US07955034B2
The invention relates to a sliding anchor bolt (10) for introduction into a bore. The sliding anchor bolt (10) has a anchor bolt rod (12), disposed on which is a sliding control element (14) having a through-opening (18), through which the anchor bolt rod (12) extends. The sliding control element (14) comprises a sliding body cage (16) having at least one recess (20) for receiving a sliding body (22) that is in contact with the lateral surface of the anchor bolt rod (12). For precise and repeatable setting of a predefined breakaway force, each recess (22) for receiving a sliding body (22) is disposed in the sliding body cage (22) tangentially relative to the lateral surface of the anchor bolt rod (12). Furthermore, the lateral enveloping surface of each recess (20) projects by a predefined dimension into the free cross section of the through-opening (18), and each sliding body (22) fills the cross section of the recess (20) associated with it.
US07955027B2
A system and method are disclosed for converting channels manufactured for connection together to produce a straight conduit into channels that may be connected together to produce an effectively curved conduit. A link is described that permits the connection between two channels to be connected with an axial offset, which cumulatively allows a plurality of channels to produce a curved conduit.
US07955024B2
The present invention discloses a tactile warning panel inlay system and method. Such system is comprised of a panel formed with an exposed surface having a plurality of tactile warning protrusions and a support surface configured to contact a substrate matrix. The panel includes a plurality of apertures extending from the exposed surface to the support surface. Further, a plurality of two-piece fasteners are configured to extend individually through an aperture included in the plurality of panel apertures to secure the panel to the substrate matrix. Each fastener includes a head conformed to the shape of the tactile warning protrusion and a threaded shank for extending through the panel and which has an anchor member threadably secured thereto.
US07955017B2
An electronic pen includes a pen body having a longitudinal axis; an image sensor; an ink cartridge replaceably received in the pen body, the ink cartridge having a nib at a first end and an opposite second end; and a force sensor assembly engaged with the second end of the ink cartridge. The force sensor assembly is configured for sensing a nib force transmitted longitudinally axially through the ink cartridge. The pen body includes a removable cover molding extending longitudinally along the pen body for insertion of the ink cartridge inside the pen body.
US07955013B2
Medium engaging members are rotatable about an axle. In one embodiment, the members have filed hubs asymmetrically extending towards one another. In another embodiment, the members have centers of mass such that the members lean into abutment with one another.
US07955007B2
A lens barrel includes a barrel member including an optical system and a barrier device mounted thereto. The barrier device includes blades that are openable/closable to protect a front surface of the optical system, a cover member having an opening portion for allowing light to pass therethrough, and a barrier driving member configured to drive the barrier blades such that the blades are revolvable around an optical axis. Size of shielded area is defined when the blades are fitted together after rotating corresponding to a range capable of shielding the opening portion. Rotation shafts are configured to allow the blades to rotate therearound to be opened/closed and are pivotally mounted on the barrier driving member. The barrier driving member is configured to rotate to bring the blades into a closed state in such a manner as to shield a gap made between the shielded area and the opening portion.
US07955004B2
A fiber optic furcation method for fiber optic cables having a plurality of optical fibers and a fiber optic junction made by said method. The method comprises the steps of threading each optical fiber into a separate fiber optic cable forming a junction; placing a first tube around the junction so that the tube covers the reinforcing members of the fiber optic cables; folding reinforcing fibers from the fiber optic cables over the first tube; applying an adhesive to the reinforcing fibers; placing a second tube around the junction; and shrink wrapping the junction.
US07954998B2
A hydrodynamic bearing set, for use with a thrust disk disposed between planar surfaces of a housing, includes first and second topfoils disposed adjacent first and second thrust disk axial bearing surfaces and removably secured to the housing. An underspring is secured between each planar housing surface and the corresponding topfoil. Dual-leaf spring pairs attached to at least one topfoil periphery function to urge the topfoils away from the thrust disk axial bearing surfaces by applying a force against a planar housing surface, another topfoil, or a spacer washer secured between adjacent topfoil dual-leaf pairs or frictionally retained within the housing. Alternatively, a wavy washer, a conical spring, a Belleville washer, or a coil spring can be substituted for the dual-leaf spring pairs.
