US08132564B2

An apparatus [10] for use in paintball includes a modified pressure bottle [14, 114] with a valve assembly [34, 134] “integrally” mounted within the neck [16, 116] thereof, and independent of the connection structure [46/48, 116a] for connecting the bottle [14, 114] to a paintball marker [12, 112]. The structure prevents sudden and inadvertent venting to atmosphere of the pressurized gas held within the internal volume [29, 129] of the bottle [14, 114], thereby eliminating a dangerous situation that existed with prior conventional paintball devices.
US08132560B2

A method for combusting a vapor of a fuel accumulated in an adsorbent canister in a vehicle, the vehicle having an engine and a fuel tank coupled to the adsorbent canister. The method comprises, during a first operating condition including a higher availability of compressed air, metering the compressed air from a first air source, and flowing the metered, compressed air through the adsorbent canister along a first flow path. The method further comprises, during a second operating condition including a lower availability of compressed air, flowing air from a second air source through the adsorbent canister, and, during the first and second operating conditions, venting the fuel tank to an intake of the engine and flowing effluent enriched in the vapor from the adsorbent canister to the intake of the engine.
US08132558B2

A high pressure piston fuel pump having a discharge check valve between the pumping chamber and a pressurized fuel reservoir and a pressure relief valve between the fuel reservoir and a passageway in the housing, wherein the discharge check valve and the pressure relief valve are contained within a single fitting assembly affixed at the pump housing. A first end flow passage is in fluid communication with the pumping chamber and provides an inlet to the discharge check valve and an outlet from the pressure relief valve. A second end flow passage is in fluid communication with the fuel reservoir and provides an outlet for the discharge check valve and an inlet for the pressure relief valve. Advantages include the ability to pre-test the outlet check and pressure relief prior to assembly into the pump housing, and improved flexibility of the outlet fitting location.
US08132556B2

A system and method for operating an engine having ionization signal sensing include detecting plug fouling and controlling the engine using progressively more aggressive control strategies if the fouling condition persists. A first control strategy may be used when the number of engine starts or running time are below corresponding thresholds and a second strategy otherwise. The first strategy may employ progressively more aggressive control procedures to eliminate spark plug deposits that may include repetitive sparking, exhaust cycle sparking, increasing engine loading, advancing spark timing, increasing air/fuel ratio, and increasing idle speed, for example. The second strategy may include similar corrective actions employed in a different order and/or to a lesser degree in an attempt to eliminate plug fouling without any noticeable change in engine operation or performance as perceived by the vehicle operator. The control strategies may be applied to individual cylinders, cylinder banks, or all cylinders.
US08132553B2

A recoil starter system and method. The system may include a drive member, a pulley member, and a spring member. The drive member may include a first retainer, and the pulley member may include a second retainer, the retainers being engageable to connect the drive member and the pulley member and to inhibit relative axial movement between the pulley member and the drive member. The spring member may be configured to absorb and limit the variations in the pulling torque produced by the engine resulting in a smooth and constant pull force.
US08132548B2

A method of operating an engine including at least a cylinder and a valve controlled by an electric valve actuator is disclosed. In one example, a valve holding current is determined during movement of the valve. The method may be useful for determining individual holding currents for specific valve actuators.
US08132542B2

A device for application on an animal for deterring the animal from wound licking is provided. The device includes a flexible first layer of material and a deterrent composition in contact with the flexible first layer of material. A layer of adhesive is connected with the flexible first layer of material, and a second layer of material is connected with the layer of adhesive opposite the flexible first layer of material. A method for deterring an animal from licking a wound is also provided.
US08132541B1

A rotating hairbrush device featuring a base; a brush component, the bottom portion pivotally attached to the base, the brush component can pivot in a first direction and a second direction and be secured in various positions forming an angle with respect to the base; a shell with bristles removably attachable to the upper portion of the brush component; a guard component attached to the bottom portion of the brush component, the guard component extends outwardly from the brush component and together with the brush component the guard component sandwiches a portion of the bristles, wherein teeth are disposed on a first side edge of the guard component; and a motor disposed and flexible drive shaft that function to drive rotation of the upper portion of the brush component.
US08132529B2

An applicator and method of discharging a corrosion preventative. The applicator controllably and uniformly applies a corrosion preventative to a surface that has a sensor instrument mounted thereon. The applicator comprises a reservoir block that defines an interior reservoir that is configured to contain an amount of the corrosion preventative. The applicator further comprises a plate attached to the top of the reservoir block. The plate includes a sensor guide that extends outward from the top surface which is configured to engage the surface. Discharge tubes attach to the plate and extend outward from the plate in a pattern around the sensor instrument, wherein the tubes operatively communicate with the reservoir. A proximity sensor which is positioned within the sensor bore is configured to sense and to signal a presence of the sensor instrument positioned within the sensor bore. In response to the signaling of the sensor instrument position within the sensor bore, the discharge tubes uniformly discharge controlled amounts of the corrosion preventative onto the surface.
US08132528B2

Described is a rotary pan (1) of the type comprising a central hollow cylindrical body (3) with end portions (4, 4′) shaped substantially like truncated cones, and mixing/deflecting means (7) attached to at least one inside surface of the pan (1) itself; the peripheral inside cylindrical surface (5) of the hollow body (3) comprises an extended zone (A) defined by a uniform distribution of through holes (6) and at least one zone (B) within the zone (A) forming an area by which the mixing/deflecting means (7) are attached or fixed to the peripheral surface (5).
US08132527B2

An electrode mixture paste (5) is applied on both sides of a strip of core material (1) as it runs along its lengthwise direction, and the coating thickness of the paste (5) is adjusted as the core material (1) coated with the paste (5) passes through a gap between a pair of scraper tools (16a, 16b). Tips (18) provided to the scraper tools (16a, 16b) scrape off the paste (5) to form a paste-coated portion of a predetermined width. The electrode mixture paste (5) scraped off with the tips (18) is returned through recesses (19) on the upstream side of the tips (18) in the running direction of the core material, so as to prevent the phenomenon where the coating thickness is increased at both side edges of the paste-coated portion. Thus, a method for applying electrode mixture paste is realized that can prevent the phenomenon where the coating thickness is increased at both side edges of the paste-coated portion and prevent process failures such as deformation of paste-coated sheet.
US08132526B2

A coating apparatus comprises a tray, a nozzle for supplying a coating liquid, and a squeegee which serves as an applicator for spreading a coating liquid. The tray has a recessed portion into which a substrate is placed, and a spinner chuck is provided in the recessed portion. In the spinner chuck, a chuck for attracting the substrate is attached to the upper end of a spinner shaft which can be lifted and lowered, and the upper surface of the chuck and the bottom surface of the recessed portion are arranged to be in the same plane in a state where the spinner shaft is lowered to the lowest position. The nozzle is positioned above a non-recessed portion of the tray and supplies a coating liquid only onto a non-recessed portion of the upper surface of the tray to form a coating liquid pool, and the applicator is relatively movable in a horizontal direction in a state of maintaining a certain distance with respect to the upper surface of the substrate accommodated into the recessed portion and spreads the coating liquid of the coating liquid pool from the non-recessed portion of the upper surface of the tray over the entire upper surface of the substrate.
US08132521B2

A volumetric metering system for a seeding machine is provided with movable gates disposed downstream from the meter roller but before the product enters a distribution system to selectively stop the flow of product through sections of the metering system. By placing the shut-off gate after the meter but before product enters the distribution system, there will not be a delay in stoppage of product flow while the meter empties of product. Furthermore, by locating the gate before the distribution system, the metered product is not mixed with the air stream or with additional products, causing a need for product redirection into a pressurized tank or separation of multiple products.
US08132516B2

A work surface/storage system can be attached to a motor vehicle which has a passenger compartment with a driver seat, a passenger seat, a passenger restraint belt, and a dash panel in front of the passenger seat. A main body section of the system includes at least one flat surface for providing a writing support for a person in the driver seat, at least one storage bin, and a bottom surface for positioning on the passenger seat. A belt receptacle is located at a rearward end of the main body for capturing the passenger restraint belt so that tension in the passenger restraint belt loads the rearward end against the passenger seat. A front wing section extends forward and upward from the main body section to a distal end. The distal end includes an attachment tab. A bay is provided in the dash panel including a holder for capturing the attachment tab.
US08132503B2

A method an apparatus for fabricating an interconnection structure. A substrate is provided with a dielectric layer thereon. The dielectric layer comprises at least one opening therein. A gap-filling material is applied on the substrate filling the at least one opening. The gap-filling material is planarized using a template to create a substantially planarized surface.
US08132499B2

A heated water reservoir for use as a heated water dispenser, in conjunction with a beverage dispenser or for other uses. The heated water reservoir (5) includes a baffle (20) which communicates with an outlet port (7) positioned along the reservoir and an upper portion of the reservoir. In the reservoir a quantity of water is retained in a heated condition with an upper portion of the reservoir containing generally heated water of a higher temperature. An upper edge (35) of the baffle is positioned relative to the upper portion of the heated water reservoir such that passage of water from the reservoir into a cavity (22) defined, at least in part, by the baffle facilitates flow of water over the upper edge and into the outlet port. In this manner, water having a higher temperature is dispensed from the reservoir.
US08132498B2

An appliance for making coffee, tea and the like comprises an automatic adjustment unit (22) for adjusting the desired quantity ratio between the quantity of water in a water reservoir (2) and the quantity of substance in a filter holder (4). The adjustment unit (22) can adjust the loadable length of a resilient element (50a) in response to the level of the water in the reservoir 2. The resilient element (50a) is pivotally attached to a lever (5) of the filtering system (3). The rotation of the lever (5) is indicated on a strength indicating scale (10, 11, 12).
US08132497B2

A hydraulic machine includes a casing with a body and a cover; a separation member which can make a reciprocating movement and defines two chambers; hydraulic switching elements including a distribution member; a compartment in the body of the casing connected to a pressurized-liquid inlet, and initiating elements including a pusher connected to the separation member, these initiating elements being able, at the end of the stroke, to cause a sudden change in the position of the switching elements, under the action of an elastic member to reverse the stroke. The distribution member has a distribution slide valve applied against a flat plate which is fixed relative to the body of the casing, the slide valve being able to slide in a fluid-type manner, without a seal, against the plate, which has orifices connected respectively to the chambers and to a liquid outlet orifice.
US08132495B2

An armor system for defeating rocket propelled grenade-type missiles and/or high velocity jets created by shaped charges directed at a vehicle includes a grid layer such as a net and/or an array of slats or bars (“RPG”) spaced from an outer surface of the vehicle by support members. The grid layer has a characteristic mesh size or bar/slat spacing to disrupt the missile firing mechanism. The system also has a shaped layer having a plurality of tapered members formed from a fiber-reinforced material, the tapered members positioned between the grid layer and the vehicle outer surface and having respective apex ends proximate the distant the grid layer and base ends, the tapered members defining with adjacent tapered members a plurality of depressions opening in a direction to receive an incoming conical portion of an unexploded RPG-type missile, or a jet emanating from an exploded RPG or other anti-armor device, and a layer of fiber-reinforced material abutting the base ends of the tapered members. The system may further include reactive elements disposed on surfaces of the tapered members defining the depressions to deflect impinging jets. The system may still further include one or more metal armor layers and one or more additional fiber-reinforced material layers disposed between the shaped fiber-reinforced material layer and the vehicle surface.
US08132471B2

A pitot cover is provided with fail-safe removable operation from a pitot tube by virtue of a number of different removal structures. Foremost among these is an elastomeric band which holds two halves of the pitot cover to the pitot tube. The band is separated by an adhesive strip, part of which lies on the pitot tube and melts at less than 230° F. or less.
US08132470B2

A fluid flow detector includes a detector main body defining a fluid flow channel having a fluid flow detection channel positioned adjacent an upstream hole and a discharge channel positioned adjacent a downstream hole. A mobile body is positioned within the fluid flow channel and dimensioned to be movable along the fluid flow channel. The diameter of the fluid flow detection channel is smaller than the diameter of the discharge channel, and the maximum diameter of the outer peripheral edge part of the face of the fluid flow channel orthogonal to the direction of movement of the mobile body is slightly smaller than the diameter of the fluid flow detection channel. The upstream hole and the downstream hole are formed with a size and shape such that fluid can flow through the upstream and downstream holes without being obstructed by the mobile body.
US08132467B2

A structure and method for instrumenting a component for monitoring wear in a coating. The method includes depositing a first thin layer of electrically insulating material, depositing a thin electrically conductive layer over the first electrically insulating layer, depositing a second thin layer of electrically insulating material over the electrically conductive layer. An overlying thickness of the coating material is deposited over the second thin layer of electrically insulating material. The thicknesses of the insulating and conducting layers is controlled to be small enough such that the overlying coating surface exposed to mechanical wear retains a desired degree of smoothness without the necessity for a separate planarization step.
US08132459B2

Systems and methods are provided for determining mechanical resonance of a sensor. In one embodiment, a system is provided that comprises a bias voltage source configured to apply a bias voltage impulse signal to a terminal of the sensor and a zero crossing detector configured to detect zero crossing cycles of a sensor output signal response to the bias voltage impulse signal. The system further comprises a controller configured to determine the resonance frequency of the sensor based on the detected zero crossing cycles of the sensor output signal response.
US08132450B2

In a malfunction diagnosis device for an exhaust gas purification system including an exhaust gas purification catalyst disposed in the exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine, and a reductant supply device that supplies reductant to exhaust gas that flows in an upstream side of the exhaust gas purification catalyst, the degree of degradation of the exhaust gas purification catalyst is diagnosed by comparing the timing at which the bed temperature of the exhaust gas purification catalyst starts to rise due to the heat of moisture adsorption reaction, against a normal value.
US08132447B2

A testing machine includes a stand and a test device. The stand includes a base, box frame, a slide device driven to slide by a motor, and a control system controls the force applied on the test specimen. The test device is coupled at the slide device for performing various hardness tests consisting of Rockwell hardness test, Vickers hardness test, Brinell hardness test, micro-hardness test, and tension-compression test. The test device includes a force sensor and a data processing circuit converting an analog signal of the force sensor into digital data to interface with the control system.
US08132446B2

Disclosed herein is a property measurement apparatus including: a first plate installed in a state of being rotatable and/or vibratable; and a second plate placed to face the first plate and provided with an impedance measurement section, wherein a stress caused by a distortion generated by rotating or vibrating the first plate to serve as a distortion given to a sample provided in a gap between the first and second plates is measured, and at the same time, the impedance measurement section measures the impedance of the sample.
US08132436B2

The invention relates to a secured device for locking and unlocking a plug on a frame with a wrench. The device has an obstructing component that is mobile with respect to a plug and can be brought from an obstructing position to an unobstructing position in which the wrench can engage a rotor of a bolt when an identification code of the wrench, read by a reader, is in agreement with the code stored in an electronic module that is associated with the plug.
US08132434B2

A closure for holding closed a door which is able to hinge in a frame, having a securing device which can be positioned on a first edge of the closed door and also a tightening unit which can be positioned on a second edge of the closed door and a cable or strap which, when the door is closed, runs through a gap between the door and frame and is fastened at one end to the securing device and fastened at the other end in the tightening unit, the tightening unit having inter alia a base plate with an opening for feeding through the cable or strap and also a tightening mechanism for tensioning and holding under tension the cable or strap guided through the opening and a cap with a lock which can be positioned on the base plate so as to produce a seal around the tightening mechanism. The securing device has a support extending on both sides of the cable or strap over a distance which is greater than the gap between the closed door and the frame, which distance is preferably greater than 5 mm.
US08132427B2

A spray nozzle is used in a process of quenching a hot glass sheet during a laser scoring process or other high energy glass heating process. The scoring is conducted by a high energy means such as a laser. The nozzle is located in proximity to the glass sheet, creating gas in liquid used to quench the glass located in the nozzle (e.g., water). The gas (e.g., air bubbles) is removed from the quenching liquid. Then, the spray nozzle is used to spray the quenching liquid onto the sheet at a location trailing laser scoring of the sheet, such as using a traveling anvil machine at the bottom of the draw. The spray nozzle (purge nozzle) has a purge opening and tubing leading to a discharge location. The purge nozzle can have a sloped passageway that pre-stages gas bubbles near the purge opening in the nozzle. The spray nozzle can include a cooling coil passing around the nozzle passageway that enables a coolant to travel along the coil. This cools the quenching liquid passing through the nozzle, and increases the solubility of bubbles in the quenching liquid in the nozzle. A gas filter can receive gas-rich quenching liquid from the pressurized quenching liquid source, remove gas from the liquid, and send gas-depleted quenching liquid to the spray nozzle.
US08132404B2

A method is provided for managing vapor generation in a reductant storage and delivery system. In one example, urea vapors generated from liquid in a storage device are temporarily stored and later purged to the exhaust system of the engine.
US08132403B2

An object of the invention is to estimate the quantity of N2O produced in an ammonia oxidation catalyst in a case where the ammonia oxidation catalyst is provided in an exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine. In a case where an ammonia oxidation catalyst having the function of oxidizing ammonia is provided in an exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine, the quantity of N2O produced in the ammonia oxidation catalyst is estimated based on the difference between a measurement value of an upstream NOx sensor provided in the exhaust passage upstream of the ammonia oxidation catalyst and a measurement value of a downstream NOx sensor provided in the exhaust passage downstream of the ammonia oxidation catalyst.
US08132394B2

A bag manufacturing and packaging apparatus manufactures a bag by sealing a packaging material formed in a tubular shape and at the same time fills the bag with articles to be packaged. The bag manufacturing and packaging apparatus includes a conveyance mechanism, a squeezing mechanism and a conveyance adjusting unit. The conveyance mechanism is configured and arranged to convey the packaging material in a conveying direction. The squeezing mechanism includes a squeezing unit configured and arranged to sandwich the packaging material and to perform a squeezing motion so as to move the articles to be packaged to the downstream side in the conveying direction. The conveyance adjusting unit configured and arranged to move the packaging material towards the upstream side in the conveying direction during the squeezing motion of the squeezing unit.
US08132393B2

Apparatus and methods for compressing at least one roll of compressible material having an outer diameter and a circumference and an inner core having an inner diameter at least one roll of compressible material are provided. For example, a method according to one embodiment includes positioning a chuck about the circumference of the at least one roll, wherein the chuck is configured to engage the at least one roll at a plurality of evenly spaced locations about the circumference of the at least one roll. The method further includes radially compressing the at least one roll at a plurality of evenly spaced locations about the circumference of the at least one roll with the chuck such that the outer diameter of the at least one roll is substantially uniformly reduced without collapsing the inner core.
US08132392B2

In accordance with the principles of the present invention, an ice-bagging apparatus and method are provided. The apparatus comprises an ice maker for making ice and hopper for receiving the ice from the ice maker. The apparatus further includes a drawer system, operatively associated with the hopper, for measuring the ice and delivering of the ice. The drawer system includes top door and drawer. A bag delivery mechanism for placing the ice in a bag is also included, with the bag delivery mechanism including a bag supply mechanism, a blower engaged to open the mouth of the bag to receive the product, and a sealer that seals the open mouth of the bag once the bag is filled with the ice. A control device is included that manages and monitors the drawer and bag delivery mechanism and allows transmission of the collected data to the Internet.
US08132389B2

A method of securing a bolt to a concrete structure without the necessity of turning the bolt during the installation process. A first set of hardware is provided for use during the forming and casting phases of creating the concrete structure. The first set of hardware is used to embed a bolt retainer in the finished cast concrete with a passage leading from the bolt retainer to the exterior of the cast concrete. A bolt is then placed in this passage and a portion of the bolt is driven through the bolt retainer to secure it.
US08132380B2

A compliant trim for use between concrete slabs is disclosed, intended for the replacement of wood commonly used for formwork to divide concrete slabs. The compliant trim is easily inserted into the space cleared of wood, will not migrate deeper into the space, and is therefore independent of the depth of the cleared space beyond a minimum needed for installation. Additionally, the compliant trim lies flush or below the surface of slabs which have edge radii, making it relatively unaffected by foot traffic, vehicles, and the like. The trim may be extruded, may be manufactured from recycled materials, and remains compliant to allow for joint expansion and contraction.
US08132379B2

A ceiling tile and a method of manufacture, wherein the ceiling tile has contrasting colors of texturized woven yarn and a coating, respectively, wherein individual colors of the yarn and coating are at different depths of surface texture, wherein color contrasts accentuate the surface texture depths to be viewed, and provide a desirable, unpredictable randomness of pattern of the color contrasts.
US08132375B2

A skylight cover has an upper dome portion formed with plural prism elements and a lower cylindrical portion extending from the open periphery of the dome portion down to terminate in an open lower end through which light can pass. A cylindrical prism ring is positioned against a surface of the cylindrical portion and bears prisms configured to refract light.
US08132362B2

A system for dispersing water to the root zone of one or more plants beneath the soil's surface, comprising a perforated hollow cylindrical tube, ending in a spike, with an internal filter, which is driven into the ground to deliver water to the root zone of a plant or plants is disclosed.
US08132356B2

A fishing lure manufacturing method is provided which includes automated and manual manufacturing methods for forming liquid plastic material into a lure having an embedded reinforcement. The method includes a rigid mold with a relief of the fishing lure to be created, and a rigid head pin and two rigid tail pins within the mold for holding an elongated reinforcement therein. A plurality of reliefs are arranged adjacent to one another in a mold. Reinforcement is strung between reliefs and around the pins forming an elongated V-shaped reinforcement within the lure relief. The relief is filled with liquid bait material, and the material encapsulates the reinforcement integrating it in the lure body as the material cures. The exposed reinforcement is cut away and the resulting lure has a head cavity at the base of the V-shaped reinforcement for alignment and insertion of a fishing hook.
US08132351B2

Adjustable shooting rests and shooting rest assemblies are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a shooting rest includes a rest assembly for supporting a forestock of a firearm. The rest assembly includes a base member and first and second upright members extending from the base member. A position of each of the first and second upright members is independently adjustable with reference to the base member. The shooting rest also includes a support assembly coupled to the rest assembly to move the rest assembly in a first direction and in a second direction. The first and second directions are in a plane generally transverse to a longitudinal axis of the firearm. The shooting rest further includes a base coupled to the support assembly.
US08132342B1

A sandal assembly includes a base that has top side, a bottom side, a first lateral edge, a second lateral edge, a front edge and a rear edge. A foot strapping system to releasably secure a foot to the base includes a first tether that has a free first end and a free second end. Each of the first and second ends is removably extended into the top side of the base. The top side of the base includes a plurality of wells extending therein. Each of the wells receives one of the first and second ends. A first well of the plurality of wells is positioned adjacent to the first lateral edge and a second well of the plurality of wells is positioned adjacent to the second lateral edge.
US08132341B1

An apparatus for converting a shoe into a high heeled type of shoe or a medium high heeled type of shoe or a low heeled type of shoe or a type of shoe that does not include an additional heel to extend the thickness of the sole includes a heel that is detachably-attachable with respect to the pair of shoes. A bayonet mount is used to secure a detachable heel to each of the pair of shoes. A mechanical latch that includes a release member prevents accidental release and loosening of the heel. Additional pair of heels that include the bayonet mount are used when a different height, color, or appearance is desired. If desired, the shoes can be used without heels.
US08132336B2

Resin molding work is efficiently carried out in accordance with a consumption amount of resin pellets of a resin molding machine by sequentially supplying small amounts of dried resin pellets in short period of time. When changeover of a molded product is carried out, attached remaining resin pellets can be removed by simple work in a short period of time, thereby carrying out efficient changeover work. An interval of taking out dried resin pellets that are heated and dried in a decompressed state is shortened by sequentially moving a plurality of pellet containers that contain small amounts of resin pellets.
US08132334B2

A rotating construction laser includes a laser core module with a laser unit for emitting a laser beam and rotation means for rotating the laser beam around an axis of rotation defining a laser beam plane. The rotating construction laser is provided with an outer pivoting mechanism attached to the laser core module, the outer pivoting mechanism being operable to tilt the laser core module around an X-axis as a first axis of rotation and around a Y-axis as a second axis of rotation. The rotating construction laser further includes a dual grade mechanism with a first level sensor operable to indicate a rotation of the laser core module around the X-axis and a second level sensor operable to indicate a rotation of the laser core module around the Y-axis. Both level sensors can be operated mutually independent.
US08132333B2

Pair of compasses, having a first compass portion and a second compass portion which are connected together via a hinge having a locking device, which hinge comprises a hinge member mounted rotatably relative to the first or second compass portion, the locking device being spaced from the axis of rotation of the hinge member, the locking device having a threaded element generating a clamping force and cooperating with a nut (11, 12) in order to clamp the hinge member (13) in the locked state against the first and second compass portions, the clamping force acting perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the hinge member (13).
US08132322B2

The present invention relates to the electronic manufacturing field and provides an automatic inserting method, an inserting system and an inserting device for a PCB board The method includes: obtaining the insertion paths for insertion of components in the PCB, calling the optimization program to adjust the insertion parameters, generating the optimized insertion paths based on the insertion parameters adjusted, and carrying out the insertion based on the optimized insertion paths. In an embodiment of the present invention, the optimization programs are used to adjust the insertion parameters in the original insertion programs, generate the optimized insertion paths based on the parameters adjusted, and carry out the insertion as per the optimized insertion paths, which not only improves the insertion efficiency, but also avoids a waste of manpower and the improvement of insertion efficiency is inconspicuous in relation to man-made modification of insertion programs.
US08132315B2

During sending the combined body 47 to the core member 6, the pre-orientation members 81 are respectively inserted into a plurality of the consecutive clearances 472 of a plurality of the clearances 472 formed between the adjacent straight overlap sections 471 of the combined body 47. By the pre-orientation members 81, the overlap of the straight portions 431 in the straight overlap section 471 and the pitch between the straight overlap sections 471 are aligned in advance.
US08132303B2

A zipper slider includes a top plate and a bottom plate. A connecting portion is provided between the top plate and the bottom plate. Two guiding slots are formed between the top plate and the bottom plate. One side of the top plate and the bottom plate extends to form first side plates facing each other. The other side of the top plate and the bottom plate extends to form second side plates facing each other. Each first side plate includes a first straight section and a first curved section. Each second side plate includes a second straight section and a second curved section. The first straight section of the first side plate is longer than the second straight section of the second side plate. Via the above arrangement, the insertion pin can be inserted smoothly and a secure locking function is achieved.
US08132296B2

The invention is based on an auxiliary handle device, in particular for hand-held power tools, comprising a fastening unit which comprises at least one fastening mechanism. It is proposed that the fastening mechanism is provided in an axial direction of a fastening axis in order to achieve a positive connection.
US08132295B1

A pull mechanism that is attachable to a barrier structure having a sliding mounting panel and at least one base. The sliding mounting panel having a first sliding-retaining member and the at least one base have a second sliding-retaining member. The sliding mounting panel is in sliding-retaining relationship with the base such that there is longitudinal movement therebetween. A fastener may be used to both fasten the pull mechanism to the barrier structure and to limit the sliding relationship, between the sliding mounting panel and the at least one base. In some preferred embodiments of the present invention the sliding mounting panel has a top surface to which decorative elements may be attached.
US08132292B2

The present application is directed to a hinge for a clamshell-type wireless communication device or other electronic device. In one embodiment, the communication device includes a base portion and a flip portion. A hinge mechanism movably couples the flip portion to the base portion so that the flip portion may pivot between a closed position and an open position. The hinge mechanism comprises first and second hinge parts, an indexing pin, and a spring. The indexing pin is rotatable relative to the first hinge part about a pivot axis. Additionally, the indexing pin is movable axially along the pivot axis. The second hinge part is non-rotatably engaged with the indexing pin and is rotatable about the pivot axis relative to the first hinge part between closed and open positions. The spring applies both an axial force and a rotational force to the indexing pin. The axial force biases the indexing pin into contact with the first hinge part, and the rotational force rotates the indexing pin to move the second hinge part from the closed to the open position.
US08132291B2

A hinge device includes a bearing seat, a spherical joint, a plurality of positioning pins, and a retaining ring. The bearing seat has a containing recess. The spherical joint is rotatably disposed in the containing recess, and the surface of the spherical joint has a plurality of positioning holes. The positioning pins are disposed at the bearing seat and capable of sliding toward or away from the spherical joint. The positioning pins correspond to parts of the positioning holes respectively when the spherical joint rotates to a specific position relative to the bearing seat. The retaining ring is disposed at an opening of the containing recess of the bearing seat and surrounds the positioning pins, the retaining ring is against the positioning pins to allow the positioning pins to be fastened in the corresponding positioning holes when the spherical joint rotates to the specific position relative to the bearing seat.
US08132290B2

A balance assembly for a sliding sash window, where a spring-loaded pulley arrangement is interconnected between the window frame and the window, to counter the weight of the window, and permit ease of opening and closing the window. The spring-loaded pulley arrangement is located within a housing, which also facilitates attachment of the shoe. The shoe of this balance assembly being rotatable between a first and a second position to permit fitting the assembly into the side of the window frame, when the shoe is in the first position, and to permit final installation of the assembly when the shoe in the second position. The shoe is retained in the first and second positions by detents. This rotatable shoe feature permitting installation, of the Balance Assembly of this invention, into a window frame at later stages of the window assembly sequence.
US08132276B2

A simplify mobile patient support apparatus which is suitable for an examination of a patient by a magnetic resonance tomography system is proposed. A first and second actuation facility and a control facility are used. Depending on the operating state of the patient support apparatus whether is docked with or undocked from the magnetic resonance tomography system, actuation of the first and second actuation facilities results either in the coupling or uncoupling of the patient support apparatus to/from the magnetic resonance tomography system or the raising or lowering of a patient support plate of the patient support apparatus. Essential components for docking or undocking or for the vertical adjustment of the patient support plate are integrated in a hydraulic unit.
US08132272B1

A toilet seat in a generally ring like configuration has an upper surface, a lower surface, and a peripheral edge. A slot has an input opening. The input opening is located adjacent to a peripheral edge of the toilet seat. A lift assembly has an interior section, an exterior section, and an intermediate section. The interior section is positionable into the slot. The exterior section is in a cylindrical configuration. The exterior section extends radially exterior of the toilet seat. The intermediate section is positionable adjacent to the peripheral edge of the toilet seat.
US08136167B1

A computer-implemented method may include receiving, over a network, an image from an image capture device, determining an image adjustment to the image, and communicating, over the network, the image adjustment to the image capture device.
US08136160B2

Method, system and computer-readable medium to select monitors that increase the likelihood of detecting prefix hijacking events of a destination prefix are disclosed. The method includes assigning each of the candidate prefix hijack monitors to a respective cluster of a plurality of clusters. Each of the candidate prefix hijack monitors is associated with an autonomous system (AS) that indicates an AS path of autonomous systems (ASes) from the AS to a destination prefix associated with a destination AS. The method further includes iteratively merging a pair of clusters with a highest similarity score amongst cluster pairs of the plurality of clusters into a single cluster until a processed number of clusters is less than or equal to a predetermined number of clusters. The method also includes ranking each candidate prefix hijack monitor of each of the processed number of clusters according to a route type from an AS associated with the candidate prefix hijack monitor and an AS distance from the AS associated with the candidate prefix hijack monitor to the destination AS. Yet further, the method includes determining a highest ranked candidate prefix hijack monitor of each of the processed number of clusters.
US08136157B2

A program providing device include an emulation means for emulating a hardware environment and a software environment of a vehicle-mounted information system, a program receiving means for receiving a program which is developed for the vehicle-mounted information system, a constraints holding means 21 for holding, as constraints, resource states and environment conditions of the vehicle-mounted information system, a program execution restricting means 22 for restricting the operation of the program on the basis of the constraints held by the constraint holding means, and a program execution means 112 for executing the program received from the program receiving means by using resources provided by the emulation means according to the restrictions provided by the program execution restricting means.
US08136153B2

In an embodiment of the present invention, the ability for a user or process to set or modify affinities is restricted in order to method for control a multi-processor environment. This may be accomplished by using a reference monitor that controls a process' capability to retrieve and set its or another process' affinity. This aids in the prevention of security breaches.
US08136146B2

A computer implemented method, data processing system, and computer program product for allowing limited access to a federation partner's audit logs in a secure, controlled manner, for the purposes of compliance demonstration. A request for audit data is received by a partner in the federated environment. The partner validates the request and requests a local report using local parameters against a local audit log store. The partner then builds a response based on the local report.
US08136139B1

A method, system, and medium are provided for enabling playback of licensed media content. The depicted embodiments provide a method to enable users to play a high-quality media file on a computing device. More specifically, the method provides a method to authenticate a high-fidelity license on a computing device to enable playback of an associated high-quality media file. Illustrative examples of high-quality media files include any media file that may contain a video and/or audio component.
US08136131B2

