US08256466B2
A sewer water treatment system having a septic tank and drain field is protected from freezing and becoming nonfunctional with a thermal insulation blanket. A plurality of stakes connected to the borders of the blanket extend into the ground to hold the blanket on the ground above the sewer water treatment system.
US08256465B2
A microfluidic valve structure is provided. The valve structure includes a valve body having a fluid flow passage formed therein for allowing fluid to flow therethrough. A valve boss is configured to move relative to a valve seat to open and close the fluid flow passage. A plurality of flexible support arms extend between a wall of the valve body and the valve boss for supporting the valve boss relative to the valve body such that the valve boss engages and disengages the valve seat to close and open the passage.
US08256464B2
A backflow-prevention system that substantially prevents contaminant backflow at a treatment site. The system includes a fluid ejector tube for insertion into the patient's mouth and a backflow prevention device that receives fluid from the fluid ejector tube. The backflow prevention device includes an internally positioned valve member. The valve member limits contaminant backflow. The valve member is movable between open and closed positions based on a vacuum pressure condition in the system.
US08256463B2
A faucet spout having an adjustable height relative to a stationary base or surface to which it may be mounted. A spout tube is slideably engaged within a spout body in which a support member is housed. The support member is received within the spout tube and provides a positive stop at a lowest position. A ratchet assembly within the support member engages the end of the spout tube at any one of a series of ratchet teeth providing a variety of additional stops/heights at which the spout tube may be retained for operation. A release button withdraws the ratchet arm and permits the spout tube to return to the first stop at its lowest point.
US08256455B1
A valve and method allows efficient closure for a pipe containing liquid. The valve in the preferred form is operated by a float in a sump pit should the sump pump fail to operate. The float is lifted by rising water and an arm attached to the float is supported on rollers when the valve is normally open turns to disengage from the rollers to close the valve. A shaft positioned in the conduit is attached to a cap which reacts to the expansion of a spring to thus close the end of the conduit and prevent further liquid flow therethrough. An audible alarm system sounds as the rising liquid level reaches a water sensor on the valve to warn a homeowner or building occupant. The alarm also sounds when a manual test switch is closed or if the smoke sensor is activated.
US08256450B2
A butterfly valve with an undulating sealing surface, which has an inflatable annular seal mounted in a housing. A disk is pivotally mounted in the housing and has an edge with an undulating sealing surface and a peripheral sealing edge. The undulating sealing surface of the disk and a sealing face of the annular seal have non-mating profiles when the valve is in an unsealed condition. Pressure in a chamber proximate the annular seal causes the face of the annular seal to expand and deform and the face forms a high-pressure seal between the sealing ridge and the annular seal. Also includes a method for stopping delivery of a conduit transportable material through a butterfly valve.
US08256448B2
A butterfly valve for handling materials where the temperature of the materials flowing through the butterfly valve can exceed the breakdown temperature of the sealing member with the butterfly valve inhibiting contact of hot transportable materials with the sealing member to isolate the hot transportable materials from the sealing member. Cooling conduits maintain at least portions of the valve that contacts the sealing member at a temperature below the breakdown temperature of the sealing member to prevent seal failure.
US08256447B2
A pressure relief device (100) for an inflatable tire comprises a body (102) having a chamber (116) therein and pressure relief mechanism for releasing air when the air pressure in the chamber exceeds a first predetermined pressure level. A conduit (108; 208) inter-connects an air inlet (110; 210) with an air outlet (112; 212). The conduit (108; 208) is provided in a pin (104; 204) arranged to slide axially in a passageway (106) in the body, the pin (104; 204) extending from the air inlet (110; 210) to the air outlet (112; 212) and being slidable between a first position in which it cannot release a stem of the tire, and a second position, in which it can release the stem.
US08256438B2
A hair holder includes a tube formed of a sheet in such a design as to allow a hair bundle to be inserted from a one-end opening at one end of the tube toward an other-end opening at the other end thereof. The tube includes an integration mechanism in the vicinity of the one-end opening. The integration mechanism is for a clip-type fixing member having a pair of pinchers. The one-end opening is openable and closable by operating the clip-type fixing member having been integrated with the tube.
US08256435B2
A hair extension element for extending a strand of hair is securable to the strand of hair through a flexible holding member. The holding member comprises a through hole for guiding and clamping the strand of hair. The holding member and the hair extension element are integrated so as to provide the hair extension element as an integrated part to the strand of hair. Furthermore a holding member which is provided with at least an ornament comprises at least two through holes extending substantially parallel to each other for guiding strands of hair there through. A holding member comprising at least one through hole is provided with at least two ornaments on its outer side.
US08256425B2
An airway implant device for maintaining and/or creating an opening in air passageways is disclosed. Methods and devices for removing, the device are also disclosed. Methods of treating airway disorders such as sleep apnea and snoring with the airway implant device are disclosed herein.
US08256416B2
A device for dispensing individual doses of powder from respective pockets of a disc-shaped carrier by outwardly rupturing a lidding foil by means of pressure on an opposite side surface, the device providing individual respective deaggregation flow paths for each pocket, split airstreams allowing improved entrainment of powder, a cam mechanism for outwardly rupturing the pockets, an indexing mechanism linked to the cam mechanism and a dose counter.
US08256411B2
A bottle warmer includes a flexible tubular sleeve having a closed lower end and an open upper end. The open upper end is to receive a bottle therethough, and the closed lower end is to receive a bottom of the bottle thereagainst. An elastic band is carried by a medial portion of the flexible tubular sleeve to secure the medial portion to an adjacent portion of the bottle, and permit the open upper end to be folded back adjacent the closed lower end to define a pocket. A chemical heat source element is to be received by the pocket for warming the bottle.
US08256410B2
A barbecue grill for cooking an object. The barbecue grill includes a first resistive element subassembly energizable for generating heat to cook the object, and a second resistive element subassembly energizable for generating heat to cook the object.
US08256406B1
Embodiments disclosed herein include systems and methods for regulating pneumatic gas propulsion. More specifically, some embodiments include a first spring that exerts a spring force, where the spring set point increases as the first spring is compressed. Similarly, some embodiments include a piston that is in physical communication with the first spring and a valve. The valve mechanism may receive the gas, where upon the gas being received by the valve mechanism at a pressure that meets the spring set point, the gas causes the piston to move in the longitudinal direction. Further, movement of the piston creates a cylinder space between the piston and the valve mechanism, where a volume of the cylinder space is defined by a position of the piston. The pressure causes the piston to compress the first spring until an equilibrium exists between the gas force and the spring force.
US08256402B2
Three or more independent passages are coupled to respective cylinders which are different from each other, and a collective portion where the independent passages collect is provided. An exhaust turbocharger is arranged downstream of the collective portion. Rotary throttle valves are arranged respectively in the independent passages upstream of the collective portion. At least two of the throttle valves are supported by a common rotary axis. The independent passages with the throttle valves supported by the common rotary axis are coupled to cylinders which have exhaust strokes which are not adjacent to each other. Accordingly, the exhaust gas can be supplied to the exhaust turbocharger efficiently.
US08256400B2
A piston pump, especially for supplying high-pressure fuel to a direct-injection internal combustion engine, including a pump housing (2) and a drive shaft (3a to 3i) for actuating one or several pump plungers (5) which are radially oriented relative to the drive shaft in the pump housing. The drive shaft is rotatably mounted on one or several bearings (11, 31, 49) extending between a shaft inlet (15) of the pump housing and a rear housing wall (20) located opposite the shaft inlet. One bearing (11) extends between an internal surface (17) of a hollow cylindrical section (10) of the drive shaft and an external surface (18) of a journal (19) that runs from the rear housing wall into the hollow cylindrical section.
US08256393B2
An internal combustion engine in which the variable cam timing controls for a variable cam timing mechanism include a variable force solenoid mounted within a hollow portion of the camshaft. The variable force solenoid is maintained in place within the hollow camshaft by a tubular shaft fixed to the engine and a bearing between the solenoid and the variable cam timing mechanism.
US08256389B2
An open deck type cylinder block (10) that is one embodiment of the present invention is configured as follows. A shallow portion (21) and a deep portion (22) are provided in a water jacket (20). The shallow portion (21) is provided in a portion that is comparatively far from a head bolt hole (17), while on the other hand the deep portion (22) is provided in a portion that is comparatively close to the head bolt hole (17). A hollow portion (18) in which a block outer wall is hollowed toward a cylinder center side is provided between a bottom wall portion of the shallow portion (21) and a skirt portion (14) used as a crank case.
US08256383B2
A collapsible barrel is provided for use in training for equine barrel racing. The collapsible barrel is configured and sized to approximate the dimensions of a conventional barrel used in the sport of equine barrel racing, but is constructed of sturdy, lightweight materials that enable the barrel to be transformed between a fully deployed state and a collapsed state. The collapsible barrel of the present invention is sufficiently lightweight and dimensioned, when in a collapsed state, to be easily transported, deployed for training and later stored. The flexibility of the collapsible barrel makes training ideal because it eliminates injury to the legs of the rider and the body of the horse.
US08256381B2
Embodiments of a method and system are described for tracking and managing animals and/or food products. Identification data and location data for animals is entered into a computer system. A data service provider may collect this data and transmit it to a data trustee. The data trustee may filter the data into official and non-official data, and send official data to an official database. When a public health issue arises, the government may use an identifier for a diseased animal or a location identifier to request a trace report. The data trustee may then use the official data to provide a report showing, for example, which animals have commingled with the diseased animal. Based on this report, other animals can be treated, quarantined, or slaughtered. The disclosed embodiments also may be used to facilitate commercial transactions by providing data that validates an animal's health and food quality.
US08256373B2
The present invention relates to a device (100) for depositing a layer based on polycrystalline silicon onto a substantially plane, elongate, moving support (4) having two longitudinal faces (43, 44) and two longitudinal side edges (41, 42), the device comprising: a crucible (1) containing a bath (2) of molten silicon, said support (4) being designed to be dipped at least in part in the bath and to pass substantially vertically in its long direction through the equilibrium surface (21) of the bath; and at least one edge control element (5, 5′), each edge control element being maintained substantially vertically close to one of the two longitudinal side edges (41, 42); each edge control element comprising walls (51 to 53′) defining a longitudinal slot (54, 54′) beside the corresponding longitudinal side edge, each slot being dipped in part in the bath (2) so as to raise the level of the bath by capillarity in the vicinity of the corresponding longitudinal side edge, the device being characterized in that at least one of the walls (51 to 52′), referred to as an “insertion” wall, facing part of one of the longitudinal faces, is substantially plane.
US08256371B2
An application liquid supply apparatus supplying an application liquid to an application roller, includes: a space forming member which is abutted against an outer circumferential surface of the application roller and of which a recess section is formed along a breadthways direction of the application roller in a surface which abuts against the application roller, and a frame-shaped abutting section is provided in a projecting fashion so as to surround a perimeter of the recess section, the abutting section being abutted against the outer circumferential surface of the application roller so as to cover an opening of the recess section with the outer circumferential surface of the application roller in such a manner that an application liquid holding space is created along the breadthways direction on the outer circumferential surface of the application roller; at least one groove which has a length in a direction of rotation of the application roller and is formed in the abutting section on an upstream side in terms of the direction of the rotation of the application roller; an application liquid supply port which is formed in the space forming member and via which the application liquid is supplied to the application liquid holding space; and an application liquid supply device which supplies the application liquid to the application liquid holding space via the application liquid supply port.
US08256370B2
A coating apparatus includes a liquid film forming mechanism configured to form a liquid film of a process liquid for preventing a contaminant derived from a coating liquid from being deposited or left on a back side peripheral portion of a substrate. The liquid film forming mechanism includes a counter face portion facing the back side peripheral portion of the substrate and a process liquid supply portion for supplying the process liquid onto the counter face portion. The coating apparatus further includes a posture regulating mechanism disposed around the substrate holding member and configured to damp a vertical wobble of the peripheral portion of the substrate being rotated. The posture regulating mechanism includes delivery holes arrayed in a rotational direction of the substrate and configured to deliver a gas onto a back side region of the substrate on an inner side of the peripheral portion.
US08256364B2
A tufting machine for forming tufted carpet having means for inserting loops of at least two different yarns into a backing material moving through the tufting machine and means for controlling the deviation of the ratio of different yarns projecting from a top surface of the backing material. It is contemplated that the tufting machine can be used to maintain the color of the tufted carpet at a desired color during the operation of the tufting machine.
US08256355B2
An improved rail car is pulled by an engine for transporting coal or other porous dust bearing materials. The car has opposing long sidewalls and opposing shorter end walls, which together define an initially open interior, a bottom and an open top. The open top of the car is covered by at least one pair of main doors in the form of opposing hinged A-frame sections which are pivotable between a closed, transport position and an open loading position which exposes the rail car interior for loading. The A-frame sections also have longitudinally spaced edges which are spaced apart to form a discharge door opening. A discharge door is located in each of the discharge door opening and is pivotally hinged within the respective door opening so that it opens under the influence of gravity in a rotary dumping operation. The discharge doors, together with the A-frame sections, form a door-within-a-door operating configuration.
US08256354B2
A railroad car may comprise a frame comprising a first side and a second side laterally opposing each other. The railroad car may further comprise a first elastomeric mat and a second elastomeric mat supported by a plurality of reinforcement cables, the first and second elastomeric mats forming a load-carrying receptacle. Each elastomeric mat may have an outer edge and an inner edge, the inner edge of the first elastomeric mat abutting the inner edge of the second elastomeric mat when the load-carrying receptacle is in a closed configuration. The railroad car may further comprise a first pulley connected to the first side of the frame and a second pulley connected to the second side of the frame, the first pulley and second pulley each having a respective axis of rotation parallel to a direction of travel of the railroad car.
US08256351B1
A non-lethal projectile used to immobilize, impair, disorient, or distract a live target. The non-lethal projectile can also be used as a signaling device. In one embodiment, a non-lethal payload carrying projectile that is detonated at a set distance determined and, set by the operator. The distance is electronically controlled and can be set in the field seconds before the projectile is fired.
US08256337B2
An initiator for initiating detonation in a detonation cord of a perforating system, where the initiator comprises a modular electronic igniter that quick connects into a portion of high explosive. The high explosive is disposed in a housing having an end of detonation cord crimped therein. The electronic igniter may be shipped to the field and/or stored separate from the high explosive then the two may be assembled just prior to deploying the perforating gun assembly in a wellbore. Various methods of quick connecting the electronic igniter to the high explosive may be used.
US08256332B2
A method for the automatic and contact-free relative approach between a specimen (6) and a knife (7) of a microtome (1). A first light beam bundle (9′) forms a detector-side zero point and a last light beam bundle (9″) forms a detector-side end point of a light band (8), the light band (8) being arranged perpendicular to the second spatial direction (Y) and in the direction thereof spaced from the knife, a zero point (X0) being assigned to a reference position of the knife blade (XBlade). The specimen (6) is guided through the light band (8) by way of a cutting movement. The position of the highest point of the specimen (XSpecimen) in the first spatial direction (X) is determined from the number of shaded light beam bundles (9).
US08256331B2
A guarded surgical knife handle includes a handle portion with a blade holder, a chamber within the handle portion, and a slot. The guarded surgical knife handle also includes a guard having an open distal end slidably mounted within the handle portion that can slide longitudinally between an unguarded position and a guarded position. The guard is sized to surround the blade in the guarded position. The guarded surgical knife handle also includes a latch that latches the guard when the guard is slid into the guarded position and a first button that disengages the latch. The guarded surgical knife handle includes a bias member that forces the guard in a proximal direction to an unguarded position when the latch is disengaged along with a second button extending through the slot used to slide the guard in a distal direction into the guarded position.
US08256325B1
A wheel is for use in manually turning a shaft on rolling stock, such as for a handbrake. The wheel has a hub and a rim. The hub is made of a first material and has an opening that is structured and arranged to receive the shaft. The opening has a rotational axis. The hub has an exterior around the rotational axis, with the hub having drive surfaces relative to the rotational axis. The rim is coupled to the hub so as to engage the drive surfaces. The drive surfaces include flat surfaces and corners of a tube portion of the hub, a radially extending plate with holes therethrough and teeth in an outer edge and gussets coupled between the tube portion and the plate. The rim has an outer periphery structured and arranged to be gripped by a human hand for rotating the wheel. The rim is made of a second material that is softer than the first material.
US08256320B2
A device for handling and/or performing work operations on objects comprises: at least a first arm (2) comprising a first end (2a) for supporting a tool (3) for moving or working; means for supporting and moving (4) the first arm (2) which comprise at least a first linear electric motor (5), developing on a closed path (P), for moving the first arm (2) along a circular trajectory (91), and at least a second linear electric motor (6), to which the first arm (2) is directly connected, developing in an arched trajectory (92). The first (5) and the second (6) linear electric motors cooperate to move the first arm (2).
US08256319B2
Medical, surgical, and/or robotic devices and systems often including offset remote center parallelogram manipulator linkage assemblies which constrains a position of a surgical instrument during minimally invasive robotic surgery are disclosed. The improved remote center manipulator linkage assembly advantageously enhances the range of instrument motion while at the same time reduces the overall complexity, size, and physical weight of the robotic surgical system.
US08256317B2
A transmission device that transmits rotation of a drive cable to a screw shaft is provided. The transmission device includes a worm gear attached to the drive cable, a helical gear attached to the screw shaft, a gear case, a pair of first bearing wall portions, and a pair of second bearing wall portions. The gear case has an opening on one side so as to accommodate the worm gear and the helical gear. The first bearing wall portions are integrally formed with the gear case so as to face each other along the axial direction of the drive cable, and rotatably support both ends of the worm gear. The second bearing wall portions are integrally formed with the gear case so as to face each other along the axial direction of the screw shaft, and rotatably support both ends of the helical gear.
US08256314B2
The invention relates to a rack-and-pinion steering gear with a steering housing, which is tubular and has a housing axis, wherein in the steering housing a rack is mounted in bearings displaceably towards a longitudinal axis, and with a steering pinion, which is mounted in a pinion housing rotatably about an axis and has a pinion gearing, which engages with a gearing of the rack, in which at least one bearing is formed as an eccentric sliding bearing, which can rotate relative to the steering housing, so that the rack can be pressed towards the steering pinion.
US08256311B2
An actuator mounting assembly includes a cap, a rod, a spring mechanism, and a switch assembly. The cap is adapted to couple to an actuator. The rod extends through the cap and includes a first end adapted to extend through the actuator and a second end adapted to attach to a fixed location. The spring mechanism is disposed in the cap cavity, is compressible, and has a predetermined preload. The switch assembly is disposed in the cap and adapted to sense relative positioning between the rod and the cap and to provide signals based on the sensed relative positioning. When the rod and the cap are in a first relative position, the switch assembly provides a first signal to the actuator to allow the cap to move axially relative to the rod, but when in a second relative position, the switch assembly discontinues providing the first signal to the actuator.
US08256308B2
A metering capillary and method for providing at least one defined volume of a target constituent of a sample is provided, the method comprising providing at least one metering capillary having at least two openings; at least partly filling the metering capillary with the sample; carrying out a constituent separation for the at least partial separation of at least two constituents of the sample inside the metering capillary; and dividing the metering capillary into at least two partial pieces, wherein at least one of the partial pieces contains the defined volume of the target constituent.
US08256307B2
Testing of engine particulate matter production during a transient is made more accurate by selecting an appropriate sized opening for a test probe of the sampling system located in the exhaust line upstream from a particulate trap. By examining the pressure signature at the test probe location and utilizing that information in conjunction with a desired volumetric flow rate into the sampling system, a flow opening size for the test probe can be selected that reduces potential oversampling which may be otherwise induced due to the back pressure increases in the exhaust line caused by the presence of the particulate trap. The flow opening into the test probe of the sampling system behaves relative unrestricted when pressure differentials at the test probe location are relatively low, such as during steady state operating conditions, but restricts flow into the sampling system when pressure differentials are relatively high, such as at a pressure during a transient event.
US08256306B1
A high-capacity low-profile load cell for measuring compression force. The load cell comprises a support ring, a diaphragm supported by the support ring, and first and second pluralities of strain gages arranged under the diaphragm for detecting strain produced by application of a load from above. The diaphragm comprises a slug portion and a plate portion that surrounds and supports the slug portion. The slug portion has a height greater than a thickness of the plate portion. The first plurality of strain gages is disposed on a bottom surface of the slug portion, while the second plurality of strain gages is disposed on a bottom surface of the plate portion. These strain gages are electrically connected to form a Wheatstone bridge.
US08256293B2
Devices usable as sensors, as transducers, or as both sensors and transducers include one or more nanotubes or nanowires. In some embodiments, the devices may each include a plurality of sensor/transducer devices carried by a common substrate. The sensor/transducer devices may be individually operable, and may exhibit a plurality of resonant frequencies to enhance the operable frequency bandwidth of the devices. Sensor/transducer devices include one or more elements configured to alter a resonant frequency of a nanotube. Such elements may be selectively and individually actuable. Methods for sensing mechanical displacements and vibrations include monitoring an electrical characteristic of a nanotube. Methods for generating mechanical displacements and vibrations include using an electrical signal to induce mechanical displacements or vibrations in one or more nanotubes. Methods for adjusting an electrical signal include passing an electrical signal through a nanotube and changing a resonant frequency of the nanotube.
US08256292B2
An acceleration sensor has a pair of main surface protection members arranged at one end of both main surfaces of a piezoelectric oscillation element, and spaced from the main surfaces through a pair of main surface spacer members. An end surface protection member is arranged on an end surface at the other end of the main surface protection members by having an interval between the end surface protection member and the piezoelectric oscillation element, through a pair of end surface spacer members. A pair of side surface protection members is arranged at one end of the both side surfaces of the piezoelectric vibration element, the pair of main surface protection members, the end surface protection member, the pair of main surface spacer members, and a pair of side surface spacer members arranged on both side surfaces of the end surface spacer members.
US08256283B2
A downhole characterization apparatus for formation fluids is provided. The apparatus comprises a downhole tool including a flowline for flowing the formation fluids capable of isolating a quantity of the formation fluids in a portion thereof; and a pump unit for depressurizing the isolated formation fluids; and a measurement controller which controls the downhole tool. The measurement controller includes a rough value estimation unit which estimates a rough value of the bubble point pressure of the formation fluids; and a speed controller which controls the depressurizing speed of the pump unit such that the isolated formation fluids are depressurized at a first speed to a certain pressure which is a predetermined value higher than said estimated rough value, and the isolated fluids are depressurized at a second speed which is slower than said first speed in order to measure a precise value of the bubble point pressure.
US08256282B2
The critical desorption pressure is determined by pumping out an area within a well bore. As the pressure in that area is decreased, formation fluid from the surrounding rock matrix is drawn into the area. As the local pressure is decreased further, gaseous bubbles within the formation fluid will begin to form. The formation fluid is observed, and the formation of the gaseous bubbles is detected. The critical desorption pressure is determined based upon the presence of gas within the formation fluid. The concentration of gas within the formation fluid can then be determined based on the determination of the critical desorption pressure.
US08256271B2
A viscometer for molten plastic has a housing having first and second relatively displaceable parts with generally complementary and substantially planar faces. The first part is formed with a throughgoing melt passage adapted for connection in a flow system of the molten plastic. A hinge interconnects the parts. An outgoing conduit extends from the melt to a pump intake and from a pump output to an opening on the face of the first housing part. A plurality of sensors on one of the parts are connected to respective openings on the face of the one part. A return conduit extends from another opening on the face of the first housing part offset from the opening of the outgoing line. An exchangeable metal foil formed with a slot into which all of the openings open is engaged tightly between the two faces.
US08256265B2
The present invention provides, as one aspect, an apparatus for inspecting a sensor module including at least one held sensor in a housing having a plurality of outer surfaces. The held sensor detects acceleration or angular velocity. The apparatus includes a holding unit that has an apparatus-side surface and holds the housing in a state where one of the outer surfaces of the housing serving as a housing-side surface contacts the apparatus-side surface, a driving unit that moves the holding unit, a first obtaining unit that, in a state where the housing-side surface contacts the apparatus-side surface, obtains an output from the held sensor, at least one reference sensor that has a detection axis and is provided such that a direction of the detection axis matches a direction of a reference axis of the held sensor, and a second obtaining unit that obtains an output from the reference sensor.
US08256249B2
The present invention relates to laundry machines, and, more particularly, to a safe laundry machine which enables a user to open/close a door easily, and can prevent an accident caused by opening/closing of the door from taking place.The laundry machine includes a cabinet, a drum rotatably mounted in the cabinet, a door having a latch for being opened/closed selectively to expose an inside of the drum to an outside of the laundry machine, and a door switch assembly provided for enabling opening/closing of the door, wherein the door switch assembly includes a switch unit for making selective connection to the latch, and an opening operation unit spaced from the switch unit for the user to enable to disconnect the connection between the latch and the switch unit.
US08256245B2
The invention concerns a method for melting a composition of raw materials including introducing the composition in an oven to form a layer (2) at the surface of the molten pool (4). An oxycombustion burner (10) is arranged above the pool and directed towards the composition layer (2) to produce a melting front (3). Parameters of the burner are adjusted to produce a large covering flame (12) causing an essentially radiation-based thermal transfer. Additionally, a plane containing a longitudinal section of the flame (Z-Z) and a horizontal direction perpendicular to the axis of the oven (X-X) intersects the melting front (3) at a height (h) included ranging between one third and half of the thickness of the composition (e). Such a method provides for a stable operation of the oven and is particularly adapted to a large-capacity oven.
US08256242B1
An insulated cooler with two (2) separate independent storage compartments and lids allowing for compartmentalized transportation and storage of items is herein disclosed. The separate compartments eliminate possible cross-contamination as well as provide different thermal conditioning of the contents. The compartments are completely independent of each other having an interior divider wall extending completely through the body of the cooler and continuing into a lid area, thereby sealing independent compartments. Additionally, each compartment is also provided with a draining means.
US08256239B2
A power unit for air conditioning systems installed on boats, including at least one compressor, of the mass produced type used in the automobile industry, connected to the circuit of the refrigeration device, at least one mechanical pump for circulation of a heat exchange fluid along a circuit and one or more rotating electrical machines. Operation of the power unit is ensured during navigation by an internal combustion engine for marine propulsion, in particular a four stroke gasoline engine, with vertical motor axis, normally used for outboard marine propulsion, mass produced at low costs, while when the boat is in port it is ensured by an electric motor. The fan coils are also of the mass produced type used in the automobile industry.
US08256238B2
An air conditioning system for a vehicle has a refrigerant cycle device which has an evaporator and a compressor and in which refrigerant is discharged from the compressor to be evaporated in the evaporator so that air passing the evaporator is cooled to be blown into a passenger compartment of the vehicle. The control unit drives the compressor at a control value which is determined based on at least one of a pressure of the refrigerant in the refrigerant cycle device and an outside-air temperature outside the passenger compartment, when the control unit actuates the compressor.
US08256237B2
A refrigerating device is provided that includes an evaporator and a compartment that is cooled by air circulating air from and to the evaporator, wherein a diffusion layer can be displaced between a first position, in which air passage openings distributed in a wall separating the compartment from a distribution chamber are covered by the diffusion layer, and a second position, in which the diffusion layer is positioned so as to allow air to flow from the evaporator through the distribution chamber into the compartment while bypassing the diffusion layer.
US08256230B2
A method for reliquefying boil-off gas generated in a cargo tank of a liquefied natural gas ship generally includes the steps of compressing boil-off gas generated in the cargo tank with a compressor, sub-cooling the compressed boil-off gas in a heat exchanger, feeding the liquefied gas to a gas phase separator, venting flash gas generated in the gas phase separator through a first pipe, feeding the vented flash gas from the gas phase separator to a gas combustion unit of the ship via the first pipe, oxidizing the vented flash gas in the gas combustion unit, diverting a portion of the compressed boil-off gas from the compressor through a second pipe, feeding the diverted portion of compressed boil-off gas from the compressor to an upper region of the gas-phase separator and returning liquefied gas from the gas-phase separator to the cargo tank.
US08256218B2
A compressor comprises an impeller wheel mounted within a housing defining an inlet and an outlet. The wheel has a plurality of vanes and is rotatable about an axis. The housing has an inner wall defining a surface located in close proximity to radially outer edges of the impeller vanes which sweep across said surface as the impeller wheel rotates about its axis. The inlet comprises a tubular wall extending away from the impeller wheel in an upstream direction. An enclosed chamber is defined between said inner wall and an outer wall and in communication with at least one opening in said in said inner wall. The outer wall is penetrated by at least one ventilation aperture that is designed to be connected via a conduit to a location upstream of the inlet and downstream of an air filter. The arrangement maintains the advantages of a conventional MWE structure and further improves the surge margin. In addition, the risk of debris being drawn into the compressor via the opening is eliminated.
US08256208B2
According to one representative embodiment, an apparatus for reducing NOx emissions in an engine exhaust gas stream of an engine system having a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system with an SCR catalyst positioned downstream of a reductant injector includes a NOx reduction target module and a reductant module. The NOx reduction target module is configured to determine a NOx reduction requirement, which includes an amount of NOx in the exhaust gas stream to be reduced on the SCR catalyst. The reductant module is configured to determine the amount of reductant added to the exhaust gas stream to achieve the NOx reduction requirement. The amount of reductant added to the exhaust gas stream is a function of at least one ammonia storage characteristic of the SCR catalyst, at least one reductant-to-ammonia conversion characteristic, and a conversion capability of an AMOX catalyst in exhaust receiving communication with the SCR catalyst.
US08256203B1
The present disclosure generally pertains to rocket based combined cycle (RBCC) propulsion units. In one exemplary embodiment, at least one rocket thruster is integrated with a jet engine but is external to the flow path of the jet engine, forming an altitude compensating plug nozzle. Since the rocket thruster is external to such flow path, the rocket flow from the rocket thruster interacts with the jet flow from the jet engine aft of the nozzle of the jet engine. Such interaction occurs without a significant performance penalty in the operation of the jet engine. In fact, it is possible that the interaction of the rocket flow with the jet flow may actually improve the efficiency of the jet engine under some conditions. Moreover, having the rocket thrusters positioned external to the flow path of the jet engine helps to avoid many of the problems plaguing conventional RBCC propulsion units.
US08256193B1
A pet pad storage system having an open frame body having a bottom wall and four sidewalls extending upwards therefrom. One pair of sidewalls, opposite each other, terminates slightly before a centerline that runs across their length; hence, no sidewall extends upwards at a center portion of the bottom layer for two of the four edges. A length of strip runs across the inside edge at a top of the remaining pair of sidewalls. In this manner, a stack of sheets can be laid across the interior portion of the frame body. Two perforated edges run across a length of the bottom wall where the sidewalls terminate. A third perforated edge runs across the centerline between the other two. The outer sidewalls of the frame are pulled upwards towards one another to fold the frame member closed. The sheet is rollably folded therein so that the storage system can stand upright in a closet space.
US08256191B2
Methods of automatically package an object in a covering material such as casing and/or netting include: (a) automatically pushing at least one object through a product chute; (b) pulling a covering material upstream of the product chute off an exterior surface of the product chute to automatically enclose the object in the covering material as the object exits the product chute; and (c) applying a clip to the covering material to secure the object in the packing material.
US08256190B2
A method for introducing at least one substance into a sealed enclosure holding at least one product. The sealed enclosure having at least one conduit through which one of gas or fluid may flow into or out of the sealed enclosure. Air is evacuated from the sealed enclosure through the at least one conduit to create a predetermined pressure within the sealed enclosure and a predetermined quantity of the at least one substance is injected into the sealed enclosure through the at least one conduit.
US08256180B2
A roof tile with a central brim and at least one lateral cover or water beading and a watercourse located between them, in whose region a water stop is disposed. This water stop is partially pressed with its edges in the region of the watercourse, of the central brim and of the lateral beading into the material of the roof tile blank. Such water stop is comprised of a flexurally elastic, thin small plate, and specifically of a material which does not conform to the material of the roof tile.
