| Document | Document Title |
|---|---|
| US09704350B1 |
Musical combat game
A computerized technique for use with a game console, the technique including providing, using the game console, a combat video game that includes a weapon, providing, using the game console and an audiovisual system, music as a player plays the video game, analyzing, using the game console, at least one of i) the music, and ii) metadata relating to the music, to determine a property, and controlling the operation of the weapon, using the game console, as a function of the property. |
| US09704345B1 |
Single action betting system and method
A method and system are disclosed for placing a bet via the Internet on a computing device. The bet is placed by a player using the computing device and received by a backend system over a link using a single action methodology. |
| US09704343B2 |
Transient or persistent game play in wagering games
In at least some aspects, a method includes the acts of operating a wagering game with a player on a first game platform, suspending the wagering game operating on the first game platform at a game state, automatically authenticating the player at a second game platform different than the first game platform, resuming the wagering game from the game state on the second game platform, and operating the resumed wagering game with the player differently on the second game platform than on the first game platform, the second game platform having one or more different components than the first game platform to cause the wagering game to be operated differently on the second game platform than the first game platform. |
| US09704339B2 |
Slot machine game and system with improved jackpot feature
A system for awarding a progressive prize includes a bank of gaming machines accepting different bets per play as selected by a player. A random number is selected from a predetermined fixed range of numbers that does not change during play of a gaming machine. The player is allotted one or more numbers for each credit bet. The allotted numbers represent a subset of the predetermined fixed range of numbers. A feature game is triggered for the progressive prize based on a numerical comparison between the selected random number and the number(s) allotted to the player. Certain embodiments provide a trigger condition for a feature outcome based on an event having a probability related to credits bet per game at a gaming machine. A probability of success in the feature game may be higher than a probability of success in the base game. |
| US09704334B2 |
Lottery ring, lottery ring unit with lottery ring, game machine with lottery ring unit, control method of controlling computer used in game machine, and computer program
A lottery ring includes a first ring and a second ring that have a ring shape and are concentrically arranged so as to form a layer; and a constraining device that operates between a constraint state for constraining the first ring and the second ring such that the first ring and the second ring integrally rotate on the same center and a release state for releasing the constraint state such that the first ring and the second ring relatively rotate, wherein accommodating units that accommodate a physical lottery medium are provided at the first ring along a rotation direction, and information providing units that are arranged along the rotation direction so as to respectively correspond to the accommodating units through the layer, and associated respectively with predetermined information is provided at the second ring. |
| US09704333B2 |
Method of gaming, a game controller and a gaming system
A method of gaming at a gaming machine. The method includes designating a symbol display position of a plurality of symbol display positions as having a bonus symbol set applying to it for a game round, and selecting and displaying a symbol from the bonus symbol set at the designated symbol display position. The method also includes selecting symbols for display at the other symbol display positions from a base symbol set independently of the selection of the symbol from the bonus symbol set, and evaluating the symbols displayed at the plurality of symbol display positions to determine whether to make an award for the game round. |
| US09704331B2 |
Means for controlling payback percentage of gaming device
Embodiments of the present concept provide means to control the payback percentage of games being played on gaming devices. In one example, a gaming device includes a processor configured to initiate a payback-controlling event and determine a game outcome to display on the game display in response to a gaming event being initiated. Here, the determined game outcome is a payback-controlling outcome when the payback-controlling event satisfies the payback-controlling criterion, and the determined game outcome is a game outcome determined from the base-game paytable when the payback-controlling event does not satisfy the payback-controlling criterion. |
| US09704325B2 |
Cashbox with latch arrangement
A cashbox is provided with a movable latch that is driven by a banknote to a blocking position if an attempt to ‘phish’ a stacked banknote from the cashbox occurs. The latch arrangement is easily pivoted in one direction from a neutral position to a clear position during stacking of a banknote. If an attempt is made to ‘phish’ a stacked banknote, the banknote being “phished” causes rotation of the latch arrangement from the neutral position to a banknote inlet blocking position retaining the banknote in the cashbox. |
| US09704323B2 |
Coin discrimination apparatus
A coin discrimination apparatus capable of discriminating the denomination and authenticity of coins including bimetallic coins. A first coin detection sensor, located near a guide, obtains a physical characteristic of a peripheral part of a coin moved on a carrying path. A second coin detection sensor, located apart from the guide, obtains a physical characteristic about a central part of the coin. A third coin detection sensor, located on a downstream side of respect to the first sensor, obtains a physical characteristic about the peripheral part of a coin. A fourth coin detection sensor, located downstream of the second sensor and apart from the guide, obtains a physical characteristic about a central part of the coin. An additional physical characteristic about the peripheral part of the coin is obtained by cooperation of the second and third sensors when the coin reaches the third sensor. |
| US09704322B2 |
Money handling apparatus, money managing system, and money managing method
The present disclosure relates to a money handling apparatus including: a money storage unit configured to store money; a locking unit configured to limit access to the money storage unit; and a control unit configured to give unlock permission to unlock the locking unit to at least one of a plurality of qualified persons who are qualified to unlock the locking unit, and to perform a process involving change of the qualified person. |
| US09704321B1 |
Key device and associated method, computer program and computer program product
It is presented a key device comprising: a mechanical interface for mechanically maneuvering a lock device upon successful access control. The mechanical interface comprises a connector for powering the lock device and for communication with the lock device such that the lock device is able to perform electronic access control using the key device. The key device further comprises a clock; a memory; a radio communication module; and a controller arranged to, using the radio communication module communicate online with an access control device and use the memory as temporary storage for offline communication between the access control device and one or more lock devices. A corresponding method, computer program and computer program product are also presented. |
| US09704320B2 |
Intelligent door lock system with encryption
An intelligent door lock system is provided at a dwelling by a designated dwelling user. An intelligent door lock system has a remotely operable lock at a dwelling accessible by a user. A server is in communication with the intelligent door lock system. The server has a handshake key (Kh) with a key exchange that provides for a communication session between a mobile device and the intelligent door lock system, wherein the mobile device does not have the (Kh). A user mobile device is in communication with the server and uses a cipher to provide a secured communication between the mobile device and the intelligent door lock system. |
| US09704319B2 |
Real estate wireless lockbox
A system and method are described regarding a wireless lockbox that can be used to manage real estate sales tours. A system can include various owners and buyers that create a searchable real estate listing. Buyers can review the list via computing device, such as a smartphone, and request home tours. Owners can review requests and approve potential buyers to tour their property. When the potential buyer approaches the property, software on their computing device can communicate via Bluetooth, or another wireless network, and unlock the wireless lockbox. |
| US09704315B2 |
Contextual data delivery to other users at an electronic lockbox
An electronic lockbox system allows both sales agents and sales prospects to communicate either with the lockbox, or with the central clearinghouse computer. Contextual data then is provided to the sales prospect while the prospect is visiting a specific property that is the site of a lockbox installation. Both the agent and the prospect use smart devices, such as smart phones, that have both wide area network capability and low power radio capability. In other situations, contextual data can be sent to a user having a smart device, in which that contextual data pertains to at least one human occupant of the specific property where that lockbox has been installed, which can be useful where a medical caregiver arrives to visit a human occupant of a specific property that is protected by the electronic lockbox. |
| US09704312B2 |
Apparatus and methods for identity verification
An identity verification device comprises a cellular telecommunications modem and a fingerprint scanner coupled to the modem, the verification device being configured for storing first fingerprint data in an enrolment process and being operable, in response to the modem receiving a verification command via a cellular telecommunications network, to perform a verification process in which the fingerprint scanner scans a fingerprint to obtain second fingerprint data, the first and second fingerprint data are compared with each other, and in the event of a match between the first and second fingerprint data, the modem transmits a response signal to a predetermined destination via the telecommunications network. The device may be used in a networked telecommunications system in which the electronic transactions may be initiated by smart cards and other devices. |
| US09704310B2 |
Multi-mode vehicle computing device supporting in-cab and stand-alone operation
Techniques involving connecting an in-cab computing device to an onboard computing device mounted in a vehicle. Vehicle-related information may be communicated between the in-cab computing device and onboard computing device while the in-cab computing device is connected to the onboard computing device. Techniques involve facilitating disconnection of the in-cab computing device from the onboard computing device and operating the in-cab computing device in a stand-alone mode, and facilitating reconnection of the in-cab computing device to the onboard computing device to resume operations between the in-cab computing device and onboard computing device. |
| US09704307B2 |
Vehicle diagnostics apparatus, diagnostics unit and methods
A diagnostics unit (10) for detecting a noise, vibration, harshness (NVH) type fault observed by a user of a vehicle (90). The diagnostics unit (10) comprising: a stud type attachment means (20) for rigidly attaching the diagnostics unit (10) to a test component (30) of the vehicle (90), for example a transfer case (30). The diagnostics unit (10) also comprises an accelerometer (28a, 28b) for detecting a force of acceleration in at least one axial direction (‘X’). A power source (27) is provided within the diagnostics unit (10) along with a Bluetooth® data transmitter (25) for transmitting data gathered by the accelerometer (28a, 28b) of the diagnostics unit (10) to a computing device (50), such as a lap-top disposed within the vehicle (90). The data is analysed by the lap-top (50) to identify which component of the transfer case (30) (for example, gear, chain, bearing) is faulty. |
| US09704305B2 |
Method of predicting the future operation of a vehicle
A method for predicting the future operation of a vehicle is disclosed which uses stored data representative of commonly followed routes to predict the future operation of the vehicle for the current trip. By establishing that the route currently being followed is comparable to one of the commonly followed routes, information relating to that “common route” is then used to predict the future operation of the vehicle for the current trip. |
| US09704304B2 |
System for managing mining machinery, method for managing mining machinery, and dump truck
A management system for a mining machine on which tires are mounted and which travels in a mine by operation performed by a driver includes: a determination unit configured to determine whether or not a damaging operation damaging the tires has been carried out; a data acquisition unit configured to acquire damaging operation data indicating carrying out of the damaging operation, and one or both of driver identification data indicating a driver who has carried out the damaging operation and position data indicating a position of the mining machine on which the damaging operation has been carried out; and a data output unit configured to output association data containing the damaging operation data associated with one or both of the driver identification data and the position data. |
| US09704298B2 |
Systems and methods for generating 360 degree mixed reality environments
Systems and methods for generating a 360 degree mixed virtual reality environment that provides a 360 degree view of an environment in accordance with embodiments of the invention are described. In a number of embodiments, the 360 degree mixed virtual reality environment is obtained by (1) combining one or more real world videos that capture images of an environment with (2) a virtual world environment that includes various synthetic objects that may be placed within the real world clips. Furthermore, the virtual objects embedded within the 360 degree mixed reality environment interact with the real world objects depicted in the real world environment to provide a realistic mixed reality experience. |
| US09704292B2 |
Virtualized site survey systems and methods for cell sites
A virtual site survey method at a cell site utilizing three-dimensional (3D) models for remote performance includes obtaining a plurality of photographs of a cell site comprising one or more of a cell tower and one or more buildings and interiors thereof; subsequent to the obtaining, processing the plurality of photographs to define a three dimensional (3D) model of the cell site based on one or more objects of interest in the plurality of photographs; and remotely performing a site survey of the cell site utilizing a Graphical User Interface (GUI) of the 3D model to collect and obtain information about the cell site, the cell tower, the one or more buildings, and the interiors thereof. |
| US09704286B2 |
Information processing apparatus, method, and storage medium for generating a viewpoint independent map
An information processing apparatus acquires viewpoint information indicating a viewpoint for which rendering of a 3D scene is performed and generates, by a predetermined calculation, a viewpoint independent map for an object included in a rendering scope based on the acquired viewpoint information. And then the apparatus stores each pixel of the generated viewpoint independent map in association with a distance between an object corresponding to the pixel and the viewpoint indicated by the acquired viewpoint information. The apparatus does not perform the predetermined calculation in a case where a pixel of the viewpoint independent map for the object included in the rendering scope corresponding to the distance from the viewpoint indicated by the acquired viewpoint information is already stored. |
| US09704285B2 |
Detection of partially obscured objects in three dimensional stereoscopic scenes
System and methods for user interface elements for use within a 3D scene. The 3D scene may be presented by at least one display, which includes displaying at least one stereoscopic image of the 3D scene by the display(s). The 3D scene may be presented according to a first viewpoint. One or more user interface elements may be used. The 3D scene may be updated in response to the use of the user interface elements. |
| US09704282B1 |
Texture blending between view-dependent texture and base texture in a geographic information system
Systems and methods for rendering a view-dependent texture in conjunction with a three-dimensional model of a geographic area are provided. A view-dependent texture can be rendered in conjunction with at least portions of the three-dimensional model. A base texture can be rendered for portions of the three-dimensional model in the same field of view that are viewed from a slightly different perspective than a reference direction associated with the view-dependent texture. For instance, a stretching factor can be determined for each portion of the three-dimensional model based on the reference direction and a viewpoint direction associated with the portion of the three-dimensional model. A base texture, a view-dependent texture, or a blended texture can be selected for rendering at the portion of the three-dimensional model based on the stretching factor. |
| US09704281B2 |
Systems and methods for creation and sharing of selectively animated digital photos
A method of generating distributable and/or shareable selectively animated images comprising the steps of: (a) opening a client computer program, implemented as client computer program loaded on a mobile device; (b) capturing or accessing a video content; (c) using a user interface of the client computer program, a user drawing a path or region on an image frame from the video content to be animated (“animated region”), wherein the client computer program generated based on the animated region a mask, wherein the mask represents the static portion of a selectively animated image, and the mask is operable to mask underlying animated regions; and (d) the client computer program initiating, at the mobile device or via a server linked to the mobile device, the composition of a series of images including user selected animated regions, by rendering an animated image based on mask and the underlying masked animated regions. A computer program is provided for implementing the steps of the method, which may consist of a mobile application. The computer program may include a server application that cooperates with the mobile application for enabling the animated image composition processes and/or distribution and sharing of the animated images. A computer system is provided that includes a mobile device implementing the mobile application and optionally a server implementing the server application. |
| US09704277B2 |
Vectorized graph processing
An input graph is decomposed into a graph topology component and a graph properties component. A matrix representation is generated for each of the graph topology component and the graph properties component. Each of the graph topology matrix representation and graph properties matrix representation are partitioned into one or more sub-matrices. A forward pass comprising one or more vectorized operations is performed over the one or more sub-matrices. An output matrix is generated in response to the performing step. |
| US09704276B1 |
Enhancement and display methods for intuitively read three-dimensional visual representations of digital audio files
The proposed method creates a detailed, accurate, frequency and amplitude-based three-dimensional moving display of digital audio files. It adds timestamps, used later in the process to achieve accurate synchronization between a moving display and playback of the analyzed audio file. It details how the analyzed data is processed and enhanced to prominently show the most fundamental elements in the audio file. The method proposes different layouts for displays and ways of showing separate elements of the audio simultaneously. Upcoming audio is displayed in locations that allow viewers to anticipate and react to events about to happen. It introduces the temporal plane of playback for clearly showing the part of the moving display that corresponds to the exact part of the analyzed audio that is playing. The temporal plane of playback demonstrates the direct correlation with the audio and accurate synchronization between sound and picture. |
| US09704275B2 |
Dielectric encoding of medical images
Microwave imaging apparatus and method for completely imaging the human body (or portions thereof) in sufficient detail to render a timely and accurate medical diagnosis by trained medical professionals. The data conversion processes presented will not require physicians and radiologists to learn to use image data in a format they are not familiar with. Hounsfield encoded and/or MRI intensity encoded medical images in the DICOM format are provided from reconstructed dielectric images obtained from raw scattering data. This allows for the exchange of information created from microwave imaging techniques to be implemented with existing diagnostic tools and analysis techniques. Furthermore, methods are presented for converting image data with Hounsfield encoded units to an image with dielectric encoded units. |
| US09704273B2 |
Image processing device, method, and imaging device
An image processing device including: a color correction section that is input with an RGB signal, and performs color correction on the RGB signal; a YC conversion section that converts the color corrected RGB signal to a first brightness signal and a color difference signal; a Y conversion section that is input with the RGB signal, and generates a second brightness signal from the RGB signal; a processor configured to execute a process, the process including computing a ratio at which to combine the first brightness signal and the second brightness signal based on the RGB signal; and a combining section that combines the first brightness signal and the second brightness signal at the computed ratio. |
| US09704263B2 |
Methods of and apparatuses for identifying geological characteristics in boreholes
A method of detecting an edge of a geological characteristic in a borehole comprises, in respect of an image log of a length of a borehole, carrying out the steps of a gradient-based edge detection method, a phase congruence-based edge detection method or a combination of such methods as preliminary, pre-processing stages. Subsequent steps of the method may include operating a relatively computationally simple process to identify sinusoids among detected edge features; and a relatively computationally complex process for parameterizing the thus-identified sinusoids. |
| US09704261B2 |
Image segmentation processing method and apparatus
Embodiments of the present invention provide an image processing method and apparatus, where the method includes: determining a Gaussian mixture model of a first area in a first image, where the first area belongs to a background area of the first image, and the first image is a first frame of image in a video; determining a distance from a first pixel in a second image to the Gaussian mixture model; and when the distance from the first pixel to the Gaussian mixture model is less than or equal to a first preset threshold, determining that the first pixel belongs to a background area of the second image. In the embodiments of the present invention, an area to which a pixel belongs can be directly determined according to a distance from the pixel to a Gaussian mixture model, so that image foreground segmentation can be completed efficiently. |
| US09704259B2 |
People counting device and people counting method
A people counting device includes an edge extracting unit configured to extract an edge from a planar image of a target area, and a circle candidate detecting unit configured to detect a circle candidate included in the planar image based on the edge extracted by the edge extracting unit. The people counting device further includes a person determining unit configured to calculate a brightness gradient for each edge pixel constituting an edge of each circle candidate detected by the circle candidate detecting unit and determine that a circle candidate whose uniformity of brightness gradients for the edge pixels of the circle candidate is higher than a reference is a person's head portion, and a people counting unit configured to count the number of circle candidates determined to be a person's head portion by the person determining unit. |
| US09704252B2 |
Method and apparatus for disparity estimation
A method for hierarchical disparity estimation on an image pair, wherein image pyramids are created by successively downscaling each image of the image pair, and an apparatus configured to perform the method are described. An initial disparity estimator applies a full search on a highest level of the image pyramids to determine initial disparity estimates, the highest level having the lowest resolution. A disparity propagator passes the initial disparity estimates to a next lower level of the image pyramids. An allocator then partitions the pixels of each remaining hierarchy level of the image pyramids into two or more groups of pixels, where each pixel in a group of pixels can be processed independently from remaining pixels of that group of pixels. A disparity estimator estimates disparity values for the pixels of a first group of pixels utilizing disparity estimates from a next higher level of the image pyramids. The disparity estimator further estimates disparity values for the pixels of remaining groups of pixels utilizing disparity estimates from a previously processed group of pixels in that hierarchy level. |
| US09704249B2 |
Method and system for object reconstruction
A system for object reconstruction includes an illuminating unit, comprising a coherent light source and a generator of a non-periodic pattern. A diffractive optical element (DOE) is disposed in an optical path of illuminating light propagating from the illuminating unit toward an object, thereby projecting the non-periodic pattern onto an object. An imaging unit detects a light response of an illuminated region and generating image data indicative of the object within the projected pattern. A processor reconstructs a three-dimensional (3D) map of the object responsively to a shift of the pattern in the image data relative to a reference image of the pattern. |
| US09704247B2 |
Information processing method and system
An identification code-based three-dimensional interactive technique includes acquiring an image including an identification-coded real object, the image being taken by video-capable equipment, identifying an identification code from the identification-coded real object, obtaining object information corresponding to the identification code, acquiring a reference image associated with the identification code and feature points of the reference image, obtaining a position, an orientation, or a combination thereof on the video-capable equipment relative to the identification-coded real object based on the reference image and the feature points of the reference image, and conducting a three-dimensional interaction based on the position, the orientation, or a combination thereof of the video-capable equipment relative to the identification-coded real object and the object information corresponding to the identification code. |
| US09704244B2 |
Localisation and mapping
A method generates a three-dimensional map of a region from successive images captured from different camera poses. The method includes a camera capturing images of the region; designating a subset of captured images as a set of keyframes each having respective sets of image position data representing image positions of landmark points detected as feature points in that image; for a newly captured image, generating a camera pose prediction; selecting an ordering of the landmark points; detecting whether an image region of the new image approximately matches an expected image position of a landmark point based on the predicted camera pose by detecting whether the image region is substantially identical to the image information associated with that landmark point; and refining the pose prediction from the detecting step. The selecting includes performing a statistical test on the landmark points and selecting the ordering according to the statistical test results. |
| US09704243B2 |
Matching patient images and images of an anatomical atlas
A matching transformation is determined for matching a patient image set of images of an anatomical body structure of a patient with an atlas image set of images of a general anatomical structure including anatomical atlas elements. Atlas spatial information containing spatial information on the general anatomical structure, and element representation information are obtained. The element representation information describes representation data sets which contain information on representations of the plurality of atlas elements in the atlas images to be determined are obtained, and also describes a determination rule for determining respective representation data sets for respective atlas elements in accordance with different respective parameter sets. Patient data is acquired by acquiring the patient image set and the parameter sets which are respectively associated with the images of the patient image set. The matching transformation is determined by matching images associated with the same parameter set to each other. |
| US09704242B2 |
Dynamic image processing apparatus and computer-readable recording medium for providing diagnosis support
An image processing apparatus includes: a storage unit configured to store corresponding information in which one or more images of one or more frame images included in a dynamic image and one or more calculation middle images generated from two or more frame images included in the dynamic image relative to the single pixel region for each pixel region including one or more pixels in a calculation result image having the statistic obtained by the calculation for a medical dynamic image as each pixel value; a specification unit configured to specify the one or more pixel regions in the calculation result image; and a determination unit configured to determine one or more output images based on one or more images corresponding to the one or more pixel regions specified by the specification unit in the corresponding information. |
| US09704238B2 |
Method for correcting position measurements for optical errors and method for determining mask writer errors
A method for correcting optical errors occurring in coordinates of positions of a plurality of targets measured via an imaging system comprising a field of view. The plurality of targets includes a first array of targets and a second array of targets overlapping the first array of targets, and a portion of the plurality of targets are outside of the field of view. The method broadly includes the following steps: a) placing the first array of targets in the field of view of the imaging system; b) measuring coordinates of each target within the first array of targets repeatedly via the imaging system; c) placing the second array of targets in the field of view of the imaging system; d) measuring coordinates of each target within the second array of targets repeatedly via the imaging system; e) determining an alignment function from the measurement results of step b, step d, or steps b and d, the alignment function being a function of coordinates of the field of view of the imaging system and giving an additive correction for optical errors of the coordinates of positions of the plurality of targets measured by the imaging system; f) correcting the coordinates of the positions of the plurality of targets measured by the imaging system by adding the respective value of the alignment function at the field-of-view coordinates at which the coordinates of the position of the respective target were measured; and, g) obtaining a final result for the position of each target of the plurality of targets by averaging over the corrected coordinates found in step f for the respective target at each relative position of the plurality of targets and field of view of the imaging system. |
| US09704237B2 |
Measuring method and measuring device
A measuring unit (301) acquires measurement data for a plurality of lines by repeatedly executing, on a reference tire, a measurement process to acquire measurement data for one line. A first acquisition unit (311) generates height data for one line for each of the plurality of sets of measurement data measured by the measuring unit (301), arranges the generated plurality of values of one-dimensional height data into a matrix form, generates two-dimensional height data for the measured face, and generates reference shape data. A second acquisition unit (314) acquires object one-dimensional height data from one-line shape data measured by the measuring unit (301) for the object tire. The measuring method and measuring device are characterized in that a removal unit (315) compares the object one-dimensional height data and the one-dimensional height data of the reference shape data at the same position in the sub-scan direction for the object one-dimensional height data, and removes, from the object one-dimensional height data, the height component of the projection. |
| US09704236B2 |
Detecting printing effects
A method for detecting printing defects includes, with a physical computing system, creating a matched reference image from a digital image, colors of said matched reference image being closer matched to a scanned image of said digital image. The method further includes, with said physical computing system, determining a color difference between corresponding points on said matched reference image and said scanned image; and with said physical computing system, identifying points that have said color distance greater than a predefined threshold as potential defects. |
| US09704235B2 |
Semiconductor inspection system
When the lengths of FEM wafers are automatically measured, not only the sizes of targets, the lengths of which are to be measured, are often varied from those in registration, but also the patterns of the targets are often deformed. Therefore, it is difficult to automatically determine whether the length measurement is possible or not. Therefore, the following are executed with a semiconductor inspection system: (1) a process of identifying the position of the contour line of an inspected image using a distance image calculated from a reference image, (2) a process of calculating a defect size image based on the position of the contour line with respect to the identified distance image, and detecting a defect candidate from the defect size image, and (3-1) a process of, upon detection of the defect candidate, calculating the size of the detected defect candidate, or (3-2) a process of detecting a portion different between the first and second contour lines as the defect candidate. |
| US09704234B2 |
Adaptive local threshold and color filtering
Methods and systems for detecting defects on a wafer using adaptive local thresholding and color filtering are provided. One method includes determining local statistics of pixels in output for a wafer generated using an inspection system, determining which of the pixels are outliers based on the local statistics, and comparing the outliers to the pixels surrounding the outliers to identify the outliers that do not belong to a cluster of outliers as defect candidates. The method also includes determining a value for a difference in color between the pixels of the defect candidates and the pixels surrounding the defect candidates. The method further includes identifying the defect candidates that have a value for the difference in color greater than or equal to a predetermined value as nuisance defects and the defect candidates that have a value for the difference in color less than the predetermined value as real defects. |
| US09704232B2 |
Stereo vision measurement system and method
A method for automatic, stereo vision based, in-line solder ball height and substrate coplanarity inspection includes providing an imaging setup together with an imaging processor for reliable, in-line solder ball height measurement. The imaging set up includes a pair of cameras mounted at two opposing angles with ring lighting around each camera lens, which allows the capture of two images of an electronics package in parallel. The lighting generates features on solder balls located on a substrate of the electronics package, which are then used to determine height. Specifically, points with the same intensity on each solder ball surface are grouped, which allows for the formation of curves, also known as iso-contours, which are then matched between the two views. An optimized triangulation is then performed to determine the height of each one of the solder balls. |
| US09704231B1 |
Measuring and visualizing impact of image modifications
Implementations relate to visualizing and measuring impact of image modifications. In some implementations, a method to measure and indicate impact of image modification includes applying an edit operation to a first image, including modifying one or more pixels of the first image to provide a modified image. The method determines an impact score associated with the edit operation and indicative of a degree of visual impact of the edit operation to the first image. The method provides, based on the impact score, the modified image in a visualization of image modification for the first image, and provides the visualization for display by a display device. |
| US09704221B2 |
Image processing apparatus and image processing method
An image processing apparatus includes an input unit to input image data. A first correction unit performs a first type of correction for the input image data, based on a result of analysis of the image data. A storage unit stores the corrected image data. A second correction unit performs a first type of manual correction for the stored image data using a correction parameter in accordance with a user instruction. A third correction unit performs a second type of correction for the input image data, based on a result of analysis of the image data in a case when a second type of correction instruction based on an image analysis is input, after the first type of manual correction is performed by the second correction unit. The second type of correction is different from the first type of correction. |
| US09704217B2 |
Apparatus and method for non-uniform frame buffer rasterization
An apparatus and method are described for a non-uniform rasterizer. For example, one embodiment of an apparatus comprises: a graphics processor to process graphics data and render images using the graphics data; and a non-uniform rasterizer within the graphics processor to determine different resolutions to be used for different regions of an image, the non-uniform rasterizer to receive a plurality of polygons to be rasterized and to responsively rasterize the polygons in accordance with the different resolutions. |
| US09704216B1 |
Dynamic size adjustment of rendered information on a display screen
Provided herein in some embodiments is an apparatus including a rendered information-adjustment module configured to cooperate with a display interface to dynamically size-adjust rendered information displayed on the display screen, a distance module, a vision properties module, and a display modification module. The distance module can be configured to periodically determine a facial proximity to the display screen for the user in accordance with a periodic algorithm. The vision properties module can be configured to collect vision properties and store the vision properties in a vision record for the user. The display modification module can be configured to determine a direction and a magnitude for adjusting the rendered information to a new size. The periodic algorithm conserves the battery power by periodically invoking the one or more facial proximity sensors, which, in turn, reduces otherwise continuous battery power-draining size adjustments to the rendered information on the display screen. |
| US09704215B2 |
Display device and method for controlling panel self refresh operation thereof
A display device includes a source unit; and a sink unit connected with the source unit via an embedded display port interface for signal transmission between the source and sink units and to enable a panel self refresh (PSR) mode for reducing power, wherein, for an input still image, the source unit applies power to a frame buffer of the sink unit and transmits the still image to the sink unit, wherein the sink unit determines whether the still image can be losslessly compressed and stored in the frame buffer, outputs a first control signal if the still image can be losslessly compressed and stored in the frame buffer, and outputs a second control signal if the still image cannot be losslessly compressed and stored, and wherein the source unit activates the PSR mode for the first control signal, and deactivates the PSR mode for the second control signal. |
| US09704208B2 |
System and method for accessing healthcare appointments from multiple disparate sources
Healthcare appointment information system and method enabling a patient to manage multiple accounts with third party sources through a single account. A user account is created for storing individual user healthcare data such as user preferences (e.g., Monday morning appointments or willingness to be placed on waiting lists), user names and passwords (for accessing third-party sources), contact information (phone, email, text), insurance plans, gender, age, medications, existing appointments and other healthcare information enabling the system to book an appointment on behalf of the patient on one or more availability sources. In addition to booking on the patient's behalf, the account information also enables patient communications with the various sources to be conducted through the system. For example, notifications from other availability sources can be transmitted through the system, which may reformat the message and communicate the reformatted message to the patient. The patient response may then be transmitted via the system to the source. These communications or their content may also be used to update the user account information. |
| US09704207B2 |
Administering medical digital images in a distributed medical digital image computing environment with medical image caching
Administering medical digital images including receiving a request for an image processing transaction to process the medical digital image; storing the medical image in one or more medical image caches; creating a medical image business object representing the business transaction; storing the medical image business object in the medical image metadata database; selecting, in dependence upon workflow selection rules and the attributes of the medical image business object, one or more clinical workflows to process the medical image; processing the medical image of the request with the clinical workflows, thereby creating a resultant business object and resultant medical image; routing the resultant medical image to a destination. |
| US09704206B2 |
System, method, and apparatus for settlement for participation in an electric power grid
Systems, methods, and apparatus embodiments for electric power grid and network registration and management of physical and financial settlement for participation of active grid elements in supply and/or curtailment of power, wherein Internet Protocol (IP)-based messages including IP packets are generated by transforming raw data content into settlement grade content. Settlement is provided for grid elements that participate in the electric power grid following initial registration of each grid element with the system, preferably through network-based communication between the grid elements and a coordinator, either in coordination with or outside of an IP-based communications network router. Messaging related to settlement is managed through a network by a Coordinator using IP messaging for communication with the grid elements, with the energy management system (EMS), and with the utilities, market participants, and/or grid operators. |
| US09704204B2 |
Methods and systems for tagging data in a network
Methods and systems for automatically tagging data are disclosed. A method includes capturing, by using an image capturing device, an image for processing. The method also includes extracting, by a data extraction device, data from the image by applying predefined rules. The method further includes determining, by a tagging device, a first identifier based on the extracted data. The method also includes associating, by a tagging device, the first identifier with the image for uniquely identifying the image. The method includes publishing, by a data publishing device, the image and the first identifier through a social media website being accessed computing device(s) based on a publishing setting defined by the user. |
| US09704202B1 |
Blending device-based recommendations
A method is provided for blending device-based recommendations. A request is received from a device to recommend a group activity for a plurality of individuals. A plurality of device user profiles is accessed, each device user profile associated with one of the individuals. At least one group activity is recommended based on applying a plurality of rules to the device user profiles. The at least one recommended group activity is output to the device. |
| US09704201B2 |
Method and system for detecting uninsured motor vehicles
A video sequence can be continuously acquired at a predetermined frame rate and resolution by an image capturing unit installed at a location. A video frame can be extracted from the video sequence when a vehicle is detected at an optimal position for license plate recognition by detecting a blob corresponding to the vehicle and a virtual line on an image plane. The video frame can be pruned to eliminate a false positive and multiple frames with respect to a similar vehicle before transmitting the frame via a network. A license plate detection/localization can be performed on the extracted video frame to identify a sub-region with respect to the video frame that are most likely to contain a license plate. A license plate recognition operation can be performed and an overall confidence assigned to the license plate recognition result. |
| US09704200B2 |
Itemization system with automated photography
Systems and methods for implementing itemization systems with automated photography are disclosed. An itemization task may include an itemization process and a photography process that uses a first camera set to a first field of view and a second camera set to a second field of view to take a first and second photo of an item undergoing itemization. The first and second cameras automatically take photos of the item based on user input during an itemization process. The first and second cameras remain stationary and do not require repositioning or refocusing when a new item is itemized. The itemization process may be performed using 10-key input. |
| US09704199B1 |
Insurance premium gap analysis
A method and apparatus for determining the amount of premium, policies, or quotations needed to improve market share in various geographic locations based on user selected criteria. The method comprises calculating a total estimated expenditure on insurance by zip code, an estimated market share for an insurance provider by zip code, a year-to-date sale-to-quote ratio by zip code, and finally the amount of premiums, policies, or quotations needed to achieve a market share in a zip code. The method and apparatus will also display or output demographic data, market data, insurance provider information, and calculated amounts of premiums, policies, or quotations needed to achieve a market share in a given zip code. |
| US09704194B2 |
Method and system to generate a listing in a network-based commerce system
Generating a listing in a network-based commerce system Listing identification data is received from a user, and listing data associated with the listing, based on the listing identification data, is retrieved. Thereafter, a listing is generated that is at least partially based on the listing data tier posting on the network-based commerce system. In one embodiment, the user may edit the listing data prior to the listing being posted. The network-based commerce system may include a database of listing data associated with at least one of movies, music, games, books and motor vehicles. In one embodiment, the proposed listing comprises a plurality of check boxes each of which is associated with an attribute of the listing and the system automatically, without human intervention, checks attributes based on the listing data. The editing by the user may include the user selecting one or more of the check boxes. |
| US09704188B1 |
Method and apparatus of creating electronic forms to include internet list data