An optical pickup includes an actuator having an objective lens and an optical base on which the actuator is supported. The actuator includes a yoke having an opening, a first straight section and an opposing second straight section, the opening being interposed between the straight sections, the first and second straight sections having a first and a second bent section, respectively, as an extension of each bent section. The yoke is formed as coving the actuator with the straight sections so that the objective lens is exposed through the opening without being obstructed by the optical base. The first bent section has one contact section whereas the second bent section has two contact sections. The optical base includes an ark-like support section. The optical base supports the actuator in such a way that the contact sections are made to have contact with the ark-like support section.
US08136127B1

Representative embodiments are disclosed of a system and method for linearly exposing client-server interaction comprising interpreting a function command representing a first group of sequential action requests to an integrated multimedia communication server (iMCS), sequentially transmitting the first group of sequential action requests from an interactive multimedia runtime (iMR) client to the iMCS, wherein a next sequential action request of the first group is transmitted to the iMCS prior to receiving a response message from the iMCS associated with a previous sequential action request of the first group, queuing response messages received from the iMCS, and handling the queued response messages.
US08136113B2

A sleep function capable of putting a fixed high-priority thread to sleep within a time-window is disclosed. After a sleep request has been made by a fixed high-priority thread via the sleep function, a determination is made whether or not the fixed high-priority thread is awoken before a requested sleep duration under the sleep request. If the fixed high-priority thread is awoken before the requested sleep duration, the number of tasks for the fixed high-priority thread to perform is increased in order to delay the start sleep time of the fixed high-priority thread from a point within a first time-window in which the sleep request was made to an end boundary of the first time-window.
US08136109B1

Delivering data and formatting information includes delivering object definition files from a server to a client; generating definitions and object instantiations at a client using JavaScript or another simple browser-interpreted language, for objects relating to data modeling and presentation; and presenting data using those objects at the client, using a web browser without a separate runtime environment or application plug-in, but maintaining substantial state at the web browser regarding the data itself and the format for its presentation. Definition files are modified to provide object properties consistent with a full object-oriented language, including for example hierarchical inheritance of object properties. Code ballooning generates definitions and individual instantiations, with the effect that a very large amount of DHTML, or another markup or presentation definition language for use with the application, can be generated from relatively small aggregate size of definition files communicated from the server to the client.
US08136104B2

A runtime system implemented in accordance with the present invention provides an application platform for parallel-processing computer systems. Such a runtime system enables users to leverage the computational power of parallel-processing computer systems to accelerate/optimize numeric and array-intensive computations in their application programs. This enables greatly increased performance of high-performance computing (HPC) applications.
US08136102B2

A runtime system implemented in accordance with the present invention provides an application platform for parallel-processing computer systems. Such a runtime system enables users to leverage the computational power of parallel-processing computer systems to accelerate/optimize numeric and array-intensive computations in their application programs. This enables greatly increased performance of high-performance computing (HPC) applications.
US08136100B1

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including medium-encoded computer program products, for software installation and icon management support. In one aspect, a method includes obtaining a cross-platform package of information stored in a platform independent format, the cross-platform package information including a cross-platform icon and one or more descriptors for the cross-platform icon; translating the cross-platform icon to a predefined icon format for a specific operating system (OS) on a computer; and providing the translated icon in the predefined icon format for display by the OS on the computer.
US08136096B1

A method finds an error in a computer program. A plurality of execution breakpoints are set in the computer program. A portion of the execution of the computer program is simulated as recorded in the trace data in the reverse order until one a plurality of conditions is met, wherein one of the plurality of conditions is an attempt to execute a machine instruction associated with one of the plurality of execution breakpoints.
US08136093B2

A mechanism is provided for linking with source code, code commentary relating to the source code's execution. An advantage is achieved by storing the code commentary received from a user during software debugging about a program's execution directly alongside the source code.
US08136090B2

A method for installation and configuration of a software product includes installing a software product and determining configuration settings of the software product based upon a social network of peers. A system for installation and configuration of at least one software product includes at least one client install package capable of utilizing a social network for at least one of installing software; transmitting configuration settings; transmitting post-installation configuration settings; or responding to post-installation configuration modifications; and a server that stores and aggregates the configuration settings of a plurality of users, forming at least one social network.
US08136089B2

In a system in which documents are generated dynamically in response to user requests, historical data is collected regarding data retrieval subtasks, such as service requests, that are performed to generate such documents. This data is used to predict the specific subtasks that will be performed to respond to specific document requests, such that these subtasks may be initiated preemptively at or near the outset of the associated document generation task. A subtask that would ordinarily be postponed pending the outcome of a prior subtask can thereby be performed in parallel with the prior subtask, reducing document generation times. In one embodiment, the historical data is included within, or is used to generate, a mapping table that maps document generation tasks (which may correspond to specific URLs) to the data retrieval subtasks that are frequently performed within such tasks.
US08136086B2

A multi function peripheral (MFP) is provided with a scanner and a printer for operating a copy function, and a macro control unit and macro function unit for operating a macro function in order to reliably operating the macro function even for an event generated asynchronously with a user operation. The macro control unit manages pairs of user operations and events generated by the user operations. The macro function executes a record process of generating a macro file constituted of a plurality of scripts from user operations and a reproduce process of reproducing the user processes. A script corresponding to an event of waiting for execution completion of a copy job is recorded in the macro file at a row next to the row at which a copy start script is written.
US08136077B2

Techniques for timing-optimal placement, pin assignment, and routing for integrated circuits are described herein. According to one embodiment, a list of paths providing implementation possibilities is constructed. A means is provided for removing paths from the list as well as a means for committing paths to the implementation if such paths are required for making the circuit implementation valid. Paths with worst case attributes are iteratively removed from the list until all paths in the list are committed to the implementation. Other methods and apparatuses are also described.
US08136076B2

There is provided a system for generating configuration data for implementing a circuit design in a segmented reconfigurable device. A placement and routing design aiding system (30) includes a database (31) for storing hardware information (89) including data of PEs included in each segment and data of a first-level and second-level routing matrix and an apparatus (33) for mapping the circuit design onto the PEs. The mapping apparatus (33) generates mappings of the circuit design onto the PEs by carrying out an iterative algorithm that minimizes a cost function based on the hardware information (89). The cost function includes an item that minimizes usage of the second-level routing matrix (22) that connects between the segments.
US08136075B1

A multilevel shared database for routing for an integrated circuit is described. An aspect relates generally to a database comprising routing edges defined by tile templates. The routing edges are associated with a plurality of wire length segmentations. The tile templates are associated with tiles of an integrated circuit. The tiles are repeated circuit blocks forming an array. A portion of the tile templates are shared among a portion of the tiles such that the tile templates are less in number than the tiles. The tile templates are associated with pointers for pointing to wire templates.
US08136064B2

A data processor which includes: a circuit data providing section which provides circuit data including a character string; a replacement section which bijectively maps the character string of the provided circuit data to integer values; and a data developer which executes data processing including hierarchical development with respect to the circuit data of the integer values obtained by the replacement section.
US08136059B2

Illustrative embodiments provide a computer-implemented method for resolving indeterminate states by inserting logic into a design. The computer-implemented method receives an original design input from a requester to form a received input and determines whether the received input contains an indeterminate output. Responsive to a determination that the received input contains an indeterminate output, the computer-implemented method generates a temporary design from the received input, wherein the temporary design contains “unique” output and all inputs, updates the temporary design, and synthesizes the original design and each temporary design individually to form a synthesized original design and a set of synthesized temporary designs. The computer-implemented method merges the synthesized original design with the set of synthesized temporary design to form a final design; and returns the final design to the requester.
US08136048B2

In a method for displaying menus on a storage automation library, a user's input to the library is processed and, in response thereto, either 1) a menu derived from a local menu structure is displayed, or 2) a remote menu mode is activated. Between activation and deactivation of the remote menu mode, the library waits for a remote host to return remote menu data. A method by which a remote host retrieves the status of such an indicator, and apparatus for implementing these and other related methods, are also disclosed.
US08136041B2

Disclosed are systems and methods for playing a musical composition in an audible and visual manner. In one aspect, a visual representation of a phonograph playing an analog record is transmitted to a viewer/listener along with the actual analog audio generated by same. Such transmission may occur via television networks, the Internet, or other similar networks. In another aspect, such visual representations are played with digitally recorded audio in a time-correlated manner. In yet another aspect, such visual representations are recorded with digital audio in a soft format such as a digital file, MP3 file, or the like for use with portable audio and visual devices, for streaming via the Internet, for use in gaming, and/or for use as software. Such visual representations may also be displayed at live events such that the timing of the video play and the performance of the live or recorded audio is correlated.
US08136040B2

Systems and methods for varying the audio of multiple windows on a personal computer are provided. The windows may overlap in various configurations. These configurations may cause the audio associated with media playing in each media window that is overlapped to be varied in a number of different ways. The audios may be scaled in response to a set of user preferences.
US08136036B2

Large data sets are displayed and processed. User mark-up language display provides a plurality of line items, each line item including a checkbox. A name/value pair is generated and stored to a text string responsive to the user selecting a checkbox of a line item. The name/value pairs are parsed into a parameter names array and a parameter values array responsive to the user selecting a submit command. The parameter names array is processed to identify each parameter name containing a checkbox indicia, and for each parameter name containing a checkbox indicia, line item detail is retrieved from the detail arrays corresponding for display to the user, who may store a current document as a draft. The user selects or deselects a line item, and the parameter names array is again processed to identify new data available in, or old data no longer available in, the detail arrays.
US08136034B2

A system and method are provided for analyzing elements of text for comparative purposes. Text is provided to the system in an electronic format readable by the system. The system divides the text data into scenes, which may then be compared against a range of various values across a database of scenes from different texts. Data from one text can be used to identify other texts with similar styles, or identify texts with different styles, and to rank those differences on a spectrum. The system may use data from one text to identify other texts that a user may like, and present information about the text to the user in various forms.
US08136032B2

There is disclosed a document edit support device including: an object obtaining unit that obtains an object as data expressing at least one of a text and an image, which are included in a document as an edit target and are to be located in a layout area; a grid line obtaining unit that obtains a plurality of grid lines in the layout area; and a grid line selection unit that selects at least one of the plurality of grid lines selected by the grid line obtaining unit, so that a predetermined condition is satisfied by blank spaces which remain when the object obtained by the object obtaining unit is located along the selected at least one of the plurality of grid lines.
US08136025B1

Document identification tags are assigned to documents to be added to a collection of documents. Based on query-independent information about a new document, a document identification tag is assigned to the new document. The document identification tag so assigned is used in the indexing of the new document. When a list of document identification tags are produced by an index in response to a query, the list is approximately ordered with respect to a measure of query-independent relevance. In some embodiments, the measure of query-independent relevance is related to the connectivity matrix of the World Wide Web. In other embodiments, the measure is related to the recency of crawling. In still other embodiments, the measure is a mixture of these two. The provided systems and methods allow for real-time indexing of documents as they are crawled from a collection of documents.
US08136023B2

A method for decoding tail-biting convolutional codes. The method includes initializing a correction depth, selecting a first starting state from a set of encoding states, and initializing a metric value for the selected starting state as zero and the other states as infinity. The input bit stream is read and a Search Depth Viterbi algorithm (SDVA) is performed to determine path metrics and identify a minimum-metric path. The ending state for the minimum-metric path is determined and the output for this ending state is identified as “previous output.” A second starting state is set to the ending state of the minimum-metric path, and symbols equal to the correction depth from the previous output are read. The SDVA is performed on the second set of read symbols to generate a corrected output. A decoded output is generated by replacing symbols at the beginning of the previous output with the corrected output.
US08136020B2

A present invention discloses a method for performing forward error correction (FEC) in long-haul submarine transmission systems. Data is encoded at a transmitter by serially concatenated, binary Bose-Ray-Chaudhuri-Hocquenghem (BCH) error correcting codes. The invention encodes a stream of data employing a plurality of serially concatenated, binary Bose-Ray-Chaudhuri-Hocquenghem (BCH) error correcting codes, arranging data into a frame of parallel data blocks (the outer frame) with redundancy bits appended by a BCH(3896, 3824) code; the outer frame is then interleaved to produce a frame of serial data blocks (the intermediate frame); and the final frame (the inner frame) is produced by appending the redundancy bits of the BCH(2040, 1952) code to the intermediate frame. The data, once encoded, is transmitted across a datapath and decoded at the receiver.
US08136012B2

A method for detecting topology changes of a computer network, includes the following steps of acquisition of the raw data from the configuration tables of the network elements during successive primary pollings, the following steps being carried out between two successive primary pollings: calculation and storage of a checksum value for each network element having raw data which are considered to be sensitive, at least one secondary polling, allowing the sensitive data to be retrieved again from each corresponding element, comparison of the previously-stored checksum value, at each secondary polling and for each element termed sensitive, with a new checksum value calculated with the new sensitive data, for each sensitive element, when the two checksum values differ, updating in a topology database only the topology data relative to the corresponding element.
US08136007B1

A system and method for adaptive error correction that optimizes bandwidth by taking into account expected, or predicted, interferences. The bandwidth used for error correction is applied judiciously based on the value of the content and the need to receive the content the first time it is broadcast. The present invention further applies local optimizations in the case of spot-beam satellite broadcasts. As each spot corresponds to a particular geographic region, different input parameters may be used, thereby maximizing efficiency.
US08136006B2

A turbo decoding method and apparatus for performing iterative decoding on a received signal is provided. A decoder receives a signal and an (N−1)th decoding result, performs Nth decoding thereon, and outputs first extrinsic information. A transformer reduces a bit width of the first extrinsic information output from the decoder and outputs second extrinsic information. A memory stores the second extrinsic information output from the transformer. A de-transformer de-transforms the second extrinsic information stored in the memory, to third extrinsic information having a same bit width as that of the first extrinsic information, and inputs the third extrinsic information to the decoder.
US08136005B1

A storage system comprises a linear block encoder. A write circuit writes an output of the linear block encoder to a storage medium. A read circuit reads data from the storage medium. A channel decoder decodes the data. A soft linear block code decoder that decodes the data decoded by the channel decoder. The channel decoder decodes the data read in a first iteration. In a subsequent iteration the channel decoder decodes the data read by the read circuit and utilizes information decoded by the soft linear block code decoder. A threshold check circuit selects an output of the soft linear block code decoder if a number of parity check violations has a first relationship with respect to a threshold, or an output of the channel decoder if the number of parity check violations has a second relationship with respect to the threshold.
US08136002B2

An addressable interface selectively enables JTAG TAP domain operations or Trace domain operations within an IC. After being enabled, the TAP receives TMS and TDI input from a single data pin. After being enabled, the Trace domain acquires data from a functioning circuit within the IC in response to a first clock and outputs the acquired data from the IC in response to a second clock. An addressable two pin interface loads and updates instructions and data to a TAP domain within the IC. The instruction or data update operations in multiple ICs occur simultaneously. A process transmits data from an addressed target device to a controller using data frames, each data frame comprising a header bit and data bits. The logic level of the header bit is used to start, continue, and stop the data transmission to the controller. A data and clock signal interface between a controller and multiple target devices provides for each target device to be individually addressed and commanded to perform a JTAG or Trace operation. Trace circuitry within an IC can operate autonomously to store and output functional data occurring in the IC. The store and output operations of the trace circuitry are transparent to the functional operation of the IC. An auto-addressing RAM memory stores input data at an input address generated in response to an input clock, and outputs stored data from an output address generated in response to an output clock.
US08135989B2

Embodiments relate to systems and methods for interrogating one or more diagnostic targets using a remotely loaded image. A set of managed machines, such as personal computers or servers, can be managed by a network management engine communicating with the machines via a secure channel. The network management engine can access a selected diagnostic target to temporarily deactivate the installed native operating system on that target, insert a substitute operating environment, and remotely interrogate the target to perform hardware, software, security, or other diagnostics or installs. The network management engine can connect to the diagnostic target, extract security keys from the native operating environment, remotely load the substitute environment, and then perform diagnostic or provisioning activities while the native environment is deactivate and the diagnostic target is effectively off-network. Installations, diagnostics, or other activities that require the diagnostic target to be isolated from other machines can therefore be safely conducted.
US08135982B2

A method for controlling a system includes receiving an indication that an operation has failed in a secondary storage device, suspending data operations sent to the secondary data storage device from a primary storage device, determining a failure policy set by a user, and initiating a first policy responsive to determining that the first policy is active, the first policy including sending a status query to the secondary storage device, determining whether a response has been received from the secondary storage device, determining whether the response indicates a failure of the secondary storage device responsive to determining that the response has been received from the secondary storage device, and continuing processing tasks on the server and data operations on the primary storage device responsive to determining that the response indicates a failure of the secondary storage device.
US08135976B2

A modulated clock, a method of providing a modulated clock signal, an integrated circuit including a modulated clock and a library of cells including a modulated clock. In one embodiment, the modulated clock includes (1) a clock controller configured to generate a digital control stream and (2) clock logic circuitry having a first input configured to receive a clock signal and a second input configured to receive the digital control stream. The clock logic circuitry is configured to provide a modulated clock signal in response to the clock signal and the digital control stream, wherein the modulated clock signal has an effective frequency that differs from the first frequency.
US08135974B2

A power on control device and method are used at an adaptor providing a constant voltage. The power on control device includes a first voltage converting circuit, a second voltage converting circuit, a third voltage converting circuit, and a comparison module. The first voltage converting circuit receives the constant voltage and generates a reference voltage. The second voltage converting circuit receives the constant voltage and generates operating voltages. The third voltage converting circuit receives the operating voltages and generates preparatory voltages corresponding to the operating voltages according to the operating voltages. The comparison module outputs a power good signal when all the preparatory voltages are larger than the reference voltage.
US08135954B2

A server, e.g., a client (105, 107, 109), receives a request for a digital signature to be applied to digital information, obtains a representation of the information, determines a designation of key pair(s) to be applied thereto; and transmits a request for the digital signature to a front end server (103a, 103b). The front end server determines one or more of whether the client is authentic and authorized, the user identifier is authentic, and the user identifier is permitted to make the request. If so, the front end server transmits a request to generate a digital signature to a back end server (101). The back end server determines one or more of whether the front end server is authentic and the designated key pair correspond to the requesting front end server. If so, the back end server generates the digital signature based on the information and the key pair(s).
US08135953B2

A system and method for providing variable security levels in a wireless communication network. The present invention optimizes the often conflicting demands of highly secure wireless communications and high speed wireless communications. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, various security sensors are scanned to determine the likely presence of an intruder within a predetermined trust zone. If an intruder is likely present, the security level is changed to the highest setting, and consequently a lower data rate, while the intruder is identified. If the identified intruder is in fact a trusted node, the security level is returned to a lower setting. If the identified intruder is not a trusted node, the security level is maintained at an elevated state while the intruder is within the trust zone.
US08135952B2

A system and method of security for navigation, positioning, and localization systems, and applications of cryptography thereto are provided. The security can be applied to navigation, aircraft landing guidance, air traffic control, location-based access control, the prevention of relay attacks against financial and legal transaction protocols and protection of other data transmissions.
US08135944B2

A plurality of separately powered data interface circuits, a controller circuit, and power switch circuits that collectively enable a supply of power to only one of the data interface circuits and disable the supply of power to the other data interface circuits. Alternatively, the separately powered circuits need not be data interface circuits.
US08135923B2

In a method for enabling a root device to access a plurality of memory locations in an address space in an endpoint device, a first access is sent to the endpoint device by transmitting a first header and a first address. The header includes a continue bit that is set at a first state that indicates that the first access is accessing a selected first memory location that the address is being sent. A first memory location is accessed when the continue bit is in the first state. A second access, which accesses accessing a second memory location that is contiguous to an immediately previously accessed memory location, is sent to the endpoint device by transmitting a header that includes a continue bit set to a second state and not sending an address. The second memory location corresponds to the first address plus a predetermined address offset.
US08135920B2

In an apparatus for controlling the access operation by a plurality of data processing devices to a memory, each data processing device (10, 11, 12) is assigned a respective address region which indicates the part of the addresses of the memory (13) which the respective data processing device can access. A control device (21) blocks an access operation by a data processing device to the memory (13) if the access operation address is not located in the address region which is assigned to the respective data processing device (10, 11, 12).
US08135915B2

A method, apparatus, and computer instructions for providing hardware assistance to prefetch data during execution of code by a process or in the data processing system. In response to loading an instruction in the code into a cache, a determination is made by a processor unit as to whether a prefetch indicator is associated with the instruction. In response to the prefetch indicator being associated with the instruction, a pointer to a data structure identified by the prefetch indicator is selectively prefetched into the cache in the processor.
US08135911B2

A method, system, and computer program product are provided for managing a cache. A region to be stored within the cache is received. The cache includes multiple regions and each of the regions is defined by memory ranges having a starting index and an ending index. The region that has been received is stored in the cache in accordance with a cache invariant. The cache invariant guarantees that at any given point in time the regions in the cache are stored in a given order and none of the regions are completely contained within any other of the regions.
US08135905B2

This invention achieves data capacity efficiency via data de-duplication and maximizes a power-saving effect by disk operation control. In a storage system, when data is received from a computer, a value representing the bit string for the data is calculated and whether or not a value identical to the calculated value is stored in a data management table is judged. If it is judged that an identical value is not stored, the received data is registered in the data management table and stored, based on a group management table, in disk device(s) associated with a logical unit number of a logical unit constituting an active group. Meanwhile, if it is judged that an identical value is stored, the received data is stored in disk device(s) based on the group information managed in the group management table and the management information managed in the data management table.
US08135904B2

A method includes storing at a non-volatile memory in a data storage device a first copy of a memory management table. The method further includes storing, at the non-volatile memory, a list of data entries that identify unused blocks of the non-volatile memory, where the list defines an order of allocating the unused blocks. The method further includes, in response to detecting a power event, accessing an entry of the ordered list to identify a block, and selectively updating the first copy of the memory management table based on a status of the identified block.
US08135903B1

A non-volatile semiconductor memory is disclosed comprising a plurality of paired pages, wherein each pair comprises a first page and a second page. A write command is received from a host comprising write data and a write address. The write address is mapped to a physical address of a selected one of the paired memory pages. The write data is compressed to generate compressed data, and when the compressed data fits in one of the pages of the selected pair, the compressed data is stored in the first page and in the second page of the selected pair in an S-mode.
US08135894B1

A system and a method for reducing interrupt latency is described. The system includes a first interrupt source configured to generate a first interrupt, a second interrupt source configured to generate a second interrupt, and a processor. The processor includes a shadow set that stores data used to service the first interrupt. The processor receives the second interrupt and receives a designation of the shadow set to service the second interrupt. The processor determines, based on a dedicated bit, whether the shadow set is used to service the first interrupt upon receiving the second interrupt.
US08135892B2

A method and apparatus for transferring data from a first electronic device to a second electronic device, both first and second electronic devices having Universal Serial Bus (USB) client interfaces, the method comprising the steps: connecting the two electronic devices with a USB cable; toggling the voltage on a VBUS line of the USB cable between logic high voltage and no voltage at the first electronic device; detecting toggles of the VBUS line at the second electronic device; and interpreting the toggles detected in the detecting step as data.
US08135887B2

A relay unit (70) is used to connect one or a plurality of manipulation terminals or external storage units to an entertainment apparatus. The entertainment apparatus (10) has a first mode and a second mode as operation modes. The relay unit includes a first relay processing unit (200-1) for the first mode, a second relay processing unit (200-2) for the second mode, and a control signal generator (201) configured to generate a control signal based on a selection signal externally entered. The relay unit (70) carries out relay processing for the first mode when the entertainment apparatus (10) is operating in the first mode, and carries out relay processing for the second mode when the entertainment apparatus (10) is operating in the second mode.
US08135885B1

A data packer of an input/output hub of a computer system packs and formats write data that is supplied to it before the write data is written into a memory unit of the computer system. More particularly, the data packer accumulates write data received from lower bandwidth clients for delivery to a high bandwidth memory interface. Also, the data packer aligns the write data, so that when the write data is read out from the write data packer, no further alignment is needed.
US08135883B2

Hub apparatus that supports multiple high speed devices and a super speed device. The hub apparatus may include at least one upstream port for coupling to a host device and at least one downstream port for coupling to at least one downstream device. The hub apparatus may further include an embedded device as well as an internal hub coupled to the upstream port, the embedded device, and the at least one downstream port. The internal hub may be configured to provide a connection between the host device and the embedded device at a first speed (e.g., USB high speed). However, when supported by the host device, the embedded device may communicate with the host device at a higher speed than the first speed (e.g., USB super speed), e.g., without using the internal hub.
US08135881B1

A serial peripheral interface (SPI) controller can be configured in response to data received via the interface. The SPI controller can perform read and write operations upon registers of a register bank in response to signals received via one or more of a data signal line, a clock signal line, and a select signal line. By detecting combinations of signals on one or more of the data signal line, clock signal line and select signal line, the SPI controller can detect the initiation of data read and write operations that may be in accordance with any of several different SPI protocols.
US08135878B1

A bus scheduling device having a group of direct memory access (“DMA”) engines, a group of target modules (“TM”), a read pending memory, and a bus arbiter is disclosed. A common bus, which is coupled with the DMA engines, TMs, and the read pending memory, is employed in the device for data transmission. DMA engines are capable of transmitting and receiving data to and from TMs via the common bus. The read pending memory is capable of storing information indicating the read status of the DMA engines. The arbiter or bus arbiter arbitrates bus access in response to a bus allocation scheme and the information stored in the read pending memory.
US08135873B2

An information processing device includes: an address converter including a base address register in which address conversion information is stored and a conversion circuit that converts a PCI Express standard bus address of an inputted packet to a non-PCI Express standard bus address; and a packet generator. When first configuration information of a first device that has a device-unique unique address, is connected to a non-PCI Express standard bus and is unaware of the unique address is stored, the packet generator generates an address setting-use configuration write request packet, and when second configuration information including change information for changing the base address register to a base address register of a second device where at least one of an address width and an internal memory address is a device-unique unique value, the packet generator generates a change setting-use configuration write request packet and outputs the generated packet to the address converter.
US08135871B2

A computer system includes an information processing apparatus configured to incorporate a SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) command into a CBW (Command Block Wrapper), and transmits the CBW based on USB (Universal Serial Bus) protocol; and a peripheral apparatus configured to receive the CBW transmitted from the information processing apparatus, and transmit a value of a predetermined register indicating a state of a GPIO (general purpose input/output) interface to the information processing apparatus, when the SCSI command is a predetermined SCSI command. The information processing apparatus may issue the SCSI command based on an application program. The peripheral apparatus carries out a process corresponding to the SCSI command when the SCSI command is not the predetermined SCSI command.
US08135869B2

Methods of scheduling tasks in computer systems architectures are disclosed. In one aspect, a method may include comparing a connection address of a first node with a connection address of a second node, determining that the connection address of the first node matches the connection address of the second node, and scheduling tasks to the first and second nodes based, at least in part, on the determination. Apparatus to implement task scheduling, and systems including the apparatus are also disclosed.
US08135866B2

A system and method for handling stale messages is presented. A first message is transmitted to a peer entity. The first message includes a first timestamp. A second message is received from the peer entity. The second message is related to the first message and includes a second timestamp. A third message is received from the peer entity. The third message includes a third timestamp. A staleness of the third message is determined using the first timestamp, second timestamp, and third timestamp. When the third message is stale, the third message is at least one of ignored and discarded. When the third message is not stale, the third message may be processed.
US08135864B2

The method of the present invention is capable of providing distributed imaging capability to a user of a computing device within a UNIX printing environment. Document creation, manipulation, editing, and output are provided by the present invention. Document design and image data are associated with the originating user. Generic access instructions cause associated document data to be retrieved or stored in accordance with the present invention. Multiple documents and output devices may be employed to accomplish the requesting user's needs. Further, interactive graphical printing configuration and monitoring may be utilized.
US08135863B2

Data collected by sensors (10, 30) is transmitted to data collection points (31, 61) over a network using an epidemic protocol in which data received by a relay (3) is forwarded to a randomly-selected group of further relays (4, 5, 6) unless the same data has been previously received by the relay (3) or the data is time-expired. Data received by a relay (3) from different sources (1, 2, 30) in the same time-frame is aggregated using a Bloom filter process so that in each time frame only a single Bloom filter message is transmitted by each relay.
US08135859B1

Infrastructure services such as addressing, directory services, performance monitoring, and diagnostic capabilities are shared among nodes of an ad-hoc mesh network without a designated network manager. A first mesh node creates parameters corresponding to the services to be provided. As each new mesh node joins the network, parameters are update, synchronized among the mesh nodes, and stored in a virtual database shared by the mesh nodes. For some of the services such as performance monitoring, a designated representative may be elected by a group of mesh nodes once a predetermined number of connected mesh nodes is exceeded. The representative nodes may share performance monitoring information among themselves and act as redundant back-up servers.
US08135850B2

The present application relates to systems and methods for managing of Real Time Stream Protocol (RTSP) sessions by an intermediary located between a client and a server. An intermediary located between a client and a server receives a response from the server to a request of the client to setup a media stream. The response may include a first session identifier established by the server. The intermediary may encode a port of the server and an internet protocol address of the server into the first session identifier to form a second session identifier. The intermediary may modify the response to identify the second session identifier as the session identifier provided by the server. The intermediary may transmit the modified response to the client responsive to the request of the client to setup the media stream.
US08135849B2

A computer system comprises a server that serves a plurality of clients and performs client authentication and authorization during client login to the server using file system permissions specified for domain sockets. The server creates a domain socket file for individual users during initialization which sets permissions enabling user access to the domain socket file, monitors file descriptors for received connection requests from client processes, and either opens a requesting client process with permission-enabled user access or denies access to an unauthorized client process.
US08135842B1

The claimed invention herein provides a simple, economical, and safe way to connect a new class of Internet-ready devices and appliances to the Internet without the use of a personal computer (PC). The claimed invention herein provides an Internet dial-tone, so to speak, to applications ranging from toys and entertainment consoles to electronic books and health equipment just as a traditional telephone jack provides a plain old telephone system (POTS) dial-tone for phones, modems, and fax machines. The invention herein features a modem, network stack, and application protocols alleviating the need for sophisticated logic within attached devices. With one-touch, appliances can quickly and easily connect to the Internet.
US08135835B2

Methods, brokerage systems and program products for enabling a mobile electronic device communicate with another electronic device for accomplishing a requested task without interrupting a user of the other electronic device. A task is requested at the mobile device and a transmission signal locates other electronic devices within a receivable range of the transmission signal. A number of scenarios of various combinations of located other devices is built, whereby each scenario is capable of accomplishing the requested task. One of these scenarios is selected, information relating to the task is sent to the electronic devices within such scenario, and then the requested task is performed by such selected electronic devices. Upon completion of the task, deliverables may be transmitted from the selected electronic device to a predetermined destination. Owners of the selected electronic devices may be rewarded for usage of their devices.
US08135828B2

A client-based collaborative approach called WebProfiler is used for diagnosing Web transaction failures. The WebProfiler leverages end-host cooperation to pool together observations on the success or failure of Web transactions from multiple vantage points. These observations are utilized by a collaborative blame attribution algorithm to identify a suspect network entity that caused the Web transaction failure.
US08135827B2

A web-based hosted solution through which application developers create, manage and monitor application usage analytics in an online manner. Preferably, an application under test is one of: application software, a script-enabled web application, or a rich Internet application (RIA). During the development process, a usage monitoring API is integrated into the application and the application is deployed. As users interact with the application, a log file is generated, typically in one of two ways. If the application is able to write to a local file system (in the user's machine), usage information is gathered in a log file local to the deployed application and then dispatched to an upload server for processing in a batch manner. If the application is not able to write to the user machine's local file system, the usage information is sent to a remote logging server, preferably on a just-in-time basis, and then the log file is generated on the logging server. In either case, preferably the usage information that is tracked comprises “features,” “faults” and “failures” of the application, independent of platform, location, and number of deployed application instances.
US08135825B2

A method for loading and managing a software application in a mobile equipment intended to receive digital data of mobile television services broadcasted via a unidirectional mobile network comprising system software stored in a memory and at least one security module. The application is associated with broadcasted mobile television services of the DVB-H type. The method, comprises a previous step of transmitting, at connection of the mobile equipment to a bidirectional mobile network, identification data of the mobile equipment and of the security module to the managing center, and a further step of reading by the system software of the mobile equipment a descriptor stored in the security module designating a server of the managing center suitable for providing the mobile equipment with the application or an update of said application by downloading into said mobile equipment via the bidirectional mobile network. The invention further includes a security module for mobile equipment containing at least one descriptor designating a server of a managing center suitable for providing the mobile equipment with an application or an update of said application by downloading into said mobile equipment.
US08135821B2

