recurring driver habits; and a monetary value indicating an amount of money sacrificed by at least one vehicle usage pattern that is contributing to inefficient vehicle fuel consumption. |
| US08972161B1 |
Power management systems and devices
Described herein are devices, systems, and methods for managing the power consumption of an automotive vehicle, and thereby for optimizing the power consumption of the vehicle. The devices and systems for managing the power consumption of the vehicle typically include power management logic that can calculate an applied power for the vehicle engine based on information provided from the external environment of the vehicle, the operational status of the vehicle, one or more command inputs from a driver, and one or more operational parameters of the vehicle. |
| US08972159B2 |
Methods and systems for coordinating vehicular traffic using in-vehicle virtual traffic control signals enabled by vehicle-to-vehicle communications
Systems, methods, software, and apparatuses for coordinating traffic proximate to a potential conflict zone, such as a roadway intersection, where travel conflicts, such as crossing traffic, can arise. Coordination involves forming an ad-hoc network in a region containing the conflict zone using, for example, vehicle-to-vehicle communications and developing a dynamic traffic control plan based on information about vehicles approaching the conflict zone. Instructions based on the dynamic traffic control plan are communicated to devices aboard vehicles in the ad-hoc network, which display one or more virtual traffic signals to the operators of the vehicles and/or control the vehicles in accordance with the dynamic traffic control plan. |
| US08972157B2 |
Stop control system for internal combustion engine
A stop control system for an internal combustion engine, which is capable of restarting the engine automatically stopped, in optimum timing, thereby making it possible to positively prevent occurrence of fogging of window glass of a vehicle compartment and improve fuel economy. The engine is connected to a compressor of an air conditioner. According to the stop control system, during idle stop, window glass temperature is calculated, and according to the calculated window glass temperature, limit humidity below which fogging of the window glass does not occur is set. When determining compartment humidity becomes equal to or higher than the limit humidity, the idle stop is terminated and the engine is restarted. When the weather is rainy or snowy, the determining compartment humidity is corrected. When vehicle compartment temperature is not lower than a first predetermined temperature, the window glass temperature is corrected. |
| US08972153B2 |
Idling control apparatus for vehicle
In an idling control apparatus for a vehicle, normally, when a predetermined idling reduction execution condition is satisfied, a signal is output to the engine control device so as to execute idling reduction for stopping the idling operation of an engine to automatically stop it. Further, it is determined whether or not a subject vehicle is stopped against an obstacle for avoidance of danger based on at least one of environmental information in front of the subject vehicle, obstacle information and a driving condition of the subject vehicle before it is stopped. When it is determined that the subject vehicle is stopped against the obstacle for avoidance of danger, automatic engine stop is prohibited. |
| US08972151B2 |
Two-cycle engine
Disclosed herein is a two-cycle engine that includes an exhaust port which is opened and closed at one end portion in a longitudinal direction of a cylinder; a scavenging port which is opened and closed at the other end portion in the longitudinal direction of the cylinder; and a fuel injection port which injects a fuel into the cylinder provided between the exhaust port and the scavenging port, wherein the fuel begins to be injected in a state in which at least any one of the exhaust port and the scavenging port is opened. |
| US08972147B2 |
ACC and AM braking range variable based on internal and external factors
When employing an adaptive cruise-with-braking (ACB) system to control host vehicle braking reaction distance, a plurality of trigger conditions (e.g., environmental parameters) are monitored. If one or more of the monitored parameters exceeds a predefined threshold, a trigger event is detected, and at least one of a braking reaction distance (BRD) and a following distance limit shape (FDLS) are adjusted. The BRD and FDLS adjustments may be predefined according to the type and/or magnitude of the trigger event. Trigger events may be weighted or prioritized such that higher priority trigger event types correspond to larger BRD reductions, etc. Monitored trigger conditions may include adverse weather, dangerous road terrain or topography, high traffic density, erratic forward vehicle behavior, and the like. |
| US08972146B2 |
Device, system and method for controlling speed of a vehicle using a positional information device
A device, system and method for controlling speed of a vehicle are provided. The device includes a locational information module for determining location information and speed; a storage module for storing at least one geographic map including at least one route and a speed limit for the at least one route; a processing module configured to receive the location information, retrieve at least one geographic map based on the location information, determine a speed limit based on the location information and compare the speed of the device to the determined speed limit; and a display module for alerting a user if the speed of the device exceeds the determined speed limit. The system and method can be for communicating a subject vehicle's speed to a central server where it can be utilized to analyze traffic congestion patterns or notify selected companies or individuals. |
| US08972142B2 |
Travel support apparatus
A travel support apparatus includes: a rear sensor that detects an obstacle behind a vehicle; and a rear contact prevention device that controls travel of the vehicle to prevent contact between the vehicle and the obstacle detected by the rear sensor as the vehicle backs up. The rear contact prevention device prevents contact between the vehicle and the obstacle detected by the rear sensor as the vehicle backs up, by performing first travel control to apply at least one of speed limitation and deceleration to the vehicle, without requiring an operation performed by a driver of the vehicle, and then performs second travel control to reduce an operation amount set in the first travel control. |