A method and apparatus are disclosed that create an electronic form based on table data provided by Internet searching operations. One example may include determining at least one search term, querying, via a server, information provided by at least one network based on the search term, and copying at least one data table resulting from the information discovered during the querying operation. Additional operations may include parsing the at least one data table and storing the information in the server, displaying the data table to an end user so that the end user may select whether the data table should be included in the electronic form, and providing the user with the option to select and edit the contents of the data table. Upon the user's approval the data table may be copied into the electronic form. |
| US09704186B1 |
Aggregator application app for a mobile electronic device
A mobile electronic device is described that is configured to upload a commercial application to a centralized server. In an implementation, the mobile electronic device includes a memory, and a processor communicatively coupled to the memory. The mobile electronic device also includes an aggregator module stored in memory and executable by the processor. The module is also configured to instruct the processor to aggregates the product information with applicant information to generate a commercial application relating to the product, the commercial application comprising an application for services from at least one a lending entity, an insurance entity, or a third-party service entity. The module is also configured to instruct the processor to cause transmission of the commercial application to a central server. The commercial application is accessible to the at least one of the lending entity, the insurance entity, or the third-party service entity. |
| US09704185B2 |
Product recommendation using sentiment and semantic analysis
In an approach to determine a product rating a computer receives a user request for a product rating. The computer retrieves from on-line sources, product information on the product and analyzes the product information to determine a first product rating. The analysis includes at least a sentiment, and a trend of the sentiment. The approach includes a computer identifying products similar to the product and retrieving from on-line sources product information on similar products. A computer extracts comments on the product from the similar product information and determines an adjustment to the first product rating based on an analysis of the comments and references to the product in the similar product information. The adjustment to the first product rating includes using a sentiment, a trend of the sentiment over time, and a frequency of comments and references to the product over time in the retrieved plurality of similar product information. |
| US09704180B2 |
Distribution device, terminal device, distribution method, and non-transitory computer readable storage medium
A distribution device according to the present application includes a distribution unit. The distribution unit distributes control information to a terminal device. The control information causes the terminal device to execute a detection procedure of detecting a position where a moving operation to move first content being displayed by the terminal device has been performed, and a display procedure of superimposing and displaying second content on the first content, based on the position detected by the detection procedure. For example, the display procedure causes the terminal device to execute processing of displaying, as second content, advertising content that allows an access to a web page provided by an advertiser, when the advertising content is selected by a user of the terminal device. |
| US09704178B2 |
Customizable sequence of content
A request for customized content may be received. Which content portion in a sequence of the customized content to provide may be determined based on state information regarding previous content interactions by a user of the client device. A next content portion in the sequence may then be provided based on that determination. Multiple different sequences may exist such that one of the sequences may be selected to be provided for a given user and/or client device. An effectiveness of the different sequences may be evaluated. |
| US09704176B2 |
Methods and apparatus to determine efficiencies of media delivery across platforms
Methods and apparatus to determine efficiencies of media delivery across platforms are disclosed. An example method includes measuring, with a sensor, first neuro-response data from a person when exposed to media output via a first media delivery platform type. Measuring second neuro-response data from the person when exposed to media output via a second media delivery platform type, different than the first media delivery platform type. Accessing a first and second performance metric for the respective media delivery platform type, the performance metrics based on a first and second reach of the respective media delivery platform types with respect to a target group of audience members. Accessing a first and second effectiveness metric for the respective media delivery platform types, the effectiveness metric based on the respective neuro-response data. Rating at least one of the first or second media delivery platform types based on the first and the second platform metrics. |
| US09704174B1 |
Conversion of loyalty program points to commerce partner points per terms of a mutual agreement
A computer converts a first quantity of loyalty program points of a loyalty program possessed by a member held in a first account to a second quantity of different loyalty program points possessed by the member held in a second account in accordance with a fixed ratio. The loyalty program points and the different loyalty program points are non-fungible, non-negotiable units of exchange. A mutual agreement exists between program operators to permit the conversion. Responsive to the converting: the first quantity of loyalty program points is subtracted from the first account; the second quantity of different loyalty program points is added to the second account; and the entity compensates the commerce partner in accordance with mutual agreement. A transformation results in the different loyalty program points that are subject to terms, conditions, or restrictions of the different loyalty program and not of the loyalty program. |
| US09704171B2 |
Methods and systems for quantifying and tracking software application quality
A computer-implemented method and system for quantifying and tracking software application quality based on aggregated user reviews. |
| US09704169B2 |
Digital publication monitoring by geo-location
A digital publication monitoring by geo-location is disclosed. A server system obtains publication information from one or more server devices of one or more publication data providers, for example, via respective APIs of the publication data providers. The publication information includes geo-location data. The server system stores the publication information in a database in association with the geo-location data. The server system authenticates a client and receives a query initiated by the client. The query indicates a geo-location or a geo-region of interest. The server system references the database to retrieve applicable publication information based on and responsive to the query for the geo-location or geo-region of interest. The server system responds to the query by initiating a response to the client containing response information that includes or is based on the retrieved publications for the geo-location or geo-region of interest. |
| US09704168B2 |
Method and system for implementing profiles for an enterprise business application
Methods and systems for implementing extensible profiles for enterprise applications. Users of the system are able to continuously extend their contact model by adding additional attributes or by adding related custom objects over a period of time. This permits the users of the system to adapt to changing circumstances and needs. Web services are able to perform operations on the extended attributes and objects through the use of profile adapters. Some embodiments also provide the ability to capture data from various sources, such as web surveys, data imports, and web services and write it to the extended attributes/objects. |
| US09704165B2 |
Systems and methods for determining value of social media pages
Systems and methods for evaluating the effectiveness of social media pages. Users of social media systems review and publish various kinds of content on social media pages, including various messages, audio clips, video clips, polls, web links, etc. A social media page evaluation system hosted on a physical server or a cloud receives a social media page that is to be evaluated, and provides results of an evaluation process. The evaluation process involves processing of various criteria and parameters that characterize engagements and interactions between users of social media pages. Results of an evaluation process include qualitative and quantitative attributes in connection with evaluating the effectiveness of published content on social media pages. Such results are useful for purposes of enriching content in social media pages, resulting in greater network traffic due to increased engagements and interaction among users of social media pages. |
| US09704163B2 |
Secondary market for gift cards where secondary market transactions do not physically transfer the same gift card between a seller and a purchaser
A secondary entity can purchase a gift card from a card holder. The secondary entity can extract complete information including identification and access information from the gift card and store this information on a database. The physical artifact of the gift card can then be optionally discarded or recycled. This information including the credit value can then be sold independent of the physical artifact (e.g., original gift card object) within the secondary market. When sold, the specific information for the original gift card is extracted from the database and programmed into a new artifact (i.e., blank gift card), which may be at a different location as the original gift card. For example, the credit value can be made accessible from a different physical artifact, which can be physically conveyed to a value purchaser. This different physical artifact can be utilized in the same manner as the original gift card. In one embodiment, the secondary entity can be remunerated for facilitating the transactions between the card holder and the value purchaser. |
| US09704160B2 |
Trusted execution environment for transport layer security key pair associated with electronic commerce and card not present transactions
According to some embodiments, a requesting application executing on a mobile device may request a transport layer security key pair in connection with a payment transaction. Responsive to the request, a trusted execution environment client of the mobile device may route a request to a payment application executing in a secure trusted execution environment of the mobile device. It may then be arranged, within the secure trusted execution environment, to create the transport layer security key pair and provide key pair to the requesting application. Moreover, in some embodiments, the mobile device may transmit payment transaction information to an access control server and receive a request for biometric authentication. It may then be arranged for hardware within the mobile device to biometrically authenticate a user of the mobile device. |
| US09704159B2 |
Purchase transaction system with encrypted transaction information
Systems and methods are provided for securing payment card information. A user may present a payment card such as a credit card to point-of-sale equipment. The point-of-sale equipment may use a symmetric key to encrypt payment card information associated with the payment card. The symmetric key may be encrypted at the point-of-sale equipment using the identity-based-encryption (IBE) public key of a purchase transaction processor to produce a key transfer block. The key transfer block and the encrypted payment card information may be conveyed from the point-of-sale equipment to the purchase transaction processor over a communications network. At the purchase transaction processor, an IBE private key may be used to recover the symmetric key from the key transfer block. The symmetric key can be used to decrypt the encrypted payment card information for processing and re-encryption using a key associated with the purchase transaction processor. |
| US09704157B1 |
System and method for a mobile wallet
A computer-implemented method includes receiving a request for a code to provide to a merchant, the code being generated for the merchant to display to an account holder, generating the code, including embedding in the code a transaction identification number, a geographic location of the merchant, a timestamp, sending the code to the merchant for displaying to a mobile device to scan, receiving an amended code from the mobile device to transfer funds to the merchant from an account held by the account holder, and sending the requested funds to the merchant upon verifying a geographic location of the mobile device is within a predetermined distance of the geographic location of the merchant. |
| US09704156B2 |
Mobile secure element based shared cardholder verification
In a payment-enabled smartphone, a shared cardholder verification method (CVM) applet serves a number of mobile payment cardlets. The shared CVM applet validates CVM information input by a user of the smartphone and in response issues a CVM token. The CVM token is passed to a particular one of the mobile payment cardlets that is selected for a current transaction. The selected mobile payment cardlet submits the CVM token back to the shared CVM applet for verification. Upon verifying the CVM token, the shared CVM applet enables the selected mobile payment cardlet to perform the current transaction. |
| US09704151B2 |
Systems and methods for mobile application, wearable application, transactional messaging, calling, digital multimedia capture and payment transactions
A method for facilitating mobile device payments, multimedia capture, calling, and messaging may include providing a payment, multimedia capture, calling, and messaging interface on a display of a mobile and wearable device and sensing a haptic input of the user via the haptic control. In response to the haptic input, a cloud-based application associated with the mobile and wearable device may be activated. The haptic input may be analyzed to determine a duration of the haptic input. Based on the duration of the haptic input, an operation may be selected from the list of predetermined operations to be performed by the cloud-based application. The predetermined operations include at least a payment operation, a multimedia capture operation, a calling operation, and a messaging operation. The method may include operably connecting the mobile and wearable device to a cloud storage. Upon selection of the predetermined operation, the predetermined operation may be performed. |
| US09704150B2 |
Automatic gain control sub-circuit management
Aspects of the subject disclosure provide a reader device for managing operation of an automatic gain control (AGC) sub-circuit on a host device computing device. In some implementations, a reader device of the subject technology can include a controller, a noise generator, noise coupling circuitry, and a 3.5 mm audio plug including an audio bus that is configured for insertion into a headphone port of a host device, such as a smart phone or tablet computer. Upon connection of the reader device to the host computing device, the reader device can provide an intentional noise signal to the host device via a signal path where the intentional noise signal is configured to establish a substantially stable gain amount at the AGC sub-circuit. |
| US09704147B2 |
Method and system for authorizing access to goods and/or services and corresponding access voucher
A method for authorizing access to goods and services, including issuing an access voucher by a voucher issuing device, the access voucher having identification of the goods and services and an identification of the point of sale, presenting the access voucher to a reading device of the point of sale, transferring the identification of the goods and services and the identification of the point of sale by the reading device to a processing device of the point of sale, the processing device having access to a database with stored identification of goods and services and to a database with stored identification of the point of sale, comparing the transferred identification of goods and services and the transferred identification of the point of sale by the processing device with the stored identification of the goods and services and the stored identification of the point of sale, and authorizing access to the goods if the identification matches. |
| US09704146B1 |
Generating an online storefront
Method, systems, and apparatus for generating a storefront for a merchant, comprising: receiving a single indication to generate an online storefront for a point of sale system of the merchant, where the point of sale system includes inventory data of a plurality of items for sale; identifying the plurality of items for sale from the inventory data from point of sale system; and generating one or more resources for each item of the plurality of items for sale, where the one or more resources include details of the item, where the details are obtained from the inventory data, where the one or more resources are accessible from a web domain. |
| US09704143B2 |
Cryptographic currency for securities settlement
The present disclosure is directed to security settlement in financial markets and cryptographic currencies. Particular portions of the present disclosure are directed to a cryptographic currency protocol and to a cryptographic currency that includes a positional item. The cryptographic currency protocol supports a virtual wallet that, in various embodiments, is a security and cash account for storing and managing the cryptographic currency. Opening a transaction via the virtual wallet to transfer the cryptographic currency is a strong guarantee of the availability of funds in the virtual wallet because, e.g., funds are not transacted unless the commit phase is successful. |
| US09704136B2 |
Identifying subsets of signifiers to analyze
Identifying a subset of signifiers to analyze can include determining a set of distance metrics between a first signifier and each of a plurality of second signifiers, identifying a subset of the plurality of second signifiers to analyze based on the set of distance metrics using a computing device, and determining a relation between the subset of the plurality of second signifiers and the first signifier based a subset of the set of distance metrics. |
| US09704133B2 |
System and method for evaluating journal
A system and a method for objectively evaluating qualitative levels of academic journals in the field of science and engineering are disclosed. The system for evaluating journals includes: a winner or member's paper database which includes information of papers published by a researcher who is awarded a prize or elected to a member of the academy in the field of science and engineering; a journal database which includes information of papers published in journals to be evaluated; a winner or member's paper ratio evaluation section which calculates a winner or member's paper ratio for the journals by using the information of papers of the journal database and the information of papers of the winner or member's paper database; and a journal evaluation section which evaluates a degree of contribution of the journals in awarding the prize or electing to the member of the academy from the winner or member's paper ratio calculated by the winner or member's paper ratio evaluation section. |
| US09704130B2 |
Standard based mapping of industry vertical model to legacy environments
A standard based mapping of industry vertical models to legacy environments to suggest points of enterprise application integration. A representation of a first domain comprising industry model instance data is generated in a standard-based format from an enterprise industry model. A representation in the standard-based format of a second domain comprising legacy data is generated from the legacy environment. A set of inference rules is applied against the representation of enterprise industry model instance data and the representation of legacy data. One or more candidate legacy assets in the representation of legacy data capable of implementing an aspect of the enterprise industry model are identified. The identified one or candidate legacy assets for implementing the aspect of the enterprise industry model are then recommended to a user. |
| US09704125B2 |
Multi-level distribution planning
Systems and methods are described herein that provide multi-level distribution planning utilizing simplified inventory movements to simplify the distribution planning process for inventory movements that include cross-docking while identifying cross-docked inventory to the cross-dock locations to prevent unnecessary handling. A simplified inventory movement is constructed that represents a multi-level route as a single movement from source to destination with an associated lead time that includes all time-related factors that arise in moving the inventory from the source through the cross-dock locations to the destination. The simplified inventory movement is provided to distribution planning solutions and the distribution planning solutions treat the multi-level route in the same manner as a single level route having the same source, destination, and lead time. This simplifies the distribution planning process and prevents the inventory from being re-allocated by the distribution planning solutions. |
| US09704114B1 |
Systems and methods for recording defects
Disclosed are various systems, methods, and other embodiments for processing and recording defects. In one embodiment, an application is executed in a server that processes and records defects detected by a user at a receiving station client. Based on a retrieved vendor profile, the application selects an inspection sequence for a user to execute. The inspection sequence is selected based on a history of defects specified in the vendor profile. The application also determines whether supervision is needed based on the performance of the user. |
| US09704111B1 |
Electronic transcription job market
A system for transcription is controlled and optimized by computer software which implements a competitive market for jobs is presented. Jobs are characterized by type, deadline, domain, difficulty, pay rate, customer and other factors. Editors are given credentials to perform jobs based on a complex of editor and job characteristics, and all editors qualified for a given job may then perform actions to preview and to claim the job. Job characteristics are adjusted dynamically to ensure that they are completed accurately and according to schedule. |
| US09704109B2 |
Community travel booking
A community travel booking operation includes a collaborative or common portion or phase during which multiple travelers in a community are permitted to collaboratively search for travel recommendations and select a travel recommendation for the community, as well as an individual portion or phase during which travelers in the community individually purchase, book or otherwise complete individual reservations for the community's selected travel recommendation. By separating the booking operation into collaborative and individual portions or phases, travelers are permitted to collaborate on the selection of a travel recommendation, yet each traveler is then able to complete the booking of their own respective reservation without necessarily having to share personal or payment information with the other travelers in the community. |
| US09704106B2 |
Systems and methods for labeling source data using confidence labels
Systems and methods for the annotation of source data using confidence labels in accordance embodiments of the invention are disclosed. In one embodiment of the invention, a method for determining confidence labels for crowdsourced annotations includes obtaining a set of source data, obtaining a set of training data representative of the set of source data, determining the ground truth for each piece of training data, obtaining a set of training data annotations including a confidence label, measuring annotator accuracy data for at least one piece of training data, and automatically generating a set of confidence labels for the set of unlabeled data based on the measured annotator accuracy data and the set of annotator labels used. |
| US09704105B2 |
Transductive lasso for high-dimensional data regression problems
Various embodiments select features from a feature space. In one embodiment, a set of training samples and a set of test samples are received. A first centered Gram matrix of a given dimension is determined for each of a set of feature vectors that include at least one of the set of training samples and at least one of the set of test samples. A second centered Gram matrix of the given dimension is determined for a target value vector that includes target values from the set of training samples. A set of columns and rows associated with the at least one of the test samples in the second centered Gram matrix is set to 0. A subset of features is selected from a set of features based on the first and second centered Gram matrices. |
| US09704101B2 |
Method for operating an electronic state device by perturbating dangling bond electronic states
A quantum device is provided that includes controllably quantum mechanically coupled dangling bonds extending from a surface of a semiconductor material. Each of the controllably quantum mechanically coupled dangling bonds has a separation of at least one atom of the semiconductor material. At least one electrode is provided for selectively modifying an electronic state of the controllably quantum mechanically coupled dangling bonds. By providing at least one additional electron within the controllably quantum mechanically coupled dangling bonds with the proviso that there exists at least one unoccupied dangling bond for each one additional electron present, the inventive device is operable at least to 293 degrees Kelvin and is largely immune to stray electrostatic perturbations. Room temperature operable quantum cellular automata and qubits are constructed therefrom. |
| US09704098B2 |
Generating a classifier for performing a query to a given knowledge base
A computer device for generating a classifier for performing a query to a given knowledge base is provided. The given knowledge base includes predicates, subjects and objects related to each other. The computer device includes a selection entity for selecting one of the predicates, and a triple generation entity for generating, based on the given knowledge base, triples. Each of the triples includes the one selected predicate, and a subject and an object related to the one selected predicate. The computer device also includes a candidate generation entity for generating a list of properties. Each property of the list of properties is correlated to the subject and the object of one of the triples by performing a context-based query within the given knowledge base. The computer device includes a classifier generation entity for generating a classifier having the list of properties related to the selected predicate. |
| US09704094B2 |
Mapping of algorithms to neurosynaptic hardware
One embodiment of the invention provides a method comprising defining a brainlet representing a platform-agnostic network of neurons, synapses, and axons. The method further comprises compiling the brainlet into a corelet for mapping onto neurosynaptic substrate, and mapping the corelet onto the neurosynaptic substrate. The corelet is compatible with one or more conditions related to the neurosynaptic substrate. |
| US09704091B2 |
Wireless tag units
A wireless tag unit containing an antenna connected to a semiconductor element including communication and memory functions, a dielectric layer and a metal layer structured to be opposed with the antenna via the dielectric layer, the wireless tag unit having: a first conductive element electro-magnetically coupled with a metal surface of the metal layer; and a second conductive element electro-magnetically coupled with the first conductive element, the second conductive element being structured to be branched from the first conductive element; wherein a part of the second conductive element is structured above the antenna so as to keep a predetermined distance from the first conductive element, an open structure being provided with said a part of the second conductive element not to fully shield an area above the antenna. |
| US09704089B2 |
Systems and methods for programmable payment cards and devices with loyalty-based payment applications
A payment card (e.g., credit and/or debit card) or other device (e.g., mobile telephone) is provided with a magnetic emulator operable to communicate data to a magnetic stripe read-head. Data may include the type of reward that a user would like to earn as a result of making a purchase or the type of reward that a user would like to utilize to at least partially pay for a purchase. |
| US09704088B2 |
Cards and devices with multifunction magnetic emulators and methods for using same
A payment card (e.g., credit and/or debit card) is provided with a magnetic emulator operable of communicating information to a magnetic stripe reader. Information used in validating a financial transaction is encrypted based on time such that a validating server requires receipt of the appropriate encrypted information for a period of time to validate a transaction for that period of time. Such dynamic information may be communicated using such an emulator such that a card may be swiped through a magnetic stripe reader—yet communicate different information based on time. An emulator may receive information as well as communicate information to a variety of receivers (e.g., an RFID receiver). |
| US09704087B2 |
Apparatus and method to electromagnetically shield portable consumer devices
An apparatus and method is provided to shield contactless portable electronic consumer devices such as radio frequency identification devices (RFID), tokens, mini-cards, key fobs, cellular phones, smartcards, etc. from wireless interrogation. In one embodiment, a contactless portable consumer device which includes a first antenna is shielded from unauthorized wireless interrogation with a radio frequency (RF) shield. The RF shield includes electrically conductive, non-ferromagnetic material and is configured to prevent unauthorized data transfer between a second antenna external to the portable consumer device and the first antenna. |
| US09704085B2 |
Method and apparatus for detecting RF field strength
A method and apparatus for detecting RF field strength. A field strength reference generator develops a field strength reference current as a function of a field strength of a received RF signal; and a field strength quantizer develops a digital field-strength value indicative of the field strength reference current. In one embodiment, detected field strength is used to dynamically vary the impedance of a tank circuit whereby, over time, induced current is maximized. In another embodiment, using the quantized field strength to sense changes to the environment to which the RFID tag is exposed. |
| US09704083B2 |
Optical communication using differential images
Techniques related to optical communication including techniques for communicating barcodes using differential images. |
| US09704081B2 |
Information code, information code producing method, information code reader, and system which uses information code
An information code producing apparatus produces a free space inside the code region of an information code arranged on a medium such as sheets of paper. The free space is arranged at a position other than specification pattern regions. Data being interpreted, which are expressed by cells, are not recorded in the free space. The free space has a preset size which is larger than that of a single cell. The information code producing apparatus detects the size of this free space by, at least, either selection from a plurality of candidate shapes prepared in advance or input of shape designating information provided from the outside. |
| US09704079B2 |
Method for producing a radio-frequency identification tag
The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a radio-frequency identification tag comprising a textile material backing intended to receive a radio-frequency identification module coupled with an electrical antenna. The method comprises the following steps: a) depositing (E1) a thermosetting adhesive on an area of the textile backing, b) depositing (E2) said electrical antenna (12) on the adhesive layer; c) depositing (E3) said radio-frequency identification module on the antenna and the adhesive layer, the radio-frequency identification module being positioned so as to be coupled with the antenna and at least partially in contact with the adhesive layer; d) folding (E4) the textile backing so as to cover said antenna and said radio-frequency identification module; and e) hot-pressing (E5) the folded textile backing so as to embed at least partially the antenna and the radio-frequency identification module in the adhesive layer and polymerise at least partially said adhesive layer. |
| US09704076B2 |
Rotary encoder correcting method for a transport apparatus, and a transport apparatus using same
A rotary encoder correcting method for a transport apparatus having a rotary encoder for outputting output signals in response to rotation of a transport roller. The method includes the steps of setting beforehand the number of n-divided output signals obtained by dividing, by n, the number of output signals outputted from the rotary encoder with one rotation of the transport roller; measuring a divided area shift time for each divided area when a printing medium is transported at constant speed and each time the number of output signals agrees with the number of n-divided output signals; and calculating a correction coefficient for each divided area based on the divided area shift time. The divided area shift time is corrected for each divided area of the rotary encoder based on each correction coefficient when a process is carried out on the printing medium. |
| US09704075B2 |
Image processing system, process execution control apparatus, and image generation-output control apparatus, configured to exclude designated item from execution process to generate drawing information
An image processing system for sequentially executing processes includes a process execution control apparatus to control an execution of the processes, and an image generation-output control apparatus to control an execution of image generation-output operation. The process execution control apparatus includes a control-side drawing information generator to generate drawing information to be referred when an image forming apparatus performs the image generation-output operation. The image generation-output control apparatus includes an output-side drawing information generator corresponding to the control-side drawing information generator. The control-side drawing information generator excludes an execution result of a designated process item from execution results of a plurality of process items, to be executed for generating the drawing information, to generate designated-information-excluded image information. When process contents of the designated process item is set at the image generation-output control apparatus, the output-side drawing information generator executes the plurality of process items based on the designated-information-excluded image information. |
| US09704069B2 |
Image processing apparatus and image processing method
The present invention discloses an image processing evaluating apparatus and image processing method. The processing apparatus comprising: a confidence generation means for generating a classification confidence for each region in the image, the classification confidence represents the probability of an region belonging to a predefined class; and a classification means for classifying the regions in the image, which are obvious to be classified by their classification confidences, to respective classes based on the calculated confidences. The image processing apparatus further comprising: a fuzzy region extraction means for extracting one or more regions, which are not obvious to be classified by their classification confidences, as fuzzy regions; and a confidence update means for updating the classification confidence for each fuzzy region based on the classification confidences of adjacent regions thereof, wherein the classification means further classifies the fuzzy regions to respective classes based on the updated classification confidences. |
| US09704059B2 |
Anomaly detection in medical imagery
A method comprising using at least one hardware processor for computing a patch distinctiveness score for each of multiple patches of a medical image, computing a shape distinctiveness score for each of multiple regions of the medical image, and computing a saliency map of the medical image, by combining the patch distinctiveness score and the shape distinctiveness score. |
| US09704053B2 |
Method and magnetic resonance apparatus for planning a spectroscopy measurement
In a method for planning a spectroscopy measurement of an examination object by operation of a magnetic resonance apparatus, an image data record is selected that includes at least two images of a magnetic resonance measurement of the examination object, an isometric and/or isogonal region is determined in a first image of the at least two images, a region of interest is selected according to the isometric and/or isogonal region determined on the first image, and the first image is displayed, at least one further, second image of the image data record is displayed according to the selected region of interest, and the spectroscopy measurement is planned according to the displayed images. |
| US09704052B2 |
Image processing method for character recognition, character recognition apparatus using this method, and program
An image processing method of processing a gray-scale image of character strings arranged in a plurality of lines of text, for character recognition, includes setting at least a part of a range, in which the character strings in the gray-scale image area are distributed, as a search area, and setting, for each of a plurality of points arranged along one of two axes, representing coordinates in the image, corresponding to an arrangement of the line of text, a plurality of lines extending across the search area, with the point as a starting point, and accumulating, for each of the lines, pixel data in the line within the search area. |
| US09704051B2 |
Method and system for verifying identities
Verifying identities includes obtaining feature point information based at least in part on biometric information collected from a to-be-verified user to form a to-be-verified feature point information set, the to-be-verified feature point information set identifying the to-be-verified user, comparing the to-be-verified feature point information set with preset feature point information sets that were stored in advance, and in the event that a degree of match between the to-be-verified feature point information set and a preset feature point information set is less than a first predetermined threshold value, and is greater than a second predetermined threshold value: receiving verification data entered by the to-be-verified user, comparing the verification data with preset data corresponding to the preset feature point information set, and in the event that the verification data and the preset data are the same, verifying the to-be-verified user. |
| US09704042B2 |
Predicting tree species from aerial imagery
Embodiments determine the species of trees present in an aerial image. Tree crowns are detected in a received image, and represented as histograms of their color, texture and entropy features. Similar trees are clustered together. Using classification techniques, each cluster is assigned the closest species. The species information for each tree may be used in a rendering of the tree in geographical information systems. |
| US09704040B2 |
Image processing apparatus for dividing an image based on markers, method thereof and program therefor
An image processing method includes: retaining marker information including markers, each of the markers having a type which is shape, pattern or color; acquiring images in which at least one of the markers is caught; referring the marker information to detect the type and a position of the marker caught in the image; and dividing the image into a plurality of divided areas on the basis of the positions of one or more markers in the image, the plurality of divided areas having no common area and each including at least one type of the marker. |
| US09704037B2 |
Method for detecting face direction of a person
A method for detecting face direction of a person includes receiving a face image of the person. The method further includes determining whether the person is wearing glasses, based on the face image. The method also includes determining whether the number of reflection points of light in a glasses region of the face image is four or more at the time of detecting the glasses region. The method also includes aligning the reflection points of light in order of size, upon determining that the number of reflection points of light is four or more. The method also includes detecting two virtual images of the light, based on the aligning. The method also includes detecting a face direction vector based on the two virtual images of the light. |
| US09704033B2 |
Visual search utilizing color descriptors
Various embodiments provide a method for computing color descriptors of product images. For example, a number of fine color representatives can be determined to describe color variation in an image as a histogram by assigning a saturation value and a brightness value to a plurality of color hues. For each pixel of the image, the closest color among a defined fine color representative set is computed. In this example, each of the pixels is assigned a color ID corresponding to their closest matching fine color representative and at least one family color ID corresponding one or more pure color families. In this example, a histogram of the color representatives and a histogram for the color families are computed. A single color vector descriptor for the image is then determined by combining the family histogram with the color representative histogram. |
| US09704032B2 |
System and method of detecting a blocked aperture in letter or flat mail image sensor
Embodiments include systems and methods of detecting a blocked aperture in an image device. In certain embodiments, the system and method is used in mail processing of letters and flats. In certain embodiments, the image sensor captures an image of the front of an item. If the aperture of the image sensor is obstructed, a void will appear on the image of the item. The system can detect the void and increment an alarm count until a pre-defined threshold is reached wherein the system signals an alarm so that the blockage can be removed and the affected items can be re-introduced for correct processing. In another embodiment, images obtained when the aperture is expected to be clear of any items. |
| US09704018B2 |
Information processing apparatus, information processing system, information processing method, program, and recording medium
The present invention provides an information processing apparatus capable of selecting a region of cancer cells in any tissue sample image and easily and accurately counting the number of the cancer cells. The information processing apparatus is an information processing apparatus 100 including: an acquisition unit 110 for acquiring image data obtained by reading a tissue sample image 150 obtained by putting a mark 151 specifying a selected area 152 on an image obtained by immunostaining and then imaging a biological tissue; and a counting unit 120 for counting the number of cancer cells in the selected area 152 specified by the mark 151 based on the image data of the tissue sample image 150 acquired by the acquisition unit 110, wherein a diagnosis based on the tissue sample image 150 is supported. |
| US09704017B2 |
Image processing device, program, image processing method, computer-readable medium, and image processing system
An image processing device 20 acquires a plurality of captured images obtained by imaging a sample including a target cell at a plurality of different focal distances, sets an object region for detecting the target cell in at least two of the plurality of captured images, and performs determination about whether or not the target cell is included in the object region based on whether or not an image feature quantity based on change in image information in an image in-plane direction and a focal distance direction of an image in the object region in the plurality of captured images satisfies conditions defined for the target cell. |
| US09704016B2 |
Display device, server, and method of controlling the display device
A display device is provided. The display device includes an outputter configured to output a content including a plurality of content parts, a signal processor configured to extract a first fingerprint corresponding to a first content part among the plurality of content parts of the content from at least one of a video signal and an audio signal constituting the content while the content is output, a communicator configured to transmit the first fingerprint to a server, and receive a second fingerprint corresponding to a second content part among the plurality of content parts of the content and first event information corresponding to the second fingerprint from the server, a storage configured to store the second fingerprint and the first event information, and a controller configured to control the outputter to output the first event information in coordination with the second content part of the content being output. |
| US09704015B2 |
Fingerprint image processing method and device
Fingerprint image processing method and device are provided, and the fingerprint image processing method includes following steps. A plurality of first fingerprint features are extracted from a fingerprint image by a first search algorithm. An inverse process is performed on the fingerprint image to obtain an inverse fingerprint image. A plurality of reference features are extracted from the inverse fingerprint image by the first search algorithm. A plurality of second fingerprint features are obtained from the fingerprint image based on coordinates of the reference features. |
| US09704013B2 |
Electronic device with display-based fingerprint reader
A display and finger print reader assembly for an electronic device includes a display having an arrangement of light emitting pixels, a light guide juxtaposed the arrangement of pixels of the display, and light sensors disposed at different locations around a periphery of the light guide. Light is sequentially emitted from the pixels to illuminate a user's finger that is placed against the display and finger print reader assembly. The emitted light that is reflected by the user's finger propagates in the light guide to one or more of the light sensors and indicates a fingerprint characteristic of a portion of the user's finger adjacent the pixel or pixels from which the light is emitted. |
| US09704007B2 |
Illumination with wedge-shaped optical element
A machine-readable symbol reader can include a housing, a window, an illumination source, a wedge-shaped optical element, and a sensor array. Illumination can be coupled into the optical element through a base surface of the optical element and out of the optical element through a leg surface of the optical element. Illumination beams coupled out of the optical element through the leg surface can be parallel or substantially parallel to one another, and can exit the machine-readable symbol reader at a grazing angle to illuminate a machine-readable symbol at a grazing angle. |
| US09704004B1 |
Systems and methods of real-time assignment of items to preregistered individuals
Systems and methods of assigning an RFID chip and/or a participant number to an event participant who has preregistered for the event. The assignment of the RFID chip and/or participant number to the participant occurs in real-time while the event participant or a designated representative thereof is present at a designated pick-up location to pick up the RFID chip and/or participant number. |
| US09704003B1 |
Position determination and control with radio frequency identification tags
Control of an apparatus is provided according to determination of positioning of information pieces with radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. In embodiments, an apparatus may include one or more pieces, wherein each piece may be positionable in one or more piece positions of a region and may include a passive RFID tag that stores information relating to a characteristic of the piece. An arrangement of RFID antennas may be positioned proximal to the region, and a RFID reader may provide reads of the pieces near the RFID antennas. One or more processors may determine the piece positions of the one or more pieces from the reads and may provide control of the apparatus according to the one or more pieces and their piece positions. |
| US09704002B2 |
Utilization of motion and spatial identification in RFID systems
In one aspect where a load or a subset of one or more tags is in motion relative to an RFID reader system, the RFID system obtains tag readings and derives tag scalar or vector motional data e.g. tag velocity, tag acceleration, and/or rate of change of tag acceleration which can be compared to known tag motional information to distinguish true tags of interest from false positives which are unavoidably also within the field of the reader system. An antenna system may also make readings during distinctive movement patterns of true tags, such as vertical or arcuate movement and utilize computed tag motional data based on the tag readings to distinguish true tags from false positives. Two components of the RFID system may communicate information on identified tags, and/or interact (e.g. by silencing tags), so as to cooperate in identifying true positive tags. |