A method for validating that a networked system of modules conforms to at least one interoperability rule pertinent to interoperability of at least two of the modules includes the steps of obtaining the at least one interoperability rule, the at least one rule being encoded in computer-operable format; obtaining configuration information pertinent to at least one of the modules, the configuration information being encoded in computer-operable format; and comparing the at least one interoperability rule to the configuration information to validate whether the system conforms to the at least one interoperability rule
US08135815B2

A method for a computer system includes determining network devices within a network topology, wherein the network devices includes a first application server hosting a first application, receiving a policy for the network comprising requirements of a first application server including a description of a set of required network traffic, receiving a plurality of configuration files associated with the plurality of network devices, determining a network configuration model in response to the plurality of configuration files, computing network traffic on all network paths to and from the first application server to determine a plurality of computed paths, determining if the network traffic includes at least the set of required network traffic associated with the first server, and generating a report indicating whether the network traffic includes at least the set of required network traffic.
US08135809B2

Architecture for gathering and presentation to a remote user (watcher) of presence, preferences, and capabilities information of a local user (publisher). An extensible presence document is employed, as transmitted by the publisher, that contains specific information about the capabilities of the publisher endpoint and preferences that are for the publisher overall. The document is aggregated, and the aggregated capabilities are transmitted to watchers. The watchers render this information in a user experience.
US08135807B2

The present disclosure provides systems and methods for distributing data packets on an aircraft data network having a plurality of end systems. The systems and methods include retrieving a configuration module, retrieving a payload description module, selecting a network interface component, selecting a port rate for the network interface component, selecting a payload module, generating payload data, generating a data packet from the generated payload data, and transmitting the generated data packet to at least one of the plurality of end systems via the network interface component and the aircraft data network.
US08135805B2

A method delivering content from a plurality of sources to a plurality of end servers through a central manager is provided. The method includes receiving the content from the plurality of sources at the central manager, formatting the content to a form usable by the plurality of end servers, creating a transaction generic to the plurality of end servers where the transaction includes a reference to a set of instructions for storing the formatted content, sending the transaction to an end server in the plurality of end servers, and calling the reference to execute the set of instructions where the set of instructions store the formatted content into the memory of the end server.
US08135794B2

Methods, systems, and computer program products that provide for a runtime messaging infrastructure, which abstracts send and receive operations for exchanging messages with partner endpoint. The messaging infrastructure improves availability and scalability of a message application by improving on the availability and scalability of the underlying message transports. In particular, availability and scalability are improved by linking the message application at runtime with any number of the message transports, without the message application specifying a transport at development time. The message infrastructure receives instructions from the message application specifying end-to-end delivery assurances. The infrastructure uses transports in order to fulfill the specified delivery assurance, and creates a link between the message application and transports for use in exchanging messages. Session state storage can be maintained in a pluggable store, which could be, for example, a durable database store or an application memory store.
US08135789B2

A method for analyzing content of multimedia files is presented. The method comprises processing messages from mail servers, determining a type of the message, executing a convert module and obtaining text content of the message when said type is audio, extracting text from the text content or the message, creating a text version of components from the text, dividing the text version into different files, and analyzing the different files. Further, the messages can be captured, sent to a pending folder, retrieved from the pending folder. Creating the text version and dividing the text version can be performed by a mail engine. Natural language processing can be performed on the files. The text can be examined for compliance and, if appropriate, marked with quarantine violations.
US08135782B2

An electronic apparatus comprises a plurality of communication units including a first communication unit which communicates via a first communication network and a second communication unit which communicates via a second communication network. The electronic apparatus acquires presence information indicating a communication state of a communication apparatus from a presence server managing a communication state of a communication apparatus on a communication network, via at least one communication network. The electronic apparatus acquires presence information of an alternative communication apparatus being as a communication apparatus which communicates via the second communication network in place of the second communication unit included in itself. The electronic apparatus determines as to whether the alternate communication apparatus is in an online state, based on the acquired presence information. The electronic apparatus suppresses electric power to be consumed by the second communication unit, when the alternate communication apparatus is in an online state.
US08135776B2

A system for managing the communication of multi-page documents. The system may use a software module document splitter adapted to receive a multi-page document being uploaded as a single file and to split the multi-page document into a plurality of independent files, with each independent file representing a single page of the document. The software module document splitter may also associate meta data with each single page that enables the single pages to be downloaded, one at a time, by an electronic device being used by a user, from a file storage device remote from the electronic device. This provides the appearance to the user that the electronic device is in possession of single, multi-page file.
US08135762B2

A system and method for providing a cost-effective, metadata independent mechanism for the determination of file types. When a user makes a request to store data, the storage device communicates with a storage management software function. The storage management software invokes a file determination system in order to determine the true file type of the file. The file determination system inspects the file header or raw data information and utilizes a structure or an algorithm that specifies, for various file types, the necessary data and patterns required in the file to be of this type, and determines the true file type. Thus storage management software can compare the true file type of a file being inspected to rules established by an administrator and subsequently inform the storage device to either accept or not accept the users request to store data.
US08135753B2

A dynamic information hierarchy may be provided. Logging data comprising a captured user event and a component ID associated with a hierarchical node may be stored in a raw data table. The stored data may be aggregated across the nodes of the hierarchy, stored in an aggregation table, and provided to a user in a report.
US08135749B2

To provide a human relationships registering system, a method and a server for registering human relationships, a program for registering human relationships, and a medium storing human relationships registering program and readable by a computer, all of which are used to establish wide and close relationships with members having a variety of occupations or engaged in various technical fields and to obtain expert knowledge or information. The human relationships registering system comprises first data processing units 2 and 3 including sections for receiving personal data of a new member, and a second data processing unit including a section for storing the received personal data. The second data processing unit stores the personal data of the new member in correlation to an existing member when the existing member confirms the new member.
US08135736B2

A content providing system includes a content distribution server and a content receiving terminal connected to each other through a communication channel. The content receiving terminal includes an operation input unit specifying one point on a line, a time information output unit outputting the specified point as time information, a request sender sending a content providing request including the output time information to the content distribution server, and a provider providing at least one content item to a user. The content distribution server includes a content storage unit in which a plurality of content items are stored in association with at least the corresponding time information, a search unit searching the content storage unit for at least one content item according to a search condition based on the time information, and a content distributor distributing at least one content item to the content receiving terminal.
US08135728B2

Extraction analysis techniques biased, in part, by query frequency information from a query log file and/or search engine cache are employed along with machine learning processes to determine candidate keywords and/or phrases of web documents. Web oriented features associated with the candidate keywords and/or phrases are also utilized to analyze the web documents. A keyword and/or phrase extraction mechanism can be utilized to score keywords and/or phrases in a web document and estimate a likelihood that the keywords and/or phrases are relevant, for example, in an advertising system and the like.
US08135725B2

A method comprises identifying a first user having stored in a database a set of first bookmarks associated with a topic of interest; determining a level of relatedness of a second user to the first user by comparing a first number of overlapping bookmarks that were stored in the database by the second user and that overlap the set of first bookmarks; determining a level of value of the second user to the first user by comparing a second number of related nonoverlapping bookmarks that were stored in the database by the second user, that relate to the topic of interest, and that do not overlap the set of first bookmarks; and presenting at least a portion of the related nonoverlapping bookmarks to the first user.
US08135724B2

In one embodiment, a method of tagging content can include: accessing a frame of a digital media production; identifying an object for tagging within the frame; defining a metadata tag for the object; and storing the metadata tag in association with the identified object and the frame in the digital media production. In one embodiment, a method of substituting content can include: receiving tagged digital media in a controller; identifying an object for substitution by searching through objects and metadata tags in the tagged digital media; retrieving a substitute object using the controller; and re-rendering the tagged digital media to produce a customized digital media using the substitute object in place of the identified object.
US08135716B2

According to some embodiments, a programming language in an application server may include access to different database server implementations, wherein the programming language accesses content of database tables via work areas derived from the database tables. A database table, having columns to store content, each column being associated with a column type, may be mapped to a work area such that, at a database server, each column in the database table is mapped to a corresponding component of the work area, the corresponding component having a default component type based on the column type of the associated column in the database table. It may be determined that a particular column in the database table is to store large object data content, and, in response to the determination, a new mapping to a work area may be defined such that the particular column maps to a corresponding component having a component type other than the default component type.
US08135710B2

Classifying an electronic document in a computer-based system is disclosed. For each classification instance in a plurality of classification instances, a confidence data indicating a degree of confidence that the electronic document is associated with that classification instance is determined. A classification, based on a first classification instance in the plurality of classification instances, is assigned without human intervention to the electronic document if the confidence data associated with the first classification instance exceeds a first threshold.
US08135707B2

The present invention is directed towards systems and methods for using metadata to improve search result presentation. The method according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises receiving a search query from a user and parsing the search query and retrieving a ranked list of search results. The method then extracts metadata from the search results and casts the extracted metadata into an object model. A template is then applied to the cast extracted metadata and a search results page is generated comprising the ranked list of search results and the templated metadata.
US08135703B2

An apparatus and method for a multi-partition query governor in a partitioned computer database system. In preferred embodiments a query governor uses data of a query governor file that is associated with multiple partitions to determine how the query governor manages access to the database across multiple partitions. Also, in preferred embodiments, the query governor in a local partition that receives a query request communicates with a query governor in a target partition to accumulate the total resource demands of the query on the local and target partitions. In preferred embodiments, a query governor estimates whether resources to execute a query will exceed a threshold over all or a combination of database partitions.
US08135692B2

An information retrieval apparatus for retrieving a web page using a retrieval keyword includes a word extract portion for extracting an objective word from the web page on a display based on the specifying a display position of the web page on the display, wherein the word extract portion further extracts a peripheral word placed around the objective word, and a retrieval portion that performs web page retrieval using the objective and peripheral words.
US08135690B2

A method of automatically classifying a concurrency object includes intercepting a call that is configured to create the concurrency object. Concurrency type information for the concurrency object is identified based on the call. The type information indicates whether the concurrency object is a lock object or a synchronization object. The concurrency type information is associated with the concurrency object.
US08135687B2

An attribute rule enforcer evaluates the attributes of a call to add, modify, or delete information in a directory, such as a lightweight directory access protocol (LDAP) directory. The attribute rule enforcer determines if the attributes of the call comply with predetermined rules governing the directory's content. The directory attribute rule enforcer may be located at the front end of the directory's access server, and intercepts calls to the directory access server. If the directory attribute rule enforcer determines that the attributes of a call complies with the rules governing the content of the directory, it will forward the call to the directory's access server for action. If, on the other hand, the directory attribute rule enforcer determines that the attributes of a call do not comply with the rules governing the content of the directory, the attribute rule enforcer will reject the call. Further, it may forward an appropriate error message to the source of the call.
US08135681B2

Disclosed is a system for, and method of, calculating parameters used to determine whether records and entity representations should be linked. Such parameters may be set as negative to account for fields that do not match. The system and method apply iterative techniques such that parameters from each linking iteration are used in the next linking iteration. The system and method need no human interaction in order to calibrate and utilize record matching formulas used for the linking decisions.
US08135673B2

Systems and methods for dynamic display of revision indicia are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method for dynamic display of revision indicia in an information product generated by a publishing system includes determining that at least one element of a structured content has been revised; adding a time-stamp metadata to each element of the structured content; and rendering the structured content for publication, wherein rendering includes comparing the time-stamp metadata of each element with a baseline date; and if the time-stamp metadata indicates that a particular element has been revised subsequent to the baseline date, displaying a revision indicia at least proximate to each element in the information product.
US08135665B2

Systems and methods for generating an optimized deployment scheme include generating a request identifying a type of resource requested by hierarchically arranged organizational entities including a first organizational entity located at a first level and a second organizational entity at a second level, executing a database query to retrieve business data corresponding to the first and second organizational entities, determining, based on the business data, a first quantity and a second quantity, the first quantity identifying a quantity of the resource available for deployment to the first organizational entity, and the second quantity identifying a quantity of the resource available for deployment to the second organizational entity, modifying the first quantity based on the second quantity, and generating, by using a processor of the computer system, an optimized deployment scheme based on the first quantity, the modified first quantity, and the second quantity.
US08135662B2

Although recording of usage data is common in scholarly information services, its exploitation for the creation of value-added services remains limited due to concerns regarding, among others, user privacy, data validity, and the lack of accepted standards for the representation, sharing and aggregation of usage data. A technical, standards-based architecture for sharing usage information is presented. In this architecture, OpenURL-compliant linking servers aggregate usage information of a specific user community as it navigates the distributed information environment that it has access to. This usage information is made OAI-PMH harvestable so that usage information exposed by many linking servers can be aggregated to facilitate the creation of value-added services with a reach beyond that of a single community or a single information service.
US08135653B2

A control device for a plant includes a manipulation signal generation section for generating the manipulation signal to the plant, a model adapted to simulate a characteristic of the plant, a learning section for generating an input signal of the model so that an output signal obtained by the model simulating the characteristic of the plant satisfies a predetermined target, a learning signal generation section for calculating a learning signal in accordance with a learning result in the learning section, a manipulation result evaluation section for calculating a first deviation as a deviation between a first measurement signal of the plant obtained as a result of application of a certain manipulation signal to the plant and a target value of the measurement signal, and a second deviation as a deviation between a second measurement signal of the plant obtained as a result of application of an updated manipulation signal to the plant and the target value, and a correction signal generation section for generating, when the second deviation calculated by the manipulation result evaluation section is greater than the first deviation, a correction signal of the manipulation signal to be generated by the manipulation signal generation section.
US08135651B2

A system and method for printing multiple postage indicia, such as an outbound and/or an associated return postage meter stamp, including a desired postage amount, onto a document or label is described. A processor based system is programmed to interact with a customer to produce the desired postage indicia and to print multiple ones of the indicia substantially contemporaneously. The indicia may include information to allow their use at a later date and/or from a location other than where they are produced.
US08135650B2

The present invention is a method and apparatus for effectuating bilateral buyer-driven commerce. The present invention allows prospective buyers of goods and services to communicate a binding purchase offer globally to potential sellers, for sellers conveniently to search for relevant buyer purchase offers, and for sellers potentially to bind a buyer to a contract based on the buyer's purchase offer. In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus of the present invention includes a controller which receives binding purchase offers from prospective buyers. The controller makes purchase offers available globally to potential sellers. Potential sellers then have the option to accept a purchase offer and thus bind the corresponding buyer to a contract. The method and apparatus of the present invention have applications on the Internet as well as conventional communications systems such as voice telephony.
US08135649B2

A method for automatically linking an anonymous electronic trade order having an order quantity (q) to an identity of a trader by providing an identity marker (s) of the trader; embedding the identity marker (s) by splitting the anonymous trade order into a number (n) of trade orders each having a corresponding order quantity x (i) to generate a trade order set; and placing the generated trade order set in an electronic order book.
US08135641B2

A system and method are provided for displaying information related to a plurality of tradeable objects using a single graphical interface. One example graphical interface includes at least two screen regions displayed in relation to each other, with each region including a plurality of locations. Each location in the first screen region corresponds to a value along a first value axis, and each location in the second screen region corresponds to a value along a second value axis. The graphical interface also includes a first indicator in the first region and a second indicator in the second region. In response to a repositioning command based on an algorithm, the graphical interface includes a repositioned first value axis and the second value axis, such that the indicators are displayed in new locations determined based on the algorithm.
US08135637B2

A method of allowing a user to participate in an auction. The method includes, in a computer system, determining, information relating to the auction, and generating coded data indicative of at least one parameter relating to the auction. The computer system then determines a layout defining an arrangement for at least one of the coded data and the information before causing printing of a form by causing printing of the coded data and the information using the layout. The coded data is adapted to be sensed by a sensing device which can generating indicating data indicative of the at least one parameter. The computer is responsive to the indicating data to determine the at least one parameter, thereby allowing the user to participate in the auction.
US08135630B2

A method for distributed inventory management includes receiving information regarding a number of participants in a value chain and information regarding one or more items relevant in the value chain. The method also includes modeling relationships between two or more of the participants based on the received information and modeling the one or more items based on the received information. The method further includes receiving inventory data from the participants relating to the one or more items, evaluating the received inventory data according to one or more business rules associated with an agent, executing a business process associated with the agent based on the evaluation of the inventory data and the models of the relationships and the items, and communicating output of the business process to one or more of the participants.
US08135628B2

Computer-implemented product design creation system and method for quickly developing a product design having desirable component elements. Multiple candidate product designs are simultaneously displayed for review. Controls are provided allowing a reviewer to enter a preference level for individual component elements of each of the displayed designs. A new set of candidate designs is created based on the entered preference levels. The new candidate designs are displayed for further review and further preference level selection.
US08135622B2

In a disclosed order support system, devices connected to a communication network are searched for and device information is acquired from each of the found devices. Specified information used for extracting devices to be monitor target candidates is obtained, which is specified according to a predetermined attribute in the device information. Based on the obtained information, devices to be monitor target candidates are extracted from among the found devices. A list of the extracted devices is displayed, and devices to be monitor targets are selected. Status information of a consumable element in each monitor target device is acquired and sent to an order-support apparatus. The order-support apparatus creates an e-mail including a URL of a website used for ordering the consumable element detected as being deficient according to the received status information, and sends the e-mail to an e-mail address associated with the device with the deficient consumable element.
US08135610B1

A method and process according to the invention supports at least two distinct activities. A first activity relates to system analysis—the ability to collect, measure, track, monitor and report on health and performance of individual systems within a complex environment of highly interdependent and/or loosely coupled systems. Another activity relates to customer experience tracking—the ability to capture and track an entire customer's experience as that person interacts with multiple technologies such as a web site, telephony system and a set of agent tools. According some aspects, a system according to the invention provides the backbone for monitoring production systems and for enabling integrated, real-time reporting of a company (e.g. insurance agency) website, telephony system and agent desktop suite. In one example, the system uses specialized probes embedded in key processes to collect extensive, targeted information in a non-intrusive manner and to relay that information back to a centralized service for processing and further analysis. The key pieces of captured information are known as checkpoints.
US08135602B2

Techniques for delivering data for coordinating multiple party use of a facility include producing conditions data by measuring without human intervention current condition of a facility that is used by multiple human parties. Availability data that indicates present or future availability for the facility is generated based at least in part on the conditions data. Coordination data based at least in part on the availability data is presented for the parties. These techniques allow rapid dynamic adaptation to changing status of a high-value facility while being less reliant on varied and subjective human motivations for reporting status changes. Undue exposure of sensitive information can be avoided by deriving less detailed views from high-resolution images of the facility and its users. Coordination data can be projected directly onto, and manual input can be derived from, a magnetic white board currently used for coordination at many facilities.
US08135592B2

The present invention relates to a technology capable of providing a hearer with an easy-to-hear synthetic speech to the hearer. The speech synthesizer includes an input unit receiving an input of a sentence, a generation unit generating synthetic speech data from the sentence inputted to the input unit, an accumulation unit accumulating the sentence inputted to the input unit, a collation unit acquiring, when a sentence is newly inputted to the input unit, a collation target sentence that should be collated with this new sentence from the accumulation unit, and calculating a variation degree of the new sentence from the collation target sentence through the collation between the new sentence and the collation target sentence, a calculation unit calculating a variation coefficient corresponding to the variation degree, and a correction unit correcting the synthetic speech data with the variation coefficient.
US08135591B2

A method and system are disclosed that train a text-to-speech synthesis system for use in speech synthesis. The method includes generating a speech database of audio files comprising domain-specific voices having various prosodies, and training a text-to-speech synthesis system using the speech database by selecting audio segments having a prosody based on at least one dialog state. The system includes a processor, a speech database of audio files, and modules for implementing the method.
US08135588B2

A transform coder leading to reduction of degradation of perceptual sound quality even if an adequate number of bits is not assigned. Candidates of a correction scale factor stored in a correction scale factor codebook are outputted one by one, and an error signal is generated by subjecting the candidate and scale factors outputted from scale factor computing sections to a predetermined operation. A judging section determines a weight vector given to a weighted error computing section depending on the sign of the error signal. The weighted error computing section computes the square of the error signal, multiplies the square of the error signal by the weight vector given from the judging section and computes a weighted squared error E. A search section determines the candidates of the correction scale factor which minimizes the weighted squared error E by a closed loop processing.
US08135585B2

An apparatus and method for processing an encoded signal are discussed. The method includes: if a coding type of an audio signal is a mixed signal coding type, extracting spectral data and a linear predictive coefficient from the audio signal; generating a residual signal for the linear prediction by performing an inverse frequency conversion on the spectral data; reconstructing the audio signal by performing a linear prediction coding on the linear predictive coefficient and the residual signal; and reconstructing a high frequency region signal using an extension base signal corresponding to a partial region of the reconstructed audio signal and band extension information.
US08135578B2

A method of creating an application-generic class-based SLM includes, for each of a plurality of speech applications, parsing a corpus of utterance transcriptions to produce a first output set, in which expressions identified in the corpus are replaced with corresponding grammar tags from a grammar that is specific to the application. The method further includes, for each of the plurality of speech applications, replacing each of the grammar tags in the first output set with a class identifier of an application-generic class, to produce a second output set. The method further includes processing the resulting second output sets with a statistical language model (SLM) trainer to generate an application-generic class-based SLM.
US08135569B2

A system and method for modeling of complete tooth, including root and crown, of a patient to facilitate orthodontic treatment are provided, wherein generic tooth modeling is combined with tooth crown modeling for a patient to yield complete tooth modeling. A generic tooth 3D model for a particular tooth is morphed with a 3D model of a patient's crown for the corresponding tooth to yield a complete 3D model for that tooth. Modeling techniques can be conducted with computer-based systems, such as systems configured for storing patient data and generic tooth data, morphing such data and/or facilitating additional orthodontic treatment applications, through the use of one or more algorithms. Adjustment of the complete tooth model for the tooth can be provided through additional patient information, such as X-ray imaging, to address variations in root shape between a generic root and an actual root shape for a patient.
US08135566B2

Determining a node path through a node graph includes modifying the node graph in accordance with a predetermined platform performance, performing a path finding process through the node graph to obtain the node path, determining if the platform performance has changed, adjusting the node graph to compensate for a change in the platform performance, and re-performing the path finding process through the adjusted node graph to obtain the node path.
US08135558B2

Embodiments herein present a method for automated simulation testbench generation for serializer/deserializer datapath systems. The method provides a database of transactors for generating and checking data within the datapath system, wherein the transactors are adaptable to arbitrary configurations of the datapath system. The database is provided with a single set of transactors per core. Next, the method automatically selects one set of transactors from the database for inclusion into the simulation testbenches. Following this, the method maps the first datapath and the second datapath through the datapath system by interconnecting the selected set of the transactors with the datapath system. The method further comprises setting control pins on the cores to facilitate propagation of the data through the cores of the datapath system. Subsequently, the control pins are traced to input ports and control registers.
US08135556B2

Systems and methods are provided for controlling the simulation of a coupled hybrid dynamic system. A physical test rig configured to drive the physical structure component of the system and to generate a test rig response as a result of applying a test rig drive signal. A processor is configured with a virtual model of the system. The processor receives the test rig response and generates a model response of the system based on the received test rig response and a virtual drive input. The system is driven with a random input. The processor compares the test rig response with the model response, the difference being used to form a system dynamic response model for generating the test drive signal. An inverse of the system dynamic response model is used to iteratively reduce the difference between the model response and the test rig response below a defined threshold.
US08135555B2

A strobe offset control circuit is disclosed. The control circuit comprises a strobe signal input to receive a strobe signal and a data receiver to receive a data signal in response to a sample signal derived from the strobe signal. A calibration enable input is provided to receive a calibration enable signal. The calibration enable signal places the strobe offset control circuit in one of a calibration mode or a receiver mode. In the calibration mode, a phase offset between the data signal and the sample signal is adjusted based on output from the receiver. In the receiver mode, the phase offset between the data signal and the sample signal is not adjusted based on output from the receiver.
US08135549B2

A method and device for calculating the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) caused in a body by the electric field of a wireless communications device. The method involves using a model of a body, wherein the device is placed in proximity to the model and the electric field is measured at discrete points, including measuring the magnitude of the electric field at points of a first and a second surface of the model. By means of the measured magnitudes, the phase at said points is determined, such that the complex electric field at said points is determined. The complex electric field at said points is then used to determine the complex electric field in the model of the body. The complex electric field is used in order to calculate the SAR value caused by the device.
US08135547B2

The failure of an upstream filtration membrane, or the presence of a foulant in a fluid is detected using a membrane-based detector. The fluid or an effluent from the filtration membrane is directed to permeate through a first permeable membrane, and from the first membrane to permeate through a second permeable membrane. A ratio between (P1-P2) and (P2-P3) is determined, where P1 is a first pressure at a feed side of the first membrane, P2 is a second pressure between the first and second membranes, and P3 is a third pressure at a permeate side of the second membrane. The ratio is correlated with the failure of the filtration membrane, or with the presence of the foulant.
US08135543B2

A method, apparatus and system for acquiring seismic data is disclosed that in one aspect receives a seismic signal detected by at least one sensor in response to a seismic energy signal generated by a source at a selected location at a data acquisition unit in data that is in data communication with the sensor, receives at least one parameter of the source and/or receiver at the data acquisition unit; and generates a data block at the data acquisition unit having data representative of the received seismic signal and a header that contains data representative of the at least one parameter of the source and/or receiver. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract which will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure.
US08135536B2

A lead route guidance system capable of displaying route guidance not causing the user to be confused by the difference between the line of vision and the route guidance image, a portable route lead guidance device, and program are provided. The lead route guidance system comprises route storage means storing a route from a start point to a destination, route guidance image creating means for creating a route guidance image (24) containing a route image (22) for specifying the route and a lead image (23) for leading the route by displaying a lead position on the route ahead of the current position of the user, a display screen (11) for displaying thereon the route guidance image (24), walk detecting means for detecting walk of the user, and lead position updating means for updating the lead position depending on the walk of the user when the walk of the user is detected.
US08135535B2

Modeling catalyst exotherm due to blowthrough is provided. The method of advantageously utilizes catalyst temperature based on an amount of blowthrough air and a combustion air-fuel ratio generating a catalyst exotherm.
US08135534B2

An internal combustion engine and method of operating such an engine are disclosed. In some embodiments, the engine includes a piston provided within a cylinder, wherein a combustion chamber is defined within the cylinder at least in part by a face of the piston, and an intake valve within the cylinder capable of allowing access to the combustion chamber. The engine further includes a source of compressed air, where the source is external of the cylinder and is coupled to the cylinder by way of the intake valve, and where the piston does not ever operate so as to compress therewithin an amount of uncombusted fuel/air mixture, whereby the engine is capable of operating without a starter. In further embodiments, the piston is rigidly coupled to another, oppositely-orientated second piston, and the two pistons move in unison in response to combustion events to drive hydraulic fluid to a hydraulic motor.
US08135533B2

An electronic engine control apparatus includes a first storage unit, a second storage unit, a third storage unit, and a processor. The processor performs, when the control apparatus is activated, an initialization control process which includes processes of; extracting from the first storage unit specific information on engine control software stored in the first storage unit; determining whether the specific information extracted is coincident with specific information stored in the third storage unit; initializing retention data stored in the second storage unit when the specific information extracted from the first storage unit is determined as being incoincident with that stored in the third storage unit; and updating the specific information stored in the third storage unit with that extracted from the first storage unit after completion of the initializing process. Further, the processor starts performing the process of executing the engine control software before completion of the initialization control process.
US08135522B2

A vehicular drive system switchable between a continuously-variable and step-variable shifting states, and a control device for controlling the vehicular drive system so as to reduce a shifting shock of an automatic transmission included in the drive system, which takes place due to an overlap control involving a switching control of the drive system and a shifting control of the automatic transmission.Execution-timing control means 82 is provided to command switching control means 50 and step-variable shifting control means 54 to sequentially execute a switching control by the switching control means to switch transmission mechanism 10 between an electrically established continuously-variable shifting state and a step-variable shifting state, and a shifting control by the step-variable shifting control means to shift an automatic transmission portion 20, even when an overlap control involving the switching control and the shifting control is required, whereby the switching and shifting controls can be rapidly completed. Since the transmission mechanism 10 is not switched during the shifting control of the automatic transmission portion 20, the input speed of the automatic transmission portion 20 will not change due to the switching control, apart from a change of the input speed as a result of the shifting control, making it possible to prevent the complicated shifting control and reduce the consequent shifting shock.
US08135517B2

A control method of the torque of a road vehicle having a powertrain system provided with an engine and a driveline which transmits the torque generated by the engine to the road surface; the method contemplates the steps of: determining a target torque; modeling the powertrain system as a single physical component which presents a characteristic mechanical inertia and a characteristic torsional elasticity; determining a current load torque of the vehicle; determining a target torsion of the powertrain system according to the target torque and the current load torque; determining a current torsion of the powertrain system and a current torsion speed of the powertrain system; determining a requested torque on the basis of the energy balance according to the target torsion, the current torsion, the current torsion speed, and the current load torque; and using the requested torque on the basis of the energy balance to control the torque generation of the engine.
US08135516B2

A method for controlling a steering device with steering power support means for a motor vehicle with at least one steerable road wheel, where the steering device may include a steering shaft with a first end to adopt a steering wheel, a control device controlling said power support means, sensing means detecting steering shaft torque introduced in said steering shaft, and means to determine a hands-off situation in which the driver does not introduce a torque into said steering shaft, wherein the steering power support means support the driver on the basis of a driver demand introduced into the steering shaft, may comprise determining a steering wheel torque on basis of the steering shaft torque; determining a time derivative of the detected steering wheel torque; if the absolute value of the steering wheel torque is lower than a threshold torque limit and if the absolute value of the derivative of steering wheel torque is lower than a threshold derivative torque limit, a counter is increased by one count; if the absolute value of the steering wheel torque is higher or equal than a threshold torque limit, or/and if the absolute value of the derivative of steering wheel torque is higher or equal than a threshold derivative torque limit−, said counter is decreased by one count; and if said counter has a value equal to or higher than a threshold count limit the hands-off state is determined.
US08135513B2

An analysis unit for a driver assistance system for a vehicle includes an input for receiving image information which is captured by a camera, a calculating device for using image information to calculate a variable which describes an angle of inclination of the vehicle, a determining device for using the variable to determine an output signal, wherein the output signal relates to a vertical orientation of electromagnetic radiation which is to be emitted by a transmitter unit, and an output for outputting the output signal. A driver assistance system, a computer program product and a method for operating a driver assistance system, are also provided.
US08135510B2

An on-board emergency reporting apparatus includes a collision detection sensor, an airbag inflator for inflating an airbag in the event of collision detection, an airbag deflator for deflating the inflated airbag, a camera for capturing an image of an occupant seated on a seat provided with the airbag, a controller for transmitting the captured image to an emergency reporting center through a communication device, and a deflation sensor for detecting whether the volume of the inflated airbag is reduced to a predetermined threshold value. The controller causes the camera to start capturing upon detection of a reduction in the volume of the inflated airbag to the predetermined threshold value.
US08135507B2

A driver condition estimation apparatus 5 estimates condition of a driver. The driver condition estimation apparatus 5 includes a driver condition estimating unit 50a for estimating the condition of the driver before the driver starts driving; and a control variable changing unit 50b for changing control variables of in-vehicle devices based on the condition of the driver estimated by the driver condition estimating unit 50a.
US08135505B2

Techniques are described for determining locations of interest based on user visits. In some situations, the techniques include obtaining information about actual locations of users at various times, and automatically analyzing the information to determine particular locations in a geographic area that are of interest, such as for frequent destinations visited by users. After determining a particular location of interest, it may be represented by generating a corresponding location model to describe the geographic subarea or other location point(s) covered by the determined location of interest, and one or more points of interest (e.g., businesses, parks, schools, landmarks, etc.) may be identified that are located at or otherwise correspond to the determined location of interest. In addition, a determined location of interest may be further used in various ways, including to identify later user visits to that location (e.g., to a point of interest identified for the location).
US08135497B2

A portable, medication dispensing device which dispenses prepackaged pill strands of medication from a secure, storage compartment through a mechanism which physically limits the quantity dispensed per a pre-programmed protocol. The device has a detachable storage component which can be filled by trained clinical or pharmacy staff, which can be locked. The device has a dispensing mechanism, which employs a user-powered, hub to advance a pill strand of pre-packaged medications, when appropriate. This advancing hub is secured from advancing inappropriately by a locking mechanism where a sturdy piston is moved into and out of recesses in the rounded surface of the hub. The device also contains standard electronic components, including a power source, central processing unit (CPU), visual and auditory outputs, and communications ports.
US08135493B2

