US09961529B2

The invention provides for optimizing Near Field Communications (NFC) at a NFC-enabled interaction terminal configured for conducting user interactions. The invention provides for a user to designate which user credentials are applied to which type of NFC-enabled interaction terminals. A NFC-enabled interaction terminal-specific Application Identifier (AID) is assigned to the user credentials, and, in use, the AID list that is communicated, via NFC, by a mobile communication device to the NFC-enabled interaction terminal includes the NFC-enabled interaction terminal-specific AID, which implements an AID selection order that prioritizes use of the AID. In response, the application executing on the mobile communication device processes commands from the NFC-enabled interaction terminal using the pre-designated user credentials.
US09961528B2

Methods and systems for registering detection of electronic devices are provided. First, a first signal is wirelessly received by an electronic device, wherein the first signal is broadcasted by a first electronic device, and the first signal at least includes identification data and specific information corresponding to the first electronic device. The specific information includes motion information of the first electronic device, or specific data generated based on the motion information. Then, a registration process is performed for the first signal by first determining whether the specific information conforms to predefined information. When the specific information conforms to predefined information, the identification data corresponding to the first electronic device is registered. Signals having the registered identification data will be further processed in the electronic device.
US09961525B2

Communication becomes impossible for many mobile stations when a communication failure occurs in a fixed station while the mobile stations are operating in an infrastructure mode. Provided is a communication system that includes a plurality of mobile stations and at least one of a base station and a wireless LAN access point, wherein the plurality of mobile stations establish communication with each other and form an ad hoc network that realizes a mesh network topology, and at least one mobile station among the plurality of mobile stations establishes communication with at least one of the base station and the wireless LAN access point, and connects another mobile station among the plurality of mobile stations to the at least one of the base station and the wireless LAN access point using a tethering function.
US09961522B2

A method for routing calls between a third party telecommunications device (“TD”) and a subscriber TD associated with a primary service and a second line service (“SLS”) involves associating the SLS number of the subscriber, the primary number of the subscriber and the primary number of a third party via a common relationship number. Calls directed from a third party to the SLS number of a subscriber are routed to an SLS platform and redirected to the subscriber TD. Calls directed from the subscriber TD to the third party use the relationship number to route the call to the SLS platform. The combination of the primary service number and the relationship number identifies the third party number for call completion. Calls can be directed to and from an SLS number of a subscriber TD using a combination of protocols such as ISUP, CAP and SIP.
US09961521B2

The present disclosure generally relates to providing a contextual call notification. An electronic device receives an indication of an incoming voice communication associated with a caller. The electronic device obtains contextual information that is indicative of a likely intent of the caller and is distinct from an identity of the caller. In response to receiving the indication, the electronic device displays a notification that represents the voice communication. While displaying the notification, the electronic device detects a user input. In response to detecting the user input, the electronic device, in accordance with a determination that the user input includes a request to accept the incoming voice communication, establishes a voice communication session between the user and the caller, and, in accordance with a determination that the user input does not include a request to accept the incoming voice communication, forgoes establishing a voice communication session.
US09961513B2

Some demonstrative embodiments include devices, systems and/or methods of wireless communication. For example, a wireless communication unit may include a Multi Media-Access-Control (MAC) Address Station-Management-Entity (MM-SME) managing a plurality of MAC entities having a respective plurality of MAC addresses. The wireless communication unit may transmit a frame including a Multi-MAC-Addresses-Element (MMAE), which includes two or more MAC addresses of the plurality of MAC addresses and a control field defining at least one common communication attribute to be applied to the two or more MAC addresses.
US09961509B2

Provided are a base station and a plurality of member nodes for transmitting and receiving network coding based multicast traffic. The base station may transmit multicast traffic, and the member node may transmit an acknowledgement (ACK) signal based on received multicast traffic. A determination made be made as to whether the multicast traffic is to be retransmitted, based on a number of member nodes transmitting ACK signals.
US09961504B2

A mobile device comprises a communicator configured to communicate with another communication device; an acceleration sensor configured to detect an acceleration value; a direction sensor configured to detect a change of a direction of the mobile device; and at least one controller configured to determine number of steps of a user of the mobile device based on the acceleration value, and a direction of walking of the user based on the change of the direction of the mobile device to perform notification to the other communication device through the communicator when cumulative number of steps of the walking of the user in one of directions exceeds a first value.
US09961501B1

Systems and methods are described that use anchors to correct satellite-based geographic positioning data in a network of moving things. A plurality of anchor nodes using low-cost, non-differential GPS capable receiver may be used to correct positioning information of a plurality of other nodes of a network of moving things. Nodes in the network may share correction information produced by the anchor nodes with neighboring nodes, enabling other nodes of the network to correct positioning information produced by their own receivers of satellite-based geo-positioning information.
US09961500B2

A server is configured to establish a communication session between electronic devices, receive first information about a time range and second information about a location range from a first electronic device, send third information to the first device, the third information being information about one or more users with whom a user of the first device establishes a human relationship, identify a user selected among the one or more users, store the first information and the second information in a database in connection with identifiers of the user and the identified user, monitor a location of at least one of the first device and a second device of the identified user based on the first and second information, and send, when one of the first or second device deviates from the location range, a notification message to the other one of the first or second device.
US09961494B2

Various aspects of the subject technology relate to systems, methods, and machine-readable media for sharing content with a nearby device. A system is configured receive, from a sending device, a request to share content, wherein the request comprises location information associated with a location of the sending device and content characteristics, determine, based on the location information and the content characteristics, that one or more receiving devices are within a proximity threshold of the location of the sending device and are capable of loading content associated with the content characteristics, receive, from the sending device, a selection of a receiving device from the one or more receiving devices and content to be shared, and provide the content to be shared to the selected receiving device.
US09961490B2

Systems and methods for provisioning applications include storing an application identifier in association with location information in a database that is accessible by a user device. The user device then detects that it is located at a location included in the location information. In response to detecting that it is located at the location, the user device determines an application that is included on the user device and that is identified by the application identifier that is associated with the first location. The user device then automatically provides the application for display to a user. In some embodiments, the application may be automatically provided by automatically launching the application on the user device, and that application may be automatically closed if the user device leaves the location or the application is not used for a predetermined amount of time.
US09961486B2

Smart M2M devices may be utilized to discover, generate, develop, and use customer behavior information. Security, marketing, and sales may be made through the use of short-range communication mechanisms, and customer behavior information may be gathered while providing devices with product information and other content. In an example configuration, smart M2M devices may determine the location of a device in a venue and compare it to historical location information associated with the device to determine whether authentication should be requested.
US09961482B2

A portable electronic equipment including a main body configured to be worn on a user's neck; a user input unit on the main body; a short-range wireless chipset loaded in the main body and configured to perform wireless communication with a host media device; and a controller configured to sense, via a sensor, whether or not the user is wearing the main body on their neck, and selectively control the short-range wireless chipset to perform the wireless communication with the host media device via a designated profile supported by the host media device and a function implemented by the host media device.
US09961479B2

A method and apparatus for a master gateway to register a device in a smart home network system. The method includes selecting performance parameters related to the device measured by at least two gateways including the master gateway; collecting, from the at least two gateways, at least one first information item about the performance parameters measured for the device capable of being registered in the at least two gateways; creating second information used to register the device, based on the at least one first information item, by the at least two gateways; and instructing one of the at least two gateways to register the device, based on the second information. The present invention relates to a sensor network, Machine Type Communication (MTC), Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication, and technology for the Internet of Things (IoT). The present invention may be applied to intelligent services based on the above technologies, such as smart home, smart building, smart city, smart car, connected car, health care, digital education, smart retail, and security and safety services.
US09961477B2

A remote asset management system comprising a network of programmable wireless modules, each having an antenna and an identification module and configured to communicate via a radio communication protocol. The system further includes a plurality of assets each linked to one of the wireless modules and configured to be managed by the linked wireless module. A remote system server service platform is configured to receive remote asset data from the wireless modules, pass the remote asset data to and from the wireless modules, send messages to at least one of the wireless modules, monitor the wireless modules by requesting and receiving current mode information, and remotely program the wireless modules. A data processing module located within the wireless module(s) and configured to process messages received by the wireless module, authenticate said message, analyze authenticated messages, and carry out asset management instructions included in the message.
US09961475B2

A device obtains an object-based representation of an audio signal of an audio object. The audio signal corresponds to a time interval. Additionally, the device obtains a representation of a spatial vector for the audio object, wherein the spatial vector is defined in a Higher-Order Ambisonics (HOA) domain and is based on a first plurality of loudspeaker locations. The device generates, based on the audio signal of the audio object and the spatial vector, a plurality of audio signals. Each respective audio signal of the plurality of audio signals corresponds to a respective loudspeaker in a plurality of local loudspeakers at the second plurality of loudspeaker locations different from the first plurality of loudspeaker locations.
US09961473B2

An apparatus for generating a first multitude of output signals based on at least one audio source signal having a delay network and a feedback processor. The delay network includes a second multitude of delay paths, each delay path having a delay line and an attenuation filter. Each delay line is configured for delaying delay line input signals and for combining the at least one audio source signal and a reverberated audio signal to obtain a combined signal, wherein the attenuation filter of a delay path is configured for filtering the combined signal from the delay line of the delay path to obtain an output signal. The first multitude of output signals includes the output signal. The feedback processor is configured for reverberating the first multitude of output signals to obtain a third multitude of the reverberated audio signals including the reverberated audio signal.
US09961458B1

A compressible, flexible shape-retaining sleeve fits around a hearing aid shell. The sleeve includes fins having a fold line which extend outward to contact the user's ear canal, changing the hearing aid from being largely non-occlusive to being substantially occlusive. The hearing aid, including its shell, can be repeatedly inserted and removed from the sleeve through the battery door opening. The sleeve also has openings for a flexible filament positioning structure, consistently positioning the hearing aid for both occlusive and non-occlusive use. While the flexible filament positioning structure is attached to the hearing aid, it prevents disengagement of the sleeve from the hearing aid shell during insertion and removal of the hearing aid from the user's ear canal.
US09961452B2

In one embodiment a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) microphone package includes a multiple layer substrate, an upper acoustic port formed through a plurality of upper layers of the multiple layer substrate and exposing an upper surface of a membrane portion, a lower acoustic port formed through a plurality of lower layers of the multiple layer substrate and exposing a lower surface of the membrane portion, a ring trench formed through at least one of the plurality of upper layers and exposing a metal ring, a MEMS die located above the ring trench, a copper pillar ring extending between the metal ring and the MEMS die, and a solder pillar ring positioned on a first surface of the copper pillar ring, the copper pillar ring and solder pillar ring attaching the MEMS die to the metal ring.
US09961446B2

The present invention provides an earphone recognition method and an earphone recognition apparatus. The earphone recognition method includes: an acquisition step: when a user wears the earphone, acquiring left and/or right ear structure information, collected by the earphone, of the user; and a sending step: sending the left and/or right ear structure information to a terminal, so that the terminal determines whether the user correctly wears the earphone according to whether the left and/or right ear structure information matches left and/or right ear structure information acquired when the user correctly wears the earphone for the first time. By means of the solutions of the present invention, even though the user wears the earphone conversely, the user can still hear proper high-quality sound, and further, the listening experience of the user is improved.
US09961442B2

The invention provides a computer system for interacting with a user. A set of concepts initially forms a target set of concepts. An input module receives a language input from the user. An analysis system executes a plurality of narrowing cycles until a concept packet having at least one concept has been identified. Each narrowing cycle includes identifying at least one portion of the language and determining a subset of concepts from the target set of concepts to form a new target subset. An action item identifier identifies an action item from the action items based on the concept packet. An action executer that executes an action based on the action item that has been identified.
US09961441B2

Methods and systems are provided for enhancing listening intelligibility in electronic devices. A vibration sensor may be used to generate feedback corresponding to vibrations caused by the outputting of the acoustic signals, and the feedback may be used in adjusting the listening intelligibility stage. In some instances, a microphone may be used to obtain audio input corresponding to ambient noise affecting intelligibility of audio outputted, as acoustic signals, via a speaker, to a user. The audio input may be used to control a listening intelligibility stage applied to audio content when the acoustic signals are generated for outputting by the speaker. In particular, the listening intelligibility stage may comprise application of dynamic time-scale modifications.
US09961432B2

A portable unit usable by a person when carrying out an exercise is described. The unit is programmable with details of a virtual athlete and their performance in a specific race, to enable the user to race against the virtual athlete. The unit informs the user through headphones of the progress of the virtual athlete during a race being carried out by a user. The unit may also be programmable with periodic encouragement messages for a user.
US09961429B2

A wearable electronic, e.g., audio, device is provided having ornamental and deployment modes. A flexible loop of the device allows for at least partial conformal contact with a surface of an individual or the individual's clothing, or both. A first ornamental component is physically associated with the loop. At least one flexible cable segment extends from the loop or the ornamental article and terminates in an electronic component. An electronic interface is wired to each electronic component for electronic communication therebetween. A second ornamental component is physically associated with the first ornamental component, the loop, or the at least one cable segment. During ornamental mode, the interface and the at least one electronic component is partially or wholly hidden. During deployment mode, the at least one electronic component is placed in substantially immobilized contact to a surface of the individual that is not contacted by the loop.
US09961421B2

A microphone stand structure allows an upper frame rod to be elevated automatically for adjustment to a proper elevation after a locking seat is released. A pressure rod is received and mounted in a hollow main frame rod and includes an extensible member having a top end supporting a bottom end of the upper frame rod movably inserted into the hollow main frame rod such that the whole stand height can be selectively fixed simply locking the locking seat.
US09961419B2

A communication apparatus includes: a data generating unit that generates write data to be sent to any other communication apparatus at an arbitrary timing; a communication unit that repeatedly sends a read request to the other communication apparatus until the write data is generated and, at the same time, repeatedly receives a read response sent from the other communication apparatus in response to the read request; and a data acquisition unit that acquires read data, which is sent along with the read response by the other communication apparatus, when the read data is generated at an arbitrary timing by the other communication apparatus.
US09961413B2

Methods and apparatus for providing packetized content to users via a bandwidth-optimized network. In one embodiment, legacy and IPTV streams are carried over the same switched digital infrastructure, and freely intermixed without regard to their encoding or type. A user's selection for IPTV content is transmitted to an IP proxy (such as a gateway apparatus or a headend server), then on to the switched digital server which causes provision of the requested content back to the proxy for formatting. The formatted content is then delivered to the requesting IP-capable device. The entire carrier class program stream is therefore available as IP-encapsulated content to the IP capable devices (and as legacy content to legacy devices) without any significant modifications to the network infrastructure or bandwidth penalty.
US09961407B2

The application provides a method and system for automatically recommending television program to a user. The application provides a method and system for recommending related television programs while viewing video on internet based, using context of the said video. Further, the application provides a method and system for extracting electronic program guide information for all the channels available on the television and correlating them for recommending related television programs.
US09961406B2

A method is described for re-determining, in a television apparatus, a program table including associations between alphanumeric labels and radio-television programs, each one of the alphanumeric labels indicating a string of characters that must be selected by the user in order to activate the reproduction of one of the radio-television programs associated therewith, the method including the steps of biunivocally associating with each radio-television program in the table an alphanumeric label comprising a numeric part; allowing at least a first list and a second list to be simultaneously displayed on a screen, both including identification data of the radio-television programs obtained from the program table, the radio-television programs being sorted in the lists according to sorting criteria; selecting a first program from the first list of programs sorted according to a first sorting criterion, the first program being associated with a first alphanumeric label; selecting a second program from the second list of programs sorted according to a second sorting criterion, the second program being associated with a second alphanumeric label; and modifying the value of the first alphanumeric label of the first program with an alphanumeric label value comprised in the range delimited by the value of the second alphanumeric label, extreme included, and by the value of the alphanumeric label, extreme excluded, which immediately precedes the second alphanumeric label in the second list.
US09961405B2

A method includes receiving, from a first user of a media distribution system, first wish list data identifying a program and a first program option associated with the program. When the first wish list data is received, the program is not scheduled for transmission via the media distribution system based on a published program guide available to the first user. The method also includes receiving, from a second user of the media distribution system, second wish list data identifying the program and a second program option associated with the program. The method further includes determining interest in the program based on the first program option and the second program option.
US09961403B2

The types and locations of particular types of content in a video are visually summarized in a way that facilitates understanding by a viewer. A method may include determining one or more semantic segments of the video. In addition, the method may include determining one or more emotion objects for at least one of the semantic segments. Further, the method may include generating a user interface on a display screen. The user interface may include one window, and in another embodiment, the user interface may include two windows. Moreover, the method may include displaying first indicia of the emotion object in a first window. The horizontal extent of the first window corresponds with the temporal length of the video and the first indicia are displayed at a location corresponding with the temporal appearance of the emotion object in the video.
US09961401B2

The provisioning of media content to computing devices that might not normally have access thereto. Example types of media or media content may include advertising media, broadcast media, social media, news media, and others.
US09961399B2

An approach is provided for creating user-defined folders for organizing content accessible through a set-top box and for creating multiple bookmarks per set-top box program for use during programming playback.
US09961398B2

Disclosed is a method and device for switching video streams. The method comprises: acquiring video streams of a video in response to receiving a playback request for the video sent by a terminal, the video streams comprising: a video stream with a first group of pictures (GOP) frame number and a video stream with a second GOP frame number; sending the video stream with the first GOP frame number to the terminal, searching for a third key frame in the video stream with the first GOP frame number, and extracting a decoding time stamp (DTS) of the third key frame; searching the video stream with the second GOP frame number for a frame having an identical DTS; determining whether the frame is a fourth key frame in response to finding the frame having the identical DTS; and sending the video stream with the second GOP frame number to the terminal.
US09961387B2

Profile-based content variation includes determining viewing trends for a television viewing device based on subscriber information and a channel selection history of the television viewing device, matching commerce channels to at least one logical channel based on the determined viewing trends, and broadcasting one of the logical channels that matches one of the selected commerce channels.
US09961384B2

A method and a security module configured to enforce processing of management messages. The security module is associated to a multimedia receiver configured to receive broadcast access controlled multimedia services. The management messages are transmitted by a managing center to the multimedia receiver. The method comprises steps of: receiving by the security module at least one global management message addressed to a plurality of multimedia receivers operated by the managing center, tracing processing of said global management message, receiving at least one positive addressing management message addressed to said security module, checking, by the security module, anterior processing of the global management message through the value of the parameters set during tracing processing of the global message, processing the positive addressing management message only if previous checking gives a result indicating a successful enforcement of the global management message allowing the multimedia receiver accessing the broadcast multimedia services.
US09961380B1

A method includes identifying a plurality of user-interested multimedia files based at on one of a history of a plurality of user multimedia searches, a plurality of user multimedia views, or a history of multimedia sharing with other users. The method creates a catalog of the plurality of user-interested multimedia files, wherein the catalog includes one of more groups of the plurality of multimedia files based on one of a multimedia file length, the history of the plurality of user multimedia searches, the plurality of user multimedia views, or a history of multimedia shares with other users. The method generates a novel multimedia file, where combining one generates the novel multimedia file or more individual multimedia files selected from the catalog of multimedia files.
US09961378B1

Systems and methods are described herein for a media guidance application to determine that a user has switched away from a source transmitting a media asset with which the user was engaged and detect, while the user is switched away from the source, that secondary content transmitted by the source during a break of playback of the media asset relates to the media asset. In response to detecting that the secondary content relates to the media asset, the media guidance application may access a database to determine whether the secondary content specifically corresponds to the media asset, and, in response to determining that the secondary content specifically corresponds to the media asset, the media guidance application may generate for display the secondary content to the user.
US09961377B1

A content distribution method including receiving in-band signals from respective content providers, where the in-band signals include video content. The method further includes: receiving at a placement opportunities information module first messages associated respectively with the content providers, where the first messages are advertisement messages and/or program messages and have respective formats; and mapping the first messages to second messages, where the second messages have a same format, and where the same format is different than the respective formats and is standardized for point of presence devices. The method further includes: combining the second messages with the video content to generate combined signals; forwarding the combined signals to an insertion module of a headend; generating output signals at the insertion module based on the combined signals; and for each of the output signals, transmitting a non-streaming signal or a streaming signal from the headend to the point of presence devices.
US09961374B2

A method, apparatus, and system of pause and replay of media content through bookmarks on a server device are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method of a server device includes authenticating a user of a client device, communicating a media content to the client device through a network, processing a pause request of the client device to pause the media content, storing a bookmark location indicating a current playback location of the media content in the client device on the server device, processing a play request of the user to play the media content from the bookmark location (e.g., the play request may be received from a different client device of the user), and communicating the media content from the bookmark location to the user.
US09961353B2

Different implementations are described, in particular, implementations for coding and decoding a scalable stream comprising a base layer and at least one enhancement layer. For example, one method provides for decoding a first part of the enhancement layer relating to a group of blocks into decoded enhancement data which comprise at least one item of information for identifying at least one region of the reconstructed at least one image and obtaining residues for at least one block of the group of blocks from a second part of the enhancement layer.
US09961352B2

The image coding method is used to code images to generate a coded stream. The image coding method includes: writing, into a sequence parameter set in the coded stream to be generated, a first parameter representing a first bit-depth that is a bit-depth of a reconstructed sample in the images; and writing, into the sequence parameter set, a second parameter which is different from the first parameter and represents a second bit-depth that is a bit-depth of an Intra Pulse Code Modulation (IPCM) sample in the images.
US09961342B2

Display device ON/OFF detection methods and apparatus are disclosed. Example methods disclosed herein include measuring, with a first sensor, a first temperature value associated with the media device. Example methods disclosed herein also include measuring, with a second sensor, a second temperature value corresponding to an ambient temperature in an environment including the media device. Example methods disclosed herein further include comparing the first temperature value to the second temperature value to make a first determination indicating whether the media device is ON or OFF.
US09961340B2

Accuracy and efficiency of video quality measurement are major problems to be solved. According to the invention, a method for accurately predicting video quality uses a rational function of the quantization parameter QP, which is corrected by a correction function that depends on content unpredictability CU. Exemplarily, the correction function is a power function of the CU. Both QP and CU can be computed from the video elementary stream, without full decoding the video. This ensures high efficiency.
US09961337B2

Embodiments of a flexible electronic visual display device and a flexible mobile computer having such a display device are disclosed. The basic electronic visual display device comprises a flexible display device, at least one control system, at least one three-dimensional sensor, a flexible housing containing the electronic components, and an adjustment means for the housing. In some embodiments, the flexible display device can have additional sensors of various types, a projector, a wireless communication interface, and a wireless power supply. For independent use some embodiments of the flexible electronic visual display device can also comprise an electronic module including at least one processor and at least one data memory, and also at least one electrical energy storage device being contained in the housing as well. This permits the flexible electronic display device to provide a broad range of functionalities and application possibilities, and to assume novel functionalities and applications.
US09961322B2

Apparatus and method for eliminating noise in stereo image are disclosed, the method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention comprising, obtaining a first image captured by a first sensor unit and a second imaged captured by a second sensor unit; calculating a pixel difference of the second image relative to a first image based on a predetermined reference point; determining a pixel amount of the second image to be calibrated using a reference pixel difference and the pixel difference; and generating a driving signal for driving an Optical Image Stabilizer (OIS) actuator using the pixel amount to be calibrated.
US09961303B2

A method and a device providing one virtual endpoint dedicated to serve one particular real endpoint, and the virtual endpoint is typically installed on a server in the same local network as the associated real endpoint, where an MCU or a fraction of a distributed MCCJ also is installed. In the upstream direction, the virtual endpoint includes at least an upstream decoder, a scaling unit and an upstream encoder. In the downstream direction, the virtual endpoint includes at least a number of decoders, a composing unit and a downstream encoder.
US09961299B2

In one embodiment, a method implemented on a video conference participant device includes: receiving video conference data for a video conference session, performing at least the following diagnostic tests: verifying receipt of a presenter image from a presenter video conference device where the presenter video conference device is in use by a participant of the video conference meeting, the participant designated as a presenter for said video conference meeting, verifying receipt of shared desktop content from the presenter video conference device, or verifying receipt of audio data from the presenter video conference device; and transmitting results of said performing to said presenter video conference device.
US09961294B2

A video display method of a user terminal, includes determining whether ambient noise measured when a video is played is in an allowable range, and generating subtitles based on a voice signal included in the video in response to the ambient noise being determined to be out of the allowable range. The method further includes displaying the generated subtitles with the video.
US09961293B2

Disclosed are a mobile device for editing an image for a wearable device and a method for controlling the mobile device. The mobile device according to the present specification can provide an interface for editing an image when a wearable device is proximally located. Additionally, the interface has the same actual form as a display unit of the wearable device and can be changed on the basis of movements of the wearable device relative to the mobile device.
US09961286B2

There are provided a first semiconductor substrate in which a plurality of photoelectric conversion circuits, which are some circuit elements of the pixel cells including the photoelectric conversion unit, are formed in a two-dimensional matrix, a second semiconductor substrate in which a plurality of memory circuits, which are some other circuit elements of the pixel cells, are formed in a two-dimensional matrix, wherein the some other circuit elements of the pixel cells include memory units that correspond to the photoelectric conversion circuits, store electric signals output by the photoelectric conversion units, and output pixel signals according to the electric signals, and a connection electrode electrically connected to a signal line of the photoelectric conversion circuits and a signal line of the memory circuits, wherein the pixel cells are divided into a plurality of pixel groups in which the pixel cells are combined so that adjacent pixel cells are not included if pixel cells corresponding to light beams of the same wavelength band are considered to be arranged on one surface, wherein the same connection electrode is shared between the photoelectric conversion circuits and between the memory circuits of the pixel cells included in the same pixel group, and wherein signal lines of the photoelectric conversion circuits and signal lines of the memory circuits of the pixel cells included in different pixel groups are connected by different connection electrodes.
US09961283B2

In one embodiment, coloring artifacts of a color image output by a camera are minimized by taking into account a distortion introduced by the lens. Based on the distortion, the color reconstruction determines which pixels in the grayscale image to include in the reconstruction process. Additionally, the color reconstruction can take into account edges depicted in the grayscale image to determine which pixels to include in the reconstruction process. In another embodiment, coloring artifacts in a 360 degree color image are minimized by performing the color reconstruction process on a three-dimensional surface. Before the color reconstruction takes place, the two-dimensional grayscale image is projected onto a three-dimensional surface, and the color reconstruction is performed on the three-dimensional surface. The color reconstruction on the three-dimensional surface can take into account the distortion produced by the lens and/or can take into account the edges depicted in the two-dimensional and three-dimensional grayscale image.
US09961280B2

Provided by the present invention is an image forming apparatus wherein a signal to noise ratio is improved without reducing a video rate of a real-time moving image. The image forming apparatus comprises:a pixel 101 having an electromagnetic wave detecting element 111 configured to detect an electromagnetic wave;a switch 110 configured to read out a signal from the pixel;a signal generating unit 102 configured to generate a signal 114 having a predetermined period, wherein the pixel is connected to a transmission line 103 for supplying, to the pixel, the signal having the predetermined period, and to a scanning line 106 and 107 for reading out the signal from the pixel through the switch, and the pixel has a frequency converting element 113 configured to convert a frequency of a detection signal of the electromagnetic wave detecting element, using the signal having the predetermined period.
US09961278B2

The present disclosure relates to a solid-state image-capturing element and electronic device capable of improving the linearity of illuminance values. The dynamic-range expander 118 expands dynamic range of a pixel value for each pixel based on the pixel value having different exposure times of a plurality of pixels. The integrator 119 integrates pixel values having the dynamic range expanded by the dynamic-range expander 118 and generates an illuminance value. The present disclosure is applicable to complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor or the like used in, for example, an illuminometer.
US09961273B2

Disclosed are a mobile terminal and a shooting method thereof. The shooting method comprises the steps of: collecting, by a camera, image data continuously; conducting an addition operation on the current image data and the past image data, so as to generate a synthetic image; and displaying the synthetic image in real time. Thus, an image superposition technique is adopted to simulate long-time exposure, which adds a light painting function to a mobile terminal, so that a user can use the light painting function of the mobile terminal to conduct artistic creation, and can preview the creation effect in real time, thereby improving the user experience.
US09961272B2

An image capturing apparatus is provided, including: a first camera module and a second camera module configured to capture an image of a same subject; and a controller configured to map a second image obtained from the second camera module to a first image obtained from the first camera module, and to synthesize a third image of the subject using the first image and the mapped second image, wherein an image sensor included in the first camera module has a first pixel structure in which a pixel has a square shape, and an image sensor included in the second camera module has a second pixel structure that is different from the first pixel structure.
US09961267B2

A device may display content being captured by a personal camera associated with a user. The device may receive an indication to stream the content based on a user interaction with the device. The device may determine configuration information associated with streaming the content. The configuration information including information that identifies a streaming application associated with streaming the content, and information that identifies a social media application associated with the user. The device may provide, via the social media application, a notification that the content is to be streamed via the streaming application. The notification may be provided for viewing by a viewer associated with the social media application. The device may stream the content using the streaming application. The content may be streamed to allow the viewer to access the content via the streaming application and in real-time or near real-time relative to the capturing of the content.
US09961261B2

A target image captured from a fisheye lens or other lens with known distortion parameters may be transformed to align it to a reference image. Corresponding features may be detected in the target image and the reference image. The features may be transformed to a spherical coordinate space. In the spherical space, images may be re-pointed or rotated in three dimensions to align all or a subset of the features of the target image to the corresponding features of the reference image. For example, in a sequence of images, background features of the target image in the spherical image space may be aligned to background features of the reference image in the spherical image space to compensate for camera motion while preserving foreground motion. An inverse transformation may then be applied to bring the images back into the original image space.
US09961259B2

An image generation unit uses a plurality of captured image data and vehicle body data of a vehicle to continuously generate a virtual perspective image indicating the vehicle body of the vehicle and the periphery of the vehicle as seen from a virtual perspective (VP) positioned within the cabin of the vehicle. An image control unit alters the angle in a plan view of the line of sight of the VP in a manner such that the line of sight circles the surroundings of the vehicle, and moves the position of the VP in the front-back direction of the vehicle.
US09961247B2

A camera having light emitting devices includes a light emitting unit configured to irradiate light to a skin, and a light receiving unit configured to receive reflected light which is generated when the light irradiated by the light emitting unit is reflected from the skin. The light emitting unit comprises a plurality of sets of the light emitting devices, and each of the sets includes one or more light emitting devices which are configured to irradiate the light with the same wavelength. In addition, each of the sets is configured to sequentially irradiate the light and irradiate light with a wavelength that is different from other sets. By using the camera, it is possible to obtain information of the skin for each wavelength by sequentially irradiating light with wavelengths different from other sets, reduce distorted information, and perform an accurate diagnosis.
US09961245B1

In one embodiment of the invention, a digital mirror is disclosed including an enclosure; a display device mounted in the enclosure to display images at a front side of the enclosure; an image capture device mounted in the enclosure adjacent the display device to reduce parallax error; lights mounted in the enclosure adjacent the display device; and a light diffuser mounted to the enclosure around the display device over the one or more lights. The one or more lights provide lighting in front of the display device and the image capture device captures images in the field of view in the front. The light diffuser diffuses and softens the light emitted by the one or more lights. Alternatively, the image capture device may be mounted on an articulated arm that may be used to capture and display various angles in the filed of view of the digital mirror.
US09961240B2