| US09704001B2 |
File searching system and file searching method thereof
A file searching system includes a file storage device and a terminal device. The file storage device defines a plurality of slots for storing files having radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, the file storage device has a plurality of antennas and associated indicators mounted to a corresponding slot one to one. The terminal device wirelessly communicates with a first transceiver of the file storage device. The terminal device includes a user interface (UI) unit. Each antenna receives RFID tag self-identifying information from an RFID tag stored in the corresponding slot and transmit the RFID tag self-identifying information along with antenna self-identifying information to the first transceiver for transmission to the terminal. The first transceiver receives control commands from the terminal and the file storage device actuates one of the plurality of indicators based on a received control command. A file searching method of the file searching device is also provided. |
| US09704000B2 |
Mobile RFID container and distribution method
A transportable container is enabled with radio frequency identification (“RFID”) technologies to maintain automated inventory levels of those items that are inside the container. The inventory data is communicated via wireless methods, such as cellular or Wi-Fi, to a remote device such as enterprise resource planning (“ERP”) system. The ERP system may use the inventory data received from the remote device to automatically update appropriately and generate appropriate records (e.g., container inventory, restocking, invoicing, etc.). In some embodiments, automated RFID scans are triggered when the container is opened and subsequently closed. The container may include RF containment/screening to prevent inadvertent scanning of RFID tags outside of the container. The container may also include a location device to allow the location of the container to be readily determined. |
| US09703996B2 |
Method for managing communication between an electronic device, for example a contactless chip card, and a communication apparatus, for example a reader, and corresponding electronic device
The device is equipped with several protocol decoding means (DCDi) corresponding respectively to various communication protocols so as to be capable of dialoguing with the said communication apparatus during transactions selectively according to one of these communication protocols; the method comprises an automatic protocol detection comprising a) an activation (40) of all the decoding means at the start of a transaction, b) a delivery of the signal received by the electronic device to all the decoding means, c) an analysis (41) of at least one signal delivered by at least one of the decoding means and d) a selection (42) of one of the decoding means on the basis of the result of the said analysis, and a conducting of the said transaction with the selected decoding means. |
| US09703993B2 |
System and method for testing performance of mobile radio frequency identification tag
A system for testing performance of mobile Radio Frequency Identification tags, comprising: a test device including a mobile car and a test channel; the test channel comprises a magnetic label on a ground for labeling a test driving route of the mobile car and a framework fixed on to the ground and provided with a reading device for the RFID tags; a magnetic recognition device is provided at a bottom of the mobile car to identify to the magnetic label and the mobile car is driven along the test driving route; the plurality of RFID tags are fixed on under-test goods loaded on the mobile car; a testing equipment configured to control the reading device to identify the RFID tags fixed on under-test goods; wherein the RFID tags are fixed on to under-test goods which are loaded on the mobile car. The performance test experiment of identifying RFID tags is repeated to get the best recognition rate by adjusting the status of the reader and reader antennas and the speed of the mobile car. According to the present disclosure, individual customization on the position and angle of the reader antennas placed with and the moving speed of under-test goods may be obtained to identify all the RFID tags on the fixed position of the goods so as to provide a reference for using the RFID tags in the manufacturing lines and the logistics systems. |
| US09703992B2 |
Dual card reader for mobile device
A card reader for use with a mobile phone includes a flat body having an upper side, a lower side and at least one side wall, a connector for connecting the card reader to a mobile phone, a chip card reader, including an elongated opening in a side wall of the card reader, adapted to read a chip card, positioned in a first plane, in the opening; and a magnet stripe reader including a slot in a side wall of the card reader, the slot being adapted to read a magnet stripe slid in the slot along a second plane; wherein the first plane and the second plane intersect. |
| US09703988B1 |
Internet privacy tool for mitigating third party transaction tracking
The present disclosure relates to systems, methods and apparatus for helping keep a user's personally identifiable information private, and to mitigate the efforts of third party vendors from compiling and reselling said data. According to some embodiments, a suite of privacy tools are disclosed that can be downloaded and installed as a browser plugin. The browser plugin can detect when the user has navigated to a page that requires the user to input personal information, such as a login name, login password, email address, phone number, or credit card number. At the user's request, the browser plugin can communicate with a masked information server to generate and provide masked information that corresponds to but is different from the user's actual personal information. Masked emails, phone numbers and credit cards can be disabled in the future. |
| US09703985B1 |
Concealing a personal number
A method includes receiving information about a person at a server, the information including a name and a personal number; storing the name and a portion of the personal number in a database in the server, such that the name and portion of the personal number are searchable; converting the personal number to an image that is designed to not be easily readable by optical character recognition, and storing the image; receiving, at the server, a request for a search of the database from a client device including a graphical user interface that has a movable pointer capable of hovering over a spot on the graphical user interface; displaying the name and the portion of the personal number, at a user client device in communication with the server, in response to results of the search matching information about the person; and displaying the image at the user client device in response to the pointer hovering over the portion of the personal number. Other systems and methods are provided. |
| US09703983B2 |
Methods and apparatus for securely displaying digital images
The invention provides methods and apparatus for securing personalized or sensitive information appearing in digital images. Digital images containing information to be secured is processed and divided into a plurality of image cells. At least one image cell from the plurality of image cells is selected and redacted or altered to render the information to be secured with the selected image cells indecipherable. The invention also provides methods and apparatus for transmitting or streaming unredacted image cells alone or in combination with redacted image cells for secured viewing on a user browser or computer. |
| US09703980B2 |
Centralized throttling service
A method and system are provided that may centralize the management of applications that access the data of social networks via API calls. A central service may generate tokens at a generation rate that permit an application to access an API. The tokens may be distributed to queues associated with certain content types. The relative distribution of tokens to each queue may be determined by rules. A queue may release tokens to applications that function to access the content type associated with the queue. The token generation rate and rules may be selected to prevent violation of the rate limits for the API. |
| US09703978B2 |
Transforming policies to enforce control in an information management system
In an information management system, policies are deployed to targets and targets can evaluate the policies whether they are connected or disconnected to the system. The policies may be transferred to the target, which may be a device or user. Relevant policies may be transferred while not relevant policies are not. The policies may have policy abstractions. |
| US09703974B1 |
Coordinated file system security via rules
A method and system are disclosed for coordinated file system security via rules. A file system condition rule can specify any of a wide variety of file system conditions related to security risks, such as sensitive information in impermissible locations, impermissible file permissions, stray files, and the like. The rules can be administered at a central location and distributed across machines. The machines can then execute the rules against their local file systems. The rules can further specify actions to be taken, including deleting files, sanitizing files, sending an alert, or the like. Violations can be tracked and analyzed to determine what is causing recurring scenarios. A web service can expose the technologies to cloud service consumers. |
| US09703968B2 |
Mechanisms for controlling tag personalization
A tag and a method of writing data to memory of a tag are provided. The tag includes memory that stores data elements as well as an access control list that maps access keys to the data elements. An authentication protocol is employed by the tag to determine whether a data element received from a writing device will be written to the memory. |
| US09703966B2 |
Cryptographic support instructions
A data processing system includes a single instruction multiple data register file and single instruction multiple processing circuitry. The single instruction multiple data processing circuitry supports execution of cryptographic processing instructions for performing parts of a hash algorithm. The operands are stored within the single instruction multiple data register file. The cryptographic support instructions do not follow normal lane-based processing and generate output operands in which the different portions of the output operand depend upon multiple different elements within the input operand. |
| US09703965B1 |
Secure containers for flexible credential protection in devices
Techniques are provided for protecting encryption key(s) and other protected material on devices, such as mobile devices. A device stores an encrypted container received from an online authentication service, wherein the encrypted container is encrypted using a first key stored by the online authentication service, wherein the encrypted container comprises a data item stored on the device. The device transmits the encrypted container using an online connection to the online authentication service to decrypt the encrypted container using the first key, wherein the encrypted container is decrypted by the online authentication service to provide a decrypted container only if the online connection satisfies one or more predefined online connection criteria. The device then receives the decrypted container from the online authentication service and obtains the data item from the decrypted container. Online secure containers are also disclosed that are optionally protected using a multi-layer encryption scheme. |
| US09703963B2 |
Trusted and privacy-preserving mechanism for electricity usage data disclosure using verifiable noise
A method of energy usage data privacy preservation is described. The method includes downloading energy usage data and a signature from a repository. The method includes determining whether the signature is that of a utility. When the signature is not that of the utility, the method includes rejecting the energy usage data. When the signature is that of the utility, the method includes generating noisy data, encrypting a message-signature pair, constructing a proof, and communicating the noisy data, the encrypted message-signature pair, and the proof to a third party. The noisy data is generated by adding random noise to the energy usage data. The message-signature pair includes the energy usage data and a verified signature. The proof is configured to establish that the encrypted message-signature pair and the noisy data are members of a corresponding proof language. |
| US09703961B2 |
Process risk classification
In one implementation, a computer-implemented method includes receiving, at a process risk classifier running on a computer system, a request to determine a risk level for a particular process; accessing one or more signatures that provide one or more snapshots of characteristics of the particular process at one or more previous times; identifying one or more differences between the particular process in its current form and the one or more signatures; accessing information identifying previous usage of the computer system's resources by the particular process; determining a current risk score for the particular process based, at least in part, on (i) the one or more signatures for the particular process, (ii) the one or more differences between the particular process in its current form and the one or more signatures, and (iii) the previous usage of the resources; and providing the current risk score for the particular process. |
| US09703956B1 |
Systems and methods for categorizing virtual-machine-aware applications for further analysis
The disclosed computer-implemented method for categorizing virtual-machine-aware applications for further analysis may include (1) identifying a plurality of virtual-machine-aware applications, where each of the plurality of virtual-machine-aware applications exhibits different behavior when the virtual-machine-aware application detects that the virtual-machine-aware application is executing in a physical computing environment rather than in a virtual computing environment, (2) identifying a plurality of non-virtual-machine-aware applications that do not exhibit different behavior when executed in the physical computing environment rather than in the virtual computing environment, (3) determining at least one characteristic that differentiates the virtual-machine-aware applications from the non-virtual-machine-aware applications, (4) analyzing an uncategorized application to determine whether the uncategorized application includes the characteristic, and (5) preventing the uncategorized application from evading complete analysis by sending the uncategorized application to the physical computing environment for further analysis. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed. |
| US09703950B2 |
Method and system for preventing and detecting security threats
A system and method is provided for implementing platform security on a consumer electronic device having an open development platform. The device is of the type which includes an abstraction layer operable between device hardware and application software. A secured software agent is provided for embedding within the abstraction layer forming the operating system. The secured software agent is configured to limit access to the abstraction layer by either blocking loadable kernel modules from loading, blocking writing to the system call table or blocking requests to attach debug utilities to certified applications or kernel components. |
| US09703948B2 |
Return-target restrictive return from procedure instructions, processors, methods, and systems
A processor includes a decode unit to decode a return target restrictive return from procedure (RTR return) instruction. A return target restriction unit is responsive to the RTR return instruction to determine whether to restrict an attempt by the RTR return instruction to make a control flow transfer to an instruction at a return address corresponding to the RTR return instruction. The determination is based on compatibility of a type of the instruction at the return address with the RTR return instruction and based on compatibility of first return target restrictive information (RTR information) of the RTR return instruction with second RTR information of the instruction at the return address. A control flow transfer unit is responsive to the RTR return instruction to transfer control flow to the instruction at the return address when the return target restriction unit determines not to restrict the attempt. |
| US09703947B2 |
Relevancy improvement through targeting of information based on data gathered from a networked device associated with a security sandbox of a client device
A method, apparatus, and system related to relevancy improvement through targeting of information based on data gathered from a networked device associated with a security sandbox of a client device are disclosed. In one embodiment, a system may comprise a networked device, a relevancy-matching server, and a client device. The networked device may be configured to generate a preliminary data and/or a primary data associated with a user and automatically announce a sandbox-reachable service of the networked device to a discovery module. The relevancy-matching server may be configured to match a targeted data with the primary data based on a relevancy factor associated with the user. The client device may be configured to automatically process an identification data of the networked device and/or the sandbox-reachable service of the networked device from the discovery module and to automatically associate with the networked device based on the identification data. |
| US09703943B2 |
Pre-authenticated calling for voice applications
Architecture for providing pre-authenticated information from an endpoint for subsequently authenticating a device and/or user associated with the previously-authenticated information. A pre-authentication module of the architecture can be a trust component as part of an application that facilitates the utilization of user information and/or endpoint information in a media session protocol message to replace information that would otherwise be gathered via a dialog. In the context of IP-based voice communications, a call can be made from a client that is pre-authenticable, and no longer requires that an IP-based telephone interact with the phone user to facilitate sign-on. |
| US09703941B2 |
Electronic device with touch screen for fingerprint recognition
An electronic device includes a touch screen having a sensing array with a plurality of sensors, a display panel having a displaying area and a processor. The sensing area of the sensing array is smaller than or equal to the displaying area. The processor determines whether a user's finger touches an icon displayed on the display panel, and the icon corresponds to an application. When the processor determines that the user's finger touches the icon, the electronic device controls a first sensing area of the sensing array corresponding to a first displaying area of the icon to enter a fingerprint sensing mode to capture a fingerprint image of the user's finger for fingerprint recognition. When the processor determines that fingerprint recognition is approved, the processor activates the application corresponding to the icon. |
| US09703940B2 |
Managed biometric identity
A computing system such as a game console maintains and updates a biometric profile of a user. In one aspect, biometric data of the user is continuously obtained from a sensor such as an infrared and visible light camera, and used to update the biometric profile using a machine learning process. In another aspect, a user is prompted to confirm his or her identify when multiple users are detected at the same time and/or when the user is detected with a confidence level which is below a threshold. A real-time image of the user being identified can be displayed on a user interface with user images associated with one or more accounts. In another aspect, the biometric profile is managed by a shell on the computing system, where the shell makes the biometric profile available to any of a number of applications on the computing system. |
| US09703936B2 |
Database system for dynamic retrieval of nested data items over a network
A database processing system is disclosed for accessing databases, updating nested data items and generating nth generation data items. The database processing system can include a server can retrieve and store data items in the databases. The server can receive a first HTTP request from a first computer over a network, the first HTTP request including a first instruction to store a digital object including a first derivative copyright content. The server can identify a first reused content in the first derivative copyright content. The server can query the databases to identify the first reused content. The server can map the first reused content with the stored identification data associated with the digital object and transmit, over a network, a message to an owner of the first reused content. |
| US09703935B1 |
Usage licence
A system is configured to receive a task. The task is received over a first network, includes authentication credentials, and is processed using an application. The system is further configured to send the authentication credentials to a licensing server. The authentication credentials are sent over a second network, and are sent prior to processing the task using the application. The system is also configured to receive an authorization. The authorization is received over the second network, and authorizes the application to process the task. |
| US09703932B2 |
Continuous content identification of broadcast content
The present disclosure provides identification and continuous monitoring of content, such as broadcast content, in real time, using a hierarchical, distributed approach to content identification. Identification, synchronization and verification are provided. Identification may be performed by an identification server using a reference database of fingerprints. The same or another computing device may be used perform synchronization, such that at least some portion of each fingerprint generated by client devices that form a verification group are synchronized for verification. Verification used to determine whether a client device continues to receive the same content identified during identification compares at least a portion of each fingerprint generated by each client device of a verification group. If a mismatch occurs, identification may be repeated to identify the new content being received by a client device. |
| US09703927B2 |
System and method for optimizing and routing health information
A method is disclosed to receive health information request (HIR), including health information request query (HIRQ) and health information request data (HIRD), and to metatag the received HIR. The metatagged HIR is reconciled based on a semantic concept and HIRS is returned. |
| US09703922B2 |
Fragmentation point and simulation site adjustment for resolution enhancement techniques
A method of performing a resolution enhancement technique such as OPC on an initial layout description involves fragmenting a polygon that represents a feature to be created into a number of edge fragments. One or more of the edge fragments is assigned an initial simulation site at which the image intensity is calculated. Upon calculation of the image intensity, the position and/or number of initial simulation sites is varied. New calculations are made of the image intensity with the revised placement or number of simulation sites in order to calculate an OPC correction for the edge fragment. In other embodiments, fragmentation of a polygon is adjusted based on the image intensities calculated at the simulation sites. In one embodiment, the image intensity gradient vector calculated at the initial simulation sites is used to adjust the simulation sites and/or fragmentation of the polygon. |
| US09703919B2 |
System and method of filtering actual defects from defect information for a wafer
A method of generating a set of defect candidates for a wafer is disclosed. The wafer comprises at least one die manufactured according to a mask, and the mask being prepared by combining a plurality of layout areas. The method includes receiving an initial defect information from a wafer scanning device indicating potential defects of a semiconductor wafer and determining a boundary region on the semiconductor wafer. The method further includes creating an exclusion region from the boundary region, the exclusion region having a first set of defects in the potential defects of the semiconductor wafer, and creating filtered defect information by removing the first set of defects from the initial defect information. |
| US09703918B2 |
Two-dimensional process window improvement
A method of optimizing a semiconductor mask layout is provided. The method includes accessing a digital file comprising the semiconductor mask layout, accessing processing condition parameters describing process conditions, receiving a request from a user of a mask layout system to initiate a semiconductor mask layout optimization process, applying a set of rules to insert an array of assist features into the semiconductor mask layout, and updating the digital file. The semiconductor mask layout includes a plurality of parallel mask features, wherein pairs of the parallel mask features share an end-to-end region between the parallel mask features of each pair, with an imaginary axis bisecting the end-to-end regions. Each assist feature is located proximate to at least one end-to-end region, and the imaginary axis intersects each assist feature. Related photomasks, design layout systems, and computer-readable media are also provided. |
| US09703916B2 |
Streaming, at-speed debug and validation architecture
This application discloses a computing system implementing tools and mechanisms that can incorporate a validation system into a circuit design. The validation system can be configured to monitor at least a portion of an electronic device described in the circuit design. The tools and mechanisms can identify one or more trace signals associated with the electronic device to route to the validation system, and identify one or more trigger signals associated with the electronic device to route to the validation system. The tools and mechanisms can configure the validation system to detect a conditional event corresponding a state of the one or more trigger signals, and to transmit the trace signals associated with the electronic device for debugging in response to the detected conditional event. |
| US09703915B2 |
Method for determining a sequence for drilling holes according to a pattern using global and local optimization
A method determines a sequence for drilling holes in a workpiece according to a pattern by first partitioning the holes in the pattern into packets. A global sequence of the packets is determined by solving a global traveling salesman problem (TSP), and a local sequence of the holes in each packet is determined by solving a local TSP for each packet. Then, the local sequences of the holes are joined according to the global sequence of the packets to determine a complete sequence for drilling the holes. |
| US09703911B2 |
Method for library having base cell and VT-related
A method includes converting a first threshold voltage related (VT-related) cell of a first standard cell library to a first modified VT-related cell. The first standard cell library includes the first VT-related cell and a first base cell. The first VT-related cell and the first base cell each include different portions of a layout design of a first standard cell corresponding to a first performance setting. The method includes generating a second standard cell library based on the first base cell and the first modified VT-related cell. The first modified VT-related cell and the first base cell each include different portions of a layout design of a second standard cell corresponding to a second performance setting. The method further includes generating a layout design for an integrated circuit based on the second standard cell library; and forming a set of masks based on the layout design. |
| US09703910B2 |
Control path power adjustment for chip design
Embodiments relate to power down processing including control path power adjustment. An aspect includes receiving, by a power down engine, chip layout data corresponding to a chip design. Another aspect includes determining a confluence point of a data path and a control path in the chip layout data. Another aspect includes determining the presence of a positive slack window in the control path of the confluence point. Yet another aspect includes powering up the control path to reduce the positive slack window. |
| US09703908B2 |
Spice circuit model for twinaxial cable
A method to generate a reduced delay twinaxial SPICE model is provided. The method may include measuring near-end S-parameter components and far-end S-parameter components of a twinaxial cable, reducing an original time delay of the far-end S-parameter components by multiplying each of the far-end S-parameter components by a complex exponential based on an equivalent delay length, a signal frequency, and an effective dielectric constant, simulating a signal transmitted across a twinaxial cable by running a 4-port SPICE model using the near-end S-parameter components and the multiplied far-end S-parameter components, and recording a magnitude and a phase of the transmitted signal with respect to frequency as outputs of the reduced delay twinaxial SPICE model. |
| US09703907B2 |
RAS evaluation for circuit element
A computer-implemented method includes identifying an electronic circuit, which includes a plurality of circuit elements and is based on a circuit design. The circuit design includes structural information and logical information. The method generates a first verification model for the circuit design. The verification model includes a plurality of error report signal paths for each of the plurality of circuit elements. The method identifies a first circuit element output based on the plurality of error report signal paths. The method sets output for at least one of the first plurality of circuit elements to a fixed value. The method generates a second circuit element output based on the plurality of error report signal paths and setting output for at least one of the first plurality of circuit elements to a fixed value. The method determines a difference between the first circuit element output and the second circuit element output. |
| US09703904B2 |
Systems and methods for co-production of geothermal energy and fluids
Systems include a well having a production casing and a production tubing positioned therein, forming an annulus there between. A packer is positioned in the annulus at a position sufficient to separate the annulus into a first portion and a second portion. The well further includes a tie-back conduit positioned in the first portion of the annulus and configured to allow heat transfer between a working fluid flowing through the first portion of the annulus and a production fluid flowing through the production tubing, thus separating the circulating working fluid from fluids in the second portion of the annulus. A working fluid loop is fluidly connected to the first portion of the annulus. Co-production methods, methods of modeling, and computer-readable media including the methods of modeling are disclosed. |
| US09703903B2 |
Designing a folded sheet object
It is provided a computer-implemented method for designing a folded sheet object, comprising the steps of providing (S10) panels separated by bend lines, including at least four adjacent panels forming a cycle and separated by concurrent bend lines, with predetermined angles between successive bend lines; and determining (S20) a control law linking the angles between the adjacent panels of the cycle, as a function of the predetermined angles between successive bend lines. Such a method improves the design of a folded sheet object. |
| US09703902B2 |
Using cloud-based data for industrial simulation
A cloud-based simulation generation service collects industrial data from multiple industrial customers for storage and analysis on a cloud platform. The service employs a simulation generator component that analyzes data to facilitate generating a simulation model that simulates an industrial automation system, including simulating or emulating industrial devices, industrial processes, other industrial assets, or network-related assets or devices, and their respective interrelationships with each other. The simulation generator component also analyzes modification data to facilitate generating a modified simulation model that simulates the industrial automation system based on the modification. The simulation generator component performs operation simulations using the simulation model or modified simulation model to facilitate determining whether making the modification is appropriate, determining or predicting performance of a modified industrial automation system, determining compatibility of a modification with an industrial automation system, or determining or predicting performance of the industrial automation system when processing a work order. |
| US09703898B2 |
Method for producing a three-dimensional object by means of a stereolithography process, including a computer graphic design of said object
A three-dimensional object (1) made by way of a stereolithography process, includes a plurality of supports (3) that are connected to the body (2) of the object through joining elements (4) in each one of which it is possible to identify a shaped area (5), recessed with respect to the external surface of the joining element (4) and having the bottom corner (6) that delimits a pre-established fracture area (7) for the detachment of the support (3). Each one of the joining elements (4) includes a first body (8) projecting from the external surface that delimits the body (2) of the object and a second body (9) projecting from the support (3), the bodies (8) and (9) being connected to each other so as to define the shaped area (5) whose bottom corner (6) delimits the pre-established fracture area (7). Each one of the bodies (8, 9) has its convex curved external surface that constitutes part of the external surface of a sphere or an ellipsoid. |
| US09703897B2 |
Modular design of complex tensegrity structures
There is provided a tensegrity design system and a method for use in designing a complex tensegrity structure. In one implementation, such a method includes providing virtual building blocks selectable by a user for assembly of a desired tensegrity structure, receive user-selected building blocks from among the plurality of virtual building blocks from the user, and identifying connections among the user-selected building blocks based on user inputs to the tensegrity design system. The method also includes determining a network of forces for stabilizing a tensegrity structure corresponding to the desired tensegrity structure, based on the user-selected building blocks and their connections, and generating a simulation of the tensegrity structure corresponding to the desired tensegrity structure for display to the user. |
| US09703896B2 |
Generation of custom modular objects
A system for generating custom modular objects is described. The custom modules form part of a modular construction set from which an object can be created by a user. The object acts as a user input device for an interactive software experience. To generate a custom (i.e. non-standard) module, a virtual 3D shape is received by a module generation service. The service converts this shape into a derived 3D shape for the module, for example, ensuring that the module is shaped such that it is compatible with other modules from the modular construction set to which it will be connected for form an object and/or by adding an aperture for receiving a connector and/or electronics core. Once generated, the derived 3D shape is sent to the user in physical form or virtual form and a virtual representation of the module is provided to the interactive software experience. |
| US09703893B2 |
Search tool using multiple different search engine types across different data sets
Various embodiments provide for use of multiple different search engines. The individual search engines are configured to conduct searches in different ways across a search space that includes different types of data sets. In at least some embodiments, the type of search engine that is utilized is selected to due characteristics of the data set(s) that is (are) to be searched. In search spaces that include different types of data sets, combining and mixing different search engines to collectively search the search space can provide a desirably fast and robust user experience. |
| US09703888B2 |
Component obsolescence registry
An electronic obsolescence registry holds network user-searchable obsolescence information. End users and component manufacturers can post obsolescence information using hashtags to it. The registry has different entries for different pieces of component obsolescence information. Each entry employs a respective component specific hashtag. End-users search the registry for component obsolescence information relating to a certain component by using one or more hashtags associated with the certain component. |
| US09703887B2 |
Automatically grouping browser tabs based on a pattern of usage
A computer implemented method and system for managing browser tabs includes identifying a plurality of URLs (Uniform Resource Locator(s)) in response to detecting the URLs in a web browser running on a computer. The plurality of URLs are organized based on each of the URLs, and each of the plurality of URLs correspond to a tab opened by the web browser. The tabs of the web browser are grouped based on the URLs. |
| US09703883B2 |
Social bookmarking of resources exposed in web pages
A system for social bookmarking of a resource provided through a Web application that doesn't follow the representational state transfer architectural style (REST). When processing a request for a social bookmarking operation, the system searches for a URL and potentially other resource information within the document object model of a currently loaded Web page. If such resource information is found, it is used to process the requested social bookmarking operation. Otherwise, if such resource information is not found in the document object model, the system uses the URL stored in the location bar of the Web browser to process the requested social bookmarking operation. The system includes semantic information in the DOM of a Web page that is used to identify subsets of content within the Web page that can be socially bookmarked. The semantic information may be stored in what is generally referred to as “microformatting”. |
| US09703882B2 |
Generating search results containing state links to applications
A mobile computing device includes a touchscreen, a transceiver, a non-transitory memory, and a computing processor. The memory stores an installed, native first application associated with an operator of a search engine. Upon executing the computer-readable instructions, the processor displays a first graphical user interface (GUI) on the touchscreen via the first application. The processor receives a search query via the first GUI, including one or more search terms. The processor transmits the search query to the search engine via the transceiver. The processor receives search results from the search engine in response to transmitting the search query to the search engine. At least one of the search results includes a post-execution view of a second native application. The processor displays the post-execution view on the touchscreen. The post-execution view includes a second GUI that provides access to a function associated with the second native application. |
| US09703879B2 |
Graph server querying for managing social network information flow
An online social network is managed using one server for database management tasks and another server, preferably in a distributed configuration, for CPU-intensive computational tasks, such as finding a shortest path between two members or a degree of separation between two members. The additional server has a memory device containing relationship information between members of the online social network and carries out the CPU-intensive computational tasks using this memory device. With this configuration, the number of database lookups is decreased and processing speed is thereby increased. |
| US09703877B2 |
Computer-based evaluation tool for selecting personalized content for users
The invention relates to a method and system for selecting personalized content for a user, the method being performed by an evaluation tool instantiated on a computing device and comprising the evaluation tool. The evaluation tool creates a content selection rule for the user for finding and filtering content items, such as advertising content. The tool generates a content selection algorithm from the content selection rule for determining which content items to present to the user and presents the content item to the user based on the content selection algorithm and allows the user to interact with the presented content item. |
| US09703869B2 |
Stream recognition and filtering
A method obtains a first data item signature for a first data item, the first data item signature comprising an association between a plurality of synch points in the first data item and a corresponding plurality of block signatures. The process attempts to find one of the plurality of synch points in a second data item; and, if such a synch point is found, then a block signature of a corresponding block of bits in the second data item is determined by applying a hash function to the corresponding block of bits in the second data item. The process ascertains whether the synch point and corresponding block signature from the second data item correspond to a synch point and block signature in the first data item signature. If a predetermined number of synch points and corresponding block signatures match, the first and second data items are considered to match. |
| US09703866B2 |
Music system managing method
A management software process establishes management sessions with DAW processes and controllers on a network. Further, control sessions are established between the DAW processes and controllers, respectively. Thus, the control sessions between DAW processes and controllers included in one music system can be managed together by the management software process via a dedicated management session. |
| US09703862B2 |
Engagement summary generation
A method and system for generating summary details is provided. The method includes retrieving event data of associated with a user. Attributes are extracted from the event data and the event data is segmented into logical groups of related activities performed by the user. Key information and associated attributes of each logical group are identified and in response the user is evaluated. The logical groups of related activities are ranked and presented to the user. In response, an engagement summary associated with the user and the logical groups is generated. |
| US09703857B2 |
Digital catalogue raisoneé platform
A content management system for creating a digital catalog raisonné includes at least one computer, a public user interface, a private catalog raisonné manager, and a private user interface. The private catalog raisonné manager is configured to instruct at least one object-oriented database to store first digital data for at least one artist, the first digital data including at least one of an image of an artwork of the at least one artist and a description of the artwork. The private user interface is configured to receive the first digital data, transmit information permitting a user to provide a command to the content management system to make available, at the public user interface, a public catalog raisonné including the first digital data, and receive the command to make available the public catalog raisonné. |
| US09703856B2 |
Hilbert curve partitioning for parallelization of DBSCAN
DBSCAN clustering analyses can be improved by pre-processing of a data set using a Hilbert curve to intelligently identify the centers for initial partitional analysis by a partitional clustering algorithm such as CLARANS. Partitions output by the partitional clustering algorithm can be process by DBSCAN running in parallel before intermediate cluster results are merged. |
| US09703855B1 |
System and method for classifying content with a web service
A method includes receiving a classification request from a client. The request includes a content identifier indicative of a data repository. The request also includes authorization credentials. The method further includes, in response to receiving the classification request, sending a data request to the data repository. The data request includes an authorization object based on the authorization credentials. The method also includes receiving a plurality of documents from the data repository in response to the data request. The method additionally includes classifying the plurality of documents using a classification engine. The classification engine is operable to determine respective classifications for the plurality of documents. The method still further includes transmitting a response to the client. The response includes the classifications. |
| US09703845B2 |
Representing identity data relationships using graphs
Identity data collected from network flows is managed and graphed according to a hierarchical schema that reduces data storage requirements and enhance database querying efficiencies. Preferably, the schema comprises a set of objects, such as a “source” object, a “time” object, and an “identity” object. A source object represents a source of an identity, namely, where an identity comes from. A time object represents a time bucket along a particular time frame corresponding to when an identity appears on the network. An identity object represents the actual identity itself. As each distinctive identity data is detected, it is added to the graph, preferably just once, and relationships between particular pairs of identities are identified. The resulting graph has significantly-reduced storage requirements, and it facilitates the discovery of linked identities much more efficiently, even when the identities are not directly connected. |
| US09703841B1 |
Context-based notifications in multi-application based systems
A computer-implemented method to coordinate output of an application over a single computing device, according to one embodiment, includes receiving a feed of importance scores for each of the plurality of applications, and normalizing the importance scores of each feed for each of the plurality of applications. At least some applications with feeds of importance scores are selected. A prioritization score is assigned to the selected applications based on a function of the normalized importance scores of the selected applications. The normalized importance scores of the selected applications are combined into a single feed, and the single feed of normalized importance scores of selected applications is provided in order of priority to a subscribing application. An output of the subscribing application is coordinated based on the normalized importance scores of selected applications with a high priority in the single feed. |
| US09703838B1 |
Multi sender and source recommendation aggregation and prompting system
This disclosure generally relates to systems and methods that facilitate aggregating received recommendations from a plurality of sources from a plurality of users into a recommendation playlist, and generating additional respective playlists from the recommendation playlist from specific users based upon specified criteria. Additionally, respective feedback is provided to users who provided recommendations on the quality of their recommendations, and based upon specified criteria users are prompted to provide additional recommendations. |
| US09703837B1 |
Predicting interest of a user of a social networking service in a content item
The subject matter of this specification can be implemented in, among other things, a computer-implemented method including determining an affinity score representing an affinity of a user with respect to a contact of the user, wherein the affinity score is an indication of a strength of a relationship between the user and the contact, determining an engagement score of the user with respect to the contact, wherein the engagement score in an indication of a probability of the user engaging with a content item associated with the contact, determining an interest score of the user with respect to the contact based on the affinity score and the engagement score and providing a plurality of content items posted by the contact display in an activity stream, the content items being ordered based on the interest score. Other aspects can include corresponding systems, apparatus and computer program products. |
| US09703836B2 |
Tactical query to continuous query conversion
Techniques for managing tactical query to continuous query conversion are provided. In some examples, a tactical query configured to enable the pulling of business event data from a database to a query engine may be determined. For example, a query engine may be configured with the tactical query. The configuration may be based at least in part on an indication of the business event data to be displayed. Further, in some examples, a conversion of the tactical query to a continuous query may be enabled. The conversion or enablement of the conversion may be based at least in part on a request. |
