最新美国发明专利
Document Document Title
US09960324B2 Light-emitting device having surface-modified luminophores
A light-emitting device including a substrate, a first light-emitting diode disposed on the substrate, a molding member encapsulating the first light-emitting diode, and luminophores dispersed in the molding member and including a surface-modified luminophore, in which the surface-modified luminophore includes a fluorinated coating and a fluoride luminophore including a manganese activator. The fluoride luminophore is selected from the group consisting of K2SiF6, Na2SiF6, Rb2SiF6, K2GeF6, Na2GeF6, and Rb2GeF6.
US09960323B2 LED module and its manufacturing process
A LED module includes a lens group, an LED illuminant, a circuit board and a heat sink; the LED illuminant includes an LED chip and a heat sink holder; the LED chip is attached to the heat sink holder which is disposed on the circuit board by Surface Mounted Technology; the lens group covers the heat sink, and is located above the LED chip; encapsulant is filled in a confined space formed between the lens group and the heat sink through a process of injection. Compared with the prior art, in the LED module of the present invention, the encapsulant replaces the original air medium in the transmission process of the light emitted by the LED chip; moreover, matching between the refractive index of the encapsulant and the lens of the lens group improves the light out-coupling efficiency. Lighting efficiency is improved by 10˜15% compared with the prior art.
US09960319B2 Controlled LED light output by selective area roughening
The surface of a light emitting device is roughened to enhance the light extraction efficiency of the surface, but the amount of roughened area is selected to achieve a desired level of light extraction efficiency. Photo-lithographic techniques may be used to create a mask that limits the roughening to select areas of the light emitting surface. Because the amount of roughened area can be precisely controlled, the light extraction efficiency can be precisely controlled, substantially independent of the particular process used to roughen the surface. Additionally, the selective roughening of the surface may be used to achieve a desired light emission output pattern.
US09960316B2 Method for separating group 13 element nitride layer, and composite substrate
A composite substrate includes a sapphire substrate and a layer of a nitride of a group 13 element provided on the sapphire substrate. The layer of the nitride of the group 13 element is composed of gallium nitride, aluminum nitride or gallium aluminum nitride. The composite substrate satisfies the following formulas (1), (2) and (3). A laser light is irradiated to the composite substrate from the side of the sapphire substrate to decompose crystal lattice structure at an interface between the sapphire substrate and the layer of the nitride of the group 13 element. 5.0≤(an average thickness (μm) of the layer of the nitride of the group 13 element/a diameter (mm) of the sapphire substrate)≤10.0 . . . (1); 0.1≤ a warpage (mm) of said composite substrate×(50/a diameter (mm) of said composite substrate)2≤0.6 . . . (2); 1.10≤a maximum value (μm) of a thickness of said layer of said nitride of said group 13 element/a minimum value (μm) of said thickness of said layer of said nitride of said group 13 element . . . (3)
US09960315B2 Light emitting heterostructure with partially relaxed semiconductor layer
A light emitting heterostructure including a partially relaxed semiconductor layer is provided. The partially relaxed semiconductor layer can be included as a sublayer of a contact semiconductor layer of the light emitting heterostructure. A dislocation blocking structure also can be included adjacent to the partially relaxed semiconductor layer.
US09960310B1 Rapid pulse annealing of CdZnTe detectors for reducing electronic noise
A combination of doping, rapid pulsed optical and/or thermal annealing, and unique detector structure reduces or eliminates sources of electronic noise in a CdZnTe (CZT) detector. According to several embodiments, methods of forming a detector exhibiting minimal electronic noise include: pulse-annealing at least one surface of a detector comprising CZT for one or more pulses, each pulse having a duration of ˜0.1 seconds or less. The at least one surface may optionally be ion-implanted. In another embodiment, a CZT detector includes a detector surface with two or more electrodes operating at different electric potentials and coupled to the detector surface; and one or more ion-implanted CZT surfaces on or in the detector surface, each of the one or more ion-implanted CZT surfaces being independently connected to one of the two or more electrodes and the surface of the detector. At least two of the ion-implanted surfaces are in electrical contact.
US09960307B2 Method for producing thin-film solar cells
A method to produce thin film solar cells in superstrate or substrate configuration is an efficient way to minimize the loss due to absorption in CdS layer and to eliminate the CdCl2 activation treatment step. This is achieved by applying a sacrificial metal-halide layer between the CdS-layer and the CdTe-layer of the solar cells.
US09960301B2 Method of manufacturing flexible, lightweight photovoltaic array
A flexible, lightweight photovoltaic cell array includes one or more individual photovoltaic cell strings attached to a polyimide film substrate and covered with a polyvinyl fluoride film. Each photovoltaic cell string includes one or more photovoltaic cells attached to a flexible printed circuit board. The photovoltaic cell array may be manufactured by a method that includes bonding at least one photovoltaic cell to a flexible printed circuit board, mounting the flexible printed circuit board on a polyimide film substrate, and covering the flexible printed circuit board with a substantially transparent polyvinyl fluoride film.
US09960295B2 Single-photon avalanche diode and an array thereof
A Single-Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) is disclosed. The SPAD may include an active region for detection of incident radiation, and a cover configured to shield part of the active region from the incident radiation. An array is also disclosed and includes SPADs arranged in rows and columns. A method for making the SPAD is also disclosed.
US09960294B2 Highly fluorescent and photo-stable chromophores for wavelength conversion
The invention provides highly fluorescent materials comprising a compound of formula (I): The chromophores are particularly useful for absorption and emission of photons in the visible and near infrared wavelength range. The photo-stable highly luminescent chromophores are useful in various applications, including in wavelength conversion films. Wavelength conversion films have the potential to significantly enhance the solar harvesting efficiency of photovoltaic or solar cell devices.
US09960293B2 Method for manufacturing a transparent conductive electrode using carbon nanotube films
The present invention relates to a method for preparing a transparent electrode using a carbon nanotube (CNT) film, and more particularly, to a method for preparing a transparent electrode, the method comprising the steps of forming a CNT film on a desired substrate using a dispersed solution of CNT and then reducing/forming metal nanoparticles on the surface of the CNT film. According to the present invention, a transparent electrode in which gold nanoparticles are formed on the surface of high density CNT film having high purity, can be prepared. The inventive transparent electrode has high visible ray penetration and an excellent electrical conductivity by hyperfine metal particles uniformly formed on the surface thereof as well as a uniform increase in electrical conductivity over the whole CNT film, and thus it can be applied to various displays as well as image sensors, solar cells, touch panels, digital papers, electromagnetic shielding agents, static charge preventing agents and the like.
US09960291B2 Solar cell
A solar cell includes a support substrate; a back electrode layer on the a support substrate; a light absorbing layer on the back electrode layer; a buffer layer on the light absorbing layer; a front electrode layer on the buffer layer; and a fourth through hole formed through the back electrode layer, the light absorbing layer, the buffer layer and the front electrode layer, wherein at least a portion of the fourth through hole is inclined with respect to a top surface of the support substrate.
US09960289B2 Solder joint material and method of manufacturing the same, soldering member and solar cell module
A solder joint material includes a copper-based metal material including mainly a copper, a surface-treated layer that is provided on the copper-based metal material and includes an amorphous layer including oxygen and a metal with a higher oxygen affinity than a copper, and a Sn-based solder plating layer provided on the surface-treated layer.
US09960288B2 Solar radiation control and energy harvesting film
Some implementations provide a device (e.g., solar panel) that includes an active layer and a solar absorbance layer. The active layer includes a first N-type layer and a first P-type layer. The solar absorbance layer is coupled to a first surface of the active layer. The solar absorbance layer includes a polymer composite. In some implementations, the polymer composite includes one of at least metal salts and/or carbon nanotubes. In some implementations, the active layer is configured to provide the photovoltaic effect. In some implementations, the active layer further includes a second N-type layer and a second P-type layer. In some implementations, the active layer is configured to provide the thermoelectric effect. In some implementations, the device further includes a cooling layer coupled to a second surface of the active layer. In some implementations, the cooling layer includes one of at least zinc oxides, indium oxides, and/or carbon nanotubes.
US09960282B2 Crystallization method for oxide semiconductor layer, semiconductor device manufactured using the same, and method for manufacturing the semiconductor device
A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device is discussed. The method includes forming a gate electrode on a substrate, forming a gate insulating film over the substrate, depositing an In—Ga—Zn oxide over the gate insulating film while heating the substrate to a temperature of 200 to 300° C., an atomic percent ratio of Zn in the In—Ga—Zn oxide as-deposited being higher than that of In or Ga, heat-treating the deposited In—Ga—Zn oxide at a temperature of 200 to 350° C., thereby forming an active layer crystallized throughout an entire thickness of the active layer, and forming a source electrode and a drain electrode.
US09960280B2 Semiconductor device
A transistor with stable electric characteristics is provided. An aluminum oxide film containing boron is formed in order to prevent hydrogen from diffusing into an oxide semiconductor film.
US09960279B2 Semiconductor device and manufacturing method thereof
Hydrogen concentration and oxygen vacancies in an oxide semiconductor film are reduced. Reliability of a semiconductor device which includes a transistor using an oxide semiconductor film is improved. One embodiment of the present invention is a semiconductor device which includes a base insulating film; an oxide semiconductor film formed over the base insulating film; a gate insulating film formed over the oxide semiconductor film; and a gate electrode overlapping with the oxide semiconductor film with the gate insulating film provided therebetween. The base insulating film shows a signal at a g value of 2.01 by electron spin resonance. The oxide semiconductor film does not show a signal at a g value of 1.93 by electron spin resonance.
US09960278B2 Manufacturing method of semiconductor device
To provide a highly reliable semiconductor device manufactured by giving stable electric characteristics to a semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor. In a manufacturing process of a transistor, an oxide semiconductor layer, a source electrode layer, a drain electrode layer, a gate insulating film, a gate electrode layer, and an aluminum oxide film are formed in this order, and then heat treatment is performed on the oxide semiconductor layer and the aluminum oxide film, whereby an oxide semiconductor layer from which an impurity containing a hydrogen atom is removed and which includes a region containing oxygen more than the stoichiometric proportion is formed. In addition, when the aluminum oxide film is formed, entry and diffusion of water or hydrogen into the oxide semiconductor layer from the air due to heat treatment in a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device or an electronic appliance including the transistor can be prevented.
US09960276B2 ESL TFT substrate structure and manufacturing method thereof
The present invention provides an ESL TFT substrate structure and a manufacturing method thereof. In the ESL TFT substrate structure, an etch stop layer (5) includes a first via (51) and a second via (52) formed therein to correspond to two side portions of an oxide semiconductor layer (4). A drain terminal (6) is set in engagement with the oxide semiconductor layer (4) through the first via (51). A passivation protection layer (7) includes a through hole (72) formed therein to extend to and communicate with the second via (52). An electrode layer (8) is formed on the passivation protection layer (7) and has a side portion that is adjacent to the drain terminal (6) and is set in engagement with the oxide semiconductor layer (4) through the through hole (72) and the second via (52) to form a source terminal (81) and an opposite side portion that is extended in a direction away from the drain terminal (6) to form a pixel electrode (82). The ESL TFT substrate structure has a reduced channel length so as to provide the TFT with excellent electrical conduction performance and also to reduce the size of the TFT thereby increasing an aperture ratio of pixels and reducing difficult of pixel design.
US09960273B2 Integrated circuit structure with substrate isolation and un-doped channel
The present disclosure provides a semiconductor structure. The semiconductor structure includes a substrate having a first region and a second region; a first fin feature formed on the substrate within the first region; and a second fin feature formed on the substrate within the second region. The first fin feature includes a first semiconductor feature of a first semiconductor material formed on a dielectric feature that is an oxide of a second semiconductor material. The second fin feature includes a second semiconductor feature of the first semiconductor material formed on a third semiconductor feature of the second semiconductor material.
US09960271B1 Method of forming vertical field effect transistors with different threshold voltages and the resulting integrated circuit structure
An integrated circuit and method are disclosed. In the method, a stack of sacrificial layers is formed on a semiconductor layer such that a first portion of the stack has an extra sacrificial layer as compared to a second portion. First and second multi-layer fins are etched through the first and second portions and into the semiconductor layer. First and second vertical field effect transistors (VFETs) are formed using the fins. During VFET formation, multiple etch processes are performed to remove the sacrificial layers. The last of these etch processes is a selective isotropic etch process that removes the extra sacrificial layer and etches back first and second upper dielectric spacers on the first and second multi-layer fins. Due to the extra sacrificial layer, the first upper dielectric spacer will be taller than the second and the first VFET will have a higher threshold voltage than the second.
US09960268B2 Semiconductor devices, power semiconductor devices, and methods for forming a semiconductor device
A semiconductor device includes a drift region of a device structure arranged in a semiconductor layer. The drift region includes at least one first drift region portion and at least one second drift region portion. A majority of dopants within the first drift region portion are a first species of dopants having a diffusivity less than a diffusivity of phosphor within the semiconductor layer. Further, a majority of dopants within the second drift region portion are a second species of dopants. Additionally, the semiconductor device includes a trench extending from a surface of the semiconductor layer into the semiconductor layer. A vertical distance of a border between the first drift region portion and the second drift region portion to the surface of the semiconductor layer is larger than 0.5 times a maximal depth of the trench and less than 1.5 times the maximal depth of the trench.
US09960267B2 Semiconductor device
In a semiconductor device provided with a MOSFET part and a gate pad part defined on a semiconductor substrate which is formed by laminating a low resistance semiconductor layer and a drift layer, the gate pad part includes: the low resistance semiconductor layer; the drift layer formed on the low resistance semiconductor layer; a poly-silicon layer constituting a conductor layer and a gate pad electrode formed above the drift layer over the whole area of the gate pad part with a field insulation layer interposed therebetween; and a gate oscillation suppressing structure where a p-type diffusion region electrically connected with the a source electrode layer and a p-type impurity non-diffusion region are alternately formed on a surface of the drift layer.
US09960263B2 Field effect transistor and method of manufacturing the same
A field effect transistor according to the present invention includes a semiconductor layer including a groove, an insulating film formed on an upper surface of the semiconductor layer and having an opening above the groove and a gate electrode buried in the opening to be in contact with side surfaces and a bottom surface of the groove and having parts being in contact with an upper surface of the insulating film on both sides of the opening, wherein the gate electrode has a T-shaped sectional shape in which a width of an upper end is larger than a width of the upper surface of the insulating film.
US09960257B2 Common fabrication of multiple FinFETs with different channel heights
Commonly fabricated FinFET type semiconductor devices with different (i.e., both taller and shorter) heights of an entirety of or only the channel region of some of the fins. Where only the channel of some of the fins has a different height, the sources and drains have a common height higher than those channels. The different fin heights are created by recessing some of the fins, and where only the channels have different heights, the difference is created by exposing a top surface of each channel intended to be shorter, the other channels being masked, and partially recessing the exposed channel(s). In both cases, the mask(s) may then be removed and conventional FinFET processing may proceed.
US09960249B2 Semiconductor heterobarrier electron device and method of making
A method of substantially offsetting polarization charges in an electronic device having a heterobarrier comprising providing a substrate; providing at least one pair of stacks of semiconductor materials; one of the pair of stacks having one or more of spontaneous and piezoelectric polarity where the total polarization charge is opposite to the other of the pair of stacks; whereby due to the opposing polarities, the polarization is balanced and the pair of stacks operate to store electrical energy.
US09960245B1 Transistor device having protruding portion from channel portion
A transistor device including a semiconductor material layer, a gate layer, and an insulation layer between the gate layer and the semiconductor material layer is provided. The semiconductor material layer includes a first conductive portion, a second conductive portion, a channel portion between the first conductive portion and the second conductive portion, and a first protruding portion formed integrally. The channel portion has a first boundary adjacent to the first conductive portion, a second boundary adjacent to the second conductive portion, a third boundary, and a fourth boundary. The third boundary and the fourth boundary connect the terminals of the first boundary and the second boundary. The first protruding portion is protruded outwardly from the third boundary of the channel portion. The first gate boundary and the second gate boundary are overlapped with the first boundary and the second boundary of the channel portion.
US09960244B2 Field effect transistor having electrode coated sequentially by oxide layer and nitride layer and method for manufacturing the same
A field effect transistor includes a substrate, an epitaxial layer, a remnant-oxide layer, an electrode, a surrounding-oxide layer, a surrounding-nitride layer, a gate oxide layer, a gate, a P-body region, a source region, an interlayer dielectric and a source electrode. The epitaxial layer on the substrate has a trench having a sidewall and a bottom. The electrode inside the trench is coated subsequently by the surrounding-oxide layer, the surrounding-nitride layer and the remnant-oxide layer. The gate formed on the gate oxide layer is separated from the electrode sequentially by the gate oxide layer, the surrounding-nitride layer and the surrounding-oxide layer. The P-body region and the source region, formed at the epitaxial layer, are separated from the gate by the gate oxide layer. The interlayer dielectric covers the source region and the gate. The source electrode covers the P-body region and the interlayer dielectric, and contacts the source region.
US09960240B2 Low resistance contact structures for trench structures
An electrical device including at least one contact surface and an interlevel dielectric layer present atop the electrical device, wherein the interlevel dielectric layer includes at least one trench to the at least one contact surface of the electrical device. A conformal titanium liner is present on the sidewalls of the trench and is in direct contact with the at least one contact surface. The conformal titanium liner may be composed of 100 wt. % titanium, and may have a thickness ranging from 10 Å to 100 Å.
US09960239B2 Electronic device
An electronic device is presented; the device comprises an electrode structure located in electrical contact with a semiconducting element. The electrode structure is configured with two or more groups of regions comprising regions of a first group having first charge injection properties and regions of a second group having second charge injection properties being lower than the first charge injection properties. The regions of the second group are configured to provide barrier for injection of charge carriers from regions of the first group into the semiconductor element to thereby allow tailoring of desired electronic properties of the device.
US09960236B2 Method of forming body contact layouts for semiconductor structures
Methods for forming body contact layouts for semiconductor structures are disclosed. In at least one exemplary embodiment, a method comprises: forming a plurality of gates disposed on a semiconductor layer, each gate extending parallel to a y-axis in a coordinate space; a source region disposed between two of the plurality of gates; a plurality of body contacts disposed in each source region; and wherein a portion of each body contact, adjacent to the gate, has a width extending parallel to the y-axis that is less than the width of the body contact parallel to the y-axis at a distance on an x-axis from the gate.
US09960234B2 Method of forming a semiconductor device and structure therefor
In one embodiment, a method of forming an MOS transistor includes forming a threshold voltage (Vth) of the MOS transistor to have a first value at interior portions of the MOS transistor and a second value at other locations within the MOS transistor that are distal from the interior portion wherein the second value is less than the first value.
US09960233B2 Expitaxially regrown heterostructure nanowire lateral tunnel field effect transistor
After forming a buried nanowire segment surrounded by a gate structure located on a substrate, an epitaxial source region is grown on a first end of the buried nanowire segment while covering a second end of the buried nanowire segment and the gate structure followed by growing an epitaxial drain region on the second end of the buried nanowire segment while covering the epitaxial source region and the gate structure. The epitaxial source region includes a first semiconductor material and dopants of a first conductivity type, while the epitaxial drain region includes a first semiconductor material different from the first semiconductor material and dopants of a second conductivity type opposite the first conductivity type.
US09960220B2 Organic light emitting diode display
An organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, including a flexible substrate bent in a first direction, an OLED arranged on the flexible substrate, a first thin film transistor connected to the OLED and including a first channel area extending in a second direction crossing the first direction, and one or more additional thin film transistors connected to the first thin film transistor and including corresponding additional channel areas extending in the second direction.
US09960218B2 Organic light-emitting display substrate, manufacturing method therefor, and organic light-emitting display device
An organic light-emitting display substrate, a manufacturing method therefor, and an organic light-emitting display device. The organic light-emitting display substrate comprises a base substrate and multiple sub-pixels that are located on the base substrate and that are arranged in an array manner. Each sub-pixel comprises an organic light-emitting layer. At least one blocking element is disposed between two adjacent sub-pixels that emit light of different colors.
US09960217B2 Display panel and system for displaying images utilizing the same
A display panel is provided. The display panel includes a substrate having a pixel region and a peripheral region, a control element overlying the pixel region of the substrate, a first metal layer overlying the substrate in the peripheral region and in the pixel region, a first insulating layer formed on the first metal layer in the peripheral region, wherein the first insulating layer includes at least an opening, and the opening is disposed on the first metal layer, a second metal layer overlying the first insulating layer and electrically connected to the first metal layer, wherein a portion of the second metal layer is disposed in the opening, a second insulating layer overlying the second metal layer, and an electrode layer disposed on the second insulating layer.
US09960216B2 Organic light emitting display apparatus
An organic light emitting display apparatus includes a substrate; an anode electrode on the substrate; an auxiliary electrode on the substrate; an organic emission layer on the anode electrode; a cathode electrode on the organic emission layer and on the auxiliary electrode; an insulating bank on the auxiliary electrode, the bank overlapping a first portion of the auxiliary electrode and exposing a second portion of the auxiliary electrode; a first partition wall on the auxiliary electrode; a second partition wall on the first partition wall and covering the exposed second portion of the auxiliary electrode in plan view. A separation space is between the second partition wall and the bank, the cathode electrode is electrically connected to the auxiliary electrode through the separation space between the second partition wall and the bank, and the second partition wall is supported by the first partition wall and the bank.
US09960212B2 Organic light emitting diode display panel
An organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display panel includes: an OLED layer; a color filter layer; and a color coordinate tuning layer disposed between the OLED layer and the color filter layer, wherein the OLED layer includes a first light-emitting portion comprising a first light-emitting layer configured to emit a first light and a second light-emitting portion comprising a second light-emitting layer configured to emit a second light. The OLED layer is configured to emit a third light produced by mixing the first light and the second light. The color coordinate tuning layer is configured to output a fourth light different from the third light. The number of all of peaks and shoulders that an EL spectrum of the fourth light has is higher than the number of all of peaks and shoulders that an EL spectrum of the third light has throughout an entire range of a visible wavelength band.
US09960211B2 Pixel element structure, array structure and display device
A pixel element structure is disclosed. The pixel element structure includes first, second, and third sub-pixel elements, each including a light-emitting region. At least one of the first, second, and third sub-pixel elements includes a light-transmitting region, where the light-emitting region includes an organic light-emitting diode light-emitting structure, and where the organic light-emitting diode light-emitting structure includes a first substrate, and a nontransparent anode, a pixel defining layer, an organic layer and a cathode, sequentially arranged above the first substrate.
US09960210B2 Structure of pixel arrangement and display device
The present invention discloses a structure of pixel arrangement and a display device. The structure of pixel arrangement includes a first sub-pixel, and second sub-pixels and third sub-pixels that are provided surrounding the first sub-pixel, the first sub-pixel, portions of the second sub-pixels and portions of the third sub-pixels constituting a virtual rhombus, wherein a center of the first sub-pixel coincides with a center of the virtual rhombus; a center of the second sub-pixel coincides with a first vertex of the virtual rhombus; and a center of the third sub-pixel coincides with a second vertex of the virtual rhombus. Compared with the prior art, the number of sub-pixels required to achieve high resolution display in the present invention is smaller, so that the number of the sub-pixels is decreased.
US09960209B2 Organic light emitting diode display
An OLED display includes pixels, each including a first light emission region having a first area and a first perimeter and a second light emission region disposed neighboring the first light emission region and having a second area and a second perimeter. The first area, the first perimeter, the second area, and the second perimeter respectively satisfy an equation of A1*P2=A2*P1, where A1 is the first area, P1 is the first perimeter, A2 is the second area, and P2 is the second perimeter.
US09960208B2 OLED display panel having opening zone for exposing sub-pixel sub-regions, and method for manufacturing the same
An OLED display panel includes: two substrates opposite to each other; a plurality of pixel regions disposed between inner sides of the two substrates and each comprising a blue sub-pixel sub-region, a green sub-pixel sub-region and a red sub-pixel sub-region; and a circularly polarizing plate disposed at an outer side of one of the substrates on a light outgoing side of the display panel; wherein, an opening zone is within a projection area where a projection of each of the pixel regions on the circularly polarizing plate in a thickness direction of the display panel is located, and through the opening zone the corresponding sub-pixel sub-regions are exposed. A method for manufacturing an OLED display panel and a display apparatus having the OLED display panel are also disclosed.
US09960207B1 Spin-selective electron relay
Structures including a spin torque transfer magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) stack and methods for fabricating same. A first contact is coupled with a first portion of a free layer of the MTJ stack, and a second contact is coupled with a second portion of the free layer of the MTJ stack. The free layer is laterally arranged between the first contact and the second contact.
US09960206B2 Light-emitting element wafer, light emitting element, electronic apparatus
A light-emitting element wafer includes a supporting substrate, a luminescent layer that is formed of a semiconductor and has a first surface and a second surface, the first surface including a first electrode, the second surface including a second electrode, the second surface being arranged between the supporting substrate and the first surface, a junction layer that joins luminescent layer to the supporting substrate and is arranged between the supporting substrate and the second surface, a first inorganic film formed on the first surface, a second inorganic film formed between the junction layer and the second surface, an isolation trench portion that isolates elements and is formed to have a depth such that the isolation trench portion extends from the first inorganic film to the supporting substrate, and a third inorganic film that connects the first inorganic film and the second inorganic film.
US09960201B2 Image sensor and pixel of the image sensor
A pixel of an image sensor includes a well below a gate and containing a dopant at a first concentration, a shallow trench isolation (STI) configured to electrically isolate the well, and a channel stop adjacent to at least one border between the well and the STI and containing a dopant at a second concentration higher than the first concentration.
US09960200B1 Selective deposition and planarization for a CMOS image sensor
The present application relates to a method to simplify the scribe line opening filling processes, and to further improve the surface uniformity of the conductive pad fabrication process. A passivation layer is formed over a semiconductor substrate, and a scribe line opening is formed through the passivation layer and the semiconductor substrate. To fill the scribe line opening, a first dielectric layer is formed within the scribe line opening over the conductive pad and extending over the passivation layer. The first dielectric layer is formed by a selective deposition process such that the first dielectric layer is formed on the conductive pad at a deposition rate greater than that formed on the passivation layer.
US09960198B2 Solid-state image sensor, and imaging system
The present technology relates to solid-state image sensor and an imaging system which are capable of providing a solid-state image sensor and an imaging system which are capable of realizing a spectroscopic/imaging device for visible/near-infrared light having a high sensitivity and high wavelength resolution, and of achieving two-dimensional spectrum mapping with high spatial resolution. There are provided a two-dimensional pixel array, and a plurality of types of filters that are arranged facing a pixel region of the two-dimensional pixel array, the filters each including a spectrum function and a periodic fine pattern shorter than a wavelength to be detected, wherein each of the filters forms a unit which is larger than the photoelectric conversion device of each pixel on the two-dimensional pixel array, where one type of filter is arranged for a plurality of adjacent photoelectric conversion device groups, wherein the plurality of types of filters are arranged for adjacent unit groups to form a filter bank, and wherein the filter banks are arranged in a unit of N×M, where N and M are integers of one or more, facing the pixel region of the two-dimensional pixel array.
US09960196B2 Array substrate, display panel, display device and mask plate
An array substrate includes a gate line, a common electrode line, a common electrode and a pixel electrode arranged on a base substrate. The common electrode is electrically connected to the common electrode line through a common electrode via-hole, and the common electrode includes a hollowed-out portion and a reserved portion at a region corresponding to the common electrode via-hole. The reserved portion is arranged between the gate line adjacent to the common electrode line and the pixel electrode adjacent to the common electrode line, and electrically connected to the common electrode line through the common electrode via-hole. The reserved portion does not overlap the gate line or the pixel electrode. The hollowed-out portion is at least arranged at a side of the reserved portion adjacent to the gate line and/or pixel electrode and between the reserved portion and the gate line and/or the pixel electrode.
US09960194B1 Display device
Disclosed is a display device including a data distribution circuit with enhanced electrical characteristic. The display device includes a plurality of demultiplexing circuits including a gap area which is provided between two transistors, which are adjacent to each other along a first horizontal axis direction, of first to nth transistors and provided in a non-rectilinear shape along a second horizontal axis direction. Here, the gap area may have a zigzag shape along the second horizontal axis direction.
US09960192B2 Flexible display device and method of manufacturing the same
A flexible display device includes a flexible substrate, an adhesion layer disposed on a surface of the flexible substrate, and a plurality of pixel structures in respective pixels on the adhesion layer. Each of the pixel structures on the adhesion layer includes a light emitting diode including an inorganic light emitting layer, and a thin film transistor which is connected to the light emitting diode and switches a state of the light emitting diode.
US09960191B2 Display device
A display device includes a plurality of gate lines extending in a first direction on the display area, a plurality of source lines extending in a second direction, a plurality of lead-out lines extending in the second direction and for transmitting gate signals to the plurality of gate lines. A plurality of connecting portions each electrically connects one gate line to one lead-out line. The plurality of connecting portions pass through a first insulating layer at a plurality of jointing points which are selected among a plurality of overlapping points where the plurality of lead-out lines and the plurality of gate lines overlap in a plane area.
US09960190B2 Semiconductor device and display device including the same
To improve field-effect mobility and reliability in a transistor including an oxide semiconductor film. A semiconductor device includes a transistor including an oxide semiconductor film. The transistor includes a region where the maximum value of field-effect mobility of the transistor at a gate voltage of higher than 0 V and lower than or equal to 10 V is larger than or equal to 40 and smaller than 150; a region where the threshold voltage is higher than or equal to minus 1 V and lower than or equal to 1 V; and a region where the S value is smaller than 0.3 V/decade.
US09960189B2 Thin film transistor and manufacturing method thereof, array substrate and display device
A thin film transistor and a manufacturing method thereof, an array substrate and a display device are provided. The method includes forming a gate electrode, a gate insulating layer, a metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) active layer, a source electrode and a drain electrode on a substrate. The MOS active layer includes forming a pattern layer of indium oxide series binary metal oxide including a first pattern directly contacting with the source electrode and the drain electrode. An insulating layer formed over the source electrode and the drain electrode acts as a protection layer, the pattern layer of indium oxide series binary metal oxide is implanted with metal doping ions by using an ion implanting process, and is annealed, so that the indium oxide series binary metal oxide of the third pattern is converted into the indium oxide series multiple metal oxide to form the MOS active layer.
US09960186B2 Back cover and transparent display apparatus using the same
Disclosed are a back cover and a transparent display apparatus including the same, in which a chip groove, into which a chip included in a chip-on film coupled to a transparent panel is inserted, is disposed in a rear surface. The transparent display apparatus includes a transparent panel and a back cover. The transparent panel may display an image. The back cover may be transparent, and the transparent panel may be disposed on a front of the back cover. A chip groove into which a chip included in a chip-on film coupled to the transparent panel is inserted may be disposed in a rear surface of the back cover.
US09960177B2 Semiconductor device and manufacturing method of the same
A semiconductor device includes a substrate including a cell region and a peripheral region, a cell stacked structure stacked on the substrate in the cell region, a channel layer in one structure penetrating the cell stacked structure, a driving transistor formed in the peripheral region, and a plug structure coupled to the driving transistor and including a stacking structure of at least two contact plugs shorter than the channel layer, wherein each of the contact plugs is arranged at a same height as a part of the cell stacked structure.
US09960173B2 Semiconductor memory device
According to one embodiment, a semiconductor memory device includes: a substrate; a first interconnect; a second interconnect; a plurality of third interconnects; a fourth interconnect; a semiconductor member; a charge storage member; and a conductive member. One of the plurality of third interconnects is disposed on two second-direction sides of the conductive member. Portions of the one of the plurality of third interconnects disposed on the two second-direction sides of the conductive member are formed as one body.
US09960171B2 Semiconductor devices including charge storage patterns
Semiconductor devices are provided. A semiconductor device includes a plurality of gate electrodes. The semiconductor device includes a channel structure adjacent the plurality of gate electrodes. The semiconductor device includes a plurality of charge storage segments between the channel structure and the plurality of gate electrodes. Methods of forming semiconductor devices are also provided.
US09960165B2 Semiconductor device having adjacent IGBT and diode regions with a shifted boundary plane between a collector region and a cathode region
Provided is a technology for further reducing a loss in a semiconductor device including a semiconductor substrate in which an IGBT region and a diode region are provided. This semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate in which at least one IGBT region and at least one diode region are provided. The IGBT region and the diode region are adjacent to each other in a predetermined direction in a plan view of the semiconductor substrate. In the plan view of the semiconductor substrate, a first boundary plane where the collector region and the cathode region are adjacent is shifted from a second boundary plane where the IGBT region and the diode region are adjacent on the front surface side of the semiconductor substrate either in a direction from the cathode region toward the collector region or in a direction from the collector region toward the cathode region.
US09960163B2 Method for fabricating fin-shaped structure and bump made of different material
A method for fabricating semiconductor device is disclosed. First, a substrate is provided, a first fin-shaped structure and a bump are formed on the substrate, and an insulating layer is formed on the bump and around the first fin-shaped structure. Next, a part of the first fin-shaped structure is removed, an epitaxial layer is formed on the first fin-shaped structure, part of the epitaxial layer is removed, and part of the insulating layer is removed to form a shallow trench isolation (STI) and a second fin-shaped structure protruding from the STI. Preferably, the second fin-shaped structure includes a top portion and a bottom portion, in which the bottom portion and the bump are made of same material.