| US08972141B2 |
Method and system for controlling aircraft braking on a runway
A method to control braking of an aircraft on a landing runway including: selecting a dummy runway state corresponding to a level of adhesion of wheels of the aircraft to a runway which is lower, over an entire speed range of the aircraft while braking on a runway, than an adhesion level of the wheels of the aircraft to the landing runway; calculating a set point of a deceleration value for the aircraft on the landing runway based on the landing runway for the selected dummy runway state, wherein the calculated set point corresponds to maximum braking value of the aircraft, and controlling the braking of the aircraft using the set point. |
| US08972140B2 |
Disc brake apparatus
A disc brake apparatus, in which, at the time of a parking brake release operation, a control unit configured to control driving of an electric motor drives the electric motor so as to cause a piston holding mechanism to stop holding a piston, detects separation of a brake pad from a disk, and then stops driving the electric motor after driving the electric motor by a predetermined amount based on a current value of the electric motor. |
| US08972137B2 |
Method and apparatus for controlling a clutch in four-wheel drive vehicles
A system and method for detecting that a four-wheel drive manual transmission vehicle is being operated in a manner that could cause a clutch over-speed problem. Upon detecting that the vehicle is being operated in the manner that could cause the clutch over-speed problem, the system and method activate a braking countermeasure to remove the potential problem. In addition, a fault code may be stored for subsequent diagnostic measures and/or a fault indicator may be used to alert the driver of the problem. |
| US08972133B2 |
Method for detecting the clutch condition
A method for detecting the clutch condition in engine-powered vehicles. To ensure a reliable detection of the clutch condition even in extreme driving situations, the engine torque of at least one vehicle engine is increased or reduced automatically by pulses and the response of the engine to the torque pulse is evaluated. |
| US08972123B2 |
Initiating tractor stop and bale wrap function
A combination tractor and baler is provided to automate tractor stopping and baler wrapping while incorporating operator interaction to improve the efficiency of the tractor and baler combination in operation. Automated control systems and manual operator devices are utilized to improve the timing of the tractor stop and baler wrapping time sequences. Various methods to improve efficiency, including methods to synchronize tractor stop with wrapping activation are provided. |
| US08972122B2 |
Shovel and method for controlling shovel
A shovel includes a boom 4 or an arm 5 driven by a hydraulic oil discharged from a main pump 12. The shovel also includes a pressure sensor 17A which detects an operating condition of the boom 4, an arm angle sensor S1 which detects an arm angle β, a body stability determining part 300 which determines a body stability degree of the shovel based on the arm angle β and an operating condition of the boom 4, and a discharge rate controlling part 301 which decreases a horsepower of the main pump 12 if it is determined by the body stability determining part that a body stability degree becomes lower than or equal to a predetermined level. |
| US08972120B2 |
Extended reach crowd control for a shovel
An industrial machine and a method of controlling an industrial machine, the industrial machine including a dipper supported by a dipper handle. The method may include determining an operating phase of the industrial machine, in a first operating phase of the industrial machine, limiting, with at least one controller, a reach of the dipper handle, and in a second operating phase of the industrial machine, enabling, with the at least one controller, an extended reach of the dipper handle greater than the reach in the first operating phase. The industrial machine may include at least one controller configured to determine an operating phase of the industrial machine, in a first operating phase of the industrial machine, limit a reach of the dipper handle, and, in a second operating phase of the industrial machine, enable an extended reach of the dipper handle greater than the reach in the first operating phase. |
| US08972116B2 |
Pressure and acceleration based pedestrian impact sensor assembly for motor vehicles
A sensor assembly for a motor vehicle adapted for sensing impacts including pedestrian impacts. The sensor assembly integrates functions of pressure based sensors used in one embodiment with a compressible tube extending laterally across the front surface of the vehicle and the outboard front boundary areas of the front end of the vehicle. Both acceleration and pressure based sensors are mounted into an integrated sensor housing which is mounted in a desired position at the vehicle front fascia front boundary areas. The system optimizes pressure based sensing while providing acceleration based sensing at the lateral boundary areas where supporting structure does not enable pressure based sensing. The invention further including sensor arrangements including discrete pressure and acceleration sensors deployed for detecting pedestrian impacts at the center and front boundary areas of the vehicle front end. |
| US08972114B1 |
Left-right independent steering control system and method thereof
The present disclosure relates to a left-right independent steering control system and a method thereof, particularly a left-right independent steering control system that controls the other steering system such that the steering angles of both wheels satisfy Ackerman condition, when the steering angle of a vehicle is not controlled in accordance with steering input from a driver due to a breakdown in any one of left wheel and right wheel steering systems of the vehicle, and a method thereof. |
| US08972111B2 |
Articulated vehicle with a controllable wheel route