| US09703834B2 |
Topological query in multi-tenancy environment
Each node of a topological database that represents an information technology environment with multi-tenancy capability represents a configuration item within the environment and is characterized by a tenant authorization rule that indicates a list of tenants that are authorized to access the corresponding configuration. An unrestricted result to an unrestricted query is obtained, the unrestricted query being representable as a sub-graph isomorphism. The unrestricted result includes groups of nodes of the database that satisfy the isomorphism. A tenant query is applied to the unrestricted result to obtain an authorized result, the tenant query being representable by the same sub-graph isomorphism as the unrestricted query. The authorized result includes identification of any of the groups whose component nodes are each characterized by a TAR that authorizes access by the querying tenant. A notification is issued to the querying tenant on the basis of the obtained authorized result. |
| US09703832B2 |
Method, system and computer program to provide fares detection from rules attributes
In one aspect thereof the exemplary embodiments provide a data processing system that includes at least one data processor; at least one memory connected with the data processor and that stores computer software that is executable by the at least one data processor; at least one database storing a plurality of fares and rules establishing conditions under which at least one of the fares can be applied; and an interface to at least one user and configured to receive from the user a fare inquiry. The data processor is configured with the computer software to cause the data processing system to receive a fare inquiry that contains at least one rule attribute, to perform a first search to determine rule data applicable to the at least one rule attribute, and to perform a second search using the rule data to retrieve a list of fares that are applicable to the rule data. |
| US09703818B1 |
Automatic comparison of enterprise profile analytics
A method includes storing, in a memory, a first Systems, Applications, Products (SAP) profile including first information. The method further includes storing, in the memory, a second SAP profile including second information. A processor compares the first information with the second information on a line-by-line basis. A reporting data structure is generated that includes a visual line-by-line result of the comparing. |
| US09703816B2 |
Method and system for forward reference logging in a persistent datastore
The embodiments described herein are methods and systems to enhance the reliability and performance of a persistent datastore (e.g., non-volatile memory such as flash memory). The method includes generating a log entry associated with first write data. The method also includes generating a first record including the log entry, the first write data, and pointer to a second record different from the first record. The method further includes performing a single write operation that includes writing the first record to the persistent datastore. |
| US09703815B2 |
Third party files in an on-demand database service
Disclosed are methods, apparatus, systems, and computer readable storage media for providing a reference to a content object in a user interface using an on-demand database service. A computing device can receive data regarding identification of a content object, where the content object is stored in a data repository external to the on-demand database service. The data regarding the content object can be stored in a persistent object in a database of the on-demand database service. A reference can be provided representing the persistent object to a display device operable to display the reference in a user interface when the display device accesses the on-demand database service. One or more graphical representations can be exposed regarding the content object for display in the user interface by the display device, where the exposed graphical representations depend at least in part on the data repository. |
| US09703814B1 |
Local key-value database synchronization
A remote distributed data store may be configured to process data updates received through invocation of a common API with reference to a common schema. A local data store may also be configured to process updates through the common API with reference to the common schema. Updates to the local data store may be mapped from the local data store schema to the common schema, and applied to the distributed data store. Updates to the distributed data store may be mapped from the common schema to the local data store schema. User identity may be verified to limit data synchronization to authorized users. |
| US09703813B2 |
Data aging in hana using grading attributes
According to an embodiment of the present disclosures, systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable mediums having program instructions thereon, provide for process of segregating data from database tables into different layers depending on the frequency of access to the data—so that each layer of the data can be stored in an appropriate storage mechanism. For example, infrequently-accessed data can be stored in a hard disk drive (HDD) and frequently-accessed can be stored in random-access memory (RAM). Further, the data can also be stored in a sold-state drive (SSD) or other memory-storing devices. In an embodiment, grading attributes are used to layer the data and, accordingly, segregate the data into appropriate storage mechanisms. |
| US09703811B2 |
Assessing database migrations to cloud computing systems
This disclosure relates to assessing database migrations to cloud computing systems. On example method includes determining, by a migration server including one or more hardware processors, a set of possible transactions associated with a database application based at least in part on a set of application attributes associated with the database application; generating, by the migration server, a set of application requirements associated with the set of possible transactions; and creating, by the migration server, a set of migration recommendations associated with the database application based on the set of application requirements, the set of migration recommendations configured to allow the database application to be migrated to a cloud computing system and to allow the database application to comply with the set of application requirements when executed in the cloud computing system. |
| US09703810B2 |
Managing record location lookup caching in a relational database
In managing a relational database, a relational manager sets a foreign key lookup value to an unavailable state in a source table row containing each of a foreign key value and the foreign key lookup value in a source table in a relational database, wherein the foreign key value references a primary key value in a referenced row in a separate destination table in the relational database. The relational manager, responsive to looking up, for the foreign key value, in a data structure separate from the source table, a location of the referenced row in the relational database, when the foreign key lookup value is set to the unavailable state, updating the foreign key lookup value with the location, wherein the foreign key lookup value in the source table is looked up for identifying the location of the referenced row for subsequent retrievals of the referenced row for the foreign key value. |
| US09703807B2 |
Method and system for wide area motion imagery discovery using KML
A method and a computer system for WAMI discovery are provided. The method includes issuing a request to a WAMI collection service in one or more WAMI collection services to retrieve an entire collection tree metadata at said WAMI collection service; receiving a response from the WAMI collection service, the response comprising the entire collection tree metadata, the response being in a first format; and translating the response from the first format into KML format, wherein the translating includes mapping a one-to-one of WAMI collection tree nodes from the first format into KML nodes. |
| US09703798B2 |
System and method for file sharing and updating
Embodiments of the present invention include a method and system for sharing changes made by an application to a file on one computer, coherently with other computers, over the Internet. If the application changes multiple files (also referred to as a file group), changes made to all the files are shared together coherently with other computers over the Internet. Coherence over multiple file copies and file group copies is maintained whether users work on files online or offline. A ‘File Upload Lock’ is maintained on a Cloud Server for ensuring coherent sharing of changes made to files. Embodiments include two file syncing processes, variously described as ‘Incremental File Upload’ or ‘Incremental File Download’ and ‘Delta File Upload’ or ‘Delta File Download’. Embodiments also encompass an ‘Explorer’ software tool and user interface that displays folders and files on user devices with pertinent details from the device and the Cloud Server. |
| US09703796B2 |
Shared dictionary between devices
In one embodiment, a system and method for managing a network deduplication dictionary is disclosed. According to the method, the dictionary is divided between available deduplication engines (DDE) in deduplication devices that support shared dictionaries. The fingerprints are distributed to different DDEs based on a hash function. The hash function takes the fingerprint and hashes it and based on the hash result, it selects one of the DDEs. The hash function could select a few bits from the fingerprint and use those bits to select a DDE. |
| US09703794B2 |
Reducing fragmentation in compressed journal storage
While discharging a data chunk, the chunk is compressed into a storage block. If the chunk is found to be too large to be able to be completely compressed into the storage block, certain characteristics of the data chunk are examined to determine whether or not the data chunk should be split. If the data chunk should be split, a remaining portion of the data chunk is compressed to a storage block that is next in chronological order to the original storage block. If the data chunk should not be split, all of the data chunk is moved to the next chronological storage block while leaving any remaining space in the storage block as unused. |
| US09703793B1 |
Data aggregation and caching
Systems and methods aggregate data and use caching techniques. In one implementation, a computer-implemented method aggregates data. A server receives a request for data that includes one or more identifiers. Based on at least one of the one or more identifiers, at least one template defining a view of the data is retrieved. One or more modules are identified based on the at least one template and one or more services are invoked to obtain the one or more modules. The one or more modules are received and processing by applying one or more business logic rules. At least a portion of the one or more processed modules are stored in a data store. The view of the data is generated based on the processed one or more modules and a response is transmitted to a client that includes the view of the data. |
| US09703791B2 |
Method and apparatus for managing files in an online account
An approach is provided for managing files in an online account. A file access platform causes, at least in part, retrieval of a file associated with a first communication stored in an online account. Next, the file access platform determines whether the file is modified after the retrieval and generates a second communication including a modified version of the file based, at least in part, on the determination. Then, the file access platform causes, at least in part, transmission of the second communication including the modified version to the online account. |
| US09703787B2 |
Data storage management apparatus and data storage management method
A data storage management apparatus in an industrial plant is configured to communicate with a first data storage location which is configured to be a primary data storage location. The apparatus is further configured to communicate with a storage parameter configuration database, and a storage data configuration database. The apparatus is configured to determine if a utilization parameter in the primary data storage location is the same as or greater than a utilization limit. When the utilization parameter is determined to be the same as or greater than the utilization limit, the apparatus is configured to identify from the primary data storage location stored data having a storage duration which is the same as or greater than a retrieved data retention policy. The identified stored data is deleted. |
| US09703786B2 |
Systems and methods of reclaiming storage space
Systems and methods for reclaiming storage space are described, including detecting a user input indicating removing a corresponding copy of each media file of a group of one or more media files; selecting the group of one or more media files; identifying the corresponding copy of each media file of the group of one or more media files; and removing from storage space the corresponding copy of each media file of the group of one or more media files. |
| US09703783B2 |
Customized news stream utilizing dwelltime-based machine learning
Methods, systems, and computer programs are presented for selecting news articles for presentation to a user. One method includes an operation for measuring dwelltimes for a first set of news items, where the dwelltime for a news item is based on the amount of time that the news item is displayed to a viewer. Further, the method includes an operation for training a classifier of news items based on the measured dwelltimes and based on features associated with the first set of news items. Additionally, the method includes an operation for ranking with the classifier a second set of news items for presentation to the user, the ranking also using the profile of the user for delivery of customized news to the user. The ranked second set of news item is then presented to the user. |
| US09703779B2 |
Method of and system for enhanced local-device content discovery
A method of and system for enhanced local-device content discovery is disclosed. A method includes providing a local collection of content items and associated metacontent on a device. The metacontent describes the informational content of the corresponding content items. A remote catalog of metacontent items and information describing relationships between the metacontent items is provided. Input is received from the user for finding at least one desired content item and a search query is formed including at least one metacontent item of the remote catalog based on matching the input from the user with metacontent items of the catalog and further based on the information describing relationships between the metacontent items. A subset of content items of the local collection associated with metacontent that at least partially matches the search query is selected and presented on a display device based on at least one ranking criterion. |
| US09703773B2 |
Pattern identification and correction of document misinterpretations in a natural language processing system
An approach is provided in which a knowledge manager analyzes multiple document phrases using a natural language processing model and generates multiple interpretations based upon the analysis. The knowledge manager identifies misinterpretation patterns by comparing the multiple interpretations with multiple corrections that include corrections to the multiple interpretations. In turn, the knowledge manager generates interpretation rules based upon the identified patterns and applies the interpretation rules to the natural language processing model. |
| US09703771B2 |
Automatic capture of information from audio data and computer operating context
A computer system provides an automated tool that processes audio data and data about computer operating context to automatically capture information, such as information from conversations and meetings. The computer operating context can include, for example, environmental data sensed, or other contextual information maintained or tracked, by the computer. The audio data and computer operating context are processed by the computer to detect starting conditions for data extraction. After detecting a starting condition, the processor initiates speech processing on the audio information to generate corresponding text data. The processor processes the text data using text filters that define salient patterns in the text data. Such salient patterns can correspond to, for example, tasks to be performed, follow-up appointments and other events, messages to be sent, important points or notes, and the like. Such automatic processing improves user productivity in tracking valuable information from meetings and other conversations. |
| US09703770B2 |
Automated validation of the appearance of graphical user interfaces
According to embodiments of the present invention, a first metadata defining how a user interface associated with an application under test should appear is generated using one or more computer processors. An image of the user interface associated with the application under test that is invoked during a test run is captured using one or more one or more computer processors. The captured image is converted, using one or more computer processors, into one or more of a second metadata and text. The first metadata is compared, using one or more computer processors, to the second metadata and the text. In response to the comparison resulting in a difference between the first metadata and the second metadata, the image is stored, using one or more computer processors, and an assessment request is generated using one or more computer processors. |
| US09703768B1 |
Object metadata query
An object storage system having object metadata query capability. Clients can pose queries to the object system in a high-level, declarative language. A query is evaluated against stored object metadata, and only objects satisfying the query's predicates are returned. The object storage system can evaluate alternative logical and physical query plans using a cost model. Queries can be posed using familiar REST-based APIs. |
| US09703763B1 |
Automatic document citations by utilizing copied content for candidate sources
A method for automatic document citations includes outputting, by one or more computing devices and for display, a first interface area in which an editable document is displayed and a second interface area outside of the first interface area. The method also includes, in response to a paste command, inserting copied content into the editable document and defining, in the second interface area, an interface element that includes source information regarding the copied content. |
| US09703760B2 |
Presenting external information related to preselected terms in ebook
Systems and methods for rendering an annotation graphic user interface (GUI) that encompasses external information related to a book term in a structured frame. An ebook includes pre-selected terms embedded with hyperlinks directing to an article contained by an external information source. Upon a user interaction with such a pre-selected term, raw information from the one or more articles is accessed and fed to a wireframe. The raw information is mapped to respective sections of the wireframe based on the field identifications attached to different segments of the raw information. As a result, an annotation GUI including the external information can be displayed in a consistent and orderly format. |
| US09703759B2 |
Footnote zone detection in a fixed format document using number of paragraphs in footnote description
Footnote detection is provided. When converting a fixed format document to a flow format document, footnotes, which may include a footnote description and a footnote reference mark, may be detected and linked with a corresponding footnote reference mark in a main document flow on a page. Additionally, a footnote numbering scheme may be determined and applied to detected footnotes. By providing footnote detection when converting a fixed format document to a flow format document, footnotes may be statically positioned at the end of a page containing the corresponding footnote reference mark. |
| US09703755B2 |
Generating and partitioning polynomials
A non-transitory storage device containing software than, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to generate a projection set of polynomials based on a projection of a space linear combination of candidate polynomials of degree d on polynomials of degree less than d that do not evaluate to less than a threshold on a set of points. The software also causes the processor to compute the singular value decomposition of a matrix containing the difference between candidate polynomials evaluated on the points and the projection set of polynomials evaluated on the points, and to partition the polynomials resulting from the singular value decomposition based on a threshold. |
| US09703751B2 |
Apparatus and sensors for attachment to the apparatus
An apparatus and plurality of sensors where the apparatus includes a plurality of coupling elements; a plurality of attachment portions configured to enable a plurality of sensors to be removably attached to the apparatus; at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program instructions; wherein the at least one memory and the computer program instructions are configured to, with the at least one processor, enable the apparatus to individually address each of the plurality of coupling elements to obtain a reading from each of the plurality of sensors attached to the apparatus. |
| US09703748B2 |
Method and apparatus of emulating interfaces using FIFOs
An interface emulator for an IC is disclosed. An interface emulator includes a first first-in, first-out memory (FIFO) and a second FIFO. The first FIFO is coupled to receive data from an access port and a second FIFO coupled to receive data from at least one functional unit in the IC. The access port may be coupled to a device that is external to the IC. The external device may write information into the first FIFO, and this information may subsequently be read by a functional unit in the IC. Similarly, the functional unit may write information into the second FIFO, with the external device subsequently reading the information. Information may be written into the FIFOs in accordance with a predefined protocol. Thus, a particular type of interface may be emulated even though the physical connection and supporting circuitry for that interface is not otherwise implemented in the IC. |
| US09703745B2 |
Storage device and motherboard able to support the storage device
A motherboard assembly able to use a PCI slot either to expand system function or for the installation of additional memory includes a motherboard and a storage device. The motherboard includes a PCI expansion slot, a platform controller hub (PCH), and a power circuit. The PCI expansion slot includes a protrusion, four idle pins and first signal pins connected to the PCH, and first power pins connected to the power circuit. A control chip, a number of storage chips connected to the control chip, and a power unit are arranged on the storage device. A non-central notch is included in an edge connector arranged on a bottom edge of the storage device and the edge connector allows for power pins connected to the power unit and signal pins connected to the control chip. |
| US09703743B2 |
PCIe-based host network accelerators (HNAS) for data center overlay network
A high-performance, scalable and drop-free data center switch fabric and infrastructure is described. The data center switch fabric may leverage low cost, off-the-shelf packet-based switching components (e.g., IP over Ethernet (IPoE)) and overlay forwarding technologies rather than proprietary switch fabric. In one example, host network accelerators (HNAs) are positioned between servers (e.g., virtual machines or dedicated servers) of the data center and an IPoE core network that provides point-to-point connectivity between the servers. The HNAs are hardware devices that embed virtual routers on one or more integrated circuits, where the virtual router are configured to extend the one or more virtual networks to the virtual machines and to seamlessly transport packets over the switch fabric using an overlay network. In other words, the HNAs provide hardware-based, seamless access interfaces to overlay technologies used for communicating packet flows through the core switching network of the data center. |
| US09703740B2 |
Opaque bridge for peripheral component interconnect express bus systems
A host system may couple to a PCIe subsystem. During setup of the PCIe subsystem, the BIOS in the host system may first be informed that the devices to be coupled are not PCIe devices, and certain amount of memory is required for these devices. The BIOS may therefore not attempt to configure the devices, and may instead allocate the required memory space. When the operating system boots up, it may not attempt to configure the devices, loading a custom driver instead of an existing PCI driver to configure the bus. Once loaded, the custom driver may configure the devices, then inform the OS that there are PCIe devices in the system at the specified addresses, which may cause the OS to load and execute existing PCIe device drivers to operate/use the devices. The proprietary driver may also be used to handle traffic between the PCIe drivers and the OS. |
| US09703739B2 |
Return available PPI credits command
In response to receiving a novel “Return Available PPI Credits” command from a credit-aware device, a packet engine sends a “Credit To Be Returned” (CTBR) value it maintains for that device back to the credit-aware device, and zeroes out its stored CTBR value. The credit-aware device adds the credits returned to a “Credits Available” value it maintains. The credit-aware device uses the “Credits Available” value to determine whether it can issue a PPI allocation request. The “Return Available PPI Credits” command does not result in any PPI allocation or de-allocation. In another novel aspect, the credit-aware device is permitted to issue one PPI allocation request to the packet engine when its recorded “Credits Available” value is zero or negative. If the PPI allocation request cannot be granted, then it is buffered in the packet engine, and is resubmitted within the packet engine, until the packet engine makes the PPI allocation. |
| US09703738B2 |
Computing system framework with unified storage, processing, and network switching fabrics incorporating network switches and method for making and using the same
A system and method for making and using a computing system framework with unified storage, processing, and network switching fabrics are provided. Processing nodes, either physical or virtual, are associated with intra-module ports, inter-module ports, and local storage spaces. A plurality of processing nodes are linked through intra-module ports to form processing modules. A plurality of the processing modules are connected through inter-module ports to form the computing system. Network switch can be incorporated into intra-module or inter-module connections. Several inter-module connection schemes, which can be adapted to use with existing network packet routing algorithms, are disclosed. Each processing node needs only to keep track of the states of its directly connected neighbors, obviating the need for a high-speed connection to the rest processing nodes within the system. Dedicated network switching equipment can be flexibly employed and network capacity grows naturally as processing nodes are added. |
| US09703737B2 |
Method, apparatus, and system for improving inter-chip and single-wire communication for a serial interface
A system and method consistent with the present disclosure includes a master device, bus interface link, and slave device. The master device includes a power supply and a detection unit to detect an impedance of the power supply. The inverter provides a first path to the power supply on a first stage of a clock signal and. Further, the inverter provides a second path to a first ground line on a second stage of a clock signal. The bus interface link couples the master device to a slave device. Additionally, a bi-directional communications line is coupled to the bus interface link. A gating component provides a second ground line to the power supply through the first path. Furthermore, a receiver determines bit values from a plurality of clock data signals transmitted from the master device. |
| US09703733B2 |
Instructions and logic to interrupt and resume paging in a secure enclave page cache
Instructions and logic interrupt and resume paging in secure enclaves. Embodiments include instructions, specify page addresses allocated to a secure enclave, the instructions are decoded for execution by a processor. The processor includes an enclave page cache to store secure data in a first cache line and in a last cache line for a page corresponding to the page address. A page state is read from the first or last cache line for the page when an entry in an enclave page cache mapping for the page indicates only a partial page is stored in the enclave page cache. The entry for a partial page may be set, and a new page state may be recorded in the first cache line when writing-back, or in the last cache line when loading the page when the instruction's execution is being interrupted. Thus the writing-back, or loading can be resumed. |
| US09703732B2 |
Interface apparatus and memory bus system
An exemplary interface apparatus according to the present disclosure connects together an initiator and a packet exchange type bus network formed on the integrated circuit. In the bus network, if the initiator has submitted request data with a deadline time specified, the initiator receives, by the deadline time, response data to be issued by a node in response to the request data. The interface apparatus includes: a correcting circuit which corrects the deadline time of the request data according to the timing when the request data has been submitted, thereby generating corrected deadline time information; a header generator which generates a packet header that stores the corrected deadline time information; and a packetizing processor which generates a request packet based on the request data and the packet header. |
| US09703720B2 |
Method and apparatus to allow secure guest access to extended page tables
An apparatus and method for efficient guest EPT manipulation. For example, one embodiment of a apparatus comprises: a hypervisor to create extended page table (EPT) mappings between a guest physical address (GPA) space and a host physical address (HPA) space; the hypervisor to create an EPT edit table and populate the EPT edit table with information related to permitted mappings between the GPA space and HPA space; a guest to read the EPT edit table to determine information related to the permitted mappings between the GPA space and HPA space, the guest to use the information to map one or more pages in the GPA space to one or more pages in the HPA space. |
| US09703717B2 |
Computer system and control method
A computer system according to the present invention is composed of a server 200 having a flash memory drive 204 for cache, a storage system 260 having storage tiers composed of an SSD 267 and an HDD 268, and a management server having a page tier determination program 503 for determining the storage tier to which data is to be stored. The page tier determination program 503 migrates data having a high read access rate out of the pages having a high cache rate to the flash memory drive 204 to a storage tier of the HDD 268, and confirms so that data is not stored in a duplicated manner to the flash memory drive 204 and the SSD 267. Further, the data having a relatively high write access rate is migrated to the storage tier of the SSD 267 so as to prevent deterioration of write process performance. |
| US09703713B2 |
Singleton cache management protocol for hierarchical virtualized storage systems
Methods and arrangements for providing cache management in a hierarchical virtualized storage system. A contemplated method includes: for each layer in the storage system, designating a relative position with respect to at least one other layer in the storage system; imparting a caching policy to be applied collectively to all layers, the caching policy being based on the relative position of each layer with respect to at least one other layer in the storage system; and upon an attempt to cache data in at least one of the layers, maintaining communication between the layers to permit application of the caching policy. Other variants and embodiments are broadly contemplated herein. |
| US09703712B2 |
Satisfying memory ordering requirements between partial reads and non-snoop accesses
A method and apparatus for preserving memory ordering in a cache coherent link based interconnect in light of partial and non-coherent memory accesses is herein described. In one embodiment, partial memory accesses, such as a partial read, is implemented utilizing a Read Invalidate and/or Snoop Invalidate message. When a peer node receives a Snoop Invalidate message referencing data from a requesting node, the peer node is to invalidate a cache line associated with the data and is not to directly forward the data to the requesting node. In one embodiment, when the peer node holds the referenced cache line in a Modified coherency state, in response to receiving the Snoop Invalidate message, the peer node is to writeback the data to a home node associated with the data. |
| US09703710B2 |
Managing cache coherence for memory caches
A computer system has a plurality of processors with non-blocking memory caches. A controller sets an upper limit of allowed snoop commands for the computer system. The controller adjusts, using real-time bandwidth data of the computing system, the limit of snoop commands to a new numerical value. The controller detects that the snoop limit is being adjusted between snoop rates more than a threshold number of times. The controller designates an overriding limit of snoop commands in response to detecting the snoop limit being adjusted more than the threshold number of times. The overriding limit of snoop commands is fixed for a period of time. The controller delays snoop commands which exceed the overriding limit of snoop commands during the period of time. |
| US09703709B2 |
Method and apparatus for ensuring data cache coherency
A multithreaded processor can concurrently execute a plurality of threads in a processor core. The threads can access a shared main memory through a memory interface; the threads can generate read and write transactions that cause shared main memory access. An incoherency detection module prevents incoherency by maintaining a record of outstanding global writes, and detecting a conflicting global read. A barrier is sequenced with the conflicting global write. The conflicting global read is allowed to proceed after the sequence of the conflicting global write and the barrier are cleared. The sequence can be maintained by a separate queue for each thread of the plurality. |
| US09703707B2 |
Network-on-chip using request and reply trees for low-latency processor-memory communication
A NOC comprises a die having a cache and a core area, a plurality of core tiles arranged in the core area in a plurality of subsets, at least one cache memory bank arranged in the cache area, whereby the at least one cache memory bank is distinct from each of the plurality of core files. The NOC further comprises an interconnect fabric comprising a request tree to connect to a first cache memory bank of the at least one cache memory bank, each core tile of a first one of the subsets, the first subset corresponding to the first cache memory bank, such that each core tile is connected to the first cache memory bank only, and a reply tree to connect the first cache memory bank to each core tile of the first subset. |
| US09703706B2 |
Universal cache management system
Techniques for universal cache management are described. In an example embodiment, a plurality of caches are allocated, in volatile memory of a computing device, to a plurality of data-processing instances, where each one of the plurality of caches is exclusively allocated to a separate one of the plurality of data-processing instances. A common cache is allocated in the volatile memory of the computing device, where the common cache is shared by the plurality of data-processing instances. Each instance of the plurality of data-processing instances is configured to: identify a data block in the particular cache allocated to that instance, where the data block has not been changed since the data block was last persistently written to one or more storage devices; cause the data block to be stored in the common cache; and remove the data block from the particular cache. Data blocks in the common cache are maintained without being persistently written to the one or more storage devices. |
| US09703703B2 |
Control of entry into protected memory views
Generally, this disclosure provides systems, devices, methods and computer readable media for controlled memory view switching. The system may include a memory module comprising a shared address space between a first memory view and a second memory view. The system may also include a virtual machine monitor (VMM) to maintain a list of Controlled View Switch (CVS) descriptors. The system may further include a processor to receive a memory view switch request and to execute an instruction to save processor state information and switch from the first memory view to the second memory view, wherein the second memory view is specified by an extended page table pointer (EPTP) provided by one of the CVS descriptors. |
| US09703701B2 |
Address range transfer from first node to second node
A group address range is mapped to a memory address range of a nonvolatile memory. A first memory address of the memory address range is to be copied to a volatile memory if the first memory address is mapped to the group address range and a write access is requested for the first memory address. The group address range is transferred from a first node to a second node in response to a synch command. The copied address is to be written the NVM after the group address range is transferred. |
| US09703700B2 |
Efficient buffering for a system having non-volatile memory
Systems and methods are disclosed for efficient buffering for a system having non-volatile memory (“NVM”). In some embodiments, a control circuitry of a system can use heuristics to determine whether to perform buffering of one or more write commands received from a file system. In other embodiments, the control circuitry can minimize read energy and buffering overhead by efficiently re-ordering write commands in a queue along page-aligned boundaries of a buffer. In further embodiments, the control circuitry can optimally combine write commands from a buffer with write commands from a queue. After combining the commands, the control circuitry can dispatch the commands in a single transaction. |
| US09703698B2 |
Data writing method, memory controller and memory storage apparatus
A data writing method for writing data into a physical erasing unit and a memory controller and a memory storage apparatus using the data writing method are provided. The method includes dividing the data into a plurality of information frames in a unit of one physical programming unit. The method also includes writing the information frames in sequence into at least one physical programming unit constituted by memory cells disposed on at least one first word line and programming the storage state of memory cells disposed on at least one second word line following the first word line to an auxiliary pattern. Accordingly, the method effectively prevents data stored in the physical erasing unit, which is not full of data, from being lost due to a high temperature. |
| US09703697B2 |
Sharing serial peripheral interface flash memory in a multi-node server system on chip platform environment
Methods and apparatus related to sharing Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) flash memory in a multi-node server SoC (System on Chip) platform environment are described. In one embodiment, multi-port non-volatile memory is shared by a plurality of System on Chip (SoC) devices. Each of the plurality of SoC devices comprises controller logic to control access to the multi-port non-volatile memory and/or to translate a host referenced address of a memory access request to a linear address space and a physical address space of the multi-port non-volatile memory. Other embodiments are also disclosed and claimed. |
| US09703694B2 |
Techniques for testing software
A technique for testing software includes monitoring whether a predefined event occurs in a software test instance. In response to occurrence of the predefined event, different types of snapshots of the software test instance are generated according to a property of the event. The snapshots are used to record a state of the software test instance when the predefined event occurs. The different types of snapshots are stored in information related to the predefined event. |
| US09703692B2 |
Development supporting system
Provided is a development supporting system that extracts important test cases in accordance with development statuses of a program, test statuses, etc. The development supporting system according to a representative embodiment includes a configuration managing unit that retains and manages the program and each of the test cases in a repository, and a test executing unit that executes the test case and stores a test result in the repository. The test case is managed in the repository in association with information of a type thereof, the configuration managing unit judges a development status of the program and sets a priority for each of the test cases based on the development status, and the test executing unit extracts the test case to be executed based on the priority. |
| US09703691B1 |
Testing application software using virtual or physical devices
A method includes receiving an application package for a software application and determining a test compatibility of the software application on virtual devices and on physical devices based on the application package. The method further includes selecting a test device based on the test compatibility of the software application. The test device includes one of a test virtual device or a test physical device. The method routes the software application to the test device and executes the software application on the test device. |
| US09703690B2 |
Determining test case efficiency
A computer-implemented method, computer program product, and system is provided for determining test case efficiency. In an implementation, a method may include determining each code unit executed by a test case in a test suite including a plurality of test cases, wherein a product-under-test includes a plurality of code units. The method may also include determining an execution time for the test case. The method may further include calculating an efficiency rating of the test case based upon, at least in part, a number of code units executed by the test case and the execution time for the test case. |
| US09703689B2 |
Defect detection using test cases generated from test models
Detection of defects in an online system includes, for example, receiving, by one or more processor, a plurality of search conditions regarding a search screen of the online system, generating, by the one or more processor, a plurality of test models having factors based on the plurality of search conditions and levels having one or more of the search conditions, generating, by the one or more processor, a plurality of test cases based on the generated plurality of test models having the factors based on the plurality of search conditions and the levels having one or more of the search conditions, and executing, by the one or more processor, the plurality of test cases on the online system to detect defects in the online system. |
| US09703688B2 |
Progress metric for combinatorial models
Techniques for monitoring computer program test design are described herein. The techniques include a method that specifies a subset of tuples in a combinatorial test model as supervised. At least some of the supervised tuples are confirmed using expert data. The method may include determining a metric indicating progress of the combinatorial test modeling process based on the supervised tuples and the confirmed tuples. |
| US09703686B2 |
Software testing optimizer
In an approach for testing software, a computer receives a series of two or more revisions to a set of software code. The computer identifies modifications between the series of two or more revisions. The computer categorizes the series of two or more revisions into one or more categories of revisions based on the identified modifications. The computer tests at least one of the series of two or more revisions from at least one of the one or more categories of revisions. |
| US09703685B2 |
Orthogonal experimentation in a computing environment
Various embodiments include at least one of systems, methods, and software to receive input configuring tests within a computing environment to expose users to standard application or website experiences or test experiences. In some embodiments, multiple tests may be configured to run orthogonally within user experiences without affecting the results of one another. Some such embodiments preserve the ability to execute certain tests in anon-orthogonal manner while other tests are allowed to execute orthogonally. |
| US09703684B1 |
Unified user element information provisioning
Embodiments of methods, systems and storage media associated with a unified UI element query interface (“UEI”) configured to facilitate provisioning of UI element information are described. A view server may be configured to respond to queries made using the UEI to provide indications of UI elements that are being rendered by one or more rendering engines. The view server may also be configured to respond to queries about specific UI elements to provide properties for the UI elements. The UEI may provide a single point of interaction for an application that wishes to interact with UI elements rendered by different rendering engines. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed. |
| US09703682B2 |
Generating production server load activity for a test server
Replicating on a test server a production load of a production server. The production load can be created on the production server by processing client requests received from clients. While the client requests are processed, in real time, the production load can be replicated to generate a replicated production load that represents the client requests and defines state information representing unique states formed between the production server and the respective clients. In real time, the replicated production load can be communicated in order to replicate the production load on the test server. |
| US09703680B1 |
System and method for automatic software development kit configuration and distribution
A developer analytic module executing on an integrated development environment provides location tracing of a software development toolkit and automatic updates of the SDK. The developer analytic module further provides a user interface that enables a developer to select one or more functional modules to be included in a SDK to be installed at the developer's IDE. |
| US09703678B2 |
Debugging pipeline for debugging code
A debugging pipeline may be developed to create a debugging experience for computer code operating in an execution environment, using a debugging tool outside of the execution environment. A producer can publish a debugging pipeline, configured to link the producer to a consumer (e.g., a debugging tool) by exposing a debugging pipeline interface object to a consumer. The debugging pipeline can implement a set of debugging protocols, comprising: protocol for processing of debugging requests for computer code in at least one of at least two computer languages; a protocol configured for processing of computer code language types in respective signatures without exposing operating system specific constructs; and a protocol for a first debugging pipeline to be isolated from one or more second debugging pipelines. Additionally, a consumer component can provide debugging of the computer code in the execution environment. |
| US09703677B2 |
Code coverage plugin
A method for starting a level of testing on a first package file is disclosed. The method receives, via an application programming interface, at a plugin, a request to start the level of testing on the first package file. The method further modifies, by the plugin, the memory data structure utilized for the testing in middleware, to register a code coverage tool used to perform the testing at the level on the first package file. The method further launches the code coverage tool to start the level of testing by replacing the first package file with the second package file that has been modified and instrumented by the code coverage tool. The method further adds the code coverage tool as a dependency for the second package file. |
| US09703675B2 |
Structured logging and instrumentation framework
A structured logging and instrumentation framework may include a structured logging service that interacts with one or more instrumentation points of an application at runtime. The structured logging service may expose a structured logging application programming interface that may be called by an instrumentation point for passing structured trace event information. The structured logging service may be implemented as a source of structured trace event information for one or more consumers and may output structured trace event information as a serialized string or as one or more strongly-typed key-value pairs. |