US08256176B2
A support frame of glass brick wall has multiple horizontal beams, multiple vertical beams and multiple side bars. Each of the horizontal beams and the vertical beams has a body, two side wings respectively and longitudinally formed on and protruding from two edges of the body, and two lamp slots respectively and longitudinally formed on and recessed from two sides of the body. Each of the vertical beams is securely mounted between two adjacent glass bricks in a corresponding row of glass bricks with adhesive. Each of the horizontal beams is securely mounted on a top of a corresponding row of glass bricks with adhesive. Two of the side bars are securely mounted on two edge sides of the glass brick wall. Each of the side bars has openings to replace light strips mounted in the lamp slots. Accordingly, the support frame provides a clean and easy lamp replacement solution.
US08256167B2
A solar-shading assembly for fastening to a support mullion, comprises an elongate louver member having longitudinal front and rear edges, an elongate cap element for extending along and covering the rear edge, a bracket which is connectable to the support mullion, and a fastening device for connecting the bracket to the rear edge of the louver member. The in use fastening device is coverable by the cap element so as to hide the fastening device from view. Preferably, at least part of the bracket is also coverable by the cap element so as to hide the said part of the bracket from view.
US08256164B2
A safety hatch and safety railing assembly in unitary form which incorporates the fabrication of a roof or deck scuttle with safety guard rails as required by the Occupation Safety Hazards Act (OSHA) around the roof or deck opening of a building. The safety hatch or safety hatch and safety railing assembly of the present invention preferably employs safety railing mounting bracket components that are welded to hatch flashing or to bracket hanger members and are designed to receive and provide for safe and efficient mounting of vertical posts and rails of a safety railing assembly around a roof or deck access opening. The safety hatch and safety railing assembly provides an improved base flashing that additionally functions to hold the roofing membrane to the scuttle curb. Lateral elongate safety members have one end connected to the hatch cover and another end connected to safety railing support posts and being moveable to personnel protecting position upon opening movement of the hatch cover and a collapsed position upon closing of the hatch cover.
US08256159B2
A hydraulically-applied mulch matrix comprising non-porous particles, porous particles and mixtures thereof combined with a mechanically and or chemically bonded fiber mulch mixed within a high viscosity slurry to keep the particles in suspension for dispersion onto soil surfaces with mulch spraying equipment for enhanced erosion control and higher level plant establishment.
US08256155B1
A simulated fowl swimming apparatus includes a pump conduit, a pump disposed in fluid communication with the pump conduit, a decoy motion assembly disposed in fluid communication with and rotatable with respect to the pump conduit, at least one discharge opening in the decoy motion assembly and at least one water fowl decoy carried by the decoy motion assembly.
US08256149B2
The invention relates to an ironing shoe (10) comprising a garment contact surface (15) and having a means for accommodating a garment care agent such as an anti microbial agent, wherein accommodating the means is formed at least by the garment contact surface accommodating the garment care agent, which garment contact surface is capable of transferring the garment care agent to a piece of garment. By contacting the garment contact surface with the piece of garment, as is done during ironing, the agent is transferred to the garment. The invention further relates to a method of manufacturing an ironing shoe.
US08256148B2
Couplers for attaching an accessory to an excavator arm of an excavator. Couplers having a first side for attaching the coupler to the excavator arm and a second side onto which the accessory will be coupled. The coupler includes a latch for selectively securing and releasing an attachment pin of the accessory in a jaw, groove, hook or slot in the second side of the coupler. The coupler is fully controllable from within the cab of the excavator and it allows improved security in the securement of the accessory to the coupler, i.e. preventing accidental decouplings, but while still allowing intentional decoupling operations to be carried out without undue burden.
US08256145B2
Articles of manufacture and articles of wear may include one or more traction elements. Portions of the traction elements may be extendable and/or retractable. The traction elements have at least a two-plate construction that is designed to moderate a force that is applied to one of the plates. This construction may be used in articles of footwear having cleats or other traction elements. force applied by a wearer's foot may be moderated by the two-plate construction.
US08256138B2
A method for controlling an automatic dryer is disclosed, which can determine a dryness level based on information relating the laundry by an initial average value of a sensing means, to thereby achieve stability and reliability in a drying process, the method comprising sensing whether the amount of laundry is small or large by using an average output value in a preset time period of an initial drying stage; detecting a saturation voltage generating point of the sensor; and performing a drying cycle based on each dryness level by using information for the amount of laundry and the saturation voltage generating point.
US08256132B2
A silent hair dryer and a silencer for a hair dryer includes at least one casing with an inlet end and an outlet end and enclosing at least one turbine sucking in air via at least one admission orifice upstream of the turbine and expelling it downstream via at least one outlet orifice. The silent hair dryer includes at least one chamber upstream of the admission orifice and an inlet orifice for aspiration of air upstream of the chamber; the diameter of the chamber being greater than the diameter of the admission orifice and the diameter of the inlet orifice, the length and the diameter of the chamber being of such a size so as to define a volume turned as a function of the sound frequencies to be attenuated by the silencer.
US08256131B2
Method and device for drying circuit substrates (13), in particular semiconductor substrates, in which a circuit surface (30) of the circuit substrate is flushed using a flushing liquid (10) in a flushing step and the circuit surface is dried in a subsequent drying step, the circuit substrate being moved in the flushing step in the direction of its planar extension transversely and in relation to a liquid level (28) of the flushing liquid in such a way that a liquid meniscus forms at a transition area between the circuit surface and the liquid level, which changes because of the relative movement, and thermal radiation (36) is applied to the transition area wetted by the liquid meniscus in the drying step.
US08256130B2
A way to safely fry turkeys by minimizing the hazard of overfilling oil, the Turkey Frying Oil Gauge (TFOG) comprises a device and method to properly pre-measure the frying oil used to fry whole turkeys. The Turkey Frying Oil Gauge is duel scale selectable for pot diameter and turkey weight. The turkey frying pot rim is measured and the size is selected on the gauge bottom. The mast is then slid out to view the weight of the turkey to be fried. The gauge is then placed in the bottom of the pot and frying oil is placed in the pot to the top of the gauge. The oil gauge is removed, the oil heated and the turkey introduced without overflowing the oil onto the heating flames.
US08256124B2
A tilt sensor comprises a multi-layer circuit board, a holder, a first light-sensing component, a second light-sensing component, a light-emitting component, and a movable component. The multi-layer circuit board comprises a first layer board and a second layer board disposed on the first layer board. The second layer board comprises first, second, and third holding spaces each of which exposing a respective portion of the first layer board. The holder is disposed on the second layer board and has a containing recess connecting the first, second, and third holding spaces. A bottom surface of the containing recess is reflective. The first and second light-sensing components and the light-emitting component are disposed on the first layer board and in the first, second, and third holding spaces, respectively. The light-emitting component emits a light beam toward the bottom surface of the containing recess. The movable component is disposed in the containing recess.
US08256120B2
A vegetation trimmer (10) having a motor (20) with a motor output shaft (30), a cutting head (22) for cutting vegetation, and a gear mechanism (26, 34, 36, 38) for transmitting power from said motor output shaft (30) to the cutting head (22). The motor output shaft (30) has a gear mechanism with a pinion wheel and a fan (28) mounted thereon. The gear mechanism (26, 34, 36, 38) further comprises an internal gear wheel (26) engaging with the pinion wheel (34) and connected to the cutting head (22), whereby the cutting head (22) rotates in the same direction (B) as the fan does (D) during operation of the motor (20).
US08256119B2
A method of manufacturing forks for lift trucks comprises the steps of: providing a straight metal bar designed to make the fork, heating the bar at a segment thereof where the fork knee is to be formed, bending the bar at the heated segment in order to form the knee by carrying out bending in a closed-die press provided with containment walls that, when bending has been completed, enclose the knee so as to define the surface contours of the latter.
US08256110B2
The invention provides a method of manufacturing an electronic connector including the steps of: (a) providing an insulating body made of a fiberboard having a thermal deformation degree which is close to the printed circuit board, and a plurality of terminal receiving apertures penetrating a top surface and a under surface of the insulating body being deposed on the insulating body; (b) forming a plurality of conducting terminals respectively comprising a soldering portion soldering to the printed circuit board and a contacting arm electrically contacting with an electronic device; and (c) setting the conducting terminals into the insulating body. In the method of manufacturing an electronic connector according to the invention, because the thermal deformation degrees of the materials used in the insulating body and the printed circuit board are substantially same, a false soldering phenomenon between the conducting terminals located at four corners of the insulating body and the printed circuit board can be prevented.
US08256107B2
An electronic-parts package includes a base member, a conductive member extending through the base member, the conductive member having the insulating substance on the surface removed by polishing, electronic parts disposed on one surface of the conductive member through a connection portion, an exterior electrode disposed through a metal film on the opposite surface of the surface of the base member on which the electronic parts is disposed, and a cap member that protects the electronic parts on the base member.
US08256104B2
A blind fastener installation tool comprises a structural housing which features a mechanism for securing a fastener installation assembly in position relative to the structural housing during the blind installation of a fastener; and a mechanism for reciprocating the fastener installation assembly relative to the structural housing at the conclusion of blind installation. The blind fastener installation tool also comprises a fastener installation assembly. This assembly comprises (1) a pull rod assembly comprising a mechanism for pulling a first portion of a fastener; (2) an annular, piston-actuated, piston-decoupled pull rod actuation assembly to translate the pull rod assembly; and (3) a nose assembly comprising a fastener receptacle for securing the position of a fastener; and one or more optional pull rod translation dampening assemblies to smoothly and effectually dampen the sudden translation of said pull rod assembly after pintail break.
US08256100B2
An stator manufacturing apparatus including an substantially cylindrically-shaped insertion jig from which the rectangular wire is axially detachable, and having protrusions respectively provided at positions aligned with the slots on an outer peripheral surface thereof to protrude radially, and one end-side restricting members respectively provided at positions offset from the protrusions formed in the circumferential direction on an inner diameter side of an inscribed circle of teeth each located between adjacent ones of the slots so as to protrude toward one axial end side. With the linear portions and the slots being aligned with each other, the insertion jig is inserted into the stator core from the one end side of the insertion jig, and is removed from the stator core toward the other end side, so as to respectively dispose the linear portions at predetermined positions in the slots.
US08256096B2
Using a beam of xenon ions together with a suitable mask, a stack is ion milled until a part of it, no more than about 0.1 microns thick, has been removed so that a pedestal having sidewalls, including a vertical section and a shortened taper portion, has been formed. This is followed by formation of conductive lead layers as needed. Using xenon as the sputtering gas enables the point at which milling is terminated to be more precisely controlled.
US08256095B2
An example method for manufacturing a magneto-resistance effect element includes forming a free magnetization layer and forming a spacer layer. The spacer layer is formed, for example, by forming a non-magnetic first metallic layer and forming a second metallic layer on a surface of the non-magnetic first metallic layer. A first irradiating process includes irradiating, onto the second metallic layer, first ions or plasma including at least one of oxygen and nitrogen and at least one selected from the group consisting of Ar, Xe, He, Ne, Kr, so as to convert the second metallic layer into an insulating layer and to form a non-magnetic metallic path penetrating through the insulating layer and containing elements of the non-magnetic first metallic layer. A second irradiating process includes irradiating second ions or plasma onto the insulating layer. A non-magnetic third metallic layer is formed on the non-magnetic metallic path.
US08256094B2
A method is provided for shaping an electric wire for a stator coil of an electric rotating machine. The electric wire to be shaped includes a plurality of straight portions and a plurality of turn portions. Each of the turn portions includes a specific part and all of the specific parts of the turn portions are identical to each other. The method includes clamping the specific part of one of the turn portions of the electric wire in a width-wise direction thereof, holding two different sections of the specific part in a thickness-wise direction thereof, and moving one of the first and second holders relative to the other in the thickness-wise direction of the specific part, thereby shaping the specific part to form a crank-shaped portion therein.
US08256093B2
An acoustic mirror of alternately arranged layers of high and low acoustic impedances is manufactured in that a basic material having a first layer of the layer sequence is initially provided, on which a second layer of the layer sequence is created on the first layer such that the second layer of the layer sequence partially covers the first layer. Subsequently, a planarization layer is applied onto the layer sequence, and the planarization layer is removed in an area which in the common layer plane projects laterally beyond the second layer so as to result in a residual planarization layer. Finally, a termination layer is applied onto the layer sequence and the residual planarization layer.
US08256088B2
A stem (34) extends from a second part (30) through a hole (28) in a first part (22). A groove (38) around the stem provides a non-threaded contact surface (42) for a ring element (44) around the stem. The ring element exerts an inward force against the non-threaded contact surface at an angle that creates axial tension (T) in the stem, pulling the second part against the first part. The ring element is formed of a material that shrinks relative to the stem by sintering. The ring element may include a split collet (44C) that fits partly into the groove, and a compression ring (44E) around the collet. The non-threaded contact surface and a mating distal surface (48) of the ring element may have conic geometries (64). After shrinkage, the ring element is locked onto the stem.
US08256083B2
A device for assembling and disassembling a bicycle chain comprises a mounting seat, an actuating member, an assembling member, a rod member, a spring, and a pulling member. The rod member, the pulling member and the spring are connected to one another to guide a positioning member to be assembled into the assembling holes in a balance manner, so that the device for assembling and disassembling a bicycle chain makes the assembly of the chain more convenient and simple.
US08256077B2
A method for forming a capacitor dielectric includes depositing a tantalum oxide layer over a substrate, performing a post-treatment on the tantalum oxide layer to provide the tantalum oxide layer with a tetragonal phase, and depositing a zirconium oxide layer over the tantalum oxide layer such that the zirconium oxide layer has a tetragonal phase.
US08256075B2
A grid for a battery plate is made by forming a metal sheet is formed into a grid-like shape. Rupture due to torsion or stress concentration does not occur in a basal portion of a wire which is drawn out from a node of the grid, thereby preventing corrosion due to electrolyte from advancing so as not to cause a crack of corrosion in an early stage. The invention provides also a battery using the grid for a battery plate, a method of producing the grid for a battery plate, and a battery using it.
US08256074B2
A grid for a battery plate is made by forming a metal sheet is formed into a grid-like shape. Rupture due to torsion or stress concentration does not occur in a basal portion of a wire which is drawn out from a node of the grid, thereby preventing corrosion due to electrolyte from advancing so as not to cause a crack of corrosion in an early stage. The invention provides also a battery using the grid for a battery plate, a method of producing the grid for a battery plate, and a battery using it.
US08256071B2
A main body holder has a base wall with a through-hole, a holding portion, and a pivotally attached clip piece. A stopper member is movably disposed within the base wall through-hole for movement between a restricting position and a releasing position. In the restricting position, the stopper member projects from the base wall and is configured to engage and securely hold the main body of a portable apparatus on the holding portion so that the apparatus main body is only partially disposed over the base wall through-hole in a state in which the apparatus main body is fully received by the holding portion. In the releasing position, the stopper member extends into the through-hole and does not project from the base wall so that the apparatus main body is allowed to be slid relative to the holding portion. An urging member urges the clip piece into contact with the holding portion and urges the stopper member to the restricting position.
US08256064B2
The present invention relates to a refrigerator and/or freezer with a door or flap for closing the appliance interior, with a hinge, by means of which the door or flap can be swivelled relative to the body of the appliance, wherein the hinge includes means for producing a closing force acting in closing direction of the door or flap, and with a damper which at least over a part of the closing movement of the door or flap applies a force directed against the closing movement of the door or flap, wherein the means for producing a closing force include an eccentric and means which exert a force that acts on the eccentric and is dependent on the opening angle of the door or flap.
US08256062B2
A device comprising a guide having a first pair of substantially parallel running surfaces, which are placed along a first track at a lateral distance apart, and a second pair of substantially parallel running surfaces, which are placed along a second track at a lateral distance apart. The second pair of running surfaces extends, at a crossing or junction, transversely to the first pair of running surfaces. A carrier is displaceable over at least the running surfaces and has a bearing axle, extending transversely to the running surfaces, for fastening of a load, which bearing axle extends between the running surfaces. The device, close to the crossing/junction, has a transport mechanism. The transport mechanism is movable between a take-up position in the first track, for load-bearing engagement with the carrier, and a delivery position in the second track, for release of the carrier. The invention further relates to a rail system and a transport mechanism.
US08256060B2
The present disclosure relates to a pulse cleaner for cleaning a diesel exhaust aftertreatment device. The pulse cleaner includes a cabinet, a diesel exhaust aftertreatment device mount positioned within the cabinet for mounting the diesel exhaust aftertreatment device during pulse cleaning, and a collection filter positioned within the cabinet for collecting material displaced from the diesel exhaust aftertreatment device during cleaning. The pulse cleaner can be equipped with features such as an exhaust aftertreatment device core temperature sensor, an air flow concentrator or an air swirling vane. The pulse cleaner can also include adapters for providing system compatibility with different styles of exhaust aftertreatment devices.
US08256053B2
An apparatus for wheeling a vehicle onto a truck or trailer includes a ramp. The apparatus includes a mounting portion attached to the ramp that mounts to the truck or trailer. The apparatus includes a transition piece the pivotally attaches to the ramp and contacts ground when the mounting portion is mounted to the truck or trailer. A method for placing a vehicle onto a truck or trailer includes the steps of attaching a mounting portion of a ramp to the truck or trailer. There is the step of moving a transition piece attached to the ramp so the transition piece contacts ground. There is the step of wheeling the vehicle across the transition piece, up the ramp and onto the truck or trailer.
US08256048B2
A bed with a leg assembly coupled to a support link assembly by a joint, the joint comprising a slot having at least two paths. A support link assembly defining a length that automatically varies as the support link assembly moves relative to the leg assembly.
US08256047B2
A combination of a treatment device and an anterior support device is disclosed. The combination includes a treatment device having an edge and an attachment member movably secured thereto and an anterior support device having an elongated member which interacts with the attachment member. The anterior support device has first and second pivotable connectors, one being secured to the elongated member and the other to a padded rest. The anterior support device also includes first and second movable rods secured to the first and second pivotable connectors. A second end of the first movable rod is rotatably connected to a second end of the second movable rod and an actuating mechanism is connected to both of the second ends of the rods. The actuating mechanism enables the first and second rods to be locked in a set position to maintain the padded rest in a desired orientation relative to the treatment device.
US08256046B2
The present invention relates to a sanitary product in the form of a disposable sheet or the like, consisting of a web-shaped material comprising a top comfort layer and a bottom barrier layer that are joined together by gluing or embossing without any intermediate layer, wherein the barrier layer is a breathable barrier layer, and said comfort layer is formed from a non-woven material, the basis weight of the comfort layer being equal to or greater than the basis weight of the barrier layer.
US08256043B2
A support element for a cushion cover for seating and lying areas includes a baseplate that can be fixed to a base, and at least one spring element formed by a plurality of spring arms and extending upward from the baseplate in the direction of the cushion cover.
US08256035B1
A toilet seat handle including a substantially L-shaped handle main body formed with a handle member and a base member having a receiving section, an elongated hook element slidably provided inside the base member of the handle main body and formed at its tip end with a claw, and an adjustment screw screw-engaged with the base end of the hook element. The toilet seat handle is mounted on a toilet seat by sandwiching a part of the seat with the claw of the hook element and the receiving section of the base member with the tightened adjustment screw.
US08256031B2
A safety gripping device for use by a passenger riding a vehicle in tandem behind a vehicle operator. The device is in the form of a discrete article with ergonomically inclined handles at either end to be manually positioned by the passenger generally in front of the vehicle operator's torso. Rather than depending on straps or belts worn by the operator or handles directly affixed to the vehicle, the gripping device affords a convenient, comfortable and natural way of gripping, generally avoiding a personal hugging engagement with, or distracting pressure upon, the vehicle operator. This facilitates longer journeys with prolonged enjoyment on a shared vehicle. This portable safety device helps the passenger to better and more safely balance and steady him/herself with respect to the vehicle and its operator. The device may be fabricated or molded from a flexible material, and conveniently include an integral storage container with removable cap.
US08261367B2
Data, stored in MRAM-cells should be protected against misuse or read-out by unauthorized persons. The present invention provides an array of MRAM-cells provided with a security device for destroying data stored in the MRAM-cells when they are tampered with. This is achieved by placing a permanent magnet adjacent the MRAM-array in combination with a soft-magnetic flux-closing layer. As long as the soft-magnetic layer is present, the magnetic field lines from the permanent magnet are deviated and flow through this soft-magnetic layer. When somebody is tampering with the MRAM-array, e.g. by means of reverse engineering, and the flux-closing layer is removed, the flux is no longer deviated and affects the nearby MRAM-array, thus destroying the data stored in the MRAM-cells.
US08261363B2
An improved approach for managing and sending electronic data which allows one to access electronic data corresponding to a hardcopy document is provided. For example, when the hardcopy bearing a visible image is output, an identification image corresponding to identification data identifying the document is added to the visible image. The identification data can be recognized from the identification image, and used to retrieve various information in a database corresponding to the document.
US08261361B2
Various exemplary user interfaces, methods and computer program products describe enabling sharing of mobile communication devices. This process utilizes a shared mode for an owner of the mobile communication device to create a virtual environment for a borrower of the mobile communication device, which allows content information (e.g., certain applications and files) to be accessible and visual to the borrower. The process allows an owner of the mobile communication device to track and to manage data created or changed by the borrower. The owner may accept or reject the changes made in the content information. Furthermore, the process conceals non-shared resources to the borrower.
US08261360B2
A content distributing system for distributing content disclosed herein is an encrypting apparatus for encrypting each of objects constituting content using a different encryption key, a content offering apparatus for offering the encrypted content to a content reproducing apparatus; a license information offering apparatus for offering license information including information necessary for decrypting the encrypted content, and a content reproducing apparatus for acquiring the encrypted content from the content offering apparatus in order to decrypt and reproduce the acquired content using the license information acquired from the license offering apparatus.
US08261353B2
An automatic patch deployment system is provided that deploys a patch according to an assessed risk and a policy. The policy may specify actions to be taken to deploy the patch for different categories of risk. The automatic patch deployment system receives a patch notification, an assessment of the risk, and the policy and deploys the patch accordingly. For example, installation of a patch may be indefinitely delayed for high risk patches, rescheduled for medium risk patches, or installed immediately for low risk patches.
US08261352B2
A method includes receiving a data unit, determining whether a current state, associated with a deterministic finite automata (DFA) that includes a portion of states in a bitmap and a remaining portion of states in a DFA table, is a bitmap state or not, and determining whether a value corresponding to the data unit is greater than a threshold value, when it is determined that the current state is not a bitmap state. The method further includes determining whether the current state is insensitive, when it is determined that the value corresponding to the data unit is greater than the threshold value, where insensitive means that each next state is a same state for the current state, and selecting a default state, as a next state for the current, when it is determined that the current state is insensitive.
US08261349B2
A router and method for preventing port scans using a router includes receiving a datagram from a remote computer, transferring the datagram to a local computer, and receiving a response datagram from the local computer. The router and method further includes dropping the response datagram if the response datagram is an Internet Control Messages Protocol (ICMP) port unreachable datagram and the ICMP port unreachable datagram is abnormal, and recording a port scan event of the remote computer into the log system.
US08261341B2
A system and method for creating a virtual private network through a VPN gateway configuration service. The VPN gateway configuration service inherits UPnP zero-configuration characteristics and also provides an interface for configuring the VPN gateway that enables the configuration of any VPN gateway device, regardless of manufacturer. Additionally, the device control protocol defined by the VPN gateway configuration service can provide client provisioning, as well as enabling the configuration of gateway-to-gateway virtual private networks.
US08261339B2
Dynamically selecting an endpoint for a tunnel into an enterprise computing infrastructure. A client dynamically selects a gateway (which may alternatively be referred to as a boundary device or server) as a tunnel endpoint for connecting over a public network (or, more generally, an untrusted network) into an enterprise computing infrastructure. The selection is made, in preferred embodiments, according to least-cost routing metrics pertaining to paths through the enterprise network from the selected gateway to a destination host. The least-cost routing metrics may be computed using factors such as the proximity of selectable tunnel endpoints to the destination host; stability or redundancy of network resources for this gateway; monetary costs of transmitting data over a path between the selectable tunnel endpoints and destination host; congestion on that path; hop count for that path; and/or latency or transmit time for data on that path.
US08261338B2
In a system with a policy server, a first device able to communicate with the policy server and a second device able to communicate with the first device and unable to communicate with the policy server, the first device is to act as a policy proxy. The policy server may push to the first device a policy for the second device, and the first device may push the policy to the second device.
US08261333B2
A biometrics authentication system using biometrics media simplifies the process, and reduces the costs, of issuing a portable communication terminal having biometrics functions. A biometrics application program is downloaded from a server to a portable communication terminal, an area for authenticated biometrics information is caused to be created, and biometrics information on an individual card of the user is stored in a common area of the portable communication terminal. Thus, the portable communication terminal has the functions of an individual card storing biometrics information, and the portable communication terminal can be used as an individual card for biometrics authentication.
US08261332B2
A first computing entity provides evidence to a second computing entity to demonstrate that the first computing entity has a trusted configuration specification that is one of a set of such specifications agreed between the computing entities. This evidence comprises a computed commitment, made using (but not revealing) the configuration specification of the first computing entity, and a ring signature generated using a plurality of keys where each such key is generated using the commitment and one of the trusted configuration specifications. The second computing entity verifies the ring signature in order to convince itself that the configuration specification of the first computing entity is in the set.
US08261321B2
Systems and methods for authenticating digital assets in relation to a telecommunications network. In various cases, the systems include a network interface device associated with a customer premises. The network interface device includes a local authentication authority operable to authenticate one or more digital assets maintained in relation to the customer premises. In some cases, a global authentication authority can authenticate the network interface device, and implicitly authenticate the one or more digital assets. Many other cases and/or embodiments are disclosed herein.
US08261319B2
Logging events associated with accessing an area includes recording an event associated with accessing the area to provide an event recording and authenticating at least the event recording to provide an authenticated recording. Recording an event may include recording a time of the event. Recording an event may include recording a type of event. The event may be an attempt to access the area. Recording an event may include recording credentials/proofs used in connection with the attempt to access the area. Recording an event may include recording a result of the attempt. Recording an event may include recording the existence of data other than the credentials/proofs indicating that access should be denied. Recording an event may include recording additional data related to the area. Authenticating the recording may include digitally signing the recording. Authenticating at least the event recording may include authenticating the event recording and authenticating other event recordings to provide a single authenticated recording.
US08261312B2
A streaming file is constructed with a file header section that includes a file header object, a media data file descriptor, and an index descriptor. A hinting index section includes a first level hinting index with a linear organization corresponding to timing tick key values. A second level hinting index has a non-sequential organization corresponding to such timing tick key values. A special mark in the second level hinting index indicates that the first level hinting index must be consulted for a next timing tick key value. Such mark is positioned in the last of a sequential run of timing tick key values associated with its entries. A data section that can be put in a separate file, and it accepts media data blocks associated in sequential runs of timing tick key values as its entries. Thus hinting is provided for a non-sequential media data file.
US08261311B2
An apparatus and method for transmitting video data to a receiving terminal is disclosed. The apparatus comprises an event processing unit for outputting a signal to store a selected portion of the video data that is currently being reproduced, a video data reproduction unit for receiving the signal from the event processing unit and storing the selected portion of the video data that is currently being reproduced in response to the outputted signal while reproducing the video data. A message transmission unit is further provided for attaching the stored selected portion of the video data that is currently being reproduced to a message and transmitting the message to the receiving terminal. A data storage unit stores the video data and the selected portion of the video data.
US08261308B2
Aspects of the invention are directed to a cell-frequency-link descriptor configured to map network-specific parameters with time frequency slicing (TFS) information in a digital video broadcast system. The cell-frequency-link descriptor may include fields that provide a mapping between a cell identifier, a TFS group identifier, a bandwidth, a guard interval, a transmission mode, and a frequency. The fields may provide a mapping between cells, frequencies, TFS groups, related guard intervals, bandwidths, and transmission modes for multiple cells within the digital video broadcast system. The fields may include: a cell identifier field, a TFS-group identifier field, a bandwidth field, a guard interval field, a transmission mode field, a frequency field, a cell identifier extension field, and a transposer frequency field.
US08261307B1
A wireless multimedia content brokerage service can provide for real time selective content extraction in a manner that allows users to easily obtain, at a mobile device, one or more portions of a real time multimedia composite content presentation. The brokerage service ensures that the experience is transparent from the point of view of the user, and additionally does not require any specific interaction between the user and the display, or interaction between the user and the content service provider (or providers). Instead, the brokerage service handles the transactional details involved in subscribing to content and in obtaining, formatting, and forwarding content to the mobile device. Additionally, since the content of interest is not forwarded from the display itself and since some embodiments of the system do not rely on any interactivity at the display to identify the display device or content, relatively unsophisticated display devices can be used.
US08261301B2
A broadcast receiver and a method for managing reserved recording information are disclosed. If a cell for a reserved recording list is added to an EPG (Electronic Program Guide), a user can easily check, modify, or delete all information associated with the reserved recording on the EPG, such that the user can conveniently manage the reserved recording information on the EPG. A method for managing reserved recording information of a broadcast receiver includes the steps of: a) receiving a reserved recording signal of a specific program; b) storing reserved recording information of the program on the basis of the reserved recording signal; and c) loading the stored reserved recording information, inserting the loaded reserved recording information into a pre-stored Electronic Program Guide (EPG), and creating an EPG-reserved recording list.
US08261298B2
A disk loading device of a slot-in optical disk drive comprises two loading levers to load and eject a disk, wherein the two loading levers are connected to a pivot pin; and a guide slot having a right recess and a left recess, wherein the pivot pin is moveable along the guide slot.
US08261296B2
Creating interoperability between a calling entity and an external service includes configuring an invocation channel using codeless process, designating the external service, passing source data from the calling entity to the invocation channel, the invocation channel formatting the data, invoking a connection to the external service, and passing the data over the connection to the external service.
US08261292B2
If a new device object matching at least a portion of device information concerning a device of an existing device object is detected, the device information of the existing device object is acquired, and the existing device object is deleted. Device information of the new device object is updated by using the acquired device information.
US08261284B2
Various technologies and techniques are disclosed that provide fast context switching. One embodiment provides a method for a context switch comprising preloading a host virtual machine context in a first portion of a processor, operating a guest virtual machine in a second portion of the processor, writing parameters of the host virtual machine context to a memory location shared by the host virtual machine and the guest virtual machine, and operating the host virtual machine in the processor. In this manner, a fast context switch may be accomplished by preloading the new context in a virtual processor, thus reducing the delay to switch to the new context.
US08261282B1
Techniques introduced here allow restoration of a virtual machine container using resources of a host least likely to suffer a performance impact from additional loading associated with the restoration of the virtual container. In particular, a protection manager controls the restoration process. Restoration of virtual machine containers is accomplished without overloading any one hosting system where multiple such hosting systems are executing a plurality of virtual machines.
US08261267B2
A mapping data generator determines a virtual page number of a virtual page where an executable code in an object file is mapped. A virtual page manager manages a virtual page record containing the virtual page number, a first object ID corresponding to the virtual page number, and a detection flag indicative of existence of another virtual page record containing a second object ID identical with the first object ID. A machine page manager manages a machine page record containing the first object ID, and a machine page number to which the virtual page number is mapped. A sharable page detector determines whether a detection flag indicates existence of another virtual page record containing the first object ID and determines whether a machine page number has been set. A page mapper maps a set machine page number to the virtual page number of the access page.