US07954996B2
A positioning system for imaging devices is provided. The positioning system includes an imaging element and a tilting arm support having the imaging element coupled thereto. The tilting arm support includes a linkage to tilt the imaging element when the tilting arm support moves.
US07954994B2
A combined pressure and temperature sensor for recording the pressure and the temperature of a medium. The combined pressure and temperature sensor includes a sensor element in which at least one channel is developed for accommodating a temperature sensor and at least one channel is developed for recording a pressure. The at least one channel, for recording a pressure, opens out under a pressure sensor. The at least one channel for the temperature sensor runs centrically in the sensor element.
US07954992B2
A device and method of transporting and blending substances into a container of fluid.
US07954991B2
The present invention is directed to a materials extrusion device including a screw extruder with a plunger feeder. It includes a screw extruder having a main housing, a materials advancing screw, a screw drive mechanism, a feed port for inputting materials to be extruded and an extrusion outlet port. It also includes a plunger feeder having an elongated, upwardly biased (non-horizontal) plunger housing, e.g., a cylinder, with a plunger. A plunger drive mechanism is connected to the plunger to move the plunger upwardly and downwardly within the plunger housing, and there is a feed outlet at an upper end of the plunger housing, the feed outlet being connected to the screw extruder feed port.
US07954983B2
The present invention provides an optical component, a manufacturing method of the same and a backlight module including the foregoing optical component. The optical component includes a plurality of microstructures and reflecting members. The microstructure is extended along a first direction and arranged along a second direction on a light exit surface, and a distance between the first curve and the second curve in the second direction is not equal and not parallel, and a distance between the second curve and another first curve in the second direction being not equal and not parallel. Each reflecting member is extended along the first direction and arranged along the second direction on a light entrance surface and the position of each reflecting member is among two microstructures. Each of the reflecting members to the light entrance surface has a thickness t, a length of the microstructure in the second direction is a width P, the optical component has a refractive index n, and t, P and n satisfy a formula of tan−1(P/(10t))>sin−1(1/n). When the design of the optical component satisfies the foregoing formula, it will achieve better optical performance.
US07954970B2
A bottle for alcoholic or non alcoholic beverages has a hollow body part defining an inner space for filling an alcoholic or non alcoholic beverage, at least one electrical/electronic device integrated in the hollow body part without interfering with a content of the bottle and having a light generating unit and a sensing unit selected from the group consisting of a contact sensor, a movement sensor, and both operative for activating the light generating unit for producing light in response to an action selected from the group consisting of a contact, a movement, and both in a vicinity of the device.
US07954962B2
A laser image display including a laser light source emitting laser light, a beam deflector element for receiving laser light and deflecting its advancing direction, a beam deflecting element control section for controlling the degree of deflection performed by the beam deflector element, an optical integrator for receiving and guiding the deflected laser light to output from its outputting end face, a pseudo surface light source element for scattering the deflected laser light, and a modulation element for receiving and modulating the laser light scattered by the false surface light source element.
US07954959B2
Transmission-type screens are placed corresponding to a display board at a front area of the display board, on which an article is placed. Each of the screens transmits and projects a projector image luminous flux projected from a backside of the screens to a front side of the screens. When the projector image luminous flux is projected from the backside of the screens, each of inner circumferences which defines a space including an image projecting space for leading the projector image luminous flux to the backside of the screens without obstruction. A display shelf might have a projector and a computer. The projector projects the projector image luminous flux. The display shelf might have a reflecting mirror which lead the projector image flux to the screens.
US07954956B2
A projection-type display apparatus includes an optical modulation device having a lamp emitting a light, and a projection optical system projecting the light on a screen in a magnified form, with the projection optical system including a plurality of reflection mirrors. In addition, a fan system air-cools reflective surfaces of the plurality of reflection mirrors. The fan system includes a fan and a controller for controlling the fan based on luminance output of the lamp.