An articulated vehicle with a controllable wheel route includes a first vehicle body, a first pair of wheels, which are individually suspended on both sides of the first vehicle body, and can travel on the ground, a second vehicle body hingedly connected to the first vehicle body, a second pair of wheels, which are individually suspended on both sides of the second vehicle body, and can travel on the ground, a regulator, which regulates a relative steering angle between the first vehicle body and the second vehicle body, a mode selector, which is configured to select a first mode and a second mode, and a controller, which receives the first mode signal or the second mode signal from the mode selector and controls the regulator according to the received signal. The route of a second pair of wheels is regulated to be identical to the route of a first pair of wheels in the first mode, and the route of a second pair of wheels is regulated to be different from the route of a first pair of wheels in the second mode. |
| US08972108B2 |
Method and apparatus for controlling a semi-active suspension system for motorcycles
A method and an apparatus for controlling a semi-active suspension system (1) for motorcycles are described. According to the present invention, the damping forces applied to controllable force generators (2, 3), such as controllable shock absorbers, provided to the front and the rear semi-active suspensions of a motorcycle are jointly controlled. In particular, the pitch velocity (Vp) of the suspended mass (Ms) is taken into account so as to jointly control the front and rear suspension systems of a motorcycle. The present invention allows the optimization of the global adherence of the motorcycle to the road surface and of the driving and the travelling comfort of the vehicle. |
| US08972101B2 |
Method for predicting a horizontal stabilizer fault
A method of predicting a horizontal stabilizer system fault in an aircraft, where the method includes receiving data relevant to a characteristic of the pitch of the aircraft during flight, comparing the received data to a reference pitch characteristic, predicting a fault in the horizontal stabilizer system based on the comparison, and providing an indication of the predicted fault. |
| US08972096B2 |
Method and device for detecting the blocking of a bleed valve of a gasoline vapor filter
A method and device for detecting the blocking of a bleed valve (4) of a gasoline vapor filter (3) for a vehicle internal combustion engine (1), the method includes a step of controlling the maintenance of the internal combustion engine at a constant non-idle speed during a start or pre-stop phase, and at least one sequence of the following steps when maintaining the constant speed of the internal combustion engine: a step of changing the state of the bleed valve (4), a step of measuring at least one operating parameter of the internal combustion engine associated with the mixture fed into the engine, a step of comparing the values of the parameter measured before and after the change of state of the bleed valve and of determining if the variation of the parameter is greater than a pre-determined threshold. |
| US08972094B2 |
Mining machine movement management system
An information collection device transmits a position information request command for requesting transmission of position information of a dump truck at a predetermined point in time via a second wireless communication device and determines a state of at least one of the dump truck, a relay that relays communication from a first wireless communication device included in the dump truck to the second wireless communication device, and a travel route of the dump truck based on a response to the position information request command. |
| US08972092B2 |
Control apparatus for unmanned autonomous operating vehicle
In an apparatus for controlling an unmanned autonomous operating vehicle having an electric motor supplied with power from a battery for operating an operating machine, and magnetic sensors for detecting intensity of a magnetic field of an area wire and controlled to run about in an operating area defined by the area wire through wheels driven by the prime movers to perform an operation using the operating machine and to return to a charging device installed on the area wire so as to charge the battery, there is provided with a turn-back portion formed by bending the area wire at an appropriate position and again bending the area wire to return in a same direction with a predetermined space so as to divide the operating area into a plurality of parts and vehicle running is controlled to be prohibited from going across the turn-back portion. |
| US08972087B2 |
Vehicle control system
A vehicle control system includes: a controller that configured to obtain an index on the basis of a running condition of a vehicle and that configured to vary a running characteristic of the vehicle on the basis of the index, wherein the controller is configured to relatively delay a variation in the index in response to a variation in the running condition when the variation in the index decreases quickness of a behavior of the vehicle as compared with when the variation in the index increases the quickness of the behavior of the vehicle, and to correct the running characteristic on the basis of the index so that energy efficiency of a driving force source of the vehicle varies within a predetermined range depending on control over power output from the driving force source. |
| US08972084B2 |
Control system for equipment on a vehicle with a hybrid-electric powertrain
A vehicle having a hydraulic hybrid powertrain comprises a power take off unit, a hydraulic pump, a hydraulic accumulator, an accumulator isolation valve, an accumulator solenoid, and a vehicle hydraulic component. The hydraulic pump mechanically connects to the power take off unit and is driven by the power take off unit. The hydraulic accumulator is disposed in fluid communication with the hydraulic pump and receives and stores pressurized hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic pump. The accumulator isolation valve has a first position and second position. The accumulator isolation valve is disposed in fluid communication with the hydraulic accumulator. The accumulator solenoid connects to the accumulator isolation valve and positions the accumulator isolation valve to the first position and the second position. The vehicle hydraulic component is disposed in fluid communication with the accumulator isolation valve and the hydraulic accumulator. |