| US09703670B2 |
Performance state machine control with aggregation insertion
A performance state machine is controlled in part by identifying notifications from an execution trace of an application program, through rapid automatic comparison of trace events to notification events for notification categories. Some notification categories include application startup, page outline load, page data load start, page data load finish, page to page transition, application input, window size change, media query, binding update, page background task start, page background task finish, developer-defined scenario start, and developer-defined scenario finish. Notifications may reflect heuristics such as the time from startup to first frame submission. A state is placed in the performance state machine for each identified notification, with aggregate application performance data for each transition between identified notifications. Some performance data categories include network activity, disk activity, memory usage, parse time, frame time, dropped frames, component or overall frame rates, and thread utilization. Timelines and other visual representations aid application performance optimization. |
| US09703665B1 |
Data center design process and system
The present disclosure generally provides a design system and process to improve the traditional ways of determining the requirements for, and estimated costs of, building a new data center from the ground up or retrofitting an existing facility. The design system and process automates the conceptual design phase for a data center facility. Requirements associated with a proposed data facility may be determined based on current and future needs of an organization, and from those requirements, various feasibility and financial scenarios may be explored. This system and design more easily enable users to evaluate the feasibility, complexity, as well as cost of the proposed data center design. |
| US09703661B2 |
Eliminate corrupted portions of cache during runtime
In an approach for taking corrupt portions of cache offline during runtime, a notification of a section of a cache to be taken offline is received, wherein the section includes one or more sets in one or more indexes of the cache. An indication is associated with each set of the one or more sets in a first index of the one or more indexes, wherein the indication marks the respective set as unusable for future operations. Data is purged from the one or more sets in the first index of the cache. Each set of the one or more sets in the first index is marked as invalid. |
| US09703660B2 |
Testing a virtualized network function in a network
A method and system for testing a Virtualized Network Function (VNF) in a network. Metadata including test parameters pertaining to a network environment specific to the VNF is retrieved. At least one Virtualized Network Tester (VNT) for testing the VNF is created and stored in the network. The metadata is mapped to a test list to define a test suite of test cases based on the test parameters in the metadata. The VNF is tested by the at least one VNT according to the test suite to enable the at least one VNT to emulate the network environment specific to the VNF. The VNF is disconnected from the network and from virtual networks during the testing. If the testing is successful, the VNF is attached to the network and to virtual networks to enable the VNF to be deployed in the network. If the testing is unsuccessful, the method ends. |
| US09703659B2 |
Customer support using virtual machines
A customer support system includes at least one subsystem to communicate with a customer about a problem with a customer information handling system (IHS), wherein the customer IHS includes a plurality of first customer IHS data. The plurality of first customer IHS data is received from the customer and used to create a virtual IHS having substantially the same characteristics as the customer IHS. A problem with the customer IHS is then diagnosed using the virtual IHS. |
| US09703657B1 |
System and method for reliable non-blocking messaging for multi-process application replication
A system, method, and computer readable medium for reliable messaging between two or more servers. The computer readable medium includes computer-executable instructions for execution by a processing system. Primary applications runs on primary hosts and one or more replicated instances of each primary application run on one or more backup hosts. The reliable messaging ensures consistent ordered delivery of messages in the event that messages are lost; arrive out of order, or in duplicate. The messaging layer operates over TCP or UDP with our without multi-cast and broad-cast and requires no modification to applications, operating system or libraries. |
| US09703655B1 |
Recovery after data loss in a reliable distributed computing system
Real system devices (RSD's) emulate virtual system devices (VSD's); system elements can use RSD's and manipulate VSD's, while users can only use VSD's. Identifying when RSD's have erroneous data. Providing a mapping of RSD's to VSD's, to recover a maximum set of VSD's. Providing a mapping of VSD's to RSD's, to recover a specified most valuable VSD. Reconstructing VSD's from RSD's having erroneous data, and coordinating with a user's assistance to couple RSD's in an order allowing data recovery. Metadata is maintained coupling data identifiable on VSD's with corresponding data on RSD's; it is possible to trace connections between RSD's and VSD's even without complete data. |
| US09703653B2 |
Cloud system management apparatus, cloud system, reallocation method, and computer program product
According to an embodiment, a cloud system management apparatus includes an estimator, a detector, a determination processor, and a reallocator. The estimator is configured to estimate breach information based on quality information representing a quality level to be achieved by a service process operating in any one of server devices in a cloud system. The breach information represents a degree by which the service process is incapable of achieving the quality level. The detector is configured to detect a failure of each server device. The determination processor is configured to determine, to reallocate at least one first service process operating on a first server device whose failure is detected, a second server device having a smaller sum of the breach information on at least one second service process operating on the second server device. The reallocator is configured to reallocate the first service process to the second server device. |
| US09703649B2 |
Automatic failover and failback between primary and secondary storage systems
A method for managing a secondary storage system, the method may include performing a failover update, by the secondary storage system, of a status of at least one secondary path that couples a host computer to the secondary storage system thereby causing the host computer to prioritize sending IO requests to the secondary storage system over sending the IO requests to a primary storage system; wherein the failover update is triggered by a determination made by the secondary storage system that (a) the secondary storage system is, when making the determination, at an acceptable synchronization level with the primary storage system, and (b) the primary storage system is disconnected from the host computer; receiving, from the host computer, IO requests; and responding, by the secondary storage system, to the IO requests. |
| US09703647B2 |
Automated policy management in a virtual machine environment
A method for providing object policy management. The method includes accessing a distributed computer system having a plurality of nodes, and initiating a new object policy object backup protection for a new object. The method further includes processing a list of object attributes available for the new object policy, and processing the list to generate an object management policy. The new object is then processed in accordance with the object management policy. |
| US09703645B2 |
Data recovery technique for recovering data from an object storage service
A system and method for recovering data backed up to an object store are provided. In some embodiments, the method includes identifying an address space of a data set to be recovered. A set of data objects stored by an object-based system is identified that corresponds to the address space and a selected recovery point. The identified set of data objects is retrieved, and data contained in the retrieved set of data objects is stored to at least one storage device at a block address determined by the retrieved set of data objects to recreate the address space. In some embodiments, the set of data objects is retrieved by providing an HTTP request and receiving the set of data objects as an HTTP response. In some embodiments, the set of data objects are retrieved based on the data objects being the target of a data transaction. |
| US09703644B1 |
Methods for generating a synthetic backup and for consolidating a chain of backups independent of endianness
Systems and methods for generating synthetic backups and for consolidating a chain of related backups. The chain of related backups is merged on the fly to create a backup stream. A block allocation table (BAT) may be identified for each backup to be consolidated into a synthetic backup, and BAT entries from each backup may be merged or combined to create a new BAT table associated with the synthetic backup. The data included in the related backups may be reformatted on the fly from big endian to little endian or vice versa. The backup stream is stored on a target device or volume. |
| US09703642B2 |
Processing of tracked blocks in similarity based deduplication of snapshots data
Embodiments for processing tracked blocks in a data storage implemented with data deduplication by a processor. Input snapshot data is partitioned into changed tracked blocks. The changed tracked blocks are grouped into enclosing similarity units. Similarity units that contain at least one input changed tracked block are processed for deduplication. |
| US09703633B2 |
Circuits, apparatuses, and methods for correcting data errors
One example apparatus includes a first circuit configured to receive first and second data words, to correct one or more errors in the first data word, to merge the corrected first data word and the second data word responsive to a control signal to generate a final merged data word, and to provide the final merged data word to a write circuit. The apparatus also includes a second circuit configured to also receive the first and second data words, to preliminarily merge the first and second data words responsive to the control signal to generate an initial merged data word, to generate an initial parity code for the initial merged data word, to correct the initial parity code, and to provide the corrected parity code to the write circuit. |
| US09703629B2 |
Approach to correct ECC errors using duplicate copies of data
Devices and methods implemented therein in are disclosed for correcting errors in data. The method comprises determining that a first copy of data and a second copy of data include errors uncorrectable by an error correction code (ECC) engine. The ECC engine is modified based on determining that the first copy of data and the second copy of data include errors uncorrectable by the ECC engine and using the modified ECC engine, the first copy of data and the second copy of data are processed to correct the errors in the first and second copy of the data. |
| US09703623B2 |
Adjusting the use of a chip/socket having a damaged pin
An electronic system comprises: a pin sensor; and an integrated management module, wherein the integrated management module: identifies a location of a damaged connector between a semiconductor chip and a hardware socket, wherein the location of the damaged connector is described by one or more readings from the pin sensor, and wherein the damaged connector prevents a particular signal from being supplied to the semiconductor chip via the hardware socket; identifies the particular signal as an input for a particular semiconductor function; determines whether the semiconductor chip provides the particular semiconductor function; and adjusts a use of the semiconductor chip based on whether or not the semiconductor chip uses the particular signal to provide the particular semiconductor function. |
| US09703619B2 |
Determining an availability score based on available resources of different resource types in a storage system to determine whether to perform a failure operation for the storage system
Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for determining an availability score based on available resources of different resource types in a storage system to determine whether to perform a failure operation for the storage system. Information is maintained indicating availability of a plurality of storage system resources for a plurality of resource types. An availability score is calculated as a function of a number of available resources of the resource types. Information on the availability score is transmitted to a failure manager. The failure manager uses the transmitted availability information to determine whether to initiate a storage system failure mode for the storage system. |
| US09703618B1 |
Communication between a software program that uses RPC with another software program using a different communications protocol enabled via proxy
One example method includes receiving a message from a first software program using a first communication protocol and identifying a second software program that is an intended recipient of the message. The example method further includes identifying a second communication protocol associated with the intended recipient, where the second communication protocol is incompatible with the first communication protocol such that the first software program and the second software program cannot communicate directly with each other. Finally, the example method includes transmitting the message to the second software program using the second communication protocol. |
| US09703617B2 |
Automated transfer of user data between applications utilizing different interaction modes
Software that preserves information provided by a user in a first application utilizing a first interaction mode for use by a second application utilizing a second interaction mode, by performing the following steps: (i) generating a natural language log describing an interaction between a user and a first application, where the user interacts with the first application utilizing a first interaction mode; (ii) analyzing the natural language log using natural language processing to determine first user data; and (iii) utilizing the first user data by a second application, where the user interacts with the second application utilizing a second interaction mode different from the first interaction mode, and where the second application does not receive the first user data from the user via the second interaction mode. |
| US09703614B2 |
Managing a free list of resources to decrease control complexity and reduce power consumption
Embodiments include method, systems and computer program products for searching a social network for media content. Aspects include identifying one or more available resources for execution by the processor, determining a maximum number of resources the processor can utilize in executing an instruction group, and grouping the one or more available resources into one or more resource groups, wherein each of the one or more resource groups has a size equal to the maximum number. Aspects also include receiving a request from a decode logic for a number of resources for execution and dispatching one of the one or more resource groups in response to the request by providing the number of resources for execution to the processor and sending remaining resources in the one of the one or more resource groups to a recycle queue. |
| US09703613B2 |
Multi-core dynamic workload management using native and dynamic parameters
A dynamic scheduler is provided that schedules tasks for a plurality of cores based upon current operating characteristics for the cores. The current operating characteristics include a predicted leakage current for each core based upon an analytical model. |
| US09703610B2 |
Extensible centralized dynamic resource distribution in a clustered data grid
A centralized resource distribution is described where the decision portion of partitioning data among cluster nodes is made centralized while the actual mechanics to implement the partitioning remain a distributed algorithm. A central distribution coordinator is used to create an extensible central strategy that controls how the data will be partitioned across the cluster. The work to implement this strategy is performed by all of the members individually and asynchronously, in accordance with a distributed algorithm. The central strategy can be communicated to all cluster members and each member can perform the partitioning as it relates to itself. For example, in accordance with the distributed algorithm, one node may decide that it needs to obtain a particular partition in light of the central strategy and carry out the necessary steps to obtain that data, while other nodes may be asynchronously performing other individual partition transfers relevant to those particular nodes. |
| US09703607B2 |
System and method for adaptive configuration of software based on current and historical data
This disclosure relates to systems and methods for adaptive configuration of software based on current and historical data. In one embodiment, a method is disclosed, which comprises receiving first data that reflects a first status of an execution of a software task. The method further comprises determining, based on the first data, a first set of configurations to be provided for the execution of the software task, wherein each configuration of the first set of configurations is associated with a weight that reflects a statistic measurement of a prior status of an execution of the software task when the configuration is provided, and wherein the first set of configurations are ranked based on the weights. The method also comprises providing, based on the ranking, at least one of the first set of configurations for the execution of the software task. |
| US09703605B2 |
Fine-grained heterogeneous computing
A heterogeneous computing system described herein has an energy-efficient architecture that exploits producer-consumer locality, task parallelism and data parallelism. The heterogeneous computing system includes a task frontend that dispatches tasks and updated tasks from queues for execution based on properties associated with the queues, and execution units that include a first subset acting as producers to execute the tasks and generate the updated tasks, and a second subset acting as consumers to execute the updated tasks. The execution units includes one or more control processors to perform control operations, vector processors to perform vector operations, and accelerators to perform multimedia signal processing operations. The heterogeneous computing system also includes a memory backend containing the queues to store the tasks and the updated tasks for execution by the execution units. |
| US09703604B2 |
Configurable thread ordering for throughput computing devices
A data processing apparatus and method processing data are disclosed. Execution circuitry is configured to execute multiple threads to perform data processing on input data by reference to at least one coordinate value of points in a reference domain. Thread allocation circuitry is configured to specify a selected point in the reference domain for each thread of the multiple threads respectively in order to allocate the data processing by specifying for each thread the at least one coordinate value of the specified point for that thread. Each thread accesses the input data with reference to its selected point in the reference domain and an order in which points in the reference domain are allocated to threads for data processing is configurable in the thread allocation circuitry. |
| US09703602B1 |
Burst throttling for multi-tenant storage services
Burst throttling methods may be used manage computing resources of a data storage service. Tokens may represent I/O operations executed by a customer of the data storage service. A global token bucket may contain a set of tokens representing the overall I/O operation capacity of the data storage service. Additionally, a work token bucket may contain a set of tokens for a given logical volume maintained by the data storage service. When I/O request are received tokens may be charged the global token bucket and the work token bucket. Furthermore, if there is sufficient capacity the data storage service may charge a reduced number of tokens to the work token bucket. |
| US09703600B2 |
Automated creation of executable workflow
A computing device receives information describing one or more workflow components. The computing device determines whether at least one executable step can be determined for each of the one or more workflow components. The computing device provides an indication of whether at least one executable step can be determined for each of the one or more workflow components. |
| US09703593B2 |
Apparatus and method for memory overlay
A memory overlay apparatus includes an internal memory that includes a dirty bit indicating a changed memory area, a memory management unit that controls an external memory to store only changed data so that only data actually being used by a task during overlay is stored and restored, and a direct memory access (DMA) management unit that confirms the dirty bit when the task is changed and that moves a data area of the task between the internal memory and the external memory. |
| US09703587B2 |
Administering virtual machines in a distributed computing environment
In a distributed computing environment that includes hosts that execute a VMM, with each VMM supporting execution of one or more VMs, administering VMs may include: assigning, by a VMM manager, the VMMs of the distributed computing environment to a logical tree topology, including assigning one of the VMMs as a root VMM of the tree topology; and executing, amongst the VMMs of the tree topology, a scatter operation, including: pausing, by the root VMM one or more executing VMs; storing, by the root VMM in a buffer, a plurality of VMs to scatter amongst the other VMMs of the tree topology; and sending, by the root VMM, to each of the other VMMs of the tree topology a different one of the VMs stored in the buffer. |
| US09703585B2 |
Method for live migration of virtual machines
A method and system for an assisted live migration of virtual machines are provided. The method monitoring, by an advisory server, at least a workload of physical machines in a datacenter; determining if at least one physical machine is overloaded based on the monitored workload; for each of the at least one physical machine determined to be overloaded, selecting at least one virtual machine resides in the respective physical machine, wherein the selection is based at least on a current load of the virtual machine; and initiating a live migration of the selected virtual machine when the current load is lower than a comfort load level. |
| US09703582B1 |
Share access of allocated storage space via in-memory file system between virtual machines
A method or network system able to efficiently redistribute information, data, and/or context between virtual machines (“VMs”) using an in-memory file system (“IMFS”) is disclosed. After requesting memory access by an application program, a process of VM using IMFS is able to forward the memory allocation request from a VM kernel operating under a VM environment to an emulator. The emulator, which operates between the VM kernel and the hypervisor, again redirects the memory allocation request to the hypervisor for storage allocation. The hypervisor subsequently allocates at least a portion of storage space in the IMFS in accordance with the memory allocation request. |
| US09703581B2 |
Managing unallocated server farms in a desktop virtualization system
Methods and systems for managing the allocated and unallocated server farms in a desktop virtualization system are provided herein. A server farm management device may store and maintain one or more unallocated server farm thresholds for the desktop virtualization system. The current number of unallocated server farms may be determined in response to a trigger or according to a predetermined schedule. When the number of unallocated server farms falls below a threshold, one or more new unallocated server farms may be created using the available servers in the desktop virtualization system. Thresholds may relate to overall number of unallocated server farms in the desktop virtualization system, as well as to the numbers of unallocated server farms of certain types or having certain characteristics. |
| US09703580B2 |
Information processing apparatus, information processing system, and communication data output method
An information processing apparatus includes a processor configured to collect data received and transmitted between a plurality of virtual machines within a physical apparatus, the plurality of virtual machines running on the physical apparatus; and a communication unit configured to output the data collected by the processor to an external apparatus. |
| US09703579B2 |
Debug environment for a multi user hardware assisted verification system
Technologies for debugging hardware errors discovered during hardware assisted software verification processes are provided. For example, in one embodiment, a concurrent emulation debug environment including a concurrent emulation system, an emulation trace module and a model state module is provided. The concurrent emulation system includes an emulator and an emulation control station configured to allow simultaneous emulation of multiple electronic designs. The model state module is configured to record the state of the electronic designs during emulation and the emulation trace module is configured to capture trace data associated with the emulation. A backup and capture module is also disclosed that is configured to store the recorded state and the captured trace data for use during a hardware debug process. |
| US09703578B2 |
Providing class loading for JAVA™ applications
A mechanism for providing class loading for a JAVA application is disclosed. A method of the invention includes retrieving, by a processing device, a JAVA class file. The method also includes identifying, by the processing device, a class dependency for the JAVA class file. The method also includes determining, by the processing device, a probability that the JAVA class file is to be loaded into a cache based on the identified class dependency. The method further includes loading, by the processing device, the JAVA class file into the cache based on the probability determined for the JAVA class file. |
| US09703577B2 |
Automatically executing application using short run indicator on terminal device
Provided are a method and system for executing an application installed in a device, the device and a recording medium thereof. The method includes: receiving a mapping request signal for requesting a mapping between application execution information and a short run indicator, acquiring the application execution information from an execution starting point of the application up to the receiving of the mapping request signal; generating mapping information comprising a mapping of the acquired application execution information with the short run indicator; and storing the mapping information in at least one of the device and an external device. |
| US09703574B2 |
Overflow detection and correction in state machine engines
State machine engines are disclosed, including those having an inter-rank bus control system, which may include a register. The state machine engine may include a plurality of configurable elements, such that each of the plurality of configurable elements comprises a plurality of memory cells. These cells may analyze data and output a result of the analysis. The IR bus control system may halt a write operation of data to be analyzed by the cells based, at least in part, on one or more conditions. |
| US09703571B2 |
Server function switching device, method and program, and thin client system and server device
Provided is a thin client system that automatically allows two types of user terminals, a network-boot-type user terminal and a screen-transfer-type user terminal, to share the same execution environment. A screen-transfer/network-boot switching system serves as a server function switching device used in the thin client system, including a server function switching section and a terminal process proxy execution section. The server function switching section accepts a connection request from the user terminal, and determines attribute of the user terminal. If the user terminal is the network-boot-type user terminal, the boot image transfer section transfers a boot image to the user terminal. If the user terminal is the screen-transfer-type user terminal, the boot image transfer section transmits a boot image to the terminal process proxy execution section. Moreover, the terminal process proxy execution section transmits screen information to the user terminal. |
| US09703568B2 |
Live initialization of a boot device
Embodiments of the present invention are provided that include executing, by a processor, a software stack received from a first boot image, and retrieving and executing, by the processor, a second software stack. A writeable boot device such as a storage device with a removable medium is detected, and the second software stack is saved by replacing, on the writeable boot device, the first boot image with a second boot image comprising the second software stack. The second software stack is saved upon detecting the boot device having no boot image. |
| US09703566B2 |
Sharing TLB mappings between contexts
In some implementations, a processor may include a data structure, such as a translation lookaside buffer, that includes an entry containing first mapping information having a virtual address and a first context associated with a first thread. Control logic may receive a request for second mapping information having the virtual address and a second context associated with a second thread. The control logic may determine whether the second mapping information associated with the second context is equivalent to the first mapping information in the entry of the data structure. If the second mapping information is equivalent to the first mapping information, the control logic may associate the second thread with the first mapping information contained in the entry of the data structure to share the entry between the first thread and the second thread. |
| US09703565B2 |
Combined branch target and predicate prediction
Embodiments provide methods, apparatus, systems, and computer readable media associated with predicting predicates and branch targets during execution of programs using combined branch target and predicate predictions. The predictions may be made using one or more prediction control flow graphs which represent predicates in instruction blocks and branches between blocks in a program. The prediction control flow graphs may be structured as trees such that each node in the graphs is associated with a predicate instruction, and each leaf associated with a branch target which jumps to another block. During execution of a block, a prediction generator may take a control point history and generate a prediction. Following the path suggested by the prediction through the tree, both predicate values and branch targets may be predicted. Other embodiments may be described and claimed. |
| US09703563B2 |
Detecting cross-talk on processor links
A first of a plurality of data lanes of a first of a plurality of processor links is determined to have a weakest of base performance measurements for the plurality of data lanes. A switching data pattern is transmitted via a first set of the remainder processor links and a quiet data pattern is transmitted via a second set of the remainder processor links. If performance of the first data lane increases vis-à-vis the corresponding base performance measurement, the first set of remainder processor links is eliminated from the remainder processor links. If performance of the first data lanes decreases vis-à-vis the corresponding base performance measurement, the second set of remainder processor links is eliminated from the remainder processor links. The above operations are repeatedly executed until an aggressor processor link that is determined to decrease performance of the first of the plurality of data lanes is identified. |
| US09703561B2 |
Thread transition management
Various systems, processes, products, and techniques may be used to manage thread transitions. In particular implementations, a system and process for managing thread transitions may include the ability to determine that a transition is to be made regarding the relative use of two data register sets and determine, based on the transition determination, whether to move thread data in at least one of the data register sets to second-level registers. The system and process may also include the ability to move the thread data from at least one data register set to second-level registers based on the move determination. |
| US09703558B2 |
Systems, apparatuses, and methods for setting an output mask in a destination writemask register from a source write mask register using an input writemask and immediate
Embodiments of systems, apparatuses, and methods for performing in a computer processor generation of a predicate mask based on vector comparison in response to a single instruction are described. |
| US09703557B2 |
Vector galois field multiply sum and accumulate instruction
A Vector Galois Field Multiply Sum and Accumulate instruction. Each element of a second operand of the instruction is multiplied in a Galois field with the corresponding element of the third operand to provide one or more products. The one or more products are exclusively ORed with each other and exclusively ORed with a corresponding element of a fourth operand of the instruction. The results are placed in a selected operand. |
| US09703550B1 |
Techniques for building code entities
Described are techniques for building a code entity. A plurality of configuration files are selected in accordance with a target and target variant. The target identifies hardware and software platform information about an environment in which the code entity is to be configured for execution. The target variant identifies a software build variation for a particular target. One or more build phases are performed using the plurality of configuration files selected in said selecting. The code entity is generated as an output of performing the one or more build phases where the code entity varies with the target and target variant. |
| US09703547B2 |
Computing program equivalence based on a hierarchy of program semantics and related canonical representations
Methods, systems, and articles of manufacture for computing program equivalence based on a hierarchy of program semantics and related canonical representations are provided herein. A method includes defining a program semantic representation for a first program; generating a search query based on said semantic representation for the first program; executing said search query against an index of multiple programs to determine a set of candidate programs among the multiple programs, wherein said index comprises a program semantic representation defined for each of the multiple programs; and identifying one or more programs among the set of candidate programs that match the first program by performing one or more comparisons, across the set of candidate programs, of a canonical representation associated with each program in the identified set of candidate programs to a canonical representation associated with the first program. |
| US09703546B1 |
Monitoring application states for deployment during runtime operations
Interaction between development environments and runtime environments to ensure that underlying process components are in an acceptable state before deploying application updates. A deploy state monitor in a development environment interacts with runtime values in executing applications to manage deployment requests and states of executing applications. |
| US09703541B2 |
Entity action suggestion on a mobile device
Systems and methods are provided for suggesting actions for entities discovered in content on a mobile device. An example method can include running a mobile device emulator with a deep-link for a mobile application, determining a main entity for the deep link, mapping the main entity to the deep link, storing the mapping of the main entity to the deep link in a memory, and providing the mapping to a mobile device, the mapping enabling a user of the mobile device to select the deep link when the main entity is displayed on a screen of the mobile device. Another example method can include identifying at least one entity in content generated by a mobile application, identifying an action mapped to the at least one entity, the action representing a deep link into a second mobile application, and providing a control to initiate the action for the entity. |
| US09703539B2 |
Viral application distribution
Viral application distribution facilitates distribution of an application among users and increases likelihood of downloading the application by the users. A first device may receive information of an application from a second device through a short-range communication channel. The information may comprise identification information of the application without any personally identifiable information of the second device to protect privacy of a user of the second device. A version of the application that is compatible with the first device is determined by searching a catalog using the identification information of the application. The compatible version of the application may then be downloaded or obtained by the first device. Location-based viral distribution may also be performed between devices that visit a location, even at different times. |
| US09703532B1 |
Dynamically updating class instances based on class definition changes
A device may detect a modification of a class, included in program code, from a first class definition to a second class definition that is different from the first class definition. The device may create a relationship indicator that references the second class definition and that indicates that the class has been modified. The device may store an association between the class and the relationship indicator. The device may access an instance of the class associated with the first class definition. The device may detect the association between the class and the relationship indicator based on accessing the instance of the class. The device may update the instance of the class, using the second class definition, based on detecting the association between the class and the relationship indicator. |
| US09703530B2 |
Systems and methods for computing mathematical functions
Mathematical functions are computed in a single pipeline performing a polynomial approximation (e.g. a quadratic approximation, or the like) using data tables for RCP, SQRT, EXP or LOG using a single pipeline according and opcodes. SIN and COS are also computed using the pipeline according to the approximation ((−1)^IntX)*Sin(π*Min(FracX, 1.0−FracX)/Min(FracX, 1.0−FracX). A pipeline portion approximates Sin(π*FracX) using tables and interpolation and a subsequent stage multiplies this approximation by FracX. For input arguments of x close 1.0. LOG 2(x−1)/(x−1) is computed using a first pipeline portion using tables and interpolation and subsequently multiplied by (x−1). A DIV operation may also be performed with input arguments scaled up to avoid underflow as needed. Inverse trigonometric functions may be calculated using a pre-processing stage and post processing stage in order to obtain multiple inverse trigonometric functions from a single pipeline. |
| US09703529B2 |
Exception generation when generating a result value with programmable bit significance
A data processing system performs processing operations upon input operand(s) having a programmable bit significance. Exception generating circuitry generates exception indications representing exceptions such as overflow, underflow and inexact in respect of a result value having the programmable bit significance. |
| US09703524B2 |
Privacy protection in collective feedforward
Personal audio systems and methods are disclosed. A personal audio system includes a processor to generate a personal audio stream by processing an ambient audio stream in accordance with an active processing parameter set, a circular buffer memory to store a most recent snippet of the ambient audio stream, and an event detector to detect a trigger event. In response to detection of the trigger event, a controller may extract audio feature data from the most recent snippet of the ambient audio stream and transmit the audio feature data and associated metadata to a knowledgebase remote from the personal audio system. |
| US09703522B2 |
Playback control based on proximity
Embodiments described herein provide for detecting movement in proximity to a playback device and responsively modifying the audio that is output from one or more playback devices. In an example implementation, a playback device detects, via one or more proximity detectors of a playback device while the playback device is playing back given media via one or more speakers, presence of an object in proximity of the playback device. After detecting the presence of the object, the playback device pauses playback of the given media. After pausing playback of the given media, the playback device receives, via a network interface of the playback device from a controller device, a command to resume playback of the given media. After receiving the command to resume playback, the playback device resumes playback of the given media. |
| US09703519B2 |
LED display modules for large-format LED displays
LED display modules for large-format displays are disclosed. The LED display module includes a matrix of LEDs, with each LED having an anode and a cathode, and an LED drive circuit having electrical connections defined by rows and columns that electrically connect to the LEDs in the LED matrix. Groups of adjacent rows are arranged in parallel and groups of adjacent columns are arranged in parallel, thereby defining super pixels each having an array of four or more LEDs, wherein the LEDs in a given super pixel cannot be individually activated. The modules can be combined to form the large-format display. |
| US09703517B2 |
External device screen targeting
Techniques for external device screen targeting are described. In one or more implementations, location information of a mobile computing device is calculated based on a distance between the mobile computing device and multiple signal transmitters having predefined locations. In addition, a compass heading of the mobile computing device is identified that indicates an orientation of the mobile computing device. The location information and the compass heading of the mobile computing device is then applied to correlate with display-location data of an application for interaction with one or more objects displayed on a display device. |
| US09703514B2 |
Smart mobile tag printing system and tag printing method for the same
A smart mobile tag printer includes a memory unit, a NFC transfer module, a control and communication module, and a printing unit. The memory unit stores a first related information corresponding to a tag serial number of the first data set. The NFC transfer module reads a first data set from a NFC identification tag. The control and communication module downloads a second data set from a database of the back-end server to the memory unit according to the tag serial number when the control and communication module is connected with the back-end server according to a server address value of the first data set. The printing unit prints out a combination of the first data set and the first related information, or prints out a data containing the second data set. |
| US09703512B2 |
Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and storage medium
There are provided an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, and a storage medium storing a program for achieving the image processing apparatus and the image processing method. The image processing apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a storage unit configured to store a plurality of processing modules for processing a plurality of types of PDLs; a determination unit configured to determine a type of PDL of a print job; and a processing unit configured to perform processing of enabling at least one processing module corresponding to the determined type of PDL, interpreting a rendering command described in the PDL of the print job by using the at least one processing module that is enabled, and generating page data. The processing unit does not reserve work memory for PDL processing for a type of PDL other than the type of PDL determined by the determination unit. |
| US09703509B2 |
Authorizing or printing negotiable instrument
A method of authorizing a negotiable instrument includes automatically receiving a request for the instrument, identity data identifying a requester, and a location of a requester. If the location is within location range for the identity data, a verification code is transmitted to the client. An input code is received from a personal mobile device at a location. If the input code matches the verification code and the device is near the requester, a reference code of the negotiable instrument is transmitted to the client and is stored. A method of performing a financial transaction indicated by the instrument includes automatically receiving the reference code, receiving identifying data of a bearer of the negotiable instrument; determining whether the received identifying data correspond to a request for the instrument; and, if so, producing a transaction record corresponding to the request and invalidating the reference code. Systems are also described. |
| US09703504B2 |
Storage system, recording medium storing data rebalancing program, and data rebalancing method
A storage system includes a plurality of storing devices configured to store data, a cache memory configured to hold data, an access control unit configured to make an access to any one of the plurality of storing devices when an access request for reading of target data or writing of the target data is made from an information processing terminal, and to store the target data in the cache memory, and a writing unit configured to write the target data stored in the cache memory in the storing device which has not stored the target data among the plurality of storing devices. |
| US09703500B2 |
Reducing power consumption by migration of data within a tiered storage system
Mechanisms identify one or more first storage devices in a first tier of the tiered storage system that may be placed in a minimal power consumption state and identify one or more data segments stored on the one or more first storage devices that are most likely to be accessed during a period of time in which the one or more first storage devices are in the minimal power consumption state. The mechanisms migrate the one or more data segments to one or more second storage devices in one of the first tier or a second tier of the storage system and place the one or more first storage devices in the minimal power consumption state. Access requests to the one or more data segments are serviced by the one or more second storage devices while the one or more first storage devices are in the minimal power consumption state. |
| US09703499B2 |
Communication device, RFID system, and recordable medium having data writing program recorded thereon
A communication device (3) performs contactless communication with an RF tag (8) that is provided with a nonvolatile memory (82) having a plurality of blocks serving as units of data erasure. The communication device (3) includes a specifying unit (303) that specifies, from among blocks to which a writing range belongs, a divided block that includes data outside the writing range when data is written into the nonvolatile memory, a backup processing unit (304) that backs up original data of the specified divided block, a storage unit (36) that stores backup data that includes the original data, and a writing processing unit (305) that writes the update data into the divided block that was initialized when the backup data is stored. |
| US09703491B2 |
Using history of unaligned writes to cache data and avoid read-modify-writes in a non-volatile storage device
Systems, methods and/or devices are used to enable using history of unaligned writes to cache data and avoid read-modify-writes in a non-volatile storage device. In one aspect, the method includes (1) receiving a plurality of input/output (I/O) requests including read requests and write requests to be performed in a plurality of regions in a logical address space of a host, and (2) performing one or more operations for each region of the plurality of regions in the logical address space of the host, including (a) determining whether the region has a history of unaligned write requests during a predetermined time period, and (b) if so: (i) determining one or more sub-regions within the region that are accessed more than a predetermined threshold number of times during the predetermined time period, and (ii) caching data from the determined one or more sub-regions. |
| US09703489B2 |