A recording material stacking apparatus equipped with a plurality of discharge ports and a plurality of stacking trays can be set to normal mode and large capacity stacking mode each having a different maximum loading capacity. A stacking tray on the upper side has a plurality of lower limit positions and uses a lower limit position located on the upper side when normal mode is selected. On the other hand, it uses a lower limit position located on the lower side when the large capacity stacking mode is selected. The lower limit position located below a stacking tray on the upper side when this large capacity stacking mode is selected exists at a position in which it blocks a lower discharge port of sheets. Selection of the large capacity stacking mode and normal mode is executed according to a result of computation from data input through an input portion.
US08135487B2

A temperature setting method of the present invention includes the steps of: measuring states of an etching pattern within the substrate for a substrate for which a series of photolithography processing including thermal processing and an etching treatment thereafter have been finished; calculating temperature correction values for regions of a thermal processing plate from measurement result of the states of the etching pattern within the substrate using a function between correction amounts for the states of the etching pattern and the temperature correction values for the thermal processing plate; and setting the temperature for each of the regions of the thermal processing plate by each of the calculated temperature correction values.
US08135486B2

Even in case that a wafer is so greatly deviated that a peripheral portion of the wafer cannot be detected, position determination of the wafer can be performed without inflicting a damage on the wafer. The wafer peripheral portion, which is a target, is detected based on output images from a plurality of imaging units disposed along a peripheral portion shape of the wafer (step S210), and a wafer position deviation correcting step (step S220) or a rough correcting step (step 230) is performed according to the number of the imaging units capable of detecting the wafer peripheral portion. In case that the wafer peripheral portion cannot be detected by all the imaging units, a wafer position adjusting step (step 240) for moving the wafer is performed in a position adjusting direction acquired by a combination of the output images by each imaging unit.
US08135480B2

A digital indicating controller outputs data provided by performing control computation of input data and has a communication function with an external apparatus. The digital indicating controller includes a sequence computation section which executes a ladder program with at least any of the input data, the data provided by performing control computation, internal and external setup data, internal and external setup parameters, or data from the external apparatus as condition input and outputs the execution result.
US08135477B2

A neurostimulator conduit introducer is provided. The neurostimulator conduit introducer includes a central lead having a proximal end and a distal end; one or more secondary leads each having a proximal end and a distal end; and a biocompatible conduit enclosing the central lead and the one or more secondary leads, wherein the biocompatible conduit is moveable along the central lead and the one or more secondary leads. Methods of using the neurostimulator conduit introducer and kits including the neurostimulator conduit introducer are also provided.
US08135472B2

Systems and methods for treating autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and related dysfunctions are disclosed. A method in accordance with a particular embodiment includes determining that a patient suffers from an autistic disorder and, based at least in part on the determination, selecting a cortical signal delivery site. The method can further include implanting an electrode within the patient's skull and external to a cortical surface of the patient's brain, and treating the autistic disorder by applying electrical signals to the implanted electrode in conjunction administering an adjunctive therapy to the patient.
US08135470B2

Techniques are described that allow an implantable device to sense gastric data and activity data from a patient, and estimate the patient's amount of energy consumed and energy expended based on the sensed data. A system provides feedback to the patient, a family member, or a doctor about the patient's energy consumed, energy expended, and net energy. The data may be provided in table or graphical format, and may show daily or weekly energy balance data or may show a trend of the daily or weekly energy data. The patient may receive feedback by an implanted alert module that provides and audio alert or a vibration alert. In addition, data acquired by the system may be used to adjust the patient's stimulation therapy parameters.
US08135469B2

This invention relates to the use of an electromagnetic generator and a pressure bladder located within a biological body in such a position to take advantage of the pressure fluctuations found within that body to produce electrical power. The invention uses these pressure fluctuations to displace the moving parts of a generator, to produce electricity in accordance with the Faraday principal, to power implanted devices.
US08135468B2

Various techniques are provided for use with an implantable medical device for estimating cardiac pressure within a patient based on admittance (or related electrical values such as impedance or conductance) that takes into account the presence of acute MR within the patient. Briefly, the device detects an indication of acute MR, if occurring within the patient. The device also applies electrical fields to tissues of the patient and measures electrical parameters influenced by the electrical field, such as admittance, impedance or conductance. The device then estimates cardiac pressure within the patient based on the measured electrical parameter and the indication of acute MR. In one example, different linear correlation functions are used to convert admittance values to left atrial pressure (LAP) values depending upon the presence or absence of acute MR within the patient.
US08135466B2

A medical implant system is described for inhibiting infection associated with a joint prosthesis implant. An inventive system includes an implant body made of a biocompatible material which has a metal component disposed on an external surface of the implant body. A current is allowed to flow to the metal component, stimulating release of metal ions toxic to microbes, such as bacteria, protozoa, fungi, and viruses. One detailed system is completely surgically implantable in the patient such that no part of the system is external to the patient while the system is in use. In addition, externally controlled devices are provided which allow for modulation of implanted components.
US08135451B2

A patient support table for a magnetic resonance system with a magnetic field generation device creating a magnetic field of 7 T or more, comprising a table plate able to be moved into and out of the patient chamber of the magnetic resonance system by means of a drive device, characterized in that the drive device features a pneumatic cylinder with a piston which is coupled to the table plate, with the pneumatic cylinder featuring two working areas divided via the piston and able to be supplied separately with a working medium.
US08135446B2

An apparatus and method for an improved sleep mode in a mobile terminal are provided. The apparatus includes a transceiver for communicating with a base station, a modem for modulating and demodulating signals for transmission via the transceiver or received via the transceiver, and a controller for controlling a sleep cycle of the mobile terminal, the sleep cycle including a listening window and a sleep window. The controller controls the sleep cycle based on an Advanced Mobile Station (AMS) timer, a Hybrid Repeat Request (HARQ) Downlink (DL) Retransmission timer, a HARQ DL Gap timer, and a HARQ Uplink (UL) Gap timer.
US08135443B2

A portable device includes a controller that is responsive to a remaining power capacity of the battery, and a power consumption level of the portable device and based on user prioritized functional processing capability features, dynamically controls functional processing capability features of the device. The controller provides power for a higher priority feature at the expense of a lower priority functional processing capability feature consistent with the user prioritized functional processing capability features. A wireless portable device is also disclosed that includes a wireless signal strength determinator that determines a received signal strength of the wireless device and a controller that adjusts the functional processing capability feature of the wireless device based on the determined received signal strength and based on battery capacity information. In this way, received signal strength information is used as a further input to determine how to best adjust functional processing capability features of the device.
US08135442B2

A communication apparatus for use in a vehicle includes a transmission repeater, a transmission terminator and a re-number unit. In a wireless communication between the communication apparatus and a communication unit in a facility such as a toll collection booth or the like, the transmission repeater transmits transmission data to the communication unit repeatedly until receiving an acknowledgement of reception completion of the transmission data from the communication unit, and the transmission terminator terminates repeated transmissions of the transmission data by the transmission repeater when a number of the repeated transmissions of the transmission data reaches a standard value. Further, the re-number unit changes the number of the repeated transmissions of the transmission data based on a content of the transmission data from the communication unit.
US08135439B2

A basic idea of the invention is to provide multi-user resource scheduling and distribution based on balancing the power resources used for the different narrow beams in order to smooth the interference levels over the whole cell, area and to reduce interference fluctuations. The resource scheduling principle according to the invention is especially useful when the available resources are not fully utilized. The idea is to select, for each antenna beam of at least a subset of the antenna beams, at least two mobile users for service using the respective antenna beam during a transmission time interval, and to distribute power resources to the antenna beams for use during the transmission time interval based on the guideline of balancing the power resources among different antenna.
US08135438B2

A method and apparatus to manage call control in a Computer Telephone Interface (CTI) system includes: a computer terminal to generate a call control message including call control identification information using a CTI application program in response to a call control command from a user, and transmitting the generated call control message; wireless terminals to perform call control upon receipt of the call control message; and an exchange to receive the call control message from the computer terminal, and to maintain the call control message generated by the computer terminal unchanged and to interface it to a corresponding one of the wireless terminals in response to the call control identification information being detected from the received call control message.
US08135432B2

A method and apparatus for managing a communication link in a communication network are provided. A continuous actuation button is configured to initiate a communication link between communication devices. The communication link is initiated when a force applied on the continuous actuation button exceeds a first force threshold. The force applied on the continuous actuation button is sampled at periodic time intervals. A release event of the continuous actuation button is detected when the force applied on the continuous actuation button reaches a second force threshold. The communication link is maintained for a predefined period of time after detecting the release event based on whether the sampled force indicates that the release event was unintentional. The predefined period of time is sufficient to allow a user to take action to avoid disconnection if undesired.
US08135424B2

A cooperative sensing technique (300) operates by selecting a group of subscribers (302) from a secondary system, measuring a cooperative sensing metric (306) and then using the metric to identify an achievable spatial diversity gain for the group of selected subscribers (308). Once an achievable spatial diversity gain is determined for the group (308/412), it is compared to a required spatial diversity gain (310), and if the condition is met at (310), the validated group can begin spectrum sensing (314) to identify a vacant/suitable channel for operation. If the achievable spatial diversity gain is insufficient, then a new group of users is selected (312) within the secondary system and the process repeats itself.
US08135423B2

A communication apparatus is provided in which only a terminal having a specific positional relationship can perform communication through a relatively simple arrangement. When initial setting is performed or communication is started, a timing calculator calculates a time difference corresponding to the difference between a path from a first antenna to a terminal and a path from a second antenna to the terminal, based on a transmission signal from the first antenna and a reflection signal provided by having the transmission signal reflected from the second antenna or a communication partner, i.e. the terminal, and returned back to the first antenna. Based on the time difference thus calculated, the timing calculator outputs a signal for regulating the transmission timing of transmission data from the first antenna to a variable delay unit. The variable delay unit delays transmission timing of the transmission data depending on the timing regulation signal and outputs the delayed transmission data to a modulator/demodulator.
US08135418B2

A method for managing a plurality of call origination requests is provided. The method includes receiving (204) the plurality of call origination requests from a plurality of communication devices. Further, the method includes queuing (206) the plurality of call origination requests, based on a predefined policy, when a base station is operating in a congestion mode. Furthermore, the method includes processing (208) each call origination request of the plurality of call origination requests, based on the queued plurality of call origination requests.
US08135411B2

A method for determining at least one terminal for which signals transferred between the at least one terminal and a base station of a wireless cellular telecommunication network have to be relayed by a relay, the base station allocating resources of the wireless cellular telecommunication network. The method includes, executed by a management entity: receiving from the base station, information indicating to which terminal or terminals at least a part of the resources are allocated; receiving from the relay, a list of indicators of resources, and determining the at least one terminal for which signals transferred between the at least one terminal and the base station have to be relayed by the relay according to the information indicating to which terminal or terminals at least a part of the resources are allocated and to the list of indicators of resources.
US08135402B1

Disclosed herein are methods and systems for sending and/or acknowledging an access probe in a radio access network. In one aspect, a method for transmitting an access probe to a radio access network, wherein time slots available to receive communications from the radio access network are defined in control-channel periods, wherein each control-channel period comprises one or more control-channel cycles, is disclosed. The method involves (a) determining a wait time until a control-channel cycle that is assigned to the access terminal; (b) making a determination as to whether or not the determined wait time is less than a predetermined maximum wait time; (c) if the determined wait time is less than the predetermined maximum wait time, then transmitting an access probe to the radio access network during the assigned control-channel cycle; and (d) otherwise, if the determined wait time is greater than the predetermined maximum wait time, then transmitting the access probe to the radio access network before the assigned control-channel cycle.
US08135396B2

A wireless communication terminal includes a measuring unit configured to measure each of channel qualities of resource blocks that a base station can allocate, a generating unit configured to divide the resource blocks into a plurality of groups, to generate quality data representing the channel qualities of a prescribed number of resource blocks included in each of the groups, which have relatively high channel quality, and to generate position data representing the positions which the resource blocks which have relatively high channel quality take in each of the groups, an encoding unit configured to encode the quality data and the position data to obtain encoded data, a modulation unit configured to modulate the encoded data to obtain a modulated signal, and a transmitting unit configured to transmit the modulated signal to the base station.
US08135394B1

Methods and means provide for handling wireless signal sessions. A failure in wireless communication between a wireless device and a supporting wireless system is detected. The wireless signal session is preserved in a hold state for a limited time. The wireless system attempts to reestablish communication with the wireless device by way of one or more resources of the wireless system prior to the expiration of hold period. Reestablished communication can involve another communications tower or other aspects of the wireless system. In one or more embodiments, other wireless devices are accessed and serve to daisy chain wireless communications between the wireless device and wireless system until direct communications can be reestablished.
US08135393B2

The present disclosure relates to networks and lifecycle transaction management of mobile devices. There is provided a system and method for managing the lifecycle of applications on mobile devices. The system has components for implementing a method comprising the steps of creating a transaction context comprising a transaction command, sending the transaction context in a transaction context message to a plurality of mobile devices, and evaluating an ending scenario based on transaction statuses of the plurality of mobile devices.
US08135385B2

A mobile terminal (200) comprises an application execution unit (240) configured to execute an application program; an access control rule management unit (270) configured to retain an access control rule defining whether the application program has an access authorization to a confidential resource in the mobile terminal and a determining unit; an access control rule query unit (220) configured to acquire, from an external device, the access control rule by designating at least one of an identifier of a user identity module installed in the mobile terminal and an identifier of the mobile terminal, and to retain the acquired access control rule in the access control management unit; a query requirement determination unit (260) configured to determine whether to update the access control rule when the application program makes an access to the confidential resource, and to update the access control rule; an authorization management unit (230) configured to determine whether the application program has the access authorization based on the access control rule; and a confidential resource management unit (250) configured to determine whether to permit an access request to the confidential resource by the application program, based on a result of the determination of the authorization management unit (230).
US08135384B2

A process for controlling radio transmission and/or reception to enforce certain constraints with either single or multiple radio communication is disclosed. In one embodiment, the enforcement control may be by the corporate administrator (such as an Information Technology (IT) department) that is responsible for the company's wireless devices. In other embodiments, the enforcement control may be by a regulatory group having governmental control over wireless communication. In yet another embodiment, the enforcement control might be by a provider group, such as a provider of a local private or semi-private wireless network desiring certain controls over the users of the network.
US08135383B2

A method includes storing at least one user datum received from a user in a secure storage portion of a memory within a mobile communication device. Authentication information is received into the mobile communication device. The at least one user datum is transmitted from the mobile communication device to a recipient in response to entry of the authentication information, while preventing the user of the mobile communication device from reading the at least one user datum.
US08135379B2

A portable telecommunications system (PTS) allows mobility and rapid deployment with minimal on-site configuration. PTS systems exchange multicast packets including location and identification information. A protocol manager sets up these communications channels, manages exchanges between PTS systems, and passes the data to or from internal system nodes. The PTS system detects when another PTS system is operating in close physical proximity and automatically perform actions, such as adjustment of transmission power level, to maintain service to the user base.
US08135375B2

A gain-controllable stage (CLN, A1, A2 . . . , A7, ACC) comprises a reactive signal divider (CLN) followed by an amplifier arrangement (A1, A2 . . . , A7, ACC). The reactive signal divider (CLN) may be in the form of, for example, a capacitive ladder network. The gain-controllable stage (CLN, A1, A2 . . . , A7, ACC) has a gain factor that depends on a signal division factor that the reactive signal divider (CLN) provides. The reactive signal divider (CLN) forms part of a filter (LC). The signal division factor is adjusted on the basis of a frequency (F) to which the receiver is tuned and a signal-strength indication (RS).
US08135366B2

A wireless communication circuit has a second control circuit which reduces the gain of the differential converter when the signal level of the RF signal is at least a specified level and the RF signal includes a disturbing wave of a predetermined level or higher.
US08135362B2

A method of communicating using evolutionary synthesis for band-limited voice and data channels.
US08135361B2

By compensating for a detection result of the detector in feedback control of output power of the power amplifier, the polar modulation transmission apparatus is able to realize accurate transmission power control. Polar modulation transmission apparatus 100 has detector 106 that detects output power of power amplifier 103, PAPR calculating section 131 that calculates the PAPR of the spread modulated signal, compensation value generating section 134 that outputs a compensation value corresponding to the calculated PAPR and an arithmetic operator that performs an arithmetic operation using the compensation value and a detection result obtained by detector 106. By this means, it is possible to compensate for the sensitivity of detector 106 (measurement sensitivity) that changes depending on the β parameter and mode and make the sensitivity of detector 106 (measurement sensitivity) virtually constant.
US08135357B1

A switchable inductor-capacitor-inductor (L-C-L) network, which includes an integrated T/R switch, can advantageously bridge a PA and an LNA of a wireless device. The first inductor can function as an RF choke that provides power to the PA. In one embodiment, the first inductor can be advantageously implemented using the bond wires already attached to the PA, thereby requiring no additional inductors to provide the integrated T/R switch and minimizing use of valuable silicon area. The second inductor can function as a source inductor for and cancel an input parasitic capacitance of the LNA. A set of capacitors can act as blocking capacitors to provide DC isolation between the LNA and the PA, thereby protecting the LNA from high voltages. The L-C-L network can also advantageously function as an impedance matching network for at least one of the PA and the LNA.
US08135344B2

An electronic device having a communications module with a first set of data rates can be enabled to use the communications module to process signals received from a source that uses a second set of data rates. The device may generate packets, frames, etc. at the first set of data rates using the communications module from the signals received from the remote source by sampling signals at one or more of the first set of data rates. The device may then reconstruct data or payloads originally transmitted in the signals at the second set of data rates from the packets generated at the first set of data rates. Thus, the device can process signals or transmissions at the second set of data rates using the first set of data rates without requiring additional receivers or communications modules to process the signals.
US08135341B2

A radio channel control method for controlling, in a radio communication system having a transmitter and a receiver, a radio channel from the transmitter toward the receiver. The method includes receiving a signal transmitted from the transmitter by the receiver, measuring reception quality of the signal, generating information which indicates increment or decrement of the reception quality, and controlling a modulation or coding for the radio channel based on the information.
US08135340B2

Methods and systems for a configurable finite impulse response (FIR) filter using a transmission line as a delay line are disclosed and may include selectively coupling one or more taps of a multi-tap transmission line to configure delays for one or more finite impulse response (FIR) filters to enable transmission and/or reception of signals. The delays may be configured based on a location of the one or more selectively coupled taps on the multi-tap transmission line. The FIR filters, which may include one or more stages, may be impedance matched to the selectively coupled taps. The multi-tap transmission line may be integrated on the chip, or a package to which the chip is coupled. The multi-tap transmission line may include a microstrip structure or a coplanar waveguide structure, and may include ferromagnetic material. The distortion of signals in the chip may be compensated utilizing the FIR filters.
US08135336B2

A repeater including a first wireless unit that performs transmission and reception using a frequency for communicating with a base station and a second wireless unit that performs transmission and reception using a frequency for communicating with a mobile station performs a follow-up communication after broadcast communication. The repeater causes, while the second wireless unit transmits a broadcast communication signal (TCH (voice data)) to the mobile station, a transmitter (TX) provided on the first wireless unit to regularly transmit a switching signal (UI signal (for designating a direct communication wireless channel, and for setting a direct communication simplex call) for switching the mobile station to a broadcast communication channel.
US08135333B2

A method to transmit a broadband multimedia resource locator using a narrowband communication system embeds the broadband multimedia resource locator into a narrowband audio stream and transmits the narrowband audio stream to one or more receiving communication devices over the narrowband communication system. The receiving communication device(s) subsequently extract the broadband multimedia resource locator from the narrowband audio stream and use the broadband multimedia resource locator to access a broadband communication system to retrieve multimedia content.
US08135331B2

A system for mobile devices that facilitates the creation and dissemination of user interest surveys to a plurality of mobile devices and PCs/laptops that comprise a user interest survey client component. A computer or PC comprising an user interest survey generator is used to generate audio assisted user interest surveys and communicate it to a distribution server for dissemination. Recipient devices, such as PCs and Mobile devices comprise an user interest survey client component to receive and present user interest survey to a user, gather user interest information, and to send it back to the distribution server or an alternate destination.
US08135329B2

A toner conveyer device for use din an image forming apparatus includes a toner conveyer belt conveys waste toner, a screw member that receives the waste toner from the toner conveyer belt and conveys the waste toner to a housing unit, and a scraping member that scrapes waste toner that adheres to the screw member.
US08135327B2

An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive member, a charging device, a developing device, a thickness detecting unit and a parameter setting unit. A photosensitive layer is formed on a surface of the photosensitive member. The charging device charges the photosensitive member. The developing device forms a toner image on the surface of the photosensitive member. The thickness detecting unit detects a thickness of the photosensitive layer on a basis of a value of a current supplied to the charging device. When the thickness detecting unit detects the thickness of the photosensitive layer, the parameter setting unit sets at least one of a charge parameter for the charging device and a development parameter to be different from that used in forming an image on a recording medium by transferring a toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive member onto the recording medium.
US08135320B2

An image forming apparatus for transporting a recording medium on which an image is formed includes a guide plate. The guide plate guides the recording medium to a predetermined position in the image forming apparatus and includes a flexible sheet member and a rigid holding member. The rigid holding member holds the flexible sheet member such that the flexible sheet member projects from a front end of the rigid holding member. The projecting portion of the flexible sheet member includes at least three flexible sub-portions having a different bend-stiffness per unit area from each other, and the bend-stiffness per unit area is reduced toward a downstream side in a sheet guide direction.
US08135319B2

A transferer, including a guide member having a plate-shaped guide face and leading a transfer material after a toner is transferred thereonto, wherein the guide member has an edge pointing to the feeding direction of the transfer material and having plural comb-like structures perpendicular to the feeding direction thereof.
US08135315B2

A developing unit includable in a process cartridge and in an image forming apparatus includes a developer bearing member including a magnetic field generator and a nonmagnetic hollow member, a developer container, an agitation/conveyance member, a developer regulating member to regulate the thickness of a layer of the two-component developer. The magnetic field generator has first and second magnetic poles to generate respective magnetic forces for removing the developer from the developer bearing member after the developer passes the development region. The second magnetic pole generates a magnetic force to attract the developer to form a magnetic brush on the developer bearing member. The developer regulating member includes a magnetic member outwardly disposed on an exterior perimeter surface of the developer bearing member upstream from the developer regulating member, and one planar surface of the magnetic member faces the second magnetic pole across an effective development region.
US08135308B2

In an image transferring apparatus of the invention, a transfer roller which comes in press contact with a sheet sent through a sheet conveyance path and transfers a toner image formed by an image forming section onto the sheet is constructed to be capable of being pulled out from a main body frame, and after pulling from the main body frame, when it is again mounted to the main body frame, it can be easily mounted to the main body frame without receiving a reaction force caused by a pressing force to bring the transfer roller into press contact with the sheet.
US08135307B2

Rollers including a tension roller are arranged in parallel. A pair of supporting members supports both ends of the rollers. A transfer belt is supported by the rollers. A biasing member applies a tension to the transfer belt by biasing the tension roller in a predetermined direction. The tension roller is movably supported in a straight-line direction. The biasing member is arranged in an area surrounded by the supporting members and the transfer belt in a direction of traversing from one supporting member to other supporting member.
US08135304B2

A process cartridge is detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, which includes a rotating force applying portion. The cartridge includes an electrophotographic photosensitive drum, a developing roller, a first frame unit supporting the drum, a second frame unit supporting the roller and swingably connected with the first frame unit, a coupling, mounted to the drum, for receiving a rotating force for rotating the drum from the rotating force applying portion when the cartridge is mounted to the main assembly, first, second and third cartridge side portions to be positioned engageable respectively with first, second and third main assembly side positioning portions provided in the main assembly to regulate movement of the first frame unit in a longitudinal direction of the drum or to position the drum in a radial direction when the cartridge is mounted to the main assembly, and first unit side and drum side regulating portions.
US08135302B2

An image forming apparatus including a primary transfer unit to transfer toner images of plural colors on image carriers onto an intermediate transfer member; a secondary transfer unit to transfer the toner images onto a transfer material; and a pre-secondary transfer discharge unit to discharge charges of the toner images, wherein the discharge unit includes a scorotron having a grid electrode and a discharging electrode; an opposing electrode opposed to the grid electrode through the intermediate transfer member; a first voltage unit to apply a reverse polarity voltage of the toner images to the discharging electrode; a second voltage applying unit to apply a same polarity voltage of the toner images to the grid electrode; a cleaning unit of the grid electrode; a current detecting unit; and a controller to control a timing to clean the grid electrode according to the detected current.
US08135294B2

A record medium determining device 1, which determines a kind of a record medium 16 by irradiating a laser light 17 to a surface of the record medium 16, detecting a received light position and a received light intensity of a reflected light 18 by a line sensor 14, and comparing a distribution state of the received light position and the received light intensity with a previously determined distribution state, is disposed on the upstream side of a record medium conveyance path 653 with respect to a fixing unit.
US08135290B2

An image forming apparatus which can draw out a pre-fixing conveying portion and a fixing device from an apparatus body has an abutment member which can abut a conveying surface of the pre-fixing conveying portion and can be separated therefrom, the abutment member being separated from the conveying surface of the pre-fixing conveying portion when the apparatus body is operated and abutting the conveying surface of the pre-fixing conveying portion in the event that a jam is detected by a sheet detection sensor.
US08135281B2

A Free Space Optics (FSO) connector is provided with a method for interfacing to an electronic circuit card electrical connector via the FSO connector. The method transceives electrical signals via an electronic circuit card electrical connector. Using an FSO connector, the method converts between electrical signals and optical signals, and transceives optical signals via free space. In one aspect, the optical signals are initially received via free space along a first axis, and reflected along a second axis. Further, the optical signals may be initially transmitted along the second axis and reflected into free space along the first axis. In another aspect, the optical signals are transceived in a plurality of directions in free space. For example, optical signals may be transmitted and received in four mutually-orthogonal axes.
US08135270B2

When the total number of pairs of a feature point and a corresponding point, which are detected from a first image data and a second image data that are in focus, respectively, exceeds a predetermined threshold th1, a parallax histogram generation unit is controlled to generate a histogram of parallax amount, and a representative parallax information determination unit is controlled to determine an amount of representative parallax from bins in the histogram of parallax amount. According to a search direction determined by a focus adjustment unit, the representative parallax information determination unit determines significance of each bin in the histogram based on whether a frequency f of the bin is greater than a predetermined threshold th2. The representative parallax information determination unit determines the amount of representative parallax based on amounts of parallax in the significant bin. A stereoscopic display control unit determines clipping ranges of the first image data and the second image data based on the determined amount of representative parallax.
US08135269B2

An optical device includes a shooting optical system including an AF lens, an AF lens driving apparatus for driving the AF lens, a detection unit for detecting a defocus amount corresponding to a difference between an image pickup position of an object and an imaging position of the object which is formed by the shooting optical system, and a control unit for drive-controlling the AF lens driving apparatus to reduce the defocus amount. The control unit detects a shooting magnification of the shooting optical system and changes a method of controlling the AF lens driving apparatus to reduce the defocus amount based on the shooting magnification.
US08135259B2

In the a data structure, a subtitle area of the recording medium stores a text subtitle stream including text subtitle data and at least one of global style information and local style information. The global style information provides at least one of composition information and rendering information, and the local style information provides font information for at least a portion of the text subtitle data.
US08135255B2

Provided is an optical fiber including: a core at a center thereof; a first cladding adjacent to the core to cover a circumference of the core; and a second cladding adjacent to the first cladding to cover a circumference of the first cladding, where 0.35%≦(Δ1−Δ2)≦0.65%, 0.30%≦Δ1≦0.55%, −0.20%≦Δ2≦−0.05%, 0.22≦a/b≦0.34, and 4≦b√|Δ2|≦10 hold, and loss increase resulting when the optical fiber is wound on a mandrel having a diameter of 20 mm is 0.5 dB/turn or smaller at a wavelength of 1550 nm, where Δ1(%) is a specific refractive index difference of a maximum of a refractive index distribution of the core with reference to a refractive index of the second cladding, Δ2(%) is a specific refractive index difference of a minimum of a refractive index distribution of the first cladding with reference to the refractive index of the second cladding, a(μm) is a radius of a boundary between the core and the first cladding with respect to a center of the core, and b(μm) is a radius of a boundary between the first cladding and the second cladding with respect to the center of the core.
US08135248B2

An opto-electric hybrid board which includes an optical waveguide portion 2, an electric circuit board 1, and optical elements mounted on this electric circuit board 1. In the optical waveguide portion 2, a linear core 22 for an optical path and protruding alignment marks 24 for positioning of the optical elements and each having a surface formed with a recessed portion 24a for identification are formed on a surface of a translucent under cladding layer 21. The above-mentioned core 22 is covered with an over cladding layer 23. The above-mentioned alignment marks 24 are covered with a translucent resin film 25 so that the recessed portion 24a of each of the above-mentioned alignment marks 24 is formed as a hollow portion A filled with air.
US08135245B2

A fiber optic sensing system comprises a housing disposed in a flow path, and a fiber optic sensor. The fiber optic sensor comprises an optical fiber secured in the housing, a Bragg grating, a light source for transmitting light to the optical fiber, and a detector for detecting light filtered by the Bragg grating of the optical fiber and monitoring wavelength changes of the detected light. The fiber is substantially perpendicular to the flow path. The housing defines an opening at an upstream side to allow flow through the flow path to exert a pressure on the optical fiber and cause a deformation of the Bragg grating.
US08135244B1

A fiber-based optical pressure-sensor, made using semiconductor nanocrystal quantum dots (NQDs) as the active transducing material, provides response time fast enough for shock wave measurements. For NQDs, the shift in band gap as a result of applied pressure can be observed as a shift of the photoluminescence (PL) peak. Further, the shift of the principal absorbance feature allows pressure measurements faster than those obtainable by following the PL peak.
US08135243B2

New electro-optic (EO) phase modulator devices and geometries, as can be constructed using a transparent conductive component.
US08135238B2

The claimed subject matter relates to an architecture that can facilitate more efficient free view generation in Ray-Space by way of a Radon transform. The architecture can render virtual views based upon original image data by employing Ray-Space interpolation techniques. In particular, the architecture can apply the Radon transform to a feature epipolar plane image (FEPI) to extract more suitable slope or direction candidates. In addition, the architecture can facilitate improved block-based matching techniques in order to determine an optimal linear interpretation direction.
US08135235B2

Provided are method and apparatus of pre-processing in WDR (wide dynamic range) image processing, the method of pre-processing of WDR image processing including: (a) receiving luminance and chrominance signals having different exposure times, and analyzing the correlation between a luminance signal having a first exposure time and a luminance signal having a second exposure time that is longer than the first exposure time; (b) based on the result of the analysis, dividing each of the luminance signal having the first exposure time and the luminance signal having the second exposure signal, into at least one of a bright region, a transition region, and a dark region; and (c) normalizing the regions of the luminance signal having the first exposure time to respectively correspond to the regions of the luminance signal having the second exposure times.
US08135232B2

An image evaluation apparatus includes a pixel extraction unit, an intra-pair difference calculation unit, an inter-pair difference calculation unit and an evaluation unit. The pixel extraction unit extracts, from an input image, a pixel region including a pair of block-boundary pixels in a boundary position of coding blocks and a pair of non-block-boundary pixels in a position other than the boundary position. The intra-pair difference calculation unit calculates a difference between the extracted pair of block-boundary pixels as a first difference, and a difference between the extracted pair of non-block-boundary pixels as a second difference. The inter-pair difference calculation unit calculates a difference between the first difference and the second difference as an amount of block distortion of the extracted pixel region. The evaluation unit evaluates an amount of block distortion of the input image based on the calculated amount of block distortion of the extracted pixel region.
US08135229B1

An image processing method and device for processing multiple rows of pixels of an image simultaneously with a single instruction. The processing includes selecting a pixel window having a plurality of pixels of an image spanning across multiple rows and columns, building vertical and horizontal load registers to include the plurality of pixels of the selected pixel window, and simultaneously processing selected pixels of the plurality of pixels included in the vertical and horizontal load registers using a single instruction, wherein the vertical and horizontal load registers are shifted when the selected pixels are processed. Accordingly, a method and device for efficient processing of an image is provided.
US08135228B2

