US08701403B2
A system and method for generating energy from the tuning masses relative to a ground plane and an external force. In some embodiments the external force is the action of the waves. The system has a first mass movable relative to the ground plane, wherein the external force induces an oscillation in the first mass relative to the ground plane. A second movable mass is carried by and movable relative to the first movable mass. The second movable mass creates kinetic energy as the result of varying the position of the second movable mass relative to the first mass. The system adjusts or tunes the frequency of various components in relation to the natural frequency of the waves. The second mass can move relative to the first mass by various methods including rolling on a track or pendulum. The energy created by the relative motion can be converted to various forms of energy including electrical energy.
US08701402B2
A reservoir-less power steering system having a hydraulic pump, a storage tube, a steering gear assembly, and a return line. The storage tube accommodates and provides hydraulic fluid to the hydraulic pump. Further, the hydraulic pump increases the hydraulic fluid pressure and transfers the pressurized hydraulic fluid to the steering gear assembly. A return line is connected to the steering gear assembly and coupled to the storage tube for returning the hydraulic fluid from the steering gear assembly to the hydraulic pump. Moreover, the storage tube extends upwards from the hydraulic pump to include a hydraulic fluid level measurement assembly.
US08701399B2
A pair of dozer control valves V3, V6 concurrently operable; a pilot pressure valve V14 switchable between an independent position 27 where, when only track devices 5 are operated, discharged fluid from one hydraulic-fluid discharge port P1 is independently supplied to one track control valve and one dozer control valve, and discharged fluid from the other hydraulic-fluid discharge port P2 is independently supplied to the other track control valve and the other dozer control valve, and a merging position 28 where, when the other control valves are operated, discharged fluid from the one hydraulic-fluid discharge port and from the other hydraulic-fluid discharge port are merged and supplied to the control valves V1 to 10; and pressure compensation valves V11 in the control valves and for distributing hydraulic fluid at flow rates based on extent of actuation of the other control valves operated, irrespective of the magnitude of the loads.
US08701393B2
An internal combustion engine in which an SOx trap catalyst (13) for trapping SOx contained in the exhaust gas contains an oxygen adsorbing and releasing material (54) which can adsorb SO2 contained in the exhaust gas and an SOx storage material (55) which can store SOx in the form of sulfates. The SO2 which is contained in the exhaust gas is chemically adsorbed at the oxygen adsorbing and releasing material (54) without being oxidized. If the temperature of the SOx trap catalyst (13) becomes higher than the start temperature of adsorbed SO2 movement, the SO2 which is chemically adsorbed at the oxygen adsorbing and releasing material (54) is oxidized and stored in the form of sulfates in the SOx storage material (55).
US08701389B2
A reagent injector control system includes a pulse width modulation (PWM) control module and an injector driver module. The PWM control module monitors current through a reagent injector during an injection control cycle, generates a PWM signal based on an amount of reagent to be injected during the injection control cycle, and at least one of selectively increases and selectively decreases a duty cycle of a PWM signal during the injection control cycle based on the current. The injector driver module selectively enables and disables the current based on the PWM signal. The reagent injector opens and injects a reagent into an exhaust system based on the current. The exhaust system receives exhaust output from an engine. The reagent reacts with nitrogen oxides (NOx).
US08701387B2
An engaging groove (47) with which a gasket (42) is engaged is provided in each of a front side projecting portion (44) and a rear side projecting portion (46) formed in a filter accommodating cylinder (37) to be positioned on an outer peripheral surface (44A, 46A) of each projecting portion (44, 46). Therefore, when the gasket (42) latches on each of the projecting portion (44; 46) to be fitted thereon from an outside, the gasket (42) can be engaged with the engaging groove (47) provided in each of the projecting portions (44, 46). In consequence, at the time of mounting and removing the filter accommodating cylinder (37), the falling-off of the gasket (42) can be prevented, and, for example, an inspection operation, a cleaning operation and the like of an accommodated particulate matter removing filter (41) can be easily performed.
US08701384B2
The invention relates to the field of Hall effect thrusters. The invention provides a Hall effect thruster having a discharge channel of annular shape extending along an axis, the discharge channel being defined by an outer wall of annular shape and an inner wall of annular shape situated inside the space defined by the outer wall, a cathode situated outside the discharge channel, and an injector system situated at the upstream end of the discharge channel and also forming an anode, the downstream end of the discharge channel being open, wherein the thruster includes a heat sink device comprising a heat sink in contact with the inner wall and of thermal conductivity that is greater than the thermal conductivity of the inner wall, the heat sink being a sleeve and the heat sink device being suitable for discharging heat from the inner wall to the outside of the thruster so as to reduce the temperature difference between the inner wall and the outer wall.
US08701378B2
A mobile rake device for displacing mown crop has a frame with a rake tool assembly that has a path-shaped working range and includes two rake tools with rake tines. In an operative position, the rake tools are arranged behind each other in a staggered manner in the direction of travel to provide two path parallel sections to achieve the path-shaped working range. The rake tools displace the mown crop located in the path section to one side in a flow of crop in order to form ultimately one final windrow. The rake tool assembly has an auxiliary displacing tool, that is arranged to throw the crop, which has been collected by the first rake tool in a flow of crop or in the form of a windrow, a pre-windrow, across the front of the next rake tool towards the final windrow to be formed.
US08701377B1
A walk power mower has a mower deck that encloses a pair of rotary cutting blades with the grass clippings from the blades being discharged through a rearwardly extending grass discharge tunnel in a rear bagging mode of operation. The blades are powered by a timed drive system that is carried by a horizontal apron that is part of a cast aluminum engine mount. The engine mount and the apron are bolted to a stamped steel deck shell that forms the cutting chamber in which the blades rotate. The mower has a side discharge mode in which a side discharge chute is releasably mounted over a side discharge opening. The chute carries a flow cutoff baffle having an inwardly protruding inner end that sticks through the side discharge opening to intercept and direct the clippings out through the side discharge opening and through the chute in the side discharge mode.
US08701374B2
A refrigerator door includes an outer wall and an inner wall which surround an intermediate space as well as vertical bars that protrude from the inner wall and are provided with catching steps for door shelves. The bars are formed at least in part by a vertical profiled part while the catching steps are embodied on the vertical profiled part.
US08701373B2
The invention relates to a flashing member for use with a roof window mounted on an upstand, said flashing member having at least one insulating member and a compensation member on the inner side. The compensation member, which allows use of one flashing member for different angles of the window, is preferably compressible, expandable or provided with removal indications, such as cutting lines, for allowing an easy removable of a part thereof as well as elastic. A kit including at least one such flashing member may include corner flashing members, gable flashing members, a ridge flashing members and/or supplementary insulating members. The invention further relates to a method for mounting a flashing for a roof window mounted on an upstand, where one or more connector brackets are attached to the window and where the/each flashing member is attached to the window frame via at least one connector bracket.
US08701372B2
A photovoltaic system includes a photovoltaic module including a plurality of photovoltaic cells, and a frame surrounding the photovoltaic cells. The frame includes a lower flange. A module rail includes a module-support portion supporting the lower flange of the photovoltaic module. A clip fastener defines a press-fit channel in which the lower flange of the photovoltaic module and the module-support portion of the module rail are press fit to secure the module to the module-support portion of the module rail.
US08701371B2
Examples of construction systems and methods of constructing multi-story buildings utilizing premanufactured and prefinished components are disclosed. Examples of premanufactured and prefinished components include floor and ceiling slabs, non-weight bearing window walls, demising walls, exterior walls, and utility walls. The premanufactured and prefinished components may be transported to the construction site and assembled at the construction site.
US08701368B2
A set of panels comprises a first panel having a first edge including an undercut which accommodates a fastening member, and a second panel having a second edge including a locking region. The first and second edges are positioned adjacent to each other when the panels are fastened to each other by means of the fastening member. The fastening member comprises a displaceable activating portion and a locking portion which is displaceable with respect to the first panel upon displacement of the activating portion in opposite direction of the displacement of the activating portion such that the locking portion engages the locking region of the second panel when the panels are fastened to each other by means of the fastening member. The activating portion is intended to be contacted by the second panel upon moving the second panel and the first panel with respect to each other to a fastened condition and the locking portion is intended to fasten the first and second panels with respect to each other at least perpendicularly to the direction of displacement of the locking portion. The activating portion is spaced from the locking portion in a direction substantially parallel to the first edge.
US08701367B2
A roof structure for covering a roof substrate includes a waterproof membrane having a layer of fleece material disposed on a first side thereof. The roof structure also includes a moisture curing, substantially non-volatile polyether based adhesive disposed on at least a portion of the first side of the waterproof membrane. At least some of the adhesive is disposed within the fleece material to permit bonding of the waterproof membrane to a roof substrate of a low slope roof of a building structure.
US08701360B2
A method of assembling a solar array includes forming at least one substrate member that includes an upper surface and a lower surface. The lower surface is contoured with a shape that at least partially conforms to at least a portion of a contoured roof. The upper surface includes at least one elevated portion and a plurality of substantially planar regions. The at least one elevated portion is offset a predetermined height above at least one other portion of the substrate member. Each of the plurality of substantially planar regions is a distance above the at least one elevated portion and is oriented to receive at least one photovoltaic laminate. The method also includes coupling the at least one substrate member to at least a portion of the contoured roof.
US08701357B2
In certain embodiments, the inventive subject matter is directed to modular subunit based on a has a frame having three equal length structural segments joined at each end to form a triangular shape, and wherein the structural segments form a bounded section. The bounded section may be a load bearing structure. The bounded section may include three trapezoidal elements arranged to form a triangle. The bounded section may include one of the following: SIP, flooring system, a ceiling system, a roofing system, glass, drop panels, empty. A modular unit may be formed having two of the triangular frames separated by a perpendicular column at each corner to form a normal right pentahedral shape; and wherein the triangular frame further comprising three equal length structural segments joined at each end forming a triangular shape; wherein the structural segments form a bounded section.
US08701351B2
A seal assembly located at the intersection of an extension room and wall of a recreation vehicle, the seal assembly having a flap seal, a bulb snap-in member attached to the flap seal, and a bulb seal member attachable to the bulb snap-in member in a snap-fit manner. The bulb seal member may be attached to the bulb snap-in member by a living hinge. The flap seal may be made removable from the bulb snap-in member. Two flap seals may be used to attach to either side of the recreation vehicle wall. The two flap seals may be connectable with each other and adjustable via a longitudinal mating shaft on one flap seal and a longitudinal mating shaft receiving member on the second flap seal. The seal assembly may be manufactured by a multi-extrusion process so that various components can be made of different materials, such as different types of plastic.
US08701349B2
The invention relates to a guide arrangement (10), in particular for a motor vehicle door, which comprises at least one movable window pane (20, 120), at least one guide part (30, 130) and at least one receptacle (40, 140) for the guide part (30, 130), wherein the guide part (30, 130) or the receptacle (40, 140) is fastened to the window pane (20, 120) and the guide part (30, 130) extends, at least in sections, into the receptacle (40, 140) in a direction which runs substantially perpendicular to the plane of the window pane (20, 120). The invention also relates to a method for assembling a guide arrangement (10) of said type.
US08701341B2
This invention relates to control method and apparatus of wind machine for plant frost protection, and belongs to the domain of agro-meteorological disaster monitoring and control. Existing wind machines for plant frost protection only rely on critical damage temperature or wind speed as a condition to start. If there is no thermal inversion, operation of the wind machine will aggravate freezing injury to plants. If the strength of thermal inversion is weak, the effect will be minimal. The feature of this invention is that when temperature at the plant canopy is lower than the critical damage temperature of a certain plant and temperature difference between the top and bottom of the thermal inversion layers exceeds set threshold, wind machine will start automatically. Otherwise it will remain off. The control apparatus mainly consists of sensor 5 at the top of thermal inversion layer, sensor 7 at bottom of thermal inversion layer, and controller 4. This invention of the control of frost protection wind machine ensures rational and effective operation and avoids aggravated freezing risk due to misuse of energy and incorrect operation.
US08701339B1
The vacuum-based pest capture container works in-line between an automated vacuum-based pest control system and an existing vacuum cleaner in order to detect a pest, operate the vacuum cleaner in order to generate a vacuum force capable of sucking said pest into the container for capture. The container includes an inlet opposite of an outlet, which enables fluid communication between the automated pest control system and a vacuum hose. The inlet features a one-way flap that opens inwardly upon reaction to a vacuum force generated by said vacuum; whereas the outlet includes a fixed screen so as to prevent a pest from traversing through the container. The container includes a removable lid to enable extraction of a caught pest from within. A handle shall be provided to enable articulation of the container as needed.
US08701336B2
An improved pest control device having a bottom, two side walls, two end walls with holes therethrough to permit an animal to enter, and a lid, with a bait holder inside the trap, which may optionally be raised off of the floor of the trap and magnets positioned near the top edge of at least two of the walls to secure the trap to a dumpster, thereby holding the lid in the closed position when the trap is secured to the dumpster to prevent access to the bait other than through the holes in the end walls.
US08701335B2
This disclosure relates to the field of illuminating insect-catching devices, in particular to insect-catching devices comprising an adhesive surface. In particular the illuminating portion is electrically powered.
US08701331B2
An assembly for mounting on a standard mounting platform, such as a Picatinny-type rail, the assembly provides engaged contact between the rail and the surfaces of a base and a clamp. The clamp is rotatably attached to a base, allowing a user to quickly shift the assembly between a rail-engaging position and a disengaged position. The base also preferably contains a locking mechanism that allows a user to lock the assembly in a rail-engaging position. The assembly is particularly useful for the mounting of accessories, such as scopes and sights, onto Picatinny-type rails that are affixed to firearms.
US08701325B1
A duplex weapon system that is capable of firing a high-mass/low-velocity (“HMLV”) projectile followed by a conventional projectile such as a bullet. A barrel adapter is aligned with the bore of the barrel of a conventional firearm. The barrel adapter includes an adapter bore running completely through its length, with the adapter bore terminating in an exit in the forward portion of the barrel adapter. The HMLV projectile is slidably attached to the exterior of the barrel adapter. The HMLV projectile includes a launch tube that covers the exit of the barrel adapter. When a first cartridge is fired b the firearm, expanding propellant gas rushes down the adapter bore and out the exit The expanding gas forces the launch tube and the attached HMLV projectile away from the barrel adapter. The HMLV projectile then flies toward a target.
US08701316B2
An aerial advertising device for providing predictable and consistent oscillations to a banner towed behind an aircraft. The aerial advertising device may be disposed at the bottom of the leading edge of a banner. The device may generally comprise a weight box disposed above a wind box. The device may be rotatable about the leading edge or extension, wherein the range of motion of such rotation may be limited by a restriction arm preventing further motion of the device relative to the leading edge. Such rotation may allow the inside walls of the wind box to transfer the applied wind force to the rotation of the device and thereby the rotation of the leading edge of the banner. The weight box may further comprise a horizontal translation arm upon which a slidable weight may slide as the translation arm is moved into greater angular positions relative to horizontal.
US08701315B2
A reduced profile gift card holder includes a pocket for storing a gift card and a tear away panel for holding a gift card prior to purchase, yet is dimensioned so that one or more of such holders may be presented for sale in prior art display boxes designed to hold only gift cards. The holder may include enhancement elements such as graphics and text upon the holder surfaces and pop-up elements that move and stand off from the surfaces of the holder when the holder is opened.
US08701311B2
A tube of material comprising a decorative portion with an inner layer having an attachment member(s) inserted therein. The attachment member(s) is connected to the rim of a boot through user interaction with the boot. Various jewelry items have connection member(s) attached to the inner layer. Each of the connection member(s) is attached to another connection member and or to a decorative jewelry item. A tube comprising a decorative portion; an inner layer sewn at its border to the decorative portion; and a sock sewn to a top side of the sewn border so that it folds inwards into the sock. A connection member(s) is attached to the inner layer. Each of the connection member(s) is further attached to another connection member and or to a decorative jewelry item. The connection member(s) is from the group of: a spring activated jeweler's lock, a keychain ring and a strip of material.
US08701295B2
An embodiment includes a cutting device having a blade; a device architecture configured to hold the blade that includes: a pressure body operable to remain rigid in response to a substrate pressing against a portion of the pressure body at a first pressure, and a portion of the pressure body operable to deform in response to the substrate pressing against a portion of the pressure body at a second pressure, and thereby provide variable resistance against the substrate; and, a cutter slot at a first device architecture end defined by the blade and the pressure body, the cutter slot configured to receive the substrate and operable to open rearwardly toward a second end as the pressure body deforms.
US08701293B2
A utility knife includes an elongaged handle having an internal cavity, two opposing ends and a side having at least one locking opening. A shuttle is sized to slide within the cavity and has a side surface. The shuttle has a spring-loaded locking button projecting from the side surface and into the handle. The button is sized and shaped to selectively project into the at least one locking opening. The shuttle is bonded to a conventionally shaped utility knife blade of the type which includes two opposing cutting regions. The shuttle can slide within the handle between the two opposing ends so that both cutting regions of the blade can be easily used as necessary. This utility knife is meant to be lost cost and disposable, but offers the user TWO cutting edges, doubling its effective use.
US08701291B2
A multi-purpose hair cutter according to the present invention includes a body member, a blade member, and a projection member. The blade member is attached to a first side of the body member in a height direction. The projection member has a base part and at least one projecting part. The base part is attached to a second side of the body member opposite to the blade member in the height direction. The projecting part is formed to project from the base part and rises in a direction opposite to the blade member.
US08701290B2
A method of making a compressible elastomeric spring including at least one compressible elastomeric pad enclosed by a pair of metal plates includes the steps of forming plates with a center aperture and a plurality of prongs positioned about a peripheral edge thereof, forming each end of the pad with an axial projection and abutting groove, aligning the plurality of prongs with each respective projection and respective groove and applying axial force to one end of the spring to frictionally interlock the plurality of prongs with such projection and groove. The method also provides for making a multi-tiered stack of pads separated by plates in the above described manner and pre-shortening the spring prior to installation into the conventional yoke. The above described method additionally improves axial straightness and lateral stability of the multi-tiered spring assembly.
US08701272B2
A method of forming a power module located on a conductive substrate by providing power conversion circuitry. The method of providing the power conversion circuitry includes forming a magnetic device by placing a magnetic core proximate a conductive substrate with a surface thereof facing a conductive substrate, and placing a conductive clip proximate a surface of the magnetic core. The method of forming the magnetic device also includes electrically coupling ends of the conductive clip to the conductive substrate to cooperatively form a winding therewith about the magnetic core. The method of providing the power conversion circuitry also includes providing at least one switch on the conductive substrate. The method of forming the power module also includes depositing an encapsulant about the power conversion circuitry.
US08701271B2
An assembly method for first and second articles is disclosed. A first substrate with a plurality of first articles and a second substrate with a plurality of second articles are selected. The articles on the flexible substrate webs with different pitches are assembled together by displacing portions between the first articles of one web out of plane to move the first articles on that web to the same shorter pitch as the second articles on the other web, aligning the two webs to register corresponding first and second articles on the two webs, and assembling the corresponding articles together. The assembly may be used for example in the making of RFID tags, labels and inlays.
US08701257B2
A work holding device that secures a workpiece includes a first support column, a second support column, and a plurality of part fixturing anchors. The first support column and the second support column are coupled to one another forming a longitudinal loading envelope having a width-wise dimension, a height-wise dimension, and a length-wise dimension. At least one of the support columns includes a plurality of part fixturing recesses passing through the support column in the width-wise dimension and arranged within the height-wise dimension and the length-wise dimension of the longitudinal loading envelope. The part fixturing anchors extend through the support column at the part fixturing recesses into the longitudinal loading envelope and couple the workpiece to the first and second support columns.
US08701256B2
Methods and apparatus for removing condensed metal from the surfaces of metal processing chambers, such as, vacuum induction melting (VIM) furnaces having, for example, condensed Mg or Ti, are disclosed. The methods and apparatus provide a robotic arm end positioned in the furnace having a nozzle operatively connected to a source of dry ice. The robotic arm end directs a stream of dry ice particles against the surface of the furnace to displace condensed metal. The displaced metal is collected for reuse or disposal. Aspects of the invention provide a safe and automated process for cleaning process chambers and recovering metal that can typically be dangerous when performed by conventional methods.
US08701244B2
A vacuum cleaner is disclosed. The vacuum cleaner includes a body having a vacuum motor provided therein; a dust collection device provided in the body to collect dust; a dust compression device expandable or contractible selectively; a passage switching device configured to selectively communicate the dust compression device with a low pressure part having a lower pressure than a pressure of the dust collection device and a high pressure part having a higher pressure than a pressure of the dust collection device.
US08701242B2
A paint roller tray (20) includes a pivoting bail handle (21) attached thereto. The bail handle (21) is horizontally disposed in a default position while the tray (20) is being used for painting. The handle pivots with respect to the tray (20) to move a handle portion upward for easy one hand grasping by a user. The bail handle includes foot extensions (72) and (73) that extend outboard of the tray (20) that a user can step on to pivot the bail handle (21) to a lift position for easier grasping. The tray (20) includes a paint brush rest surface (35) and one or more brush handle holders (36) and (37) to secure the brush handle and prevent the brush from falling as the tray is moved. The tray (20) further includes elements (44-49) for cantilevering the tray from the rung of a step ladder and is configured for nesting one tray inside another.
US08701241B2
A flat wiper blade with spoilers is provided. The flat wiper blade has a wiper strip, a single elongated frame, first and second spoilers and a connecting unit for connection to a wiper arm. The frame holds and supports the wiper strip. The first and second spoilers have a pair of longitudinally extending fitting grooves and a receiving groove in the fitting groove. The receiving groove has a width greater than that of the fitting groove. The first and second spoilers are joined to the frame as opposed to each other in such a manner that the frame is fitted to the fitting grooves and an edge of the frame is received in the receiving groove. The connecting unit is joined to the frame between the first spoiler and the second spoiler. The connecting unit engages the first spoiler and the second spoiler.
US08701238B1
A hand operated sweeping mop applicator with a unique disposable cloth retaining assembly where the cloth is retained by cloth retaining members attached to the bottom of a top plate which extend perpendicularly away from a bottom of the top plate and extend through aligned openings in a bottom plate to retain a cleaning cloth against a bottom surface of the bottom plate. Separation force members such as force springs are sandwiched between the bottom of the top plate and the top of the bottom plate and retained in a compressed state buy a force from a shotgun closing member.
US08701232B1
A method of forming an article of footwear includes knitting a knitted workpiece formed of unitary knit construction. The knitted workpiece is configured to at least partially form an upper of the article of footwear. The knitted workpiece has a body and a trim region. The trim region defines at least a portion of an outer edge of the knitted workpiece. A first dimension of the knitted workpiece is at least partly defined by the outer edge. The method also includes heating the knitted workpiece. Also, the method includes trimming the knitted workpiece within the trim region after heating the knitted workpiece to remove a piece from the knitted workpiece and to reduce the first dimension to a second dimension. Also, the method includes forming the upper from the trimmed knitted workpiece.
US08701231B2
The invention relates to a mat intended for a person for whom some mobility is desired, and who can easily be taken care of while preventing any risk of fall when the person lying on the mat moves and is unattended. Such a secure fall-prevention mat mainly includes a core, holding means intended for holding a person lying on said mat and a ballasted set. As an exemplary preferred embodiment, such a mat is a mat used for changing babies.
US08701226B2
A patient hoist is provided on a trolley which tides along a track, with the hoist being powered by a conductor extending along the track. A contact carrier is loosely fit within the trolley, and it bears a contact which elastically biased against the track conductor, with die contact being in electrical communication with the hoist: The contact carrier is tree to laterally displace with respect to the trolley so that it (and its contact) follows the contour of the track, with the contact remaining in electrical communication with the track conductor.
US08701224B2
A press touch pop-up stopper is used in a basin and contains a pipe set fixed in an opening of a bottom end of the basin and including a hole disposed therein and having an outlet fixed on a top end of the hole; a stopper assembly received in the pipe set and including a plug, after the plug is pressed, it bounces automatically to turn on the outlet so as to flow water, after the plug is pressed again, it closing the outlet to stop flowing the water; a vertical connecting structure defined between the pipe set and the stopper assembly so that when the stopper assembly is pulled upward, it disengages from the pipe set, and when the stopper assembly is pressed downward to be received in the pipe set, it is connected with the pipe set.
US08701222B2
A sanitary washing device includes: a water discharge nozzle configured to squirt water from a water discharge port; a first channel configured to guide water supplied from a water supply source to the water discharge nozzle; a first channel opening/closing valve provided in the first channel and configured to control passage of water through the first channel; a heat exchange unit provided in the first channel between the first channel opening/closing valve and the water discharge nozzle and configured to heat water passed therethrough; and a draining device configured to drain water in the heat exchange unit toward the water supply source.
US08701217B2
A men's undergarment (1) comprises an upper portion (2) looped to encircle the waist of a wearer; a front portion supported by the upper portion (2) and extending downwards from it; a rear area (5), extending downwards from the upper portion (2) and connected to the front portion, with which it forms a first and a second opening (6, 7) for the legs of the wearer; the rear area comprising a portion (5a, 5b, 5c) made of elastic fabric and comprising a system (9) for confining the elastic stretching of the rear portion (5a, 5b, 5c); the elastic stretching confining system comprising at least one sector (14) in the rear area (5) where stretching is reduced compared with the stretching of the remaining part of the rear area (5).
US08707460B2
A smart wallet that can only be exclusively opened by an authorized individual through biometric authentication is disclosed. The smart wallet also has a security system associated therewith to prevent the smart wallet from being lost or stolen. The system comprises a fob key configured to send periodic wireless transmissions to the smart wallet device having the ability for approximate range detection. Various embodiments include audible, visual and vibrational indications for authentication, battery power and range detection.
US08707459B2
Making a determination of originality of content is disclosed. At least one originality factor related to the content is analyzed, wherein the originality factor is independent of a time when the content is detected. Based on the analysis of the at least one originality factor, automatically the determination is automatically made. The determination is outputted.
US08707455B2
According to one embodiment, a content playback apparatus which acquires desired content from a specific site accessed via a network and plays back the acquired content, comprises a determination module configured to determine, when a data input request is received from a currently accessed site, whether or not the site is at least a site included in the specific site, and a controller configured to generate, when the determination module determines that the currently accessed site is not included in the specific site, a warning that advises accordingly.
US08707453B2
A system and method for restricting access to a computer system, resource, or network to live persons, and for preventing the execution of automated scripts via an interface intended for human interaction. When queried for access to a protected resource, computer system, or network, the system will respond with a challenge requiring unknown petitioners to solve a visual puzzle before proceeding, said puzzle consisting of a collection of apparently random objects, and exploiting the natural human impulse to form semantic or symbolic associations between images of objects. The subject of the test must either recognize a semantic or symbolic association between two or more objects, or isolate an object that does not belong with the others, indicating their selection with the pointing device on their local computer. If the subject succeeds in passing the test they are granted access to the requested resource, computer system, or network.
US08707452B1
Methods, devices, and systems for managing sensitive data are provided. The management tool may be provided on a user input device, as opposed to being provided in memory or in a peripheral that can be read from a program running on a computing platform. The management tool may be maintained in a read/write isolation mode where no data is transmitted outside of the management tool unless the user input device is disengaged from the computing platform, at which point data may be transmitted from the management tool for ultimate delivery to the computing platform.
US08707446B2
On a host, host content change requests are intercepted in real-time. In a tracking mode, the change requests are logged and allowed to take effect on the host. In an enforcement mode, the change requests are logged and additionally compared against authorized change policies and a determination is made whether to allow the change to take effect or to block the changes, thereby enforcing the authorized change policies on the host. Tracking and enforcement can be done in real-time. In either mode and at any time, the logged changes can be reconciled against a set of approved change orders in order to identify classes of changes, including changes that were deployed but not approved and changes that were approved but not deployed.
US08707445B2
Systems and methods for managing a data incident are provided herein. Exemplary methods may include receiving data breach data that comprises information corresponding to the data breach, automatically generating a risk assessment from a comparison of data breach data to privacy rules, the privacy rules comprising at least one federal rule and at least one state rule, each of the rules defining requirements associated with data breach notification laws, and providing the risk assessment to a display device that selectively couples with the risk assessment server.
US08707444B2
Systems and methods for implementing application control security are disclosed. In one embodiment, a system includes a first device, a decrypted white-list, and an executable program. The first device may be in electrical communication with a memory containing an encrypted white-list. The encrypted white-list may be decrypted using an identifier of a second device. The executable program may be referenced in the decrypted white-list.
US08707439B2
Methods, systems, and computer-readable media are disclosed for selecting a set of security offerings. A particular method includes receiving a security need profile associated with a computing environment and receiving security offering information related to a plurality of security offerings. The security offerings of the plurality of security offerings are evaluated with respect to the security need profile. A set of security offerings from the plurality of security offerings are automatically selected.
US08707432B1
A wireless computer network includes components cooperating together to prevent access intrusions by detecting unauthorized devices connected to the network, disabling the network connections to the devices, and then physically locating the devices. The network can detect both unauthorized client stations and unauthorized edge devices such as wireless access points (APs). The network can detect intruders by monitoring information transferred over wireless channels, identifying protocol state machine violations, tracking roaming behavior of clients, and detecting network addresses being improperly used in multiple locations. Upon detecting an intruder, the network can automatically locate and shut off the physical/logical port to which the intruder is connected.
US08707427B2
Systems and methods for detecting malware in a selected computer that is part of a network of computers. The approach includes inspecting a predetermined set of operational attributes of the selected computer to detect a change in a state of the selected computer. In response to a detected change in state, the selected computer is scanned to create a snapshot of the overall state of the selected computer. The snapshot is transmitted to an analytic system wherein it is compared with an aggregated collection of snapshots previously respectively received from a plurality of computers in the computer network. Based on the comparison, anomalous state of the selected computer can be identified. In turn, a probe of the selected computer is launched to gather additional information related to the anomalous state of the selected computer so that a remediation action for the anomalous state of the selected computer can be generated.
US08707420B2
Trusted e-mail communication may be provided. A message source organization may be validated. When a message is received from the validated message source organization for a recipient organization, a determination may be made as to whether the recipient organization supports an attribution data extension. If so, the message may be transmitted to the recipient organization with an attribution element associated with the message source organization.
US08707395B2
A technique for providing secure network access is disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the technique may be realized as a method for providing secure network access. The method may comprise establishing a plurality of access zones in a network, wherein client devices assigned to different access zones have different access privileges and are isolated from one another. The method may also comprise assigning a client device to one of the plurality of access zones based on an assessment of a security context associated with the client device and a connection of the client device to the network.
US08707393B2
A method begins by a dispersed storage (DS) processing module of a domain name system (DNS) server receiving, from a client, a request regarding dispersed storage network (DSN) location information of a hypertext markup language (HTML) file. The method continues with the DS processing module searching a DNS table for an entry regarding the HTML file based on information of the request. When the entry is found, the method continues with the DS processing module ascertaining the DSN location information regarding a plurality of sets of encoded data slices, wherein the HTML file is encoded using a DS error coding function to produce the plurality of sets of encoded data slices and wherein the plurality of sets of encoded data slices is stored in a DSN. The method continues with the DS processing module outputting the DSN location information to the client.