US09960162B2 Hybrid high-k first and high-k last replacement gate process
An integrated circuit and method with a metal gate NMOS transistor with a high-k first gate dielectric on a high quality thermally grown interface dielectric and with a metal gate PMOS transistor with a high-k last gate dielectric on a chemically grown interface dielectric.
US09960161B2 Low resistive electrode for an extendable high-k metal gate stack
In one embodiment, a method of making a semiconductor device includes: forming a substrate; forming an nFET transistor and a pFET transistor on the substrate; wherein forming the nFET transistor comprises first depositing several first layers in and along the inner sidewalls of a trench on the substrate, then depositing a conductive metal comprising cobalt on the several first layers; wherein forming the pFET transistor comprises first depositing several second layers in and along the inner sidewalls of a trench on the substrate, then depositing a conductive metal comprising cobalt on the several second layers.
US09960159B2 Monolithic bi-directional current conducting device and method of making the same
A monolithic bi-directional device provides bi-directional power flow and bi-directional blocking of high-voltages. The device includes a first transistor having a first drain formed over a first channel layer that overlays a substrate, and a second transistor that includes a second drain formed over a second channel layer that overlays the substrate. The substrate forms a common source for both the first transistor and the second transistor.
US09960158B2 Semiconductor device
A semiconductor device includes a multilayer structure including an n− i layer, a p anode layer formed on the front surface of the n− i layer, an n− buffer layer formed on the back surface of the n− i layer, an n+ cathode layer and a p collector layer formed on the back surface of the n− buffer layer or on the back surfaces of the n− i layer and the n− buffer layer such that the n+ cathode layer and the p collector layer are adjacent to each other in a plan view or adjacent portions thereof overlap each other in a plan view, a front surface electrode, and a back surface electrode. A vertical position in the multilayer structure of the n+ cathode layer in the multilayer structure differs from that of the p collector layer.
US09960155B2 Laterally diffused metal oxide semiconductor device integrated with vertical field effect transistor
An electrical device that in some embodiments includes a substrate including a lateral device region and a vertical device region. A lateral diffusion metal oxide semiconductor (LDMOS) device may be present in the lateral device region, wherein a drift region of the LDMOS device has a length that is parallel to an upper surface of the substrate in which the LDMOS device is formed. A vertical field effect transistor (VFET) device may be present in the vertical device region, wherein a vertical channel of the VFET has a length that is perpendicular to said upper surface of the substrate, the VFET including a gate structure that is positioned around the vertical channel.
US09960153B2 Semiconductor device and electronic apparatus of a cascode-coupled system
The manufacturing yield of a semiconductor device is improved. There is provided a semiconductor device of a cascode coupling system, which is equipped with a plurality of normally-on junction FETs using as a material, a substance larger in bandgap than silicon, and a normally-off MOSFET using silicon as a material. At this time, the semiconductor chip has a plurality of junction FET semiconductor chips (semiconductor chip CHP0 and semiconductor chip CHP1) formed with the junction FETs in a divided fashion, and a MOSFET semiconductor chip (semiconductor chip CHP2) formed with the MOSFET.
US09960151B2 Semiconductor device, display panel assembly, semiconductor structure
A semiconductor device includes a chip, a plurality of first bumps, and a plurality of second bumps. The chip includes an active surface. The first bumps are disposed on the active surface along a first direction. The second bumps are disposed on the active surface along a second direction parallel to the first direction, wherein one of the second bumps is located between adjacent two of the first bumps, a closest distance from the second bumps to the fan-out region is smaller than a closest distance from the first bumps to the fan-out region, and a first width of one of the first bumps is larger than a second width of one of the second bumps.
US09960148B2 Methods for transferring heat from stacked microfeature devices
Methods and apparatuses for transferring heat from stacked microfeature devices are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a microfeature device assembly comprises a support member having terminals and a first microelectronic die having first external contacts carried by the support member. The first external contacts are operatively coupled to the terminals on the support member. The assembly also includes a second microelectronic die having integrated circuitry and second external contacts electrically coupled to the first external contacts. The first die is between the support member and the second die. The assembly can further include a heat transfer unit between the first die and the second die. The heat transfer unit includes a first heat transfer portion, a second heat transfer portion, and a gap between the first and second heat transfer portions such that the first external contacts and the second external contacts are aligned with the gap.
US09960147B2 Power module
A power module includes a base plate, first, second, and third semiconductor chips. At least one of a third edge or fourth edge of the first semiconductor chip is disposed adjacent to a side end of the base plate. Among a half of a distance from a first edge of the first semiconductor chip to one edge of the second semiconductor chip, a half of a distance from a second edge of the first semiconductor chip to one edge of the third semiconductor chip, and a distance from the third edge or fourth edge of the first semiconductor chip disposed adjacent to the side end of the base plate to the side end of the base plate, a length of a solder fillet formed on the edge of the first semiconductor chip at the shortest distance is formed in the shortest length.
US09960146B1 Semiconductor structure and method for forming the same
A semiconductor structure includes a first stacking interposer. The first stacking interposer includes a first interposer having a first surface and a second surface opposite thereto; a plurality of first conductive pillars penetrating through the first interposer from the first surface to the second surface; a plurality of first bumps disposed at a side of the first surface of the first interposer and electrically connected to the first conductive pillars; and a first redistribution layer disposed on the second surface of the first interposer. The first surface has a clearance region where is free of the first bumps. A first chip is disposed over the first redistribution layer. The first chip is aligned with the clearance region of the first surface of the first interposer in a direction perpendicular to the first surface. A plurality of second bumps interconnecting the first redistribution layer with the first chip.
US09960136B2 Semiconductor device and method for manufacturing the same
A semiconductor device includes a first circuit layer, a copper pillar disposed adjacent to the first circuit layer, a second circuit layer and a solder layer. The second circuit layer includes an electrical contact and a surface finish layer disposed on the electrical contact, wherein a material of the surface finish layer is a combination of at least two of nickel, gold, and palladium. The solder layer is disposed between the copper pillar and the surface finish layer. The solder layer includes a first intermetallic compound (IMC) and a second IMC, wherein the first IMC includes a combination of two or more of copper, nickel and tin, and the second IMC includes a combination of gold and tin, a combination of palladium and tin, or both.
US09960130B2 Reliable interconnect
Devices and methods for forming a device are disclosed. The device includes a contact region disposed over a last interconnect level of the device. The device includes a final passivation layer having at least an opening which at least partially exposes a top surface of the contact region and a buffer layer disposed at least over a first exposed portion of the top surface of the contact region. When an electrically conductive interconnection couples to the contact region, the buffer layer absorbs a portion of a force exerted to form an interconnection between the electrically conductive interconnection and the contact region.
US09960129B2 Hybrid bonding mechanisms for semiconductor wafers
A method of forming a hybrid bonding structure includes depositing an etch stop layer over surface of a substrate, wherein the substrate comprises a conductive structure, and the etch stop layer contacts the conductive structure. The method further includes depositing a dielectric material over the etch stop layer. The method further includes depositing a first diffusion barrier layer over the dielectric material. The method further includes forming an opening extending through the etch stop layer, the dielectric material and the diffusion barrier layer. The method further includes lining the opening with a second diffusion barrier layer. The method further includes depositing a conductive pad on the second diffusion barrier layer in the opening, wherein a surface of the first diffusion barrier layer is aligned with a surface of the conductive pad.
US09960127B2 High-power amplifier package
Package assemblies for improving heat dissipation of high-power components in microwave circuits are described. A laminate that includes microwave circuitry may have cut-outs that allow high-power components to be mounted directly on a heat slug below the laminate. Electrical connections to circuitry on the laminate may be made with wire bonds. The packaging allows more flexible design and tuning of packaged microwave circuitry.
US09960125B2 Method of forming a semiconductor package
A method of forming a semiconductor package includes forming an interconnecting structure on an adhesive layer, wherein the adhesive layer is on a carrier. The method further includes placing a semiconductor die on a surface of the interconnecting structure. The method further includes placing a package structure on the surface of the interconnecting structure, wherein the semiconductor die fits in a space between the interconnecting structure and the package structure. The method further includes performing a reflow to bond the package structure to the interconnecting structure.
US09960124B2 Integrated shield structure for mixed-signal integrated circuits
In certain embodiments, a mixed signal integrated circuit is provided that includes both a digital portion and an analog portion. A shield is provided that overlays one of the digital portion or the analog portion of the mixed signal integrated circuit. The shield limits propagation of signals between the digital portion and the analog portion of the mixed signal integrated circuit.
US09960118B2 Contact using multilayer liner
An opening is formed within a substrate made of a silicon material, and a cleaning process is performed; after which, the bottom and walls of the opening are contaminated with oxygen and fluorine particles. A lower blocking layer is formed within the opening, and the lower blocking layer contacts the bottom and walls of the opening. Also, a middle liner layer is formed within the opening, and the middle liner layer contacts the lower blocking layer. Additionally, an upper blocking layer is formed within the opening, and the upper blocking layer contacts the middle liner layer. Further, a conductor layer is formed within the opening, and the conductor layer contacts the upper blocking layer. The lower blocking layer prevents the fluorine particles from affecting the other layers.
US09960110B2 Self-enclosed asymmetric interconnect structures
Techniques are disclosed that enable improved shorting margin between unlanded conductive interconnect features and neighboring conductive features. The techniques provided are particularly useful, for instance, when lithography registration errors cause neighboring conductive features to be physically closer than expected, but can also he used when such proximity is intentional. In some embodiments, the techniques can be implemented using a layer of electromigration management material (EMM) and one or more insulator layers, wherein the various layers are provisioned to enable a differential etch rate. In particular, the overall etch rate of materials above the target landing pad is faster than the overall etch rate of materials above the off-target landing pad, which results in a self-enclosed conductive interconnect feature having an asymmetric taper or profile. The differential etch rate may result, for example, from configuration of the EMM layer, or from accompanying insulator layers having different etch rates.
US09960105B2 Controlled solder height packages and assembly processes
An apparatus comprises a substrate including a surface and a plurality of bonding pads positioned on the surface. The apparatus also includes a material comprising a solder positioned on the bonding pads and extending a distance outward therefrom. A first of the bonding pads in a first location on the substrate surface includes the solder extending a first distance outward therefrom. A second of the bonding pads in a second location on the substrate surface includes the solder extending a second distance outward therefrom. The first distance is different than the second distance. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US09960102B2 Semiconductor devices and methods of manufacturing the same
A semiconductor package includes a first semiconductor component, a second semiconductor component, and a connecting element. The first semiconductor component includes a first substrate, and a first bonding pad disposed adjacent to a first surface of the first substrate, and at least one conductive via structure extending from a second surface of the first substrate to the first bonding pad. The second semiconductor component includes a second substrate, a redistribution layer disposed adjacent to a first surface of the second substrate, and a second bonding pad disposed on the redistribution layer. The connecting element is disposed between the first bonding pad and the second bonding pad.
US09960101B2 Micro-hoses for integrated circuit and device level cooling
A heat-dissipating device includes at least one heat-dissipating surface and a micro-sized cooling mechanism formed directly on the heat-dissipating surface by an additive manufacturing process. The cooling mechanism includes at least one fluid passage, such as a micro-hose, for carrying a cooling medium from a coolant source directly to the heat-dissipating surface. The cooling mechanism is fluidly sealed to the heat-dissipating surface such that the cooling medium is in thermal contact directly with the heat-dissipating surface.
US09960100B2 Cooler and semiconductor module using same
A cooler includes: a jacket having an internal coolant conduction space surrounded by a main cooling surface top plate, an opposite bottom plate, and a side wall; coolant inflow and outflow pipes connected to two through holes in the side wall; a coolant introduction channel forming a part of the coolant conduction space and communicating with the coolant inflow pipe; a coolant discharge channel forming a part of the coolant conduction space and communicating with the coolant outflow pipe; and a fin unit between the coolant introduction and discharge channels. The fin unit includes a plurality of fins having separate main surfaces and thermally connected to the top plate. The fins have first ends acutely angled relative to a direction of flow of coolant in the coolant introduction channel, and second ends acutely angled relative to a direction of flow of coolant in the coolant discharge channel.
US09960099B2 Thermally conductive molding compound structure for heat dissipation in semiconductor packages
A method of forming a semiconductor package includes forming a thermal conductivity layer and attaching the thermal conductivity layer to a chip. The chip has a first surface and a second surface. The thermal conductivity layer is attached to the first surface of the chip. The thermal conductivity layer provides a path through which heat generated from the chip is dissipated to the ambient. A substrate is attached to the second surface of the chip. A molding compound is formed above the substrate to encapsulate the chip and the thermal conductivity layer.
US09960096B2 Semiconductor device
In a semiconductor device, a second heat sink and a third heat sink are electrically connected by a joint portion in an alignment direction in which a first switching element and a second switching element are aligned. A second power-supply terminal is disposed in the alignment direction in a region between a first power-supply terminal and an output terminal and between the second heat sink and the third heat sink. In an encapsulation resin body, at least one of a shortest distance between a first potential portion at same potential as the first power-supply terminal and a third potential portion at same potential as the output terminal and a shortest distance between a second potential portion at same potential as the second power-supply terminal and the third potential portion is shorter than a shortest distance between the first potential portion and the second potential portion.
US09960092B2 Interlayer filler composition for three-dimensional integrated circuit
To provide an interlayer filler composition which, in 3D lamination of semiconductor device chips, forms a highly thermally conductive filling interlayer simultaneously with the bonding of solder bumps or the like and lands between semiconductor device chips, a coating fluid and a process for producing a three-dimensional integrated circuit.An interlayer filler composition for a three-dimensional integrated circuit, which comprises a resin (A) having a melt viscosity at 120° C. of at most 100 Pa·s and a flux (B), the content of the flux (B) being at least 0.1 part by weight and at most 10 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the resin (A).
US09960091B2 Package
A package includes: a semiconductor element; a case having an opening and housing the semiconductor element; and a lid having a rectangular parallelepiped shape and occluding the opening of the case. In the package, the lid is joined to an end portion of the opening of the case, and includes a bent portion surrounded by a portion joining the lid to the case and extending along a longitudinal side of the lid.
US09960089B2 Apparatus and method for endpoint detection
An apparatus to control processing conditions for a substrate. The apparatus may include a current measurement component to perform a plurality of extraction current measurements for extraction current in a processing apparatus housing the substrate, the extraction current comprising ions extracted from a plasma and directed to the substrate; and an endpoint detection component comprising logic to generate an endpoint detection signal based upon a change in extraction current during the plurality of extraction current measurements.
US09960088B2 End point detection in grinding
A method for performing grinding includes selecting a target wheel loading for wafer grinding processes, and performing a grinding process on a wafer. With the proceeding of the grinding process, wheel loadings of the grinding process are measured. The grinding process is stopped after the target wheel loading is reached. The method alternatively includes selecting a target reflectivity of wafer grinding processes, and performing a grinding process on a wafer. With a proceeding of the grinding process, reflectivities of a light reflected from a surface of the wafer are measured. The grinding process is stopped after one of the reflectivities reaches the target reflectivity.
US09960080B2 Method for bonding and interconnecting integrated circuit devices
A method for bonding and interconnecting two or more IC devices arranged on substrates such as silicon wafers is disclosed. In one aspect, the wafers are bonded by a direct bonding technique to form a wafer assembly, and the multiple IC devices are provided with metal contact structures. A TSV (Through Semiconductor Via) is produced through the bonded wafer assembly. The IC device or devices in the upper wafer or wafers have contact structures that serve as masks for the etching of the TSV opening. A conformal isolation liner is deposited in the TSV opening, and subsequently removed from the bottom and any horizontal areas in the TSV opening, while maintaining the liner on the sidewalls, followed by deposition of a TSV plug in the TSV opening. The removal of the liner is done without applying a lithography step.
US09960074B2 Integrated bi-layer STI deposition
A method includes etching a semiconductor substrate to form trenches extending into the semiconductor substrate, and depositing a first dielectric layer into the trenches. The first dielectric layer fills lower portions of the trenches. A Ultra-Violet (UV) treatment is performed on the first dielectric layer in an oxygen-containing process gas. The method further includes depositing a second dielectric layer into the trenches. The second dielectric layer fills upper portions of the trenches. A thermal treatment is performed on the second dielectric layer in an additional oxygen-containing process gas. After the thermal treatment, an anneal is performed on the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer.
US09960072B2 Variable adjustment for precise matching of multiple chamber cavity housings
A vertical adjustment assembly is disclosed in order to provide for matching vertical positions of two substrates within separate chambers or cavities of a reaction system for processing of semiconductor substrates. The vertical adjustment assembly, in cooperation with a main lift driver, can provide for a more accurate positioning of the substrates to account for a tolerance stack-up error.
US09960069B2 Joining device and joining system
A joining device for joining substrates together includes a first holding member configured to vacuum-suck a first substrate to draw and hold the first substrate on a lower surface thereof, and a second holding member disposed below the first holding member and configured to vacuum-suck a second substrate to draw and hold the second substrate on an upper surface thereof. The second holding member includes a body portion formed into a size larger than the second substrate when seen in a plan view and configured to vacuum-suck the second substrate, a plurality of pins provided on the body portion and configured to make contact with a rear surface of the second substrate, and an outer wall portion annularly provided on the body portion at an outer side of the plurality of pins and configured to support an outer periphery portion of the rear surface of the second substrate.
US09960068B1 Moment cancelling pad raising mechanism in wafer positioning pedestal for semiconductor processing
An assembly used in a process chamber for depositing a film on a wafer including a pedestal assembly having a pedestal movably mounted to a main frame. A lift pad rests upon the pedestal and moves with the pedestal. A raising mechanism separates the pad from the pedestal, and includes a hard stop fixed to the main frame, a roller attached to the pedestal assembly, a slide moveably attached to the pedestal assembly, a lift pad bracket interconnected to the slide and a pad shaft extending from the lift pad, a lever rotatably attached to lift pad bracket, a ferroseal assembly surrounding the pad shaft, and a yoke assembly offsetting a moment to the ferroseal assembly when the lever rotates. When the pedestal assembly moves upwards, the lever rotates when engaging with the upper hard stop and roller, and separates the pad from the pedestal by a process rotation displacement.
US09960065B2 Substrate processing apparatus for managing transfer state of substrate gas storage container based on supply flow rate
Provided are a substrate processing apparatus, a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, and a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium, which are capable of reducing an effect on a substrate, which is caused by a change in an atmosphere in a substrate storage container, by appropriately supplying an inert gas into the substrate storage container. The substrate processing apparatus includes a purge mechanism installed in at least one of a support unit and a receiving unit accommodating a substrate storage container, and configured to supply an inert gas into the substrate storage container; a monitoring unit configured to compare a flow rate of the predetermined gas supplied into the substrate storage container via the purge mechanism with a preset reference value and output a signal indicating a result of comparison between the flow rate of the predetermined gas and the preset reference value; and a management unit configured to manage use of the substrate storage container, based on the signal outputted from the monitoring unit.
US09960062B2 Effluent control system
An apparatus, method, and system for collecting data related to effluent emitted from tools in semiconductor fabrication facilities using one or more sensors to take continuous real-time samples of the effluent to indicate one or more properties and characteristics of effluent, and based at least in part on the properties and characteristics indicated in the samples taken by at least one or more sensors, determining the proper processing, recyclability, and treatment of the effluent.
US09960055B1 Manufacturing method of semiconductor device
In a mold die, a tip-end surface of each push-up pin provided on the rear surface side of a lower die cavity block and a part of the rear surface of the lower die cavity block with which the tip-end surface of each push-up pin is contacted are inclined in such a manner that a distance to a top surface of the lower die cavity block becomes longer towards the pot side where mold resin is supplied. When the lower die cavity block is returned to the initial position, the lower die cavity block is lifted while being slightly moved towards the pot block side. No gap is formed between a side surface of the pot block and a side surface of the lower die cavity block.
US09960054B2 Encapsulated dies with enhanced thermal performance
The present disclosure relates to enhancing the thermal performance of encapsulated flip chip dies. According to an exemplary process, a plurality of flip chip dies are attached on a top surface of a carrier, and a first mold compound is applied over the top surface of the carrier to encapsulate the plurality of flip chip dies. The first mold compound is thinned down to expose a substrate of each flip chip die and the substrate of each flip chip die is then substantially etched away to provide an etched flip chip die that has an exposed surface at the bottom of a cavity. Next, a second mold compound with high thermal conductivity is applied to substantially fill each cavity and the top surface of the second mold compound is planarized. Finally, the encapsulated etched flip chip dies can be marked, singulated, and tested as a module.
US09960053B2 FinFET doping methods and structures thereof
A method and structure for providing conformal doping of FinFET fin structures, for example by way of a thermal treatment process, includes forming a gate stack at least partially over a fin extending from a substrate. In various embodiments, a barrier metal layer is deposited over the gate stack. By way of example, a thermal fluorine treatment is performed, where the thermal fluorine treatment forms a fluorinated layer within the barrier metal layer, and where the fluorinated layer includes a plurality of fluorine atoms. In some embodiments, after forming the fluorinated layer, an anneal is performed to drive at least some of the plurality of fluorine atoms into the gate stack (e.g., into the interfacial layer and the high-K dielectric layer), thereby conformally doping the gate stack with the at least some of the plurality of fluorine atoms.
US09960049B2 Two-step fluorine radical etch of hafnium oxide
In one implementation, a method of removing a metal-containing layer is provided. The method comprises generating a plasma from a fluorine-containing gas. The plasma comprises fluorine radicals and fluorine ions. The fluorine ions are removed from the plasma to provide a reactive gas having a higher concentration of fluorine radicals than fluorine ions. A substrate comprising a metal-containing layer is exposed to the reactive gas. The reactive gas dopes at least a portion of the metal-containing layer to form a metal-containing layer doped with fluorine radicals. The metal-containing layer doped with fluorine radicals is exposed to a nitrogen and hydrogen containing gas mixture and the reactive gas to remove at least a portion of the metal-containing layer doped with fluorine radicals.
US09960048B2 Surface machining method for single crystal SiC substrate, manufacturing method thereof, and grinding plate for surface machining single crystal SiC substrate
A surface machining method for a single crystal SiC substrate, including: a step of mounting a grinding plate which includes a soft pad and a hard pad sequentially attached onto a base metal having a flat surface, a step of generating an oxidation product by using the grinding plate, and a step of grinding the surface while removing the oxidation product, wherein abrasive grains made of at least one metallic oxide that is softer than single crystal SiC and has a bandgap are fixed to the surface of the hard pad.
US09960047B2 Test pattern for trench poly over-etched step and formation method thereof
A test pattern for testing a trench POLY over-etched step is provided. The test pattern is a trench (14) formed on a substrate (1); the trench (14) comprises a bottom surface and two side surfaces extending from the bottom surface; the trench (14) is formed on the substrate (1) with a preset angle of non-90° formed between the longitudinal direction (L) thereof and the longitudinal direction (X) of a wafer scribing trench. The test pattern can extend the scanning length of a step scanning equipment without changing the width of the trench.
US09960045B1 Charge-trap layer separation and word-line isolation for enhanced 3-D NAND structure
In a 3D NAND device, the charge trap region of a memory cell is formed as a separate charge-trap “island.” As a result, the charge-trap region of one memory cell is electrically isolated from charge-trap regions in adjacent memory cells. The charge trap region of one memory cell is separated from the charge trap regions of adjacent memory cells by a dielectric structure, such as a silicon oxide film. Alternatively, the charge trap region of a memory cell is separated from the charge trap regions of adjacent memory cells by an air, gas, or vacuum gap.
US09960043B2 Process of forming semiconductor device
A process of forming a semiconductor device using plasma processes is disclosed. The semiconductor device includes a device area, a scribed area, and a peripheral area on a wafer, where these areas have respective conductive regions. The process includes steps of (a) implanting ions to isolate the conductive regions in the device area from the conductive region in the scribed area; (b) forming a metal film so as to cover a back surface, a side, and the peripheral area in the top surface of the wafer; (c) deposing insulating film on a whole surface of the wafer; and (d) selectively etching, by the plasma process, the insulating film so as to expose the conductive regions in the device area and the scribed area. During the plasma process, the metal film in the back surface of the wafer is connected the apparatus ground that effectively dissipates charges induced by the plasm to the apparatus ground through the metal film.
US09960041B2 Deposition apparatus
A deposition apparatus including a crucible to receive the deposition material and in which a deposition material is evaporated; a linear deposition source having a sprayer to spray the evaporated deposition material; a first connection portion and a second connection portion spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval, the first connection portion and the second connection portion connecting the linear deposition source to the crucible at an upper surface of the crucible; and a heater in the crucible to apply heat to the deposition material, wherein the upper surface of the crucible has a first convex portion and a second convex portion successively formed between the first connection portion and the second connection portion.
US09960038B2 Processes to pattern small features for advanced patterning needs
Methods of forming microelectronic structure are provided. The methods comprise the formation of T-shaped structures using a controlled undercutting process, and the deposition of a selectively etchable composition into the undercut areas of the T-shaped structures. The T-shaped structures are subsequently removed to yield extremely small undercut-formed features that conform to the width and optionally the height of the undercut areas of the T-shaped structures. These methods can be combined with other conventional patterning methods to create structures having extremely small feature sizes regardless of the wavelength of light used for patterning.
US09960036B2 Method and apparatus for forming device quality gallium nitride layers on silicon substrates
Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) is used for heteroepitaxial film growth at reaction temperatures ranging from 80-400° C. The substrate and film materials are preferably matched to take advantage of Domain Matched Epitaxy (DME). A laser annealing system is used to thermally anneal deposition layer after deposition by ALD. In preferred embodiments, a silicon substrate is overlaid with an AlN nucleation layer and laser annealed. Thereafter a GaN device layer is applied over the AlN layer by an ALD process and then laser annealed. In a further example embodiment, a transition layer is applied between the GaN device layer and the AlN nucleation layer. The transition layer comprises one or more different transition material layers each comprising a AlxGa1-xN compound wherein the composition of the transition layer is continuously varied from AlN to GaN.
US09960027B2 Analyzing a complex sample by MS/MS using isotopically-labeled standards
A method and corresponding apparatus are disclosed for analysis of a peptide-containing sample. The sample is prepared by adding isotopically-labeled peptides corresponding to endogenous peptides of interest, and the prepared sample is analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LCMS). Detection in a high-resolution, accurate mass (HRAM) MS1 spectrum of a precursor ion matching an isotopically-labeled peptide triggers acquisition of an MS/MS spectrum (preferably acquired in an ion trap or other fast mass analyzer) to determine if a product ion is present matching a characteristic product ion (e.g., the y1 ion) of the isotopically-labeled peptide. If the characteristic product ion is present, then a HRAM MS/MS spectrum is acquired for detection and quantitation of the corresponding endogenous peptide.
US09960025B1 Cold-matter system having ion pump integrated with channel cell
A cold-atom cell is formed by machining a block of silicon to define sites for an atom source chamber, an atom manipulation chamber, and an ion-pump chamber. A polished silicon panel is frit-bonded to an unpolished (due to machining) chamber wall (which would be difficult and costly to polish). The polished panel can then serve as a reflector or a sight for anodic bonding. A solid-phase atom source provides for vapor phase atoms in the source chamber. The source chamber also includes carbon and gold to regulate the atom pressure by sorbing and desorbing thermal atoms. The atom manipulation chamber includes components for magneto-optical trap and an atom chip, e.g., for forming a Bose-Einstein condensate. The ion-pump chamber serves as the site for an ion pump. By integrating the ion pump into the body of the cold-atom cell, a more compact, reliable, and robust cold-atom cell is achieved. In addition to the embodiment just described, several variations and alternatives are presented and within the scope of the claims.
US09960023B2 Methods and apparatus for nodule control in a titanium-tungsten target
Embodiments of the present disclosure include methods and apparatus for controlling titanium-tungsten (TiW) target nodule formation. In some embodiments, a target includes: a source material comprising predominantly titanium (Ti) and tungsten (W), formed from a mixture of titanium powder and tungsten powder, wherein a grain size of a predominant quantity of the titanium powder is less than or equal to a grain size of a predominant quantity of the tungsten powder.
US09960017B2 Plasma gas jetting device
Plasma gas is ejected from inner gas ejection ports that are formed in a downstream side housing, and nitrogen gas is supplied as protective gas to a protective gas source between a housing and a cover section. Nitrogen gas is sucked in accompanying exhaust from inner gas ejection ports of plasma gas, and is ejected from the outer gas ejection ports. In this case, since a layer of nitrogen gas is formed in the periphery of plasma gas, it is possible to make it difficult to bring the plasma gas into contact with air, and it is possible to make it difficult to react a reactive species such as a radical in the plasma gas, oxygen in the air, and the like.
US09960016B2 Plasma processing method
In a plasma processing method in which multiple cycles, each of which includes a first stage of generating plasma of a first processing gas containing a first gas and a second stage of generating plasma of a second processing gas containing the first gas and a second gas, are performed, a time difference between a start time point of a time period during which the second stage is performed and a start time point of an output of the second gas from a gas supply system is decided automatically according to a recipe. A delay time corresponding to flow rates of the first gas and the second gas in the second stage is specified from a function or a table. The output of the second gas is begun prior to the start time point of the second stage by a time difference set based on the delay time.
US09960013B2 Continuous writing of pattern
The present disclosure provides one embodiment of a method that includes slicing a first sub-polygon out of the pattern layout and writing the first sub-polygon onto the substrate using a beam with a first beam setting that is associated with the first sub-polygon. The method additional includes slicing a second sub-polygon out of the remaining pattern layout that does not include the first sub-polygon. The second sub-polygon interfaces with the first sub-polygon on at least one edge. Also, the method includes, without turning off the beam after writing the first sub-polygon onto the substrate, writing the second sub-polygon onto the substrate with a second beam setting that is associated with the second sub-polygon.
US09960010B2 Signal processing method and signal processing apparatus
In accordance with an embodiment, a signal processing method includes scanning a pattern on a substrate with a charged particle beam, detecting secondary charged particles emitted from the substrate by using a detector, outputting a signal, and filtering the signal. The detector is separated or divided into a plurality of regions, and the secondary charged particles are detected separately in each region of the detector. Intensity of the filtering is defined in dependence on a function f(θ) of an angle θ between a reference axis and a direction along which the secondary charged particles enter a detector plane. The reference axis is an arbitrary direction in a plane parallel to a surface of the substrate.
US09960009B2 Methods and systems for determining a fault in a gas heater channel
Systems and methods for determining a fault in a gas heater channel are described. One of the methods includes receiving measured parameters associated with a plurality of heater elements of the gas heater channel. The gas heater channel transfers one or more gases from a gas supply to a plasma chamber. The method further includes calculating a measured parallel resistance of the plurality of heater elements from the measured parameters, comparing the measured parallel resistance to an ideal parallel resistance of the heater elements of the gas heater channel, and determining based on the comparison that a portion of the gas heater channel is inoperational. The method includes selecting an identity of one of the heater elements from a correspondence between a plurality of identities of the heater elements and the measured parallel resistance.
US09960004B2 Semi-transparent photocathode with improved absorption rate
The invention relates to a semi-transparent photocathode (1) for a photon detector having an increased absorption rate for a preserved transport rate. According to the invention, the photocathode (1) includes a transmission diffraction grating (30) able to diffract said photons and provided in the support layer (10) on which the photoemissive layer (20) is deposited.
US09960003B2 Apparatus for generating x-ray radiation in an external magnetic field
An apparatus is provided for generating X-ray radiation in an outer magnetic field, which may be generated by a magnetic field device. The apparatus includes a cathode configured to generate an electron beam and an anode configured to retard the electrons of the electron beam and generate an X-ray beam. The apparatus further includes a device configured to generate an electric field orientated from the anode in the direction of the cathode and substantially collinear to the outer magnetic field, wherein the cathode, as an electron emitter, includes a cold cathode that passively provides free electrons by field emission.
US09960002B2 Electromagnetic relay
An electromagnetic relay includes an electromagnet unit, a contact unit including a movable contact spring with a movable contact provided thereon and a fixed contact spring with a fixed contact provided thereon, and a base block configured to support the electromagnet unit and the contact unit, wherein the electromagnet unit is supported at a first face of the base block, and the contact unit is supported at a second face of the base block facing in an opposite direction from the first face, and wherein the base block includes a first insulating wall extending from the first face alongside the electromagnet unit and a second insulating wall extending from the second face alongside the contact unit, the second insulating wall being situated on an opposite side from the first insulating wall across the second face.
US09959999B2 Method for controlling power switching apparatus
A method for controlling a power switching apparatus to solve problems including: setting a target time reaching a predetermined position immediately before a target phase by a time calculator during an opening and closing operation of a movable arc contact with respect to a fixed arc contact in a target phase at a predetermined average switching speed; and controlling an electric motor at a speed equal to or less than an average switching speed immediately before the target phase from an operation start time to the target time by a motor controller.
US09959998B2 Switch device
A switch device includes an operation part, a first push mechanism that, by a rotation operation of the operation part, selects and activates a first push switch part, a second push mechanism that, by a tilt operation of the operation part, activates a second push switch part, a circuit board including the first push switch part and the second push switch part mounted thereto, and a contact rubber interposed between the circuit board and the first and second push mechanisms. The contact rubber includes contacts corresponding to the first push switch part and the second push switch part and is configured such that the contacts contact with or separate from the corresponding switch parts by a movement of the first push mechanism and the second push mechanism. The contact rubber is formed so as to cover an entire upper surface of the circuit board.