An apparatus and method of generating an immersion is provided. The apparatus for generating the immersion includes: a foreground/background separation unit to separate an input image into a foreground area and a background area using lightness information of the input image; an edge classification unit to classify the foreground area into an edge area and a non-edge area using the lightness information; a detail enhancement unit to enhance detail of the edge area of the foreground area; and a blurring performing unit to perform blurring of the non-edge area and the background area.
US08135227B2

A method of augmenting sight in an individual. The method comprises obtaining an image of a scene using a camera carried by the individual; transmitting the obtained image to a processor carried by the individual; selecting an image modification to be applied to the image by the processor; operating upon the image to create a modified image using either analog or digital imaging techniques, and displaying the modified image on a display device worn by the individual. The invention also relates to an apparatus augmenting sight in an individual. The apparatus comprises a camera, carried by the individual, for obtaining an image of a scene viewed by the individual; a display carried by the individual; an image modification input device carried by the individual; and a processor, carried by the individual. The processor modifies the image and displays the modified image on the display carried by the individual.
US08135226B2

In an image encoder, a first quantization section which is selected when normal image quality is required performs quantization by dividing a wavelet transformation coefficient by a quantization step size and by thereafter rounding down a fraction thereof. On the other side, a second quantization section which is selected when high image quality is required performs quantization by dividing a wavelet transformation coefficient by a quantization step size, by adding 0.5 to the addition result, and by thereafter rounding down a fraction thereof. Therefore, the width of a dead zone where coefficients are quantized to a value of 0 is narrower than that in the first quantization section, and higher image quality is obtained accordingly.
US08135225B2

A method for coding an RGB color space signal is disclosed. In accordance with the method, a base plane is encoded using an independent mode, and an enhanced plane is encoded by referring to the base plane without converting the RGB color space signal into YCbCr color space signal to reduce a redundancy between RGB planes and improve a compression ratio of an image.
US08135222B2

An image processing method comprises: clustering images of a set of images to generate a plurality of scenes each comprising an unordered cluster of images; ordering images within scenes respective to video coherence to generate ordered scenes comprising ordered sequences of images; and generating video content as images ordered in accordance with the ordered sequences of images comprising the scenes. In some embodiments, the video content is converted to video comprising video frames played at a predetermined frame rate.
US08135221B2

A method for determining a classification for a video segment, comprising the steps of: breaking the video segment into a plurality of short-term video slices, each including a plurality of video frames and an audio signal; analyzing the video frames for each short-term video slice to form a plurality of region tracks; analyzing each region track to form a visual feature vector and a motion feature vector; analyzing the audio signal for each short-term video slice to determine an audio feature vector; forming a plurality of short-term audio-visual atoms for each short-term video slice by combining the visual feature vector and the motion feature vector for a particular region track with the corresponding audio feature vector; and using a classifier to determine a classification for the video segment responsive to the short-term audio-visual atoms.
US08135214B2

An image processing device corrects a color of a specific area in a target image into an appropriate color. A representative brightness value represents the specific area in a first color space that has a brightness index value. Representative color component values represent the specific area in a second color space that has no brightness index value and a plurality of color component values. The color of the specific area is corrected based on the representative brightness and color component values. The brightness of the specific area is corrected by modifying the brightness index value in the first color space and the color component values in the second color space. First and second brightness correction degrees are set on the basis of the representative brightness value.
US08135213B2

A physical quantity interpolating method includes interpolating a third vector sandwiched between first and second vectors on the basis of a ratio of vector products computed using coordinate data of the first and second vectors and coordinate data of the third vector, the first and second vectors representing physical quantities.
US08135208B1

A method and apparatus of calibrating a vision based robotic system is disclosed. The apparatus includes a first camera, a second camera, a calibration block having an alignment mark, and a robotic tool having an alignment fiducial. The method includes using the first camera and the calibration block to determine a first camera center position, using the second camera and the calibration block to determine a second camera center position, using the second camera and the robotic tool to determine a robotic tool center position, and calculating a first camera to tool offset value.
US08135196B2

The invention relates to a pivotal poly-plane imaging unit having a first and a second imaging planes arranged relative to each other at an offset angle and recording projection images of an moving examination object at a fan angle β. First and second projection images are recorded in different relative positions at respective instants by pivoting the imaging planes at an angle at least 180°+β. Characteristic structures in the first and second projection images are detected. The characteristic structures are segmented by a vectorial representation and triangulated to obtain a three-dimensional representation of the characteristic structures. Three-dimensional displacement vector fields are determined that indicate displacements of the three-dimensional representation of the characteristic structures relative to a reference instant. A three-dimensional image is reconstructed using the three-dimensional displacement vector fields to display a state of the moving examination object at the reference instant.
US08135194B2

A method for producing an artifact-corrected image of negative jaw impression in a recipient jaw comprising, forming a negative impression of said recipient jaw, producing a first digital image of said negative jaw impression, producing a second digital image, including said artifacts of said negative jaw impression in said recipient jaw and using said first digital image to produce an artifact-corrected computer representation of said negative impression in said recipient jaw.
US08135192B2

An image processing apparatus for extracting images from a continuous image sequence includes a storage unit that stores image information about images constituting the image sequence; an image reading unit that reads the image information from the storage unit; and an image change amount calculating unit that calculates a predetermined image change amount between at least two images using the image information read by the image reading unit. The apparatus also includes an image change amount information adding unit that adds information about the image change amount calculated by the image change amount calculating unit to a corresponding image; and an image extracting unit that extracts a preset number of images from the image sequence based on the information added to each image by the image change amount information adding unit.
US08135189B2

A method for segmenting organs in digitized medical images includes providing a set of segmented training images of an organ, computing a surface mesh having a plurality of mesh cells that approximates a border of the organ, extracting positive examples of all mesh cells and negative examples in the neighborhood of each mesh cell which do not belong to the organ surface, training from the positive examples and negative examples a plurality of classifiers for outputting a probability of a point being a center of a particular mesh cell, computing an active shape model using a subset of center points in the mesh cells, generating a new shape by iteratively deforming the active shape model to fit a test image, and using the classifiers to calculate a probability of each center point of the new shape being a center of a mesh cell which the classifier was trained to recognize.
US08135185B2

A method of finding the location of an occluded portion of a blood vessel relative to a three-dimensional angiographic image of a subject's vasculature includes identifying the location of the occluded portion of the blood vessel on each of a series of displayed two dimensional images derived from the three dimensional image data in planes substantially transverse to direction of the occluded portion of the vessel. The identified locations in the occluded portion of the vessel can then be used to determine the path of the occluded portion of the vessel.
US08135175B2

An image processing system and the like capable of accurately recognizing lane edges defined by dotted lane marks are provided. According to an image processing system (100) of the present invention, a first processing unit (110) searches a road surface image captured by a vehicle-mounted camera for a “small area,” which is composed of high- or low-luminance pixels and satisfies “eligibility conditions” on the “size,” “shape,” and “arrangement” in the road surface image. Additionally, a second processing unit (120) recognizes “lane edges” of the lane along which the vehicle travels on the basis of the “small area.” Furthermore, a third processing unit (130) sets a “search range” of the small area searched by the first processing unit (110) on the basis of a result of the foregoing recognition of the lane edges by the second processing unit (120).
US08135172B2

An image processing apparatus estimates an estimated object region including an object on an input image on the basis of a stored object data, obtains a similarity distribution of the estimated object region and peripheral regions thereof by at least one classifier, and obtains an object region coordinate and a template image on the basis of the similarity distribution.
US08135164B2

A speaker of the present invention includes the following: a diaphragm that includes an inner periphery coupled to a voice coil, and a corrugation provided at the intermediate position between the inner periphery and an outer periphery; a speaker edge for supporting the outer periphery of the diaphragm; and a damping member attached to an outer peripheral part of the diaphragm outside the vicinity of an outer periphery of the corrugation. The effective vibration area of an inner peripheral part of the diaphragm inside an inner periphery of the corrugation is substantially half or less of the total effective vibration area. The damping member is configured as a damping portion by extending an overlap portion of the speaker edge overlapping with the diaphragm to the vicinity of the outer periphery of the corrugation. This configuration can suppress the vibration transmission at high frequencies to the outer peripheral part of the diaphragm outside the corrugation, allows only the inner peripheral part of the diaphragm inside the corrugation to mainly vibrate at high frequencies, and also can suppress a resonance in the outer peripheral part of the diaphragm outside the corrugation. Thus, the speaker can have both an excellent high frequency response and an excellent mid-high frequency response.
US08135158B2

A sound reproduction system includes one or more arrays of drive units, coupled with sound processing allowing improved steerability, directional control, width control, and/or beam overlay. A speaker column may comprise two arrays facing one another, the drive units being perpendicular to the speaker unit front, with the acoustic output of each line array being compressed, turned and output from an elongate slot. The drive units may be staggered with respect to those in the opposing array. The arrays may be arc-shaped else straight. Selective delays to simulate an arced pattern. Differential delays applied to the drive units in a sub-array allow beam steering. Additional drive units, such as high frequency drivers, may be added along the length of the elongate slot or elsewhere to increase the dynamic frequency range of the speaker system. A collocated sound processor and amplifier output stage may be integrated with the speaker unit.
US08135153B2

A method and appertaining system provide for automatically adding a wax guard to a hearing aid shell impression. The location of a canal, tip of the canal, and central line of the impression are automatically identified in a digital 3D representation of a hearing aid shell impression. A first wax guard plane is determined at a predefined flip distance from the canal tip along the central line, and a second wax guard plane is determined at a predefined canal tip offset distance from the canal tip along the central line. A size and position for a feature of the wax guard is calculated based on predefined parameters, and the wax guard is constructed utilizing the calculated side and position. The type of wax guard can be a bell bore design, an open design, a Philip design, or a flip design.
US08135149B2

A wireless communication device includes a speaker grille, a built-in speaker provided behind the speaker grille, and an output amplifier connected to the built-in speaker. A voltage applied to the output amplifier is increased to a level higher than the level of voltage applied to the output amplifier while audio signals are being produced, and instead of the audio signals, low-frequency continuous signals are applied to the output amplifier. By increasing the voltage applied to the output amplifier to a level higher than the level of voltage applied to the output amplifier while audio signals are being produced, the amplitude of the voltage applied to the speaker is increased. Also, instead of the audio signals, low-frequency continuous signals are applied to the output amplifier so that the speaker produces a higher sound pressure than while audio signals are being produced to discharge water in the speaker grille under the sound pressure.
US08135140B2

An active noise control system generates an anti-noise signal to drive a speaker to produce sound waves to destructively interfere with an undesired sound in a targeted space. The speaker is also driven to produce sound waves representative of a desired audio signal. Sound waves are detected in the target space and a representative signal is generated. The representative signal is combined with an audio compensation signal to remove a signal component representative of the sound waves based on the desired audio signal and generate an error signal. The active noise control adjusts the anti-noise signal based on the error signal. The active noise control system converts the sample rates of an input signal representative of the undesired sound, the desired audio signal, and the error signal. The active noise control system converts the sample rate of the anti-noise signal.
US08135131B2

A method for generating a compressed RSA modulus, allowing up to two thirds of the bits of a modulus N to be fixed. N has a predetermined portion NH, which comprises two parts Nh and Nm. A candidate RSA modulus that shares the Nh part is generated, and the candidate is then modified using Euclidian-type computations until it shares both Nh and Nm. Also provided is an apparatus for calculating compressed RSA moduli according to the method and a computer program product.
US08135129B2

A method and a circuit for protecting a numerical quantity contained in an integrated circuit on a first number of bits, in a modular exponentiation computing of a data by the numerical quantity, including: selecting at least one second number included between the unit and said first number minus two; dividing the numerical quantity into at least two parts, a first part including, from the bit of rank null, a number of bits equal to the second number, a second part including the remaining bits; for each part of the quantity, computing a first modular exponentiation of said data by the part concerned and a second modular exponentiation of the result of the first by the FIG. 2 exponentiated to the power of the rank of the first bit of the part concerned; and computing the product of the results of the first and second modular exponentiations.
US08135127B2

A process and a system are disclosed for detecting activity, e.g., three way calling, call forwarding, or the like, during a phone call. The process includes, and the system is configured for, establishing the call path between a first party and a second party, adding a reference tone to the call path, observing a reflected tone from the call path, and determining a relationship between the reference tone and the reflected tone. Information relating to the relationship may be reported for further analysis.
US08135126B2

Establishing a conference between a customer at a customer terminal and a live agent at an agent station, by (a) accepting a call request from the customer terminal, (b) requesting that an available live agent take the call request, (c) when a live agent becomes available to take the call request, passing customer information to the agent station associated with the available live agent, and (d) establishing a conference from the agent station associated with the available live agent to the customer terminal. The conference may be an audio-video conference. The audio-video conference may be compliant with the H.323 standard. The call request may generated in response to an event sensed by an API which was previously downloaded to the customer terminal from a web server. The call request may be generated in response to a trigger event. The trigger event may be a customer request for a live agent, adding an item to a virtual shopping cart, adding items having a total purchase prices of more than a predetermined threshold to a virtual shopping cart, removing an item from a virtual shopping cart, dwelling at a certain web page for more than a predetermined length of time, rendering certain content, rendering a certain sequence of content, filling out a form, or issuing a particular command. The customer information may include an Internet protocol address of the customer terminal, a video capability of the customer terminal, and/or a browser type used by the customer terminal.
US08135122B1

A computer for processing a call originated by a call originator to a call target. The computer includes memory having at least one region for storing computer executable program code and processor for executing the program code stored in the memory. The program code includes code for processing a telephone number of the call target, code for accessing a database storing a plurality of outgoing telephone numbers, code for identifying one of the plurality of outgoing telephone numbers based on the telephone number of the call target, and code for originating the outbound call to the call target and including the identified outgoing telephone number into a caller ID field of the outbound call.
US08135120B2

Restriction on call connections is controlled by grouping a plurality of terminals. One or more groups each including one or more terminals are provided. Each of the one or more groups is associated with the maximum number of calling terminals and a group restriction relaxing ratio indicating a relaxing degree of restriction with respect to a predetermined normal restriction ratio. Restriction on a call connection of a terminal belonging to a group is controlled on the basis of a group restriction ratio assigned to the group when the number of terminals being making phone calls is less than the maximum number of calling terminals that is provided for the group. The group restriction ratio is calculated using the predetermined normal restriction ratio and the group restriction relaxing ratio associated with the group.
US08135118B2

An incoming call from a public communication network is sensed in a communication apparatus that is capable of switching between an automatic response mode and a manual response mode as a response to an incoming call. If incoming of a specific call signal has been sensed, the response to this incoming call is switched from the automatic response mode to the manual response mode.
US08135114B2

A method and apparatus for creating an answer tone for a computing device with phone capabilities or a telephone is disclosed.
US08135112B2

The present invention is directed towards processing security images of people subjected to X-ray radiation. The present invention processes a generated image by dividing the generated image into at least two regions or mask images, separately processing the at least two regions of the image, and viewing the resultant processed region images either alone or as a combined image.
US08135101B2

A method of performing data equalization in a communication receiver with transmit and receive diversity includes (a) for each i-th receiver antenna and j-th transmitter antenna, calculating a channel response matrix Hi,j from multi-path channel estimates, (b) each i-th receiver antenna, calculating a channel gain matrix Gi from the channel response matrices Hi,j and a scalar noise factor β, (c) calculating the middle column c0 of Gi−1, (d) calculating a filter coefficient vector wi,j from the middle column c0 of Gi−1 of and the Hermitian transpose Hi,jH of the corresponding channel response matrices Hi,j, (e) filtering input data ri received at each i-th receiver antenna with the corresponding filter coefficient vectors wi,j, (f) despreading the filtered input data from each i-th receiver antenna, (g) applying phase compensation to the despread data, and (h) combining the despread data from all antennas to obtain received equalized data.
US08135096B2

Aspects of a method and system for the extension of frequency offset estimation range based on correlation of complex sequences may include partitioning each of a received sample sequence and a local replica sample sequence into three or more similar length contiguous sample sub-sequences. For each of the three or more similar length contiguous sample sub-sequences, a correlation coefficient may be determined between corresponding sample sub-sequences of the partitioned received sample sequence and the local replica sample sequence. A plurality of phase differences may be determined based on adjacent ones of the determined correlation coefficients, and the determined plurality of phase differences may be averaged to generate a phase increment estimate. The communication system may be compliant with a wireless standard, comprising UMTS EUTRA (LTE), WiMAX (IEEE 802.16), and/or WLAN (IEEE 802.11).
US08135089B2

A digital transmission apparatus having a base unit constructed in such a manner that n-bit digital signals transmitted from a plurality of (N) remote units are extended into (n+log2N) bits in corresponding bit extending units, with respect to an addition result in an adding unit, an arithmetic operation of (2n−1−1)/|addition result| is executed in a gain arithmetic operating unit, when an arithmetic operation result is smaller than “1”, the arithmetic operation result is set into a gain coefficient, when the arithmetic operation result is equal to or larger than “1”, “1” is set into the gain coefficient, further, the addition result is multiplied by the gain in a multiplying unit, and a bit contraction for discarding upper log2 N bits excluding a sign bit and returning to n bits is executed in a bit contracting unit.
US08135078B2

A device and method for performing a channel profile estimation for an OFDM-based wireless communication system uses an averaged frequency coherence metric to select a particular channel profile, which is a current channel profile estimate. The averaged frequency coherence metric is derived using correlations between pilot subcarriers of an OFDM-based signal at predefined subcarrier locations for multiple frames of the OFDM-based signal. The selected channel profile may be used for channel estimation, as well as for link adaptation, to improve the performance of these processes.
US08135077B2

A broadcast receiver and a method of processing data are disclosed. The broadcast receiver includes a broadcasting module, at least one function module, and a controller. The broadcasting module receives and processes mobile broadcast signal. The function module outputs at least one of a video output and an audio output. The controller controls output of at least one of video output and audio output corresponding to each of the broadcasting module and the function module, when a mode shift occurs between the broadcasting module and at least one the function module.
US08135075B2

The invention relates to a process for automatic processing of multimedia streams (F1, F2, F3) intended to be reproduced on a reproduction terminal (T), including the following steps, implemented at the demand of a user (UT) of the terminal and consisting of: reproducing a first stream on the terminal (step E1), then interrupting the reproduction of the first stream and reproducing a second stream on the terminal (step E4), According to the invention, consisting of: associating with each stream (F1, F2, F3) a preference indicator (IC1, IC2, IC3) specifying whether the corresponding stream (F1, F2, F3) is a principal stream or a secondary stream (step EM) recording the first stream simultaneously with reproduction of the second stream if the first stream is a principal stream (step E6). The invention also relates to a system, a recording device and a computer program suitable for the implementation of the process for processing the streams.
US08135073B2

A video stream containing encoded frame-based video information includes a first frame and a second frame. The encoding of the second frame depends on the encoding of the first frame. The encoding includes motion vectors indicating differences in positions between regions of the second frame and corresponding regions of the first frame, the motion vectors defining the correspondence between regions of the second frame and regions of the first frame. The first frame is decoded and a re-mapping strategy for video enhancement of the decoded first frame is determined using a region-based analysis. Regions of the decoded first frame are re-mapped according to the determined video enhancement re-mapping strategy for the first frame so as to enhance the first frame. The motion vectors for the second frame are recovered from the video stream and the second frame is decoded.
US08135071B2

A method, and apparatus, and logic encoded in one or more computer-readable tangible medium to carry out a method. The method is to code an ordered sequence of quantized transform coefficients of a block of image data using a hybrid coding method that includes determining a breakpoint location in the sequence between a low-frequency region and a high-frequency region; coding the low-frequency region using a selected low-frequency variable length coding method; coding the high-frequency region using a selected high-frequency variable length coding method; and coding the location of the breakpoint. The breakpoint location is determined as a function of properties of neighboring blocks such that little if any information needs to be sent to a decoder about the breakpoint of a block or multi-block partition, and the decoder can use the properties of neighboring blocks to determine the breakpoint used to code a to-be-decoded sequence or sequences of a block or a multi-block partition.
US08135067B2

The invention is related to methods and apparatus that decode robustly encoded video bitstreams. One embodiment of a decoder can advantageously reconstruct a predictive-coded video object plane (P-VOP) from a standard motion vector and the previous frame; from a redundant motion vector and a frame prior to the previous frame; or from both. Advantageously, this permits the decoder to display a frame based on a reconstructed VOP in the presence of unfavorable environmental conditions, such as interference, delays, and the like, which could otherwise corrupt a previous frame that is used as a reference by a standard decoder, such as a standard MPEG-4 decoder. One embodiment is advantageously backwards compatible with standard MPEG-4 compliant bitstreams and retrieves redundant motion vector information from user data video packets. One embodiment includes at least one extra frame buffer or memory, which stores a reference frame corresponding to a redundant motion vector.
US08135066B2

Data processing apparatus arranged to receive successive images from a video camera and to receive audio data from a microphone comprises means for detecting inter-image motion in the video images; means for detecting audio signals in the associated audio data satisfying one or more predetermined audio criterion; and activation means, for activating a control function of the data processing apparatus in response to a predetermined sequence of a detection of inter-image motion satisfying one or more predetermined motion criterion and a detection of an audio signal in the associated audio data which satisfies the predetermined audio criteria.
US08135059B2

Analog signals encoded with quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) pass through a coaxial cable at a particular baud rate. These signals have a carrier frequency individual to the TV station being received. They are mixed with signals from a variable frequency oscillator to produce signals at a particular intermediate frequency (IF). An analog-digital converter (ADC) converts the IF signals to corresponding digital signals which are demodulated to produce two digital signals having a quadrature phase relationship. After being filtered and derotated, the digital signals pass to a symmetrical equalizer including a feed forward equalizer (FFE) and a decision feedback equalizer (DFE) connected to the FFE in a feedback relationship. The DFE may include a slicer providing amplitude approximations of increasing sensitivity at progressive times. Additional slicers in the equalizer combine the FFE and DFE outputs to provide the output data without any of the coaxial cable noise or distortions. The equalizer outputs and initially the derotation outputs, and the slicer outputs, servo (1) the oscillator frequency to obtain the IF frequency, (2) the ADC sampling clock to obtain the digital conversion at a rate related to the particular baud rate and (3) the derotator. The servos may have (1) first constants initially after a change in the station selection and (2) second time constants thereafter. The ADC gain is also servoed (1) initially in every ADC conversion and (2) subsequently in every nth ADC conversion where n=integer>1. The above recover the QAM data without any of the coaxial cable noise or distortions.
US08135054B2

The invention relates to a radiofrequency receiver, notably for satellite positioning applications, needing to operate in an environment where interference is dense, notably when it involves pulses transmitted by DME beacons. Below the useful signal suppression threshold, amplitude or power are inverted to improve the dynamic interference response time. Advantageously, the useful signal suppression threshold and the set point power or amplitude are determined by analyzing the amplitude or power probability density function in its part enriched with low amplitude/power samples.
US08135044B2

A method of formatting a digital broadcast transport stream packet, a digital broadcast transmitter, and a signal processing method thereof, includes constructing a transport stream packet that includes a stuffing region for an insertion of a known supplementary reference signal (SRS) data therein, randomizing the packet that includes the stuffing region is randomized, and the SRS data is inserted into the stuffing region of the randomized packet. Adding a parity for an error correction to the packet into which the SRS data has been inserted, the packet to which the parity has been added is interleaved, and a trellis encoding of the interleaved packet is performed. Inserting a segment sync signal and a field sync signal into the trellis-encoded packet, and a vestigial side band (VSB) modulation and an RF conversion of the packet are performed to transmit the VSB-modulated and RF-converted packet.
US08135040B2

Channel changing can be accelerated by multicasting a bouquet of multicast burst streams from a server. In an example implementation, each multicast burst stream is delayed sufficiently so that a past independent frame is available for delivery to and display by a client device without waiting for a future independent frame. A multicast burst segment of a multicast burst stream includes a portion in which the bandwidth exceeds the nominal data rate of the underlying resource being streamed. The temporal delay between adjacent multicast burst streams in a multicast bouquet is set responsive to a maximum client delay time for tuning to a new resource stream.
US08135035B2

Disclosed is a system including a plurality of modulators for receiving at least one of first data signals from a termination and for receiving at least one of second data signals from other than the termination and for combining the at least one of first data signals and the at least one second data signals into an output signal having a plurality of data channels for delivery to a plurality of modems where the at least one of second data signals bypass the termination.
US08135028B2

A network device has a communications link to allow the device to communicate with customer devices and a processor. The processor is to receive neighbor discovery messages from requesting customer devices, examine the neighbor discovery messages to determine if the neighbor discovery message should be forwarded to other of the customer devices, and respond to the requesting customer devices.
US08135013B2

Internet Protocol (IP) switch and method for switching an IP frame to an IP destination address. The IP switch includes access ports, interswitch ports, and a switching table. Each access port is connected to a corresponding host in a LAN. The interswitch ports are configured to be statically connected to routers within the Internet in connections that cannot be overwritten by dynamic learning. The switching table includes entries, each entry having an IP address, a port identifier, and a routing protocol internal metric indicative of confidence in the entry. The method for switching the IP frame includes: receiving the IP frame, reading the IP destination address from the IP frame, ascertaining a matching IP address in the switching table that matches the IP destination address, directing the IP frame to a specific port, transmitting the IP frame from the specific port to the IP destination address.
US08135012B2

A router for routing data redundantly relative to a network. The router includes a circuit card having a processor, a user port for connecting at least one user device with the processor, and a plurality of interface ports for redundantly connecting the processor with the network to provide active redundant communication with the user device(s). This router can have a small form factor, can be ruggedized, and can provide fast redundant routing through redundant network backbones.
US08135009B2

A network of switches with a distributed name server configuration and caching of remote node device information is disclosed. The network preferably comprises a first switch coupled to a second switch. Each of the switches directly couple to respective node devices. The first switch maintains a name server database about its local node devices, as does the second switch. The second switch further maintains a information cache about remote node devices. The name server preferably notifies other switches of changes to the database, and the cache manager preferably uses the notifications from other switches to maintain the cache. The name server accesses the cache to respond to queries about remote node devices. The cache manager may also aggregate notification messages from other switches when notifying local devices of state changes. Traffic overhead and peak traffic loads may advantageously be reduced.
US08135000B2

A method selects a buddy with which a user wants to connect. The buddy has a buddy identification listed in a pre-identified group of Internet-accessible destinations. The user using a user telephone means to which is associated identification information. A call is initiated from the user telephone means to an Internet-enabled computing device and has associated thereto calling line identification (CLID) information. The CLID information is compared to the user telephone means identification information. The CLID information is validated using the comparison and upon positive validation, the user providing the buddy identification; consulting the pre-identified group of Internet-accessible destinations for a match between the buddy identification and one of the Internet-accessible destinations; and advising the user of a successful or unsuccessful match. Alternatively, a call is placed to a party which does not necessarily belong to a pre-identified group of Internet-accessible destinations.
US08134994B2

In the scheduling method of the present invention, scheduling grant messages for a user equipment are transmitted beginning in any time slot of a frame for a channel so long as the scheduling grant message does not exceed the frame. The scheduling grant message indicates user equipment is approved to transmit on an uplink dedicated channel. This downlink transmission and subsequent uplink dedicated channel transmission have a timing relationship such that no more than one user equipment will begin transmitting on a respective uplink dedicated channel at a time.
US08134986B2

An apparatus includes a storage unit to store communication parameters and a configuration processing identifier allocated to the communication parameters and an acquisition unit to acquire a configuration processing identifier from another apparatus. The apparatus determines whether to use communication parameters stored in the storage unit or acquire communication parameters from other communication apparatus, based on the configuration processing identifier stored in the storage unit and the configuration processing identifier acquired by the acquisition unit.
US08134985B2

A system includes a wireless switch and a plurality of wireless nodes. A mobile device connects to the wireless switch by communicating a packet to the wireless switch via two or more of the plurality of wireless nodes.
US08134982B2

An apparatus and method for random access in a wireless communication system are provided. In the method, a random access response message is received. The random access response message is analyzed to determine a status of a random access process. A count variable value is updated according to the status. And the count variable value is compared with at least one reference value to determine a random access period. By adaptively changing the period of periodic ranging in a wireless communication system, the probability of success is increased while the waste of resources is decreased.
US08134981B2

An apparatus including a second stage correlator for receiving input data from a first stage correlator, wherein said second stage correlator includes a memory is described. A method for performing a second stage correlation on data including resetting a read pointer and a write pointer, alternatively multiplexing input data into one of a pair of storage registers, concatenating contents of the pair of storage registers, writing the concatenated contents into a memory in accordance with the write pointer, outputting the concatenated contents from the memory into a read register in accordance with the read pointer, updating the read address pointer and updating the write address pointer is also described.
US08134980B2

A communication system, such as a wireless CDMA system, detects markers with fewer errors by having field units transmit the markers at different power levels (e.g., 9 dB for one marker and 11 dB for another marker). The difference in power levels of the markers allows the base station to identify the request markers using alternative criteria with a low probability of error, where the alternative criteria may include comparing the markers to respective energy level thresholds, monitoring occupancy of time slots, occupancy of mutually exclusive code channels, or combinations thereof. For example, in one particular embodiment, a request marker, which is generally a high priority marker, is transmitted with higher power, which improves the probability of detection and reduces the probability of false detection of the request marker.
US08134974B2

A mobile communications system including a network with a source network node and a target network node that supports a handover procedure, and a mobile terminal that is allowed to access the source network node and access the target network node according to the handover procedure, in which information related to a reception status of user data is delivered between at least two among a group including the mobile terminal, the source network node, and the target network node such that the target network node may receive status information from the source network node and the target network node may receive a status report from the mobile terminal.
US08134973B2

A mobile terminal that ensures smooth, continuous communications sessions even when in transit, regardless of base station capabilities and functionalities, in a packet-switched data communications network. With this terminal, each of a plurality of lower interfaces 101-1 to 101-M, when its associated access mechanism is in an active state, can obtain a connection to packet-switched data communications network 150 using its home-address HoA.1 or its care-of-address CoA.BS1. When lower interface 101-a loses its connection obtained using the care-of-address CoA.BS1, multiple access decision unit 104 instructs mobility support unit 102 to set up a binding of the home-address HoA.1 and either one of the home-address HoA.2 and the care-of-address CoA.BS2 of another lower interface 101-b. Mobility support unit 102 sets up the binding according to the instruction from multiple access decision unit 104.
US08134971B2

A method and system for transmitting/receiving data in a heterogeneous communication system. A terminal accesses a first controller of a first communication system supporting a first communication service to make a communication path to the first communication system. After making the communication path to the terminal, the first controller determines whether it is possible to provide the first communication service to the terminal over the first communication system. If it is not possible, the first controller transmits to an interworking unit a first request indicating that the terminal requires the first communication service over the second communication system. The interworking unit transmits a second request to a second controller of the second communication system in response to the first request, the second request indicating that the second controller provides the first communication service to the terminal. Upon receiving a response to the second request, the interworking unit controls the first controller to provide the first communication service to the terminal over the second communication system according to the response.
US08134970B2

The present invention provides methods and systems for transmitting content in a wireless communication network. The method includes caching a content in each base station of a set of base stations in the wireless communication network. The content includes a plurality of packets. In response to caching the content, a first base station belonging to the set of base stations transmits a first group of packets of the content to a mobile station. The method further includes handing over the mobile station to a second base station. The second base station belongs to the set of the base stations. The second base station resumes transmission of a second group of packets of the content to the mobile station.
US08134966B2

A transmission device is disclosed that includes a frequency scheduling unit configured to allocate resource blocks as a unit to each user, the resource blocks being blocks of consecutive frequency subcarriers divided from a system bandwidth, constitute a first group including consecutive plural resource blocks, constitute plural second groups, each including one or more resource blocks of the plural resource blocks constituting each first group, and allocate the resource blocks of either the first group or one or more the second groups; a mapping unit configured to allocate transmission data to the resource blocks in accordance with the allocation; and a control information generating unit configured to generate control information with respect to a mobile station to which either the first group or one or more the second groups are allocated.
US08134965B2

A method of transmitting and receiving data using a superframe structure is disclosed. A method for transmitting data through a superframe including a superframe header, includes generating the superframe which includes a data region including user data and includes a dedicated control region including data region allocation information indicating resource allocation for the data region, and transmitting the superframe. The dedicated control region is arranged at at least one of locations except for a subframe of the superframe header. A user equipment which does not have to transmit and receive data decodes only data region allocation information using information of the data region indicated by a dedicated control region, thereby minimizing power loss, reducing a feedback delay, and reducing system overhead using a superframe structure.
US08134964B2