US07954953B2
A scanning beam overlay projection system displays an image on a projection surface by scanning a light beam in a raster pattern. Reflective spots on the projection surface reflect light back to the projection system when illuminated by the light beam. A photodetector in the projection system detects the reflected light, and timing circuits determine where in the raster pattern the reflective spots are located. The image can be scaled and warped to correlate tagged points within the image with the locations of the reflective spots on the projection surface.
US07954951B2
In a first display mode, a common image function component is displayed to occupy at least a part of a display region of a second specific image function component. In a second display mode, the common image function component is continuously displayed outside the second specific image function component to avoid the overlap therebetween (i.e., such that an exclusive positional relationship is made therebetween). When the display mode is switched, a final transition of the display mode to a display state in the second display mode is made while or after a moving image showing a transition process, in which the common image function component is moved from a display position in the first display mode to a display position in the second display mode, is displayed as a mode transition animation.
US07954950B2
A system and method for specifying a vision correction prescription for a patient's eye, wherein in one embodiment, the method includes obtaining a wavefront aberration measurement of the patient's eye, applying at least one value from the wavefront aberration measurement to a statistical model trained using a plurality of objectively measured aberration values and a plurality subjectively measured visual acuity values as training data; and predicting a vision correction prescription for the patient's eye based on the at least one value and the statistical model.
US07954947B2
An image acquisition apparatus that uses optical coherence tomography includes a scanning unit provided within a light path that guides signal light to be incident on an examination object towards the examination object and configured to scan the signal light in a main scanning direction; and a control unit configured to control the scanning unit such that an integration time of an optical interference signal per pixel in at least one predetermined area other than opposite ends, in the main scanning direction, of an image acquisition region scanned by a plurality of main scan lines is increased relative to that of an area other than the predetermined area.
US07954944B2
The disclosure relates to a spectacle lens comprising: a lens base member; a multi-layered anti-reflection film placed on the lens base member, and including a layer mainly made of silicon dioxide as an outermost layer; and a water-and-oil repellent layer provided in contact with the outermost layer of the multi-layered anti-reflection film, and made by using, as raw materials: at least one kind of a first fluorine-substituted alkyl group-containing organosilicon compound and a second fluorine-substituted alkyl group-containing organosilicon compound. The disclosure also relates to methods of producing a spectacle lens that is capable of retaining a sufficient water-and-oil repellency over an extended period, and having sufficient edge processability.
US07954941B2
A coupling device with a breakaway tab and methods of using the same for operably coupling an ornament to a joint or hinge. The coupling device comprises an elongated body having openings at each end. One opening has been adapted to receive a screw of a joint or hinge, the other to receive an ornamental fastener. A breakaway tab or non-threaded portion of the elongated stem is provided to manipulate the screw and coupling device so the coupling device may be inserted between a head of the screw and a first surface of the joint or hinge. After engaging the threads in the hollow threaded channel of the hinge, and the screw has been essentially completely inserted into the hollow threaded channel of the hinge, the breakaway tab or non-threaded portion of the elongated stem of the screw may be broken off at a breakaway and discarded.
US07954940B2
A personal digital assistant is provided which has a body housing a memory for storing personal digital assistant information, a printhead for printing the stored information, a bay extending along a first edge of the body for removably receiving a print media cartridge for supplying print media to the printhead, and control circuitry for controlling functions of the personal digital assistant, and a display pivotally mounted to the body at said first edge for displaying the stored information.
US07954937B2
The present invention provides an ink jet printing apparatus capable of improving reliability of an electrical connecting portion between a carriage side and head cartridge side. When an ink tank is mounted on a head cartridge, a hook of a set lever is obstructed to be operated in a lock releasing direction by a restricting surface of the ink tank. This prevents the head cartridge from being removed from the carriage, and maintains an electrical connecting condition between the carriage and the head cartridge. Therefore, for removing the head cartridge, it is necessary to remove the ink tank.