Information processing system, information processing device, information processing method, and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing information processing program for performing information processing using non-contact communication with a data storage medium
Provided is an information processing system to improve enjoyment in information processing using data obtained in non-contact communication. The information processing system includes a dedicated figure, a non-contact communication unit, a processing unit, and a first storage unit. The dedicated figure is configured to store data and has a non-contact communication function. The non-contact communication unit is configured to read data from the dedicated figure by using the non-contact communication function of the dedicated figure. The processing unit performs figure data processing based on the data read by the non-contact communication unit. The first storage unit stores the number of times of execution of the figure data processing. Processing details of the figure data processing performed by the processing unit depend on the number of times of execution stored in the first storage unit. |
| US09703482B2 |
Filter appliance for object-based storage system
A framework for performing transformations of logical storage volumes in software is provided. This framework interposes on various operations that can be performed on a logical storage volume, such as input/output (IO) operations, via one or more filters, which may be implemented by an appliance that is inserted into the data path of the operations issued to the logical storage volume. |
| US09703481B2 |
Method and apparatus for controlling a display in a portable terminal
A method and apparatus configured to control a display in a portable terminal includes sensing that the flexible display is bent, dividing the flexible display into a main screen and a sub screen, and outputting first information through the main screen and outputting second information through the sub screen. |
| US09703479B2 |
Input method and device using same
An input method for use in a device, includes: receiving character input information; determining, based on the character input information, an inputted character and time information associated with an input operation; and selecting a state of the inputted character according to the time information and at least one predetermined time threshold value. |
| US09703475B2 |
Input apparatus
An input apparatus capable of informing an operator of an execution state of a motion, executed based on pressing of keys and buttons after a predetermined period, through the keys and buttons pressed is provided.An input apparatus 1 has a touch sensor 11 configured to detect a contact, a load detection unit 12 configured to detect a pressure load on a touch face of the touch sensor 11, a tactile sensation providing unit 13 configured to vibrate the touch face, and a control unit 15 configured to control the tactile sensation providing unit 13 when the pressure load detected by the load detection unit 12 continuously satisfies a predetermined standard for a predetermined period such that a tactile sensation is provided to an object pressing the touch face. |
| US09703471B2 |
Selectively coordinated audio player system
A selectively coordinated audio playback system is disclosed. The audio playback system includes multiple audio players serving, receiving and rendering audio content audio content. A controller is in communication with the audio players and controls the audio content provided on each audio player. The controller includes a touchscreen user interface to receive user inputs and is configured to selectively coordinate the audio content from the multiple audio players according to gestures detected via the touchscreen interface. |
| US09703469B2 |
Distinguishing between impulses and continuous drag operations on a touch-sensitive surface
A touch-sensitive surface for a computer animator to create or modify a computer-generated image includes processes for differentiating between click and drag operations. The included processes also beneficially reduce input errors. When a touch object (e.g., finger or stylus) touches the drawing table, information regarding the duration of the touch and the movement of the touch are used to determine whether the touch input represents a (graphical user interface) click or a drag operation. |
| US09703468B2 |
Unified desktop independent focus in an application manager
Methods and devices for selectively presenting a user interface or “desktop” across two devices are provided. More particularly, a unified desktop is presented across a device and a computer system that comprise a unified system. The unified desktop acts as a single user interface that presents data and receives user interaction in a seamless environment that emulates a personal computing environment. To function within the personal computing environment, the unified desktop includes a process for docking and undocking the device with the computer system. The unified desktop presents a new user interface to allow access to functions of the unified desktop. |
| US09703461B2 |
Media content creation
A method and apparatus for creating media content. The method comprises recording a video; while the video is being recorded, automatically analyzing the content of the video; and creating media content by editing the video, assisted by the results of the content-analysis. A user may not need to select in advance (that is, before the video is recorded) the type or format of media content to be created. |
| US09703460B2 |
Intelligent rendering of webpages
An indication to render a webpage is received. The webpage includes two or more frames and the two or more frames are rendered in a first order. A second order from a user is received. The webpage is rendered. The two or more frames of the webpage are rendered in the second order. |
| US09703455B2 |
Overlay maps for navigation of intraoral images
Methods and systems for viewing images. One system includes a source of images, a computer, and a screen. The computer is configured to generate a graphical user interface or GUI. The GUI includes a first window in which one or more of the images are displayed. The GUI is displayed on the screen and the graphical user interface module generates an output or modifies the GUI in response to user input (e.g., tap, click, etc.). In response to the input, the graphical user interface generates an image-navigation map. The image-navigation map is displayed in a foreground of the first window and the one or more images are in displayed in a background of the first window. The image-navigation map includes one or more thumbnail images of at least one of the one or more images. |
| US09703454B2 |
Method and device for adding menu item to ANDROID menu
A method and device for adding a menu item of a third-party application to a local menu of a mobile phone without modifying an ANDROID platform code includes, receiving a request for opening a local menu, where the request carries a menu identifier (ID), and creating a local menu corresponding to the menu ID, obtaining according to the menu ID, in a stored correspondence between a menu item of a third-party application and the menu ID, a menu item of a corresponding third-party application, and adding the menu item of the third-party application to the local menu, and displaying the local menu to which the menu item of the third-party application is added. |
| US09703449B1 |
System and method of posting coded messages on social networks
The present invention relates generally to a system and method of posting coded messages using a software application program comprising computer executable instruction code configured for displaying a transformed display, which mimics the social network but also includes the most recent message posts from a user's social network wall and including at least one radial button for selecting at least one coded icon corresponding to at least one decoded message; receiving a selection of the at least one coded icon corresponding to the at least one decoded message; converting the selected at least one coded icon into the corresponding decoded message and posting in realtime the decoded message or icons on the user's wall within the application program or a link reference in one or more authorized social networks. |
| US09703445B2 |
Dynamic, optimized placement of computer-based windows
A computer system displays a first window corresponding to an aspect of a first executing program in a first display area on one or more display devices. The computer system identifies an activity of a second program. The computer system determines whether the activity of the second program meets a threshold of priority. In response to determining that the activity meets the threshold, the computer system manipulates the first window such that the display area can be distributed, at least partially, between the first window and a second window corresponding to the activity of the second program. The computer system displays the second window with the first window within the display area. |
| US09703444B2 |
Dynamic distribution of client windows on multiple monitors
A multi-user computer system may distribute user windows across multiple monitors. Some of the user windows may span two or more monitors. Some user windows may share a monitor. Each user window may be associated with a set of user input devices for each user. The user window configuration may be changed on the fly by an administrative user, who may reposition, rotate, scale, or perform other changes to the windows. |
| US09703443B2 |
Method and system for creating a free-form visual user interface element
A method of creating a free-form visual user interface element includes receiving a command to associate a visual representation of at least one of a set of graphical user interface controller attributes with a free-form visual element, generating instructions defining the at least one of the set of graphical user interface controller attributes, and adapting the instructions to a data structure embodying the free-form visual element. The method also includes attaching the adapted instructions to the data structure to form a free-form visual user interface element. |
| US09703441B2 |
Touch screen device, touch screen display device using the same, and driving method thereof
Disclosed is a touch screen device. The touch screen device includes a touch screen panel configured to include a plurality of driving electrodes, which are disposed in parallel in a first direction, and a plurality of sensing electrodes which are disposed in parallel in a second direction, and a touch circuit unit configured to, when a touch type of a previous touch sensing period is a finger touch, sequentially apply a driving pulse to a plurality of second driving electrodes but not to a plurality of first driving electrodes among the plurality of driving electrodes, and receive a plurality of sensing signals based on the driving pulse from the plurality of sensing electrodes. |
| US09703437B2 |
Touch panel and display device
The present disclosure provides a touch panel and a display device. The touch panel includes a glass substrate and a conductive film arranged on the glass substrate. The conductive film includes a base material and a conductive layer arranged on the base material. The conductive layer includes first conductive patterns and second conductive patterns, each of which includes a plurality of meshes formed by conductive wires crossing each other. The first conductive patterns are each of an X-shaped structure and arranged in an array form, and the second conductive patterns are each formed at a region surrounding by the adjacent first conductive patterns, arranged adjacent to and insulated from the first conductive pattern, and arranged in an array form. |
| US09703435B2 |
Touchpad combined with a display and having proximity and touch sensing capabilities to enable different functions or interfaces to be displayed
A touch-sensitive and far-field or proximity sensitive touchpad combined with a display, wherein the touchpad is formed as a touchstrip that is concealed inside the display, wherein a first function or interface such as a menu is enabled when an actuating device reaches a threshold distance from the touchpad, wherein a second function or interface is enabled when the actuating device makes contact with the touchpad, and wherein the first function may or may not continue after contact is made with the touchpad. |
| US09703434B2 |
Touch sensing device and display device including the same
A touch sensing device includes a touch sensing panel and a sensing signal controller. The touch sensing panel includes sensing electrodes arranged in a matrix. The sensing signal controller is connected to the touch sensing panel via signal transfer wiring. Each sensing electrode includes a first conductive layer and holes formed in the first conductive layer. The first conductive layer includes nano wire. |
| US09703422B2 |
Sensor-based ESD detection
A touch sensitive device that detects the occurrence of an electrostatic discharge event on the device by analyzing one or more ESD sensors located in various locations on the touch sensitive device is provided. A touch controller can scan touch nodes on the touch sensitive device while simultaneously scanning one or more ESD sensors to detect if a possible ESD event has occurred during the acquisition of a touch image. If an ESD event has occurred during the acquisition of touch data, the touch controller can act to either ignore the data, or compensate the data to account for effects on the touch data caused by the ESD event. |
| US09703416B2 |
Touch circuit, touch panel and display apparatus
There is provided a touch circuit, a touch panel and a display apparatus. In the touch circuit, an input module (01) is used for pulling up the potential of a first node (P1), a reset module (02) is used for pulling down the potential of the first node (P1), a pull-up module (03) is used for pulling up the potential of a control signal output terminal (OUT), a pull-down module (04) is used for pulling down potentials of the first node (P1) and the control signal output terminal (OUT), a touch signal output control module (05) is used for controlling a touch signal output terminal (TX) to choose to output a high-frequency signal (TH) or a common voltage signal (VCOM) so as to achieve the function of outputting a touch signal by the touch circuit. |
| US09703408B2 |
Apparatus and method for adjusting a touch recognition area in a touch interface
An apparatus and method are provided for adjusting a touch recognition area on a touch interface. The method includes displaying an item on a screen of a terminal; sensing an approach area according to an approach of a user input object to the touch interface; determining an approach direction of the user input object, based on the approach area; and adjusting a touch recognition area of the item, based on the approach direction. |
| US09703394B2 |
Unlearning techniques for adaptive language models in text entry
In some examples, a method includes outputting a graphical keyboard (120) for display and responsive to receiving an indication of a first input (124), determining a new character string that is not included in a language model. The method may include adding the new character string to the language model and associating a likelihood value with the new character string. The method may include, responsive to receiving an indication of a second input, predicting the new character string, and responsive to receiving an indication of a third input that rejects the new character string, decreasing the likelihood value associated with the new character string. |
| US09703390B2 |
Hand-held electronic device
A hand-held electronic device with a keyboard, thumbwheel, display and associated software is optimized for use of the device with the thumbs. The associated software has a plurality of features to optimize efficient use of the limited keyboard space and encourage the use of the device by thumb-based data entry through the thumbwheel and/or through a combination of minimal number of keystrokes. Software features include international character scrolling, and auto-capitalization. The keys on the device keyboard are optimally shaped and configured for thumb-based input. In addition, the thumbwheel is inclined between the front and a side edge of the device so as to be reachable by either the thumb or index finger of the user's hand at the side edge of the device. |
| US09703385B2 |
Data services based on gesture and location information of device
With the addition of directional information and gesture based input in a location based services environment, a variety of service(s) can be provided on top of user identification or interaction with specific object(s) of interest. For instance, when a user gestures at or points at a particular item, or gestures at a particular location or place, this creates an opportunity, e.g., an advertising opportunity, for anyone having an interest in that particular item or place to communicate with the user regarding that item or related items at a point in time when the user's focus is on the particular item. User context for the interaction can also be taken into account to supplement the provision of one or more interactive direction based services. |
| US09703384B2 |
Information display device, information display system and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for displaying types of information in accordance with order of display priority set in descending order of relevance to determined activity state of user
An information display device includes a device body, a display section that displays information, a motion detection sensor provided in the device body, an information acquiring section that acquires a plurality of types of information, an action detection section that detects a predetermined action of a user from output data of the sensor, and a display control section that selectively displays, in the display section, the plurality of types of information acquired by the information acquiring section in a set order every time the action detection section detects the predetermined action of the user. |
| US09703381B2 |
Multimodal haptic device including a thermal and tactile display unit, system, and method of using the same
A multimodal haptic device operating as a closed-loop system, the device including a pipeline configured to allow a closed-loop flow of a fluid medium, a manifold operatively connected to the pipeline, the manifold having a pump and a valve to control and regulate a flow of the fluid medium along the pipeline, and a display unit operatively connected to the pipeline, the display unit having a tactile display and a valve operatively connected to the tactile display for regulating an efflux of the fluid medium from the tactile display into the pipeline. |
| US09703379B2 |
Systems and methods for multimedia tactile augmentation
The present disclosure described methods and systems for multimedia tactile augmentation. At least one method includes identifying media content loaded on a first computer, locating instructions stored on a second computer (said instructions corresponding to the content), initiating playback of the content, and synchronizing the instructions with the content. Said method further includes parsing and converting the instructions into one or more electrical signals, driving one or more haptic feedback devices with the electrical signals in synchronization with the playback of the content, and presenting the content to the user. The haptic feedback devices provide physical stimulation to a user accessing the content. |
| US09703376B2 |
Manipulation system operable by eyewear type terminal device
Provided is a manipulation system that is capable of coping with a manipulation that deals with many selectable setting values in an easy way using an eyewear type terminal device. The eyewear type terminal device includes a view capturing part, a screen display part, a screen creation part that creates a screen on which selection items are arranged and display such a screen on the screen display part, a fixation point detection part, a sample data cutting out part cut out sample data from the front vision field image, and a communication part, the image forming apparatus performs an operation based on the selection item that is received from the eyewear type terminal device and identify a setting value candidate treated as the selection item based on the sample data for transmission to the eyewear type terminal device. |
| US09703371B1 |
Obtaining input from a virtual user interface
A virtual user interface in a 3D environment is projected onto a display object, such as an open hand. An operating object, such as a stylus or a second hand with an index finger extended, may be used to select input features of the projected user interface. In one scenario, for example, a telephone keypad may be projected onto the open hand and the index finger may be used to select a particular number on the keypad. Images of the hands may be segmented to produce contours of the finger and open hand, and these contours are used to determine the location of the finger relative to the open hand. |
| US09703363B2 |
Power supply module and power supply system with sequential smart activation/deactivation based on load
The present disclosure provides a power supply module and a power supply system. The power supply module is used as a first power supply module in a computing system which further includes a second power supply module. The first power supply module and the second power supply module are cascaded in sequence. The first power supply module is in a power supplying state and the second power supply module is in an off state. The first power supply module itself is capable of automatically determining whether to turn on another power supply module or not, without any human intervention. In this way, the power distribution board can be simplified, or even eliminated, in which case the individual power supply modules can be connected by wire to reduce the cost. |
| US09703361B2 |
Memory control apparatus, memory control method, information processing apparatus and program
There is provided a memory control apparatus including a deciding unit deciding, among a first main storage apparatus that is a main storage apparatus with low power consumption and a second main storage apparatus with power consumption higher than the power consumption of the first main storage apparatus as memory devices of multiple CPU cores, whether the second main storage apparatus is capable of being suspended, and a power managing unit suppressing a power supplied to the second main storage apparatus and at least one of the multiple CPU cores in a case where the deciding unit decides that the second main storage apparatus is capable of being suspended. |
| US09703356B1 |
Battery state detection by use of voltage in a shared power system background
A method and apparatus is provided wherein a server is powered by a battery connected to a charging circuit. The voltage output by the battery is monitored and when it falls below a threshold, a determination is made that the battery is being depleted. In response to the determination, the server is brought into a reduced power consumption state or a data saving state. |
| US09703355B2 |
Method, devices and systems for dynamic multimedia data flow control for thermal power budgeting
Methods and devices for managing data flows for concurrent multimedia applications executing on a device including a SoC, in response to determining that a temperature or power consumption exceeds a threshold are disclosed. A lowest priority data flow may be identified. A data flow path associated with the identified lowest priority data flow may be traced. A multimedia parameter of any hardware module along the data flow path may be reduced. When the temperature or power consumption no longer exceeds the threshold, a highest priority data flow among the multimedia applications that has had the multimedia parameter reduced may be identified. A data flow path for a data flow associated with the identified highest priority data flow may be traced. The multimedia parameter may be restored to an original value along the traced data flow path for the data flow associated with the identified highest priority data flow. |
| US09703353B2 |
Method and electronic device for reducing current consumption by the electronic device
An electronic device and a method for reducing current consumption in the electronic device are provided. The electronic device includes a communication processor configured to collect an event associated with operation of an application while an application processor is in a sleep state, and a communication interface configured to transmit a message corresponding to the collected event to an external electronic device. |
| US09703351B2 |
Method and apparatus for power control
Embodiments of the present invention relate to limiting maximum power dissipation occurred in a processor. Therefore, when an application that requires excessive amounts of power is being executed, the execution of the application may be prevented to reduce dissipated or consumed power. |
| US09703346B2 |
Firmware interface with backup non-volatile memory storage
Generally, this disclosure provides systems, devices, methods and computer readable media for a Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) with durable storage to provide memory write persistence, for example, in the event of power loss. The system may include a processor to host the firmware interface which may be configured to control access to system variables in a protected region of a volatile memory. The system may also include a power management circuit to provide power to the processor and further to provide a power loss indicator to the firmware interface. The system may also include a reserve energy storage module to provide power to the processor in response to the power loss indicator. The firmware interface is further configured to copy the system variables from the volatile memory to a non-volatile memory in response to the power loss indicator. |
| US09703345B2 |
Electronic device and power management control method
A power management method and associated electronic device are provided. The electronic device includes a power management circuit and a control circuit. The control circuit is powered by a power path. The power management method includes detecting whether the control circuit is powered, forwarding a control authority of the power path to the control circuit when the control circuit is powered, and forwarding the control authority to the power management circuit when the control circuit is not powered. |
| US09703337B2 |
Thermal model optimisation
A method for controlling the temperature of a component is disclosed. The component is part of a drive configured to drive an electrical machine via an electrically conductive member. The method comprises determining a value of an attribute of the electrically conductive member; configuring a model to calculate the temperature of the component, the model being configured based on the determined value of the attribute of the electrically conductive member; using the model to calculate the temperature of the component; and if the calculated temperature of the component does not meet a predetermined temperature condition, issuing a command to control the operation of the drive such that the temperature of the component is changed to meet the predetermined temperature condition. |
| US09703336B2 |
System and method for thermal management in a multi-functional portable computing device
Various embodiments of methods and systems for optimizing processing performance in a multi-functional portable computing device (“PCD”) are disclosed. Depending on how the PCD is being used, the temperature limit associated with the touch temperature of the PCD may be variable. As such, a preset and fixed touch temperature limit based on a “worst use case” scenario can unnecessarily limit the quality of service (“QoS”) provided to a user under different use case scenarios. Accordingly, embodiments of the systems and methods define and recognize different device definitions for the PCD which are each associated with certain use cases and each dictate different temperature thresholds or limits subject to which the PCD may run. |
| US09703331B1 |
Board fastener for securing a data storage device in an information handling system
A board fastening apparatus includes an anchor and a key connected by a flexible tether. The anchor may include a pedestal and a collar. The pedestal may be configured to engage a free edge of a data storage board. The pedestal may define a channel for receiving a pin from the key. The collar may be configured to engage a via form in a mounting board or other substrate. The fastening device key may include a base, a pin, and a pull tab. The pin may be affixed to a first surface of the base and configured to insert into the channel defined by the pedestal. With the anchor affixed to the mounting board and the storage board's free edge engaged by the pedestal, inserting the pin into the channel places the base partially overlying the storage board to restrain movement of the free edge in the vertical direction. |
| US09703329B2 |
Driver device detection
A device dock of a vehicle may receive a one-time key over a data connection between the device dock and a vehicle computing system (VCS), and send the one-time key over a location-identifying connection to a nomadic device placed within proximity to the dock, to cause the nomadic device to send the one-time key to the VCS to integrate with the VCS as a driver device. The VCS may receive, from a nomadic device in a device dock, via a data connection between the VCS and the nomadic device, a one-time key provided from the VCS to the device dock over a data connection between the VCS and the device dock, and responsive to receipt of the one-time key from the nomadic device, integrate the nomadic device with the VCS as a driver device. |
| US09703328B2 |
Hinge assemblies for computing devices
A hinge assembly of a computing device may be provided, for example. The hinge assembly may include a first hinge member and a second hinge member. The first hinge member may include a first mounting plate attached to a first gudgeon member via a first tongue portion. The second hinge member may include a second mounting plate attached to a second gudgeon member via a second tongue portion. The first and second mounting plates may be shaped so that they can be stacked in parallel along an axis such that the first and second gudgeons may be aligned perpendicular to the axis to allow a pintle member to be inserted through the first and second gudgeons and such that the first and second tongue portions may be spaced apart along the axis. |
| US09703326B2 |
Electric shock protection device and portable electronic device including the same
Provided is an electric shock protection device disposed between a human body contactable conductor and an internal circuit unit of an electronic device. The electric shock protection device includes: a sintered body where a plurality of sheet layers stacked; an electric shock protection unit including at least one pair of inner electrodes disposed spaced a predetermined interval apart from each other inside the sintered body and a pore disposed between the inner electrodes; and at least one capacitor layer configured to pass communication signals flowing from the conductor. |
| US09703325B2 |
Coverglass fracture detection
This application relates to methods and apparatus for detecting and characterizing the formation of cracks in a display cover. Various types of sensors can be used to accomplish the described embodiments. For example, a touch sensor can be utilized for detection and characterization purposes. Alternatively, a crack detection specific sensor or sensors can be added to a device. In some embodiments, when formation of a crack is detected, a device having a sensor that detects a crack can adjust its behavior depending upon how the crack is characterized. For example, the device can be configured to notify a user of the device of any or all systems of the device that will be affected by the detected crack. In some embodiments, crack characterization data can be sent to a device manufacturer to improve subsequent device models. |
| US09703318B2 |
Surrounding member with covering structure, electronic device having the surrounding member with covering structure, and method of assembling the surrounding member with covering structure
A surrounding member with covering structure, an electronic device having the surrounding member, and a method of assembling a surrounding member are disclosed. A case of the electronic device includes a through hole. The surrounding member includes a first fastener, a second fastener, and a supporter. The first fastener passes through the through hole and is attached to the case. The second fastener and the supporter cover a lateral wall of the case. Therefore, the surrounding member can be assembled to the case even without using an adhesive and the surrounding member will not detach from the case easily. Moreover, because the surrounding member is attached to the case by passing through the though hole and cover the lateral wall of the case, the surrounding member is also adopt for an electronic device with narrow frame. |
| US09703308B2 |
Method for distributing an energy flow over a predetermined period of time to a cluster of a plurality of devices taking into account constraints relating to the energy to be delivered to the devices, a computer program for performing such a method and a system therefor
Method for distributing an energy flow to a cluster of a plurality of devices taking into account constraints relating to the energy to be delivered to the devices, comprising the steps of: A. gathering flexibility information of the respective devices in the cluster, combining the flexibility information of the devices of the cluster into flexibility information for the cluster, B. determining accumulated energy to be delivered in function of time over the predetermined period of time, C. supplying the determined accumulated energy to the cluster by obtaining, from the flow of energy, power in function of time based on the determined accumulated energy to be delivered in function of time, determining priority for power for all devices in the cluster and distributing the obtained power among the devices of the cluster. |
| US09703305B2 |
Power circuit
A power circuit includes an input terminal to which an input voltage is applied; a control element which generates an output voltage obtained by regulating the input voltage; an output terminal from which the output voltage is output; a discharge circuit which discharges by extracting an electric charge from the control element on a side of the output terminal; a drive circuit which generates a drive current for causing the discharge circuit to operate using power of the control element on the side of the input terminal; a detection circuit which detects the output voltage; and a discharge control circuit which decreases a current value of the drive current to a current value enabling the discharge circuit to continuously operate in a case where the detection circuit detects that the output voltage reaches a setup voltage by an operation of the discharge circuit. |
| US09703304B2 |
Voltage booster circuit, semiconductor device, and voltage booster circuit control method
A voltage booster circuit includes a reference voltage generation circuit that generates a first potential and supplies the first potential to a first potential line; a booster section that supplies a second potential to a second potential line, the second potential being boosted from the first potential; a booster control section, connected to the second potential line, that controls the booster section in accordance with the second potential; a switch connected to the first potential line and the second potential line; and a control circuit that controls the switch in accordance with a potential difference between the first potential and the second potential. |
| US09703303B2 |
Charge pump LDO with secondary sensing for low power need based refresh
A voltage regulation system includes a voltage regulator configured to output a control signal indicating whether a voltage based on output of the voltage regulator is lower than a specified value. A charge pump is configured to output a voltage and a charging current. A pump monitor is configured to receive the control signal and the output voltage of the charge pump, and activate the charge pump when the control signal indicates the voltage based on output of the voltage regulator is lower than a specified value and the output voltage of the charge pump is lower than a threshold value. |
| US09703301B1 |
Methods and control systems of resistance adjustment of resistors
Embodiments include methods, computer systems and computer program products for controlling resistance value of a resistor in a circuit. Aspects include: retrieving, via a controller, a set of parameters of the resistor from a non-volatile memory in the circuit, detecting, via the controller, an operating temperature of the resistor during circuit operation in field using a temperature sensor, generating, by the controller, a temperature difference between the operating temperature detected and a target temperature at which the resistor has a target resistance value, producing, by the controller, a control signal responsive to the temperature difference generated, and transmitting the control signal to a temperature regulator placed adjacent to the resistor to adjust the resistance value of the resistor. The resistance value of the resistor varies in response to temperature changes around the resistor according to a temperature coefficient of the resistance of the resistor. |
| US09703300B2 |
Temperature regulation circuit
A temperature regulation system configured to regulate a temperature of the device may include first and second temperature-dependent current sources that are configured to generate first and second currents, respectively. The system may also include amplifiers configured to apply respective first and second amplification factors to the respective first and second currents to generate respective first and second intermediate currents. The system may also include a heater configured to generate heat based on the first and second intermediate currents and positioned such that the generated heat affects the device. Additionally, the system may include a controller configured to adjust the first and second amplification factors such that changes in the first and second currents, resulting from changes in temperature of the first and second current sources, result in changes to the heat generated by the heater to maintain an approximately equal temperature of the device. |
| US09703299B2 |
Economizer controller plug and play system recognition with automatic user interface population
An economizer controller system having a plug and play recognition approach with an automatic user interface population mechanism. A check may be made for sensors connected to the controller. The control type of the sensors may be determined. The menu structure may be repopulated based on the control type. The user interface may then be updated. This approach may be repeated as needed. |
| US09703296B2 |
Integrated systems facilitating wire and cable installations
Pulling eyes are provided with integrated wiring systems suitable for installing conductors or cables. The pulling eyes may include body portions that define interior cavities that are sized to snugly engage outside portions of the conductors or cables. The body portions are sized to be deformably crimped onto the outside portions of the conductors or cables. The pulling eyes may also include head portions joined to the body portions, with the head portions defining apertures for receiving a strength member for installing the conductors or cables. These apertures place the interior cavities in communication with the exteriors of the pulling eyes. |
| US09703292B2 |
Automatic traveling vehicle system, control method and program
According to one embodiment, a limited section controller includes a traffic information update unit, a determination unit, a standby position setting unit, and a traveling restart setting unit. The traffic information update unit updates delay information of the traveling vehicle near the junction. The determination unit determines whether to permit the traveling vehicle to pass based on whether there is the traveling vehicle in the limited section. The standby position setting unit sets a standby position of each of the traveling vehicles of a limited number or less present in a standby section. The traveling restart setting unit determines an approach direction into the limited section. |
| US09703288B1 |
System and method for aerial system control
A method for controlling an aerial system, including: receiving a video, selecting a region of the video, controlling a touch-sensitive display to display the region of the video, receiving a drag input from the touch-sensitive display, receiving a second video, selecting a second region of the second video based on the drag input, controlling the touch-sensitive display to display the second region of the second video, and moving the aerial system based on the drag input. |
| US09703283B2 |
Adapting the dynamics of at least one robot
A first robot and at least one further second robot are provided to run through a plurality of positioning ranges during operation. A dynamic behavior and/or a load characteristic value of the robot in at least one first positioning range can be adapted to a dynamic behavior and/or a load characteristic value in at least one second positioning range of the robot and/or a dynamic behavior and/or a load characteristic value of the first robot in at least one first positioning range is adapted to a dynamic behavior and/or a load characteristic value of the second robot in at least one second positioning range. |
| US09703282B2 |
Portable manipulation command input device and apparatus equipped with manipulation command input device
A portable manipulation command input device, including a sub-console panel attachable to and removable from an automatic lathe apparatus main unit, and includes an input unit to receive input of a manipulation command to the automatic lathe apparatus main unit, a display unit to display information on the automatic lathe apparatus main unit, and a radio communication unit to communicate with the automatic lathe apparatus main unit. The sub-console panel includes a detection unit and a control unit formed with the automatic lathe apparatus main unit. The detection unit includes a radio ID tag and a radio ID reader detecting the sub-console panel being placed within a predetermined range of the automatic lathe apparatus main unit. Depending on a detection result by the detection unit, the control unit allows or restricts manipulations of the automatic lathe apparatus main unit, and allows display of the information even when restricting the manipulations. |
| US09703279B2 |
Handheld field maintenance device with improved user interface
A handheld field maintenance tool is provided. The handheld field maintenance tool includes a process communication module configured to communicate with a field device. The handheld field maintenance tool also includes a display and a user input device. A controller is coupled to the process communication module, the user input device and the display and is configured to generate a listing of task-based field maintenance operations on the display and receive a user input selecting a task-based field maintenance operation. The controller is configured to automatically traverse a menu of the field device using a fast-key sequence relative to the selected task. A method of creating a task-based field maintenance operation is provided. A method of interacting with a field device menu is also provided. |
| US09703277B2 |
Method and apparatus to track changes in an industrial controller
A method and apparatus for tracking changes in an industrial controller is disclosed. A project for the industrial controller is developed that includes multiple components. Each of the components may be arranged at varying levels. Authorized personnel are able to access the components, or a portion thereof, within the industrial controller to change settings and or programming of the industrial controller. As each change is made, the industrial controller maintains a log of the changes. The change may initially be recorded in each module and/or at each level of the project. The change is then rolled up to a top level of the project. A revision log at the top level of the project stores each of the changes within the industrial controller. The industrial controller may then access the revision log to determine whether any action needs to be taken within the industrial controller. |
| US09703269B2 |
Method and apparatus for setting snooze interval in mobile device
A method and an apparatus for easily setting a snooze interval in a mobile device are provided. In the method, the mobile device receives an event for setting a snooze function, outputs, when receiving the event, a plurality of display regions respectively corresponding to a plurality of snooze intervals, and selects one display region of the plurality display regions. Then the mobile device sets the snooze function with a specific snooze interval corresponding to the selected one display region. |
| US09703267B2 |
Method and apparatus for visually authenticating photos
A method for visually authenticating photos comprises: calculating a first digital signature based on photo data corresponding to a photo to obtain first signature data, and storing the first signature data; and when a picture is displayed, implementing signature verification based on the picture data corresponding to the picture and the first signature data, and displaying an authentic mark with the picture when the signature verification succeeds. An apparatus for creating and assigning photos and an apparatus for visually authenticating photos are also disclosed. |
| US09703266B2 |
Independent fiber-optic reference apparatuses and methods thereof
A reference management apparatus includes a reference signal housing, a fixed length propagation device, an oscillator device, and a reference management computing device. The reference signal housing having a propagation signal output and a propagation signal input. The fixed length propagation device is coupled between the propagation signal output and the propagation signal input. The reference signal management computing device is coupled to the oscillator device and the propagation signal input. The reference signal management computing device also comprises at least one of configurable hardware logic configured to implement or a memory coupled to the processor which is configured to be capable of executing programmed instructions comprising and stored in the memory to: detect a start and an end of a transmission of at least one pulse signal through the fixed length propagation device; measure propagation time of the at least one pulse signal through the fixed length propagation device; and utilize the measured propagation time for managing a reference signal. |
| US09703265B2 |
Measurement apparatus and measurement method
To provide a measurement apparatus and measurement method capable of shortening the measurement time, a measurement apparatus 10 includes: an acquisition section 21 that acquires the data of a plurality of slots; a setting unit 12 that sets measurement items for each slot; an additional time table 23 that stores additional time set in advance for each measurement item; a measurement period setting section 22 that sets a measurement period for measuring the data of a slot by adding additional time before and after time assigned to the slot; and a measurement section 30 that measures the characteristics of the data of the slot in a measurement period. |
| US09703262B2 |
Annual or perpetual calendar mechanism and timepiece comprising the same
In an annual or perpetual calendar mechanism, a day-of-the-month wheel includes a notch. At each actuation of a lever, a first pawl finger effects an actuation of one step, on one of the teeth of the day-of-the-month wheel. Upon actuation of the lever at the end of a month of fewer than 31 days, a second pawl finger effects, in the notch, an actuation of the day-of-the-month wheel by a whole number of steps. The notch is positioned between two consecutive teeth among the teeth of the day-of-the-month wheel. The day-of-the-month wheel has a peripheral edge which forms the profiles of its teeth as well as the notch. |
| US09703261B2 |
Low volume precision bellows
A bellows is provided for fluid storage and displacement used in precise fluid indication in a capillary tube. The bellows is made of a housing made of flexible, watertight material. The housing is made up of an upper portion, a lower portion, and an outer accordion formed portion. The accordion formed portion has a length/and is sealingly connected along a periphery between the upper and lower portions. At least one entry/exit port is formed on at least one of the portions thereof. At least one of the upper and lower portions extends from a periphery of the accordion formed portion substantially within the housing so as to reduce the storage volume. |
| US09703260B2 |
Methods and apparatus for coherent holographic data channels
Methods and devices for coherent holographic data channel techniques. Coherent techniques for data detection generally include homodyne and heterodyne detection. Techniques for quadrature homodyne detection, resampling quadrature homodyne detection, n-rature homodyne detection, and spatial wavefront demodulation. Coherent detection techniques in turn enable coherent channel modulation techniques such as phase modulation (including binary phase shift keying, or BPSK; phase quadrature holographic multiplexing, or QPSK; and quadrature amplitude modulation, or QAM). Coherent detection may also enable or improve the performance of other channel techniques such as partial response maximum likelihood (PRML), the various classes of extended PRML, and of noise-predictive maximum likelihood (NPML) detection. |