A camera module captures an image of an area ahead of a vehicle. A control circuit board performs a recognition process to recognize conditions ahead of the vehicle, and performs at least two vehicle control processes from among a lane departure warning process, a headlight control process, and a forward collision avoidance process. A housing accommodates the camera module and the control circuit board. A bracket fixes the housing to the windshield of the vehicle, and has an opening permitting the housing and the windshield to face each other in a state where the housing is fixed to the windshield via the bracket. A hood covers the camera module. A first thermally conductive member is provided being in contact with the housing and the windshield in the opening formed on the bracket.
US09961237B2

A display management processor receives an input image with enhanced dynamic range to be displayed on a target display which has a different dynamic range than a reference display. The input image is first transformed into a perceptually-quantized (PQ) color space, preferably the IPT-PQ color space. A color volume mapping function, which includes an adaptive tone-mapping function and an adaptive gamut mapping function, generates a mapped image. A detail-preservation step is applied to the intensity component of the mapped image to generate a final mapped image with a filtered tone-mapped intensity image. The final mapped image is then translated back to the display's preferred color space. Examples of the adaptive tone mapping and gamut mapping functions are provided.
US09961236B2

The processing of RGB image data can be optimized by performing optimization operations on the image data when it is converted into the YCbCr color space. First, a raw RGB color space is converted into a YCbCr color space, and raw RGB image data is converted into YCbCr image data using the YCbCr color space. For each Y-layer of the YCbCr image data, a 2D LUT is generated. The YCbCr image data is converted into optimized CbCr image data using the 2D LUTs, and optimized YCbCr image data is generated by blending CbCr image data corresponding to multiple Y-layers. The optimized YCbCr image data is converted into sRGB image data, and a tone curve is applied to the sRGB image data to produce optimized sRGB image data.
US09961221B2

A motor control unit performs driving control for a stepping motor by using vector control, and detects a rotational position θ of a rotor of the stepping motor, the rotational position θ being required for vector control, by using a position detection unit, based on a pulse signal that is output from an encoder. The motor control unit determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the pulse signal output from the encoder. Upon determining that there is an abnormality in the pulse signal, the motor control unit corrects a detection value of the position θ of the rotor of the stepping motor so as to compensate an error caused by the abnormality in the pulse signal.
US09961206B1

An interactive voice response (IVR) system adaptor causes the media player of an IVR system to present a user with a first option to proceed with an audio-only call and a second option to experience a multimedia call including display of visual information on the user device. When the user selects the first option, the proxy IVR interface passes first messages output from the media player to an application server of the IVR system, and passes second messages from the application server to the media player. When the user selects the second option, the IVR system adaptor receives third messages from the user device, translates the third messages into the first messages, passes the first messages to the application server, in response thereto receives the second messages from the application server, converts the second messages to fourth messages, and sends the fourth messages to the user device.
US09961203B2

An apparatus includes a data storage device that stores remote agent quality assurance code and communication session code. Further, the apparatus includes a data capture device that captures data associated with a remote agent positioned in proximity to the data capture device. In addition, a processor receives a request from an agent routing platform for a service provided by the remote agent through a communication session between the remote agent and a user requesting the service. The processor executes the remote agent quality assurance code to determine that at least a portion of the captured data is non-compliant with the one or more quality assurance policies provided by the agent routing platform. Further, the processor executes the remote agent quality assurance code to provide one or more indicia of non-compliance.
US09961200B1

A method for utilizing a multi-intent matrix is provided. The method may be used to avoid a derived intent collision while determining correct intent of a human-voice-telephone query. The method may include receiving a telephone call at the voice response system. The method may include responding to the telephone call at the voice response system. The response may include prompting a human caller to utter a reason for the telephone call. The human caller may be associated with the telephone call. The method may include receiving a human-voice-telephone-query-utterance at the voice response system. The method may include translating the human-voice-telephone-query-utterance into a text string. The translating may occur at the voice response system or a translation module. The method may include analyzing the text string utilizing a group of parameters. The method may include re-analyzing the text string utilizing a group of parameters set to custom values.
US09961195B2

Computer program products, methods, systems, apparatus, and computing entities are provided for location-based call control. In one embodiment, call control rules for an outbound call can be determined/identified based on the location of the mobile device. The call control rules direct the outbound call to different numbers and/or different applications.
US09961191B1

An interactive contact workflow system provides a graphical representation of a contact workflow in a graphical user interface (GUI) of an interactive contact run-time environment. The interactive contact workflow system receives a request to execute a first instruction block of the contact workflow within the interactive contact run-time environment, generates a communication interface to facilitate simulated electronic communication between the GUI and the interactive contact run-time environment, and provides a first visual indicator for display within the GUI that graphically highlights the first instruction block within the GUI to indicate that the first instruction block is active. The interactive contact workflow system then executes the first instruction block by sending a first prompt of the first instruction block to the communication interface to cause the communication interface to provide the first prompt to an audio output interface.
US09961189B2

A wearable computing device is described that detects an indication of movement associated with the wearable computing device when a user of the wearable computing device detected being located within a moving vehicle. Based at least in part on the indication of movement, a determination is made that the user of the wearable computing device is currently driving the moving vehicle. An operation is performed based on the determination that the user of the wearable computing device is currently driving the moving vehicle.
US09961185B2

A method, system and computer program product for establishing a wireless connection based on a touch screen of a wireless device. The wireless device includes a slide-out processing section for determining, in response to a slide-out from an edge of the touch screen, a first slide-out parameter for determining by the other wireless device an object to be connected, and broadcasting the first slide-out parameter. The wireless device further includes a slide-in processing section for determining a slide-in parameter in response to a slide-in from the edge of the touch screen and reception of a second slide-out parameter directionally transmitted from the other wireless device. Furthermore, if the determined slide-in parameter matches the second slide-out parameter, then the slide-in processing section establishes a wireless connection between the wireless device and the other wireless device. As a result, an authenticated wireless connection between short-range wireless terminals can be established more conveniently.
US09961180B2

Techniques described herein include a platform for providing user interaction with a vehicle's functions on a mobile device. In some embodiments, the vehicle and mobile device may both be in communication with a service provider computer, that may facilitate communications between the two. In some embodiments, a user is provided with various details related to the vehicle's condition as well as a list of functions that may be initiated by the user. The user is able to select one or more of the listed functions to be performed by the vehicle while located any distance from the vehicle. In some embodiments, the service provider computer may determine whether the user is authorized to initiate a particular vehicle function. Upon selection of a vehicle function from the list of vehicle functions, a processor device in the vehicle executes the function.
US09961175B2

At least one speaker is provided on a tab which is held at least partially within a case. The case also holds a smart device. A slot in the case allows for the tab with at least one speaker to slide into and out of the case. The tab can slide out of the case and deployed, and the at least one speaker can emit sound from the smart device. A power source can also be provided within the tab to power the speakers. A sound signal to the speakers can be carried by a wired interconnection to the smartphone or by wireless transmission to the speaker on the tab. In one embodiment multiple smart devices with speakers according to this invention work together by transmitting a sound signal from one smart device to a speaker associated with another smart device, either directly or through the other smart device.
US09961172B1

An electronic module for a modular electronic device may include improved features for retaining the electronic module relative to a frame of the modular electronic device and/or for subsequently removing such module from the frame.
US09961171B2

The present disclosure provides a method for controlling an electronic device and an electronic device, to enable the electronic device to autonomously deform to be matched with an accommodating space thereof, thereby improving intelligence of the electronic device and providing good user experience. The method includes: acquiring, through a first detection sensor arranged on the electronic device, a space parameter representing an accommodating space where the electronic device is located, when a deformable structure of the electronic device is in a first form; and acquiring, based on the space parameter, a first control instruction to control the deformable structure to deform from the first form to a second form, and thus cause a deformation of the electronic device that makes the electronic device matched with the accommodating space, and controlling the deformable structure to remain in the second form before acquiring a second control instruction for controlling the deformable structure to deform from the second form to a third form, the third form being the same as or different from the first form.
US09961166B2

This disclosure is directed to an organizational directory access client and an organizational directory server and, in particular, to an organizational directory access client that performs a local search and a network search for one or more member profiles of members of the organization. The organizational directory access client executes on a client device and is configured to authenticate a user of the client with the organizational directory server. Once authenticated, the client device receives a member profile database that is then made locally available. As the user enters a search query, the organizational directory access client searches the local member profile database and, when the search query is completed, the organizational directory access client communicates the search query to the organizational directory server for performing a search across one or more social networking services. The local and network search results are then displayed for review by the user.
US09961164B2

An exemplary method accelerating content delivery via DNS overriding may comprise the steps of generating a routing table for a content delivery network (CDN), the routing table map one or more edge server IP addresses to each of one or more geographic regions, transmitting the routing table to one or more DNS server computers, receiving a request from a registrant of a domain name to subscribe the domain name to the CDN, and designating said domain name as subscribed to the CDN in a DNS zone for the domain name.
US09961159B2

A method for content delivery includes defining a guaranteed prefetching mode, in which content is continuously prefetched from a content source to a communication terminal of a user so as to maintain the communication terminal synchronized with the content source. One or more time-of-day intervals, during which the user is expected to access given content, are identified. During the identified time-of-day intervals, the given content is prefetched from the content source to the communication terminal using the guaranteed prefetching mode.
US09961153B2

The invention relates to a presence status determination system and a computer implemented method to determine the presence status of a first user registered in a network and to communicate this presence status to a second user, who would like to make contact with the first user. An input device for a presence status determination device records a predetermined first presence status component determined by the first user and forwards the first presence status component to the presence status determination device (20). A contact person registration device records the identity of the second user and reports the identity to a relationship determination device. The relationship determination device determines, with the aid of a computer, a second presence status component, which considers the social proximity between the first user and the second user. The presence status determination device determines the presence status of the first user taking into account the first presence status component and the second presence status component. Then a presence status communications device communicates the determined presence status of the first user to the second user.
US09961148B2

Systems and methods can be implemented for IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) resource reservation. A first electronic device can transmit, through an IP network, a non-Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) message to an application server in an IMS network, where the non-IMS SIP message includes a request to initiate an IMS communication session through the IMS network with a second electronic device. A SIP message can also be transmitted through the IMS network to the application server that initiates a SIP INVITE session between the first electronic device and the application server, where the SIP INVITE session is routed through the IMS network. The first electronic device can then, receive a SIP response message that identifies a resource reservation for the IMS communication session from the application server.
US09961146B2

Technologies are generally described for dynamically distributing a processing load. In some examples, a method performed under control of a server may include receiving information regarding load distribution from an end device and dynamically distributing a processing load between the server and the end device based at least in part on the information regarding load distribution.
US09961141B1

Techniques and systems for storing and retrieving data storage devices of a data storage system are disclosed. In some embodiments, inventory holders are used to store data storage devices used by a data storage system. When data is to be transacted with the data storage devices, mobile drive units locate appropriate inventory holders and transport them to a device reading station, where an appropriate device retrieval unit transacts the data. In some embodiments, each inventory holder includes a plurality of trays that are independently accessible to the device retrieval unit. After the data has been transacted, the data storage devices are returned to the appropriate inventory holders, and the inventory holders are placed by the mobile drive units in locations where they may be accessed in response to further data transactions.
US09961139B2

The disclosure provides systems and methods for efficient arrangement, use, and management of networked electronic devices. The networked electronic devices are configured to form a peer-to-peer network, and to allocate management, download, and aggregation responsibilities among themselves to improve efficiency. Networking errors are minimized by replacing faulting nodes with idle nodes.
US09961129B2

A system monitors a client request and a backend business transaction performed in response to the request and correlates the data generated from monitoring the request and business transaction. A request may be monitored in detail to determine several metrics. The metrics may include server connection time, response receipt completion time, document download time, document processing time, and page rendering time. The metrics may be determined for an entire content page as well as individual page elements, such as Iframes and elements constructed from AJAX techniques.
US09961116B2

Techniques for providing remote transcoding of call media data on a communications network are disclosed. The techniques include a communication module receiving a call request from a first communication device, transmitting a call invite to a second communication device, receiving a response from the second communication device, determining a first media encoding requirement for media transmitted to the first communication device and a second media encoding requirement for media transmitted to the second communication device, and transmitting information regarding the first communication device, the second communication device, the first media encoding requirement, and the second media encoding requirement to a transcoding module operating on a computer server. The techniques include the transcoding module receiving first call media data from the first communication device, transcoding the first call media data, and transmitting the transcoded first call media data to the second communication device.
US09961112B2

An approach is described for provisioning and enforcing realtime granular access controls for endpoints. The approach involves enforcing realtime access controls, via a privileged access management appliance, of a plurality of accessors, endpoints, and approvers, to provide for securing, controlling, auditing, and reporting of access to endpoints.
US09961110B2

Implementations relate to systems and methods for pre-signing of DNSSEC enabled zones into record sets. A domain name system (DNS) can receive and/or impose a set of DNS policies desired by an administrator, or the DNS operator itself to govern domain name resolution with security extensions (DNSSEC) for a Web domain. The DNS can generate a set of answers to user questions directed to the domain based on the set of policies. Those answers which differ or vary based on policy rules can be stored as variant answers, and can be labeled with a variant ID. The variant answers can be pre-signed and stored in the DNS. Because key data and other information is generated and stored before a DNS request is received, the requested variant answer can be returned with greater responsiveness and security.
US09961105B2

The disclosed computer-implemented method for monitoring virtual networks may include (1) identifying a virtual network containing at least one virtualized switching device that routes network traffic from a source port within the virtual network to a destination port, (2) providing, within the virtualized switching device, a set of software-defined network rules containing criteria for identifying packets having at least one predetermined property associated with a security policy, (3) intercepting, at the source port, a packet destined for the destination port, (4) determining that at least one characteristic of the packet satisfies at least one of the rules, and (5) in response to determining that the characteristic of the packet satisfies at least one of the rules, forwarding a copy of the packet to a virtual tap port that analyzes the packet for security threats. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
US09961104B2

The present disclosure relates to technologies to deter side channel data center attacks. An example method may include receiving an incoming packets destined for a network, grouping, at a gateway, the incoming packets into groups, wherein a size of the groups is based on predetermined statistics, and wrapping the groups into packages of normalized size.
US09961102B2

Particular embodiments described herein provide for an electronic device that can be configured to receive a function call for a function, determine a current stack pointer value for the function call, and determine if the current stack pointer value is within a pre-defined range. The electronic device can include a stack pivoting logging module to log a plurality of function calls. The electronic device can also include a stack pivoting detection module to analyze the log of the plurality of function calls to determine, for each of the plurality of function calls, if the current stack pointer value is within a pre-defined range.
US09961101B2

A system, method, and computer program product for implementing a phishing assessment of a target computer network that includes a phishing assessment platform for generating parameters for the phishing assessment; generating the phishing assessment parameters includes identifying a target domain name for the phishing assessment; identifying a pseudo domain name based on the target domain name; generating a pseudo web page using one or more features and attributes of an entity; and implementing the phishing assessment using the pseudo domain name and pseudo web page.
US09961096B1

Systems and methods for detecting behavior-based anomalies are described herein. In various embodiments, the system includes a context engine for creating behavioral vectors that are transmitted to a long term data store, to behavioral engines configured to create baselines based on historical data, and to sensors configured to observe system resources. According to particular embodiments, the system is configured to collect data regarding the system resources (e.g., via the sensors) and compare the collected data to baselines to determine whether anomalies have occurred.
US09961090B2

Systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable media configured to receive a search query and identify one or more messages matching at least a portion of the search query are provided. The identified one or more messages may be displayed, in some examples, and user input may be received identified at least one message of the identified one or more messages for further processing, such as quarantine. In some examples, the at least one message may be transmitted to an account search server which may search a plurality of user accounts, such as email accounts. The account search server may identify one or more occurrences of the at least one message in one or more accounts of the plurality of accounts and may remove the occurrence of the at least one message from the account and transfer the at least one message to a quarantine location.
US09961087B2

The present technology provides a less burdensome mechanism to bring media items owned or licensed in the physical world into an account hosted by an electronic media provider. A specific use case deals with magazine subscriptions wherein the electronic media provider can send entity identifying information to a publisher clearinghouse that has subscription data for many different magazines. If the entity information sufficiently matches subscription information, the clearinghouse sends back data identifying magazines for which the entity is entitled to a digital copy, and these magazines become available to the user through the electronic media provider.
US09961083B2

A real-time plugin command-driven administrative control interface is provided that implements direct real-time command-driven control of operational functionality of application server plugins deployed at a group of application servers. One of request-level application server functionality and server-level application server functionality of at least one of the group of application servers is changed by issuing a real-time application-server plugin command received from the real-time plugin command-driven administrative control interface to a deployed application server plugin.
US09961080B2

To allow a third party system to more particularly identify sets of users for distributing content, an online system receives data from a third party system identifying users of the online system who have authorized communication with the third party system and stores information authorizing communication between the third party system and the users in user profiles associated with the user. The online system receives a request from the third party system to transmit a notification to online system users satisfying criteria specified by the request. User profiles including information authorizing communication between the third party system and online system users are identified by the online system, which selects a set of the identified user profiles associated with information satisfying the criteria specified by the request. The online system transmits the notification to client devices associated with users associated with the set of the identified user profiles.
US09961079B1

A method and system for intruder detection is provided. The method includes generating a whitelist of media access control (MAC) addresses of a plurality of wireless devices that are acceptable in a detection zone of a wireless router and detecting, by the wireless router, a further wireless device. The method includes issuing a notification in response to absence, on the whitelist, of a media access control address of the further wireless device, the notification indicating a physical intruder within the detection zone, wherein at least one action of the method is performed by a processor in or coupled to the wireless router.
US09961076B2

A system, comprising includes an orchestration server including a processor, the orchestration server to receive authentication factors. A rules engine connects with the orchestration server, the orchestration to send the authentication factors to the rules engine and to request a decision on authentication from the rules engine. The rules engine to send the decision on authentication to the orchestration server based on the received authentication factors and a rules set.
US09961074B2

A system includes an access controller including a short range wireless communication controller to couple to a mobile device, and an access point including a long range wireless communication controller. The access point is coupled to the access controller via a secure link, and the access controller authenticates a user of the mobile device and provides access information from the mobile device to the access point via the secure link in response to authenticating the user. The access point couples to the mobile device using the access information to via the long range wireless communication controller and receives unique identification information associated with the mobile device from the mobile device. The system generates a digital certificate associated with the unique identification information and provides the digital certificate to the mobile device.
US09961072B2

Delegating authorizations sufficient to access services is contemplate. The authorization may be delegated in the form of a token or other transmissible construct relied upon to authenticate access to services, such as but not necessarily limited to conferring a user identity established via authenticated device for the purposes of enabling an unauthenticated or unsecured device to access a service associated with the user identity.
US09961060B2

A module with an embedded universal integrated circuit card (eUICC) can include a profile for the eUICC. The profile can include a first and second shared secret key K for authenticating with a wireless network. The first shared secret key K can be encrypted with a first key, and the second shared secret key K can be encrypted with a second key. The module can (i) receive the first key, (ii) decrypt the first shared secret key K with the first key, and (iii) subsequently authenticate with the wireless network using the plaintext first shared secret key K. The wireless network can authenticate the user of the module using a second factor. The module can then (i) receive the second key, (ii) decrypt the second shared secret key K, and (iii) authenticate with the wireless network using the second shared secret key K. The module can comprise a mobile phone.
US09961052B2

In virtualized environments a method of determining authorization to a resource cannot use a hardware specific identifier, such as a MAC address. As a result upgrading a virtual host may cause licenses associated with that host to be invalid, even though the upgraded virtual host should be authorized. Authentication methods and systems are disclosed such that a key may be shared with a second host along with a license file and, provided at least the second host has a key associated with its system identifier and a key associated with a license file, access to a licensed resource may be authorized.
US09961049B2

A system protects documents at rest and in motion using declarative policies and encryption. A document at rest includes documents on a device such as the hard drive of a computer. A document in motion is a document that is passing through a policy enforcement point. The policy enforcement point can be a server (e.g., mail server, instant messenger server, file server, or network connection server).
US09961040B2

A method for routing communications on an online social network includes monitoring communications between users on an online social network on a communications system. A processing issue with a message of the communications is identified based on a rule, wherein the message is from a sender to a receiver. The method and system includes analyzing a recipient social network for an alternative recipient user to receive the message based on a similarity criteria. A processing model is applied to the message to determine an action to improve processing efficiency of the message. The action includes routing the message to the alternative recipient user. The method and system includes performing the action to facilitate the processing efficiency, responsive to determining an action.
US09961039B2

When a social networking system receives a request from a requesting user for a content item associated with one or more comments, the social networking system determines an interest score for each comment. The interest score for a comment indicates a measure of the user's likelihood of being interested in the comment. Based on the calculated interest scores, the social networking system selects one or more comments for presentation to the viewing user along with the content item. The social networking system may specify an order in which the selected comments are presented based on the interest scores of the selected comments.
US09961035B2

A social messaging hub provides communication services for a data enabled device having Internet network access capabilities such as a portable media player, personal digital assistant, a Wi-Fi mobile platform, a tablet computer, portable e-Reader, a personal computer, a laptop and a netbook computer. The social messaging hub communicates with the data enabled device over the Internet or cellular data networks, and interfaces with a message infrastructure including mobile carriers, message aggregators, message exchanges and various specialized social messaging services, such as Microsoft Windows Live Messenger, AIM, Yahoo, GoogleTalk, Facebook and Twitter to enable bi-directional messaging communication. The user is given a registered phone number and unique IP addressable identification which serve as a source and destination identifier of the associated data enabled device. Messages may originate in or be delivered to other users' mobile telephones or in similarly equipped and provisioned IP data enabled devices.
US09961026B2

Technologies for generating a text message from user-selectable icons include a wearable computing device that determines a context associated with the wearable computing device. The wearable computing device determines user-selectable icons from predetermined user-selectable icons based on the context associated with the wearable computing device. Each of the user-selectable icons may have one or more textual meanings associated therewith for text message generation. The determined user-selectable icons may be displayed on a display of the wearable computing device.
US09961021B2

In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a first transport stack, a virtual network interface controller (VNIC), and a second transport stack. The first transport stack is associated with an Internetwork Operating System (IOS), as well as with a plurality of interface-based Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and a plurality of IP addresses. The VNIC is configured to dynamically provision the plurality of interface-based IP addresses and the plurality of IP addresses. The second transport stack is associated with a kernel, and configured to communicate with a first application. The MS is configured to enable the first application to share the plurality of IP addresses and the plurality if IP addresses with a plurality of applications.
US09961013B2

Disclosed are a system and method of integrating an on-demand compute environment into a local compute environment. The method includes receiving a request from an administrator to integrate an on-demand compute environment into a local compute environment and, in response to the request, automatically integrating local compute environment information with on-demand compute environment information to make available resources from the on-demand compute environment to requestors of resources in the local compute environment.
US09961008B2

The present invention provides a system for handling handover of communication protocol data between two satellite transponder, wherein the satellite transponders are moving in orbit around the earth, enabling to transmit communication protocol data between at least one gateway and terminal. The system is comprised of: at least one transmitter associated with a gateway, at least one de-modulator associated with the terminal a for controlling the packet transmission during handover period, wherein the system is programmed to achieve a seamless hand over process between the two satellites transponders by controlling the transfer and reception of the communication protocol packets during the handover period, by synchronizing the last received packets from the setting satellite packets with first received packets from the rising satellite, wherein seamless handover include maintaining the correct packet order, avoiding packet loss and preventing packet duplication and wherein in case the rising satellite having shorter path, the receipt or transmission of the communication protocol packets from the rising satellite is delayed.
US09961007B2

A method for initiating a codec rate change during a VoIP call by a wireless communication device is disclosed. The method can include the wireless communication device establishing a first codec rate for use in the VoIP call during a call establishment phase; using the first codec rate to encode voice data for transmission during a first portion of the VoIP call; determining a channel quality while using the first codec rate; determining that the channel quality satisfies a threshold for requesting a codec rate change; requesting a codec rate change from the first codec rate to a second codec rate in response to the channel quality satisfying the threshold; and using the second codec rate to encode voice data for transmission during a second portion of the VoIP call.
US09961003B2

A method and apparatus for providing a congestion management of a wireless communication network are disclosed. For example, the method projects dynamically a trend for a network element of the wireless communication network, using a functionality metric associated with the network element of the wireless communication network, and determines if there is a potential congestion in accordance with the trend. The method then provides a notification of the potential congestion, if there is a potential congestion for the network element of the wireless communication network.
US09960998B2

A first Virtual Device (VD) of a first member device connects to a first VD of a second member device via a stacking link that is established between the first member device and the second member device. A VD number of the first VD in the first member device is the same as that of the first VD in the second member device. When a unicast packet is received via a service port, the first VD of the first member device searches in a forwarding table of the first VD in the first member device. When the unicast packet is to be forwarded to another member device the search of the forwarding table, the first VD of the first member device forwards the unicast packet via the stacking link.
US09960991B2

The present disclosure discloses a method, an apparatus and a system for determining a service transmission path. The method includes: receiving a service chaining object sent by a client device based on an expanded path computation element communication protocol (PCEP), wherein the service chaining object includes service processing capacities that service nodes need to provide when transmitting a service in a network; determining at least one service node matched with the service chaining object in the network according to service processing capacities that service nodes in pre-stored service node attribute information are capable of providing; and generating a service transmission path based on the determined service nodes, for transmitting the service initiated by the client device. The problems of large flow pressure and low utilization rate of the service nodes deployed in the network may be well solved.
US09960982B2

A method for measuring and reporting performance parameters in a network having at least one originator for generating test protocol data units, and multiple reflectors for relaying the test protocol data units along successive segments of a test path in the network. The method generates the test protocol data units at the originator and transmits the test protocol data unit along a test path that includes multiple reflectors. Each reflector relays the test protocol data unit to the next reflector along the test path. Measurements of performance parameters are collected from the multiple reflectors in the test protocol data unit by inserting timestamps into the test protocol data unit at the originator and each of the reflectors to identify the departure and arrival times for each test protocol data unit at the originator and each of the reflectors in both the downstream and upstream directions along the test path.
US09960977B2

Techniques to identify application foreground/background state based on network traffic are described. In one embodiment, an apparatus may comprise a traffic monitoring component and a traffic analysis component. The traffic monitoring component may receive monitored network traffic over a monitored time period. The traffic analysis component may receive a foreground activity profile, the foreground activity profile comprising one or more signals for distinguishing between foreground activity of one or more profiled applications and background activity of the one or more profiled applications; determine one or more active foreground applications in the monitored network traffic based on the foreground activity profile, wherein determining the one or more active foreground applications comprises determining that at least a portion of the monitored network traffic comprises background activity; and log that the one or more active foreground application were active during the monitored time period. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US09960974B2

Analytics and visualization for logical dependency mapping of computer servers may be provided. Data collected from computer servers is received and analyzed to discover logical dependencies among the computer servers, for example, to discover communications between one or more of operating systems, middleware and applications associated with the computer servers. The computer servers may be grouped into one or more dependency groups based at least on a user-defined grouping criterion. The one or more dependency groups and their logical dependencies may be output.
US09960973B1

An apparatus in one embodiment comprises a multi-tier storage system and at least one dispatcher node. The multi-tier storage system comprises at least a front-end storage tier and a back-end storage tier. The at least one dispatcher node is configured to load portions of graph data from the front-end storage tier and the back-end storage tier for graph analytics computations performed at respective ones of a plurality of compute nodes configured for communication with the storage system over at least one network. The multi-tier storage system configured to switch logical connections of respective ones of the compute nodes to the at least one dispatcher node based on progress of graph analytics computations at the compute nodes.
US09960938B2

Methods, systems, and devices are described for generating a hybrid waveform for data transmission between a transmitting device and a receiving device. The transmitting device may employ an OFDM processing technique to periodically transmit known first pilot symbols mapped from a signal constellation where each signal has equal energy during a first time period and a cyclic prefix based single-carrier (CP-SC) processing technique to transmit data packets and second known pilot symbols during a second time period. Channel estimation is based on first pilot symbols, which are inserted into all subcarriers of OFDM symbol blocks within a specific period. Channel estimation tracking is based on the second pilot symbols interleaved within data packets. The receiving device may be configured to estimate CSI based in part on first pilot symbols and to track the channel estimation based in part on the second pilot symbols in order to provide reliable data detection.
US09960937B2

Circuitry for receiving a high-speed serial data signal (e.g., having a bit rate in the range of about 10 Gbps and higher) includes a two-stage, continuous-time, linear equalizer having only two serially connected stages. Phase detector circuitry may be provided for receiving the serial output of the equalizer and for converting successive pairs of bits in that output to successive parallel-form bit pairs. Further demultiplexing circuitry may be provided to demultiplex successive groups of the parallel-form bit pairs to final groups of parallel bits, which can be quite large in terms of number of bits (e.g., 64 parallel bits). Another aspect of the invention relates to multiplexer circuitry for efficiently going in the opposite direction from such relatively large groups of parallel data bits to a high-speed serial data output signal.
US09960932B2

Sharing modifications of a document among a plurality of authors includes publishing the document using a service that is accessible by at least some of the authors and propagating modifications by a first one of the authors to other ones of the authors by sending change information to the other one of the authors, wherein the change information includes a pointer to the document, an indication of the modifications, and an identification of the first one of the authors and wherein the change information does not include the document. The service may be a cloud service. Change information may be sent using email. The identification of the first one of the authors may include a routing ID, where the routing ID facilitates locating the first one of the authors on the Internet. The routing ID may be an email address of the first one of the authors.
US09960921B2

Systems and methods relating to improved security in cloud computing environments are disclosed. According to one illustrative implementation, a method for provisioning physical geographic location of a physical infrastructure device associated with a hypervisor host is provided. Further, the method may include performing processing to obtain initial geo location data of the device, determining verified geo location data of the device by performing validation, via an attestation service component, of the initial geo location data to provide verified geo location data, and writing the verified geo location data into HSM or TPM space of the hypervisor host.
US09960915B2

A method of performing cross-authentication in a vehicle controller interworking with an external device includes: generating a random number S and transmitting the random number S to the external device according to an authentication request message received from the external device; generating a variable i using a first function having the random number S as a parameter; generating a first session key Ks using a second function having the variable i and a pre-stored secret key K as parameters; receiving a first response key from the external device; generating a second response key using a third function having the random number S, the variable i and the first session key Ks as parameters; and authenticating the external device based on whether the first response key is equal to the second response key.
US09960913B2

The invention relates to a first network unit (See) which comprises a secure hardware component (HK) for saving and running software. A second network unit (P) comprises a secure software component (SK) for saving and running software. A method for secure communication comprises: saving a first common secret, a first algorithm and a second algorithm on the network units; sending a first date from the second network unit to the first network unit; running the first algorithm on the first network unit and on the second network unit wherein the input is in each case formed by the second common secret and the first date; sending of a second date from the first network unit to the second network unit; running the second algorithm on the first network unit and on the second network unit; wherein the input is formed in each case by the second common secret and the second date; and use of the third common secret for a secure communication.
US09960906B2

A computing apparatus outputs τ1 and τ2 corresponding to a ciphertext x, a capability providing apparatus uses τ1 to correctly compute f(τ1) with a probability greater than a certain probability and sets the result of the computation as z1, uses τ2 to correctly compute f(τ2) with a probability greater than a certain probability and sets the result of the computation as z2, the computing apparatus generates a computation result u=f(x)bx1 from z1, generates a computation result v=f(x)ax2 from z2, and outputs ub′va′ if the computation results u and v satisfy a particular relation, where G and H are groups, f(x) is a function for obtaining an element of the group G for xϵH, X1 and X2 are random variables having values in the group G, x1 is a realization of the random variable X1, and x2 is a realization of the random variable X2.
US09960905B2