US07954934B2
An ink jet type printing apparatus in which an ink supply needle is located near one side in a direction perpendicular to the reciprocated directions of a carriage, a circuit board is mounted on a wall of an ink cartridge in the vicinity of the side on which an ink supply port is formed and plural contacts for connecting to external control means are formed on the exposed surface of the circuit board.
US07954923B2
A liquid ejecting apparatus includes: a printing head that ejects liquid to form dots on a recording medium; a head driving section that performs a main scanning for the printing head; a transporting section that performs a sub-scanning for the recording medium; an image forming section that forms an image, a first dot formation area and a second dot formation area; an overlap control section that performs overlap control for intermittently forming dots on the first and second dot formation areas so as to make the second dot formation area overlap with the first dot formation area and fill spaces between the dots intermittently formed on the first dot formation area; and a cancellation section that cancel the overlap control when a blank area exists in an image and a nozzle forming at least one of the first dot formation area and the second dot formation area.
US07954913B2
A support frame for a drawer-type dishwasher includes a top section and opposing side sections formed from a plurality of support members which define an open lattice work and establish a cavity for a slidable dishwasher drawer. The support frame also includes first and second rail supports that are provided on respective ones of the opposing side sections. The first and second rail supports are designed to support corresponding first and second extensible rails which, in turn, support the wash tub for movement relative to the frame. In addition, the support frame includes lid support elements for a mechanism that provides shifting of a lid member relative to the wash tub.
US07954906B2
A wheel quick release system for a bicycle or other wheeled vehicle where the wheel can be easily removed by a manual operation on only one side of the wheel hub but is prevented from unexpected separation at all times while engaged with the wheel. A laterally moving skewer mounted concentrically inside a hollow axle is equipped with a “non-touch” nut on one end and is spring loaded toward a quick release cam on the other end thereby always urging the nut against the adjacent dropout. To remove the wheel, the quick release cam is operated and the quick release side assembly is pushed axially inward and a safety mechanism is operated and held in this position while the wheel is removed from the fork dropouts. When the wheel is again inserted into the wheel fork, the skewer automatically locks onto the dropouts, and subsequently if the quick release cam is inadvertently left open by the user, the wheel will be somewhat loose but will remain safely inserted in the wheel mounts. In this way, if the bicycle or wheeled vehicle looks safe to ride, it is safe to ride.
US07954904B2
A shearer loader for underground mining, the shear loader comprising a shearer loader body, at least one cutting drum fastened to a supporting arm joined to the loader body, a first drive motor for moving the shearer loader and a second drive motor for moving the cutting drums, a cooling water circuit for cooling the first and second drive motors, the cooling water circuit including an inlet and a return line, a spray system including at least one spray water circuit, the spray system including a feed line fluidly connecting a common water connection to the cutting drums, the spray system further including a valve in the feed line for switching the spray water circuits on and off, a control valve connected between the feed line of the spray water circuit and the return line of the cooling water circuit, the control valve allowing selective flow from the cooling water circuit to be directed to the cutting drums.
US07954901B2
A configurable restraint system (10-10vi) for a vehicle seat (12, 12′) may comprise a first restraint harness (30-30″) coupled to a first engagement member (32), a second restraint harness (34-34″) coupled to a second engagement member (36), and a third engagement member (50-50″″) configured to be movable between first and second positions relative to the vehicle seat. The first position may be located relative to the vehicle seat so that the first engagement member (32) may releasably engage the third engagement member (50-50″″) to restrain a first occupant of the vehicle seat via the first restraint harness (30-30″). The second position may be located relative to the vehicle seat so that the second engagement member (36) may alternatively releasably engage the third engagement member (50-50″″) to alternatively restrain the first occupant of the vehicle seat via the second restraint harness (34-34″).
US07954890B2
A folding chair is disclosed. The chair includes a plurality of legs, including front and back legs, a seat, and a folding unit. The folding unit is attached to the legs and the seat, and it is configured to fold the legs using a force applied to at least one of the legs. The front legs nest beside the back legs.