US08261266B2
A system and a method are provided. Performance and capacity statistics, with respect to an application executing on one or more VMs, may be accessed and collected. The collected performance and capacity statistics may be analyzed to determine an improved hardware profile for efficiently executing the application on a VM. VMs with a virtual hardware configuration matching the improved hardware profile may be scheduled and deployed to execute the application. Performance and capacity statistics, with respect to the VMs, may be periodically analyzed to determine whether a threshold condition has occurred. When the threshold condition has been determined to have occurred, performance and capacity statistics, with respect to VMs having different configurations corresponding to different hardware profiles, may be automatically analyzed to determine an updated improved hardware profile. VMs for executing the application may be redeployed with virtual hardware configurations matching the updated improved profile.
US08261265B2
A virtual-machine-based system provides a control-transfer mechanism to invoke a user-mode application handler from existing virtual hardware directly, without going through an operating system kernel running in the virtual machine. A virtual machine monitor calls directly to the guest user-mode handler and the handler transfers control back to the virtual machine monitor, without involving the guest operating system.
US08261262B2
A method, system, and apparatus for installing software components are provided. The method includes a terminal which receives a software component package delivered by a Device Management (DM) server directly or a download address of the component package and a command instructing to download delivered by the DM server, where the software component package contains more than one software component; if the terminal receives the download address and the command instructing to download, the terminal downloads the software component package from the download address; the terminal installs the obtained software component package locally and generates management nodes and subnodes of the management nodes corresponding to the software components under a Deployed subtree of the Software Component Management Object (SCOMO) of the terminal.
US08261259B2
Improved techniques which enable a user of a terminal to select a printer, without a priori knowledge of available printers, for printing a print job are provided. A map indicating locations of available printing devices is retrieved from a back-end server based on user information or other information retrieved from the user, and provided to the user terminal for user selection of an appropriate printing device.
US08261258B1
Systems and techniques to provide for software installation. In general, in one implementation, the technique includes receiving a manifest, the manifest including a reference to one or more applications to be installed, obtaining an installer associated with an application, and using the associated installer to install the application on a target system, the application and the associated installer not being provided in the manifest.
US08261256B1
System and method for automatically updating the software of a networked personal audiovisual device
A method for automatically updating software executed by an electronic device is disclosed herein. The method includes receiving, at the electronic device, an update indication from a server that updated software is available for the electronic device. The method further includes modifying, in response to the update indication, a boot state of the electronic device and initiating operation of the electronic device in an update mode. The updated software is received, at the electronic device, during operation in the update mode. The method further includes initiating, upon determining the updated software has been correctly received, operation of the electronic device in a normal mode.
US08261252B2
A method and system for converting application code into optimized application code or into execution code suitable for execution on a computation engine with an architecture comprising at least a first and a second level of data memory units are disclosed. In one aspect, the method comprises obtaining application code, the application code comprising data transfer operations between the levels of memory units. The method further comprises converting at least a part of the application code. The converting of application code comprises scheduling of data transfer operations from a first level of memory units to a second level of memory units such that accesses of data accessed multiple times are brought closer together in time than in the original code. The converting of application code further comprises, after the scheduling of the data transfer operations, deciding on layout of the data in the second level of memory units to improve the data layout locality such that data which is accessed closer together in time is also brought closer together in the layout than in the original code.
US08261247B2
In a method of modifying code of a running computer program so as to modify the running computer program without having to restart the running computer program for changes to the running computer program to take effect, the improvement is disclosed of: (a) comparing differences in the running program's running binary code versus object code produced by compiling the running program's source code and (b) using the results of step (a), determining what values to use for symbols in said changes to the program. The compiling may be performed using either the compiler originally used to compile the running program or a different compiler. A data storage medium having instructions stored therein for a computer to perform the improved method is also disclosed.
US08261246B1
Improved techniques for automatic (or dynamic) updating (or maintaining) of file groups in a developer environment that stores and executes files are disclosed. The automatic update to file groups can occur when additional files are added to or removed from the developer environment. The automatic update to file groups can also occur when previously stored files are otherwise altered.
US08261238B2
Real user input targeting an application under test is blocked to prevent interference with a test. A shield window can be placed in front of an application-under-test window to intercept input destined for the application. Users can be notified of interception or a failed attempt to access the application. Furthermore, the shield window can be employed to provide feedback about the test including pointer movement and area focus.
US08261235B2
The invention relates to the field of source code development and in particular a method and system for generating a tutorial application from one or more selected source code elements. The invention provides for a user to select one or source code elements and one or more data elements to be tagged to one or more source code elements. The selected source code elements are tagged using a mark-up language and a tutorial application is generated displaying the tagged selected source code elements and the data elements.
US08261230B2
A system for optimizing a current overload protection circuit includes an input device, a data storage device, a central processing device, and a display. The central processing device includes a storage module, a control module, and a calculation module. The storage module stores a VI application therein. The control module receives instructions from the input device and selects virtual electronic components of the current overload protection circuit from the data storage device and connection of the selected electronic components. The current overload protection circuit is completed and run in the VI application; electronic components significantly affecting the maximum protection current are labeled. The calculation module calculates normal distribution samples of the current overload protection circuit based on the labeled electronic components. The display shows whether the current overload protection circuit meets a process capability standard.
US08261227B2
A circuit design, responsive the input signals, may be obtained and processed. The circuit design may define connections between combinational elements, memory elements, and input signals. Identification of cut-off points may be performed with respect to predetermined combinational logic input signals. The cut-off points may be connections whose values are not dependant on the value of the predetermined combinational logic input signals. An approximated circuit design may be synthesized by relaxing the logic associated with the cut-off points. Based on the approximated circuit design, processing may be performed. In some exemplary embodiments, a clock gating function of a memory element may be determined by approximating the circuit design with respect to the output signal of the memory element. The clock gating function may be determined based on the approximated circuit design and introduced to the circuit design, with or without additional refinement.
US08261224B2
Components are inserted into a cell-based current chin design with multiple levels of nested hierarchy. A selection of components having various silicon densities to insert into the current chip design is received. The components are inserted into the current chip design such that the components do not touch or overlap existing circuits or silicon shapes in the current chip design. The components are inserted such that components having highest silicon densities are placed further away from the existing circuits or silicon shapes than components having lower silicon densities.
US08261223B2
A placer produces a global placement plan specifying positions of cell instances and orientations of macros within an integrated circuit (IC) by initially clusterizing cell instances and macros to form a pyramidal hierarchy of blocks. Then the placer iteratively repeats the declusterization and routability improvement process from the highest level to the lowest level of the hierarchy. An objective function is provided in Cartesian coordinate for representing the position of each movable instance and in polar coordinate for representing the orientation of a macro relative to its the center. For each movable instance and each rotatable macro, its position or orientation is determined by conjugate gradient method to minimize total wire length. Finally, the placer uses a look-ahead legalization technique to rotate rotatable macros to legal orientations and move cell instances to legal positions in the end of global placement.
US08261214B2
A graph in which patterns are each regarded as nodes and nodes of patterns adjacent to each other at a first distance are connected with each other by an edge is produced, each of the patterns is classified into two types so that the two patterns corresponding to the nodes at both ends of the edge are types different to each other, a classification result is corrected by grouping the patterns in each node cluster connected by the edge or each node cluster connected via the node by the edge, and by inverting each of types of a pattern belonging to a same group as that of one pattern, out of a pair of patterns that are classified into a same type and that belong to respectively different groups adjacent to each other at a second distance, and a pattern layout diagram is created based on the corrected classification result.
US08261213B2
Techniques involving gestures and other functionality are described. In one or more implementations, the techniques describe gestures that are usable to provide inputs to a computing device. A variety of different gestures are contemplated, including bimodal gestures (e.g., using more than one type of input) and single modal gestures. Additionally, the gesture techniques may be configured to leverage these different input types to increase the amount of gestures that are made available to initiate operations of a computing device.
US08261212B2
A computing system for displaying a GUI element on a natural user interface is described herein. The computing system includes a display configured to display a natural user interface of a program executed on the computing system, and a gesture sensor configured to detect a gesture input directed at the natural user interface by a user. The computing system also includes a processor configured to execute a gesture-recognizing module for recognizing a registration phase, an operation phase, and a termination phase of the gesture input, and a gesture assist module configured to first display a GUI element overlaid upon the natural user interface in response to recognition of the registration phase. The GUI element includes a visual or audio operation cue to prompt the user to carry out the operation phase of the gesture input, and a selector manipulatable by the user via the operation phase of the gesture.
US08261205B2
A user interface allows a user to access media items by selecting from a list of thumbnail items associated with the media items. Various techniques are used to reduce the latency times when displaying the list of thumbnail items in the user interface. When the list is initially displayed, for example, the thumbnail items may be loaded into memory according to how far they are from a currently displayed portion of the list, rather than always starting from the top of the list. In addition, if not all of the thumbnail items can be loaded at one time, when the list window is scrolled, the thumbnail items relatively far from a current scroll position of the list are purged so that the items closer to the current scroll position may be loaded.
US08261185B2
Described herein are systems and methods for constructing linear representations of content based networks. The methods comprise receiving a sub-network of a content based network comprising a plurality of fragments connected by one or more links, calculating fragment weight for at least some of the plurality of fragments, calculating link weight for at least one of the one or more links, creating a hierarchical structure from the sub-network, based on at least some of the calculated fragment weights and at least some of the calculated link weights, and converting the hierarchical structure to a linear representation. The linear representation may be augmented by additional overview information such as table of contents and index, which may be automatically generated.
US08261183B2
The invention provides embodiments of a method an apparatus for dynamic management of distributed context. Each of a plurality of sticky notes can be associated with contextual information corresponding to a first context in which the virtual sticky note was posted. A request to access at least one of the virtual sticky notes can be received. A second context in which the request was generated can be identified. At least one of the virtual sticky notes that is associated with contextual information that corresponds to the second context can be identified. The identified virtual sticky note(s) can be communicated for presentation to a user.
US08261182B1
Techniques for annotating an electronic document in an electronic document application are described. A request to add an annotation to an electronic document application is received. An annotation template for the requested annotation is retrieved. The annotation template is external to the electronic document application and the electronic document and includes fixed content, associated instructions defining variable content, and layout information for the fixed and variable content. The associated instructions are executed to define the variable content for an instance of the requested annotation. The instance of the annotation is applied to the electronic document. The annotation instance has an appearance defined by the variable content, the fixed content and the layout information.
US08261178B2
An embodiment of the present invention relates to a method, system, or program that automatically associates background music with an image slideshow. The embodiment can receive a selected image collection, extract metadata from the image collection, and associate audio files with the image collection based on the metadata. The embodiment will then prompt concurrent playing of the audio file while the image collection is displayed. The metadata identifies a theme for the image collection which can form the basis for associating the audio file with the image collection.
US08261176B2
Systems and methods to perform polynomial division are disclosed. In a particular embodiment, the method includes receiving a codeword and storing a portion of the received codeword at a register. The portion of the received codeword has a first number of terms. A divisor having a second number of terms is also received. During at least one stage of a multi-stage polynomial division operation using the portion of the codeword and the divisor, the portion of the received codeword to be divided by the divisor is adjusted based on a result of a comparison of the first number to the second number.
US08261173B2
One embodiment of the invention features a programmable gain stage in analog update circuitry to overcome the accuracy limitation of the circuit gain and the maintenance of small finite number of possible sequence estimates.
US08261169B2
The invention is embodied for solving a problem of occurrence of degradation of the reception characteristic caused by the interference signal component if a symbol making a determination error is contained or if an error factor caused by a propagation channel estimation error or a hardware error (carrier frequency error, sampling frequency error) is contained at the interference canceling time in a wireless communication apparatus for iteratively decoding and receiving a spatial multiplex signal. A wireless communication apparatus 100 according to the invention has an error estimator 13 for estimating an error of a replica signal at the interference canceling time and a weighter 14 for weighting likelihood information for a spatial multiplex signal separated and combined after interference is canceled based on output of the error estimator 13, whereby if an error of the replica signal at the interference canceling time is contained, a good reception characteristic can be provided.
US08261157B2
A plurality of logical pages is stored in a MBC flash memory along with corresponding ECC bits, with at least one of the MBC cells storing bits from more than one logical page, and with at least one of the ECC bits applying to two or more of the logical pages. When the pages are read from the memory, the data bits as read are corrected using the ECC bits as read. Alternatively, a joint, systematic or non-systematic ECC codeword is computed for two or more of the logical pages and is stored instead of those logical pages. When the joint codeword is read, the logical bits are recovered from the codeword as read. The scope of the invention also includes corresponding memory devices, the controllers of such memory devices, and also computer-readable storage media bearing computer-readable code for implementing the methods.
US08261156B2
Methods and apparatuses for correcting an error in a data stream that is coded with a line code and an error detection scheme. Information relating to the line code is used to locate at least one possible error character. At least one possible correct character to replace one or more of the at least one possible error character is then identified. Subsequently, the error detection scheme is applied to the data stream updated with one of the at least one possible correct character. If none of the at least one possible correct character results in a valid data stream, an error that is observable by a user is generated.
US08261150B2
In a multi-antenna communication system using LDPC codes, a simple method is used to effectively improve the received quality by performing a retransmittal of less data without restricting applicable LDPC codes. In a case of a non-retransmittal, a multi-antenna transmitting apparatus (100) transmits, from two antennas (114A, 114B) , LDPC encoded data formed by LDPC encoding blocks (102A, 102B). In a case of a retransmittal, the multi-antenna transmitting apparatus (100) uses a transmission method, in which the diversity gain is higher than in the previous transmission, to transmit only a part of the LDPC encoded data as previously transmitted. For example, the only the part of the LDPC encoded data to be re-transmitted is transmitted from the single antenna (114A).
US08261138B2
A test structure for characterizing a production static random access memory (SRAM) array. The test structure includes a characterization circuit having multiple memory cell columns connected in series to form a ring configuration. The characterization circuit is fabricated on a wafer substrate in common with and proximate to a production SRAM array. The characterization circuit preferably includes SRAM cells having a circuit topology substantially identical to the circuit topology of memory cells within the production SRAM array. In one embodiment, the test structure is utilized for characterizing a multi-port memory array and includes multiple memory cell columns connected in series to form a ring oscillator characterization circuit. Each cell column in the characterization circuit includes multiple SRAM cells each having a latching node and multiple data path access nodes. Selection control circuitry selectively enables the multiple data path access nodes for the SRAM cells within the characterization circuit.
US08261137B2
An apparatus and method for efficiently processing memory faults. A faulty memory is exchanged with a spare memory when the total number of faults in the memories is over a threshold. After the switching, when the number of faults in a single cache line is over a threshold, a memory page corresponding to the single cache line is blocked.
US08261132B2
A technical system is broken down into a plurality of subsystems, each of which is allocated a time-dependent distribution function which describes the probability of failure of the respective subsystem. The distribution functions are linked to one another to form a time-dependent system distribution function which describes the probability of failure of the technical system.
US08261131B2
A user of a user computer whose hard disk drive (HDD) is “fried” can press a special key to cause BIOS to automatically gather location information about the computer from its GPS receiver and gather information about the HDD, activate a WWAN transceiver, and automatically send the location and HDD information over the WWAN to a service computer, which may return a location of a nearest service center to the user computer and any other advice including recovery advice for the HDD that the service center might be able to divine from the information sent to it by the user computer.
US08261123B2
An information processing apparatus which manages a document file to be stored includes a creating unit for creating an output job which is output to an image forming apparatus according to an instruction to an icon of the document file displayed on a display unit, a job management unit for managing the output job by relating a job ID for identifying the output job to a file ID of the document file when the output job is created by the creating unit, an acquirement unit for acquiring from the image forming apparatus the job ID of the output job in which processing ends in error, and a first display control unit for changing an icon display state of an a document file including a file ID specified by the job ID acquired by the acquirement unit and the job ID managed by the management unit, from a normal display state to an error display state.
US08261115B2
A processing device may comprise a first controlling unit, a second controlling unit, a first memory and a second memory. The second memory may be set to a normal operation mode in a case where the first controlling unit is in the non-sleeping state, and may be set to a low power consumption mode in a case where the first controlling unit is in the sleeping state. In the case where the first controlling unit is in the sleeping state, the second controlling unit may be configured to perform one of the below processes depending on its condition. If the second controlling unit is to perform a specific process by using a first program, the second controlling unit may perform the specific process on behalf of the first controlling unit by using the first program stored in the first memory while the first controlling unit is maintained in the sleeping state and the second memory is maintained in the low power consumption mode. If the second controlling unit is to perform the specific process by using a second program, the second controlling unit may change a mode of the second memory from the low power consumption mode to the normal operation mode, and perform the specific process on behalf of the first controlling unit by using the second program stored in the second memory, while the first controlling unit is maintained in the sleeping state.
US08261112B2
A method, system, and computer program product for optimizing power consumption of an executing processor executing. The method includes determining a first sensitivity relationship (SR) based on a first and a second performance metric value (PMV) measured at a first and second operating frequency (OF), respectively. The first SR predicts workload performance over a range of OFs. A third OF is determined based on the first SR and a specified workload performance floor. A third PMV is measured by executing the processor operating at the third OF. A second SR based on the second and third PMVs is then determined. The first and second SRs are logically combined to generate a third SR. Based on the third SR, a fourth OF is outputted.
US08261110B2
A data processing apparatus 100, to reduce power consumption for processing and wirelessly transmitting continuous data to a data reproducing apparatus 200, comprises a first signal processing unit 120 processing data stored in a data storage unit 110, a first wireless communication unit 140 wirelessly transmitting the processed data to the data reproducing apparatus, a signal processing control unit 150 controlling the first signal processing unit 120 so as to work intermittently by processing at a speed faster than real-time processing, a clock/power control unit 160 controlling supplies of clock and power to the first signal processing unit 120 and the signal processing control unit 150 during a non-operating period of the intermittent operation, and a start-up control unit 180 requesting a release of restrictions to the clock/power control unit 160 and a transfer to an operating time period of the intermittent operation to the signal processing control unit 150 based on the amount of data stored in a received data storage unit 230.
US08261109B2
A peripheral device and a method for operating a peripheral device is disclosed. The peripheral device includes one or more connection mechanisms for coupling to a computing device, a power supply, and a controller. The controller is configured to enable the peripheral device to communicate with the computing device. When the peripheral device is coupled to the computing device, the controller is configured to determine the amount of power remaining in the power supply of the peripheral device, and based at least in part on the amount of power remaining in the power supply of the peripheral device, enable the peripheral device to charge a power supply of the computing device, and enable the peripheral device to receive power from the power supply of the computing device.
US08261105B2
The invention relates to a switching power circuit connected to a motherboard of a computer system. The switching power circuit includes a PWM circuit and a snubber circuit. The PWM circuit includes a phase terminal, and it may output an output voltage to the motherboard via the phase terminal. The snubber circuit includes a zener diode. A negative terminal of the zener diode is connected to the phase terminal, and a positive terminal is connected to the ground terminal. The level of a breakdown voltage of the zener diode is equal to the level of the output voltage in a steady state.
US08261100B2
Power adapter capable of communicating digitally with electronic devices using packet-based protocol
A power adapter capable of communicating digitally with a device or a legacy adapter associated with a device is described. The power adapter includes an input port to receive power from a power source, a regulator to convert the received power from the power source, an output port configured to deliver power from the regulator to a device, and a microprocessor configured to communicate digitally with a communication module associated with the device to determine the power requirements of the device. The regulator converts the power from the power source in accordance with the power requirements of the device. A related method of adapting power to a device is also described.
US08261096B2
An information processing apparatus, an information recording medium, an information processing method, and a computer program are provided.In an information recording medium storing many pieces of content, a configuration that allows use management on segmented content basis is provided. A plurality of content management units corresponding to title, index and other information are set by partitioning stored content in an information recording medium. Different unit keys that are encryption keys are allocated to different content management units. At least the content real data included in each content management unit is encrypted by use of the unit key and the encrypted data is stored. In content reproduction, units are identified and decryption is executed by use of a unit key corresponding to each unit for reproduction. In an information recording medium storing many pieces of content for example, each of segmented pieces of content may be managed.
US08261093B1
A system, method, and computer program product are provided for disabling a communication channel during authentication. In operation, an authentication request for an authentication event is detected. Furthermore, a communication channel is disabled, in response to the authentication event.
US08261092B2
An image retrieval system that provides secured image data in response to a query specified by a user. The system includes a data retrieval unit, an encryption unit, and an output unit. The data retrieval unit is configured to retrieve image data relevant to the specified query from a collection of image data. The encryption unit is configured to encrypt at least a portion of the retrieved image data according to the specified query. The output unit is configured to output the at least partially encrypted image data to the user. The image data represents an image formed of one or more regions each having a keyword associated therewith. The encrypted portion is decryptable by the user only when the user is authorized to view the entire image.
US08261087B2
The DigiPass for the Web provides security for internet communication greater than that achieved by the use of a static password without requiring the user to install any software or to possess or use dedicated hardware of any kind. The user merely access an appropriate website which downloads an applet to the user's browser. This is a conventional function which is handled by the browser and does not require any expertise on the part of the user. The browser relies on a password known only to the user for authenticating the user to the browser/applet. The browser/applet interacts with the server to create an authentication key which is then stored on the user's computer. The user can invoke the authentication key dependent on the user's presentation to the browser/applet of the password. Since the password is not used outside the user-browser/applet interaction it is not subject to attacks by hackers. The authentication key is also protected from attacks by encryption although the user need not memorize any information other than the password.
US08261075B2
The present invention is directed to an architecture and mechanism for securely backing up files and directories on a local machine onto untrusted servers over an insecure network.
US08261073B2
Provided are a digital rights management (DRM) method and apparatus, and more particularly, a DRM method and apparatus which can support different DRMs and use various digital content. The DRM method includes receiving a hello message request from a host device; comparing information included in the hello message request to information stored in advance; generating an error code when the hello message request contains unsupported information; and generating a hello message response that contains the error code.
US08261072B2
Aspects of the present invention include a method and system for generating a secure access code at a remote device in communication with a computer system having a secure storage device; conveying the secure access code to the system secure storage device; receiving the secure access code at the system secure storage device with unique data characteristics associated with remote device; and, securely providing content to the remote device.
US08261068B1
A method is provided for providing an operating system (OS) independent input/output (I/O) filter driver capable of encrypting at least a portion of a logical unit (LUN), the method comprising the unordered steps of: providing an I/O filter driver component to an I/O stack for a host in communication with the LUN; determining, based at least in part on at least one of OS requirements and an arrangement of data on the LUN, at least one region in the LUN that contains data that is used below the I/O filter driver in an I/O stack on the host; and performing at least one of a read and a write of the one or more regions while keeping the one or more regions in plaintext, while permitting other regions of the LUN to be at least one of encrypted and decrypted.
US08261066B2
An algorithm (such as the MD5 hash function) is applied to a file to produce an intrinsic unique identifier (IUI) for the file (or message digest). The file is encrypted using its IUI as the key for the encryption algorithm. An algorithm is then applied to the encrypted file to produce an IUI for the encrypted file. The encrypted file is safely stored or transferred within a network and is uniquely identifiable by its IUI. The encrypted file is decrypted using the IUI of the plaintext file as the key. The IUI serves as both a key to decrypt the file and also as verification that the integrity of the plaintext file has not been compromised. IUIs for any number of such encrypted files may be assembled into a descriptor file that includes meta data for each file, the IUI of the plaintext file and the IUI of the encrypted file. An algorithm is applied to the descriptor file to produce an IUI for the descriptor file. The plaintext descriptor file is then encrypted using the descriptor file IUI as a key for the encryption algorithm. An algorithm is applied to the encrypted descriptor file to produce an IUI for the encrypted descriptor file. The IUI of the encrypted descriptor file is a location-independent identifier to locate the encrypted descriptor file. A flattened descriptor file includes the IUIs of encrypted data files and the IUI of the encrypted descriptor file. An algorithm is applied to the flattened descriptor file to produce its own IUI.
US08261061B2
Embodiments of the present invention enable a user to engage in secure communications using digital certificates and other cryptographic technologies in an easy way with a minimum of distracting interaction. In some embodiments of the present invention, webmail is enabled to allow users to obtain and use S/MIME certificates to secure his or her e-mails. Embodiments of the present invention can also be implemented to other forms of messaging, such as text messages, instant messages, etc.
US08261054B2
In one embodiment, the present invention includes a method for receiving a request for a trusted platform module (TPM) operation from a virtual machine, determining whether the request is for a modification of a TPM version, and associating part of a multi-context hardware TPM with a virtual TPM (vTPM) to enable the modification. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08261052B2
A method for storing boot time is performed by a computer product having a programmable read-only memory with a basic/input output system resident therein. The method includes the steps of: (A) while the computer product is in a process of booting, determining whether a command is received; and (B) storing system time information of the computer product as boot time information in the programmable read-only memory of the computer product when it is determined in step (A) that no command is received. This invention takes advantage of the tendency of consumers to not boot the computer product in the event of malfunction. When the malfunctioning computer product is sent to a service center, the repairperson can determine whether the computer product broke down within a warranty period based on latest boot time information stored therein, rather than based on the claims of the consumer.
US08261051B2
A computer includes an application system, a storage device and a basic input output system (BIOS). The application system can be respectively coupled to the storage device and the BIOS, set at least a multimedia file as a preset playing file according to an input instruction and store the preset playing file into the storage device. The application system can further generate a log file according to the input instruction and the storage position of the preset playing file, wherein the log file is sent to the BIOS. The BIOS has a file access module, so that the BIOS can acquire the preset playing file from the storage device according to the log file for playing during booting the computer.
US08261049B1
Systems, apparatuses, and methods for determinative branch prediction indexing are described herein. The determinative branch prediction indexing method includes receiving a program counter address for a branch instruction, dynamically selecting a branch indexing scheme from a plurality of branch indexing schemes, and generating a branch prediction index based at least in part on selected branch indexing scheme and the program counter address. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.
US08261042B2
A signal processing device is adapted for simultaneous processing of at least two process threads in a multi-processing manner. The device comprises a plurality of functional units capable of executing word- or subword-level operations on data. The device further comprises means for interconnecting the plurality of functional units, the means for interconnecting supporting a plurality of dynamically switchable interconnect arrangements, and at least one of the interconnect arrangements interconnects the plurality of functional units into at least two non-overlapping processing units each with a pre-determined topology. The device further comprises at least two control modules each assigned to one of the processing units.
US08261041B2
An example of a device comprises a first MMU converting a logical address into a physical address for a cache, a controller accessing the cache based on the physical address for the cache, a first storage storing history data showing an access state to a main memory outside a processor, a second storage storing relation data showing a relationship between a logical address and a physical address in the main memory, and a second MMU converting a logical address into a physical address for the main memory based on the history and relation data and accessing the main memory based on the physical address for the main memory. The first and second MMU, controller, first storage, second storage are included in the processor.
US08261040B2
A data storage device is provided, including a first data storage device electrically storing write data, a second data storage device magnetically storing write data, and a controller partitioning write data into first and second write data portions. The first write data portion is programmed to the first data storage device and the second write data portion if magnetically written to the second data storage device at the same time.
US08261025B2
Memory sharing in a software pipeline on a network on chip (‘NOC’), the NOC including integrated processor (‘IP’) blocks, routers, memory communications controllers, and network interface controllers, with each IP block adapted to a router through a memory communications controller and a network interface controller, where each memory communications controller controlling communications between an IP block and memory, and each network interface controller controlling inter-IP block communications through routers, including segmenting a computer software application into stages of a software pipeline, the software pipeline comprising one or more paths of execution; allocating memory to be shared among at least two stages including creating a smart pointer, the smart pointer including data elements for determining when the shared memory can be deallocated; determining, in dependence upon the data elements for determining when the shared memory can be deallocated, that the shared memory can be deallocated; and deallocating the shared memory.
US08261024B1
From among a plurality of threads accessing a shared data object, one thread acquires a “master” status to arbitrate among the requests of competing threads during a given session of data access to the shared data object. During the session, the master thread resolves any conflicts resulting from attempts to access or modify the shared data object by other threads, and only the master thread may apply modifications to the shared data object during the session. Meanwhile, during the session, non-master threads may perform non-blocking read operations on the shared data object. During a subsequent session, a different thread may acquire master status.
US08261020B2
In response to a request including a state object, which can indicate a state of an enumeration of a cache, the enumeration can be continued by using the state object to identify and send cache data. Also, an enumeration of cache units can be performed by traversing a data structure that includes object nodes, which correspond to cache units, and internal nodes. An enumeration state stack can indicate a current state of the enumeration, and can include state nodes that correspond to internal nodes in the data structure. Additionally, a cache index data structure can include a higher level table and a lower level table. The higher level table can have a leaf node pointing to the lower level table, and the lower level table can have a leaf node pointing to one of the cache units. Moreover, the lower level table can be associated with a tag.
US08261018B2
A method, system and computer program product for managing data storage systems. The data storage system being coupled to a volume storage pool as data storage resource, the data storage system presenting at least one virtual volume as a storage resource to a host device, the method for managing the data storage system comprising collecting the volume storage pool occupancy and the virtual volume consumption; trending the volume storage pool and the virtual volumes consumption; forecasting the volume storage pool occupancy and virtual volume consumption; and recommending at least one action based on the forecasted values of storage pool occupancy data and virtual volume consumption data. The method may further comprise detecting a rapid increase or surge in the volume storage pool occupancy data.
US08261013B2
A method for addressing a memory having a plurality of flash memory chips organized in erasable blocks, which in turn contain writable sectors, and where an erase counter is associated with each memory block. The overwriting of the sectors occurs by way of alternative memory blocks searched in the same chip for low erase counter values, as long as a threshold value of the erase counter is not exceeded. The copying operations are conducted efficiently using a copy command internal to the memory chip. As soon as the threshold value is exceeded, alternative memory blocks are searched in other memory chips as well.
US08261008B2
The invention discloses a NAND flash controller, including a command and address data transmission channel adapted to connect the bus timing interface with the channel selector and transmit command and address data, a data buffer region adapted to receive message data from the bus timing interface through system bus, a control register adapted to receive an operation parameter configured through system bus via the bus timing interface, a logic controller adapted to write the data information into or read the data information from the data buffer region according to the operation parameter, a channel selector adapted to connect the DMA data transmission channel or the command and address data transmission channel according to the operation parameter for transmitting data. The invention also discloses a date exchange method between NAND flash controller and NAND flash memory. The invention improves the data transmission efficiency and is compatible with various NAND flash memories.
US08261002B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide a unique capability of implementing a pair of pseudo-PHY interfaces using a bridge. From the host and device perspectives, the host and device communicate through a PHY interface. The bridge, however, avoids actually using a USB PHY interface. This PHY-less bridge allows communication between a host and a device at high speeds without high-power transceivers associated with a USB PHY interface. In accordance with the present invention, a host and a device may be coupled together using a PHY-less bridge using the same interface or translating between different interfaces by using a wrapper. Such PHY-less bridges include a UTMI-to-UTMI bridge, a UTMI-to-ULPI bridge, a ULPI-to-UTMI bridge and a ULPI-to-ULPI bridge, each avoiding the need for a USB PHY interface.
US08260999B2
In general, the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in methods, system and program products. A mobile computing device determines that the mobile computing device has physically paired with a docking system. Wireless communication between the mobile computing device and the docking system is automatically established in response to said determining that the mobile computing device has physically paired with the docking system. Data that encodes an audio signal is transmitted, by the mobile computing device and to the docking system as part of the wireless communication, so as to cause speakers of the docking system to audibly output the audio signal from the mobile computing device.
US08260992B2
An apparatus includes a plurality of data lines defining a data bus for communicating data. A controller is operable to communicate a plurality of data transfers over the data bus using a plurality of data time slots, wherein for at least a subset of the data time slots the controller is operable to communicate an associated data bus inversion indicator indicating that bits communicated during the associated data time slot are inverted, the data bus inversion indicators for the subset of the data transfers are grouped into a data bus inversion vector, and the controller is operable to communicate a global data bus inversion indicator indicating an inversion of the data bus inversion vector.