US08707392B2
A computer-implemented diabetes management system is provided that supports enhanced security between a diabetes care manager in data communication with a medical device. The diabetes care manager includes: a first application that operates to request access to a first security role supported by the medical device, where the first security role is associated with a first set of commands for accessing data on the medical device that are defined as a private extension of the communication protocol; and a second application that operates to request access to a second security role supported by the medical device, where the second security role is associated with a second set of commands for accessing data on the medical device that are defined as a private extension of the communication protocol. The second set of commands has one or more commands that are mutually exclusive from the first set of commands.
US08707382B2
Synchronization is provided for set-top boxes that display multiple instances of a single multimedia program. Embodied set-top boxes request the transmission of a multimedia program and determine the play point of a remote set-top box. Embodied set-top boxes set a local play point to correspond to the remote set-top box's play point. More than two set-top boxes may be synchronized in accordance with disclosed embodiments, and some systems implement master and slave set-top boxes for purposes of synchronization.
US08707370B2
Systems and methods for distributing digital satellite broadcast programs over multicast Internet Protocol (IP) networks are provided. A satellite receiver gateway receives a signal from a digital satellite broadcast and generates service information multicast packets that are transmitted over a multicast IP network. A device receives the service information multicast packets and generates a channel list or electronic program guide for a user. When a user selects a service from the channel list or electronic program guide the device sends a service request for the service towards the satellite receiver gateway. Either the satellite receiver gateway or a switch within the multicast IP network can then transmit the service in multicast IP packets to the requesting device.
US08707369B2
Techniques for recommending recording and/or downloading suggestions to a DVR user are provided. According to one technique, a list of suggestions is received from a recommending entity. Each of the suggestions identifies either to-be-broadcasted content or downloadable content. The entity is mapped to the list, thereby establishing an entity-to-list mapping. Data, which indicates a user's selection of a list, is received. The user's DVR is mapped to the selected list, thereby establishing a DVR-to-list mapping. Based on this mapping, one or more candidate items are automatically selected from among a set of items. Identities of the candidate items are sent to the DVR. The recommending entity does not own or operate the DVR.
US08707366B2
A system and method are disclosed for providing program criteria representing a plurality of audio and/or visual programs. A plurality of tokens are stored in a database of one or more computers, each token having an identifier for identifying a predetermined audio and/or visual program. Each token may be a universal program identifier that represents a specific program in a global programming environment (e.g., the token may identify a program across multiple tuning spaces). Alternatively or additionally, a token may be a tuning-space specific program identifier that represents program criteria associated with a specific program for particular tuning space. The server is programmed to provide at least one token to a remote computer based on selection criteria.
US08707352B1
Methods and systems for providing a local content to a viewer in the form of an animation sequence. A micro program may be data-cast to a receiver to provide national and local content to a number of receiver units that may be located at, e.g., a cable headend or other distribution point. The micro program executes, at least in part, on each receiver unit. If the micro program is relevant to the receiver unit, then the micro program executes to completion. The micro program may include a code representative of local conditions that is mapped by the local receiver unit to a library of animation graphics used to create an animation sequence to convey the local conditions to a viewer. For example, the local conditions may be weather conditions and the animation sequence conveys how the weather will feel or affect a viewer.
US08707350B2
Enhanced television broadcasts including triggers with expires attributes may be utilized in a variety of situations where the expires attribute may adversely affect the utilization of the trigger. For example, in situations where the broadcast is recorded, playback may be enabled even after the trigger expiration. Similarly, local affiliates or FNOCs may rebroadcast enhanced television content by adjusting the expires attributes of the original trigger.
US08707349B2
Methods, systems, computer readable media, and apparatuses for providing enhanced content are presented. Data including a first program, a first caption stream associated with the first program, and a second caption stream associated with the first program may be received. The second caption stream may be extracted from the data, and a second program may be encoded with the second caption stream. The first program may be transmitted with the first caption stream including first captions and may include first content configured to be played back at a first speed. In response to receiving an instruction to change play back speed, the second program may be transmitted with the second caption stream. The second program may include the first content configured to be played back at a second speed different from the first speed, and the second caption stream may include second captions different from the first captions.
US08707343B2
To address the requirements described above, a method, apparatus, article of manufacture, and a memory structure for providing advertisements with a media program transmitted to a user computer. The method permits the user to provide survey responses in exchange for viewing a media program with fewer advertisement, and permits the user to manage the survey responses.
US08707338B2
An apparatus for enhancing media playback on a turntable, such as an audio record turntable, includes an illumination apparatus. The illumination apparatus is generally placed on the turntable's platter, beneath a record to be played. The record may be transparent or semi-transparent. The illumination apparatus includes a light source that projects light up through the record for producing a visual effect.
US08707335B2
There is provided a system having a plurality of information processing apparatuses, each of which includes a storage device where at least one piece of pattern data indicating an occurrence pattern of events to be detected in the information processing apparatus is stored, a generation section that specifies a collection of events to be detected in the occurrence pattern based on the pattern data read from the storage device and generates necessary event data indicating the specified collection of events, a selection section that selects an event included in the necessary event data from events which have occurred in the information processing apparatus and events transferred from another information processing apparatus, and a detection section that detects if the selected event matches with the occurrence pattern indicated by the pattern data, and outputs a detection result.
US08707333B1
Specifying a message is disclosed. A message and one or more arguments of the message are specified. An argument type is associating with at least one of the one or more arguments. Processing a message is disclosed. A message is identified to be transformed. The message is transformed at least in part by using an argument type associated with an argument of the message.
US08707324B2
Implementing fair scalable reader writer mutual exclusion for access to a critical section by a plurality of processing threads is accomplished by creating a first queue node for a first thread, the first queue node representing a request by the first thread to access the critical section; setting at least one pointer within a queue to point to the first queue node, the queue representing at least one thread desiring access to the critical section; waiting until a condition is met, the condition comprising the first queue node having no preceding write requests as indicated by at least one predecessor queue node on the queue; permitting the first thread to enter the critical section in response to the condition being met; and causing the first thread to release a spin lock, the spin lock acquired by a second thread of the plurality of processing threads.
US08707312B1
A search engine crawler includes a scheduler for determining which documents to download from their respective host servers. Some documents, known to be stable based on one or more record from prior crawls, are reused from a document repository. A reuse flag is set in a scheduler record that also contains a document identifier, the reuse flag indicating whether the document should be retrieved from a first database, such as the World Wide Web, or a second database, such as a document repository. A set of such scheduler records are used during a crawl by the search engine crawler to determine which database to use when retrieving the documents identified in the scheduler records.
US08707306B1
A system for providing model level protection for resources holding data accessed by multiple tasks in a model is discussed. The protection occurs at the model level so that the protection mechanism does not interfere with model dynamics. Resources concurrently accessed by multiple tasks are identified so that a unified protection mechanism can be applied to the resource. A user interface may be provided which enables the selection of a particular type of protection mechanism for the data in the resource. User supplied protection mechanisms may also be implemented.
US08707305B2
For failure management for multiple operating systems in a virtual environment, an external virtual machine or agent is provided that has been granted rights to full physical memory space to perform a crashdump for the machine. To avoid exposing secret information during a crashdump, private information for a virtual machine or partition is encrypted prior to generating a dump. The storing of crashdump information for virtual machines may avoid storing crashdump information for virtual machines that are stateless. Instead of having an (unstable) operating system running within a virtual machine perform a crashdump, the provision of an external agent, e.g., an external virtual machine, to perform the crashdump avoids many limitations associated with a normal dump when performed by a crashed operating system.
US08707298B2
An image forming apparatus includes a printer driver; a first software-identifier storage unit that stores therein a first software identifier that identifies software of a printing device, in which a second plugin for enabling the printing device to implement a feature corresponding to a feature of a first plugin to be installed in the printer driver, can be installed; an installable plugin determining unit that compares the first software identifier with the second software identifier and determines whether the second plugin can be installed in the software of the printing device; and an installing unit that installs, if it is determined that the second plugin can be installed, the first plugin in the printer driver.
US08707294B2
A model for extending application server functionality includes two types of libraries: an automatically-referenced (auto-ref) library and a superseding library. The auto-ref library includes a special tag that identifies it as the auto-ref library and a pattern that restricts the application types that can refer to it. Once the auto-ref library is deployed, it is automatically referred to by all applications as long as they are not excluded by the restricting pattern. The code contained in the auto-ref library is merged into the application code and the configuration of the library is merged into the application configuration at deployment time. The superseding library also includes an identifying tag and a restriction pattern. At deployment, however, the code and configuration data in the superseding library overrides the corresponding application configuration and code. The remaining code of the application that is not overridden by the superseding library is used without any modification.
US08707293B2
A package manager that determines circular dependencies in a list of software packages to be installed on a client computer and resolves those circular dependencies so that the list of software packages can be installed is described. The package manager receives a list of software packages along with information regarding the dependencies of the software packages. The package manager generates a directed graph of the software packages based on the dependency information. Using the directed graph, the package manager determines strongly coupled components to collect and install, where each strongly coupled component includes a set of dependent components. The package manager further installs these strongly coupled components.
US08707287B2
A method, computer program product, and system for non-blocking dynamic update of statically-typed class-based object-oriented software executing as byte-code on a virtual machine within an actively running computer system is provided. A set of objects instantiated from an existing module or multiple modules (identifiable collections of application resources and class definitions in the form of byte-code representations) is ready for execution on a virtual machine in an actively running computer system. New versions of one or more modules corresponding to those already loaded into the actively running virtual machine are dynamically loaded into the virtual machine for the purpose of updating the running software. The class definitions within the loaded modules are prepared for dynamic update by inserting byte-code that enables; transparent state transfer and shared object identity between objects of a former version and the new version of a class.
US08707280B2
A computing device-implemented method includes receiving a program, analyzing and transforming the program, determining an inner context and an outer context of the program based on the analysis of the program, and allocating one or more portions of the inner context of the program to two or more labs for parallel execution. The method also includes receiving one or more results associated with the parallel execution of the one or more portions from the two or more labs, and providing the one or more results to the outer context of the program.
US08707278B2
A model is provided for transforming a program with a priori given class hierarchy that is induced by inheritance. An inheritance remover is configured to remove inheritance from a given program to produce an analysis-friendly program which does not include virtual-function pointer tables and runtime libraries associated with inheritance-related operations. The analysis-friendly program preserves the semantics of the given program with respect to a given class hierarchy. A clarifier is configured to identify implicit expressions and function calls and transform the given program into at least one intermediate program having explicit expressions and function calls.
US08707277B2
A preparser tool is provided for converting Software Communications Architecture (SCA) Extensible Markup Language (XML) files into Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) structures usable by an SCA Core Framework (CF) and comprises a CF_PreParsers interface definition language (IDL) and a first preparser. The CF_IDL is configured to be in operable communication with an XML parser and with at least a first type of preparser. The first type of preparser is in operable communication with the CF_PreParsers IDL, is associated with a first type of descriptor for the CF, and is configured to call the XML parser to request parsing of a first set of first XML files, convert the first parsed set of first XML files into a first CORBA structure type, encode the first CORBA structure type into a first CORBA Common Data Representation (CDR) file; and write the first CORBA CDR file as a first octet sequence.
US08707269B1
A computing-device implemented method may include receiving an instruction and dynamically performing tests in a modeling environment in response to the instruction. The dynamically performing tests may include selecting a polymorphic entity, displaying a context menu associated with the polymorphic entity on a display, activating in the context menu a menu item that is linked to one of one or more requirements, generating the test, and performing the test to produce a test result.
US08707268B2
A method and system for processing test results from testing operation of software. A test result of pass, fail status, or unperformed is received for each test case of a test performed for each release of the software. A group to which each test belongs is ascertained which determines a group identifier of the group to which each test belongs. A test result stability index is calculated for each test case as being proportional to a total number of consecutive releases that include and are prior to the last release of the software such that the test result for each of the consecutive releases denotes a pass. The group identifier and the test result stability index are stored in a hardware storage unit.
US08707234B1
Techniques for use in integrated circuit design systems for extracting noise threshold data for selected cells. For example, a method comprises the following steps. A cell is selected from one or more cells in a given collection of standardized cells. Each of the one or more cells represents one or more functional circuit design blocks that are usable as part of a design of an integrated circuit. A noise signal is generated or selected. The noise signal is applied to an input node of the selected cell. Noise threshold data is identified using a noise analysis module, for a given set of process, voltage and temperature variations, for an output node of the selected cell based on the noise signal applied to the input node of the selected cell. The noise threshold data is stored with the selected cell as part of the given collection of standardized cells such that the noise threshold data is subsequently usable during a post layout noise analysis operation of an integrated circuit design that includes the selected cell.
US08707228B1
Disclosed are improved methods, systems, and computer program products for implementing flexible models to perform efficient prototyping of electronic designs, which allows for very efficient analysis of the electronic designs. The flexible models allow many of the existing tools for designing electronics to perform more efficiently.
US08707216B2
The present invention is directed toward a system and process that controls a group of networked electronic components using a multimodal integration scheme in which inputs from a speech recognition subsystem, gesture recognition subsystem employing a wireless pointing device and pointing analysis subsystem also employing the pointing device, are combined to determine what component a user wants to control and what control action is desired. In this multimodal integration scheme, the desired action concerning an electronic component is decomposed into a command and a referent pair. The referent can be identified using the pointing device to identify the component by pointing at the component or an object associated with it, by using speech recognition, or both. The command may be specified by pressing a button on the pointing device, by a gesture performed with the pointing device, by a speech recognition event, or by any combination of these inputs.
US08707208B2
A multi-glyph character selector is disclosed. The selector includes at least two glyphs associated with a character, wherein a microprocessor driven activation of the character selects a first of the at least two glyphs, and a subsequent activation of the character selects a second of the at least two glyphs, and a display driver, wherein the first glyph provides a first characterization of the character on a display in accordance with the display driver, and the second glyph provides a second characterization of the character on the display.
US08707204B2
The present invention relates to a system and method to facilitate efficient and automated presentation of information to users. A decomposition component automatically decomposes an information item into sets of subcomponents in a two- or three-dimensional isometric space, and generates visualizations having interactive graphics that allow users to inspect respective subcomponents. Interface features are provided to enable hover, dwell, and clicking commands, for example, providing a variety of options to zoom in, or change configurations of the visualization in accordance with the users intentions or inferences about what they desire to see or inspect more closely. Beyond the use of decompositions into exploded views of the content of items typically viewed as singular documents, the methods can be applied to perform geometric transformations on visualizations of multiple windows and other resources based on content and activity to provide regularized visualizations of the multiple items. Such exploded views can provide visual geometric summaries of projects, and a set of handles into accessing more detail on the subcomponents of the project.
US08707200B2
A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture provide the ability to interface with objects. A computer-implemented scene having two or more objects is displayed and a corresponding list of the two or more objects is displayed in independent categories called facets and in an ungrouped flat list. A user identifies a viewpoint within the scene that establishes a location and an orientation within a space of the scene from which to view the scene objects. Dynamically and independently from additional user actions, a proximity of each of the two or more objects from the viewpoint is determined. The ungrouped list of the two or more objects is sorted based on the proximities and displayed.
US08707197B2
Multi-user multi-input desktop workspaces and applications are described. In one aspect, a single computing device presents multiple workspaces on a desktop area. The desktop area is designed for multiple users to provide in parallel inputs. Each workspace is configured for use by a particular set of users. Responsive to user direction, user access restrictions to a particular workspace of the multiple workspaces is suspended to allow a new user to interface within context of a particular workspace.
US08707193B2
A remote monitoring system including a sensor configured to take measurements of a physical parameter of an associated machine, a data acquisition module configured to gather machine data from the sensor, an application server in communication with the data acquisition module across a network, a database in communication with the application server and configured to receive and store the machine data from the data acquisition module across the network, and an interface configured to facilitate communication between a user and the machine data maintained in the database, wherein the machine data stored in the database is accessible to the user connected to the network in real-time.
US08707192B2
User interfaces for browsing and/or searching are described. In one embodiment, a method includes displaying a first display area for display representations of documents matching a search query, the first display area configured to display content of the documents which can have a plurality of different types of content including at least one of text-based content and a folder, and displaying a second display area for selecting a selected document to be displayed in the first display area. Other embodiments are also described, and computer readable media and apparatuses are also described.
US08707187B2
A system, method, and computer readable medium are presented for concurrent markup of a document by a plurality of reviewers. A method includes combining a document and markups associated with a plurality of reviewers into a reviewing file for use by a user. Markups associated with the user are locked and a markup associated with the reviewer is updated. Then the markups associated with the user are unlocked. Updating the markup includes receiving a revised reviewing file that includes a change to the markup, extracting the change to the markup from the revised reviewing file, and saving the changed markup separate from the document.
US08707168B2
A computing system is disclosed including a computer processor configured to receive a selection of a template and identify a data field in the template. The data field indicates financial data to fill in the data field. The computer processor is configured to retrieve the financial data for the data field from stored financial data and generate a document according to the selected template. The generated document has the financial data within the data field.
US08707160B2
User-generated tags from viewing web-based content are collected over a predetermined period of time. A subset of distinct or unique tags is identified from among the collected tags. A z-score is calculated for each identified distinct tag, where the z-score is a measure of the statistical significance of the tag. The subset of distinct tags is then sorted based on their corresponding z-score. All distinct tags having a corresponding z-score lower than a predetermined threshold are rejected and the remaining distinct tags, having a corresponding z-score higher than the threshold are used to infer a user's interest. The ability to infer a user's interests from the remaining distinct tags may thus benefit web-based applications by achieving a high degree of accuracy in predicting the interests of users by leveraging on the use of the user generated content tags and keywords.
US08707158B2
Techniques are described herein for customizing a form (a.k.a. a dialog) in a model-based system. For instance, the form may be customized without the need to modify the form in persistent memory, such as read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, etc. A representation of a customization (e.g., an extensible markup language file, a management pack, etc.) regarding the form is captured in memory, such as a random access memory (RAM), and stored in a file or a database. For instance, the representation of the customization may be stored separately from the form. The representation of the customization is retrieved from the file or the database and applied to a rendering of the form.
US08707154B2
In a slideshow which reproduces a content associated with comment information, the reproduction timing of the content can be controlled according to the reproduction timing of the comment information. In a reproduction table, the following are associated with each other: reproduction order; image-document combinations indicated by an image (or the identification information of the image, such as a JPEG file name) and a document (or the identification information of the document, such as a TXT file name); the number of characters in the document; and reproduction time of the image and the document identified by the identification information of the image and the document, respectively. The greater the number of characters the document has, the longer the reproduction time the image associated with the document has. Not every image needs to be associated with the document. For example, basic reproduction time of 5 seconds is assigned to image No. 3.
US08707146B2
A method for conditionally stopping execution of a turbo decoder is proposed. The decoder has elementary decoders. Each elementary decoder performs a sequence of decoding operations and is arranged to receive an input from at least one other elementary decoder. The method determines for each specific decoding operation if the sequence of elementary decoding operations of the specific elementary decoder has substantially converged or substantially diverged. The method terminates the execution of decoding operations if a number of sequences has substantially converged or substantially diverged.
US08707141B1
In one embodiment, a process determines a size of a video unit (e.g., frame) to transmit from a sender to a receiver across a communication channel for an associated video stream, and also determines an updated packet loss rate on the channel. In response, the process may dynamically determine both a number N of video data packets and a number M of forward error correction (FEC) packets to transmit for the video unit based on the size of the video unit, the updated packet loss rate on the channel, and an error resilience requirement for the video stream. In an illustrative embodiment, N and M are determined during transmission of the video stream through a look-up operation into a table indexed by the size of the video unit and the updated packet loss rate as co-indices, the co-indices co-indexing a pre-determined N and M pair.
US08707133B2
An interface device to interface a processing device and a memory device includes an error correcting code (ECC) encoder to calculate ECC bit(s) and to provide the ECC bit(s) to the processing device based at least in part on data provided by the memory device, thereby eliminating a need to store the ECC bits in the memory device. The interface device may include a parity encoder to provide parity bit(s) to the memory device as a function of data provided by the processing device, and a parity decoder to selectively modify the ECC bit(s) as a function of the data and parity bit(s) provided by the memory device. The ECC encoder may provide ECC bits, and the parity decoder may selectively modify the ECC bits provided to the processing device based on data provided by the memory device and parity bit(s) provided by the memory device.
US08707131B2
A method is described that includes reading a cache tag and the cache tag's corresponding ECC from storage circuitry of a cache. The method also includes generating an ECC for a search tag. The method also includes calculating a hamming distance between a) the cache tag and its corresponding ECC and b) the search tag and its corresponding ECC. The method also includes determining if the cache tag matches the search tag by comparing the hamming distance against a threshold.
US08707124B2
A method for processing Forward Error Correction, FEC, data, which includes: a sender encapsulates the FEC data to be a Transport Stream, TS, message, sets FEC identification information in the TS message, and encapsulates the TS message to be a Real-time Transport Protocol, RTP, message; then sends the RTP message to a terminal side. The reception end receives the RTP message; if the reception end has a function for FEC decoding, the reception end identifies the FEC data according to the FEC identification information in the TS message of the received RTP message, and recovers the missed media message according to the FEC data; if the reception end does not have the function for FEC decoding, the reception end processes the RTP message after removing the message header. The embodiments of the present invention also provide a transmission and processing device.
US08707116B2
Operating a state machine includes enabling operation of the state machine upon receiving a signal indicating a change from operation of a test access port to a scan test port. The process maintains the state machine in an IDLE 1 state while receiving a scan test port capture signal and transitions the state machine to an IDLE 2 state when receiving a scan test port shift signal. The process then transitions the state machine to a SEQUENCE 1 state, then to a SEQUENCE 2 state, and then to a SEQUENCE 3 state when receiving sequential scan test port capture signals. The state machine then transitions to an UNLOCK TAP state and then back to the IDLE 1 state when receiving sequential scan test port shift signals on the test mode select/capture select lead.
US08707110B1
Systems and methods are provided for detecting and correcting address errors in a memory system. In the memory system, a memory device generates an error-detection code based on an address transmitted via an address bus and transmits the error-detection code to a memory controller. The memory controller transmits an error indication to the memory device in response to the error-detection code. The error indication causes the memory device to remove the received address and prevent a memory operation.
US08707106B2
A trace unit is provided which is configured to generate items of trace data indicative of processing activities, of a data processing unit. The trace unit comprises a trace indexing unit configured to associate an index value with at least a subset of the items of trace data generated by the trace unit. The trace indexing unit is configured to generate each index value as one of a predetermined sequence of index values, wherein an n+1th index value in the predetermined sequence can be determined from only an nth index value in the predetermined sequence.
US08707102B2
A method for verifying an operation of a processor, the method includes executing, by a software simulator, a test instruction used for verifying a model dependent operation of the processor, obtaining an expectation value from a result of the executed test instruction, obtaining a result value of the test instruction executed by the processor, and comparing, by a verification processor, the obtained expectation value with the obtained result value to determine a match or mismatch between the expectation value and the result value.
US08707092B2
Memory devices and methods are described that include serially chained memory devices. In one or more of the configurations shown, a serial chain of memory devices includes a number of memory devices, and an error recovery device at an end of the chain. In one configuration shown, the serial chain of memory devices includes a chain of devices where each device is a stacked die memory device. Methods are described that show using the error recovery device in write operations and data recovery operations.
US08707090B2
In a storage system which supports a redundant disk configuration, while securing fault tolerance, a longer drive access time as well as a drop in I/O throughput are prevented when a redundant data update, generated due to a data update, is mirrored in the drive.A controller for controlling data I/O to and from the drive updates first redundant data and block data of a corresponding data stripe in the disk drive in correspondence with an update of block data of the logical volume, and the controller updates second redundant data on the basis of a predetermined number of block data which belong to the same data stripe as the updated block data with different timing from the update of the block data.
US08707075B2
A plurality of modules interact to form an adaptive network in which each module transmits and receives data signals indicative of the proximity of objects. A central computer accumulates the data produced or received and relayed by each module. One of the modules is operable as a leaf node having a sleep mode to conserve energy and an interactive mode. The central computer can send a message to the leaf node commanding it to stay awake in order to receive subsequent communications.
US08707072B2
Embodiments of the invention are generally directed to systems, methods, and apparatuses for using interface frequency modulation to allow non-terminated operation and power reduction. In some embodiments, an apparatus includes an interface having a termination mode and a power management controller coupled with the interface. The apparatus may also include a power management controller coupled with the interface. In some embodiments, the power management controller is capable of dynamically reducing the operating frequency of the interface and disabling the termination mode to reduce the power consumed by the interface. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08707068B2
A system and method for communicating between a controller and a device is provided: The controller communicates with the device over a communication link. The controller shutting off a power supply that is connected to the communication link, for example, due to inactivity parameters. The device generating a wake up signal and transmitting the wake up signal from the device to the controller while the power supply is shut off.
US08707063B2
A processor is configured to support a plurality of performance states and idle states. The processor includes a first programmable location associated with a first idle state and configured to store first entry performance state (P-State) information. The first entry P-State information identifies a first entry P-State. The processor is configured to receive a request to enter the first idle state, retrieve the first entry P-State information and enter the first entry P-State. The processor may include a second programmable location associated with the first idle state and configured to store first exit P-State information. The first exit P-State information identifies a first exit P-State. The processor may be configured to receive a request to exit the first idle state, retrieve the first exit P-State information and enter the first exit P-State.
US08707062B2
For one disclosed embodiment, a processor comprises a first processor core, a second processor core, and a cache memory. The first processor core is to save a state of the first processor core and to enter a mode in which the first processor core is powered off. The second processor core is to save a state of the second processor core and to enter a mode in which the second processor core is powered off. The cache memory is to be powered when the first processor core is powered off. The first processor core is to restore the saved state of the first processor core in response to the first processor core transitioning to a mode in which the first processor core is powered. The second processor core is to restore the saved state of the second processor core in response to the second processor core transitioning to a mode in which the second processor core is powered. Other embodiments are also disclosed.
US08707054B2
A functional unit of a device is associated with a secret. Data stored in a memory location of the device is encrypted using the secret. The memory location of the device is accessible to other functional units; but without knowledge of the secret, the stored encrypted data is useless. The sharing of the secret creates a secure path between memory locations and functional units of the device while maintaining a unitary memory architecture. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.
US08707052B2
Techniques usable by devices to encrypt and decrypt sensitive data to in a manner that provides security from external monitoring attacks. The encrypting device has access to a base secret cryptographic value (key) that is also known to the decrypting device. The sensitive data are decomposed into segments, and each segment is encrypted with a separate encryption key derived from the base key and a message identifier to create a set of encrypted segments. The encrypting device uses the base secret cryptographic value to create validators that prove that the encrypted segments for this message identifier were created by a device with access to the base key. The decrypting device, upon receiving an encrypted segments and validator(s), uses the validator to verify the message identifier and that the encrypted segment are unmodified, then uses a cryptographic key derived from the base key and message identifier to decrypt the segments.
US08707051B2
A firmware cipher component is provided which can be configured and programmed to efficiently implement a broad range of cryptographic ciphers while accelerating their processing. This firmware cipher component allows an ASIC to support multiple cipher algorithms while accelerating the operations beyond speeds conventionally achieved by software or firmware only solutions. This system combines cryptographic specific custom instructions with hardware based data manipulation accelerators. The cryptographic specific custom instructions and hardware accelerators may support both block and stream ciphers. Thus, the system may be reconfigured, allowing the cipher algorithm to change without halting the system. Further, embedding the Firmware Programmable Cipher within an ASIC may allow future capabilities to be supported in secure applications.
US08707048B2
Various methods and systems are provided for inserting a user-selected pattern below a main application display when sensitive information is being requested or to be communicated. The border of the main application layer may also be modified at this time, either with or without the underlying pattern. This visual change provides the user an assurance that the application or site is authentic and not a phishing attack. The user-selected patterns are stored in secure areas, such as a secure element on the user device or in a cloud accessible by the application or site.
US08707039B2
A system and method for delivering content to end users encrypted within a content delivery network (CDN) for content originators is disclosed. CDNs transport content for content originators to end user systems in a largely opaque manner. Caches and origin servers in the CDN are used to store content. Some or all of the content is encrypted within the CDN. When universal resource indicators (URIs) are received from an end user system, the CDN can determine the key used to decrypt the content object within the CDN before delivery. Where there is a cache miss, an origin server can be queried for the content object, which is encrypted in the CDN.
US08707037B2
Apparatus, systems, and methods send an interrogation command from an interrogation and timing apparatus to a timed identification (TID) apparatus. The TID apparatus receives the interrogation command, performs a series of logical operations to calculate a response, and returns the response within a maximum length of time established by the interrogation and timing apparatus. The interrogation and timing apparatus confirms that the length of time between sending the interrogation command and receiving the response is within the maximum length of time and that the response is correct. If so, the TID apparatus is authenticated. Additional embodiments are disclosed and claimed.
US08707032B2
A system includes a controller and a certificate authority. The controller is configured to control a process. The certificate authority (CA) is configured to issue and to revoke certificates, wherein the controller is configured to use the CA to mutually authenticate a user to enter into a secure mode of operation.
US08707024B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide identity management security domains that may be used in an enterprise security system. A security domain provides a centralized registry of services provided by the enterprise security system. For example, certificate authorities and other services, such as key archives, and the like, in the enterprise security system may register information about themselves in the security domain. Authorized users can then discover the location of these services. In some embodiments, the security domain may provide an interface that indicates a topology between services of the enterprise security system. The security domain may also serve as a distribution point for security policies. A security policy may comprise information that indicates, for example, a set of trusted certificate authorities, certificate templates, certificate revocation lists, and the locations of the services in the enterprise security system.
US08707017B2
Embodiments of a method and system for managing a system are disclosed herein. The method and system provides a means to permanently and/or securely store core system configuration information so that the core system configuration information stays with a particular system, such as a computing device or motherboard for example. The method and system provide a means for channel integrators, manufacturers, and technicians to quickly troubleshoot and return a system to full service after receiving the system from a customer as part of an unstable, non-functioning, or other system service event. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08707012B2
In one embodiment, the present invention includes an apparatus having a register file to store vector data, an address generator coupled to the register file to generate addresses for a vector memory operation, and a controller to generate an output slice from one or more slices each including multiple addresses, where the output slice includes addresses each corresponding to a separately addressable portion of a memory. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08707006B2
A method for managing a memory, including obtaining a number of indices and a cache line size of a cache memory, computing a cache page size by multiplying the number of indices by the cache line size, calculating a greatest common denominator (GCD) of the cache page size and a first size class, incrementing, in response to the GCD of the cache page size and the first size class exceeding the cache line size, the first size class to generate an updated first size class, calculating a GCD of the cache page size and the updated first size class, creating, in response to the GCD of the cache page size and the updated first size class being less than the cache line size, a first superblock in the memory including a first plurality of blocks of the updated first size class, and creating a second superblock in the memory.
US08707001B2
Methods and systems for determining a memory access time are provided. A first phase skew is measured between a first clock signal used by a memory and a second clock signal used as a reference clock signal. Then, a second phase skew is measured between a delayed version of the first clock signal output by the memory when the memory completes a given read operation and the second clock signal. The memory access time is determined based on the first and second phase skews.