| US09703254B2 |
Image forming apparatus having a dual-position developing device
An image forming apparatus includes a main assembly to which a cartridge including a developing device for developing the latent image on an image bearing member is detachably mountable, and a transfer unit, detachably mountable to the main assembly separately from the cartridge, for transferring a developer image formed on the image bearing member. The transfer unit includes a developing device contact-and-separation mechanism for moving the developing device between a contact position, where the developer carrying member contacts the image bearing member, and a spaced position where the developer carrying member is spaced from the image bearing member. The developing device contact-and-separation mechanism includes an engaging member engageable with the cartridge and movable, with respect to the transfer unit, between a first position where the developing device is placed in the contact position and a second position where the developing device is in the spaced position. |
| US09703252B2 |
Power supply controlling device, power supply device, image forming apparatus, and power supply controlling method
A power supply controlling device includes: a direct-current power supply configured to output a direct-current voltage; an alternating-current power supply configured to output one selected from between a superimposed voltage obtained by superimposing an alternating-current voltage onto the direct-current voltage and the direct-current voltage; a bypass capacitor configured to partially store therein an output from the alternating-current power supply and configured to, when the direct-current voltage is output from the direct-current power supply while no electric charge is stored therein, store therein a second direct current being a part of a first direct current output from the direct-current power supply in conjunction with the output of the direct-current voltage; and a power supply controlling unit configured to cause the direct-current power supply to control a level of the direct-current voltage based on a target value for the first direct current and a value indicating the second direct current. |
| US09703250B2 |
Rotating force transmitting mechanism and image forming apparatus
A rotating force transmitting mechanism has a rotating member supported on a base plate. The base plate is formed with a bearing part in a bottomed cylindrical shape protruded by extruding. The rotating member is formed with a cylindrical rotating shaft part capable of fitting to the bearing part. The rotating member is supported on the base plate such that the rotating shaft part rotates while sliding with the bearing part. |
| US09703248B2 |
Curling detection device, image forming apparatus, curling detection method, image adjustment method, recording medium storing a curling detection program, and recording medium storing an image adjustment program
A curling detection device includes an endless belt entrained around at least two rollers, a conveyance unit that conveys the endless belt by driving the rollers, an image forming unit that forms an image by transferring a toner image to either a surface of the endless belt directly or a recording medium on the endless belt, a pattern image forming controller that instructs the image forming unit to form lines of a curling detection pattern at predetermined intervals in a conveying direction of the endless belt and a predetermined angle against the conveying direction of the endless belt at a predetermined timing, a curling scanning unit that scans the curling detection pattern, and a detecting unit that detects a curling of the endless belt based on the interval of the curling detection pattern scanned by the curling scanning unit. |
| US09703246B2 |
Image forming apparatus
A differential correction data generating unit measures two density characteristics at a reference linear velocity and another linear velocity from scanned images of two test charts printed at the reference linear velocity and the another linear velocity, and generates differential correction data as a difference between correction amounts for the measured two density characteristics. A correction amount adjusting unit measures a density characteristic at the reference linear velocity from an adjustment toner pattern formed on an intermediate transfer member, and thereby adjusts a correction amount for the density characteristic at the reference linear velocity. A density characteristic of a printing image is corrected, (a) for the reference linear velocity, on the basis of the correction amount at the reference linear velocity, and (b) for the another linear velocity, on the basis of the correction amount at the reference linear velocity and the differential correction data. |
| US09703244B2 |
Image forming apparatus to correct a driving signal for driving a light source
An image forming apparatus includes: a photoconductor drum; an optical scanning device that drives a light source to scan a surface of the photoconductor drum and form a latent image on the surface; a developing device that develops the latent image; and a density detector to detect density variation of an image in a rotation direction of the photoconductor drum, the image being developed by the developing device. The optical scanning device includes a processing device that is capable of correcting a driving signal for driving the light source on a basis of an output signal of the density detector to adjust at least either one of a correction period and a correction strength of correction data for the driving signal for a rotation period of the photoconductor drum. |
| US09703243B2 |
Toner Cartridge
Printers are disclosed herein. An example printer includes a housing; a non-refillable toner container permanently affixed within the housing, the toner container having a capacity sufficient to store enough toner to print a first number of pages that corresponds to an expected useful life of the printer; and a processor responsive to an input to enable a second number of pages to be printed by the printer, the second number of pages being less than the first number of pages. |
| US09703239B1 |
Fixing device having a guide member with a recessed shape
A fixing device includes a heater, a heating rotary member, a pressure rotary member, and a guide member. The heating rotary member is rotated while being heated by the heater. The pressure rotary member is in pressure contact with part of an outer circumferential surface of the heating rotary member so as to be rotated and so as to form a pressure contact portion which allows a recording medium to pass therethrough. The guide member has a guide portion which guides a leading end of the recording medium toward part of the outer circumferential surface of the heating rotary member. The guide portion has a guide ending portion having a central portion and left and right end portions in a direction parallel to a rotational axis direction of the heating rotary member. The central portion is recessed relative to the left and right end portions. |
| US09703238B2 |
Image forming system
An image forming system includes: an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet; one or more sheet carrying devices successively disposed on the downstream side of the image forming apparatus; and a control device that controls the image forming apparatus and the one or more sheet carrying devices based on a job that designates a page configuration containing a page order and sheet types, wherein the sheet carrying device includes a bypass conveyance path along which the sheet output from an upstream device is conveyed toward a downstream device, and a sheet tray unit that temporarily stores the sheet output from the upstream device and discharges the sheet toward the bypass conveyance path, and the control device divides the job into sheet types and determines a printing order of the divided sheet types and sheet types to be stored in the sheet carrying device. |
| US09703235B2 |
Developing device and image forming apparatus therewith
A developing device includes a developer container, a first stirring member, a second stirring member, and a developer carrying member. The second stirring member includes a second transport blade for transporting developer inside a second transport chamber, a regulating portion formed next to, on the downstream side of, the second transport blade in the transport direction of the developer inside the second transport chamber and formed by a transport blade that transports developer in the opposite direction to the second transport blade, a discharge blade formed next to, on the downstream side of, the regulating portion in the transport direction of the developer and transporting developer in the same direction as the second transport blade to discharge the developer through the developer discharge port, a first disk formed between the second transport blade and the regulating portion, and a second disk formed between the regulating portion and the discharge blade. |
| US09703232B2 |
Image forming apparatus that performs a contacting operation for contacting a developing member with an image bearing member
An image forming apparatus includes image forming portions each including an image bearing member, a charging portion, an exposure portion, a developing portion including a developing member, and a cleaning member; a contact-and-separation portion; a voltage source; and a control means. An operation is executed in a contact state of the developing member with the image bearing member at the image forming portion where the image is formed, in a separated state of the developing member from the image bearing member at the image forming portion where the image is not formed and in a state in which the image bearing members of the image forming portions where the image is formed and is not formed are driven. When the operation is continuously executed, the control means executes a contacting operation at the image forming portion where the image is not formed. |
| US09703227B2 |
Image forming apparatus with mirror adjustment unit
An image forming apparatus according to an embodiment includes a photoconductive drum, a light scanning unit, a reflection mirror, a support member, and a cam. The light scanning unit forms a light scanning beam with which the photoconductive drum is irradiated. The reflection mirror guides the light scanning beam toward the photoconductive drum. The support member supports both ends of the reflection mirror in a longitudinal direction. The cam is provided in the support member. The cam comes into contact with the reflection mirror in an intermediate portion of the reflection mirror in the longitudinal direction. The cam moves the intermediate portion in a plate thickness direction of the reflection mirror with respect to a support position by the support member. |
| US09703225B2 |
Semiconductive roller
A semiconductive roller (1) is provided, which is formed from a rubber composition and has an outer peripheral surface (4) irradiated with electron radiation in a non-oxidizing atmosphere, wherein the rubber composition contains a rubber component including an epichlorohydrin rubber and a diene rubber, the epichlorohydrin rubber being present in a proportion of 50 mass % to 80 mass %, a thiourea crosslinking agent and/or a triazine crosslinking agent, and a sulfur crosslinking component. |
| US09703224B2 |
Liquid developer
A liquid developer contains an insulating liquid and toner particles dispersed in the insulating liquid. The toner particles have a resin and a coloring agent. The resin contains at least 5 mass % and at most 30 mass % of an aliphatic polyester resin and at least 70 mass % and at most 95 mass % of an aromatic polyester resin. A difference in acid value between the aliphatic polyester resin and the aromatic polyester resin is not less than 15 mgKOH/g and not more than 100 mgKOH/g. |
| US09703223B2 |
Toner, developer, and toner cartridge
The present invention provides a toner that includes a charge control agent containing one or two or more resorcin derivatives represented by the following formula (1), a colorant, and a binder resin. |
| US09703215B2 |
Electrophotographic photoreceptor, method of producing same, and electrophotographic apparatus
An electrophotographic photoreceptor is provided that can achieve reductions in the amount of wear in the photoreceptor surface while producing an excellent image on a long-term basis. Also provided are a method of producing the electrophotographic photoreceptor and an electrophotographic apparatus. The electrophotographic photoreceptor includes a conductive substrate; and a photosensitive layer provided on the conductive substrate and being composed of a resin having a molecular structure optimized using molecular dynamic calculations that is a helical structure, and having a value for a ratio r/I between the diameter (r) and helix pitch (I) of the helical structure that ranges from 0.04 to 1.0. |
| US09703214B2 |
Lithography apparatus, lithography method, and article manufacturing method
Provided is a lithography apparatus which forms a pattern on a substrate that includes a detector configured to detect a mark formed on the substrate; a controller configured to obtain a displacement amount of a position of the mark from a reference position thereof based on an output of the detector; wherein the controller is configured to obtain a representative value of, with respect to each of a plurality of marks associated with each sample shot region on the substrate, a plurality of the displacement amount respectively obtained based on outputs of the detector with respect to a plurality of the sample shot region, and obtain information relating to a form of a shot region on the substrate based on a plurality of the representative value respectively obtained with respect to the plurality of marks. |
| US09703211B2 |
Sub-diffraction-limited patterning and imaging
A method for sub-diffraction-limited patterning using a photoswitchable layer is disclosed. A sample of the photoswitchable layer can be selectively exposed to a first wavelength of illumination that includes a super-oscillatory peak. The sample can be selectively exposed to a second wavelength of illumination that does not include the super-oscillatory peak. A region in the sample that corresponds to the super-oscillatory peak and is associated with the second transition state can optionally be converted into a third transition state. The region in the sample at the third transition state can constitute a pattern of an isolated feature with a size that is substantially smaller than a far-field diffraction limit. |
| US09703210B2 |
Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method
A method and apparatus for cleaning the inside of an immersion lithographic apparatus is disclosed. In particular, a liquid supply system of the lithographic apparatus may be used to introduce a cleaning fluid into a space between the projection system and the substrate table of the lithographic apparatus. Additionally or alternatively, a cleaning device may be provided on the substrate table and an ultrasonic emitter may be provided to create an ultrasonic cleaning liquid. |
| US09703204B2 |
Light source apparatus, optical apparatus, exposure apparatus, device manufacturing method, illuminating method, exposure method, and method for manufacturing optical apparatus
An optical apparatus capable of illuminating an irradiation surface under a required illumination condition capable of achieving a high light efficiency while keeping a small light loss due to, for example, the overlap error of illuminating fields. The optical apparatus, which illuminates a first area with light from a light source while the first area is longer in a second direction intersecting a first direction than in the first direction, includes a collector optical member which is arranged in an optical path between the light source and the first area, and condenses the light from the light source to form a second area in a predetermined plane, the second area being longer in a fourth direction intersecting a third direction than in the third direction; and a first fly's eye optical member which is provided within the predetermined plane including the second area, and has a plurality of first optical elements guiding the light of the collector optical member to the first area. |
| US09703200B2 |
Photolithographic methods
Methods of forming an electronic device, comprising in sequence: (a) providing a semiconductor substrate comprising one or more layers to be patterned; (b) forming a photoresist layer over the one or more layers to be patterned, wherein the photoresist layer is formed from a composition that comprises: a matrix polymer comprising a unit having an acid labile group; a photoacid generator; and an organic solvent; (c) coating a photoresist overcoat composition over the photoresist layer, wherein the overcoat composition comprises a quenching polymer and an organic solvent, wherein the quenching polymer comprises a unit having a basic moiety effective to neutralize acid generated by the photoacid generator in a surface region of photoresist layer; (d) exposing the photoresist layer to activating radiation; (e) heating the substrate in a post-exposure bake process; and (f) developing the exposed film with an organic solvent developer. The methods have particular applicability in the semiconductor manufacturing industry. |
| US09703199B2 |
Substrate processing apparatus
A method of processing a substrate in a substrate processing apparatus that is arranged adjacent to an exposure device and includes first, second and third processing units, includes forming a photosensitive film on the substrate by said first processing unit before exposure processing by said exposure device and applying washing processing to the substrate by supplying a washing liquid to the substrate in said second processing unit after the formation of said photosensitive film and before the exposure processing. The method also includes applying drying processing to the substrate in said second processing unit after the washing processing by said second processing unit and before the exposure processing and applying development processing to the substrate by said third processing unit after the exposure processing. Applying the drying processing to the substrate includes the step of supplying an inert gas onto the substrate, to which the washing liquid is supplied. |
| US09703197B2 |
High-sensitivity multilayer resist film and method of increasing photosensitivity of resist film
A resist film structure is provided, which allows a resist layer to have improved photosensitivity to EUV or electron beams without changing the photosensitivity of the resist material itself. A metal layer 1 with a thickness as small as a nanometer level is provided on a resist polymer layer 2 formed on a substrate 3. When the resist layer in this structure is exposed to light, the metal layer 1 produces a surface plasmon effect to enhance the irradiation to the resist film, so that the photosensitivity of the resist film is improved. |
| US09703191B2 |
Method of manufacturing color conversion substrate
A method of manufacturing a color conversion substrate includes preparing a substrate including a first pixel region, a second pixel region, and a third pixel region, forming a first color conversion portion corresponding to the first pixel region, forming a second color conversion portion corresponding to the second pixel region, and forming a third color conversion portion corresponding to the third pixel region. The providing the first color conversion portion includes providing a first color filter of a first color corresponding to the first pixel region, providing a first transparent pattern corresponding to the first pixel region, and providing a first pattern layer corresponding to the first pixel region and including a first material which converts light incident thereto into light of the first color, where the first transparent pattern is provided between the first color filter and the first pattern layer. |
| US09703190B2 |
Imprint method, imprint apparatus, and article manufacturing method
The imprint method includes changing the position of a detector that detects an alignment mark formed on a shot on a substrate; bringing a pattern formed on a mold into contact with an imprint material supplied on the shot on the substrate; and detecting the alignment mark using the detector after completion of the change in the position of the detector. Here, the contacting is started prior to completion of the change in the position of the detector. |
| US09703188B2 |
Agglutinat for pellicle, a pellicle using it and a method for evaluating pellicle
A pellicle is proposed in which the agglutinant layer which enable the pellicle to be adhered to a photomask is doped with a mechanoluminescent material so that the uniformness of the thickness of the agglutinant layer can be confirmed, when the pellicle is adhered to the photomask, by observing visually or by CCD camera for any irregularity in the pattern of the light emitted from the agglutinant layer. |
| US09703187B2 |
Pellicle and EUV exposure device comprising same
The present invention addresses the problem of providing a pellicle which has high EUV transmittance and high strength, while being not susceptible to damage by heat. In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the present invention provides a pellicle which comprises a pellicle film that has a refractive index (n) of light having a wavelength of 550 nm of 1.9-5.0 and a pellicle frame to which the pellicle film is bonded. The pellicle film has a composition that contains 30-100% by mole of carbon and 0-30% by mole of hydrogen. The intensity ratio of the 2D-band to the G-band, namely (intensity in 2D-band)/(intensity in G-band) is 1 or less, or alternatively, the intensity in the 2D-band and the intensity in the G-band are 0 in the Raman spectrum of the pellicle film. |
| US09703185B2 |
Semiconductor light source driving apparatus and projection video display apparatus
Prior to a rising timing of a switching signal, a second FET is turned ON for a predetermined period according to a voltage switching signal. This allows a sum of a supply voltage of a first switching power source and a supply voltage of a second switching power source to be applied to a series circuit of a semiconductor light source, a drain-source of a first FET, and a current detecting resistor for a predetermined period before and after the rising timing of the switching signal. |
| US09703184B2 |
Dimmer and projector
A dimmer includes a pair of pivoting sections provided across an optical axis of a light beam and having pivot axes and a pair of light blocking sections held by the pair of pivoting sections and configured to pivot following pivoting of the pivoting sections to block the light beam. In a maximum light blocking state, positions in the optical axis direction of opposed ends on the optical axis side of the pair of light blocking sections are different from each other. In the maximum light blocking state, the opposed ends on the optical axis side of the pair of light blocking sections are arranged to overlap each other in a direction along the optical axis. |
| US09703181B2 |
Projector
A projector includes: an optical unit as an image projection device which forms and projects an image; a support member which supports the optical unit; an exterior casing which forms an exterior and houses the optical unit and the support member; and at least one of a foot portion and a handle which is provided on the support member and exposed outside the exterior casing and supports the support member. |
| US09703177B2 |
Lens barrel and camera
A camera includes a lens barrel including a first lens frame that supports a first lens and is configured to move in a direction perpendicular to an optical axis of the lens barrel, a second lens frame that supports a second lens and is configured to move in an optical-axis direction which is parallel to the optical axis; a first lock member configured to connect with the first lens frame to restrict movement of the first lens frame; a second lock member configured to connect with the second lens frame to restrict movement of the second lens frame; a connection portion that connects the first lock member and the second lock member; and an actuator configured to move one of the first lock member and the second lock member and thereby control the first lock member and the second lock member to restrict the movement. |
| US09703161B2 |
Display device
The present invention is intended to control the color temperature of white exhibited by a liquid crystal display device. White is produced when light waves emitted through pixels associated with three colors of red, green, and blue have maximum intensities. The amounts of light emitted through the respective pixels are controlled by differentiating the shapes of the pixel electrodes disposed at the respective pixels from one another. Thus, the color temperature of white is controlled. Otherwise, the shapes of interceptive films disposed at the respective pixels are differentiated from one another in order to control light waves emitted through the respective pixels. Thus, the color temperature of white is controlled. The interceptive film may be shaped like the pixel electrode. Otherwise, the interceptive film may be realized with an interceptive pattern other than that of the pixel electrode or one of openings bored in a black matrix. |
| US09703158B2 |
Liquid crystal display panel and liquid crystal display apparatus having the same
A liquid crystal display panel is disclosed and has data lines, scanning lines and pixel units. Each pixel units includes a first sub-pixel unit and a second sub-pixel unit. A top electrode of a first storage capacitor of the first sub-pixel unit is connected to a common electrode; a bottom electrode plate of the first storage capacitor is connected to a pixel electrode of the corresponding pixel unit. A top electrode of a second storage capacitor of the second sub-pixel unit is connected to a pixel electrode of the corresponding pixel unit; and a bottom electrode plate of the second storage capacitor is connected to the common electrode. |
| US09703156B2 |
Liquid crystal display device
A liquid crystal display device in which a liquid crystal layer is sandwiched between a TFT substrate having pixel electrodes and opposed electrodes formed and an opposed substrate, an external conductive film of a transparent electrode is formed on an outer surface of the opposed substrate, and an upper polarizing plate is arranged on the external conductive film. A portion of the external conductive film that is not covered with the upper polarizing plate is electrically connected to a ground potential through a conductive thermocompression bonding tape. The conductive thermocompression bonding tape is configured so that w3 |
| US09703150B2 |
Liquid crystal display device
The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device which can be miniaturized while preventing display defects such as flicker. The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device including a wiring connected to an electrode to supply a common signal. The electrode includes a first electrode portion formed in a transparent conductive layer. The wiring is formed outside a display region and includes at least one of the first wiring portion and a second wiring portion and a third wiring portion facing the at least one of the first wiring portion and the second wiring portion. The first wiring portion, the second wiring portion, and the third wiring portion are respectively formed in a first conductive layer, a second conductive layer, and a third conductive layer. |
| US09703149B2 |
Liquid crystal display panel
According to one embodiment, a liquid crystal display panel includes an array substrate, a counter-substrate, a liquid crystal layer and a columnar spacer. The array substrate includes a wiring including projection portion which form a dot pattern with light-blocking properties, and a first horizontal alignment film. The counter-substrate includes a second horizontal alignment film. The columnar spacer is disposed between the array substrate and the counter-substrate and is located within the dot pattern. |
| US09703147B2 |
Liquid crystal display device and motherboard
A liquid crystal display device filled with a liquid crystal according to one drop filling prevents the liquid crystal from penetrating between a sealant and a TFT substrate or a counter substrate so as to reduce bonding strength in a seal part. The seal part has a wall spacer around the periphery of the sealant. In a terminal-side seal part, a second sealant is formed outside the wall spacer while a second wall spacer is formed outside the second sealant. Thus, the sealant, the wall spacer, and the sealant are sequentially formed in a plan view of a motherboard including liquid crystal display panels to be separated. This configuration can prevent the liquid crystal from penetrating into the seal part according to an internal pressure. |
| US09703146B2 |
Liquid crystal display panel and preparation method thereof
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display panel and a preparation method thereof. The liquid crystal display panel comprises: a first substrate having a display area and a sealant area, wherein the sealant area surrounds the display area; a second substrate; a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate; and a sealant frame disposed on the sealant area of the first substrate, wherein the sealant frame includes a plurality of corner portions and a plurality of strip portions, wherein the adjacent strip portions intersect at one of the corner portions; and these corner portions includes a plurality of first corner portions and a plurality of second corner portions. Each of the first corner portion includes an arcuate peripheral edge adjacent to the display area, and each of the second corner portion includes an angular peripheral edge adjacent to the display area. |
| US09703143B2 |
Display device
A display device includes a display component, a plurality of light sources, a flat optical member, a rear side support member, and a reflective sheet. The light sources are disposed on a rear side of the display device relative to the display component. The light sources irradiate the display component with light. The light sources are arranged with respect to the rear side support member such that among light emitted towards the display component from an edge-side light source that is disposed closest to an edge portion of the rear side support member out of the light sources, light emitted at a brightness that is at least half of an maximum brightness of the edge-side light source reaches an edge portion of the flat optical member corresponding to the edge portion of the rear side support member. |
| US09703142B2 |
Surface light source device and liquid crystal display device
A surface light source device includes a plurality of LEDs for emitting a plurality of light having different colors, and a light guide body for mixing the colors of the plurality of light and emitting light having colors mixed. The light guide body includes a light incident portion for causing the plurality of light to be individually incident, and a light emitting portion provided beside the light incident portion and changing propagation angles of the plurality of light which is incident from the light incident portion and propagated into the light guide body to mix colors, thereby controlling a quantity of light emission from the light guide body and a light emitting position. |
| US09703141B2 |
Liquid crystal display panel, display device, and manufacturing method of liquid crystal display panel
A liquid crystal display panel, a display device and a manufacturing method of a liquid crystal display panel. The liquid crystal display panel comprises: a color filter (2) located on an array substrate (1), and the color filter (2) comprises a black matrix (21) and a color filter layer (22) having different color sections, wherein the different color sections of the color filter layer (22) have quantum dots (QDs) of different sizes respectively, and the QDs of different sizes can be excited to generate light of corresponding colors; a protective layer (3) located on the color filter; a liquid crystal layer (4) provided on the protective layer (3); a transparent protective plate (5) provided on the liquid crystal layer (4). |
| US09703139B2 |
Methods for trimming polarizers in displays
An electronic device is provided with a display such as a liquid crystal display mounted in an electronic device housing. The display has a layer of liquid crystal material sandwiched between an upper display layer such as a color filter layer and a lower display layer such as a thin-film-transistor layer. An upper polarizer is formed on the upper surface of the color filter layer. A lower polarizer is formed on the lower surface of the thin-film-transistor layer. To protect display layers such as a glass color filter layer substrate for the color filter layer from damage during polarizer trimming operations, a coating is deposited on a peripheral edge of the glass color filter layer substrate. The coating may be formed from an elastomeric polymer such as silicone and may remain in place or may be removed following trimming operations. |
| US09703133B2 |
Display module and liquid crystal display device including the same
A display module, and a liquid crystal display (LCD) device including the same, includes a guide panel surrounding a side surface of a liquid crystal panel. The guide panel and a cover bottom are fastened to each other by hooks. |
| US09703131B2 |
Liquid crystal motherboard, manufacturing and cutting methods thereof, and liquid crystal panel obtained thereby
The present disclosure provides a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal panel motherboard, comprising providing materials that can form projections on a margin area of at least one of two substrates of the liquid crystal panel motherboard, and then fitting said two substrates to each other, so that the margin area of said at least one of the two substrates cannot be fit to a corresponding margin area of the other substrate seamlessly. The present disclosure also provides a method for cutting a liquid crystal panel motherboard, and a liquid crystal panel obtained from the liquid crystal motherboard. |
| US09703129B2 |
Component mounting apparatus
A component mounting apparatus that compresses a component to a transparent substrate on which the component is placed with a photocurable resin interposed therebetween. The component mounting apparatus includes: a receiving unit that includes a base member and a transparent member provided on an upper surface of the base member and receives a surface of the substrate, which is positioned below the component, on an upper surface of the transparent member; a pressing unit that presses the component against the substrate received by the receiving unit; and a light irradiation unit that irradiates the photocurable resin with light through the transparent member. |
| US09703127B2 |
Waveguide structure
A method comprising: providing a core comprising a layer of electro-optic dielectric material, a first layer of semiconductor material provided below the electro-optic material and a second layer of the semiconductor material provided above the electro-optic material, and electrodes, configured for applying voltages. The electro-optic dielectric material has a Pockels tensor containing at least one non-vanishing element rij where i≠j, and the electrodes comprise a first set of electrodes provided substantially in direct contact with the electro-optic dielectric material, and a second set of electrodes comprising at least an electrode provided substantially in direct contact with the first layer and at least an electrode substantially in direct contact with the second layer, wherein the sets of electrodes are configurable to apply in the electro-optic material, at least a substantially horizontal electrical field and at least a substantially vertical electrical field that are orientated substantially perpendicular relative to each other. |
| US09703126B2 |
Pockels cell driver circuit with inductances
The driver circuit contains a first line, which is to be connected to a first terminal of the Pockels cell (18; PC), and a second line, which is to be connected to a second terminal of the Pockels cell (18; PC), wherein the first line and/or the second line have/has an inductance (14, 15; 24, 25). |
| US09703123B2 |
Method and system to create custom, user-specific eyewear
Systems and methods for creating fully custom products from scratch without exclusive use of off-the-shelf or pre-specified components. A system for creating custom products includes an image capture device for capturing image data and/or measurement data of a user. A computer is communicatively coupled with the image capture device and configured to construct an anatomic model of the user based on the captured image data and/or measurement data. The computer provides a configurable product model and enables preview and automatic or user-guided customization of the product model. A display is communicatively coupled with the computer and displays the custom product model superimposed on the anatomic model or image data of the user. The computer is further configured to provide the customized product model to a manufacturer for manufacturing eyewear for the user in accordance with the customized product model. The manufacturing system is configured to interpret the product model and prepare instructions and control equipment for the manufacturing of the customized product. |
| US09703119B2 |
Compact folding architecture for head mounted device
An example of a hinge mechanism for a head mounted device is provided. Aspects of the disclosure relate generally to folding the head mounted device in a secure fashion for convenient storage and transportation. The head mounted device may have an asymmetrical shape with an enlarged and elongated first side arm. In this regard, the hinge mechanism allows the head mounted device to fold at an angle so as not to interfere with a second side arm of the head mounted device. The head mounted device may also implement a flexguard component configured to bend along with the hinge structure so as to protect internal components that become exposed due to the folding of the hinge. An axial cam system is also implemented to allow for the secure and comfortable folding and opening of the head mounted device. |
| US09703115B2 |
Optoelectronic apparatus and method of taking an image
An optoelectronic apparatus (10) is provided in a stationary mounting at a monitored zone (14) with objects (12) to be detected, wherein the apparatus has an image sensor (18) for generating shots of the objects (12); a receiving optics (16) associated with the image sensor (18) and with an adaptive lens (42) having a variable tilt; and an evaluation unit (20) for determining object information from a shot. The evaluation unit (20) is in this respect configured to derive the movement behavior of an object (12) to be taken from an external input signal (28) and to tilt the adaptive lens (42) during a shot of the object (12) such that the movement of the object (12) is compensated. |
| US09703111B2 |
Laser processing machine and focusing angle setting method of laser processing machine
A laser processing machine includes: a laser oscillator which emits laser light; a scanning unit which scans a processing target surface of a work by deflecting the laser light emitted from the laser oscillator; and a focusing unit which is disposed between the laser oscillator and the scanning unit and which focuses the laser light emitted from the laser oscillator. The focusing unit is set so as to focus the laser light at a second position that is more distant from a first position where the laser light is incident vertically than a third position that is farthest from the first position in the processing target surface of the work. |
| US09703110B2 |
Optical system and image projection apparatus having the same
An image projection apparatus includes a light source for emitting a light bundle, a display element forming an image by using the light bundle, and a projection system having: a lens unit refracting the light bundle so as to magnify and project the image and including first and second aspheric lenses, which are spaced from each other and change the refraction of the light bundle, and at least one spherical lens disposed between the first and second aspheric lenses; and a mirror for reflecting, toward the outside, the light bundle delivered by the lens unit. |
| US09703109B2 |
Three-dimensional image display device
A three-dimensional (3D) image display device includes a display panel including an upper substrate and a lower substrate, the display panel displaying a left eye image and a right eye image; a patterned retarder that applies first and second circular polarizations to the light corresponding to the left and right eye images, respectively; a conductive tape attached to the upper substrate to discharge static electricity from the display panel; a panel guide on which the display panel and the patterned retarder are mounted; an electrically conductive gasket disposed on the panel guide in contact with the conductive tape; and a top case disposed on the panel guide and the conductive gasket such that the conductive gasket electrically connects the conductive tape to the top case. |
| US09703107B2 |
Liquid crystal display device and three-dimensional display device
A three-dimensional display device of a parallax barrier system including a liquid crystal display device of an IPS system having a TFT substrate and an opposed substrate as well as a liquid crystal barrier panel of a TN system having a first substrate and a second substrate, in which the opposed substrate of the liquid crystal display device and the second substrate of the liquid crystal barrier panel are opposedly arranged by interposing a polarizer, the TFT substrate includes a pixel configured by a common electrode having a slit above a pixel electrode configured in a planar shape, and includes a first pixel in which an angle made by an alignment axis of the TFT substrate and a direction of a long axis of the slit is θ1 and a second pixel in which an angle made by the alignment axis of the TFT substrate and the direction of the long axis of the slit is θ2, θ1 and θ2 are in a relationship θ1=−θ2, the first pixel and the second pixel are arranged to switch in a first direction, and arranged to switch in a second direction, and the alignment axis of the TFT substrate and an alignment axis of the second substrate of the liquid crystal barrier panel coincide with each other or are orthogonal to each other. |
| US09703106B2 |
Parallax barrier, designing method thereof and parallax barrier type 3D display device
Embodiments of the present invention disclose a parallax barrier, a designing method thereof and a parallax barrier type 3D display device. The parallax barrier comprises: a plurality of grating sheets, utilized to shield light, disposed in an arrangement direction and spaced apart from each other, wherein the plurality of grating sheets are divided into 2K identical grating sections each of which comprises two or more grating segments, each grating segment comprises one or more grating sheets with an identical grating pitch C, and the grating sheets included in different grating segments have different grating pitches, and the 2K grating sections are arranged symmetrically about a center line of the parallax barrier in the arrangement direction, and K is a natural number. |
| US09703105B2 |
Stereo display
A stereo display including a display panel and a light shieldable element is provided. The display panel has at least two sub-pixel regions. Each sub-pixel region is configured with at least a first pixel electrode to define a first sub-region. The light shieldable element is disposed in front of the sub-pixel regions. Each first pixel electrode has a first shieldable region shielded by the light shieldable element and a first non-shielding region exposed by the light shieldable element. The first shieldable region is closer to the scan line than the first non-shielding region. A horizontal direction is defined as a connection line of two eyes of a user watching the stereo display. A total length A of each sub-pixel region and a length B of the first shieldable region in a predetermined direction intersected to the horizontal direction comply with a relationship that (B/A)×100% is substantially from 1.61% to 47.9%. |
| US09703104B2 |
Electro-optical device comprising first, second, and third color beams having different incident angles relative to a light gathering element and electronic apparatus
As an electro-optical device, a liquid crystal device includes micro lenses ML each of which is provided as a light-gathering element for the corresponding one of pixels, and further includes a light-shielding portion. Red (R), green (G), and blue (B) beams enter the micro lens ML at angles different from one another. The light-shielding portion partitions off a first opening portion corresponding to a sub pixel, a second opening portion corresponding to a sub pixel, and a third opening portion corresponding to a sub pixel from one another. When the width of the first opening portion in the predetermined direction (X direction) is defined as L1 and when the width of the second opening portion or the third opening portion in the predetermined direction is defined as L2, a relationship of L1 |
| US09703102B2 |
Information processing device including head mounted display
[Problem to be Solved]The present invention has an objective to improve operability in information input in an information processing device that includes a head mounted display to enable head tracking display.[Solution]An information processing device includes a hand-held operation unit (10), a head mounted display (20), a first motion sensor (506 to 508) that can detect at least the orientation of the head of the operator, and an information processing unit (30) that executes a head tracking displaying process in which the first motion sensor is used, and a specific process corresponding to an indication of the operator identified by the motion of the operation unit, wherein the motion of the operation unit is detected using a second motion sensor (1603 to 1605) incorporated in the operation unit. |
| US09703101B2 |
See-through head or helmet mounted display device
A see-through head or helmet mounted display device (10) comprises a see-through member (18) having a see-through area (22). The see-through member (18) includes a plurality of display segments (20; 20a, 20b) for emitting visible light. The plurality of display segments (20; 20a, 20b) is provided within the see-through area (22) in a mutually spaced manner such that the see-through area (22) includes a see-through zone (24) between each pair of adjacent display segments (20; 20a, 20b). The see-through zone (24) allows visible light to pass through the see-through member (18). The see-through member (18) further includes a plurality of holographic optical elements (26; 26a, 26b) provided within the see-through area (22). Each holographic optical element (26; 26a, 26b) is associated with a respective display segment (20; 20a, 20b). Each display segment (20; 20a, 20b) is located in a focal plane of the associated holographic optical element (26; 26a, 26b) and each holographic optical element (26; 26a, 26b) is adapted to collimate the visible light emitted by the associated display segment (20; 20a, 20b). |
| US09703098B2 |
Lens module comprising at least one exchangeable optical element
An optical system has a housing with a mount and an opening to a receiving region, the receiving region being located within the housing and including the mount. At least one optical element is inserted into and removed from the receiving region through the opening, and at least one gas supply device provides a flow of gas in the receiving region. An associated method of inserting or removing an optical element into or from a receiving region in a housing is also disclosed. |
| US09703095B2 |
Light modulator for MEMS display
Electromechanical light modulators and backlight providing efficient, low cost and high performance displays. |
| US09703091B2 |
Magnification viewer lens
A magnification viewer lens device is provided that is used to magnify objects when viewed through the device. The device comprises a magnification lens housing supporting a magnification lens, whereby the housing is supported along its perimeter by an arm assembly. The arm assembly comprises an elongated arm and a clamp, whereby the arm assembly is rotatable relative to the housing and to the clamp. The clamp forms a rounded clamping member that is suitable for securing the device to a golf cart steering wheel or alternate support. The arm and the housing remains static relative to the hinge joints of the arm using friction hinges, while the housing supports a Fresnel lens for magnifying objects when viewed therethrough. In one embodiment, the housing is substantially rectangular and the arm and clamp are designed to secure the housing over the scorecard area of a golf cart steering wheel. |
| US09703085B2 |
Catadioptric imaging systems for digital scanner
Projection optical system for forming an image on a substrate and including an illumination relay lens and a projection lens each of which is a catadioptric system. The projection lens may include two portions in optical communication with one another, the first of which is dioptric and the second of which is catadioptric. In a specific case, the projection optical system satisfies 4 < β I β T < 30 , where βI and βT are magnifications of the first portion and the overall projection lens. Optionally, the projection lens may be structured to additionally satisfy 6 < β II β T < 20 , where βII is a magnification of the second portion. A digital scanner including such projection optical system and operating with UV light having a spectral bandwidth on the order of 1 picometer. Method for forming an image with such projection optical system. |