US08260989B2
One embodiment of the present invention is a sensor comprising one or more sensing devices, data-transmission components that transmit sensor data to a receiving component, and a processing component. The processing component executes routines to record sensing-device output as data for transmission to the receiving entity and to control the data-transmission components to transmit the data to the receiving entity. The processing component executes one or more compressing routines to compress data prior to transmission, when data compression is estimated to result in a lower power cost than transmitting uncompressed data, and controlling the data-transmission components to transmit data without compressing the data when data compression is estimated to result in a higher power cost than transmitting uncompressed data.
US08260984B2
A serial communication device has: a MAC (Media Access Control), a mask circuit and a buffer. The MAC conforms to Serial Media Independent Interface specification and outputs an identical segment data for plural times within a unit period. The mask circuit is configured to mask a predetermined segment data out of the plurality of identical segment data and to output the other segment data out of the plurality of identical segment data. The buffer is configured to receive the segment data output from the mask circuit and to output the received segment data to a physical layer device in synchronization with a clock signal.
US08260983B2
A recording and/or reproducing apparatus includes a plurality of devices in which a first device has a connecting unit connected with a host device to perform a data transfer with the host device, a second device shares a temporarily recording area with the first device to perform the data transfer between the first and second devices via the temporarily recording area, and the data transfer is performed by using the temporarily recording area shared with the first device and using the connecting unit of the first device when the second device performs the data transfer with the host device, in this way, a power consumption is reduced.
US08260979B2
A method and apparatus for providing bidirectional signaling in a bus topology is provided. The bus topology allows more than two electrical circuits or devices to be coupled together along one or more common electrical conductors. For each device on the bus, a transmit buffer is preferably provided for every other device on the bus with which it will communicate. One or more logic circuits, for example, a scheduler, is provided to coordinate exchange transactions between pairs of devices. Time delays are preferably provided between exchange transactions of different device pairs so as to prevent interference. Coherency checking is preferably implemented to avoid discrepancies introduced by information being held in a buffer pending an exchange transaction.
US08260965B2
A method and system to provide a blog by using a mobile terminal, and a mobile blog (MB) caster therefor, the method including: receiving blog data including one or more pieces of downsized data from an MB caster; selecting a piece of downsized data from among the one or more pieces of downsized data; obtaining metadata corresponding to the selected piece of downsized data; accessing a web blog server; and downloading original data corresponding to the metadata from the web blog server. Since the blog is created and provided by using the downsized data, instead of the original data, a blog server operation can be realized by using only existing mobile devices. Furthermore, the mobile terminal does not have to be connected to the Internet (or the web blog server) for a blog service. Also, it is possible to provide the blog at very high speed.
US08260962B1
A device may include a donor to maintain a pool of addresses; a group of borrowers to obtain addresses from the donor; a daemon that has registered an interest in one or more borrowers in the group of borrowers; and a library to maintain first relationships between donors and borrowers that have obtained addresses from the donors, maintain second relationships between daemons and borrowers in which the daemons have registered an interest, receive a notification regarding an incident associated with the donor, identify, in response to the notification, the group of borrowers based on the first relationships, determine that the daemon has registered an interest in the one or more borrowers in the group of borrowers based on the second relationships, and output, to the daemon, a notification regarding the incident associated with the donor.
US08260958B2
A load balancer, comprising a network interface, a power conservation unit, and a routing module configured to route client requests received through the network interface to a plurality of servers. The power conservation unit is characterized by having a learning mode and a routing mode. In the learning mode one or more operation parameters of the servers are determined for a plurality of different external conditions and for a plurality of different values of one or more operation parameters of the routing module, and to generate a correlation table between the operation parameters of the routing module and the external conditions. In the routing mode the power conservation unit adjusts the operation parameters of the routing module responsive to the external conditions, using the correlation table.
US08260947B2
A media delivery apparatus for relaying media data streaming-delivered from a server to a client terminal through a network, including a receiving portion for receiving packets transmitted from the server to the network when stream-delivering the media data, and a storage device, wherein: each of the packets contains at least one media data element as a split of the media data and is constructed according to a certain protocol; and the receiving portion extracts the media data element, generates information necessary for reconstructing a packet having the same construction as that of the packet containing the media data and stores the necessary information in addition to the extracted media data in the storage device.
US08260944B2
The present invention discloses a system for implementing a software application programming interface (API) within a session initiation protocol (SIP) servlet. Such a system can utilize a state machine, a SIP servlet configured to execute the state machine, and an enterprise service bus (ESB). The state machine can be configured to send and receive a series of communications and can be defined in a definition document. The series of communications can represent the execution of a software function defined within an API. The SIP servlet can select a state machine based upon an indicator contained within a received SIP message. The ESB can be configured to execute a system function in response to communications with the state machine.
US08260942B2
A system and method of constructing cluster views may involve determining that a process such as an application server process having an IP address is stopped. Another IP address may be assigned to the process in response to determining that the process is stopped, wherein the other IP address is dedicated to processes that are stopped. If a connection request for the process is received at the other IP address, the connection request may be actively refused. The active refusal may significantly reduce the amount of time required to generate cluster views.
US08260935B2
Systems, methods, and devices for novel error detection and retransmission processes are described. These processes may be implemented on intermediate communication links between two end terminals, wherein the intermediate links are via satellite. Error control mechanisms to detect and retransmit lost or corrupted frames may be implemented at the network layer, or between the network and data link layers. Processes for discovering error control protocol-aware terminals are described. Features of these error control processes may include a configurable delay limit, tailored to traffic type or class.
US08260934B2
A remoting client and a remoting server are described. In one embodiment, the remoting client has a client remote access application comprising an application programming interface (API), and a client invoker coupled to the client remote access application, the socket invoker comprising a multiplex invoker. The multiplex invoker is to form a socket on the remoting client, to bind the socket to a port of the remoting client, to couple the socket to a socket of a remoting server, to form a plurality of virtual sockets on the remoting client, and to associate the plurality of virtual sockets with the socket of the remoting client. The plurality of virtual sockets share the socket and the port of the remoting client.
US08260928B2
A method includes generating a space information value for each of a plurality of spaces based on at least one environmental condition measurement for the corresponding space. Each space includes one or more computing devices. The space information value includes information regarding the relative suitability of a corresponding space for accepting computing load. The method also includes determining an allocation of additional computing load based on the space information values.
US08260926B2
The present invention provides systems and methods for maintaining site persistence in a hierarchical Global Server Load Balancing (GSLB) deployment. Via configuration of GSLB services locally and remotely on each of the GSLB appliances and LB appliances at a site, a site appliance identifies and associates requests from the GSLB with the site. Furthermore, the site appliance may receive a GSLB cookie with the client request and confirms the request is from the expected GSLB in the site hierarchy. When the load balancers receives a response from a server, the appliance may include the GSLB cookie with the response back to the client. The appliance may also include an LB cookie to identify the server selected by the LB. When the client sends another request, the request may include the GSLB and LB cookie. With this information, the GSLB and LB appliance may maintain site persistence for the client as well as server persistence at the site.
US08260923B2
A server system has a blade system formed of a plurality of servers that are mounted in one or a plurality of stages within a single chassis so as to have a plurality of different functions, and a management server for managing said blade system. The management server has means for grouping the plurality of mounted servers to manage for each function, means for managing the deployment of the plurality of servers within the chassis, and deployment changing means for changing the functions of the plurality servers and transposing the functions to change the deployment of the servers within the chassis. Thus, the deployment changing means makes the servers of each of the plurality of functions be arrayed in regular order within the chassis.
US08260921B2
A demand forecasting system and a demand forecasting method capable of forecasting demands for IT resources in a data center accurately are provided. The demand forecasting system includes: a classification unit that classifies a plurality of users who use IT resources in a data center into a plurality of user's behavior classes; an event characteristics model generation unit that generates an event characteristics model representing a variation over time in a usage state of the IT resources caused by an event and the number of the users moving among the user's behavior classes caused by the event; an event influence calculation unit that calculates a predicted value of the variation over time in a usage state of the IT resources and a predicted value of the number of the users moving among the user's behavior classes that will be caused by an event scheduled to be held in the future using the event characteristics model; and a demand forecasting unit that calculates a variation in load on the IT resources.
US08260911B2
A dispatching method for polling device data. The method comprises: sorting managed devices according to their types, sorting various types of data of each device so as to form different modules, and assigning a priority attribute and a polling period attribute to each module; dividing the managed devices into two sets: one set consisting of devices to be polled and the other set consisting of devices whose connection states need to be detected; and polling each module in the set consisting of devices to be polled according to its priority and polling period periodically. Different polling periods can be set and different polling policies can be applied according to data changeability. Polling policies can be changed in real time and flexibly based on the condition of devices.
US08260909B2
A system that determines whether a data element exists within a set of data elements observed from a stream of data. During operation, the system receives a query which seeks to determine whether the data element exists within a set of data elements observed from a stream of data. In response to the query, the system performs a lookup in an enhanced Bloom filter to determine whether the pattern of data elements was observed in the stream of data, wherein the enhanced Bloom filter includes multiple instances of a Bloom filter, and wherein each instance of the Bloom filter is associated with a different time interval. If so, the system generates a notification that the data element was observed.
US08260906B1
A system, method and computer program product are provided for heuristically identifying protocols during network analysis utilizing a network analyzer. First provided is a sequencing and reassembly (SAR) engine module for sequencing and/or re-assembling network communications. Coupled to the engine module is a plurality of protocol interpreter modules for interpreting protocols associated with the network communications. At least one of the protocol interpreter modules is adapted for heuristically identifying protocols associated with the network communications.
US08260894B2
A method for adjusting a load among subsystems in a communication network system having a bus network structure, wherein: the communication network system includes a broker processing a message routing, a connector, and a plurality of services which is a communicable terminal node connected to the broker via the connector, and the method includes the steps of: connecting all brokers of the communication network system to each other in a full mesh topology, the broker being a module setting up a routing path or a connection with the connector, to process the message routing; maintaining a broker list recording a network address of each broker in the connector; the connector receiving a service registration message from the service, randomly selecting one broker from the broker list, and transmitting a connection request message.
US08260891B2
A system and method for providing a network boot is provided in which the entire length of the communications link between the client computer and the boot server is secure. Because the communications link between the client and the boot server is secure, an identifier for that uniquely identifies the client can be passed to the boot server, and the boot server is operable to serve a boot image to the client computer on the basis of the uniquely identified client computer.
US08260887B2
Method and device for automatic configuration of an access router 2, compatible with the DHCP protocol, for controlling resources for a client terminal 1, as a function of a profile associated with the terminal client line and an ID identifier of the terminal client line, in a computer network, starting from the configuration phase of the terminal by a DHCP 3 server in the network; the router routing the DHCP traffic of the terminal with the server. The ID identifier, inserted 5 in the DHCPREQUEST message 4 broadcast by the terminal, is used 9 to query 10 a profiles server 11 that transmits 12 the corresponding profile in response; Extraction 14 of the parameters of the transmitted profile 13 configures 15 the router so that it can be able to process terminal flows.
US08260886B2
A method and compiler for compiling hierarchical command based policy rules to a flat filter list structure adapted for storage in a Content Addressable Memory (CAM), wherein the policy rules are organized in a tree-structure of classifiers. First, all of the possible search paths in the tree structure are found, and then only the valid search paths according to defined criteria are added to the flat filter list. The CAM may be a Ternary Content Addressed Memory.
US08260885B2
Bootstrapping an electronic communication device in a communications network by receiving a detection message from a detection source that a new device/subscriber combination is detected by the communications network and sending a notification message with basic device management parameters and subscriber identification to an operator's business system, notifying the operator's business system that a new device/subscriber combination has been detected, and to send—in response to the notification message—an order message to a smartcard management system to update a smartcard of the device with the basic device management parameters.
US08260884B2
To configure a secure bus subscriber connected to a field bus in a secure control system, the secure bus subscriber being assigned a defined subscriber address, the invention provides a method having the following steps: an address allocation message is sent from a control unit connected to the field bus to the secure bus subscriber, the address allocation message comprising the defined subscriber address, the defined subscriber address is stored in a memory in the secure bus subscriber, and an acknowledgement message is sent from the secure bus subscriber to the control unit, the acknowledgement message comprising the defined subscriber address, where the address allocation message is sent on the basis of planning data for the secure bus subscriber connected to the field bus which are stored in the control unit. The invention also provides an appropriate control system.
US08260882B2
A method, system, and apparatus are directed to sharing information over a network. A request to share a multimedia object may be received. A relevance measure may be retrieved based on an identity of the multimedia object. Sharing the network of the multimedia object between an originating sharing member and a plurality of members of a social network may be enabled. A combination of the relevance measure and a hop distance for the shared multimedia object may be provided.
US08260866B2
Upon accepting, from a user B, a new registration of a configuration showing that the user B wishes to receive data via a FAX, a server sets a notification flag to an address book of a user A which includes an address of the user B. Upon accepting a login of the user A, an MFP displays a message to notify the user A of the new registration by the user B, based on the notification flag. The user A, who has notified of the new registration, can transmit the data to the user B with use of the new registration configured by the user B, namely via a FAX. Accordingly, the user B can receive the data via a FAX as the user B wishes.
US08260863B2
A method and computer program product for determining that a user of a client electronic device is in do-not-interrupt mode. A message directed to the user is routed to a client-based storage queue for subsequent delivery.
US08260851B2
An improved system and method for managing data on a handheld electronic device includes a server that periodically pushes data to a particular handheld electronic device, with the data being stored on the handheld electronic device by way of a routine running in the background whereby such reception and storage is generally transparent to a user. The data can be any type of data and may be data that is desired by the user or that fits a profile or preference of the user. The profile can, for instance, be predetermined and/or can be customized by the user and/or can reflect a preference of the user. The data pushed to the handheld electronic device can also be related in some fashion to a geographic disposition of the handheld electronic device. Such pushing of data and storage is managed by a routine running in the background of the handheld electronic device. The routine enables current data to be maintained on the handheld electronic device for ready access by a user.
US08260850B2
A system and method of data programming includes declarative rule-based programming in which a distributed program for computers on a network is defined through tabular structures. The tabular structures can store logic, including data (e.g., primitive variables and dynamic data structures) and code (e.g., arguments and functions) that govern operation of the distributed program.
US08260847B2
A method for scheduling an event over a network in a calendar of an invitee includes creating a schedule request that includes at least a set of details of the event and an identifier if the event creator. The schedule request is sent to a server in communication with the network. The server has access to the calendar of the invitee and a calendar for the event creator. Upon receipt of the schedule request, an event record is created at the server that includes at least the set of details for the event and a link to the invitee's calendar. The event is also added to the calendar of the invitee. The schedule request may be created using a link associated with the event.
US08260833B2
A method allowing for fast mapping between a content identifier (ID) for a media content file and the file path of said media content file includes: dividing a plurality of characters making up the contend ID into a plurality of ordered subsections separated by a separator character, correlating at least one of the subsections with a directory in an electronic file system, and correlating the last of the subsections with a name of the media content file, the media content file being located within a directory correlated with a preceding subsection.
US08260820B2
A method of searching data on heterogeneous databases connected over a network. Configuration data representing the configuration of each database is received. The configuration data includes mapping data associating search terms to data field names in each database. A search request specifying criteria for a search term for data is received from a client. The mapping data is processed to select a data field name in a database, the data field name corresponding to the search term specified in the search request. A search command is generated which is compatible with the database using the data field name. The search command is transmitted to a data provider system associated with the database. Search results are received from the data provider system, which results from the execution of the search command on the database. The search results are processed to generate search report data, and are transmitted to the client terminal.
US08260817B2
The invention relates to topic classification systems in which text intervals are represented as proposition trees. Free-text queries and candidate responses are transformed into proposition trees, and a particular candidate response can be matched to a free-text query by transforming the proposition trees of the free-text query into the proposition trees of the candidate responses. Because proposition trees are able to capture semantic information of text intervals, the topic classification system accounts for the relative importance of topic words, for paraphrases and re-wordings, and for omissions and additions. Redundancy of two text intervals can also be identified.
US08260799B2
The present invention discloses a method and an apparatus for creating a pattern matching state machine and identifying a pattern, and relates to pattern matching technologies. The method includes: obtaining a sub-keyword field after division; generating a state transition (goto) function according to the sub-keyword field; generating a failure function of each state node according to the goto function; generating a next-hop goto function δ of each state node according to the goto function and the failure function; in the process of converting the failure chain, the entry with a failure transition to the initial state is not generated. Therefore, the storage content does not increase massively, the storage structure of the AC algorithm is optimized, and the processing speed of the AC algorithm is improved.
US08260798B2
A method for migrating files including receiving, from a client, a first FS operation request for a target FS, making a first determination that migration for a source FS is not complete and making a second determination that the first FS operation request specifies a directory and that a directory level attribute for the directory on the target FS specifies that the directory on the target FS is un-migrated. In response to the first and second determination obtaining, from the source FS, meta-data for content in the directory and creating, using the meta-data, a directory entry for a file in the directory on the target FS. The method further includes creating an on-disk space map for the file, creating an in-memory space map for the file, and servicing, after creating the on-disk space map and in-memory space map, the first FS operation request using the target FS.
US08260785B2
Links between facts associated with objects are automatically created and maintained in a fact repository. Names of objects are automatically identified in the facts, and collected into a list of names. The facts are then processed to identifying such names in the facts. Identified names are used as anchor text for search links. A search link includes a search query for a service engine which search the fact repository for facts associated with objects having the same name.
US08260784B2
Disclosed is a method of encoding JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) documents in an inverted index, wherein a tree representation of a JSON document is first generated, and, next, the JSON document is shredded into a list of
US08260783B2
A method and system may receive time-series data of each of a plurality of real-time data streams from one or more sensors and create an electronic file based on the plurality of real-time data streams. The plurality of real-time data streams comprises a primary data stream, a low limit data stream, a high limit data stream, and a target value data stream. The electronic file includes a data portion and a metadata portion. The metadata portion of the electronic file comprises, for each of the plurality of data streams, one or more data stream identifiers, a time range, a source type, and a data type, and the data portion comprises the time-series data of each of the plurality of real-time data streams.
US08260780B2
A system protects database operations performed on a shared resource. The system may chunk memory to form a set of memory chunks which have memory blocks, at least some of the memory blocks including database objects. The system may configure at least one binary search tree using the memory chunks as nodes and buffer a set of pointers corresponding to the memory blocks. The system may further validate the buffered pointers and dereference validated buffered pointers.
US08260766B2
A method of processing documents is described. The method includes the operation of receiving a document in a search engine crawler. The document includes an embedded first link tag. The first link tag includes one or more information pairs. A respective information pair includes a respective parameter and a corresponding value. The parameters in the one or more information pairs may correspond to content at one or more content locations or one or more document locations. The method also includes selecting a method of processing content associated with the first link tag in accordance with one or more of the information pairs.
US08260762B2
Example methods and apparatus for storing and providing application runtime data are disclosed. An example method include receiving, at a data list manager, a set of identifiers associated, respectively, with one or more persistently stored structured data records. The example method further includes storing, by the data list manager, the set of identifiers. The example method also includes receiving, at the data list manager, a request for one or more of the structured data records and retrieving, by the data list manager, the one or more requested structured data records. The example method still further includes storing, by the data list manager, the retrieved data records in correspondence with their respective identifiers and providing, by the data list manager, the retrieved data records for display to a user.
US08260748B1
Method and apparatus for capturing data from a backup image are described. In one example, the backup image is mounted on a volume in a host computer. The backup image includes files, a first portion of which include an operating system. A database in the backup image is mounted. The database stores configuration data for use by the operating system. The configuration data includes file paths referencing at least one of the files. The file paths are re-mapped based on the volume. The data is captured from the backup image using the database as mounted and the file paths as re-mapped.
US08260746B2
A computer system having a first storage system which includes a first logical volume and a second logical volume, wherein the second logical volume stores a first differential data item representing a differential between data that was stored in the first logical volume at a first time instant and data that was stored in the first logical volume at a second time instant being later than the first time instant, and a second storage system which includes a third logical volume. The first storage system transmits the first differential data item to the second storage system, the second storage system stores the first differential data item into the third logical volume, the first storage system deletes the first differential data item from the second logical volume, and the computer system retains management information set for associating the first logical volume with the third logical volume storing therein the first differential data item.
US08260745B2
A method and system for automatically managing changes to organizational data in a unified messaging (UM) platform are disclosed. A database snapshot is retrieved from a client human resources database. Added user information associated with a user is detected in the database snapshot, and an existing mailbox associated with the user in the UM platform is detected. Organizational data in the UM platform is automatically modified to combine the added user information and the existing mailbox in the UM platform. When the existing mailbox is detected in the UM platform for the user, it is possible for the UM platform to automatically compose and send a message to at least one user associated with the added user information including potential modifications of the organization data. The organizational data in the UM platform can then be modified in response to receiving approval of the potential modifications of the organizational data from at least one user associated with the added user information.
US08260738B2
Described is time-weighted blending of the results of time series algorithms in a manner that changes their relative weights based on the prediction time. The prediction values from each algorithm are mathematically blended into a forecast result corresponding to the desired time of prediction. In this manner, an ARTXP algorithm that provides accurate near term predictions is given more weight than an ARIMA for near term predictions, and less relative weight for long term predictions. An example exponential function to compute the relative weights is described; the function corresponds to a curve having a control variable for the slope and the start of the curve, and constant coefficients, with the weights based (in part) on the prediction time. A user-provided parameter may also affect the relative weights used in the blending result.
US08260736B1
An intelligent system manager system and method for managing and controlling a platform may comprise a management component providing intelligent decision support and managing platform functions responsive to data representative of the platform and equipment thereof; an execution and monitor component for causing execution of commands controlling the platform and equipment thereof, and monitoring the execution of the commands and the status of platform sensors and platform equipment; a display component providing information representative of the current state of the platform and receiving input; and a common services component providing processing services to the management component, to the execution and monitor component and to the display component.
US08260728B1
A system and method for influencing behavior in a virtual environment. A virtual environment identifies a hotspot of activity that is, or may, cause lag in the virtual environment. An influencing event is determined and is presented into the virtual environment. The influencing event is configured to influence a control entity associated with a virtual object to avoid the hotspot.
US08260727B2
A factor estimation apparatus which can appropriately estimate a factor without increase in the cost, the factor estimation apparatus includes a characteristic quantity determination unit which determines the characteristic quantity; a user input unit which accepts an input from a user as data for the characteristic quantity determined by the characteristic quantity determination unit; an apparatus-data input unit to which data is inputted from a data obtaining device as the data for the characteristic quantity determined by the characteristic quantity determination unit; an input source defining unit which previously determines that the data for the characteristic quantity is inputted from which one of the user input unit and the apparatus-data input unit; and an estimation unit which estimates the factor using the data inputted from the input unit determined by the input source defining unit.
US08260724B2
A seller may sell advertisements, such as banner ads, to a buyer pursuant to a request made by the buyer to the seller. Each request has a value. The seller may accept the request from the buyer to provide a banner ad for the buyer at a later time. A request, once accepted, may be revoked at a cost which may be a fixed fraction of the request value. The cost may be referred to as a buyback cost. The buyback cost represents the cost of revoking a request that had been accepted. Additionally, matroid set systems and knapsack systems may use buyback techniques.
US08260722B2
A random number generating algorithm is seeded with an unpredictable number. The seed value is computed by subjecting variable data to a Secure Hashing Algorithm, and truncating the right most, or left most, 16 bytes from the message digest generated. The algorithm generates the unpredictable number by using the seed value as a counter value in the random number generator, and performing a data encryption standard operation. In one exemplary embodiment, the unpredictable number is modified to a predetermined maximum unpredictable number value as determined by the sender and receiver of the unpredictable number.
US08260712B2
Providing a data structure appropriate for performing rights management for multimedia-type contents, and further providing a recording medium containing data with the data structure, and a reproduction device and a reproduction method for reproducing the data. The present invention is a computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon license data for permitting a computer to use contents data comprising a plurality of resources, the license data including a resource-based use condition configuration structure, in which a use condition is set for the computer with respect to each of resources.
US08260706B2
A Web server hosted by a first enterprise has a first mechanism receiving a request for information or services to be provided to an end user, and a second mechanism determining whether the request comes directly from the end user, or from a server hosted by a second enterprise. If the request is determined by the second mechanism to come from the server hosted by the second enterprise, any information or service provided to the end user by the first enterprise is identified as coming from the second enterprise.
US08260695B1
The disclosed technology comprises a device and a method for accurately determining the amount of electrical energy utilized in a circuit with a quarter-cycle transformer and transducers operating off quarter-cycle power. The method allows for a primary power meter associated with an entity which provides a power source to remain in operation, without modification, and for a second power meter to be utilized which accurately measures consumption of quarter-cycle power usage. An adjustment to an invoice can then be made, based on the difference.
US08260687B2
In some example embodiments, a system and method are illustrated as including generating an item page that includes widget code and details related to an item for sale. Some example embodiments may include making the widget code available for retrieval from the item page.
US08260682B2
An interchange party computer system (IPCS) having means for presenting user interfaces to consumer computer systems and capturing data input through the user interfaces, the IPCS being associated with at least one database holding data representing a plurality of consumer profiles, the profiles including consumer profiles expressing service selection attributes for a plurality of service sectors, and at least one database holding data for a plurality of service programs under a plurality of service sectors, each sector being represented by service programs from a plurality of service providers, the IPCS including (a) a Service Comparison/Selection; (b) a Automatic Bill Payment Module; (c) an Automated Services Monitoring Module; (d) an Automated Best Services Selection Module; (e) a Services Search Module; (f) an Incentive Program Module; (g) a Data Mining Module; and/or (h) a Pooling Module.
US08260677B1
A system and method for regulating a proposed transaction between a first party and a seller is provided. The method includes providing a transaction intermediary machine (TIM) on a network that is associated with a transactional limitations database storing in relation to each of a plurality of unique identifiers at least one criterion that has been established by a second party, and concerning one or more transactional limitations imposed by the second party on the first party. A request for approval (RFA) is received from the seller at the TIM having a unique identifier provided by the first party and details concerning the proposed transaction between the first party and the seller. Then, the RFA is compared with the criteria, completion of the proposed transaction is approved and a payment to the seller is also approved, and personal identification information is provided from the TIM to the seller.
US08260674B2
A method for distributing a digital image of a customer includes receiving a request from a customer to a human representative (i.e., a “roving” photographer) for an image to be taken of the customer at a site. An image of the customer is captured by the “roving” photographer at the site in response to the received request. The image is transmitted to a remote processor. An electronic request is received from the customer to view the transmitted image, and the image is transmitted from the remote processor to the customer's communication device. If the customer decides to purchase the image, a transaction is finalized by receiving payment data from the customer, and the final image is provided to the customer. A commission is then paid to the photographer for the transaction. In another embodiment, the cost is at least partially subsidized by advertisement pushed to the customer's communication device.
US08260667B2
In at least one embodiment, a data processing system receives from a user device a query regarding a dining decision, where the query includes a location. At least one menu item at a restaurant proximate to the location is determined based upon at least one user-specific criterion, and the at least one menu item is transmitted to the user device.
US08260664B2
Advertisements are selected for presentation on search result pages and web pages based on phrases generated from lateral concepts and topics identified for the search result pages and web pages. A search query or an indication of a web page is received for which advertisements are to be provided. Lateral concepts and topics are identified based on the search query or content of the web page. The lateral concepts and topics are used as phrases for selecting advertisements from an advertisement inventory. Selected advertisements are provided for presentation on a search results page in response to a search query or on a web page initially identified.
US08260662B2
A system and method for managing, distributing, and processing promotional offers is provided. The system includes at least one consumer interface that enables communication between the promotional offer processing system and a plurality of consumers; a consumer information database for storing consumer data for a plurality of consumer profiles; an offer catalog having a plurality of offers; a product catalog having product codes corresponding to products associated with each of the accepted offers; and an offer management module. The offer management module is configured to identify one or more of the plurality of offers to be provided to a consumer; cause the identified offers to be transmitted to the consumer; receive an indication from the consumer that the first consumer has accepted at least one of the provided offers; identify product codes corresponding to products associated with each of the accepted offers; provide the identified product codes to a transaction management system; receive information identifying whether any of the identified product codes were contained in consumer purchase transactions; and process each accepted offer for which the consumer has met the terms for the offer.
US08260654B2
System and method for operational risk assessment and control. The present invention, in disclosed, example embodiments provides systems and methods to facilitate risk assessment, prioritization, mitigation and control activities. Various modules work together to accomplish risk assessment, prioritization, mitigation and stability tracking. The modules can be implemented by a computer system or systems, software and networks, or by other means, such as paper-based means. In some embodiments, operational risk management and control begins with an assessment for one or more functions of the organization involved. This assessment includes identifying failure modes, causes and effects, which are permuted to define risk items. A risk prioritization report is produced which prioritizes the risk items based at least in part on the ratings associated with the causes and effects, and a mitigation plan can be put in place.
US08260650B2
Methods for scheduling a transportation operation such as the operation of an airline. The method desirably selects a demand (100) for transportation specifying an origin, destination, and time of arrival or departure, and selects resources from a database of available resources such as aircraft (508), crew, and departure gates. The resource selection desirably is conducted so as to optimize a result function such as contribution to margin or other financial result from the particular operation specified in the demand. Upon developing a schedule fragment (108), the specified resources are committed, and the database of available resources is modified (110) to indicate that the resources are no longer available at the relevant times. The system then treats another demand and repeats the process so as to develop a full schedule. The system can develop a feasible schedule, even for a complex transportation operation in a brief time, typically in minutes or less. Schedules can be developed using alternative strategies and assumptions, and tested against one another.
US08260646B2
A method and system for customer segmentation using adaptive spectral clustering may include determining initial segmentation labels, determining new customer behavior data, formulating a single objective minimization function that integrates the initial segmentation labels with the new customer behavior data, and determining best fit to both the initial segmentation labels and the new customer behavior data simultaneously by minimizing the single objective minimization function.
US08260645B2
Embodiments of the present invention relate apparatuses and methods that allow a financial institution to monitor, group, and store customer transaction data and determine market information therefrom according to recurrence patterns. For example, in one embodiment a financial institution uses a computerized apparatus to monitor recurrences in financial transactions across a plurality of financial accounts maintained by the financial institution for a plurality of different customers, where the computerized apparatus is configured to automatically track recurrences in transaction data.
US08260642B2
A method and system for scoring and ranking a plurality of component links in a social technical system having a plurality of components representing people and objects are provided. In one aspect, a degree of consistency relative to two or more people working on one or more objects and dependencies between the objects is determined to derive scores for the component links. The method and system identifies gaps in the link and determines the impact of filling the gaps. In another aspect, component links may be ranked and scores aggregated to provide system level quantifications.
US08260635B2
An apparatus for communicating health care data from a sender to a receiver is provided. The apparatus has a first computer system, a second computer system, and a rules engine. The first computer system has health care data stored therein. The second computer system is in operable communication with, and is configured to extract the health care data from, the first computer system. The rules engine normalizes the extracted health care data to a predefined format.
US08260632B2
A system, software and related methods of enhanced pharmaceutical operations in long term care facilities are provided. An embodiment of a system includes a long-term care facility pharmacy group management server, long-term care facility pharmacy management software associated with the long-term care facility pharmacy group management server to manage pharmacological operations in a plurality of long-term care facilities, a plurality of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts each positioned in a long-term care facility remote from the long-term care facility pharmacy group management server and in communication therewith, a remote pharmacy group server in communication with the long-term care facility pharmacy group management server, and a plurality of pharmaceutical prescription document processors each positioned in a long-term care facility and in communication with the remote pharmacy group server or the long-term care facility pharmacy group management server.