A cryptographic processing device includes a processor that generates a first encrypted polynomial, a receiver that receives cryptographic information representing a fourth encrypted polynomial, and cryptographic information representing a second random number, the fourth encrypted polynomial including a first operation result that is a result of an operation of a fifth vector and a sixth vector, the first operation result being obtained by a second encrypted polynomial and a third encrypted polynomial, wherein the second encrypted polynomial is obtained based on the first encrypted polynomial, the second random number, and a second polynomial that corresponds to a third vector obtained by adding zero to the second vector, and the third encrypted polynomial is obtained based on the fifth vector obtained by adding zero to a fourth vector. The processor generates a second operation result that is a result of an operation of the second vector and the fourth vector.
US09960899B2

A system for a backplane serializer/deserializer (SerDes) including first and second integrated circuits (IC). The first and second ICs include transmitters and receivers coupled to each other through first and second bidirectional links. A first receiver is configured to receive first data at a data rate on a first channel supported by both the first bidirectional link and the second bidirectional link. A second receiver is configured to receive second data at the data rate on a second channel supported by both the first bidirectional link and the second bidirectional link. The backplane SerDes is configured to transfer the first and second data in full duplex mode by employing two-bit pulse-amplitude modulation (PAM-4) to reduce signaling speed of the first and second bidirectional links without reducing throughput of a lane pair including the first and second channels.
US09960893B2

A method for transmitting a reference signal to a user equipment at a base station in a wireless communication system is disclosed. The method includes transmitting the reference signal to the user equipment according to a first pattern corresponding to a first rank and, if a rank is changed from the first rank to a second rank, transmitting the reference signal to the user equipment according to a second pattern corresponding to the second rank, wherein, if the second rank is greater than the first rank, the second pattern includes the first pattern. Preferably, the first pattern is a reference signal pattern for a single rank and the second pattern is defined as a hierarchical structure in which one or more reference signal symbols are added to the first pattern in a time domain direction.
US09960892B2

A macro base station MeNB in a mobile communication system that supports a carrier aggregation technology defined in a 3GPP standard, communicates with a pico base station PeNB #1 via an X2 interface. The macro base station MeNB transmits information to the pico base station PeNB the information being used when the pico base station PeNB determines a component carrier requested to be limitedly used by the macro base station MeNB or a component carrier requested to be released from use limitation by the macro base station MeNB.
US09960891B2

An interference coordination method in an LTE system includes generating an interference coordination message, where the interference coordination message includes a priority configuration of each resource of multiple resources of a source node device, and a resource with a preset priority in the priority configuration is used to transmit a control channel or a control message. The method also includes sending the interference coordination message to a target node device, so that the target node device performs interference coordination according to the interference coordination message; or sending the interference coordination message to an operation, administration and maintenance network element, so that the operation, administration and maintenance network element configures the interference coordination message for a target node device, so that the target node device performs interference coordination according to the interference coordination message.
US09960884B2

A system and method for channel state information feedback in wireless communications systems are provided. A method for reporting channel information includes determining, at a user equipment, a channel information type for first channel information to be reported to a communications controller, determining the first channel information conditioned on previously reported channel information and on the channel information type, and reporting the first channel information, the channel information type, or a combination thereof, to the communications controller.
US09960883B1

Transmit and/or receive beamforming signal generation includes a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) for generating a lower or higher master frequency output signal in accordance with a selection of a lower or higher frequency carrier frequency. A local oscillator generates local oscillator signals in quadrature in response to the maser frequency output signal. One or more mixer stages generate sidebands in response to a received information signal and the local oscillator signals in quadrature. The one or more mixer stages generate an output information signal in response to high-side injection of lower sidebands of the developed sidebands when the lower frequency carrier frequency is selected, and generate the output information signal in response to low-side injection of higher sidebands of the developed sidebands when the higher frequency carrier frequency is selected. Multi-band operation of transmit and receive arrays can be performed.
US09960878B2

A network capable of being used in a datacenter is described. The network can comprise a set of optical fiber rings, wherein each optical fiber ring carries data traffic on multiple wavelengths, and wherein each optical fiber ring is partitioned into multiple sectors. In some embodiments, each sector in the multiple sectors can comprise: (1) only one add-wavelength-selective-switch (add-WSS) communicatively coupled to only one optical fiber ring in the set of optical fiber rings, wherein the only one add-WSS is used for sending all data traffic that originates from the sector and is destined to other sectors; (2) an add-electro-optical-switch (add-EOS) communicatively coupled to the add-WSS; (3) a set of drop-wavelength-selective-switches (drop-WSSs) communicatively coupled to the set of optical fiber rings, wherein the set of drop-WSSs are used for receiving data traffic from other sectors; and (4) a drop-electro-optical-switch (drop-EOS) communicatively coupled to a drop-WSS in the set of drop-WSSs.
US09960876B2

Provided are a base station device and a mobile station device, which can lighten a cell-search processing. The base station device includes a frame constitution unit for forming a frame, in which a pilot symbol multiplied by a base station scrambling code and a plurality of sequences contained in the corresponding sequence set is arranged in at least the head or tail, and a radio transmission unit for sending the formed frame. On the receiving side, the frame timing can be detected from the position of a pilot symbol contained in that frame. Since the base station scrambling code and the sequence set containing the sequences are made to correspond to each other, candidates can be narrowed to at most the base station scrambling codes of the number of the combinations of the sequences contained in the sequence set, by detecting the sequences multiplied by the pilot symbol.
US09960868B2

An end user can sample a radio or television broadcast, generate a user representation of the broadcast sample, and send the user representation to a comparison system, which also receives known representations of content broadcast by multiple different stations. The known representations are stored in a continuous fashion, and represent actually broadcast content. The comparison system identifies the source of the broadcast sample by comparing the user representation to the known representations associated with each of the different stations using a bit count method, such as the Hamming distance. By comparing two representations of content that was actually broadcast, a broadcast source can be identified without requiring the use of watermarks, timestamps, or a database of discreet content items.
US09960860B2

Provided is a cover accessory for a wireless communication device, includingan electromagnetic suppressing pattern layer on a surface adjoining at least one surface on which an electromagnetic wave is irradiated from the wireless communication device, wherein the electromagnetic suppressing pattern layer includes a first dielectric layer and a frequency selective surface (FSS) pattern with a unit cell having electromagnetic surface resistance periodically repeated thereon, and the FSS pattern is provided by etching the first dielectric layer to inject an FSS pattern material or by printing the FSS pattern material on the first dielectric layer.
US09960858B2

A novel positional information transmission system includes a plurality of positional information transmission units. The positional information transmission unit includes a close-range wireless communication unit that performs close-range wireless communication and a sonic wave transmission unit that transmits positional information as a sonic signal used for detecting a position of a receiver that receives the sonic signal based on information transmitted by the close-range wireless communication unit.
US09960849B1

Embodiments of the present disclosure may relate to a transmitter to transmit a radio frequency (RF) signal to a receiver via a dielectric waveguide where the transmitter includes a plurality of mixers to generate modulated RF signals and a combiner to combine the modulated RF signals. Embodiments may also include a receiver to receive, from a dielectric waveguide, a RF signal where the receiver includes a splitter to split the RF signal into a plurality of signal paths, a plurality of filters, and a plurality of demodulators. Embodiments may also include a dielectric waveguide communication apparatus that may include the transmitter and the receiver. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.
US09960848B2

Light Emitting Diode (LED) based illumination devices in a lighting communications network may be commissioned into a group with a mobile electronics device, such as a mobile phone, tablet computer, etc. The identities of a plurality of LED illumination devices are determined and a request is communicated to the identified LED based illumination devices to modulate emitted light for a period of time. The modulated light is detected by the mobile electronics device, which may then determine a group of the LED based illumination devices. For example, the detected intensity of the modulated light may be used to determine the group. In another example, the physical locations of the LED based illumination devices are determined by detecting a sequence of images (e.g., video) of the modulated light, and the group may be determined based on the locations of the LED based illumination devices.
US09960847B2

In an information presenting method, visible light including unique information, which is unique to a passenger carrier and specific to a location of the carrier, is emitted. The light is received in the passenger space and the unique information is obtained. One or more stop points at which the carrier is currently stopped or is to subsequently stop are obtained. The one or more stop points are derived from the unique information. An alighting point at which a user is to alight from the carrier is obtained. Whether the alighting point is included in the one or more stop points is determined. Alighting information notifying the user to alight from the bus is presented to the user via a terminal, when the alighting point is determined to be included in the one or more stop points.
US09960844B1

An example photodiode emulator circuit includes: a first current source circuit; first and second transistors having sources coupled together and coupled to an output of the first current source circuit, a drain of the second transistor coupled to a first node; a third transistor coupled between a drain of the first transistor and a replica load circuit; a second current source circuit coupled to the first node; a capacitor coupled between the first node and electrical ground; and a fourth transistor having a source coupled to the first node and a drain that supplies an output current.
US09960843B2

Using pump-probe measurements on multi-span optical links may result in the determination of one or more of the following: 1) wavelength-dependent power profile and gain evolution along the optical link; 2) wavelength-dependent dispersion map; and 3) location of regions of high polarization-dependent loss (PDL) and polarization-mode dispersion (PMD). Such measurements may be a useful diagnostic for maintenance and upgrade activities on deployed cables as well as for commissioning new cables.
US09960837B1

Systems, methods, and software described herein provide enhancements for orbital satellite platform. In one example, an orbital satellite platform includes a plurality of satellite devices configured to establish a pseudo-geosynchronous window corresponding to an underlying zone of interest by at least transferring state information related to execution of a designated software payload from outgoing satellite devices leaving the pseudo-geosynchronous window for receipt by target satellite devices entering the pseudo-geosynchronous window. During orbital passage within the pseudo-geosynchronous window, the target satellite devices are configured to execute the designated software payload in accordance with the state information.
US09960818B2

A near field communication circuit includes an antenna, a circuit logic unit coupled to the antenna, an energy storage coupled to the antenna, and a shunt control circuit, coupled to the antenna, for controlling a first operating voltage provided for the circuit logic unit by the antenna. The circuit logic unit is set up such that in a first mode of operation the circuit logic unit is operated by the first operating voltage provided by the antenna. The circuit logic unit is set up to control the shunt control circuit such that in the first mode of operation at least some of the electric power provided by the antenna is supplied to the energy storage for the purpose of charging same with the electric power.
US09960817B2

A communication device includes: an electromagnetic-wave generating unit for outputting an electromagnetic wave; and a transmitting/receiving unit for transmitting data by modulating the electromagnetic wave in accordance with data and receiving data transmitted from the other device by demodulating the electromagnetic wave outputted by the electromagnetic-wave generating unit or the electromagnetic wave outputted by the other device as the other party of communication, wherein the transmitting/receiving unit transmits attribute information indicating communication ability of the device and receives attribute information indicating communication ability of the other device, and the electromagnetic-wave generating unit reduces power of the electromagnetic wave to be outputted after receiving the attribute information.
US09960811B1

An example device in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure includes a direct current (DC) bias source coupled to a transmitter connector of a transmitter. The DC bias source is to apply, onto the transmission line, a DC bias signal isolatable from the transmission protocol by the receiver based on the receiver separating the DC bias signal from the transmission protocol without compromising the transmission protocol.
US09960807B2

Disclosed is a device and method for decreasing interference in a cable bundle. The device includes a plurality of concentration devices, an interference measurer, and a concentration device. Each concentration device accesses an uplink and provides a network service to a terminal through a cable bundle in an access section. An interference measurer is connected between the cable bundle and the terminal. The interference measure is configured to measure an interference signal by measuring a signal transmitted to the terminal through the cable bundle, calculate an interference coefficient for generating a quasi-interference signal, and transmit the same to the concentration devices. The concentration devices is configured to calculate an additional signal for offsetting an interference signal by using the interference coefficient, add the additional signal to the original signal, and transmit the additional signal to the cable bundle.
US09960803B2

A system includes a first duplexer that receives samples of a signal transmitted from a first transmit portion of a communication device and outputs a filtered signal based on sampled transmitted signal. A first modulator adjusts the filtered signal based on at least one of a phase, amplitude, and delay of leakage associated with the transmitted signal. The leakage corresponds to leakage from the first transmit portion of the communication device to a first receive portion of the communication device. The first modulator provides a leakage cancellation signal based on the adjusted filtered signal. A first coupler subtracts the leakage cancellation signal from a signal received by the first receive portion of the communication device.
US09960801B2

An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry. The wireless circuitry may include one or more antennas. An antenna may have an antenna feed that is coupled to a radio-frequency transceiver with a transmission line. An impedance matching circuit may be coupled to the antenna feed to match the impedance of the transmission line and the antenna. The impedance matching circuit and tunable circuitry in the antenna may be formed using integrated circuits. Each integrated circuit may include switching circuitry that is used in switching components such as inductors and capacitors into use. Sensors such as temperature sensors, current and voltage sensors, power sensors, and impedance sensors may be integrated into the integrated circuits. Each integrated circuit may store settings for the switching circuitry and may include communications and control circuitry for communicating with external circuits and processing sensor data.
US09960800B2

Disclosed is a cradle assembly for a vehicle capable of connecting with a mobile terminal, including a cover unit configured to open or close an accommodation space defined in a dashboard panel by pivoting, a binding unit attached to a lower end of the cover unit so as to fix an upper end of the mobile terminal, and a support unit configured to support the mobile terminal in a state in which a lower end of the mobile terminal is seated therein. Whether or not the cover unit is pivotable is determined based on whether or not the mobile terminal is electrically connected to the vehicle.
US09960797B2

Cancelling of intermodulation interference is described. A digital signal sample (x) is received and a power of the received digital signal sample is obtained (243). Based on the obtained power, at least one model value is obtained from a model (244) that models model values of a non-linearity in amplitude and phase of a received signal that passes through passive and active components in the receiver. The model values correspond to a plurality of powers of the received signal. Intermodulation interference is then cancelled by multiplying (245) the received digital signal sample with the obtained at least one model value, thereby obtaining an output digital signal sample (y) from which intermodulation interference, inflicted by the receiver, is cancelled.
US09960789B2

If a configuration is employed in which modulation schemes used for an optical communication system can be switched depending on transmission conditions, it is difficult to make effective utilization of frequency resources without the power consumption increasing and the control becoming complex; therefore, an optical transmitter according to an exemplary aspect of the present invention includes an interface means for converting a digital signal to be transmitted under a predetermined transmission condition over an optical carrier wave into a parallel signal with a predetermined bit number at a predetermined transmission rate, and outputting the parallel signal; an encoding means for encoding the parallel signal using one coding system from among a plurality of convolutional coding systems with different degrees of redundancy; a mapping means for mapping an output bit signal output from the encoding means to a modulation symbol; an optical modulation means for modulating the optical carrier wave based on a symbol signal output from the mapping means; and an encoding control means for selecting a predetermined coding system corresponding to the predetermined transmission condition from among the plurality of convolutional coding systems and controlling the interface means, the encoding means, the mapping means, and the optical modulation means in such a way as to operate in accordance with the predetermined coding system.
US09960785B1

A latency associated with a receiver circuit, e.g., radio receiver circuit, can be reduced by applying digital data from an analog signal received by a receiver, e.g., a radio receiver, to an automatic gain control circuit without first using a decimation and digital filtering process, which can minimize or eliminate significant latency associated with the decimation and filtering process.
US09960771B2

Disclosed embodiments select a proper hum frequency reference by utilizing one or more functional logic circuits within a cluster. The slowest logic circuit is determined, and an instance of that logic circuit is used in timing circuitry for the cluster. Multiple logic circuits with similar characteristics are incorporated into the timing circuit. Each cluster is interconnected to a second level timing circuit. Each cluster inputs timing information into the second level timing circuit. The second level timing circuit then determines when the next cycle, or tic, of the self-generated clock starts, and the process repeats, providing a self-generated clock signal.
US09960766B2

The present disclosure provides an IGBT driving circuit, including an optocoupler chip and a power amplification circuit. The optocoupler chip includes an isolation amplification unit and a fault protection unit, and the fault protection unit includes a desaturation module and a fault feedback module. The desaturation module is configured to transmit a warning signal to the fault feedback module when detecting that a potential of a collector of the IGBT is overhigh or the potential of the collector of the IGBT changes overfast. The fault feedback module is configured to transmit a fault control signal to the external controller after receiving the warning signal so as to control the external driving signal outputted by the external controller and enable the isolation amplification unit to output an IGBT driving signal for controlling a shutdown of the IGBT.
US09960763B2

A nanosecond pulser may include a plurality of switch modules, a transformer, and an output. Each of the plurality of switch modules may include one or more solid state switches. The transformer may include a core, at least one primary winding wound around at least a portion of the core, each of the plurality of switch modules may be coupled with the primary windings, and a plurality of secondary windings wound at least partially around a portion of the core. The output may output electrical pulses having a peak voltage greater than about 1 kilovolt and having a pulse width of less than about 1000 nanoseconds. The output may output electrical pulses having a peak voltage greater than about 5 kilovolts, a peak power greater than about 100 kilowatts, a pulse width between 10 nanoseconds and 1000 nanoseconds, a rise time less than about 50 nanoseconds, or some combination thereof.
US09960761B2

The present invention provides a thin film transistor gate voltage supply circuit, and the thin film transistor gate voltage supply circuit is employed to supply a gate voltage for a thin film transistor, and the thin film transistor gate voltage supply circuit comprises a voltage generation circuit and a temperature compensation circuit, and the voltage generation circuit is employed to generate an original voltage, and the temperature compensation circuit is electrically coupled to the voltage generation circuit, and the temperature compensation circuit is employed to detect an ambient temperature, and as the ambient temperature is smaller than a preset temperature, the temperature compensation circuit compensates the original voltage according to a difference value of the ambient temperature and the preset temperature to obtain a first voltage, and supplies the first voltage to a gate of the thin film transistor to drive the thin film transistor normally work.
US09960757B2

A semiconductor apparatus includes a common mode detector circuit that receives differential alternating current (AC) signal; and a detector circuit.
US09960754B2

These various embodiments serve to facilitate interlaced amplitude pulsing using a hard-tube type pulse generator having at least one energy-storage unit each comprising at least one energy-storing capacitor. Generally speaking, this comprises controlling an amount of energy withdrawn from the energy-storage unit and provided to an output load to form productive electric pulses by controlling at least one of: (1) energy replenishment; and (2) non-productive energy withdrawal of the energy-storage unit, to thereby achieve a series of productive interlaced amplitude electric pulses.
US09960753B2

Described is a latch which comprises: a first AND-OR-invert (AOI) logic gate; and a second AOI logic gate coupled to the first AOI logic gate, wherein the first and second AOI logic gates have respective first and second keeper devices coupled to a power supply node. Described is a flip-flop which comprises: a first latch including: a first AOI logic gate; and a second AOI logic gate coupled to the first AOI logic gate, wherein the first and second AOI logic gates have respective first and second keeper devices coupled to a power supply, the first latch having an output node; and a second latch having an input node coupled to the output node of the first latch, the second latch having an output node to provide an output of the flip-flop.
US09960735B1

Embodiments of a mixer of a Near field communication (NFC) receiver device and a method for operating a mixer of an NFC receiver device are disclosed. In an embodiment, a mixer of an NFC receiver device includes an input unit from which an input signal is received, a sample and hold circuit configured to sample the input signal and to store electrical charge based on the sampled input signal in order to generate a differential output signal, a control unit configured to switch the sample and hold circuit between different operational modes based on whether the input signal is a single-ended input signal or a differential input signal, and a differential output unit from which the differential output signal is output. Other embodiments are also described.
US09960731B2

A method of signaling between a photovoltaic module and an inverter module. The inverter module is connected to the photovoltaic module. In an initial mode of operation an initial code is modulated thereby producing an initial signal. The initial signal is transmitted from the inverter module to the photovoltaic module. The initial signal is received by the photovoltaic module. The operating mode is then changed to a normal mode of power conversion, and during the normal mode of operation a control signal is transmitted from the inverter to the photovoltaic module. A control code is demodulated and received from the control signal. The control code is compared with the initial code producing a comparison. The control command of the control signal is validated as a valid control command from the inverter module with the control command only acted upon when the comparison is a positive comparison.
US09960727B2

A stall diagnosis apparatus for a motor of an air conditioning actuator includes: a resistor connecting from a first door actuator of a Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system of a vehicle to the ground; a resistor connection circuit connecting from a VCC power terminal to the resistor; a switch disposed on the resistor connection circuit; a first circuit and a second circuit branched from a motor connection circuit connecting from the VCC power terminal to a motor of the first door actuator through a motor driver and the resistor connection circuit, respectively; a current sensing circuit unit including an input terminal connected to the first circuit and the second circuit and outputting a current signal corresponding to a voltage value between the motor connection circuit and the resistor connection circuit; and a controller for controlling the motor and determining whether or not the motor is stalled.
US09960721B2

A power failure detection unit in an AC-DC converter device detects power failure of a 3-phase AC power supply at the time of driving a motor, and generates a power failure detection signal in accordance with detection of power failure. A transmitter unit in the AC-DC converter device transmits the power failure detection signal using a cable, radio, or an optical fiber. A receiver unit in a DC-AC converter device receives the power failure detection signal transmitted from the transmitter unit.
US09960718B2

The invention relates to a control loop (10) which is installed in a voltage regulator of a motor vehicle alternator and controls an output voltage of the latter by adjusting an excitation current of the alternator. The control loop includes, at the input, means for measuring (31) the output voltage by sampling, generating a measurement signal (Um), error-calculation means (13) generating an error signal (e) equal to a difference between the measurement signal (Um) and a set value (Uo), means for processing the error signal (e) including an amplifier (14) and generating a control signal (Ysat) and, at the output, means (35) for generating a control signal (PWM) controlling excitation control means in accordance with the control signal (Ysat). According to the invention, the processing means also include a phase-advance filter (24).
US09960711B2

The systems, methods, and devices of the various embodiments provide single phase inverters that may be cooperatively controlled to provide one, two, or three phase unipolar electricity. In an embodiment, a solar panel may be connected to a DC to DC converter and a unipolar power converter. In an embodiment, the unipolar power converter output may be a single phase signal approximating a desired voltage waveform and frequency, offset from the ground electrical potential such that the voltage output signal may be always positive, thus “unipolar”. In an embodiment, the unipolar power output of each string of solar panels may be connected to a dedicated, predetermined phase of a load, such as a three phase grid system. In an embodiment, the DC output of a DC to DC converter may be connected in parallel with other DC to DC converters and other unipolar converters.
US09960707B2

Apparatus and system for power conversion. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises a power converter comprising a first plate for receiving an input power; a second plate for providing an output power; a plurality of power converter bricks coupled in parallel between the first and the second plates, each power converter brick comprising (i) an input stage for converting a brick input power to a second power, (ii) an output stage, coupled to the input stage by a transformer, for converting the second power to a brick output power, (iii) a local controller coupled to the input stage for controlling power conversion by the power converter brick; and a master controller coupled to each power converter brick of the plurality of power converter bricks, wherein the master controller dynamically controls operation of each power converter brick of the plurality of power converter bricks to generate the output power.
US09960697B2

An insulation type step-down converter includes first, second, third, and fourth secondary-side coils, and first, second, third, and fourth rectifier elements. The first, second, third, and fourth rectifier elements is capable of performing rectification such that electric currents flow alternately only in one of the first and second secondary-side coils and one of the third and fourth secondary-side coils, and electric currents flowing simultaneously in one of the first and second secondary-side coils and one of the third and fourth secondary-side coils are opposite in direction to each other so as to cancel out a magnetic flux passing through the middle leg each time when electric current flowing in the primary-side coil is changed in direction. Provided is an insulation type step-down converter which can minimize an increase in heat generated by the primary-side coil even at a large step-down ratio of a step-down transformer without raising manufacturing costs.
US09960696B2

In certain embodiments, a compound power converter passes the majority of power from input to output through only a single stage of power conversion. At least one embodiment includes a main converter with an auxiliary output. The auxiliary output energizes an energy storage element that provides input power for a supplemental converter capable of supplying the main output. The supplemental converter improves regulation and can provide holdover power for Power Factor Correction (PFC) or Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) operation. In certain embodiments, the power converter has at least one multi-functional inductor that supports both main regulation and supplemental regulation in a time-multiplexed manner such that, during main regulation, input energy is transferred from the input node to the output node via the multi-functional inductor, and, during supplemental regulation, the stored energy is transferred from the at least one energy storage element to the output node via the multi-functional inductor.
US09960694B2

A power system includes power conversion circuitry that has a first switch and a second switch on either side of a transformer. The system also includes gate driver circuitry that operates the first switch and the second switch. Power transfer in a normal operating mode from a primary side to secondary side of the DC-DC power conversion circuitry is controlled by operating the first switch. The system can recover voltage from the secondary side to the primary side by reversing a direction of power transfer when a voltage on the primary side of the DC-DC power conversion circuitry is less than an operating voltage of the gate driver circuitry. The system can resume the normal operating mode when the voltage on the primary is greater than the operating voltage of the gate driver circuitry.
US09960692B2

A driver includes a high-side driver transistor coupled between supply voltage and the gate drive nodes and provides a first charge current to a high side gate node of the high-side driver transistor until the gate drive node reaches a first gate drive threshold. Then a second charge current is provided to the high side gate node that is less than the first charge current. The gate drive node is limited to a first clamped threshold for a delay time. A gate drive current rise signal sets the value of the second charge current that charges the high side gate node and after the delay time the gate drive voltage is limited to a second clamped threshold greater than the first clamped threshold but less than the supply voltage. A gate drive programmable control signal sets the value of the second clamped threshold.
US09960690B2

A semiconductor device, for controlling a power supply which generates and outputs a driving pulse, includes: a clock generating circuit with an oscillating circuit in which a frequency can be changed and which generates a clock signal; a voltage/electric current control circuit which provides timing to turn off a switching element; a setting terminal to provide setting information from outside; a switch between a first power supply terminal and a second power supply terminal; and an internal power supply voltage control circuit which controls the switch. When voltage of the setting terminal is lower than a first voltage value, the device advances to a first stop mode in which output of a driving pulse is stopped. When voltage of the setting terminal is higher than the first voltage value, the device advances to a second stop mode in which the output of the driving pulse is stopped.
US09960687B2

According to some embodiments, an electronic drive circuit is disclosed. The electronic drive circuit includes an energy storage device and a first bridge circuit coupled to the energy storage device. The first bridge circuit includes at least one leg having two switches. The electronic drive circuit also includes a transformer. The transformer includes a first winding coupled to the first bridge circuit and a second winding coupled to the energy storage device through a center tap. The electronic drive circuit further includes a second bridge circuit coupled to the second winding of the transformer. The second bridge circuit includes a pair of switches operable to conduct in both directions and block voltage in both directions. The electronic drive circuit additionally includes a DC bus coupled to the second bridge circuit and a controller, which is configured to buck or boost a DC voltage from the energy storage device to supply to the DC bus as well as buck or boost a DC voltage from the DC bus to supply to the energy storage device.
US09960680B1

Disclosed herein are an apparatus for controlling a switch-mode power supply, and a method of operating the same. In an embodiment, it is determined whether or not a current of an inductor of the switching power supply has become less than or equal to a predetermined value. In an embodiment, a variable reference voltage is adjusted based on the current of the inductor and an output voltage. In an embodiment, a switch is turned off based on the inductor current, the output voltage, and the variable reference voltage.
US09960670B2

One example discloses an apparatus for charge recycling between a first power-domain operating at a first voltage and a second power-domain operating at a second voltage, including: a first power-delivery circuit configured to supply the first voltage to the first power-domain; and a second power-delivery circuit coupled to receive power from both the first power-delivery circuit and the first power-domain; wherein the second power-delivery circuit is configured to supply the second voltage to the second power-domain.
US09960669B2

Apparatus and methods are provided for starting up an isolated power converter. In an example, an integrated circuit for controlling an isolated power converter can include a control circuit configured to control a duty cycle of a primary switch according to an startup schedule during an initial interval of a start-up period of the isolated power supply, and to switch to a closed-loop control mode of the primary switch during a second interval of the start-up period after a voltage level of the DC output power signal is above a start-up threshold.
US09960666B2

Disclosed in the present invention is a four-port power electronic transformer based on a hybrid modular multilevel converter (MMCs). The four-port power electronic transformer includes a hybrid MMC, direct current (DC)/DC converters, and an inverter. Each DC/DC converter includes a front stage part, a high frequency transformation part and a back stage part. Compared with an existing power electronic transformer, the present invention has the following characteristics: an MMC module and a front stage of a DC/DC circuit connected to the MMC module jointly complete DC fault ride-through, and the number of adopted devices is small; the MMC module controls a DC voltage and the DC/DC circuit controls power; voltages of one or two capacitors in the module can be controlled independently or simultaneously; and the four-port power electronic transformer has four ports: a high-voltage DC port, a high-voltage alternating current (AC) port, a low-voltage DC port, and a low-voltage AC port, and is applicable to a high-voltage high-power scenario with multiple voltage types and levels, particularly to the energy internet to be used as an energy router and the like.
US09960664B2

A voltage converter comprises a second controller as a power switch of the secondary side of the transformer for comparing a detection voltage representing an output voltage and/or load current with a first reference voltage and generating a control signal, and a coupling element for transmitting the control signal generated by the second controller to the first controller on the primary side of the transformer enabling the first controller to generate a first pulse signal driving the power switch to control the on/off state of the primary side winding.
US09960661B2

A skew correction device is provided that can easily correct the skew in the circumferential direction of the stator core arising due to insertion of electrical conductors into each slot and twisting and bending of the leading ends thereof in the circumferential direction. A skew correction device (10) for stator cores (2), includes: a support member (71) capable of supporting from outwards a protrusion (5) formed by the plurality of projecting parts (21) aligning; a first pressurizing mechanism (72) for pressing the support member (71) towards an inner side in a radial direction; and a rotation mechanism (73) for correcting skew in the circumferential direction, by causing the support member (71) to rotate in a direction in which the skew in the circumferential direction is corrected by way of a rotating shaft (731), in a state supporting the protrusion (5) from outwards by pressing the support member (71).
US09960659B2

The present invention relates to a protection system with a protection relay and at least one measurement sensor to protect a permanent magnet generator having a plurality of stator windings, each of said stator windings having a first end and a second end. If the stator windings are connected in a wye coupling, they are, in a set of three stator windings, commonly coupled in a star point at the first end of the windings, or if the stator windings are connected in a delta coupling, they are, in a set of three stator windings, commonly connected in a ring to each other. In addition, the at least one measurement sensor is arranged for measuring current through at least one of the stator windings at the star point side or within the ring connection and for communicating with the protection relay. The invention also relates to a method of protecting a permanent magnet generator.
US09960656B2

A power tool with a combined printed circuit board (PCB) that reduces internal wiring of the power tool and provides a large amount of air flow to internal components. In some instances, the combined PCB has a surfboard shape and includes a motor control unit and power switching elements (Field Effect Transistors or FETs). The combined surfboard PCB is located above the trigger, but below the motor and drive mechanism. In other instances, the combined PCB has a doughnut shape and is located coaxially with a motor shaft. The combined PCB may be positioned between a doughnut-shaped control PCB and the motor.
US09960655B2