| US08972081B2 |
Remote operator assistance for one or more user commands in a vehicle
Various embodiments relate to remote operator assistance for one or more user commands at a vehicle. The operator assistance may occur via a vehicle computing system. One or more instances of an unsuccessful attempt to perform a user command may be received by the vehicle computing system. After detection of a predetermined number of instances, a connection may be established, via the vehicle computing system, with a remotely located system. The remotely-located system may be operated by a human operator in order to assist with performance of the user command. An information exchange may be facilitated between the vehicle and the remotely located system operated by the human operator. The information exchange may relate to the user command. The user command may be performed in the vehicle based on information obtained from the remotely-located system. |
| US08972079B2 |
Conditional vehicle remote starting
When vehicle position information at a time of parking start is available, a remote starter transmits the vehicle position information at the time of parking start to an information processor. When the vehicle position information at the time of parking start is unavailable, the remote starter transmits the vehicle position information obtained just before the vehicle position information becomes unavailable, as the vehicle position information at the time of parking start to the information processor. |
| US08972078B2 |
Mobile identification transmitter which can be set to a normal state and a secure state
A mobile identification transmitter for activating a security system of a motor vehicle, particularly an access and/or ignition control system, having a housing in which electronics and a communication means are arranged, wherein the communication means can be brought into communication with a communication means of the security system on board the motor vehicle, a payment element is removably fastened in a receptacle of the housing, where a closure is separately arranged on the housing, the identification transmitter can be set in a normal state and in a secure state, in the normal state and in the secure state communication can be made with the security system, in the secure state the payment element is removed from the receptacle, and the closure seals and protects the receptacle. |
| US08972077B2 |
Lane change monitoring
A method for detecting a lane change by a moving vehicle is disclosed. In one embodiment, it is detected that a first heading of a moving vehicle has met a parameter defining a stable heading. It is then detected that a second heading of the moving vehicle has subsequently met a parameter defining an unstable heading. It is then detected that a third heading of the moving vehicle has subsequently met a parameter defining a stable heading within a pre-determined time parameter and that the third heading equals the first heading within a pre-defined margin. An indication is then generated that the moving vehicle has performed a lane change. |
| US08972076B2 |
Driving assistance apparatus and driving assistance method
A driving assistance apparatus that assists driving of a vehicle, includes: a vehicle speed sensor; a communication unit that obtains traffic light information relating to a change in a display condition of a traffic light disposed in an advancement direction of the vehicle; a position calculation unit that calculates relative position information between the vehicle and a traffic light location where the traffic light is disposed; and a passage assistance control unit. The passage assistance control unit detects an operating condition of the vehicle at an intersection location before the traffic light, calculates a corrected vehicle speed on the basis of the operating condition and a current vehicle speed, and determines whether or not the vehicle is permitted to pass through the traffic light location on the basis of the corrected vehicle speed, the relative position information between the vehicle and the traffic light location, and the traffic light information. |
| US08972068B2 |
Operation of a power generator in a power supply network
During operation of at least one power generator (EE) in a power supply network, a reactive power transfer between the two upper voltage levels (1, 2) is sensed at a first transformer (T1) connecting these levels, and the voltage at a first network connection point (5) at the lowest voltage level (3) is ascertained. The amount of a reactive power demand served by the power generator (EE) is calculated as a function of the ascertained voltage value in order to maintain the voltage ascertained at the lowest voltage level (3) within a predefinable voltage range, wherein a means (WR) of the power generator (EE) is activated for a reactive power draw or a reactive power delivery, based on the calculated reactive power demand. |
| US08972066B2 |
Decision support control centers
The disclosed subject matter relates to an integrated decision support “cockpit” or control center for displaying, analyzing, and/or responding to, various events and contingencies that can occur within an electrical grid. |
| US08972064B2 |
Actuator with diagnostics
A system incorporating an actuator. The actuator may have a motor unit with motor controller connected to it. A processor may be connected to the motor controller. A coupling for a shaft connection may be attached to an output of the motor unit. The processor may incorporate a diagnostics program. The processor may be connected to a polarity-insensitive two-wire communications bus. Diagnostic results of the diagnostics program may be communicated from the processor over the communications bus to a system controller. If the diagnostic results communicated from the processor over the communications bus to the system controller indicate an insufficiency of the actuator, then an alarm identifying the insufficiency may be communicated over the communications bus to the system controller. |
| US08972060B2 |
Control method for cleaning robots