US08260627B2
A system and method for determining business partner value by creating weighted metrics for identifying, evaluating and selecting a business partner for a company; creating a business agreement and weighted metrics for evaluating the agreement; creating weighted metrics for ongoing management of the partner; and managing the partner by ongoing periodic evaluation of the weighted metrics for partner selection, agreement, and management. Both company and partners may participate in the evaluation on an ongoing basis (e.g., once per month or once per quarter) rather than an annual review. In one embodiment, weighted metrics of partner selection, agreement, and management are reported, charted and graphed providing for visual evaluation and side-by-side comparison of the perceptions of company and partner for optimization of the business relationship and prediction of future performance.
US08260624B2
A computationally implemented method includes, but is not limited to: receiving a request for one or more personalized plans designed to facilitate an end user to achieve one or more target outcomes when one or more emulatable aspects indicated by the one or more personalized plans are emulated, the request identifying the one or more target outcomes; seeking one or more reported aspects that are relevant to achieving the one or more target outcomes in response to receiving the request; and developing the one or more personalized plans based, at least in part, on the seeking. In addition to the foregoing, other method aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of the present disclosure.
US08260622B2
The embodiments of the invention provide methods, computer program products, etc. for complaint-based service level objectives. More specifically, a method of deducing undefined service level objectives receives complaints regarding behavior of a system. The complaints could include a severity parameter, an entity parameter, a nature-of-complaint parameter, a timestamp parameter, and/or an identification parameter. Next, system details representing a current state of the system are recorded for each of the complaints. The method then automatically analyzes a history of the system details and the complaints to produce a historical compilation of the system details. The analyzing can include weighing each of the system details by a severity parameter value.
US08260614B1
A method and system that expands a word graph to a phone graph. An unknown speech signal is received. A word graph is generated based on an application task or based on information extracted from the unknown speech signal. The word graph is expanded into a phone graph. The unknown speech signal is recognized using the phone graph. The phone graph can be based on a cross-word acoustical model to improve continuous speech recognition. By expanding a word graph into a phone graph, the phone graph can consume less memory than a word graph and can reduce greatly the computation cost in the decoding process than that of the word graph thus improving system performance. Furthermore, continuous speech recognition error rate can be reduced by using the phone graph, which provides a more accurate graph for continuous speech recognition.
US08260605B2
A machine-readable storage medium includes computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to receive as input a target sentence comprising a target word and retrieve a gloss of the target word. The processor is further caused to parse the target sentence and the gloss. The processor is further caused to assign a score to the gloss based on the gloss's coherence to the target sentence.
US08260592B2
A method of surface topography prognosis for a tissue paper which is to be produced in a manufacturing process by utilizing a structured fabric and into which a structure is embossed by way of the fabric, the surface topography of at least one structured fabric which is already used in the production process is plotted by way of a sensor. Originating from the surface topography of the already utilized structured fabric, the surface topography of the tissue paper is simulated through data processing, through a simulation of the paper production process. The algorithm used for the simulation is calibrated with the aid of a comparison of the simulated surface topography of the tissue paper with the surface topography of the actual tissue paper produced with the structured fabric, which is already being utilized in the production process. Originating from the surface topography of a respective additional structured fabric the simulation of the surface topography of the tissue paper is subsequently conducted by utilizing the calibrated algorithm in order to provide a prognosis of the tissue paper's surface topography that can be expected.
US08260590B2
A method and system for modeling a three-dimensional smoke propagation animation system. The animation system can be configured to include a particle system manager, a compartment manager, a state variable manager, a three-dimensional space outline rendering module, and a three-dimensional smoke animation rendering module. The particle system manager creates and updates an existing particle system based on an input script and data from the state variable manager. The state variable manager loads smoke propagation data and provides smoke information to the particle system manager to create and update the particle system and space outline. The compartment manager creates a three-dimensional outline with respect to each compartment space from a compartment data and updates the status of the existing three-dimensional outlines based on information from the state variable manager. A final three-dimensional smoke propagation animation can then be rendered by the three-dimensional smoke animation rendering module.
US08260584B2
A computer model of a physical structure (or object) can be generated using context-based hypothesis testing. For a set of point data, a user selects a context specifying a geometric category corresponding to the structure shape. The user specifies at least one seed point from the set that lies on a surface of the structure of interest. Using the context and point data, the system loads points in a region near the seed point(s), and determines the dimensions and orientation of an initial surface component in the context that corresponds to those points. If the selected component is supported by the points, that component can be added to a computer model of the surface. The system can repeatedly find points near a possible extension of the surface model, using the context and current surface component(s) to generate hypotheses for extending the surface model to these points. Well-supported components can be added to the surface model until the surface of the structure of interest has been modeled as far as is well-supported by the point data.
US08260576B2
An exhaust gas sensor abnormality diagnostic device includes an exhaust gas sensor, and a judgment means that judges whether execution conditions are established for making an abnormality diagnosis of element breakage in the exhaust gas sensor. The device also includes an abnormality diagnosis means that makes the abnormality diagnosis in accordance with an output signal generated by the exhaust gas sensor. Further, when the integrated value of intake air amounts of an internal combustion engine is not smaller than a predetermined value, the judgment means judges that the execution conditions are established. The abnormality diagnosis means cancels the establishment of the execution conditions when an intake air amount of the internal combustion engine remains less than a predetermined value for a predetermined period of time.
US08260572B2
A signal transmission system evaluation apparatus acquires statistics about a variation in a characteristic value and a limit value of the characteristic value corresponding to a given range of variation, with respect to each of the characteristic values which represent characteristics of the components. The apparatus calculates a probability distribution with respect to each of the characteristic values, based on the statistic acquired, calculates an eye-opening of the signal transmission system in case that the characteristic value is the limit value, makes an adjustment of the limit value. The apparatus calculates a yield rate of the signal transmission system based on the probability distribution and the limit value.
US08260570B2
A method and system for fall-onset detection is provided. The method includes the steps of monitoring acceleration at the thigh of a person; monitoring acceleration at the waist of the person; monitoring orientation of the thigh of the person; and detecting the fall-onset if the orientation of the thigh exceeds a first threshold value and a correlation between variation in acceleration of the thigh and variation in acceleration of the waist exceeds a second threshold value and a correlation between variation in the orientation of the thigh and a fall-template variation exceeds a third threshold value.
US08260569B2
A method for determining a dimension of a regular pattern of elements, wherein the elements in the regular pattern are arranged along an arrangement direction with a first spatial frequency includes providing a sensor for sampling the regular pattern; providing a plurality of data sample sets, wherein each data sample set includes data samples provided by the sensor while sampling over a portion of the regular pattern, and each data sample set consists of a different number of data samples; analyzing each data sample set to determine a corresponding spatial frequency; determining a plurality of quantified values, each quantified value being associated with a different one of the determined spatial frequencies; selecting a first quantified value from the plurality of quantified values; and determining the dimension based at least on the selected first quantified value.
US08260568B2
Provided is an apparatus for detecting a moving direction that can accurately detect the position, regardless of the moving direction. The moving direction detector includes groups of sensor elements that face a moving body to output detection signals in accordance with travel of the moving body. The detector includes signal processing units that convert output signals of the groups of sensor elements into rectangular waves and a moving direction detection unit that outputs a signal corresponding to a moving direction of the moving body based on the detection signals from the groups of sensor elements. The moving direction detection unit includes a delay function of generating an output signal at a time instant that is delayed by a predetermined time from a time instant when a moving direction of the moving body is changed.
US08260559B2
A system and method for measurement of radioactivity concentration of a radiopharmaceutical are disclosed. The radiopharmaceutical may be a radioactive tracer solution including a tracer solution and a buffer solution. The system may include a vial that receives the tracer solution and the buffer solution; a scale; a radioactivity measuring device; and a controller that determines the radioactive concentration based on a measured radioactivity of the tracer solution and the buffer solution in the vial, and a weight of the tracer solution and the buffer solution in the vial. The method may include the steps of (1) transferring the tracer solution into a vial; (2) measuring a radioactivity of the tracer solution in the vial; (3) determining a weight necessary to achieve a desired radioactivity concentration; and (4) diluting the tracer solution in the vial to the determined weight with a buffer solution.
US08260555B2
To perform a marine survey, a streamer is deployed into a body of water, where the streamer has plural first sensors to perform a subterranean survey. Indications are received from second sensors in corresponding sections of the streamer, where the indications are regarding which sections are in the body of water. Information is updated regarding which sections of the streamer are in the body of water in response to the received indications.
US08260554B2
A method for correcting a motion related distortion in a sensor measurement comprises establishing a reference position in a borehole. A parameter of interest is measured at a plurality of toolface angles as the tool makes a revolution in the borehole. A distance to a wall of the borehole is measured associated with each parameter of interest measurement. A lateral motion of the tool is measured between each parameter of interest measurement, and a toolface angle of the tool is measured at each parameter of interest measurement. A controller comprising a processor acts according to programmed instructions to calculate a correction to the parameter of interest measurement referenced to the reference position based at least partly on the measured tool motion.
US08260553B2
A method, apparatus, and computer program product are provided, which may provide activity user location information. An apparatus may include a processor configured to maintain data describing a first user's location timeline. The processor may be further configured to receive a request for the first user's current location. The first user's current location may define the first user's location at a current time. The processor may also be configured to estimate the first user's current location based at least in part upon the maintained data. The processor may additionally be configured to provide the first user's current location to a second user. Corresponding methods and computer program products are also provided.
US08260547B2
A music configuration menu shortcut is provided in a PND by software which interacts within a music menu display device. In one embodiment, A PND having a display, memory, processing capability, one or more speakers, and at least one signal reception device by which the PND can determine its approximate position globally by way of software installed on the device is disclosed. The PND performs one or more primary navigation and/or route calculation functions, as well as one or more secondary functions including the audible reproduction of digital content stored in the memory. The software also causes the display of changing graphical map information during route navigation and is capable of being caused to display one or more configuration menus to enable a user to configure various primary or secondary device operation options. In at least one embodiment, the software further provides an option for the on-screen display of a user-selectable graphical indicator during route navigation in conjunction with the changing graphical map information, selection of the indicator during navigation causing the software to display a configuration menu specific to the reproduction of digital music. In an alternative embodiment, the music menu display device includes a physical button by which one or more of the music reproduction and/or configuration menus can be caused to be displayed.
US08260541B2
A power supply control apparatus of a navigation system includes a power switch for a user to turn a display screen of the navigation system on or off; a navigation power switching unit to turn an internal function of the navigation system on or off by a power supply connection; a navigation information unnecessary state detecting unit to detect a navigation information unnecessary state where a user does not need navigation information; and a power supply control unit to turn the navigation power switching unit off when the navigation information unnecessary state detecting unit detects the navigation information unnecessary state.
US08260540B2
Provided herein are methods and systems for efficient communication between a server and a client in an assisted navigation system. In one or more embodiments, the client, e.g., a GPS receiver, receives a set of parameters for a satellite from the server via a wireless or wired connection. The set of parameters includes a force parameter, initial condition parameters and time correction coefficients for the satellite. The receiver uses the received parameters in a numerical integration to compute the position of the satellite at a desired time. The set of parameters needed for the integration is small compared to current methods which require sending more data to the client. Thus these parameters require less communication resources to transmit. To further reduce the amount of data that needs to be transmitted, reference parameters may be subtracted from the original parameters before transmission from the server. The receiver is able to reconstruct the original parameters from the received parameters and the identically computed reference parameters. The parameters may be further compressed using data compression techniques.
US08260534B2
A vehicle occupant information controller includes a fuel volume determining section, a fuel economy determining section, a first distance determining section, a traveled distance determining section and a second distance determining section. The first distance determining section determines a first obtainable travel distance based on a remaining fuel volume from the fuel volume determining section and a fuel consumption rate from the fuel economy determining section. The traveled distance determining section determines a vehicle traveled distance between two locations. The second distance determining section determines a second obtainable travel distance based on a difference between a previous obtainable travel distance value and an adjusted vehicle traveled distance value, with the adjusted vehicle traveled distance value being equal to a product of the vehicle traveled distance and a distance adjustment factor that is selectively adjusted based on a ratio of the second obtainable travel distance to the first obtainable travel distance.
US08260529B2
An ignition controlling apparatus that can diagnose a state of spark discharge in an internal combustion engine, and perform appropriate actions based on the diagnostic results. In the internal combustion engine ignition controlling apparatus, a signal extracting device extracts an ion current that is generated together with combustion of a gas mixture inside a combustion chamber by spark discharge of an ignition apparatus based on an ignition signal of an ignition coil, includes a signal diagnosing device that sets a predetermined detection zone from a period in a single stroke of an internal combustion engine from a first spark discharge commencement until after a last spark discharge completion, and that determines an ignition state based on parameters included in the signal extracted in this detection zone, and controls the internal combustion engine in response to this ignition state.
US08260518B2
Reverse proximity sensors are used to determine an angle between a towed trailer and the towing vehicle. The trailer sway control determines a trailer angle of sway based upon proximity sensor readings from the reverse proximity sensors and from a sensor reading of an angle of turn of a steering wheel of the towing vehicle. Provided the determined trailer angle of sway exceeds a range that can be tolerated, a controller sends instructions to apply necessary braking to the vehicle or trailer to mitigate the trailer sway.
US08260517B2
A control system for a self-propelled patient-support apparatus includes a controller that utilizes a power drive speed control algorithm to control the power output to a motor of a drive mechanism for driving the patient-support apparatus across a floor. The control algorithm normalizes a force input by a user on a user input device, the force indicative of a desired drive speed. The algorithm varies the responsiveness of the output to the drive mechanism based on the current operating conditions of the drive mechanism.
US08260515B2
An adaptive vehicle control system that classifies a driver's driving style based on characteristic curve-handling maneuvers and road and traffic conditions. The system includes a plurality of vehicle sensors that detect various vehicle parameters. A maneuver identification processor receives the sensor signals to identify a characteristic maneuver of the vehicle and provides a maneuver identifier signal of the maneuver. The system also includes a traffic and road condition recognition processor that receives the sensor signals, and provides traffic condition signals identifying traffic conditions and road condition signals identifying road conditions. A style characterization processor receives the maneuver identifier signals, sensor signals from the vehicle sensors and the traffic and road condition signals, and classifies driving style based on the signals to classify the style of the driver driving the vehicle.
US08260511B2
A powertrain system includes an engine mechanically coupled to an electro-mechanical transmission selectively operative in one of a plurality of transmission operating range states and one of a plurality of engine states. A method for controlling the powertrain system includes determining a current transmission operating range state and a current engine state, determining at least one potential transmission operating range state and engine state, determining preferability factors associated with the current and potential transmission operating range state and the engine state, preferentially weighting the preferability factors for the current transmission operating range state and engine state, and selectively commanding changing the present transmission operating range state and engine state based upon the preferability factors.
US08260503B2
A method and device for actuating an active and/or passive motor vehicle safety system in a driving situation in which the vehicle executes a rotary movement about the vertical axis of the vehicle. A variable describing the rotary motion is measured, and this variable is processed by a mathematical model, which determines information therefrom about the future rotary motion of the vehicle. This information in turn may be used to control the vehicle safety systems as a function of the situation and prepare them for a possibly imminent collision.
US08260496B2
An aware vehicle network system and method for one or more vehicles each having adaptive active suspensions includes at least one vehicle having a vehicle position detector for determining a vehicle position and a road condition detector for determining road condition information for any given position determined by the vehicle position detector. A transmitter sends the road condition information and the vehicle position over a vehicle communication network. A central network device receives the road condition information and the vehicle position and calculates ideal active suspension parameters based thereon. The network device sends ideal active suspension parameters over the vehicle communication network to at least another vehicle having an adaptive active suspension. The adaptive active suspension is adjusted based on the ideal suspension parameters received from the network device.
US08260487B2
Methods and systems for a vital bus system for communicating data in a control system are provided. The system includes a plurality of data communication buses configured in a multiple redundant orientation and at least one safety supervisor module including a database including a plurality of logic rules. The logic rules are programmed to receive data from the plurality of data communication buses and to determine the validity of the received data from each bus using one or more of the plurality of the logic rules. If the received data is invalid, the logic rules are programmed to restore the validity of the data using one or more of the plurality of the logic rules. If the data can not be restored the logic rules are programmed to transmit an alert to the control system. Otherwise, the logic rules are programmed to transmit the validated data to an intended destination.
US08260484B2
To perform updating of maximum values and minimum values of measurement data with a simple procedure without incurring an increase in the computational load of an arithmetic processing element such as a microcomputer. When processing is started, a most recent maximum value stored in a nonvolatile storage element is written to a maximum value-use variable Xmax and a positive maximum value is written to a minimum value-use variable Xmin. Each time temperature data is acquired, a value of acquired data Xk and a most recent minimum value Xmin are compared and the smaller value is set as a new minimum value Xmin. Each time updating of this minimum value is repeated a predetermined number of times of processing Ns, the minimum value Xmin at that point in time and the maximum value Xmax are compared and the larger value is set as a new maximum value Xmax.
US08260483B2
The present invention provides a guidance, navigation, and control method and system for an underground mining vehicle that allow said vehicle to be taught a route by a human operator and then have it automatically drive the route with no human intervention. The method works in three steps: teaching, route profiling, and playback. In the teaching step the vehicle is manually driven by a operator along a route which can consist of an arbitrary sequence of maneuvers including tramming forwards, switching directions, tramming backwards, turning, or pausing movement. During this phase raw data from vehicle-mounted sensors including odometric sensors and rangefinders are logged to a file throughout teaching for later processing. During the (offline) route profiling step, the raw data in the log file are processed into a route profile, and a profile of desired speed as a function of distance along the path.
US08260477B2
The method and apparatus for tracking a center of gravity (COG) of an air vehicle provides a precise calculation and updating of the COG by disposing a plurality of acceleration measuring devices on a circumference of one or more rings in a manner that establishes redundancy in acceleration measurement. A multivariable time-space adaptive technique is provided within a high speed digital signal processor (DSP) to calculate and update the position of the COG. The system provides the capability of executing a procedure that reduces dispersion in estimating angular velocities and lateral accelerations of a moving vehicle and corrects the vehicle's estimated angular velocities and lateral accelerations. In addition, a consistency check of the measured values from the acceleration measuring devices is performed to assist in fault detection and isolation of a faulty accelerometer in the system.
US08260472B2
A system for cooling a power transformer which generates heat, when driving a load, includes cooling devices, such as fans and pumps, located about the transformer, which are powered for circulating a coolant about the transformer. Each cooling device has a motor which is energized in response to given temperature (heat) conditions. In systems embodying the invention, the currents flowing through the motors of cooling devices are sensed and monitored to determine whether the cooling devices are functioning correctly and to substitute functional cooling devices for those which are malfunctioning. Sensing the currents in the motors enables the early detection of fault conditions in the cooling system. It also enables the monitoring of operating conditions and running time of the cooling devices to aid in the maintenance and operation of the cooling system.
US08260471B2
An energy management system (400) includes a series of smart devices (404) connected through a network system communications bus (402). The smart devices (404) are connected to loads (408) and include energy monitor boards (448) and a core board (450) for monitoring energy consumption of the loads (408) and transmitting the energy consumption data to a gateway (410).
US08260469B2
The subject matter described herein includes a distributed hybrid renewable energy power plant. One exemplary hybrid renewable energy power plant includes a plurality of renewable energy power generation sources that are distributed over a geographic area. A plurality of grid interface boxes connect each of the renewable energy power generation sources to a power distribution grid, measure power output by each of the renewable energy power generation sources, and regulate power delivered to the grid by each of the renewable energy power generation sources. A plant front end communicates with the grid interface boxes, determines a total output power available from the renewable energy power generation sources based on instantaneous power available from each of the renewable energy power generation sources, determines a statistical availability of the total output power based on weather and other conditions affecting power output from the renewable energy power generation sources, and outputs the total output power and the statistical availability to an energy management system.
US08260467B2
A method and a system are for determining of the compatibility of control software, which is designed for standard parameters, with a wind energy installation which is operated using operating parameters. The method is an automatic method in which the operating parameters of the wind energy installation and the standard parameters of the control software are first transmitted to a computation unit. The computation unit determines discrepancies between the operating parameters and the standard parameters. A decision on compatibility is made on the basis of the discrepancies. The system includes a logic module which is designed to make the decision. This method makes it easier to automatically update the control software for a wind energy installation. There is no longer any need to manually check the compatibility of the new version of the control software before the new version of the control software can be installed.
US08260465B2
An irrigation control device having a modulator that modulates data onto an alternating power signal by distorting amplitude of a first leading portion of selected cycles of the alternating power signal, and permit effectively a full amplitude of the alternating power signal on a following portion of the selected cycles, wherein the first leading portion and the following portion are either both on a high side of a cycle or both on a low side of a cycle of the alternating power signal. The irrigation control device further includes an interface configured to couple the modulator to a multi-wire interface coupled to a plurality of irrigation devices to permit the alternating power signal to be applied to the multi-wire interface.
US08260463B2
A robot control section (7) has an object information calculation section (21) for calculating, based on image information from an image processing section (8), the size and shape of an object to he held; a holding method determination section (22) for determining, based on the object information calculated, a method for holding the object; a holding execution section (23) for executing lifting of the object by the holding method determined; a sensor information processing section (24) for processing pieces of sensor information and controlling holding force, the pieces of sensor information being those obtained at the time of the execution, the processing of the pieces of sensor information being made for each combination of one or more of the pieces of information; and a holding method correction section (25) for correcting, based on the result of the processing, the pieces of sensor information, the method of holding the object.
US08260458B2
Disclosed are a robot, a robot hand, and a method of controlling the robot hand, in which the robot hand rapidly and correctly approaches an object to be gripped and safely grips the object regardless of the shape and material of the object. The method of controlling a robot hand, which has a palm, and a plurality of fingers, each having a plurality of segments, connected to the palm, includes causing the palm to approach an object using at least one first distance sensor installed on the palm; causing the plurality of fingers to approach the object using at least one second distance sensor installed on the plurality of fingers; and causing the palm and the plurality of fingers to come into contact the object to grip the object.
US08260446B2
Methods, systems, and apparatus for spectrographic monitoring of a substrate during chemical mechanical polishing are described. In one aspect, a computer-implemented method includes storing a library having a plurality of reference spectra, each reference spectrum of the plurality of reference spectra having a stored associated index value, measuring a sequence of spectra in-situ during polishing to obtain measured spectra, for each measured spectrum of the sequence of spectra, finding a best matching reference spectrum to generate a sequence of best matching reference spectra, determining the associated index value for each best matching spectrum from the sequence of best matching reference spectra to generate a sequence of index values, fitting a linear function to the sequence of index values, and halting the polishing either when the linear function matches or exceeds a target index or when the associated index value from the determining step matches or exceeds the target index.
US08260443B2
A method for the optimized movement co-ordination of measuring machines or machine tools having redundant axles having at translatory action, wherein the longer partial axles in each case permit a relatively slowly accelerated partial movement over a relatively large measuring or processing space and the shorter partial axles in each case essentially carry out the movement components of a total movement at a substantially altogether constant measuring or processing speed, which require an acceleration beyond a maximum set or stipulated for the respective longer partial axles, wherein, when approaching positions that in an undivided movement would otherwise not be attainable, the base axles correspondingly decelerate and can even come to a complete standstill, wherein by simultaneous displacement of the neutral starting point of the additional axles, the respective movement component of the base axles missing from the total movement is compensated.
US08260439B2
A selective nerve stimulation patch includes a substrate having a top surface and a bottom surface, integrated components overlying the top surface of the substrate and being electrically interconnected with one another for generating at least one nerve stimulating signal, electrodes integrated into the substrate and exposed at the bottom surface thereof for applying the at least one nerve stimulating signal to a target nerve, a waterproof, breathable cover overlying the substrate and the integrated components, and a support flange surrounding the substrate and coupling the cover and the substrate together. The support flange has a top surface that slopes downwardly toward an outer perimeter thereof, and at least a portion of the cover conforms to the sloping top surface of the support flange. In one embodiment, the patch generates a high frequency waveform with properties such as amplitude, frequency and the like chosen so as to overcome tissue impedance and the stimulation threshold of the target nerve. The modulated waveform is the waveform obtained by modulating the carrier waveform by a pulse envelope.
US08260430B2
Methods and systems are disclosed for determining the stimulation channels for application of stimulation by a medical device, such as a cochlear implant or an auditory brain stimulator. In embodiments, the medical device filters a received signal to obtain a plurality of band-pass filtered signals, each corresponding to one or more stimulation channels. The medical device then selects a stimulation channel for application of stimulation based on the amplitudes of the band-pass filtered signals. The medical device determines whether to apply stimulation on the adjacent stimulation channels by determining if the amplitude of the corresponding adjacent stimulation channel exceeds an information limit. If the amplitudes for either adjacent channel fall below the information limit, the corresponding adjacent stimulation channel is eliminated from consideration. The medical device further may determine the amplitudes for application of stimulation on the adjacent stimulation channels, if selected, using a pitch steering function. This pitch steering function may specify a current level difference between the selected stimulation channel and the adjacent stimulation channel to use in applying the stimulation.
US08260417B2
Safety pacing in multi-site cardiac rhythm management (CRM) devices is provided. According to various method embodiments, a first cardiac signal from a first cardiac region and a second cardiac signal from a second cardiac region are sensed. The first cardiac region is paced to maintain at least a minimum cardiac rate, and the second cardiac region is paced to maintain at least the minimum cardiac rate when a pace in the first cardiac region is inhibited. Other aspects and embodiments are provided herein.
US08260410B2
A device for identifying the likelihood of a patient suffering a myocardial infarction comprises a heart rate monitor operative to generate an output indicative of the current heart rate of the patient, and memory means for storing heart rate data indicative of a heart rate of the patient at which angina has previously occurred. Electronic control means is provided and is operative to analyze both the output from the heart rate monitor and the heart rate data stored on the memory according to an algorithm so as to identify a change in the current heart rate indicative of an increased likelihood of the patient suffering myocardial infarction.
US08260398B2
There is provided a position detection system (1) including a first marker (4) that produces a first alternating magnetic field having a first position-calculating frequency by means of an external power supply; a second marker (3) including a magnetic induction coil (5) having a resonance frequency equal to the position-calculating frequency; a magnetic-field detection section (13) that is disposed outside a working region of the second marker (3) and that detects a magnetic field at the first position-calculating frequency; an extracting section (24) that extracts, from the detected magnetic field, a first detection-magnetic-field component having the first position-calculating frequency and having the same phase as the phase of the first alternating magnetic field; and a position/orientation analyzing section (22) that calculates at least one of the position and the orientation of the first marker (4) based on the intensity of the extracted first detection-magnetic-field component.
US08260396B2
Quantitative assessment of haemodynamics by cycled arterial spin labeling (CACL) that distinguishes between blood magnetization tagged by a specific labeling pulse, using a time series acquisition in which all measured data sets are used for reconstruction of each single time step, thereby reducing measurement time while maintaining signal-to-noise ration compared to conventional ASL.
US08260394B2
A modular catheter includes an elongate tubular member having a proximal end and a closed, distal end. A lumen extends from the proximal end to the distal end and a plurality of electrodes are arranged at, or adjacent, the distal end, conductors for the electrodes being contained within a wall of the tubular member. An elongate shape-imparting mechanism is removably received within the lumen of the tubular member such that a distal end of the shape-imparting mechanism is substantially in register with the distal end of the tubular member. A control device has a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end of the tubular member and a proximal end of the shape-imparting mechanism being releasably connectable to the distal end of the control device.
US08260379B2
A mobile electronic device includes: a main body to which a reading device of a storage medium is detachably coupled; an accommodation chamber formed in the main body to accommodate the reading device when the reading device is coupled to the main body; and a communication module configured to transmit and receive a radio signal, inserted into the accommodation chamber in a state in which the reading device is separated, and electrically connected with the main body.
US08260376B2
An information processing apparatus includes an external fit frame having a concave part for battery pack storage, a card storage slot provided on a plane surface formed from one side wall of the external fit frame in an external direction for inserting and removing an IC card, and a wing shaped locking member supported on a back side of the plane surface for IC card locking, in which while the battery pack is mounted to the storage concave part, one end part of a wing part of the locking member abuts to be engaged in one end edge of the battery pack via a first opening part provided on the one side wall, and a locking protrusion formed at another end part of the locking member protrudes from a second opening part provided to the plane surface in a periphery of the one side wall to lock the IC card.
US08260374B2
Mobile User Equipment (UE) is operated in a first mode in which radio functions are enabled. In response to a predetermined condition, the UE is operated in a power saving mode involving disabling all radio functionality for a first period of time during which no connection is maintained with a cellular communication system serving node. After the first period of time, the UE ascertains whether any attempts were made to contact it during the first period of time and if so whether any of the attempted contacts is characterized by an attribute that matches a predefined attribute. If any of the attempted contacts is characterized by the attribute that matches the predefined attribute, then a user alarm is activated. If the response to the user alarm has been made, then the UE is again operated in the first mode; otherwise, the UE is again operated in the power saving mode.
US08260371B2
A battery pack is provided which includes an antenna coil for generating a magnetic field, a battery cell and a positive pole terminal and a negative pole terminal electrically connected with the battery cell, wherein a resultant of superimposing current from the battery cell or current to the battery cell and a signal from the antenna coil or a signal to the battery is sent from the positive pole terminal or the negative pole terminal, or received from the positive pole terminal or the negative pole terminal.
US08260370B2
An apparatus for powering a wireless peripheral includes a controller and a power management circuit. The controller is configured to determine the strength of wireless signals received by the peripheral. The power management circuit selectively powers the peripheral with either an external power source or a combination of the external power source and an internal power source included in the wireless peripheral. If the wireless signal strength is weak, the power management circuit uses both the internal an external sources to power the peripheral. This allows the wireless peripheral to boost its transmit power, even though its power requirement may exceed that available from the external source. If the wireless signal strength is strong, the power management circuit uses only the external source to power the peripheral. When this occurs the internal power source may also be simultaneously charged by the external power source.
US08260367B2
A motion driven event alert system and method synchronize output of follow-up event alerts on a mobile electronic device to changes in the state of motion of the device. Generally, the device outputs an initial alert in response to receipt of a new event from a wireless network. If a user fails to take action on the device after the device outputs the initial alert, the device determines a state of motion of the device and monitors for a change in the state of motion. When a change is detected, the device outputs a follow-up alert. If the user fails to take action on the device after the device outputs the follow-up alert, the device repeats the steps of motion state determination, motion state change monitoring, motion state change detection and output of another follow-up alert.
US08260365B1
A method and apparatus of modifying user content data on a mobile station are disclosed. One example method of displaying customized content data on a mobile station may include receiving the content data at the mobile station, and modifying the content data for a user of the mobile station to view the content data based on predefined viewing preferences of the user. The modified content may then be displayed on a display interface of the mobile station allowing the user to view the content based on their specified preferences.
US08260357B2
A method for 4G node frequency selection describes a mechanism for automatically selecting the frequency of a newly installed base station, thereby optimizing the throughput per area unit of the newly installed base station in its predefined vicinity area. The method is based on an iterative calculation approach which combines real-world network and base station measurements information with the nominal specifications of the newly installed base station (antenna diagram, output power) and the location and direction thereof.
US08260344B2
In a mobile phone device 1 including a three-axial direction vibration sensor 16 for detecting the walking of a user carrying the mobile phone device 1 and counting the number of walking steps, when an incoming call is received, vibrations due to a notification operation by a vibrator 14 or a speaker 15 are transmitted to the three-axial direction vibration sensor 16. As a result, the three-axial direction vibration sensor 16 inevitably detects unintended vibrations in addition to vibrations from walking, causing the number of walking steps to be miscounted. To prevent this and perform the accurate detection of walking, in the present invention, the detection of walking is performed without using, among vibrations in three directions detected by the three-axial direction vibration sensor 16, vibrations in the same direction as the direction of vibrations caused by a notification operation by the vibrator 14 or the speaker 15.