A network address assigning and allocating method and a routing method for a long-thin wireless network are provided. First, a plurality of nodes in the long-thin wireless network is classified into a plurality of clusters, in which nodes ranging from a child node of a bridge node to a next bridge node are classified as the same cluster. Then, a network address is assigned to each of the nodes, in which the network address includes a cluster ID and a node ID, the cluster ID is used for identifying the clusters and for routing a packet between the clusters, and the node ID is used for identifying the nodes in each of the clusters and for routing a packet in the cluster. Thereby, the routing and network transmitting efficiency of the long-thin wireless network can be improved.
US08134953B2

The present invention provides a method of determining characteristics of access classes in a wireless communication system. In one embodiment, a method is provided for implementation in an access network of a wireless communication system. The method includes mapping, at the access network, a plurality of priority levels to a plurality of access classes. Each access class is associated with at least one parameter used by access terminals to establish a wireless communication link with the access network. The method also includes transmitting, from the access network to a first access terminal, information indicating the mapping of the plurality of priority levels to the plurality of access classes in response to receiving a request to establish a communication session between the first access terminal and the access network.
US08134951B2

In one embodiment an apparatus comprises a transceiver in data communication with an associated network and control logic coupled to the transceiver. The control logic is operable to send data to the associated network and receive data from the associated network via the transceiver. The control logic is configured to determine a network element for processing a data stream. The control logic is configured to acquire the network element from the associated network responsive to determining the network element for processing the data stream.
US08134943B2

In an embodiment, an application server determines a priority associated with a given multicast message for transmission to at least one access terminal, configures the given multicast message to indicate the priority of the given multicast message and forwards the configured multicast message to an access network for transmission to the at least one access terminal a number of times based at least in part on the indicated priority. Alternatively, the application server can indicate, in the configured multicast message, the number of times to transmit the given multicast message. The priority, or number of times to transmit the given multicast message, can be conveyed to the access network by a flag inserted into the configured multicast message by the application server. The access network determines the number of times to transmit the given multicast message to the at least one access terminal based on the flag.
US08134939B2

A ring communication network according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of nodes in which a single one of the nodes is configured for full channel conversion and the remaining nodes, other than the single node, are configured for no channel conversion. Links with no more than W channels couple the nodes. The ring communication network also may include N nodes and links connecting the nodes for carrying data in W channels such that N≧2 log2 W−1 where W is a power of 2. Each of the N nodes includes switches connected such that each channel of a first one of the links adjacent to any one of the N nodes can be switched to no more than W−1 channels of another one of the links adjacent any one node.
US08134937B2

A node device included in a distributed content storing system configured that a plurality of content data are distributed and stored in a plurality of node devices mutually communicable through a network, and node information of the node device storing the above content data is registered in the node device administrating the content data, the node device including: a content receiving means for receiving the content data broadcasted; a storage determining means for randomly determining whether content data as much as a unit are stored when the content data as much as the unit are received; a storing means for storing the content data thus determined; and a registration message transmission means for sending a registration message, provided to make own node information as the node device storing the content data, to the node device administrating the content data when the content data are stored.
US08134933B2

A method (400) for use in a wireless communications system (100) with a first transceiver (110) and a second transceiver (130) which communicate with each other, which system is a TDD-system, with communication divided into time frames with time slots. According to the method, the first transceiver transmits (410) a dedicated signal for use as a communications quality indicator by the second transceiver, and the second transceiver reports (420) measurements of the dedicated signal to the first transceiver. The dedicated signal is by the first transceiver in one or more TDD time slots, and the second transceiver measures (430) the individual signal strength of the dedicated signal in at least a first and a second time slot and transmits (440) measurement reports to the first transceiver based on the individual measurements in the first and second time slots of the dedicated signal.
US08134922B2

Disclosed are, inter alia, methods, apparatus, computer-storage media, mechanisms, and means associated with loss of reducing flooding in a bridged network, typically including a device directly connected to multiple upstream bridges. These bridges are configured such that the device receives broadcast/multicast traffic from a single interface of one of the bridges, while allowing unicast traffic over each of the communications links connecting the device to the bridges. In one configuration, the device implements virtual machine(s), each including a virtual network interface associated with a MAC address; and the directly connected bridges are configured, for each particular MAC address of these MAC addresses of the virtual interfaces, such that one and only one of the bridges will forward packets having the particular MAC address as its destination address over a communications link directly connected to the device.
US08134919B2

A method and device for protecting Ethernet Tree (E-Tree) services are disclosed. An ID is configured for each branch of the E-Tree. The method includes: determining a branch that needs to perform switching; notifying the ID of the branch that needs to perform switching to a work E-Tree through a root UNI of a protect E-Tree; and switching data over the branch that needs to perform switching from the work E-Tree to the protect E-Tree according to the ID of the branch that needs to perform switching. In the embodiments of the present invention, because an ID is configured for each branch of the E-Tree, the branch corresponding to the ID may be triggered to perform protection switching as required, thus implementing branch switching.
US08134915B2

According to one embodiment, providing network redundancy includes configuring a session registrant database to have one or more virtual standby states. Each virtual standby state corresponds to an active router. The session registrant database receives session information from the active router(s) and determines that an active router has failed. A virtual standby state corresponding to the failed router is set to a virtual active state. A second router is configured to have a standby state associated with the set virtual active state. The session information received from the failed router is transferred to the second router, and the second router is configured to have an active state.
US08134912B2

An embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus, comprising a subscriber station (SS) operable to communicate with a base station (BS) and at least one additional subscriber station (SS) in a wireless metropolitan area network, wherein the at least one additional SS attempts to overhear a first message from the SS and piggy back a second message for the overheard message from the SS's uplink data to the BS with its uplink data.
US08134892B2

A timepiece includes: a housing (10), a movement (12) provided in the housing, a piece of glass (14) closing the housing, a dial (60) provided between the movement and the glass, wherein the dial can assume a first state in which the elements located behind the dial opposite the glass are visible from the glass side and a second state in which the elements are hidden, a mobile part capable of movement between at least one first position and at least one second position respectively corresponding to the first and second states of the dial, and display members (16) provided between the dial and the glass. The timepiece further includes a lid movably mounted relative to the housing and kinematically connected to the mobile part for urging the same from the first to the second position.
US08134883B2

A memory circuit includes a plurality of word lines, a plurality of bit lines, and a plurality of memory cells. Configurations of the plurality of memory cells are determined depending on the data (“high” or “low”) which is stored in the memory cells. Data array such as a program stored in the memory circuit is analyzed in advance. In the case where “high” is the majority data, memory cells storing “high” are formed with vacant cells in which a semiconductor element is not formed.
US08134880B2

A semiconductor integrated circuit has a plurality of memory devices each comprising a memory cell array which includes a plurality of memory cells to store data, a spare part which includes a redundant cell to avoid a memory cell judged to be defective in the plurality of memory cells and conduct redundancy repair on data, and a switching circuit to avoid the defective memory cell and conduct switching to the redundant cell; and a repair code decoding circuit comprising a storage circuit which stores a repair code, a decoder which outputs a repair decoded signal obtained by decoding the repair code, wherein the switching circuit respectively in the memory devices avoids a memory cell corresponding to the repair decoded signal and conducts switching to the redundant cell of the memory devices in accordance with the repair decoded signal.
US08134879B2

A semiconductor memory device includes banks of unit cells, wherein two or more adjacent banks of the banks share a redundancy circuit configured to perform a defect repair operation when an address for accessing a defective unit cell is input.
US08134875B2

A data storage system includes a first circuit board, a plurality of sockets coupled to the first circuit board, an connector coupled to each of the sockets for coupling each of the sockets to external circuitry, and a plurality of memory modules, each memory module disposed within one of the sockets. The memory module includes a circuit board, an integrated circuit device having configurable blocks, DRAM devices that form parallel channels of DRAM memory and flash memory devices that form parallel channels of flash memory. The memory module also includes an interface electrically coupled to the integrated circuit device for coupling input and output between the integrated circuit device and external circuitry.
US08134869B2

An electrically alterable non-volatile multi-level memory device and a method of operating such a device, which includes setting a status of at least one of the memory cells to one state selected from a plurality of states including at least first to fourth level states, in response to information to be stored in the one memory cell, and reading the status of the memory cell to determine whether the read out status corresponds to one of the first to fourth level states by utilizing a first reference level set between the second and third level states, a second reference level set between the first and second level states and a third reference level set between the third and fourth level states.
US08134864B2

In general, the invention is directed to techniques for reducing the amount of switching current that is utilized within a magnetic storage (e.g., MRAM) device. An example apparatus includes a fixed magnetic layer that provides a fixed direction of magnetization, an exchange-coupled magnetic multi-layer structure, and a non-magnetic layer placed between the fixed magnetic layer and the exchange-coupled magnetic multi-layer structure. The exchange-coupled magnetic multi-layer structure includes a recording layer configured to record information and an assisting layer having a lower anisotropy than the recording layer. The exchange coupling between the recording and assisting layers is operable to switch a magnetization direction of the recording layer. In some cases, the exchange-coupled magnetic multi-layer structure may further include a spacer separating the recording and assisting layers and configured to weaken an exchange coupling between the recording and assisting layers.
US08134859B1

A non-volatile memory cell including an antifuse element having a programming node and a control node, a capacitor element, a precharge element, an access element, and a leakage element. The antifuse element is configured to have changed resistivity (representing a change in logic state) after the programming node is subjected to one or more voltage pulses. The capacitor element, coupled to the programming node, is configured to provide the one or more voltage pulses to the programming node. The precharge element, coupled to the programming node, is configured to increase the one or more voltage pulses provided to the programming to node. The access element, coupled to the control node, is configured to allow determination of the logic state of the antifuse element based on current flow through the access element. The leakage element is coupled to the control node and configured to modify the current flowing through the access element when the resistivity of the antifuse element has not been changed.
US08134856B2

A Spin Transfer Torque Magnetoresistive Random Access Memory (STT-MRAM) array including a plurality of bit cells, a power-up controller, and a first plurality of precharge transistors is disclosed. The plurality of bit cells are each coupled to one of a plurality of bit lines and word lines. The power-up controller is configured to provide a power-up control signal to control the voltage level of at least one of the bit lines or the word lines during power-up. The first plurality of precharge transistors are respectively coupled to at least one of the plurality of bit lines or the plurality of word lines, each precharge transistor being configured to discharge a corresponding bit line or word line to a desired voltage level based on the power-up control signal.
US08134853B2

Providing a serial array semiconductor architecture achieving fast program, erase and read times is disclosed herein. By way of example, a memory architecture can comprise a serial array of semiconductors coupled to a metal bitline of an electronic memory device at one end of the array, and a gate of a pass transistor at an opposite end of the array. Furthermore, a second metal bitline is coupled to a drain of the pass transistor. A sensing circuit that measures current or voltage at the second metal bitline, which is modulated by a gate potential of the pass transistor, can determine a state of transistors of the serial array. Because of low capacitance of the pass transistor, the serial array can charge or discharge the gate of the pass transistor quickly, resulting in read times that are significantly reduced as compared with conventional serial semiconductor array devices.
US08134849B2

An AC to DC power converter with hold up time function has a charging switch and a mode switch. The charging switch is connected between an output capacitor of a PFC controlling circuit and an energy-storage capacitor. The mode switch is connected between the energy-storage capacitor and an input of the PFC controlling circuit. The charging and mode switches are controlled by a PFC controller. When AC power is normal, the charging switch turns on and mode switch turns off. Meanwhile, the energy-storage capacitor and the output capacitor are connected in parallel to store energy in the energy-storage capacitor. When the AC power source is interrupted, the charging switch turns off and mode switch turns on. Therefore, the energy-storage capacitor is disconnected from the output capacitor. The PFC circuit obtains power from the energy-storage capacitor and continuous to supply an output voltage for a while.
US08134841B2

According to one embodiment, there is provided a printed-wiring board, includes a first base member including a component mounting face, a first electronic component with a through-electrode mounted on the component mounting face, a second base member stacked on the first base member via an insulating layer covering the first electronic component, a hole part provided in the second base member and communicating with the through-electrode of the first electronic component, and a second electronic component mounted on the second base member and circuit-connected directly to the through-electrode via the hole part.
US08134840B2

A circuit board in which the attachment strength of a frame member to a substrate can be improved, and a mobile electronic apparatus are provided.A circuit board 16 has: a substrate 28; plural electronic components 29 which are mounted on the substrate 28; and a frame member 30 which is attached to the substrate 28 so as to surround the electronic components 29. A resin portion 36 is formed by a resin which is filled into the frame member 30. The circuit board 16 has: a lower bent portion 41 (contact portion) which is disposed in a basal end portion 38B of a wall portion 38 of the frame member 30 along the substrate 28; and a raised portion 42 which is disposed in an outer end portion 41A of the lower bent portion 41.
US08134836B2

A packaged heat dissipating assembly for an intermediate bus converter (IBC) has a frame being mounted on and around the IBC and a heat sink being mounted on the frame. The packaged heat dissipating assembly is easily detached from the IBC. Therefore, a broken bus converter module (BCM) or heat sink is easily replaced separately. Consequently, heat dissipating designs and maintenance of a server or communication equipment is facilitated and maintenance costs of the IBC and the server or communication equipment are lowered.
US08134835B2

The present invention relates to a clamping device for compression clamping of one or more semiconductor devices and associated semiconductor components with a desired compression force equally distributed across the opposing surfaces of the devices and associated components. The semiconductor devices and components are located between opposing jaws that are joined together by at least two tie rods, which compressively load the opposing jaws to apply the desired compression force to the semiconductor devices and components. The desired compression force is first achieved in even distribution between independent clamp pressure set point assemblies and the first jaw, where each of the independent clamp pressure set point assemblies is associated with one of the tie rods. Upon final assembly of the clamping device the desired pressure force is achieved across the semiconductor devices and components by compression of the opposing jaws between the one or more semiconductor devices and associated semiconductor components until the clamp pressure indicator elements associated with each of the clamp pressure set point assemblies indicates the desired compression force has been applied.
US08134833B2

An evaporator is disclosed for a cooling circuit. The evaporator includes a housing having at least one wall for contacting a heat emitting device. A channel, the cross section of which is small enough to allow convection boiling, and a separation volume are located in the evaporator. The separation volume is located at a vapor exiting port of the channel. The evaporator can include a liquid reservoir.
US08134829B2

The invention discloses a foldable electronic device having a folding module pivotally connected to a first body and a second body. The folding module has at least one folding member with a first connecting portion and a second connecting portion defined thereon, wherein the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion are foldable along a first folding line defined there between, and the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion are connected to the first body and the second body respectively. With such, the structure of the folding module is simplified, the cost is reduced and the folding module is also easy to be assembled and repaired.
US08134818B2

A surge suppressor for protecting electronic equipment by suppressing damaging surges of low frequency signals in a radio frequency (RF) transmission line, while allowing RF signals of a desired frequency range to pass through the transmission line. The surge suppressor can comprise a housing, a center pin connected to a stub, and at least one interface pin conductively coupled to the cable and capacitively coupled to the center pin. The surge suppressor can have a signal pass through bandwidth approximately 10 times exceeding the bandwidth of traditional quarter wavelength stub (QWS) devices, a higher return loss, and higher surge attenuation level. The surge suppressor can be symmetrically insertable into a cable providing an RF communication line.
US08134801B2

A magnetic recording and reading device, free from coil windings, includes a naturally magnetic material that defines a pair of opposite magnetic poles and defines a magnetic field. A conductor in operable association with an integrated circuit array provided at each of the magnetic poles controls direction and flow of current in the conductors.
US08134800B2

A stop position adjusting device for an accessor mechanism in an information recording device using a recording cartridge, includes: the accessor mechanism; a first moving mechanism; a second moving mechanism; and an image taking section. The accessor mechanism inserts the recording cartridge into a cell and takes out the recording cartridge from the cell. The first moving mechanism moves the accessor mechanism in a first direction. The second moving mechanism moves the accessor mechanism in a second direction different from the first direction. The image taking section is provided on the accessor mechanism and detects a position of a mark provided near the cell. An adjustment of a stop position of the accessor mechanism for the cell is executed based on the position detected by the image taking section.
US08134798B1

A disk drive is disclosed having a plurality of disk surfaces, wherein each disk surface comprises a plurality of data tracks, and each data track comprises a plurality of data sectors. When a read command is received from a host, data is read from first and second data sectors on first and second disk surfaces, respectively, in response to the read command, wherein the first data sector stores data at a first data rate, and the second data sector stores data at a second data rate substantially less than the first data rate. The data is transferred to the host at a substantially constant average transfer rate. In this manner, the disk drive does not appear abnormal to a benchmark program that reads a plurality of data sectors across multiple disk surfaces.
US08134792B2

A preamplifier and method writes data synchronized with the passing of a write head in a magnetic storage device over bit islands in discrete patterned recording media. The preamplifier contains a write pre-driver that conditions write data, a synchronization circuit that accepts a delay offset value and a write clock and produces a delayed clock, and a write output driver that is gated by the delayed clock to produce write pulses for magnetizing the bit islands. Gating the write output driver using the delayed clock results in more accurate synchronization than delaying the write data into the preamplifier due to the reduction of the overall length and variability of interconnects and transistors in the intervening circuitry. Write clock generation circuitry, as well as bit position sensor circuitry for use with bit position signals produced by a read head or by a separate bit position sensor, are optionally integrated into the preamplifier, close to the write output driver and write head, for further improvements in delay accuracy and stability. Write pulses produced by the preamplifier are thus well aligned with the bit islands, resulting in higher magnetization and an improved bit error rate.
US08134786B2

Embodiment of invention discloses a system and a method for determining a three-dimensional (3D) location of a folding point of a ray between a point in a scene (PS) and a center of projection (COP) of a camera of a catadioptric system. One embodiment maps the catadioptric system, including 3D locations of the PS and the COP on a two-dimensional (2D) plane defined by an axis of symmetry of a folding optical element and the PS to produce a conic and 2D locations of the PS and COP on the 2D plane, and determines a 2D location of the folding point on the 2D plane based on the conic, the 2D locations of the PS and the COP. Next, the embodiment determines the 3D location of the folding point from the 2D location of the folding point on the 2D plane.
US08134779B2

Disclosed is a system for aligning a 3D image display device. The system for aligning the 3D image display device comprises: a display panel showing a left eye image and a right eye image, and having a display panel align mark at a circumference of the display panel; a plurality of 3D filter including a transparent substrate, and a retarder converting a left eye image into a first polarized light and a right eye image into a second polarized light on the transparent substrate; a plurality of 3D filter align mark having a retarder pattern formed at a circumference of the 3D filter on the transparent substrate of the 3D filter, and a reflection plate formed on the retarder pattern; and a vision system taking pictures of the display panel align marks and the 3D filter align marks.
US08134775B2

An optical amplifier includes a light source that outputs light having an intensity corresponding to a supplied driving power; a modulator that modulates the light output from the light source in response to an input modulation signal; a Raman amplifier that performs Raman amplification on the light modulated by the modulator using a highly-nonlinear medium; and a driver that supplies the driving power to drive the light source and inputs the modulation signal to the modulator. The driver starts inputting the modulation signal to the modulation unit before the intensity of the light propagating through the Raman amplifier exceeds an intensity value at which stimulated Brillouin scattering occurs in the Raman amplifier.
US08134772B2

A micromirror device includes an elastic hinge for supporting a mirror on a substrate, and an address electrode for deflecting the mirror. The device further includes a protective layer and an oriented monolayer laid to cover a stopper also functioning as an address electrode provided below the mirror and between the mirror and the substrate.
US08134764B2

An image processing device includes a CSA accumulator, a first register, a CPA adder and a central processing unit. The CSA accumulator includes a first input for receiving a processing signal and a second input for receiving a previous result of the CSA accumulator. The first register includes an input coupled to the CSA accumulator and an output coupled to the second input end of the CSA accumulator. The CPA adder is coupled to the first register. The CPA adder is used for processing an addition operation on all carries outputted from the first register. The central processing unit includes an input coupled to the CPA adder and an output end for outputting an output signal comprising processed image measurement data.
US08134755B2

An image reading apparatus according to an aspect of the invention includes a first reading unit which reads a surface of a document and a second reading unit which reads the other surface of the document. The first and second reading units include off-axial imaging units respectively. The off-axial imaging unit includes plural imaging mirrors in which off-axial reflecting surfaces having curvatures are formed. In the off-axial imaging unit, an incident direction and an outgoing direction of a reference axis light beam are different from each other. The off-axial imaging units are provided such that vertical directions of the first and second reading units become identical while an incident side of the light beam is located below an outgoing side with respect to the imaging unit.
US08134751B2

Systems and methods consistent with disclosed embodiments provide for a method for previewing documents by associating one of a plurality of copy protection templates with a document; and viewing the document using one of a plurality of options associated with a user-interface by blending an image corresponding to the copy protection template with an image of at least one page in the document, wherein the options comprise: a print preview option that permits the viewing of a printed version of the document; and a copy preview option that permits the viewing of a duplicated version of the document. In some embodiments, the method may be invoked using document processing software and/or software associated with a print driver.
US08134745B2

An image processing apparatus, which includes an image processing unit to perform image processing for image data corresponding to an image to be formed on a printable medium; and a compensation unit to performs compensation processing on the image processed image data by increasing, by a compensation amount, a depth of shade of a pixel arranged in a printing direction adjacent to a solid pixel having a depth of shade greater than a predetermined value, so as to compensate for a depth deterioration of the adjacent pixel.
US08134734B2

A system and method for verifying that a document is included in a document management system is disclosed. This system and method includes radio frequency scanning at least a portion of the document, generating document data dependently upon the radio frequency scanning, comparing the generated document data to stored document data, the stored document data generated dependently upon a prior radio frequency scanning of at least a portion of the document, and outputting an indication of the document being included in the document management system as determined by the comparing.
US08134731B2

Provided is a printing device for preparing print data from image data and sequentially printing the print data, the printing device including: a print instruction receiving unit which receives a print instruction with the selection of the image data; and a print data preparing unit which, when the print instruction is received by the print instruction receiving unit with the selection of a plurality of pieces of image data including JPEG data and RAW data before a development process, performs a process of preparing the print data from the JPEG data among the plurality of pieces of selected image data prior to a process for performing the development process with respect to the RAW data and preparing the print data if at least a predetermined amount of print data in a print standby state, in which printing is not completed by the printing device, is not present, and performs the process for performing the development process with respect to the RAW data and preparing the print data prior to the process of preparing the print data from the JPEG data if the at least predetermined amount of print data in the print standby state, in which printing is not completed by the printing device, is present.
US08134726B2

A method of enabling bi-directional communication in a point and print (PnP) architecture between a printer and a client includes initiating a PnP installation to receive a printer component at the client from a printer server. The printer component is received at the client from the printer server and a spooler process is enabled on the client to load the printer components on the client. A new thread, which executes in the context of the spooler process such that the new thread inherits the system access token from the spooler process, is used to copy the printer component to the system folder on the client. From the new thread, the printer component is registered and executed from the system folder in an elevated system context.
US08134713B2

Sensor electrodes and wiring patterns can be formed with fewer processes, and easy assembly without interference between the wires and optical substrates is realized. Provided is a variable spectroscopy element (1) that includes two optical substrates (3a, 3b) that oppose each other at a distance therebetween and that include reflection films (2) on the opposing surfaces; actuators (3c) that change the distance between the optical substrates; sensors (6) having electrode portions (6a, 6b) that detect the distance between the optical substrates on the opposing surfaces; inclined surfaces (5) that are provided on at least one of the optical substrates (3a (3b)), in the outer peripheral parts of the opposing surfaces, and gradually increase the distance from the other optical substrate (3b (3a)) radially outward and in the plate-thickness direction; and connecting patterns (6e, 6f) that are provided on the inclined surfaces (5) and connect wiring patterns (6c (6d)) that connect to the electrode portions (6a (6b)) of the sensor (6) and connecting patterns (6e, (6f)) that are disposed radially outward with respect to the wiring patterns (6c, (6d)) and connect to wires (7) that output signals from the electrode portions (6a, (6b)) to external parts.
US08134712B1

An apparatus and method for estimating ore quality using color correlations is disclosed. The apparatus and method quantify ash or grade concentration in process streams arid/or samples in real time, allowing for the optimization of ore processing operations, The apparatus and method employ a light beam at a given wavelength, which allows for the measurement of ash content or grade.
US08134711B2

In one aspect, the present invention relates to a device for remote sensing of emissions of a vehicle driven on a road. In one embodiment, the device includes a source for emitting a beam of light and transmitting the emitted light through an exhaust plume emitted from the vehicle to the surface of a lane of the road on which the vehicle is driven, wherein the transmitted light is scattered at the surface of the lane; a detector for receiving at least one portion of the scattered light scattered from the surface of the lane; and a processor for processing the received light therein to provide one or more spectra of the received light so as to determine components and concentrations of the exhaust plume. The source and the detector are located in the same side of the road.
US08134709B2

In a method of aligning a substrate, a first alignment mark in a single shot region on the substrate may be identified. A second alignment mark in the single shot region may be selectively identified in accordance with the identification of the first alignment mark. The substrate may then be aligned using identified any one of the first alignment mark and the second alignment mark. Thus, although the substrate may be accurately aligned, the accurately aligned substrate may not be determined to be misaligned.
US08134707B2

A polarimetry technique for measuring optical activity that is particularly suited for high throughput screening employs a chip or substrate (22) having one or more microfluidic channels (26) formed therein. A polarized laser beam (14) is directed onto optically active samples that are disposed in the channels. The incident laser beam interacts with the optically active molecules in the sample, which slightly alter the polarization of the laser beam as it passes multiple times through the sample. Interference fringe patterns (28) are generated by the interaction of the laser beam with the sample and the channel walls. A photodetector (34) is positioned to receive the interference fringe patterns and generate an output signal that is input to a computer or other analyzer (38) for analyzing the signal and determining the rotation of plane polarized light by optically active material in the channel from polarization rotation calculations.
US08134702B1

An optical device for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy includes a substrate, and at least one antenna established thereon. The at least one antenna including at least two segments, where each segment is formed of a metal having a predetermined volume and a predetermined contact angle with respect to the substrate. A gap is located between the two segments. The gap has a controllable size such that the at least one antenna resonates at a predetermined frequency that corresponds with the gap.
US08134701B2

A defect inspecting apparatus of the invention solves a problem that in a defect inspecting apparatus, because of improving detection sensitivity of a microscopic defect by reducing a detection pixel size, a focal depth becomes shallow, a height of imaging is varied due to environmental change and the detection sensitivity of a defect becomes unstable. This apparatus comprises an XY stage, which carries a substrate to be inspected and scans in a predetermined direction, and a mechanism having a system of irradiating a defect on the inspected substrate at a slant and detecting the defect by a detection optical system disposed on the upper side, which corrects a height of imaging in real time for change in temperature and barometric pressure in order to keep the imaging in a best condition.
US08134697B2

A degradation in throughput is prevented even in cases where it is necessary to reduce a pixel size during inspection according to a finer circuit pattern. In an inspection method and an inspection apparatus in which an inspected sample having a circuit pattern is irradiated with a charged particle beam to generate a signal, an image is obtained from the signal, and in which a defect of the circuit pattern is detected from the image, the inspection is performed while an inspected pixel size in a direction in which the charged particle beam is scanned relative to the inspected sample and an inspected pixel size in a stage moving direction are separately set. The stage is moved while the inspected sample is placed thereon.
US08134694B2

Diamonds may be identified as grown by the use of chemical vapor deposition. One or more diamonds may be placed on a surface and exposed to short wavelength light. Diamonds that fluoresce red may be identified as grown by the use of chemical vapor deposition. In some embodiments, the diamonds are cooled prior to exposure to the short wavelength light.
US08134685B2

A liquid recovery system is used by an immersion exposure apparatus. The liquid recovery system comprises: a plate that has a first surface and a second surface on the side opposite the first surface; and a liquid recovery part, at least part of which opposes the second surface with a first gap interposed therebetween. The liquid recovery system recovers the liquid on a movable object that opposes the first surface of the plate via the liquid recovery part.
US08134683B2

In a lithographic projection apparatus, adjustment of the projection system, e.g. to compensate for lens heating effects, is performed by determining a region of interest for a given pattern and illumination arrangement, the region of interest being a non-circular region of a pupil plane of the projection system through which substantially all of the radiation of the modulated beam that contributes to formation of the image passes; obtaining a set of basis functions that are orthogonal over the region of interest; expressing the wavefront in the pupil plane in terms of the basis functions that are orthogonal over the region of interest and a set of coefficients; and determining a value of a control setting to minimize the values of the coefficients.
US08134669B2

Disclosed is a liquid crystal display device including a TFT substrate on which a picture element electrode is provided for each picture element, a counter substrate having a common electrode provided thereon, and a liquid crystal contained between the TFT and counter substrates, the liquid crystal display device achieving to shorten response time (rise time) by utilizing the following phenomenon that when a voltage applied to the picture element electrode changes from a first voltage (e.g., black display voltage) to a second voltage (e.g., white display voltage), transmittance increases to maximum transmittance with a change in the state of the alignment of liquid crystal molecules and then decreases to transmittance in a stable state corresponding to the second voltage.
US08134665B2

A liquid crystal display apparatus includes a first polarizer located on one side of a first substrate, a second polarizer located on the opposite side of a second substrate, a liquid crystal layer formed of liquid crystal molecules and between the first and the second substrates so that the liquid crystal molecules may be aligned in parallel to the first or the second substrate and to which an electric field is applied in parallel to the first substrate, and a lighting device. The first or the second polarizer includes a polarization layer and supporting materials located on both sides of the polarization layer, reducing light leakage and a color shift in a black display state when viewed from the oblique direction.
US08134657B2

One embodiment of the present invention is an optical component, including a first main surface and a second main surface wherein a plurality of two-dimensionally arranged first convex parts are arranged on the first main surface, each of the first convex parts being independent and an aspherical micro lens having an approximate semispherical shape or an approximate elliptic semispherical shape, or having a rounded tip, and a plurality of second convex parts of the height of which is lower than the height of the plurality of the first convex parts, the second convex parts comprising a lens extending in a one dimensional direction, the lens being arranged in one or two directions.
US08134645B2

A television system has a television viewing mode and a guide mode. The guide mode includes an electronic program guide (EPG), which provides the viewer program information for tuned programs, and a tape index guide (TIG), which provides information for programs recorded on a video cassette. In both guides, real time images of a program are displayed in a PIP window on the television screen and guide information is displayed in the background. In both guides, the viewer may switch between a currently telecast program or a recorded program. The viewer may access either guide from the television mode and vice versa. In the guide mode, the viewer may independently switch the guide information and the type of program, i.e., tuned or recorded, in the PIP window.
US08134643B2

A high quality image is achieved by reducing the occurrence of combing noise in a synthesized image having an inserted image of a different frame frequency. A feature amount of a screen produced by an input interlace-scanned video signal is extracted, a film mode on a screen-by-screen basis from the feature amount extracted is detected, the input interlace-scanned video signal to be a synthesized image is decided from a local area in the screen, and the film mode detection is controlled not to output the film mode detection result, based on the decision result.
US08134641B2

Methods and apparatuses for processing a video signal are provided, in which a video signal for an interlaced scanning mode is received that has a first field and a second field. Further, a determination is performed as to whether the first field and the second field are inverted with respect to each other, and the first field and the second field are recovered if the first field and the second field are determined to be inverted with respect to each other. Thus, a video signal can be generated for a progressive scanning mode on the basis of the recovered first and second fields. Thus, an odd field can be correctly distinguished from an even field, which are included in a video signal for an interlaced scanning mode.
US08134638B2

A display including a first housing, a display panel and an image capturing module is provided. The first housing has a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface. The display panel is disposed on the first surface. The image capturing module includes a second housing and an image capturing unit. The second housing is mounted on the first housing. The second housing has an opening, which passes through the first surface and the second surface. The two ends of the image capturing unit are respectively pivotally connected to the innerwall of the opening so that the image capturing module is rotatably disposed on the display.
US08134635B2

An image capturing apparatus includes an optical system which forms an image of a subject. An image sensor converts the image formed by the optical system into a video signal. A focus operating unit changes the focusing status produced by the optical system according to a manual operation. An autofocus unit adjusts the focus of the optical system so as to be able to obtain the best in-focus condition according to the video signal from the image sensor. The autofocus unit is adapted to adjust the focus of the optical system within the focusing range determined according to a characteristic of the optical system after a change of the focusing status by the focus operating unit.
US08134630B2

One or more charge storage regions in a charge-coupled device (CCD) shift register can contain residual charge that did not transfer to a reset drain during a reset operation. An image sensor drains the residual charge from each charge storage region by shifting the residual charge to an adjacent charge storage region and resetting the CCD shift register one more time. The process of resetting the CCD shift register, shifting the residual non-image charge to an adjacent charge storage region, and resetting the CCD shift register again can be repeated any number of times.
US08134623B2