An embodiment of the invention provides a control method of a cleaning robot with a non-omnidirectional light detector. The method includes the steps of: detecting a light beam via the non-omnidirectional light detector; stopping the cleaning robot and spinning the non-omnidirectional light detector when the non-omnidirectional light detector detects the light beam; stopping the spinning of the non-omnidirectional light detector and estimating a first spin angle when the non-omnidirectional light detector does not detect the light beam; and adjusting a moving direction of the cleaning robot according to the first spin angle. |
| US08972059B2 |
Displacement correcting method and displacement correcting program in automatic operation system
In an automatic operation system including: a positioning robot having a holding tool and an inertial sensor at a tip end portion of an arm thereof; a working robot having an operation tool at a tip end portion of an arm thereof; and a robot control device, a positioning correcting method of the present invention includes: conveying and positioning the holding tool, which holds a work, by the positioning robot at a positioning reference position of the holding tool corresponding to an operation position of the work; detecting a displacement amount of the holding tool from the positioning reference position by the robot control device based on an inertial force of the inertial sensor when the working robot carries out a predetermined operation with respect to the work; and correcting based on the detected displacement amount the positioning reference position of the holding tool to a position of the holding tool before the holding tool is displaced. |
| US08972056B2 |
Method of finding feasible joint trajectories for an n-dof robot with rotation invariant process (n>5)
There is provided a computer-implemented method for determining feasible joint trajectories for an n-dof (n>5) robot in a rotation invariant processing of an object, such as milling, painting, and welding. The method includes the steps of receiving geometric data representing the object; receiving geometric data representing the processing tool; receiving a tool path X(t), where t is time; searching for feasible paths qRobot (t) using IK (t) and qTool (t) as set of possible solutions at time t, wherein qRobot (t) defines positions of all the joints in the robot as function of time, qTool (t) defines the rotation of a tool flange around the tool axis at time t, and IK (t) defines the inverse kinematics solutions for a given X(t) and qTool (t); and determining, from the geometric data and X(t), how the joint path qRobot (t) should be chosen so as to comply with one or more optimisation criteria. |
| US08972055B1 |
Methods and systems for selecting a velocity profile for controlling a robotic device
Methods and systems for selecting a velocity profile for controlling a robotic device are provided. An example method includes receiving via an interface a selection of a robotic device to control, and receiving via the interface a request to modify a velocity profile of the robotic device. The velocity profile may include information associated with changes in velocity of the robotic device over time. The method may further include receiving a selected velocity profile, receiving an input via the interface, and determining a velocity command based on the selected velocity profile and the input. In this manner, changes in velocity of the robotic device may be filtered according to a velocity profile selected via the interface. |
| US08972054B2 |
Robot apparatus, information providing method carried out by the robot apparatus and computer storage media
A robot apparatus, method and computer program storage device use a memory that stores cueing point information and user information to assist a user in an external environment. The cueing points are distributed within an environmental map held by the robot apparatus, and when the user is detected by the robot apparatus as approaching a predetermined region within the external environment classified as a cueing point, the robot apparatus reacts by providing a cue to the user. The cue may user-specific, or optionally provided based on a level of care required by the user. |
| US08972051B2 |
Multi-compartment step-drawer
A multi-pocket step-drawer is disclosed that includes a dispensing drawer and a control module. The dispensing drawer has a body comprising at least one fixed wall forming at least two open-top compartments that are arranged along an axis parallel to the front-to-back axis and a ladder fixedly coupled to the body. The ladder has a plurality of cross arms arranged along an axis parallel to the front-to-back axis. The control module includes a housing and a latching element coupled to the housing and disposed proximate to the ladder. The latching element has a first position wherein the latching element engages one of the plurality of cross-arms so as to prevent the dispensing drawer from moving toward the front and a second position wherein the latching element allows the dispensing element to move toward the front. |
| US08972050B2 |
Pharmaceutical dispensing systems and graphical user interfaces associated with same
A pharmaceutical dispensing system includes a frame having first and second opposed sides, a plurality of cells configured to house pharmaceutical pills, a first touch screen display on the frame first side, and a second touch screen display on the frame second side. The pharmaceutical dispensing system includes a processor and memory coupled thereto. A computer program resides in the memory and is executable by the processor for displaying a cell inventory graphical user interface (GUI) within the first touch screen display, and a prescription order processing GUI within the second touch screen display that include status information about a prescription order at a respective stage of completion by the pharmaceutical dispensing system. |
| US08972042B2 |
For transferring and organizing articles from a shelf into a container
The present example of transferring and organizing articles from a shelf into a container, (or “controlled transfer and packing”) also allows a warehouse distribution system to be provided that receives items from a manufacturer or distributor, and boxes or packages the items to produce a shipment to another reseller, or customer, according to a received order in a way that may be efficient than current methods. In particular, the system makes use of a specialized floor plan and equipment that aids in processing the order according to the pricing methods described. The processing also provides an example of transferring and organizing articles from a shelf into a container that controls article tumble when loading the article into a container that tends to increase packing efficiency. Loading of items to be packed into magazines to aid transferring of articles from a shelf into a container is also described. |