US09959996B2 Systems and methods for lighting spring loaded mechanical key switches
Systems and methods are disclosed that may be implemented to provide keycap lighting to a spring loaded mechanical key switch assembly using a light conductive structure, such as a light pipe, and without requiring a chassis housing of the mechanical key switch assembly to include a dedicated power-consuming light source mounted to or otherwise positioned at the location of the individual key switch assembly chassis housing. Additionally, the disclosed systems and methods may be implemented to use one or more common power-consuming light source/s to simultaneously provide key cap lighting to multiple such spring loaded mechanical key switch assemblies, for example, by feeding light to each key cap though a common light spreader and through an individual non-power consuming light pipe provided for each key switch assembly.
US09959991B2 Keyswitch
A keyswitch uses a magnetic attraction force produced between and by a fixed part, fixedly disposed relative to a base, and a movable part, movably disposed relative to the base, as a driving force for returning a keycap to its original position. The movable part is between the fixed part and the base. The keyswitch also uses a force transmission part disposed between the keycap and the movable part as an intermediate for transferring force from the keycap to the movable part. When a force for pressing the keycap downward overcomes the magnetic attraction force, the movable part moves toward the base and then triggers a switch.
US09959990B1 Keyboard device
A keyboard device includes a key structure, a switch circuit board, a base plate and a buffering element. The key structure includes a keycap and a stabilizer bar. The stabilizer bar is connected with the keycap. The base plate includes a connecting structure. The stabilizer bar is penetrated through the connecting structure and connected with the base plate. The buffering element is coupled with the connecting structure. The stabilizer bar and the base plate are made of metallic material. Since the stabilizer bar and the base plate are separated by the buffering element, the keyboard device is capable of reducing noise.
US09959988B2 Position locking and shifting control mechanism
A position lock and position shift controlling mechanism for a multi-position shifting switch includes a position lock and position shift assembly and a controlling assembly to control the locking of the position lock and position shift assembly. The position lock assembly includes a locked body, a moving body and a housing body. The locked body includes a roundel pedestal which rotates synchronously with a switching shaft, a lock tooth component rotatably attached with the roundel pedestal, and an inner core component. The lock tooth component includes evenly distributed location teeth and plural radial slots. The moving body locks the lock tooth component and pushes the inner core component away from the lock tooth component. The switching shaft actuates the roundel pedestal to rotate a preset angle about the lock tooth component to shift the multi-position shifting switch to a stop control mode position from an automation control mode position.
US09959986B2 Method for producing electrode material
A method for producing an electrode material, provided to involve: (i) a provisional sintering step of sintering a mixed powder containing a powder of a heat resistant element and a powder of Cr to obtain a solid solution where the heat resistant element and Cr are dissolved; (ii) a pulverizing step of pulverizing the solid solution to obtain a powder; (iii) a main sintering step of sintering a molded body obtained by molding the powder of the solid solution, to produce a sintered body; and (iv) a Cu infiltration step of infiltrating the sintered body with Cu.
US09959985B2 Aqueous liquid composition, aqueous coating liquid, functional coating film and composite material
Provided is an aqueous liquid composition including a water-based medium containing water, a polymer having at least one type of groups selected from hydroxyl groups and amino groups, and phosphonobutanetricarboxylic acid. The polymer is at least one polymer selected from the group consisting of a polysaccharide, polyamino acid, polyvinyl alcohol, polyallylamine, polyvinylamine, a polyamidine, a polyethylenimine, and their derivatives.
US09959983B2 Robust porous electrodes for energy storage devices
Electrodes, energy storage devices using such electrodes, and associated methods are disclosed. In an example, an electrode for use in an energy storage device can comprise porous silicon having a plurality of channels and a surface, the plurality of channels opening to the surface; and a structural material deposited within the channels; wherein the structural material provides structural stability to the electrode during use.
US09959980B2 Solid electrolytic capacitor element and method for manufacturing solid electrolytic capacitor element
Disclosed is a solid electrolytic capacitor element including a dielectric layer, a first conductive polymer semiconductor layer, a second conductive polymer semiconductor layer and a conductor layer, formed in that order, on a tungsten anode body having an externally protruding lead wire, and the thickness of the thickest portion of the second conductive polymer semiconductor layer on the lower surface opposite the upper surface from which the lead wire protrudes is thinner than the thickness of the thickest portion of the second conductive polymer semiconductor layer on the side surfaces, and the thickness of the second conductive polymer semiconductor layer on the lower surface is greater than 2 μm and less than 15 μm.
US09959978B2 Systems and methods for enhanced dielectric properties for electrolytic capacitors
This disclosure relates to methods and apparatus for enhanced dielectric properties for electrolytic capacitors to store energy in an implantable medical device. One aspect of the present subject matter includes a method for manufacturing a capacitor adapted to be disposed in an implantable device housing. An embodiment of the method includes providing a dielectric comprising aluminum oxide and doping the aluminum oxide with an oxide having a dielectric constant greater than aluminum oxide. Doping the aluminum oxide includes using sol-gel based chemistry, electrodeposition or atomic layer deposition (ALD) in various embodiments.
US09959977B2 Electrolysis solution for electrolytic capacitor, and electrolytic capacitor
Provided is an electrolysis solution for an electrolytic capacitor, having high spark voltage and excellent electric conductivity and heat resistance to spark voltage, and an electrolytic capacitor using the electrolysis solution. An electrolysis solution for an electrolytic capacitor including at least a silicone-based surfactant, colloidal silica, an electrolyte salt, and an organic solvent, and an electrolytic capacitor using the electrolysis solution. Containing the silicone-based surfactant makes it possible to prevent charge balance of the colloidal silica from being lost.
US09959975B2 Ceramic electronic component
A ceramic electronic component that includes a ceramic element, and a coating film and external electrodes on a surface of the ceramic element. The coating film includes cationic elements from a constituent element of the ceramic element, which are ionized and deposited from the ceramic element, and a resin. The surface of the coating film is recessed relative to a surface of wrapping parts of the external electrodes on the surface of the ceramic element.
US09959972B2 Inductor system having shared material for flux cancellation
Methods and apparatus for flux cancellation includes first and second inductors, wherein the first inductor is configured for coupling to a first energy source and the second inductor is configured for coupling to a second energy source. A layer of magnetic material is disposed between the first and second inductors, wherein the first and second inductors are configured such that, when driven with an oscillating current, magnetic flux generated by the first inductor is substantially canceled by magnetic flux generated by the second inductor in the layer of magnetic material.
US09959966B2 Cooling fan variable-frequency control system for a power transformer
A cooling fan variable-frequency control system for a power transformer includes a control device and a fan unit. The control device includes a microprocessor that is set with a first temperature range, a second temperature range higher than the first temperature range, and a fan switching time. The microprocessor is connected to a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of an insulating oil in a power transformer. A variable-frequency controller and a fixed-frequency controller are connected to the microprocessor and are connected to a switching controller. The fan unit is connected to the switching controller and includes first and second fans. The microprocessor controls the switching controller according to the fan switching time to thereby control the variable-frequency controller to connect with the first fan or the second fan. The first fan and the second fan can operate at a fixed frequency and at a variable frequency.
US09959963B2 Current controller
A current controller includes a current control circuit and a current detection circuit, which detects a current flowing through a solenoid of an electromagnetic proportional relief valve. The current control circuit sets a current command to a sum of a value obtained by multiplying a feedforward gain by a target current value, a value obtained by multiplying a proportional gain by a current deviation, and a value obtained by multiplying an integral gain by a current deviation integral value. The current control circuit then controls the current flowing through the solenoid in accordance with the current command. When the current detected by the current detection circuit is less than or equal to the predetermined value, the current control circuit resets the current deviation and the current deviation integral value and sets the current command based on the reset values.
US09959962B2 Using magnetism to move a physical object proximate a base
In an interactive environment, a user action may dictate what type of action a base device performs using an entertainment object. In one embodiment, the base device includes a controllable electromagnet that uses magnetism to move one or more permanent magnetics mounted in or on the entertainment object. For example, the entertainment object may be a doll or character that jumps, vibrates, slides, or sways in response to a changing magnetic field generated by the electromagnet. Moreover, the user may wear headphones that determine the location of the base device (and the toy) relative to the user. Using this location, the headphones can output 3D positional audio that the user perceives as originating from the location of the entertainment object on the base device. The 3D positional audio can be outputted synchronously with the action performed by the entertainment object to further immerse the user in the interactive environment.
US09959956B2 Machine for producing transposed cable
A cable winding machine for winding transposed cable from multiple serpentine subconductors such as in particular Roebel cable from such 2G HTS tape, without damaging the tape through edge-wise bending, comprises a conductor supply stage carrying subconductor supply spools to move the supply spools about a machine axis and maintain the supply spools in a common orientation as the subconductors unwind and move through the machine in a machine direction, and a cable forming stage after the conductor supply stage in the machine direction, arranged to bring together the subconductors and at which the subconductors interleave to form the transposed cable.
US09959952B2 Semi-conductive rubber shielded shuttle car cable
An electric cable is provided having a plurality of insulated power conductors, a pilot and ground wire assembly and a saddle positioned between the plurality of insulated power conductors with the pilot and ground assembly being positioned within the saddle, where the saddle is constructed from a semi-conductive polymer. An inner sheath surrounds the saddle and the plurality of insulated power conductors, where the inner sheath is constructed from a semi-conductive polymer and where the inner sheath, saddle and the plurality of conductors form a flat cable. An outer insulating sheath disposed around the outside of the inner sheath.
US09959949B2 Solid state electrolyte composites based on complex hydrides and metal doped fullerenes/fulleranes for batteries and electrochemical applications
A LiBH4—C60 nanocomposite that displays fast lithium ionic conduction in the solid state is provided. The material is a homogenous nanocomposite that contains both LiBH4 and a hydrogenated fullerene species. In the presence of C60, the lithium ion mobility of LiBH4 is significantly enhanced in the as prepared state when compared to pure LiBH4. After the material is annealed the lithium ion mobility is further enhanced. Constant current cycling demonstrated that the material is stable in the presence of metallic lithium electrodes. The material can serve as a solid state electrolyte in a solid-state lithium ion battery.
US09959947B2 Composite, carbon composite including the composite, electrode, lithium battery, electroluminescent device, biosensor, semiconductor device, and thermoelectric device including the composite and/or the carbon composite
A composite including: silicon (Si); a silicon oxide of the formula SiOx, wherein 0
US09959944B2 Self-supporting radial neutron reflector
A nuclear reactor core comprising fissile material is surrounded by a core former. The core former comprises one or more single-piece annular rings wherein each single-piece annular ring comprises neutron-reflecting material. In some embodiments the core former comprises a stack of two or more such single-piece annular rings. In some embodiments the stack of single-piece annular rings is self-supporting. In some embodiments the stack of single-piece annular rings does not include welds or fasteners securing adjacent single-piece annular rings together. A core basket may contain the nuclear reactor core and the core former, and in some embodiments an annular gap is defined between the core former and the core basket. In some embodiments the core former does not include welds and does not include fasteners.
US09959936B1 Temperature-based memory access
The present disclosure describes apparatuses and techniques that enable temperature-based memory access. In some aspects, a request to access a memory device is received. In response to the request, respective temperatures are determined for multiple locations of the memory device. Based on these respective temperatures, a selection can be made of which of the multiple locations to access. Alternately or additionally, an order in which to access the multiple locations can be determined based on the respective temperatures. The location(s) of the memory device are then accessed based on the selection or the determined order effective to minimize an increase in the memory device's temperature.
US09959935B2 Input-output circuit for supporting multiple-input shift register (MISR) function and memory device including the same
An input-output circuit includes a reception circuit and a register circuit. The reception circuit operates in accordance with a normal write protocol commonly in a normal write mode and a test write mode. The reception circuit receives a plurality of input signals to generate a plurality of latch signals. The register circuit generates a plurality of test result signals based on the latch signals in the test write mode. The input-output circuit may perform the multiple-input shift register (MISR) function in accordance with the normal write path and the normal write protocol. The MISR function may be performed efficiently without consideration of additional timing adjustment for the test write operation because the MISR function is performed under the same timing condition as the normal write operation.
US09959930B2 Method for writing into and reading from an atomicity memory using marking pattern
A method for writing data into a reprogrammable non-volatile memory, wherein a marking pattern including several bits is added at the beginning of the data and the set formed of the marking pattern and of the data is written from an address in the memory varying from one write operation to another, the marking pattern being identical for each write operation.
US09959929B2 Memory device and method having on-board processing logic for facilitating interface with multiple processors, and computer system using same
A memory device includes an on-board processing system that facilitates the ability of the memory device to interface with a plurality of processors operating in a parallel processing manner. The processing system includes circuitry that performs processing functions on data stored in the memory device in an indivisible manner. More particularly, the system reads data from a bank of memory cells or cache memory, performs a logic function on the data to produce results data, and writes the results data back to the bank or the cache memory. The logic function may be a Boolean logic function or some other logic function.
US09959925B2 Semiconductor device
A semiconductor device including an active mode and a standby mode as operation modes, includes: a first power source line which accepts the supply of power in the active mode; a second power source line which accepts the supply of power in the active mode and the standby mode; a memory circuit to be coupled with the first and second power source lines; and a first switch which electrically couples the first power source line with the second power source line in the active mode and electrically decouples the first power source line from the second power source line in the standby mode. The memory circuit includes a memory array to be coupled with the second power source line, a peripheral circuit to be coupled with the first power source line, and a second switch which electrically couples the first power source line with the second power source line.
US09959922B2 Semiconductor device having input/output line drive circuit and semiconductor system including the same
A semiconductor system includes a first semiconductor device and a second semiconductor device. The first semiconductor device outputs a command/address signal. The second semiconductor device extracts an active signal, a pre-charge signal, and addresses from the command/address signal, performs an active operation on a memory cell corresponding to the addresses, and performs a refresh operation on the memory cell corresponding to counting signals generated by counting a number of pulses in a refresh signal.
US09959917B2 Output timing control circuit of semiconductor apparatus and method thereof
An output timing control circuit of a semiconductor apparatus may include a strobe signal generation path configured to control a latency and a delay time of an internal signal, and generate a strobe signal. The output timing control circuit may include a first detection block configured to detect a phase difference of the strobe signal and a clock signal, and control the delay time according to the detected phase difference. The output timing control circuit may include a second detection block configured to detect a latency difference of the strobe signal and the internal signal, and control the latency according to the detected latency difference. The internal signal may be generated according to a preset timing of a command received by the strobe signal generation path.
US09959914B2 Memory controller integrated circuit with multiple request ports and link calibration support
A memory system includes a memory controller with multiple command/address ports and a memory device having corresponding request ports. The memory controller issues commands to memory device to cause the memory device to “loop-back” signals conveyed to memory device over one of the command/address ports via a bidirectional data link; these signals can be deterministic test patterns. The memory controller compares the returned information with the originally transmitted patterns to perform calibration. In one embodiment, because the return links are already calibrated, errors can be attributed to issues in the forward links; the memory controller then adjusts timing of the forward links to minimize the errors.
US09959911B2 Memory array and method of forming the same
A memory array includes a first column of memory cells, a second column of memory cells and a set of switching elements. The first column of memory cells includes a first bit line, a first word line and a second bit line. The second column of memory cells includes the second bit line, a second word line and a third bit line. The first and second column of memory cells are configured to share the second bit line. The first and second bit lines are in a first plane. At least a portion of the first word line and at least a portion of the second word line are in a second plane intersecting the first plane. An amount of bit line switching elements in the set of bit line switching elements is equal to N*2, where N is an amount of columns of memory cells in the memory array.
US09959910B2 Offset-printing method for three-dimensional printed memory
The present invention discloses an offset-printing method for a three-dimensional printed memory. The mask-patterns for different memory levels are merged onto a multi-region data-mask. At different printing steps, a wafer is offset by different values with respect to the data-mask. Accordingly, data-patterns from a same data-mask are printed into different memory levels.
US09959906B2 Method and a receiver device configured to mark digital media content
A method and a receiver device configured to mark a media content sequence comprising a succession of media frames. A decoder included in the receiver device selects at least two decoded consecutive media frames from the media content sequence according to a predefined information code previously stored in a configuration setting memory of the receiver device. A marking module associated to the decoder inserts a transition effect between the at least two selected decoded consecutive media frames including a preceding media frame and at least one immediately following media frame. The transition effect is retrieved from a library of transition effects stored in a memory associated to the marking module and applied on the basis of the preceding media frame and the at least one immediately following media frame. The inserted transition effect is then assigned to a secrete symbol associated to all or part of a unique identifier specific to the receiver device which outputs thus a modified sequence of media content comprising at least one transition effect between the at least two selected consecutive media frames.
US09959904B2 Reproduction control apparatus and control method for the same
A reproduction control apparatus comprises an instruction unit configured to give an instruction so as to move a reproduction position of time series data; and a control unit configured to perform, when there is an instruction from the instruction unit to move the reproduction position forward, control to move a current reproduction position forward by a first period in a case where a remaining time from the current reproduction position to a terminal end is longer than a total period of the first period and a second period, and to move the current reproduction position to a position that is the second period before the terminal end in a case where the remaining time is less than or equal to the total period and longer than the second period.
US09959901B1 Inspection method for optical disc
An inspection method for a recordable optical disc includes focusing laser light on a recording layer and obtaining a data signal dependent on the laser light reflected by the recording layer. The inspection method also includes determining whether the optical disc includes a defect or not by identifying a first period every second period in the obtained data signal obtained, the first period being a period in which a signal level of the data signal is lower than a predetermined value, and each of the second periods corresponding to an ECC block, and outputting a result of the determination.
US09959900B1 Compensating tracking error signal offset in optical tape storage systems
Operations include compensating for a Tracking Error Signal (TES) offset in an optical tape drive. The tracking error offset compensation system detects a control signal for controlling movement of an optical head across a surface of a tape. The tracking error offset compensation system computes an estimated movement of the optical head, based on the initial control signal. The tracking error offset compensation system determines an estimated TES offset, based on the estimated movement of the optical head. The tracking error offset compensation system uses the estimated TES offset to correct a TES. The tracking error offset compensation system transmits the corrected TES, for controlling additional movement of the optical head.
US09959899B2 Signal conversion device, processing device, communication system, and signal conversion method
A signal conversion device includes a first converting section configured to convert a clock signal input through a first signal line, a data signal input through a second signal line, and a control signal input through a third signal line, into pulse signals including a first pulse train and a second pulse train; and a transmitting section configured to transmit the first pulse train through a fourth signal line and the second pulse train through a fifth signal line, wherein the control signal is a signal that, through a level transition, causes a control target device to switch between an active state and an inactive state, and wherein the first converting section is configured to put successive pulses into at least one of the first pulse train and the second pulse train in response to the level transition of the control signal.
US09959897B2 User input handling for digital video playback device
User inputs are received from one or more of a plurality of sources at an input interpreter agent. The plurality of sources comprises a remote control device and an on-screen keyboard application. The received user inputs are provided to a digital video object player application, wherein the input interpreter agent is separate from the digital video object player application.
US09959896B1 Optical disc drive
An optical disc drive includes a spindle motor, a first control module and a second control module. The spindle motor includes a turn table for supporting and rotating an optical disc. The first control module includes a first optical pickup head corresponding to a first data layer of the optical disc. The first control module is connected with a host through a first bus to execute a first control command. The second control module includes a second optical pickup head corresponding to a second data layer of the optical disc. The second control module is connected with the host through a second bus to execute a second control command. The first control module and the second control module communicate with each other according to a negotiation signal. Moreover, the spindle motor is operated at a target rotation speed under control of the first control module.
US09959891B2 Method for correcting a mounting position of a disk device on a rack
A method for correcting a mounting position of a disk device on a rack, includes performing a normal seek to position a head of the disk device above a target position on the disk, determining that the normal seek has failed, and performing an excitation seek that causes a position of a base supporting the disk to move and reposition the disk. The disk device includes a carriage arm supporting the head, a voice coil motor configured to drive the carriage arm to position the head, the base supporting the magnetic disk, the voice coil motor, and the carriage arm, and a control unit configured to control a current to the voice coil motor to be supplied with a first current profile during the normal seek and with a second current profile during the excitation seek.
US09959890B2 Magnetoresistive devices and methods for manufacturing magnetoresistive devices
A magnetoresistive device that can include a magnetoresistive stack and an etch-stop layer (ESL) disposed on the magnetoresistive stack. A method of manufacturing the magnetoresistive device can include: depositing the magnetoresistive stack, the ESL and a mask layer on a substrate; performing a first etching process to etch a portion of the mask layer to expose a portion of the ESL; and performing a second etching process to etch the exposed portion of the ESL. The second etching process can also etch a portion of the magnetoresistive stack. The first and second etching processes can be different. For example, the first etching process can be a reactive etching process and the second etching process can be a non-reactive etching process.
US09959886B2 Spectral comb voice activity detection
The various implementations described enable voice activity detection and/or pitch estimation for speech signal processing in, for example and without limitation, hearing aids, speech recognition and interpretation software, telephony, and various applications for smartphones and/or wearable devices. In particular, some implementations include systems, methods and/or devices operable to detect voice activity in an audible signal by determining a voice activity indicator value that is a normalized function of signal amplitudes associated with at least two sets of spectral locations associated with a candidate pitch. In some implementations, voice activity is considered detected when the voice activity indicator value breaches a threshold value. Additionally and/or alternatively, in some implementations, analysis of the audible signal provides a pitch estimate of detectable voice activity.
US09959883B2 Method and system for producing low-noise acoustical impulse responses at high sampling rate
The method and system for measuring low-noise acoustical impulse responses at high sampling rates of the present invention utilizes two exponential sine sweeps (ESSs) to measure the impulse responses. The first ESS is a quick sweep up to the Nyquist frequency to provide an estimate of the system response and sample the ambient noise. This measurement is used to algorithmically determine an appropriate pass-band of the system. A second, slower sweep through the pass-band alone is then executed and a corresponding band-pass filter is applied to the resulting output signal to suppress noise. The result is a measured impulse response with an improved signal-to-noise ratio and a much-reduced pre-response.
US09959882B2 In-car communication howling prevention
Howling or oscillation in an in-vehicle communications system is prevented when the speaker gain or microphone gain is detected as giving rise to a loop gain equal to or greater than one for a particular frequency or band of frequencies or when the rate of gain of a frequency or band of frequencies increases at a rate that indicating howling will occur. Howling is prevented and not just stopped or suppressed, by adjusting the gain of all frequencies prior to the howling actually starting.
US09959878B2 Audio encoder and decoder with dynamic range compression metadata
An audio processing unit (APU) is disclosed. The APU includes a buffer memory configured to store at least one frame of an encoded audio bitstream, where the encoded audio bitstream includes audio data and a metadata container. The metadata container includes a header and one or more metadata payloads after the header. The one or more metadata payloads include dynamic range compression (DRC) metadata, and the DRC metadata is or includes profile metadata indicative of whether the DRC metadata includes dynamic range compression (DRC) control values for use in performing dynamic range compression in accordance with at least one compression profile on audio content indicated by at least one block of the audio data.
US09959873B2 Method for generating unspecified speaker voice dictionary that is used in generating personal voice dictionary for identifying speaker to be identified
A method for generating voice dictionary is disclosed which makes it possible to improve the accuracy of speaker identification. A method according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes: acquiring voices of a plurality of unspecified speakers; acquiring noise in a predetermined place; superimposing the noise onto the voices of the plurality of unspecified speakers; and generating, on the basis of the features of the voices of the plurality of unspecified speakers, unspecified speaker voice dictionary that is used for generating personal voice dictionary for identifying a target speaker.
US09959870B2 Speech recognition involving a mobile device
A system and method of speech recognition involving a mobile device. Speech input is received (202) on a mobile device (102) and converted (204) to a set of phonetic symbols. Data relating to the phonetic symbols is transferred (206) from the mobile device over a communications network (104) to a remote processing device (106) where it is used (208) to identify at least one matching data item from a set of data items (114). Data relating to the at least one matching data item is transferred (210) from the remote processing device to the mobile device and presented (214) thereon.
US09959868B1 Conversational programming interface
Domain specific programming is facilitated through the use of a conversational interface using natural language commands from the user and natural language cues to the user. The natural language conversation provides the actual program and thus can be saved and edited for future use.
US09959865B2 Information processing method with voice recognition
The present invention provides information processing method and electronic apparatus. The method is applied in an electronic apparatus having voice recognition service, and the method includes: obtaining first voice information; recognizing the first voice information by a first recognition model to obtain a first recognition result; deciding whether the first recognition result conforms to a first preset condition; recognizing the first voice information by a second recognition model different from the first recognition model to obtain a second recognition result when the first recognition result conforms to the first preset condition; and controlling the electronic apparatus to execute a corresponding control instruction based on the second recognition result.
US09959861B2 System and method for speech recognition
A method for automated speech recognition includes generating first and second pluralities of candidate speech recognition results corresponding to audio input data using a first general-purpose speech recognition engine and a second domain-specific speech recognition engine, respectively. The method further includes generating a third plurality of candidate speech recognition result including a plurality of words included in one of the first plurality of speech recognition results and at least one word included in another one of the second plurality of speech recognition results, ranking the third plurality of candidate speech recognition results using a pairwise ranker to identify a highest ranked candidate speech recognition result, and operating the automated system using the highest ranked speech recognition result as an input from the user.
US09959859B2 Active noise-control system with source-separated reference signal
The various embodiments set forth an active noise cancellation system that includes a source separation algorithm. The source separation algorithm enables the identification of acoustic inputs from a particular sound source based on a reference signal generated with one or more microphones. Consequently, the identified acoustic inputs can be cancelled or damped in a targeted listening location via an acoustic correction signal, where the acoustic correction signal is generated based on a sound source separated from the reference signal. Advantageously, the reference signal can be generated with a microphone, even though such a reference signal may include a combination of multiple acoustic inputs. Thus, noise sources that cannot be individually measured, for example with an accelerometer mounted to a vibrating structure, can still be identified and actively cancelled.
US09959856B2 Systems and methods for reducing artifacts and improving performance of a multi-path analog-to-digital converter
In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, a processing system may include multiple selectable processing paths for processing an analog signal in order to reduce noise, increase dynamic range, and mask audio artifacts associated with a change in noise floor. Techniques are employed to transition between processing paths and calibrate operational parameters of the two paths in order to reduce or eliminate artifacts caused by switching between processing paths.
US09959855B2 Sound wave metamaterial
A sound wave metamaterial amplifies a sound wave, and includes a plate. The plate has a plurality of sound wave guides passing through both surfaces of the plate and having a predetermined pattern. The sound wave guides are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance and face each other, with respect to a central point, a central axis or a central surface.
US09959854B2 Performance enhancing device and related methods
A performance enhancing device includes a first glove configured to be worn on a first hand of a user. The first glove includes a plurality of finger pockets, at least one pressure sensor secured proximate a distal end of a respective finger pocket and configured to produce an output signal, a processor coupled to the at least one pressure sensor and configured to receive the output signal and translate the output signal to a wireless output signal, and an antenna coupled to the processor and configured to transmit the wireless signal. The performance enhancing device also includes a jacket configured to be worn by the user, where the jacket includes a receiver to receive the wireless output signal, an amplifier coupled to the receiver, and a speaker integrated within the jacket and coupled to the amplifier and configured to produce an audible sound.
US09959853B2 Recording method and recording device that uses multiple waveform signal sources to record a musical instrument
A recording method acquires, from a first musical instrument which outputs playing data which represents playing information, playing data of playing by the first musical instrument; generates a first waveform signal according to the played sounds of the first musical instrument which correspond to the playing data; generates a second waveform signal according to a sound including a sound emitted from the first musical instrument and other sounds; generates a third waveform signal wherein the first waveform signal is subtracted from the second waveform signal; generates audio data from the third waveform signal; and records the audio data.
US09959852B2 Vehicle engine sound extraction
A method includes performing a harmonic decomposition on a target engine sound, thereby to extract each of N harmonics of the target engine sound over an RPM range; and out of the extracted harmonics, extracting phase and shape information for each of the N harmonics over the RPM range for reproducing the target engine sound. The method also includes configuring an engine harmonic enhancement (EHE) system to utilize the extracted phase and shape information to generate an engine harmonic enhancement signal, he(t), to be added on top of a baseline engine sound.
US09959844B2 Capo device
A capo device for selectively altering the pitch range of a stringed instrument, the capo device being adapted to engage a variety of stringed instrument neck sizes and/or geometries while maintaining desired sound and pitch quality.
US09959842B2 On-screen display at thin client
In an aspect of the disclosure, a method, a computer-readable medium, and an apparatus are provided. The apparatus may be a device. The device receives content to be displayed on a screen of the device. The device generates a picture based on the content. The device sends the picture to an on-screen display driver bypassing a thin client operating system of the device. The device replaces at least a portion of pixel data in a frame buffer of the device with the picture. The pixel data is presented on the screen. The device transfers the pixel data in the frame buffer to a display driver of the device. The display driver generates display signals based on the pixel data.
US09959841B2 Image presentation control methods and image presentation control apparatuses
The disclosed subject matter generally relates to image presentation control methods and image presentation control apparatuses. The disclosed subject matter can comprise acquiring at least one piece of background information corresponding to the field of view of at least one eye of a user; adjusting, according to the at least one piece of background information, at least one presentation parameter corresponding to at least one image; and presenting, by means of near-to-eye presentation, the at least one image to the at least one eye according to the at least one presentation parameter that adjusted. In an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter, a presentation parameter corresponding to a to-be-presented image can be adjusted with reference to a content attribute of the image by analyzing a background environment feature of near-to-eye presentation.
US09959835B2 Clock and data recovery circuit detecting unlock of output of phase locked loop
A clock and data recovery circuit in accordance with an embodiment of the inventive concept includes a phase locked loop configured to receive a data stream into which an additional bit is inserted at every reference period to generate parallelized data and a clock signal, and a first detector circuit configured to determine whether the parallelized data is locked based on a bit-conversion of the data stream according to an insertion of the additional bit. The bit-conversion is executed with respect to the additional bits according to a predetermined protocol, or is executed with respect to at least one bit from among data of the data stream between a current one of the additional bits and a next one of the additional bits.
US09959824B2 Narrow bezel flat panel display
A flat panel display includes a display panel comprising a display area and a non-display area which is disposed on a outside of the display area and has at least one recess on one end side thereof; a driving substrate disposed on a rear surface of the display panel; and at least one connection member connected to the display panel and the driving substrate through at least one recess.
US09959823B2 Liquid crystal display device and method of driving the same
According to one embodiment, a liquid crystal display device includes an array substrate, a counter substrate, a liquid crystal layer and a driving unit. The driving unit is configured to perform polarity inversion driving by applying, to the pixel electrode, positive and negative video signals. When applying the video signals to the pixel electrode, the driving unit superposes a correction signal corresponding to a polarity inversion frequency and the gray level on the video signals in advance.
US09959822B2 Liquid crystal display device and electronic device including the liquid crystal display device
In a liquid crystal display device including a plurality of pixels in a display portion and configured to performed display in a plurality of frame periods, each of the frame periods includes a writing period and a holding period, and after an image signal is input to each of the plurality of pixels in the writing period, a transistor included in each of the plurality of pixels is turned off and the image signal is held for at least 30 seconds in the holding period. The pixel includes a semiconductor layer including an oxide semiconductor layer, and the oxide semiconductor layer has a carrier concentration of less than 1×1014/cm3.
US09959817B2 Display and scanning method thereof
A scanning method of a display of the present invention changes a driving order of a plurality of gate driver lines according to a frame data so as to reduce switching currents generated while a plurality of voltages on a plurality of source driver lines are changed. Thereby, the goal of saving power can be reached.
US09959816B2 Fuel dispenser
A system and method for displaying information at a fuel dispenser comprises an electrophoretic display that may be configured to operate in low temperature environments. The fuel dispenser may comprise a keypad located beneath the electrophoretic display in order to present a graphical user interface to a customer and receive the customer's selections. The fuel dispenser may comprise additional electrophoretic displays to present additional information to the consumer.
US09959815B2 Smart pixel lighting and display microcontroller
A light emitting assembly is described. In one embodiment, one or more light emitting diode (LED) devices and one or more microcontrollers are bonded to a same side of a substrate, with the one or more microcontrollers to switch and drive the one or more LED devices.
US09959813B2 Organic light emitting diode display
An organic light emitting diode display including: a substrate including a pixel part for displaying an image and a peripheral part enclosing the pixel part; a plurality of scan lines formed on the substrate, each for transferring a scan signal; a plurality of data lines for transferring a data voltage, and a plurality of driving voltage lines intersecting the plurality of scan lines for transferring a driving voltage, respectively; a plurality of pixels connected to the plurality of scan lines and the plurality of data lines, respectively and formed in the pixel part; and at least one dummy pixel connected to the plurality of scan lines and the plurality of data lines and formed in the peripheral part.
US09959810B2 Organic light emitting display and driving method of operating the same
An organic light emitting display, including a first data line extending along a first direction, a second data line extending along the first direction and disposed parallel to the first data line, a first scan line extending along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, a first pixel connected to the first data line and the first scan line, a second pixel connected to the second data line and the first scan line, a first constant current source connected to the first data line, a second constant current source connected to the second data line, and a temperature information generation unit comprising a first input port connected to the first data line and a second input port connected to the second data line.
US09959807B2 Organic light-emitting display device and driving method thereof
An organic light-emitting display device includes: a display panel; a deterioration threshold value calculator for calculating a deterioration threshold value from values of accumulated image data respectively input to the plurality of pixels; a current sensor for detecting a current amount flowing through pixels in one of first to nth display areas of the display panel in a power-off section of the display panel; and a deterioration amount calculator for defining a deterioration area including a group of pixels from among the pixels each having a value of image data that is equal to or greater than the deterioration threshold value among pixels in the first to nth display areas, and calculating a deterioration amount of the pixels in the deterioration area, wherein the current sensor is configured to detect a current amount flowing through pixels in one of the first to nth display areas in each power-off section.