| US09703083B2 |
Zoom lens system
A zoom lens system includes a first lens group of negative refractive power and a second lens group of positive refractive power. The first lens group includes a first lens of negative refractive power, and the second lens group is disposed between the first lens group and a reduced side and includes in order from a magnified side to the reduced side a second lens of positive refractive power, a third lens of positive refractive power, a fourth lens of negative refractive power, and a fifth lens of positive refractive power. At least one of the first lens to the fifth lens is an aspherical lens having at least one aspherical surface. |
| US09703081B2 |
Projection zoom lens and projector
A projection zoom lens constituting a projection optical system of a projector, which projects an image displayed on a surface of an image display element on a projected surface, so as to magnify and display the image includes, in order from the projected surface side to the image display element side, a first lens group having a negative refractive power, a second lens group having a negative refractive power, a third lens group having a positive refractive power, a fourth lens group having a positive refractive power, and a fifth lens group, wherein a refractive power of the fifth lens group is weaker than the refractive power of the first lens group, the refractive power of the second lens group, the refractive power of the third lens group, and the refractive power of the fourth lens group. |
| US09703075B2 |
Imaging lens
An imaging lens includes a first lens having positive refractive power; a second lens having negative refractive power; a third lens; a fourth lens having negative refractive power; a fifth lens having positive refractive power; and a sixth lens, arranged in this order from an object side to an image plane side. The first lens is formed so that a surface thereof on the object side has a positive curvature radius. The sixth lens is formed so that a surface thereof on the object side and a surface thereof on the image plane side have positive curvature radii. Each of the first to sixth lenses has an Abbe's number within a specific range. |
| US09703072B2 |
Wide-angle lens
Wide-angle lens comprising floating element (G2) and aperture stop (BL) comprising a group (G1) of ten lens elements with refractive power sequence arranged in a manner mirrored in sign with respect to the stop (BL), wherein lens elements having positive and negative refractive power are arranged alternately in the light direction upstream and downstream of the stop (BL) and the group (G1) is displaceable for the purpose of focusing. |
| US09703055B2 |
AAO-based light guiding structure and fabrication thereof
A light guiding structure is provided. The structure includes an anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) layer and a fluoropolymer layer located immediately adjacent to a surface of the AAO layer. Light propagates through the AAO layer in a direction substantially parallel to the fluoropolymer layer. An optoelectronic device can be coupled to a surface of the AAO layer, and emit/sense light propagating through the AAO layer. Solutions for fabricating the light guiding structure are also described. |
| US09703051B2 |
Connector housing with press fit boot seal
A connector housing apparatus for allowing field engineers or technicians to run cable point to point, and to protect the connection in an environmentally sealed, crush resistant housing is provided. The connector housing apparatus includes a connector housing body, two sealing boots, two sealing elements, a fiber optic adapter, a fiber optic adapter insert that holds the fiber optic adapter and two fiber optic pigtails connected to two fiber optic cables. Each boot has two seal points. The first seal is between the fiber optic cable, the sealing element, and the tapered portion of the sealing boot. The second seal is between the interference lip on the sealing boot and the interference lip on the connector housing body. |
| US09703045B2 |
Systems and methods for laser frequency stabilization using an arbitrarily birefringent resonator
Systems and methods to stabilize a laser frequency include a birefringent resonator that introduces an arbitrary phase difference between two polarization components of the laser beam, a polarizing beam splitter to separate the two polarization components after the birefringent resonator, and a differential detector to monitor the separated two polarizations, based on which an error signal can be produced to control a servo to adjust the laser frequency or resonator resonance frequency accordingly. The birefringent resonator can comprise a fiber ring, a whispering gallery mode (WGM) resonator, or any other birefringent ring resonator. A servo can be included in the systems and methods to lock the laser frequency to the resonant frequency of the birefringent resonator or to lock the resonator resonant frequency to the laser frequency. One or more polarization controllers can also be employed to adjust the polarization state of the laser beam. |
| US09703044B2 |
Wavelength division multiplexing
A system may include a first light source configured to generate a first beam of light at a first wavelength; a second light source configured to generate a second beam of light at a second wavelength; a third light source configured to generate a third beam of light at a third wavelength; and a fourth light source configured to generate a fourth beam of light at a fourth wavelength. The system may also include a thin-film filter, a first polarization beam splitter (PBS), a wave plate and a second PBS. The thin-film filter, the first PBS, the wave plate, and the second PBS may be configured to combine the first beam, the second beam, the third beam and the fourth beam into a combined beam of light. |
| US09703041B2 |
Multi-channel optical connector with coupling lenses
Optical connectors are provided for connecting sets of optical waveguides (110), such as optical fiber ribbons to each other, to printed circuit boards, or to backplanes. The provided connectors include a waveguide alignment member (105) for receiving and aligning a plurality of optical waveguides (110) such that central light rays of light exiting the plurality of optical waveguides propagate along a same incident direction (115) in a same incident plane XY. The optical connectors also include a light redirecting side that comprises a plurality of segments (130) forming a row of segments (130a, 130b, . . . ), each segment corresponding to a different optical waveguide. A first segment (130a) redirects light along a first redirected direction (140a) and a second segment (130b) redirects light along a second redirected direction (140b) different from the first redirected direction. Other segments redirect light to either a first redirected direction or a second redirected direction. The light is redirected to two or more rows of optical lenses (150). Also provided is a cable assembly that includes a provided connector and a plurality of optical waveguides permanently attached to the connector. |
| US09703035B2 |
Optical connector, method for manufacturing the same, and mold container for manufacturing the same
An optical connector connects: N (N is an integer of 3 to 14) single-mode fibers each including one core with a high refractive index in a cladding material with a low refractive index; to multi-core fiber including N cores with high refractive indexes in a cladding material with low refractive index such that the cores of the single-mode fibers are respectively optically coupled to cores of the multi-core fiber. The optical connector includes: quartz glass cylinder having a first end face to be in contact with the multi-core fiber and a second end face to be in contact with single-mode fibers; N glass fibers that are arranged in the quartz glass cylinder to extend from the first to second end face, the N glass fibers each including: a circular rod with high refractive index that has a constant outer diameter; and a low refractive index material that surrounds an outer periphery of the circular rod and has a constant thickness. |
| US09703034B2 |
Light guiding plate, backlight module and display device
The disclosure provides a light guiding plate comprising a main body and an extending plate. The main body comprises an incident surface, an illuminating surface adjacent with the incident surface, and a bottom surface opposite to the illuminating surface. The extending plate extends from the incident surface toward the direction away from the main body. The disclosure also provides a backlight module and a display device. |
| US09703033B2 |
Light guide plate with vfariable angled minute reflection projection, backlight module having the same, and display device having the same
A light guide plate includes a light exit surface, a reflection surface opposite to the light exit surface, and at least one light incidence surface connecting to the light exit surface and the reflection surface. The reflection surface includes a plurality of minute projection structures projecting toward interior of the light guide plate. Each of the minute projection structures includes at least two side faces coated with a high reflectivity material. The at least two high reflectivity material coated side faces form at least one included angle pointing toward the at least one light incidence surface. With the distance of the minute projection structure from the closest light source getting shorter, the at least one included angle formed thereby is getting smaller. |
| US09703032B2 |
Planar light source
A planar light source including a light guide plate (LGP) and a light source device is provided. The LGP includes a plate portion and at least one prism portion. The plate portion has a light incident surface, a reflective surface, a bottom surface, and a light exiting surface. The prism portion is disposed on the bottom surface of the plate portion, and has a first plane and a second plane. An included angle between the first plane and the bottom surface is smaller than an included angle between the second plane and the bottom surface, and a shortest distance between the first plane and the light incident surface is smaller than a shortest distance between the second plane and the light incident surface. The light source device is disposed adjacent to the light incident surface. The disclosure provides planar light source with good light uniformity. |
| US09703031B2 |
Light guide and lighting assembly with array of rotated micro-optical elements
A light guide includes opposed major surfaces and a light input edge extending therebetween. An array of micro-optical elements of well-defined shape at at least one of the opposed major surfaces corresponds to the light input edge. Each of the micro-optical elements in the array includes a longitudinal axis arranged within the range of angles relative to the light input edge. A path linearly extending along the light guide from the light input edge intersects at least a portion of the micro-optical elements in the array, at least one of the micro-optical elements along the path arranged with its longitudinal axis at a positive angle relative to the light input edge, and at least another one of the micro-optical elements along the path arranged with its longitudinal axis at a negative angle relative to the light input edge. |
| US09703026B2 |
Polarizing plate having a transparent substrate, an absorbing layer and a reflective layer and method of manufacturing the same
A polarizing plate having an excellent optical property and a method of manufacturing the same. The polarizing plate includes: a transparent substrate 11 transmitting light in a used bandwidth; an absorbing layer 12 having at least a metal-containing semiconductor layer containing a metal, the absorbing layer being arranged as a one-dimensional lattice shaped wire-grid structure having a pitch smaller than the wavelength of the light in the used bandwidth; a dielectric layer 13 arranged as a one-dimensional lattice shaped wire-grid structure having a pitch smaller than the wavelength of light in the used bandwidth; and a reflective layer 14 arranged as a one-dimensional lattice shaped wire-grid structure having a pitch smaller than the wavelength of light in the used bandwidth, wherein the absorbing layer 12, the dielectric layer 13 and the reflective layer 14 are layered on the transparent substrate 11 in this or reversed order. |
| US09703025B2 |
Polarizer and polarizing plate including same
Provided are a polarizer that resists red discoloration in a heat resistance test even when it has a small thickness, and a polarizing plate including the polarizer. The polarizer has a thickness less than or equal to 10 μm and a retardation Rpva variation within 0.2 nm/mm in the transmission axis direction. |
| US09703023B2 |
Microtiled prismatic cube corner articles
Cube corner articles such as retroreflective sheeting utilize multiple cube corner arrays in a tiled configuration, each tile containing one array of canted cube corner elements. The tiles may be long and narrow, and the array in each of at least two or three adjacent tiles, or even in every tile, may include at least one lengthwise groove that is parallel to an edge of the tile and parallel to a fixed in-plane axis. Each tile may have a width that is narrow (e.g. 0.2 to 5 mm), and equal to an integer multiple of a lengthwise groove pitch to avoid or reduce ineffective fragmented cube corners along the tile edge. Each array may have a plane of cant and a primary plane of entrance angularity, and the primary planes of entrance angularity for the multiple tiles may be more evenly distributed in azimuthal angle than the planes of cant. |
| US09703021B1 |
Actively modulated plasmonic devices
Embodiments include various plasmonic devices. The plasmonic devices may include: a conductor layer, an insulator layer, and a hybrid layer. The conductor layer may include an input segment, a manipulation segment, and an output segment. The conductor layer is disposed on a surface of a substrate. The insulator layer is disposed on a top surface of the conductor layer. The hybrid layer is disposed on top surface of insulator layer. The manipulation hybrid layer may include an input segment and a semiconductor segment, output segment on one or two or multiple sides of the active channel. When a positive gate voltage is applied between the conductor segment of the conductor layer and the semiconductor segment of the hybrid layer, the semiconductor segment is turned into accumulated semiconductor, surface plasmons polaritons (SPP) propagate along the insulator layer freely. When the gate voltage is negative, the semiconductor segment is turned into depleted semiconductor, and SPP propagation ceases. |
| US09703020B2 |
Broadband light absorber and display apparatus including the same
A broadband light absorber and a display apparatus including the same. The broadband light absorber includes a substrate and a pattern layer having a mesh structure including a plurality of openings, wherein any neighboring openings among the plurality of openings are non-uniform and wherein the plurality of openings comprise first openings haying a first size and second openings haying a second size different from the first size, the first openings and the second openings being alternately arranged in a first direction. |
| US09703018B2 |
Lens with an extended range of focus
The invention relates to a lens which has an extended range of focus, wherein the lens consists of a solid material, the optical surfaces of the lens are transparent and the lens has a focal power distribution. According to the invention, the focal power distribution FG of the lens (1), in relation to a plane perpendicular to the optical axis (10), changes as a function of the radial height r and of the azimuth angle phi of the aperture between a base value of the focal power FL not equal to zero and a maximum value FSmax. Hence, the focal power distribution emerges as FG(r,phi)=FL+FS(r,phi), with the spiral focal power component FS(r,phi)=FSmax(r)*w(phi), where FSmax(r) depends nonlinearly on the radius and w(phi) is a factor for the focal power component with a spiral profile. |
| US09703017B2 |
Optical lens, lens unit, imaging module, electronic device, optical lens production method, lens mold, and shape correction method for lens mold
An optical lens 11, which has a lens section with a refractive power, has concave marks 33, 35, 37, and 39 which are formed to be recessed on a surface of the lens section, in an effective optical lens surface which contributes to image forming of the lens section. A width of each of these concave marks 33, 35, 37, and 39 is equal to or greater than 0.05 μm and equal to or less than 14 μm, and a depth of recession of each concave mark is equal to or greater than 0.05 μm and equal to or less than 5 μm. |
| US09703014B2 |
Protective coating for optical elements
An optical element devices and method are described herein. An example optical device may include an optical element. The optical element may have an optical path material to allow a light to pass therethrough. The optical path material may have a first end portion with a first end surface, a second end portion with a second end surface, and a middle portion between the first and second end portions with an interior and an exterior surface. A coating may be disposed along the exterior surface and diffused into the optical path material. The coating may minimize leakage of the light from the interior through the exterior surface. |
| US09703011B2 |
Scratch-resistant articles with a gradient layer
Embodiments of this disclosure pertain to articles that exhibit scratch-resistance and improved optical properties. In some examples, the article exhibits a color shift of about 2 or less, when viewed at an incident illumination angle in the range from about 0 degrees to about 60 degrees from normal under an illuminant. In one or more embodiments, the articles include a substrate, and an optical film disposed on the substrate. The optical film includes a scratch-resistant layer and a refractive index gradient. In one or more embodiments, the refractive index includes a refractive index that increases from a first surface at the interface between the substrate and the optical film to a second surface. The refractive index gradient may be formed from a compositional gradient and/or a porosity gradient. |
| US09703007B2 |
Method of producing a seismic streamer cable
There is provided a solid seismic streamer cable for use in seismic surveying in marine environments. The streamer is characterized by a buffer layer 2 which is provided with a cut-out 50 and a sensor element arranged in the cut-out 50. There is also provided an associated hydrophone for integration into the seismic streamer cable. The hydrophone is characteristic in a split-element sensor base 10, 11 being suited for efficient mounting into the cut-outs 50 of the seismic cable. There is also provided an associated accelerometer for integration into the seismic streamer cable. The accelerometer is characteristic by a split-element sensor base 30, 35 for being efficiently arranged into the cut-outs 50 of the seismic cable. A method of producing a seismic streamer cable according to the invention incorporating a hydrophone or accelerometer according to the invention is also provided. |
| US09703006B2 |
Method and system for creating history matched simulation models
A method for matching production history to flow simulations includes identifying a plurality of parameters that control an objective function measuring the mismatch between a flow simulation response in a parameter subspace and a production history. A value is calculated for an objective function and for a static measurement at each of a plurality of experiments in the parameter subspace. These results are used to develop a mathematical relationship between one or more static measurements and the objective function. During subsequent adjustment of the simulation model, a target window in the objective function is identified, and flow simulations are performed for each modified model that is predicted from the static geologic measurement to produce an objective function within the window. An objective function of each flow simulation to the production history is calculated and the procedure is iterated until the objective function is within a target range. |
| US09703004B2 |
High throughput pulse height analyzer
A method and system for acquiring spectral information from an energy sensitive nuclear detector is disclosed. The method includes detecting nuclear radiation at a detection device and generating an electronic input pulse indicative of energy deposited in the detection device. The method further includes integrating the electronic input pulse at an integrating device to produce an integrated output signal and digitally sampling the integrated output signal of the integrating device at intervals to produce a stream of digital samples. The method further includes resetting the integrator synchronously with a sampling clock when a limit condition is reached. |
| US09703001B2 |
Method for automatic recognition of a mobile magnetic object
An automatic recognition method includes the calculation of an error representative of the difference between an estimate of the values of the magnetometer measurements when the positions, orientations and amplitudes of the magnetic moments of the P dipoles are equal to those determined, and the values of the magnetometer measurements taken. There is the selection of another system of equations linking each measurement of a triaxial magnetometer to the position, orientation and amplitude of the magnetic moment of P′ magnetic dipoles. The method includes the calculation of at least one distinctive feature of the object presented from the position, orientation, or amplitude of the magnetic moment of each dipole determined with the system of equations that minimizes the error calculated. The method includes the recognition of the magnetic object presented if the calculated distinctive features correspond to those of a known object, otherwise the lack of recognition of this object. |
| US09703000B2 |
Multi-vessel coil shooting acquisition
Methods for efficiently acquiring full-azimuth towed streamer survey data are described. The methods use multiple vessels to perform coil shooting. |
| US09702999B2 |
System and method for velocity analysis in the presence of critical reflections
A method is described for processing residual moveout in seismic image data gathers representing critical reflections. The method includes receiving seismic image data arranged as a function of an angle or offset parameter including a high-velocity-contrast event with post-critical. The method also includes applying a wavelet de-stretch filter to the seismic data to correct wavelet stretching. The method also includes applying a fan-filter to remove coherent noise in the one or more post-critical traces; picking residual moveout of the high-velocity-contrast event; adjacent-trace differencing to detect the impact of phase change at critical reflections in residual moveouts, and applying a median-filter to the residual moveout to reduce the impact of phase change of the high-velocity-contrast event in the one or more post-critical traces. The median-filtered and reconstructed residual moveout is used for improving a velocity model used for generating the seismic image gathers. |
| US09702998B2 |
Full-wavefield inversion of primaries and multiples in marine environment
Method for using the full wavefield (primaries, internal multiples and free-surface multiples) in inversion of marine seismic data, including both pressure and vertical velocity data (21), to infer a subsurface model of acoustic velocity or other physical property. The marine seismic data are separated (22) into up-going (23) and down-going (24) wavefields, and both wavefields are inverted in a joint manner, in which the final model is impacted by both wavefields. This may be achieved by inverting both wavefields simultaneously (25), or one after the other, i.e. in a cascaded approach (35→37, or 45→47), for the subsurface properties (26, 38, 48). |
| US09702991B2 |
System and method for performing seismic surveys with a controlled source using maximum-power sweeps
The output spectrum of a controllable swept-frequency acoustic source at a given frequency can be controlled by making the rate of change of frequency equal to the desired output power spectrum divided by the squared envelope amplitude of the source output signal, both measured at the time after the start of its frequency sweep at which the sweep frequency passes through the given frequency. The system and method can also be used to correct for propagation effects outside the source by dividing the desired spectrum by the propagation effect. The method can further be used either to obtain an output spectrum of a desired shape from a source operating at maximum output or to design a sweep of a minimum feasible duration that will result in an output spectrum of a specified shape and with a specified amplitude. |
| US09702990B2 |
Gain stabilization of radiation detectors via spectrum analysis
Prior to actual use in a downhole application, gamma spectrum shape for a gamma detector can be quantified, and a relationship established between detector gain and spectrum shape. Given this relationship, the shape of a gamma spectrum measured after downhole deployment of the detector within a wellbore, for example as part of a tool in a drill string, can be quantified and compared to the pre-established relationship to determine whether the detector gain has drifted due to temperature or operating time effects. Using this relationship, a gain-affecting voltage across the detector (e.g., the photocathode voltage across the photomultiplier tube) can be adjusted to compensate for such drifts and thus to compensate for variations caused by temperature or operating time. With such compensation applied to the detector, resulting gamma spectra reliably indicate actual differences in radiation levels, thus enabling an inference of the composition of the formation at various times/depths. |
| US09702988B1 |
Combined neutron and gamma-ray detector and coincidence test method
A method for detecting both gamma-ray events and neutron events with a common detector, where the detector includes a layer of semiconductor material adjacent one side of a glass plate and a Gd layer on an opposite side of the glass plate, between the glass plate and a layer of silicon PIN material to form an assembly that is bounded by electrodes, including a semiconductor anode on one side of the semiconductor layer, a cathode connected to the glass plate, and a Si PIN anode on a side of the Si PIN layer opposite the semiconductor anode. The method includes the steps of: (1) monitoring the electrical signal at each of the semiconductor anode and the Si PIN anode, and (2) comparing signals from the semiconductor anode and the SI PIN anode to differentiate between gamma-ray events and neutron events based on predetermined criteria. |
| US09702986B2 |
Moisture protection structure for a device and a fabrication method thereof
A moisture protection structure (10) used to protect a device (15) against moisture penetration. The device (15) has a first area (A1) at a first side (S1) for emitting or receiving radiation (RE;RR). The device (15) has a second side (S2) opposite to the first side (S1) attached to a supporting means (20). A lateral side (LS) of the device (15) is defined between a first perimeter delimiting the first area (A1) on the first side (S1) and a second perimeter delimiting a second area (A2) on the second side (S2). The moisture protection structure (10) includes at least one moisture-resistant layer (25) deposited on the first area (A1) and the lateral side (LS) of the device (15) and a moisture-resistant cover (30) arranged to cover the at least one moisture-resistant layer (25) at the first side (S1). The moisture-resistant cover (30) and the at least one moisture-resistant layer (25) are transparent for the emitting or receiving radiation (RE;RR). The moisture protective structure (10) further includes a pressurizing member (55;57;59) attached to the supporting means (20). The pressurizing member (55;57;59) includes an elastic deformable material (40;42) and it is arranged to exert a pressure on the moisture-resistant cover (30) towards the second side (S2) of the device (15). The pressure on the moisture-resistant cover (30) ensures that the first side (S1) of the device (15) is sealed against moisture penetration. |
| US09702985B2 |
Method for producing radiation detector
A method for producing a radiation detector comprising pluralities of first and second cells constituted by scintillators having different compositions for different detection sensitivity distributions of radiation energy, pluralities of light-receiving elements, and reflective layers, comprising a step of forming first and second cell arrays having at least m×n first and second cells via reflective layers from first and second scintillator plates, wherein m and n are natural numbers of 2 or more, which may be the same or different; a step of cutting the first and second cell arrays to obtain first and second single arrays each having at least m×1 first and second cells via reflective layers; a step of aligning the first and second single arrays with a light-receiving element array having at least m×2 light-receiving elements; and a step of adhering the first and second single arrays to the light-receiving element array. |
| US09702978B2 |
Methods for modeling multipath reflections of GNSS signals using a test installation and apparatuses for implementing test methods
A test installation for simulating multiple reflections of GNSS signals, the installation including a top screen that is semitransparent in a radio frequency portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, wherein the top screen is substantially dome-shaped; a bottom screen that is reflective in the radio frequency portion of the electromagnetic spectrum; the top semitransparent screen over the bottom reflecting screen; and a GNSS antenna connected to a receiver and located between the top screen and the bottom screen. |
| US09702976B2 |
Time of flight camera
A CW-TOF camera that uses a piecewise constant or linear discretized indicator function of first and second modulation frequencies of light that the camera transmits to illuminate a scene and a round trip time tR for light from and back to the camera for features in the scene to disambiguate wrapped phase shifts that the camera acquires for the features. |
| US09702973B2 |
Environment measurement system and environment measurement method
An environment measurement system according to the present invention is provided with a first unit comprising: a transmitter which is located undersea and transmits an acoustic wave in a designated direction a plurality of times; a first receiver which is located undersea and receives an acoustic wave reflected by a reflecting body at the sea surface or the seabed; a transmission direction setting unit which designates, to the transmitter, transmission directions specified in advance by a user, so as to cause the transmitter to transmit acoustic waves in the directions; a first necessary time measurement unit which, for each of the transmission directions, measures from the transmission and reception times of an acoustic wave a time necessary for the acoustic wave to return, as a necessary time, and outputs an average of the measured necessary time as an average necessary time for each of the transmission directions; a layer setting unit which partitions between the sea surface and the seabed into layers each extending horizontally, at intervals of preset distances; a simultaneous equations set-up unit which sets up simultaneous equations using the transmission directions, the necessary times and the layer thicknesses and taking average sound velocities in the respective layers as unknown variables; a simultaneous equations solving unit which solves the simultaneous equations; an initial parameter setting unit which sets initial values necessary for the simultaneous equations solving unit to solve the simultaneous equations, as parameter initial values; and a sound velocity profile output unit which creates a profile of sound velocities obtained by determining solutions acquired by the simultaneous equations solving unit to be average sound velocities in the respective layers and arranging the average sound velocities in the respective layers in order of depth, and outputs the profile. |
| US09702971B2 |
High-availability ISAR image formation
A system and method for high-availability inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR). In one embodiment a set of quadratic phase vectors, each corresponding to a different acceleration, is multiplied, one at a time, in a Hadamard product, with a 3-dimensional data cube, and a fast Fourier transform (FFT) is taken of the result, to form a 2-dimensional array. The two-dimensional array is made sparse by setting to zero elements that fall below a threshold based on a coherency metric, and the sparse arrays are stacked to form a sparse 3-dimensional image. Projections of the sparse 3-dimensional image are formed for presentation to an operator or an image exploitation system. |
| US09702969B2 |
Ultrasonic blood flow doppler audio with pitch shifting
An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system produces audio Doppler from detected Doppler signals. The Doppler signals are detected in a band of frequencies which corresponds to the velocity of blood flow signals, and Doppler information is displayed based on the detected band of frequencies. The audio Doppler system produces Doppler audio in a frequency band which is shifted in pitch from the detected band of frequencies. The operator of the ultrasound system is provided with a user control by which the degree of pitch shifting can be controlled. The ultrasound system displays Doppler blood flow velocities referenced to a transmit Doppler frequency f0, with the audio Doppler being shifted in pitch from the frequencies corresponding to the blood flow velocities. |
| US09702965B2 |
Method and related mobile device for reference signal time difference based localization
Acquisition and tracking modes for a mobile device assisted multilateration based localization are disclosed. A relative time difference is determined between a positioning reference cell and at least two other detectable positioning cells. A reference signal of a positioning cell is detected to determine timing of a detectable positioning cell by either applying sliding window approach to acquire the positioning cell or a single window approach to track the positioning cell. The sliding window approach within a search window is applied to acquire the positioning cell when a coarse timing of the positioning cell has not yet been achieved. A single window approach is applied to track the positioning cell when a coarse timing of the positioning cell has been achieved or when the search window is not larger than a capture range capability of the mobile device. |
| US09702962B2 |
Method for providing vehicle information and terminal device applying the same
A vehicle information providing method and a terminal applying the same are provided. The vehicle information providing method includes communicably connecting to a Global Positioning System (GPS) mounted on a vehicle, receiving location information from the GPS and receiving vehicle information from a vehicle information system based on the received location information. Accordingly, the terminal may receive the location information of the vehicle inside the vehicle even though the terminal has no GPS. |
| US09702961B2 |
Emergency, security, and accessibility apparatus and methods
Systems, methods, means and computer program products for determining a position of an object in an environment are disclosed. Certain systems, methods, means and computer program products carry out position determination for asset tracking, emergency evacuations, navigation and other uses. |
| US09702957B2 |
Method for correcting orientation of magnetometer
A method for correcting an orientation of a magnetometer includes obtaining current position information through a global positioning system. A geomagnetic inclination angle list is queried according to the current position information to acquire a geomagnetic inclination angle δ corresponding to a current position. A deviation Δψ of an orientation is calculated according to the geomagnetic inclination angle δ and the orientation is corrected based on the deviation Δψ of the orientation. |
| US09702956B2 |
MRI methods and apparatus for flexible visualization of any subset of an enlarged temporal window
A method and apparatus for MRI retrospective reconstruction determines a period of minimal coronary artery motion within the acquired temporal window with a rotation angle optimized for a K-space four-dimensional (4D) volume by a segmented 4D radial stack-of-stars (SOS) acquisition during a temporal acquisition window (taw). Radial stacks of the image of an object are acquired by performing the radial (SOS) acquisition to determine a plurality of kz plane samples of the object, in which each kz plane is repeatedly determined during a sub-window of the temporal acquisition window. Consecutive volumes of kz centric slices of the image at each temporal sub-window of the temporal acquisition window are generated and summed to fill a 3D k-space volume. The radial (SOS) acquisition of the image is determined utilizing a customized rotation angle θ providing a uniform distribution of k-space spokes of the kz centric slices for each sub-window of the (taw). |
| US09702954B2 |
Pseudo-continuous asymmetric signal targeting alternating radio frequency (pASTAR) for magnetic resonance angiography
A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, method and/or computer readable medium is configured to effect MR imaging based upon arterial spin labeling (ASL) using a tagging image and a control image. The tagging image is based upon applying a tagging pulse train including a plurality of saturation pulses to a tagging area followed by applying a first imaging pulse train to an imaging area; and the control image is based upon applying a control pulse train to a control area followed by applying a second imaging pulse train to the imaging area. The tagging area, the control area, and the imaging area are located at respectively different positions in relation to the object being imaged. |
| US09702951B1 |
Easily accessible deep-frozen NMR shim arrangement
An NMR apparatus includes a superconducting magnet coil system configured to generate a homogeneous magnetic field, and a helium (He) tank having an inner tube mechanically rigidly connected to the He tank and in which the magnet coil system is positioned. The He tank is configured to contain liquid helium to cool the magnet coils. A radiation shield has a radiation shield inner tube encompassing the He tank and spaced from the He inner tube to create a space between the He inner tube and the radiation shield inner tube to reduce an evaporation rate of the liquid helium. The NMR apparatus additionally includes a field shaping device with a magnetic material arranged in the space, in order to shim the homogeneous magnetic field. The field shaping device is fixed in the space so as to be in rigid mechanical contact with the He tank but without contacting the radiation shield. |
| US09702949B2 |
RF receiving coil and magnetic resonance imaging apparatus including the same
Disclosed are an RF receiving coil, which is retained in an interior receiving space of a patient table and is extractable from the patient table, and an MRI apparatus including the same. The MRI apparatus includes a patient table having an interior space, and at least one Radio Frequency (RF) receiving coil integrated with the patient table and retained in the space, the RF receiving coil being movable outward of the patient table. |
| US09702942B2 |
Measurement device, semiconductor device and impedance adjustment method
A measurement device includes an electric current generation circuit and a monitor device. The electric current generation circuit supplies an electric current whose electric current amount monotonically increases during a setup period of time to the electric circuit including a power supply. The monitor device detects a voltage of the power supply via the electric circuit. A frequency of the detected voltage having a waveform is a frequency at which the impedance of the electric circuit becomes high. |
| US09702941B2 |
Method and devices for making available information for the purpose of performing maintenance and servicing of a battery
A method makes available information for the purpose of performing maintenance and servicing of a battery, which includes at least one battery module with an assigned module control device and a central control device, wherein at least one module control device has a non-volatile memory. The method comprises detecting and quantizing useful data of battery units, forming a histogram which has frequency values of the occurrence of specific values of the individual quantized useful data or values derived therefrom, transferring the histogram from the central control device to a module control device, and storing the histogram in the non-volatile memory of the module control device. Furthermore, a computer program and a battery management system are specified which are configured to execute the method, as well as a battery and a motor vehicle whose drive system is connected to a battery of this type. |
| US09702940B2 |
Method and circuitry to calculate the state of charge of a battery/cell
The present inventions, in one aspect, are directed to techniques and/or circuitry to applying a current pulse to the terminals of the battery during a charge, measuring a voltage at the terminals of the battery, selecting a relationship of an open circuit voltage to an amount of charge in the battery using data which is representative of a state of health of the battery, calculating an open circuit voltage of the battery using the voltage measured at the terminals of the battery, a current applied to or removed from the battery and an impedance of the battery, and determining a state of charge of the battery using (i) the calculated open circuit voltage and (ii) the relationship of the open circuit voltage to the amount of charge. |
| US09702939B2 |
Battery charging and maintaining with defective battery monitoring
The present disclosure relates to a system for charging or maintaining a battery that includes power conversion circuitry configured to provide output power for charging or maintaining the battery. The system also includes electrical conductors coupled to the power conversion circuitry and configured to be coupled to the battery for charging or maintaining the battery. Additionally, the system includes control circuitry coupled to the power conversion circuitry and configured to monitor charging or maintaining of the battery. The control circuitry is further configured to determine whether the battery may be defective or failing based upon the output power and a time threshold. |
| US09702935B2 |
Packet based integrated circuit testing
Apparatus and method for testing an integrated circuit. An integrated circuit includes circuitry to be tested, scan chain logic, and a test adapter. The scan chain logic is configured to transfer test data to and test results from the circuitry. The test adapter is configured to extract the test data from a packet received from an automated test control system and to transfer the test data to the scan chain logic. The test adapter is also configured to receive the test results from the scan chain logic, and to packetize the test result for transmission to the automated test control system. |
| US09702933B1 |
System and method for concurrent interconnection diagnostics field
Methods and systems for concurrent diagnostics in a functional verification system are disclosed and claimed herein. The methods and systems enable testing the interconnections of a functional verification system while the system implements a hardware design. In one embodiment, a first emulation chip of the functional verification system generates an encoded data word comprising a data word and error correction code (ECC) check bits. The ECC check bits enable a second emulation chip receiving the encoded word to determine whether the data word was received without error. In another embodiment, test patters may be transmitted along the unused interconnections while the functional verification system implements a hardware design in other interconnections. In another embodiment, a dedicated pattern generator generates test patterns to transmit across the interconnection. During clock cycles in which the interconnection is not used to implement the hardware design, a multiplexer transmits the test pattern across the interconnection. |
| US09702930B2 |
Semiconductor wafer probing system including pressure sensing and control unit
A wafer probing system includes a probe card assembly having a plurality of individual probe structures configured make contact with a semiconductor wafer mounted on a motor driven wafer chuck, with each probe structure configured with a pressure sensing unit integrated therewith; and a controller configured to drive the probe card assembly with one or more piezoelectric driver units response to feedback from the pressure sensing units of the individual probe structures. |
| US09702929B2 |
Test apparatus
A judgment unit judges the pass/fail of DUTs. A power supply circuit has changeable characteristics, and supplies a power supply signal to the DUTs. A condition setting unit performs a pilot test before a main test for the DUTs, and acquires a test condition to be used in the main test. The condition setting unit executes: (a) measuring a first device characteristic value for each of multiple pilot samples sampled from among the DUTs while emulating a power supply characteristic close to what is used in a user environment in which the DUT is actually used; (b) measuring a predetermined second device characteristic value for each of the multiple pilot sample devices while emulating a power supply characteristic close to what is used in a tester environment in which the main test is performed; and (c) determining the test condition based on the first and second device characteristic values. |
| US09702927B2 |
Test pattern generation device, fault detection system, test pattern generation method, program and recording medium
A test pattern generation device for generating a new test pattern keeping the feature of original test patterns. The test pattern generation device includes a logic value generation unit for generating a new logic value by referring given logic values of a first bit, a second bit and a third bit and by keeping or reversing a logic value of the second bit, wherein a logic value of the first bit is the same with a logic value of a given initial test pattern or a new test pattern generated by the test pattern generation device based on the initial test pattern, wherein a logic value of the second bit is the same with a logic value of the initial test pattern, and wherein a logic value of the third bit is the same with a logic value of the initial test pattern or the new test pattern. |
| US09702906B2 |
Non-permanent termination structure for microprobe measurements
A structure and method of facilitating testing of an electronic device (device under test or DUT) using a non-permanent and reusable structure to terminate contact pads and contact pin holes on a surface of the DUT. |
| US09702902B2 |
Printed circuit board comprising an electrode configuration of a capacitive sensor
A printed circuit board (P) has an evaluation device (E) and an electrode configuration of a capacitive sensor, wherein the electrode configuration has at least two electrodes, one arranged above the other and spaced apart from each other, which each are formed by portions of at least one electrically conductive layer of the printed circuit board (P), and wherein at least one electrode of the electrode configuration is coupled with the evaluation device (E) via a conductor path of the printed circuit board (P). Furthermore, an electric handheld device may have at least one such printed circuit board (P). |
| US09702899B2 |
Pedometer with lag correction
Systems, methods and computer-readable storage mediums are disclosed for a pedometer with lag correction. In some implementations, a method comprises: determining, by a first pedometer of an electronic device, a first step count based on sensor data provided by a motion sensor of the electronic device; determining, by a second pedometer of the electronic device, a second step count based on a window of the sensor data; responsive to determining that a step was detected by the second pedometer, determining a third step count based on the window of sensor data; and determining a corrected step count based on the third step count. |
| US09702896B2 |
Acceleration sensor
An acceleration sensor is provided. The acceleration sensor contains a first electrically conductive element and a second electrically conductive element. An electrically insulative element is connected to the first electrically conductive element and the second electrically conductive element, where at least a portion of the first electrically conductive element and at least a portion of the second electrically conductive element make contact with the electrically insulative element. At least one electrically conductive spring is located within a cavity of the sensor, wherein the cavity is defined by at least one surface of the first electrically conductive element, at least one surface of the electrically insulative element, and at least one surface of the second electrically conductive element. |