| US08972038B2 |
Information processing device, sewing machine and non-transitory recording medium storing program
An information processing device includes a processor and a memory. The memory is configured to store computer-readable instructions. The instructions instruct the information processing device to execute steps including randomly arranging a plurality of embroidery patterns within a coordinate area set in an embroidery frame that is moved in two directions. |
| US08972036B2 |
Method of controlling substrate processing apparatus, maintenance method of substrate processing apparatus and transfer method performed in substrate processing apparatus
Only a wafer for QC check may be transferred and a production wafer may prevent from being transferred into an assigned process chamber whose QC check is not completed after a maintenance task, and the production wafer may be processed the assigned process chamber after the completion of the QC check. The wafer for QC check is transferred while inhibiting a transfer of the production wafer into the assigned process chamber, and the production wafer is transferred into each of the process chambers of the plurality except the assigned process chamber. |
| US08972034B2 |
Diagnosis system
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a diagnosis system for detecting a state of emergency during assembly of a fuselage (101) of an airplane is provided, which is adapted for detecting an emergency event and outputting information relating to the actual position of the emergency event. This may provide for a fast error identification during airplane assembly. |
| US08972030B2 |
Control device comprising an interface capable of proposing the next control command to be transmitted to a home-automation appliance
Method of operation of a control device for a home-automation appliance, wherein the method comprises at least one step of selecting a possible control command from among a plurality of predefined control commands, that may be sent by the control device and at least one step of displaying the command selected by this control device. |
| US08972028B2 |
Uterine electrical stimulation system and method
Systems and methods for applying stimulating current to a patient for treating insufficient uterine contractions are provided. The system includes stimulation electrodes of a balloon electrode array device, a ring electrode array device, an electrode probe device, or a mesh electrode array device. Some aspects of the invention also provide a connector and cable device for coupling the stimulation electrodes to electronics for generating and providing the stimulating current to the stimulation electrodes. |
| US08972026B2 |
Implantable neural interface device with a connector having a slitted deformable section
An improved deformable carrier or connector for an implantable neural interface device is described. The neural interface device comprises a carrier supporting at least one electrode array. The carrier comprises a tubular sidewall extending from a proximal carrier portion to a distal carrier portion. At least one deformable segment is provided in the carrier sidewall. The deformable segment is more pliable than the remainder of the carrier sidewall to preferably move in response to forces imparted on the carrier and the electrode array by the shifting forces in body tissue. The deformable segment takes the form of a thinned sidewall segment or a slitted wall segment. |
| US08972025B2 |
Active fixation implantable medical lead
An implantable medical lead has a distal lead portion with a tubular header and a fixation helix provided in a lumen of the tubular header. The fixation helix is connected to a shaft attached to a conductor coil. A tubular coupling is connected to the tubular header and is coaxially arranged relative the shaft, with the shaft in its lumen. Rotation of the conductor coil causes rotation of the shaft and the fixation helix and longitudinal movement of the fixation helix out of the implantable medical lead by a rotation-to-translation transforming element. A friction device is arranged between the shaft and the tubular coupling or between the tubular header to oppose rotation of the shaft relative the tubular header and the tubular coupling. |
| US08972021B2 |
Detachable helical antenna for implantable medical device
A system and method wirelessly transfers information electromagnetically using a detachable helical antenna. In an example, the detachable helical antenna can include a first threaded portion. In an example, the detachable helical antenna can be configured to mechanically threadably engage an implantable medical device. |
| US08972020B2 |
Coil cable for an implantable medical device
Presented herein is a shapeable coil cable for use in connection with an implantable medical device comprising first and second external components. The shapeable coil cable is a conformable and non-resilient member that is sufficiently pliable to accept a configuration set by a user and sufficiently rigid to retain the configuration set by the user. |
| US08972018B2 |
Adaptive muscle stimulation technique
An embodiment of the invention resides in the apparatus and technique of dynamically measuring and storing a biological condition or disposition during the time that one set of conditions are imposed on a joint or body area and applying closed-loop therapeutic action so as to re-achieve that same biological condition or disposition during a subsequent time that another different set of conditions are imposed. Furthermore, dynamic potentials surrounding said joint or body area may be created, bolstered, and/or modulated through aspects of stimulation applied which are independent of those aspects utilized to counteract force incident on the joint or body area. Other embodiments are described herein. |
| US08972016B2 |
Portable TENS apparatus and method of use thereof
A TENS apparatus includes a portable TENS device having a housing with a lower surface, a pair of integral electrodes that are incorporated in the lower surface of the housing, and a pulse driver that is located within the housing and adapted to generate a program of pulse waveforms, each of which is an asymmetrical biphasic square waveform. |