US08706994B2
Various embodiments for synchronization of source and replicated instances of sequential access storage components in a computing environment by a processor device are provided. A replication synchronization table (RST) of a source instance is updated at a source component with the compacted information. Based on the RST of the source instance and the RST of the replicated instance, data representative of a most recent position on the source component from which data should be transmitted to a replicated component to achieve a full synchronization is determined.
US08706976B2
A system and method described herein allows a virtual tape library (VTL) to perform multiple simultaneous or parallel read/write or access sessions with disk drives or other storage media, particularly when subject to a sequential SCSI-compliant layer or traditional limitations of VTLs. In one embodiment, a virtualizing or transaction layer can establish multiple sessions with one or more clients to concurrently satisfy the read/write requests of those clients for physical storage resources. A table or other data structure tracks or maps the sessions associated with each client and the location of data on the physical storage devices.
US08706975B1
A shared memory management system and method are described. In one embodiment, a memory management system includes a memory management unit for coordinating context memory storage block binds and independently controlling access to the context memory without interference from other engine activities. In one exemplary implementation the context information is included in a block and the memory management unit binds the block to instance memory. The instance memory can be protected memory. The instance memory can also support multiple channels associated with the plurality of engines. In one exemplary implementation, the instance memory includes a pointer to a page table. The instance memory can also include context save and restore data and each one of the plurality of engines initiates a unique block bind by indicating an association between their engine ID and a given block of instance memory.
US08706967B1
A method, computer program product, and cache management system for receiving an indication of a data portion update within an electromechanical storage system. Information concerning the data portion update is provided to at least one proprietary, solid-state, non-volatile, cache memory system. The proprietary, solid-state, non-volatile, cache memory system is associated with at least a first of a plurality of computing devices and is not associated with at least a second of the plurality of computing devices.
US08706961B2
Data is managed efficiently by switching between block level hierarchical control and file level hierarchical control according to file characteristics. A storage apparatus which is connected via a network to a host computer which requests data writing comprises storage media of a plurality of types of varying performance, a volume management unit which manages storage areas provided by the storage media of the plurality of types as different storage tiers and manages storage tiers of the same type or different types as a pool and provides predetermined areas of the pool to the host computer as volumes, and a file management unit which constructs file systems, for managing data in file units configured from a plurality of blocks, in the volumes, and receives file unit data write requests from the host computer.
US08706959B1
The disclosure relates to a method and system for creating a virtual array in a physical array. Unassigned whole volumes in at least one physical array are identified. The identified volumes are associated with a first virtual array. Unique names are given to the identified volumes. At least one path is assigned to the first virtual array. The first virtual array may be associated with a second virtual array. Data may be migrated or replicated from the first virtual array to the second virtual array using existing array services.
US08706956B2
A non-volatile flash memory comprises a plurality of non-volatile memories where a first non-volatile memory is pre-programmed (erased) with all ones, and at least a second non-volatile memory is pre-programmed with a seed value that takes advantage of the reduced programming time for less than six zeros. When writing (programming) a data byte, the memory system looks up the data byte in one or more seed tables to determine a portion of non-volatile memory to which the memory system may write the data byte with a reduced programming time. The memory system then records the location of the data byte in an address translation table so the data byte may be accessed.
US08706954B2
A terminal apparatus including a non-volatile memory for which writing is performed in units of blocks; and a control unit configured to perform a first method of managing bad blocks in the non-volatile memory with respect to blocks corresponding to an information management table in a file system of the non-volatile memory, and to perform a second method of managing bad blocks in the non-volatile memory with respect to blocks corresponding to user data in the file system.
US08706950B2
A memory system includes a volatile first storing unit, a nonvolatile second storing unit in which data is managed in a predetermined unit, and a controller that writes data requested by a host apparatus in the second storing unit via the first storing unit and reads out data requested by the host apparatus from the second storing unit to the first storing unit and transfers the data to the host apparatus. The controller includes a management table for managing the number of failure areas in a predetermined unit that occur in the second storing unit and switches, according to the number of failure areas, an operation mode in writing data in the second storing unit from the host apparatus.
US08706946B2
Various embodiments for managing data in a computing storage environment by a processor device are provided. In one such embodiment, by way of example only, an extender storage pool system is configured for at least one of a source and a target storage pool to expand an available storage capacity for the at least one of the source and the target storage pool. A most recent snapshot of the data is sent to the extender storage pool system. The most recent snapshot of the data is stored on the extender storage pool system as a last replicated snapshot of the data.
US08706945B2
To provide a technology of increasing the number of ranks of a memory module with a small change in architecture. A memory control device accessing a memory module having a plurality of ranks, includes an interface unit having selection signal lines via which to flow selection signals for selecting the ranks and address signal lines via which to flow address signals specifying addresses on the rank, and a control unit transmitting the signal for selecting the rank via part of the address signal line and via the selection signal line.
US08706942B2
A method and apparatus is described herein for supporting direct memory accesses between peer I/O devices. It is determined whether a guest physical address (GPA) referenced by an access generated from an I/O device, is within a range of GPAs associated with local I/O devices based at least in part on a GPA base and a GPA window size. If the GPA is within the window, then the GPA is translated to an HPA based at least in part on a base HPA associated with a local device and then forwarded to that local device. However, if the GPA is not within the window, then the access is forwarded upstream.
US08706939B2
In an information-processing apparatus including a plurality of modules and a first arbiter which arbitrates bus-access requests of the plurality of modules, at least one of the plurality of modules includes a plurality of submodules and a second arbiter which arbitrates bus-access requests of the plurality of submodules and transmits at least one of the bus-access requests of the plurality of submodules to the first arbiter.
US08706938B2
Method, circuit, and system for performing an operation for regulating bandwidth, the operation comprising receiving at a memory, debug data packets and functional data packets for transmittal on a shared bus. The operation then transmits, via the shared bus, the functional data packets and one or more of the debug data packets according to a predefined ratio of debug data packets to functional data packets. The operation then drops one or more of the received debug data packets at the memory, and maintains a count of the one or more dropped debug data packets. The operation then updates the predefined ratio based on the count, and uses the updated predefined ratio to transmit the functional data packets and one or more of the debug data packets.
US08706925B2
A memory controller, system, and method for accelerating blocking memory operations. A memory controller reorders memory operations so as to maximize efficient use of the memory device bus. When data for a newer memory operation is retrieved from memory and ready to be returned to a source device, the newer memory operation can be held up waiting for an older memory operation to be completed. In response, the memory controller forwards a push request for the older memory operation to a memory channel unit. The memory channel unit then sets a push bit of the older memory operation, which expedites the scheduling of the older memory operation.
US08706915B2
An affordable, highly trustworthy, survivable and available, operationally efficient distributed supercomputing infrastructure for processing, sharing and protecting both structured and unstructured information. A primary objective of the SHADOWS infrastructure is to establish a highly survivable, essentially maintenance-free shared platform for extremely high-performance computing (i.e., supercomputing)—with “high performance” defined both in terms of total throughput, but also in terms of very low-latency (although not every problem or customer necessarily requires very low latency)—while achieving unprecedented levels of affordability at its simplest, the idea is to use distributed “teams” of nodes in a self-healing network as the basis for managing and coordinating both the work to be accomplished and the resources available to do the work. The SHADOWS concept of “teams” is responsible for its ability to “self-heal” and “adapt” its distributed resources in an “organic” manner. Furthermore, the “teams” themselves are at the heart of decision-making, processing, and storage in the SHADOWS infrastructure. Everything that's important is handled under the auspices and stewardship of a team.
US08706909B1
Discussed generally herein are systems and techniques for the semantic handling of uniform resource locator (URL). In one or more embodiments a web server can be configured to receive a first URL, identify one or more search strings in the URL, identify the one or more search strings in a list of valid search strings, and redirect to a second, valid URL as function of the one or more search strings.
US08706905B1
Method and system for a network is provided. The system includes a computing system operationally coupled to a first switch via a first adapter; a first storage system operationally coupled to the first switch via a second adapter; and a second switch operationally coupled to the first switch and to a second storage system. The second switch allocates addresses from an address range to the first adapter and the second adapter such that the first switch is able to route information between the computing system, the first storage system and the second storage system. The first switch upon receiving a frame from the second switch uses a dual stage selection mechanism for determining a port for routing the frame to the first storage system and to the computing system.
US08706901B2
Methods, systems and computer program product for reducing latency and increasing throughput of data transmissions along a switch network path. Exemplary embodiments include a method in a network accelerator device having a memory buffer, a method including identifying a data transmission, copying data packets from the data transmission into the memory buffer, and in response to at least one of a missing data packet and a corrupt data packet identified during the data transmission, sending a copied data packet corresponding to the at least one of the missing data packet and the corrupt data packet.
US08706895B2
A bit stream analyzer may detect a bitstream representing a streamed content file that is being streamed from a streaming server to a client over a network connection. An encoding rate extractor may determine an encoding rate of the bitstream, and a bit rate extractor may determine a transfer bit rate at which the bitstream is being streamed. A pause calculator may determine a minimum wait time experienced at the client during which playback of the streamed content file is paused, based on the encoding rate and the transfer bit rate.
US08706893B2
A system and method for providing multimedia communication between a firewall protected, LAN based endpoint and an endpoint that is external to the LAN. A logical port of a multimedia communications control unit is attached to the LAN behind the firewall. Another logical port of the multimedia communications control unit is attached to the external endpoint. Multimedia communication data, consisting of call management data and media data, can be exchanged between the endpoints via the multimedia communications control unit. The multimedia communications control unit allows only multimedia communication data that strictly adheres to a particular communications protocol to pass through. Thus, the security afforded by the firewall is not compromised.
US08706891B2
A communication network (PKN) fashioned in conformance with at least one transmission protocol is configured such that data packets (BPDU) having first address information (08 address) as protocol-specific address information are processed under the at least one transmission protocol. At least one communication device (PB) is assigned to the communication network (PKN), which communication device is fashioned in such a manner that second address information (00 address) is configured as protocol-specific address information and that data packets (BPDU) having the second address information (00 address) are processed under the at least one transmission protocol. According to the invention, in the case of data packets (PB) incoming at the communication device (PB) and containing first address information (08 address), this is replaced by the second address information (00 address) and the converted data packets (BPDU′) are processed further by the communication device (PB). Advantageously, communication devices with a predetermined address configuration can be used in communication networks with different address configurations, as a result of which a cost saving is achieved.
US08706888B2
A method of operating a communication system comprises registering a plurality of communication devices with a peer-to-peer network as a plurality of enterprise nodes using a plurality of network handles that identify positions in an enterprise hierarchy. The method further comprises receiving a request to establish a session with a participant node and an enterprise node of the plurality of enterprise nodes using a first network handle of the plurality of network handles that identifies a first position in the enterprise hierarchy. In response to the request, the method provides identifying a routing identifier associated with the enterprise node and exchanging user communications for the session with a communication device of the plurality of communication devices registered as the enterprise node using the routing identifier.
US08706887B2
Implementations of the present disclosure provide multiple communication channels between a client and a session and include establishing a first communication channel between the session and a first application program executed on the client, the session being active on an application server, the first application program using a first communication protocol, and instantiating a second application program on the client. A second communication channel is established between the second application program and the session, the second application program using a second communication protocol different from the first.
US08706884B2
The present invention relates to an augmented data structure representing the availability of resources in a communication device, such as an augmented Bloom filter. A method of generating and using the augmented data structure comprises: providing first and additional groups of resources available in the same communication device; providing one or more hash functions for each of the first and additional groups, and calculating one or more hash values for each resource using the one or more corresponding hash functions; mapping each obtained hash value onto one entry of a data structure, wherein the hash values obtained from a resource of the first group are mapped onto a first subpart of the data structure only, such as a conventional Bloom array, and the hash values obtained from a resource of an additional group are mapped onto a portion of the data structure including the first subpart and an additional subpart.
US08706882B2
There is provided an apparatus and method for allocating devices to a communication route. Network topology information and device information including a device-cost assigned to each of candidate-devices allowed to be allocated to a plurality of segments on the communication route are provided. An integer/linear programming problem is generated to obtain a feasible device-allocation, and an objective function for calculating an objective function value is defined. A sequence of feasible device-allocations are generated by sequentially generating a next feasible device-allocation from a current feasible device-allocation while improving an objective function value until the objective function value is not improved any more, and the last one of the sequence of feasible device-allocations is determined to be an optimum device-allocation. The next feasible device-allocation is generated from the current feasible device-allocation by replacing a basic candidate-device with an alternative candidate-device selected based on reduced-costs calculated for nonbasic candidate-devices.
US08706876B2
A method and system for tunable distribution of content are disclosed. Preferably, the content comprises digital rights and/or watermark information. In one embodiment, a computer-implemented method comprises receiving a request from a client. One or more content files related to the request and a user profile of a user are determined. One or more seeders are assigned to start the delivery of the one or more content files. The client is allowed to obtain a plurality of pieces of the one or more content files from the one or more seeders. At least one piece of the plurality of pieces of the one or more content files contains digital rights and/or watermark information.
US08706872B2
Controls electronic devices and/or throttles electronic devices and/or information for electronic devices based on agreements or events or any combination thereof. An agreement includes one or more conditions to satisfy the agreement, such as one or more tasks or activities to be performed by an agreement performer or events that may be detected, and actions performed to enforce or assert the agreement such as controlling the electronic device and/or enabling or disabling or otherwise limiting, reducing or increasing the amount or type of information allowed with respect to any or all electronic devices associated with the agreement performer. For example, the system controls the electronic device and/or enables, disables or limits the amount or type of information on an electronic device, e.g., telephone, computer, game, television, vehicle based on whether the child has finished assigned homework, chores or extracurricular activities as specified as conditions of the agreement.
US08706865B1
A network communications method includes receiving, at a first networking device, a request for a network resource from a client device via a first communication path of a wide area network. The method includes obtaining first diagnostic information indicating an amount of transmission delay or packet loss for communications transmitted through the first communication path, and obtaining second diagnostic information for a second communication path between the client device and a second networking device. The method includes comparing the first and second diagnostic information to estimate whether the second communication path will enable faster transmission of communications than the first communication path. If the second communication path is estimated to enable faster transmission of communications, then the method further comprises serving data of the network resource or data of objects referenced by the network resource to the client device from the second networking device via the second communication path.
US08706858B2
A management task data storage capability is provided for facilitating storage of management task data within a database of a management system, such as a network management system that is managing network elements of a telecommunication network. In one embodiment, the management task data storage capability controls storage of management tasks within a database of a management system based on respective priority levels associated with groups of network devices from which the management tasks are received. In this manner, the management task data storage capability ensures that higher priority network devices are provided an appropriately larger amount of management system resources than lower priority network devices, thereby enabling an appropriately larger amount of management task data storage operations to be performed for higher priority network devices than for lower priority network devices and enabling the use of database resources, for handling management tasks of network devices, to be as effective as possible in view of the priorities of the network.
US08706857B2
There is provided an information processing apparatus that is connected to a server for managing data, the information processing apparatus including a data storage configured to store the data obtained from the server, a check unit configured to check a cumulative state of change history information indicating a change type of the data in the server stored in the server, and a data obtaining unit configured to use a check result of the check unit as a basis to determine an obtaining method by selecting either a first obtaining method of synchronizing the data stored in the data storage with the data managed by the server in accordance with the change history information or a second obtaining method of obtaining, from the server, data presence information indicating the data existing in the server to synchronize the data stored in the data storage and to obtain the data from the server.
US08706856B2
Service endpoints that provide services to client devices send registration data to a service directory service. The registration data includes addresses that client devices can use to access the service endpoints along with descriptive data that describes the services that each endpoint provides, along with other information such as version numbers of applications that are supported by the service endpoints, and whether the service endpoints are running an experiment. Client devices request a manifest from the service directory service. Each request includes client metadata that describes the requesting client device. The service directory service uses the registration data and the client metadata to generate a manifest for the client device that identifies the services that the client may access and an address that the client may use to access each service.
US08706845B2
A method for maintaining the status of a bootstrap peer includes: selecting a bootstrap peer; obtaining the status information of the bootstrap peer; updating a local bootstrap peer list according to the status information of the bootstrap peer. An apparatus and system for maintaining the status of a bootstrap peer are also disclosed. The bootstrap peer list is updated according to the status information of the selected bootstrap peer, which ensures the validity of the bootstrap peer list on the bootstrap server so that the information in the bootstrap peer list obtained by a joining peer is valid. This improves the success rate of joining the overlay network by the joining peer, shortens the joining process time of the joining peer, and implements load balancing between the bootstrap peers.
US08706830B2
The invention discloses a device for enabling hierarchical quality of service (HQOS) services, the device including: an information receiving module for receiving service types and service processing information; an information distribution module for determining an object service tree according to the received service types and service processing information, and storing the received service types on the node to be processed of the object service tree; and a service management module for traversing the object service tree and performing corresponding operations on the identified nodes in the traversing process. The invention also discloses a method for enabling the HQOS services, the method including: the service management module traversing the object service tree, and performing the corresponding operations on the identified nodes in the traversing process.
US08706828B2
An information distribution method includes: gathering all-hazards information into an information exchange from a first information source; gathering all-hazards information into the information exchange from a second information source; distributing the all-hazards information from the information exchange to a first independently-controlled alert network; distributing the all-hazards information from the information exchange to a second independently-controlled alert network.
US08706827B1
Various approaches enable automatic communication generation based on patterned behavior in a particular context. For example, a computing device can monitor behavior of a user to determine patterns of communication behavior in certain situations. In response to detecting multiple occurrences of the certain situation, a computing device can prompt a user to perform an action corresponding to the pattern of behavior. In some embodiments, a set of speech models corresponding to a type of contact is generated. The speech models include language consistent with patterns of speech between a user and the type of contact. Based on context and on the contact, a message using language consistent with past communications between the user and contact is generated from a speech model associated with the type of contact.
US08706823B2
Distinctively treating digital communications sent by bulk message senders includes providing a set of bulk sender behavior policies and monitoring compliance by a bulk message sender with the set of policies. Based on compliance by the bulk message sender with the set of policies, digital communications sent by the bulk message sender are distinctively treated.
US08706817B2
Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to securing the privacy of messages and provide a method, system and computer program product for sender managed message privacy. In an embodiment of the invention, a data processing system for sender managed privacy can include a sender messaging client coupled to privacy management logic and configured for communicative linkage to a recipient messaging client coupled to proximity detection logic over a data communications network. The privacy management logic can include program code enabled to secure a message designated for delivery in the recipient messaging client responsive to the proximity detection logic.
US08706807B2
A computerized system and method for distributing video conference data over an internet protocol television (IPTV) system are disclosed including structures and methods for allocating an IPTV video conference channel to groups of video conference participants' set top boxes (STBs), accessing STB data at the server indicating a group of video conference participants' STBs in the groups of video conference participants' STBs, the group of STBs being associated with one video conference data, mapping at the server, the video conference channel to the group of video conference participants' STBs and to one IP address for the one of the video conferences data, and delivering from the server over the video conference channel from a first one of the of IP addresses, the first one of the video conferences data to the first group of video conference participants' STBs.
US08706804B2
A computer-implemented system may include reception of a user interface request corresponding to two or more chained operations associated with one or more service calls to a backend service layer, determination of whether to update a backend buffer after execution of each of the one or more service calls, execution, if it is determined to update the backend buffer after execution of each of the one or more service calls, of each of the one or more service calls, and a read service call after execution of each of the one or more service calls, and execution, if it is determined not to update the backend buffer after execution of each of the one or more service calls, of each of the one or more service calls in sequence, and a bulk read service call only after execution of all of the one or more service calls.
US08706803B1
Disclosed are various embodiments that facilitate client-side network page generation. A request for a network page is obtained from a client computing device in one or more computing devices. Network page generation code for generating the network page is sent to the client computing device in response to the request and in place of the network page. The network page generation code is executable within a local application that is executed in the client computing device. The network page generation code includes code that obtains multiple data elements from the one or more computing devices. The network page generation code also includes code that generates a network page. The data elements are included within the network page.
US08706798B1
In an embodiment, the systems, methods, and devices disclosed herein comprise a computer resource monitoring and allocation system. In an embodiment, the resource monitoring and allocation system can be configured to allocate computer resources that are available on various nodes of a cluster to specific jobs and/or sub-jobs and/or tasks and/or processes.
US08706796B2
A system has a set of servers utilizing different operating systems to constitute a cross-platform system. A central management server has a set of objects characterizing the set of servers. The set of objects have relationship edges to related objects. A server intelligence agent coordinates the start-up of the central management server and the set of servers and coordinates the control of state changes within the set of servers.
US08706792B1
f(x(sk−1, sk))=A(sk−1)+B(sk) is calculated for nm2 pairs of consecutive state variables {sk−1, sk} using A(sk)=minsk−1,x{A(sk−1)+Γ(xk=x)} and B(sk)=minsk+1,x{B(sk+1)+Γ(xk+1=x, sk+1)}, where Γ(xk=x) is a metric associated with a branch xk=x connecting consecutive state variables sk−1 and sk. The nm lowest values are selected from the nm2 calculated values of f(x(sk−1, sk))=A(sk−1)+B(sk) and log likelihood ratios (LLRs) are set to those lowest f(x(sk−1, sk)) values. The nm values of x that correspond to the nm lowest values are determined.
US08706791B2
Embodiments of the invention are directed to system and method that enable relatively low power dissipation by scheduling operations of multiply accumulators chain of two or more multiply accumulators units by delivering an output result of a first multiply accumulator of the chain as an input to a second subsequent multiply accumulator of the chain.
US08706772B2
A plurality of partitions can be defined in a database for a multi-tenant computing system provided on one or more processors such that each partition of the plurality of partitions is associated with only one business tenant of a set of business tenants supported by the multi-tenant system. The database can stored shared content that is shared among and accessible to all tenants of the multi-tenant computing system while tenant content for each business tenant can be stored in the database in one partition of the plurality of partitions. The one partition can be assigned to an associated business tenant. At least a portion of the tenant content can be unique to and associated with the associated business tenant. One or more errors can be generated to prevent tenant content associated with a first business tenant of the set of business tenants from being accessed by a second business tenant of the set of business tenants when an application code executed within the multi-tenant computing system comprises a construct that would otherwise enable cross-tenant access by the second business tenant to tenant content associated with the first business tenant. Related systems, methods, and computer program products are described.
US08706771B2
The present application is directed towards systems and methods for analyzing and transforming an application from a source installation to a target installation. Customized functions, objects, databases, and code of the source installation may be analyzed in accordance with analysis rules to create a meta-model representative of the elements of the customized elements and their relationships with each other and objects of the source installation. Responsive to transformation rules, the meta-model may be modified to create a transformed meta-model representative of the elements and their relationships with each other and objects of the target installation. The transformations may then be applied to the customized functions, objects, databases, and code of the source installation to convert them into transformed functions, objects, databases, and code, compatible with the target installation.
US08706768B2
A project management system manages project schedule data using separate current and historical task schedule data structures. In general, current schedule data is stored separately from historical schedule data, so that the current schedule data may be retrieved separately from the historical task schedule data. The project management system may also maintain unscheduled tasks as “to-do lists.” Tasks may be added to a member's schedule without specifying any planned dates and the tasks are added to the database. The tasks have an associated revision number of 0 to indicate that the tasks were added, but not yet scheduled. The tasks are displayed in the member schedule editor and in Web page schedules. The tasks may then be displayed in the member schedule editor and in Web page schedules in a manner that allows a user to readily determine that the tasks are “to-do list” tasks.
US08706764B2
Aspects of a data environment, such as the creation, provisioning, and management of data stores and instances, are managed using a separate control environment. A user can call into an interface of the control environment, the call being analyzed to determine actions to be performed in the data environment. A monitoring component of the control plane also can periodically communicate with the data environment to determine any necessary actions to be performed, such as to recover from faults or events in the data environment. A workflow can be instantiated that includes tasks necessary to perform the action. For each task, state information can be passed to a component in the data environment operable to perform the task, until all tasks for an action are completed. Data in the data environment can be accessed directly using a separate interface of the data environment, without accessing the control plane.
US08706762B1
A system and method allows users to provide portions of scripts or scripts for retrieval of information from one or more web sites of one or more businesses by demonstrating operation of the one or more web sites and identifying locations of one or more fields on each web page of the one or more web sites, and the system and method stores the scripts and uses the scripts to retrieve information from such web site or web sites for any number of users. Different portions of different scripts may be used as a single script to retrieve information from a single web site. Scripts or portions of scripts may be repaired using information from previously working scripts or portions, the web site when the script or portion worked, and the web site when the script or portion did not work.
US08706756B2
A client device comprising a search module configured to receive a search instruction from a federated search server, query one or more search services based on the search instruction, receive a first search result that comprises one or more search results from one or more search services, send the first search result to the federated search server, and receive a second search result from the federated search server. Also disclosed is a federated search server comprising a search instruction generator configured to send a search instruction to a client device, and a search result consolidator configured to receive a first search result from the client device, wherein the first search result comprises one or more search results and is obtained by the client device from one or more search services.
US08706750B2
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for processing search query suggestions. In one aspect, a search service provides query suggestions responsive to a query suggestion request from a client device, and determines if a prediction criterion is met. The prediction criterion is independent of a user selection of a query suggestion provided in response to one or more query suggestion requests. In response to determining that the prediction criterion is met, the search system provides search results to the client device. The search results are responsive to one of the query suggestions provided in response to the query suggestion request or one or more previous query suggestion requests.
US08706739B1
A method for user profile matching, including extracting online social network (OSN) user profile tokens from user profiles of one or more OSNs, generate indexes each referencing a user by at least one of the OSN user profile tokens that is associated with the user, extracting target OSN user profile tokens from a target OSN user profile of the one or more OSNs, identifying a candidate user based on the target OSN user profile tokens and at least one of the indexes, calculating a score representing a similarity measure between a candidate OSN user profile selected from the OSN user profiles that belongs to the candidate user and the target OSN user profile of the target user, and storing, in response to the score exceeding a pre-determined threshold, a combination of the target OSN user profile and the candidate OSN user profile as an expanded profile of the target user.
US08706737B2
A method and apparatus for processing top-k queries are disclosed. For example, the method receives a top-k query with a value for a number of samples and a value of a confidence parameter. The method samples in accordance to the number of samples, and determines a top-k weight of a sample top-k set. The method bounds the top-k weight in an interval having an upper bound and a lower bound such that the top-k weight is in the interval with a probability equal to one minus the value of the confidence parameter, and provides a response to the top-k query in accordance with the upper and lower bounds.
US08706730B2
A method (400) is disclosed of extracting factoids from text repositories, with the factoids being associated with a given factoid category. The method (400) starts by training a classifier (230) to recognize factoids relevant to that given factoid category. Documents or document summaries relevant to the given factoid category is next collected (410) from the text repositories. Sentences having a predetermined association to the given factoid category is extracted (420) from the documents or said document summaries. Those sentences are classified (440), in a noisy environment, using the classifier (230) to extract snippets containing phrases relevant to the given factoid category. It is the extracted snippets that are the factoid associated with the given factoid category.
US08706727B2
A system, method, and computer program product for reducing data storage requirements in a database system are described herein. An embodiment includes identifying at least one data candidate of fixed length data type in at least one row of database data for compression based upon a predetermined threshold level and a boundary of compression, providing at least one bit within the at least one row for an identified data candidate according to the boundary of compression, and storing the at least one row as compressed data in the database system. For compression based on a row boundary, the identified data candidates for compression include fixed length columns having lengths that do not fall below the predetermined threshold level in a row of data and the at least one bit comprises a bitmap for a length of the identified data candidates following compression. For compression based on a page boundary, the identified data candidates for compression include redundant byte string data in a page of data, the redundant byte string data including matching data across columns having lengths that do not exceed the predetermined threshold level.
US08706717B2
A method can include receiving a search request from a user interface (UI), selecting one or more repositories in response to the search request, and displaying, on a display device, search results corresponding to the selected repositories. The selected repositories are a subset of a plurality of available repositories, as specified by an administrator. By selecting or de-selecting the available repositories, a user can define or refine a search of the available repositories. In various implementations, the method includes interface elements that assist a user in previewing revised search results based on revised selections of repositories, and/or selections of subcategories of information available in one or more of the repositories.
US08706716B2
Validation measures related to information obtained from publicly available data sources are generated for providing recommendations about a potential client. Trusted search criteria are used to obtain a set of query results. These results are used to gather metadata associated with a potential client for loan offers. The validation measures are initiated from the associations and used to modify the search criteria or identifying data for searching further. A credit worthiness score related to the potential client is configured based on the validation scores and relevancy of the data. The client information is updated dynamically with continued modification of the initial search criteria in order to alter a scope and improve an accuracy of information.
US08706715B2
Methods and systems for query optimization for a multi-tenant database system are provided. Some embodiments comprise receiving at a network interface of a server in a multi-tenant database system an original query transmitted to the multi-tenant database system by a user associated with a tenant, wherein the original query is associated with data accessible by the tenant, and wherein the multi-tenant database system includes at least a first index and a second index. Metadata associated with the data is retrieved, wherein at least a portion of the data is stored in a common table within the multi-tenant database system. A tenant-selective query syntax is determined by analyzing at least one of metadata generated from information about the tenant or metadata generated from the data accessible by the tenant. An improved query is then generated using the query syntax, wherein the improved query is based at least in part upon the original query and a result of a join between a first number of rows associated with the first index and a second number of rows associated with the second index.
US08706712B2
A method which generates at a user's computer system a display which graphically shows the relationships among a core query and one or more suggested related queries in a search conducted through an online search engine. The display preferably is a set of partially overlapping geometric figures such as circles, with the size of each circle indicating the number of resources found by the search queries and the overlap indicating commonality between a core query and a suggested related query.
US08706709B2
A method is provided in one example embodiment and it includes identifying a root word for a tree to be used in managing data and creating a word stem to be included in the tree. A query is initiated to determine whether a stem node exists at one or more branch points of the word, and if the stem node does not exist, then the stem node is added to a branch point of the tree. In more specific embodiments, if the stem node does exist, then node statistics are updated. In other embodiments, the method includes updating a branch point list after creating the word stem. In yet other embodiments, the branch point is a word or a combination of words. The tree can be used to identify locations and frequencies within a document set where one or more words are present.
US08706703B2
In accordance with one or more embodiments, an inode implemented file system may be utilized to support both offline and inline deduplication. When the first content is stored in the storage medium, one inode is used to associate a filename with the data blocks where the first content is stored. When a second content that is a duplicate of the first content is to be stored, then a parent inode is created to point to the data blocks in which a copy of the first content is stored. Further, two inodes are created, one representing the first content and the other representing the second content. Both inodes point to the same parent inode that points to the data blocks where the first content is stored.
US08706697B2
Systems and methods for dynamically managed data retention are described. The system comprises a tiered framework having a plurality of namespaces. The namespaces are configured by a user to have selected data retention attributes. Data including a manifest may be received by the system, processed, and directed to a namespace based upon the manifest. Data storage partitions may be created automatically in association with a namespace, and the data partitions may be assigned partition attributes. Data in a storage partition may be migrated automatically to another namespace based on the partition attributes. Code necessary for creating storage partitions and migrating data is generated by the data management system.