US09959806B1 Outputting data for display before a device becomes inaccessible
Systems, methods, and computer program products to perform an operation comprising determining a charge level of a battery of a mobile device, and responsive to determining that the charge level is below a minimum threshold, selecting a first data object from a plurality of data objects stored on the mobile device based on predefined criteria, outputting the first data object on a persistent display device of the mobile device, and powering off the mobile device, wherein the first data object remains visible on the persistent display after the mobile device powers off.
US09959805B2 Semiconductor device and module adapted to both MIPI C-PHY and MIPI D-PHY
A semiconductor device includes first to sixth external connection terminals, a first receiver connected to the first and second external connection terminals, a second receiver connected to the third and fourth external connection terminals, a third receiver connected to the fifth and sixth external connection terminals, a C-PHY block, a D-PHY block and a main processing section. The C-PHY block is configured to generate first reception data by performing signal processing on signals received from the first, second and third receivers in accordance with the MIPI C-PHY specification. The D-PHY block is configured to generate second reception data by performing signal processing on signals received from the first, second and third receivers in accordance with the MIPI D-PHY specification. The main processing section is configured to selectively receive the first and second reception data and perform desired processing on the received data.
US09959803B2 Electronic device and method of content display
A device and methods for content display are disclosed. In various embodiments, a method for content display comprises detecting at least one of an open area or a transparent area in a display cover coupled to an electronic device, setting a partial display-area on a display area of the electronic device in response to the detecting, where the partial display-area corresponds to the at least one of the open area or the transparent area, setting content to the partial display-area, displaying the content in the partial display-area.
US09959802B1 System and method for image processing and display device
Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a system and method for image processing, and a display device. The system comprises: a greyscale value selection module for selecting a plurality of color greyscale values for each sub-pixel, the sub-pixel being used for displaying an image; an optimal common voltage determination module for determining an optimal common voltage of each sub-pixel according to the selected color greyscale values for each sub-pixel; a uniformity determination module comprising a flicker uniformity determination module and a common voltage uniformity determination module, the flicker uniformity determination module being used for determining the flicker uniformity of each sub-pixel, the common voltage uniformity determination module being used for determining the common voltage uniformity of each sub-pixel according to the determined flicker uniformity of each sub-pixel; and an image compensation module for compensating each sub-pixel according to at least one of the optimal common voltage of each sub-pixel and the common voltage uniformity of each sub-pixel, thereby improving the residual image and flicker uniformity at the time of image display.
US09959798B2 Display panel driving apparatus for increasing gamma value of image data, method of driving display panel using the same and display apparatus having the same
A display panel driving apparatus includes a data processing circuit, a data driver, and a gate driver. The data processing circuit increases a first gamma value of input image data of which the gamma value is 0, according to a second gamma value of the input image data of which the second gamma value is not 0. The data driving part outputs a data signal based on the output image data to a data line. The gate driving part outputs a gate signal to a gate line.
US09959795B2 Display device and method of driving the same
A display device and a method of driving the same are disclosed. In one aspect, the display device includes a display panel including a plurality of pixels including a first group of pixels and a second group of pixels. The first group of pixels forms a first region and the second group of pixels forms a second region surrounding the first region. A controller is configured to receive input image data, process the input image data corresponding to the first pixels based on a preset first image processing algorithm so as to generate first modified image data, and process the input image data corresponding to the second pixels based on a preset second image processing algorithm so as to generate second modified image data.
US09959793B2 Display system
An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a display system which is related to the field of display technology. The display system enables a display device to be switched between a normal display mode and an anti-peeping display mode. This display system comprises a display device which comprises a display panel for displaying content. The display system further comprises: a display mode switch configured to switch between display modes of the display device, the display modes comprising a normal display mode and an anti-peeping display mode; a signal processor configured to provide signals to the display device, wherein the signal processor provide a normal signal to the display device when the display device is in the normal display mode, and the signal processor provide the normal signal and an interference signal alternately to the display device when the display device is in the anti-peeping display mode; and a shutter eyeglass configured to be enabled when the display device is in the anti-peeping display mode, wherein the shutter eyeglass is in an open state when the signal processor provides the normal signal, and the shutter eyeglass is in a closed state when the signal processor provides the interference signal.
US09959788B2 Multi-layered label for a letter or package
A label includes a first section and a second section that is attached to the first section. The first section includes a panel. The panel includes one or more sides that are detachable from the first section.
US09959785B2 Apparatus and method for laparoscopic skills training
A laparoscopic trainer platform assembly includes: a training platform; a base, configured to accommodate at least one target array; the target array including a planar surface upon which are disposed a plurality of protruding targets oriented at various angles on the base; a left side support for supporting the training platform on the base; and a right side support for supporting the training platform on the base.
US09959784B2 Pregnant abdominal system and associated devices, systems, and methods
Simulated pregnant abdominal systems and associated devices, systems, and methods are provided. The pregnant abdominal systems allow an interactive scenario simulating a routine gestation palpation of a fetal baby, the performance of an external cephalic version as well as the Leopold's Maneuvers. Further, the pregnant abdominal systems can be used as a platform to physically hear the fetus heartbeat using stethoscope, Doppler instrument, or a prenatal monitor. Further, in some implementations the fetus can be visualized using standard ultrasound systems.
US09959783B2 Converting audio to haptic feedback in an electronic device
In general, in one aspect, a method performed by one or more processes executing on a computer systems includes receiving an audio signal comprising a range of audio frequencies including high frequencies and low frequencies, converting a first portion of the range of audio frequencies into haptic data, shifting a second portion of the range of audio frequencies down to lower audio frequencies, and presenting at least one of the converted first portion and the shifted second portion to a human user. Other implementations of this aspect include corresponding systems, apparatus, and computer program products.
US09959781B2 Navigation system
The technology disclosed herein includes a navigation system for a visually impaired person to navigate a public restroom. The navigation system may include a plurality of fixtures, a plurality of installations, wherein each installation is electronically connected to a fixture, and an electronic device, the electronic device configured to receive auditory or tactile signals from each installation and produce a signal indicative of a fixture location. The plurality of fixtures may include a toilet, a urinal, a sink, a soap dispenser, and a hand drying apparatus.
US09959780B2 Real-time driver observation and progress monitoring
In an embodiment, movement-data is gathered with one or more sensors (e.g., accelerometers, GPS receivers, etc.) during a driver's driving session. A score may be calculated for the driving session, and the driver's progress is evaluated by a driver-evaluation system. A driving session report or graphical user-interface (GUI) is generated with a computer processor and displayed at a display device. The displayed report or GUI includes a graphic representing the driver's progress relative to historical data.
US09959774B2 Systems and methods for displaying obstacle-avoidance information during surface operations
Systems and methods for aiding in pilot awareness of obstacles relative to aircraft features. An exemplary processor receives sensor information from one or more sensors mounted in an aircraft feature (e.g. light modules), determines if at least one obstacle is located within a predefined field of view based on the received sensor or database information and generates an image. The image includes an ownship icon having at least one feature representing wingtips of the aircraft and at least one indicator associated with the determined at least one obstacle. A display device presents the generated image. The display device presents a tip of a first sense coverage area adjacent to one wingtip feature associated with the port wing and a tip of the second sense coverage area adjacent to one wingtip feature associated with the starboard wing. The indicator is presented within at least one of the coverage areas.
US09959773B2 Transportation using network of unmanned aerial vehicles
Embodiments described herein include a delivery system having unmanned aerial delivery vehicles and a logistics network for control and monitoring. In certain embodiments, a ground station provides a location for interfacing between the delivery vehicles, packages carried by the vehicles and users. In certain embodiments, the delivery vehicles autonomously navigate from one ground station to another. In certain embodiments, the ground stations provide navigational aids that help the delivery vehicles locate the position of the ground station with increased accuracy.
US09959762B1 Apparatus and method for generating warning in vehicle
An apparatus and a method for warning in a vehicle generates a warning based on a distance in order to avoid a problem that may occur when a collision warning is generated based on only a time required for a collision. The method of generating a warning in a vehicle includes: obtaining a distance and a relative speed of the vehicle to a target vehicle ahead; obtaining a time required for a collision with the target vehicle from the distance and the relative speed; and generating a warning when at least one of a first condition in which the time required for the collision is equal to or less than a predetermined warning generation time and a second condition in which the distance is equal to or less than a predetermined warning generation distance is satisfied.
US09959761B2 System and method for locating available parking spaces
This application is directed to a system and method for locating parking spaces. A user can enter the desired location for parking and the application will transmit the information to a parking information database server. The server will return the location of parking spaces and probability of space availability. In addition, the database includes detailed parking information to include price, hours, and any special restrictions. These results can be depicted as a list or graphically displayed on a street map, satellite map or hybrid map views. Filters can be applied to find a specific type of parking available. The application provides real-time availability information in areas where the infrastructure to generate such data is available via sources such as on-street sensors or parking lot barrier systems. The system uses various secondary information to adjust historical observations of space availability in order to make provide accurate space predictions.
US09959756B2 Transmission of targeted roadway alerts
A method and apparatus for transmission of targeted roadway alerts. A server receives a first description of an incident. The server determines an impact area of the incident based on the description. The server generates a geographic polygon based on the impact are of the incident. The server overlays the geographic polygon on a first cellular map and transmits an alert message to one or more devices located within a cell of the first cellular map that contains at least a portion of the geographic polygon.
US09959744B2 Method and system for providing alerts for radio communications
A method and system for providing alerts for radio communications are provided. One or more keywords are generated based on one or more contextual parameters associated with a radio device. An audio stream is received at the radio device from a radio transmitter. One or more of the one or more keywords are detected in the audio stream, and an alert for the audio stream is provided to a user of the radio device.
US09959742B2 Liability intervention logistical innovation system and method
A system and method are disclosed that are able to identify and distinguish persons as soon as they enter or exit a hospital room or any room occupied by a patient who is receiving medical or dental services. After a person who has entered a hospital room has been identified, this person may be required to sanitize his/her hands in order to comply with an established protocol. Therefore, a second identification may take place at the hand sanitization station. The system may confirm that the same person was identified by a first read by the RFID antennas upon entering the room and by a second read by the RFID antennas upon completing the hand sanitization procedure. If no hand sanitization takes place, visual and/or auditory stimuli may be generated as a reminder. Persons and their hand sanitization performances may be used diagnostically to identify and remedy potential contamination events and/or determine the source and mode of transmission of a nosocomial infection. This information may be returned in real-time as well as stored in a database.
US09959738B2 Reciprocating machinery monitoring system and method
A method and system for monitoring at least one reciprocating machine having a crankshaft and at least one cylinder, comprising providing at least one sensor for monitoring the at least one cylinder, the sensor being in communication with at least one processor configured to measure at least one signal from the at least one sensor and to thereby determine an angular position of the crankshaft; selecting at least one subset of potential crankshaft angular positions; calculating at least one statistic associated with the at least one subset of possible crankshaft angular positions based at least partially on data from the at least one sensor; and automatically providing a user with at least one warning or automatically shutting down the machine if the at least one statistic exceeds at least one predetermined threshold; wherein, the at least one sensor comprises at least one acoustic emission sensor.
US09959736B2 System and method for monitoring and controlling a transformer
A system, a method and a computer program to monitor a plurality of transformer operating parameters, as well as to accurately control one or more of the transformer operating parameters. Also, the system and method may calculate loss of life and give diagnosis for recovery and provide maintenance notification, along with monitoring the operation of the LTC.
US09959735B2 Air quality detection module
Embodiments relate generally to systems and methods for detecting harmful substances in the ambient air around a user, such as particulate matter and toxic gases, and communicating this information to the user and other interested parties. In certain areas, the ambient air in a city or area may sometimes contain harmful gases and/or particulates. People may be encouraged to wear and/or carry certain PPE devices, such as masks, to protect themselves from the harmful substances in the air. However, a user may not always know when they are breathing in a harmful substance and should be wearing a mask. Also, a method may comprise activating an alarm to user to when environment is polluted, and alerting the user when to wear the respiratory mask. Additionally, a system may provide information on where a user may be able to obtain a mask or other PPE, based on the detected harmful substance.
US09959733B2 Devices, systems, and methods for detecting falls
Devices, systems, and methods are disclosed for detecting falls and transmitting notifications. One embodiment includes a wearable device. The wearable device may include a first sensor configured to collect acceleration data, and at least one of a second sensor configured to collect pressure data or a third sensor configured to collect temperature data. The wearable device may also include an antenna and a processor. The wearable device may also include a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to receive the acceleration data and at least one of the pressure data or the temperature data, process the acceleration data and at least one of the pressure data or the temperature data, and control, when the processor determines that a person falls, the antenna to transmit a signal.
US09959731B2 Dynamic perimeter alert system
A system for making sure that two wireless devices (a perimeter-anchoring device and a constrained device) are not separated too far apart by having a dynamic perimeter that follows the perimeter-anchoring device as it moves. In some embodiments, the size and/or shape of the perimeter is controlled by machine logic based rules, based at least in part, upon a set of environmental factor(s). Some possible environmental factors include: line of sight, pollution, noise level, presence of stranger(s), streets, traffic, body(ies) of water, contamination, allergen, or blocking obstruction(s).
US09959730B2 Location tracking system
A location tracking system for allowing a user to monitor the location of an abuser who has been issued a restraining order. The tracking system includes a monitoring unit to be carried by the user that is in wireless communication with a monitored unit to be worn by the abuser. The monitoring unit includes a housing having a display screen thereon, wherein the display screen shows the location of the monitoring unit and the location of the monitored unit. The monitoring unit is configured to determine the distance of separation between the monitoring unit and monitored unit. The monitoring unit includes an alarm unit that will produce an audible alert if the distance of separation drops below a predetermined minimum distance.
US09959727B2 Handling visitor interaction at a smart-home in a do not disturb mode
This patent specification relates to apparatus, systems, methods, and related computer program products for providing home security/smart home objectives. More particularly, this patent specification relates to a plurality of devices, including intelligent, multi-sensing, network-connected devices, that communicate with each other and/or with a central server or a cloud-computing system to provide any of a variety of useful home security/smart home objectives.
US09959726B2 System and method of airflow monitoring for variable airflow environments
A method of operating an aspirated smoke detector includes providing an ambient condition detector, establishing a first flow baseline for the detector, establishing a second, lower, flow baseline for the detector, sampling a selected airflow, and determining if the slected airflow as sampled should be compared to the first flow baseline or the second, lower, flow baseline, and responsive thereto, determining if a trouble indictor should be generated.
US09959724B2 Apparatus and method for indicating status of hydrogen tank based on vehicle fire
An apparatus and a method of indicating safety of a hydrogen tank when a vehicle fire occurs are provided. The apparatus includes a hydrogen storing tank and a thermal pressure relief device (TPRD) mounted within a valve of the hydrogen storing tank. In addition, a controller is configured to detect a flow rate of hydrogen discharged from the hydrogen storing tank, using a sensor to determine whether the detected flow rate of discharged hydrogen is within a predetermined reference flow rate range. The controller is also configured to transmit a warning signal when the detected flow rate of discharged hydrogen is included within the predetermined reference flow rate range.
US09959722B1 Methods for determining patterns of presence and ownership of mobile devices by integrating video surveillance with smartphone WiFi monitoring
A method is described for using a surveillance system to covertly and automatically determine the presence of persons and machines that do not want to be tracked and whose identities are unknown. Video is provided by one or more surveillance cameras and recorders to assist in visually distinguishing bearers of WiFi-equipped mobile devices. A processing device covertly receives WiFi probes from mobile devices, particularly smartphones, and forms and sends messages with links for viewing relevant live and recorded video. The processing device processes WiFi information, particularly mobile device signatures known as WiFi MAC addresses, organizes and records MAC addresses and other information, analyzes patterns of previous presence of MAC addresses using a variety of parameters, adjusts its processing parameters, determines when the reception of WiFi information from particular mobile devices satisfy criteria for sending messages, and presents its analysis for review and collaboration.
US09959721B1 Anti-theft system and operating method thereof
An anti-theft system and an operating method are provided. The anti-theft system includes a wearable device and a portable electronic device. The wearable device includes a first wireless module and a first processing module. The portable electronic device includes a second wireless module, a second processing module and a positioning module. The first wireless module and the second wireless module are in a wireless connection with each other. The second wireless module detects a received signal strength indicator value of the wireless connection. If the received signal strength indicator value is lower than a predetermined signal strength value, the positioning module is enabled to generate plural position data within a predetermined time period. Moreover, the second processing module calculates a displacement of the portable electronic device according to the plural position data and determines whether a warning mode is enabled according to the displacement.
US09959719B2 Adjustable door sensor
An entry sensor, which supports either wireless or wired operation, facilitates installation and is adjustable for gaps between a building entry barrier such as a door or window and the surrounding frame. The sensor, which may be implemented as a single piece design, includes an adjustment mechanism that enables an installer to vary the extension of the sensor to match the actual gap so that the sensor properly secures the building entry when closed. The sensor includes a detector that determines the state of a switch that is responsive to the movement of a plunger mechanism, where the state is indicative whether the building entry barrier is opened or closed, and that may determine whether the sensor is tampered with. The sensor also may facilitate battery replacement that protects the associated circuitry during the replacement.
US09959718B2 Door alarm
An alarm for a door is operable to generate an alarm signal when a rotary grip member of the door is rotated to a particular position, such as an unlocked position. The alarm comprises a housing having a strap retainer configured to receive and retain a strap to hold the housing to the rotary grip member. The alarm comprises a tilt switch for switching when the housing is tilted. Control circuitry is interconnected to the tilt switch and to an annunciator and is operable to activate the annunciator dependent on a state of the tilt switch.
US09959715B2 Sleep inhibition assembly
A sleep inhibition assembly for inhibiting a driver from falling asleep includes a housing that may be manipulated. A vibration unit is coupled to the housing and the vibration unit vibrates the housing. The vibration unit may be placed in a mouth. Thus, the vibration unit may inhibit a driver from falling asleep.
US09959711B2 Method for integrating games with digital media
A method for integrating game products with sale and dissemination of digital media to players includes providing for players to purchase digital media for download at a purchase price that enters the player into a game wherein the player's downloaded digital media determines whether or not the player has won in the game. The purchased downloads are downloaded from a library, wherein a number of the digital media are stored in the library in their original format, and a defined number of the digital media stored in the library are modified from their original format to include an auditory or visual indication of a winning lottery play. The players download and listen to or view their downloaded digital media to determine if they have purchased a winning digital media in the lottery game. Players losing in the lottery game may be provided a downloaded digital media in its original format.
US09959710B2 Proximity based games and computer-implemented methods and computer systems for playing thereof
The present invention provides for a game-operating computer system, including: at least one server and game-operating software stored on a non-transient computer readable medium accessible by the server, where the at least one server, executing game-operating software, is at least configured to: generate an instance of a proximity game, where the instance of the proximity game is played based on the following rules: a) selecting a plurality of winning values from a pool of values, b) electronically receiving a first plurality of player-selected values from the pool of values, c) electronically receiving a second plurality of player-selected values from the pool of values, d) comparing the player-selected values with the winning values, where at least one player-selected value is not equal to at least one winning values; and e) determining at least one winning player from the at least one first player and the at least one second player.
US09959707B2 Passively triggered wagering system
An electronic gaming machine that provides passively triggered wagering is disclosed. In an entertainment game, passively actuated enabling elements are provided. Passively actuated enabling elements are enabling elements that are consumed through game play of the entertainment game but not directly through player action by a player. An entertainment system engine of the gambling hybrid game provides the entertainment game and determines when a passively actuated enabling element is consumed in the game. A game world controller of the gambling hybrid game determines when a gambling event in a gambling game is to be provided based upon the consumption of the passively actuated enabling element. The game world controller then requests that a real world engine of the gambling hybrid game resolve the gambling event in the gambling game. The real world engine then resolves the gambling event and associated wagers on the outcome of the gambling event.
US09959704B2 System and method for direct charitable contributions from gaming apparatus
An electronic wagering system may have a player input system, a game processor and a random outcome wagering event system in communication with the game processor. The electronic wagering system receives wagers on a wagering event generating a random outcome event that is used to determine outcomes on received wagers. The processor accounts for wagers placed, credits entered, wagers lost and wagers won and credit status. When the gaming system does not require a contribution to a non-gaming institution, the player input system must contain a specific control that enables a player to input instructions on each of or at least one of recipient(s) of a charitable contribution, amount of contribution from either credit status or directly from winnings before being contributed to the credit status.
US09959701B2 System and method for dynamically presenting live remote dealer games
A system for allowing players to play a plurality of games is described herein. The system includes a display device for displaying games to a player and a controller that is coupled to the display device. The controller is configured to display at least one of a first game and a second game on the display device, receive an image of a physical gaming table, and display the gaming table on the display device. The controller receives a signal indicative of a first player hand being dealt by the dealer, receives a signal indicative of a second player hand being dealt by the dealer, determines a first outcome of the first game as a function of the first player hand, and determines a second outcome of the second game as a function of the second player hand.
US09959700B2 System and method for secured delivery of creatives
A method of creating and delivering an on-demand audio asset for inclusion in a creative is described. The method includes the steps of accessing a central processing environment, requesting at least one recording of at least a portion of an audio transmission generated from a communication device, generating at least one audio asset, adding the audio asset to a pool of related assets stored in a vault connected to the central processing environment, selecting the generated audio asset and at least one other related asset from the pool of related assets to form a creative, then requesting delivery of the creative to another communication device, and finally delivering the creative to the other communication device. The method is performed in part by a creative composition engine, which is also described. The engine includes a central processing environment having a processor, a digital recorder and a digital asset storage vault.
US09959699B2 Method for assembling a luminaire within an autonomous luminaire assembly and vending system
A system for assembling a luminaire comprising a housing, a computer-controlled manipulation device, and a parts repository defined within the housing and configured to carry a plurality of light modules, a plurality of luminaire housings of various luminaire housing types, and a plurality of optics of various optic types. The system further comprises a programming device configured to program a light module of the plurality of light modules to emit light having lighting characteristics. Each of the light modules are configured to be removably couplable to the computer-controlled manipulation device. The luminaire housings each comprise a locking tab configured to permit the respective light modules to engage therewith, thereby enabling attachment of the respective light modules to the respective luminaire housings. Each of the optics comprise a locking tab configured to permit a respective luminaire housing to engage therewith, enabling attachment of the respective luminaire housing to the respective optic.
US09959698B2 Item dispensing apparatus
Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to a dispenser configured for storing one or more items and dispensing the stored items to authorized users. According to various embodiments, the dispenser generally includes a housing defining an interior portion dimensioned to receive a plurality of items and an access assembly configured to prevent unauthorized user access to the interior portion of the dispenser while providing selective access to certain items in response to input received from an authorized user. According to various embodiments, the access assembly comprises a pair of flexible barriers coupled to a sliding door assembly, which includes one or more lockable access doors. Together, the door assembly and flexible barriers prevent access to the interior of the dispenser when in a locked configuration and permit access to certain items when in an unlocked configuration.
US09959697B2 Laboratory container transfer device
A laboratory vial transfer device for automatically transferring laboratory vials from a transport package containing a plurality of said vials, comprising: a vial feeder configured to connect to the transport package after the package has been opened, so as to feed vials directly from the package without manual contact, wherein the vial feeder comprises a rotatable carousel having a plurality of vial receiving positions located on the carousel each for receiving a single vial and adapted to collect the vials from the opened package into respective vial receiving positions upon operation of the carousel, wherein the carousel is operable to feed the vials from their respective vial receiving positions to an exit position.
US09959688B2 Portable wireless key
In a portable wireless key, decoration fitting portions provided at ends of a pair of side portions of a metal decoration member are fitted in decoration receiving portions of a wireless key body, and a decoration engaging portion provided at a connecting portion of the metal decoration member is engaged with a decoration engagement portion of the wireless key body. Further, a switch operation cover is fixed to an assembled unit of the wireless key body and the metal decoration member. Thus, durability in dropping can be improved without complicating an assembling work of the metal decoration member and without increasing the number of components and costs, and it is easy to address switch variations without increasing initial costs.
US09959685B2 Method and system for selectively blending buildings to improve route visibility in a 3D navigation system
The present invention relates to a method and system for selectively blending buildings to improve route visibility in a 3D navigation system. A method for displaying a 3D map may include: detecting whether or not an object to be displayed on a map screen intersects with a route guiding line on the map screen with the object intersecting the route guiding line being blended therewith.
US09959683B2 Method of determining the position of an object using projections of markers or struts
A 3-D model of a body part is created by using an object comprising markers, fixation members, and struts. The method involves first and second roentgenograms of the body part and the object disposed between an x-ray source and an x-ray imager. It then determines first and second sets of distances between projections of the markers or the struts, and determines first and second 3-D positions of the x-ray source and of the object with respect to the x-ray imager using predetermined distances between the markers or struts and the first and second sets of distances between their projections. The method then aligns the first and second 3-D object projections in a 3-D reference frame using the 3-D positions of the markers or struts with respect to the x-ray imager in the two orientations. The method creates the 3-D model of the object based on the 3-D object projections.
US09959678B2 Face and eye tracking using facial sensors within a head-mounted display
A head mounted display (HMD) in a VR system includes sensors for tracking the eyes and face of a user wearing the HMD. The VR system records calibration attributes such as landmarks of the face of the user. Light sources illuminate portions of the user's face covered by the HMD. In conjunction, facial sensors capture facial data. The VR system analyzes the facial data to determine the orientation of planar sections of the illuminated portions of face. The VR system aggregates planar sections of the face and maps the planar sections to landmarks of the face to generate a facial animation of the user, which can also include eye orientation information. The facial animation is represented as a virtual avatar and presented to the user.
US09959675B2 Layout design using locally satisfiable proposals
A “Layout Optimizer” provides various real-time iterative constraint-satisfaction methodologies that use constraint-based frameworks to generate optimized layouts that map or embed virtual objects into environments. The term environment refers to combinations of environmental characteristics, including, but not limited to, 2D or 3D scene geometry or layout, scene colors, patterns, and/or textures, scene illumination, scene heat sources, fixed or moving people, objects or fluids, etc., any of which may evolve or change over time. A set of parameters are specified or selected for each object. Further, the environmental characteristics are determined automatically or specified by users. Relationships between objects and/or the environment derived from constraints associated with objects and the environment are then used to iteratively determine optimized self-consistent and scene-consistent object layouts. This enables the Layout Optimizer to augment environments with arbitrary content in a structured constraint-based process that adapts to changing scenes or environments.
US09959672B2 Color-based dynamic sub-division to generate 3D mesh
Techniques for dynamically subdividing a 3D mesh to enhance texture and color reproduction are provided. In embodiments, a high-resolution image of an object is received, where the high-resolution image is mapped to a 3D mesh of the object. The high-resolution image has a higher resolution than the 3D mesh. Degrees of color variation in the high-resolution image are detected. Weights are calculated for areas of the 3D mesh based on the degrees of color variation in the high-resolution image. One or more of the areas of the 3D mesh is subdivided based on the calculated weights. Color values from the high-resolution image are then assigned to the 3D mesh.
US09959670B2 Method for rendering terrain
The present invention relates to a method for rendering a multi-resolution terrain using GPU tessellation.A method for rendering a terrain using GPU tessellation according to an embodiment of the present invention may include: generating a quad patch to which an inner tessellation factor and an edge tessellation factor are allocated by using a quadtree including a parent node and child nodes; generating a base mesh b using the quad patch; and restoring a terrain by applying a displacement map to the base mesh.
US09959668B2 Virtual surface compaction
Virtual surface update and composition techniques are described. These techniques include support of initialization and batching of updates, use of updates and lookaside lists, use of gutters, blending and BLT operations, surface optimization techniques such as push down as well as enumeration and clumping, mesh usage, and occlusion management techniques.
US09959664B2 Adaptive polynomial rendering
Embodiments can provide adaptive image filtering. Under this approach, image quality can be enhanced by adjusting an approximation function to better adapt image signals in different parts of an image. Certain parts of the image may be enhanced using a certain approximation function while some other parts of the image may be enhanced using a different approximation function. In certain embodiments, the approximation function selected for a part of the image can be a polynomial function having a specific order. The specific polynomial order can be applied directly to obtain an estimated image value of the part of the image. In certain embodiments, the estimation of the reconstruction error can include iteratively estimating a bias term of the reconstruction error and a variance term of the reconstruction error.
US09959663B2 System and method for generating procedural textures on an object
A system and method for generating textures on an object from physical ink data and physical applicator data, including: receiving, by a module for generating a rendering outside the object (RHO), the physical ink and physical applicator data and transforming this data to provide a rendering outside the object comprising compatible physical data for projection against a target object regardless of the projection mode; receiving, by a module for transforming RHO, the previously obtained RHO data, and adapting this data for a given rendering projection mode; and receiving, by a module for integrating the physical parameters, the data of the object, the data of the set of textures, the transformed RHO data, and generating a new set of textures for said objects.
US09959661B2 Method and device for processing graphics data in graphics processing unit
Provide are a methods and devices for processing graphics data in a graphics processing unit (GPU). The method of processing graphics data includes receiving, at a processor, a difference of Gaussian (DOG) layer of an image, detecting, from the received DOG layer, a candidate DOG layer of the image as an intermediate layer, detecting at least one extreme point by comparing values of the candidate DOG layer with values of a previous DOG layer and a next DOG layer, and storing the at least one extreme point in a buffer.
US09959660B2 Method and device for image processing
A device for image processing includes a first queue, a second queue, a cache, and a processor. The first queue is capable of receiving a first image tile. The processor is electrically connected to the first queue, the second queue, and the cache, respectively. The processor is capable of obtaining the first image tile from the first queue and obtaining mask information of the background mask corresponding to the first tile from the cache. The processor determines the relationship between the first image tile and the background mask based on the first image tile and the mask information so as to selectively transfer the first image tile to the second queue.
US09959659B2 Tile-based rendering apparatus and method for rendering 3D graphics using binning information and property information
A tile-based rendering method includes performing binning of a current frame; generating an identification code of binning information or property information of a tile to be rendered in the current frame; comparing the identification code of the tile to be rendered to an identification code of a previous tile, wherein a location of the previous tile in a previous frame is the same as a location of the tile to be rendered in the current frame; and rendering the current frame by either re-using an image stored in a frame buffer or performing pixel processing of the tile to be rendered depending on a result of the comparing.
US09959658B2 Methods and systems for generating holographic animations
Methods and systems are described herein for improved techniques for consuming and interacting with media content. Specifically, the media guidance application may generate holographic animations that move from a holographic structure from which a user has selected a media asset and direct the user to a display device capable of presenting the media asset. For example, in response to a user selecting a baseball movie from a holographic bookcase, the media guidance application may generate for display a holographic baseball that is “thrown” from the bookcase to a television that will present the baseball movie.
US09959656B2 System and method for animating collision-free sequences of motions for objects placed across a surface
Embodiments of the invention set forth a technique for animating objects placed across a surface of a graphics object. A CAD application receives a set of motions and initially applies a different motion in the set of motions to each object placed across the surface of the graphics object. The CAD application calculates bounding areas of each object according to the current motion applied thereto, which are subsequently used by the CAD application to identify collisions that are occurring or will occur between the objects. Identified collisions are cured by identifying valid motions in the set of motions that can be applied to a colliding object and then calculating bounding areas for the valid motions to select a valid motion that, when applied to the object, does not cause the object to collide with any other objects.
US09959654B2 Selection of animation data for a data-driven model
A set of animation data for an element in an animation is statistically sampled to obtain a common context. The common context is a subset of a plurality of frames of the set of animation data. Further, output of a data-driven model for the animation, which utilizes at least a subset of the common context, is compared with output of a computational model for the animation. The computational model has a first set of logic. The data-driven model has a second set of logic that has less logic than the first set of logic. In addition, an error between the computational model and the data-driven model is computed.
US09959652B2 Display method and terminal
The present disclosure provides a display method and a terminal. The display method comprises: identifying a background picture on a screen interface of a terminal; and when the background picture comprises a preset object, ensuring that there is no display content shielding a display region of the preset object on the screen interface. By using the technical solution of the present disclosure, it is avoided that display content on a terminal shields a preset object on a background picture, so that the preset object can be fully displayed, which helps to improve use experience of a user.
US09959650B2 Method and device for merging graphic layers
A method for merging graphic layers is provided. The method includes: receiving a plurality of graphic layers in a current frame; assigning sequence numbers to the graphic layers according to an overlay order; judging whether a first graphic layer and a second graphic layer vary in a period; merging the first graphic layer with the second graphic layer when judging that the first graphic layer and the second graphic layer do not vary in the period; and displaying the graphic layers in order of the sequence numbers according to the sequence numbers, wherein the first graphic layer and the second graphic layer are adjacent graphic layers.
US09959649B2 Image compositing device and image compositing method
It is an object to generate a desired composite image in which a motion area of a subject is correctly composited.A difference image between a base target and an aligned swap target is generated (S1021), and an extracted contour in the difference image is determined according to the active contour model (S1022). The inner area of the contour and the outer area of the contour are painted with different colors to be color-coded so as to generate a mask image for alpha blending (S1023). Using the mask image thus generated, the swap target that is aligned with respect to the base target is composited with the base target of the base image by alpha blending (S1024).