| US08972014B2 |
Enuresis electroconditioner
An enuresis electroconditioner pertains to the field of medical appliances and includes a humidity sensor (2) connected to an electric circuit which is activated in the presence of a liquid. When the liquid is detected, an electric current with a frequency of 50 Hz is generated. A qualified person must calibrate the amperage of the apparatus (1), adapting it to the sensibility of each person who, when receiving the electric impulse, contracts the perineal muscles, occluding the urethra and by a reflexive action inhibiting the contraction of the bladder and preventing urine loss. |
| US08972013B2 |
Using physiological sensor data with an implantable medical device
An implantable medical system includes an implantable medical device (IMD) and an electrode coupleable to the IMD. The electrode is operative to deliver a first electrical signal from the IMD to a neural structure. The system includes a sensor coupleable to the IMD. The sensor is operative to sense a physiological parameter. The physiological parameter may include at least one of a neurotransmitter parameter, a neurotransmitter breakdown product parameter, a neuropeptide parameter, a norepinephrine parameter, a glucocorticoid (GC) parameter, a neuromodulator parameter, a neuromodulator breakdown product parameter, an amino acid parameter, and a hormone parameter. The IMD includes a controller operative to change a parameter of the first electrical signal based upon at least one sensed physiological parameter to generate a second electrical signal and to apply the second electrical signal to the neural structure. |
| US08972012B2 |
Lead retention system for a pulse generator
An implantable medical pulse generator is disclosed herein. The pulse generator is for administering electrotherapy via an implantable medical lead having a lead connector end on a proximal end of the lead. The pulse generator includes a can and a header coupled to the can. The header includes a first lead connector end receiving receptacle and a retainer configured to secure the lead connector end within the first receptacle. The retainer includes a member and a first collar, which is coaxially aligned with the first receptacle. The first collar includes an inner circumferential surface and a gap in the inner circumferential surface. The inner circumferential surface extends generally continuous and unbroken between a first face of the gap and a second face of the gap. The member is configured such that acting on the member causes a gap distance between the first face of the gap and second face of the gap to decrease, thereby reducing an inner circumferential diameter of the first collar. |
| US08972009B2 |
Systems and methods for determining optimal interventricular pacing delays based on electromechanical delays
Techniques are provided for use with implantable medical devices such as pacemakers for optimizing interventricular (VV) pacing delays for use with cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). In one example, ventricular electrical depolarization events are detected within a patient in which the device is implanted. The onset of isovolumic ventricular mechanical contraction is also detected based on cardiomechanical signals detected by the device, such as cardiogenic impedance (Z) signals, S1 heart sounds or left atrial pressure (LAP) signals. Then, an electromechanical time delay (T_QtoVC) between ventricular electrical depolarization and the onset of isovolumic ventricular mechanical contraction is determined. VV pacing delays are set to minimize the time delay to the onset of isovolumic ventricular mechanical contraction. Various techniques for identifying the onset of isovolumic ventricular contraction based on Z, S1 or LAP or other cardiomechanical signals are described. In some examples, CRT nonresponders are specifically identified and/or heart failure progression is tracked. |
| US08972002B2 |
Remote closed-loop titration of decongestive therapy for the treatment of advanced heart failure
An apparatus comprises one or more physiological sensing circuits that generate a sensed physiological signal and at least one of the physiological sensing circuits is implantable, a measurement circuit configured to recurrently measure one or more physiological parameters that indicate a status of heart failure of the subject, a comparison circuit configured to compare the one or more physiological parameter measurements to one or more physiological parameter target values, a therapy circuit configured to control delivery of one or more drugs to treat heart failure, and a control circuit in electrical communication with the comparison circuit and the therapy circuit and configured to recurrently adjust delivery of drug therapy according to the comparison of the measured physiological parameters to the physiological parameter targets. |
| US08972000B2 |
Multi-function health monitor
A multi-function health monitor is capable of performing a resting 12-lead ECG test, an ECG stress test, a 24-hour Holter monitor evaluation and or a 30-day MCT monitoring. Using only 3 electrodes, the multifunction health monitor derives 6 channels (Limb leads & Augmented leads) of data with the noise cancellation (ground) effect of a virtual dynamic RL electrode. An electrode resistivity measurement system quantifies and may compensate for increasing resistance the electrodes and the patient that results from the length of time the electrodes are installed on a patient. |
| US08971999B2 |
Intra-oral scanner
An intra-oral scanner includes an optical output unit; an optical output control unit to rotate the optical output unit along a first reference axis or moves the optical output unit so as to control an emission position of the output light; an optical system to reflect the output light with the emission position controlled by the optical output control unit to a tooth or teeth being scanned; an optical system driving unit to rotate the optical system along a second reference axis so as to control a reflection angle of the output light; a guide; an optical sensing unit to sense the light reflected by the optical system and convert the sensed light into an electrical signal; and a data transmitting unit to transmit information to a three-dimensional data generating unit to generate a three-dimensional scanning model for the tooth or teeth being scanned. |