US08706696B2
In an embodiment, communities are generated on demand. In this specification a community is a group of webpages in which users share ideas with one another by posting ideas and sending messages for one another to read. An on-demand community is a community that may be created via tools specialized for creating communities, with just a few keys strokes and/or mouse clicks and by adding information (e.g., about the members and/or the topic or set of topics that the community is focused upon), such that a community maybe established within a short amount of time, such as a few minutes or a few hours. Optionally, the communities may be initially populated with ideas related to a particular topic or set of topics. Optionally, each member may be provided with tools for establishing one or more profile page and/or one or more friend pages.
US08706693B2
A map update data delivery method includes: storing update unit data compiled in correspondence to each set of update data used to update map data in a specific version to map data in another version for a map element by incorporating update data for another map element that must also be updated in coordination with a change made for the map element; searching for base update data needed to update a map data for a map element designated as an update target in a map area specified at a terminal as a map data update target; searching for related update data with a relation to contents of update data included in the base update data searched; and transmitting the base update data and the related update data to the terminal.
US08706691B2
A method is provided for managing insulin dosage data collected over a complete day and a partial day. The method includes providing, by an insulin pump, a plurality of insulin dosages over a complete day and a partial day and recording the insulin dosages. The method also includes recognizing a completion of the complete day, recording an end-of-day marker, and associating the end-of-day marker to the dosages delivered during the complete day. Moreover, the method includes identifying complete day dosage data and partial day dosage data. Additionally, the method includes performing a calculation of insulin dosage statistics and/or displaying and distinguishing between the complete day dosage data and the partial day dosage data. The calculation includes the complete day dosage data and excludes the partial day dosage data.
US08706689B1
A system for media lifecycle management for recorded media in a contact center environment, comprising a plurality of recording servers operating on network-attached computers and adapted to record interactions in a contact center, a media lifecycle management service operating on a plurality of network-attached server computers and comprising software modules adapted to carry out relocation, archive, backup, restore, delete, and synchronize processes, a configuration service operating on a plurality of network-attached server computers, and a plurality of data storage devices attached to a network and each accessible to at least one recording server and to the media lifecycle management service and configuration service.
US08706688B2
A computer-implemented data processing system and method for storing a data set at a plurality of data centers. The data centers and hosts within the data centers may, for example, be organized according to a multi-tiered ring arrangement. A hashing arrangement may be used to implement the ring arrangement to select the data centers and hosts where the writing and reading of the data sets occurs, version histories may also be written and read at the hosts and may be used to evaluate causal relationships between the data sets after the reading occurs.
US08706686B2
A method and a computer system for storing data files in a data memory, wherein meta attributes comprising subject attributes, object attributes and relationships between these attributes are assigned to a data file. The meta attributes are selected from a meta attribute model or a knowledge card in which the meta attributes are structured in accordance with their meaning and context. A respective datafile is stored in the data memory on the basis of the meta attributes assigned thereto. The meta attributes assigned to a data file can be added to the data file or can be associated with the data file by means of a unique link.
US08706678B2
A computer-implemented system and method for facilitating evergreen discovery of digital information is provided. A hierarchy of topics for topically-limited subject areas is defined. Seed words characteristic of each topic are selected. Training material from the digital information that corresponds to the respective subject area of each of the topics is designated. Candidate topic models are formed from the seed words. Each candidate topic model includes a pattern evaluable against the digital information. An ability of each of the candidate topic models to identify such digital information matching the candidate topic model's topic is tested by matching the pattern in the candidate topic model to the training material. The candidate topic model for each topic that includes the highest abilities with respect to the topic in performance, simplicity and bias is chosen. An evergreen index is formed by pairing the chosen candidate topic model to each topic in the hierarchy.
US08706675B1
A video hosting service comprising video classifiers that identify content sources of content included in videos uploaded to the video hosting service. Identifying the content source allows a content owner of the content source to claim ownership of videos that include content based on the content source. Usage policies associated with the content owners are applied to the uploaded videos that describe how the video hosting service is to treat the videos.
US08706669B2
A method of deriving a classifier for classifying items using a plurality of variables for characteristics of the items, the method comprising determining a representative subset of the variables for use in said classifier.
US08706660B2
Methods and system employing the same for optimizing an objective function are provided. The objective function assesses the quality of a candidate solution. One or more variables of an objective function are selected as pivot variables. Each of the variables include one or more candidate values. An upper bound function is generated from the objective function, where the pivot variables are held fixed. For each combination of the candidate values, one or more candidate solutions are searched using the upper bound function. One or more optimal solutions are selected from among the solutions to the searches.
US08706657B2
Systems/methods for computing a power spectral density estimate for a noise signal. Where the noise signal appears in two channels (a single channel), n successive data acquisitions from the two channels (the single channel) are used to compute n respective cross (power) spectral densities, which are then averaged. The averaged cross (power) spectral density may then be smoothed in the spectral domain. The magnitude of the smoothed cross (power) spectral density comprises an estimate for the noise power spectral density. An effective number of independent averages may be computed based on the number n, the time-domain window applied to the acquired sample sets, the amount of overlap between successive sample sets, and the shape of the frequency-domain smoothing function. A statistical error bound (or uncertainty measure) may be determined for the power spectral density estimate based on the effective number of averages and the averaged single-channel and cross-channel spectral estimates.
US08706652B2
Systems and methods for controlling power consumption in a computer system. For each of a plurality of interactive applications, the method changes a frequency at which a processor of the computer system runs, receives an indication of user satisfaction, determines a relationship between the changed frequency and the user satisfaction of the interactive application, and stores the determined relationship information. The determined relationship can distinguish between different users and different interactive applications. A frequency may be selected from the discrete frequencies at which the processor of the computer system runs based on the determined relationship information for a particular user and a particular interactive application running on the processor of the computer system. The processor may be adapted to run at the selected frequency.
US08706650B2
Systems and methods for energy optimization may receive receiving energy provider data, near-real time individualized energy usage data for each of a plurality of end-uses or near-real time individualized whole premise energy usage data, customer preferences, and near-real time and forecasted weather information. The systems and methods may forecast, for a selected time period, individualized energy usage for each of the plurality of end-uses or individualized whole premise energy usage data for a customer location using: (1) the energy provider data, (2) the near-real time individualized energy usage data, (3) the customer preferences, and (4) the near-real time and forecasted weather information. The systems and methods may optimize, for the selected time period, energy usage at the customer location using (1) the individualized energy usage, (2) the energy provider data, and (3) the customer preferences.
US08706644B1
Techniques for generating and providing phrases are described herein. These techniques may include analyzing one or more sources to generate a first corpus of phrases, each of the phrases for use as an identifier and/or for association with a user for executing a transaction. Once a first corpus of phrases has been generated, these phrases may be filtered to define a second corpus of phrases. Phrases of this second corpus may then be suggested to one or more users. In some instances, the phrases suggested to a particular user are personalized to the user based on information previously known about the user or based on information provided by the user.
US08706641B2
A system for providing real-time risk mitigation for an authorization system. The system receives authorization requests from multiple merchants (or their respective acquirers) and processes such requests. Each processed request is then forwarded to its corresponding issuer for further authorization. Each processed request includes an authorization message. The authorization message can include a risk score, a number of reason codes, and a number of condition codes. The use of the risk score, reason codes and condition codes allows issuers to make better informed decisions with respect to providing authorizations.
US08706639B1
A determination is made regarding whether a user is allowed to access a content item. The content item is associated with a website. An offer associated with the website is identified. The offer includes a set of use-time rules specifying time periods during which the offer can be used to access content. A use-time rule is associated with a user class. A class of the user with respect to the offer is determined. The user's class indicates whether the user has accepted the offer or whether the user has registered with the website. A determination is made regarding whether the user is allowed to access the content item based on the offer, the user's class, and a current timestamp.
US08706636B2
Digital assets are tracked through the use of digital serial numbers. Systems equipped with the present invention can uniquely identify copies of assets within it. Assets that originate within the system can be uniquely identified even outside the system. The transaction history can be traced by looking up the transaction history associated with an assets' serial number. The serial number applied to an asset is unique to each transaction and can be applied at the time a copy is made. Database entries are created that link each unique serial number to aspects of the transaction. Each serial number can reference details about a particular transaction such as parties involved, date and time of copy, ownership, terms of use, and payment terms.
US08706631B2
An Internet-coupled transaction service has a link to a computer appliance coupled to a merchant site, the computer appliance operated by a person who has selected one or more products or services to purchase at the merchant site, and who has selected, through the merchant site, the transaction service to arrange payment, and software executing from a computer-readable medium accessible to the service. The transaction service, via the software verifies the identity of the person, determines a credit worthiness for the person, and the score being sufficient, arranges payment to be made to the merchant on behalf of the person, and arranges repayment terms with the person for the payment to the merchant.
US08706623B2
A method of reducing chargebacks due to a cancelled recurring payment, wherein the payment occurs within a card-based financial network, and wherein the network includes a database of unauthorized recurring charges and a defined chargeback procedure. The method generally includes the step of upgrading a recurring payment cancellation services file based on predefined occurrences relating to the identifying of cancelled recurring payments.
US08706621B2
A method for correlating information received directly from an access device operated by a user, and information from a merchant server is disclosed. The method includes receiving, at a server of a merchant entity from an access device used by a consumer, a checkout request to initiate a transaction, providing, from the merchant server to a server of a non-merchant entity, transaction information associated with said transaction, wherein the transaction information comprises a merchant ID, and receiving, at the merchant server from the non-merchant server, a response message regarding the transaction, wherein the response message is based on a correlation between the transaction information and device information specifically associated with the access device and provided directly from the access device to the non-merchant server, and is based on additional processing associated with the transaction information and the device information, performed by the non-merchant server.
US08706619B1
Disclosed are various embodiments for employing spillover tables to improve performance of data store updates. A request to update a data field is received, and if an exclusive lock on a data table cannot be obtained, the request is placed in a spillover table until the exclusive lock can be obtained. If the request causes a constraint on the data field to be violated or causes the data field to move closer to the constraint, the request is not placed in the spillover table. A spillover task can collapse entries in the spillover table into the data store when an exclusive lock can be obtained.
US08706616B1
A purchase of debt system (“PODS”) and process that allows a debtor and entity using the system to financially benefit by exploiting the errors, fraud and inefficiencies contained in debts, such as medical bills. Specifically, the type of debt associated with, for example, medical bills is debt liability that has no asset(s) associated with it. The debtor is benefited by assigning the debt and associated liability, at a reduced price, to a third party (the entity using the system). The entity using the system then obtains a financial benefit by settling the debt, with the creditor, for an amount less than that paid to it by the debtor.
US08706612B2
A system and method are provided for displaying information related to a plurality of tradeable objects using a single graphical interface. One example graphical interface includes at least two screen regions displayed in relation to each other, with each region including a plurality of locations. Each location in the first screen region corresponds to a value along a first value axis, and each location in the second screen region corresponds to a value along a second value axis. The graphical interface also includes a first indicator in the first region and a second indicator in the second region. In response to a repositioning command based on an algorithm, the graphical interface includes a repositioned first value axis and the second value axis, such that the indicators are displayed in new locations determined based on the algorithm.
US08706606B2
A communication interface (1) for an Automated Trading System is disclosed. The communications interface (1) has dedicated hardware (1) array to process messages (4) between an external network (2) and a matching engine (3) in the automated trading system.
US08706603B2
Positions held by a trader are made fungible by selecting a first position in a first futures contract that is deliverable and selecting a second position in a second futures contract, wherein the first and second futures contracts are traded in a first and second market, respectively. Offsetting the first and the second positions eliminates a delivery obligation of the trader.
US08706601B1
A computer-based system including: a memory unit configured to store computer readable instructions, path-dependent behavioral assumptions, and economic variables; and a processor configured to execute the computer readable instructions to perform a vectorized adjoint differentiation forward pass including: generating a full or pruned directed acyclic graph (DAG) representation of a procedure for computation of the behaviorally path-dependent value for the financial product; computing, using the DAG representation, the behaviorally path-dependent value for the financial product; and performing an adjoint differentiation backward pass on said full or pruned DAG representation to obtain a result. The processor is configured to execute the computer readable instructions to determine, using the result, a set of sensitivities for the behaviorally path-dependent value for the financial product; and display the set of sensitivities for the behaviorally path-dependent value on a graphical user interface for the at least one specially programmed computer.
US08706599B1
An automated method is provided for generating investment criteria for an investment vehicle that includes a pool of escrow deposits from a plurality of merger and acquisition transactions. An escrow history database is maintained of data derived from historical behavior of escrows from a plurality of previous merger and acquisition transactions. An escrow pool database is maintained of current escrow deposit data from a plurality of current merger and acquisition transactions. The escrow pool database includes the current deposit amounts in the pool of escrow deposits, and stated terms governing the release of each deposit amount in the pool of the escrow deposits. A set of investment criteria for selecting an asset pool is generated using a processor operating on the escrow history database and the escrow pool database. The set of investment criteria includes maturity metrics selected from the group consisting of weighted average maturity, convexity, and maturity distribution profile.
US08706582B2
A computer-implemented method may include associating a first bundle with a subscriber on a first subscription date, the first bundle defining a pre-paid service, a first renewal date, and a first renewal price. The method may include associating a second bundle with the subscriber on a second date different than the first subscription date and different than the first renewal date, the second bundle defining a feature, not defined in the first bundle, of the prepaid service and a second renewal price, the second bundle having the first renewal date. The method may also include renewing the first bundle and the second bundle on the first renewal date if a balance of an account associated with the subscriber is greater than or equal to the first renewal fee plus the second renewal fee.
US08706573B2
Inventorying communications circuits may be provided. Consistent with embodiments of the present invention, systems and methods are disclosed for inventorying communication circuits. A calculation may provide a facility requirement value corresponding to a required number of service pair to serve a location with a predetermined service quality. Then, it may be determined that an available plurality of service pairs equal to the facility requirement value is available from a switching center to the location. Next, a circuit tag may be created corresponding to the available plurality of service pair. A plurality of service tags may then be created. Each the plurality of service tags may respectively correspond to each of the available plurality of service pair. The plurality of service tags may be sequentially numbered. Then, the circuit tag and the plurality of the service tags may be stored in an inventory database.
US08706572B1
Systems and methods for generating product image maps are disclosed. An image containing at least one object is received, and the object is extracted to determine whether it corresponds to a product available via an electronic commerce system. An image map can be generated so that a user interface including hyperlinks to the product in the electronic commerce system can be employed.
US08706564B2
The subject invention relates to electronic buying and selling systems and methods. In particular, the invention concerns relations among distinct price curves, price curve attributes (i.e., factors of the offer that can affect the price curves) and buyers or potential buyers. For instance, a price offered to a system user can vary based on total volume of all people aggregating in private environments, cumulative total order by user, ship date, optimal time, as well as terms and conditions associated with the offer (e.g., no cancellation of order, cancellation possible, payment method . . . ).
US08706560B2
A system receives item data corresponding to an item list from a user. The item list may include one or more items. The system communicates the item list to a community group associated with the user and the system then receives member data from one or more members of the community group, wherein the member data is associated with the one or more items on the item list.
US08706555B2
A method is disclosed for determining a customer's proximity to a checkout register at a store. A mobile electronic device with mobile self-checkout software thereon may record and analyze ambient noise to determine when a customer is in a checkout line as well as to track the customer's progress through the checkout line. The mobile self-checkout software may present information to the customer according to the customer's position in the checkout line. The type and nature of the information presented to the customer may be changed according to the customer's distance from the checkout terminal as well as how quickly the customer is approaching the terminal. The software may provide detailed data about the shopping and checkout experience. This information may be correlated to customer satisfaction and used identify particular strengths and weaknesses in the shopping experience offered by a store.
US08706552B1
A method of targeting an advertisement to users of scheduled transportation operating at a transportation facility having a set of programmable signs at distinct locations in the facility includes in a first computer process determining a dynamic profile of users proximate to the location of a selected programmable sign of the set for a relevant time window. The method further includes in a second computer process selecting from an advertisement database an advertisement having a set of selection criteria that are compatible with the dynamic profile for the relevant time window and in a third computer process causing display of the advertisement on the selected programmable sign during at least a portion of the relevant time window.
US08706546B2
Ads eligible to be served with a document (for example, because they are relevant to the document) may each be scored using a price parameter associated with the ad and an indication of relevancy of the ad to the document. The indication of relevancy of the ad to the document may be based on an ordinal ranking of a relevancy criteria of the document used to select the ad, and/or a value of a relevancy criteria of the document used to select the ad. The eligible ads may be determined by obtaining relevancy criteria for the document and selecting ads using at least some of the obtained relevancy criteria. The ads may be selected, and perhaps filtered, in a distributed manner.
US08706536B1
A method in a computer system for estimating safety stock levels comprises the steps of receiving as inputs a target customer service level for the business, a time period, and a probability of cancellation for the item. Actual historical time-series demand data and actual historical time-series lead-time data for the item is decomposed to isolate a component attributable primarily to a random variation in a demand for the item and a random variation in a lead-time for the item, respectively. Statistical distributions are then used to generate a random demand and a random lead-time for the item for each of a plurality of time units within the time period and for each time unit within a mean lead-time. A reorder point is iterated until it yields a customer service level that is generally equal to the target customer service level, for computation of the safety stock level.
US08706535B2
A software and/or hardware facility to improve the management of project schedules containing prioritized tasks. The project management facility allows a user to create one or more work packages by selecting tasks from one or more existing projects. Each work package is a collection of tasks that are to be executed out of order from the project or projects from which the tasks were selected. At the same time, the facility maintains the prioritization of the tasks in the original project or projects from which the tasks were selected. When tasks are added to a work package, the facility recalculates the work package schedule and any impacted project schedules to reflect the re-prioritization of the task. In some embodiments, the facility generates a link between each task that is contained in a work package and the project from which the task was selected.
US08706528B2
In one embodiment, a method of pricing a diagnostic test includes receiving data associated with the diagnostic test and setting a price of the diagnostic test. The data associated with the diagnostic test includes an indication of one of a first result of the diagnostic test and a second result of the diagnostic test. The price of the diagnostic test is set based on the indication included in the data associated with the diagnostic test. In another embodiment, a method of pricing a diagnostic test includes receiving data associated with the diagnostic test and charging a first price or a second price for the diagnostic test. The data associated with the diagnostic test includes an indication of one of a first result of the diagnostic test and a second result of the diagnostic test. The first price is charged if the indication is of the first result. The second price is charged if the indication is of the second result. The second price is greater than the first price.
US08706525B2
A system and method for generating meal suggestion messages using an expert system and then pushing those suggestions to users. Meal suggestions are tailored to users based on their tastes and preferences. Users specify preferences related to a diet plan, food preferences, meal time preferences, and meal preparation preferences. An expert system considers each user's preferences and nutritional data to generate meal suggestion messages consistent with the user's preferences and dietary goals. Meal suggestions are pushed to the user according to the user's preferred time for eating each meal. The user can accept or reject the suggested meal or one or more foods within a suggested meal. For rejected meal suggestions, a meal substitution message is generated and sent. The expert system uses accepted and rejected meal suggestions to determine if certain foods or entire meals should no longer be recommended to individual users or to system users as a whole.
US08706522B2
Methods and systems for pharmacy location are described. In one embodiment, a plurality of pharmacy network associations of a member is determined. The pharmacy network associations are associated with a drug benefit plan of the member. A pharmacy within a pharmacy network association of the plurality of pharmacy network associations is capable of fulfilling a prescription for a prescription drug. A location associated with the member is accessed. A display is generated based on the determination of the pharmacy network associations and the location of the member. The display includes a first indicator and a second indicator. A first network pharmacy of a first pharmacy network association is associated with the first indicator on the display. A second network pharmacy of a second pharmacy network association is associated with the second indicator on the display. Additional methods and systems are disclosed.
US08706520B2
A diabetes management system having a reliable data management scheme is disclosed. The system comprises a plurality of devices, each device performing a different function relating to treatment of diabetes. Each device has a device identifier and generates data records. Each device includes a metadata generator configured to generate a metadata tag for a data record generated by the device. A metadata tag includes the device identifier of the corresponding device, a record identifier, and a source identifier indicating whether the record was originated by a human or the device. The system further includes a diabetes management device. When a device generates a new record, the metadata generator generates a new record identifier and a new metadata tag based on the new record identifier and the device identifier of the device. The first device propagates the new record and the new metadata tag to the diabetes management device.
US08706511B2
The signal processing is based on the concept of using a time-domain aliased frame as a basis for time segmentation and spectral analysis, performing segmentation in time based on the time-domain aliased frame and performing spectral analysis based on the resulting time segments. The time resolution of the overall “segmented” time-to-frequency transform can thus be changed by simply adapting the time segmentation to obtain a suitable number of time segments based on which spectral analysis is applied. The overall set of spectral coefficients, obtained for all the segments, provides a selectable time-frequency tiling of the original signal frame.
US08706498B2
A system for customer interaction includes a telephony-enabled device for receiving voice calls from customers, a voice recognition engine connected to the telephony-enabled device for monitoring the voice channel, and an application server connected to the voice recognition engine for receiving notification when specific keywords phrases or tones are detected. The system is characterized in that the application server selects scripts for presentation to the customer based at least in part on the notifications received from the voice recognition engine.
US08706497B2
A synthesis filter 106 synthesizes a plurality of wide-band speech signals by combining wide-band phoneme signals and sound source signals from a speech signal code book 105, and a distortion evaluation unit 107 selects one of the wide-band speech signals with a minimum waveform distortion with respect to an up-sampled narrow-band speech signal output from a sampling conversion unit 101. A first bandpass filter 103 extracts a frequency component outside a narrow-band of the wide-band speech signal and a band synthesis unit 104 combines it with the up-sampled narrow-band speech signal.
US08706494B2
Methods and systems for providing a network-accessible text-to-speech synthesis service are provided. The service accepts content as input. After extracting textual content from the input content, the service transforms the content into a format suitable for high-quality speech synthesis. Additionally, the service produces audible advertisements, which are combined with the synthesized speech. The audible advertisements themselves can be generated from textual advertisement content.
US08706493B2
In one embodiment of a controllable prosody re-estimation system, a TTS/STS engine consists of a prosody prediction/estimation module, a prosody re-estimation module and a speech synthesis module. The prosody prediction/estimation module generates predicted or estimated prosody information. And then the prosody re-estimation module re-estimates the predicted or estimated prosody information and produces new prosody information, according to a set of controllable parameters provided by a controllable prosody parameter interface. The new prosody information is provided to the speech synthesis module to produce a synthesized speech.
US08706488B2
In one aspect, a method of processing a voice signal to extract information to facilitate training a speech synthesis model is provided. The method comprises acts of detecting a plurality of candidate features in the voice signal, performing at least one comparison between one or more combinations of the plurality of candidate features and the voice signal, and selecting a set of features from the plurality of candidate features based, at least in part, on the at least one comparison. In another aspect, the method is performed by executing a program encoded on a computer readable medium. In another aspect, a speech synthesis model is provided by, at least in part, performing the method.
US08706486B1
An exemplary system for detecting and preventing voice data leakage may comprise one or more servers running a packet payload converter module, a transcript generator module, and a detection logic module. The packet payload converter module may receive VoIP packets, convert them to a digital audio file, and write the digital audio file to a media database. The transcript generator module may read the digital audio file from the media database, convert it to a text file, and write the text file to a transcript database. The detection logic module may read the text file from the transcript database, parse it into a plurality of keywords, determine whether the plurality of keywords contain one or more target keyword, and, if so, transmit a report to an events database.
US08706483B2
A system enhances the quality of a digital speech signal that may include noise. The system identifies vocal expressions that correspond to the digital speech signal. A signal-to-noise ratio of the digital speech signal is measured before a portion of the digital speech signal is synthesized. The selected portion of the digital speech signal may have a signal-to-noise ratio below a predetermined level and the synthesis of the digital speech signal may be based on speaker identification.
US08706477B1
In some embodiments, a linguistic knowledge base containing correspondences between pairs of words or multi-word expressions belonging to different natural languages is generated and maintained using a graphical user interface. A linguistic model generates dependency tree representations of each multi-word expression. The dependency trees are simultaneously displayed within a graphical user interface, allowing a user to indicate lexical correspondences between pairs of nodes. Computer-readable (e.g. XML) encodings of the lexical correspondences are generated and stored in the linguistic knowledge base. At least some of the nodes are procedural nodes representing procedures which turn numerals into numeric values or manipulate pictures or sounds embedded in text associated with the node.
US08706476B2
Methods for converting a natural language sentence into a set of primitive sentences. The method includes identifying verbal blocks in the sentence, splitting the sentence into a set of logical clauses, determining a type of each clause wherein the type of each clause determines whether or not said clause contains verbal blocks, disambiguating ambiguous verbal blocks within each logical Clause, mad constructing a primitive sentence for each verbal block by duplicating the shared noun phrases of verbal blocks.
US08706474B2
Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, related to entity name translation. In general, a set of data records including one or more names of one or more entities in a source language is received and candidate translations are generated for the names of the data records. The candidate translations are strings of characters in a target language that has a different orthography than an orthography of the source language. A data repository is queried for records matching the candidate translations. A translation of at least one of the candidate translations is selected based on a comparison of a combination of candidate translations and properties of the source record comprising of the publication date, entity name co-occurrence and their frequency with the result of the querying the data repository.
US08706470B2
Usages of language are analyzed in ways that are at least partially language independent. In preferred embodiments, portions of a document are hashed, and the resulting hash values are compared with each other and with those of other documents in real-time. Analyses can be used to gauge conformity of a document to one or more standards utilizing a hash triplet consisting of a hash for each document word and two involving the word and its preceding and following words, to provide suggestions to the author, and to filter email.
US08706466B1
Computer-based computational tools for use in determining spatial charge distributions for biological systems that include one or more biological membranes are provided. At least one of the biological membrane includes at least two regions having different electrical properties, e.g., the biological membrane can include a pore having a higher conductivity than the surrounding bulk membrane. In other cases, the membrane can include non-active and active regions, with conservative fields acting at the non-active regions and a combination of conservative and non-conservative fields acting at the active regions. The non-conservative fields can, for example, originate from differences in ionic concentrations of the type which generate Nernst potential differences across membranes. Using the computer-based computational tools, charge distributions not previously known to exist have been discovered, e.g., ring-shaped charge distributions in the vicinity of an active pore.
US08706461B1
Concepts and technologies are disclosed herein for modeling propulsion-related interfaces in computational fluid dynamics (“CFD”). According to some embodiments disclosed herein, a model is obtained or developed and propulsion-related interfaces within the model are identified. Flow directions of velocities, temperature, and/or mass are calculated adjacent to the propulsion-related interface and compared. A mass flow rate, a conserved variable state jump, a change in flux across the interface, and/or incoming and outgoing flux values can be calculated for the propulsion-related interface. The calculated values can be returned and embedded in the model. The model is solved and a solution is output.
US08706452B2
A system, method, and computer program product for automated creation of collision-free paths for pipes and tubes in a CAD system. A method includes receiving inputs, in a data processing system, defining at least a start point and destination point for a pipe in a CAD environment, and a diameter for the pipe. The method includes determining sample points between the start point and destination point. The method also includes building a graph including the sample points and the start point and the destination points as nodes and a plurality of edges connecting the nodes. The method also includes computing a path through the graph between the start point and the destination point. The method also includes, for each node in the path, testing each edge connected to the node to determine if there is a collision along the edge between a test object model and a background model geometry in the CAD environment, and removing from the graph any edge that has a collision. If there is no collision along an edge of the path, then designating the path as a successful path and displaying the successful path to a user by the data processing system.
US08706450B2
A method and engineering system by which relationships are automatically identifiable between CAD objects of different CAD models, where use of a transformation rule which maps points of the envelope geometry of a first CAD object of a first CAD model onto points in a second CAD model is used such that the points involved in the transformation rule each relate to the same modeled raw component. The transformation rule is applied to at least two CAD objects of the first CAD model. If the transformed points in the second CAD model are surrounded by a common-envelope geometry, this spatial relationship is interpreted as a grouping relationship. A hierarchical data structure is then formed automatically within the engineering system, taking account of the already recognized grouping relationship, and allowing synchronous data keeping.
US08706445B2
Provided is a measurement apparatus that measures a characteristic of an AD converter, comprising a signal supplying section that supplies the AD converter with an analog input signal having a prescribed waveform; an acquiring section that acquires a digital output signal output by the AD converter as a result of sampling the analog input signal; a measured histogram generating section that generates a histogram of the digital output signal; and a range calculating section that calculates at least one of an analog value corresponding to a lower limit and an analog value corresponding to an upper limit of a prescribed digital range, based on at least one of (i) a frequency corresponding to digital values, in a measured histogram obtained by measuring the digital output signal, that are less than or equal to the digital range and (ii) a frequency corresponding to digital values in the measured histogram that are greater than or equal to the digital range.
US08706443B2
A system for use in monitoring operation of a rotating device is described herein. The system includes at least one sensor, an input device, a display device, and a processor. The sensor is configured to sense a position of a component coupled to the rotating device, and to generate a signal indicative of the position of the component with respect to a reference. The input device is configured to generate a signal indicative of a user selection input. The processor is coupled in communication with the sensor, the input device, and the display device, and is programmed to calculate a plurality of timebased position values associated with a relative position of the component with respect to a predefined period of time. A plurality of orbital position values associated with a relative position of the component are calculated by the processor. The processor graphically presents at least one of a plurality of timebased traces corresponding to the calculated plurality of timebased position values and a plurality of orbit traces corresponding to the calculated plurality of orbital position values in response to a user selection input via said input device.
US08706441B2
There are provided a method of evaluating an area located behind a structure and a system thereof. The system includes: at least one source of electro-magnetic radiation adapted to illuminate a structure portion and to illuminate a area portion via openings formed between elements of the structure while a relative movement is introduced between the structure and the system; multiple detectors adapted to detect electro-magnetic radiation returned from the structure portion and from the area portion; a computing unit adapted to: (i) generate, in response to the detected electro-magnetic radiation, a simplified representation the area portion; and (ii) evaluate the area portion in response to a relationship between the simplified representation of the area portion and a reference simplified representation of the area portion.
US08706440B2
An apparatus for registering time and location of a weapon firing of a weapon. The apparatus includes a microcontroller, a pressure sensor located in proximately is provided to the weapon and adapted to determine pressure data based on air pressure in proximity to the weapon and provide the pressure data to a microcontroller, an accelerometer located in proximity to the weapon and adapted to determine acceleration data based on movement of the weapon and provide the acceleration data to the microcontroller; a time device adapted to keep time and provide the time to the microcontroller; a location sensor located in proximity to the weapon and adapted to determine a location of the weapon and provide the location of the weapon to the microcontroller; and a memory coupled to the microcontroller.
US08706429B2
To well remove a noise component due to vibration of a flexible member from an original detection signal output from a detecting unit and suppress a phase delay of a detection signal obtained by filtering. For this purpose, the present invention provides a detecting unit including a flexible member deforming according to a state of an object to be measured and a sensor detecting an amount of deformation of the flexible member and outputting an original detection signal indicating a detection result. A filtering unit outputs a detection signal obtained by filtering the original detection signal using a filter coefficient. A calculating device calculates a vibration frequency of the flexible member contained in the original detection signal. A changing unit changes a filter coefficient of the filtering unit to cause the filtering unit to function as a filter for attenuating the vibration frequency calculated by the calculating device.