US09959648B2 Medical image display apparatus and control method therefor
A medical image display apparatus which displays, in a display screen, a display image having undergone gray level transform of changing number of gray levels of a medical image, obtains a representative value of pixel values concerning a region of a block, in the medical image, which corresponds to each partial region in a region designated in the display image. The medical image display apparatus sets a specific region in the display screen so as to include the designated region, and superimposes/displays and arranges obtained representative values on the specific region in correspondence with the arrangement of the partial regions.
US09959641B1 Methods and systems for seamless transitioning in interactive mapping systems
Methods and systems are disclosed for providing displays of maps or mapping objects in a mapping application or system, wherein transitions between the maps or mapping objects is provided seamlessly and/or with orientation(s) preserved based a user interface device control actuation.
US09959637B2 Method and apparatus for processing border of computer figure to be merged into background image
The disclosure is related to a method and a computer apparatus for processing a border of a computer figure and merging the figure into a background image. In the method, a user interface is provided for the user to operate the computer figure through a touch screen. The computer figure is configured to be merged into a background image, or a specific image object. The computer figure is processed by performing a border-treatment algorithm when it is moved and combined with the background image. In the process of border-treatment, the graphic information of the background image is taken into consideration. The computer figure is allowed to be well merged into the background image by considering the background's graphic information when the images are combined. Therefore, a visual effect of fusing the images can be achieved.
US09959635B2 State determination device, eye closure determination device, state determination method, and storage medium
A state determination device includes a calculator that receives multiple eye region images captured at different timings in a time interval from when a person opening eyes closes the eyes to when the person opens the eyes next and calculates a luminance value relating to multiple pixels included in each of the eye region images and a determiner, wherein the determiner calculates a time interval from a first time point when the luminance value relating to the pixels reaches a predetermined first luminance value for the first time to a second time point when the luminance value relating to the pixels reaches a second luminance value after the first time point; if a time interval from the first time point to the second time point is a first time interval, the determiner determines that the person is in a first state; if the time interval from the first time point to the second time point is a second time interval which is shorter than the first time interval, the determiner determines that the person is in a second state which differs from the first state; and the determiner outputs a determination result.
US09959630B2 Background model for complex and dynamic scenes
Systems and methods for viewing a scene depicted in a sequence of video frames and identifying and tracking objects between separate frames of the sequence. Each tracked object is classified based on known categories and a stream of context events associated with the object is generated. A sequence of primitive events based on the stream of context events is generated and stored together, along with detailed data and generalized data related to an event. All of the data is then evaluated to learn patterns of behavior that occur within the scene.
US09959628B2 Imaging system for object recognition and assessment
A method and system for using one or more sensors configured to capture two-dimensional and/or three dimensional image data of one or more objects. In particular, the method and system combine one or more digital sensors with visible and near infrared illumination to capture visible and non-visible range spectral image data for one or more objects. The captured spectral image data can be used to separate and identify the one or more objects. Additionally, the three-dimensional image data can be used to determine a volume for each of the one or more objects. The identification and volumetric data for one or more objects can be used individually or in combination to obtain characteristics about the objects. The method and system provide the user with the ability to capture images of one or more objects and obtain related characteristics or information about each of the one or more objects.
US09959626B2 Three-dimensional depth perception method and apparatus with an adjustable working range
The present invention discloses a three-dimensional depth perception method and apparatus with an adjustable working range. The method comprises: setting a working range mode from the external or by an adaptive adjustment, projecting encoded patterns into a corresponding working range by adjusting a driving current of a laser pattern projector driving circuit, adjusting a receiving camera focal length and a baseline distance, collecting a sequence of projected encoded images and feeding them into a depth perception module that adjusts control parameters for image preprocessing based on the working range mode, selecting, from a group of reference encoded images in coincidence with the working range mode to perform block-matching-based disparity computation and depth computation to the inputted encoded image sequence, and outputting a depth image sequence. A three-dimensional depth perception apparatus with an adjustable working range is implemented based on the method. The apparatus facilitates optimization and real-time implementation of the depth perception computation method and makes it adapted to different working ranges, thereby breaking through application limits of the existing three-dimensional depth perception apparatuses.
US09959625B2 Method for fast camera pose refinement for wide area motion imagery
The present invention provides a method for fast, robust and efficient BA pipeline (SfM) for wide area motion imagery (WAMI). The invention can, without applying direct outliers filtering (e.g. RANSAC) or re-estimation of the camera parameters (e.g. essential matrix estimation) efficiently refine noisy camera parameters in very short amounts of time. The method is highly robust owing to its adaptivity with the persistency factor of each track. The present invention highly suitable for sequential aerial imagery, particularly for WAMI, where camera parameters are available from onboard sensors.
US09959623B2 Display of an annotation representation
A method comprising causing display of a map information representation that represents map information, the map information comprising physical object information that characterizes a physical object, the map information representation comprising a physical object representation that represents the physical object, receiving information indicative of an annotation, generating an association between the physical object information and the annotation, identifying a portion of the physical object representation that is a face representation of the physical object based, at least in part, on the association between the physical object information and the annotation, generating an annotation representation that illustrates the annotation as a texture on a polygon, the polygon corresponding with the face representation, and causing display of the annotation representation in relation to the face representation is disclosed.
US09959622B2 Method and apparatus for supporting diagnosis of region of interest by providing comparison image
Technology related to an apparatus and method for supporting a diagnosis of a lesion is provided. The apparatus includes a standard image determiner to determine, as a standard image, an image where a region of interest (ROI) is detected among a plurality of images received from an image collecting device, a candidate image extractor to extract one or more candidate images with respect to the determined standard image, a comparison image selector to select one or more comparison images for supporting a diagnosis of the ROI from the one or more candidate images, and an interface to provide a user with an output result of the standard image and the one or more selected comparison images.
US09959620B2 Fluoroscopic pose estimation
Methods and systems for registering three-dimensional (3D) CT image data with two-dimensional (2D) fluoroscopic image data using a plurality of markers are disclosed. In the methods and systems, a lateral angle and a cranial angle are searched for and a roll angle is computed. 3D translation coordinates are also computed. The calculated roll angle and 3D translation coordinates are computed for a predetermined number of times successively. After performing the calculations, the 3D CT image data is overlaid on the 2D fluoroscopic image data based on the lateral angle, the cranial angle, the roll angle, and the 3D translation coordinates.
US09959616B2 Device for reading resistor value with computer vision and method thereof
Disclosed are a cost-effective light source device that can eliminate highlights or hotspots and reduce halo phenomenon on resistor surface and a method for reading resistor value with computer vision, in which an image of a body of a resistor is extracted through irradiation by an annular light source and reflection by a replaceable diffuse reflection hood such as paper box, paper bowl, or paper cup inside pasted with white paper and extraction by an image extraction device, followed by a series of image processing operations conducted by a control unit to calculate a disposition angle of the resistor in an image. Luminous elements on opposite axial ends of the resistor are activated, according to the disposition angle, for illumination, while luminous elements on opposite lateral sides of the resistor are shut down so that a clear color resistor image can be obtained.
US09959609B2 System for detecting image abnormalities
Image capture systems including a moving platform; an image capture device having a sensor for capturing an image, the image having pixels, mounted on the moving platform; and a detection computer executing an abnormality detection algorithm for detecting an abnormality in the pixels of the image immediately after the image is captured by scanning the image utilizing predetermined parameters indicative of characteristics of the abnormality and then automatically and immediately causing a re-shoot of the image.
US09959602B2 Image processing device, radiography apparatus, image processing method, and non-transitory storage medium
An image processing device and a radiography apparatus each include a pixel selection unit configured to select pixels of an image based on pixel values of pixels of the image obtained by capturing an image of a subject, and a subtraction processing unit configured to subtract, from the image, a line artifact extracted using a profile in predetermined direction and is based on the pixels selected by the pixel selection unit.
US09959601B2 Distortion rectification method and terminal
Disclosed is a distortion rectification method, comprising: taking a wide-angle photograph using a camera of a terminal; determining distortion regions and non-distortion regions in the wide-angle photograph; obtaining a target distortion region selected by a user; dividing the target distortion region into M grid regions of a first pre-set size, wherein M is an integer greater than or equal to one; and respectively preforming distortion rectification on the M-grid regions of the first pre-set size. Also disclosed is a terminal.
US09959598B2 Method of processing image and electronic device thereof
Disclosed is an operation method of an electronic device. The operation method may include: acquiring a shared image from an image resource file; acquiring an auxiliary image by using a difference between the image resource file and the shared image; and generating a particular image based on the shared image and the auxiliary image. An operation method of an electronic device is not limited to the above method, and other embodiments are possible within the same or similar scope as the present disclosure.
US09959597B1 Noise reduction with multi-frame super resolution
A method of generating super resolution image data includes receiving original image data of a low resolution at an image processing device, performing motion compensation on the original image data using a current frame of image data and at least one previous frame of image data and at least one future frame of image data as reference frames, generating motion vectors, applying noise reduction to the current frame of image data and the reference frames to produce noise reduced, current frame image data, and generating a current frame of super resolution image data using the noise reduced, current frame image data.
US09959591B2 Display apparatus, method for controlling display apparatus, and program
A head mounted display is worn on the body of a user before use and includes an image display unit that transmits an outside scene and displays an image in a visually recognizable manner along with the outside scene and a camera that performs image capturing in directions of sight lines of the user. A control section of the head mounted display includes an image generation section that generates a display image from a captured image from the camera and an image display control section that causes the image display unit to display the display image generated by the image generation section.
US09959590B2 System and method of caching for pixel synchronization-based graphics techniques
Embodiment described herein combines a caching system with special cache flushing methods aimed at reducing thread divergence across a group of threads in a thread group, in order to synchronize branching paths taken by different threads executing on the same graphics processor execution unit, One embodiment provides for a graphics processing apparatus comprising graphics execution logic to execute one or more threads of a graphics shader program; an occluder cache to store input occluder node data for adaptive graphical effects logic of the graphics shader program; and compression logic to compress input occluder node data stored in the occluder cache. The occluder node data, in one embodiment, includes occlusion data for use with adaptive shadowing or transparency logic.
US09959588B2 Methods and systems for signal processing
An object (e.g., a driver's license) is tested for authenticity using imagery captured by a consumer device (e.g., a mobile phone camera). Corresponding data is sent from the consumer device to a remote system, which has secret knowledge about features indicating object authenticity. The phone, or the remote system, discerns the pose of the object relative to the camera from the captured imagery. The remote system tests the received data for the authentication features, and issues an output signal indicating whether the object is authentic. This testing involves modeling the image data that would be captured by the consumer device from an authentic object—based on the object's discerned pose (and optionally based on information about the camera optics), and then comparing this modeled data with the data sent from the consumer device. A great variety of other features and arrangements are also detailed.
US09959587B2 Signal processors and methods for estimating geometric transformations of images for digital data extraction
Signal processing devices and methods estimate a geometric transform of an image signal. From a seed set of transform candidates, a method applies a seed transform candidate to a reference signal. For each candidate, update coordinates of reference signal features are identified in the image signal and provided as input to a least squares method to compute an update to the transform candidate. At the end of the process, the method identifies a geometric transform or set of top transforms based on a further analysis of correlation, as well as other results. Phase characteristics are exploited in the process of updating coordinates. The geometric transform is used to facilitate extracting embedded digital messages from the image.
US09959585B2 System and method for checkless cash advance settlement
Methods, devices, and systems for conducting a checkless cash access settlement are provided. In one embodiment, a cash advance method includes the following: a customer initiates a cash access transaction via a cash access system; the customer receives authorization or denial; the customer provides identification and the financial card to a cashier or attendant; the cashier or attendant validates the customer's identity, retrieves the transaction information, and completes the cash advance application; the application prints a non-negotiable instrument, such as a transaction receipt; the customer signs the receipt confirming the transaction with a physical receipt or electronic capture.
US09959582B2 Intellectual property information retrieval
According to aspects of the present invention, methods, systems, and media are provided for creating, storing, and using an interactive hierarchical arrangement of technical elements useful for conducting efficient patent infringement and similar analysis. The hierarchical arrangement of technical elements is adapted to be displayed on a user-engageable computer display in a manner that allows a user to select and de-select particular technical elements. Methods and systems include storing records of technical elements in hierarchical relationships, which elements are correlated to specific patent claims during an annotation process. The hierarchical arrangement of technical elements is displayed so as to indicate genus-species relationships among the technical elements, while the stored correlations are used as a basis to perform highly efficient claims-based patent analysis.
US09959581B2 Property management on a smartphone
Systems and methods are disclosed for a property management system that runs on a smartphone and allows users to identify and track information on one or more properties and to receive property updates from the server. Systems and methods are also disclosed that use the orientation of and images captured by a smartphone camera to identify a facet of an object and to determine its pitch.
US09959580B2 Social data overlay
In particular embodiments, a method comprising, by one or more computing devices, identifying, at a client device, one or more objects or references to the one or more objects embedded in a structured document displayed to a first user, accessing a social graph to determine if one or more second users having an association with the first user have accessed any of the one or more identified objects, and modifying, for at least one of the one or more identified objects, the structured document displayed to the first user to indicate that the at least one or more identified objects has been accessed by one or more second users.
US09959579B2 Derivation and presentation of expertise summaries and interests for users
Architecture that automatically generate concise descriptions of users in social media. The descriptions communicate classification or category of a given social media user in a small amount of viewing space. The description can be based on available metadata (e.g., user profile biography) and/or other information about that person, as may be obtained from the information data sources (e.g., structured knowledge bases) on networks such as the Internet and enterprises, for example. The descriptions can also be query-dependent, by assuming there is some relationship between the social media user and a query, in which case, the descriptions illustrate that relationship.
US09959578B2 Work management system and work management method
A work management system (1) includes: an image capturing device (20) worn by a worker; and a server device (60). The image capturing device (20) includes: an image capturing section (21) for capturing an image of a work range of the worker; and a communication section (30) for transmitting, to the server device (60), at least one of (i) the image captured by the image capturing section (21) and (ii) generated information generated in accordance with the image. The server device (60) includes a control section (70) for managing the at least one of the image and the generated information which one is received from the communication section.
US09959577B1 Tax return preparation automatic document capture and parsing system
A document capture system may automatically capture documents and/or financial information for a user. The document capture system may capture and save documents a user views in a web browser. A user may visit various web sites to view financial data and a document capture plug-in module installed in the web browser may capture or save the viewed document. The document capture system may capture financial data while the user is visiting web sites normally—that is, not just when the user if visiting them particularly to collect financial data. The document capture system may be configured to automatically detect when the user views certain documents and may be configured to continually monitor the user's web activity in order to capture financial documents whenever the user visits certain sites. The document capture system may include a list of URLs representing web sites or documents that should be automatically captured.
US09959576B2 Multi-purpose device having multiple certificates including member certificate
Embodiments of the invention relate to systems and methods for provisioning and using a multi-purpose device. The device contains information regarding a plurality of memberships. The device contains one or more membership certificate chains, comprising multiple certificates, wherein a membership provider certificate is signed by a private key associated with a membership root certificate authority, and wherein a member certificate is signed by a private key associated with the membership provider certificate. The member certificate includes member attributes regarding the user, such as member benefit information. The device also includes a payment certificate chain, comprising multiple certificates, wherein a payment provider certificate is signed by a private key associated with a payment root certificate authority, and wherein a payment certificate is signed by a private key associated with the payment provider certificate. The payment certificate includes payment attributes regarding the user, such as a payment account.
US09959573B2 Systems and methods for trading with market depth information
Techniques for displaying market depth information for a financial instrument including a plurality of bid and ask order metrics at corresponding prices of the market instrument and associated time information. A graphical representation of the market depth information, with axes corresponding to time and price, is aligned with color gradients corresponding to one or more metrics including, for example, bid and ask order volume, order count, or order consideration, generated based on the market depth information. The graphical representation of the market depth information and the color gradients are displayed using a display device.
US09959572B2 Coordinated processing of data by networked computing resources
Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for coordinating processing of data by multiple networked computing resources include monitoring data associated with a plurality of networked computing resources, and coordinating the routing of data processing segments to the networked computing resources.
US09959569B2 Computer implemented methods and systems for generating virtual body models for garment fit visualisation
Methods for generating and sharing a virtual body model of a person, created with a small number of measurements and a single photograph, combined with one or more images of garments. The virtual body model represents a realistic representation of the users body and is used for visualizing photo-realistic fit visualizations of garments, hairstyles, make-up, and/or other accessories. The virtual garments are created from layers based on photographs of real garment from multiple angles. Furthermore the virtual body model is used in multiple embodiments of manual and automatic garment, make-up, and, hairstyle recommendations, such as, from channels, friends, and fashion entities. The virtual body model is sharable for, as example, visualization and comments on looks. Furthermore it is also used for enabling users to buy garments that fit other users, suitable for gifts or similar. The implementation can also be used in peer-to-peer online sales where garments can be bought with the knowledge that the seller has a similar body shape and size as the user.
US09959564B1 Providing confirmations for list modifications
Disclosed are various embodiments for providing confirmations for list modifications. A network page is sent to a client. The network page includes one or more components for requesting that one or more items be added to a list of items. The item(s) are added to the list of items in response to a request from the client. A display region is encoded for rendering in the client as a layer superimposed on the network page. The display region includes a confirmation that the item(s) have been added to the list of items.
US09959560B1 System and method for customizing a user experience based on automatically weighted criteria
Transaction data of a first party and transaction data of a population are both analyzed to determine weighting and normalizing factors, which when applied to data operate to prioritize and personalize the data. The prioritization of the data is based on the analysis and results in use of the data in accordance with user preferences as evidenced in prior activities of the first party represented by the transaction data. In a navigation system, applying data prioritizations speeds performance of the system and eliminates duplicate or follow-on searches, and allows efficient selection of potential routes and destinations.
US09959558B2 Application cards as advertisements
A server includes a network communication device, a storage device, and a processing device that executes computer-readable instructions. When the computer-readable instructions are executed by the processing device, the computer-readable instructions cause the processing device to receive advertisement data that corresponds with a web advertisement. The advertisement data includes an advertisement uniform resource locator (URL) that refers to a website advertised by the web advertisement. In addition, the computer-readable instructions cause the processing device to determine an advertisement card object based on the advertisement data. The advertisement card object includes a card label, a card image, and graphical user interface (GUI) elements. The computer-readable instructions cause the processing device to render an advertisement card that displays the card label, the card image and the GUI elements, and transmit the advertisement card object via the network communication device.
US09959553B2 Systems and methods for targeted advertising
Methods of generating recommendations may include obtaining social network data from one or more network resources. Word relationships may be created between selected words in the social network data to produce relationship data. Advertisement or other asset recommendations may be generated for a target user by analyzing browse information of the target user to identify one or more words. Other words in the relationship data may be identified that are related to the words in the target user's browse information. One or more advertisements may be identified having at least one keyword that corresponds to the other words. At least a portion of these advertisements may be selected from a data repository to provide to the target user.
US09959548B2 Method and system for generating social signal vocabularies
A social analytic system may identify the social signals associated with a brand, campaign, or any other topic. The social analytic system may generate a vocabulary associated with the brand, campaign, or topic based terms used in the associated social signals. The vocabulary may be used for generating social media analytics and identifying social media events, such as marketing campaigns. In one example, a vocabulary may be compared with vocabularies associated with different constituents to identify the positive and negative terms in the vocabulary.
US09959545B2 Monitoring of events and key figures
A system, a method, and a computer program product for monitoring of events and key figures are disclosed. An event in a plurality of events associated with a business process is identified. The identified event is monitored. A business value of the identified event is determined in real time. Based on the determined real-time business value, at least one key figure associated with the monitored event is retrieved and displayed in a user interface.
US09959544B2 Updating an application on a smart card and displaying an advertisement
A method and apparatus for linking an application service provider to a chipholder during a post issuance operation involving the chipholder. The method and apparatus is implemented by a set of extensible markup language structures for transmitting promotional content and application content information to a chipholder in a smart card system. The smart card system comprises a chip management system (CMS), a distribution server, a security server, an application provider (AP), and a computer system connected by a network. Extensible markup language (SML) is used for post issuance data transactions. Specific XML structures are used to transmit application promotional data (APD) and application content data (ACD) to a CMS for packaging to chipholder during post issuance transactions. The APD and ACD are prepared by the application provider and stored in a marketing file. Responsive to receipt of a request transaction from the CMS by the AP, a determination is made whether an application identifier matches an APD and/or an ACD in the marketing file. If a match is made the APD and/or ACD is included in a response message to the CMS. Upon receipt of the response message, the CMS packages the data for transmittal to the chipholder through the distribution server.
US09959541B2 Wireless devices for storing a financial account card and methods for storing card data in a wireless device
A wireless device is enabled to receive a financial account card that is inserted into a card slot of the wireless device. The wireless device reads card data from the financial account card when it is inserted into the slot and programs an RFID (radio frequency identification) tag or a memory included in the wireless device. The wireless device may then be used to provide payment by transmitting the card data via radio frequency to a nearby RFID reader using the RFID tag. The financial account card may also be ejected from the wireless device and swiped by a magnetic card reader.
US09959537B2 Portable electronic card system and method for manufacturing a rewritable plastic card
The disclosure provides a portable electronic card system and a method for manufacturing a rewritable plastic card. The portable electronic card system includes: a portable personal electronic device, a rewritable plastic card and a writing device. The portable personal electronic device is used for obtaining a certificated code and a personal information from a database by internet. The rewritable plastic card has a rewritable storage device for storing the personal information. The writing device electrically connects to the portable personal electronic device, and is used for writing the personal information into the rewritable plastic card.
US09959534B2 Remote deposit capture system with secure element authentication for check image generation and storage
A check image generator application generates a remote deposit capture RDC compatible check image. The RDC compatible check image is sent from a sender mobile device to a recipient mobile device. The RDC compatible check image may pass through a server and may be encrypted. The recipient mobile device receives the RDC compatible check image and forwards it to a financial institution for deposit.
US09959533B2 Secure element authentication for remote deposit of check images received from payors
A check image generator application generates a remote deposit capture RDC compatible check image. The RDC compatible check image is sent from a sender mobile device to a recipient mobile device. The RDC compatible check image may pass through a server and may be encrypted. The recipient mobile device receives the RDC compatible check image and forwards it to a financial institution for deposit.
US09959531B2 Multi-directional wallet connector apparatuses, methods and systems
The MULTI-DIRECTIONAL WALLET CONNECTOR APPARATUSES, METHODS AND SYSTEMS (“W-CONNECTOR”) facilitates the enrollment of payment accounts in a consumer's virtual wallet. The consumer may be logged into their payment account issuer's web site and designate one or more payment accounts for enrollment in a virtual wallet. The issuer may then share account, billing and/or other relevant information with the virtual wallet provider to facilitate the enrollment of the designated payment accounts in the virtual wallet. The W-CONNECTOR may also be configured to facilitate the creation and funding of pre-paid accounts in a consumer's virtual wallet.
US09959528B2 System for handling network transactions
A method of securing a transaction that comprises a trust entity computer in communication with data storage, a first party and a second party over a network, and receiving a request from the first party to undertake a transaction with the second party. In addition, receives a first token, storing the first token in the data storage, receiving a second token from the second party, comparing the stored first token and the received second token, if the stored first token and the received second token are a match, enabling the transaction.
US09959527B2 Calendaring between user profiles
Calendar items can be scheduled with a joined group of user profiles. Scheduling calendar items can include, for each of the calendar items, sending a calendar item request to each of the user profiles in the group of user profiles. In response to the joining of a new user profile to the group, the new user profile can be automatically sent a calendar item request for each of one or more of the calendar items scheduled with the group of user profiles. Also, a first user profile can receive a request to share a calendar with a second user profile. The request can be received from the second user profile and can list one or more additional user profiles as recipients of the request. A representation of the request to share can include a control that can be selected to share the calendar with the additional user profile(s).
US09959526B2 Method and apparatus for incorporating user interaction based presence in email systems
In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a network arrangement and an email arrangement. The network arrangement is configured to enable the apparatus to communicate across a network. The email arrangement cooperates with the network arrangement to send and to receive emails. The email arrangement includes presence logic that monitors user interaction based presence with respect to a first email.
US09959525B2 Intelligent job matching system and method
A job searching and matching system and method is disclosed that gathers job seeker information in the form of job seeker parameters from one or more job seekers, gathers job information in the form of job parameters from prospective employers and/or recruiters, correlates the information with past job seeker behavior, parameters and behavior from other job seekers, and job parameters and, in response to a job seeker's query, provides matching job results based on common parameters between the job seeker and jobs along with suggested alternative jobs based on the co-relationships. In addition, the system correlates employer/recruiter behavior information with past employer/recruiter behavior, parameters and information concerning other job seekers, which are candidates to the employer, and resume parameters, and, in response to a Employer's query, provides matching job seeker results based on common parameters between the job seeker resumes and jobs along with suggested alternative job seeker candidates based on the identified co-relationships.
US09959524B2 Graphical modeling of position hierarchies
A method and system for providing a graphical position hierarchy and associated data sets is described. The method includes receiving a graphical position hierarchy model, analyzing nodes of the position hierarchy model to discern branches and leafs thereof, associating incumbent information with the nodes, where the incumbent information pertains to resources such as employees, contracting services, consulting, and other data and attributes related to the position hierarchy model, and displaying the model to a user thereof. Nodes of a position hierarchy may include incumbents, or may be placeholder position nodes, with no incumbents, allowing the user to model the position hierarchy according to organization needs before associating or allocating resources thereto. The method provides options for users to analyze the effect of changes to the position hierarchy on organizational resource allocation and costs in order to assess, optimize, and monitor the impact of such changes on the organization.
US09959523B2 Aggregating a list of current, contextually and/or member-wise relevant video conferences
This disclosure includes a system, device, and method to aggregate a list of video conferences for a user. The method may include identifying one or more video conferences that are likely to be of interest to a user viewing a web page, and providing a list comprising the video conferences that are likely to be of interest to the user, where each video conference in the list is available to be joined by the user viewing the web page without an invitation from participants of the video conference.
US09959520B2 Systems for ordering products
Product replenishment systems which identify to vendors need for replenishment product, and effect shipment of such product. Product containers have computer readable labels which identify particular product to those containers. When a container is empty, the container is tossed into a chute. An antenna subassembly, including antenna, antenna tuner, and signal reader, reads the label as the container passes through the chute. The container label can alternatively be read by otherwise moving the label across the field of a suitable antenna, or by reading such label using a bar code reader. The antenna, or bar code reader, communicates label information to a local computer. The local computer communicates, to a separate host computer, certain of the label information. The host computer collects information from one or more local computers and communicates with respective vendor computers which receive the information, and process and instruct shipment orders related to the needed product.
US09959518B2 Self-organizing neural network approach to the automatic layout of business process diagrams
A method, system, and/or computer program product generates self-organizing layouts of process diagrams. Initial weight vectors are distributed uniformly within boundaries of regions in the process diagram. A spatial input vector is randomly generated within the boundaries of each region. In each region in the process diagram, a closest graphical node is found, and a position of a winning graphical node that is the closest graphical node to the random input vector is adjusted. Positions of all non-immutable graphical objects, wi, in a topographical neighborhood N(k) of a closest graphical node wc that can cross a boundary of one or more regions from the multiple regions are adjusted. The spatial input vector is recursively generated, the closest graphical node is recursively located, and the positions of all non-immutable graphical objects, wi, in the topographical neighborhood N(k) are recursively adjusted until a maximum number of iterations, kmax is reached.
US09959516B2 Disassembly procedure generating method, apparatus, and system, and replacement procedure generating method, apparatus, and system
A disassembly procedure generating apparatus is configured to include: an assembly procedure editing unit that incorporates a new work element into an assembly procedure; an assembly procedure change monitoring unit that performs monitoring as to whether a new work element has been inserted into the assembly procedure; a disassembly procedure generating unit that generates, when a new work element is inserted into the assembly procedure, a disassembly procedure by using work elements of the assembly procedure into which the new work element has been inserted and by using information associating the work elements of the assembly procedure with work elements of the disassembly procedure; a disassembly procedure cost calculating unit that calculates a cost generated for the entirety of the disassembly procedure; and a procedure cost information displaying unit that displays, together with the assembly procedure, the disassembly procedure and the cost generated for the entirety of the disassembly procedure.
US09959515B2 Optimized asset maintenance and replacement schedule
There are provided a system, a method and a computer program product for generating an optimal preventive maintenance/replacement schedule for a set of assets. The method includes receiving data regarding an asset, said data including a failure rate function of said asset, a cost of preventative maintenance (PM) of said asset, a cost of an asset failure, and a cost of replacing an asset. An optimal number K of preventative maintenance time intervals tk and an indication of a possible replacement is computed and stored for each asset by minimizing a mean cost-rate value function with respect to an electrical age of the asset. A first PM schedule is formed without consideration of labor and budget resource constraints. The method further generates a second maintenance schedule for a system of assets by minimizing a deviation from the optimal PM time intervals subject to the labor and budget resource constraints.
US09959511B2 Retail point seed treatment systems and methods
An automated seed treatment system is adapted for on-site operation at a retail seed distributor. A sealed seed-treater vessel is configured to apply a plurality of chemical treatments to a batch of seed based on a seed treatment recipe. A programmable system controller is electrically coupled to a pump controller of each of a plurality of pump-stations. The programmable system controller is configured to receive a material transfer indication from each of the plurality of pump-stations and issue commands to the pump controller of each pump-station in response to the seed treatment recipe. The programmable system controller is configured to collect operational data representing at least consumption of chemical from the chemical container at each of the pump-stations based on the corresponding material transfer indication during seed treatment and to provide the operational data to a remotely hosted information system located remotely from the site of the retail seed distributor and accessible to at least one third party that is distinct from the retail seed distributor.
US09959507B2 Precision agriculture system
A device may receive sensor data from a sensor device located on a particular farm. The device may identify an alert, associated with the particular farm, based on the sensor data and using a model. The model may be created based on imagery data and numeric data relating to a group of farms. The device may determine, using the model, a recommended course of action to address the alert, and provide, to a user device associated with the particular farm, the recommended course of action.
US09959503B2 Filtering automated selection of hashtags for computer modeling
A social networking system receives messages from users that include hashtags. The social networking system may use a natural language model to identify terms in the hashtag corresponding to words or phrases of the hashtag. The words or phrases may be used to modify a string of the hashtag. The social networking system may also generate computer models to determine likely membership of a message with various hashtags. Prior to generating the computer models, the social networking system may filter certain hashtags from eligibility for computer modeling, particularly hashtags that are not frequently used or that more typically appear as normal text in a message instead of as a hashtag. The social networking system may also calibrate the computer model outputs by comparing a test message output with outputs of a calibration group that includes positive and negative examples with respect to the computer model output.
US09959502B2 Utilizing a dynamic data source to affect business rule management
Dynamic data discovery can identify variables or changes in a business environment which can impact existing business rules and can match identified triggers. A business rule associated with a business rule management system can be identified. The business rule management system can be a component of an enterprise organization. The rule can be an operation, a definition, and a constraint associated with the organization. The organization can be a person, a process, a product, a service, or a computing device. Relevant information can be determined from a dynamic data associated with a data source. The determination can be made through the use of semantic analysis. A business pattern associated with the rule can be semantically matched with a dynamic pattern associated with the information. The pattern can be a semantic pattern of the information. A new business rule can be automatically generated from the dynamic data analysis.
US09959501B2 Structural descriptions for neurosynaptic networks
Embodiments of the invention provide a method comprising creating a structural description for at least one neurosynaptic core circuit. Each core circuit comprises an interconnect network including plural electronic synapses for interconnecting one or more electronic neurons with one or more electronic axons. The structural description defines a desired neuronal activity for the core circuits. The desired neuronal activity is simulated by programming the core circuits with the structural description. The structural description controls routing of neuronal firing events for the core circuits.
US09959500B1 Embedded spin transfer torque memory for cellular neural network based processing unit
An integrated circuit processor having a processing unit that includes a logical circuit with multiple transistors and a top metal landing pad, and an embedded STT memory. The STT memory includes a dielectric layer formed on the top metal landing pad, an adhesion and topography planarization (ATP) layer formed on the dielectric layer, and an MTJ film layer disposed on the ATP layer. The memory may also include bit lines formed on the MTJ film layer. The ATP layer may have multiple layers such as a top layer and a bottom layer. The top layer may act as an etch stop for etching the MTJ film layer on the top. The ATP layer may have a total thickness of 500 A to 4000 A. The bit lines can be configured to send data to the logic circuit of the processing unit to perform one or more convolution neural network computations.
US09959499B2 Methods and apparatus for implementation of group tags for neural models
Certain aspects of the present disclosure support assigning neurons and/or synapses to group tags where group tags have an associated set of parameters. By using group tags, neurons or synapses in a population can be assigned a group tag. Then, by changing a parameter associated with the group tag, all synapses or neurons in the group may have that parameter changed.
US09959497B1 System and method for using a digital virtual clone as an input in a simulated environment
A system and a method includes a first computing system interacting with a user and at least capturing physical and mental attributes of the user. The first computing system processes, formats, and organizes captured information of the user to provide organized user information. The first computing system designs a virtual clone of the user using the organized user information and produces a digital virtual clone of the user. A storage device stores the organized user information. A second computing system generates and displays a simulated environment. The second computing system transfers the organized user information, integrates the organized user information, and displays the digital virtual clone of the user in the simulated environment, wherein the digital virtual clone interacts with the stimulated environment.