| US08971997B2 |
Non-contact infrared fiber-optic device for measuring temperature in a vessel
An infrared fiber-optic device is able to monitor esophageal temperature during an ablation/cryoablation procedure over a volume of interest to sense whether the temperature is too high or too low. The device may include a plurality of optical fibers each with a wide angle lens collectively disposed circumferentially and longitudinally to cover the volume of interest, as the particular region over which undesirable temperature may not be known beforehand. In other examples, the device may include an embedded array of infrared sensors extending sufficiently to encompass a volume of interest. The device may be used as part of a feedback control to regulate and stop operation of the ablation/cryoablation procedure to prevent vessel damage. |
| US08971993B2 |
Systems and methods for navigating a surgical device
Systems and methods are disclosed for navigating a surgical device toward a target organ in the body of a patient. An example method includes providing a surgical needle and a guide wire, the surgical needle configured for insertion into a vein or a beating heart. The method also includes holding the guide wire within the surgical needle while the surgical needle is inserted into the vein or the beating heart. The method also includes generating output in two modes, the output based on at least one medical positioning system (MPS) sensor on the guide wire, the output corresponding to a position of the surgical needle and the guide wire for navigating the surgical needle and the guide wire toward a target in the vein or the heart. The methods can be carried out directly by a physician or via a computer processor-based surgical system. |
| US08971992B2 |
Magnetic resonance imaging apparatus and control method thereof
A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus includes a collection unit which applies a uniform static magnetic field to a subject and also applies a radio-frequency magnetic field and a gradient magnetic field to the subject in accordance with a predetermined pulse sequence to collect a magnetic resonance signal from the subject, a imaging unit which images the subject based on the magnetic resonance signal collected by the collection unit, a detection unit which detects a respiratory level of the subject, an informing unit which informs the subject of whether the detected respiratory level falls within an allowable range, and a unit which controls the collection unit and the imaging unit in such a manner that the magnetic resonance signal for imaging is collected and the subject is imaged based on the thus collected magnetic resonance signal for imaging when the detected respiratory level falls within the allowable range. |
| US08971991B2 |
Supplemental transmission information for attenuation correction in positron emission tomography imaging
Supplemental transmission information is used in PET imaging with a hybrid PET/MR system. The magnetic field of the MR portion is used to direct positrons from one or more sources outside or inside the PET field of view to within the PET field of view. An oblique target or targets create an annihilation source within the PET field of view from the positron beam or beams. The resulting radiation may be detected. In combination with measurements made with the sources shielded (e.g., no positron beam-target annihilation sources), the attenuation or other characteristics outside the uniform region of the MR field of view is determined, such as calculating attenuation of arms of a patient for attenuation correction in PET imaging. |
| US08971988B2 |
Arrangement and method for influencing and/or detecting magnetic particles
The present invention relates to an arrangement and a method for influencing and/or detecting magnetic particles in a region of action, in particular for monitoring of intra-cerebral or intra-cranial bleeding using Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI). A common coupling unit per coil of a coil array is provided for coupling all signals for generating the magnetic fields to the set of common coils. Further, the same coils are used for acquiring detection signals. In this way a small scanner can be built that can be left permanently or can be provided periodically to the patient, in particular for bleeding monitoring. |
| US08971987B2 |
Subject information acquiring apparatus
A subject information acquiring apparatus includes a subject-holding member which holds a subject and a probe unit having a transducer which receives acoustic waves from the subject through the subject-holding member, a housing which accommodates the transducer, and a matching liquid-holding member configured to hold a matching liquid between the transducer and the subject-holding member, the probe unit being allowed to move relative to the subject-holding member. The probe unit has a guide which introduces the matching liquid to the subject-holding member, the matching liquid having been spilled from a space defined by the matching liquid-holding member, the transducer, and the subject-holding member onto the upper surface of the hosing and then flowed from the upper surface of the housing. |
| US08971986B2 |
Multi-modality medical image viewing
A medical imaging system (10) comprises one or more displays (66). A viewer device (86) generates an interactive user interface screen (80) on the display (66), which viewer device (86) enables a user to simultaneously inspect selected image data of multiple patients or multiple images. |
| US08971983B2 |
Disposable low-profile conformable biomedical sensor
A disposable, low profile biomedical sensor for detecting electrical signals from muscles and which consists of a framework of malleable and flexible component layers supporting an arrangement of conductor leads embedded within electrically conductive, adhesive, cross-linked hydrophilic polymer gel components configured to form signal detection and reference electrode contacts. The combination of component layers provides a sensor and lead cable that is flexible and can be contoured to conform to the underlying musculature. The mechanical and electrical configurations act in synergy to shield the sensor and lead cable from external electrical fields and suppress movement artifact. |