US08706428B1
A system may include a laser device, a target and a processor. The laser device may be mounted to the structure and may emit a laser beam. The target may also be mounted to the structure at a predetermined distance from the laser device. The laser beam may strike the target at a strike point. The target may include a plurality of photo-sensors sensing displacement of the strike point along the target corresponding to deflection of the structure. The processor may be coupled to the photo-sensors and may record a time history of the strike point displacement. The processor may determine at least one loading cycle of the structure based upon the predetermined distance and the displacement time history.
US08706426B2
In one embodiment, a system and a method for identifying the class of a component of a mixture includes collecting samples from a sample source, determining a summed ion spectrum for each sample and generating sample data from the summed ion spectra, comparing the sample data with reference summed ion spectra of multiple reference substances to determine correlations between the reference substances and the sample data, and evaluating the correlations of the substances of each substance class to determine which substance class most closely correlates to the sample data.
US08706417B2
A method for selecting an anchor lane for tracking in a vehicle lane tracking system. Digital map data and leading vehicle trajectory data are used to predict lane information ahead of a vehicle. Left and right lane boundary markers are also detected, where available, using a vision system. The lane marker data from the vision system is combined with the lane information from the digital map data and the leading vehicle trajectory data in a lane curvature fusion calculation. The left and right lane marker data from the vision system are also evaluated for conditions such as parallelism and sudden jumps in offsets, while considering the presence of entrance or exit lanes as indicated by the map data. An anchor lane for tracking is selected based on the evaluation of the vision system data, using either the fused curvature calculation or the digital map and leading vehicle trajectory data.
US08706407B2
An approach for providing mapping information and route information based on exception information received from various users travelling within a common area is described. A navigation system processes travel information associated with one or more devices for comparison against predetermined route information. The navigation system also determines one or more exceptions based, at least in part, on the comparison. The predetermined route information, mapping information, or a combination thereof it then caused to be updated based, at least in part, on the processing of the one or more exceptions.
US08706402B2
In a vehicle control, a future travel locus of a vehicle is computed by using an evaluation function, and travel road surface information regarding a travel road surface on which the vehicle travels is stored. According to the travel road surface information stored, a convergence criterion for the evaluation function is variably set.
US08706399B2
A computer-implemented system and method for triggering events based on user location with respect to zones of influence is described. One or more zones of influence each having a plurality of points of geolocational data are defined. One or more user events are associated with each of the zones of influence. A location of a wireless device is identified based on geolocational data obtained by the wireless device. The geolocational data of the wireless device is compared with the geolocational data for one or more of the zones of influence. The user events associated with one such zone of influence are triggered when the geolocational data of the wireless device correlates with at least one of the points of geolocational data for that zone of influence.
US08706395B2
A cam actuated hydraulic brake system and an in plane tensioner pulley belt drive system may be used on autonomous vehicles, such as dynamic motion elements for the evaluation of various crash avoidance technologies. The brake system utilizes a cam driven by a servo to push the piston push rod of a hydraulic master brake cylinder, thus distributing pressurized brake fluid throughout the brake system. The pulley drive system uses an articulating arm for the driven pulley, and that arm may also have connected to it one or two tension pulleys, each of which is in contact with the belt. Because the drive pulley and the tensioner pulleys pivot about the same pivot axis, the needed belt length remains nearly constant across the entire range of the articulating arm.
US08706391B2
Dehydration of routes enables transmitting a description of a route requiring much less space than full specification of the route. A series of “breadcrumbs” and hints are used for dehydration. A breadcrumb includes coordinates of a point, a heading at which the route enters the breadcrumb, and a heading at which the route leaves the breadcrumb. A dehydration module places a breadcrumb at the location marking the beginning of the route, and having a leaving heading identifying the link in the original route. The node at the end of each link in the original route is examined. If the link leaving the node is the most parallel link to the link entering the node, nothing is added to the dehydrated route. If not, a breadcrumb is added to the dehydrated route, specifying the coordinates of the point, the entering heading of the breadcrumb and the leaving heading of the breadcrumb.
US08706389B2
Energy costs which are assigned to area segments are used when calculating the range and/or consumption for a vehicle.
US08706386B2
A fuel injection system including injectors for two different fuels is disclosed. In one example, fuel injection is adjusted to compensate for changes in engine intake air amount. Combustion stability during transient conditions may be improved.
US08706378B2
The vehicle described herein employs a mu logic module. The mu logic module monitors vehicle operating conditions, and based on those operating conditions determines a road surface mu in response to a wheel slip event. The road surface mu is then used to determine a drive force to minimize or control the wheel slip event. The mu logic module continually monitors and adjusts the drive force provided to at least one of the wheels to maximize the applied drive force, while stabilizing and controlling wheel slip events to ensure safe operation of a vehicle.
US08706374B2
An accelerator pedal device provided with a driving control device. The driving control device generates a braking force for braking a vehicle when the operation quantity of an acceleration pedal is below a first threshold value, and generates a driving force for driving the vehicle when the operation quantity exceeds a second threshold value larger than the first threshold value. The driving control device does not generate either the driving force or the braking force, and allows the vehicle to drive inertially, when the operation quantity ranges from the first threshold value to the second threshold value.
US08706373B2
An aftermarket amplifier of acceleration signal (FIG. 2, box A), which is mounted between the potentiometer of the acceleration pedal (FIG. 2, box B) and the electronic control unit (FIG. 2, box C) and is programmed to control and to modify the signals from the accelerator pedal. The amplifier improves the acceleration of a car and overcomes the problems occurring during overreacting. The amplifier measures the signals from the acceleration pedal, calculates the change of the angle of the potentiometer of acceleration speed (angular speed) and multiplies the signals from the acceleration pedal by a value which is determined by the angular speed of the potentiometer of the accelerator pedal. Additionally, the amplifier includes a function of a cruise control, which can be controlled with a single control switch (FIG. 2, box F).
US08706371B1
A method for adjusting hydraulic line pressure applied to one or more clutch devices in an electro-mechanical transmission mechanically-operatively coupled to an internal combustion engine and at least one electric machine includes predicting a first plurality of powertrain parameters for an upcoming event. For each of a plurality of engine torques, a predicted output torque and a predicted clutch load are determined that minimize a total powertrain operating cost based on an operator torque request and the predicted first plurality of powertrain parameters. Hydraulic line pressure is adjusted based on the engine torque having a lowest powertrain operating cost among the plurality of available engine torques.
US08706367B2
A control apparatus for an internal combustion engine stores priorities preset for a plurality of external loads on the internal combustion engine and actuates the plurality of external loads in order of priority at time intervals when requests for actuation of the external loads are simultaneously made during idling of the internal combustion engine. The plurality of external loads are properly actuated, thus preventing possible engine stall.
US08706355B2
A tire angle change motor steers a host vehicle according to a tire angle corresponding to the rotation angle of a steering wheel detected by a steering wheel angle sensor. A gear ratio calculating unit of a tire angle control unit changes the amount of steering corresponding to the rotation angle of the steering wheel required for the tire angle change motor to steer the host vehicle, depending on the amount of pushing of the steering wheel detected by the pushing amount sensor. Therefore, it is possible to improve the convenience of a driving operation for steering. A pushing direction reaction force motor changes a reaction force generated against the amount of pushing of the steering wheel by the driver, depending on the speed of the host vehicle detected by a vehicle speed sensor. Therefore, the reaction force makes it possible to prevent the host vehicle from being steered by an unintended operation of the driver in various traveling states of the vehicle.
US08706352B2
When an obstacle is sensed on a side of a vehicle, the future position of the vehicle after a prescribed time is predicted. When the predicted vehicle future position reaches a prescribed lateral position in the lane width direction, a decision to start a control is made, and the vehicle is controlled in a direction to prevent it from coming too close to the obstacle. If a state occurs in which the obstacle is sensed after not being sensed (i.e., it is first sensed), a decision to start the control is suppressed.
US08706351B2
Provided is an active noise cancellation apparatus capable of reliably reducing road noise by a technique other than mounting a vibration generator on a floor panel itself or another plate-like interior part itself, while reducing costs and size of the apparatus. A reference signal detector is mounted on a knuckle and the vibration generator is mounted on a wheel housing or a suspension member. An error signal detector detects vibration of the wheel housing or vibration of the suspension member as an error signal, or detects sound in a vehicle interior as an error signal. A controller controls the vibration generator based on the reference signal and the error signal so as to reduce the error signal.
US08706346B2
A method to control a powertrain having an electric motor includes monitoring a torque command to the motor, predicting a motor torque for the motor based upon the torque command, monitoring an actual motor torque of the motor, comparing the actual motor torque to the predicted torque, and indicating a motor fault when the actual motor torque and the predicted torque differ by more than a calibratable threshold.
US08706340B2
An underground utility vault inspection system and method includes a pre-defined railway installed in an underground utility vault, and an inspection vehicle adapted to traverse the railway to provide inspection results to inspection personnel. The inspection vehicle includes inspection tools for inspecting underground power lines and equipment, recording inspection results, and transmitting the inspection results to the inspection personnel.
US08706339B2
A robotic mower boundary sensing system includes a boundary driving circuit on a charging station transmitting an encoded signal on a boundary wire, a boundary sensor on a robotic mower and including an inductor receiving the encoded signal, and a vehicle control unit on the robotic mower receiving the encoded signal from the boundary sensor and decoding the signal and cross correlating the received signal to determine the distance of the boundary sensor from the boundary wire.
US08706330B2
A method of integrating, optimizing and combining in a marine hybrid system, the operation of one or more variable speed high voltage direct current (HVDC) generator(s), one or more energy storage units and a combination of one or more HVDC parallel hybrid and serial hybrid propulsion systems through use of an Energy Management Computer. One aspect of the invention involves the application of logic programming to automate the optimization and the operation of the Internal Combustion Engines (ICE) so that whenever the system requires their usage, they are operated at optimum efficiency conditions. For an ICE to operate at peak efficiency a combination of a large energy storage unit used as a buffer combined with a mixture of both a serial and a parallel hybrid system is used.
US08706323B2
Systems and methods to manage aircraft dispatch information are provided. A particular method includes receiving fault information at a dispatch information computing system. The fault information is associated with an aircraft. The method also includes accessing operational restriction information associated with the aircraft based on the fault information. The method further includes automatically determining a set of bottom line operational limitations of the aircraft based on the fault information and the operational restriction information. The method also includes generating customized checklists for the various users of the information. The method also includes sending output data from the dispatch information computing system to an output device. The output data identifies the set of bottom line operational limitations of the aircraft and tasks to be completed by the various users.
US08706314B2
Embodiments of a system for regulating temperature in a computer system are described. During operation, the system estimates a thermal trajectory as a function of time in at least a portion of the computer system. Then, the system modifies a flow resistance of a cooling mechanism in a thermal-regulation system in the computer system based on the estimated thermal trajectory, where the flow resistance is modified to regulate a temperature of at least the portion of the computer system.
US08706296B2
A peripheral device communication system includes a communications medium having physical network hardware. The system also includes a first network device capable of issuing to the physical network hardware a request to communicate a datagram with greater priority than any other communications request. This datagram encapsulates a memory register access command. The system further includes a second network device having addressable memory registers and capable of issuing to the physical network hardware a request to communicate a datagram with greater priority than any other communications request. This datagram encapsulates a response to a memory register access command.
US08706294B2
A dispensing system has a cartridge with a body having a plurality of bins and a plurality of attached lids that cover the respective bins when the lids are closed. The body has an external connector and the lids are opened by receipt of a command signal through the connector. The system also includes a cabinet with a docking location configured to accept a cartridge. The cabinet has a docking connector that connects to the cartridge connector when the cartridge is placed on the docking location. The cabinet also has a controller that sends the command signal through the docking connector to the cartridge to open one or more of the lids.
US08706291B2
The invention relates to a modular automated tool dispenser comprising at least one tool delivery module with at least one tool compartment containing a plurality of tools that are combined to form tool classes and with a plurality of tool conveying devices, each device being associated with one of the tool classes and conveying tools of one class to a tool delivery point. Each tool class is defined by the tool type, tool size and/or the tool weight as a tool parameter. The dispenser also comprises a tool selection device for selecting the desired tool class and the number of tools to be delivered and for activating the tool conveying device that is associated with the selected tool class.
US08706289B2
Methods and systems, in one embodiment, for receiving a warped flexible wafer to be transferred between a first mechanism and a second mechanism are described. The method and system senses a first vacuum suction between the warped flexible wafer and the first mechanism. The warped flexible wafer is positioned to define a gap between the warped flexible wafer and the second mechanism. Methods and systems for closing the gap incrementally between the warped flexible wafer and the second mechanism are described. At each increment, the methods and systems detect whether a second vacuum suction is created between the warped flexible wafer and the second mechanism. When a second vacuum suction is detected between the warped flexible wafer and the second mechanism, the first vacuum suction between the warped flexible wafer and the first mechanism is released.
US08706287B2
The invention related to a control system for a mill, particularly a roller grinding mill, comprising a mill control device (11), which is designed to control at least one mill characteristic on the basis of an associated target variable, and a fuzzy-control device (13), which is connected to the mill control device (11) and designed to adjust the target variable of the at least one mill characteristic to be controlled when at least one operating parameter of the mill deviates from a predefined normal range as a function of fuzzy rules that are based on said at least one operating parameter of the mill until the at least one operating parameter of the mill has reached the predefined normal range again. A solution is to be provided, which enables automated optimized mill operation even with changing operating conditions, particularly a mill operation that prevents the “mill rumbling”. This is achieved in that the at least one operating parameter of the mill encompasses as least the air pressure difference over the mill.
US08706277B2
System and method for encoding, transmitting and decoding audio data. Audio bit steam syntax is re-organized to allow system optimizations that work well with memory latency and memory burst operations. Multiple small entropy coding tables are stored in RAM and loaded to on-chip memory as needed. Audio prediction is pipelined in the bitstream syntax. Intra frames, independent of other frames in the bitstream, are included in the bitstream for error recovery and channel change. New algorithms are implemented in legacy syntax by including the new information in the user data space of the audio frame. The new decoder can use projection to determine where the new information is and read ahead in the stream. Audio prediction from the immediately previous frame is restricted. Audio prediction is performed across channels within a single audio frame. A variable re-order function comprises storing channels of data to DRAM in the order they are decoded and reading them out in presentation order.
US08706265B2
The present invention relates to time partitioning to enable execution of tasks in a constant cycle while guaranteeing dependence of a safety-related system. A safety controller includes a processor and a system program for controlling allocation of an execution time of the processor to tasks. The processor executes the system program to schedule tasks in accordance with scheduling information indicating, in a constant cycle, a period of one of a safety-related TP to which a safety-related task belongs and a non-safety-related TP to which a non-safety-related task belongs. In a task of a TP in the constant cycle, the processor stores the end information upon completion of processing in the task and brings the task into a ready state. In the scheduling, when the end information is stored, the processor inhibits allocation of the execution time even when the task in the TP in the constant cycle is in the ready state, and deletes the end information during a period between an end of the period of the TP in the constant cycle and a start of a period in a next cycle of the TP.
US08706262B2
A system program causes, as an execution preparation process for a control operation of a PLC, execution of a process for generating a reception buffer for storing received input data, and execution of a process for generating, for each input data referred to by a control program, an input synchronization buffer used by the control program as a reference target for the input data. The system program causes, as an execution control process for the control operation of the PLC, execution of an input copy process for copying the received input data from the reception buffer to the input synchronization buffer corresponding to the input data, and execution of a control program start process for starting execution of the control program.
US08706260B2
A catheter suitable for use in applying ablation energy to body tissue or detecting electrical signals conducted within the body tissue is disclosed. The catheter has a deflectable distal tip section. At least one electrode is adapted to be disposed against body tissue for delivery of ablation energy thereto or for conduction of body tissue electrical signals. An actuation mechanism comprising first and second pull wires is adapted to curve a proximal segment in a first direction and to independently bend an intermediate segment in a second direction.
US08706259B2
A system for lead implantation includes a lead having a paddle-style electrode extending from a proximal end to a distal end, the paddle-style electrode, having a back surface; an active surface; a plurality of electrode contacts disposed on the active surface; and a longitudinal lumen extending into the paddle-style electrode and defining an opening at the proximal end of the paddle-style electrode. The lead also has at least one lead body extending from the paddle-style electrode. The at least one lead body includes conductors that are electrically coupled to the electrode contracts. The system also includes an insertion tool having a distal portion for insertion into the longitudinal lumen of the paddle-style electrode. At least the distal portion of the insertion tool or the longitudinal lumen (or both) includes a low friction material forming a surface with a coefficient of friction of 0.1 or less.
US08706258B2
A method and apparatus for treating masses, such as prostate or breast cancer, or any other soft tissue cancerous or benign mass, employs a unique, three-dimensional software-controlled electronic amplifier array using arbitrary waveforms that dynamically and proportionally steer electrical currents by using two or more current vector paths, sequentially or simultaneously, through a mass containing electrically-conductive ionic solutions so as to obtain 100% thermal heating or hyperthermia through the mass, and destroying it with a minimally-invasive treatment which requires no radiation or chemotherapy which could be harmful to the patient.
US08706257B2
In one embodiment, a stimulation system for generating and delivering electrical stimulation pulse to tissue of a patient, comprises: a pulse generator for generating electrical pulses, the pulse generator comprising a housing portion and a header portion with feedthroughs extending from the housing portion into the header portion; and a stimulation lead comprising a flex film component enclosed in a lead body of insulative material, the flex film component including a plurality of electrically isolated conductors extending along a substantial length of the stimulation lead, the stimulation lead further comprising a plurality of electrodes electrically coupled to the conductors, the flex film component comprising a proximal portion that is exposed out of the insulative material of the lead body and includes a plurality of terminal bond bands, the terminal bond bands being electrically coupled to the conductors; and wherein the header portion of the pulse generator comprises a lid component to compress the terminal bond pads of the stimulation lead into electrical contact with conductors of feedthroughs of the pulse generator.
US08706252B2
Systems and methods for programming and logging medical device and patient data are provided. The systems include a handheld device, which is capable of communicating with a medical device, and a base station, which provides connectivity for the handheld device to accomplish various functions such as recharging, programming, data back-up and data entry. The methods comprise the steps of detecting a medical device, obtaining and recording information from the medical device. Additionally, medical device parameters may be modified and the recorded information may be archived for future reference.
US08706251B2
A method and system for enabling secure communications between an implantable medical device (IMD) and an external device (ED) over a telemetry channel. A telemetry interlock may be implemented which limits any communications between the ED and the IMD over the telemetry channel, where the telemetry interlock is released when the ED transmits an enable command to the IMD via a short-range communications channel requiring physical proximity to the IMD. As either an alternative or addition to the telemetry interlock, a data communications session between the IMD and ED over the telemetry channel may be allowed to occur only after the IMD and ED have been cryptographically authenticated to one other.
US08706249B2
In one embodiment, an implantable pulse generator (IPG) for generating electrical pulses for stimulation of tissue of a patient, comprises: a controller for controlling operations of the IPG; pulse generating circuitry for generating electrical pulses; and conversion circuitry for converting a received logic signal generated by a first voltage domain for provision to a second voltage domain, the conversion circuitry comprising a first stage and a second stage, wherein (i) the first stage receives first signals at first and second logic levels; (ii) the second stage receives second signals at third and fourth logic levels, (iii) the second stage comprising two sets of cross-coupled transistors for generating a rail-to-rail output at the third and fourth logic levels according to whether the received logic signal is at the first or second logic level.
US08706247B2
An exemplary auditory prosthesis system includes an auditory prosthesis configured to be implanted within a head of a patient and to apply electrical stimulation representative of an audio signal to one or more stimulation sites within the patient in accordance with one or more stimulation parameters, a behind-the-ear sound processing unit configured to be secured to an ear of the patient and to transmit the one or more stimulation parameters to the auditory prosthesis, and a remote audio processor module separate from the behind-the-ear sound processing unit and communicatively coupled to the behind-the-ear sound processing unit via a communication link, the remote audio processor module configured to perform at least a portion of a signal processing heuristic on the audio signal in order to facilitate generation of the one or more stimulation parameters.
US08706233B2
In some examples, a medical device delivers a first electrical stimulation therapy to a patient, and, upon detecting a trigger event, delivers a second electrical stimulation therapy to the patient. In some examples, the first stimulation therapy includes unilateral stimulation or stimulation delivered to both lateral sides of the patient at different times at a stimulation intensity lower than, equal to, or greater than a threshold intensity level for the patient, or bilateral stimulation delivered substantially simultaneously to both lateral sides of the patient, where one lateral side of the patient receives stimulation at an intensity level that is lower than the threshold intensity level and the other lateral side receives stimulation at an intensity level that is greater than or equal to the threshold intensity level. The second stimulation therapy may include substantially simultaneous bilateral stimulation therapy at an intensity level that at or above the threshold intensity level.
US08706228B2
An electronic module assembly (EMA) for an implantable medical device is disclosed. The EMA includes conductive strips connected to a non-conductive block. The non-conductive block possesses, a top side, a bottom side, a front side and a back side. A seamless non-conductive barrier extends from the bottom side and between the front side and the back side. The barrier prevents a pin from contacting another pin and eliminates welding of the ground pin to the side of the ferrule.
US08706223B2
The disclosure herein relates generally to methods for treating heart conditions using vagal stimulation, and further to systems and devices for performing such treatment. Such methods may include monitoring physiological parameters of a patient, detecting cardiac conditions, and delivering vagal stimulation (e.g., electrical stimulation to the vagus nerve or neurons having parasympathetic function) to the patient to treat the detected cardiac conditions.
US08706204B2
A system and method is provided for observing a heart rate of a passenger. The system for observing a heart rate of a passenger includes a plurality of different types of heart rate sensors provided on a seat cushion or a seat back, and a control unit for collecting waveforms of the heart rate sensors for respective sensor types, computing accuracies of the waveforms for respective sensor types at each unit time, selecting a waveform having a highest accuracy at each unit time, and then calculating a heart rate.
US08706195B2
Method and system for producing an electrophysiological map of a heart of the body of a patient, the method including, for at least one target point, determining a respective target point location and a respective probe orientation, confirming that the tip of a probe is located at the respective target point location, confirming that the tip is oriented at the respective probe orientation, measuring at least one heart parameter value at the respective target point location, and superimposing at least one representation of the at least one heart parameter value on an image of the heart, at the respective target point location, to produce the electrophysiological map.
US08706171B2
A user of a hands-free phone cannot determine with which speech quality the distant side of communication is listened to, and does not know which action to be required to improve the speech quality. In the case of the present invention, a function of presenting an action to be implemented by the user to improve the speech quality at the opposite party is mounted on the hands-free terminal. For the presentation here, it is assumed that the hands-free terminal according to the present invention has a function of estimating the speech quality at the distant side, a function of estimating an action to be implemented by the user to improve the estimated speech quality, and a function of presenting the estimated action to the user.
US08706168B2
A mobile communication terminal call history displays call distinguishing icons representing the types of calls performed with counterparts. The call types include sent and received voice calls, video calls, and messages. If a user selects one call distinguishing icon displayed on a mobile communication terminal's display unit, a voice call or a video call is sent to the counterpart or a screen on which a message can be written to the counterpart is displayed, according to the call type of the selected call distinguishing icon. The user can directly select a counterpart and the call type to be sent to the counterpart by selecting one of the call distinguishing icons displayed on the display unit. A desired call distinguishing icon can be selected by entering a command on a touch screen, a keypad, or by voice command.
US08706161B2
A method and apparatus for disabling the communication functionality (i.e., disabling the transmission and/or reception of RF signals) of an integrated device, while still providing access to the local functionality of such device. A control and select function, such as a switch that is implemented by hardware or software or a combination thereof, is provided in an integrated device to allow the end user of the device to access the local data processing functionality of the device, even while the wireless communication functionality of such device is disabled.
US08706148B2
A method of routing legacy messages between a message center and a mobile telecommunications device registered with a mobile telecommunications network, which mobile telecommunications network includes a plurality of base stations each serving a plurality of mobile telecommunications devices, and a plurality of mobility management entities, each serving a plurality of said base stations, the mobility management entities (being adapted to communicate using a legacy protocol with a legacy network for routing the legacy messages between the message center and the mobile telecommunications device via the legacy network. A legacy message interworking function communicates with the mobility management entities using the legacy protocol and directly routes messages between the mobility management entities and the message center without routing the messages via the legacy network.
US08706133B2
A method (300, 400) and a non-incumbent system (102) that selects a pilot signal candidate within the RF spectrum, determines a first ratio between a measured total power within the RF spectrum and a measured power level of the pilot signal candidate, measures a first difference between the first ratio and an expected ratio, processes the first difference to select a threshold difference value, and outputs the threshold difference value.
US08706125B2
A method of allocating a plurality of communication channels of a network, for a plurality of network stations of the network. The method comprises generating a common transmission message for the plurality of network stations and transmitting the generated transmission message to the plurality of network stations. The message comprises channel allocation information allowing an allocation of channels by the network stations, the information relating to each of the plurality of network stations. A network managing station for communicating with the plurality of network stations, there being a plurality of communication channels available for use by the plurality of network stations. The network managing station comprises a processor, arranged to generate the common transmission message for the plurality of network stations and a transmitter arranged to transmit the generated transmission to said plurality of networks. A network station, capable of communicating over one or more of a plurality of communication channels, the network station comprising: a receiver, arranged to receive the common transmission message and a processor, arranged to determine a channel for use by the network station based on the received channel allocation information.
US08706124B2
Method, apparatus, and computer program product embodiments are disclosed to setup data path transfer between concurrently operating frequency bands of multiband wireless LAN (WLAN) devices. The embodiments provide an enhancement to the Fast Session Transfer (FST) by introducing a new Information Element (IE) in the Fast Session Transfer (FST) frames to enable negotiating the parameters to be established as a result of switching of at least a portion of the existing data/traffic streams to another frequency band. The new Information Element (IE) includes at least the number of streams being switched and for each stream being switched the stream ID. The new Information Element enables the transmitting and receiving devices to negotiate the connection setup parameters associated with a requested transfer of the operating frequency band.
US08706119B2
Group handover method and apparatus in a broadband wireless communication system which supports a mobile relay station are provided. A method of a serving base station for group handover of the mobile relay station includes when receiving a measurement report message from a relay station, determining whether the relay station is a mobile relay station of a simple type which forwards a signal; collecting handover related information of the mobile relay station and mobile terminals belonging to the mobile relay station, from pre-stored information; requesting handover of the mobile relay station and the mobile terminals by transmitting the collected handover related information to a target base station; and receiving a message indicating whether the handover of the mobile relay station and the mobile terminals is approved, from the target base station.
US08706118B2
Empty GRE packets are used to ensure in-order delivery of data packets for a session to a UE during intra-EUTRAN handover involving SGW relocation. In particular, a PGW sends an empty GRE packet per PDN session of the UE to a source SGW upon handover execution to indicate the end of pre-handover data packets delivered to the source SGW. Upon receipt of the empty GRE packet, the source SGW generates an end marker packet, and sends it to the source eNodeB. The source eNodeB forwards buffered, pre-handover data packets not delivered to the UE, followed by the end marker packet, to the target eNodeB, either directly (X2 interface) or indirectly (GTP-U tunnel between source and target SGWs). The target eNodeB then sends the pre-handover data packets, and post-handover data packets delivered to it by the PGW, to the UE in order, in reliance on the end marker packet.
US08706108B2
A technique for scanning multiple carrier frequencies during a cell search procedure is described. The cell search procedure involves for an investigated frequency multiple serially arranged processing steps until it will be determined that a network connection can be established on the investigated frequency. A method embodiment of this technique comprises performing a first processing step for an investigated first frequency, and in parallel with performing a second or further processing step for the first frequency, performing the first processing step for an investigated second frequency.
US08706095B2
System for providing dynamic group and service assignments. In one embodiment, a method is provided for dynamically assigning regional groups and service providers to provide services for equipment. The method includes determining that the equipment has moved into a selected regional group, and assigning the equipment to the selected regional group. The method also includes selecting a service provider associated with the selected regional group, and assigning the service provider to provide services for the equipment.
US08706076B2
Disclosed is a method of receiving a warning message through a broadcast/multicast channel in wireless communication system. The terminal (UE) receives control information of the warning message through a first point-to-multipoint control channel, receives the warning message based on the received control information through a point-to-multipoint traffic channel, receives control information of a particular broadcast/multicast service through the first point-to-multipoint control channel and a second point-to-multipoint control channel, and receives the particular broadcast/multicast service based on the received control channel through the point-to-multipoint traffic channel.
US08706071B2
One embodiment of the present invention provides a receiver for wireless communication. The receiver includes a demodulator and at least one filtering mechanism coupled to the demodulator, and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) coupled to the filtering mechanism. The filtering mechanism can be configured to function as a low-pass filter (LPF) or a band-pass filter (BPF), thereby enabling the receiver to function as a direct-conversion receiver or a low-intermediate frequency (low-IF) receiver.
US08706065B2
A radio frequency front-end includes a first path, second path, and third path each coupled between an antenna and a transceiver. The first path is configured to convey WLAN signals from the transceiver to the antenna for transmission. The second path is configured to convey received Bluetooth signals and received WLAN signals from the antenna to the transceiver. The third path is configured to convey Bluetooth signals from the transceiver to the antenna for transmission when a WLAN link is active and not in a power save state, and is configured to convey received Bluetooth signals from the antenna to the transceiver, and Bluetooth signals from the transceiver to the antenna for transmission, when the WLAN link is either inactive or in the power save state.
US08706064B2
A system and method improve amplifier efficiency of operation relative to that of an amplifying transistor with a fixed bias current. A power level representing a level of transmission power from an amplifier circuit and an indicator of amplifier circuit operation are provided. The indicator is at least one of channel, channel bandwidth, out-of band spectral requirements, spectral mask requirements, error vector magnitude, modulation rate, and modulation type. The amplifying transistor is biased with a bias current that is determined based at least in part on the power level and the indication where the bias current is different for channels at an edge of a channel band than for channels nearer a center of the channel band.
US08706057B2
When notification information about a company code is received from a center device, a control unit of an in-vehicle device refers to uplink information which is generated for each qualified delivery company and stored in a storage unit and cross-checks the company code included in the uplink information with the received company code (step S8). Only when those are identical, the uplink information corresponding to the company code to which it is judged that those are identical is read out from the storage unit and written in an uplink information storage area of the storage unit of a DSRC unit (step S9). Security on content information delivery is improved.
US08706040B2
A method is disclosed for avoiding inter-cell interference in a closed-loop multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system using a plurality of codebooks. A base station of a serving cell transmits information about codebooks used in an interfering cell among the plurality of codebooks to a mobile station. The transmission of the information may be made at the request of the mobile station. Alternatively, the mobile station may directly measure information about codebooks used in the interfering cell among the plurality of codebooks. The mobile station measures restricted precoding matrix indexes (PMIs) or requested PMIs based on the codebook information. The measured PMIs are transmitted to the interfering cell and are used to restrict the use of a PMI in the interfering cell.