US09959496B2 Microprocessor-controlled tamper detection system
A microprocessor-controlled system for monitoring a package or container to detect unwanted tampering, recording parameters related to the tampering, and optionally for initiating countermeasures in response to the tampering, is provided. Upon sealing the material within the container, a microprocessor arms the system and a clock function begins. An external contact point provides capability for the package sender to record the microprocessor serial number and sealing time. If the package is punctured, cut, or otherwise damaged in route, that event is recorded by the microprocessor, a reset function is activated for the next potential event. Upon receipt of the package, the receiver may interrogate the package and download the available event log. Knowledge of the package transit route provides for comparison with elapsed time and calculation of the location of any tampering or damage.
US09959495B2 Portable data terminal
A portable data terminal that includes a housing and an environmentally responsive device for collecting data about the environment surrounding the housing. The portable data terminal also includes an encoded information reader unit with one or more data collection hardware devices, which can capture data encoded in decodable indicia, e.g., bar codes. In one embodiment, the portable data terminal is configured to operate in a mode that processes the decodable indicia, and the environmental data so as to correlate the information decoded in the decodable indicia with the environmental data.
US09959491B2 Color conversion in image processing apparatus, image processing method and information processing apparatus, control method thereof, and non-transitory computer-readable medium
An image processing apparatus decides a grid point coordinate on a lookup table corresponding to a predetermined color; calculates, based on association between a signal of the predetermined color in the uniform color space designated by a first color space information and the decided grid point coordinate, a first matrix for converting each signal in the uniform color space into a grid point coordinate; calculates, based on association between the signal of the predetermined color in the uniform color space designated by a second color space information and the decided grid point coordinate, a second matrix for converting each grid point coordinate into a signal in the uniform color space; and generates a lookup table for converting each grid point coordinate into a signal in the second color space by using the second matrix and the second color space information.
US09959488B2 Tape printer for receiving talk data including speech related data and forming print objects corresponding to speech related data on tape
A tape printer including a data receiving portion, a display control portion, and a print control portion is provided. The data receiving portion is configured to receive talk data containing plural pieces of speech related data along a time series, the speech related data including speech display texts from each of a first speaker and a second speaker. The display control portion is configured to control the display device so that the plural pieces of speech related data is arrayed and displayed in order of the time series along a tape length direction, and first and second speech related data respectively in relation to the first and second speaker contained in the talk data are displayed in mutually different forms. The print control portion is configured to control a printing head to form a plurality of print objects corresponding respectively to the plural pieces of speech related data.
US09959487B2 Method and device for adding font
The present disclosure provides a method and a device for adding a font. The method includes: acquiring an image; recognizing text in the image as at least one character, each character being a font file corresponding to a single word or a single symbol; and adding a recognized character to a system font library, the system font library including characters used for displaying text on a user interface.
US09959486B2 Voxel-level machine learning with or without cloud-based support in medical imaging
A single level machine-learnt classifier is used in medical imaging. A gross or large structure is located using any approach, including non-ML approaches such as region growing or level-sets. Smaller portions of the structure are located using ML applied to relatively small patches (small relative to the organ or overall structure of interest). The classification of small patches allows for a simple ML approach specific to a single scale or at a voxel/pixel level. The use of small patches may allow for providing classification as a service (e.g., cloud-based classification) since partial image data is to be transmitted. The use of small patches may allow for feedback on classification and updates to the ML. The use of small patches may allow for the creation of a labeled library of classification partially based on ML. Given a near complete labeled library, a simple matching of patches or a lookup can replace ML classification for faster throughput.
US09959485B2 Image pattern recognition system and method
An image pattern recognition method detects a pattern in a sequence of video images or individual images from detected interest points. Feature vectors are extracted with video data from video regions around the interest points. A forest of decision trees is used to compute a set of bin values in histograms with bins corresponding to leaf nodes of the decision trees. Each bin value is a sum of contributions computed for individual interest points. Non-binary decision functions are used to compute the contributions and node dependent scale values are used to compute the arguments of the non-binary decision functions. The node dependent scale values may be computed from standard deviations of feature values found for the nodes, multiplied by a factor that is common to the nodes. This factor may be adjusted by feedback so that it can be set differently for different detection classes.
US09959480B1 Pixel-structural reference image feature extraction
Features are disclosed for classifying pixels included in a digital image. Distance information from a pixel to structural reference points, such as skeletal joints, is generated. The distance information is then applied to a pixel classifier to identify one or more classifications for the pixel.
US09959479B2 Image classification for adjustment
Image classification techniques are described for adjustment of an image. In one or more implementations, an image is classified by one or more computing device based on suitability of the image for adjustment to correct perspective distortion of the image. Responsive to a classification of the image as not suitable for the adjustment, suitability of the image is detected for processing by a different image adjustment technique by the one or more computing devices.
US09959473B2 Symbol recognition device and traffic sign recognition device
In a symbol recognition device, each histogram computation module receives an image of each partial region of a recognition target region in a binarized image and computes a frequency distribution of pixels of a given color in each line or column in the partial region; each run length determination module receives an image of each partial region of the recognition target region and determines whether or not a line or column of pixels of the given color having a certain length is present in the partial region; a control module feeds pixel information of the partial regions, read by scanning the binarized image stored in the image memory, into the histogram computation modules and the run length determination modules; a determination module determines a symbol included in the binarized image based on computation results of the histogram computation modules and determination results of the run length determination modules.
US09959467B2 Image processing client
An image recognition approach employs both computer generated and manual image reviews to generate image tags characterizing an image. The computer generated and manual image reviews can be performed sequentially or in parallel. The generated image tags may be provided to a requester in real-time, be used to select an advertisement, and/or be used as the basis of an internet search. In some embodiments generated image tags are used as a basis for an upgraded image review. A confidence of a computer generated image review may be used to determine whether or not to perform a manual image review.
US09959465B2 Diffractive optical element with undiffracted light expansion for eye safe operation
Aspects of the subject disclosure are directed towards safely projecting a diffracted light pattern, such as in an infrared laser-based projection/illumination system. Non-diffracted (zero-order) light is refracted once to diffuse (defocus) the non-diffracted light to an eye safe level. Diffracted (non-zero-order) light is aberrated twice, e.g., once as part of diffraction by a diffracting optical element encoded with a Fresnel lens (which does not aberrate the non-diffracted light), and another time to cancel out the other aberration; the two aberrations may occur in either order. Various alternatives include upstream and downstream positioning of the diffracting optical element relative to a refractive optical element, and/or refraction via positive and negative lenses.
US09959464B2 Mobile device utilizing multiple cameras for environmental detection
A mobile electronic device may have two or more rear facing camera to capture a first part of an environment, a second part of the environment, and a part of an item in the environment. A camera and a depth sensor of the mobile electronic device may capture biometric facial data to perform security verification. Characteristics of the environment may be identified based on the environmental data and results of the performed security verification.
US09959461B2 Vehicle gesture recognition system and method
Embodiments of vehicle gesture recognition systems and methods are disclosed. An example vehicle gesture recognition system comprises a data interface configured for receiving 2d image data from a 2d sensor and/or from a portable device camera via a portable device interface. Additionally or alternatively, the data interface is configured for receiving gesture data indicating a gesture. A vehicle processing unit is configured for controlling user interfacing with a user interface based on the gestures recognized from the 2d image data and/or as indicated by the gesture data.
US09959459B2 Extraction of user behavior from depth images
Embodiments described herein use depth images to extract user behavior, wherein each depth image specifies that a plurality of pixels correspond to a user. In certain embodiments, one or more average extremity positions of a user, which can also be referred to as average positions of extremity blobs, are extracted from a depth image. An application is then updated based on the average positions of extremity blobs.
US09959457B2 Apparatus and method for extracting feature of image including object
At least one example embodiment discloses a method of converting a vector corresponding to an input image. The method includes receiving first-dimensional vector data associated with an input image, the input image including an object and converting the received first-dimensional vector data to second-dimensional vector data based on a projection matrix with an associated rank. A first dimension of the first-dimensional vector data is higher than a second dimension of the second-dimensional vector data.
US09959455B2 System and method for face recognition using three dimensions
A system for facial recognition comprising at least one processor; at least one input operatively connected to the at least one processor; a database configured to store three-dimensional facial image data comprising facial feature coordinates in a predetermined common plane; the at least one processor configured to locate three-dimensional facial features in the image of the subject, estimate three-dimensional facial feature location coordinates in the image of the subject, obtain the three-dimensional facial feature location coordinates and orientation parameters in a coordinate system in which the facial features are located in the predetermined common plane; and compare the location of the facial feature coordinates of the subject to images of people in the database; whereby recognition, comparison and/or likeness of the facial images is determined by comparing the predetermined common plane facial feature coordinates of the subject to images in the database. A method is also disclosed.
US09959454B2 Face recognition device, face recognition method, and computer-readable recording medium
A face recognition device includes a processor configured to: extract a plurality of feature points of a face included in an input image; detect a first and a second feature points that are paired from among the plurality of the feature points, a third feature point that is away from a straight line that connects the first and the second feature points, and two inter-feature vectors starting from the third feature point to the respective first the second feature points; calculate a feature angle formed by the two detected inter-feature vectors; and perform face recognition based on the feature angle formed by the two inter-feature vectors included in face information that is previously set as the face targeted for recognition and based on the calculated feature angle.
US09959448B2 Multi-step sequence alignment
A method of identifying similar media items is described. The method include identifying a first multiplicity of fingerprints representative of content segments of variable duration for a first media item and a second multiplicity of fingerprints representative of content segments of variable duration for a second media item. The method further includes comparing, by a processing device, a first group of the first multiplicity of fingerprints to a second group of the second multiplicity of fingerprints to generate a first similarity score indicative of a similarity between the first group of fingerprints and the second group of fingerprints. The method also includes determining an alignment score for the first multiplicity of fingerprints and the second multiplicity of fingerprints using the first similarity score.
US09959444B2 Fingerprint sensor under thin face-sheet with aperture layer
An input device for fingerprint sensing and proximity sensing includes a cover layer, where a top surface of the cover layer is configured to provide an input surface for a finger, a substrate having a cavity disposed below the cover layer, and a fingerprint sensor disposed below the cover layer and in the cavity of the substrate. A first adhesive layer is disposed between a top surface of the fingerprint sensor and a bottom surface of the cover layer in a fingerprint sensing area. A second adhesive layer is disposed between a top surface of the substrate and the bottom surface of the cover layer in a proximity sensing area.
US09959442B2 Extended depth of field in imaging machine-readable symbol reader using image side telecentric lens
Systems and methods for providing multiple image fields or regions on a single, two-dimensional imaging sensor array of a data reader. A single sensor array may be divided into two or more imaging regions each of which may be used to render a separate view of an overall read volume. An image-side telecentric optical system may be utilized to divide the sensor array into the two or more imaging regions. A thin, high refractive index focal element (e.g., optical glass) may be positioned over at least one of the two or more imaging regions to provide multiple focus positions using a single telecentric optical system and a single sensor array. The multiple imaging regions may be used to capture images from different regions, and/or may be used produce a longer depth of field by combining overlapping depths of field of the multiple imaging regions.
US09959441B2 System for generating an extended specular lighting field
A system for generating an extended specular lighting field for reading symbols on a reflective background surface is described. A scanner generates illumination for illuminating the symbols. Reflection of the illumination incident upon the reflective surface is retroreflected onto the symbols on the reflective surface. Reflection of the retroreflected light by the reflective surface is received by the scanner for processing information about the symbols. By using the reflective surface to help illuminate the symbols, an ordinary scanner can be used to read the symbols.
US09959437B1 Ordinary objects as network-enabled interfaces
Disclosed are various embodiments for making ordinary objects network-enabled interfaces. A radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag may be fixed or detachably attached to an item capable of being manipulated by a person to obtain information about the item or to cause a performance of a task associated with the item. The RFID tag may include a capacitive touch interface that, when manipulated by a person, causes the RFID tag to emit an identifier associated with a corresponding item. A receiver, having the identifier and an instruction from a person, may communicate with a remote computing device to process the instruction and to generate a response to the instruction.
US09959436B2 Reader for RFID tag for near-field wireless communication and near-field wireless communication system
In a reader for a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag for near-field wireless communication, an antenna selection switch includes a plurality of antennae arranged with an extent within a predetermined range for transmitting and receiving data to and from an RFID tag, and selects one antenna to be used for transmission and reception of data from among the plurality of antennae. A detection part acquires, when a carrier wave transmitted from the RFID tag is received by any of the plurality of antennae, information indicative of an antenna selected by the antenna selection switch under the control of an antenna changeover controlling part.
US09959433B2 Lump sequences for multi-track magnetic stripe electronic data transmission
A system and method of validating electronic encoded information from magnetic stripe card data transmitted as electronic stripe data includes a lump transmission stream. The lump transmission stream is read by at least two track channel readers each of which recognizes and reads only data corresponding to data to be read from a respective magnetic stripe represented in the lump transmission stream, which has data read from two tracks of magnetic card stripes. One track channel reader reads the first portion of the lump stream and discards the second portion of the stream, the second track channel reader reads the second portion of the stream and discards the first portion of the stream.
US09959427B2 Information determination apparatus, information determination method and recording medium
An information determination apparatus includes a first storage unit configured to store stream data pieces obtained in time sequence; a first determining unit configured to determine whether the number of stream data pieces stored in the first storage unit is at least equal to a predetermined value; and a second determining unit configured to determine, when the number of the stream data pieces stored in the first storage unit is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, whether an individual can be identified based on a dataset composed of a plurality of the stream data pieces stored in the first storage unit, and output the dataset used for the determination and the determination result.
US09959418B2 Supporting configurable security levels for memory address ranges
A processor implementing techniques for supporting configurable security levels for memory address ranges is disclosed. In one embodiment, the processor includes a processing core a memory controller, operatively coupled to the processing core, to access data in an off-chip memory and a memory encryption engine (MEE) operatively coupled to the memory controller. The MEE is to responsive to detecting a memory access operation with respect to a memory location identified by a memory address within a memory address range associated with the off-chip memory, identify a security level indicator associated with the memory location based on a value stored on a security range register. The MEE is further to access at least a portion of a data item associated with the memory address range of the off-chip memory in view of the security level indicator.
US09959412B2 Sampling content using machine learning to identify low-quality content
An online system obtains risk scores determined by a machine learning model for a content item provided by a user of an online system for display to users of the online system, where the risk scores indicate the likelihood of content items violating a content policy. The online system uses the risk scores to determine sampling weights used to select content items for inclusion in a sampled subset of content items. The sampling weights are determined from risk score counts indicating the relative frequency of the obtained risk scores and impression counts indicating the number of times content items have been presented to the users of the online system. The online system presents the selected content items for evaluation by a human reviewer using a quality review interface. Using the results of the quality review, the online system determines quality performance metrics of the machine learning model.
US09959411B2 Detecting security vulnerabilities on computing devices
Identifying security vulnerabilities on computing devices by detecting an inter-process communication on a computing device, determining whether the inter-process communication is consistent with a predefined specification of a security vulnerability, and causing a predefined action to be performed on the computing device responsive to determining that the inter-process communication is consistent with a predefined specification of a security vulnerability.
US09959410B2 Encryption and decryption method and apparatus in virtualization system, and system
An encryption and decryption method in a virtualization system is disclosed. The virtualization system includes a VMM and an encryption and decryption virtual machine. The VMM includes a control module, the encryption and decryption virtual machine records a first association relationship between a hard disk image identifier and a key, the key includes an encryption key, and the virtualization system records a second association relationship between the hard disk image identifier and a hard disk image attribute. The control module in the VMM is configured to determine whether to-be-written data needs to be encrypted and forward the to-be-written data, which makes it easy to implement a function and reduces system complexity of the VMM. In addition, encryption or decryption is processed without occupying a resource in the VMM.
US09959405B2 Sandboxing third party components
A method and apparatus of a device for security management by sandboxing third-party components is described. The device can determine whether a third-party component supports network access. If the third-party component supports network access, the device can request a user input regarding whether to restrict the network access of the component. The device can receive a user input to restrict network access of the third-party component. Upon receiving the user input to restrict network access, the device can construct a sandbox for the third-party component to restrict network access of the component and prevent the component from performing data exfiltration. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.
US09959397B1 Distributed customer data management network handling personally identifiable information
Systems and methods are provided for handling Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in a globally compliant manner, across and within governmental or defined synthetic jurisdictions without violating the privacy laws or rules of the involved jurisdictions. Disclosed systems for distributing PII include a regional server in a first jurisdiction with a first set of jurisdictional rules, a central computer and a recipient computer. The recipient computer is located in a second jurisdiction and inputs data conforming to a second set of jurisdictional rules. The central computer communicates with both the regional server and the recipient computer. The central computer masks data coming from the first jurisdiction and from the second jurisdiction so that the data complies with the rules of the destination jurisdiction.
US09959389B2 Modeling of pharmaceutical propagation and parameter generation for injection protocols
A system includes a parameter generation system to determine at least one parameter for an injection procedure (for example, a parameter of an injection protocol or an imaging system parameter), the parameter generator system includes a physiologically based pharmacokinetic model to model propagation of a contrast medium injected into a patient including at least one of a non-linear saturation term in a peripheral venous compartment, at least one configurable transport delay term through at least one compartment, or an adaptation to model volumetric flow rate of blood and an effect thereof on the propagation of contrast medium after injection of contrast medium ceases. The physiologically based pharmacokinetic model can, for example, be discretizable.
US09959387B2 Method for tracking sanitary materials and goods with RFID identification system; containment area and/or structure actuating said method
Method for tracking sanitary materials and goods with a RFId identification system; the materials and goods provided with at least one label containing a microchip containing data of the material or good and an antenna; the materials and goods placeable in a storage area provided with a plurality of transceiving radio frequency identification antennae and associated connectivity devices; the plurality of antennae and connectivity devices placed so as to receive and exchange information via RFId technology inside the set area, so as to automatically record and detect the loading and/or collecting of the labeled materials and goods and exchange information relative to the identified objects; the method includes: a) carrying out the exchange of tag-antenna information in a range of radiofrequencies comprised between 850 and 960 MHz (UHF); and b) restricting the range of radiofrequencies (UHF) through the shielding of the area arranged for storage of the materials and goods.
US09959385B2 Messaging within a multi-access health care provider portal
Embodiments are provided for securely messaging healthcare entities. In one scenario, a computer system receives an input from a user indicating that a message including text or other characters is to be securely transmitted to a specified healthcare entity. The message is part of a conversation between a user and the specified healthcare entity. The computer system encrypts the characters of the message using at least one encryption algorithm, so that the message is encrypted during the transfer from the user to the specified healthcare entity. The computer system then initiates transmission of the encrypted message such that the encrypted message is sent to the specified healthcare entity. Throughout the process, the encrypted message is transferred in accordance with legal regulations governing healthcare communications.
US09959383B1 Apparatus, method and system for brokering and provision of intelligent advertisement
The disclosure details the implementation of an apparatus, method, and system for brokering SmartAds. The disclosure teaches a efficient ad brokering as between advertisers, broadcast service providers, and media consumers by employing a SmartAds Client (SAC) and a SmartAds Server (SAS). The SAC may provide viewers with programming and integrate ads in an intelligent manner based on criteria supplied to it. The SAC is used to display SmartAds to television viewers. The ad brokering SAS is complementary to the SAC media consumer and provides services, ads, and ad related information to the SAC. By employing intelligence from a SAC and SAS, ads may be dynamically provided, changed, and/or augmented with programming. The SAS collects and matches media consumer profiles and advertiser bids against one another and an ad database to provide better targeted ads to media consumers. The manner and way in which this is achieved, results in the expiration of stale ads. Such stale ads are replaced with more intelligent, dynamically placed ads that are better targeted, tracked, and managed.
US09959379B2 Hybrid compilation for FPGA prototyping
Aspects of the disclosed technology relate to techniques of design implementation for FPGA prototyping. An initial FPGA-mapped netlist and a generic RTL design associated with the initial FPGA-mapped netlist are generated based on an original RTL (register-transfer level) design for a circuit design and optionally on verification-related features. Based on the initial FPGA-mapped netlist, the circuit design is partitioned into design partitions for implementing the circuit design across a plurality of FPGA chips. Final FPGA-mapped netlists are then generated based on the design partitions represented by the generic RTL design or by a combination of the generic RTL design and the initial FPGA-mapped netlist.
US09959378B2 Technique for designing acoustic microwave filters using LCR-based resonator models
A method of designing an acoustic microwave filter in accordance with frequency response requirements comprises generating a modeled filter circuit design having a plurality of circuit elements comprising an acoustic resonant element defined by an electrical circuit model that comprises a parallel static branch, a parallel motional branch, and one or both of a parallel Bragg Band branch that models an upper Bragg Band discontinuity and a parallel bulk mode function that models an acoustic bulk mode loss. The method further comprises optimizing the modeled filter circuit design to generate an optimized filter circuit design, comparing a frequency response of the optimized filter circuit design to the frequency response requirements, and constructing the acoustic microwave filter from the optimized filter circuit design based on the comparison.
US09959373B2 Structural representation and facilitation of manipulation thereof via implicit vertex relationships
The disclosed embodiments relate to a representation of a structure/space as a collection of interrelated partitions whereby manipulation of the partitions causes an automated propagation of the manipulation through the other interrelated partitions as a function of the relationships therebetween. Each partition is defined by one or more vertices, the location(s) of which is/are specified either relative to an origin or relative to, i.e. as a function of, or dependent upon, the location of another vertex within the partition (intra-partition) or within another partition (inter-partition). Where the location of a vertex is moved, the change is propagated implicitly to all other vertices whose location is related, i.e. specified as a function of the modified vertex.
US09959372B2 Building information modeling feedback system, method, and computer readable medium
A building information modeling (BIM) feedback system has at least one data system, a model presentation server system, a user device, and an information feedback database management system (DBMS). The data system receives objects posted by the model manager and then retrieves information of a building model and object mapping information, wherein the object mapping information records the relation between object identifications and the retrieved objects. Via the user device, a user views the building model and manipulates to generate feedback information, wherein the feedback information has an object data structure having the object identification and the parameters associated with the object which has the parameters to be updated. Based on the object mapping information, the information feedback DBMS requests the corresponding data system to update the parameters of the corresponding object according to the feedback information.
US09959371B2 Method for efficient designing and operating cooling infrastructure in a data center
A method and system is disclosed for maintaining Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of a new data center constant or within narrow range around efficient level during ramping up stage of the data center. The method comprises of capturing a plurality of design and operational parameters of the data center, computing an efficient design for the data center at full occupancy, and maintaining the Power Usage Effectiveness constant or within narrow range around efficient level at a current occupancy during a ramp up period of the data center.
US09959362B2 Context-aware landing page
Techniques are described for creating a context-aware landing page. A context-aware landing page is capable of dynamically updating its tiles to include content tiles which are related to a received triggering event. The triggering event can be received from a business context source. When the triggering event is received, a weighting table that contains a plurality of content tiles can be retrieved. The method can then select one or more content tiles to include in the context-aware landing page. The selection of the one or more content tiles can depend on the triggering event.
US09959360B2 Generating search results containing state links to applications
A disclosure provides techniques for generating search results containing state links to applications. A method includes receiving a query containing one or more query parameters from a remote computing device and identifying a set of third party applications corresponding to the one or more query parameters. For each third party application, the method includes transmitting at least a subset of the one or more query parameters to a server associated with the third party application, receiving a response from the server associated with the third party application, and generating a state link to a native application version of the third party application based on the response. The method further includes providing the states links to the remote computing device.
US09959354B2 Utilizing user co-search behavior to identify search queries seeking inappropriate content
A system and method for training a search query classifier may be used to develop a large database of search queries used to access inappropriate sensitive or offensive content. A database of well-known and frequently-used search queries for accessing inappropriate sensitive content is expanded by monitoring additional search queries received from a user within a preset time period of the user submitting one of the well-known and frequently-used search queries. The additional search queries received from a user are further evaluated to determine if they are likely associated with inappropriate sensitive or offensive content.
US09959351B2 Systems and methods to identify values for a selected filter
Systems and methods to identify values for a selected filter are described. The system receives a selection from a client machine. The selection identifies a filter that includes a first attribute-value pair that includes a first attribute and a first value, the first attribute-value pair being included in a concept query that was extracted from a query including at least one keyword that was received over the network from the client machine. The system further identifies filters responsive to receiving the selection, the identification of the filters being based on the first attribute and probabilities describing occurrences of attribute-value pairs in listings that respectively describe items that were previously transacted on a network-based marketplace, the filters including values. The system further generates a user interface including the values and search results that are identified based on the concept query and communicate the user interface to the client machine.
US09959347B2 Multi-layer search-engine index
Subject matter described herein includes a multi-layer search-engine index. Accordingly, the search-engine index is divided into multiple indexes, each of which includes a respective set of information used to serve (i.e., respond to) a query. One index includes a term index, which organizes a set of terms that are found among a collection of documents. Another index includes a document index, which organizes a set of documents that are searchable. A computing device is used to serve the search-engine index (i.e., to analyze the index when identifying documents relevant to a search query). For example, a solid-state device might be used to serve the multi-layer search-engine index.
US09959345B2 Search and identification of video content
Methods and systems for searching for and retrieving video content via fingerprint matching are described. In some example embodiments, the methods and systems access an index of reference fingerprints, such as quantized values associated with multiple values calculated from patches of a frame, that are associated with sequential frames of known video content. The methods and systems may receive a search query that includes a group of query fingerprints associated with sequential frames of video content presented at a client device, access the index, compare the group of query fingerprints to reference fingerprints of the index, determine that the group of query fingerprints match the reference fingerprints of the index, and identify the video content presented at the client device based on the determined match.
US09959340B2 Semantic lexicon-based input method editor
Some implementations provide techniques and arrangements for semantic lexicon based processing, such as in an input method editor. In some instances, a semantic label may be received that is to be defined for a semantic lexicon and at least a first term may be identified as a positive or negative example of the semantic label. In response, some examples may label at least a second term in the semantic lexicon with the semantic label based at least in part on the identification of the first term as a positive or negative example of the semantic label.
US09959339B2 Journey time estimation
Embodiments relate to calculating a journey time for a planned journey between a chosen origin and a chosen destination over a network of roads in a region. A first journey time for the journey is estimated using a route scheduling algorithm and a second journey time for the journey is estimated using selected historical journeys characterized by journey origins and destinations. The historical journeys are selected based on their vicinity to the planned journey. An error in the second journey time is calculated based on the standard deviation in the selected historical journeys. The second journey time is selected as the estimated journey time from the planned journey if this error is below a defined threshold, otherwise the first journey time is selected as the estimated journey time for the planned journey.
US09959335B2 System and method for avoiding object identifier collisions in a peered cluster environment
A system and method for avoiding object identifier collisions in a cluster environment is provided. Upon creation of the cluster, volume location databases negotiate ranges for data set identifiers (DSIDs) between a first site and a second site of the cluster. Any pre-existing objects are remapped into an object identifier range associated with the particular site hosting the object.
US09959334B1 Live drone observation data recording
Techniques described herein include a system and method for aggregating multiple data streams related to a drone mission event into a single data stream. In this disclosure, a service provider may receive multiple data streams from various data sources in either real time, post facto, or a combination of the two. The data streams may be synchronized and combined using multiplexing techniques. Additionally, one or more observers are provided with the capability to append log entries to the data streams at particular time markers. In some embodiments, the time markers associated with a log entry may be updated at a later time to more accurately reflect events.
US09959330B2 Mechanism for updating OLAP system structure and OLTP system structure
In an embodiment, for any structural change that is made to a relational database, a corresponding change is also made to the multidimensional database. In an embodiment, the system determines that a particular structure is not implemented on the multidimensional database system. Based on metadata that defines the structure that is supposed to exist in the multidimensional database, the appropriate structure is created.
US09959328B2 Analysis of user text
Free-form text in a document can be analyzed using natural-language processing to determine actionable items specified by users in the text or to provide recommendations, e.g., by automatically analyzing texts from multiple users. Words or phrases of the text can be mapped to classes of a model. An actionable item can be determined using the mapped words or phrases that match a selected grammar pattern. Items can be ranked, e.g., based on frequency across multiple documents. In some examples, the classes can include a suggestion-indicator class or a modal-indicator class, and the selected grammar pattern can include one of those classes. In some examples, the mapping can use a dictionary. A new term not in the dictionary can be automatically associated with classes based on attributes of the new term and of terms in the dictionary, e.g., the new term's part of speech or neighboring terms.
US09959326B2 Annotating schema elements based on associating data instances with knowledge base entities
Methods and systems for determining schema element types are shown that include pooling potential annotations for an element of an unlabeled schema from a plurality of heterogeneous sources, scoring the pool of potential annotations according to relevancy using information using instance information from the plurality of heterogeneous sources to produce a relevancy score, and annotating the element of the unlabeled schema using the most relevant potential annotations.
US09959324B2 Bootstrapping the data lake and glossaries with ‘dataset joins’ metadata from existing application patterns
A method to search for at least one relationship pattern in a plurality of runtime artifacts is provided. The method may include detecting at least one data manipulation statement in the plurality of runtime artifacts. The method may also include extracting at least one relationship clause from the detected at least one data manipulation statement. The method may further include parsing the extracted at least one relationship clause. The method may include generating at least one normalized syntax tree based on the parsed at least one relationship clause. The method may also include performing a classification and a snippet discovery on the generated at least one normalized syntax tree.
US09959323B2 Method for processing a database query
The invention relates to a computer-implemented method for processing a query in a database, the query comprising a search value. The database comprises a plurality of datasets the datasets comprising entries, wherein distance statistics are assigned to the datasets. The distance statistics describe the minimum and maximum distance between the values of the entries of a dataset of the plurality of datasets and a reference value. The method comprises determining the distance between the search value and the reference value, said determination resulting in a search distance, determining a subset of datasets from the plurality of datasets for which the search distance is within the limits given by the minimum and maximum distances described by the respective distance statistics, and searching for the search value in the subset of datasets.
US09959322B1 Ranking channels in search
A search result is modified to include a predetermined number of channels within a predetermined number of a plurality of entries in the search result. The search result is generated in response to a search query. The search result is modified to comprise a predetermined number of channels within a predetermined number of the plurality of entries. The modified search result is updated based on the plurality of entries and a subset of the updated modified search result is selected to be presented in response to the search query. The subset of the updated modified search result comprises the channel and at least one selection of data content.
US09959321B2 Ranking search results by social relevancy
In one embodiment, a search request is received from a first user, the request including the first user's location. A set of search results and their corresponding geographic locations are determined in response to the search request. For each search result, a weighted rating value is determined based on user ratings provided by one or more second users, an affiliation coefficient between the first user and each second user providing a user rating, and a proximity coefficient based on the distance between the first user's location and the geographic location of the search result. The search results are ranked by their respective weighted rating values and sent to the first user.
US09959305B2 Annotating structured data for search
The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for annotating structured data for search. Aspects of the invention include associating structured data, such as, for example, tables, with additional content to improve indexing of the structured data for search and/or provide improved search results for structured data. Web pages can include tables as well as other content. The other content in a web page, such as, for example, content outside the and
tags of a web table, can be useful in supporting searches for web tables. Content in one web page can also be useful in supporting searches for a table in another web page.
US09959304B2 Automatic NER dictionary generation from structured business data
The present disclosure involves systems, software, and computer implemented methods for generating NER dictionaries from structured business data. In one example, a method may include identifying a set of structured data for use in generating a NER dictionary, identifying a particular collection within the identified structured data to use in the dictionary generation, the particular identified collection including a plurality of values, identifying at least one variant of the value for each value in the particular identified collection, each of the at least one variants of the value including at least a portion of the underlying value, determining a set of unique variants from the identified at least one variants across each of the values in the particular identified subset, adding the determined set of unique variants to the generated dictionary, each unique variant added to the generated dictionary being associated with the value from which the unique variant was derived.
US09959302B2 Method and apparatus for providing traffic-based content acquisition and indexing
A method and apparatus for processing packets in a network are disclosed. For example, the method scans one or more packets representing a content that is being transferred via the network, where the scanning acquires one or more content elements. The method then builds a keyterm index from the one or more content elements, and stores the keyterm index in a repository. A query handler then responds to queries in accordance with the keyterm index.
US09959296B1 Providing suggestions within a document
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for providing suggestions within a document. In one aspect, a method includes obtaining textual input provided to a document editing application by a user device, the textual input being provided to the document editing application for inclusion in a document; identifying performance measures associated with the current editing session for the document, each performance measure being based on session data obtained from the user device during a document editing session, the session data being for the textual input and prior text that was included in the document prior to the textual input; providing the performance measures as input to a suggestion model that was trained using historical performance measures identified in performance logs for historical document editing sessions of users; and throttling textual suggestions during the current editing session based on the output of the suggestion model.
US09959294B2 Organizing digital images from multiple image repositories
Devices, systems, and methods obtain lists of image identifiers from multiple image repositories; organize the image identifiers in the lists of image identifiers into an image queue, thereby generating an image queue that includes image identifiers from multiple image repositories; and obtain a first image that is identified by a first image identifier in the queue, wherein the first image is obtained from a first image repository of the multiple image repositories. The devices, systems, and methods also add the first image to a display, obtain a first input from a user interface, remove the first image from the display, and change a storage location of the first image based on the first input. And the devices, systems, and methods obtain a second image that is identified by a second image identifier in the queue and add the second image from the image queue to the display.