US07954888B2
A body structure of a rear part of a motor vehicle contains at least two side walls, each having a side wall element, and a bulkhead with a cross member on the ground side. The cross member is provided with rearwardly open mounts into which a front end region of the respective side wall element is pushed and is welded and/or riveted to the cross member.
US07954877B2
A relatively lightweight tarping system for use with trailers or other open top containers includes first and second spaced frame members and an elongated flexible member such as a cable or chain connected to and extending therebetween. A tarpaulin may be mounted thereon so that the frame members, flexible member and tarpaulin are pivotable between a covered position atop the open top container and an uncovered position. A four-bar linkage is preferably used in combination with a rotational drive mechanism to provide various advantages in rotating the tarpaulin assembly between the covered and uncovered positions. A width adjustment mechanism is provided to provide usage with trailers or other open top containers of different widths. An improved seal is provided between the tarpaulin and container.
US07954863B2
A bumper beam in the form of an open hat beam with a central flange (11) pointing outwards has a transverse bulkhead (23) at one of its fastening portions (17). An internally threaded socket (22) is welded to the transverse bulkhead parallel with the bulkhead and protrudes through a hole (21) in the central flange (11) so that a tow eyelet can be screwed firmly into the socket when needed and thereafter be unscrewed.
US07954854B2
A torsion bar, constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention, an elongated bar has a first end, a second end, and a mid-section between the first and second ends. The first end of the elongated bar has a material void. The first end preferably has a diameter substantially equal to a diameter of the mid-section. In one design, the material void is a slot extending longitudinally, and the first end may also define a plurality of circumferentially spaced slots extending longitudinally. In another design, the material void is a bore extending longitudinally, and the first end may also define a plurality of slots extending longitudinally and extending from the bore through an exterior surface of the elongated bar to leave a plurality of fingers at the first end. In these designs and other, the torsion bar and the material void may be cold forged, thereby eliminating a second forming step. The torsion bar may also include a plurality of circumferentially spaced ribs extending longitudinally from the first end to the second end.
US07954848B2
An inflator includes in a combustion chamber a first gas generating charge and a second gas generating charge to be ignited and burned to generate an inflation gas. The second gas generating charge is slower in speed of combustion than the first gas generating charge. The inflator further includes a partition wall that segregates the first and second gas generating charges. The partition wall is located away from an ignition area of an ignition device that ignites the first gas generating charge, with the first gas generating charge located between itself and the ignition area. The partition wall is burnable to destruction by the fire generated by combustion of the first gas generating charge so as to permit propagation of the fire to the second gas generating charge by its generally entire area.
US07954836B2
A truckbed access apparatus consisting of a first hollow support component, a second hollow support component affixable over and about the first support component with a step plate affixed thereto, a first holding pin for holding the first support component to a truck reese hitch unit, a second holding pin for holding the second hollow support component to the first one, a vertically inclined support rod affixed through a hole in the step plate to one side thereof and also to the second hollow support component and with a brace component held to the support rod and also to a threaded hook unit in turn hooked into a hole found in a truck reese hitch unit.
US07954824B2
A coupling device includes a body having an end for coupling with a handle. The body includes a compartment having a receiving space for receiving an object such as a bit. The receiving space includes a slanted face extending longitudinally outward and radially inward. A follower is slidably mounted in the compartment and includes an outer end having a restraining hole. A positioning member extends from a radially outer side through the restraining hole to a radially inner side of the follower and is slidable along the slanted face. The follower is biased outward by an elastic element toward the receiving space when the object is inserted into the receiving space and moves the follower longitudinally inward. A radial clamping force is imparted from the slanted face through the positioning member to securely clamp the object in the receiving space.
US07954820B2
A gaming article that includes a sensing layer, a non-metallic electroluminescent layer disposed over a portion of the sensing layer, a story layer that is at least substantially transparent and depicts a game board thereon, wherein the story layer is disposed over a portion of the electroluminescent layer, and a sensing device that interacts with the sensing layer when it is adjacent to the story layer and transmits light therethrough from the electroluminescent layer to a player to facilitate display of relevant information. Also included are methods of playing a game, preferably a mystery game, using the gaming article.