US08706035B2
A system and method for allowing mobile devices to simultaneously access a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) are disclosed. The SIM contains a wireless transceiver, and the SIM may be located within a mobile phone, or it may be a stand-alone device. The mobile devices use a wireless protocol, such as Bluetooth, to retrieve identification information from the SIM. The devices then use this identification information to connect to a wireless communications network, such as a wireless local area network. Through this network the devices will be able to access the Internet. The SIM will never need to be removed and inserted from one device to another, and multiple devices can use the SIM simultaneously. Thus, the mobile phone will work regardless of whether other devices are also using the SIM.
US08706020B2
Disclosed are a bookbinding unit and an image forming apparatus having the same. The bookbinding unit includes a bookbinding unit main body, a pair of stack trays disposed in the bookbinding unit main body so as to support print media on the upper surfaces of the stack trays and a folding knife movable in the space between the pair of the stack trays to fold the print media on the stack trays and to move the folded print media into the space between the pair of the stack trays. The pair of the stack trays is rotatable in conformity with the movement of the print media into the space between the stack trays to provide a surface contact guiding of the folded print media.
US08706008B2
An image forming apparatus may transfer an image to a transfer-receiving material. The image forming apparatus includes a main body to which a cartridge is detachably mounted. The cartridge includes an image bearing member in contact with the transfer-receiving material and a receiving member to receive driving force from the main body to drive and rotate the image bearing member. The image forming apparatus also includes a shaft passing through and supporting the receiving member of the cartridge and a transmission member to rotate around the shaft and to transmit drive force from a motor to the receiving member. A bending unit included with the image forming apparatus bends the shaft passing through and supporting the receiving member and the transmission member.
US08706007B2
An image forming apparatus includes a positively-charged single layer type electrophotographic photoreceptor, a charging device with a contact charging roller for charging a surface of the photoreceptor and an exposure device for exposing the charged surface of the photoreceptor to light to form an electrostatic latent image thereon. A developing device develops the electrostatic latent image into a toner image and a transfer device transfers the toner image to a transferred body. The charging roller is made of electrically conductive rubber having an Asker-C rubber hardness of 62 to 81°. A roller surface roughness of the charging roller has an average distance (Sm) between asperity peaks on a cross-sectional curve of 55 to 130 μm and that a ten-point average roughness (Rz) is 9 to 19 μm. The image forming apparatus is capable of preventing carrier trapping, film peeling and uneven charging in the photoreceptor.
US08706005B2
A process cartridge that is detachably mounted to a main body of an image forming apparatus, the process cartridge including: an image carrier cartridge that has an image carrier; and a developing cartridge that has a developer carrier. The developing cartridge includes: a driving input part, to which external power for rotating the developer carrier is input, is provided to a first axial end side of the developer carrier; a first supported part; a second supported part; and a third supported part. The image carrier cartridge includes: a first support part arranged on a rotational axis line of the driving input part, a second support part arranged at an image carrier side rather than the rotational axis line of the driving input part; and a third support part arranged at an opposite side to the second support part with the rotational axis line of the driving input part.
US08706003B2
An image forming device includes a main casing, a support member, a plurality of developing cartridges, a handle provided to the support member, and a pair of interfering parts provided at both ends of the support member. Each developing cartridge includes a casing and a developing member supported by the casing. A gap between the pair of interfering parts is narrower than a length of the developing member, and the pair of interfering parts is located between the handle and one of the developing cartridges. Each of the interfering parts has a higher height than the handle.
US08705997B2
An image forming apparatus includes a fusing unit configured to fuse an image formed on a recording medium to a recording medium, at a fusing position where a heater and a rotator nip the recording medium therebetween, and a current-feed controller configured to execute a first current-feed mode of changing a current-feed ratio of current-feed time from an AC power source to the heater to unit time by controlling switching of a switching circuit so that a temperature detected by a temperature detector falls within a target range. The current-feed controller executes a second current-feed mode of fixing the current-feed ratio to almost 100% or almost 0% in place of the first current-feed mode based on a timing when a position detector detects that an end of the recording medium in a conveying direction is located at the fusing position.
US08705995B2
An image forming apparatus includes a transporting section including a transport path for transporting a recording medium; an image forming unit that forms an image on the recording medium that is transported at the transporting section; a fixing device that fixes the image formed on the recording medium at the image forming unit while heating the image; and a controller that performs control so that Pw
US08705994B2
A pressure lever journaling a pressure roller is rockably connected to a fixation frame journaling a fixing roller. A pivotal position of the pressure lever is adjusted by a motor through driving gears, sector gears, press-contact adjusting levers, and press contact springs, so that a mode of a fixing press contact force is set to a heavy press contact mode or a light press contact mode. By a control section, at start-up immediately after power-on and on basis of a temperature and a humidity detected by a temperature and humidity sensor, the heavy press contact mode is established for rectifying poor curl conditions of paper sheets on condition that the present temperature and humidity environment is a high-temperature high-humidity environment or the light press contact mode is established for rectifying poor fixation performance on condition that the present temperature and humidity environment is a low-temperature low-humidity environment.
US08705989B2
A color electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, wherein plurality of cartridges are detachably mounted to a main assembly of the apparatus, the color electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes a cartridge supporting member for supporting the cartridges, the cartridge supporting member being movable between an inside position which is in the main assembly the outside position which is out of the main assembly; a belt unit including a feeding belt for feeding a recording material on which the image is to be formed; and locking means for locking the cartridge supporting member and the belt unit in the state that the feeding belt and the cartridge are contacted to each other, wherein the belt unit and the cartridge supporting member in the state of being locked by the locking means are movable from the inside position to the outside position, and the feeding belt and the cartridge are capable of being spaced from each other by releasing the locking means.
US08705985B2
A method and an optical receiver implementing this method suitable for robustly receiving unencoded optical data. The method sets the threshold for the receiver using values relating to the high and low values of a binary signal. However, for some data patterns these values may not be accurately determined, such as for extended periods of constant high or low values being transmitted. In this case the method, in one embodiment, assumes that the extinction ratio of the signal is substantially constant and is thereby able to track the threshold for the signal.
US08705979B2
An LD driver to generate an asymmetrical driving current with a relatively faster falling edge and an optical transmitter having the LD driver are disclosed. The LD driver includes a primary driver and the sub-driver connected in parallel to the primary driver. The primary driver converts the input signal or the delayed signal delayed from the input signal into the primary current. The sub-driver generates a symmetrical current tracing the input or the delayed signal, and an asymmetrical current formed by the OR operation between the input and delayed signals. The driving current is formed by adding the primary current, the symmetrical current and the asymmetrical current.
US08705976B2
The present invention relates generally to optical rotary joints (35) for enabling optical communication between a rotor and a stator, and to improved optical reflector assemblies for use in such optical rotary joints.
US08705974B2
An optical transmission system transmits an optical signal of multi-level modulation. In a transmitter module, a data string in a specified frame is rearranged into a plurality of logical lanes. A lane ID, which specifies in what logical lane out of the plurality of logical lanes a start of the data string is arranged, is assigned to a non-scrambled area in an overhead portion of the frame. The lane ID corresponding to one of the plurality of logical lanes is different from the lane IDs corresponding to the other remaining logical lanes. The optical signal is generated using the data string rearranged into the plurality of logical lanes. In a receiver, the lane ID is detected according to a majority method. The inversion of bits and the swapping of lanes are detected using the lane ID and compensated.
US08705964B2
A system and method for data synchronization in Passive Optical Networks are disclosed. According to an embodiment, the present invention provides a method for providing upstream data synchronization in an optical communication network. The method includes sending data from an Optical Network Unit. The data includes a first data frame, which includes a header sequence, a synchronization segment, and a data segment. The synchronization segment includes 66 bits, which includes a first number of bits having nonzero values and a second number of bits having a value of zero. The first number is different from the second number. The method further includes receiving at least the first data frame by an Optical Line Terminal. The method also includes processing the first data frame. The method additionally includes selecting a first segment of the first data frame, the first segment including 66 bits.
US08705963B2
A method implemented in an optical flexible wavelength division multiplexing FWDM network includes finding a first channel out of available channels with sufficient spectrum on a given route out of available channels in an optical FWDM network; finding a second channel at a lower wavelength out of the available channels for minimizing total spectrum on the given route; selecting a channel out of the available channels on K-distinct shortest routes; and finding line rates of channels using a predetermined channel selection.
US08705960B2
An M×N wavelength-selective switch (WSS) is provided. M input ports launch M input beams towards a wavelength-dispersing system, which disperses the M input beams into M×K sub-beams at K wavelength bands. A redirecting system redirects the M×K sub-beams towards a first 1×K switching array, which selects K sub-beams from the M×K sub-beams. The redirecting system blocks the (M−1)×K non-selected sub-beams, but re-images the K selected sub-beams onto a second 1×K switching array by means of at least one relaying element having optical power. The second 1×K switching array routes the K selected sub-beams to N output ports. The redirecting system redirects the K selected sub-beams towards the wavelength-dispersing system, which combines any selected sub-beams that are routed to a same output port. The N output ports then output the K selected sub-beams.
US08705957B2
An optical line terminal (OLT) includes an optical receiving assembly and a processor (4). A current mirror (1), a current-voltage conversion circuit (2) and a switching circuit (3) are connected in sequence between the optical receiving assembly and the processor (4). An energy storage circuit connected to ground is connected between the switching circuit (3) and the processor (4). The optical receiving assembly generates a response current according to the optical signal received. The current mirror (1) processes the current and then transmits it to the current-voltage conversion circuit (2). The conversion circuit (2) converts the current into a voltage signal and transmits the voltage signal to the switching circuit (3). The switching circuit (3) transmits the voltage signal outputted by the conversion circuit (2) to the energy storage circuit. The voltage signal is sampled and held by the energy storage circuit and then outputted to the processor (4). The processor (4) monitors the average optical power of the voltage signal. The OLT can provide a more accurate detection of the average optical power of each burst signal pack in an upstream burst mode.
US08705956B2
A system and method are provided for carrier frequency offset (CFO) estimation for coherent optical orthogonal-frequency-division-multiplexing (CO-OFDM) broadband systems. The method includes obtaining an initial estimate of a normalized CFO with an estimation range equal to ±L/2 subcarrier subspacing using a single training symbol with L identical portions. The method further includes obtaining a maximum likelihood (ML) estimate of the CFO by performing a local grid search based on the initial estimate.
US08705950B2
A system and method for synchronizing a photographic lighting device to image acquisition by a camera such that initiation of light emission of the photographic lighting device occurs after the first shutter blade of the camera begins to expose an image acquisition sensor of the camera to light and before X-sync associated with the first shutter blade stopping movement.
US08705946B2
Systems and methods are provided to implement a technique for providing 3D content, such as on optical media like Blu-ray® discs. In one implementation, a 3D authoring tool executing on a computer system manages how to construct an image for replication where the image handles jumps without buffer underruns, the jumps caused by layer switching or by moving from or to branches in a multi-branch story line.
US08705939B2
An information processing apparatus includes: a data processing unit which performs copy processing for recording recorded data of a first medium in a second medium, wherein the data processing unit receives three-dimensional image restriction information as copy restriction information of a three-dimensional image from a management server, and when a three-dimensional image is included in copy data from the first medium, performs processing for referencing the three-dimensional image restriction information, determining whether or not the copy processing is permitted, and copying recorded data of the first medium to the second medium under the condition it is determined that the copy processing is permitted.
US08705933B2
The video bookmark feature allows a user to tag an item or segment of interest within audio/video content being watched. Each tag, or bookmark, can contain within it metadata associated with the content captured by the receiver at the time the bookmark was recorded; further information can be derived via interaction over the Internet with a service provider. Applications supported by video bookmarks include telescoping ads, capturing screen shots for later review or printing, and retrieving more information about any arbitrary subject being viewed, whether it is a scene in a program, an advertisement, or other associated information about the subject. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.
US08705929B2
A fiber optic enclosure assembly includes a housing having an interior region and a bearing mount disposed in the interior region of the housing. A cable spool is connectedly engaged with the bearing mount such that the cable spool selectively rotates within the housing. A termination module disposed on the cable spool so that the termination module rotates in unison with the cable spool. A method of paying out a fiber optic cable from a fiber optic enclosure includes rotating a cable spool, which has a subscriber cable coiled around a spooling portion of the cable spool, about an axis of a housing of the fiber optic enclosure until a desired length of subscriber cable is paid out. A termination module is disposed on the cable spool.
US08705927B2
A cable management panel including a chassis and a drawer. The chassis defining rear and side openings for cable entry and exit. The drawer having a front panel that may include angled adapters. The drawer having an open rear that accommodates cables entering from the rear openings of the chassis, and that accommodates the addition of a rear wall. The cable management panel being adaptable to provide a variety of cable routing configurations to accommodate a user's particular cable routing needs.
US08705921B2
A fiber optic cable includes a subunit and an outer portion. The subunit includes a subunit jacket defining a passageway interior thereto, an optical fiber extending through the passageway, and a first reinforcement material constraining the optical fiber within the subunit jacket such that the optical fiber and the subunit jacket are coupled to one another by way of the first reinforcement material. The outer portion of the fiber optic cable includes an outer jacket defining an outer periphery of the cable and a second reinforcement material between the outer jacket and the subunit jacket. The second reinforcement material includes fiberglass yarn, and hoop stress applied to the fiberglass yarn by the outer jacket constrains the fiberglass yarn such that it is positioned and oriented to provide anti-buckling support to the fiber optic cable and mitigate effects on the optical fiber of jacket shrinkage due to low temperatures.
US08705918B2
A planar laser gain medium and laser system. The novel laser gain medium includes an active core having a high aspect ratio cross-section with a fast-axis dimension and a slow-axis dimension, signal claddings adapted to form reflective boundaries at fast-axis boundaries of the core, and a material adapted to minimize reflections at slow-axis boundaries of the core. In an illustrative embodiment, the laser gain medium is an optical fiber. The core and claddings for a waveguide adapted to control modes propagating in the fast-axis direction. When the laser gain medium is employed as a laser oscillator, a high reflectivity mirror and an outcoupler are positioned at opposite ends of the core to form a laser resonator adapted to control modes in the slow-axis direction.
US08705916B2
An optical module configured to perform conversion between an optical signal and an electrical signal includes a board having a flat-plate shape; a light-receiving part and a light-emitting part attached on a surface of the board, the light-receiving part being configured to receive a first optical signal input from an optical cable and the light-emitting part being configured to output a second optical signal based on an input electrical signal; and an optical deflection member configured to deflect the first optical signal substantially 90 degrees and output the first optical signal to the light-receiving part and to deflect the second optical signal input from the light-emitting part substantially 90 degrees and output the second optical signal to the optical cable, the optical deflection member including multiple optical waveguides arranged in a first array and a second array.
US08705912B2
The present invention relates to a light source apparatus. The light source apparatus has an MOPA configuration and comprises a seed light source, a pulse generator, an intermediate optical amplifier, a final stage optical amplifier, a delivery optical fiber, and a light output terminal. The delivery optical fiber is a PBG fiber having a photonic bandgap (PBG) structure in a core-surrounding portion located around the core. Light with a wavelength in a high loss band of the PBG fiber is inputted into the PBG fiber.
US08705903B2
An instrument system that includes an elongate body, an optical fiber, and a detector is provided. The elongate body is capable of being twisted. The optical fiber includes a first portion coupled to the elongate body and a second portion having a curved shape adapted to reduce transfer of twisting or bending from the elongate body to the second portion, the second portion having a strain sensor provided thereon. The detector is coupled to the optical fiber and adapted to receive a signal from the strain sensor.
US08705901B2
A method for making a polarization rotator includes the steps of forming a structure including a semiconductor substrate and a mesa part, forming a first semiconductor layer on a main surface of the semiconductor substrate and around the mesa part, forming a second semiconductor layer on the first semiconductor layer, forming a semiconductor laminate by forming a third semiconductor layer on the second semiconductor layer, forming a mask layer on the third semiconductor layer, forming a mesa including a first semiconductor core by etching the semiconductor laminate, and forming a first semiconductor cladding by forming a fourth semiconductor layer around the mesa. The first semiconductor core and the first semiconductor cladding form a polarization rotating unit. An inclined surface of a mesa-part-adjacent portion extends in a second direction forming an acute angle with the main surface. An inclined portion of the second semiconductor layer extends in the second direction.
US08705888B2
In an embodiment, a method includes receiving values of a first pixel and a second pixel of an image at an input processor element of an image signal processor and distributing fractional parts of a number of values from surrounding pixels to the first pixel and the second pixel non-serially using first and second accelerator units, respectively, of the image signal processor. The method further includes assigning output values to the first pixel and the second pixel based on the values of the first pixel and the second pixel and the fractional parts of the number of values from the surrounding pixels using an output processor element of the image signal processor and outputting the output values to an output device that has a color range that is less than a color range of the image using the output processor element.
US08705879B2
Systems, methods and computer readable media are disclosed for accelerating the compression of images on a multi-processor computer. In an embodiment, an image is divided into a plurality of slices, each slice having the same width as the image. These slices are provided to a work manager that maintains a thread for each processor. The work manager assigns each slice to a thread for processing in an efficient manner (such as the thread corresponding to the first available processor), and when an indication that the slice has been compressed for each slice is received, the work manager assembles the compressed image.
US08705877B1
A method, system and computer program for segmenting an image are provided. The method may include the steps of acquiring a plurality of images, and clustering pixels from one of the plurality of images into one or more segments, each segment being defined in a state of either stable, mesostable or unstable. The clustering may include the steps of determining residual pixels changing by more than a predetermined threshold, grouping the determined residual pixels to form segments selected from the group of unstable and mesostable segments, determining depth for all unstable and mesostable segments, transitioning unstable segments to corresponding mesostable segments if predetermined stability criteria are met, transitioning mesostable segments to corresponding stable segments upon a determination that the mesostable segments have remained stable for a predetermined number of frames, and merging stable and mesostable segments.
US08705871B2
A form image managing system includes a master image storing unit configured to store a plurality of types of master images, a obtaining unit configured to obtain a form image, a searching unit configured to search the master image storing unit for a master image having the highest correlation with the form image obtained by the obtaining unit among the plurality of types of master images, a generating unit configured to generate differential data of the form image, obtained by the obtaining unit, from the master image searched by the searching unit, and a differential data storing unit configured to associate identification information for identifying the master image searched by the searching unit from the plurality of types of master images stored in the master image storing unit with the differential data generated by the generating unit, and to store the identification information and the differential data.
US08705868B2
First, a difference between a pixel value of a first pixel in an image and a pixel value of a second pixel is calculated, the second pixel placed a predetermined number of pixels away from the first pixel. Then, when the difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, an edge determination threshold is calculated on the basis of: the pixel value of the first pixel or a pixel value of a pixel near the first pixel; and the pixel value of the second pixel or a pixel value of a pixel near the second pixel. Then, an edge pixel corresponding to an edge present between the first pixel and the second pixel is detected by comparing the edge determination threshold with a pixel value of each pixel placed between the first pixel and the second pixel.
US08705865B2
An image analysis method includes acquiring an image of an observation region including a plurality of pixels respectively having a plurality of time serially acquired data, setting an analysis region on the image of the observation region, setting a sub analysis region smaller than the analysis region, intermittently moving the sub analysis region in increments of a pixel interval over the entire analysis region, executing correlation analysis using data of pixels in the sub analysis region every time the sub analysis region is moved, so as to estimate at least a molecular number or a diffusion constant of the sub analysis region, and forming a molecular number or diffusion constant image by mapping the molecular numbers or the diffusion constants.
US08705864B2
Provided is a marker generation device which has a singular feature selection means and a marker pattern generation means. The singular feature selection means extracts feature points from an image, indicates the feature points in a predetermined space, and selects, as singular features, a plurality of parts where the number of feature points is equal to or less than a predetermined number in the space. The marker pattern generation means generates a plurality of kinds of marker patterns with the use of the whole or a part of the plurality of singular features.
US08705863B1
Methods, systems and computer program products are described for providing a computer implemented control system for an automated system. The system includes a document receiving component configured for receiving a plurality of design documents and for rendering a plurality of design document views corresponding to the plurality of design documents. The system also includes an input receiving component configured for receiving an indication selecting first and second design document views, a data extraction component configured for automatically extracting design data from the first and second design document views, a matching component configured for determining a relationship between the design data from the first and second design document views, and a data manager component configured for storing the relationship in a data store accessible by a computer implemented control system that controls a plurality of devices in the automated system based on the stored relationship.
US08705860B2
This application describes grouping variables together to minimize cost or time of performing computer vision analysis techniques on images. In one instance, the pixels of an image are represented by a lattice structure of nodes that are connected to each other by edges. The nodes are grouped or merged together based in part on the energy function associated with each edge that connects the nodes together. The energy function of the edge is based in part on the energy functions associated with each node. The energy functions of the node are based on the possible states in which the node may exist. The states of the node are representative of an object, image, or any other feature or classification that may be associated with the pixels in the image.
US08705855B2
To provide a color image processing method and device to realize desired color reproduction of the object area of a specific object in a color image taken by a color imaging device and thereby to improve the texture. A color image processing device (100) comprises an image information acquisition unit (110) that detects an object area based on an input image, and obtains color information and 3D information of the object area, a reflection information restoration unit (120) that restores a specular component and a body reflection component containing shade of the object area based on the color information and the 3D information, an albedo calculation unit (130) that calculates an albedo by removing the specular component and the shade in the body reflection component from the color information, an albedo correction processing unit (140) that restores a surface reflectance by using the color information and the albedo, and calculates a corrected albedo by correcting the albedo using the surface reflectance, and a reproduced-color calculation unit (150) that calculates a reproduced color of the object area by adding the shade in the body reflection component and specular component to the corrected albedo, and thereby generating an output image.
US08705851B2
A method for training a pattern recognition algorithm including the steps of identifying the known location of the pattern that includes repeating elements within a fine resolution image, using the fine resolution image to train a model associated with the fine image, using the model to examine the fine image resolution image to generate a score space, examining the score space to identify a repeating pattern frequency, using a coarse image that is coarser than the finest image resolution image to train a model associated with the coarse image, using the model associated with the coarse image to examine the coarse image thereby generating a location error, comparing the location error to the repeating pattern frequency and determining if the coarse image resolution is suitable for locating the pattern within a fraction of one pitch of the repeating elements.
US08705849B2
A system for object recognition in which a multi-dimensional scanner generates a temporal sequence of multi-dimensional output data of a scanned object. That data is then coupled as an input signal to a trainable dynamic system. The system exemplified by a general-purpose recurrent neural network is previously trained to generate an output signal representative of the class of the object in response to a temporal sequence of multi-dimensional data.
US08705848B2
A method, system and computer program product for encoding an image is provided. The image that needs to be represented is represented in the form of a Gaussian pyramid which is a scale-space representation of the image and includes several pyramid images. The feature points in the pyramid images are identified and a specified number of feature points are selected. The orientations of the selected feature points are obtained by using a set of orientation calculating algorithms. A patch is extracted around the feature point in the pyramid images based on the orientations of the feature point and the sampling factor of the pyramid image. The boundary patches in the pyramid images are extracted by padding the pyramid images with extra pixels. The feature vectors of the extracted patches are defined. These feature vectors are normalized so that the components in the feature vectors are less than a threshold.
US08705847B2
In one embodiment, a method of two-dimensional to stereoscopic image conversion, the method comprising detecting a face in a two-dimensional image; determining a body region based on the detected face; providing a color model from a portion of the determined body region, a portion of the detected face, or a combination of both portions; calculating a similarity value of at least one image pixel of the two-dimensional image based on the provided color model; and assigning a depth value of the image pixel based on the calculated similarity value to generate a stereoscopic image.
US08705845B2
A method of interaction for an augmented reality environment comprises the steps of capturing an image of a drawn picture comprising one or more drawn shapes, identifying the or each respective drawn shape as corresponding to a component of an archetypal model and generating a three dimensional virtual model representing the archetypal model using generation rules associated with the archetypal model, wherein components of the three dimensional virtual model generated from components of the archetypal model corresponding to the or each respective drawn shape have the appearance of the or each respective drawn shape.
US08705841B2
A pattern inspection apparatus for detecting an abnormality includes a storage, a compensator and an abnormality judger. The storage stores data based on a reference pattern associated with an object pattern as an object to detect an abnormality and including a first pattern edge portion and a second pattern edge portion. The compensator partially compensates a location of the first pattern edge portion to be shrunk or expanded based on the reference pattern such that the first pattern edge portion is to be placed at a location of a third pattern edge portion while the second pattern edge portion maintains the same size. The abnormality judger sets a tolerance based on the location compensated based on the reference pattern, and judges the object pattern as abnormal when an outline of the object pattern is fallen outside of the tolerance.
US08705839B2
An electronic device configured for defect detection is described. The electronic device includes a processor and instructions stored in memory that is in electronic communication with the processor. The electronic device performs background suppression on the image data based on a transform of the image data to obtain a score map. The electronic device also applies thresholding to the score map to generate a detection mask. The thresholding comprises bi-thresholding. The electronic device additionally detects any defects based on the detection mask. The electronic device further indicates any defects.
US08705831B2
The invention relates to an image generation system for generating an image of a region of interest. The image generation system comprises a measured data providing unit for providing measured data of the region of interest, a reconstruction unit (12) for reconstructing a first and a second image of the region of interest from the measured data using a first and a second reconstruction method, a noise determination unit (13) for determining first and second noise values for first and second image elements of the first and second image, and an image element combining unit (14) for combining corresponding first and second image elements into combined image elements forming a combined image based on the first and second noise values. By combining corresponding image elements of two differently reconstructed images based on determined noise values, a combined image of a region of interest can be generated with an improved quality.
US08705827B2
Described herein are improved methods for correcting cone beam computed tomography signals to reduce scatter contamination contained therein. Generally, the improved methods involve generating a plurality of two-dimensional projection images of a subject from a three-dimensional multi-detector computed tomography image of the subject. This is followed by subtracting the plurality of two-dimensional projection images from a plurality of two-dimensional cone beam projection images of the subject to produce a plurality of two-dimensional estimated error projections that comprise an estimated error in the plurality of two-dimensional cone beam projection images. The plurality of two-dimensional estimated error projection images are subtracted from the plurality of two-dimensional cone beam projection images to generate a plurality of two-dimensional corrected cone beam projection images. A three-dimensional corrected cone beam computed tomography image of the subject is then constructed from the plurality of two-dimensional corrected cone beam projection images.
US08705826B2
A two-dimensional retinal fundus image of the retinal fundus of an eye is processed by optic disc segmentation (2) followed by cup segmentation 4. Data derived from the optic disc segmentation (i.e. the output of the disc segmentation (2) and/or data derived from the output of the optic disc segmentation step, e.g. by a smoothing operation 3) and data derived from the out-put of the optic cup segmentation (i.e. the output of the cup segmentation (4) and/or data derived from the output of the optic disc segmentation, e.g. by a smoothing operation 5) are fed (6) to an adaptive model which has been trained to generate from such inputs a value indicative of cup-to-disc ratio (CDR) of the eye. The CDR is indicative of glaucoma. Thus, the method can be used to screen patients for glaucoma.
US08705825B2
A digital slide analysis system comprises an algorithm server that maintains or has access to a plurality of image processing and analysis routines. The algorithm server additionally has access to a plurality of digital slide images. The algorithm server executes a selected routine on an identified digital slide and provides the resulting data. Prior to the application of selected routine, the system employs a digital pre-processing module to create a metadata mask that reduces undesirable image data such that the image data processed by the selected routine has an improved signal to noise ratio. The pre-processing module uses a classifier that may be implemented as a pattern recognition module, for example. Undesirable image data is therefore excluded from the image data that is processed by the digital pathology image processing and analysis routine, which significantly improves the digital pathology image analysis.
US08705818B2
An image processing device includes a feature value calculating unit that calculates a color feature value of each pixel or each segment inside at least one of a series of images captured by an image pickup device while moving inside a gastrointestinal tract; a color feature value estimating unit that, based on data distribution of the color feature value of each pixel or each segment, estimates color feature value data representing mucous membrane and color feature value data representing gastrointestinal contents; and a discrimination boundary setting unit that, based on the estimated color feature value data, sets a color feature value discrimination boundary between mucous membrane and gastrointestinal contents.
US08705814B2
Disclosed is a method of detecting an upper body. The method includes detecting an omega candidate area including a shape formed of a face and a shoulder line of a human from a target image, cutting the target image into the upper body candidate area including the omega candidate area, detecting a human face from the upper body candidate area, and judging whether the upper body of the human is included in the target image according to the result of detecting the human face.
US08705813B2
An identification device capable of improving identification accuracy. The identification device performs identification according to a face area contained in image data. Feature data is extracted from a face area in each of frames of image data. The extracted feature data is registered in a person database section. Identification is performed through comparison between the feature data registered in the person database section and the extracted feature data. A tracking section identifies an identical face area in consecutive frames. If a face area is identified in a first frame, but a face area in a second frame following the first frame, which is identified by the tracking section as identical to the identified face area in the first frame, is not identified, the extracted feature data associated with the face area in the second frame is registered as additional feature data in the person database section.
US08705811B1
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, are described for adjusting luminance of a candidate window prior to facial detection processing. In one aspect, a method includes establishing a target region of an image that potentially contains at least a portion of a face. The method further includes establishing an inset region inside the established target region. The inset region is sized to include a predetermined fraction of the target region. Furthermore, the method includes detecting a face within the established target region of the image using the established inset region.
US08705806B2
An object identification apparatus, which identifies a class of a plurality of registered classes to which an object included in an input image belongs, registers a plurality of registered images used in identification of an input image, and holds designation data required to designate partial areas used in identification. The apparatus extracts feature amounts of the partial areas designated by the designation data from the input image and each of the plurality of registered images, and identifies a class to which the input image belongs based on the extracted feature amounts. The apparatus determines based on the plurality of registered images whether or not is required to update processing contents of an identification unit. When it is determined that the processing contents are required to be updated, the apparatus updates the designation data based on registered images.
US08705801B2
A distance estimation device (1x) prevents the variation in distance estimation accuracy that has been a problem in distance estimation performed using an all-in-focus image and an arbitrary-focal-depth image. The distance estimation device can estimate a focal distance of any subject with a high degree of accuracy, and includes: a first generation unit (10w) generating a first distance map indicating a focal depth determined from an all-in-focus image and a first focal-depth image; a second generation unit (11w) generating a second distance map indicating a focal depth determined from the all-in-focus image and a second focal-depth image; and a distance map synthesis unit (14) synthesizing the generated first distance map and the generated second distance map to generate a synthetic distance map.
US08705798B2
People are counted in a segment of video with a video processing system that is configured with a first set of parameters. This produces a first output. Based on this first output, a second set of parameters is chosen. People are then counted in the segment of video using the second set of parameters. This produces a second output. People are counted with a video played forward. People are counted with a video played backwards. The results of these two counts are reconciled to produce a more accurate people count.