US08260342B2
Two or more transceiver units can interact with each other via millimeter wave radio frequency signals. One of the transceiver units can detect time-varying signals having specific waveforms in order to initiate an action such as establishment of a communication link, powering a piece of equipment and the like. The time-varying signal can be generated by a user moving one of the transceiver units and/or by passing an non-transmissive obstruction in between the transceiver units. Related apparatus, systems, and methods are also disclosed.
US08260341B2
A power control scheme for an enhanced Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) is disclosed. In a first embodiment, when an uplink grant is configured for accumulation commands, the wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) combines the accumulation commands received in both the scheduling grant and the transmit power control physical downlink control channel. In a second embodiment, when an uplink grant is configured for absolute commands, the WTRU resets the accumulation control function immediately after receiving each absolute transmit power control command and then combines the absolute power control with the accumulation power control.
US08260337B2
Systems and methods are provided for delivering both PMP communications, for example standard cellular communications via a base station, and also delivering P2P communications, for example, communications between two mobile stations, using the same spectral resources for both types of communication.
US08260336B2
The present invention relates to methods for adjusting a radiation beam pattern of an antenna arrangement providing coverage in an area. The antenna arrangement comprises an antenna having at least one array of antenna elements connected to a distribution network configured to generate the radiation beam pattern. The method comprises: arranging the antenna elements of said array in at least one column in an antenna plane in relation to a reference plane, each column comprising multiple antenna elements arranged in at least two sub-panels; arranging a motion sensor to the antenna arrangement, said motion sensor is configured to detect deviation of the antenna elements relative the reference plane; and adjusting a beam shape of the radiation beam pattern based on the detected deviation of the antenna to maintain coverage in the area by controlling the distribution network. The invention also relates to an antenna arrangement and base station.
US08260328B1
A mobile user equipment includes a user equipment clock and a dual mode time tracker. The clock periodically wakes up the user equipment. The dual mode time tracker uses a serving cell reference signal to correct timing errors of the user equipment clock with respect to a network clock while timing errors remain minimal and otherwise uses a serving cell synchronization signal to correct timing errors of the user equipment clock. The dual mode time tracker also sets a next wakeup time as a function at least of the size of the timing errors.
US08260326B2
A method of receiving a Short Message Service (SMS) message by a mobile station in a wireless communication system is provided. The method includes receiving a paging message including a first field indicating whether there is a broadcast SMS message to be received from a base station, if the first field is set to a value indicating that the broadcast SMS message is to be received, recognizing a broadcast transport Connection IDentifier (CID) indicating a channel over which to transmit the broadcast SMS message, and a data burst allocation region by decoding a broadcast MAP Information Element (IE), and receiving the broadcast SMS message, transmitted using a resource of the data burst allocation region, through the channel over which to transmit the broadcast SMS message.
US08260323B1
A tracking/locating/paging system utilizes a “pre-established” local area network to determine essentially real-time information regarding one or more client devices within a closed communication environment (“pre-established” also considered as including an ad hoc network connection of devices deployed to serve a common interest). Particularly suited for arrangements such as an amusement park, college campus, shopping mall, etc., the service of the present invention utilizes conventional client devices and includes the ability to transmit an identification signal unique to each device. Various network access points distributed through the closed environment receive these unique identification signals and can therefore pinpoint the location of various client devices in real time. Accordingly, a paging function may be added to further enhance the communication aspects of the tracking and locating features of the present invention.
US08260313B1
An apparatus may comprise a location-aware application, a first location detector, and a data storage device. The storage device may contain service-access-point (SAP) data that identifies a first SAP through which the apparatus may access a second location detector. The first detector may obtain data from the second detector via the first SAP and use the obtained data to determine a location of the apparatus. This determined location may be provided to the location-aware application. The data storage may include program instructions for modifying the SAP data such that the SAP data identifies a second SAP through which the apparatus may access a third location detector. The first detector may obtain data from the third detector via the second SAP and then use the obtained data to determine a location of the apparatus. This determined location may be provided to another location-aware application that is executable at the apparatus.
US08260296B2
A mobile terminal for reduction of data loss during transitioning of the mobile terminal between network devices includes a controller. The controller is capable of transmitting a request to transition and receiving queued data from an original network device prior to transition from the original network device to a target network device. The queued data is content data intended for and undelivered to the mobile terminal that is temporarily stored at the original network device from a time when the request to transition is transmitted to when the transition occurs. The controller is also capable of transitioning from the original network device to the target network device and receiving data stored at the target network device responsive to the request to transition following transition from the original network device to the target network device.
US08260293B2
Devices and methods for placing a call from a mobile device on one of a plurality of communication lines accessible at the mobile device are disclosed herein.
US08260291B2
A method of performing a periodic public land mobile network (PLMN) search for a mobile station in a CELL_PCH state of radio resource control (RRC) connected mode in a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) is described. The method includes providing a mobile station operating in the CELL_PCH state camping on a serving cell of a PLMN utilizing a first PLMN identity; performing a periodic PLMN search with the mobile station and selecting a cell with a second PLMN identity, the second PLMN identity having a higher network priority than the first PLMN identity; and performing a CELL UPDATE procedure to register the mobile station with the selected cell utilizing the second PLMN identity if the serving cell and the selected cell are each associated with a common PLMN identity.
US08260273B2
A method and system for establishing a service relationship between a mobile communication device and a mobile data server for connecting to a wireless network are disclosed. In accordance with one embodiment, an Internet browser receives a request to establish a service relationship between a mobile communication device and a mobile data server. A device identifier and device capability data is received from the mobile communication device. Service data for the mobile communication device is received from a mobile data administration server in accordance with the device identifier and device capability data, which is then stored in a memory of the mobile communication device.
US08260271B2
The present invention provides systems and methods for acquiring content (e.g., a ring tone or a ring view) for a communication device.
US08260270B2
A signal transmission method includes determining whether there is a User Equipment (UE) within an area of the femto BS, determining whether the UE is in an active mode, operating in a first mode of alternating a first Available Interval (AI) with a first UnAvailable Interval (UAI) in time, if no UE exists within the area of the femto BS, operating in a second mode of alternating a second AI with a second UAI shorter than the first UAI in time, if a UE exists within the area of the femto BS and operates in an inactive mode and operating in a third mode of continuously transmitting a signal, if a UE exists within the area of the femto BS and operates in the active mode.
US08260257B2
A method for communicating a key to a wireless device includes communicating the key to a cellular telephone system which subsequently communicates the key to the wireless device. Thus, the need to manually enter a key into a wireless device to facilitate communication with a local area network is avoided.
US08260253B2
Device agents and methods are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method comprises monitoring, at an access device, at least a subset of device activity. The method further comprises detecting an activity satisfies at least one condition specified by a policy and executing at least one action in the policy associated with the satisfied condition.
US08260250B2
A method and apparatus for providing location information for subscribers connected to a packet-switched mobile access network in connection with emergency calls made over a multimedia service network. An emergency request is received at the multimedia service network from a subscriber containing the calling number of the subscriber. In response thereto, a media gateway control function in the multimedia service network sends a location query including the calling number to a mobile positioning center in the mobile access network, which then can retrieve location information for the subscriber. After receiving location information from the mobile positioning center, the media gateway control function selects an emergency center and sends a location indication for the subscriber thereto in a circuit-switched control message for initiating an emergency call, according to prevailing standards.
US08260248B2
There is provided a method for use by a computing device for automatically establishing a dial-up connection to a network through a mobile device. The method includes establishing a communication link with a mobile device. For example, the mobile device can be a cellular telephone and the communication link can be a Bluetooth communication link. The method further includes receiving network identification data from the mobile device, where the network identification data indicates the type of the network, e.g., Global System for Mobile (“GSM”) communications or Code Division Multiple Access (“CDMA”). The method further includes configuring a dial-up connection entry in the computing device and configuring connection entry in the mobile device based on the type of the network, and establishing the dial-up connection to the network using the dial-up connection entry.
US08260238B1
Disclosed herein are systems and methods for recovering a sub-carrier signal from a multiplexed signal having an embedded pilot tone signal. The recovery system includes circuitry for recovering a pilot signal from the received multiplexed signal, for generating a frequency-doubled signal from the recovered pilot signal, and for phase-shifting the frequency-doubled signal by a pre-determined phase difference from the embedded pilot tone signal. Another recovery system includes circuitry for recovering a pilot signal from the received multiplexed signal, for phase-shifting the pilot signal by a pre-determined phase difference from the embedded pilot tone signal, and for generating a frequency-doubled signal from the phase-shifted signal.
US08260233B2
The IFBPF (80) can variably set a passband width (WF) and an attenuation slope (KF). The bandwidth control circuit (102), which is constituted in hardware, controls the WF in accordance with the receiving state, which is composed of a combination of the receiving electric field intensity, the modulation degree, and the intensity of the adjacent-channel interference. A microcomputer (54) controls the KF on the basis of a program stored in a nonvolatile memory (60) and finely adjusts the effective passband width. Control of the WF contradictory for prevention of audio distortion and control of adjacent-channel interference is required when high modulation and adjacent-channel interference exist in a weak electric field state, and the setting becomes difficult. In this particular case, a configuration in which the KF can be modified by a program allows an advantageous receiving state to be readily obtained.
US08260228B2
A radio transmitting apparatus that has a plurality of antennas and changes the number of modulated signals transmitted simultaneously according to the propagation environment and so forth. A transmission power changing section 12 of a radio transmitting apparatus of the present invention adjusts the pilot symbol signal level so as to match the data symbol composite signal level according to the number of transmit modulated signals set by a modulated signal number setting section 11. By this means, the operating range of received pilot, symbols and the operating range of received data symbols become approximately the same on the receiving side, enabling pilot symbol quantization error to be reduced. As a result, the precision of radio wave propagation environment estimation, time synchronization, and frequency offset estimation using pilot symbols improves, and consequently data reception quality improves.
US08260224B2
A system and method are provided for reducing dynamic EVM of an integrated circuit power amplifier (PA) used for RF communication. In a multistage PA, the largest amplification stage is biased with a high amplitude current pulse upon receipt of a Tx enable, before receipt of the RF signal data burst. The high amplitude current pulse causes a large portion of the total ICQ budget of the multistage PA to pass through the largest amplification stage causing the entire integrated circuit to rapidly approach steady-state operating conditions. A smoothing bias current is applied to the largest amplification stage after the pulse decays to compensate for transient bias current levels while standard bias circuitry is still approaching steady-state temperature.
US08260213B2
A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a method involving a step to tune a plurality of tunable reactive elements by measuring a drift in reactance of at least one of the plurality of tunable reactive elements away from a desired reactance. Additional embodiments are disclosed.
US08260209B2
A system and method for coordinated spatial multiplexing using second order statistical information is provided. A method for controller operations includes receiving second order statistics from a plurality of communications devices, computing a beamforming vector for each communications device in the plurality of communications devices, selecting a subset of communications devices from the plurality of communications devices to receive transmissions, and transmitting transmissions to the subset of selected communications devices. The beamforming vector for a communications device is based on the second order statistics provided by the communications device, and the transmitting uses the computed beamforming vector for each selected communications device to transmit the transmissions to the selected communications device.
US08260208B2
Radio channel estimators are provided. In an exemplary embodiment, a radio channel estimator is provided for estimating a first radio channel to obtain a first estimate, the first radio channel being comprised in a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) radio channel extending between at least a first transmit antenna and a second transmit antenna and a receive antenna, the first radio channel extending between the first transmit antenna and the receive antenna. The estimator comprises a means for receiving a reference symbol transmitted by the second transmit antenna and a means for estimating a second radio channel based on the reference symbol, the second radio channel extending between the second transmit antenna and the receive antenna. The estimator further comprises a means for processing the estimate of the second radio channel based on a spatial property of the MIMO radio channel to obtain the first estimate.
US08260207B2
Apparatus and methods of performing interference mitigation in a communication network. The interference mitigation can include a controller sending a message to a first access point instructing the first access point to measure at least one signal transmitted by a first wireless terminal communicating a signal having known characteristics; the controller receiving from the first access point signal measurement information; and the controller communicating at least some of the signal measurement information received from the first access point to a second access point.
US08260197B2
A radio repeating system has first and second radio terminals, a radio repeater to receive a signal transmitted from the first radio terminal and transmit the signal to the second radio terminal, and a controller to control the radio repeater. The controller has a terminal signal determiner to detect a signal from the first radio terminal to determine whether the first radio terminal is in a transmission halt mode or a transmission mode, a first counter to start counting when a result of detection is the transmission halt mode, and a second counter to start counting when a result of detection is the transmission mode. The controller halts a wireless relay operation of the radio repeater when the result of detection is the transmission halt mode while the second timer is operating, or when the first timer finishes counting.
US08260196B2
An assembly of a low-noise block converter and a filter for a satellite antenna includes a low-noise block converter, a filter, and a connecting component. The low-noise block converter includes an output circuit, and the filter includes a filtering circuit. The connecting component includes a sleeve part for engaging threadedly the low-noise block converter and the filter, and a core extending through the sleeve part and interconnecting electrically the output circuit and the filtering circuit. By virtue of the sleeve part of the connecting component, connection between the low-noise block converter and the filter can be reinforced to reduce interference. The sleeve part can also serve as a ground circuit between the low-noise block converter and the filter so as to shorten a ground path, thereby reducing signal loss.
US08260195B2
A system and method for limiting the amount of satellite radio digital bandwidth used by allowing a vehicle to record and store songs broadcast by the satellite and then play the songs from the vehicle the next times the songs are to be broadcast. When a song is selected to be broadcast, the method determines whether a certain percentage of vehicles will have the song recorded on the vehicle, and if so, will broadcast a song code identifying the song to allow the vehicle to play the recorded song.
US08260190B2
An interference device and method of interfering with signals from a UMTS base station in a particular area are disclosed. The interference device receives a signal from the base station intended for a mobile device to initiate a communication session. The interference device synchronizes to the S-CCPCH and alters the TCFI and/or the data in the data field of the slot so that it is not longer correct. Time-shifted copies of the altered signal are then multiplexed and transmitted to the mobile device as a jamming signal. The jamming signal is received by the mobile device and causes the mobile device to be unable to determine the data of the original signal from the base station.
US08260186B2
A toner cartridge is configured by integrally arranging a fresh toner storing chamber and a residual toner collection chamber. Fresh toner is filled in the fresh toner storing chamber through a fresh toner filling opening. Residual toner is conveyed in the residual toner collection chamber through a residual toner conveying opening. Two residual toner discharging openings are created in the residual toner collection chamber through which the residual toner is discharged.
US08260184B2
Provided are fuser members and printing apparatuses including fuser members. The fuser member can include a substrate and a top coat layer including a hyper nanocomposite disposed over the substrate, wherein the hyper nanocomposite can include a plurality of nanoparticles substantially uniformly dispersed in one or more cross-linked hyperbranched polymers selected from the group consisting of polycarbosilane, polycarbosilixane, polycarbosilazene, and polyfluorocarbon.
US08260183B2
A soft pressure roller for use in a printer fusing system having an inside diameter and an outside diameter, wherein the roller is fabricated of LIM silicone elastomer having a softness of between 15 and 35 Asker C and wherein the distance between the inside diameter and the outside diameter is between 2 mm and 10 mm.
US08260175B2
A developing apparatus for an image forming apparatus. In order to suppress toner scattering that may occur after a development operation has been halted for a long time, the developer is transferred to a developer storage unit on the exterior of the developing machine when the development operation ends. A range in which an angle of a restricting member upstream side central angle α, which is a central angle of the surface of a developing roller on the upstream side of a restricting member opposing position opposing a developer amount restricting member in a surface motion direction of the developing roller, is not less than 0° and not more than 60° is set as a low magnetic flux density area γ in which the maximum value of a normal direction magnetic flux density on the surface of the developing roller is not more than 30 mT.
US08260173B2
A color image forming apparatus to which cartridges are detachably mountable includes a cartridge supporting member movable between a set position and an outside position; a driving source; a driving member provided opposite to the driving source through the cartridge supporting member, a first driving force transmission member for transmitting a driving force of the driving source; a second driving force transmission member provided oppositely to the first driving force transmission member through the cartridge supporting member; and a third driving force transmission member provided to the cartridge supporting member. The third driving force transmission member is, in a state in which the cartridge supporting member is located at the set position, connected to the first and second driving force transmission members to transmit the driving force of the driving source to the driving member.
US08260168B2
An image forming apparatus is disclosed. The image forming apparatus includes a body having an opening perforated in one side thereof, a developing unit detachably mounted to the body through the opening, a body cover configured to cover a rear portion of the developing unit in a mounting direction of the developing unit and adapted to open or close the opening, and a memory unit provided at the rear portion of the developing unit and having a developing device terminal. The body cover includes a body terminal to come into contact with the memory unit. Accordingly, an electrical connection between the developing unit and the body can be made less susceptible to vibration, etc. caused during operation of a drive motor.
US08260162B2
When image forming is to be successively performed on recording sheets having different sizes, an image forming apparatus suitably executes adjustment processing on a fixing apparatus or the like used in the image forming, and maintains image quality as well as suppresses a drop in productivity. To accomplish this, the image forming apparatus specifies the size of a printing material onto which an image is to be performed, and with use of the specified printing material size and the size of printing materials on which images have been formed immediately previously, determines whether it is necessary to execute adjustment processing for maintaining image quality. Specifically, adjustment processing is executed only if the size of the printing material on which an image is to be formed is greater than the size of the printing materials on which images were formed immediately previously.
US08260161B2
An image forming apparatus includes a control mechanism capable of selecting a plurality of print modes and a fixing device fixing an image developed based on one of the print modes selected by the control mechanism. The control mechanism selects any one of the print modes based on a successive print sheet number determined by print information received from a host device and a power consumption amount of each of the print modes calculated from fixing temperature of the fixing device prior to starting print operation.
US08260159B2
In an image forming apparatus, it is determined whether a shortage amount of toner in a developing device is greater than a threshold value of 4 g or not, when the power is turned on to start operation. As a result, if the shortage amount of toner in the developing device is greater than 4 g, an agitating operation is executed to agitate toner in the developing device prior to a printing operation. If the shortage amount is smaller than 4 g, the agitating operation is not executed. Then, a printing command is received, and if the agitating operation is not performed, control of an operation of supplying toner is started with a delay of at least for the time required for the agitating operation, after the printing operation is started.
US08260128B1
A water-resistant connector for use with fabric and sheet-like material comprises two plates stitched to each other on either side of and through the fabric or sheet-like material with at least one gasket made of an elastomeric material such as neoprene being placed between one of the plates and the fabric or sheet-like material. The gasket is stitched through and compressed between the plates so as to press against the stitching for water resistance. A suitable elastomeric material is a sheet of elastomeric compound adhered to either side of a reinforcing scrim. A rain cover for a camera and lens includes a water-resistant connector attached on the outside to a neck strap and on the inside to a strap system secured to the camera and lens whereby the camera and lens can be supported by the neck strap when the rain cover is protecting the camera and lens. A gasket may be provided encircling an eyepiece of the camera.
US08260121B2
Systems and methods are disclosed for writing data to an optical disc. In one example, a method includes the steps of receiving data to be written to an optical disc, determining the size of the data to be written to the optical disc, generating a file system image for the optical disc, writing the file system image to the optical disc and writing the data to the optical disc at a space beginning at a LBA located at a distance equal to about the size of the data from the last available LBA and terminating at about the last available LBA of the optical disc.
US08260108B2
A recording and reproduction apparatus may include an information signal recording section configured to record an information signal on a recording medium; a reproduction section configured to read/reproduce the information signal; a feature amount detection section configured to detect feature amounts of the information signal to be recorded and/or the reproduced information signal; a division detection section configured to detect divisions of the information signal; a keyword obtaining section configured to obtain a keyword; a keyword recording section configured to record the keywords obtained by the keyword obtaining section; a user operation input detection section configured to detect operation input by a user; a user evaluation value generator configured to generate a user evaluation value; a keyword evaluation value accumulation and storage section configured to accumulate the user evaluation value for each of the keywords and store the accumulated evaluation value; and a recommendation section.
US08260105B2
An enclosure for housing splice trays, including a bracket adapted to couple one or more splice trays to the enclosure, wherein the bracket is adapted to rotate the splice trays about an axis.
US08260096B2
Consistent with the present disclosure, the number of passive waveguides in a PIC are reduced by directly connecting active components to one another. Accordingly, optical signals propagating in the PIC may experience less loss, and, thus, improved performance may be achieved. In addition, active components may be bent or curved in order to obtain a more compact layout with greater device density. Reduced manufacturing costs can therefore be realized.
US08260095B2
An optical device to be connected to an optical fiber and an optical system in which the optical fiber is fixed to the optical device are provided, which optical device and optical system can restrict variations in a distance between inclined surfaces for supporting the optical fiber, and can enhance a productivity of the optical device and system. The optical system according to the present invention is, for example an optical multiplexer/demultiplexer having an optical device according to the present invention, which device has a substrate (2) with a crystal axis, and a groove (10a) for supporting an optical fiber (6a). The groove (10a) has a pair of opposing inclined surfaces (24) for supporting the optical fiber (6a), and a recess (26) formed between the pair of opposing inclined surfaces (24).
US08260092B2
In one exemplary embodiment, a method comprises transmitting an optical signal via the optical line, measuring a relative change in spectral intensity of the optical signal near a clock frequency (or half of that frequency) while varying a polarization of the optical signal between a first state of polarization and a second state of polarization, and using the relative change in spectral intensity of the optical signal to determine and correct the DGD of the optical line. Another method comprises splitting an optical signal traveling through the optical line into a first and second portions having a first and second principal states of polarization of the optical line, converting the first and second portions into a first and second electrical signals, delaying the second electrical signal to create a delayed electrical signal that compensates for a DGD of the optical line, and combining the delayed electrical signal with the first electrical signal to produce a fixed output electrical signal.
US08260091B2
An apparatus and method for searching for erroneous data is provided. The method of searching for erroneous data includes checking received data using an error-checking field included in the received data, and compensating for erroneous data of the checked data.
US08260078B2
Embodiments of the invention provide a technique to sharpen luminance data associated with each pixel of a digital image without introducing certain sharpening artifacts. An alpha mask is generated based on first, second, and third alpha submasks that indicate how strongly overshoot, color fringe, and dark regions, respectively, are detected at each pixel location. The alpha mask is used to combine luminance data derived from the digital image with sharpened luminance data that is generated by applying a sharpening filter to the luminance data.
US08260072B2
This invention provides a technique of easily encoding image data to generate encoded data having high image quality within a target code amount using a small memory capacity by image encoding processing of performing frequency transform and quantization of each pixel block. A frequency transform unit separates image data into low frequency band data and high frequency band data. A coefficient quantizing unit, coefficient encoder, and code amount controller operate to encode the high frequency band data within a predetermined amount. When the encoding processing of the high frequency band data has ended, the quantization parameter of the low frequency band data is set based on the generated code amount of the high frequency band data. A coefficient quantizing unit, coefficient encoder, code amount detector, and quantization parameter updating unit operate to encode the low frequency band data into codes within a low frequency band target code amount.
US08260067B2
Techniques are generally described to determine whether a JPEG image has undergone two compressions. Probabilities can be computed for the first digits of quantized DCT (discrete cosine transform) coefficients from a set of AC (alternate current) modes to detect or determine whether the JPEG image has undergone two compressions. The set of AC modes may include a predetermined number of distinguishable AC modes where a distinguishable AC mode may be an AC mode in which a second quantization step (QS2) is not an integer multiple of the first quantization step (QS1). Classifiers may be created during a training process, and later may be used to assist in determining whether a suspect JPEG image has undergone two compressions. When the classifiers support a multi-classification system, described detection techniques may also be arranged to determine a primary quality factor for the double compressed JPEG image.
US08260060B2
A comparison apparatus 2 designates first registration information RT1 inherent to a first parameter obtained by applying generalized Hough transform processing to a registered image AIM based on the set first parameter as the registration information RT1 used for the comparison and, designating second registration information RT1 obtained by applying generalized Hough transform processing to the registered image AIM based on a second parameter different from the first parameter as the registration information RT1 used for the comparison when receiving an instruction for change of the registration information RT1 after the designation, whereby security can be improved.
US08260049B2
In one embodiment, the invention provides a method for determining a logical structure of a document. The method comprises generating at least one document hypothesis for the whole document; for each document hypothesis, verifying said document hypothesis including (a) generating at least one block hypothesis for each block in the document based on the document hypothesis; and (b) selecting a best block hypothesis for each block; selecting as a best document hypothesis the document hypothesis that has the best degree of correspondence with the selected best block hypotheses for the document; and forming the document based on the best document hypothesis.
US08260047B2
A system and method for determining high frequency content in an analog image source. A method comprises creating a histogram of the image, and selecting a portion of the image based on the histogram. The histogram comprises a first number of horizontal bins and a second number of vertical bins, with each bin having an associated counter for maintaining a count of pixel differences of pixels in a portion of the image corresponding to the bin that exceed a threshold. The portion of the image selected corresponds to a portion of the histogram having a high pixel difference count relative to other portions of the histogram.
US08260043B2
Based on average values for respective color components calculated by an average value calculating section, a histogram generating section obtains, for respective pixels of interest, a maximum value of the average values among the color components and a maximum difference in the average values among the color components, and generates histograms respectively for the maximum value and the maximum difference in which histograms a number of pixels for a density bin is considered as a frequency-of-occurrence value. A determination section obtains a number of density bin having a predetermined frequency-of-occurrence value or more for each of the histograms for the maximum value and the maximum difference, and determines that the data of image is of a blank page image when both of the numbers of density bins are not greater than a bin threshold value which is set according to scanning modes or printing modes.
US08260039B2
Aspects of the present invention include systems and methods for forming generative models, for utilizing those models, or both. In embodiments, an object model fitting system can be developed comprising a 3D active appearance model (AAM) model. The 3D AAM comprises an appearance model comprising a set of subcomponent appearance models that is constrained by a 3D shape model. In embodiments, the 3D AAM may be generated using a balanced set of training images. The object model fitting system may further comprise one or more manifold constraints, one or more weighting factors, or both. Applications of the present invention include, but are not limited to, modeling and/or fitting face images, although the teachings of the present invention can be applied to modeling/fitting other objects.
US08260037B2
A 3D model reconstruction acquisition includes the steps of preparing a transparent container and at least one image capture device, wherein an object is placed in the transparent container and a liquid is received in the transparent container; keeping the liquid level rising or lowering to allow the liquid level to pass through a surface of the object and then keeping capturing a series of the images; computing a liquid-level equation for each of the images by using curves of the images between the object and the incremental or decremental liquid level confined by the transparent container; computing 3D coordinates of the curves in accordance with the liquid-level equation of each image; and collecting 3D coordinates of all of the curves to create a 3D model of the object. In addition, the acquisition can be done in the environment having water and thus be applied to various environments.
US08260036B2
Methods and apparatus are provided for detecting and tracking a target. Images are captured from a field of view by at least two cameras mounted on one or more platforms. These images are analyzed to identify landmarks with the images which can be used to track the targets position from frame to frame. The images are fused (merged) with information about the target or platform position from at least one sensor to detect and track the target. The targets position with respect to the position of the platform is displayed or the position of the platform relative to the target is displayed.
US08260030B2
In order to set an inspection area, a measurement target is disposed onto a stage, a reference data of the measurement target is summoned, and a measurement data of the measurement target is acquired. Then, at least one feature object is selected in the measurement data and the reference data of the measurement target, and at least one feature variable for the selected feature object is extracted from each of the reference data and the measurement data. Thereafter, a change amount of the measurement target is produced by using the feature variable and a quantified conversion formula, and the produced change amount is compensated for to set an inspection area. Thus, the distortion of the measurement target is compensated for to correctly set an inspection area.
US08260026B2
The invention is directed to counting techniques for counting biological agents on a biological growth plate or similar medium. In order to automate the counting of biological agents, a biological growth plate is inserted into a biological scanning unit. Upon insertion of the biological growth plate, the biological scanning unit generates an image of the plate. Then, the amount of biological agents that appear in the image, such as a number of bacteria colonies, can be counted or otherwise determined using image processing and analysis routines performed either by the scanning unit or an external computing device, such as a desktop computer, workstation or the like. A variety of counting rules are described herein that can be used to improve the accuracy of automated counts of biological agents on a biological growth plate.
US08260019B2
A method for reducing bandwidth required for transmission of data in a device having two portions rotating with respect to one another. The first portion includes a data acquisition system (DAS) having a charge-to-digital converter and a digital signal processor (DSP) configured to receive and compress digital data from the charge-to-digital processor. The second portion includes a computer configured to receive data from the DAS. The DAS and computer are communicatively coupled via a slip ring having a finite transmission bandwidth. The computer is configured to reconstruct and display an image using compressed data. The method includes using the DAS to compress scan data to a predetermined number of mantissa bits and a predetermined number of exponent bits, transmitting the compressed data from the first portion to the second portion across the slip ring, and using the transmitted compressed data to reconstruct and display an image of an object.
US08260017B2
The influences of the vibrations and the like of a rotational radiography system are corrected with respect to a projection image for each projection direction which contains an artificial artifact, and volume data containing only a ring artifact is generated by image reconstruction using the projection images. A ring center is determined by using this volume data, and polar coordinate conversion of an actual radiographed image is executed by using the ring center as an origin, thereby extracting a signal (ring artifact) parallel to an angular axis.
US08260016B2
Provided is an image processing system, including a depth calculating section that calculates a depth of an object from a surface of a body, the object existing inside the body; a light receiving section that receives light from the object; and a substance amount calculating section that calculates an amount of a substance, which generates the light received by the light receiving section, inside the object based on the depth of the object calculated by the depth calculating section and an amount of light received by the light receiving section.
US08260012B2
An image-capturing apparatus for capturing an image by using a solid-state image-capturing device may include a face detector configured to detect a face of a human being on the basis of an image signal in a period until an image signal obtained by image capturing is recorded on a recording medium; an expression evaluation section configured to evaluate the expression of the detected face and to compute an expression evaluation value indicating the degree to which the detected face is close to a specific expression in relation to expressions other than the specific expression; and a notification section configured to notify notification information corresponding to the computed expression evaluation value to an image-captured person.
US08260010B2
Systems and methods are provided for analyzing skin conditions using digital images. The method comprises acquiring a white-light image and an ultraviolet (“UV”) image of at least a portion of a body surface, such as a person's face, each of the white-light and UV images including a plurality of pixels and each pixel in the UV image corresponding to a respective pixel in the white-light image. The method further comprises identifying skin-pixels in the white-light and UV images, and obtaining results associated with at least one skin condition using information in the skin pixels in the first white light and UV images.
US08260009B2
An image quality measuring method enables a biometric image to be evaluated to determine whether the biometric image data are adequate for identification processing. The method includes converting a biometric image to dimensionless image data, filtering the dimensionless image data with a band pass filter, identifying a plurality of portions in the filtered data as containing identification features, each portion in the plurality having an information measurement that indicates feature content greater than portions in the filtered data that are excluded from the plurality, and measuring clarity for the biometric image from the identified plurality of portions in the filtered data.
US08260005B2
A system, method and device for grading of meat such as bovine, porcine, sheep, horse or poultry meat among others. The device of this invention is a portable tool, which is approached toward a meat specimen to be analyzed and captures an image. The device then objectively relates the image to meat quality parameters by means of an image analyzing method. The device and method solve, in a practical, fast and satisfactory way, the problem of determining meat quality parameters such as texture, color, and contained intramuscular fat percentage.