An image sensor has a per-column ADC arrangement including first and second capacitors for correlated double sampling, and a comparator circuit. The capacitors are continuously connected to, respectively, the analog pixel signal and a ramp signal without use of a hold operation. The comparator circuit comprises a differential amplifier having one input connected to the junction of the two capacitors and another input connected to a reference signal. The reference signal is preferably sampled and held from a reference voltage. The use of a differential amplifier as first stage of the comparator addresses problems arising from ground voltage bounce when a large pixel array images a scene with low contrast.
US08134619B2

An image sensor and method for column noise reduction may reduce decrease the visibility of fixed pattern noise. The image sensor may include an analog processing circuit and a digital processing circuit. The analog processing circuit may be configured to selectively permutate columns of pixel data based on a permutation signal, each column of pixel data including pixel data associated with at least one pixel in a pixel array. The digital processing circuit may be configured to convert the permutated pixel data into digital data and selectively re-order the columns of pixel data based on the permutation signal. The method for capturing an image may include selectively permutating columns of analog pixel data based on a permutation signal, converting the permutated analog pixel data into the digital domain and selectively re-ordering columns of the digital permutated pixel data based on the permutation signal.
US08134613B2

The present invention particularly relates to an image processing apparatus in which motion blur contained in a blurred image can be eliminated. An area specifying unit 103 specifies a non-mixed area formed of a foreground area consisting of foreground object components which form a foreground object and a background area consisting of background object components which form a background object, or a mixed area in which the foreground object components and the background object components are mixed. A separating/blur-eliminating unit 1503 simultaneously performs processing for separating the foreground object components and the background object components from the pixel data of the mixed area and processing for eliminating motion blur from the separated foreground object components based on a result obtained by specifying the area. The present invention is applicable to an image processing apparatus in which a difference between a signal detected by an image-capturing device and the real world is considered.
US08134611B2

A correction signal capturing section of a skin color correction processing section of an image processor captures WB-corrected R1G1B1 signal values, a WB inverse correction section performs inverse correction, a YCbCr conversion section converts obtained R2G2B2 signal values into Y1Cb1Cr1 signal values. A skin color pixel region detection section detects pixels corresponding to skin color pixel regions, a skin color correction section performs skin color correction to the Y1Cb1Cr1 signal values and obtains Y2Cb2Cr2 signal values, and a RGB conversion section converts the obtained Y2Cb2Cr2 signal values into R3G3B3 signal values. A WB correction section performs WB correction to the R3G3B3 signal values and obtains R4G4B4 signal values. An output section outputs the image signals of the image reconstructed by applying said R4G4B4 signal values to the skin color pixel regions and by applying said R1G1B1 signal values to the pixel regions other than the skin color pixel regions.
US08134610B2

An image capturing apparatus includes an optical system that forms an image of light and a gradation processing section that converts gradation of a captured image captured through the optical system in accordance with a spatial frequency transfer characteristic of the optical system. The image capturing apparatus may further include a light receiving section that receives light from a subject through the optical system, and the gradation processing section may convert gradation of a captured image obtained by light received by the light receiving section in accordance with a spatial frequency transfer characteristic at the position at which the light receiving section is provided.
US08134607B2

A recording apparatus of the present invention includes a recording unit for recording in a recording medium, motion image data in accordance with a predetermined movie recording method and recording still image data in accordance with a still image recording method different from the movie recording method, a conversion motion image generation unit for generating conversion motion image data in accordance with the movie recording method with use of the still image data recorded in the recording medium, and a sub-information generation unit for generating sub-information data related to the still image data that is used for the conversion motion image data generated by the conversion motion image generation unit, in which the recording unit records the conversion motion image data and the sub-information data in the recording medium in accordance with the movie recording method in a multiplexing manner.
US08134605B2

In order that a digital video (DV) camera function as a WWW server in a network, an image capturing section captures an image of a subject. A DV encoder encodes an image signal input from the image capturing section. A recording and playback section plays back DV data recorded in a DV cassette tape. An IP packet assembling/disassembling section assembles a DV signal input from the DV encoder, a DV signal input from the recording and playback section, or an HTML file input from a WWW server processing section into IP packets, and outputs them to an IEEE 1394 interface. The IEEE 1394 interface transmits, via the network, the IP packets input from the IP packet assembling/disassembling section to a personal computer which accessed the DV camera.
US08134604B2

Movement of an imaging device is detected using a camera shake detection sensor or a motion vector obtained from an image signal, and camera shake correction is performed by shifting an extraction frame (valid photographing region) within a photographable maximum region based on the motion detection result. When movement of the imaging device is causing a face region located at the edge of the extraction frame to move towards out of the frame, it is determined that the movement is due to camera shake, and the extraction frame is moved so that the face region can stay within the frame. Meanwhile, when movement of the imaging device is causing the face region to move inward within the frame, it is determined that the movement is due to a pan or tilt operation, and position control is performed so that the deliberate movement is not inhibited.
US08134602B2

In a first operational amplifier, an input signal is input to the negative input terminal, a reference voltage is input to the positive input terminal, a feedback path from the output terminal to the negative input terminal is formed, and the input signal is amplified by a predetermined amplification factor. In a second operational amplifier, an output from the first operational amplifier is input to the positive input terminal, the reference voltage is input to the negative input terminal, and a pair of outputs having opposite polarities to each other and used for performing BTL drive of a load are obtained at the output terminal. Using the above arrangement, a low-frequency signal can be amplified.
US08134586B2

A beam light scanning apparatus capable of reducing influences of variations in characteristics of circuits disposed in a signal path extending until a laser driver and speeding up image data transfer for scan and exposure. Data of each line is distributed by an image data I/F into data trains of two channels, i.e., an odd-numbered pixel train and an even-numbered pixel train. The data in the two-channel trains are written by writing units into a plurality of memories in parallel for each of the trains in response to a line sync signal. During the same processing cycle as that for the writing, the data are read out of the memories in parallel by reading units. The data of two channels are combined by a multiplexer into a data train in the original order of pixels in each line, and a driving signal based on the combined data is generated by a PWM. A laser is driven by the driving signal.
US08134584B2

Disclosed are an image forming apparatus capable of, and method of, improving color registration. The image forming apparatus can employ a beam deflector having a double-sided mirror portion that pivots to bi-directionally scan multiple light beams on multiple photosensitive media at different phases by using both mirror sides of the double-sided mirror portion. The individual monochromic images developed on the photosensitive media are transferred onto a transfer medium to overlap one another in phase to form a full color image.
US08134581B2

The present invention relates to a bistable matrix-addressable display element comprising a substrate, a bistable electrically modulated imaging layer having a reflection maximum, at least one conductor, and at least one field-spreading layer between said bistable electrically modulated imaging layer and said at least one conductor, wherein said field-spreading layer has a sheet resistance (SER) of less than 109 Ohms per square and a method of imaging the display comprising identifying an area to be updated of said bistable matrix-addressable display element, wherein said area to be updated comprises rows of pixels; and applying a sequence of drive signals having a 4-phase approach to image said bistable matrix-addressable display element, which may be characterized as a planar reset, left-slope selection method.
US08134568B1

A system and method for representing multiple prefetchable memory resources, such as frame buffers coupled to graphics devices, as a unified prefetchable memory space for access by a software application. A graphics surface may be processed by multiple graphics devices, with portions of the surface residing in separate frame buffers, each frame buffer coupled to one of the multiple graphics devices. One or more redirection regions may be specified within the unified prefetchable memory space. Accesses within a redirection region are transmitted to a prefetchable memory of a single graphics device. Accesses within the unified prefetchable memory space, but outside of any redirection region may be broadcast to all of the prefetchable memories of the multiple graphics devices.
US08134564B2

A portable computer including a display unit, and a video processor generating and supplying a first video signal to the display unit, includes a video adaptor outputting the first video signal to the outside, and receiving a second video signal from an external input source, and a control unit for supplying the second video signal to the display unit when the external input source is connected to the video adaptor. Thus, the present invention provides a portable computer and a control method, which can receive a video signal from an external input source through one existing output port for outputting a video signal without adding a separate input port.
US08134560B2

A method for avatar wandering in a computer based interactive environment including for each avatar within a range of a current avatar, obtaining profiles of a user represented by the avatar, for each profile of the user represented by the avatar that has a same profile type as a profile of a user represented by the current avatar, comparing the profiles for matching data, computing a match score for the avatar based on the matching data, and moving the current avatar toward the avatar that has a greatest match score.
US08134557B2

The present invention provides an image processing apparatus including: a production section configured to determine polygon groups each composed of a predetermined number of polygons juxtaposed in a first direction successively as an object block, which is an object of a production process, in an order in which the polygon groups are juxtaposed in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction and produce apex data of the polygons which compose the object block in a unit of a polygon; and a determination section configured to store image data corresponding to those polygons which are positioned in a boundary portion of an immediately preceding block, which is a preceding object block to the object block, with respect to the object block from among those polygons which compose the immediately preceding block into a storage section for storing the pixel data in a unit of a data block to determine the number of the polygons which compose the polygon groups and are juxtaposed in the first direction.
US08134555B2

An apparatus for generating a surface normal map of an object may include a plurality of light sources having intensities that are controllable so as to generate one or more gradient illumination patterns. The light sources are configured and arranged to illuminate the surface of the object with the gradient illumination patterns. A camera may receive light reflected from the illuminated surface of the object, and generate data representative of the reflected light. A processing system may process the data so as to estimate the surface normal map of the surface of the object. A specular normal map and a diffuse normal map of the surface of the object may be generated separately, by placing polarizers on the light sources and in front of the camera so as to illuminate the surface of the object with polarized spherical gradient illumination patterns.
US08134549B2

An image processing apparatus and a method to reduce power consumption of a self-luminous display. The image processing apparatus includes a parameter selection unit to select a parameter to adjust a degree to which power consumption is reduced; a scale factor setting unit to extract a high-frequency component of a current pixel in an input image and to set a scale factor according to the selected parameter and a size of the extracted high-frequency component; and a multiplier to multiply the current pixel by the set scale factor and to output a result of the multiplication.
US08134547B2

What is disclosed is a system and method for merit-based gamut mapping. In one embodiment, color points are clustered in regions of interest within a color space. Each cluster is associated with a gamut mapping function and a merit function. Mapping parameters of each gamut mapping function are iteratively varied to optimize the values based on the merit function value. An optimized gamut mapping function results. Optimized gamut mapping functions of adjacent clusters are blended together by blending the value of the gamut mapping function for a point of a cluster with a value produced by the gamut mapping function of an adjacent cluster for that color point. The composite gamut mapping function contains the optimized gamut mapping functions of all clusters is then output for use in mapping points within those clusters to points within the target gamut. The composite gamut mapping function exploits local advantages of each cluster.
US08134546B2

In order to keep the luminance of a light emitting element constant, the correction is performed by an external device such as a computer, in which case a display device is inevitably complicated and increased in size. Even when degradation characteristics of the light emitting element are previously stored in a computer, the degradation characteristics vary at random depending on hysteresis of the light emitting element; therefore, changes in luminance cannot be corrected. According to the invention, a display device includes a displaying light emitting element provided in a display portion and a plurality of monitoring light emitting elements having the similar characteristics as the displaying light emitting element. At least one of the monitoring light emitting elements is operated under a condition different from the displaying light emitting element, and the ratio of the total amount of charge flowing through the displaying light emitting element to that flowing through the monitoring light emitting element is controlled to satisfy a certain relation in view of luminance degradation. When the one monitoring light emitting element reaches a predetermined voltage or time, the connection is switched from the one monitoring light emitting element to another monitoring light emitting element that has been operated under the same condition as the displaying light emitting element.
US08134539B2

A digital picture frame includes a near-touch user interface component that senses when an object is within a predetermined spatial region of the digital picture frame; a true-touch user interface component that senses physical contact with the digital picture frame; and a processor that receives input signals from the near-touch user interface component and the true-touch user interface component and executes device controls based on inputs from both user interface components.
US08134537B2

A touch display panel including a first substrate, a second substrate and a liquid crystal layer is provided. The first substrate includes sensing areas and a non-sensing area outside the sensing areas. Each sensing area is provided with a first electrode thereon. The second substrate includes main spacers, sensing protrusions, first sub-spacers and second sub-spacers. The main spacers are connected to the non-sensing area. The sensing protrusions are corresponding to the sensing area and respectively have a second electrode. A sensing gap exists between each second electrode and the corresponding first electrode. The first sub-spacers are corresponding to the non-sensing area and respectively keep a first sub-spacer gap from the first substrate. The second sub-spacers are corresponding to the non-sensing area and respectively keep a second sub-spacer gap from the first substrate. The sensing gap is greater than the first sub-spacer gap and less than the second sub-spacer gap.
US08134530B2

To change a proportion of a black image display period based on an image brightness in one frame, improving a moving image performance while suppressing a reduction in luminance. A method of driving a liquid crystal display device which includes a liquid crystal display panel having plural pixels, and displays a black image after displaying a video in each pixel, includes: when taking a period for which the video is displayed as a video display period, and a period for which the black image is displayed as a black image display period, based on an image brightness in one frame, changing a ratio of the black image display period to the video display period.
US08134525B2

A drive circuit includes a drive unit coupling with data lines for receiving at least one clock signal and a first enable signal to generate a drive signal to drive data lines, and a delay unit electrically coupled with the drive unit for receiving the clock signal and the first enable signal and generating a second enable signal falling subsequent to the first enable signal in a predetermined time interval.
US08134523B2

An active matrix display device stores a transistor drive voltage on a storage capacitor (24; Cs). A light-dependent device (27) effects discharge of the storage capacitor in dependence on the light output of the light emitting display element (2). Power is provided to each pixel from a first power line (26), and one of the light dependent device and the storage capacitor is coupled to a second power supply line (50), to which a varying voltage is provided during a pixel illumination period. By varying the voltage on one of the power supply lines, the discharge characteristics of the capacitor by the optical feedback system are altered to provide compensation for the light-dependent device leakage currents.
US08134522B2

An LED driving circuit includes: a current generating circuit configured to generate a drive current corresponding to a voltage level of a drive voltage applied to anodes of the first to fourth LEDs so as to alternately drive the first and second LEDs and the third and fourth LEDs; a first drive control circuit connected to cathodes of the first and third LEDs, and configured to drive the first or third LED with the drive current in response to a first control signal for controlling driving of the first or third LED; and a second drive control circuit connected to cathodes of the second and fourth LEDs, and configured to drive the second or fourth LED with the drive current in response to a second control signal for controlling driving of the second or fourth LED.
US08134516B1

An electrically small supergain endfire transmitting and receiving array antenna comprising at least one first resonant element with a first input terminal. The first resonant element driven by a power supply voltage supplied at the first input terminal. The electrically small supergain endfire transmitting and receiving array antenna further includes at least one second resonant parasitic element with a second input terminal. The second input terminal shorted and the second resonant element spaced less than about 0.25λ from the first resonant element at any corresponding point. The antenna has a gain of at least 6 db and ka<1.0.
US08134515B2

An array of feedhorns feeds detected radiation through waveguides to diode-based mixers to produce modulated intermediate frequency (“IF”) signals. The mixers and waveguides are accommodated on a substrate surface and multiple substrates can be layered up to support a two-dimensional array of waveguide openings in a face of a waveguide/mixer block. A feedhorn block is brought into register with this face so that each waveguide opening connects with a feedhorn. An end portion of each feedhorn is drilled into the opening of a respective waveguide. The main feedhorn block and the waveguide/mixer block are then assembled into registration. This method of construction avoids transverse interfaces in the walls of the feedhorns or waveguides just at the point where the transition is made from one to another.
US08134512B1

Methods, apparatuses and systems for aligning an antenna reflector with satellites in a satellite configuration. A method in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention comprises aligning the reflector in tilt based on a geographic location of the reflector, passing the reflector through an azimuth arc wherein the azimuth arc intercepts at least a first point and a second point, the first point having a first signal strength received from the satellite configuration on the azimuth arc and the second point having a second signal strength less than the first signal strength, the second point located on the azimuth arc after the first point, passing the reflector through an elevation arc, the elevation arc intercepting at least the second point and a third point, the third point having a third signal strength received from the satellite configuration on the elevation arc, determining an alignment point having a maximum signal strength received from the satellite configuration based on a Gaussian antenna pattern of a reception of the satellite signal and the first signal strength, the second signal strength, and the third signal strength, and aligning the reflector with the alignment point.
US08134511B2

A phased array antenna device is described. The phased array antenna device includes at least one one-dimensional phased array of radiating elements arranged along an array direction, a lens, and a phase control element. The lens is arranged such that divergent beams from the radiating elements are collimated by the lens in a direction orthogonal to the array direction to produce a beam. The phase control element is configured to apply a linear phase gradient to the radiating elements thereby providing one-dimensional electronic beam steering for the antenna device. The antenna device may additionally include one or two mechanical positioners to mechanically move the at least one one-dimensional phased array in directions orthogonal to the array direction, where the phased array enables scanning along the array direction.
US08134499B2

An Ultra-Tightly Coupled GPS-inertial navigation system for use in a moving agile platform includes a range residual extractor that uses best curve fitting of a third order polynomial for estimating range residual. The curve-fitted residual is used to update an error Kalman filter. The error Kalman filter includes correction for navigation solution, and IMU and GPS parameters. The navigation solution together with GPS parameter corrections are used in a Tracking Predictor to generate high-sampling-rate carrier and code replicas. The curve-fitting error covariance indicates signal to noise ratio for the tracked GPS signal and may be used for early indication of interference or jamming.
US08134490B2

A continually adapted pulse-to-pulse shift, performed in the azimuth direction, of the phase center which is electrically active on the side of the transmitting antenna (Tx; Tx1, Tx2, Tx3), in connection with the SAR antenna control of a multi-aperture SAR system is designed such that, in the case of an existing pulse repetition frequency (PRF) due to the likewise shifted position of the effective phase center of the entire antenna (Tx; Tx1, Tx2, Tx3; Rx; Rx1, Rx2, Rx3), a compensation or complete correction of non-equidistant scanning in the azimuth direction is achieved. The principle of the pulse-to-pulse shift of the position of the effective phase center of the antenna for achieving the best possible equidistant scanning can be expanded to the side of the receiving antenna (Rx; Rx1, Rx2, Rx3) and to multi-aperture antennas. The technological solution proposed by the invention can be advantageously combined with a subsequent digital beam formation on the receiving antenna side.
US08134489B2

A method for monitoring an area that involves transmitting a first electromagnetic wave signal from a mobile platform moving over a ground surface, toward the ground surface. A receiver is used that is located remote from the mobile platform to receive the first electromagnetic wave signal after the signal is reflected from the ground surface. The first electromagnetic wave signal is processed to form a first synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image. Subsequently the receiver is used to receive a second electromagnetic wave signal transmitted from the mobile platform at a time subsequent to transmission of the first electromagnetic wave signal. The second electromagnetic wave signal is then processed to obtain a second SAR image. The first and second SAR images are then coherently analyzed to determine areas of non-correlation between the images.
US08134481B2

A system and method are provided for receiving navigational data via a wireless messaging service on a navigation system. The system and method provide a way to send requests for destination information via the wireless messaging service and capture navigational data from the responsive message received, such as addresses, telephone numbers, or email addresses, and then utilize that data for navigational routing, generation of telephone calls, emailing and the like, from the vehicle's navigation system. The system and method further sends location-related reply messages and preset reply messages to an originator of a received message. A wireless device can be paired with the navigation system over a Bluetooth® communication link, wherein the navigation system periodically polls the wireless device for newly received messages. In one embodiment, the NAVI displays icons on a map that correspond to the extracted addresses from the messages received in relation to the vehicle's current location.
US08134477B2

A logging tool has three seismic sensors that generate seismic signals in response to microseismic events and can be a Triaxial Borehole Seismic system. The tool also has additional sensors, such as a wireline tension measuring circuit, a gamma ray sensor, an inclinometer, and a gyroscope. The tool deploys downhole with a multi-conductor (i.e., seven conductor) wireline. For the seismic signals, a telemetry unit on the tool derives frequency-modulated carrier signals from the seismic signals, and a transformer of the unit transmits these carrier signals to surface acquisition equipment using cross-wired pairs of conductors in the wireline connected to the transformer's terminals. For the signals from the other sensors, the telemetry unit derives analog carrier signals from their signals and transmits the analog carrier signals to the surface acquisition equipment using remaining conductors of the wireline.
US08134472B2

Methods and systems for monitoring a component of an electrical device and/or a brush of a brush holder assembly are provided. One method includes receiving data from a plurality of remote monitoring locations at a central control unit, where the data may be evaluated in order to monitor states of brushes or other components of an electrical device at a plurality of remote electrical facilities. For example, multiple images of a component of an electrical device may be acquired. A comparison of the images, for example, a comparative imaging technique, such as pixel-by-pixel comparison or visual observation, may then be performed in order to evaluate a condition of the brush or other component, such as a threshold and/or anomalous condition of the brush or other component.
US08134464B2

An EAS/expulsion detrimental substance tag (101) in which the tag is held to an article by an attaching assembly, a part of which may be releasably prevented from being withdrawn from the body of the tag. The tag body may be provided with one or more sensors, that are disposed in the body. The sensors are positioned adjacent the detrimental substance. The Benefit Denial (Ink portion) of this tag may feature an ink vial. When the tag and its ink vial are attacked, the tag will expel the detrimental substance out and onto the article being protected.
US08134460B2

A relative positioning system and method has an adjoining pair of spaced apart receivers positioned proximal to an object causing a signal interference with a radio frequency signal detectable by each receiver of the adjoining pair. The radio frequency signal is associated with an emitter. Control electronics operatively couple the spaced apart receivers. The control electronics are configured to determine a direction of the emitter based on the signal interference. In an embodiment of the system and method the emitter is associated with an object of interest, the signal encodes information relating to the identity and status of the object, and information and heading of the object are cutaneously communicated to an operator by an article worn by the operator.
US08134458B2

A communication apparatus (1) for communicating over an electrical power cable (3). The communication apparatus (1) comprises a transmitter circuit (5) adapted to transmit a communication signal; and a receiver circuit (6) adapted to receive a communication signal from another communication apparatus (1). The communication apparatus (1) is adapted to transmit and receive communication signals over the power cable (3) both when said power cable (3) is conducting electricity and when said power cable (3) is not conducting electricity.
US08134454B2

The present invention supports the remote control of a controlled device. A hybrid device receives a control signal over an infrared communications channel or a wireless networking channel. The hybrid device can replace an IR receiver module in the controlled device in order to provide backward compatibility as well as provide universal operation with a wireless networking controller. The hybrid device processes a signal received over one of the communications channels. When a signal is received over the infrared communications channel, the processor converts the signal to an output code that is sent to a device controller. When a signal is received over the wireless networking communications channel, the processor converts the signal to a wireless command, converts the wireless command to an output code, and sends the output code to the device controller. All output codes are transparent for the two communications channels.
US08134453B2

An RF communications system including a controlled apparatus configured to receive a RF signal transmitted from a remote control transmitter on a channel that the controlled apparatus can receive, without providing a response signal to the remote control transmitter. The RF transmitting circuit unit of the remote control transmitter transmits RF signals on all of a number of selected transmission channels in a wireless frequency band, while the RF receiving circuit unit of the controlled apparatus stands by to receive an RF signal on a channel of the selected channels that has a relatively low electric field intensity.
US08134452B2

Methods and systems of receiving data payload of RFID tags. At least some of the illustrative embodiments are methods comprising selecting (by each of a plurality of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags) a time window within which to transmit (the selecting to create respective time windows), sending a start signal from a RFID reader to the plurality of RFID tags (the start signal indicative of the start of a first time window), and transmitting a signal by each of the plurality of RFID tags in the respective time windows.
US08134450B2

Methods and systems that provide content to subscribers via wireless transmission by initiating a page that does not automatically provide associated content. The content provider conserves air time by not automatically transmitting the content. The information content may be of different types, such as voice, text, audio, or even video, and may be dynamic. In addition to the aforementioned, the content provider may provide to subscribers via wireless transmission songs or video clips or updates on weather or stock rates.
US08134433B2

Main coils, counteracting coils and correction coils, each forming superconducting coil, are enclosed in two cooling medium chamber facing to each other and an imaging region is formed between the two cooling medium chamber positioned in each vacuum chamber, the main coils being divided into two pieces to reduce the current density and the maximum experience magnetic filed and compression stress.
US08134421B2

A voltage control oscillator includes: first and second field effect transistors, a drain of one of which is connected to a gate of the other and a drain of the other of which is connected to a gate of the one; third and fourth field effect transistors, a drain of one of which is connected to a gate of the other and a drain of the other of which is connected to a gate of the one; a first inductor connected between the drain of the first field effect transistor and the drain of the second field effect transistor; a second inductor connected between the drain of the third field effect transistor and the drain of the fourth field effect transistor; a third inductor magnetically coupled to the first inductor; a fourth inductor magnetically coupled to the second inductor; a first capacitor that capacitively couples one end of the third inductor and one end of the fourth inductor; and a second capacitor that capacitively couples the other end of the third inductor and the other end of the fourth inductor.
US08134419B2

A high-frequency generator circuit comprises a signal generating circuit, a delay unit, a selector, a synthesizer circuit, and a controller. The signal generating circuit generates a signal having the same frequency as an output signal. The delay unit includes a plurality of delay circuits, and delays the signal generated by the signal generating circuit. The selector selects an output signal of the delay circuits. The synthesizer circuit synthesizes the signal selected by the selector, and outputs the output signal. The controller controls the selector based on data for setting a waveform of the output signal and a control signal for setting at least amplitude, phase and frequency of the output signal.
US08134417B2

A circuit and method for calibrating a VCO (voltage controlled oscillator) is disclosed. In one embodiment, a circuit includes a VCO and a bias control circuit coupled to a tail node of the VCO. An amplitude control unit may also be coupled to the tail node, wherein the amplitude control unit is configured to determine the amplitude of a VCO output signal based on a voltage present on the tail node. The amplitude control unit may also be configured to generate a bias voltage based on the amplitude of the VCO output signal and a target voltage. The bias control circuit may be coupled to receive the bias voltage from the amplitude control unit and may be further configured to adjust the voltage on the tail node based on the received bias voltage.
US08134416B2

A driving circuit of a surface wave resonator (X1) is described; the resonator comprises a static capacitor (Co) and the driving circuit is adapted to supply a voltage (Vx) to the resonator. The driving circuit comprises reactive means (L3) adapted to resonate in combination with said static capacitor (Co) of the resonator at a predetermined frequency (Fo) in the initial driving period of the resonator at said voltage; the driving circuit comprises passive means (R3) adapted to determine oscillations at said predetermined frequency (Fo).
US08134410B1

Transceivers with multiple gain stages that include open loop and closed loop amplifiers are subject to differential non-linearity (DNL) errors in their total gain versus gain index curve due to the gain step variability of the open loop amplifiers. The initial and time varying DNL can be reduced by a control loop that uses the relative gain step precision of the closed loop amplifiers and of passive attenuators to establish a control loop to reduce the DNL of the total gain.
US08134405B2

A semiconductor device includes a power-supply control portion and a latch portion. The power-supply control portion supplies power to an internal circuit in response to an input signal synchronized with rising of clock. The latch portion latches the input signal in synchronization with falling of the clock and supplies the latched input signal to the internal circuit.
US08134404B2

A semiconductor device, has a main transistor that is a first-conductivity-type MOS transistor and has the drain connected to a first potential; a first switch circuit that is connected between the source of said main transistor and a second potential; a dummy transistor that is a first-conductivity-type MOS transistor whose source serves also as the source of said main transistor; and a second switch circuit that is connected between the drain of said dummy transistor and said first potential or said second potential.
US08134399B2

A fast current generating element in a current generating unit, used by the present invention, provides a large current for accelerating the switching of transistor switches when the transistor switches are switched. The fast current generating element includes a capacitor to provide a large differential current when a voltage level transiently changes during the switching of the transistor switches. Therefore, a transient response time of a signal transformer is shortened.
US08134395B2

A digital latch circuit substantially reduces leakage current in output stages of edge-triggered digital switching devices. The circuit comprises first and second NAND gates for receiving first and second input signals and providing first and second output signals. The first NAND gate includes a first A input for receiving the first input signal, a first B input connected to a second NAND gate output, a first leakage current control input connected to a second A input of the second NAND gate, and a first NAND gate output for providing the first output signal. The second NAND gate includes the second A input for receiving the second input signal, a second B input connected to the first NAND gate output, a second leakage current control input connected to the first A input of the first NAND gate, and the second NAND gate output for providing the second output signal. The leakage current through the first NAND gate is substantially reduced based on application of the second input signal to the first leakage current control input. Similarly, the leakage current through the second NAND gate is substantially reduced based on application of the first input signal to the second leakage current control input. This circuit may comprise a set-reset latch in an output stage of an edge-triggered sequential switching device, such as a D flip-flop or a JK master-slave flip-flop.
US08134393B1

A frequency synthesizer that utilizes locked loop circuitry, for example delay locked loop and/or phase locked loop circuits is provided with a means for minimizing static phase/delay errors. An auto-tuning circuit and technique provide a measurement of static phase error by integrating the static phase error in the DLL/PLL circuit. A correction value is determined and applied as a current at the charge pump or as a time/phase offset at the phase detector to minimize static phase error. During normal operation the DLL/PLL is operated with the correction value resulting in substantially reduced spur levels and/or improved settling time.
US08134390B2

An integrated circuit (IC) type voltage signal converter is provided for integrating with other ICs. The signal converter includes a first chopper circuit module, a second chopper circuit module, a full wave combining module, and a zero point detecting circuit module. Each of the circuit modules may be formed by an IC module. The first and second chopper circuit modules are composed of differential operational amplifiers for converting a high voltage signal into first and second low voltage half wave signals. The full wave combining module combines the first and second low voltage half wave signals to obtain a full wave signal. The zero point detecting circuit module converts the first and second low voltage half wave signals into a square wave having the same frequency of the high voltage signal.
US08134385B2

Current-mode transmission is implemented in a cascode amplifier by splitting a cascode circuit into a front end and a back end to ensure wideband current-mode transmission of an audio signal. A transmission cable is located between the high impedance output of the first end and the low impedance input of the back end. The front end includes a first amplifying device, and the back end includes a second amplifying device. The front end is phantom powered by the back end using the same electrical conductors that carry the current-mode signal over the transmission cable.
US08134379B2

A probe wafer electrically connected to a semiconductor wafer on which a plurality of semiconductor chips are formed includes: a wafer substrate for pitch conversion including a wafer connection surface and an apparatus connection surface opposing the wafer connection surface; a plurality of wafer connection terminals formed on the wafer connection surface of the wafer substrate for pitch conversion, at least one wafer connection terminal provided for each of the semiconductor chips and electrically connected to an input/output terminal of the corresponding semiconductor chip; a plurality of apparatus connection terminals formed on the apparatus connection surface of the wafer substrate in one-to-one relation with the plurality of wafer connection terminals at an interval different from an interval of the wafer connection terminals, to be electrically connected to an external apparatus; and a plurality of transfer paths, each electrically connecting a corresponding wafer connection terminal to an apparatus connection terminal.
US08134370B2

A semiconductor device controls an electrostatic actuator having first and second electrodes. A voltage generation unit generates different types of voltages applied to the first and second electrodes. A control unit controls voltages generated by the voltage generation unit to be applied to the first and second electrodes. A capacitance detection unit detects a voltage of the first or second electrode to detect a capacitance between the first and second electrodes. The control unit applies a first voltage between the first and second electrodes and then a second voltage smaller than the first voltage between the first and second electrodes. Thereafter, the control unit switches one of the first electrode or the second electrode to a high impedance state and then changes a voltage applied to the other. The capacitance detection unit detects the amount of change in voltage of the first or second electrode to detect a capacitance between the first and second electrodes.
US08134369B2

A method of testing the electric field recording of a marine electromagnetic sensor cable including electrodes is provided. The method includes causing current to flow between a pair of first electrodes disposed along the marine electromagnetic sensor cable. The flow of current generates a voltage that is impressed on a pair of second electrodes disposed along the marine electromagnetic sensor cable. A potential difference between the pair of second electrodes is measured. Accuracy of the electric field recording is inferred from the measured potential difference.
US08134356B2

In one embodiment, an integrated circuit comprises at least one measurement unit configured to generate an output indicative of a supply voltage at which the integrated circuit is operable for a given operating frequency and a control unit coupled to receive the output. The control unit is configured to generate a voltage control output indicative of a requested supply voltage for the integrated circuit responsive to the output. The voltage control output may be output from the integrated circuit for use by circuitry external to the integrated circuit in generating the supply voltage for the integrated circuit.
US08134352B2