US07954818B2
A discharged sheet is conveyed, by a sheet conveying portion movable above sheet stacking portions while supporting a sheet, to selected one among plural sheet stacking portions. When the sheet is conveyed to the selected sheet stacking portion by the sheet conveying portion, a member for preventing a bringing-together provided in the main body of the apparatus prevents a sheet bundle, stacked in a sheet stacking portion at the upstream side of the selected sheet stacking portion, from being brought together by the sheet conveyed above the upstream sheet stacking portion by the sheet conveying portion.
US07954817B2
An image forming system includes a first sheet stacking device including a rack, provided downstream of an image forming apparatus in a conveyance direction of a recording sheet and connected with the image forming apparatus, for stacking the recording sheet delivered from the image forming apparatus; a second sheet stacking device, which is provided downstream of the first sheet stacking device and connected with the first sheet stacking device; and a controller for controlling the image forming apparatus and the first and second sheet stacking devices. At least one of the first and second sheet stacking devices has a job stop button for stopping a printing job, and when the job stop button is turned on while the printing job execution is in progress, the controller controls the sheet stacking device to stop a stack of a recording sheet to the rack.
US07954814B2
A sheet discharge roller has a contact portion in contact with a feed roller and a noncontact portion not in contact with the feed roller. The sheet discharge roller includes a kick-out unit having a projected portion and a recess portion on one end of the noncontact portion in the circumferential direction. A reverse roller also has a contact portion in contact with the feed roller and a noncontact portion not in contact with the feed roller. The reverse roller includes a large-diameter portion on its one end in a direction opposite to a direction of the kick-out unit. The large-diameter portion has a diameter larger than a diameter of the contact portion.
US07954809B2
A sheet post-processing apparatus 100 includes bundle discharge rollers 6, a sheet detection sensor 31, a main tray 11, and a sheet hold device 32 having a plurality of hold portions 34a to 34c. When a sheet bundle is discharged from the bundle discharge rollers 6, the hold portions 34a to 34c rotate to a release position where the hold portions 34a to 34c stop holding the sheet bundle P stacked on the main tray 11, the main tray 11 moves downward to a wait position H2, and then, the hold portions 34a to 34c rotate to the lowest position, then the main tray 11 moves up to a hold position H1.
US07954805B2
A feeding device for feeding each of accumulated mail items P onto a conveyance path includes a pickup belt which runs along a pickup position, and a negative-pressure chamber opposing the pickup position with the pickup belt interposed therebetween. When each mail item is picked up from the pickup position and reaches a nip between conveyance belts, air is introduced into the negative-pressure chamber to eliminate negative pressure therein.
US07954800B2
A sheet processing device includes a sheet aligning unit that aligns a sheet recording medium. The sheet aligning unit is configured to be pulled out from a main body of the sheet processing device, and includes a sheet conveying member for conveying the sheet recording medium.
US07954797B2
A creasing device includes a feeding mechanism, a creasing mechanism, sensors, and an aligning mechanism. The feeding mechanism conveys paper on which an image has been formed in a post-processing apparatus main body direction. The creasing mechanism makes a crease on the paper. The sensors detect a deviation of the paper with respect to the feeding direction. The aligning mechanism, based on an amount of deviation in a result of a detection by the sensors, causes the creasing mechanism to rotate in such a way that the creasing mechanism is aligned parallel to a crease direction of the paper.
US07954790B2
A composite hollow aspirator shaft is formed of fiberglass-reinforced phenolic resin that resists abrasion and reduces the amount of vibration that is transferred to the motor rotating the shaft, and the motor's bearings to extend motor and bearing life. An aspirator tip is adhesively attached to the composite aspirator shaft and includes an access hole for cleaning inside the hollow aspirator shaft. The hole is in axial alignment with the hollow aspirator shaft and a selectively-removable plug is used to seal the hole during aspirator use. When the aspirator tip is rotated in a liquid, fluidic forces are transferred to the shaft where they are attenuated. A splined hub is used to attach a foam restrictor near the other end of the shaft. The composite shaft material has a flexural modulus, or ratio, within the elastic limit of any applied stress.