A motor includes a base, a winding assembly and a rotor. The base includes a pivoting portion. The winding assembly includes a support. The support includes at least one coil supporting portion and a circuit supporting portion connected to the at least one coil supporting portion. A coil is arranged on each of the at least one coil supporting portion. A circuit is arranged on the circuit supporting portion and electrically connected to the coil or coils. A folding portion is arranged between the at least one coil supporting portion and the circuit supporting portion. The circuit supporting portion and the at least one coil supporting portion are folded and stacked together via the folding portion. The rotor is rotatably coupled to the pivoting portion of the base. Due to the arrangement of the folding portion, a radial width of the motor is efficiently reduced.
US09960647B2

One embodiment of an enhanced flux-density magnet comprises a magnetic material with two magnetic poles and one magnetic pole-area smaller than the other magnetic pole-area. Because the magnetic field at both pole-areas is equal but the magnetic pole-areas are unequal, the magnetic flux-density is proportionally greater at the magnetic pole with a smaller area than the magnetic pole with the larger area and greater than if the magnetic pole-areas were equal.
US09960646B2

The fixing resin composition for use in a rotor includes a thermosetting resin (A) containing an epoxy resin, a curing agent (B), and an inorganic filler (C), wherein the content of the inorganic filler (C) is equal to or more than 50% by mass, based on 100% by mass of the total content of the fixing resin composition.
US09960645B2

The invention provides a synchronous-generator stator, comprising a stator ring, a stator core, a circumferential gap between the stator ring and the stator core, and a plurality of decoupling units in the gap, wherein the decoupling unit has a first plate, which is matched to a contour of the stator core, and has a second plate, which is matched to the contour of the stator ring, wherein a mat, having a cavity and an inlet valve, is provided between the first and the second plate.
US09960642B2

A system and method is disclosed for integrating inductive power outlet functionality to provide power transfer to electrical devices, as an in-surface wireless charging system, embedded into a host such as a furniture item. An inductive power outlet may include a body casing for containing a primary inductor a driving unit and a fastening mechanism. The body casing may have dimensions suitable for introduction into a passageway through a plate of the item of furniture. The fastening mechanism may be utilized to secure the body casing to the plate of the item of furniture.
US09960637B2

A software platform in communication with networked distributed energy resource energy storage apparatus, configured to deliver various specific applications related to offset demand monitoring, methods of virtual power plant and orchestration, load shaping services, methods of reducing demand at aggregated level, prioritizing computer programs related to virtual energy pool, energy cloud controllers methods, charge discharge orchestration plans of electric vehicles, distributed energy resources, machine learning predictive algorithms, value optimizing algorithms, autonomous sensing event awareness, mode selection methods, capacity reservation monitoring, virtual power plant methods, advanced DER-ES apparatus features, energy management system for governing resources and methods, aggregated energy cloud methods, load shaping methods, marginal cost cycle-life degradation, load shaping API, forward event schedule, on demand request, and load service state request methods. Various rules, constraints of predictive algorithms for signal inputs to determine incremental storage cycles, cycle life degradation marginal cost, iterative and forward event schedule development, and load control.
US09960623B2

The present disclosure proposes a charging circuit and a mobile terminal. The charging circuit includes: a first circuit, coupled to a charging port, to draw DC power signal, and convert the DC power signal into AC power signal; a second circuit, coupled to the battery, configured to receive the AC power signal from the first circuit, and convert the AC power signal into DC power signal for charging the battery; a capacitance coupling component, coupled between the first circuit and the second circuit. The capacitance coupling component is configured to block DC power signal from the first circuit. That is, the DC power signal fails to pass through the first circuit. Thus, the DC power signal flowing through the charging port does not flow to the second circuit and the battery directly when the first circuit malfunctions. Accordingly, the stability of the charging circuit is enhanced.
US09960621B2

A connector comprises: an elongated connector body defining a longitudinal direction with an electrical connector frame at one end thereof; the elongated connector body having a longitudinal alignment feature on the elongated connector body configured for aligning the elongated connector body, a guide feature defining a unique orientation thereof, and a retaining feature configured for retaining the elongated connector body in a connector guide.
US09960618B1

Devices having battery charge control circuits are disclosed. Such devices can include power control circuits operable to receive electrical power at a connector, and provide power to electrical components, including a charge current for a rechargeable battery; and a controller circuit configured to determine and store a maximum charge current setting based on whether a voltage at the connector falls below a predetermined limit as the charge current is increased. Corresponding methods are also disclosed.
US09960617B2

A mobile terminal includes a battery; a first universal serial bus (USB) interface, a central processing unit (CPU), a USB charging management module, and a charging management chip. The central processing unit (CPU) is configured to generate an on/off command, and configured to output an adjustment signal. The USB charging management module is configured to turn on or off a charging channel according to the on/off command, and configured to control a value of a charging current according to the adjustment signal, combine the charging current, and transmit the combined charging current to a charging management chip. The charging management chip is configured to transmit the charging current to the battery to charge the battery.
US09960616B2

An electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a connection terminal to which a charging cable or a discharging cable can be connected, a charging/discharging unit configured to perform a charging operation or a discharging operation, and a controller configured to perform a charging or discharging operation based on a cable connected to the connection terminal.
US09960608B2

A multi-level rectifier is presented that is suitable for use at high frequencies, including into MHz range such as in the 6.78 MHz band used for wireless power transfer. To maintain the proper timing or switching waveform when operating at high frequencies, a feedback loop is used. The rectification circuit includes a multi-level waveform generator circuit that generates a multi-level control waveform from the input waveform and an indication of its current. The multi-level control waveform is maintained in phase with the input waveform. A control signal generation circuit receives the multi-level control waveform and generates control signals corresponding to levels of the multi-level control waveform. A synchronous rectifier receives the input waveform and includes a plurality of switches to provide an output voltage generated from the input waveform. The switches are coupled to receive the control signals and the output voltage is a function of the multi-level control waveform.
US09960607B2

An apparatus for wirelessly transferring power is provided. The apparatus comprises a first coupler, a second coupler, and a third coupler overlapping at least the first coupler. The apparatus further comprises a ferrimagnetic structure comprising a first portion disposed under the first coupler, a second portion disposed under the second coupler, and a gap defined between the first coupler and the second coupler, the gap physically separating the first portion from the second portion. One or both of the first portion and the second portion comprises a first plurality of ferrimagnetic strips interleaved with a second plurality of ferrimagnetic strips configured to attenuate a magnetic flux passing between the first and second couplers. The first plurality of ferrimagnetic strips are interleaved with the second plurality of ferrimagnetic strips under at least a portion of the first coupler that is overlapped by the third coupler.
US09960588B2

Devices and methods are provided which comprise detecting an irregular condition at a control terminal of a power switch device.
US09960584B2

An electrical junction box includes a circuit structure, a case main body made of a synthetic resin and having an accommodating portion that accommodates the circuit structure, and a cover 30 made of a metal and that is attached to the case main body, covering the accommodating portion thereof. The cover has a covering wall that covers the accommodating portion of the case main body and a side wall that is continuous with the covering wall and that is disposed around the case main body. The case main body is provided with an abutment portion that abuts on a portion of the side wall of the cover, but not on an end portion of the side wall that is located on the side facing away from the covering wall.
US09960581B2

An adapter plate may be used to secure a wall mountable connector to a junction box by engaging mounting features of the wall mountable connector. In some cases, the wall mountable connector may be directly secured to a wall via fasteners that extend through the same mounting features of the wall mountable connector. In some cases, the adapter plate may be configured such that the wall mountable connector can be secured to the adapter plate simply by pressing the wall mountable connector into position on the adapter plate, where mounting latches of the adapter plate engage the mounting apertures of the wall mountable connector. The wall mountable connector may be an HVAC wall mountable connector that provides an electrical connection between a plurality of field wires of an HVAC system and corresponding terminals of a removably mounted thermostat.
US09960578B2

An assembly for protecting a utility conduit passing through a hole in a stud used in building construction. A sleeve and a plate are provided. The sleeve has a body forming a hollow trough with a length, a circular side section and a width The circular side section is changeable to adapt to the hole in the stud. The body has opposed inserted and worked end to permit engagement of the sleeve into the hole in the stud. The body portion can include a sleeve fillant within the trough. A stop portion at the worked end of the body stops sleeve insertion a proximate stud. A retention portion then affirmatively retain the sleeve in the hole. The plate has a surface conforming to a stud face, an opening to receive the sleeve, and a mechanism to attach the plate to the stud.
US09960577B2

To provide a wiring harness and a routing structure of the wiring harness able to prevent high temperature and its influence caused by heat generation. A wiring harness includes a harness main body having a plurality of high voltage conducting lines. The high voltage conducting lines are arranged with gaps between the adjacent high voltage conducting lines. Further, the plurality of high voltage conducting lines are arranged to maintain an interval as the gap. It becomes a routing structure of the wiring harness when curved portions of such high voltage conducting lines are directly or indirectly made contact with a shield cover covering the wiring harness. Because the high voltage conducting lines of the wiring harness are arranged with gaps between the adjacent high voltage conducting lines, radiation performance of the wiring harness is better than the wiring harness of which high voltage conducting lines are bundled.
US09960576B2

An integral, unitary cover assembly for covering an electrical connection between first and second electrical cables each having a primary conductor and a neutral conductor includes an inner elastomeric sleeve, an outer elastomeric sleeve, and a collapsible duct. The inner elastomeric sleeve defines a cable passage to receive the electrical connection and the primary conductors of the first and second cables. The outer elastomeric sleeve surrounds the inner sleeve. The collapsible duct is interposed radially between the inner and outer sleeves. The duct defines a neutral conductor passage configured to receive at least one of the neutral conductors therethrough. The duct is selectively collapsible from an initial open configuration to a collapsed configuration about the at least one neutral conductor.
US09960570B1

A slider includes a slot waveguide configured to receive energy from an input surface. The slot waveguide has first and second high-index regions surrounding a middle region that extends along a light propagation direction. The middle region has a refractive index less than that of the first and second high index regions. A near-field transducer is at an output portion of the middle region at media-facing surface. The near-field transducer has first and second plates parallel to the media-facing surface with a gap therebetween. An active laser region has a front facet optically coupled to the input surface of the slider. A reflective back facet of the laser and the near-field transducer define a single optical resonator.
US09960563B2

In exemplary embodiments, wiring harness assemblies for electrical equipment and related methods are disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment, a wiring harness assembly for electrical equipment generally includes a first connector configured for connecting to a wiring harness, a second connector configured for mounting to a panel, and one or more conductors connecting the first connector with the second connector.
US09960554B2

In various implementations, a raceway system may provide power and/or data connectivity to one or more locations. The raceway system may include modular receptacles. The modular receptacles may include power sockets and/or modular communication sockets. In some implementations, the raceway may be coupled to a floor of a structure and provide connectivity to one or more locations proximate the raceway.
US09960547B1

Pass-thru connector assembly includes a pass-thru body having a passage section and a loading section that are configured to be positioned in separate first and second spaces, respectively. The pass-thru body also includes a body channel that extends therethrough. The passage section defines an opening to the body channel in the first space. The pass-thru connector assembly also includes a header housing that is configured to mate with an electrical connector. The header housing is attached to the passage section and covers the opening to the body channel. An electrical cable extends through an aperture of a cable seal and into and through the cable portion of the body channel. The cable seal engages the outer jacket of the electrical cable at a sealed interface. The electrical contact is coupled to the header housing and positioned for engaging a corresponding contact of the electrical connector.
US09960545B2

A universal serial bus (USB) cable including a power conductor configured to transmit power between a first device and a second device, a configuration channel (CC) conductor configured to allow the first device and the second device to determine whether a connection has been established via the USB cable, and a first positive temperature coefficient (PTC) element coupled to the CC conductor and configured to mitigate current flowing through the CC conductor if a temperature of the first PTC element rises above a predefine trip temperature.
US09960537B2

A connector assembly includes an electrical connector and a shipping cap. The electrical connector includes a housing and a lever pivotably coupled to the housing. The lever is pivotable relative to the housing between an open position and a closed position. The lever has a guideway configured to receive a guide journal of a mating connector that mates to the electrical connector. The shipping cap is removably mounted to a mating end of the housing when the electrical connector is not mated to the mating connector. The shipping cap includes a lid that covers a mating opening of the housing. The shipping cap further includes a blocking tab that is received in the guideway of the lever when the lever is in the open position. The blocking tab in the guideway engages the lever to block the lever from pivoting to the closed position.
US09960532B2

Various disclosed embodiments generally relate to connector modules, and more particularly to magnetic connector modules. The connector module includes a board having a concave section formed at a first side, and the concave section has a base surface having formed thereon a plurality of first electrodes. A plurality of second electrodes are formed at a second side of the board opposite the first side and on a rear surface facing away from the base surface. A plurality of holes are formed through the concave section and have conductors formed therethrough to electrically connect the first electrodes and the second electrodes. The connector module additionally includes a magnet inserted into the concave section and an insulating layer interposed between the magnet and the first electrodes.
US09960526B2

Aesthetically pleasing strain-relief members for cables, and methods for making the same, may include a tapered, inner strain-relief portion and an aesthetically pleasing outer strain-relief portion.
US09960522B2

A connector includes a first insulator, contacts joined to the first insulator, a contact insulator integrally holding the contacts in a vicinity of rear end portions thereof, a ground plate which extends along the contacts, a metal peripheral shell placed over the first insulator so as to surround a periphery of front end portions of the contacts and a front end portion of the ground plate and electrically connected to the ground plate, and a second insulator that is formed so as to cover a rear part of the first insulator, a rear part of the peripheral shell, central parts of the contacts and a central part of the ground plate, with the rear end portions of the contacts, the contact insulator and a rear end portion of the ground plate being exposed.
US09960519B2

The present invention relates to electric equipment technology, and more particularly to an electric structure used in various devices of electric equipment. The electrode structure body with electric-shock prevention function is connected to a power transmission and distribution path to electric equipment. The electrode structure body with electric-shock prevention function prevents electric shock when the electric equipment connected to the electrode structure body or other equipment electrically connected thereto at a near place is submerged.
US09960513B1

An electrical connector used for carrying a chip module includes an insulating body having terminals arranged in the insulating body and used for contacting the chip module, a carrying member used for carrying the chip module to the insulating body, a pressing plate used for pressing the carrying member or the chip module, and a positioning member pivoted to the carrying member through a pivoting device. The pivoting device includes a pivoting shaft and at least one elastic portion. The elastic portion includes a first elastic section and at least two limiting portions being elastic and enclosing a pivoting space. The pivoting shaft is pivoted to the pivoting space. When the electrical connector is opened, the first elastic section springs back to remove the chip module from the insulating body without damaging the terminals, so as to align and contact the chip module with the terminals without tool.
US09960506B2

Bend radius adapters can be used to form connections between low-gauge electrical wires or cables, and can provide greater flexibility in the manner in which low-gauge electrical wiring or structures with equivalent load capacity can be routed through and within electrical systems and associated structures. For example, when electrical systems are being upgraded or repaired, it may be difficult or impossible to route lower-gauge or additional wiring through existing structures such as conduits and junction boxes without violating safety standards regarding the minimum bend radius of such wiring. The use of bend radius adapters can provide additional flexibility in utilizing existing electrical system structures, and can simplify installation of other electrical components.
US09960504B2

A shielded connector includes a shielded cable, an inner terminal and an outer terminal. The shielded cable includes a conductor, an insulation cover covering the conductor, a shield layer covering the insulation cover, and an outermost insulation cover covering the shield layer. The inner terminal is connected to the conductor. The outer terminal houses the inner terminal and includes a shield crimping portion which is crimped on the shield layer. The shield crimping portion includes a pair of barrel pieces having end portions formed with an engagement projection and an engagement recess, respectively, that are engaged with each other so that the shield crimping portion is crimped on an exposed portion of the shield layer exposed from the outermost insulation cover so as to be a substantially true circle in cross section.
US09960500B2

In one example, a device includes an antenna array having at least a first cross dipole antenna element having a first dipole and a second dipole orthogonal to the first dipole and at least a second cross dipole antenna element having a third dipole and a fourth dipole orthogonal to the third dipole. An orientation of the at least a second cross dipole antenna is offset 45 degrees with respect to the at least a first cross dipole antenna element. The at least a first cross dipole antenna element and the at least a second cross dipole antenna element are for transmitting and/or receiving signals at plus 45 degrees and minus 45 degrees slant polarizations.
US09960498B2

A foldable radio wave antenna includes a foldable parabolic reflector member formed a foldable tension member attachable to the peripheral rim of the reflector member.
US09960484B2

An antenna comprising: a driven element; an input feed coupled to the driven element wherein the input feed is configured to be connected to a receiver; a non-Foster circuit having a negative impedance, wherein the non-Foster circuit is configured to actively load the antenna at a location on the antenna other than at the input feed; and wherein the antenna fits within an imaginary sphere having a radius a, and wherein the product ka is less than 0.5, where k is a wave number.
US09960483B2

An antenna (10) includes: a first radiant element (3) and a second radiant element (4), which are connected to an antenna feeding point (2); a first branch part (5a), one end of which is connected to the first radiant element (3) at a position not corresponding to an end portion of the first radiant element (3); a second branch part (5b), one end of which is connected to the second radiant element (4) at a position not corresponding to an end portion of the second radiant element (4); and a connection element (7), which connects part of the first radiant element (3) and part of the second radiant element (4). A different end of the first branch part (5a) and a different end of the second branch part (5b) face each other and form a capacitor part. The capacitor part is positioned outside the area surrounded by the connection element (7), the first radiant element (3), and the second radiant element (4). Part of the first radiant element (3), part of the second radiant element (4), the first branch part (5a), the second branch part (5b), and the capacitor part form a split ring resonator (8).
US09960479B2

An antenna device includes a ground plane configured to have an end side; a ground element configured to have a first end and a second end; a first radiation element configured to have a first line extending upright with respect to the ground element from a grounded end, a second line coupled to the first line, and a feed point; a second radiation element configured to have a third line, and a fourth line coupled to the third line; a first parasitic element configured to have a first parasitic line, and a second parasitic line coupled to the first parasitic line and extending along the ground element toward the first end; and a second parasitic element configured to have a fifth line located close to a tip of the second parasitic line, and a sixth line extending along the ground element from a tip of the fifth line.
US09960467B2

A non-aqueous type magnesium oxygen battery including a negative electrode, a positive electrode, a non-aqueous magnesium ion conductor, and a promoter is described. The negative electrode is configured to absorb magnesium and release magnesium ion. The positive electrode is configured to produce a discharge product that includes magnesium and oxygen during a discharge process of the battery. The non-aqueous magnesium on conductor is between the negative electrode and the positive electrode. The promoter is included with the positive electrode. The promoter is configured to promote MgO2 (magnesium peroxide) production during the discharge process of the battery.
US09960463B2

A battery pack apparatus comprising a first cell bank and a laminated cooling plate. The first cell bank includes a first tray and at least one battery cell coupled to the tray. The laminated cooling plate being in contact with the first cell bank and including a plurality of face sheets and a plurality of internal sheets. The face sheets forming a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet. The plurality of internal sheets forming a plurality of fluid passages connecting the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet. The internal sheets further formed to include fluid pathways defining the fluid passages wherein none of the fluid pathways individually defining an uninterrupted flow path.
US09960462B2

In a method for monitoring a battery which includes a number of cells, in each instance, at least one electronic unit is situated so as to be in contact with at least two of the cells, in order to record a variable of this cell and forward it to a central receiver.
US09960461B2

An system includes a first battery having a first desired operating temperature range between a first lower threshold temperature and a first upper threshold temperature and a second battery having a second desired operating temperature range between a second lower threshold temperature and a second upper threshold temperature. The system further includes a temperature control system coupled to the first and second batteries and configured to convey heat energy from the first battery to the second battery when the temperature of the second battery is less than the second lower threshold temperature to increase the temperature of the second battery toward the second desired operating temperature range and to convey heat energy away from the second battery when the temperature of the second battery is greater than the second upper threshold temperature to decrease the temperature of the second battery toward the second desired operating temperature range.
US09960451B1

A method of preparing an alkali metal cell having a quasi-solid electrode, the method comprising: (a) combining a quantity of an active material, a quantity of an electrolyte, and a conductive additive to form a deformable and electrically conductive electrode material, wherein the conductive additive, containing conductive filaments, forms a 3D network of electron-conducting pathways; (b) forming the electrode material into a quasi-solid electrode, wherein the forming step includes deforming the electrode material into an electrode shape without interrupting the 3D network of electron-conducting pathways such that the electrode maintains an electrical conductivity no less than 10−6 S/cm; (c) forming a second electrode; and (d) forming an alkali metal cell by combining the quasi-solid electrode and the second electrode having an ion-conducting separator disposed between the two electrodes.
US09960440B2

A fuel cell system includes a compressor for supplying the cathode gas to the fuel cell, an anode gas discharge system for discharging anode off-gas discharged from the fuel cell into a cathode gas flow passage, a pulsating operation control unit for causing a pressure of the anode gas to pulsate based on an operating state of the fuel cell, a purge control unit for purging the anode off-gas into the cathode gas flow passage based on an impurity concentration of an anode of the fuel cell and a pressure of the anode, and a compressor control unit for controlling the compressor based on a purge flow rate controlled by the purge control unit, and the purge control unit for setting the pressure of the anode to a predetermined value determined according to a pulsating state of the anode gas.
US09960437B2

An object is to allow even a temporary increase in air pressure to be diagnosed as an abnormality. There is provided a fuel cell system including a fuel cell. The fuel cell system comprises an air system that is configured to supply the air to the fuel cell and discharge the air from the fuel cell; a pressure detector that is configured to detect an internal pressure in the air system; a pressure reduction controller that is configured to reduce the internal pressure in the air system to a target pressure reduction value, when the detected pressure becomes higher than a first abnormality detection value during a predetermined time period (S150 and S200 to S220); and a first determiner that is configured to determine that the air system has an abnormality upon determination that number of times when it is determined that the detected pressure becomes higher than the first abnormality detection value is equal to or higher than a predetermined number of times during the predetermined time period (S150, S180, S190 and S160).
US09960436B2

An ion filter life perception device for a fuel cell vehicle is provided to detect a replacement life of a fuel cell ion filter cartridge. The device includes a body part that is installed within an ion filter and has an ion resin filled therein. A checker is disposed within the body part and has a varying position based on a volume of the ion resin. In addition, an elastic member is disposed between a first side end in the body part and the checker to push the checker within the body part by elasticity.
US09960432B2

An inert material is included in the electrode assembling of a battery having a thickness which compensates for a difference in dimension of the electrode assembly when thinner electrodes are used to construct a battery having reduced capacity, to thereby be accommodated in a battery case of uniform dimension regardless of the electrical characteristics of the battery.
US09960428B1

Provided herein is a method for electrocatalyst infiltration of a porous substrate, of particular use for preparation of a cathode for a solid oxide fuel cell. The method generally comprises preparing an electrocatalyst infiltrate solution comprising an electrocatalyst, surfactant, chelating agent, and a solvent; pretreating a porous mixed ionic-electric conductive substrate; and applying the electrocatalyst infiltration solution to the porous mixed ionic-electric conductive substrate.
US09960411B2

A method of manufacturing a negative electrode for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery includes: preparing a copper foil having a first main surface and a second main surface that are opposite sides of the copper foil; obtaining a granulated body by mixing a negative electrode active material, a thickener, a binder, and a solvent with each other to obtain a mixture and by granulating the mixture; obtaining a first negative electrode mixture layer by pressing the granulated body; arranging the first negative electrode mixture layer on the first main surface; and softening the copper foil by bringing the second main surface into contact with a heated roller in a state where the first negative electrode mixture layer is arranged on the first main surface. A temperature of the heated roller is a recrystallization temperature of the copper foil or higher.
US09960410B2

The invention relates to a method for economically producing a composite powder made of carbon and electrochemical active material. According to the invention, a melt made of a meltable carbon precursor substance having nanoparticles made of an active material distributed in the melt is provided, and said melt is divided into the composite powder, in which nanoparticles made of the active material are embedded in a matrix made of the carbon precursor substance. A porous composite material produced using the composite powder is used to produce an electrode for a secondary battery, in particular for use as an anode material. The production of the composite material comprises the following steps: providing template particles made of inorganic template material, producing a powder mixture of the composite powder and the template particles, heating the powder mixture and softening the composite powder in such a way that the composite powder penetrates the pores and is carbonated, and removing the template material to form the porous electrochemical composite material.
US09960409B2

Provided is an apparatus for manufacturing an electrode for a lithium ion secondary battery that makes it possible to form a more uniform active material layer by using granulated particles. The manufacturing apparatus includes: a conveying mechanism, a supply unit, a squeegee, an adjustment unit, and rolling rolls. The conveying mechanism conveys a collector. The supply unit supplies granulated particles, including active material particles and a binder, onto the surface of the conveyed collector. The squeegee levels the supplied granulated particles. The adjustment unit is disposed upstream of the squeegee. The adjustment unit controls the accumulation height of the granulated particles accumulated upstream of the squeegee. The rolling rolls roll the leveled granulated particles and form the active material layer.
US09960403B2

A battery module assembly has unit modules, each unit module having unit cells loaded on a cartridge with the unit cells are electrically connected to each other via busbars. The battery module assembly includes two or more sub-modules arranged in a lateral direction while being spaced apart from each other, each of the sub-modules including two or more unit modules stacked in a height direction from the ground. A battery management system (BMS) mounted between the sub-modules, the BMS being provided at one side thereof with communication terminals, a base plate, side cover plates, a top cover plate and a front cover plate mounted at fronts of the sub-modules. The front cover is coupled to the sub-modules, the base plate, and the side cover plates, the front cover plate being provided with through holes, through which the communication terminals are exposed.
US09960400B2

A separator includes a monolayer-type polyolefin-based micro-porous film having a porosity of 40 to 60%, an average pore diameter of 60 nm or less, and an air permeability of 350 s/100 mL or less; and a porous coating layer formed on at least one surface of the micro-porous film and made of a mixture of a plurality of inorganic particles and a binder polymer. An electrochemical device having the above separator has excellent thermal stability and allows a high power while minimizing the occurrence of leak current.
US09960391B2

A seal structure of a battery pack includes a tray for storing a battery cell therein, a cover covering the tray, and a gasket pressure contacted with a seal surface of the tray and a seal surface of the cover so as to close a clearance between the seal surfaces. The gasket is held at a position different from positions of the seal surfaces.
US09960386B2

A method for improving the operation of an OLED includes maximizing on-radiative transfer of excited state energy from the OLED's organic emissive material to surface plasmon polaritons in an enhancement layer by providing the enhancement layer no more than a threshold distance away from the organic emissive layer; and emitting light into free space from the enhancement layer by scattering the energy from the surface plasmon polaritons through an outcoupling layer that is provided proximate to the enhancement layer but opposite from the organic emissive layer.
US09960376B2

In an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display device and a method for fabricating the same, OLED pixels are patterned through a photolithography process, so a large area patterning can be performed and a fine pitch can be obtained, and an organic compound layer can be protected by forming a buffer layer of a metal oxide on an upper portion of the organic compound layer or patterning the organic compound layer by using a cathode as a mask, improving device efficiency. In addition, among red, green, and blue pixels, two pixels are patterned through a lift-off process and the other remaining one is deposited to be formed without patterning, the process can be simplified and efficiency can be increased.
US09960374B1

The present invention provides a stripping method of a flexible substrate, comprising: providing a porous metal substrate; forming a buffer layer on the porous metal substrate; forming a flexible substrate on the buffer layer; putting the flexible substrate in the electrolytic tank so that the part of the porous metal substrate is immersed in the electrolyte, and the porous metal substrate is employed to be a cathode electrified to electrolyze water in the electrolyte, and the porous metal substrate will releases the hydrogen, and the flexible substrate and the buffer layer are stripped from the porous metal substrate with the acting force of the hydrogen to obtain the flexible substrate with the buffer layer at the bottom. The method is high efficient and without damaging to promote the production yield of the flexible substrate.
US09960372B2

Provided are a monoamine derivative represented by the following Formula 1, and an organic electroluminescent device including the same. When the monoamine derivative represented by Formula 1 is used as a hole transport or hole injection material in the device, the operating voltage may be lowered and the emission efficiency may be improved.
US09960371B2

A novel organometallic complex having high heat resistance is provided. The organometallic complex, which includes a structure represented by General Formula (G1), includes iridium and a ligand. The ligand has a pyrazine skeleton. Iridium is bonded to nitrogen at the 1-position of the pyrazine skeleton. A phenyl group that has an alkyl group as a substituent is bonded at each of the 2- and 3-positions of the pyrazine skeleton, and a phenyl group that has a cyano group as a substituent is bonded at the 5-position of the pyrazine skeleton. The ortho position of the phenyl group bonded at the 2-position of the pyrazine skeleton is bonded to iridium. In the formula, each of A1 to A4 independently represents a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms. Each of R1 to R6 independently represents any of hydrogen, a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group having 6 to 13 carbon atoms, and a substituted or unsubstituted heteroaryl group having 3 to 12 carbon atoms. Each of R7 to R11 independently represents any of hydrogen, a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group having 6 to 13 carbon atoms, a substituted or unsubstituted heteroaryl group having 3 to 12 carbon atoms, and a cyano group. At least one of R7 to R11 represents a cyano group.
US09960357B2

The present specification provides a compound having a spiro structure of Chemical Formula 1, and an organic light emitting device including the same.
US09960353B2

Embodiments of forming an image sensor with an organic photodiode are provided. The organic photodiode uses dual electron-blocking layers formed next to the anode of the organic photodiode to reduce dark current. By using dual electron-blocking layers, the values of highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) for the neighboring anode layer and the organic electron-blocking layer are matched by one of the dual electron-blocking layers to form a photodiode with good performance. The values of the lowest occupied molecular orbital (LOMOs) of the dual electron-blocking layers are selected to be lower than the neighboring anode layer to reduce dark current.
US09960345B2

A technique relates to a semiconductor device. First metal contacts are formed on top of a substrate. The first metal contacts are arranged in a first direction, and the first metal contacts are arranged such that areas of the substrate remain exposed. Insulator pads are positioned at predefined locations on top of the first metal contacts, such that the insulator pads are spaced from one another. Second metal contacts are formed on top of the insulator pads, such that the second metal contacts are arranged in a second direction different from the first direction. The first and second metal contacts sandwich the insulator pads at the predefined locations. Surface-sensitive conductive channels are formed to contact the first metal contacts and the second metal contacts. Four-terminal devices are defined by the surface-sensitive conductive channels contacting a pair of the first metal contacts and contacting a pair of the metal contacts.
US09960339B2

A piezoelectric actuator includes a piezoelectric element that includes a piezoelectric unit including a ferroelectric, which has an asymmetric bipolar P-E curve, a capacitor connected to the piezoelectric unit in series, and a resistor connected to the capacitor in series and connected to the ferroelectric in parallel; and a drive unit that inputs a drive waveform Vd, which includes a DC offset component of which polarity is opposite to polarization of the ferroelectric, to the piezoelectric element to drive the piezoelectric element. A value of a coercive electric field Ec1, a value of a coercive electric field Ec2, the capacitance Cs of the capacitor, the capacitance Cpz of the ferroelectric, combined resistance Rp of the resistance of the resistor and the resistance of the ferroelectric, and a fundamental angular frequency ω of the drive waveform satisfy Expressions I to III, wherein 1 / 3 ≦  Ec 1 + Ec 2  /  Ec 1 - Ec 2  Expression ⁢ ⁢ I C s ≥ 1.5 ⁢ ( C pz + 1 ω ⁢ ⁢ R p ) Expression ⁢ ⁢ II R p ≥ - 15 C s + C pz · 1 ln ⁡ ( 0.5 ⁢ ( C s + C pz ) C s ) . Expression ⁢ ⁢ III
US09960332B2