US08705796B2
The present invention provides an obstacle detection device that enables stable obstacle detection with less misdetections even when a bright section and a dark section are present in an obstacle and a continuous contour of the obstacle is present across the bright section and the dark section. The obstacle detection device includes a processed image generating unit that generates a processed image for detecting an obstacle from a picked-up image, a small region dividing unit that divides the processed image into plural small regions, an edge threshold setting unit that sets an edge threshold for each of the small regions from pixel values of the plural small regions and the processed image, an edge extracting unit that calculates a gray gradient value of each of the small regions from the plural small regions and the processed image and generates, using the edge threshold for the small region corresponding to the calculated gray gradient value, an edge image and a gradient direction image, and an obstacle recognizing unit that determines presence or absence of an obstacle from the edge image in a matching determination region set in the edge image and the gradient direction image corresponding to the edge image. The small region dividing unit divides the processed image into the plural small regions on the basis of an illumination state on the outside of the own vehicle.
US08705788B2
A method for fabricating a speaker is disclosed. The speaker is equipped with a case having a through cavity, an inner surface forming the cavity and an outer surface, a magnetic bowl coupled to the case, a magnet positioned in the magnetic bowl, a pole plate covering the magnet, a magnetic gap formed by the magnet and the magnetic bowl, a diaphragm supported by the case and vibrating along a vibrating direction, a voice coil connected to the diaphragm, and a hearing aid coil formed on the case. The method includes the steps of: providing a case made of thermoplastic doped with organometallic additive; activating the organometallic additive in the case by a laser beam for forming initial pattern of the hearing aid coil in the inner surface of the case; and bathing the case in copper solution for providing the initial pattern with copper plating layer.
US08705787B2
A custom in-ear headset. The headset includes a housing having a proximate housing portion and a distant housing portion. The distant housing portion is shaped and sized to fit inside an ear canal of a user. The headset includes a miniature speaker that is acoustically coupled to a sound outlet in the distant portion of the housing for conveying sound pressure to an ear canal of the user. The headset further includes any one or more of: (a) a microphone with a sound inlet in the proximate housing portion, (b) a bone conduction microphone arranged in the distant housing portion, or (c) a microphone with a sound inlet in the distant housing portion. The headset further includes at least one ridge projecting from and circumscribing the distant housing portion.
US08705783B1
An exemplary method of acoustically controlling a cochlear implant system includes acoustically transmitting, by a remote control subsystem, a control signal comprising one or more control parameters, detecting, by a sound processing subsystem communicatively coupled to a stimulation subsystem implanted within a patient, the control signal, extracting, by the sound processing subsystem, the one or more control parameters from the control signal, and performing, by the sound processing subsystem, at least one operation in accordance with the one or more control parameters. Corresponding methods and systems are also described.
US08705774B2
Acoustic transducer means are provided. A monolithic semiconductor layer defines a plate, a pair of oppositely disposed torsional hinges, a flexible extension and at least a portion of a support structure. Acoustic pressure communicated to the plate results in tensile strain of the flexible extension. The flexible extension provides a varying electrical characteristic responsive to the tensile strain. An electric signal corresponding to the acoustic pressure can be derived from the varying electrical characteristic of the flexible extension.
US08705770B2
A method, a device and a system for mixing processing of an audio signal are provided in the embodiments of the present invention. The method includes: judging a channel type of a receiving terminal; for a single-channel receiving terminal, sending a mixed audio signal and meanwhile sending location information of a sending terminal that has maximum audio signal energy on each sub-band of the mixed audio signal to the single-channel receiving terminal; for a double-channel receiving terminal or a multi-channel receiving terminal, performing up-mixing to obtain double-channel or multi-channel audio data according to location information that is allocated to a single-channel sending terminal, performing mixing processing on audio data that participates in mixing to obtain double-channel or multi-channel mixed audio data, and sending the double-channel or multi-channel mixed audio data.
US08705769B2
A frequency-domain upmix process uses vector-based signal decomposition and methods for improving the selectivity of center channel extraction. The upmix processes described do not perform an explicit primary/ambient decomposition. This reduces the complexity and improves the quality of the center channel derivation. A method of upmixing a two-channel stereo signal to a three-channel signal is described. A left input vector and a right input vector are added to arrive at a sum magnitude. Similarly, the difference between the left input vector and the right input vector is determined to arrive at a difference magnitude. The difference between the sum magnitude and the difference magnitude is scaled to compute a center channel magnitude estimate, and this estimate is used to calculate a center output vector. A left output vector and a right output vector are computed. The method is completed by outputting the left output vector, the center output vector, and the right output vector.
US08705765B2
The present invention(s) provides for methods and systems for digitally processing a ringtone. In various embodiments, a method comprises generating a profile comprising a plurality of filter equalizing coefficients, configuring a plurality of filters of a graphic equalizer using the plurality of filter equalizing coefficients from the profile, receiving a ringtone for processing, adjusting the plurality of filters using a first gain, equalizing the ringtone using the plurality of filters of the graphic equalizer, and outputting the equalized ringtone.
US08705761B2
There is provided an entertainment system comprising at least one seat, an electronic unit (100) for active noise reduction in the seat and at least one headphone (300). The headphone has an electro-acoustic reproduction transducer (310), a microphone (330) for recording interference signals and an adjusting unit (320) having an active filter for correcting a frequency response characteristic of the output signal of the microphone, for performing pre-filtration for active noise reduction and for the output of a corrected and filtered signal. The electronic unit (100) performs active noise reduction based on the corrected and filtered signal of the adjusting unit (320).
US08705757B1
A signal processor to produce a simulated reverberation effect based on an input signal and conveying the impression of multiple interconnected resonating spaces. A feedback delay network produces a reverberation tail signal, which is delayed by varying amounts in a delay module. A panning module produces a multi-channel signal based on the reverberation tail signal and its echoes.
US08705754B2
Displacement of a moving diaphragm in an electroacoustic transducer is measured by modulating an electrical signal based on changes in capacitance between the voice coil assembly and the magnetic structure resulting from relative motion between the voice coil and the magnetic structure. The modulated electrical signal is demodulated to produce an output signal having a value proportional to the displacement.
US08705746B2
A system that enables a cloud-based data repository to function as a secure ‘drop-box’ for data that corresponds to a user is provided. The ‘drop box’ can be facilitated through the use of cryptographic keying technologies. For instance, data that is ‘dropped’ by or on behalf of a particular user can be encrypted using a public key that corresponds to a user-specific private key. Thus, although the data resides within the large pool of ‘cloud-based’ data, it is protected since it can only be decrypted by using the private key, which is kept secret. The innovation can further facilitate user-centric secure storage by partitioning the cloud-based repository into multiple partitions, each of which corresponds to specific indexing criteria.
US08705741B2
The present invention includes various novel techniques, apparatus, and systems for optical WDM communications that involve dynamically modifying certain aspects of the WDM transmission (and corresponding receive) process at the optical (physical) layer to significantly enhance data/network security. These various dynamic modifications can be employed individually or in combination to provide even greater security depending upon the desired application and design tradeoffs. WDM transmission steps typically include encoding the client signals, mapping them to one or more subchannels within or across ITU channels, modulating them onto subcarrier frequencies, and multiplexing them together for optical transmission. By dynamically modifying one or more of these processing steps over time (in addition to any encryption of the underlying client signals), the current invention provides additional security at the physical (optical) layer of an optical network and thus greatly enhances overall network security.
US08705738B2
Systems and/or methods of selectively terminating security in mobile networks are presented. User equipment (UE) can specify cipher termination location capabilities for encrypting/decrypting data packets to a base station in a mobile network. The mobile network can subsequently determine at which node in the network to terminate the cipher in part according to the capabilities provided and deliver the determined location to the UE. The determined cipher termination location can be provided in response to a request to initiate communications, the initial request can specify the capabilities. The UE can utilize the location to support disparate types of networks and to intelligently deal with hand-offs and other functions of the mobile network.
US08705737B2
Disclosed herein is a video processing apparatus for generating video data capable of representing a color gamut beyond a first color gamut specified by a predetermined requirement. The video processing apparatus includes: a detector detecting, from the video data, a section corresponding to video of a color gamut beyond the first color gamut; a supplemental-data generator generating supplemental data pertaining to the video data; and an embedding unit embedding the supplemental data generated by the supplemental-data generator in the section detected by the detector, with a change to a color beyond the first color gamut, the color having substantially a same hue as that of video to be represented.
US08705734B2
A method and system for authenticating in a wireless communication system. The system includes a Mobile Terminal (MT), an authenticator, and an Authentication, Authorization, Accounting (AAA) server. When the authenticator requests NAI information for authentication, the MT adds an authentication code to the NAI, and sends a response message including the NAI information to the authenticator. The authenticator relays the NAI to which the authentication code is added, to the AAA server. The AAA server extracts the authentication code from the NAI information, verifies the authentication of the MT, generates a new authentication key, and transmits the new authentication key to the authenticator.
US08705731B2
Processing of masked data using multiple lookup tables (LUTs), or sub-tables, is described. For each input value, an appropriate sub-table provides an output value that is the result of a non-linear transformation (e.g., byte substitution) applied to the input value. An additive mask can be applied to the input data. A transformation can be applied to the masked input data to transform the additive mask into a multiplicative-additive mask. Selected bits of the masked input data and the bits in the additive component of the multiplicative-additive mask can be used in combination to select one of the sub-tables. An entry in the selected sub-table, corresponding to a transformed version of the input data, can then be identified.
US08705730B2
A cryptography module includes a key store having a plurality of storage locations for storing a private key as k key fragments. One or more crypto-processing segments each operate based on corresponding ones of the k key fragments to process a message in accordance with elliptic curve digital signature algorithm (ECDSA) to produce a signed message.
US08705728B2
A device includes a plurality of subscriber line interface circuits and a shared protection device. Each subscriber line interface circuit has a voltage input terminal and first and second interface line terminals. The shared protection device is coupled to the interface line terminals and operable to sense a negative reference voltage representing a most negative one of the voltages present on the voltage input terminals and to provide overvoltage protection responsive to a voltage on at least one of the interface line terminals exceeding the negative reference voltage.
US08705724B2
A method of posting a voice related message on a remotely accessible networking page includes receiving, at a data center, a voice connection from a communications device. An account on the remotely accessible networking page that is associated with the voice connection is identified at the data center. A voice post is generated during or from the voice connection. Via the data center, the voice post is associated with the remotely accessible networking page so that the voice post is associated with the identified account.
US08705721B2
A system for providing ringback content. In the system, a user places a call on a communication device to a callee via a network. The network may store content information about the user and uses this content information to deduce the intent of the user's call. The callee provides ringback content to the user's communication device based on the deduced user call intent.
US08705718B2
Subscription profile data is managed. The subscription profile data is associated with a communications service. A user interface is sent to a hosting client for a user to obtain access to and make changes to subscription profile data. A request to retrieve the subscription profile data is received from the client. The subscription profile data is retrieved from within a communications network in response to the request to retrieve the subscription profile data. A request to update the subscription profile data is received. An update for the subscription profile data is forwarded so that the communications service is implemented in the communications network in accordance with the update.
US08705709B2
One or more devices in a visual voicemail system voicemail notification messages indicating voicemails are available for a user of the visual voicemail system and distribute the voicemail notification messages to a network device. The one or more devices receive an indication of a backlog processing requests for the visual voicemail system and stop, based on the indication, distributing the voicemail notification messages to the network device. After the stopping, the one or more devices receive another indication that the backlog processing requests for the visual voicemail system no longer exists and resume, based on the other indication, distributing the voicemail notification messages to the network device.
US08705707B1
A method comprising determining that a phone call has been answered, missed, or terminated, generating an indication of the phone call being answered, missed, or terminated at a graphical user interface, and determining one or more contextual identifiers associated with the phone call. The contextual identifiers may include metadata associated with the phone call, and may be based on data associated with at least one of data generated indications and data received by the computing device from a first input at the graphical user interface associated with the computing device. The method further includes storing the contextual identifiers in association with the indication of the phone call in a data structure that includes other contextual identifiers associated with other indications of phone calls. The contextual identifiers and the other contextual identifiers included in the data structure are searchable.
US08705701B2
A security system with call management functionality includes a security controller having at least one first interface to at least one user identification device and a second interface to a call management controller. The security controller also includes logic to determine a security status of a user based on identification information received from the at least one user identification device and to communicate the security status of the user to the call management controller. The call management controller enables, disables, or modifies a communication service based on the security status of the user.
US08705698B2
Provided are an X-ray analyzer and a mapping method for an X-ray analysis which, in a inspection for a harmful substance contained in, for example, a material or a composite electronic component, enable determination as to whether a sample is normal or abnormal to be performed visually based on an image obtained by the X-ray mapping analysis. In the X-ray analyzer, an X-ray mapping image of a sample which is confirmed to be normal in advance is obtained as a reference mapping image. A mapping analysis is performed on a inspection sample. A difference from the reference mapping image is obtained for each pixel, to thereby display a difference mapping image. A region in which the amount of specific element is larger than a reference amount is displayed with high brightness, and hence an abnormal portion may be easily found.
US08705694B2
The present invention provides systems and methods for x-ray imaging. In some embodiments, an aperture, or a plurality thereof, are configured to have image transfer functions lacking a zero within a usable spatial frequency range. In further embodiments, the image transfer function is determined according to the shape of the aperture and the usable spatial frequency range is determined according to a usable signal to noise ratio.
US08705690B2
An imaging method with an improved display of a tissue region generates a first visualization and a second visualization from projection recordings that were recorded at different angles. A radiologist is enabled to mark a region in the first visualization, which region is displayed by way of the second visualization.
US08705689B2
According to the present invention, improved methods and apparatus are provided for providing cushioning and other ergonomic surfaces on devices requiring the patient or tissue to be compressed, such as radiography machines, fluoroscopy units, mammography units and the like. In particular a radiolucent pad element is provided for releasable attachment to at least one surface of a compression device to be used under x-ray, for example, during mammography. The pad element of the present invention can be disposable or constructed to be reusable and in some cases may be applied directly to the patient's breast. Furthermore, a cushioned paddle is provided wherein the compression paddle and the cushion can be separately or integrally formed.
US08705681B2
One embodiment of the present invention includes a process for production and recovery of no-carrier-added radioactive tin (NCA radiotin). An antimony target can be irradiated with a beam of accelerated particles forming NCA radiotin, followed by separation of the NCA radiotin from the irradiated target. The target is metallic Sb in a hermetically sealed shell. The shell can be graphite, molybdenum, or stainless steel. The irradiated target can be removed from the shell by chemical or mechanical means, and dissolved in an acidic solution. Sb can be removed from the dissolved irradiated target by extraction. NCA radiotin can be separated from the remaining Sb and other impurities using chromatography on silica gel sorbent. NCA tin-117m can be obtained from this process. NCA tin-117m can be used for labeling organic compounds and biological objects to be applied in medicine for imaging and therapy of various diseases.
US08705665B2
A process for computing Log-Likelihood-ratios (LLRs) in a detector of a wireless communication receiver is disclosed, with the, LLRs being used by a channel decoder. A signal is received from a telecom front end, the signal corresponding to data belonging to a finite set of constellation symbols, each constellation symbol being arranged in a lattice constellation impaired by additive noise and a multiplicative channel. A limited set of distances representative of Euclidian distances between the received signal and a finite set of predetermined constellation symbols are computed, possibly multiplied by the channel. A set of soft decision LLRs are derived from the computed set of distances under the constraint of a limited length of the list of distances. The derived LLRs are completed by clipping values read from a look-up table which is simultaneously addressed by the values of the SNR and a bit index.
US08705661B2
A method for performing channel estimation in a millimeter wave wireless communication system. The method includes receiving complementary sequences at a receiver of the millimeter wave wireless communication system. The received complementary sequences are generated at a first sampling rate; producing special complementary sequences from the received complementary sequences; cross-correlating the special complementary sequences with an input signal related to the received complementary sequences. The cross-correlation is performed at a second sampling rate and the second sampling rate is higher than the first sampling rate; and analyzing the result of the cross-correlation to estimate at least characteristics of a channel between the receiver and a transmitter of the millimeter wave wireless communication system.
US08705651B2
A wireless communication system is disclosed. The system performs data transmission from a first terminal including N antennas to a second terminal including M antennas using spatially multiplexed streams (N and M are integers larger than or equal to 2).
US08705647B2
A method is described that enables maximum-likelihood (ML) demodulation for MIMO communications over frequency-selective channels. An equalizer is typically employed to suppress inter-symbol interference (ISI) due to frequency-selectiveness of the channel, but the noise of the equalizer output can be highly correlated such that standard ML-MIMO demodulations cannot directly apply. The method comprises first constructing equivalent post-equalization MIMO channel and noise covariance matrix, and then de-correlating the equalizer output so that ML or near-ML MIMO demodulations can be applied to improve the performance. Additionally, successive ISI cancellation (SIC) is described for further performance improvement.
US08705646B1
Matrix operations are simplified by precalculating and storing certain portions of the operation. This reduces the computational burden, while requiring a modest increase in memory usage. The operations may be performed in a Multiple-Input/Multiple-Output (“MIMO”) configuration of an LTE system, where a number of equalizer functions require matrix operations such as derivation of a covariance matrix, which involves matrix multiplication, as do other operations. The operations may be performed on a programmable integrated circuit device configured for that purposes.
US08705620B1
A system, method, and apparatus for encoding a frame of video having a plurality of pixels are disclosed. The method includes identifying a plurality of sets of substantially identical adjacent pixels within the frame and determining a number of pixels in each set. The method includes assigning the pixels in each set to one of an enhancement layer or base layer based at least in part on the number of pixels in that set. The method further includes encoding the pixels assigned to the base layer using a first encoding technique and encoding the pixels assigned to the enhancement layer using a second encoding technique.
US08705614B2
Presented herein are system(s) and method(s) for motion estimation using camera movements. In one embodiment, there is presented a video camera system for providing video data. The video camera system comprises a video camera, and a circuit. The video camera captures video data. The circuit records information that indicates tracking movements of the video camera.
US08705608B2
A noise discriminator circuit and a noise discrimination method in a burst mode receiver is configured to determine the validity of an incoming burst signal by analyzing the timing of the signal edges of incoming signal to look for a time duration conforming to the preamble data bits of a valid burst signal. In one embodiment, the noise discriminator circuit and method analyze the time duration between signal edges of the same pulse of an incoming signal. In another embodiment, the noise discriminator circuit and method analyze the time duration between a first set of pulses of an incoming signal and the time duration between signal edges of a second set of pulses of the incoming signal. When the time durations are within a given time range relating to a predetermined timing separation of a valid burst signal, the incoming signal is validated as a valid burst signal.
US08705605B1
Devices and methods for serial loopback testing in an integrated circuit (IC) are provided. To implement loopback testing, an equalizer stage of a receiver of the IC is powered down. In addition, the common-mode voltage of the equalizer stage is reduced and/or a bulk node of the equalizer stage is connected to ground. Doing so may reduce the impact of capacitive coupling from the input pins of buffer, thereby improving the quality of the loopback output signal.
US08705603B2
Data receivers often include equalizers for operating on received signals. The equalizers often have a plurality of taps, with signals from each tap weighted based on tap settings or values. The tap settings may be set based on bit error rates of data output from the equalizer. In some embodiments data output from the equalizer is split into two signals, and the two signals are processed to indicate a data eye of the data output from the equalizer. Preferred tap settings may be determined by setting tap settings to different values and using tap settings expected to maximize the data eye. This may be performed separately for different bit settings in an attempt to reduce effects of inter-signal interference.
US08705601B2
A signal generating device has a display, central processing unit and a waveform generating circuit. The central processing unit generates a user interface on the display for setting parameters for a serial data pattern and a parameter for an intersymbol interference and a bandwidth extension pre-emphasis effect on the serial data pattern. A waveform record file is generated using the serial data pattern parameters and the intersymbol interference effect and bandwidth extension pre-emphasis effect parameter. A waveform generation circuit receives the waveform record file and generates a serial data pattern analog output signal having the intersymbol interference effect or the bandwidth extension pre-emphasis effects defined by the intersymbol interference and bandwidth extension pre-emphasis effect parameter.
US08705600B1
One or more communications parameters associated with a multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) signal transmitted by a transmitter are identified. The one or more communications parameters include one or more of (i) a number of receive antennas via which the MIMO signal is received, (ii) a number of spatial streams in the MIMO signal, and (iii) a signal to noise ratio (SNR) corresponding to the MIMO signal. A particular data detection technique of a plurality of data detection techniques employed by a receiver is selected in accordance with at least one of the one or more communications parameters.
US08705597B2
A method of identifying an electronic or electromechanical system includes: applying at least one noise signal (u) as input to the system, applying an output signal of the system to a one-bit analog digital converter, acquiring a signal at the output of the converter, carrying out an estimation of the output of the system with aid of performing an estimation (ĥ) of the impulse response of the system. The estimation (ĥ) of the impulse response includes: iterative calculation of a plurality of nh elements (J0, . . . , Ji, . . . , Jnh−1) of a given criterion (J), each element including, respectively: at least one term of correlation between the signal at the output of the converter and the noise signal.
US08705595B2
Devices and methods related to devices capable to perform digital output power measurement besides attenuation control are provided. A device includes a digital signal processing unit, a transmitter and a feedback receiver. The digital signal processing unit is configured to control attenuation along a transmission path and a feedback path based on a comparison of a power of a digital input signal with a raw power of a corresponding digital feedback signal, and to calculate an output power value of an analog RF signal to be broadcasted, using the raw power of the digital feedback signal and one or more feedback gain factors related to gain in the feedback receiver.
US08705593B2
An evaluation device is configured to provide a transceiver system with performance information thereof. The transceiver system models a channel between a transmitter and a receiver thereof using Nakagami distribution with a fading parameter. The evaluation device includes a setting module operable to set an average signal-to-noise rate (SNR) for the channel between the transmitter and the receiver, a computing module operable to estimate a symbol error rate related to a signal received by the receiver from the transmitter based upon the fading parameter and the average SNR, and an output module operable to provide the average SNR and the symbol error rate as the performance information of the transceiver system.
US08705591B2
A signal processing system and method for a GNSS digital signal wherein a carrier-stripped GNSS signal, is sampled according to a variable rate, determined by the code NCO, and including a timing circuit arranged to generate a timestamp code determining the sampling time of at least one of the samples in the buffer memory. By taking code samples in this way it is possible to transfer the samples asynchronously to a separate processor for the search task to be performed, for example an asynchronous parallel correlator implemented in the same silicon in hardware, or a media processor such as a graphics accelerator implemented in the same device or a separate physical device.
US08705586B2
To suppress the amplification of spontaneous emission light in a principal plane width direction to thereby suppress a gain in directions other than a beam axis direction and output a high-power laser, in a solid-state laser element of a plane waveguide type that causes a fundamental wave laser beam to oscillate in a beam axis direction in a laser medium of a flat shape and forms a waveguide structure in a thickness direction as a direction perpendicular to a principal plane of the flat shape in the laser medium, inclined sections 12 are provided on both sides of the laser medium, the inclined sections 12 inclining a predetermined angle to reflect spontaneous emission light in the laser medium to a principal plane side of the flat shape, the spontaneous emission light traveling in the beam axis direction and a principal plane width direction as a direction perpendicular to the thickness direction.
US08705578B2
A method and a system for implementing time synchronization in a local area network are disclosed, and the local area network includes a master system device (1) and a slave system device (31, 32, 33). The method includes: the master system device (1) synchronizing a local time according to a Universal Time Coordinated (UTC) time normally received from a Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite and a network clock aligned with the UTC time, and regularly broadcasting the local time to each network node which serves as the slave system device (31, 32, 33) and needs to perform time synchronization; and the slave system device (31, 32, 33) synchronously updating the local time according to the received local time of the maser system device (1) and a local network clock aligned with the network clock of the maser system device (1).
US08705549B2
A Universal Virtual Private Network (VPN) apparatus, and method and system for using universal VPNs. The Universal VPNs include a first Internet Protocol (IP) switch connected to a second IP switch by a public telecommunications medium. Each IP switch has an interswitch port and access ports to which hosts are directly connected. A virtual private line services (VPLS) packet received by the first IP switch from a source host directly connected to an access port of the first IP switch is routed by the first IP switch to destination hosts of a universal VPN attached to access ports of the first and second IP switches via respective transmission paths that use a VPLS transmission protocol throughout each respective transmission path. The VPLS packet includes a header appended to an IP frame including a packet payload including a first message, the header including a VPN label identifying the universal VPN.
US08705547B2
Techniques for performing protocol translation for a modular system may be described. In some examples, a first packet created in accordance with a first protocol may be received. A packet type for the first packet may be determined, a second protocol based on the packet type may be selected and the first packet may be translated to a second packet in accordance with the second protocol. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08705546B2
A redundancy switch includes at least three data ports and a control input. Each data port includes a data input and a data output. The redundancy switch operates in one of at least three states. In a first state, a first data port is communicatively coupled with a second data port. In a second state, the first data port is communicatively coupled with a third data port. In a third state, the second data port is communicatively coupled with the third data port. The state of the redundancy switch can be controlled based on a signal received at the control input. The redundancy switch can further include transconductance switching elements that convert a voltage input to a current output.
US08705545B2
A system and method for routing packets. The method includes receiving a first packet from an intermediate network by a first network interface card (NIC) operatively connected to a host, where the first packet originates from a first remote network, where the first NIC is operatively connected to the intermediate network, and where the first packet, the intermediate network, and the first NIC use a first network protocol. The method further includes classifying, by the first NIC, the first packet based on the first remote network, sending the first packet to a first receive ring in the first NIC, sending the first packet from the first receive ring to a first non-global container, and converting the first packet, using a first converter located in the first non-global container, to obtain a first converted packet, where the first converted packet and the first remote network use a second network protocol.
US08705540B2
The network relay apparatus includes: a plurality of distributed processing units configured to receive and send a packet from and to an external device; an integrated processing unit connected with the plurality of distributed processing units; and a mode selector configured to change over a processing mode of the network relay apparatus between a distributed processing mode and an integrated processing mode, based on at least either one of a load applied to the network relay apparatus and a packet type determined according to header information of the received packet.
US08705538B1
Methods and systems are disclosed that relate to selecting a path for sending an I/O request from a host to a data storage subsystem from among a plurality of paths from the host to the subsystem. An exemplary method includes identifying a limitation on the traffic level for the plurality of paths, tracking a first metric corresponding to the limitation on the traffic level for each path, and transmitting a first I/O request having an urgency level other than the highest urgency level by one of the plurality of paths whose first metric does not exceed its limitation on the traffic level.
US08705532B2
Methods, systems, and computer program products for selective layer 2 port blocking using layer 2 source addresses are disclosed. According to one method, a layer 2 frame is received. An I/O port block list is identified based on a layer 2 source address in the layer 2 frame. A set of ports to which the layer 2 fame should be forwarded is identified. The frame is blocked from being forwarded to ports in the set that are also in the I/O port block list.
US08705527B1
A system includes an on-board unit (OBU) in communication with an internal subsystem in a vehicle on at least one Ethernet network and a node on a wireless network. A method in one embodiment includes receiving a message on the Ethernet network in the vehicle, encapsulating the message to facilitate translation to Ethernet protocol if the message is not in Ethernet protocol, and transmitting the message in Ethernet protocol to its destination. Certain embodiments include optimizing data transmission over the wireless network using redundancy caches, dictionaries, object contexts databases, speech templates and protocol header templates, and cross layer optimization of data flow from a receiver to a sender over a TCP connection. Certain embodiments also include dynamically identifying and selecting an operating frequency with least interference for data transmission over the wireless network.
US08705518B1
Method and apparatus for providing integrated network and operations control for a converged communications network providing all service types on a common architecture.
US08705516B2
A method for operating a directory assistance system responsive to Voice over IP device requests including receiving a first directory assistance request from at least one Voice over IP device and identifying the requested information on a database. The requested information is formatted in the database in accordance with a format required by the Voice over IP device and is then a notification message is transmitted to indicating its availability. A second request is received from the Voice over IP device for retrieval of the formatted requested information, which is in turn transmitted to the Voice over IP device via the web server.
US08705512B2
A base station apparatus is provided, which includes a generator configured to generate a synchronization signal and a transmitter configured to transmit the generated synchronization signal. The generator is configured to generate a synchronization signal to be mapped on a subcarrier included in one of a plurality of frequency resource candidates that are separated by an interval, which is a common multiple of a determined frequency spacing and a subcarrier spacing between contiguous subcarriers, wherein the subcarrier spacing does not have a value that is a divisor of the determined frequency spacing.
US08705501B2
Aspects are disclosed for self-configuring an access point via a backhaul connection. A backhaul connection is established between an access point base station and a neighboring base station. Information associated with an external neighbor parameter is then received via the backhaul connection, and an internal neighbor parameter is self-configured based on the external neighbor parameter.
US08705499B2
A wireless access router for separately controlling a traffic signal and a control signal is provided. In a mobile communication access network structure, in order to optimally support a mobile communication terminal, a control signal and a traffic signal of a base station are divided, and a router is controlled by mobile communication system functions such as a mobility management function, a QoS management function, a session control of the terminal, a mobility control, and a QoS control function that are effectively processed. With a wireless access router having the divided control signal and traffic signal, it is expected the traffic concentration and a packet transmission delay can be prevented.
US08705489B2
A method and apparatus for controlling an optimization of handover procedures between universal terrestrial radio access (UTRA) release 6 (R6) cells and UTRA release 7 (R7) cells are disclosed. When a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) is moving between an R6 cell and an R7 cell, or between R7 cells, a handover is initiated from a source Node-B to a target Node-B. In the R7 cell, the enhanced medium access control (MAC) functionality including flexible radio link control (RLC) protocol data unit (PDU) size and high speed MAC (MAC-hs) segmentation and multiplexing of different priority queues are supported. After the handover, a MAC layer and/or an RLC layer are reconfigured or reset based on functionality supported by the target Node-B.
US08705487B2
A system, method and computer-readable medium for concurrent support of Voice Call Continuity (VCC) capabilities in both the enterprise space and the carrier space are provided. The enterprise VCC functionality is used when the user is located in the enterprise domain which does not impact the carrier's network while the carrier VCC capability is used when the user is located in the carrier domain to support seamless handover between the wireless networks that the carrier may offer. The carrier VCC anchoring point and the enterprise VCC anchoring point may communicate with each other to confirm and inform the other anchoring point that a call handover is occurring or will occur.
US08705486B2
A wireless terminal receives peer to peer resource control information from a base station. The peer to peer resource control information is used by the wireless terminal in a peer to peer network to control transmission scheduling and/or resource utilization. The base station sends the control signals at a first rate which is slower than the rate at which wireless terminals make transmission decisions for traffic slots. During the intervals between receipt of the base station control signals, wireless terminals make transmission decisions with regard to multiple traffic segments. The decisions are also influenced based on peer to peer signaling occurring between the wireless terminals in the network for each traffic slot. Resource utilization feedback information is provided from the wireless terminal to the base station. Based on the feedback information the base station updates the resource utilization control information and sends updated resource utilization control signals to the wireless terminals.