US08260003B2
An image-signal processing apparatus configured to track an object moving in an image includes a setting unit configured to set an eliminating area in an image constituting a moving image; a motion-vector detecting unit configured to detect an object in the image constituting a moving image and detect a motion vector corresponding to the object using an area excluding the eliminating area in the image; and an estimating unit configured to estimate a position to which the object moves on the basis of the detected motion vector.
US08259985B2
A speaker set configured for a portable electronic device includes a hollow shell, a back cover, and a loudspeaker sandwiched between the shell of the back cover. The shell includes a first chamber, a second chamber, a third chamber and a fourth chamber. The second and third chambers are positioned at opposite sides of the first chamber, and communicate with a surrounding environment at opposite sides of the shell. The loudspeaker is accommodated in the first chamber, and divides the first chamber into a front sub-chamber and a rear sub-chamber. The front sub-chamber communicates with the second and the third chambers thereby forming a front resonance chamber. The rear sub-chamber communicates with the fourth chamber thereby forming a rear resonance chamber. Sound waves generated from the loudspeaker are transmitted to and resonate in the front and rear resonance chambers and then transmitted to the surrounding environment in opposite directions.
US08259982B2
A mobile computing device comprises a printed circuit board, a processing circuit, a surface mount microphone, and a vibration attenuation portion. The processing circuit is disposed on a first portion of the printed circuit board. The surface mount microphone is disposed on a second portion of the printed circuit board. The vibration attenuation portion of the board is configured to attenuate vibrations from the first to the second portion of the printed circuit board.
US08259981B2
A sound reproduction system is disclosed in which a sound enclosure defines a soundwave path having a first end, a second open end and at least one bend therebetween. At least one driver is provided at the first end for producing a driver soundwave that is confined by the sound enclosure for travel along the soundwave path. At least one baffle member is situated in the soundwave path, defining a reflective surface of preselected shape that reflects and constricts the soundwave therethrough.
US08259975B2
A shielding element and a decoupling element are integrated into a combined attenuation element. The shielding element may be a shielding foil, preferably made of copper. The attenuation element may include a flexible backing foil, preferably a plastic backing foil which supports the shielding foil. It may also include an adhesive layer with which the electronic component is affixed to a housing. The physical properties of all elements of the attenuation element are attuned to one another such that it simultaneously attenuates both electromagnetic alternating fields as well as mechanical oscillations.
US08259972B2
A hearing aid having a microphone for converting an ambient sound signal to an electric sound signal, a voice detector adapted to determine if a voice is present in said electric sound signal and a frequency analyzer to determine a fundamental frequency of a voice present in said electric sound signal, a signal processor adapted to process said electric sound signal, or an electric signal derived from it, independent of adjustable processing parameters, a memory having corresponding sets of processing parameters and fundamental voice frequencies, a decision unit to select and forward from the memory to the signal processor a set of processing parameters in accordance with a fundamental frequency determined by the frequency analyzer. Further, a method of adapting a hearing aid and to the use of such hearing aid.
US08259971B2
A Hearing apparatuses is provided. The hearing apparatus includes a programming socket that features at least a first connection and a second connection, with a signal processing system that is connected to the second connection, and with a control system. The control system taps the potential of the first connection. The control system furthermore engages the signal processing system in a first function when the first connection reaches the predetermined potential and in a second function when the potential of the first connection deviates from the predetermined potential. This enables multiple usages for example of the input of a programming interface of a signal processing IC.
US08259969B2
A high-frequency pneumatic loudspeaker for sound broadcasting is provided, and comprises a housing, silencer exhaust holes, air inlet port, supporting plate, throat canal, central cone, annular nozzle, obstructing ring, and a voice coil and leads. Lower and an upper press plates hold the obstructing ring and the voice coil in position, a magnet having inner and outer magnetic poles is connected therewith, wherein a small gap exists between the obstructing ring and the end of the annular nozzle. This provides the advantages of both air passage area modulation by a sleeve air valve and airstream direction modulation by jet obstruction, reduces airstream consumption, improves air-sound conversion efficiency, and improves structures of an annular air flow-splitter, voice coil and leads. A cooling system is provided to improve high-frequency modulation sensitivity, operation stability, and/or extended fault-free operation time.
US08259950B2
A method and apparatus are disclosed for managing components of a secret key according to a secret sharing scheme. The disclosed secret sharing scheme divides a secret value, R, into n secret components (R1, R2, . . . , Rn) and one super component, S, in such a way that R can be computed from (i) any k or more R1 components (k
US08259948B2
The present subject matter is related to trusted computing, and more particularly to migration of virtual trusted platform module keys that are rooted in a hardware trusted platform module. Some embodiments include a trusted platform virtualization module that may perform one or more of inbound and outbound trusted platform module key migrations. Such migrations may be performed between a virtual trusted platform module and either a hardware or a virtual trusted platform module.
US08259942B2
Arranging data ciphering in a telecommunication system comprising at least one wireless terminal, a wireless local area network and a public land mobile network. At least one first ciphering key according to the mobile network is calculated in the mobile network and in the terminal for a terminal identifier using a specific secret key for the identifier. Data transmission between the mobile network and the terminal is carried out through the wireless local area network. A second ciphering key is calculated in the terminal and in the mobile network using said at least one first ciphering key. The second ciphering key is sent from the mobile network to the wireless local area network. The data between the terminal and the network is ciphered using said second ciphering key.
US08259941B2
In an MFP, an image on an original is read and the image is stored as a document (input image) in an HDD. A marking-information generation module generates marking information (two-dimensional code information) expressing at least one of information relating to storage of the document and an output parameters of the document. A document-relevance-information management module relates the marking information to the stored image, and an encryption/decryption module encrypts the marking information. A marking generation module generates a marking image from the encrypted marking information, and the marking image is printed out.
US08259938B2
Methods, devices, and computer program products enable the embedding of forensic marks in a host content that is in compressed domain. These and other features are achieved by preprocessing of a host content to provide a plurality of host content versions with different embedded watermarks that are subsequently compressed. A host content may then be efficiently marked with forensic marks in response to a request for such content. The marking process is conducted in compressed domain, thus reducing the computational burden of decompressing and re-compressing the content, and avoiding further perceptual degradation of the host content. In addition, methods, devices and computer program products are disclosed that obstruct differential analysis of such forensically marked content.
US08259937B2
There are provided a method and others capable of appropriately protecting literary works without requiring any operation by a web site administrator or a user. A web server transmits a content, copyright information on the content, and execution information for introducing the content to a creation device. The creation device receives the transmitted content, copyright information, and execution information. When the content is introduced in association with the transmitted execution information, the creation device extracts the copyright information on the transmitted content and transmits the address of the content and the extracted copyright information to a creation program for creating a web page.
US08259936B2
Apparatus and method for generating a traffic encryption key includes generating a traffic encryption key for encrypting data transmitted as part of a service, the traffic encryption key having a validity equal to a traffic encryption key validity time period; checking whether a period for the service is longer than the traffic encryption key validity time period; and if the period of the service is longer than the traffic encryption key validity time period, ascertaining a residual period which indicates by what period the service is longer than the traffic encryption key validity time period of the traffic encryption key; generating a residual traffic encryption key which is used for encrypting data transmitted as part of a service; ascertaining a residual traffic encryption key validity time period which indicates for how long the residual traffic encryption key is valid; and associating the residual traffic encryption key validity time period with the residual traffic encryption key.
US08259931B2
A sliding mechanism comprises a sliding plate, a main plate, a first slide enabling member and a biasing member. The sliding plate has two angled portions. The main plate has two side walls. The first slide enabling member is coupling the angled portions of the sliding plate to the side walls of the main plate such that the sliding plate is slid relative to the main plate from a closed position or to retract from an open position. The first slide enabling member comprises a set of first roller assembly and a set of first tracks that engage the first roller assembly, when the sliding plate slide relative to the main plate, the first roller assembly are rotated and slid relative to the first tracks. The biasing member biases the sliding plate to slide to the open position when the sliding plate crosses an intermediate position.
US08259930B2
With a waterproof structure for the space between a first case and a diaphragm doubling as a display panel provided facing the first case, a first resilient member is integrally formed at a surface of the diaphragm facing the first case, and the first resilient member is press-fitted into a groove formed in a surface of the first case facing the diaphragm side.
US08259927B2
The invention relates to a method for adaptive filtering in which a level of a reference signal necessary for the adaptive filtering is determined in the context of an adaptation by estimation, using a quantity equivalent to the reference signal, wherein the filtering is dependent on the electrical power of at least one signal extracted from a transmission channel to be filtered, and the equivalent quantity is determined by means of a mathematical function based on the electrical power of at least the extracted signal. The invention further relates to an arrangement with means for carrying out the method.
US08259915B2
A system and method for analyzing information associated with voice calls placed during a telephone number advertising campaign is described. The system receives information characterizing voice calls to advertiser telephone numbers and information from advertisers such as information about the outcome of the voice call (e.g., conversion information). The system correlates the voice call information with the advertiser information and generates reports based on the correlated information. The system can perform or enable the performance of other actions based on the correlated information. For example, the system may modify an ongoing advertising campaign based on an analysis of the correlated information.
US08259912B2
A programmable in-the-skin or intelligently connected message on hold delivery system is disclosed which comprises a message storage system and a processor for generating prompts which are transmitted to a control device. The prompts are received at the control device and allow an operator to select from a number of options in order to select, among other things, certain ones of the messages stored on said message storage system for playback, as well as the sequence in which said messages are to be played back. The message playback devices are each provided with one or more libraries of messages, and comprise at least one or more audio and/or visual advertising messages. Said system enables the user to start a pre-recorded audio or visual message at the beginning each time a caller is placed on hold in the telephone system.
US08259911B1
The present invention relates to telecommunications, and in particular, to systems and processes for processing telephone calls and providing telephony services. In one embodiment, a call processing system, compromises a first telephony interface configured to receive a call from a caller, a storage device configured to store a greeting, and a call answering system. The call answering system is configured to play the greeting in response to receiving the call, record a voice message from the caller, determine when the caller has completed recording the voice message, after determining that the caller has completed recording the voice message, play a prompt regarding the caller becoming a subscriber to call services provided by the call processing system, receive from the caller information used to establish a call services account, and establish a call services account for the caller.
US08259902B2
Non invasive in-vivo measurement of composition of a tissue within a part of a human or animal subject is carried out by detecting a Raman spectral characteristic in light scattered through the part using a transmission, rather than a backscattering geometry. The technique is applied to the detection of calcifications in human breast tissues.
US08259900B1
A method for detecting nuclear species in a sample by adaptive scanning using nuclear resonance fluorescence may comprise illuminating the target sample with photons from a source; detecting a signal in an energy channel; determining a scan evaluation parameter using the signal detected; determining whether the scan evaluation parameter meets a detection efficiency criterion; adjusting one or more system parameters such that the scan evaluation parameter meets the detection efficiency criterion; and comparing the signal in an energy channel to a predetermined species detection criterion to identify a species detection event. In another embodiment, detecting a signal in an energy channel may further comprise detecting photons scattered from the target sample. In another embodiment, detecting a signal in an energy channel may further comprise detecting photons transmitted through the target sample and scattered from at least one reference scatterer.
US08259899B2
The invention relates to a multi-modality tomography apparatus (11) including a first tomograph (13) and a second tomograph or imaging system (14) using different tomography techniques, such as X-ray CT tomography and PET or SPECT tomography, or a tomographic or planar optical imaging system, which are located on the same face of a support means (12) which can rotate in both directions of rotation around an axial support shaft (12), such that a subject undergoing examination and placed on a subject support does not have to be moved during a tomographic examination with any of the two tomographs (13, 14) installed on the same face of the support (12).
US08259897B2
A method and apparatus is disclosed for determining the central ray of scanning an object on a detector in a computer tomography system. The method comprises producing a fan beam of x-rays at a fixed x-ray source and detecting the x-rays at the detector. The scanning projection data of the object under examination is received and the object is rotated under examination using a manipulator. After calculating the opposite projection pixel position and projection angle for each pixel, a mismatching is measured between the grey levels of all pixels and their calculated opposite projection pixels with a set of assumed central ray, and identifying the minimum of the measurement as the true central ray.
US08259896B2
A method for determining absorption coefficients corrected with polychromy artifacts for an object composed of a plurality of material types differentiated with absorption attributes is provided. A plurality of x-ray beam projections of the object are recorded with monochrome x-rays from different positions. The recorded projections are reconstructed to determine a first set of absorption coefficients. The projections are calculated by reprojection. The recorded projections are corrected by the calculated projections. A second set of absorption coefficients corrected with polychromy artifacts is finally determined by reconstructing the corrected projections. A formula-based description of a rule taking account of polychromy is used in the calculation. The rule includes parameters to be determined by the reprojection in the course of the calculation of projections. The method combines steps of conventional methods and is thus more efficient.
US08259889B2
An apparatus and method for frequency synthesis using a Delay Locked Loop (DLL) are provided. The apparatus includes the DLL, an edge pulse generator, and an inductive-capacitive (LC) tank switch. If phases of a reference frequency signal and a feedback signal are the same and thus are locked, the DLL delays the reference frequency signal. The edge pulse generator generates a plurality of pulse signals representing phase delay amounts of signals. The LC tank switch combines the plurality of pulse signals and generates frequency.
US08259873B2
Watermarking of audio signals intends to manipulate the audio signal in a way that the changes in the audio content cannot be recognized by the human auditory system. The watermark data are decoded from the received watermarked audio signal by correlation with corresponding candidate reference sequences. One or more of the sync symbols are embedded twice in the watermark data frame in the encoder. Thereafter a circular correlation is calculated instead of a standard correlation.
US08259853B2
A receiving apparatus includes a demodulation means for demodulating a transmission signal to output a demodulation output having a predetermined number of bits; a reliability calculation means for calculating reliability of the transmission signal to output reliability information; a conversion processing means for reducing the number of bits of the demodulation output on the basis of the reliability information, and for multiplexing the demodulation output having the reduced number of bits and the reliability information to output the multiplexed result; and a deinterleave means for deinterleaving the output of the conversion processing means.
US08259849B2
There is provided a wireless communication apparatus including: a matrix estimating unit that estimates a channel matrix of N rows and M columns (N and M are natural numbers); a selecting unit that selects S rows (S is a natural number, and S
US08259848B2
System(s) and method(s) are provided to transmit simultaneously a first and a second communication channel in a single-carrier waveform format with disparate error rate requirements. First channel and second channel are coded individually to form an alphabet for a first and second constellation. Prior to transmission, bits of information of the first and second channels are modulated with a hierarchical modulation constellation is generated through a combination of a first a second constellation; each constellation is assigned a configurable weight (e.g., a “hierarchic weight”) that is expressed in terms of a configurable energy ratio. The energy ratio determines the resilience of bits associated with the first and second channel. Bit mapping within the first and second constellation provides redundancy to mitigate error rate within each quadrant of the hierarchical constellation. Hierarchical modulation of more than two channel can be accomplished through the same principal of individual coding and constellation composition.
US08259847B2
Methods and apparatus for serial channel operation are disclosed. An N+1-level signaling scheme is used to transmit N staggered but overlapping NRZ sub-sequences concurrently on a serial channel. Each sequence has a bit rate R and an essential bandwidth of R Hz. The combined bit rate of the channel is N×R, but due to a lack of correlation between the sub-sequences, the essential bandwidth remains approximately R Hz. The signaling scheme also contains redundancy that allows some errors to be detected and/or corrected. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.
US08259846B2
An apparatus for generating a multicarrier communication signal having a reduced crest factor enables efficient power amplifier operation. The apparatus includes a plurality of shaping filters (205-n) for outputting a plurality of shaped baseband transmission signals. A plurality of mixers (210-n) then multiplies each signal by one of a plurality of complex carrier signals. A window function generator (235) generates a clipping window signal based on power levels of the unshaped baseband transmission signals. A plurality of window output units (245-n) outputs a plurality of subtraction-based clipping window signals. At least one summing unit (260) then generates the multicarrier communication signal having the reduced crest factor from the plurality of subtraction-based clipping window signals and the plurality of shaped baseband transmission signals.
US08259844B2
A method for a user equipment to transmit a random access preamble sequence to a base station includes transmitting the random access preamble sequence generated from a Constant Amplitude Zero Auto Correlation (CAZAC) sequence to the base station, wherein the CAZAC sequence is cyclic shifted according to one of applicable cyclic shift values defined considering a value (M) representing a Doppler shift of one subcarrier spacing and a cyclic shift unit length (T), and wherein when the value (M) meets a condition of ‘P*T≦M <(P+1)*T’ where (P) is an integer, one or more adjacent cyclic shift values among the applicable cyclic shift values are defined as a group and a number of the adjacent cyclic shift values within the group equals to (P).
US08259833B2
The present invention aims to provide a method for fast and exact ML low-complexity demodulation in for example MIMO systems. The present invention relates to a method and arrangement for processing signals, especially a Maximum Likelihood (ML) demodulation of Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) signals, in a digital communications system, having a number of transmit antennas transmitting nT symbols, the method comprises the steps of: using xm, denoting symbols transmitted, wherein m=1 . . . nT, given a channel, selecting i and j and making pre-calculations facilitating finding a best combination of Xl . . . Xi−1, Xi+1 . . . Xj−1, Xj+1 . . . XnT for any given Xi, Xj and a received signal, going through every combination X1 . . . Xi−1, Xi+1 . . . Xj−1, Xj+1 . . . XnT and projecting in a number of directions for each of said combinations and generating a list of candidate combinations of Xi and Xj for each combination X1 . . . Xi−1, Xi+1 . . . Xj−1, Xj+1 . . . XnT, and hence generating a list of candidate combinations X1 . . . XnT, and providing a maximum-likelihood symbol combination.
US08259830B1
In general, the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in methods, systems, and program products for identifying data that is designated for wireless transmission to a remote computing device. A digital signal that encodes the data for transmission across a band of radio frequency channels is generated. Multiple radio frequency channels in the band that are available are determined. The digital signal is filtered to substantially reduce a power level of the digital signal at frequencies that correspond to channels in the band that have not been determined to be available. The filtered digital signal is converted to an analog signal. The analog signal is provided to an analog transmitter that isolates the band of channels to generate an isolated analog signal and that wirelessly transmits the isolated analog signal over the multiple available channels using one or more antennas.
US08259825B2
A method, a network base station, and a user communication device for transmitting data on an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing carrier are disclosed. An antenna array may transmit a signal decodable by a legacy user communication device designed for compatibility with a legacy set of transmission antennas. A processor 210 may encode a subframe of the signal with a legacy set of common reference symbols and a supplemental set of common reference symbols referring to the antenna array.
US08259822B1
Polar and quadrature modulator for receiving a baseband processed voice signal and for processing, modulating and transmitting voice signal. Voice signal processor and modulator for processing voice signal into Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexed (OFDM) or Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) signal. A location finding signal receiver, demodulator and processor for receiving, demodulating and processing a location finder signal into demodulated processed location finder signal. Location finder signal receiver receiving signal from two or more satellite and two or more ground based transmitters. Diversity receivers for signal reception from cellular and from Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN). Filtered polar modulated signal used in a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) system including Global Mobile System (GSM). Receiver for receiving transmitted signal has a radio frequency (RF) unit which is located at a remote location from demodulator.
US08259812B2
A system and method for video decoding, including decoding video data from an input Transport Stream (TS) bitstream, variable-length-decoding the decoded video data, and restoring pixel values of an original picture through an Inverse Quantization process, an Inverse Discrete Cosine Transform process, and an Motion Compensation process from the variable-length-decoded video data; analyzing characteristics of video data based on error information, header information, and macroblock information extracted from the decoded video data to generate analysis information and generating thumbnail image; storing the generated thumbnail image; generating meta data information based on the generated analysis information and controlling to store the generated meta data information; controlling to search the stored input TS bitstreams in the storage medium according to the stored meta data information; and controlling to store the generated thumbnail image, read the stored image, and display an Electronic Program Guide with the read thumbnail image.
US08259806B2
Signatures that can be used to identify video and audio content are generated from the content by generating measures of dissimilarity between features of corresponding groups of pixels in frames of video content and by generating low-resolution time-frequency representations of audio segments. The signatures are generated by applying a hash function to intermediate values derived from the measures of dissimilarity and to the low-resolution time-frequency representations. The generated signatures may be used in a variety of applications such as restoring synchronization between video and audio content streams and identifying copies of original video and audio content. The generated signatures can provide reliable identifications despite intentional and unintentional modifications to the content.
US08259799B2
Continuous reproduction can be made possible. An encoding apparatus for executing an encoding process with an encoding system capable of at least B-pictures as pictures to be prediction-encoded comprises a timing calculation means for, anticipating that a plurality of encoded information created by performing the encoding process will be sequentially decoded on a decoding side, calculating output timing for results of decoding the encoded information, and a timing notification means for notifying the decoding side of the output timing calculated by the timing calculation means before a result of decoding corresponding encoded information is obtained.
US08259794B2
A method for resource allocation for video encoder to achieve the minimum sequence cost within given resource budgets. Optimal video encoder design by deriving the optimal sequence order and frame type selection is invented. In order to achieve computationally practical resource allocation, the current invention utilizes various encoder model and buffer model. The models allow the optimization procedure to assess the best encoding design without actually performing the computationally expensive encoding. Efficient optimization algorithm is also derived to substantially reduce the computations required to search for the optimal action sequence.
US08259791B2
In at least one embodiment of the disclosure, a digital signal processing device is configured to receive a TMDS signal and a hot-plug signal via a digital signal cable. A TMDS signal determination section is configured to determine whether the TMDS signal has been received. A hot-plug signal determination section is configured to determine whether the hot-plug signal has been received every t seconds when the TMDS signal has not been received. A digital signal determination section is configured to determine that a digital signal is present if the TMDS signal is received. A digital signal is determined absent if (a) the hot-plug signal has not been received n times (n being an integer equal to or greater than one), or (b) the hot-plug signal has been received m times (m being an integer equal to or greater than two and m being greater than n).
US08259781B2
Provided is a radio communication device which can improve the negative acknowledgement (NACK) error rate characteristic. The device includes: a scrambling unit (214) which multiplies a response signal after modulated, by a scrambling code “1” or “−1” so as to inverse a constellation for each of response signals on a cyclic shift axis; a spread unit (215) which performs a primary spread of the response signal by using a zero auto correlation (ZAC) sequence set by a control unit (209); and a spread unit (218) which performs a secondary spread of the response signal after subjected to the primary spread, by using a block-wise spread code sequence set by the control unit (209).
US08259780B2
A method for conserving bandwidth in a communication system includes spreading a data frame and a broadcast frame. A complex data stream having a first component and a second component is generated. The data frame is assigned to the first component and the broadcast frame is assigned to the second component. The complex data stream is transmitted to a tag.
US08259774B2
A spread spectrum clock signal generator for spreading an input clock signal into an output clock signal includes a clock signal delay chain for delaying the input clock signal into a delay clock signal group having a plurality of delay clock signals, a modulation controller for outputting a counter clock signal control signal, a clock signal selection circuit for selecting, from the delay clock signal group, a modulation clock signal group having a plurality of modulation clock signals, a programmable counter for generating a counting value according to a counter clock signal, and a clock signal output unit for combining the modulation clock signals into the output clock signal according to the counting value, and further generating the counter clock signal, outputted to the programmable counter, according to the counter clock signal control signal.
US08259768B2
An optical fiber component comprises an optical fiber that transmits light; and a coreless fiber that is connected to the end surface of the optical fiber and prevents foreign matter from adhering to the end surface of the optical fiber. The optical fiber and the coreless fiber are connected by fusing one end surface of the coreless fiber to the end surface of the optical fiber. The core section on the end surface of the optical fiber is no longer exposed to the air. Moreover, the power density of light that is input at the core of the optical fiber is greatly reduced more than when there is no coreless fiber, so it is possible to prevent compounds of C, H and O from adhering to the core of the optical fiber.
US08259761B2
Aspects of a method and system for managing multimedia traffic over Ethernet are provided. In this regard, multimedia traffic comprising one or more Ethernet frames may be identified via one or more headers comprising the frames and processed according to the identification. In this regard, general Ethernet traffic may be multiplexed into egress frames based on the identification. Similarly, ingress Ethernet frames may be demultiplexed into multimedia traffic and general traffic based on the identification. Headers utilized to identify and/or route multimedia traffic and general traffic may comprise Ethertype and/or subtype fields. Headers utilized to identify and/or route multimedia traffic and general traffic may comprise a connection identifier field. Similarly, Headers utilized to identify and/or route multimedia traffic and general traffic may comprise a data type field.
US08259757B2
In a method and network for the analysis of synchronized data traffic, at least one network participant stores sent and/or received data packets in a mirror memory, and the data in the respective mirror memories are frozen and made available for evaluation via the entire data network, upon the occurrence of a trigger event in at least one of the active network participants, while maintaining the synchronized data traffic.
US08259756B2
The present invention is based on the idea to allocate HS-DSCH power at TTI based on the HS-SCCH allocation of UI and an estimation of the HS-SCCH allocation of TTI+1. The estimation of the HS-SCCH allocation of TTI+1 is based on estimation of which users that will be scheduled at the time denoted TTI+1. i.e., the users that have a high probability to be selected for transmission by the scheduler at the time denoted TTI+1 are determined. That is performed by calculating for each user the probability that the user will be selected for transmission by the scheduler. The users that have a high probability to be scheduled at the time TTI+1 are included in a candidate set according to the present invention.
US08259751B2
In the bandwidth-allocating method of the present invention for PON (: Passive Optical Network), a bandwidth is allocated from an optical line terminal to each optical network unit. The optical line terminal stores a bandwidth contract table for indicating a correspondence relationship between communication flow IDs and service quality parameters, each communication flow ID identifying each communication flow between the optical line terminal and each optical network unit. The bandwidth-allocating method includes a step of transmitting a service-quality request message including the communication flow IDs and the service quality parameters from each optical network unit to the optical line terminal, and a step of the optical line terminal's updating the bandwidth contract table based on the service quality parameters, and performing the bandwidth allocation to a communication flow specified by the corresponding communication flow ID based on the bandwidth contract table.
US08259748B2
A transmitter transmits a data frame as an uninterrupted stream of codeblocks of predefined size on a first 10 Gigabit/second data path between a MAC and PHY. It inserts a first idle block of predefined size within the data frame if there is insufficient data. A receiver receives a second idle block on a second data path, the second idle block including a request to slow down the transmission on the first data path. The receiver causes the transmitter to insert a third idle block in response to receiving the second idle block. The transmitter may further send a stream identifier including an identifier for a data stream and a bandwidth factor. The transmitter may send one codeblock chosen from data blocks for the data stream and idle blocks, and then send the bandwidth factor number of codeblocks chosen from data blocks for other data streams and idle blocks.
US08259743B2
An improved mechanism is provided that facilitates transmission of small packets within an ad hoc peer-to-peer network. A small packet is identified to a receiver within a control channel so that its lower power can be considered in an interference management protocol implemented among local peer devices. In a traffic slot, a transmitter voluntarily backs down on the transmitter power as a smaller packet will require much lower signal-to-noise ratio. This will improve the signal energy per bit per noise power density for the transmission as well as minimize the interference caused to other wireless communications happening in the same spectrum.
US08259742B2
A hybrid channel assignment method comprising the steps of negotiating among routers to select one router to act as a central server; collecting, at the selected router, information on an entire network transmitted from the other routers, and assigning channels based upon the information on the entire network; and reassigning channels of respective routers based upon dynamically-changing traffic characteristics. The hybrid channel assignment method can assign channels using both centralized processing and distributed processing in order to ensure optimally correct channel assignment consistent with present traffic characteristics. This as a result can prevent network resources from being wasted and also increase network capacity, thereby optimizing effective use of the network resources.
US08259734B2
The present invention relates to the Passive Optical Network (PON) technology, and a method for sending an upstream transfer frame in a PON is provided, so as to improve flexibility of a system and satisfy a requirement that an error probability is reduced as low as possible. The method includes: after success of link, sending a preamble according to an allocated time slot, sending a burst synchronization delimiter, and then sending successively a burst header, a Gigabit-Capable Passive Optical Network (GPON) Transmission Convergence (GTC) frame header, and GTC frame data. In the sent synchronization delimiter, the number of non-zeros is the same as the number of zeros, and in a delimiter sequence, the number of non-zeros on odd bits is equal to the number of zeros on even bits, and the number of non-zeros on even bits is equal to the number of zeros on odd bits, the number of zeros on the odd bits is N, the number of non-zeros on the odd bits is M, a relation |N−M|≦1 is satisfied, the number of zeros in a continuous zero group is X, the number of non-zeros in a continuous nonzero group is Y, and a relation |X−Y|≦1 is satisfied. A device for sending an upstream transfer frame in a passive optical network is further provided.
US08259731B2
A system and method are provided for sorting IP routing table entries in a TCAM for longest IP prefix matching LPM of destination IP addresses. The IP routing table is divided into logical blocks, for each block an associated routing entry IP prefix length. Each block is of a respective size whose proportion of the total size of the routing table is determined by the associated IP prefix length. The blocks are ordered so that the TCAM returns an LPM when queried. Starting block sizes can be initialized to proportions which reflect actual expected numbers by proportion of routing entries by IP prefix length. The blocks also grow and shrink as entries are added and deleted so as to more closely mirror real-world populations of expected entries having the IP prefix length in question.
US08259730B2
A multi-protocol label switching system using multiple cores. In establishing a virtual private network in a MPLS system, more than one core is available. Paths are established over each core separately and weights are assigned to the two routes. Thus, the route which is preferred by manually configuring in advance will be chosen.
US08259721B2
A switching device (e.g., router, bridge) provides time-based authorization of multicast services. When a message is received to request the delivery of a multicast service or a first message is sent to a multicast group, a subscription policy for the IP multicast subscription service is retrieved. This subscription policy includes one or more limitations which allow the IP multicast subscription service during some predefined time of day/week or duration but prevent the IP multicast subscription service during some predefined time of day/week or duration. The switching device is configured to enforce these time-based authorization of multicast services policies.
US08259719B2
An apparatus for imposing preferences on broadcast/multicast service for an end-user is described herein. The apparatus includes a first tuner that receives a first set of data transmitted from a currently selected broadcast/multicast station, wherein the first set of data includes time, station identification, and program information; a second tuner that receives a second set of data from a plurality of broadcast/multicast stations, wherein the second set of data includes individually, for each broadcast/multicast station that is available, time, station identification, and program information; a decoder that decodes the first and second sets of data received by the first and second tuners and sends this decoded data to a decision engine for further processing; and a persona database that stores a plurality of user preference profiles. Further, the decision engine is periodically operative to evaluate the currently selected station, and choose a different station if applicable, based on a preference profile selected by the end-user.
US08259718B2
Network relay arrangements including: multiple ports; MAC address storage; flooding indication storage; plane number management storage; table manager; and frame processor. The table manager: utilizes the plane number management storage to specify current identification information being currently used and next identification information to be used next, with regard to a preset element of the key item for identifying a target of deletion of the information of correlating the transmit port to the MAC address from the MAC address storage; sets the requirement of the flooding operation in registry of a certain information group in the flooding indication storage having the preset element and being correlated to the current identification information; and sets the non-requirement of the flooding operation in registry of a certain information group in the flooding indication storage having the preset element and being correlated to the next identification information.
US08259706B2
A method includes receiving, at a first endpoint, session data associated with a first Internet Protocol (IP) packet. The IP packet is associated with a session within a Session over Internet Protocol (SoIP) network and the session is associated with a call. An instruction, based on the session data, is sent from the first endpoint to a second endpoint. The instruction is configured to trigger the second endpoint to modify a priority indicator associated with at least one of the first IP packet or a second IP packet associated with the call.