A light-emitting apparatus of the present invention has (i) a semiconductor device which emits light toward a higher position than a substrate and (ii) a plurality of external connection terminals, and includes: a light-reflecting layer, provided on the substrate, which reflects the light emitted by the semiconductor device; and a covering layer which covers at least the light-reflecting layer and which transmits the light reflected by the light-reflecting layer. Further, the semiconductor device is provided on the covering layer, and is electrically connected to the external connection terminals via connecting portions, and the semiconductor device and the connecting portions are sealed with a sealing resin so as to be covered. Therefore, the light-emitting apparatus has increased efficiency with which light is taken out, and can prevent a reflecting layer from being altered, deteriorating, and decreasing in reflectance.
US09960330B2

Application of a wavelength conversion element is substantially independent of the fabrication of a side-emitting light emitting device. In an example embodiment, the wavelength conversion element is situated around the periphery of a non-wavelength converting lightguide that is situated above the light emitting surface. One or more specular and/or diffusing reflectors are used to direct the light in the lightguide toward the wavelength conversion element at the periphery. In another embodiment, an interference filter may be used to provide predominantly side-emitted light at interfaces between the elements of the light emitting device.
US09960312B2

The invention relates generally to electrodeposition apparatus and methods. When depositing films via electrodeposition, where the substrate has an inherent resistivity, for example, sheet resistance in a thin film, methods and apparatus of the invention are used to electrodeposit materials onto the substrate by forming a plurality of ohmic contacts to the substrate surface and thereby overcome the inherent resistance and electrodeposit uniform films. Methods and apparatus of the invention find particular use in solar cell fabrication.
US09960304B2

Provided is a solar cell for which accurate mutual alignment between a condenser lens and a power generating element corresponding thereto can be performed.In a solar cell 23, a plurality of grid electrodes 31 each formed in a linear shape are arrayed on a light receiving surface 23a along the width direction of the light receiving surface 23a. The plurality of grid electrodes 31 include a first center grid electrode 31a forming a cross portion 34 exhibiting a center-specific geometry caused by electrodes crossing each other at the center of the light receiving surface 23a.
US09960303B2

Device for concentrating and harvesting sunlight comprising: A panel having rigid layer having a patterned electrical circuit thereon. An array of sunlight concentrating and harvesting units, each unit being formed by at least one rigid element and a portion of the rigid layer; and including: a rigid optical concentrating element, a photovoltaic cell sandwiched within the panel for converting sunlight into electrical energy, and an electrical conductor. The electrical conductor being the primary heat sink for the photovoltaic cell, the photovoltaic cell being primarily cooled via conduction. The electrical conductor and the optical concentrating element being dimensioned and arranged within the unit such that the electrical conductor does not materially impede transmission of sunlight to the photovoltaic cell. The electrical conductor transmitting electrical and thermal energy received from the photovoltaic cell away from the unit.
US09960288B2

Some implementations provide a device (e.g., solar panel) that includes an active layer and a solar absorbance layer. The active layer includes a first N-type layer and a first P-type layer. The solar absorbance layer is coupled to a first surface of the active layer. The solar absorbance layer includes a polymer composite. In some implementations, the polymer composite includes one of at least metal salts and/or carbon nanotubes. In some implementations, the active layer is configured to provide the photovoltaic effect. In some implementations, the active layer further includes a second N-type layer and a second P-type layer. In some implementations, the active layer is configured to provide the thermoelectric effect. In some implementations, the device further includes a cooling layer coupled to a second surface of the active layer. In some implementations, the cooling layer includes one of at least zinc oxides, indium oxides, and/or carbon nanotubes.
US09960287B2

A passivation layer is deposited on a first portion of a region of the solar cell. A grid line is deposited on a second portion of the region. The passivation layer is annealed to drive chemical species from the passivation layer to deactivate an electrical activity of a dopant in the first portion of the region of the solar cell.
US09960280B2

A transistor with stable electric characteristics is provided. An aluminum oxide film containing boron is formed in order to prevent hydrogen from diffusing into an oxide semiconductor film.
US09960278B2

To provide a highly reliable semiconductor device manufactured by giving stable electric characteristics to a semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor. In a manufacturing process of a transistor, an oxide semiconductor layer, a source electrode layer, a drain electrode layer, a gate insulating film, a gate electrode layer, and an aluminum oxide film are formed in this order, and then heat treatment is performed on the oxide semiconductor layer and the aluminum oxide film, whereby an oxide semiconductor layer from which an impurity containing a hydrogen atom is removed and which includes a region containing oxygen more than the stoichiometric proportion is formed. In addition, when the aluminum oxide film is formed, entry and diffusion of water or hydrogen into the oxide semiconductor layer from the air due to heat treatment in a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device or an electronic appliance including the transistor can be prevented.
US09960277B2

A method for producing a semiconductor device includes a first step of forming a first insulating film around a fin-shaped semiconductor layer on a semiconductor substrate; a second step of forming a second insulating film, depositing a first polysilicon, planarizing the first polysilicon, forming a third insulating film, forming a second resist, and forming a pillar-shaped semiconductor layer, a first dummy gate, and a first hard mask; and a third step of forming a fourth insulating film, depositing a second polysilicon, planarizing the second polysilicon, etching back the second polysilicon, depositing a sixth insulating film, forming a fourth resist, forming a second hard mask, forming a third hard mask, forming a second dummy gate, and forming a first dummy contact on the fin-shaped semiconductor layer.
US09960269B2

A semiconductor device according to one embodiment includes a semiconductor substrate having a main surface and a back surface opposite to the main surface, a drift region of a first conductivity type, a base region of a second conductivity type, a source region of the first conductivity type, and a gate electrode. The semiconductor substrate has a trench in the main surface. The gate electrode is formed in the trench. A distribution of an impurity concentration in the base region has a plurality of peak values along a direction of depth from the main surface toward the back surface, and the number of peak values is four or more.
US09960263B2

A field effect transistor according to the present invention includes a semiconductor layer including a groove, an insulating film formed on an upper surface of the semiconductor layer and having an opening above the groove and a gate electrode buried in the opening to be in contact with side surfaces and a bottom surface of the groove and having parts being in contact with an upper surface of the insulating film on both sides of the opening, wherein the gate electrode has a T-shaped sectional shape in which a width of an upper end is larger than a width of the upper surface of the insulating film.
US09960253B2

A chemically sensitive sensor with a lightly doped region that affects an overlap capacitance between a gate and an electrode of the chemical sensitive sensor. The lightly doped region extends beneath and adjacent to a gate region of the chemical sensitive sensor. Modifying the gain of the chemically sensitive sensor is achieved by manipulating the lightly doped region under the electrodes.
US09960251B2

An ESD protection structure comprising a first semiconductor region of a first doping type, a second semiconductor region of the first doping type, a semiconductor structure of a second doping type opposite to the first doping type formed to provide lateral isolation between the first and second semiconductor regions of the first doping type, and a first contact region of the second doping type formed within a surface of the second semiconductor region. A thyristor structure is formed within the ESD protection structure comprising the first contact region of the second doping type, the second semiconductor region of the first doping type, the semiconductor structure of the second doping type, and the first semiconductor region of the first doping type. Wherein no contact region is formed within a surface of the semiconductor structure of the second doping type between the first and second semiconductor regions of the first doping type.
US09960231B2

A MOS IC may include a first contact interconnect in a first standard cell that extends in a first direction and contacts a first MOS transistor source and a voltage source. Still further, the MOS IC may include a first double diffusion break extending along a first boundary in the first direction of the first standard cell and a second standard cell. The MOS IC may also include a second contact interconnect extending over a portion of the first double diffusion break. In an aspect, the second contact interconnect may be within both the first standard cell and the second standard cell and coupled to the voltage source. Additionally, the MOS IC may include a third contact interconnect extending in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction and couples the first contact interconnect and the second contact interconnect together.
US09960223B2

An active-matrix display device according to the present disclosure includes a plurality of pixels. Each of the pixels includes: a drive transistor disposed on a substrate; and an organic EL element that is caused by the drive transistor to emit light and includes an AM layer disposed above the substrate and a transparent electrode layer disposed above the AM layer. The active-matrix display device further includes: a source line that supplies data to the pixels; and a power supply line that supplies electric power to the pixels. The power supply line is shared by, among the plurality of pixels, two pixels that are adjacent to each other in a second direction that crosses a first direction in which the power supply line is extended. The source line and the AM layer are disposed not to overlap each other in a plan view of the substrate.
US09960221B2

An organic light emitting diode display includes: a substrate; a scan line formed over the substrate and transmitting a scan signal; a data line crossing the scan line and transmitting a data voltage; a driving voltage line crossing the scan line and transmitting a driving voltage; a switching transistor connected to the scan line and the data line; a driving transistor connected to the switching transistor; a driving connection member connected to a driving gate electrode of the driving transistor; a storage capacitor including a first storage electrode and a second storage electrode; a pixel electrode electrically connected to the driving transistor; and a contact hole connecting the first storage electrode and the driving connection member. the second storage electrode may include a cut-out by a curved edge at least partially surrounding the contact hole, and the pixel electrode may be formed not to overlap the cut-out.
US09960220B2

An organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, including a flexible substrate bent in a first direction, an OLED arranged on the flexible substrate, a first thin film transistor connected to the OLED and including a first channel area extending in a second direction crossing the first direction, and one or more additional thin film transistors connected to the first thin film transistor and including corresponding additional channel areas extending in the second direction.
US09960217B2

A display panel is provided. The display panel includes a substrate having a pixel region and a peripheral region, a control element overlying the pixel region of the substrate, a first metal layer overlying the substrate in the peripheral region and in the pixel region, a first insulating layer formed on the first metal layer in the peripheral region, wherein the first insulating layer includes at least an opening, and the opening is disposed on the first metal layer, a second metal layer overlying the first insulating layer and electrically connected to the first metal layer, wherein a portion of the second metal layer is disposed in the opening, a second insulating layer overlying the second metal layer, and an electrode layer disposed on the second insulating layer.
US09960216B2

An organic light emitting display apparatus includes a substrate; an anode electrode on the substrate; an auxiliary electrode on the substrate; an organic emission layer on the anode electrode; a cathode electrode on the organic emission layer and on the auxiliary electrode; an insulating bank on the auxiliary electrode, the bank overlapping a first portion of the auxiliary electrode and exposing a second portion of the auxiliary electrode; a first partition wall on the auxiliary electrode; a second partition wall on the first partition wall and covering the exposed second portion of the auxiliary electrode in plan view. A separation space is between the second partition wall and the bank, the cathode electrode is electrically connected to the auxiliary electrode through the separation space between the second partition wall and the bank, and the second partition wall is supported by the first partition wall and the bank.
US09960213B2

A flexible input and output device in which defects due to a crack is reduced. The input and output device includes a first flexible substrate, a second flexible substrate, a first buffer layer, a first crack inhibiting layer, an input device, and a light-emitting element. A first surface of the first flexible substrate faces a second surface of the second flexible substrate. The first buffer layer, the first crack inhibiting layer, and the input device are provided on the first surface side of the first flexible substrate. The first buffer layer includes a region overlapping with the first crack inhibiting layer. The first buffer layer is between the first crack inhibiting layer and the first surface. The input device includes a transistor and a sensor element. The light-emitting element is provided on the second surface side of the second flexible substrate.
US09960203B2

The present disclosure relates to a radiation sensor. In one implementation, the sensor may include a radiation detector array having a plurality of pixels; at least two readout connectors having a plurality of contacts, each readout connector being configured for receiving a readout module; a routing circuit having conductors configured for routing electrical signals from each of the plurality of pixels to a corresponding contact of one of the readout connectors. The plurality of pixels is grouped in two or more groups of pixels, at least two pixels of a first group of pixels being separated by at least one pixel from another group of pixels. The routing circuit is configured for leading pixels of the first group of pixels to a first readout connector, and pixels from the other group of pixels to a second readout connector.
US09960202B2

Disclosed is a solid-state imaging device including a plurality of pixels and a plurality of on-chip lenses. The plurality of pixels are arranged in a matrix pattern. Each of the pixels has a photoelectric conversion portion configured to photoelectrically convert light incident from a rear surface side of a semiconductor substrate. The plurality of on-chip lenses are arranged for every other pixel. The on-chip lenses are larger in size than the pixels. Each of color filters at the pixels where the on-chip lenses are present has a cross-sectional shape whose upper side close to the on-chip lens is the same in width as the on-chip lens and whose lower side close to the photoelectric conversion portion is shorter than the upper side.
US09960192B2

A flexible display device includes a flexible substrate, an adhesion layer disposed on a surface of the flexible substrate, and a plurality of pixel structures in respective pixels on the adhesion layer. Each of the pixel structures on the adhesion layer includes a light emitting diode including an inorganic light emitting layer, and a thin film transistor which is connected to the light emitting diode and switches a state of the light emitting diode.
US09960188B2

A thin film transistor comprises a source over a substrate; a first insulation layer having a source contact through-hole corresponding to a position of the source over the source; an active layer electrically connecting with the source through the source contact through-hole over the etching stop layer; a second insulation layer having a drain contact through-hole exposing a portion of the active layer over the active layer; and a drain electrically connecting with the active layer through the drain contact through-hole over the second insulation layer.
US09960183B2

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device including: preparing a substrate in which an insulating layer, a semiconductor layer, and an insulating film are laminated on a semiconductor substrate, and a device isolation region is embedded in a trench. The insulating film in a bulk region is removed; the semiconductor layer in the bulk region is removed; and thereafter the insulating film in the SOI region and the insulating layer in the bulk region are thinned. An impurity is implanted into the semiconductor substrate in the SOI region, and thereafter the insulating film in the SOI region and the insulating layer in the bulk region are removed.
US09960167B1

A method for forming a semiconductor device includes providing a substrate having a plurality of memory cells formed therein; forming an insulating layer on the substrate; forming a plurality of openings in the insulating layer and exposing a portion of the memory cells; forming a conductive portion and a metal layer in the openings; removing a portion of the metal layer to form a plurality of first metal portions and a plurality of second metal portions that the first metal portion and the conductive portion form a first connecting structure, and the second metal portion and the conductive portion form a second connecting structure; forming a passivation layer on the first connecting structures; and forming a plurality of first storage nodes and dummy nodes on the substrate and the first storage nodes and the dummy nodes are electrically connected to the second connecting structures and the first connecting structures respectively.
US09960165B2

Provided is a technology for further reducing a loss in a semiconductor device including a semiconductor substrate in which an IGBT region and a diode region are provided. This semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate in which at least one IGBT region and at least one diode region are provided. The IGBT region and the diode region are adjacent to each other in a predetermined direction in a plan view of the semiconductor substrate. In the plan view of the semiconductor substrate, a first boundary plane where the collector region and the cathode region are adjacent is shifted from a second boundary plane where the IGBT region and the diode region are adjacent on the front surface side of the semiconductor substrate either in a direction from the cathode region toward the collector region or in a direction from the collector region toward the cathode region.
US09960161B2

In one embodiment, a method of making a semiconductor device includes: forming a substrate; forming an nFET transistor and a pFET transistor on the substrate; wherein forming the nFET transistor comprises first depositing several first layers in and along the inner sidewalls of a trench on the substrate, then depositing a conductive metal comprising cobalt on the several first layers; wherein forming the pFET transistor comprises first depositing several second layers in and along the inner sidewalls of a trench on the substrate, then depositing a conductive metal comprising cobalt on the several second layers.
US09960155B2

An electrical device that in some embodiments includes a substrate including a lateral device region and a vertical device region. A lateral diffusion metal oxide semiconductor (LDMOS) device may be present in the lateral device region, wherein a drift region of the LDMOS device has a length that is parallel to an upper surface of the substrate in which the LDMOS device is formed. A vertical field effect transistor (VFET) device may be present in the vertical device region, wherein a vertical channel of the VFET has a length that is perpendicular to said upper surface of the substrate, the VFET including a gate structure that is positioned around the vertical channel.
US09960150B2

Semiconductor device assemblies having stacked semiconductor dies and thermal transfer devices that include vapor chambers are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a semiconductor device assembly includes a first semiconductor die having a base region, at least one second semiconductor die at the base region, and a thermal transfer device attached to the first and second dies. The thermal transfer device includes an encapsulant at least partially surrounding the second die and a via formed in the encapsulant. The encapsulant at least partially defines a cooling channel that is adjacent to a peripheral region of the first die. The via includes a working fluid and/or a solid thermal conductor that at least partially fills the channel.
US09960136B2

A semiconductor device includes a first circuit layer, a copper pillar disposed adjacent to the first circuit layer, a second circuit layer and a solder layer. The second circuit layer includes an electrical contact and a surface finish layer disposed on the electrical contact, wherein a material of the surface finish layer is a combination of at least two of nickel, gold, and palladium. The solder layer is disposed between the copper pillar and the surface finish layer. The solder layer includes a first intermetallic compound (IMC) and a second IMC, wherein the first IMC includes a combination of two or more of copper, nickel and tin, and the second IMC includes a combination of gold and tin, a combination of palladium and tin, or both.
US09960131B2

In one embodiment, a semiconductor device includes one or more metallizations, such as, e.g., Cu-RDL metallizations, provided on a passivation layer over a dielectric layer. A via is provided through the passivation layer and the dielectric layer in the vicinity of the corners of the metallization. The via may be a “dummy” via without electrical connections to an active device and may be provided at a distance between approximately 1 micron (10−6 m.) and approximately 10 micron (10−5 m.) from each one of said converging sides landing on an underlying metal layer.
US09960129B2

A method of forming a hybrid bonding structure includes depositing an etch stop layer over surface of a substrate, wherein the substrate comprises a conductive structure, and the etch stop layer contacts the conductive structure. The method further includes depositing a dielectric material over the etch stop layer. The method further includes depositing a first diffusion barrier layer over the dielectric material. The method further includes forming an opening extending through the etch stop layer, the dielectric material and the diffusion barrier layer. The method further includes lining the opening with a second diffusion barrier layer. The method further includes depositing a conductive pad on the second diffusion barrier layer in the opening, wherein a surface of the first diffusion barrier layer is aligned with a surface of the conductive pad.
US09960126B2

According to the present invention, a semiconductor device includes a heat spreader, a semiconductor chip fixed to a mounting surface of the heat spreader via a bonding member and sealing resin that covers the heat spreader and the semiconductor chip, wherein a groove is formed on the mounting surface around the semiconductor chip, a length between the semiconductor chip and the groove is equal to or greater than a depth of the groove, and the bonding member is not provided on at least part of a region of the mounting surface between the semiconductor chip and the groove.
US09960125B2

A method of forming a semiconductor package includes forming an interconnecting structure on an adhesive layer, wherein the adhesive layer is on a carrier. The method further includes placing a semiconductor die on a surface of the interconnecting structure. The method further includes placing a package structure on the surface of the interconnecting structure, wherein the semiconductor die fits in a space between the interconnecting structure and the package structure. The method further includes performing a reflow to bond the package structure to the interconnecting structure.
US09960120B2

A wiring substrate includes a buried substrate disposed within a through-hole penetrating through a resin substrate of a core layer and including a plate-like body and a plurality of linear conductors penetrating the plate-like body, a first insulating layer covering a first surface of the resin substrate, a first wiring layer including a first pad pattern formed on a first surface of the buried substrate and a first wiring pattern formed on a first surface of the first insulating layer, and a third wiring pattern formed on the first surface of the resin substrate and covered by the first insulating layer. In the plurality of linear conductors, a gap between the adjacent linear conductors is smaller than a diameter of each of the linear conductors. The third wiring pattern is formed so as to have a thickness thicker than a thickness of the first wiring pattern.
US09960118B2

An opening is formed within a substrate made of a silicon material, and a cleaning process is performed; after which, the bottom and walls of the opening are contaminated with oxygen and fluorine particles. A lower blocking layer is formed within the opening, and the lower blocking layer contacts the bottom and walls of the opening. Also, a middle liner layer is formed within the opening, and the middle liner layer contacts the lower blocking layer. Additionally, an upper blocking layer is formed within the opening, and the upper blocking layer contacts the middle liner layer. Further, a conductor layer is formed within the opening, and the conductor layer contacts the upper blocking layer. The lower blocking layer prevents the fluorine particles from affecting the other layers.
US09960110B2

Techniques are disclosed that enable improved shorting margin between unlanded conductive interconnect features and neighboring conductive features. The techniques provided are particularly useful, for instance, when lithography registration errors cause neighboring conductive features to be physically closer than expected, but can also he used when such proximity is intentional. In some embodiments, the techniques can be implemented using a layer of electromigration management material (EMM) and one or more insulator layers, wherein the various layers are provisioned to enable a differential etch rate. In particular, the overall etch rate of materials above the target landing pad is faster than the overall etch rate of materials above the off-target landing pad, which results in a self-enclosed conductive interconnect feature having an asymmetric taper or profile. The differential etch rate may result, for example, from configuration of the EMM layer, or from accompanying insulator layers having different etch rates.
US09960103B2

The power module semiconductor device (2) includes: an insulating substrate (10); a first pattern (10a) (D) disposed on the insulating substrate (10); a semiconductor chip (Q) disposed on the first pattern; a power terminal (ST, DT) and a signal terminal (CS, G, SS) electrically connected to the semiconductor chip; and a resin layer (12) configured to cover the semiconductor chip and the insulating substrate. The signal terminal is disposed so as to be extended in a vertical direction with respect to a main surface of the insulating substrate.
US09960095B2

The present disclosure relates to a thermally enhanced semiconductor package, which includes a module substrate, a thinned flip chip die over the substrate, a first mold compound component, and a thermally enhanced mold compound component. The first mold compound component resides over the module substrate, surrounds the thinned flip chip die, and extends above an upper surface of the thinned flip chip die to form a cavity over the upper surface of the thinned flip chip die. The thermally enhanced mold compound component includes a lower portion filling a lower region of the cavity and residing over the upper surface of the thinned flip chip die, and an upper portion filling an upper region of the cavity and residing over the lower portion. A first average thermal conductivity of the lower portion is at least 1.2 times greater than a second average thermal conductivity of the upper portion.
US09960094B2

Packaged semiconductor components having substantially rigid support member are disclosed. The packages can include a semiconductor die and a support member proximate to the semiconductor die. The support member is at least substantially rigid. The packages can further include an adhesive between the support member and the semiconductor die and adhesively attaching the support member to the semiconductor die. The packages can also include a substrate carrying the semiconductor die and the support member attached to the semiconductor die.
US09960093B2

Disclosed are a packaging structure, a packaging method and a template used in packaging method. The packaging structure comprises: a substrate; a chip mounted on the substrate; bonding wires for electrically connecting the substrate to the chip; and a protective layer which is formed on the substrate and is used for covering the chip, the bonding wires and bonding pads connected to the bonding wires, the size of the protective layer being smaller than that of the substrate. The packaging structure, the packaging method and the template used in packaging method can solve the problems in the prior art of the great difficulty in designing a mold chase, a complicated molding process, a high manufacturing cost and a high molding material consumption.
US09960089B2

An apparatus to control processing conditions for a substrate. The apparatus may include a current measurement component to perform a plurality of extraction current measurements for extraction current in a processing apparatus housing the substrate, the extraction current comprising ions extracted from a plasma and directed to the substrate; and an endpoint detection component comprising logic to generate an endpoint detection signal based upon a change in extraction current during the plurality of extraction current measurements.
US09960086B2

At least one method, apparatus and system are disclosed for forming a fin field effect transistor (finFET) having doping region self-aligned with a fin reveal position. A plurality of fins of a transistor is formed. A nitride cap layer on the plurality of fins is formed. An N-type doped region in a first portion of the plurality of fins. A P-type doped region in a second portion of the plurality of fins. A shallow trench isolation (STI) fill process for depositing an STI material on the plurality of fins. A fin reveal process for removing the STI material to a predetermined level. A cap strip process for removing the nitride cap layer for forming a fin reveal position that is self-aligned with the P-type and N-type doped regions.
US09960083B1

First, a substrate having a first region and a second region is provided, a first gate structure is formed on the first region and a second gate structure is formed on the second region, an interlayer dielectric (ILD) layer is formed around the first gate structure and the second gate structure, and the first gate structure and the second gate structure are removed to expose the substrate on the first region and the second region. Next, part of the substrate on the first region is removed to form a first recess and part of the substrate on the second region is removed to form a second recess, in which the depths of the first recess and the second recess are different. Next, a first metal gate is formed on the first region and a second metal gate is formed on the second region.
US09960082B2

A stack type memory device and a method of manufacturing the same are provided. The stack type memory device includes a semiconductor substrate, a plurality of active layers stacked on the semiconductor substrate, and a gate structure overlapping the plurality of active layers. The gate structure includes a side gate region overlapping sides of the plurality of active layers and a top gate region overlapping a top of an uppermost active layer.
US09960081B1

A method for selective etching using a dry film photoresist includes forming an opening through a substrate from a first surface to expose a stop layer at a second surface of the substrate. A material layer is formed over an inner surface of the opening and over the stop layer. The dry film photoresist is applied over the first surface of the substrate and over the opening. A second photoresist is applied on the dry film photoresist. First and second aligned holes are formed in the second photoresist and the dry film photoresist, respectively. The holes are approximately centered over the opening and are smaller in diameter than the opening so that a composite structure of the dry film photoresist and the second photoresist overhangs edges of the opening. The material layer is removed from the stop layer by etching via the first and second holes.
US09960078B1

A method for forming conductive structures for a semiconductor device includes depositing a reflow liner on walls of trenches formed in a dielectric layer and depositing a reflow material on the reflow liner. The reflow material is reflowed to collect in a lower portion of the trenches. The depositing and the reflowing steps are repeated until the trenches are aggregately filled with the reflow material. The reflow material is planarized to form conductive structures in the trenches.
US09960072B2

A vertical adjustment assembly is disclosed in order to provide for matching vertical positions of two substrates within separate chambers or cavities of a reaction system for processing of semiconductor substrates. The vertical adjustment assembly, in cooperation with a main lift driver, can provide for a more accurate positioning of the substrates to account for a tolerance stack-up error.
US09960065B2

Provided are a substrate processing apparatus, a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, and a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium, which are capable of reducing an effect on a substrate, which is caused by a change in an atmosphere in a substrate storage container, by appropriately supplying an inert gas into the substrate storage container. The substrate processing apparatus includes a purge mechanism installed in at least one of a support unit and a receiving unit accommodating a substrate storage container, and configured to supply an inert gas into the substrate storage container; a monitoring unit configured to compare a flow rate of the predetermined gas supplied into the substrate storage container via the purge mechanism with a preset reference value and output a signal indicating a result of comparison between the flow rate of the predetermined gas and the preset reference value; and a management unit configured to manage use of the substrate storage container, based on the signal outputted from the monitoring unit.
US09960064B2

The lateral substrate support part has: a plurality of plate parts, which have a parallel positional relationship, and support end portions of a plurality of substrates; and a plate-part support part, which supports the plate part, and is fixed to a side wall. The plate-part support part has: a groove-forming portion having a groove formed therein, said groove linearly extending over the whole plate parts in the direction intersecting the plate parts; a protrusion, which is formed in the groove, and which protrudes such that the protrusion reduces the width of the groove in the direction orthogonal to the direction in which the groove extends; and a positioned part that is formed at a center portion of the groove in the direction in which the groove extends.
US09960062B2

An apparatus, method, and system for collecting data related to effluent emitted from tools in semiconductor fabrication facilities using one or more sensors to take continuous real-time samples of the effluent to indicate one or more properties and characteristics of effluent, and based at least in part on the properties and characteristics indicated in the samples taken by at least one or more sensors, determining the proper processing, recyclability, and treatment of the effluent.
US09960060B2

A platen assembly includes a base and a clamping layer fixed to the base. A portion of the base that faces the clamping layer and a portion of the clamping layer that faces the base define a gap between the base and the clamping layer. The gap is configured to circulate a fluid during a first operating mode and provide a thermal break during a second operating mode. The platen assembly is capable of operating over a wide temperature range.
US09960059B2

A honeycomb heater includes a lamp housing having an outer edge that forms a partial circle. The lamp housing has an opening extending from a top surface to a bottom surface of the lamp housing. The opening further extends from the outer edge into a center region of the lamp housing. A plurality of lamps is distributed throughout the lamp housing, and is configured to emit light out of the top surface of the lamp housing.
US09960051B2

The present invention relates to an activation composition for activation of silicon substrates, which is an aqueous solution comprising a source of palladium ions, a source of fluoride ions and at least two aromatic acids. The present invention further relates to a method for its use and optionally for subsequent metallization of such treated substrates. The method can be employed in semiconductor and solar cell manufacturing.
US09960047B2

A test pattern for testing a trench POLY over-etched step is provided. The test pattern is a trench (14) formed on a substrate (1); the trench (14) comprises a bottom surface and two side surfaces extending from the bottom surface; the trench (14) is formed on the substrate (1) with a preset angle of non-90° formed between the longitudinal direction (L) thereof and the longitudinal direction (X) of a wafer scribing trench. The test pattern can extend the scanning length of a step scanning equipment without changing the width of the trench.
US09960045B1

In a 3D NAND device, the charge trap region of a memory cell is formed as a separate charge-trap “island.” As a result, the charge-trap region of one memory cell is electrically isolated from charge-trap regions in adjacent memory cells. The charge trap region of one memory cell is separated from the charge trap regions of adjacent memory cells by a dielectric structure, such as a silicon oxide film. Alternatively, the charge trap region of a memory cell is separated from the charge trap regions of adjacent memory cells by an air, gas, or vacuum gap.
US09960043B2

A process of forming a semiconductor device using plasma processes is disclosed. The semiconductor device includes a device area, a scribed area, and a peripheral area on a wafer, where these areas have respective conductive regions. The process includes steps of (a) implanting ions to isolate the conductive regions in the device area from the conductive region in the scribed area; (b) forming a metal film so as to cover a back surface, a side, and the peripheral area in the top surface of the wafer; (c) deposing insulating film on a whole surface of the wafer; and (d) selectively etching, by the plasma process, the insulating film so as to expose the conductive regions in the device area and the scribed area. During the plasma process, the metal film in the back surface of the wafer is connected the apparatus ground that effectively dissipates charges induced by the plasm to the apparatus ground through the metal film.
US09960039B2

A method of forming a pattern includes forming a first level pattern layer on a feature layer on a substrate. The first level pattern layer includes a plurality of first line patterns and a plurality of first space burying patterns. The first line patterns extend parallel to one another in a first direction and the first space burying patterns extend parallel to one another in the first direction with first line patterns alternately disposed with first space burying patterns A portion of the plurality of first space burying patterns may be removed to form a second direction pattern space extending intermittently or continuously in the first level pattern layer. A second burying layer filling the second direction pattern space may be formed to form a network structure pattern. The feature layer may be etched with the network structure pattern as an etch mask to form a pattern of holes.
US09960033B1

A method of filling recesses or grooves on a patterned surface with a layer of film, by combining depositing a film by PEALD/PPECVD on the patterned surface and etching the film, wherein the deposition and the etching are separately controlled, and wherein the conditions for deposition can be controlled by controlling RF power.
US09960031B2