US09959292B2 Application program, smart device, information processing apparatus, information processing system, and information processing method
A smart device includes a storage device, an imaging unit configured to capture a photo image, an input unit configured to input data to a predetermined field of a virtual display panel image, an image editing unit configured to create a virtual display panel-added photo image by superimposing the virtual display panel image having the data input to the predetermined field by the input unit on the photo image captured by the imaging unit, a first verification information generating unit configured to generate first verification information with respect to the virtual display panel-added photo image based on at least the photo image of the virtual display panel-added photo image, and a verification information storage unit configured to create a verification information/virtual display panel-added photo image that stores the first verification information and the data input to the predetermined field as metadata of the verification information/virtual display panel-added photo image.
US09959287B2 Sharing and synchronizing electronically stored files
Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to architectures, methods and systems and structures that facilitate the sharing and synchronization of electronically stored files among and between cloud entities and a number of computers, systems, devices and/or users. One particular exemplary aspect includes the mapping and/or translation of files electronically stored in a cloud file system when synchronized and/or shared with client computer systems.
US09959286B1 Method, System and apparatus for synchronizing changes in a directory service
In a directory service, a sync request requesting changes to a dataset is received from a sync client, the sync request comprising a token, and sync requests containing tokens are sent to first and second directory servers. Changes are returned by the directory servers with tokens, and the changes are returned to the sync client with a unified token. In embodiments, the changes returned to the sync client are new to the sync client. Also disclosed is a method where a request for new changes to a dataset is received from a sync client, the request including a token, and a response that contains a token and changes that are new to the sync client is returned.
US09959285B2 Restricting sensitive query results in information management platforms
As information becomes more accessible to the public, the ability to predict and estimate sensitive data from the data already available to the general public becomes easier. The existing privacy-preserving data mining approaches only consider the information the user is querying and do not consider the information the user already has, and how the user can use that information in combination with the query information to create sensitive data that the user should not have access to. Some embodiments of the present invention provide a query analysis (QA) program that solves the aforementioned problem by taking into account data that a user may already have, whether it is private data or data that is available to the public, and then using that data, along with the data that would be returned in the query, to determine if sensitive data could be recreated.
US09959284B2 System and method for synchronizing history data for compression and decompression
An apparatus and a computer-implemented method for processing data are disclosed. The apparatus comprises a memory device that stores first history data, and at least one processor configured to modify a first portion of the first history data, transmit first information to a recipient device reflecting the modification to the first portion of the first history data, determine that the recipient device has modified a second portion of the second history data associated with the first portion based on the first information, receive input data, and responsive to the confirmation, transmit one or more reference tokens reflecting a relationship between the modified first history data and one or more portions of the input data, wherein the one or more first reference tokens allows the recipient device to reconstruct the one or more portions of the input data from the modified second portion of the second history data.
US09959281B2 Concurrent file and object protocol access using space-efficient cloning
A computer-implemented method is provided in one general embodiment for concurrent file and object protocol access. The method includes receiving a notification that indicates storage of an object by an object-based client, and creating a clone of the object. Also, the method includes providing a file-based client access to the clone of the object. Further, the method includes, after the file-based client has finished modifying the clone of the object, replacing the object with an updated object based on the modified clone of the object. The file-based client is provided access to the modified clone of the updated object. After the file-based client has finished modifying the modified clone of the updated object, the updated object is replaced with an additional object based on the modification to the modified clone of the updated object.
US09959279B2 Multi-tier caching
A method for maintaining an index in multi-tier data structure includes providing a plurality of a storage devices forming the multi-tier data structure, caching an index of key-value pairs across the multi-tier data structure, wherein each of the key-value pairs includes a key, and one of a data value and a data pointer, the key-value pairs stored in the multi-tier data structure, providing a journal for interfacing with the multi-tier data structure, providing a plurality of zone allocators recording which zones of the multi-tier data structure are in used, and providing a plurality of zone managers for controlling access to cache lines of the multi-tier data structure through the journal and zone allocators, wherein each zone manager maintains a header object pointing to data to be stored in an allocated zone.
US09959278B1 Method and system for supporting block-level incremental backups of file system volumes using volume pseudo devices
A method for performing block-level incremental backups of file system volumes using a pseudo device layer of a volume manager. A driver associated with a snapshot backup program is configured to back up the full pseudo disk upon receipt of a backup request, and not automatically performed upon startup. Incremental backups are performed thereafter using a driver that has been modified to include a monitor that tracks writes during backups. The standard I/O routine of the kernel is overwritten with an I/O routine that tracks write operations. The volume manager is called back to perform the incremental backup operations upon each write operation. The going down routine of the kernel is also overwritten to track any updates to the volume manager. If the volume manager is updated, the data structure is cleared and future backups are performed from a subsequent full backup.
US09959275B2 Backup and restoration for a deduplicated file system
The disclosed techniques that can use deduplication information on a source computer platform to improve the process of performing data backups or restoration from/to the computer platform. In one example aspect, a data backup operation can re-use some of the work already done by a source computer's deduplication system. For example, a storage operation could read a deduplication database on the source computer platform to determine the duplicativeness of a given data chunk being transferred to a backup storage system, without having to perform computations such as data chunk hashing and comparison with previously generated hashes. The technique may additionally or alternatively reuse hashes generated by the source computer during deduplication of the data file on the source computer's file system during deduplication at the external backup storage system.
US09959274B2 Volume-level redundancy coding techniques for sequential transfer optimized storage devices
Techniques described and suggested herein include systems and methods for storing, indexing, and retrieving original data of data archives on data storage systems using redundancy coding techniques. For example, redundancy codes, such as erasure codes, may be applied to archives (such as those received from a customer of a computing resource service provider) so as allow the storage of original data of the individual archives available on a minimum of volumes, such as those of a data storage system, while retaining availability, durability, and other guarantees imparted by the application of the redundancy code. Sparse indexing techniques may be implemented so as to reduce the footprint of indexes used to locate the original data, once stored.
US09959272B1 Automatic classification and translation of written segments
A translation server computer and related methods are described. The translation server computer is programmed or configured to create computer-implemented techniques for classifying segments in a source language as non-translatable into a target language, nearly-translatable into the target language, or otherwise, and for generating translations in the target language for the segments classified as nearly-translatable. The translation server computer is further programmed or configured to apply the computer-implemented techniques on an input document to generate a classification and a translation when appropriate for each segment in the document, and cause a user computer to display the translations and classifications.
US09959267B2 Filtering user interface for a data summary table
A graphical user interface for creating a data summary table includes a data summary table including a plurality of fields, and a filtering pane programmed to apply filters to items in the fields of the data summary table, the filtering pane including a field selector control, wherein the field selector control is programmed to allow for selection of a field of the fields in the data summary table to define filtering for the field.
US09959266B2 Pattern generation for viewing data in multiple directions
A computer implemented method and a device for generating a data pattern involve receiving user input of a plurality of ordered data elements. A processor of the computer determines how many of the data elements are required for filling in a row and a column of a predefined space. The processor then generates a data pattern by iteratively cycling through the data elements to select data elements for filling the space along a plurality of directions, until the space is filled.
US09959265B1 Populating values in a spreadsheet using semantic cues
A method includes obtaining at least one query value from a table having a plurality of cells; executing a search function using the at least one query value to identify at least a first data set that is potentially relevant to the at least one query value; and outputting, for display, a first interface area that includes information from the first data set. In response to selection of the first interface area, the method includes populating a first cell from the plurality of cells with a first data value from the first data set.
US09959264B2 Independent submission of forms in a portal view
Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to processing forms submissions in a portal environment and provide a method, system and computer program product for independently refreshing a forms submission in a portal view. In one embodiment, a system for independently submitting forms in a portal view can include a portal server configured to render a portal view and a portlet aggregator coupled to the portal server. The portal aggregator can be configured to provide portlet markup for different portlets in the portal view where at least one of the different portlets includes a visible form includes one or more form elements.
US09959261B2 Method and apparatus for displaying 3D image
A method of displaying a three-dimensional (3D) image by using a display apparatus includes generating an annotation related to a point of the 3D image and determining an image depth of the annotation, and displaying the annotation with the 3D image based on the image depth of the annotation, in which the annotation comprises at least one point or area of the 3D image.
US09959251B2 Using content structure to socially connect users
The structure of a digital content item is used to socially connect users consuming the digital content item. The structured representation of the digital content item is determined. This structured representation is analyzed to identify key events within the digital content item. A user's current location within the digital content item is identified. Social communications of the user are filtered responsive to the user's current location and the identified key events within the digital content item. In this way, the user may peruse social media without inadvertently reading communications that give away (e.g., spoil) key events such as important plot points.
US09959250B2 Overlaying photographs with text on a social networking system
When a social networking system receives an image and associated text for presentation to one or more users, the social networking system determines how to present the text and the image. For example, the social networking system determines if to overlay the text onto an area of the image. A readability score indicating the readability of the text if overlaid onto an area of the image is determined based on attributes of the image and of the text. Using the readability score, the social networking system overlays the text onto an area of the image when presented to other users or presents the text adjacent to the image when presented to other users.
US09959249B2 Information processing apparatus, document processing apparatus, information processing system, information processing method, and document processing method
An information processing apparatus includes a display that displays a document in response to an instruction from an operator, a retrieval unit that retrieves information related to a region within the displayed document, a duration of time during which the region is displayed, and a resolution at which the region is displayed, and an output unit that outputs the document with the retrieved information related to the region, the duration of time and the resolution associated therewith.
US09959247B1 Permuting in a matrix-vector processor
A circuit comprises an input register configured to receive an input vector of elements, a control register configured to receive a control vector of elements, wherein each element of the control vector corresponds to a respective element of the input vector, and wherein each element specifies a permutation of a corresponding element of the input vector, and a permute execution circuit configured to generate an output vector of elements corresponding to a permutation of the input vector. Generating each element of the output vector comprises accessing, at the input register, a particular element of the input vector, accessing, at the control register, a particular element of the control vector corresponding to the particular element of the input vector, and outputting the particular element of the input vector as an element at a particular position of the output vector that is selected based on the particular element of the control vector.
US09959245B2 Access frequency approximation for remote direct memory access
A method includes the following steps. One or more records are accessed from a database memory bypassing a database access mechanism of a database system. Data representing access frequency of the one or more records are collected. The collected access frequency data for the one or more records are maintained. The access frequency data for the one or more records are aggregated until the access frequency reaches a threshold value. The aggregated access frequency data are asynchronously reported for the one or more records to the database system.
US09959238B1 Message passing among interdependent parallel processes using a shared memory
Message passing is provided among a plurality of interdependent parallel processes using a shared memory. Inter-process communication among a plurality of interdependent processes executing on a plurality of compute nodes is performed by obtaining a message from a first process for a second process; and storing the message in a memory location of a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIE)-linked storage device, wherein the second process reads the memory location to obtain the message. The message is optionally persistently stored in the PCIE-linked storage device for an asynchronous checkpoint until the message is no longer required for an asynchronous restart.
US09959235B2 Input/output switching method, electronic device, and system for a server
An input/output switching system for a server is disclosed herein. The input/output switching system includes a logic-determination device and at least one connector. The at least one connector electrically connects with at least one electronic card. The at least one connector comprises at least one first standard-bus pin group, at least one second standard-bus pin group, and a first distinguishing-signal pin group. The logic-determination device generates a first determination result which is used for determination of type of the at least one electronic card by receiving a distinguishing signal transmitted from the first distinguishing-signal pin group.
US09959231B2 Data bus coupler and method of operation
A data bus coupler has a primary bus connection for a primary bus and a plurality of secondary bus connections each for a terminal. The coupler includes a slave unit connected to the primary bus connection and a master unit connectable to the secondary bus connections and configured for sending telegrams to and receiving telegrams from the secondary bus connections, and a control unit. Communication switching means, under control of the control unit, connect each secondary bus connection to/from the master unit.
US09959230B2 Data transfer device
A data transfer device includes a shifter block that generates first and second input signals and first and second output signals, an input/output control block that selects the first input signal and the first output signal in correspondence to a mode signal and outputs an input control signal and an output control signal for controlling a data input/output operation, or selects the second input signal and the second output signal and outputs the input control signal and the output control signal, and a buffer block that latches first input data or second input data which have different data bit widths according to the input control signal, and outputs first output data or second output data which have different data bit widths according to the output control signal.
US09959229B2 Associating process priority with I/O queuing
Described herein is a system and method for associating process priority with I/O queuing. The system can receive a first I/O request from a first process; store the first I/O request in an I/O queue; receive a second I/O request from a second process; store the second I/O request in the I/O queue; and sort the I/O queue based, at least in part, on a first priority of the first process and a second priority of the second process.
US09959225B2 Computer apparatus and control method of computer apparatus
At start-up of a computer apparatus, a CPU executes a first initialization procedure included in a RAS module to initialize resources to be used by the RAS module. After execution of the first initialization procedure, the CPU executes an initialization procedure included in an OS to initialize resources to be used by the OS. After execution of the initialization procedure, the CPU executes a second initialization procedure included in the RAS module to copy an interrupt determining part included in the OS to the RAS module, and to set the interrupt detection unit such that upon detecting an interrupt the interrupt detection unit calls an interrupt determining part copied to the RAS module, instead of the interrupt determining part in the OS.
US09959224B1 Device generated interrupts compatible with limited interrupt virtualization hardware
A system and method are provided for generating interrupts in a computer system using limited interrupt virtualization hardware. A peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) device atomically sets one or more bits in a posted interrupt vector (PIV) of a target central processing unit (CPU), and sends an interrupt to the target CPU, the interrupt notifying the target CPU of changes to the PIV. Atomically setting the one or more bits may include executing a compare-and-swap function, executing a fetch-and-add instruction to increment a DWORD corresponding to the one or more bits in the PIV by a value of 2 ^ (b mod 32), using PCIe byte enables to write to a single byte in the PCIe address space that contains the one or more bits, using a helper CPU, performing a PCIe swap to the PIV, or storing the PIV in a memory of the PCIe device.
US09959219B1 Interconnection of peripheral devices on different electronic devices
A peripheral device connected to a local electronic device which is connected to at least one communication network can communicate with a peripheral device attached to a remote electronic device as if the remote peripheral device was locally attached. Data designated for the remote peripheral device is received by a local virtual device object and transmitted to the remote electronic device via at least one of the electronic devices communication interfaces or peripheral devices. Data received by the remote electronic device's communication interface or peripheral device is written to the peripheral device at the remote electronic device by a virtual device object. For compensation of different transfer speeds or outages between the peripheral device and the communication interface or another peripheral device the virtual device provides the ability to utilize the virtual devices emulation driver that is attached to the virtual device object as an I/O buffer.
US09959218B2 Method and apparatus to generate zero content over garbage data when encryption parameters are changed
A memory device including at least one memory location for storing information representing data written using a first encryption/decryption method, and a read channel using a second encryption/decryption method for reading and decrypting information as written. The memory device also includes an apparatus that prevents the reading of the at least one memory location using the second encryption/decryption method, in response to an indication that the at least one memory location was written using the first encryption/decryption method. In another embodiment, a reading of all zeroes is returned in response to an indication of another encryption/decryption method.
US09959216B2 Generating and using an enhanced initialization vector
Embodiments for generating and using an enhanced initialization vector are disclosed. In one embodiment, data and a record identifier to which the data is to be written are received. An initialization vector for encrypting the data is then generated. The initialization vector is based on the record identifier and a value that changes every time that the record identifier is to be written to. The value can be generated, for example, by a counter that increments every time the record identifier is to be written to or by a random number generator that generates a random number every time the record identifier is to be written to. In some embodiments, the generated initialization vector is also based on a second value, such as, for example, a value that is shared by other storage modules or a value that is unique to the storage module.
US09959212B2 Memory system
A memory system has a first cache memory comprising a volatile memory, a second cache memory comprising a non-volatile memory with access speed slower than access speed of the volatile memory, and a reconfiguration control circuitry to switch between a first mode that uses the second cache memory as a cache memory in a lower layer than the first cache memory and a second mode that uses the first cache memory and the second cache memory as cache memories in an identical memory layer.
US09959208B2 Parallel caching architecture and methods for block-based data processing
A multi-processor computer system with shared memory resources includes a first plurality of sensors configured to acquire inertial and positional data related to a mobile platform. The system further includes a first plurality of co-processors having a hardware logic configured to control the acquisition of the inertial and positional data and configured to analyze the acquired data. The system also includes a second plurality of sensors configured to acquire input data related to the mobile platform connected to a second plurality of co-processors having a hardware logic configured to receive a plurality of streams of input data from the second plurality of sensors and configured to segment the input data into a plurality of discrete data segments. The system also includes a plurality of hardware processing units configured to perform calculations related to the input data using the plurality of data segments.
US09959203B2 Managing storage devices
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for managing storage devices. In some implementations, a memory controller receives a logical write request over a logical interface that the memory controller provides for accessing a non-volatile storage device. The logical write request indicates a logical address at which to write data to the non-volatile storage device. In response to receiving the logical write request, the memory controller sends a write request event to a host system. The memory controller receives a physical write command from the host system over a physical interface that the memory controller provides for accessing the non-volatile storage device. In response to receiving the physical write command, the memory controller stores the data in the non-volatile storage device according to the physical write command.
US09959199B2 Diagnosis of test failures in software programs
The disclosed embodiments provide a system that facilitates the development and testing of a software program. During operation, the system receives and stores a plurality of defect reports associated with a software program, wherein each defect report documents a previously discovered defect in the software program. In response to detecting a given test failure of the software program while testing the software program in a test environment, the system then eliminates, based on attributes of the test environment that are selected by the defect reports, one or more of the defect reports from the plurality of defect reports, wherein at least one of the selected attributes is retrieved from the test environment during the determination by invoking a provider script that is specified by one of the defect reports. Next, the system associates the test failure with a defect report that remains after the one or more eliminations.
US09959197B2 Automated bug detection with virtual machine forking
Techniques for automated bug detection. A set of inputs are collected and a snapshotting feature is used to apply each input to a test application. Outputs from the test application are gathered and compared to determine whether the outputs are associated with bugs. Comparison can be done with one or more of many different techniques that quantify difference between outputs associated with test inputs and outputs associated with a “happy path input.” Outputs can be grouped together based on these quantifications and the groups can be used to identify outputs most likely to be associated with bugs. The output groups may also be used to group associated inputs to the set of inputs to be used for testing in the future. When a bug is identified, a report could be automatically generated that includes a scoring value as well as recorded output information and could be presented to a user.
US09959196B2 Unification of descriptive programming and object repository
A computer device may include logic configured to provide a centralized library for descriptive programming and other types of object descriptions to a testing script engine. The descriptive programming library may store test object descriptions for test objects associated with an application under testing. The logic may be further configured to provide a unification layer over all the object description types and to provide inheritance among the objects at the unification layer. The logic may be further configured to store a test object description, associated with a test object, in the descriptive programming library; identify a reference to the test object in a descriptive programming statement associated with the testing script engine; access the stored test object description in the descriptive programming library based on the identified reference to the test object; and identify an application object, associated with the application under testing, based on the stored test object description.
US09959193B2 Increasing accuracy of traceability links and structured data
According to an embodiment of the present invention, an artifact is received, and unstructured content of the artifact is parsed and analyzed to identify data for one or more of missing structured content of the artifact and inaccurate structured content of the artifact. The identified data is then added to the artifact. Embodiments of the present invention can be used, for example, to provide data for missing and inaccurate structured content in artifacts of Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) frameworks, and improve accuracy of structured information that used to run queries and create reports.
US09959191B2 Dynamic library profiling method and dynamic library profiling system
A dynamic library profiling method and a dynamic library profiling system including writing a first break point instruction at a start address of a dynamic library function, recording a first event count value that is a process performance management unit (PMU) count when a target process executes the first break point instruction, writing a second break point instruction to a return address of the dynamic library function, and calculating a PMU count generated in a processor core while the dynamic library function is executed, by comparing the recorded first event count value with a second event count value that is a process PMU count when the target process executes the second break point instruction, wherein the process PMU count is a cumulative value of PMU counts generated in the processor core while the target process is executed.
US09959190B2 On-site visualization of component status
Apparatus and computer program products implement embodiments of the present invention that enable a portable computing device such as a smartphone or a tablet computer, to capture one or more codes for one or more corresponding components positioned in proximity to the portable computing device, and to convey the one or more codes to a management system. Upon receiving the one or more codes, the management system can be configured to convey, to the portable computing device, an identification and a status of each of the one or more components. The portable computing device can then present the status of the one or more components on a display.
US09959186B2 Debugging in a semiconductor device test environment
A test system that enables real-time interactive debugging of a device under test (DUT) using native customer code. A translation module may format, in real time, debug commands, corresponding to a user input, into a format recognizable by instruments in a tester. The user input may be a test program or test instructions written in a high-level programming language. The translation module may translate the user's debug commands into lower-level test instrument commands, based on which the tester may apply control signals to a processor in the DUT to test subsystems of the DUT. A result of the test may be provided to the translation module, which may, in real time, format another debug command, or provide an indication of the result to the user. The translation module may thus enable a user to step-through and modify native customer code in an interactive manner to debug a DUT.
US09959182B2 Replicating test case data into a cache with non-naturally aligned data boundaries
Data is replicated into a memory cache with non-naturally aligned data boundaries to reduce the time needed to generate test cases for testing a processor. Placing data in the non-naturally aligned data boundaries as described herein allows replicated testing of the memory cache while preserving double word and quad word boundaries in segments of the replicated test data. This allows test cases to be generated for a section of memory and then replicated throughout the memory and tested by a single test branching back and using the next strand of the replicated test data in the memory cache.
US09959181B2 System and method for cloud-service asset management for portable computer test tools
A system for providing data communication includes a computer test tool configured to perform one or more diagnostic tests on a computer network and a cloud-based server. The cloud-based server is configured to couple to the communication network so as to exchange data with the computer test tool when the computer test tool is coupled to the communication network. The cloud-based server tracks usage of the computer test tool and, based on the tracked usage, transmits a message to the computer test tool that temporarily enables the computer test tool based on a predetermined condition.
US09959178B2 Transactional and parallel log replay for asynchronous table replication
Disclosed herein are system, method, and computer program product embodiments for replicating a database transaction to a replica table. An embodiment operates by receiving a replication log entry and an associated transaction commit log entry for a database transaction to be replayed to a row at a replica table. A row-ID value of the replication log entry is compared to a row-ID column value of the row at the replica table. The replication log entry is then replayed at a parallel log replayer based on the comparison. The database transaction is then committed to the replica table by replaying the associated transaction commit log entry at a transaction log replayer.
US09959174B2 Storage checkpointing in a mirrored virtual machine system
A method and system are provided for storage checkpointing in a mirrored virtual machine system. The method includes a storage controller receiving a modifying operation to storage from a virtual machine and carrying out the modifying operation in a non-destructive manner by saving the modifying operation data to a checkpointing region of storage and preserving the stored previous data state. The method also includes receiving a checkpoint notification and committing modifying operation data from the checkpointing region and releasing the stored previous data state. If a failover notification is received, the storage controller rolls back the physical storage to match a checkpoint state.
US09959169B2 Expansion of dispersed storage network (DSN) memory
A computing device includes an interface configured to interface and communicate with a dispersed storage network (DSN), a memory that stores operational instructions, and a processing module operably coupled to the interface and memory such that the processing module, when operable within the computing device based on the operational instructions, is configured to perform various operations. A computing device identifies data slices (EDSs) of pillar width (associated with data object) to be stored within a pillar width number of a plurality of storage units (SUs). The computing device the identifies head SUs among the pillar width number of the SUs such that, based on a ring arrangement, each set of EDSs is distributedly stored among the ring arrangement of the pillar width number of the SUs starting with its respective head EDS at a respective head SU and ending with a last tail EDS at a respective last tail SU.
US09959167B1 Rebundling grid encoded data storage systems
Techniques for rebundling grid encoded data storage systems are described herein. A new grid of shards is created based in part on shards from a first grid of shards. The second grid of shards contains data shards, including one or more data shards from the first grid of shards, and derived shards that are indexed by row and column and is configured so that shards in the second grid are reproducible from shards in the same row using a first redundancy code and are also reproducible from shards in the same column using a second redundancy code. The derived shards of the second grid of shards are then derived from other shards in the second grid of shards using the first redundancy code and the second redundancy code.
US09959164B2 Semiconductor device and driving method thereof
A driving method of a semiconductor device and semiconductor device may be provided. The semiconductor device may include a cell array including a plurality of data areas. The semiconductor device may include an ECC (Error correction Code) area configured to be assigned to only less than all of the data areas at any one time to store parity data corresponding to the data areas.
US09959160B2 Fault handling in a distributed IT environment
An improved method provides fault handling in a distributed IT environment. The distributed IT environment executes a workflow application interacting with at least one application by using interface information about the at least one application. In response to receiving a first instance of a fault response, a fault handler performing a first lookup of a fault handling policy corresponding to the fault response within a fault handling descriptions catalog. The fault handler loads a first one or more fault handling descriptions that are pointed to by the fault handling policy in order to continue execution of the workflow application. After a second instance of the fault response, the fault handler performs a second lookup of the fault handling policy which now points to a second one or more fault handling descriptions which are loaded in order to continue execution of the workflow application.
US09959155B2 Testing a data coherency algorithm
Testing a data coherency algorithm of a multi-processor environment. The testing includes implementing a global time incremented every processor cycle and used for timestamping; implementing a transactional execution flag representing a processor core guaranteeing the atomicity and coherency of the currently executed instructions; implementing a transactional footprint, which keeps the address of each cache line that was used by the processor core; implementing a reference model, which operates on every cache line and keeps a set of timestamps for every cache line; implementing a core observed timestamp representing a global timestamp, which is the oldest construction date of data used before; implementing interface events; and reporting an error whenever a transaction end event is detected and any cache line is found in the transactional footprint with an expiration date that is older than or equal to the core observed time.
US09959154B2 Identifying defunct nodes in data processing systems
A computer system may generate a lineage graph for a data processing system. The lineage graph may contain one or more nodes, and it may identify the flow of data through the data processing system. The computer system may determine that a first node in the lineage graph defunct. The computer system may then generate a report for the data processing system and provide the report to a user. The report may include an explanation of why the first node is defunct. The computer system may insert an indication that the first node is defunct into metadata for the first node. The indication may also include the explanation of why the first node is defunct.
US09959152B2 Adaptive quota management system
A system for determining a quota comprises an input interface, a candidate quota determiner, one or more quota modification determiners, and an output interface. The input interface is for receiving a quota request for an activity and receiving an estimation or an actual measurement of one or more operating parameters. A candidate quota determiner is for determining a candidate quota amount based at least in part on candidate quota parameters. The one or more quota modification determiners are for determining one or more quota modifications based on the estimation or the actual measurement of the one or more operating parameters. The output interface for providing a final quota amount based at least in part on the candidate quota amount and the one or more quota modifications.
US09959148B2 Method and device for estimating optimal resources for server virtualization
Embodiments of the present disclosure disclose a method and a device for estimating optimal resources for server virtualization. The method comprises receiving input data relating to requirements of server virtualization from a user device. The method further comprises filtering the input data by applying filtering rules. The method further comprises generating current landscape information of a plurality of servers using the filtered input data. The method further comprises determining values of virtualization parameters for a plurality of target servers using the current landscape information and predefined rules. The method further comprises determining landscape information of the plurality of target servers using the current landscape information and the values of virtualization parameters for estimating optimal resources for server virtualization.
US09959147B2 Cluster configuration through host ranking
Computer implemented methods, system and apparatus for configuring a cluster using a plurality of hosts include identifying a plurality of features for forming the cluster. The plurality of features define requirements needed in a host for forming the cluster. A plurality of hosts are identified to be part of the cluster. A compatibility analysis is executed for each of the identified hosts wherein a ranking is provided for each of the identified hosts. A plurality of suggested adjustments to particular hosts are presented to enable the particular hosts to be compatible with the features requirements. A configuration template is constructed for the hosts in the cluster that are compatible with the requirements. The hosts are configured for the cluster using the configuration settings in the configuration template. The configured hosts enable the features in the cluster.
US09959144B2 Optimizing computer hardware resource utilization when processing variable precision data
Systems and methods for optimizing hardware resource utilization when processing variable-precision data are provided. Application data objects are processed using either a central processing unit (CPU) or the relatively lower precision data processing requirements of a dedicated math processing unit, e.g., a graphics processing unit (GPU), based on a level of precision determined for each application data object. The level of precision is used to calculate at least one bounding value for each application data object. The bounding value is compared to a selected precision threshold in order to determine whether the application data object can be processed by the GPU at a relatively lower level of precision without an undesirable loss of computational precision.
US09959142B2 Dynamic task scheduling method for dispatching sub-tasks to computing devices of heterogeneous computing system and related computer readable medium
One dynamic task scheduling method includes: receiving a task, wherein the task comprises a kernel and a plurality of data items to be processed by the kernel; dynamically partitioning the task into a plurality of sub-tasks, each having the kernel and a variable-sized portion of the data items; and dispatching the sub-tasks to a plurality of computing devices of a heterogeneous computing system. Another dynamic task scheduling method includes: receiving a task, wherein the task comprises a kernel and a plurality of data items to be processed by the kernel; partitioning the task into a plurality of sub-tasks, each having the kernel and a same fixed-sized portion of the data items; and dynamically dispatching the sub-tasks to a plurality of computing devices of a heterogeneous computing system.
US09959138B1 Adaptive self-maintenance scheduler
Embodiments presented herein disclose adaptive techniques for scheduling self-maintenance processes. A load predictor estimates, based on a current state of a distributed storage system, an amount of resources of the system required to perform each of a plurality of self-maintenance processes. A maintenance process scheduler estimates, based on one or more inputs, an amount of resources of the distributed system available to perform one or more of the self-maintenance processes during at least a first time period. The maintenance process scheduler determines a schedule for the one or more of the self-maintenance processes to perform during the first time period, based on the estimated amount of resources required and available.
US09959135B2 Pattern design for heterogeneous environments
A method is provided for designing and optimizing a pattern by considering heterogeneous cloud environments. Building blocks within the pattern can be deployed into different cloud environments and different cloud providers, depending on where the pattern fits users need best. Further, building block configuration within the pattern can be optimized by target environments, along with runtime bursting among multiple environments.
US09959129B2 Headless task completion within digital personal assistants
Techniques are described for headlessly completing a task of an application in the background of a digital personal assistant. For example, a method can include receiving a voice input via a microphone. Natural language processing can be performed using the voice input to determine a user voice command. The user voice command can include a request to perform a task of the application. The application can be caused to execute the task as a background process without a user interface of the application appearing. A user interface of the digital personal assistant can provide a response to the user, based on a received state associated with the task, so that the response comes from within a context of the user interface of the digital personal assistant without surfacing the user interface of the application.
US09959126B2 Systems, methods, and apparatus for controlling the power-on or boot sequence of an integrated circuit based on power harvesting conditions
In some embodiments, an apparatus includes an integrated circuit such as a system on chip that operates in part from harvested power and that uses information about power harvesting conditions to alter a power-on sequence or boot sequence based on that information. In some embodiments, a method uses information about power harvesting and energy harvesting conditions to alter a power-on sequence or boot sequence.
US09959125B2 Field update of boot loader using regular device firmware update procedure
Embodiments of the inventive concept include a boot loader update firmware (305), a system and method for producing the boot loader update firmware (305), and a method for using the boot loader update firmware (305) to update a boot loader module (160) in a device (110, 205, 210, 215). The boot loader update firmware (305) can include logic (310) to install firmware (315) in non-volatile memory (145). The firmware (315) can include a binary image (320) of the updated boot loader module (160). When the device (110, 205, 210, 215) is rebooted, the firmware (315) is activated, which can then copy the binary image 320) into non-volatile memory (150). When the device (110, 205, 210, 215) is rebooted again, the updated boot loader module (160) is activated.
US09959124B1 Secure bypass of low-level configuration in reconfiguration of a computing system
In an embodiment, a system includes a functional unit that remains powered when the remainder of the system is powered off. The functional unit may, in response to a transition from a first power state to a second power state, retrieve configuration information from a read-only memory. In some embodiments, may be configured to store at least a portion of the configured information in a secure portion of a memory included in the functional unit and then lock the secure portion of the memory. The functional unit may then complete the transition to the second power state.
US09959120B2 Persistent relocatable reset vector for processor
In an embodiment, an integrated circuit includes at least one processor. The processor may include a reset vector base address register configured to store a reset vector address for the processor. Responsive to a reset, the processor may be configured to capture a reset vector address on an input, updating the reset vector base address register. Upon release from reset, the processor may initiate instruction execution at the reset vector address. The integrated circuit may further include a logic circuit that is coupled to provide the reset vector address. The logic circuit may include a register that is programmable with the reset vector address. More particularly, in an embodiment, the register may be programmable via a write operation issued by the processor (e.g. a memory-mapped write operation). Accordingly, the reset vector address may be programmable in the integrated circuit, and may be changed from time to time.
US09959118B2 Instruction to load data up to a dynamically determined memory boundary
A Load to Block Boundary instruction is provided that loads a variable number of bytes of data into a register while ensuring that a specified memory boundary is not crossed. The boundary is dynamically determined based on a specified type of boundary and one or more characteristics of the processor executing the instruction, such as cache line size or page size used by the processor.
US09959113B2 Managing versions of software packages
Embodiments relate to systems and methods for managing versions of a software package in a development environment. A package distribution module can interface with a set of stages of the development environment to manage the development of multiple versions of software packages. The package distribution module can establish access rights of entities to advance appropriate versions of the software packages to appropriate stages of the development environment. One or more versions of the software packages can be advanced or moved to other stages of the development environment according to the access rights. The package distribution module can establish new access parameters of software packages in response to the one or more versions advancing or moving to other stages, such that appropriate entities have access to advance appropriate versions. The package distribution module can provide production versions of software packages to a package manager for distribution to target machines.