A switched mode power supply assembly (1) is described, comprising at least two switched mode power supply units (10i) coupled to each other in parallel; each power supply unit (10i) having an output stage (50i, 60i) capable of selectively operating in a first mode wherein its output signal (IOUT,I) is increasing and operating in a second mode wherein its output signal (IOUT,i) is decreasing; a control device (100) receiving mode switch control signals from all power supply units (10i); wherein the control device (100), if it finds that the actual phase relationship between two power supply units deviates from an optimal phase relationship, is designed to generate synchronising control signals for at least one power supply unit (102), effectively changing the timing of at least one mode switch moment, such that the deviation between the actual phase relationship and said optimal phase relationship is reduced.
US08134350B2

A device for precharging a voltage converter is provided with a precharging unit, capable of assuming a closed state, as well as with a control unit for the precharging unit, the precharging unit being capable of operating according to a precharging state limiting the value of the precharging current passing through it, the control unit being capable of commanding the operation of the precharging unit according to the precharging state and, once the precharging has been completed, of commanding the precharging unit to change over from the precharging state to the closed state. The assembly has a chopping voltage converter and such a device disposed at the input of the converter. The aircraft is equipped with such a device or with such an assembly.
US08134337B2

An electric storage device is disclosed, this device can balance voltages across each one of energy storage devices with each other in a short time even if the voltages disperse in a wide range, and also it can reduce needless power consumption. This device includes the energy storage devices and an equalizing voltage circuit coupled in parallel with the energy storage devices. The equalizing voltage circuit includes a balancing resistor, a balancing switch coupled between respective energy storage devices and respective balancing resistors, a discharging resistor coupled in parallel with the respective energy storage devices and having a smaller resistance value than the balancing resistor, and a discharging switch coupled between the respective energy storage devices and the respective discharging resistors. All the balancing switches and all the discharging switches are turned on during the charge to the energy storage devices, and after the voltages across the respective energy storage devices can be balanced with each other, all the discharging switches alone are turned off.
US08134324B2

A parallel mechanism includes a base portion, a bracket to which an end effecter is attached, a plurality of actuators attached to the base portion, a plurality of arms through which the plurality of actuators and the bracket are coupled together in parallel, and a control device arranged to control the actuators. When the end effecter in a stopped state is moved to a target position, the control device is arranged to control the actuators so that a level of acceleration at which the end effecter is accelerated is higher than a level of deceleration at which the end effecter is decelerated.
US08134322B2

In an automatic transmission position control by a motor, it is determined whether the present instant belongs to a starting period, that is, the present instant is immediately after resetting of a control unit or application of power to it. If it is the starting period, an actual shift position that is detected from an output of an output shaft sensor for detecting a rotation position of a motor is set as an instructed shift position. With this measure, even if the control unit is reset for a certain reason while the vehicle is running, the instructed shift position is not changed in association with the resetting. This prevents trouble that the shift position is switched contrary to the intention of the driver, whereby the reliability of a position switching control can be increased.
US08134313B2

Disclosed is a device for moving and/or opening and closing at least one drawer, flap, door, or similar. The device comprises at least one-drive unit (9) that is effectively connected to the drawer, flap, door, or similar, at least one control and regulation unit (1) for the at least one drive unit (9), and at least one sensor unit (2) for detecting the direction of rotation and/or the number of rotations of the drive shaft of the drive unit (9), the number and/or the direction of rotation being fed to the control and regulation unit (1). A timer (5) is provided that starts a given interval when rotations of the drive shaft are detected which are not generated by the drive unit (9) while at least one comparing unit (3,4) is provided in which a lower threshold value can be stored for the rotations or partial rotations of the drive shaft detected by the sensor unit (2) within the given interval. The drive unit (9) can be activated so as to open or close the at least one drawer, flap, door, or similar when the lower threshold is exceeded.
US08134310B2

Disclosed is a lighting system supporting multiple independently controlled zones utilizing a plurality of semiconductor switches coupled to a plurality of transformers to produce a non-sinusoidal power output and controlled by a digital controller that receives feedback from each zone in order to auto-sense the proper voltage for a plurality of connected loads.
US08134307B2

Method for controlling the settings of each of a multitude of spotlights, such as light intensity, color and light beam direction, wherein a remote control is used for sending control signals to a control system comprising a multitude of control units for changing the settings of said multitude of spotlights to desired values, which control units are each associated with one of said multitude of spotlights, wherein said control units can change the settings of their associated spotlights to the desired values, wherein each of said multitude of spotlights is radiating a unique light signal which is superimposed on its light beam, wherein the remote control comprises a sensor for determining said unique light signal, wherein the remote control sends with said control signal a spotlight identifying signal associated with the determined unique light signal as determined at the time that the remote control is used, and wherein the control unit associated with said spotlight identifying signal reacts to the combined spotlight identifying signal and control signal by changing its associated spotlight's settings to the desired values.
US08134284B2

Piezoelectric vibrating pieces are disclosed. An exemplary piece includes a base and at least a pair of vibrating arms connected to the base. The vibrating arms extend from one end of the base in a first direction. A vibrating root portion is situated between the vibrating arms. A pair of supporting arms extend, outboard of the vibrating arms, in the first direction from the one end of the base. Respective supporting root portions are situated between each vibrating arm and its outboard supporting arm, at the same position (denoted, e.g., K1, K2) in the first direction of the vibrating root portion.
US08134267B2

The present invention relates to a motor. A motor including a stator and a rotor that is rotatably provided at an outer side in a radial direction of the stator, the rotor comprising: a base part; a side wall part that is integrally formed with the base part and vertically extended with respect to the base part; and a permanent magnet that is provided at an inner side of the side wall part, wherein a spacing distance from an inner side surface of the base part to a lower end of the permanent magnet is formed to be larger than a radial thickness of the permanent magnet.
US08134264B2

Disclosed is a large capacity hollow-type flywheel energy storage device. The energy storage device includes a hollow shaft, a vacuum chamber receiving the hollow shaft, a flywheel having a predetermined weight and disposed at an inner edge of the vacuum chamber, and a hub connecting the flywheel to the hollow shaft and disposed in the vacuum chamber to be rotatable together with the flywheel. A superconductive bearing and an electromagnet bearing are disposed inside and outside the hollow shaft, respectively, such that magnetic forces thereof can be shielded from each other. Thus, magnetic interference between the superconductive bearing and the electromagnet bearing is shielded by the magnet shield interposed therebetween, thereby preventing rotation loss by stabilizing a structural mechanism during rotation while improving design adaptability.
US08134260B2

A motor including a frame that defines a motor portion and an adjacent cooling portion, and a plurality of heat pipes disposed within and fully enclosed by the motor frame. Each heat pipe has an evaporator end disposed within the portion of the frame that defines the motor portion and a condenser end disposed within the portion of the frame that defines the cooling portion. A cooling chamber within the motor cooling portion is structured to have a fluid introduced therein by a working device such that at least a portion of the frame defining the cooling portion is cooled via the working fluid, thereby extracting heat from the heat pipe condenser ends and cooling the motor portion of the motor.
US08134257B2

An actuator is configured to produce a displacement force between a first and a second part to displace the first and second parts relative to each other. The Actuator includes a first magnet subassembly, attached to one of a first and a second part, and an electrically conductive element, attached to the other one of the first and second part and placed near the first magnet subassembly. The first magnet subassembly includes at least one set of at least two adjacently placed magnets oriented such that their magnetic polarizations are substantially mutually opposite, and a back mass made out of a magnetic flux guiding material and connecting the magnets to guide a magnetic flux there between. The first magnet subassembly includes a carrier made of a non-magnetic-flux-guiding material, the carrier including at least one recess in which the at least one set of back mass and magnets is embedded.
US08134254B2

An electrical power distribution system has fixed stations with AC power to DC power conversion circuitry at these stations. The converter(s) are switchable ON/OFF at outlet ports or sockets where the socket configuration permits. Standardized DC sockets accommodate a variety of voltage requirements typical of portable digital devices. In some embodiments feedback circuitry is provided to regulate the power to these devices in accordance with parameters programmed in the portable devices or in the sensing circuitry provided at each station.
US08134253B2

A load driving circuit (20) according to the present invention, for carrying out PWM control to cause currents of respective light emitting diode lines (3-1 . . . 3-N) connected in parallel, each of the light emitting diode lines (3-1 . . . 3-N) including a plurality of light emitting diodes (4) connected in series, causes timing at which a current of any one of the light emitting diode lines (3-1 . . . 3-N) is turned on or off to be different from timing at which current(s) of at least another one of the light emitting diode lines (3-1 . . . 3-N) is(are) turned on or off. This makes it possible to provide a load driving circuit which (i) does not have a reduction in a degree of freedom in selecting a frequency of a PWM control signal that is used to control loads, (ii) does not prevent a peripheral circuit from following the PWM control circuit, and (iii) prevents generation of sounds.
US08134246B1

A power generation system utilizes a wind driven turbine to energize a pair of generator disposed on opposing ends of drive shaft having helical propeller fin attached thereto. The units may be installed on the roof a structure in parapet fashion and stacked to increase power output. Furthermore, the wind driven turbine could be incorporated into a ram air drive to recharge the battery of an electric or hybrid vehicle.
US08134241B2

Electronic elements having an active device region and bonding pad (BP) region on a common substrate desirably include a dielectric region underlying the BP to reduce the parasitic impedance of the BP and its interconnection as the electronic elements are scaled to higher power and/or operating frequency. Mechanical stress created by plain (e.g., oxide only) dielectric regions can adversely affect performance, manufacturing yield, pad-to-device proximity and occupied area. This can be avoided by providing a composite dielectric region having electrically isolated inclusions of a thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) less than that of the dielectric material in which they are embedded and/or closer to the substrate TEC. For silicon substrates, poly or amorphous silicon is suitable for the inclusions and silicon oxide for the dielectric material. The inclusions preferably have a blade-like shape separated by and enclosed within the dielectric material.
US08134240B2

To provide a small, high-performance semiconductor device in which contact between adjacent wires is prevented for increased flexibility in designing a wiring layout, and an efficient method for manufacturing the semiconductor device. The semiconductor device includes a substrate 10 having an electrode 21A arranged on its surface; and a first semiconductor element 11A which includes an electrode 22 arranged on its surface and which is supported by the substrate 10, wherein a first wire 41 is connected through a first bump 31 to at least one of the electrodes over the substrate 10 and semiconductor element 11A (i.e., at least one of the electrodes 21 and 22), and a second wire 42 is connected through a second bump 32 to a bonding portion of the wire 41.
US08134237B2

An integrated type semiconductor device that is capable of reducing cost or improving the reliability of connecting semiconductor chips together or chips to a circuit board. One embodiment of such an integrated type semiconductor device comprises a first semiconductor device having a semiconductor chip with electrodes, a stress-relieving layer prepared on the semiconductor chip, a wire formed across the electrodes and the stress-relieving layer, and solder balls formed on the wire over the stress-relieving layer; and a bare chip as a second semiconductor device to be electrically connected to the first semiconductor device.
US08134232B2

A packaged integrated circuit having a thermal pathway to exhaust heat from the integrated circuit. The integrated circuit is disposed on a package substrate, with an encapsulant disposed around the integrated circuit. A heat sink is disposed at least partially within the encapsulant, with at least a portion of one surface of the heat sink exposed outside of the encapsulant. The integrated circuit has an uppermost passivation layer, where the passivation layer is not electrically conductive, with a port disposed in the passivation layer. The port extends completely through the passivation layer to expose an underlying layer. A thermal pathway is disposed at least partially within the port, and makes thermal contact to both the underlying layer and the heat sink. The thermal transfer rate of the thermal pathway is greater than the thermal transfer rate either the passivation layer or the encapsulant.
US08134224B2

A semiconductor device receiving as input a radio frequency signal having a frequency of 500 MHz or more and a power of 20 dBm or more is provided. The semiconductor device includes: a silicon substrate; a silicon oxide film formed on the silicon substrate; a radio frequency interconnect provided on the silicon oxide film and passing the radio frequency signal; a fixed potential interconnect provided on the silicon oxide film and placed at a fixed potential; and an acceptor-doped layer. The acceptor-doped layer is formed in a region of the silicon substrate. The region is in contact with the silicon oxide film. The acceptor-doped layer is doped with acceptors.
US08134220B2

Nanotube switching devices having nanotube bridges are disclosed. Two-terminal nanotube switches include conductive terminals extending up from a substrate and defining a void in the substrate. Nantoube articles are suspended over the void or form a bottom surface of a void. The nanotube articles are arranged to permanently contact at least a portion of the conductive terminals. An electrical stimulus circuit in communication with the conductive terminals is used to generate and apply selected waveforms to induce a change in resistance of the device between relatively high and low resistance values. Relatively high and relatively low resistance values correspond to states of the device. A single conductive terminal and a interconnect line may be used. The nanotube article may comprise a patterned region of nanotube fabric, having an active region with a relatively high or relatively low resistance value. Methods of making each device are disclosed.
US08134218B2

A solid-state image capturing device is provided, and in a pixel section in the center of a chip where a plurality of light receiving elements are arranged in two dimensions, an on-chip lens for focusing incident light is provided on each of the plurality of light receiving elements in a corresponding manner; and a dummy pattern made of a material for the on-chip lens is provided on a peripheral circuit section on an outer circumference side of the chip in order to improve the heat-resisting property at the time of reflow soldering.
US08134207B2

In a high breakdown voltage semiconductor element among elements integrated together on an SOI substrate in which its rated voltage is shared between an embedded oxide layer and a drain region formed by an element active layer, both high integration and high breakdown voltage are realized while also securing suitability for practical implementation and practical use. The high breakdown voltage is realized without hampering size reduction of the element by forming an electrically floating layer of a conductivity type opposite to that of the drain region at the surface of the drain region. Further, the thickness of the embedded oxide layer is reduced to a level suitable for the practical implementation and practical use by setting the thickness of the element active layer of the SOI substrate at 30 μm or more.
US08134190B2

To provide a solid-state image pickup apparatus with little or no difference in the dark currents between adjacent photoelectric conversion elements and providing a high sensitivity and a low dark current even in a high-speed readout operation.A well 302 is formed on a wafer 301, and semiconductor layers 101a, 101b are formed in the well to constitute photodiodes. A well contact 306 is formed between the semiconductor layers 101a, 101b. Element isolation regions 303b, 303a are provided between the well contact and the semiconductor layers, and channel stop layers 307b, 307a are provided under the element isolation regions 303b, 303a. A conductive layer 304 is provided on the element isolation region 303b, and a side wall 308 is provided on a side face of the conductive layer 304. A distance a between an end of the element isolation region 303b and the conductive layer 304, a width b of the side wall 308 and a device isolation width c satisfy a relation c>a≧b.
US08134189B2

Aimed at providing a highly reliable semiconductor device appropriately increased in stress at the channel region so as to improve carrier injection rate, thereby dramatically improved in transistor characteristics, and made adaptable also to recent narrower channel width, and a method of manufacturing the same, and a method of manufacturing the same, a first sidewall composed of a stress film having expandability is formed on the side faces of a gate electrode, a second sidewall composed of a film having smaller stress is formed on the first sidewall, and a semiconductor, which is a SiC layer for example, is formed as being positioned apart from the first sidewall while placing the second sidewall in between.
US08134187B2

Integrated mask-programmable device, having a plurality of metal levels including a top metal level, a bottom metal level and a first intermediate metal level formed between the top and bottom metal levels, and a plurality of via levels arranged between the bottom and the first intermediate metal levels and between the first intermediate and the top metal levels and connecting each metal level to adjacent metal levels. The plurality of metal levels forms a first, a second and at least a third terminal, the top and bottom metal levels having at least two metal regions, and the first intermediate metal level having at least three metal regions. The first terminal is connected to third terminal or the second terminal is connected to the third terminal by modifying a single metal or via level.
US08134184B2

A layout of a cell of a semiconductor device is disclosed to include a diffusion level layout including a plurality of diffusion region layout shapes, including a p-type and an n-type diffusion region separated by a central inactive region. The layout of the cell includes a gate electrode level layout corresponding to an entire gate level of the cell. The gate electrode layout includes a number of linear-shaped layout features placed to extend in only a first parallel direction. Each of the number of the linear-shaped layout features within the gate electrode level layout of the restricted layout region is rectangular-shaped. Linear-shaped layout features within the gate electrode level layout extend over one or more of the p-type and/or n-type diffusion regions to form PMOS and NMOS transistor devices. A number of the PMOS transistor devices is equal to a number of the NMOS transistor devices in the cell.
US08134182B2

A field-effect transistor includes a semi-insulating substrate, a source electrode, a drain electrode, a gate electrode, the electrodes being provided on the semi-insulating substrate, and a buried gate region which is provided under the gate electrode and in which an impurity is doped, wherein a concave slit is provided in the semi-insulating substrate, the slit being located between the gate electrode and the drain electrode and being adjacent to the buried gate region at the side of the drain electrode.
US08134180B2

A nitride semiconductor device includes: a semiconductor base layer made of a conductive group III nitride semiconductor having a principal plane defined by a nonpolar plane or a semipolar plane; an insulating layer formed on the principal plane of the semiconductor base layer with an aperture partially exposing the principal plane; a nitride semiconductor multilayer structure portion, formed on a region extending onto the insulating layer from the aperture, having a parallel surface parallel to the principal plane of the semiconductor base layer as well as a +c-axis side first inclined surface and a −c-axis side second inclined surface inclined with respect to the principal plane of the semiconductor base layer and including two types of group III nitride semiconductor layers at least having different lattice constants; a gate electrode formed to be opposed to the second inclined surface; a source electrode arranged to be electrically connected with the group III nitride semiconductor layers; and a drain electrode formed on a back surface of the semiconductor base layer opposite to the principal plane.
US08134178B2

According to an aspect of the invention, a light-emitting element includes a shift thyristor, a light emitting thyristor, and a vertical type gate load resistor. The shift thyristor includes a first anode layer, a first gate layer, and a first cathode layer. The light-emitting thyristor includes a second anode layer, a second gate layer, and a second cathode layer. The vertical type gate load resistor is arranged on the first gate layer under a power line and limits a current flowing from the first gate layer and the second gate layer to the power line.
US08134165B2

Disclosed is a light emitting device employing non-stoichiometric tetragonal Alkaline Earth Silicate phosphors. The light emitting device comprises a light emitting diode emitting light of ultraviolet or visible light, and non-stoichiometric luminescent material disposed around the light emitting diode. The luminescent material adsorbs at least a portion of the light emitted from the light emitting diode and emits light having a different wavelength from the absorbed light. The non-stoichiometric luminescent material has tetragonal crystal structure, and contains more silicon in the crystal lattice than that in the crystal lattice of silicate phosphors having stoichiometric crystal structure. The luminescent material is represented as the formula (BauSrvCawCux)3−y(Zn,Mg,Mn)zSi1+bO5+2b:Eua. Light emitting devices having improved temperature and humidity stability can be provided by employing the non-stoichiometric tetragonal Alkaline Earth Silicate phosphors.
US08134164B2

A semiconductor device and an optical print head, an image forming apparatus that has the semiconductor device are supplied capable of reduce occurrence probability of defect. The semiconductor device is formed by using semiconductor thin film bonded on the substrate, and includes a covering layer that covers at least one part region of the semiconductor thin film and covers at least one part of electroconductive member connecting with the semiconductor thin film.
US08134161B2

A semiconductor light emitting package includes a base having a top surface with a flat portion, the base shaped into a substantially circle; a plurality of semiconductor light emitting devices on the base; an electrical circuit layer electrically connected to the plurality of semiconductor light emitting device; a plurality of screen members on the base; and a plurality of optical members formed of a light transmissive material such that light emitted from at least one of the semiconductor light emitting devices passes therethrough, wherein each of the screen members has an opening surrounding at least one of the semiconductor light emitting device, each opening of the screen members is shaped into a substantially circle, a diameter of the base is larger than a diameter of the opening of the screen members, and an edge portion of the optical members is in contact with one of the screen members.
US08134158B2

A thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) pixel unit and a method for manufacturing the same. The pixel unit comprises a gate line and a gate electrode formed on a substrate and a first gate insulating layer, an active layer, and a doped layer sequentially that are formed on the gate line and the gate electrode. An intercepting trench is formed on the gate line to cut off the doped layer and the active layer on the gate line. A second insulating layer covers the intercepting trench and the substrate where the gate line and the gate electrode are not formed. A pixel electrode is formed on the second insulating layer and is integrated with the second source/drain electrode.
US08134156B2

To provide a semiconductor device in which a defect or fault is not generated and a manufacturing method thereof even if a ZnO semiconductor film is used and a ZnO film to which an n-type or p-type impurity is added is used for a source electrode and a drain electrode. The semiconductor device includes a gate insulating film formed by using a silicon oxide film or a silicon oxynitride film over a gate electrode, an Al film or an Al alloy film over the gate insulating film, a ZnO film to which an n-type or p-type impurity is added over the Al film or the Al alloy film, and a ZnO semiconductor film over the ZnO film to which an n-type or p-type impurity is added and the gate insulating film.
US08134153B2

It is an object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor device capable of preventing deterioration due to penetration of moisture or oxygen, for example, a light-emitting apparatus having an organic light-emitting device that is formed over a plastic substrate, and a liquid crystal display apparatus using a plastic substrate. According to the present invention, devices formed on a glass substrate or a quartz substrate (a TFT, a light-emitting device having an organic compound, a liquid crystal device, a memory device, a thin-film diode, a pin-junction silicon photoelectric converter, a silicon resistance element, or the like) are separated from the substrate, and transferred to a plastic substrate having high thermal conductivity.
US08134149B2

The present invention has an object of providing a light emitting device including an OLED formed on a plastic substrate, which can prevent the degradation due to penetration of moisture or oxygen. On a plastic substrate, a plurality of films for preventing oxygen or moisture from penetrating into an organic light emitting layer in the OLED (hereinafter, referred to as barrier films) and a film having a smaller stress than that of the barrier films (hereinafter, referred to as a stress relaxing film), the film being interposed between the barrier films, are provided. Owing to a laminate structure of a plurality of barrier films, even if a crack occurs in one of the barrier films, the other barrier film(s) can effectively prevent moisture or oxygen from penetrating into the organic light emitting layer. Moreover, the stress relaxing film, which has a smaller stress than that of the barrier films, is interposed between the barrier films, thereby making it possible to reduce a stress of the entire sealing film. As a result, a crack due to stress hardly occurs.
US08134142B2

The invention suggests a transistor (21) comprising a source (24) and a drain (29) as well as a barrier region (27) located between the source and the drain. The barrier region is separated from the source and the drain by intrinsic or lowly doped regions (26, 28) of a semiconductor material. Potential barriers are formed at the interfaces of the barrier region and the intrinsic or lowly doped regions. A gate electrode (32) is provided in the vicinity of the potential barriers such that the effective height and/or width of the potential barriers can be modulated by applying an appropriate voltage to the gate electrode.
US08134137B2

Memory device constructions include a first column line extending parallel to a second column line, the first column line being above the second column line; a row line above the second column line and extending perpendicular to the first column line and the second column line; memory material disposed to be selectively and reversibly configured in one of two or more different resistive states; a first diode configured to conduct a first current between the first column line and the row line via the memory material; and a second diode configured to conduct a second current between the second column line and the row line via the memory material. In some embodiments, the first diode is a Schottky diode having a semiconductor anode and a metal cathode and the second diode is a Schottky diode having a metal anode and a semiconductor cathode.
US08134134B2

In a particle attachment preventing method in a substrate processing apparatus, an electron density control power supplied from the second power supply is adjusted such that an electron density above the substrate gets lower than during a plasma processing, for a preset short period of time after the plasma processing is ended, and a bias power supplied from the first power is maintained for the preset short period of time. The second power supply is a high frequency power supply for supplying a high frequency power having a frequency that is higher than that of the bias power, and in said adjusting of the electron density control power, the high frequency power supplied from the second power supply is lowered as compared with that during the plasma processing.
US08134115B2

An apparatus includes an array of sub-diffraction limit-sized light receptors formed in a substrate having a light receiving surface. Each light receptor may be configured to output a scalar valued multi-bit element and to change state based on the absorption of at least one photon. The apparatus further includes an optical filter structure disposed over the light receiving surface, the optical filter structure having an array of filter pixels each having an associated passband spectral characteristic. A data element obtained from the array of sub-diffraction limit-sized light receptors is composed of a combination of a plurality of the multi-bit elements output from a plurality of light receptors that underlie filter pixels having at least two different passband spectral characteristics.
US08134112B2

An insulated glazing unit has controllable radiation transmittance. Peripheries of first and second glazing panes are attached and spaced apart facing each other and then attached to a supporting structure. A conductive layer is atop the first glazing pane inner surface as a fixed position electrode. A dielectric is atop the conductive layer. A coiled spiral roll, variable position electrode is between the first and second glazing panes, a width of its outer edge attached to the dielectric. A first electrical lead is connected to the variable position electrode's conductive layer. A second electrical lead is connected to the conductive layer atop the first glazing pane. Applied voltage between the first and second electrical leads creates a predetermined potential difference between the electrodes, and the variable position electrode unwinds and rolls out to at least partially cover the first glazing pane, at least reducing the intensity of passing radiation.
US08134108B2

An image intensifying device includes a lens that is positioned at a light input that forms an image of a scene. The image intensifying device also includes an image intensifier tube that includes a photocathode that is positioned to receive the image formed by the lens. The photocathode generates photoelectrons in response to the light image of the scene. The image intensifier tube also includes a microchannel plate having an input surface comprising the photocathode. The microchannel plate receives the photoelectrons generated by the photocathode and generating secondary electrons. An electron detector receives the secondary electrons generated by the microchannel plate and generates an intensified image of the scene.
US08134107B2

A projection display apparatus of the present invention includes: a lamp power controller 13 changing the value of power supplied to super-high pressure mercury lamp 21; atmospheric pressure sensor 61 detecting the atmospheric pressure around where projection display apparatus 1 is installed; and correlation table storage 53 in which information on power supplied to the light source, set up corresponding to atmospheric pressure is stored. Lamp power controller 13, based on the previously stored information on power supplied to super-high pressure mercury lamp 21, set up corresponding to the atmospheric pressure, controls the power supplied to super-high pressure mercury lamp 21 in accordance with the atmospheric pressure detected by atmospheric pressure sensor 61.
US08134105B2

A light quantity measuring device includes a first light reception element, a second light, reception element, an identification circuit, and a selection circuit. The first light reception element receives a predetermined incident light at a first light reception surface. The second light reception element receives the incident light at a second light reception surface, which is oriented in the same direction as the first light reception surface. The identification circuit identifies an incident angle of the incident light with respect to the first light reception surface. The selection circuit, when the incident angle differs from a desired incident angle, selectively electrically connects an output portion of the second light reception element to an output portion of the first light reception element.
US08134104B2

Concentrating solar collector systems that utilize a concentrating reflector to direct incident solar radiation to a solar receiver are described. In one aspect, the reflective surface is arranged to direct light to the receiver in a non-imaging manner in which the solar rays reflected from the opposing edges of the reflective surface are generally directed towards a central portion of the solar receiver. Rays reflected from selected central portions of the reflective surface are directed closer to the edges of the receiver than the solar rays reflected from the edges of the reflective surface. The described reflectors are generally intended for use in solar collector systems that track movements of the sun along at least one axis.
US08134094B2

A thin-type keycap structure comprising a key cap layer and a plastic film on the upper surface of the key cap layer. The thin-type keycap structure and the metal dome on a PCB are assembled to form a keypad structure. The thin-type keycap structure is made through compression molding of the plastic film and a resin together. The surface of the plastic film may be embossed before the compression molding.
US08134085B2

A CFRP core including a CFRP layer has a primary through hole. An adhesive member coats a wall surface of the primary through hole, and has a secondary through hole extending within the primary through hole. An electrically conductive layer is formed on a wall surface of the secondary through hole for electrically connecting upper and lower signal interconnections via the secondary through hole. A coating layer coats an outer peripheral edge of the CFRP core as seen in a plan view. Thereby, a printed interconnection board with low thermal expansivity and high thermal conductivity capable of preventing exfoliation of a CFRP layer on a side surface of a substrate using CFRP as a core, as well as preventing falling-off of carbon powders from the CFRP layer, and a method of manufacturing the same can be obtained.
US08134080B2

A wired circuit board that can provide an enhanced adhesion of a metal supporting board at a marginal portion of an opening formed in the metal supporting board with a simple structure to prevent stripping of the metal supporting board. In a suspension board with circuit, in order to reduce a transmission loss of a conductive pattern, a metal foil embedded in an insulating base layer is formed in a pattern comprising a first metal foil portion and a second metal foil portion surrounding the first metal foil portion spaced apart therefrom, and an opening is formed in the metal supporting board so that a marginal portion of the opening is located in a space between the first metal foil portion and the second metal foil portion.
US08134077B2

Disclosed is a heat dissipating circuit board, which includes a metal core including an insulating layer formed on the surface thereof, a circuit layer formed on the insulating layer and including a seed layer and a first circuit pattern, and a heat dissipating frame layer bonded onto the circuit layer using solder and having a second circuit pattern, and in which the heat dissipating frame layer is bonded onto the circuit layer not by a plating process but by using solder, thus reducing the cost and time of the plating process and relieving stress applied to the heat dissipating circuit board due to the plating process. A method of manufacturing the heat dissipating circuit board is also provided.
US08134074B2

A securing device for retaining a power cord in a connected relationship with the power supply includes a substantially planar body having a first end and a second end. The first end is configured to engage the power supply. The second end is configured to engage the power cord. The body is made from a substantially rigid material.
US08134065B2

A device for accurately detecting key operation speed with a simple configuration in which a plurality of alternating signals, which have mutually differing phases, is supplied to transmission electrodes. From this, capacitance between reception electrodes and the transmission electrodes is changed by a key pressing operation, and the phases of the alternating signals induced in the reception electrodes are compared and discriminated.
US08134061B2

Provided are, among other things, systems, methods and techniques for avatars to musically interact with each other. In one representative embodiment, a server is configured to host a virtual environment and various client devices communicate with the server over an electronic network, with each such client device configured to interact within the virtual environment through a corresponding avatar. A first client device accepts commands from a first user and, in response, communicates corresponding information to the server causing a modification of any of a first set of user-customizable visual characteristics of a first avatar that represents the first user. Similarly, a second client device accepts commands from a second user and, in response, communicates corresponding information to the server causing a modification of any of a second set of user-customizable visual characteristics of a second avatar that represents the second user. The first avatar performs a musical sequence that is based on current settings for: the first set of user-customizable visual characteristics and the second set of user-customizable visual characteristics.
US08134047B2

Maize plants with reduced gene silencing are disclosed.
US08134045B2

The object of the present invention is to isolate Rf gene, particularly Rf1 gene derived from radish, and identify its structure. The present invention provides a protein involved in restoration of a cytoplasmic male sterile individual to fertility which has 14 or more pentatricopeptide repeat (hereafter may be abbreviated to PPR) motifs, wherein a group of the motifs is divided into 3 or more blocks, each of the individual blocks has at least 2 or more PPR motifs, and the block in a carboxyl terminal (C terminal) side has 4 PPR motifs.
US08134035B2

Provided is a method of preparing asymmetric anthracene derivative, more particularly, a method for high-yield production of an anthracene derivative in which an alkyl group, a cycloalkyl group, a heterocycloalkyl group, an aryl group or a heteroaryl group is introduced at position 2 of anthracene, and an aryl group or a heteroaryl group is introduced at each of positions 9 and 10 of the anthracene.
US08134034B2

The present invention relates to a method of working up an aluminium-containing reaction product from the production of isopulegol by cyclization of citronellal in the presence of complex compounds, comprising at least one ligand of the formula (I), where Ar1, Ar2, Ar3, Ar4 are chosen from C6-C15-aryl or C2-C15-hetero; R1, R2, R3, R4 are chosen from H, C1-C6-alkyl, C1-C6-perfluoroalkyl, C1-C6-alkoxy, C7-C12-aralkyl, halogen, SiR5bR6bR7b, C6-C10-aryl, NR8bR9b, SR10b, NO2; and where R1 or R2 and/or R3 or R4, together with A, can form an aromatic or nonaromatic cycle; etc.; in which a) the aluminum-containing reaction product is subjected to distillative separation, b) the isopulegol-depleted bottom product is brought into close contact with an aqueous base and c) the ligand of the formula (I) is separated off from the organic phase, preferably by crystallization. Moreover, the invention relates to a method of producing isopulegol, and to a method of producing menthol.
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