US08705484B2
A method and apparatus is disclosed herein for varying transmit power patterns in a multi-cell wireless transmission environment. In one embodiment, the method comprises varying transmit power coordination patterns for base stations in the wireless communication system to jointly vary base station power over a set of virtual channels over base stations within a cluster and across clusters of base stations; and jointly transmitting by groups of the base stations to one or more user terminals in their respective clusters based on the transmit power coordination patterns.
US08705479B2
A communications system that includes a transmission data generator configured to generate frequency band information indicating which frequency band is to be used for transmission of data information between said communication apparatuses; a transmitter configured to transmit the frequency band information by using a specific frequency band, set from among a plurality of frequency band assigned to the communications system, to transmit data information using at least one frequency band set from among said plurality of frequency bands; a receiver configured to receive the frequency band information, using the specific frequency band. The frequency band set as said at least one frequency band set from among said plurality of frequency bands, other than the specific frequency band, is made variable, at the time of establishing the wireless channel, the frequency band usable by the communications apparatus is restricted.
US08705473B2
To partially suppress interference to control channels of a pico-cell from a base station apparatus of a macro-cell and enable assignment of user data to a subframe besides the same subframe using a part of control channels with interference suppressed thereto, a base station apparatus disposed in a second system having a system band comprised of a plurality of component carriers for sharing at least a part of a frequency band with a first system having a macro-cell (C2) and covering a pico-cell (C1) is configured to generate a carrier indicator for indicating another component carrier to which user data is assigned besides the same component carrier on a control channel of the component carrier, while indicating another subframe to which user data is assigned besides the same subframe on the downlink control channel.
US08705461B2
A method and apparatus for handling a control channel for carrier aggregation in wireless communications. The method includes determining which component carrier to listen to, detecting the downlink control channel, processing mapping information related to downlink and uplink transmissions and operating discontinuous reception with respect to carrier aggregation. The method also includes detecting a component carrier, determining the component carrier type and locating the anchor component carrier, if necessary, where the anchor component carrier carries the carrier aggregation information.
US08705450B2
A method (200) for discovering paths between source nodes and destination nodes in mesh wireless media (WiMedia) based networks. Each of the discovered paths has sufficient medium time to enable efficient data transfers over the path. The method comprises, upon receiving a route request (RREQ), computing a number of available medium access slots (MAS) of a wireless link between a node receiving the RREQ and a node transmitting the RREQ (S210); computing a number of required MAS to deliver data over the wireless link in an upstream direction (S220); updating a local neighbor link (LNL) list when the number of required MASs is not above the number of available MASs (S240); computing an upper bound value and a lower bound value of a sufficient medium time coefficient (CSMT) (S250); and selecting the path based on at least the upper and lower bound CSMT values (S280).
US08705429B2
The present invention discloses a method, apparatus and system for transmitting a Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service notification message, relates to the wireless communication field, and solves the problem that there is not a MBMS notification message transmission mechanism. The technical scheme of the present invention is: receiving a Radio Resource Control signaling, reading subframe configuration information of the MBMS notification message included in said Radio Resource Control signaling; and using a subframe selection rule corresponding to said subframe configuration information to receive said MBMS notification message. The technical scheme provided by the present invention is suitable for the MBMS service.
US08705414B2
The present invention relates to a method for transmitting and receiving data in a wireless communication system. The method of transmitting data in a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention supports time division duplex (TDD), and a base station transmits data to a terminal through a first sub-frame of a first frame and receives a confirmatory response to the data through a second sub-frame of a second frame. The second frame is determined according to hybrid automatic retransmit request (HARQ) processing latency which is the minimal required time from the reception of the data to the transmission of the confirmatory response by the first frame and the terminal. The second sub-frame is determined according to both the first sub-frame and the numbers of the downlink and uplink sub-frames of the first frame, wherein the downlink and uplink sub-frames are respectively used in the HARQ operation.
US08705412B2
An apparatus and a method for protecting receive circuits in a Time Division Duplexing (TDD) wireless communication system are provided. The receive circuit protecting apparatus includes a TDD controller for controlling transmission and reception modes according to transmission and reception intervals, a transmitter for power-amplifying and outputting a Radio Frequency (RF) signal in the transmission mode under control of the TDD controller, and a Transmit/Receive Antenna Switch (TRAS) for, in the transmission mode, forwarding a signal of the transmitter to an antenna feed line under the control of the TDD controller and for absorbing an output signal of the transmitter flowing to the receive circuits using a reflection structure positioned in a reception path, and, in the reception mode, for forwarding a signal fed from the antenna feed line to the receive circuits under the control of the TDD controller.
US08705401B1
The invention comprises a method and apparatus for validating at least one command. Specifically, the method comprises receiving the at least one command, wherein the at least one command is associated with at least one command source, processing the at least one command for determining at least one network component for which the at least one command is destined, and validating the at least one command according to at least one attribute, wherein the at least one attribute is associated with at least one of the at least one network component, the at least one command source, and the at least one command.
US08705397B2
A method of transmitting signals from a transmitter of a wireless communication system comprises determining each transmission power of a first signal and a second signal; if the difference Y in transmission power between the first signal and the second signal exceeds a predetermined value X, adjusting at least one of the transmission powers of the first signal or the second signal so as not to allow the difference in adjusted transmission power to exceed the predetermined value; and simultaneously transmitting the first signal and the second signal to a receiver using the adjusted transmission power.
US08705393B2
Provided is a data communication method and apparatus based on a sequential response protocol that is applicable to a multiple user multiple input and multiple output (MU-MIMO) system. The data communication apparatus may include response indexes (RIs) with respect to multiple terminals in at least one spatio-temporal stream to be transmitted to the multiple terminals, and the response indexes may be information associated with a transmission sequence of data to be transmitted by the multiple terminals.
US08705392B2
Methods and systems for determining attributes of communication channels of MU-MIMO users in an (OFDMA) system are disclosed. One method includes receiving from a base station, for at least one sub-band of contiguous sub-carriers, an indication of an estimate of or an upper-bound on a total number of streams that are co-scheduled by the base station on the at least one sub-band. The method further includes determining one or more signal quality measures for the at least one sub-band based on the estimate of or the upper-bound on the total number of streams that are scheduled by the base station on the at least one sub-band in accordance with at least one of single-user scheduling rules or multi-user scheduling rules. In addition, the method includes transmitting to the base station an indication of the one or more signal quality measures and at least one tag identifying each signal quality measure as being determined in accordance with the single-user scheduling rules or the multi-user scheduling rules.
US08705390B2
A method for monitoring of a wireless link quality comprises measuring the link quality of a wireless link (120-XY) between a beacon device (110-X) transmitting a beacon and a beacon device (110-Y) receiving the beacon, wherein the measuring is performed by the receiving device (S320); saving link quality measures in a local neighborhood link quality (LNLQ) table (400) maintained by the receiving device (110-Y) (S330); and advertising the link quality measures of wireless links by transmitting the measures in beacons (S340).
US08705388B2
In an example embodiment, a method for determining backhaul channel assignments for multi-channel dual radio mesh nodes. The method comprises acquiring collision domain data for each access point of an associated mesh network. A cost function is calculated for each access point of the associated mesh network, the cost function assigning a weighted value for each access point in a collision domain based on a number of access points in the collision domain. Backhaul channel assignments for selected for each access point that minimizes the cost function.
US08705383B2
A method and apparatus are described including multicasting a medium reservation message and receiving a response to the medium reservation message. Also described are a method and apparatus including receiving a medium reservation message, determining if a medium is idle and transmitting a response to the medium reservation message responsive to the determination. Further described are a method and apparatus including receiving a medium reservation message, determining if a received network allocation vector in the medium reservation message has a value greater than a current network allocation vector, determining if transmission over a medium during a time interval is detected and resetting the current network allocation vector responsive to the determination of transmission. Yet further described are a method and apparatus including receiving a response to a medium reservation message, determining if a network allocation vector in the response is greater than a current network allocation vector and updating the current network allocation vector responsive to the determination.
US08705382B2
A subscriber station (SS) utilizes uplink resources that have been assigned to it for communicating with an infrastructure station to exchange data with a neighboring SS while maintaining its link to the infrastructure station. This is accomplished by the SS receiving an uplink allocation from the infrastructure station, transmitting a subscriber-to-infrastructure station header and trailer to the infrastructure station using the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) assigned by the infrastructure station and also transmitting a subscriber-to-subscriber (S2S) message payload, optionally using a second MCS level appropriate for the link between itself and the receiving SS. The subscriber to infrastructure station message is composed so that it occupies the first m codewords and contains a header that describes the length of the subscriber to infrastructure station message. The subscriber to infrastructure station message, then, is followed by the S2S message, composed to occupy the remaining symbols of the allocation.
US08705378B2
In a DOCSIS-based communications system, different upstream channel descriptors (UCDs) all identify a single logical upsteam channel identifier (UCID) regardless of the type of cable modem (CM) to which the UCDs are sent. Different CMs having different capabilities (e.g., CMs configured according to the different DOCSIS standards 1.x, 2.0, and 3.0) receive their respective UCDs from an upstream headend. All the UCDs, however, refer to the same logical upstream channel. The different CMs therefore share this single logical upstream channel.
US08705355B1
A first network switch includes a first queue that stores first frames transmitted to the first network switch from a second network switch, and stores second frames transmitted to the first network switch from a third network switch. A first port receives the first and second frames from the first queue, and transmits the first and second frames from the first network switch. A second port receives third frames transmitted to the first network switch from the third network switch, and transmits the third frames from the first network switch. A first control module, based on whether the first queue is filled above a threshold, sends a first message to the third network switch to assert flow control for the second frames and not for the third frames including adjusting a transmission rate of the second frames from the third network switch to the first network switch.
US08705354B2
A node on a core network, in accordance with a connection state of a terminal, releases a transmission path resource which is made unnecessary due to LIPA (Local IP access) or SIPTO (Selected IP traffic offload) connection configuration.
US08705352B2
Prioritized random access methods are proposed. According to an embodiment, random access attempts are classified into the priority levels according to delay requirements, and adedicated random access opportunities are reserved for different priority levels. A congestion detecting mechanism is introduced for such dedicated ranging (random access) opportunities. When congestion is detected by the base station, parameters or configurations of random access can be dynamically or temporarily modified through random access response message. Furthermore, a prioritized contention resolution is introduced to guarantee a high priority access is processed earlier than a low priority access. According to another embodiment, another prioritized contention resolution is introduced to reduce the impact of random access of a low priority M2M device upon H2H traffic.
US08705351B1
Method and system is provided for handling both network traffic and storage traffic to and from a plurality of nodes. The system includes a converged switch module that includes a plurality of ports configured to operate as a part of a group that is managed by a controller and each of the plurality of ports are configurable to process network traffic, storage traffic or a combination of both network traffic and storage traffic to and from a virtual port. The controller selects one of the plurality of ports to operate as a primary port for responding to a solicitation message from one of a plurality of nodes addressed to any of the ports within the group.
US08705350B2
A system is provided for maintaining Quality of Service (“QoS”) parameters of data transmissions. A packet-switched network framework is provided. The network framework includes at least one router for routing the data transmissions over the network framework. The network framework also includes multiple links, including a first link and a second link. The first link forms at least part of a first path over the network framework, and the second link forms at least part of an alternate, second path over the network framework. A link utilization monitor is configured to monitor a link utilization rate of the first link and to determine whether the rate has exceeded a predetermined maximum utilization threshold. The router is configured to reroute data transmissions over the second link when the rate is determined to have exceeded the predetermined maximum utilization threshold.
US08705349B2
A method for communication includes sending communication packets over a network from a first network interface. A notification, which originates from a second network interface and indicates a network congestion encountered by one or more of the packets, is received in the first network interface. A network address of the second network interface is identified based on the notification. A transmission rate of subsequent packets addressed to the network address is regulated responsively to the notification, irrespective of a transport service instance on which the subsequent packets are sent from the first network interface.
US08705348B2
A system and method for facilitating anti-replay protection with multi-sender traffic is disclosed. The system employs time-based anti-replay protection wherein a sender transmits a data packet with a pseudo-timestamp encapsulated in a metadata payload. At the receiving end, the receiver compares the pseudo-timestamp information received with its own pseudo-time, determines if a packet is valid, and rejects a replay packet. The pseudo-time information is transmitted through the metadata payload and new fields need not be added to the IPSec (IP Security) Protocol, thus the existing hardware can be employed without any changes or modifications.
US08705347B2
A method for electing a ring manager of ring topology network and a node are disclosed, where, to this end, a node responsible for electing the ring manager periodically requests each node of diagnostic information on packet traffic and receives the diagnostic information on packet traffic from each node, newly elects a node capable of performing a ring manager role, and informs each node of information on the newly elected ring manager, whereby, the ring network can be more effectively operated because the ring manager is elected based on network load status that changes in real time even in the course of a ring network being initially set up and operated responsive to structural conditions including hop count of each nod and MAC node.
US08705346B2
The present invention discloses a method for detection of Ethernet segment protection, and this method includes: configuring a detection point in two segment protection domains with a shared link; configuring a joint monitor group on the shared link of said two segment protection domains; and judging whether the configured detection point and the joint monitor group receive a Continuity Check Message (CCM) in a certain period, if the CCM message is received, determining a detected segment corresponding to this CCM message is normal; if the CCM message is not received, determining the detected segment corresponding to this CCM message has a fault. The present invention further discloses a system for detection of Ethernet segment protection, including: a detection point configuration unit, a joint monitor group configuration unit and a judgment unit. The method and system of the present invention can solve the problem of the segment protection in the case of the multi-node fault and greatly improve the network performance.
US08705344B2
In one embodiment, detecting a failure mode of a first communication link on a first port, selecting a second communication link on a second port associated with the first port, and transmitting a profile information associated with the second port are provided.
US08705336B2
A system and method are provided that are operable for network communications that promote network devices to receive a transmit request, transmit a first part of a frame by a physical layer without a second part of the frame from a medium access control layer, and request the second part of the frame by the physical layer from the medium access control layer. These systems and methods also allow, in some embodiments, for the transmitting of the second part of the frame by the physical layer with data from the medium access control layer.
US08705323B2
TAR enable write heads may use a plasmonic device (e.g., an optical transducer) which uses electromagnetic energy generated from a laser to heat the magnetic media. However, as the temperature of the plasmonic device rises, the likelihood of stressing the material of the device or other materials of the head near the plasmonic device increases. Accordingly, the write head may include a temperature sensor proximate to the plasmonic device. In one embodiment, the resistance of the temperature sensor may change according to the temperature of the plasmonic device. Based on the measured resistance of the temperature sensor, a sensing circuit may adjust the power of the laser, and thus, prevent the stressing of the materials. Moreover, the thermal coupling between the temperature sensor and a heat sink connected to the plasmonic device may be improved by moving elements associated with the sensing circuit closer to a heat sink.
US08705322B2
A timepiece device with multiple-hand which can be miniaturized and made thin as a whole has a configuration where a hour hand hour wheel positioned close to an hour hand to which a rotation movement of a 3rd motor via an hour hand gear train mechanism and a functional hand hour wheel positioned close to a functional hand to which a rotation movement of a 4th motor via a functional hand gear train mechanism are arranged on a front side of a support plate, and a 4th wheel positioned close to a second hand and a 2nd wheel positioned close to a minute hand are arranged on a rear side of the support plate.
US08705310B2
A method can include storing bank addresses, if received, on at least rising and falling edges of a same clock cycle; and if addresses stored on the rising and falling edges of the same clock cycle correspond to different banks of a memory device, starting accesses to both banks after the falling edge of the clock cycle; wherein any of the banks can be accessed in response to an address stored on a rising edge of a next clock cycle. Devices and additional methods are also disclosed.
US08705299B2
An apparatus has a controller. The controller is configured to address a non-defective memory block of a sequence of memory blocks in place of a defective memory block of the sequence of memory blocks such that the non-defective memory block replaces the defective memory block. The non-defective memory block is a proximate non-defective memory block following the defective memory block in the sequence of memory blocks that is available to replace the defective memory block. The controller is configured to apply a voltage-delay correction to the non-defective memory block that replaces the defective memory block based on the actual location of the non-defective memory block.
US08705292B2
To provide a nonvolatile memory circuit having a novel structure. A first memory circuit, a second memory circuit, a first switch, a second switch, and a phase inverter circuit are included. The first memory circuit includes a first transistor formed using an oxide semiconductor film, a second transistor, a third transistor, and a capacitor. The first transistor formed using an oxide semiconductor film and the capacitor are used to form the nonvolatile memory circuit. Reductions in number of power supply lines and signal lines which are connected to the memory circuit and transistors used in the memory circuit allow a reduction in circuit scale of the nonvolatile memory circuit.
US08705288B2
According to one embodiment, a nonvolatile semiconductor memory includes a source line connected to first and second cell units, a cell-source driver setting the source line on a fixed potential in a programming, a data latch circuit temporary storing program data, a hookup circuit connecting one of the first and second bit lines to the data latch circuit, and connecting the other one of the first and second bit lines to the source line, in the programming, a level detection circuit detecting a potential level of the source line, and a control circuit determining a completion of a charge of the first and second bit lines when the potential level of the source line is larger than a threshold value, and making a charge time of the first and second bit lines variable, in the programming.
US08705287B2
A method of operating a semiconductor memory device includes performing a first program operation in order to raise threshold voltages of memory cells, performing a program verification operation for detecting fast program memory cells, each having a threshold voltage risen higher than a first sub-verification voltage from a second sub-verification voltage or lower, by using a target verification voltage and the first sub-verification voltage and the second sub-verification voltage which are sequentially lower than the target verification voltage, and performing a second program operation under a condition that an increment of each of threshold voltages of memory cells, which is lower than the target verification voltage, is greater than an increment of the threshold voltage of each of the fast program memory cells.
US08705283B2
Disclosed herein is a method that comprises applying a first voltage to a memory cell, applying again the first voltage to the memory cell when the memory cell have not been shifted to an erased condition, and applying a second voltage to the memory cell when the memory cell have not still been shifted to an erased condition, the second voltage being higher than the first voltage.
US08705274B2
The present disclosure relates to the field of microelectronics manufacture and memories. A three-dimensional multi-bit non-volatile memory and a method for manufacturing the same are disclosed. The memory comprises a plurality of memory cells constituting a memory array. The memory array may comprise: a gate stack structure; periodically and alternately arranged gate stack regions and channel region spaces; gate dielectric layers for discrete charge storage; periodically arranged channel regions; source doping regions and drain doping regions symmetrically arranged to each other; bit lines led from the source doping regions and the drain doping regions; and word lines led from the gate stack regions. The gate dielectric layers for discrete charge storage can provide physical storage spots to achieve single-bit or multi-bit operations, so as to achieve a high storage density. According to the present disclosure, the localized charge storage characteristic of the charge trapping layer and characteristics such as a longer effective channel length and a higher density of a vertical memory structure are utilized, to provide multiple storage spots in a single memory cell. Therefore, the storage density is improved while good performances such as high speed are ensured.
US08705272B2
A memory system is provided with a processor, a main memory, and a flash memory. Performance of the memory system is improved through achievement of speed-up and high data reliability. The memory system includes a nonvolatile memory device and a controller configured to drive a control program to control the nonvolatile memory device. The control program executes a second access operation for the nonvolatile memory device even before a first access operation to the nonvolatile memory device is completed.
US08705270B2
A semiconductor memory has a first switch circuit and a second switch circuit. The semiconductor memory has a row decoder that controls a voltage of a word line. The semiconductor memory has a first writing circuit including a first signal terminal connected to one end of the first switch circuit to input and output a writing current. The semiconductor memory has a second writing circuit including a second signal terminal connected to a one end of the second switch circuit to input and output the writing current. The semiconductor memory has a select transistor including a control terminal connected to the word line. The semiconductor memory has a resistance change element that is connected in series with the select transistor between the first bit line and the second bit line and varies in resistance value depending on an applied current.
US08705262B1
A stacked memory device for a configurable bandwidth memory interface includes a first number of contact pads arranged in a pattern on a first surface of the memory device and a second number of contact pads arranged in the same pattern on a second surface. Each of the second contact pads may be electrically coupled to a corresponding contact pad on the first surface using a via. When the memory device is oriented in a first orientation and stacked in vertical alignment and electrical connection upon a second memory device having the same pattern of contact pads, each data signal of the memory bus is coupled to a corresponding data signal of both the memory devices. When the memory device is oriented in a second orientation, a given data signal of the memory bus is coupled to the corresponding data signal of only one of the memory devices.
US08705259B2
In one aspect of the present invention, a memory apparatus comprises a plurality of resettable memory cells, a plurality of memory units, and a reset information propagation logic coupled to the resettable memory cells and the memory units. The reset information propagation logic designed to write reset information into a portion of the memory units in response to one of the resettable memory cells having a reset value when one of the memory units is written into.
US08705253B2
A system includes a load and a single-ended primary-inductance converter (SEPIC) power converter configured to provide power to the load. The SEPIC power converter includes a primary side and a secondary side that are electrically isolated by a transformer. The transformer includes a primary coil and a secondary coil. The primary side includes (i) a capacitor coupled to a first end of the primary coil and (ii) an inductor and a switch coupled to a second end of the primary coil. The primary side of the SEPIC power converter could also include a diode coupled between the inductor and the switch, where the diode is coupled to the second end of the primary coil. The capacitor could be configured to transfer energy to the secondary side of the SEPIC power converter through the transformer during valleys associated with a rectified input voltage.
US08705252B2
An off line resonant converter includes a boost storage inductance circuit coupled to a switcher circuit that includes stacked first and second passive switching devices coupled to the boost storage inductance circuit and stacked first and second active bidirectional switching devices coupled to the stacked first and second passive switching devices. The stacked first and second active bidirectional switching devices generate a square wave signal and alternately store energy in and receive energy from the boost storage inductance circuit such that a pulsating current is conducted between the boost storage inductance circuit and the switcher circuit. The pulsating current is bidirectional and flows in a direction responsive to a polarity of the ac input line voltage. A resonant circuit is coupled to an output of the switcher circuit to receive the square wave signal from the switcher circuit to generate an output of the resonant converter.
US08705245B2
A sensor device has a ceramic carrier substrate. At least two conductor tracks are arranged on the carrier substrate. The sensor device has at least one ceramic component that is in the form of a chip and is connected to the conductor tracks in an electrically conductive manner. The at least one ceramic component is mechanically connected to the conductor tracks by means of a screen printing paste which has been burnt in.
US08705242B2
In two systems of three-phase alternating-current inverter devices that drive a motor, power elements on power supply sides of bridge circuits are mounted on unit bases to constitute upper arm units. Power elements on ground sides of the bridge circuits are mounted on unit bases to constitute lower arm units. The upper arm units and the lower arm units are arranged separately on upper surfaces and outside surfaces of heat dissipation blocks of a heat sink. Heats generated by the power elements do not interfere with each other and are emitted to the heat sink, whereby heat dissipation performance of the power elements constituting the bridge circuits is improved.
US08705231B2
An information processing system includes: a main device including first and second engagement portions in a principal surface and a third engagement portion in a surface on the main-device side reverse from the principal surface; and an extension device including a placement portion on which the main device is placed, a first wall portion provided standing on one edge side of the placement portion, a second wall portion facing the first wall portion across the placement portion, a first engaging portion and a second engaging portion formed in the first wall portion, and a third engaging portion formed in the second wall portion. The first engaging portion engages the first engagement portion, the second engaging portion engages the second engagement portion, and the third engaging portion engages the third engagement portion. In the information processing system, the main device can be prevented from being improperly mounted on the extension device.
US08705230B2
A hard disc device including a frame, a hard disc, a pushing rod and a door is provided. The frame has a pair of troughs interior. The hard disc is movably disposed in the frame and leans against the troughs. The pushing rod disposed outside the frame has a first end and a second end. The second end extends along external of the frame. The door has a third end and a fourth end, wherein the fourth end is disposed at the frame, such that the third end rotates relative to the fourth end. The fourth end has a cam leaning against the second end of the rod.
US08705220B2
A surge arrester according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a switching unit connected to a gas-insulated electric equipment in which insulating gas is sealed, and switching a limited voltage of the surge arrester into a limited voltage smaller than a low-temperature critical voltage indicating a withstand voltage generating a dielectric breakdown when the insulating gas is liquefied.
US08705218B2
Apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed that operate to boost an electrical potential of a control terminal of a transistor from a signal on an input terminal of the transistor to render a channel in the transistor more conductive. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.
US08705206B1
A magnetic data storage system according to one embodiment includes a magnetic head adapted to record data according to a shingled magnetic recording (SMR) process. The magnetic head includes a main pole adapted to produce a writing magnetic field, a trailing shield positioned above a trailing side of the main pole, wherein a trailing gap is defined between the trailing shield and the main pole, and a spin torque oscillator (STO) positioned above a first trailing corner of the main pole at an STO-side of the main pole, wherein the trailing gap has a greater length in a film thickness direction near the STO-side of the main pole and a lesser length in the film thickness direction near a second trailing corner of the main pole opposite the first trailing corner in a track width direction of the main pole.
US08705190B2
According to one embodiment, there is provided a method for determining whether a defect on a disk in an apparatus includes head is a recess or a protrusion. The method detects a first defect on the disk using a read element provided in the head. The method detects a second defect on the disk using a head disk interference sensor provided in the head. The method further determines whether a third defect is a recessed defect or a protruding defect based on a ratio between a first width of the first defect in a radial direction on the disk and a second width of the second defect in the radial direction of the disk. The third defect is identified based on the first defect and the second defect.
US08705187B2
A lens apparatus includes a first lens barrel member and a second lens barrel member coupled with the first lens barrel member via a cam mechanism. The first lens barrel member includes a stopper portion and a gear portion. The stopper portion comes into contact with a first contact surface formed in the second lens barrel member, when the first lens barrel member protruding from the second lens barrel member in the optical axis direction receives the external force from a front end side of the first lens barrel member in its protruding direction, to restrict a displacement of the first lens barrel member with respect to the second lens barrel member due to the external force. The gear portion comes into contact with a second contact surface formed in the second lens barrel member to restrict the displacement due to the external force.
US08705180B2
A zoom lens includes, in order from an object side in an optical axis a first lens group having a positive refractive power, a second lens group having a negative refractive power; a third lens group having a negative refractive power, a fourth lens group having a positive refractive power, a fifth lens group having a positive refractive power, and an aperture stop arranged between the third lens group and the fourth lens group, an interval between the first lens group and the second lens group being increased, an interval between the second lens group and the third lens group being varied, an interval between the third lens group and the fourth lens group being decreased, and an interval between the fourth lens group and the fifth lens group being decreased when changing a magnification from a wide-angle end to a telephoto end.
US08705167B2
In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure a system for compensating for polarization dependent loss experienced by an optical signal comprises an optical amplifier configured to amplify an optical signal and having a polarization dependent gain (PDG). The system also comprises a polarization rotator coupled to the amplifier and configured to rotate the polarization of the optical signal before the signal enters the amplifier. The system also comprises a polarization dependent loss (PDL) controller coupled to the amplifier and the rotator. The PDL controller may be configured to determine a post-amplifier PDL of the optical signal as the signal leaves the optical amplifier. The PDL controller may also be configured to control the rotator to rotate the polarization of the optical signal based on the post-amplifier PDL, such that the PDG of the amplifier compensates for the PDL experienced by the optical signal.
US08705163B2
Reflective systems include one or more reflective elements that have a plurality of rotatable elements embedded between a first layer that is bonded to a second layer. The rotatable elements have a first and a second portion that are separated by a reflective plane. An alignment mechanism causes the rotatable elements to move into a desired position.
US08705162B2
This disclosure provides systems, methods, and apparatus for controlling transitions in an optically switchable device. In one aspect, a controller for a tintable window may include a processor, an input for receiving output signals from sensors, and instructions for causing the processor to determine a level of tint of the tintable window, and an output for controlling the level of tint in the tintable window. The instructions may include a relationship between the received output signals and the level of tint, with the relationship employing output signals from an exterior photosensor, an interior photosensor, an occupancy sensor, an exterior temperature sensor, and a transmissivity sensor. In some instances, the controller may receive output signals over a network and/or be interfaced with a network, and in some instances, the controller may be a standalone controller that is not interfaced with a network.
US08705150B2
An image reading apparatus according to the present invention comprises an image reading unit arranged on a conveying path of a first medium and reading an image on the first medium, a conveying unit conveying the first medium and a second medium to the image reading unit, a width of the second medium being smaller than the first medium, and guide portions guiding the second medium introduced from a discharge port along the conveying path.
US08705148B2
A multi-function printer having a compact size and portable configuration while providing printing, scanning and copying functionalities is disclosed herein. The multi-function printer includes a printer assembly and a scanner assembly configured to cooperatively utilize the same pick and paper movement systems along a common feed or paper path to perform these printing, scanning and copying functions. Thus, the disclosed multi-function printer may require a less complex paper movement and control system which, in turn, reduces the printer's overall weight while increasing its flexibility and/or portability.
US08705145B2
Systems and methods resume capture of a base image from an object by a mobile scanner operated by a user. An indication of an overlap area on a base image displayed within a computer display is received. A scan image is received from the mobile scanner positioned on the object at a location corresponding to the overlap area. A match between a segment of the scan image and a corresponding segment of the base image is determined, where the match defines a location and orientation of the mobile scanner relative to the base image. An indication that the scan has resumed is made to the user when the match is found, and images that are subsequently received from the mobile scanner are stitched to the base image based upon the determined location and orientation. The partially formed base image and the scanner image are concurrently displayed to the user.
US08705138B2
There is provided an image forming apparatus including a print head adapted to form an image on a recording medium, a transport path for the recording medium, the transport path being provided on at least one of a feed side and a discharge side of the recording medium with respect to the print head, an image reading device provided on the transport path, the image reading device being adapted to read an image formed by the print head, a correction chart provided opposite the image reading device with the transport path interposed in between, the correction chart being read by the image reading device in order to correct a reading result of the image reading device, based on information obtained from reading the correction chart, and a distance adjustment device adapted to increase or decrease the distance between the correction chart and the image reading device.
US08705133B2
A display system and method of producing images with high dynamic range are provided. The display system employs multiple light valves for projecting a portion of the image onto another.
US08705127B2
An image processing apparatus includes a setting unit and a correcting unit. The setting unit sets a gloss level of an image to be formed by forming plural toner images using a transparent toner and plural color toners having different colors and by fixing the plural toner images onto a recording medium in such a manner that the plural toner images are placed on top of one another on the recording medium. The correcting unit corrects image data defining density values per pixel of the toner images formed using the plural color toners of the respective colors so that a total density value that is a sum of a density value per pixel of the toner image formed using the transparent toner and density values per pixel of the toner images formed using the plural color toners of the respective colors may not exceed a predetermined threshold.
US08705123B2
An image forming apparatus including an attribute-value-information holding unit that holds an attribute-value table showing correspondence between a type of gradation processing and a fixing-temperature control attribute value; an image-formation-attribute processing unit that determines a type of gradation processing and a corresponding fixing-temperature control attribute value on the basis of contents of a print instruction and the attribute-value table; a gradation processing unit that performs gradation processing in accordance with the type of gradation processing determined by the image-formation-attribute processing unit; and a fixing-temperature control unit that controls fixing temperature in formation of a print image according to the fixing-temperature control attribute value determined by the image-formation-attribute processing unit.