In a plasma processing apparatus comprising a processing chamber arranged in a vacuum chamber, a sample stage arranged under the processing chamber and having its top surface on which a wafer to be processed is mounted, a vacuum decompression unit for evacuating the interior of the processing chamber to reduce the pressure therein, and introduction holes arranged above said sample stage to admit process gas into the processing chamber, the wafer having its top surface mounted with a film structure and the film structure being etched by using plasma formed by using the process gas, the film structure is constituted by having a resist film or a mask film, a poly-silicon film and an insulation film laminated in this order from top to bottom on a substrate and before the wafer is mounted on the sample stage and the poly-silicon film underlying the mask film is etched, plasma is formed inside the processing chamber to cover the surface of members inside the processing chamber with a coating film containing a component of Si.
US09960030B2

A method for the surface treatment of a substrate surface of a substrate with the following steps: arrangement of the substrate surface in a process chamber, bombardment of the substrate surface with an ion beam, generated by an ion beam source and aimed at the substrate surface, to remove impurities from the substrate surface, whereby the ion beam has a first component, introduction of a second component into the process chamber to bind the removed impurities. A device for the surface treatment of a substrate surface of a substrate with: a process chamber for receiving the substrate, an ion beam source for generating an ion beam that has a first component and is aimed at the substrate surface to remove impurities from the substrate surface, means to introduce a second component into the process chamber to bind the removed impurities.
US09960025B1

A cold-atom cell is formed by machining a block of silicon to define sites for an atom source chamber, an atom manipulation chamber, and an ion-pump chamber. A polished silicon panel is frit-bonded to an unpolished (due to machining) chamber wall (which would be difficult and costly to polish). The polished panel can then serve as a reflector or a sight for anodic bonding. A solid-phase atom source provides for vapor phase atoms in the source chamber. The source chamber also includes carbon and gold to regulate the atom pressure by sorbing and desorbing thermal atoms. The atom manipulation chamber includes components for magneto-optical trap and an atom chip, e.g., for forming a Bose-Einstein condensate. The ion-pump chamber serves as the site for an ion pump. By integrating the ion pump into the body of the cold-atom cell, a more compact, reliable, and robust cold-atom cell is achieved. In addition to the embodiment just described, several variations and alternatives are presented and within the scope of the claims.
US09960022B2

The invention relates to a sputtering target containing a sputtering material containing a metal oxide. The sputtering material contains zirconium and titanium as metals and contains at least one mixed oxide phase.
US09960011B2

Provided are a plasma generation apparatus and a plasma generation method. The plasma generation apparatus includes a chamber including a dielectric window and a toroidal discharge space, a magnetic core disposed to surround a portion of the chamber, an induction coil disposed to wind the magnetic core, and a waveguide radiating a microwave through the dielectric window. Alternating current flowing in the induction coil forms a magnetic flux at the magnetic core, and the magnetic flux generates inductively-coupled plasma. A microwave propagating along the waveguide generates microwave plasma inside the chamber.
US09960005B2

Microplasma generators and associated arrays and methods are described herein. Certain embodiments relate to a microplasma generator in which an elongated semiconductor structure can control electronic current supplied to a microplasma cavity. In certain cases, the microplasma generator can be configured to generate a microplasma when a voltage is applied across the elongated semiconductor structure. Some embodiments include particular spatial arrangements between the electrode(s), the elongated semiconductor structure, and/or the microplasma cavity.
US09959988B2

A position lock and position shift controlling mechanism for a multi-position shifting switch includes a position lock and position shift assembly and a controlling assembly to control the locking of the position lock and position shift assembly. The position lock assembly includes a locked body, a moving body and a housing body. The locked body includes a roundel pedestal which rotates synchronously with a switching shaft, a lock tooth component rotatably attached with the roundel pedestal, and an inner core component. The lock tooth component includes evenly distributed location teeth and plural radial slots. The moving body locks the lock tooth component and pushes the inner core component away from the lock tooth component. The switching shaft actuates the roundel pedestal to rotate a preset angle about the lock tooth component to shift the multi-position shifting switch to a stop control mode position from an automation control mode position.
US09959982B2

To provide a photoelectric conversion element being excellent in photoelectric conversion efficiency and stability of photoelectric conversion function, a method for producing the photoelectric conversion element, and a solar cell using the photoelectric conversion element. A photoelectric conversion element having a substrate, a first electrode, a photoelectric conversion layer containing a semiconductor and a sensitizing pigment, a hole transport layer having a conductive polymer, and a second electrode, wherein the hole transport layer is formed by bringing the photoelectric conversion layer into contact with a solution containing a conductive polymer precursor and an oxidizer at a ratio of 0.1<[Ox]/[M] (wherein [Ox] is the molar concentration of the oxidizer; and [M] is the molar concentration of the conductive polymer precursor), and irradiating the photoelectric conversion layer with light.
US09959981B2

The invention relates to a process for the production of electrolyte capacitors having a low equivalent series resistance and low residual current for high nominal voltages, electrolyte capacitors produced by this process and the use of such electrolyte capacitors.
US09959980B2

Disclosed is a solid electrolytic capacitor element including a dielectric layer, a first conductive polymer semiconductor layer, a second conductive polymer semiconductor layer and a conductor layer, formed in that order, on a tungsten anode body having an externally protruding lead wire, and the thickness of the thickest portion of the second conductive polymer semiconductor layer on the lower surface opposite the upper surface from which the lead wire protrudes is thinner than the thickness of the thickest portion of the second conductive polymer semiconductor layer on the side surfaces, and the thickness of the second conductive polymer semiconductor layer on the lower surface is greater than 2 μm and less than 15 μm.
US09959972B2

Methods and apparatus for flux cancellation includes first and second inductors, wherein the first inductor is configured for coupling to a first energy source and the second inductor is configured for coupling to a second energy source. A layer of magnetic material is disposed between the first and second inductors, wherein the first and second inductors are configured such that, when driven with an oscillating current, magnetic flux generated by the first inductor is substantially canceled by magnetic flux generated by the second inductor in the layer of magnetic material.
US09959962B2

In an interactive environment, a user action may dictate what type of action a base device performs using an entertainment object. In one embodiment, the base device includes a controllable electromagnet that uses magnetism to move one or more permanent magnetics mounted in or on the entertainment object. For example, the entertainment object may be a doll or character that jumps, vibrates, slides, or sways in response to a changing magnetic field generated by the electromagnet. Moreover, the user may wear headphones that determine the location of the base device (and the toy) relative to the user. Using this location, the headphones can output 3D positional audio that the user perceives as originating from the location of the entertainment object on the base device. The 3D positional audio can be outputted synchronously with the action performed by the entertainment object to further immerse the user in the interactive environment.
US09959955B2

A superconducting cable includes a core part, in which the core part includes a former including a plurality of copper wires, a superconducting conductor layer including a plurality of superconducting wires connected in parallel to each other, an insulating layer, and a superconducting shield layer including a plurality of superconducting wires are sequentially arranged. A conducting layer formed of a metal having a current-carrying property at room temperature is provided on opposite surfaces of each of the superconducting wires of the superconducting conductor layer to reinforce mechanical rigidity of each of superconducting wires of the superconducting conductor layer, and the former has a cross-sectional area which is smaller than that of a former of a superconducting cable in which the conducting layer is not added to superconducting wires and which is designed on an assumption that all fault current flows to the former.
US09959946B2

A production process of a conductive material includes processing graphite oxide into a graphene suspension comprising graphene monolayer nanoflakes, and processing the graphene suspension and metal or metal oxide so as to provide a liquid comprising a composite as the conductive material.
US09959945B2

A high temperature gas cooled reactor steam generation system (1) includes a nuclear reactor (2) that has helium gas as a primary coolant and heats the primary coolant by heat generated by a nuclear reaction that decelerates neutrons by a graphite block, a steam generator (3) that has water as a secondary coolant and heats the secondary coolant by the primary coolant via the nuclear reactor (2) to generate steam, a steam turbine (4) that is operated by the steam from the steam generator (3), and a generator (5) that generates electricity according to an operation of the steam turbine (4). Moreover, the system (1) includes pressure adjustment means for setting a pressure of the secondary coolant in the steam generator (3) to be lower than a pressure of the primary coolant in the nuclear reactor (2).
US09959942B2

In one embodiment, a fusion reactor includes an enclosure, an open-field magnetic system comprising one or more internal magnetic coils suspended within the enclosure, and one or more encapsulating magnetic coils coaxial with the one or more internal magnetic coils of the open-field magnetic system. The one or more encapsulating magnetic coils form a magnetosphere around the open-field magnetic system. The open-field magnetic system and the one or more encapsulating magnetic coils, when supplied with electrical currents, form magnetic fields for confining plasma within the enclosure.
US09959940B2

A computer implemented system and method provides a volume of activation (VOA) estimation model that receives as input two or more electric field values of a same or different data type at respective two or more positions of a neural element and determines based on such input an activation status of the neural element. A computer implemented system and method provides a machine learning system that automatically generates a computationally inexpensive VOA estimation model based on output of a computationally expensive system.
US09959932B1

A three-dimensional stacked memory device is configured to provide uniform programming speeds of different sets of memory strings formed in memory holes. In a process for removing sacrificial material from word line layers, a block oxide layer in the memory holes is etched away relatively more when the memory hole is relatively closer to an edge of the word line layers where an etchant is introduced. A thinner block oxide layer is associated with a faster programming speed. To compensate, memory strings at the edges of the word line layers are programmed together, separate from the programming of interior memory strings. A program operation can use a higher initial program voltage for programming the interior memory strings compared to the edge memory strings.
US09959930B2

A method for writing data into a reprogrammable non-volatile memory, wherein a marking pattern including several bits is added at the beginning of the data and the set formed of the marking pattern and of the data is written from an address in the memory varying from one write operation to another, the marking pattern being identical for each write operation.
US09959928B1

A method to program a programmable resistance memory cell includes performing one or more iterations until a verifying passes. The iterations include a) applying a programming pulse to the memory cell, and, b) after applying the programming pulse, verifying if the resistance of the memory cell is in a target resistance range. After an iteration of the one or more iterations in which the verifying passes, c) a stabilizing pulse with a polarity the same as the programming pulse is applied to the memory cell. After applying the stabilizing pulse, a second verifying determines if the resistance of the programmable element is in the target resistance range. Iterations comprising steps a), b), c), and d) are performed until the second verifying passes. Methods and apparatus are described to program a plurality of such cells, including applying a stabilizing pulse of the same polarity after programming.
US09959925B2

A semiconductor device including an active mode and a standby mode as operation modes, includes: a first power source line which accepts the supply of power in the active mode; a second power source line which accepts the supply of power in the active mode and the standby mode; a memory circuit to be coupled with the first and second power source lines; and a first switch which electrically couples the first power source line with the second power source line in the active mode and electrically decouples the first power source line from the second power source line in the standby mode. The memory circuit includes a memory array to be coupled with the second power source line, a peripheral circuit to be coupled with the first power source line, and a second switch which electrically couples the first power source line with the second power source line.
US09959922B2

A semiconductor system includes a first semiconductor device and a second semiconductor device. The first semiconductor device outputs a command/address signal. The second semiconductor device extracts an active signal, a pre-charge signal, and addresses from the command/address signal, performs an active operation on a memory cell corresponding to the addresses, and performs a refresh operation on the memory cell corresponding to counting signals generated by counting a number of pulses in a refresh signal.
US09959921B2

Apparatuses and methods of for refresh control of a semiconductor device are described. An example apparatus includes a command control circuit that provides a plurality of pulses on a first control signal in series responsive to a plurality of refresh commands issued in series; a signal generation circuit that produces a plurality of pulses on a second control signal in sequence; and a refresh control circuit that receives two or more of the plurality of pulses on the first control signal during a period of time between one pulse and a succeeding pulse of the plurality of pulses on the second control signal, disables refresh operations responsive to at least one of the two or more of the plurality of first control signal and executes a refresh operation responsive to remaining one or more pulses of the two or more of the plurality of pulses on the first control signal.
US09959918B2

An operating method of a memory device includes entering into a command bus training mode, generating a plurality of internal clock signals by dividing a received clock signal, generating a plurality of internal chip selection signals by latching a received chip selection signal according to the plurality of internal clock signals, generating a second command/address signal by encoding a received first command/address signal based on the plurality of internal chip selection signals, and outputting the second command/address signal.
US09959907B2

A computer-implemented method can include displaying, within a user interface in a digital media system, a media pane, and a project pane, displaying, within the media pane, a thumbnail group representing a media item, the thumbnail group comprising one or more thumbnails, a thumbnail comprising a plurality of frames, enabling a user to select, from the thumbnail group, a frame of the media item, and upon detecting that the user has selected a frame, creating a group of frames, the group of frames including the selected frame and one or more adjacent frames.
US09959905B1

In accordance with example embodiments, the method and system for 360-degree video post-production generally makes use of points of view (POVs) to facilitate the 360-degree video post-production process. A POV is a rectilinear subset view of a 360-degree composition based on a particular focal length, angle of view, and orientation for each frame of the 360-degree composition. Video post-production editing can be applied to a POV by the user, using rectilinear video post-production methods or systems. The rectilinear video post-production editing done on the POV is integrated back into the 360-degree environment of the 360-degree composition. In accordance with example embodiments, the method and system for 360-degree video post-production comprises identifying a point of view in a 360-degree composition; applying video post-production editing to the point of view; and aligning a new layer containing the video post-production editing with the point of view in the 360-degree composition.
US09959898B1

A magnetic disk device includes a magnetic disk having a plurality of tracks, a magnetic head used for writing data on the magnetic disk and reading data from the magnetic disk, a controller configured to control seek operations of the magnetic head, and a vibration sensor. The controller predicts a first vibration caused by a currently executed seek operation, based on a seek control signal, predicts a second vibration based on vibration detected by the sensor, and determines an adjusted start time of the currently executed seek operation so that a phase of the first vibration does not match a phase of the second vibration.
US09959897B2

User inputs are received from one or more of a plurality of sources at an input interpreter agent. The plurality of sources comprises a remote control device and an on-screen keyboard application. The received user inputs are provided to a digital video object player application, wherein the input interpreter agent is separate from the digital video object player application.
US09959894B2

The magnetic tape comprises a nonmagnetic layer comprising nonmagnetic powder and binder on a nonmagnetic support, and comprises a magnetic layer comprising ferromagnetic powder and binder on the nonmagnetic layer, wherein a fatty acid ester, a fatty acid amide, and a fatty acid are contained in either one or both of the magnetic layer and the nonmagnetic layer, with the magnetic layer and nonmagnetic layer each comprising at least one selected from the group consisting of a fatty acid ester, a fatty acid amide, and a fatty acid, a quantity of fatty acid ester per unit area of the magnetic layer in extraction components extracted from a surface of the magnetic layer with n-hexane falls within a range of 1.00 mg/m2 to 10.00 mg/m2, and a weight ratio of the quantity of fatty acid ester per unit area of the magnetic layer to a combined total of a quantity of fatty acid amide and a quantity of fatty acid, quantity of fatty acid ester/(quantity of fatty acid amide+quantity of fatty acid), per unit area of the magnetic layer falls within a range of 1.00 to 3.00 in the extraction components.
US09959891B2

A method for correcting a mounting position of a disk device on a rack, includes performing a normal seek to position a head of the disk device above a target position on the disk, determining that the normal seek has failed, and performing an excitation seek that causes a position of a base supporting the disk to move and reposition the disk. The disk device includes a carriage arm supporting the head, a voice coil motor configured to drive the carriage arm to position the head, the base supporting the magnetic disk, the voice coil motor, and the carriage arm, and a control unit configured to control a current to the voice coil motor to be supplied with a first current profile during the normal seek and with a second current profile during the excitation seek.
US09959880B2

In general, techniques are described for coding higher-order ambisonic coefficients during multiple transitions. A device comprising a processor and a memory coupled to the processor may be configured to perform the techniques. The processor may be configured to obtain a multi-transition indication of whether an ambient HOA coefficient is in transition during a same frame of the bitstream as a foreground audio signal is in transition. The processor may also be configured to obtain a vector that describes a spatial characteristic of a corresponding foreground audio signal based on the multi-transition indication, both the vector and the corresponding HOA audio signal decomposed from the HOA audio data. The memory may be configured to store the vector.
US09959875B2

In general, techniques are described for specifying spherical harmonic coefficients in a bitstream. A device comprising one or more processors may perform the techniques. The processors may be configured to identify, from the bitstream, a plurality of hierarchical elements describing a sound field that are included in the bitstream. The processors may further be configured to parse the bitstream to determine the identified plurality of hierarchical elements.
US09959869B2

Features are disclosed for processing a user utterance with respect to multiple subject matters or domains, and for selecting a likely result from a particular domain with which to respond to the utterance or otherwise take action. A user utterance may be transcribed by an automatic speech recognition (“ASR”) module, and the results may be provided to a multi-domain natural language understanding (“NLU”) engine. The multi-domain NLU engine may process the transcription(s) in multiple individual domains rather than in a single domain. In some cases, the transcription(s) may be processed in multiple individual domains in parallel or substantially simultaneously. In addition, hints may be generated based on previous user interactions and other data. The ASR module, multi-domain NLU engine, and other components of a spoken language processing system may use the hints to more efficiently process input or more accurately generate output.
US09959850B2

It is inter alia disclosed a method comprising: determining a divergence measure between a statistical distribution of audio features of a first audio track and a statistical distribution of audio features of at least one further audio track; determining a divergence measure threshold value from at least the divergence measure between the statistical distribution of audio features of a first audio track and the statistical distribution of audio features of the at least one further audio track; and comparing the divergence measure with the divergence measure threshold value.
US09959836B2

An image output apparatus includes a light emitting unit, a power supplying unit, and a control unit. The light emitting unit is configured to emit a laser beam. The power supplying unit is configured to supply power to the light emitting unit at a predetermined voltage. The control unit is configured to control the power supplying unit to supply the power to the light emitting unit in a predetermined period at the voltage associated with a peak light emission amount of the light emitting unit in image data for the predetermined period.
US09959830B2

The present invention provides a GOA circuit, comprising a forward-backward scan control module, an output module, an output pull-down module, a node control module, a second node signal input module, a second node signal control module, a voltage stabilizing module and a second capacitor; the forward scan of the circuit is controlled with the ninth and the tenth thin film transistors, and the signal input of the second node is controlled with the first and the eleventh thin film transistors, and the mutual control of the first node and the second node are achieved with the second, the fourth and the fifth thin film transistors, and meanwhile, as the GOA circuit applies to a display of dual side drive interlaced scan structure, the GOA circuits of the two sides can respectively receive four different clock signals to reduce the loading of the signal line of the GOA circuit.
US09959827B2

A black matrix of the display panel comprises N columns of first sub-regions and M columns of second sub-regions, the pixel electrodes comprise N columns of first pixel electrodes in one-to-one correspondence with N columns of first sub-regions and M columns of second pixel electrodes in one-to-one correspondence with M columns of second sub-regions. A width of the M columns of second sub-regions and a width of the M columns of second pixel electrodes along the row direction of the black matrix are increased only by reducing a width of the N columns of first sub-regions along the row direction of the black matrix, such that some signal lines in the divided gate driver may be placed at the M columns of second sub-regions to enable the display panel not having frames at the left and the right, without substantially not changing the aperture ratio of the display panel.
US09959818B2

A display engine includes light emitting elements, an optical subsystem to produce a single collimated beam of light from the light emitted by the light emitting elements, one or more image producing MEMS mirrors, one or more image reprojecting MEMS mirrors, and a controller. One of the image producing MEMS mirror(s) is positioned to reflect the single beam of light produced by the optical subsystem. The controller controls the image producing MEMS mirror(s) and the image reprojecting MEMS mirror(s). The image reprojecting MEMS mirror(s) is/are controlled and is/are positioned relative to the image producing MEMS mirror(s) and relative to input-coupler(s) of optical waveguide(s) so that a pupil corresponding to a scanned image that the image producing MEMS mirror(s) project onto one of the image reprojecting MEMS mirror(s), is reprojected by the image reprojecting MEMS mirror(s) onto the input-coupler(s) of the optical waveguide(s) and thereby coupled into the optical waveguide(s).
US09959815B2

A light emitting assembly is described. In one embodiment, one or more light emitting diode (LED) devices and one or more microcontrollers are bonded to a same side of a substrate, with the one or more microcontrollers to switch and drive the one or more LED devices.
US09959801B2

A picture-frame size of a display device including self light-emitting type display elements which are driven by a current is reduced over conventional devices. Transistors for controlling supply of a light-emission enable signal outputted from an emission driver to emission lines are provided between the emission driver and the emission lines. In such a configuration, based on selection signals provided to the transistors, one of the transistors is brought into an on state in each subframe, and each of the transistors is brought into an on state once during one frame period.
US09959793B2

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a display system which is related to the field of display technology. The display system enables a display device to be switched between a normal display mode and an anti-peeping display mode. This display system comprises a display device which comprises a display panel for displaying content. The display system further comprises: a display mode switch configured to switch between display modes of the display device, the display modes comprising a normal display mode and an anti-peeping display mode; a signal processor configured to provide signals to the display device, wherein the signal processor provide a normal signal to the display device when the display device is in the normal display mode, and the signal processor provide the normal signal and an interference signal alternately to the display device when the display device is in the anti-peeping display mode; and a shutter eyeglass configured to be enabled when the display device is in the anti-peeping display mode, wherein the shutter eyeglass is in an open state when the signal processor provides the normal signal, and the shutter eyeglass is in a closed state when the signal processor provides the interference signal.
US09959783B2

In general, in one aspect, a method performed by one or more processes executing on a computer systems includes receiving an audio signal comprising a range of audio frequencies including high frequencies and low frequencies, converting a first portion of the range of audio frequencies into haptic data, shifting a second portion of the range of audio frequencies down to lower audio frequencies, and presenting at least one of the converted first portion and the shifted second portion to a human user. Other implementations of this aspect include corresponding systems, apparatus, and computer program products.
US09959777B2

Headpiece (10) including a frame (22) having a support portion supported on a test-taker's head, an imaging device (14) that obtains images of an environment around and in front of the test-taker, a biometric identification system (26) that obtains biometric data about the person, a display (12) viewable by the test-taker, and a sound generator and detector (16, 18). A processor on the frame (22) is coupled to these components and controls content of the display (12) based on input received via the imaging device (14) and the biometric identification system (26). The processor also monitors detection of audio communications by the sound detector (16) relative to sound generated by the sound generator (18) and images obtained by the imaging device (14) and a test is displayed on the display (12) to determine whether a person other than the test-taker is present in an image obtained by the imaging device (14) or orally providing information to the test-taker.
US09959770B2

A flight itinerary alerting system for monitoring a flight itinerary includes a monitoring system storing flight itinerary data like pilot contact data, first tier contact data, and second tier contact data. An alert routine executable on the monitoring system i) determines first or second tier alert conditions if no deactivation message is received upon expiry of a respective first or second duration following the expected arrival time, and ii) send an alert message through a communication network to a computer device of a corresponding first or second tier contact person upon determination of the respective alert condition. The multiple tiers of contact data with respective alerting criteria allows quick determination if search and rescue should be contacted with inherent redundancy, thus preventing overdue aircraft from being overlooked, while also minimizing false alarms in reporting overdue aircraft to search and rescue which might reasonably be accounted for by responsible persons.
US09959768B2

Apparatuses, computer programs and methods are provided. A method includes causing display on an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle of a dynamic sign acknowledging the presence of at least one road user.
US09959766B2

Information regarding moving bodies (00) that are in danger of colliding is collected at an appropriate frequency in accordance with the degree of danger. This information-collecting device has a risk calculation unit and a transmission-interval determination unit. The risk calculation unit receives, from a plurality of moving bodies, state information that includes locations and velocities and is transmitted at provided time intervals. The risk calculation unit also computes the distance between and relative velocities of two moving bodies. The transmission-interval determination unit computes an interval such that the higher the relative velocities of two moving bodies are relative to the distance therebetween, the shorter the interval is, and provides the computed interval to the moving bodies.
US09959765B2

A motor vehicle alert system based on vehicle dynamics input includes a communication module positioned in a host vehicle receiving and sending vehicle data in a vehicle mobility data format. A list generator in communication with the communication module generates the vehicle data as specific vehicle identification data in a track list to distinguish a sensed vehicle and at least one other vehicle positioned proximate the host vehicle. A tracker module in communication with the list generator periodically updates the vehicle data for the sensed vehicle and the at least one other vehicle. A transient condition data device generates data identifying when a transient condition of the sensed vehicle is present. A message standard conformance module receives the data identifying the transient condition and forwards the data identifying the transient condition to the communication module for transmission to the at least one other vehicle proximate to the host vehicle.
US09959763B2

In various embodiments, the present disclosure includes a system for reducing vehicular collisions having: (a) a vehicle comprising sensors, an acceleration system, a braking system, a processor, and memory; and (b) programs operatively coupled to the vehicle including: (1) a marking program configured to mark an outside vehicle as V2X or standard; (2) a reaction program configured to generate a signal in response to the mark, the signal being based on the mark.
US09959752B2

A device and to a method for a relay station for vehicle-to-vehicle messages. The relay station communicates using vehicle-to-vehicle messages via at least one antenna. The device includes an input interface to receive a vehicle-to-vehicle message via the at least one antenna and a control module to filter the vehicle-to-vehicle message based on a relevance of the vehicle-to-vehicle message for one or more receivers in a coverage area of the at least one antenna. The control module provides the filtered vehicle-to-vehicle message via an output interface via the at least one antenna if the vehicle-to-vehicle message is relevant for the one or more receivers.
US09959751B2

A filter method for adapting a computing load to a computing capacity of a car-to-x communication system, in which method car-to-x messages are received and/or sent using the car-to-x communication system and the received car-to-x messages require processing by the car-to-x communication system. The filter method decides which of the received car-to-x messages to process and which of the received car-to-x messages to discard.
US09959747B1

A method and system for assessing a threat level associated with a distress signal. The method may include linking a first communication device on a client side communication system with a second communication device on a provider side communication system over a communications network. The method may include transmitting a distress signal from the first communication device to the second communication device, and mapping, via the provider side communication system, a geographic origin of the distress signal. The method may also include transmitting an audio signal in a one-way communication link from the first communication device to the second communication device, and attributing a threat level associated with any of an audio level, a frequency, and a duration of the transmitted audio signal via the provider side communication system.
US09959725B2

A notification appliance is disclosed. The notification appliance may be a strobe notification appliance, such as an LED strobe notification appliance. The notification appliance may be wall-mounted or ceiling-mounted. Further, the notification appliance may include an optic that is configured to shape the light output from the notification appliance. For example, in a wall-mount, the optic may be mounted off-axis of a plane defined by a back plate of the notification appliance. Further, the notification appliance may be composed of a back plate, a driver board, and a front housing, with the front housing being attached to one or both of the back plate and the driver board. Moreover, the notification appliance may be used with an adapter bracket, which may be used to connect the notification appliance with one or more types of junction boxes.
US09959721B1

An anti-theft system and an operating method are provided. The anti-theft system includes a wearable device and a portable electronic device. The wearable device includes a first wireless module and a first processing module. The portable electronic device includes a second wireless module, a second processing module and a positioning module. The first wireless module and the second wireless module are in a wireless connection with each other. The second wireless module detects a received signal strength indicator value of the wireless connection. If the received signal strength indicator value is lower than a predetermined signal strength value, the positioning module is enabled to generate plural position data within a predetermined time period. Moreover, the second processing module calculates a displacement of the portable electronic device according to the plural position data and determines whether a warning mode is enabled according to the displacement.
US09959720B2

A burglar alarm system with an input zone enhancer using a power source with random variable timing or voltage to supply the zone loop. The input zone enhancer measures the current flowing through a zone loop of a burglar control unit. A method includes providing random variable timing and a voltage to supply the zone loop. A method includes directly measuring the current flowing through a hard wired zone loop of a burglary control unit in order to overcome sensitivities associated with electromagnetic noise. A method includes detecting compromise attempts by calculating a correlation of two signals, the zone loop current and the reference current, and by calculating the autocorrelation of the zone loop current with itself at different points in time.
US09959717B2

A network system in a building complex linking different locations together and facilitating information and data exchange and access, includes ‘N’ number of autonomous nodes for receiving, processing, and storing sensory data collected by one or more sensors relating to an environment in ‘N’ number of regions within the building complex. The nodes are configured to communicate and share sensory data among the ‘N’ number of nodes and to generate a dynamic virtual map of the building complex environment that is accessible by users having access to the network.
US09959710B2

The present invention provides for a game-operating computer system, including: at least one server and game-operating software stored on a non-transient computer readable medium accessible by the server, where the at least one server, executing game-operating software, is at least configured to: generate an instance of a proximity game, where the instance of the proximity game is played based on the following rules: a) selecting a plurality of winning values from a pool of values, b) electronically receiving a first plurality of player-selected values from the pool of values, c) electronically receiving a second plurality of player-selected values from the pool of values, d) comparing the player-selected values with the winning values, where at least one player-selected value is not equal to at least one winning values; and e) determining at least one winning player from the at least one first player and the at least one second player.
US09959702B2

A gaming system including a number of host devices each coupled to one or more gaming machines, wherein content provided by the host device is output on the gaming machine. To output the content provided by the remote host, a host-controlled process that is authenticated by the gaming machine and executed in a secure memory location such that it is isolated from other processes executing on the gaming machine may be utilized. The host-controlled processes may be decoupled from the process used to execute the game of chance played on the gaming machine such that the content output by the host-controlled process doesn't alter the play of game of chance.
US09959698B2

Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to a dispenser configured for storing one or more items and dispensing the stored items to authorized users. According to various embodiments, the dispenser generally includes a housing defining an interior portion dimensioned to receive a plurality of items and an access assembly configured to prevent unauthorized user access to the interior portion of the dispenser while providing selective access to certain items in response to input received from an authorized user. According to various embodiments, the access assembly comprises a pair of flexible barriers coupled to a sliding door assembly, which includes one or more lockable access doors. Together, the door assembly and flexible barriers prevent access to the interior of the dispenser when in a locked configuration and permit access to certain items when in an unlocked configuration.
US09959693B2

In a method for identifying desynchronization between representations of data obtained from an ordered plurality of documents, a processor can receive ordered first and second pluralities of data strings obtained from the respective plurality of documents; compare each data string in the first plurality to the corresponding data string in the second plurality and to each data string sequentially before or sequentially after the corresponding data string in the second plurality; based on the comparison, designate each data string in the first plurality as being one of synchronized, leading, or trailing; identify a continuous sequence of N data strings in the first plurality that all have a designation of leading or all have a designation of trailing, where N equals or exceeds a specified sequence threshold; and generate a single error signal that identifies all N of the data strings in the continuous sequence as being desynchronized.
US09959692B2

Provided is a locking unit for a housing, comprising at least two doors for locking each housing opening. The locking unit has a locking element module for each of the doors, and the module has at least one locking body and a locking drive for actuating the locking body. The locking drive has a common drive element for the locking element modules, which drive element can be moved about a displacement path, and which, in a first displacement position, brings the locking body, for only one of the doors or only a first group of doors, of the doors into an unlocking position, and in a second displacement position, brings the locking body for all doors into an unlocking position. The invention also relates to a housing comprising a locking unit of this type, and to a method for unlocking one or more doors of a housing of this type.
US09959686B2