US08259705B2
A call services manager and methods for improving the quality and efficiency of voice of Internet Protocol (“VOIP”) calls are provided. In an embodiment a method to improve communication link utilization on a call requiring the use of a central service platform is provided. An additional method is provided to validate caller identification information exchanged between originating and terminating communication devices in an IP voice network. In a further aspect of the invention, a method using a call services manager is provided to dynamically switch from one call route to another based on quality of service considerations. A call services manager is also provided. The call services manager is a software proxy that can reside at any type of network element. The call services manager includes software modules to implement the above methods for improving VOIP quality, and can include other call service and quality improvement modules.
US08259704B2
A media gateway includes a non-packet switching matrix operable to switch non-packetized data, a packet switching matrix operable to switch packetized data, a plurality of processing resources coupled to the non-packet and packet switching matrices, each processing resource processing a substantially equal load of multimedia sessions processed by the media gateway without inactive protecting resources.
US08259702B2
Addressing methods and apparatus which use airlink resources in an efficient manner are described. In order to use airlink resources efficiently, a variety of address types are supported. The number of bits in the address may vary depending on the type. In order to support a variety of different address types, of different lengths, in one embodiment, an address used for communications over an airlink is constructed by including in the address an address type field used to communicate an address type indicator and, optionally, an address field used to communicate an address value. The address field is variable in length and may be null, requiring the communication of no bits in this field, for certain types of addresses. Four types of addresses which may be supported include: i) an Access Terminal assisted address, ii) a Network assisted address, 3) a Pilot PN based address; and 4) a reserved address.
US08259699B2
A method and system locates a position of a transceiver in a cooperative relay network of nodes. A primary node broadcasts a range request (RREQ) message. A target node, in response to receiving the RREQ message, broadcasts a range reply (RREP) message, wherein the RREP message includes a time difference between receiving the RREQ message and broadcasting the RREP message. A secondary node, in response to receiving the RREQ message and the RREP message, broadcasts a range data (RDAT) message, wherein the RDAT message includes a time difference between receiving the RREQ message and the RREP message. Then, a position solver can determine a location of the target node based on the time differences in the RREP message and the RDAT message.
US08259697B2
A transmission method performed by a mobile station for random access channel (RACH) burst transmission diversity gain is provided. According to the method, a variety of combinations of a time switching transmit diversity (TSTD) technique, a frequency hopping technique, and a power ramping technique that are robust against fading channel environments are applied to transmission of an RACH burst, thereby increasing the probability of detecting an RACH signature of a base station. Also, by using the transmission parameters (subband frequencies, transmission antennas, power, etc.) which are used for successful transmission of an RACH burst, for transmission of a successive user packet data, reliable transmission of the successive user packet data can be performed.
US08259696B2
A method of operating a wireless communications system, comprises encoding (12) information into a low rate code word, providing (20) at least two spatial sub-streams comprising different combinations of bits remaining after puncturing of the low rate code word, simultaneously transmitting (22) each of the at least two spatial sub-streams by way of a respective radio channel, receiving (24) the at least two spatial sub-streams, applying (28) a decoding process to the received at least two spatial sub-streams, and, if the decoding process is unsuccessful, transmitting simultaneously further spatial sub-streams comprising different combinations of bits remaining after puncturing of the low rate code word, at least one of the further spatial sub-streams being a not previously transmitted combination of bits remaining after puncturing of the low rate code word, receiving the further spatial sub-streams and applying the decoding process to the originally received at least two spatial sub-streams and the further sub-streams.
US08259693B2
The present invention relates to a method and mobile terminal for performing a data allocation process for scheduled data, non-scheduled user data and non-scheduled control data obeying restrictions on the resource utilization defined by a scheduling grant and at least one non-scheduled grant. Further, the invention relates to a method for transmitting control signaling from a network entity in a radio access network of a mobile communication system controlling the radio resources of mobile terminals to at least one of said mobile terminal and the network entity in a radio access network. In order to reduce the delays to control signaling implied by a conventional HARQ process restriction mechanism the present invention suggests a new categorization of uplink data into scheduled data, non-scheduled user data and non-scheduled control data and a new HARQ process restriction mechanism disabling certain HARQ processes for non-scheduled user data only.
US08259692B2
Positioning and/or navigation of an electronic device within a building when GPS signals are unavailable is provided. The electronic device scans for available Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) Access Points (APs) upon, e.g., entering a building. The electronic device detects a signal (e.g., beacon) from at least one available WLAN AP, whereupon the electronic device retrieves the indoor location of the available WLAN AP. The location information can be directly downloaded from the WLAN AP while in state-1 via, e.g., a Native Query Protocol which includes an extension to currently defined Native Query info elements that returns location information. Alternatively, the Media Access Control (MAC) address of the WLAN AP can be read from the beacon signal, which is then used to retrieve the location of the WLAN AP from an associated database. Additionally, various embodiments may be implemented with or via a mapping application or service, where the mapping application is able to display any floor's floor plan of a building and determine/obtain the position of the electronic device inside the building relative to the floor plan.
US08259691B2
An apparatus and method are disclosed to communicate, from a first device to a wireless device, information by which the wireless device may identify an access point as a potential network device. The information is encoded in a packet stream by the first device, and wirelessly communicated from the access point to the wireless device. The information may be encoded by varying a packet characteristic, such as packet length, that is preserved even if the packets are encoded by the access point. The information may include a beacon, a SSID and/or a key.
US08259686B2
There is provided one exemplary array antenna system having a plurality of arrayed element antennas and transmit/receive modules that are respectively connected with those element antennas and that apply a predetermined phase shift amount to transmitting signals to be supplied to the element antennas and to received signals received by the element antennas, wherein the transmit/receive module has one transmitting path that is connected to first and second element antennas and that amplifies and distributes the transmitting signal to the first and second element antennas after applying a predetermined transmitting phase shift amount and two receiving paths that amplify and apply respectively a receiving phase shift amount to the received signals received from the first and second element antennas.
US08259679B2
The invention discloses a method (600) for use in a wireless communications system (100) in which there is at least one node (110-115) which controls the traffic to and from all user terminals (130) in a cell (120) within the system. In the system (100), use is made of the TDD principle for communication between said controlling node (110-115) and its user terminals (130), and according to the method (600), the controlling node transmits (610) a beacon signal for use as a signal quality indicator by the user terminals, said beacon signal being transmitted in a first TDD time slot (232). The user terminals (130) measure (620) the signal quality of the beacon signal and the signal quality in at least a second TDD time slot (234), and report (630) measurements of the signal qualities in both said first and second time slots to the controlling node.
US08259670B2
A handover apparatus and a handover method performing a fast handover in an environment of various communication networks having different communication standards, the handover method, which is performed in a mobile node (MN) that moves between different types of networks, including determining whether a signal received from a node that connects the MN to a first type network contains network information indicating that the MN moves from the first type network to a second type network; and selectively performing a handover between the first and second type networks based on the determination results. Therefore, the MN can predict whether it moves to a new network, thereby performing a fast handover.
US08259667B2
A method for providing a service in a communication system is provided. A Base Station (BS) supporting a plurality of communication service modes allocates communication resources for each of the plurality of communication service modes according to a ratio determined in accordance with a communication service mode preferred by a terminal. The BS transmits a combination of resources allocated for each of the plurality of communication service modes to the terminal. The communication service mode preferred by the terminal is determined using at least one of channel condition of the terminal, moving velocity, preferred communication mode, required performance, billing system, and user preference.
US08259663B2
Techniques for efficient transmission of messages in a ranging procedure between a mobile station (MS) and a base station (BS) are provided. The techniques may allow efficient bandwidth allocation for the ranging procedure.
US08259655B2
In a medium access method for contention and non-contention, a poll number for stations, or wireless terminals for communication, is managed by a base station so as to guarantee smooth traffic and improved Quality of Service (QoS). A first group of stations is provided for the non-contention, and a second group of stations is provided for the contention. The method includes (a) preparing a contention-free access message attempting access of the first group, (b) detecting a transmission time of a contention access message attempting access of the second group, (c) embedding the contention-free access message in the contention access message so as to transmit the embedded message to at least one of the first and second groups, and (d) receiving the contention access message, in which the contention-free access message is embedded, at the at least one of the first and second groups, and endowing any one of the first and second groups with a priority to attempt access to a medium in turn. Thereby, a poll number control-based multi-polling distributed coordination function (MP-DCF) mechanism is shared with the commercial stations to which no MP-DCF module is provided, so that it is possible to solve a drawback in that all stations should have the MP-DCF module provided therein, as well as to constantly maintain throughput even though the number of stations is gradually increased.
US08259649B2
The invention relates to a method for route optimization of packet switched data transmissions between a first mobile node and a second mobile node in a mobile communication system comprising a plurality of access networks. The method comprises the step of transmitting return routability protocol packets and data packets. The return routability protocol packets and data packets are analysed, and at least part of an address comprised in headers of the return routability protocol packets and data packets is removed.
US08259647B2
A system and method for performing medium access control in a system for wireless communication of uncompressed video is disclosed. In one aspect, the method includes communicating a control initiation request message during a contention based period of a superframe period. The control initiation request message contains information allowing a device coordinator to determine a reserved time slot for communication of the requested message exchange. The requested message exchange is then performed in a non-contentious environment, thereby limiting collisions of contention based messages. The control initiation procedure and subsequent message exchanges take place on a low-rate channel. Transmission on the low-rate channel is time division duplexed with a high-rate channel, where transmission at any one time can take place on either the high-rate or the low-rate channel.
US08259637B2
This invention extends the coverage and improves the capacity of wireless communication networks using relay nodes. The relay nodes are wirelessly connected to the base station. The base station uses the same radio access technology for a link between the base station and user equipment and between the base station and the relay node. The relay node uses the same radio access technology for a link between the base station and the relay node and between the relay node and the user equipment. The relay node supports at least a Physical Layer (PHY), a Medium Access Control (MAC) sub-layer and a Radio Link Control (RLC) sub-layer protocol.
US08259636B2
The present invention relates to a method for communicating data in a telecommunication network comprising at least one primary station, and a plurality of secondary stations, comprising at a secondary station the step of transmitting a feedback signal to the primary station on a random access channel, wherein the feedback signal being of—a dedicated type related to at least one point to point link between the considered secondary station and the primary station, or—a common type related to multicast links, wherein, depending on the transmission, the second part being related to a first type of multicast link or to a second type of multicast link.
US08259628B2
Certain embodiments of a method and system for handling connection setup in a network may comprise a network interface hardware device (NIHW) that may be operable to receive a services list and/or connection acceptance criteria from a first guest operating system running on a host system, receive a connection request from a second guest operating system running on the host system, and determine whether to allow establishment of the requested connection based on one or both of the services list and the connection acceptance criteria. The determination may be made prior to or during connection set up. The NIHW may maintain a connection state comprising information regarding set up of the requested connection. The services list may comprise one or more of a local network address, a local transport address, a network protocol, and a transport protocol. The communicated acceptance criteria may comprise packet filtering operations and/or security operations.
US08259625B2
A method, a system, and a device of video communication are provided. A sub-picture in a synthetic picture corresponding to each audio stream received is marked. Position information of each audio stream is obtained according to a position of each sub-picture in the synthetic picture. The audio stream and the corresponding position information are sent to a terminal. The terminal processes an audio signal according to the received position information of the audio stream, so that the audio stream carries the position information. During the video communication, the terminal receives the audio stream and the position information, and performs position information sense processing to the audio stream according to the position information. This reduces the frequent communication between the terminal and a device for processing position information and improves the flexibility of the system.
US08259624B2
A method and apparatus for conferencing dynamically determines composite image layout based on properties of received conferencing signals that include video signals and control signals. Video signals received from connected sites are processed to provide a composite video signal according to the defined composite image layout and the composite video signal is transmitted to the connected sites. Upon a change in properties of one or more received video signals, the composite image layout may be redefined. The received video signals are processed according to the redefined composite image layout to provide a second composite video signal that is transmitted to the connected sites.
US08259613B2
A method of selecting a network connection for use with a data processing system includes detecting environmental information indicative of a current environment in which the system is operating, determining whether the current environment is a known environment, and, rapidly selecting a current network connection by identifying a known environment network connection. Detecting environmental information may include detecting time information and detecting whether specified hardware (e.g., docking station, external monitor, printer, external network adapter) is present. The determining may include accessing a network connection data structure containing historical network connection information. The network connection data structure may include a plurality of records, each record identifying an environmental state and a network connection used in conjunction with the respective environmental state. The system may be a laptop system having a dial up modem connection, a wired network interface card (NIC) connection, a wireless connection, and a broadband connection.
US08259611B2
A wireless mobile communication device includes a processing system, a memory device and software. The software is stored on the memory device and executable by the processing system to receive a policy setting, authenticate a sender of the received policy, and automatically apply the policy setting on the communication device based on a successful authentication of the sender.
US08259578B2
Methods and systems for determining a correction factor for use in monitoring network traffic, said network traffic comprising a plurality of flows of data units, each flow having associated therewith a flow identifier, said data units having associated therewith a path characterization metric; the method comprising the steps of: selecting a subset of flow identifiers from the overall set of flow identifiers; determining, in respect of flows having associated therewith flow identifiers from said selected subset of flow identifiers, which flows if any are persistently irregular flows; determining a first measure of the total of the accumulated path characterization metrics associated with data units of said selected subset of flows; determining a second measure indicative of the proportion of said total measure contributed by said persistently irregular flows; and determining a correction factor in dependence on the first and second measures.
US08259553B2
An optical pickup includes: a light source outputting a light beam; an objective lens collecting the light beam on a target recording layer as a target of plural recording layers provided in an optical disc; a lens moving unit moving the objective lens in a tracking direction nearly orthogonal to track grooves helically or coaxially formed in the target recording layer; a collective lens collecting a reflected light beam formed when the light beam is reflected by the optical disc; a diffraction optical element diffracting part of the reflected first-order light beam in predetermined directions as first, second, third and fourth beams; and a photodetector receiving the first and second beams using first and second light receiving areas, and generating light reception signals, and receiving the third and fourth beams using third and fourth light receiving areas, and generates light reception signals.
US08259549B2
Apparatus and method for generating an analog waveform, such as a deflection signal used to deflect a write beam during the writing of data to a rotatable medium having a variable track pitch (TP). In accordance with various embodiments, a first digital to analog converter (DAC) is configured to output a deflection signal having an analog voltage level corresponding to a magnitude of a first multi-bit digital input value applied to the first DAC. A second DAC is configured to supply a rail voltage to the first DAC having an analog voltage level corresponding to a magnitude of a second multi-bit digital input value applied to the second DAC. The deflection signal is used to deflect a write beam supplied by a write beam generator.
US08259544B2
A drive apparatus of the present invention includes: a recording/reproduction section and a drive control section. The drive control section performs a process including: receiving a recording instruction including a location at which data is to be recorded; determining a track among at least one tracks corresponding to the location included in the recording instruction; controlling the recording/reproduction section to record data at a replacement location in the user data area instead of the location included in the recording instruction; determining whether or not the recording of the data at the replacement location in the user data area has succeeded; and when the recording of the data at the replacement location in the user data area has failed, controlling the recording/reproduction section to record the data at a location in the spare area.
US08259541B2
In optical recording and/or reproduction using an SIL optical system that performs a tilt servo using light for recording and/or reproduction, the SIL and an optical recording medium have a high probability of colliding with each other before the tilt servo is started. To prevent the collision, an optical recording/reproduction method performs a gap servo that controls a gap between a surface of an optical recording medium and a bottom surface of an SIL using reflected light that is generated from light traveling from the bottom surface of the SIL and reflecting on the optical recording medium, a focus servo that controls a distance between a focal point of the light and the bottom surface of the SIL, and a tilt servo that controls a tilt of the bottom surface of the SIL relative to the surface of the optical recording medium using the reflected light. The method includes acts which are performed sequentially: starting the gap servo with the gap being set larger than when optical recording and/or reproduction is performed, and shifting the focal point to an optical recording medium side from the bottom surface of the SIL, starting the tilt servo, and setting the gap smaller and arranging the SIL at a predetermined position.
US08259540B1
A magnetic device that includes a write pole having a write pole tip; a read pole having a read pole tip; an optical near field transducer; and a contact pad. The contact pad includes Ni100-aXa, wherein X is chosen from Ru, Re, Zr, Cr, and Cu; and a is the atomic percent of the element X, and can range from about 20 to about 90. The optical near field transducer is positioned between the read pole and the write pole and the contact pad is positioned adjacent the write pole opposite the optical near field transducer.
US08259536B2
An analog electronic timepiece including, a plurality of hands, a plurality of stepping motors, a maximum speed of at least one stepping motor being different from that of another stepping motor, and a fast-forward control section to simultaneously drive at least two of the plurality of stepping motors, the fast-forward control section composed of, a speed judging section to judge the slowest speed among maximum speeds of stepping motors, a drive control section to simultaneously drive the stepping motors at the speed judged by the speed judging section, an end judging section to judge whether a further hand to be moved remains when drive of the stepping motors at the speed judged by the speed judging section ends, and a control section to make the speed judging section, the drive control section, and the end judging section operate again when the hand to be moved remains.
US08259531B2
A method is disclosed for reflection time shift matching a first and a second set of seismic reflection data (10,30) comprising first and second seismic reflection traces (1,3) with series of generally corresponding seismic reflections (11,31). The second set of seismic data (30) comprises at least one laterally extending series (40) of new seismic events (4) not present in the first set of seismic data (10). Reflection time shifts (22) are calculated as required for matching seismic reflections (31) of the second reflection traces (3) of the second seismic reflection data (30) with corresponding seismic reflections (11) of the first reflection traces (1). The calculation of the time shifts (22) are made by calculating coefficients of basis function estimates such as Legendre polynomials in order to save calculation effort.
US08259530B2
In some aspects of the invention, a device, positioned within a well bore, configured to generate and direct an acoustic beam into a rock formation around a borehole is disclosed. The device comprises a source configured to generate a first signal at a first frequency and a second signal at a second frequency; a transducer configured to receive the generated first and the second signals and produce acoustic waves at the first frequency and the second frequency; and a non-linear material, coupled to the transducer, configured to generate a collimated beam with a frequency equal to the difference between the first frequency and the second frequency by a non-linear mixing process, wherein the non-linear material includes one or more of a mixture of liquids, a solid, a granular material, embedded microspheres, or an emulsion.
US08259527B2
A self-refresh test circuit includes a test clock generation unit, a pulse generation unit, a period signal selection unit, and a self-refresh pulse control unit. The test clock generation unit divides a clock signal to generate a plurality of divided clock signals having different periods when a test enable signal is enabled, and outputs one of the plurality of divided clock signals as a selected clock signal. The pulse generation unit generates a test period signal in response to the selected clock signal. The period signal selection unit outputs one of the test period signal and a self-refresh period signal as a selected period signal. The self-refresh pulse control unit generates a self-refresh pulse in response to a self-refresh exit signal and the selected period signal.
US08259523B2
According to one embodiment, a semiconductor memory device includes a first memory, a second memory and a control circuit. The first memory includes a first bank number. The second memory includes a second bank number larger than the first bank number. The control circuit controls a precharge operation with respect to bit lines provided in the first and second memories. When performing, with respect to the first memory, a synchronous operation that is effected in synchronization with a clock, the control circuit changes over a second precharge operation to an operation time different from a first precharge operation during a period from the end of the initial first precharge operation to the start of the subsequent second precharge operation after receiving an address.
US08259520B2
Circuits and methods to compensate for defective memory in BEOL third dimensional memory technology are described. An integrated circuit is configured to perform columnar replacement of defective BEOL multi-layered memory. For example, the integrated circuit can include a primary BEOL memory array having a plurality of BEOL memory cells being configured to change resistivity, a secondary BEOL memory array having another plurality of BEOL memory cells being configured to change resistivity, and a FEOL restoration module associated with the primary BEOL memory array and the secondary BEOL memory array, the FEOL restoration module being configured to locate a BEOL memory cell within the secondary BEOL memory array to replace a defective BEOL memory cell within the primary BEOL memory array. The FEOL portion can be fabricated on a substrate and the BEOL portion can be fabricated above and in contact with the FEOL portion to form the integrated circuit.
US08259518B2
A memory cell has at least two word lines and at least two bit lines. The cell also has a first select device being connected to at least one word line and one bit line and a gate capacitor element connected to at least one word line and the first select device. The cell also has a sense device being connected in series to the gate capacitor element and the first select device. The sense device is connected to at least two bit lines.
US08259513B2
An internal voltage generator according to an embodiment generates a reference voltage used for detecting data stored in a semiconductor memory. A first AD converter is configured to convert an external voltage supplied to the semiconductor memory into a first digital value. A second AD converter is configured to convert a temperature characteristic voltage that changes depending on a temperature of the semiconductor memory into a second digital value. An adder is configured to receive a reference voltage trimming address that specifies the reference voltage, the first digital value, and the second digital value, and to output a third digital value obtained by performing a weighted addition of the reference voltage trimming address, the first digital value, and the second digital value. A driver is configured to output the reference voltage responding to the third digital value.
US08259509B2
A semiconductor memory device includes an I/O line for transmitting read data that has been read from a memory cell, a plurality of driver circuits for driving the I/O line on the basis of the read data, a read circuit for receiving the read data transmitted through the I/O line, and an assist circuit for amplifying the read data transmitted through the I/O line. The assist circuit is disposed farther away from a prescribed drive circuit included in the plurality of drive circuits as viewed from the read circuit. The signal level can thereby rapidly change levels even in memories having relatively long I/O lines.
US08259505B2
A nonvolatile memory device includes one or more reference cell transistors, one or more memory cell transistors, and a current source circuit including three or more field effect transistors that have gates thereof connected together, the three or more field effect transistors including two or more field effect transistors and another field effect transistor, currents flowing through the two or more field effect transistors being combined to flow through the one or more reference cell transistors, and another field effect transistor having a drain thereof connected to one of the one or more memory cell transistors.
US08259502B2
A NAND flash memory having a memory cell array formed of a plurality of blocks including memory cell transistors arranged in a matrix form. The NAND flash memory has a first bit line; a first sense amplifier connected to the first bit line, the first sense amplifier sensing or controlling a potential on the first bit line; a second bit line; and a second sense amplifier connected to the second bit line to sense or control a potential on the second bit line. The NAND flash memory has a first drain side selection gate line; a second drain side selection gate line; a third drain side selection gate line; a fourth drain side selection gate line; a first source side selection gate line; and a second source side selection gate line. The NAND flash memory has a first block; a second block; and a decoder which turns on one of the first and third drain side selection MOS transistors and turns off the other, and which turns on one of the third and fourth drain side selection MOS transistors and turns off the other.
US08259501B2
A memory system includes a memory and a memory controller operating to control the memory. The memory includes a random accessible memory including a memory cell array operable in a random access mode, a NAND flash memory, and a selection circuit making the memory controller operate either one of the random accessible memory or the NAND flash memory.
US08259493B2
A nonvolatile semiconductor storage device includes a memory cell array including a plurality of memory cells arranged at intersection positions of word lines and bit lines in a matrix form, and a row decoder including a row sub-decoder to which a lower address for selecting a word line is input, wherein one unit of the row sub-decoder for selecting one word line is constituted of a first transistor of a first conduction type, and a second transistor of a second conduction type, and a gate electrode of each of the first and second transistors is arranged in a direction in which the bit lines are arranged.
US08259483B1
The present invention may be used in systems for non-volatile memory storage of electronic data. A first substrate member may have a first and second surface with a first and second substrate connector spaced apart and attached to the first surface and a first and second spacer element spaced apart and attached to said second surface. A NAND flash controller device may be mounted on the first surface and connected to the substrate connectors and spacer elements. Multiple NAND memory devices may be mounted on the second surface and be connected to the NAND flash controller device. A second substrate member may have a first and second surface with multiple NAND flash memory devices mounted on at least one of the surfaces. The second substrate member may be attached to the spacer elements on the first surface and said multiple NAND flash memory devices may be connected to the NAND flash controller device.
US08259481B1
A voltage adapter system includes a voltage modifier to invert and regulate voltage. A primary female plug is mounted on the voltage modifier and is electrically coupled to the control actuator. The primary female plug is an electrical inlet. An electrical outlet is mounted on the voltage modifier and is electrically coupled to the control actuator. A pair of clamps is provided and each of the clamps is positionable on and electrically coupled to a pair of leads of a vehicle battery. A male plug is electrically coupled to the clamps. The male plug attached to the clamps is removably extended into and electrically coupled to the primary female plug to supply electricity to the voltage modifier from the vehicle battery. A plug from an electrically powered apparatus is extendable into the electrical outlet to receive electrical power from the voltage modifier.
US08259479B2
A power conversion system for providing power to an electrical grid is described. The system includes a boost converter coupled to a photovoltaic (PV) array and configured to control a PV array voltage. The system also includes an inverter coupled to the boost converter by at least one conductor and configured to regulate a voltage drop across the at least one conductor. The system also includes a system controller configured to control operation of the boost converter and the inverter.
US08259478B2
A power inverter is provided for converting DC power into AC power. The inverter may be operable to couple to two or more transformer modules each operable to convert at least a portion of the DC power to at least a portion of the AC power. In one embodiment, two or more transformer modules are removably coupled to the inverter. In an alternative embodiment, the inverter is capable of electrically coupling to an externally-housed transformer module. In an alternative embodiment, the inverter may include two or more transformer modules hard-wired into the device. The inverter may include an AC safety plug for releasably connecting to an AC power network and outputting AC power. The inverter may include one or more sensors configured to detect one or more properties of the AC power network for the purposes of determining whether a connection to the power network should be established.
US08259477B2
The various embodiments and example provided herein are generally directed to novel multiphase resonant converters. In an embodiment, a multiphase resonant converter comprises N unit resonant converters having inputs and outputs connected in parallel, respectively. Each unit converter comprises an inverter, a LLC series resonant tank, and a rectifier. In a preferred embodiment, the inverters of the N unit converters are driven by N drive signals phase-shifted 2π/N degrees apart. During operation, the current of the multiphase converter is shared among the unit converters, resulting in a smaller current in each unit converter. The smaller current in each unit converter reduces conduction losses, thereby increasing the efficiency of the multiphase converter. In addition, the smaller current in each unit converter reduces the amount of stress placed on individual components of the converter allowing for the use of lower tolerance components. Further, the multiphase converter has automatic current sharing ability.
US08259474B2
A matrix converter includes a plurality of switching elements and is adapted to receive a multi-phase alternating current (AC) input signal having an input frequency and to generate a multi-phase AC output signal having an output frequency. The phases of the input signal are sorted as a function of their instantaneous voltage amplitude (60). A reference signal is generated from output reference voltages that correspond to each phase of the output signal (56). Duty cycles are calculated for each phase of the output signal based on the sorted input signal phases and the reference signal (62). Switching functions, which each control one of the switching elements, are then generated based on the duty cycles for each phase of the output signal (64, 66).
US08259473B2
A method and apparatus are provided for operation of a converter circuit, which includes a converter unit having a multiplicity of controllable power semiconductor switches, and which is connected via a transformer to a three-phase electrical AC voltage power supply system. The method includes controlling the controllable power semiconductor switches by means of a control signal which is formed from a regulating signal. In order to damp oscillations of a power supply system voltage above the fundamental frequency, a filtered power supply system current is formed by filtering a power supply system current using a low-pass filter characteristic. A filtered transformer inductance voltage is formed by filtering a transformer inductance voltage, which is formed from the power supply system current, using a low-pass filter characteristic. A filtered power supply system voltage is formed by filtering a power supply system voltage using a low-pass filter characteristic. The regulating signal is formed by addition of a regulator voltage, the filtered transformer inductance voltage, and the filtered power supply system voltage, where the regulator voltage is formed by regulating the filtered power supply system current at a power supply system current nominal value.
US08259472B2
A switch controller is disclosed that adaptively controls the operating frequency of a switching power converter in order to improve one-time load response and repetitive dynamic load responses. During a transition from a high load to low load condition, the switch controller clamps the operating frequency of the switching power converter at an intermediate frequency for a period of time before allowing the operating frequency to return to a frequency associated with the low load condition. The clamped frequency is higher than the frequency associated with the low load condition thereby allowing improved response to a subsequent load change to a high load condition. Thus, the system improves dynamic load response without compromising no-load power consumption.
US08259471B2
A converter is provided including: a first switch; an energy transmitting element for converting input energy into output energy according to the switching of the first switch; and a switching controller for detecting a time when a voltage between a first terminal and a second terminal of the first switch reaches a valley of a resonance waveform, and actuating the first switch corresponding to one of the detected valleys of the resonance waveform. The switching controller includes: a valley detector for changing the state of the output signal whenever a voltage between a first terminal and a second terminal of the first switch reaches a valley of the resonance waveform; and a PWM controller for actuating the first switch corresponding to an output signal of the valley detector.
US08259469B2
A circuit used to convert DC input to AC output comprises a transformer and three series sub-circuits. The first series sub-circuit is connected in parallel with the DC input and comprises first and second capacitors connected in series. The secondary series sub-circuit is connected in parallel with the DC input and comprises a first primary winding of the transformer, a clamping capacitor and a second primary winding of the transformer sequentially connected in series. The third series sub-circuit connected in parallel with said clamping capacitor and comprises first and second switches connected in series. The center nodes of the first and third series sub-circuits are connected together. Thus, while a secondary winding of the transformer provides AC voltage, the circuit is able to effectively reduce current ripple and decrease voltage stress on semiconductor switch with minimum component count. Similar topologies may be used for rectification instead of inversion.
US08259468B2
A three-phase inverter for converting DC power from a generator into three-phase AC power comprises a transformer for transforming two single phase alternating voltages with a fixed phase offset present at corresponding two primary windings into a three-phase alternating voltage present at secondary windings of the transformer. An inverter circuitry for receiving a direct voltage of the generator between two input lines and for supplying the two single phase alternating voltages to the two primary windings of the transformer is included in the three-phase inverter and comprises a split DC link having a center point connected to both input lines via corresponding capacitors and connected to a first terminal of each primary winding of the transformer, and two inverter half-bridges connected to both input lines, wherein a center point of each half bridge is connected to a second terminal of a corresponding one of the primary windings of the transformer.
US08259460B2
A submount for arranging electronic components on a substrate is provided. The submount comprises a head member and at least one substrate-engaging member protruding from the head member. The head member comprises at least two, from each other isolated, electrically conductive portions, where each electrically conductive portion comprises a component contact, adapted for connection of electronic components thereto, and a substrate contact on arranged on said substrate side, adapted for bringing said electrically conductive portions in contact with a circuitry comprised in said substrate. The submount of the present invention may be used to attach electronic components, such as light-emitting diodes, to a textile substrate, without the need for soldering the electronic component directly on the substrate.
US08259459B2
An electronic device includes a substrate, a coil that has a spiral shape and is provided on the substrate, and a conductive pattern that is provided inside of the coil, has optical reflectivity higher than that of a surface of the coil, and is divided into pieces.
US08259457B2
An metal housing comprising an electrical device includes electrical pins that protrude from the metal housing, and the metal housing formed with a compressible protrusion around the pins.
US08259456B2
An exemplary embodiment of an inductive electrical sensor assembly includes a hollow housing structure defining an open space within the housing structure and a circuit board mounted in the open space. The circuit board includes an inductive sense area. A flexible metal domed spring structure is mounted over the inductive sensor area. A stem portion extends from a actuator area of the housing structure and having a distal end disposed adjacent to or in contact with the spring structure. The domed spring structure is adapted to be flexed toward the inductive sensor area by force exerted by the stem portion when a user exerts force on the actuator area, the flexing of the domed spring structure resulting in a change of inductance of the inductive sensor area which may be sensed to indicate an actuator push. An exemplary embodiment of the sensor assembly may include a resiliently deformable potting material substantially filling open spaces in the hollow housing structure between the top surface and the circuit board, and an open space below the circuit board, enabling flexure of the domed spring structure while providing environmental protection.