US09959112B2 Customizing a software application based on a user's familiarity with the software application
A software program is executed, the software program requiring one or more physical interactions with a user through an input/output (I/O) device, wherein each of the one or more physical interactions includes respective predefined dimensions indicating a proficiency in performing one of the one or more physical interactions. The one or more physical interactions are tracked. A familiarity profile for each of the one or more physical interactions is generated based on the respective predefined dimensions for each of the one or more physical interactions. The software program is customized based on the familiarity profile for each of the one or more physical interactions.
US09959108B2 Fast deployment across cloud platforms
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for distributed data management. One of the methods includes converting a standard specification for a software package into a custom specification for a software deployment tool that deploys the software package on one or more distributed computing systems, parsing source files and corresponding configuration files to determine configuration parameters and custom values, writing the determined configuration parameters into a custom template, and updating the custom specification with the determined custom values for the configuration parameters and information associated with the custom template.
US09959107B2 Method and apparatus for updating application
A method and an apparatus for updating an application are provided. An electronic device activates an automatic update of an installed application, designates the application as one group of one or more groups distinguished according to an update period. The electronic device controls to update the application after a time point of an update period corresponding to the designated group.
US09959104B2 Dependency-based container deployment
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a method, device and computer program product for container deployment. By comparing the target libraries required by a target container to be deployed and the libraries that have been loaded on the candidate hosts, the costs of deploying the target container on the candidate hosts can be estimated. Then a target host is selected from among the plurality of candidate hosts based on the determined costs.
US09959101B2 Conditional sequential selection of external reference solutions
External references are resolved in a software compiling and linking environment by identifying a group of related external references and by processing the group of external references until a stopping condition is satisfied. The external references are processed by selecting a next external reference from the group of external references as a current external reference and by resolving the current external reference with a matching definition if a matching definition for the current external reference exists. The stopping condition is designated as being satisfied if either the selected external reference is resolved, or if each external reference in the group of external references has been selected.
US09959098B1 Data processing systems and methods
A system and methods for dynamically creating spreadsheet workbooks at runtime on a computing device from a set of pre-defined spreadsheet modules. Each spreadsheet module has an associated interface definition, allowing users more easily to combine multiple modules into more complex spreadsheet applications. Interfaces are defined using a Spreadsheet Interface Definition Language (SIDL) which enables spreadsheet models to be defined independent of their implementation. Modules can be either pre-constructed as spreadsheet workbooks, or dynamically created at run time from module definitions.
US09959097B2 SVN interface system for heterogeneous development environments
A computing system may interface with different software versioning (SVN) systems via distinct interfaces. The computing system may receive, via one of the interfaces, and from a development platform of one of the SVN systems, a request to transmit draft code to a production platform of the SVN system. The computing system may identify, based on the SVN system, a set of requirements for the draft code from amongst requirement sets stored in memory. Responsive to determining that the draft code conforms to the requirements, the computing system may transmit the draft code to the production platform via the interface.
US09959096B2 Method for generating true random numbers on a multiprocessor system and the same
A method for generating random numbers on multiprocessor systems and a multiprocessor system for generating true random numbers, using the method, generate truly random numbers with high entropy in a multiprocessor system with little additional effort to chip area and power dissipation. The method includes the steps of: measuring a phase error signal of a clock generator circuit of a first and a second processing unit respectively, forwarding the phase error signal of the respective clock generator circuit of the first and second processing unit to a true random network, combining the phase error signal of the clock generator circuit of the first processing unit and the phase error signal of the clock generator circuit of the second processing unit in the true random network to random bit streams, picking-up a random bit stream of the true random network, passing the respective random bit stream back to a random generator of the respective processing unit for outputting true random.
US09959095B2 Adder-subtractor and control method thereof
An adder-subtractor includes a first XOR circuit that inverts or non-inverts data from a second input line; first and second operand registers that hold outputs of first and second input selector; a result register that holds the operation result in response to the clock; and an adder that outputs an operation result of first and second input data in the first and second operand registers to the result register and also to inputs of the first and second input selectors via the first bypass line. The adder includes a second XOR circuit for the first and second input data, a carry calculation unit that calculates carry data of the first and second input data, a fourth XOR circuit that inverts or not an output of the second XOR circuit, and a third XOR circuit for outputs of the carry calculation unit and outputs the operation result.
US09959094B2 Arithmetic apparatus and control method of the same using cordic algorithm
An arithmetic apparatus comprises a plurality of cascade-connected arithmetic units. Each of the plurality of arithmetic units comprises: a calculator configured to operate in one of a rotation mode of performing a rotation calculation, and a vectoring mode of calculating a rotation angle; and a holding unit configured to hold rotational direction information output from the calculator in the vectoring mode. In addition, when operating in the rotation mode, the calculator performs the rotation calculation on data input from an arithmetic unit in a preceding stage, based on the rotational direction information held in the holding unit.
US09959090B2 Athletic performance sensing and/or tracking systems and methods
Athletic performance sensing and/or tracking systems include components for measuring or sensing athletic performance data and/or for storing and/or displaying desired information associated with the athletic performance to the user (or others). Such systems can allow users a wide variety of options in creating workouts, selecting and presenting media content during the athletic performance, etc., e.g., to help keep users entertained and motivated. In some instances, user feedback may be used, optionally in combination with objective data relating to a workout, to control features of the workout routine, to control the music or other media content selected and/or presented, and/or to control features of future workout routines and/or the presented media content.
US09959083B2 System and method for sharing screen
The present invention is to provide a system for sharing a screen and a method for sharing a screen to easily understand a work instruction even when it is difficult for the worker to catch a voice due to a surrounding noise etc. A system for sharing a screen including a screen transmitter device 100 providing screen data and one or more screen receiver devices 10, the screen transmitter device 100 sharing a screen with the screen receiver devices 10, the system receives a definition of the shared area to share screen display, receives a voice input, converts the input voice into text data by voice recognition, and displays both of screen data inside the shared area defined by the received definition and the converted text data in the shared area.
US09959071B2 Method and system for managing data in non-volatile memory
Methods and systems for managing data storage in a non-volatile memory system are disclosed. The method may include receiving data, determining a data classification for the received data from a predetermined plurality of data classifications, writing the received data to an open block having only data of a same data classification as the determined data classification and, upon completely programming the open block, associating an epoch indicator where the epoch indicator defines a time period within which the block was created. When a block reclaim trigger is detected, only data within a same data classification and epoch may be reclaimed. An incrementing epoch indicator identifies a predetermined time granularity and is assigned to data such that earlier data and newer data are distinguishable. A system to implement the method may include a non-volatile memory and a controller configured to track and apply epoch and data-type classification information for data.
US09959069B2 Externalized execution of input method editor
A facility for processing textual input generated with a user input device described. In one example facility, the facility stores the textual input in a first data structure contained in the address space of a first process. The facility synchronizes contents of the first data structure to a second data structure contained in the address space of a second process distinct from the first process, an application executing in the second process being configured to consume textual input synchronized to the second data structure.
US09959062B1 Low latency and reduced overhead data storage system and method for sharing multiple storage devices by high performance computing architectures
A data migration system supports a low-latency and reduced overhead data storage protocol for data storage sharing in a non-collision fashion which does not require inter-communication and permanent arbitration between data storage controllers to decide on the data placement/routing. The multiple data fragments of data sets are prevented from routing to the same storage devices by a multi-step selection protocol which selects (in a first phase of the selection routine) a healthy highest ranked drive enclosure, and further selects (in a second phase of the selection routine) a healthy highest-ranked data storage controller residing in the selected drive enclosure, for routing data fragments to different storage pools assigned to the selected data storage devices for exclusive “writing” and data modification. The selection protocol also contemplates various failure scenarios in a data placement collision free manner.
US09959058B1 Utilizing flash optimized layouts which minimize wear of internal flash memory of solid state drives
A technique is directed to managing data. The technique involves identifying a logical page size utilized by a set of SSDs and, based on a first data storage application which stores first data elements in a set of hard disk drives (HDDs), creating a second data storage application which stores second data elements in the set of SSDs. Each first data element has a first size which is larger than the logical page size utilized by the set of SSDs. Each second data element has a second size which is equal to the logical page size utilized by the set of SSDs. The technique further involves operating, by processing circuitry coupled to the set of SSDs, the second application to store the second data elements in the set of SSDs. Such a technique is well-suited for a data storage system that stores host data in an array of SSDs.
US09959053B2 Method for constructing NVRAM-based efficient file system
The present invention provides a method for constructing an NVRAM-based efficient file system, including the following steps: S1. determining a file operation type of the file system, where the file operation type includes a file read operation, a non-persistent file write operation, and a persistent file write operation; and S2. if the file operation type is a non-persistent file write operation, writing, by the file system, content of the non-persistent file write operation to a dynamic random access memory DRAM, updating a corresponding DRAM cache block index, and flushing, at a preset time point, the content of the non-persistent file write operation back to a non-volatile random access memory NVRAM asynchronously, or otherwise, copying, by the file system, related data directly between the NVRAM/DRAM and the user buffer. The method of the present invention can not only avoid additional copies and overheads of conventional software layers, but also improve write performance of the NVRAM file system by fully utilizing a characteristic of high write performance of the DRAM, thereby improving overall performance of the system.
US09959051B2 Storage system and storage control method to select path for transmitting command via SAS expanders
A storage system includes an expander sequence including a plurality of expanders coupled in series, a plurality of storage devices coupled to the expander sequence, first and second initiator devices coupled to the expander sequence, and a processor. The processor selects an optimal path, with respect to a transmission destination device of a command among the plurality of storage devices and the plurality of expanders, between the optimal path which is an initiator device with fewer expanders in a distance to the transmission destination device and a roundabout path which is an initiator device with more expanders in a distance to the transmission destination device, and transmits the command to the transmission destination device through the selected optimal path.
US09959049B1 Aggregated background processing in a data storage system to improve system resource utilization
Techniques for aggregating background processing in a data storage system. Blocks are identified having contents on which a data operation was not performed in-line. The background data operation is prevented for blocks that will no longer be accessed by the host computer because they are only mapped to files implementing data objects that are scheduled for future deletion. A region of blocks may be selected that meets a criteria for performing a background free space operation, and the background data operation may be performed on the contents of blocks in the selected region while the contents of those blocks are being relocated to other blocks while performing the background free space operation. While performing the background data operation, blocks may be freed from files that implement data objects scheduled for future deletion.
US09959043B2 Performing a non-disruptive upgrade of data in a storage system
Performing a non-disruptive upgrade of data in a storage system that includes a plurality of storage devices and a storage controller, including: creating new data in a new data format, wherein the new data includes a reference to old data in an old data format, wherein system software in the storage system can utilize data in the new data format and the old data format; determining that a portion of the volume has changed; and responsive to determining that the portion of the volume has changed, updating the new data to include a reference to old data associated with a portion of the volume that precedes the changed portion of the volume, new data associated with the changed portion of the volume, and a reference to old data associated with a portion of the volume that follows the changed portion of the volume.
US09959041B2 Method of executing a guidance device
An execution method of a guidance comprising of inserting the guidance device into a first terminal unit to simulate a keyboard and activate a specific internet address through an automatic key-in module with predefined keyboard output functions; activating the guidance device and an active component in the guidance device; making a request to the first terminal unit for linking a Human Interface Device; receiving signals that actively provides and recognizes the keyboard for the Human Interface Device; issuing a first command of sequentially pressing a plurality of keys through the automatic key-in module in the active component of the guidance device; activating a graphic interface through a hotkey of the automatic key-in module; automatically entering a specific address string into the activated graphic interface; and issuing a second command of pressing a Enter key for linking a website with the entered specific address string.
US09959040B1 Input assistance for computing devices
An example method includes designating a corner region of a display device as active, and outputting, for display at the display device, a user interface including at least one element positioned at a first location substantially diagonally opposite and at a first distance from the active corner region. The method further includes receiving an indication of a gesture interpreted by the computing device as originating within the active corner region and terminating within a center region of the display device, and responsive to receiving the indication of the gesture, outputting, for display at the display device, an updated user interface including the element positioned at a second location a second distance from the active corner region.
US09959037B2 Devices, methods, and graphical user interfaces for messaging
An electronic device displays a messaging user interface on the display, the messaging user interface including a conversation transcript of a messaging session between a user of the electronic device and at least one other user. The device receives a first message within the messaging session from an electronic device that corresponds to another user included in the messaging session; in response to receiving the first message, the device displays the first message in a first message region in the conversation transcript on the display. The device detects a first input by a first contact at a location on the touch-sensitive surface that corresponds to a location of the first message region in the conversation transcript; in response to detecting the first input, the device displays an acknowledgement selection affordance at a location in the messaging interface that corresponds to the first message region. The acknowledgement selection affordance displays a plurality of acknowledgement options. The device detects a second input by a second contact at a location on the touch-sensitive surface that corresponds to a location of a first acknowledgement option in the acknowledgement selection affordance; and, in response to detecting the second input, the device applies the first acknowledgement option to the first message region.
US09959034B2 Mobile terminal and method for controlling the same
A mobile terminal and a method for controlling the same are disclosed. The mobile terminal according to the present invention includes a touchscreen configured to display an execution screen of an application, and a controller configured to respectively display, on the execution screen, a mark corresponding to a page displayed on the execution screen and a mark corresponding to a page changed from the page and, upon reception of input for selecting one of the displayed marks, to display a page corresponding to a selected mark on the execution screen. According to the present invention, a mark corresponding to a page displayed on an application execution screen is displayed to allow a specific page to be easily accessed.
US09959032B2 Information processing apparatus and method for display control
An information processing apparatus, method and computer program product are described. At least the apparatus includes comprising a display control device that controls a display of a lock release screen that has displayed thereon a manipulation object and a target object. A manipulation detection device detects a lock release manipulation as a detected moving of the manipulation object toward the target object. The display control device changes an appearance of the target object in response to the manipulation detection device detecting the moving of the manipulation object toward the target object.
US09959030B2 Display apparatus
A display apparatus includes: a display panel; a deformation sensor configured to sense a bending of the display panel; and a controller configured to control the display panel, wherein the controller is configured to: control displaying a plurality of objects on the display panel; detect the bending of the display panel through the deformation sensor; divide the display panel into a first area and a second area with respect to a bending line defined by the bending; divide the objects into a first object corresponding to the first area and a second object corresponding to the second area according to the bending; and move the first and second objects in first and second directions, respectively, according to the bending.
US09959029B2 System and method for performing scroll using scrolltop attribute of web page
The present invention relates to a system and method for performing a scroll using a scrollTop attribute of a web page, which allows a user to feel as if an individual contents area is actually scrolled if movement of a touched state is sensed when a portion of an individual contents area is displayed on a screen of a user terminal, by calculating a variation of touch coordinates according to the sensed movement of the touched state, determining a scroll direction according to the calculated variation of touch coordinates, calculating a scroll length corresponding to the variation of touch coordinates according to the sensed movement of the touched state and adjusting a scrollTop value of the individual contents area as much as the calculated scroll length.
US09959024B2 Method for launching applications of handheld computer through personal computer
A method for launching software applications of a smartphone through a personal computer connected thereto is disclosed. The method includes the steps of: a) operatably connecting the handheld computer to the personal computer; b) the personal computer acquiring information of used times of applications of the handheld computer; c) converting tops of the most frequently used applications into items in a subwindow of the personal computer; and d) launching one of the applications by clicking an item in the subwindow, wherein the clicked item corresponds to the launched application.
US09959023B2 Matching process system and method
A method for profile matching includes receiving a plurality of user profiles, each user profile comprising traits of a respective user. The method includes receiving a preference indication for a first user profile of the plurality of user profiles. The method also includes determining a potential match user profile of the plurality of user profiles based on the preference indication for the first user profile. The method also includes presenting the potential match user profile to a second user.
US09959021B2 Method, system and computer storage medium of controlling visual field based on distances between users and a current user
A map server includes a user list obtaining module configured to obtain a user list in a 3×3 grid; a distance queue generating module configured to obtain distances between users and a current user in the user list, and generate two distance queues corresponding to preset distance ranges according to the distances, the distance queue including users in the user list whose distances from the current user are in a corresponding distance range; a visual field list generating module configured to select users from the distance queue into a visual field list according to a weight corresponding to the distance queue. Further, a visual field controlling method and system, and a computer storage medium, may be used to classify users in the 3×3 grid into distance queues using distance ranges, and select users into the visual field list according to the weight, thereby reducing pressure of the server.
US09959017B2 Method for automatically creating book definitions
Book definitions can be dynamically created based on content provided by a user. Such dynamic creation can include organization of user-supplied content into appropriate form, adjustment of book cover properties to match the user-supplied content, and verification that the user supplied content is appropriate for presentation in book form. Various interfaces can also be provided which allow users to generate a book definition based on a minimum of information.
US09959014B2 Systems, communication endpoints, and related methods for distributing images corresponding to communication endpoints
Systems and methods are disclosed for distributing images corresponding to communication endpoints. A system includes one or more servers configured to determine whether image privacy settings corresponding to images of communication endpoints permit the images to be transmitted to others of the communication endpoints for display with contacts lists of the others of the communication endpoints. A method includes transmitting the data corresponding to the images to the others of the communication endpoints as permitted by the image privacy settings. A communication endpoint is configured to present a contacts list displaying the images corresponding to communication endpoints listed in the contacts list to a user, if permitted by the corresponding image privacy settings. A method of transforming a computing device into a communication endpoint includes storing computer-readable instructions directed to performing actions the communication endpoint is configured to perform, and transmitting the computer-readable instructions to the computing device.
US09959009B1 Method for displaying information, and terminal equipment
Embodiments of the present application disclose a method for displaying information and a terminal equipment, and relate to the technical field of computers, wherein, the above method comprises: detecting whether a display screen of a terminal equipment switches from a screen-off state to a screen-on state when the display screen is in the screen-off state; if so, displaying at least one information card on the display screen, wherein, the size of the information card is smaller than that of the display screen; each information card includes information obtained from a program of the terminal equipment. By applying the solution provided by the embodiments of the present application, the usage of spare time of users can be improved.
US09959007B2 Card-stack interface
In one embodiment, a method includes displaying one of a number of graphical user interfaces (GUIs) of one or more applications as a card on top of a card stack. One or more of the cards in the card stack corresponds to a GUI of a home screen of the computing device. Each of one or more of the cards in the card stack corresponds to one of the GUIs of an application. The application controls presentation of their GUIs as cards in the card stack. The method also includes receiving user input to display another one of the GUIs as the card on top of the card stack; and, in response to the user input, displaying the other one of the GUIs as the card on top of the card stack.
US09959006B2 Generating a form response interface in an online application
An approach is described for generating a form response interface in an online application. An associated system may include a processor and a memory storing an application program, which, when executed on the processor, performs an operation that may include identifying a content post in an online application interface and facilitating evaluation of the content post. Upon determining that the content post is form-addressable based on the evaluation, the operation may include generating a form response interface element including multiple alternatives and updating the online application interface to display the form response interface element with the content post. Facilitating evaluation according to the operation may include parsing language in the content post to determine the presence of a form-addressable interrogatory element. Facilitating evaluation according to the operation further may include analyzing comments posted in response to the content post to determine the presence of form-addressable common language elements.
US09959004B2 Deformation sensor
A deformation sensor comprises at least two electrodes on the surface of a substrate. The electrodes are separated by a gap, and the electrodes are arranged so that the gap comprises at least a part of a closed geometric shape. The gap contains a material loaded with conductive or semiconductive nanoparticles, whereby deformation of the substrate causes the resistance between the at least two electrodes to change.
US09959001B2 Touch substrate, method for manufacturing the same and touch device
A touch substrate includes a substrate and a first touch electrode pattern and a second touch electrode pattern formed in a same layer on the substrate; each of the second touch electrodes includes body portions and a projecting portion, the projecting portion of each of the second touch electrodes is correspondingly fitted into a void in the first touch electrode pattern; and the first touch electrode pattern further includes a projecting portion which is disposed at an end portion and connected to one body portion of the first touch electrode at the end portion, a void corresponding to the projecting portion of the first touch electrode pattern is formed in the body portion of the second touch electrode at the end portion, and the projecting portion of the first touch electrode pattern is fitted into this void.
US09958991B2 Input device and input method
An input device and an input method for a data processing device are provided. The input device includes a touch-sensitive module, an operation prompt interface and a controller. According to the input method, the input device issues a first input signal to the data processing device when a first electrical property change resulting from the keystroke or the tap is sensed in a first operation state. The input device is switched from the first operation state to a second operation state in response to a switching operation. The input device issues a second input signal to the data processing device when a second electrical property change resulting from a touch action is sensed in the second operation state.
US09958990B2 Authenticating with active stylus
In one embodiment, a stylus operable to communicate wirelessly with a device through a touch sensor of the device contains one or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying logic that is operable when executed to access first data representing a recently occurred authentication event involving the stylus or the device. The logic is further operable to access second data representing a pre-defined authentication event. The logic is further operable to compare the first data with the second data to authenticate a user to the stylus or the device, a stylus to the user or the device, or a device to the user or the stylus.
US09958989B2 Coordinate input apparatus, control method thereof, and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium
A coordinate input apparatus detects a specified position in a coordinate-input effective area using a light projector that projects light onto a coordinate input surface and a plurality of light receptors that receive the light projected by the light projector. The coordinate input apparatus sets a first coordinate system based on a positional relationship between two light receptors constituting a first combination of the plurality of light receptors and a second coordinate system based on a positional relationship between two light receptors constituting a second combination that is different from the first combination, and converts a coordinate value of the specified position detected using the second coordinate system into a coordinate value in the first coordinate system.
US09958979B1 Web server that renders a web page based on a client pressure profile
A web server includes a pressure-sensitive page rendering mechanism that renders web pages that have one or more selectable inputs according to a client pressure profile corresponding to the requesting user. When the web server receives the request, the web server may dynamically generate and render a web page that satisfies the client pressure profile by placing one or more selectable inputs on the web page in one or more preferred regions of the touch screen display. In the alternative, the web server may have multiple versions of a web page that correspond to multiple different server pressure profiles, and when a web page is requested, the web server identifies a server pressure profile that corresponds to the client pressure profile, identifies a web page that corresponds to the identified server pressure profile, then renders the web page to the user's device.
US09958976B2 Electronic device
Provided is an electronic device with high portability and/or high browsability. The electronic device includes first and second support bodies, a first hinge, and a flexible display panel. The first hinge has a first rotation axis and connects the first and second support bodies to each other, and the first and second support bodies are capable of relatively rotating on the first rotation axis. The display panel includes at least first and second portions supported by the first and second support bodies, respectively; the first rotation axis and a first plane including the display surface overlapping with the first portion or a second plane including the display surface overlapping with the second portion are parallel to each other; and each of a distance between the first rotation axis and the first plane or the second plane is greater than zero.
US09958975B2 Touch sensing device and method for driving the same
A touch sensing device includes a touch screen coupled with a display panel including data lines, gate lines crossing the data lines, and pixels arranged in a matrix form, and a touch sensing circuit which supplies a driving signal to lines of the touch screen and senses a touch input. The touch sensing circuit detects an optimum sensing time, in which changes in a voltage change of the gate lines are maintained within a previously determined allowable range, in a touch screen drive period in which data is not written to the pixels of the display panel. The touch sensing circuit supplies the driving signal to the lines of the touch screen only in the optimum sensing time of the touch screen drive period.
US09958971B2 Information processing apparatus, program, and control method
An information processing apparatus includes a display, a touch panel, a sensor, and a controller. The display has a screen. The touch panel is configured to detect contact. The sensor is configured to detect an inclination. The controller is configured to determine whether contact is detected by the touch panel, and control display of an image displayed on the screen based on the inclination detected by the sensor in a period of time from detection of contact by the touch panel to release of the contact.
US09958967B2 Method and electronic device for operating electronic pen
A electronic device includes a display for outputting an input area related to operation of an electronic pen in response to occurrence of a specified event related to the electronic pen, and a processor configured to process a function related to the operation of the electronic pen corresponding to a specific event that occurs on the basis of the input area. An electronic device includes a display comprising an input area for receiving an event for configuring an execution attribute of an electronic pen, and a processor configured to change the execution attribute of the electronic pen if the event is detected through the input area.
US09958961B2 Optical pointing system
There is provided an optical pointing system including at least one reference beacon, an image sensor, a storage unit and a processing unit. The image sensor is configured to capture an image frame containing a beacon image associated with the at least one reference beacon. The storage unit is configured to save image data of at least one object image in the image frame. The processing unit is configured to sequentially process every pixel of the image frame for identifying the object image and real-timely remove or merge the image data, saved in the storage unit, associated with two object images within a pixel range of the image frame thereby reducing the used memory space.
US09958957B2 Transparent display apparatus and method thereof
A transparent display apparatus and method for displaying information thereon includes sensing a position of an object, sensing a position of a user, determining an area of the transparent display through which the object is viewable by the user, and displaying the information on the transparent display based on the area.
US09958956B2 Data input device for information processing apparatus
A device for inputting data into an information processing apparatus using a communication cable. The device includes a sensing field including signal lines. The sensing field generates one or more signals when an object is proximate thereto. The device further includes at least one processor connected to the signal lines. The processor receives the signals and generates data based on the signals. The device additionally includes a port in communication with the processor for data output. The port is configured to connect to the cable end communicate the data over the cable to the information processing apparatus. The device includes a light source configured to illuminate keyboard symbols corresponding to areas of the sensing field. The device also includes an exterior surface covering the sensing field and obscuring the keyboard symbols from visibility unless the light source is providing illumination.
US09958949B2 Biological potential input interface system, sensor device, and method
A sensor device includes a plurality of electrode chambers, a measurement chamber, and an accommodation chamber which are connected in annular relationship permitting expansion and contraction. Each of the plurality of electrode chambers has a measurement electrode. The measurement chamber has a biological potential measurement circuit which is connected with each measurement electrode via electrically conductive wiring for measuring biological potential of the user by using the measurement electrode. The accommodation chamber has an internal protrusion. The wiring which connects at least one measurement electrode and the biological potential measurement circuit is provided around the protrusion, the wiring having a length which enables longitudinal feeding in accordance with an amount of elongation when the sensor device is elongated. A maximum clearance S between the accommodation chamber and an adjacent chamber is greater than a maximum clearance R between any two adjacent chambers.
US09958947B2 Ocular focus sharing for digital content
A position within displayed digital content that a user is ocularly focused on (e.g., where within displayed content the user is looking) may be determined. Digital content comprising a visual indication of the position may be rendered. The visual indication of the position may be displayed on the same display that the user is looking at and/or a different display. In some embodiments, the position may be determined based on data generated by a sensor physically attached to the user. Additionally or alternatively, the position may be determined based on data generated by a stationary computing device comprising a sensor configured to track changes in ocular position of the user. In some embodiments the digital content may comprise digital images and/or video (e.g., broadcast content, on-demand content, images and/or video associated with a computer application, or the like).
US09958946B2 Switching input rails without a release command in a natural user interface
User input in the form of image data is received from a user via a natural user interface. A vector difference between an adjustment start position and a current position of the user input is calculated. The vector difference includes a vector position and a vector length. The vector position is compared to stored rail data, and the vector length is compared to a stored threshold length. The rail data describes a plurality of virtual rails associated with an application. Based on the comparisons, the user input is matched to one of the plurality of virtual rails and a notification describing the matching is provided to the application. The application, thereupon, transitions from a first command to a second command corresponding to the matching virtual rail without receiving any explicit termination gesture for the first command from the user.
US09958940B2 Display control apparatus and display control method
Provided is a display control apparatus including a display control unit configured to control a display unit in a manner that a plurality of symbols is visibly displayed to a user, and a position acquisition unit configured to acquire information indicating a pointing position for specifying one or more symbols among the plurality of symbols. The display control unit controls the display unit in a manner that a predetermined object is displayed to indicate a group to which the plurality of symbols belongs according to the pointing position.
US09958937B2 Device and system for viewing content using head-mounted display
Provided is a content viewing system using a head-mounted display (HMD), which enables a user to know a popular broadcaster content in real time. A device to be used for content viewing includes: a display unit configured to display, on the head-mounted display, a plurality of virtual displays arranged in a virtual space; a selecting unit configured to select one of the virtual displays based on movement detected by a detector of the head-mounted display; and a playing unit configured to play a content associated with a selected virtual display. The plurality of virtual displays are arrayed in grid sections provided along a celestial sphere surface. The selecting unit is configured to identify one of the grid sections on the celestial sphere surface based on the detected movement, to thereby select one virtual display associated with the identified grid section.
US09958935B2 Methods and systems for facilitating remote control by a wearable computer system of an application being executed by a media content processing device
An exemplary method includes a remote control management system detecting that a user wearing a wearable computer system that includes an optical head-mounted display is looking through the optical head-mounted display at a display screen associated with a media content processing device, determining, in response to the detecting, that the media content processing device is executing an application that is controllable by the wearable computer system, determining that the user is authorized to interact with the application being executed by the media content processing device, and establishing, in response to the determining that the media content processing device is executing the application and the determining that the user is authorized to interact with the application, a remote control session between the wearable computer system and the application. Corresponding systems and methods are also described.
US09958925B2 Smart electrical outlets and associated networks
A control system (300) allows recognized standard premise electrical outlets, for example NEMA, CEE and BS, among others to be remotely monitored and/or controlled, for example, to intelligently execute blackouts or brownouts or to otherwise remotely control electrical devices. The system (300) includes a number of smart receptacles (302) that communicate with a local controller (304), e.g., via power lines using the TCP/IP protocol. The local controller (304), in turn, communicates with a remote controller (308) via the internet.
US09958919B2 Data source and display having power circuits providing different output voltages based on duty cycle
An embodiment is a circuit for use with a display device, the circuit including: a first input node configured to be operatively coupled to a first port of a data source device that provides the display device with data, to receive a first direct voltage used for a real-time display of the data on the display device; and at least one output node, configured to operatively provide the display device with at least one output voltage generated based on the first direct voltage, wherein the first port is isolated from a data port used to transmit the data.
US09958917B1 Generalized resettable memory
Disclosed is a resettable memory device including a memory unit, a reset status indicator circuit, a logic sampling circuit, and a multiplexer for performing a reset function. The memory unit includes cells for storing states of signals in a design under test. The reset status indicator stores states of indicators indicating whether corresponding cells should be reset or not. Responsive to the reset status indicator indicating that the value of the cell should not be reset, the multiplexer receives the value stored in the cell and outputs the retrieved value from the cell. Responsive to the reset status indicator indicating that the value of the cell should be reset, the multiplexer outputs a reset value instead of the value stored in the cell. The reset value may be changed by the logic sampling circuit at different time periods or certain logic conditions, and output through the multiplexer.
US09958915B1 Slot assembly
A slot assembly configured for being inserted by a workpiece. The slot assembly comprises a holder body, a substrate, a push member and a heat spreader. The substrate and the holder body together form an accommodating space therebetween. The push member is movable between a released position and a pressed position. The push member is configured for being moved from the released position to the pressed position by being pushed by the workpiece. The heat spreader is movably disposed on the substrate and located in the accommodating space. The heat spreader has a thermal contact surface facing away from the substrate. The thermal contact surface is configured for being in thermal contact with the workpiece. When the push member is located at the pressed position, the heat spreader is located at a thermal contact position where the thermal contact surface is in thermal contact with the workpiece.
US09958904B2 Wearable computing device
The present disclosure describes a wearable computing device (WCD) in the form of a ring that can be worn on the finger of a human user.
US09958900B2 Cover window and manufacturing method of the same
A cover window and a method of manufacturing the cover window include a film layer and a resin layer disposed on the film layer to surround an edge of the film layer.
US09958899B2 Electronic device and information processing method thereof
An electronic device and an information processing method thereof are provided. When a state of a relative position between a first body and a second body is an open state and a sensor is started, an initial angle between the first body and the second body that is formed through support of the connector is collected by the sensor, a variation between a first position of the first body relative to the second body and a second position to which the first body moves relative to the second body under an external force is collected by the sensor, and finally a display parameter is controlled according to the variation. Therefore, the solutions provided by the invention do not need an additional auxiliary apparatus such as a keypad/pedal thereby making the operation easier and more convenient for the operator.
US09958898B1 Compression assisted service access for narrow border mobile information handling systems
A mobile information handling system comprising a chassis having a processor, a memory, and a wireless interface with a display screen operatively coupled to the chassis and the chassis having a spring, such as shape memory foam pads, internally mounted thereon and compressed between the chassis and the display screen and a mechanical connector fittingly engaging an access side of the chassis with the display screen, wherein the mechanical connector maintains pressure on the spring by holding the display screen in a closed position and an access seam at the edge of the display screen is operable to open due to a counter force exerted by the spring when the mechanical connector is disengaged from the display screen.
US09958897B1 Controller board having expandable memory
Systems and methods are disclosed for routing electrical signals in a printed circuit board (PCB), wherein the PCB includes a conductive ground layer, a conductive power layer and a conductive signal layer. A first volatile memory module and a memory receptacle are mounted to the top surface of the PCB, wherein the memory receptacle electrically connects a second volatile memory to vias connected to the memory receptacle that extend through the ground, power and signal layers. The controller board includes one or more conductive traces disposed in the signal layer between the first and second vias, wherein signals may flow through the vias to the first volatile memory.
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