Systems and methods are disclosed for analyzing operation of a machine. The system includes a memory device configured to store a data stream that includes values of a plurality of parameters. The system further includes a data interface configured to receive a first script associated with a first set of parameters selected from the plurality of parameters, and a second script associated with a second set of parameters selected from the plurality of parameters. A processing device is in communication with the memory device and the data interface. The processing device is configured to analyze the data stream according to the first and second scripts to produce a first result associated with the first set of parameters and a second result associated with the second set of parameters. The processing device is further configured to render for display the first result and the second result.
US09959681B2

The present disclosure relates to an augmented reality contents generation and play system. The augmented reality contents generation and play system includes an image acquisition unit configured to include a preview mode in which an image which is input through a lens is displayed on a screen and a shooting mode in which, if an image to be shot is displayed in the preview mode, the image is captured by operating a shooting button and the captured image is converted into an image file; a storage unit configured to store an image which is obtained from the image acquisition unit when the shooting button is pressed and video information which is automatically obtained for a predetermined time based on a shooting point of time; a mapping unit configured to map the image which is stored in the storage unit onto a video which is stored in the storage unit; an augmented reality processing unit configured to recognize an image corresponding to a marker from the image which is obtained by the image acquisition unit, configured to call the video mapped onto the image, and configured to overlay the video on a position of the marker on a screen in the preview mode; and a control unit configured to control a process of generating and playing contents by using an augmented reality contents.
US09959675B2

A “Layout Optimizer” provides various real-time iterative constraint-satisfaction methodologies that use constraint-based frameworks to generate optimized layouts that map or embed virtual objects into environments. The term environment refers to combinations of environmental characteristics, including, but not limited to, 2D or 3D scene geometry or layout, scene colors, patterns, and/or textures, scene illumination, scene heat sources, fixed or moving people, objects or fluids, etc., any of which may evolve or change over time. A set of parameters are specified or selected for each object. Further, the environmental characteristics are determined automatically or specified by users. Relationships between objects and/or the environment derived from constraints associated with objects and the environment are then used to iteratively determine optimized self-consistent and scene-consistent object layouts. This enables the Layout Optimizer to augment environments with arbitrary content in a structured constraint-based process that adapts to changing scenes or environments.
US09959671B1

A system and method are provided which generate a three-dimensional model of a subject from continuous capture of images or video on a hand-held portable device, such as the typical consumer “smartphone.” The system may comprise a depth sensor, an integrated digital camera, an inertial measurement unit, and a template-driven data processing pipeline. The pipeline receives and processes depth, color and inertial measurement data to produce a real-time three-dimensional rendering of the subject. The system may also allow for coordination of multiple connected devices such that processing functions may be allocated to different devices. A user may save the rendering in a variety of different formats and transmit it to multiple devices via any conventional means available. The system is thread-safe to prevent crashes. It is also platform-agnostic and may operate on a variety of hardware and software platforms on different types and brands of devices without re-programming.
US09959668B2

Virtual surface update and composition techniques are described. These techniques include support of initialization and batching of updates, use of updates and lookaside lists, use of gutters, blending and BLT operations, surface optimization techniques such as push down as well as enumeration and clumping, mesh usage, and occlusion management techniques.
US09959664B2

Embodiments can provide adaptive image filtering. Under this approach, image quality can be enhanced by adjusting an approximation function to better adapt image signals in different parts of an image. Certain parts of the image may be enhanced using a certain approximation function while some other parts of the image may be enhanced using a different approximation function. In certain embodiments, the approximation function selected for a part of the image can be a polynomial function having a specific order. The specific polynomial order can be applied directly to obtain an estimated image value of the part of the image. In certain embodiments, the estimation of the reconstruction error can include iteratively estimating a bias term of the reconstruction error and a variance term of the reconstruction error.
US09959656B2

Embodiments of the invention set forth a technique for animating objects placed across a surface of a graphics object. A CAD application receives a set of motions and initially applies a different motion in the set of motions to each object placed across the surface of the graphics object. The CAD application calculates bounding areas of each object according to the current motion applied thereto, which are subsequently used by the CAD application to identify collisions that are occurring or will occur between the objects. Identified collisions are cured by identifying valid motions in the set of motions that can be applied to a colliding object and then calculating bounding areas for the valid motions to select a valid motion that, when applied to the object, does not cause the object to collide with any other objects.
US09959655B2

A method, system, and computer program product provide the ability to render an animated creature in real-time. A creature diagram for a creature, having chains sections, is drawn. An effector is created for each section and each chain, and defines a target position and an orientation that is reached. A chain solving type is selected for the chains, and is used to simulate a desired biomechanical behavior of the creature. The creature diagram, including the sections, chains, and chain solving types, is mapped to a three-dimensional (3D) model. The creature is animated/rendered in a real-time 3D application based on the mapping.
US09959653B2

A computer system running image processing software receives an identification of a desired scene of a geographical area for which an oblique-mosaic image is desired including one or more geometry parameters of a virtual camera; creates a mathematical model of the virtual camera having mathematical values that define the camera geometry parameters that configure the model to capture the geographical area, and looking down at an oblique angle; creates a ground elevation model of the ground and vertical structures within the oblique-mosaic pixel map, wherein source images were captured at an oblique angle and compass direction similar to the oblique angle and compass direction of the virtual camera; and reprojects, with the mathematical model, source oblique image pixels of the overlapping source images for pixels included in the oblique-mosaic pixel map using the ground elevation model to thereby create the oblique-mosaic image of the geographical area.
US09959652B2

The present disclosure provides a display method and a terminal. The display method comprises: identifying a background picture on a screen interface of a terminal; and when the background picture comprises a preset object, ensuring that there is no display content shielding a display region of the preset object on the screen interface. By using the technical solution of the present disclosure, it is avoided that display content on a terminal shields a preset object on a background picture, so that the preset object can be fully displayed, which helps to improve use experience of a user.
US09959647B1

Various technologies pertaining to modeling patterns of activity observed in remote sensing images using geospatial-temporal graphs are described herein. Graphs are constructed by representing objects in remote sensing images as nodes, and connecting nodes with undirected edges representing either distance or adjacency relationships between objects and directed edges representing changes in time. Activity patterns may be discerned from the graphs by coding nodes representing persistent objects like buildings differently from nodes representing ephemeral objects like vehicles, and examining the geospatial-temporal relationships of ephemeral nodes within the graph.
US09959644B2

A computerized method for annotating at least one feature of an image of a view, includes the steps of obtaining the image with an image sensor of a portable device, and retrieving at least one condition. Based on the at least one condition, the method automatically selects a feature identification method among a plurality of features identification methods. It then applies the feature identification method for identifying the at least one feature, and annotates some of the identified features.
US09959634B2

Methods and systems for identifying depth data associated with an object are disclosed. The method includes capturing, with an image capturing device, a plurality of source images of the object. The image capturing device has a sensor that is tilted at a known angle with respect to an object plane of the object such that the image capturing device has a depth of field associated with each source image, the depth of field defining a plane that is angled with respect to the object plane. An image processor analyzes the plurality of source images to identify segments of the source images that satisfy an image quality metric. Position data is assigned to the identified segments of the source images, the position data including depth positions based on the plane defined by the depth of field.
US09959633B2

An embodiment relates to a method for the detection of texture of a digital image, including providing a raw data image of the image by means of Bayer image sensors, determining noise in at least a region of the raw data image and determining the texture based on the determined noise without using a high pass or low pass filter.
US09959618B2

An image processing apparatus includes: a detecting unit configured to detect images of interest including regions of interest that are estimated as an object to be detected, from a group of a series of images acquired by sequentially imaging a lumen of a living body; a global similarity calculating unit configured to calculate a global similarity that is a similarity between regions including at least regions other than the regions of interest, between the images of interest different from one another; an image-of-interest group extracting unit configured to extract an image-of-interest group including identical regions of interest, in accordance with comparison between a threshold and the global similarity or a determination parameter based on the global similarity; and a representative image extracting unit configured to extract a representative image from the image-of-interest group.
US09959617B2

A medical image processing apparatus and a breast image processing method thereof are provided. The processing method at least contains but not limited to the following steps. At least one slice of breast image is obtained. Mammary glandular tissue in each breast image is detected through a mammary glandular tissue detector. The mammary glandular tissue detector is based on texture characteristic analysis. Therefore, the embodiments of the present disclosure would assist density analysis of the mammary glandular tissue and efficiently reduce false positive of computer-aided detection. In addition, based on a result of the density analysis of the mammary glandular tissue, the embodiment would further determine lactation yield and present density diagrams of mammary glandular tissue of left and right breasts. A breast region may also be separated from the breast image based on rib information according to the embodiments of the present disclosure.
US09959607B2

Aspects provide automatic verification of graphic rendition of JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) data by using a baseline JSON file to render data values of a baseline data set into a baseline graphic presentation that meets a boundary condition requirement for displaying the data values. The baseline data set data values are rendered into a baseline graphic presentation that is stored into a local file system and used to render data values of a second set of data of a back end server data warehouse data into a new graphic presentation, which is compared to the stored baseline graphic presentation on a pixel-by-pixel basis. In response to the pixel-by-pixel comparison indicating a difference in display of boundary condition requirement values, the stored baseline JSON file is revised into a revised baseline JSON file that renders the data values of the second data set into a revised new graphic presentation.
US09959602B2

An image processing device and a radiography apparatus each include a pixel selection unit configured to select pixels of an image based on pixel values of pixels of the image obtained by capturing an image of a subject, and a subtraction processing unit configured to subtract, from the image, a line artifact extracted using a profile in predetermined direction and is based on the pixels selected by the pixel selection unit.
US09959601B2

Disclosed is a distortion rectification method, comprising: taking a wide-angle photograph using a camera of a terminal; determining distortion regions and non-distortion regions in the wide-angle photograph; obtaining a target distortion region selected by a user; dividing the target distortion region into M grid regions of a first pre-set size, wherein M is an integer greater than or equal to one; and respectively preforming distortion rectification on the M-grid regions of the first pre-set size. Also disclosed is a terminal.
US09959590B2

Embodiment described herein combines a caching system with special cache flushing methods aimed at reducing thread divergence across a group of threads in a thread group, in order to synchronize branching paths taken by different threads executing on the same graphics processor execution unit, One embodiment provides for a graphics processing apparatus comprising graphics execution logic to execute one or more threads of a graphics shader program; an occluder cache to store input occluder node data for adaptive graphical effects logic of the graphics shader program; and compression logic to compress input occluder node data stored in the occluder cache. The occluder node data, in one embodiment, includes occlusion data for use with adaptive shadowing or transparency logic.
US09959586B1

The present disclosure describes a system, method, and computer program for encoding and decoding a unique signature for a user in a video file, wherein the digital signature is substantially invisible to the viewer of the video, easy to detect during the coding process, does not require specialized equipment for playback of the video, and is resilient to transcoding, video editing, and high compression encoding. A numeric digital signature is converted into a binary number. The binary number is then divided into sequences, where sequence includes a subset of data bits from the binary number. Each sequence is also associated with a sequence ID that enables the data bits in the sequence to be later combined in the correct order to recreate the binary number. A watermark is created for each of the sequences and embedded within suitable areas of a color channel.
US09959584B1

A system includes one or more processors to receive a representation of a document from a client computing device, the document comprising one of a scanned document, a faxed document, and an electronic document, determine a document type of the document based at least on the representation of the document, index the document using a classification and index processing engine based on the document type, the document type comprising at least one of a plurality of document types used by an electronic health record (EHR) system, extract index data from the document based on the document type using the classification and index processing engine, and match the document with a patient from a database of the EHR system using the index data when the classification and index processing engine successfully indexes the document and extracts index data from the document.
US09959581B2

Systems and methods are disclosed for a property management system that runs on a smartphone and allows users to identify and track information on one or more properties and to receive property updates from the server. Systems and methods are also disclosed that use the orientation of and images captured by a smartphone camera to identify a facet of an object and to determine its pitch.
US09959571B2

A method and system is disclosed for user-published interactive widgets for auctions hosted by an auction forum resource. Examples include an auction forum configured to generate a script associated with an auction upon a publisher-request, and to provide the script to be published on the publisher's resource, resulting in an external interactive component displayed on the publisher's resource. Example features may be configured to respond to user inputs submitted from the interactive component. Furthermore, reward logic can be included to issue a reward to the publisher associated with the script request.
US09959564B1

Disclosed are various embodiments for providing confirmations for list modifications. A network page is sent to a client. The network page includes one or more components for requesting that one or more items be added to a list of items. The item(s) are added to the list of items in response to a request from the client. A display region is encoded for rendering in the client as a layer superimposed on the network page. The display region includes a confirmation that the item(s) have been added to the list of items.
US09959563B1

Systems and methods are disclosed for generating recommendation rules based on the attributes of items that are purchased together at a threshold rate. The attributes of the items may be extracted from item-detail content associated with the items. Using a count of the frequency with which pairs of items include pairs of attributes, a recommendation rule can be created that recommends items with particular attributes to users who access other items with particular attributes. Further, using the recommendation rules, items may be selected for recommendation to users who access an item that lacks historical access data from which to generate recommendations solving the “cold-start” problem. Moreover, negative rules may be generated based on historical access data and attributes of items purchased and/or not purchased together at a threshold rate to prevent the recommendation of particular items to users who access items associated with the negative rules.
US09959562B1

Techniques are provided for managing local item fulfillment. For example, a fulfillment management computer can provide a local item to a user when the local item is stored in a local fulfillment center, when the local fulfillment center can fulfill the order requested by the user quickly, when the price of a local item is within a certain threshold of the best item in a top level market, or when the local item is provided by a preferred item provider. The local item may be a perishable item (e.g., apples) and could benefit from being stored close to a user that orders the local item or be non-perishable (e.g., electronics). It may be preferable to provide an item that is stored locally to the user instead of an item that would need to be shipped to the user from afar.
US09959558B2

A server includes a network communication device, a storage device, and a processing device that executes computer-readable instructions. When the computer-readable instructions are executed by the processing device, the computer-readable instructions cause the processing device to receive advertisement data that corresponds with a web advertisement. The advertisement data includes an advertisement uniform resource locator (URL) that refers to a website advertised by the web advertisement. In addition, the computer-readable instructions cause the processing device to determine an advertisement card object based on the advertisement data. The advertisement card object includes a card label, a card image, and graphical user interface (GUI) elements. The computer-readable instructions cause the processing device to render an advertisement card that displays the card label, the card image and the GUI elements, and transmit the advertisement card object via the network communication device.
US09959552B2

A method and system for communicating promotional offers by registering an electronic device with a server, activating a promotional offer stored on the server, receiving location information of the electronic device by the server over a network, determining the electronic device is to receive the promotional offer based upon the received location information, sending the promotional offer from the server to the electronic device over the network, sending a positive response to the promotional offer from the electronic device, over the network, and to the server, and sending a confirmation of the positive response from the server, over the network, and to the electronic device.
US09959545B2

A system, a method, and a computer program product for monitoring of events and key figures are disclosed. An event in a plurality of events associated with a business process is identified. The identified event is monitored. A business value of the identified event is determined in real time. Based on the determined real-time business value, at least one key figure associated with the monitored event is retrieved and displayed in a user interface.
US09959537B2

The disclosure provides a portable electronic card system and a method for manufacturing a rewritable plastic card. The portable electronic card system includes: a portable personal electronic device, a rewritable plastic card and a writing device. The portable personal electronic device is used for obtaining a certificated code and a personal information from a database by internet. The rewritable plastic card has a rewritable storage device for storing the personal information. The writing device electrically connects to the portable personal electronic device, and is used for writing the personal information into the rewritable plastic card.
US09959530B2

Various technologies described herein pertain to an automated dispenser including a dispensing portion, a motion sensor, a receiver module, and a control module. The control module initiates motion sensing by the motion sensor in response to receipt of an activation signal from a network server by the receiver module. The dispensing portion dispenses a product in response to the motion sensor sensing an absence, presence or motion of an object.
US09959527B2

Calendar items can be scheduled with a joined group of user profiles. Scheduling calendar items can include, for each of the calendar items, sending a calendar item request to each of the user profiles in the group of user profiles. In response to the joining of a new user profile to the group, the new user profile can be automatically sent a calendar item request for each of one or more of the calendar items scheduled with the group of user profiles. Also, a first user profile can receive a request to share a calendar with a second user profile. The request can be received from the second user profile and can list one or more additional user profiles as recipients of the request. A representation of the request to share can include a control that can be selected to share the calendar with the additional user profile(s).
US09959524B2

A method and system for providing a graphical position hierarchy and associated data sets is described. The method includes receiving a graphical position hierarchy model, analyzing nodes of the position hierarchy model to discern branches and leafs thereof, associating incumbent information with the nodes, where the incumbent information pertains to resources such as employees, contracting services, consulting, and other data and attributes related to the position hierarchy model, and displaying the model to a user thereof. Nodes of a position hierarchy may include incumbents, or may be placeholder position nodes, with no incumbents, allowing the user to model the position hierarchy according to organization needs before associating or allocating resources thereto. The method provides options for users to analyze the effect of changes to the position hierarchy on organizational resource allocation and costs in order to assess, optimize, and monitor the impact of such changes on the organization.
US09959523B2

This disclosure includes a system, device, and method to aggregate a list of video conferences for a user. The method may include identifying one or more video conferences that are likely to be of interest to a user viewing a web page, and providing a list comprising the video conferences that are likely to be of interest to the user, where each video conference in the list is available to be joined by the user viewing the web page without an invitation from participants of the video conference.
US09959518B2

A method, system, and/or computer program product generates self-organizing layouts of process diagrams. Initial weight vectors are distributed uniformly within boundaries of regions in the process diagram. A spatial input vector is randomly generated within the boundaries of each region. In each region in the process diagram, a closest graphical node is found, and a position of a winning graphical node that is the closest graphical node to the random input vector is adjusted. Positions of all non-immutable graphical objects, wi, in a topographical neighborhood N(k) of a closest graphical node wc that can cross a boundary of one or more regions from the multiple regions are adjusted. The spatial input vector is recursively generated, the closest graphical node is recursively located, and the positions of all non-immutable graphical objects, wi, in the topographical neighborhood N(k) are recursively adjusted until a maximum number of iterations, kmax is reached.
US09959514B2

There are provided a system, a method and a computer program product for generating an optimal preventive maintenance/replacement schedule for a set of assets. The method includes receiving data regarding an asset, said data including a failure rate function of said asset, a cost of preventative maintenance (PM) of said asset, a cost of an asset failure, and a cost of replacing an asset. An optimal number K of preventative maintenance time intervals tk and an indication of a possible replacement is computed and stored for each asset by minimizing a mean cost-rate value function with respect to an electrical age of the asset. A first PM schedule is formed without consideration of labor and budget resource constraints. The method further generates a second maintenance schedule for a system of assets by minimizing a deviation from the optimal PM time intervals subject to the labor and budget resource constraints.
US09959505B1

High value information Alert and Reporting System (HARS) and method to integrate the public into the law enforcement process by providing information on specific wanted persons/person-of-interest to a diverse range of information display devices specifically selected to display the information to the public. Wanted persons/persons-of-interest are profiled by behavior and acquaintances and predictive behavior algorithms and social media and social communication links and networks are used to predict locations and venues where there is a higher likelihood the person can be found and providing that information to the public. Public observations on the wanted person can be reported to HARS, which notifies the Law Enforcement Agency (LEA) for investigation and apprehension. HARS can provide public service information to the public in the precise area the information is needed and can also provide commercial advertising information to selected target areas.
US09959502B2

Dynamic data discovery can identify variables or changes in a business environment which can impact existing business rules and can match identified triggers. A business rule associated with a business rule management system can be identified. The business rule management system can be a component of an enterprise organization. The rule can be an operation, a definition, and a constraint associated with the organization. The organization can be a person, a process, a product, a service, or a computing device. Relevant information can be determined from a dynamic data associated with a data source. The determination can be made through the use of semantic analysis. A business pattern associated with the rule can be semantically matched with a dynamic pattern associated with the information. The pattern can be a semantic pattern of the information. A new business rule can be automatically generated from the dynamic data analysis.
US09959498B1

A computer-implemented method that includes receiving, by a processing unit, an instruction that specifies data values for performing a tensor computation. In response to receiving the instruction, the method may include, performing, by the processing unit, the tensor computation by executing a loop nest comprising a plurality of loops, wherein a structure of the loop nest is defined based on one or more of the data values of the instruction. The tensor computation can be at least a portion of a computation of a neural network layer. The data values specified by the instruction may comprise a value that specifies a type of the neural network layer, and the structure of the loop nest can be defined at least in part by the type of the neural network layer.
US09959495B2

A portable data terminal that includes a housing and an environmentally responsive device for collecting data about the environment surrounding the housing. The portable data terminal also includes an encoded information reader unit with one or more data collection hardware devices, which can capture data encoded in decodable indicia, e.g., bar codes. In one embodiment, the portable data terminal is configured to operate in a mode that processes the decodable indicia, and the environmental data so as to correlate the information decoded in the decodable indicia with the environmental data.
US09959492B2

An image processing device supplies image data to be used in an image forming apparatus, the image processing device including a control unit configured to process the image data in accordance with an image quality processing parameter, wherein the control unit distinguishes between an overprint region in which overprinting of a coat layer of a transparent material is to be performed on a transfer medium and a non-overprint region in which the overprinting is not to be performed, and adjusts a difference in image quality between the overprint region and the non-overprint region by using the image quality processing parameter.
US09959483B2

The present invention is to provide a system and a method for information identification to more accurately identify an object and make the process more easily. The system for information identification includes a database that registers information on an object; images the object from a predetermined direction by using the first imaging unit; images the object from a different direction by the second imaging unit; registers information on the object imaged by the first imaging unit in the database; and compares information on the object imaged by the second imaging unit with information registered in the database to identify the object.
US09959482B2

The present invention provides a classifying method of classifying an article into one of a plurality of groups based on an image of the article, comprising determining an evaluation method for obtaining an evaluation value of an image by using at least some of sample images, obtaining evaluation values for the sample images by the determined evaluation method, changing the evaluation method so as to increase a degree of dissimilarity in an evaluation value range for sample images between the plurality of groups by changing a evaluation value of at least one sample image having a singular evaluation value among the sample images, obtaining an evaluation value for the image of the article using the changed evaluation method, and classifying the article into one of the plurality of groups based on the evaluation value for the image of the article.
US09959465B2

Aspects of the subject disclosure are directed towards safely projecting a diffracted light pattern, such as in an infrared laser-based projection/illumination system. Non-diffracted (zero-order) light is refracted once to diffuse (defocus) the non-diffracted light to an eye safe level. Diffracted (non-zero-order) light is aberrated twice, e.g., once as part of diffraction by a diffracting optical element encoded with a Fresnel lens (which does not aberrate the non-diffracted light), and another time to cancel out the other aberration; the two aberrations may occur in either order. Various alternatives include upstream and downstream positioning of the diffracting optical element relative to a refractive optical element, and/or refraction via positive and negative lenses.
US09959459B2

Embodiments described herein use depth images to extract user behavior, wherein each depth image specifies that a plurality of pixels correspond to a user. In certain embodiments, one or more average extremity positions of a user, which can also be referred to as average positions of extremity blobs, are extracted from a depth image. An application is then updated based on the average positions of extremity blobs.
US09959454B2

A face recognition device includes a processor configured to: extract a plurality of feature points of a face included in an input image; detect a first and a second feature points that are paired from among the plurality of the feature points, a third feature point that is away from a straight line that connects the first and the second feature points, and two inter-feature vectors starting from the third feature point to the respective first the second feature points; calculate a feature angle formed by the two detected inter-feature vectors; and perform face recognition based on the feature angle formed by the two inter-feature vectors included in face information that is previously set as the face targeted for recognition and based on the calculated feature angle.
US09959443B1

A transaction card construction and computer-implemented methods for a transaction card are described. The transaction card has vector formatted visible information lasered onto its surface. In some embodiments, systems and methods are disclosed for electronically verifying information on a transaction card. The systems and methods may receive a request to provide a verification status for the transaction card and first visible information comprising a signature of a customer written on a point-of-sale terminal. The systems and methods may also receive second visible information comprising a vector representation of a user signature on a transaction card. In addition, the systems and methods may determine the verification status based on a comparison of the first visible information to the second visible information and send the verification status.
US09959431B2

Methods and apparatus for displaying potentially private information are disclosed. A computing device, that is showing a breathing view on its touch screen display, detects a peek request event, such as a swipe on the display. Before allowing the user to see potentially private information in response to the peek request, the computing device determines if the computing device is currently locked and if an increased privacy setting is enabled. If the computing device is not locked, or the increased privacy setting is not enabled (even though the computing device may be locked), the computing device shows a full peek view (e.g., some or all of the text from a recent text message). However, if the computing device is locked, and the increased privacy setting is enabled, the computing device shows a secure peek view (e.g., the number of new text messages, but no text from the messages).
US09959412B2

An online system obtains risk scores determined by a machine learning model for a content item provided by a user of an online system for display to users of the online system, where the risk scores indicate the likelihood of content items violating a content policy. The online system uses the risk scores to determine sampling weights used to select content items for inclusion in a sampled subset of content items. The sampling weights are determined from risk score counts indicating the relative frequency of the obtained risk scores and impression counts indicating the number of times content items have been presented to the users of the online system. The online system presents the selected content items for evaluation by a human reviewer using a quality review interface. Using the results of the quality review, the online system determines quality performance metrics of the machine learning model.
US09959410B2

An encryption and decryption method in a virtualization system is disclosed. The virtualization system includes a VMM and an encryption and decryption virtual machine. The VMM includes a control module, the encryption and decryption virtual machine records a first association relationship between a hard disk image identifier and a key, the key includes an encryption key, and the virtualization system records a second association relationship between the hard disk image identifier and a hard disk image attribute. The control module in the VMM is configured to determine whether to-be-written data needs to be encrypted and forward the to-be-written data, which makes it easy to implement a function and reduces system complexity of the VMM. In addition, encryption or decryption is processed without occupying a resource in the VMM.
US09959408B2

In some embodiments, a content management system can initiate a scan of a content item when the content management system detects that activity associated with the content item triggers a scan policy. In some embodiments, a content management system can initiate a scan of a user's account when the content management system detects that activity associated with the content item triggers a scan policy. A scan policy can specify, for example, a number of shares, downloads and/or previews of the content item allowable in a period of time. When the number of shares, downloads, and/or previews exceeds the specified number in the policy in the specified period of time, the content management system can initiate a scan (e.g., virus scan, malware scan, etc.) of the content item and/or the user's account.
US09959405B2

A method and apparatus of a device for security management by sandboxing third-party components is described. The device can determine whether a third-party component supports network access. If the third-party component supports network access, the device can request a user input regarding whether to restrict the network access of the component. The device can receive a user input to restrict network access of the third-party component. Upon receiving the user input to restrict network access, the device can construct a sandbox for the third-party component to restrict network access of the component and prevent the component from performing data exfiltration. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.
US09959400B2

The invention relates to accessing user interfaces for atmosphere controlling, particularly to comfortably accessing dedicated user interfaces of a complex atmosphere control system. A basic idea of the invention is to provide several user interfaces, each of which is provided for a certain control configuration for atmosphere control with an atmosphere creation system and to control the access to the user interfaces. In an embodiment of the invention, a system for controlling the access to a user interface for atmosphere control with an atmosphere creation system (10), which is provided to create atmospheres in an environment, is provided, wherein the user interface access control system comprises—several user interfaces (12), wherein each use interface is provided for a certain control configuration for atmosphere control with the atmosphere creation system, —several access control codes (14, 16), wherein each access control code is assigned to one of the several user interfaces, and —user interface access control means (18, 20) being adapted to receive an access control code and to access the user interface assigned to the received access control code.
US09959397B1

Systems and methods are provided for handling Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in a globally compliant manner, across and within governmental or defined synthetic jurisdictions without violating the privacy laws or rules of the involved jurisdictions. Disclosed systems for distributing PII include a regional server in a first jurisdiction with a first set of jurisdictional rules, a central computer and a recipient computer. The recipient computer is located in a second jurisdiction and inputs data conforming to a second set of jurisdictional rules. The central computer communicates with both the regional server and the recipient computer. The central computer masks data coming from the first jurisdiction and from the second jurisdiction so that the data complies with the rules of the destination jurisdiction.
US09959395B2

A digital rights management system includes two digital rights management servers (RMS servers) connected to a client computer. The two RMS servers implement different but related digital rights management (DRM) policies, with the first RMS server implementing conventional DRM policies and the second RMS server implementing extended DRM policies. An application program on the client computer interacts with a document on the client computer, and communicates with the first RMS server to obtain access authorization for the document. A plug-in program in the client computer cooperates with the application program, and communicates with the second RMS server to obtain additional access authorization for the document. Access to the document is granted when both RMS servers grant access to the document. This achieves extended digital rights management control which can provide a more flexible access control than that provided by existing DRM systems.
US09959393B2

Testing tamper protection of a field device includes arrangement of at least one test element in the material of a housing of the field device. The test element is supplied with a first test signal, and the first test signal is measured for determining a physical fingerprint. The physical fingerprint is measured, and the test element is supplied with a second test signal. The second test signal is measured, and the second test signal is compared with the physical fingerprint. If the second test signal deviates from the physical fingerprint, a tamper signal is output.
US09959384B2

Methods and compositions related to the selective, specific disruption of multiple ligand-receptor signaling interactions, such as ligand-receptor interactions implicated in disease, are disclosed. These interactions may involve multiple cytokines in a single receptor family or multiple ligand receptor interactions from at least two distinct ligand-receptor families. The compositions may comprise polypeptides having composite sequences that comprise sequence fragments of two or more ligand binding sites. The methods and compositions may involve sequence fragments of two or more ligand binding sites that are arranged to conserve the secondary structure of each of the ligands from which the sequence fragments were taken.
US09959383B1

The disclosure details the implementation of an apparatus, method, and system for brokering SmartAds. The disclosure teaches a efficient ad brokering as between advertisers, broadcast service providers, and media consumers by employing a SmartAds Client (SAC) and a SmartAds Server (SAS). The SAC may provide viewers with programming and integrate ads in an intelligent manner based on criteria supplied to it. The SAC is used to display SmartAds to television viewers. The ad brokering SAS is complementary to the SAC media consumer and provides services, ads, and ad related information to the SAC. By employing intelligence from a SAC and SAS, ads may be dynamically provided, changed, and/or augmented with programming. The SAS collects and matches media consumer profiles and advertiser bids against one another and an ad database to provide better targeted ads to media consumers. The manner and way in which this is achieved, results in the expiration of stale ads. Such stale ads are replaced with more intelligent, dynamically placed ads that are better targeted, tracked, and managed.
US09959371B2

A method and system is disclosed for maintaining Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of a new data center constant or within narrow range around efficient level during ramping up stage of the data center. The method comprises of capturing a plurality of design and operational parameters of the data center, computing an efficient design for the data center at full occupancy, and maintaining the Power Usage Effectiveness constant or within narrow range around efficient level at a current occupancy during a ramp up period of the data center.
US09959363B2

In an approach for documenting a representational state transfer (REST) resource. A processor monitors input JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) data and output JSON data of a REST resource of an application. A processor converts a set of data from the monitored input JSON data and output JSON data of the REST resource to a self-documenting interchange format. A processor stores the converted set of data from the monitored input JSON data and output JSON data of the REST resource.
US09959361B2

In one or more embodiments, a Web browser receives user input in the form of text that is entered in a suitably-configured text entry bar, such as an address bar. The web browser processes the text and ascertains whether the text appears to be a search or an attempted navigation. Based on whether the text appears to be a search or an attempted navigation, the web browser communicates the text to a search provider, along with an indication of whether the text appears to be a search or an attempted navigation. The search provider receives the text and the indication and can then take appropriate action as by returning a search results page or causing the web browser to be redirected to a website associated with the received text.
US09959356B2

Automatically creating and modifying a search engine for a website. User input may be received specifying an address of a website. A search engine may be automatically created for the website based on the user input. Webpages of the website may specify a plurality of tags specifying custom attributes of the webpages. During creation of the search engine, these custom attributes may be incorporated into the search engine index. Additional user input may be received customizing the search engine for various search engine contexts, e.g., based on the custom attributes of the webpages. Search engine results for the website may be based on various ranking functions, potentially including social impact of webpages of the website.
US09959350B1

A system gathers information on important and influential people and uses an ontology to build a social graph. The information is organized based on this social graph and provided to users as a service. The system uses ontology models to identify connectivity between entities (e.g., people, organizations, events, and things) in the social graph. Through its ontology, the system can determine, interpret, and represent the relationships of people that occur in the real world.
US09959348B2

A method including obtaining search results for a search query, determining a type of the search query, calculating a degree of focus score for the search query when the type of the search query is a non-navigation type, determining one or more social annotations to provide for display along with the search results based on the degree of focus score, and providing the one or more social annotations for display with the search results.
US09959347B2

Subject matter described herein includes a multi-layer search-engine index. Accordingly, the search-engine index is divided into multiple indexes, each of which includes a respective set of information used to serve (i.e., respond to) a query. One index includes a term index, which organizes a set of terms that are found among a collection of documents. Another index includes a document index, which organizes a set of documents that are searchable. A computing device is used to serve the search-engine index (i.e., to analyze the index when identifying documents relevant to a search query). For example, a solid-state device might be used to serve the multi-layer search-engine index.
US09959346B2

A method to design, implement and create distributed indexes for storing and comparing fingerprints of videos is presented. The method effectively utilizes cloud computing platforms that offer varying amounts of computing resources. The method enables the distributed index to scale to large numbers of data points and the distributed index is robust to failures within the computing resources maintaining the index. The method minimizes the memory required to maintain the distributed index and reduces the I/O operations needed to process operations performed on the index. The method improves the efficiency of the index to process queries.
US09959340B2

Some implementations provide techniques and arrangements for semantic lexicon based processing, such as in an input method editor. In some instances, a semantic label may be received that is to be defined for a semantic lexicon and at least a first term may be identified as a positive or negative example of the semantic label. In response, some examples may label at least a second term in the semantic lexicon with the semantic label based at least in part on the identification of the first term as a positive or negative example of the semantic label.
US09959338B2

An illustrative embodiment includes processing parse tree data. A parse tree data structure that is representative of a document object model (DOM) tree data structure is received. Concomitant to receiving the parse tree data structure, an assignment of index values for the DOM nodes consisting of distinct index values for each existing DOM node is received by the processor. Requests to manipulate the parse tree data structure that include node inserts and document order comparisons are also performed.
US09959329B2

Methods, systems, and computer-readable mediums are provided for generating master reports. For example, a request to generate a master report may be received from a client device. Release data that includes a list of programs being developed is obtained from a program repository tool. Programs from the list of programs matching the search criteria are then identified. Business case data is then obtained from a business case tool for each matching program. Program process data is also obtained from a product and production tool for each matching program. Using an integrity rule, issues in the release data, the business case data, and the program process data are detected. The master report is generated such that the master report includes the release data, the business case data, the program process data, and the detected issues. The master report is then communicated to the client device.
US09959320B2

In one embodiment, a method includes receiving, from a client device of a user of an online social network, an input from the user to access a card-stack interface, generating a plurality of cards, where each card comprises a suggested query referencing a query-domain associated with the online social network and one or more query-filters, and where each query-filter references one or more objects of the online social network, each card further comprising one or more search results corresponding to the suggested query, and each search result referencing an object of the online social network matching the suggested query of the card; and sending, to the client device in response to the input from the first user, the card-stack interface for display to the first user, wherein the card-stack interface comprises one or more of the generated cards.
US09959307B2

In a large presentation or lecture, multiple questions submitted by the audience may be classified into one or more common questions based on the semantic relatedness of the submitted questions. Further, the common questions may be sorted and presented to a host or lecturer so that the host or lecturer may efficiently answer the common questions.
US09959302B2

A method and apparatus for processing packets in a network are disclosed. For example, the method scans one or more packets representing a content that is being transferred via the network, where the scanning acquires one or more content elements. The method then builds a keyterm index from the one or more content elements, and stores the keyterm index in a repository. A query handler then responds to queries in accordance with the keyterm index.
US09959300B1

Systems and methods for article location and retrieval are described. In one described method, the normal processing of an operating system call associated with a dialog control is interrupted, and a search dialog control is displayed. The search dialog control is associated with an index comprising a plurality of events. Each of the plurality of events may be associated with at least one of a plurality of client applications and at least some of the plurality of events can be captured in real time. Each event may be associated with one or more articles.
US09959299B2

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a system for sorting data records generates a plurality of data structures associated with corresponding record fields used to sort the data records, and inserts values of the record fields into the corresponding data structures. Each of the data structures comprises one or more ordered parts, and each inserted value is inserted into a part of the corresponding data structure. Each part of a data structure corresponding to a record field having a sort priority immediately below another record field corresponds to a distinct value inserted into a part of the data structure corresponding to the other record field. The system processes the generated data structures to determine sorted data records. Embodiments of the present invention further include a method and computer program product for sorting data records in substantially the same manners described above.
US09959283B2

Techniques for managing records on a filesystem to enforce a record disposition protocol. Embodiments identify records on the filesystem using one or more record definitions. Each record definition may contain a conditional statement which, if satisfied by a particular file on the filesystem, indicates the particular file as a record. Embodiments may then monitor file activity for each of the identified records and upon detecting the file activity, may enforce the record disposition protocol for the record. Such enforcement may include preventing the file activity, and may further include logging information related to the file activity.
US09959282B2

Methods, apparatus, and electronic devices for file management are provided. On a touch screen, whether a duration time of a first pre-set operation to a target file is greater than a first pre-set threshold value can be detected. When the duration time of the first pre-set operation to the target file is detected greater than the first pre-set threshold value, the target file, and other files related to the target file and on an interface of the target file can be determined as files to be managed. According to a second pre-set operation to the files to be managed, a corresponding management to the files to be managed can be performed.
US09959279B2

A method for maintaining an index in multi-tier data structure includes providing a plurality of a storage devices forming the multi-tier data structure, caching an index of key-value pairs across the multi-tier data structure, wherein each of the key-value pairs includes a key, and one of a data value and a data pointer, the key-value pairs stored in the multi-tier data structure, providing a journal for interfacing with the multi-tier data structure, providing a plurality of zone allocators recording which zones of the multi-tier data structure are in used, and providing a plurality of zone managers for controlling access to cache lines of the multi-tier data structure through the journal and zone allocators, wherein each zone manager maintains a header object pointing to data to be stored in an allocated zone.
US09959277B2

Systems and methods allow for reliably and efficiently managing files stored on a data storage medium associated with a computer system such as a set-top box. In one embodiment a method of managing a file is provided. The method includes: mounting a first file system to a second file system; creating, by the first file system, a virtual file by partitioning a file into a plurality of segments and by linking the plurality of segments in an index file; and sending a file operation request, by the first file system, to the second file system based on the segments of the virtual file.
US09959276B2

Data is received or accessed that includes a structured file encapsulating data required by an execution environment to manage executable code wrapped within the structured file. Thereafter, code and data regions are iteratively identified in the structured file. Such identification is analyzed so that at least one feature can be extracted from the structured file. Related apparatus, systems, techniques and articles are also described.
US09959267B2

A graphical user interface for creating a data summary table includes a data summary table including a plurality of fields, and a filtering pane programmed to apply filters to items in the fields of the data summary table, the filtering pane including a field selector control, wherein the field selector control is programmed to allow for selection of a field of the fields in the data summary table to define filtering for the field.
US09959247B1

A circuit comprises an input register configured to receive an input vector of elements, a control register configured to receive a control vector of elements, wherein each element of the control vector corresponds to a respective element of the input vector, and wherein each element specifies a permutation of a corresponding element of the input vector, and a permute execution circuit configured to generate an output vector of elements corresponding to a permutation of the input vector. Generating each element of the output vector comprises accessing, at the input register, a particular element of the input vector, accessing, at the control register, a particular element of the control vector corresponding to the particular element of the input vector, and outputting the particular element of the input vector as an element at a particular position of the output vector that is selected based on the particular element of the control vector.
US09959243B2

A circuit for processing data is provided. The circuit includes an Application Processor (AP), a Communication Processor (CP), and a storage unit including at least a first region which the AP and the CP access and from/to which data related to at least one of the AP and the CP is read/written, and a second region which the CP accesses and from/to which data related to the CP is read/written.
US09959232B2

An embodiment of a method for executing data access commands, performed by a control unit, is disclosed to include at least the following steps. A series of interface-driving instructions is read from a RAM (Random Access Memory) after detecting that an indication for altering instruction source has been written into a register. A storage-unit access interface is operated according to the interface-driving instructions, so as to complete data access to a storage unit.
US09959227B1

Apparatus and methods are disclosed herein for reducing I/O latency when accessing data using a direct memory access (DMA) engine with a parser. A DMA descriptor indicating memory buffer location can be stored in cache. A DMA descriptor read command is generated and can include a prefetch command. A descriptor with the indicator can be communicated to the DMA engine in response to the read. A second parser can detect the descriptor communication, parse the descriptor, and can prefetch data from memory to cache while the descriptor is being communicated to the DMA engine and/or parsed by the DMA engine parser. When the DMA engine parses the descriptor, data can be accessed from cache rather than memory, to decrease latency.
US09959221B2

A semiconductor device (100) according to an embodiment calculates the number of times of burst access for an address set (A) based on a result of a determination, for each of N addresses a1 to an (N is a natural number no less than two) included in the address set (A), whether or not the address and another address adjacent to that address in an accessing order can be accessed by the same burst access, and calculates an access time that will be taken for accessing the address set by the burst access.
US09959220B2

In one embodiment, an apparatus, such as a memory device, is disclosed. The apparatus includes multiple memory tiles and selection circuitry. Each memory tile has an array of storage components at intersections of a plurality of digit line conductors and a plurality of access line conductors. The selection circuitry includes line drivers that select a storage component of a memory tile based on a corresponding digit line conductor and a corresponding access line conductor to the storage component. The selection circuitry may select two or more storage components of a memory tile in a consecutive manner before selecting the storage components of a different memory tile.
US09959219B1

A peripheral device connected to a local electronic device which is connected to at least one communication network can communicate with a peripheral device attached to a remote electronic device as if the remote peripheral device was locally attached. Data designated for the remote peripheral device is received by a local virtual device object and transmitted to the remote electronic device via at least one of the electronic devices communication interfaces or peripheral devices. Data received by the remote electronic device's communication interface or peripheral device is written to the peripheral device at the remote electronic device by a virtual device object. For compensation of different transfer speeds or outages between the peripheral device and the communication interface or another peripheral device the virtual device provides the ability to utilize the virtual devices emulation driver that is attached to the virtual device object as an I/O buffer.
US09959218B2

A memory device including at least one memory location for storing information representing data written using a first encryption/decryption method, and a read channel using a second encryption/decryption method for reading and decrypting information as written. The memory device also includes an apparatus that prevents the reading of the at least one memory location using the second encryption/decryption method, in response to an indication that the at least one memory location was written using the first encryption/decryption method. In another embodiment, a reading of all zeroes is returned in response to an indication of another encryption/decryption method.
US09959212B2

A memory system has a first cache memory comprising a volatile memory, a second cache memory comprising a non-volatile memory with access speed slower than access speed of the volatile memory, and a reconfiguration control circuitry to switch between a first mode that uses the second cache memory as a cache memory in a lower layer than the first cache memory and a second mode that uses the first cache memory and the second cache memory as cache memories in an identical memory layer.
US09959188B1

Technology for detecting processor usage of a physical host hosting computing instances is provided. In one example, a method may include identifying a location of a hardware register of a physical host containing data in a model specific register. The physical host hosts a plurality of computing instances using a hypervisor. The method may include determining power consumption by a processor of the physical host for the computing instances from the data. An upper level of acceptable processor power consumption may be identified. Processor usage may be determined based on the power consumption determined and the upper level of acceptable processor power consumption. The processor usage may be provided as data through the hypervisor.
US09959186B2

A test system that enables real-time interactive debugging of a device under test (DUT) using native customer code. A translation module may format, in real time, debug commands, corresponding to a user input, into a format recognizable by instruments in a tester. The user input may be a test program or test instructions written in a high-level programming language. The translation module may translate the user's debug commands into lower-level test instrument commands, based on which the tester may apply control signals to a processor in the DUT to test subsystems of the DUT. A result of the test may be provided to the translation module, which may, in real time, format another debug command, or provide an indication of the result to the user. The translation module may thus enable a user to step-through and modify native customer code in an interactive manner to debug a DUT.
US09959185B2

A memory system includes a memory device, a switch device, and a built-in self-test circuit. The memory device is for storing data and toggling a notification signal whenever a read operation or a write operation is completed. The switch device has a first input terminal for receiving an external clock signal, a second input terminal coupled to the memory device for receiving the notification signal, a select terminal for receiving a selection signal, and an output terminal for outputting a memory clock signal to the memory device. The memory clock signal is one of the external clock signal and the notification signal. The built-in self-test circuit is for outputting a control signal required by the memory device to perform the read operation or the write operation and check whether the memory device functions normally.
US09959170B2

A storage cluster is provided. The storage cluster includes a plurality of storage nodes within a single chassis. Each of the plurality of storage nodes has nonvolatile solid-state memory for storage of user data. The plurality of storage nodes are configured to distribute the user data and metadata throughout the plurality of storage nodes with erasure coding of the user data such that the plurality of storage nodes can access the user data, via the erasure coding, with a failure of two of the plurality of storage nodes. The plurality of storage nodes are configured to employ the erasure coding to reconfigure redundancy of the user data responsive to one of adding or removing a storage node.
US09959167B1

Techniques for rebundling grid encoded data storage systems are described herein. A new grid of shards is created based in part on shards from a first grid of shards. The second grid of shards contains data shards, including one or more data shards from the first grid of shards, and derived shards that are indexed by row and column and is configured so that shards in the second grid are reproducible from shards in the same row using a first redundancy code and are also reproducible from shards in the same column using a second redundancy code. The derived shards of the second grid of shards are then derived from other shards in the second grid of shards using the first redundancy code and the second redundancy code.
US09959141B2

A system and method of dynamically controlling a reservation of compute resources within a compute environment is disclosed. The method aspect of the invention comprises receiving a request from a requestor for a reservation of resources within the compute environment, reserving a first group of resources, evaluating resources within the compute environment to determine if a more efficient use of the compute environment is available and if a more efficient use of the compute environment is available, then canceling the reservation for the first group of resources and reserving a second group of resources of the compute environment according to the evaluation.
US09959139B2

A system and method for virtualization and cloud security are disclosed. According to one embodiment, a system comprises a first multi-core processing cluster and a second multi-core processing cluster in communication with a network interface card and software instructions. When the software instructions are executed by the second multi-core processing cluster they cause the second multi-core processing cluster to receive a request for a service, create a new or invoke an existing virtual machine to service the request, and return a desired result indicative of successful completion of the service to the first multi-core processing cluster.
US09959137B2

The use of a skip element when redoing transactions, so as to avoid tracking dependencies between transactions assigned to different threads for parallel processing. When the second thread comes to a second task in the course of redoing a second transaction, if a first task that is mooted by the second task is not already performed, the second thread inserts a skip element associated with the object to be operated upon by the particular task, instead of actually performing the particular task upon the object. When the first thread later comes to the first task in the course of redoing a first transaction, the first thread encounters the skip element associated with the object. Accordingly, instead of performing the dependee task, the first thread skips the dependee task and perhaps removes the skip element. The result is the same regardless of whether the first or second task is redone first.
US09959127B2

Systems and methods for exporting failure and diagnostic data and securing privileges in a service Operating System (OS). In some embodiments, an Information Handling System (IHS) includes a processor; and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory having program instructions stored thereon that, upon execution by the processor, cause the IHS to: identify a malfunction; store malfunction data in a predefined location; detect the coupling of an external device to the IHS; and export the malfunction data from the predefined location to the external device.
US09959103B2

Computer programming is aided by way of automatic code generation, and more specifically generation of deployment code automatically. An application can be analyzed and deployment code, including installation, maintenance (e.g., update/upgrade), and removal (e.g., un-install) code, can be generated as a function of the analysis as well as a particular execution environment.
US09959093B2

A binary fused multiply-add floating-point unit configured to operate on an addend, a multiplier, and a multiplicand. The unit is configured to receive as the addend an unrounded result of a prior operation executed in the unit via an early result feedback path; to perform an alignment shift of the unrounded addend on an unrounded exponent and an unrounded mantissa; as well as perform a rounding correction for the addend in parallel to the actual alignment shift, responsive to a rounding-up signal.
US09959090B2

Athletic performance sensing and/or tracking systems include components for measuring or sensing athletic performance data and/or for storing and/or displaying desired information associated with the athletic performance to the user (or others). Such systems can allow users a wide variety of options in creating workouts, selecting and presenting media content during the athletic performance, etc., e.g., to help keep users entertained and motivated. In some instances, user feedback may be used, optionally in combination with objective data relating to a workout, to control features of the workout routine, to control the music or other media content selected and/or presented, and/or to control features of future workout routines and/or the presented media content.
US09959087B2

Embodiments are described herein that may include a computing device. The computing device may receive an indication of a particular media item that is currently playing on a media playback system. The computing system may query a social media service for one or more accounts of the social media service that are connected within a social network to a particular account of the social media service that is registered to the media playback system and have received respective indications of the particular media item from respective media playback systems within a particular period of time. The computing system may receive data indicating the queried one or more accounts of the social media service and cause one or more respective indications of the received one or more accounts of the social media service to be displayed on a graphical interface in association with an indication of the particular media item.
US09959081B2

A system includes an operation device and an information storing apparatus, which are connected via a network. The operation device determines, based on information input from the outside of the operation device in response to an operation performed on the operation device, an electronic device among a plurality of electronic devices connected to the system, for causing the electronic device to input electronic data to the information storing apparatus, and sends, to the information storing apparatus, a first request to cause the determined electronic device to input the electronic data to the information storing apparatus. The information storing apparatus sends, to the determined electronic device, a second request based on the first request sent from the operation device, and stores the electronic data that has been sent from the determined electronic device based on the sent second request.
US09959078B2

Systems and methods for increasing performance and reducing power consumption of a non-volatile memory system while the system acquires status information from a plurality of memory die are described. The non-volatile memory system may include a plurality of memory die and a system controller for controlling operations performed by each memory die of the plurality of memory die (e.g., read operations, write operations, or erase operations). The system controller may transmit or broadcast a first status command to each memory die of the plurality of memory die and in response simultaneously or concurrently receive one or more sets of status information from each memory die of the plurality of memory die. The status information may include ready/busy status information (e.g., indicating that a memory die is able to receive new data), programming loop count information, and erase loop count information.
US09959076B2

A method in a distributed storage (DS) unit begins by the unit receiving one or more data slices to store. The method continues by determining a memory utilization method for the one or more data slices. The method continues when a multiple memory utilization method is determined. The method continues by determining a data slice distribution method. The method continues by storing a plurality of the one or more data slices in the multiple memories using the data slice distribution method and updating a virtual address to physical location table to reflect the storing.
US09959072B2

A method includes, in response to a first write command corresponding to first data and a first context which is identifiable with a first identifier and to a second write command corresponding to second data and a second context identifiable with a second identifier, determining whether the first identifier of the first context matches the second identifier of the second context. The method also includes, if the first identifier of the first context is determined to match the second identifier of the second context, forming a compression group of data including the first data and the second data, and generating compressed data corresponding to the compression group of data.
US09959070B2

A system for managing storage of data units includes a data storage system configured to store multiple data blocks, at least some of the data blocks containing multiple data units, and configured to store, for at least some of the data blocks, corresponding historical information about prior removal of one or more data units from that data block, the removal affecting at least some addresses of data units in that data block. The system is configured to perform at least one operation that accesses at least a first data unit stored in a first data block according to address information interpreted based on any stored historical information corresponding to the first data block.
US09959069B2

A facility for processing textual input generated with a user input device described. In one example facility, the facility stores the textual input in a first data structure contained in the address space of a first process. The facility synchronizes contents of the first data structure to a second data structure contained in the address space of a second process distinct from the first process, an application executing in the second process being configured to consume textual input synchronized to the second data structure.
US09959060B1

A plurality of traffic profiles is determined for a plurality of traffic groups where each traffic profile includes a share of traffic and an address footprint size associated with a corresponding traffic group. A host write is received from a host and the traffic group that the host write belongs to is identified. Write data associated with the host write is stored in the solid state storage allocated to the traffic group that the host write is identified as belonging to where the amount of solid state storage allocated to each of the plurality of traffic groups is based at least in part on the traffic profile of a given traffic group.
US09959056B2

Methods and systems for a networked system are provided. One method includes receiving a request by a processor to transfer a data block stored at a first storage tier to the second storage tier; using an object staging data structure to determine that an object is available for transferring the data block from the first storage tier to the second storage tier. The object staging data structure an indicator providing a status for the object and an object length and an offset value of a transfer log indicating where information regarding the data block is stored. The method further includes updating an address of the storage tier where the information regarding data block is stored at the transfer log; increasing the object length and the offset value at the object staging data structure; and creating the object at the second tier.
US09959055B2

Examples herein disclose identification of a presence of a processing unit that is to obtain the lock within a queue in a fair lock mode. In response to the presence of the processing unit within the queue, the examples place a separate processing unit in an unfair lock mode.
US09959048B2

Disclosed aspects include management of a set of blocks in a storage system. A set of write requests is initiated to the set of blocks. In response to the set of write requests, a set of expiration metadata for the set of blocks is established. Based on the set of expiration metadata, an expiration event is detected. In response to detecting the expiration event, an expiration operation on the set of blocks is processed.
US09959047B2

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method and technique for capacity forecasting is disclosed. The method includes: storing, in a memory, resource data associated with an environment, the resource data comprising inventory information of applications, processing resources and storage resources of the environment; and providing a ledger module executable by a processor unit to: create a capacity-associated transaction; identify and link at least one of an application, processing resource and storage resource to the transaction from the resource data; determine an initiation time and duration associated with the transaction; and forecast a change in capacity of at least one linked storage resource for the transaction and a time of the change in capacity.
US09959040B1

An example method includes designating a corner region of a display device as active, and outputting, for display at the display device, a user interface including at least one element positioned at a first location substantially diagonally opposite and at a first distance from the active corner region. The method further includes receiving an indication of a gesture interpreted by the computing device as originating within the active corner region and terminating within a center region of the display device, and responsive to receiving the indication of the gesture, outputting, for display at the display device, an updated user interface including the element positioned at a second location a second distance from the active corner region.
US09959032B2

An information processing apparatus, method and computer program product are described. At least the apparatus includes comprising a display control device that controls a display of a lock release screen that has displayed thereon a manipulation object and a target object. A manipulation detection device detects a lock release manipulation as a detected moving of the manipulation object toward the target object. The display control device changes an appearance of the target object in response to the manipulation detection device detecting the moving of the manipulation object toward the target object.
US09959029B2

The present invention relates to a system and method for performing a scroll using a scrollTop attribute of a web page, which allows a user to feel as if an individual contents area is actually scrolled if movement of a touched state is sensed when a portion of an individual contents area is displayed on a screen of a user terminal, by calculating a variation of touch coordinates according to the sensed movement of the touched state, determining a scroll direction according to the calculated variation of touch coordinates, calculating a scroll length corresponding to the variation of touch coordinates according to the sensed movement of the touched state and adjusting a scrollTop value of the individual contents area as much as the calculated scroll length.
US09959025B2

An electronic device with a touch-sensitive surface, a display, and one or more sensors to detect intensity of contacts displaying a lower-level user interface that is part of a user interface hierarchy, where the hierarchy includes at least three levels, including the lower-level user interface, an intermediate-level user interface and a higher-level user interface. The device also, while displaying the lower-level user interface, detects an input on a portion of the device that is associated with user interface hierarchy navigation and, in response to detecting the input, in accordance with a determination that the input meets first transition criteria, the device replaces display of the lower-level user interface with display of the intermediate-level user interface and in accordance with a determination that the input meets second transition criteria, the device replaces display of the lower-level user interface with display of the higher-level user interface.
US09959024B2

A method for launching software applications of a smartphone through a personal computer connected thereto is disclosed. The method includes the steps of: a) operatably connecting the handheld computer to the personal computer; b) the personal computer acquiring information of used times of applications of the handheld computer; c) converting tops of the most frequently used applications into items in a subwindow of the personal computer; and d) launching one of the applications by clicking an item in the subwindow, wherein the clicked item corresponds to the launched application.
US09959020B2

A computer program product having a computer readable medium having computer program logic recorded thereon comprises code for generating a canvas upon a display space, the canvas being larger than the display space and including an interactive element, code for navigating within the canvas upon the display space code for changing a status of the interactive element in response to navigation moving the interactive element within the display space.
US09959018B2

The display apparatus includes: a display device; an image processor which processes an image to display the image on the display device; a communication unit which communicates with at least one first external device in which content data are stored and at least one second external device in which an application is installed to process the content data; and a controller which controls the image processor to communicate with the first and second external devices and display a user interface (UI) image corresponding to the content data and the application on the display device, and controls the processing operation of the application with respect to the content data through the UI image.
US09959011B2

The present disclosure relates to quantification of subjective experiences. A method for quantifying a subjective experience may include outputting an adjustable graphic that is continuously adjustable between differing states. The position of a selector may be manipulated to cause the adjustable graphic to be substantially simultaneously manipulated between the differing states to produce an adjusted graphic. Thus, a user may match the adjustable graphic to his or her subjective experience regarding a particular topic. The position of the adjustable graphic may be stationary, and thus independent of the position of the selector. A scaled value corresponding to the adjusted graphic may be calculated to quantify the subjective experience.
US09959010B1

Embodiments of the present application disclose a method and for displaying information as well as a terminal equipment, wherein at least one information card is displayed on a display screen after it is detected that the display screen switches to a screen-on state from a screen-off state. The switch of the display screen to the screen-on state from the screen-off state indicates that a user may be in a spare state. In this case, target information potentially desired by the user is displayed in form of an information card, such that the user can browse the target information with spare time, thus increasing utilization of the spare time of users.
US09959008B2

A system for providing a visual user environment includes a processing unit, a memory, a primary display device for providing a primary visual interface, and an adjunct communication device for providing an adjunct visual interface. In an embodiment, the adjunct display device is configured to present quasi-3D or 3D images. A process can include detecting an adjunct content event corresponding to adjunct visual content associated with an aspect of an application program; and selectively transferring one of an adjunct content notification and adjunct visual content to the adjunct communication device, wherein the adjunct content event corresponds to one of an application program installation sequence, an application program event, an indication of user proficiency in interacting with the application program, a communication session with a remote system, and a predefined visual sequence that is automatically selected for presentation to the user during one of application program installation and application program execution.
US09959002B2

In a method of input sensing and exclusion, an input is detected within a sensing region of an input device. It is determined that the input is along an edge of the input device. It is then determined whether the input satisfies exclusion criteria. Responsive to satisfaction of the exclusion criteria, the input is excluded from consideration as valid input.
US09959000B2

A touch sensing device is provided. The device includes a substrate; a plurality of first electrodes formed on the substrate and arranged along a first direction without overlapping one another; a first insulating layer formed on the substrate and covering the plurality of first electrodes; and a plurality of second electrodes formed on the first insulating layer and arranged along a second direction without overlapping one another, wherein the first direction is orthogonal to the second direction.
US09958994B2

An input device having a sensing region overlapping an input surface includes a first substrate, a second substrate physically coupled to the first substrate, and a sensor electrode disposed on the first substrate and configured to detect input objects in the sensing region. A first force sensor includes a first electrode disposed on the first substrate and a first conductive portion of the second substrate capacitively coupled with the first electrode. The first conductive portion is configured to move relative to the first electrode such that a first variable capacitance of the first force sensor changes in response to force applied to the input surface in a first direction parallel to the touch surface.
US09958991B2

An input device and an input method for a data processing device are provided. The input device includes a touch-sensitive module, an operation prompt interface and a controller. According to the input method, the input device issues a first input signal to the data processing device when a first electrical property change resulting from the keystroke or the tap is sensed in a first operation state. The input device is switched from the first operation state to a second operation state in response to a switching operation. The input device issues a second input signal to the data processing device when a second electrical property change resulting from a touch action is sensed in the second operation state.
US09958990B2

In one embodiment, a stylus operable to communicate wirelessly with a device through a touch sensor of the device contains one or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying logic that is operable when executed to access first data representing a recently occurred authentication event involving the stylus or the device. The logic is further operable to access second data representing a pre-defined authentication event. The logic is further operable to compare the first data with the second data to authenticate a user to the stylus or the device, a stylus to the user or the device, or a device to the user or the stylus.
US09958988B2

In a method for optically capturing a fingerprint or an object on a surface (2) of a cover plate (1) of a screen with a plurality of photosensors (4) which are each assigned to a respective display pixel (6), the display pixels (6) emit light radiation and the photosensors (4) capture light radiation from the display pixels (6) reflected by the surface (2) within a scan angle (8). The scan angle (8) describes in a virtual mirror image plane (9) the size of the display pixel (6).
US09958987B2

The various methods and devices described herein relate to devices which, in at least certain embodiments, may include one or more sensors for providing data relating to user activity and at least one processor for causing the device to respond based on the user activity which was determined, at least in part, through the sensors. The response by the device may include a change of state of the device, and the response may be automatically performed after the user activity is determined.
US09958976B2

Provided is an electronic device with high portability and/or high browsability. The electronic device includes first and second support bodies, a first hinge, and a flexible display panel. The first hinge has a first rotation axis and connects the first and second support bodies to each other, and the first and second support bodies are capable of relatively rotating on the first rotation axis. The display panel includes at least first and second portions supported by the first and second support bodies, respectively; the first rotation axis and a first plane including the display surface overlapping with the first portion or a second plane including the display surface overlapping with the second portion are parallel to each other; and each of a distance between the first rotation axis and the first plane or the second plane is greater than zero.
US09958972B2

The disclosure provides a sensing structure of a touch panel, which includes a shielding layer and a sensing layer. The shielding layer is provided with one hollow portion, and the sensing layer is arranged under the shielding layer and located around the hollow portion. The disclosure further provides a cover plate structure of a touch panel and the touch panel. In the touch panel, the cover plate structure of the touch panel and the sensing structure of a touch panel provided by the disclosure, the sensing layer is located under the shielding layer and around the hollow portion. Thus, the sensing layer is covered by the shielding layer and avoids the hollow portion of a pattern zone, so that the sensing layer cannot be seen through the hollow portion, and the appearance quality of the touch panel is improved.
US09958969B2

An apparatus and method for automatically registering and executing a preferred function in a mobile communication terminal. The method includes registering a function and a configuration value and use character string/numeral string value for the function, to a one-touch execution object. The method also includes, when a one-touch input for the one-touch execution object is sensed, executing the function registered to the one-touch execution object, by the configuration value and use character string/numeral string value registered to the one-touch execution object.
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