US07954787B2
The injector comprises a balanced metering servovalve to control a rod for the opening/closing of a nozzle. La servovalve has a valve body with a control chamber radially delimited by a tubular portion and fitted with an outlet passage that is opened/closed by an axially movable shutter. The servovalve is also integral with an axial stem, provided with a lateral surface, through which the outlet channel exits. The shutter is coupled to the stem in an axially sliding manner and, when it closes the outlet passage, it is subjected to substantially null axial fuel pressure. The outlet passage has a calibrated segment distanced from the shutter and close to a bottom wall of the control chamber. The calibrated segment is carried by an element fixed to the valve body in correspondence to an axial segment of the outlet passage.
US07954786B2
A socket housing formed on the side of a solenoid valve body includes a socket thereinside connected with a coil of a solenoid operation section. A power feeding terminal box for holding a pin-shaped power feeding terminal connected with a power feeding line is housed in a terminal cover. Installation of the terminal cover on the side of the solenoid valve body causes the power feeding terminal to be electrically connected with the socket and at the same time the power feeding terminal box to be locked into a locking stopper formed inside the terminal cover, thereby allowing the terminal cover to be locked and held in place.
US07954778B2
An ophthalmic surgery support comprising a moving mechanism for holding a surgical instrument to be movable in Z-axis direction, a tilting mechanism for holding the moving mechanism so that a surgical instrument can be tilted in an arbitrary direction about a specified point that is to be positioned to a wound opening and positioned on the Z-axis, and a tilt fixing mechanism for fixing the tilt of the surgical instrument by the tilting mechanism, wherein the tilting mechanism has a rough-motion tilting mechanism, a fine-motion tilting mechanism finer in tilting range than the rough-motion tilting mechanism, a tilt switching mechanism for switching the tilt of the surgical instrument by the rough-motion tilting mechanism to that by the fine-motion tilting mechanism, and a resistance imparting means for imparting resistance for damping the tilting operation of the surgical instrument by the fine-motion tilting mechanism than that by the rough-motion tilting mechanism.
US07954777B2
An alignment unit, which is of simple and robust design and can be adjusted well, for directional radios, in particular directional radio antennas, is distinguished by two attachment brackets, which are articulated on a common centre part such that they can pivot about two mutually orthogonal swivel axes, as well as two operating units for separate adjustment and fixing of the pivoting angle of the two attachment brackets relative to the centre part.
US07954772B2
The wire chafing stand of the present invention comprises a rim configured in any desired geometry having longitudinal and lateral sides and a plurality of wire legs extending from the rim with at least one end of each wire leg or both being welded to the rim such that a T-welded intersection is substantially formed between the wire legs and at least the longitudinal sides of the rim in which the longitudinal axis of each such wire leg intersects the longitudinal axis of the rim to form an included angle of substantially 90°.
US07954760B2
Embodiments provide a cargo floor, a system, and a method adapted to be made integral with or complementary of the aircraft fuselage. Cargo floor members may be adapted to be coupled with a flat fuselage bottom inner skin of an aircraft fuselage to serve as the main orthotropic stiffeners to the flat fuselage bottom inner skin such that a portion of the in service loading experienced by the aircraft are shared by a combination of the fuselage and the cargo floor.
US07954755B2
A method of launching a catapult, a catapult and a locking device for a catapult. The catapult comprises a carriage for fastening an aircraft. The carriage can be provided with a high acceleration by directing a launching force generated by a launching device thereto. The carriage can be held at a launching position by means of the locking device. The catapult further comprises a takeoff damper that generates a damping force having a direction opposite relative to the launching force. Accordingly, the takeoff damper restricts the acceleration of the carriage at the initial launching moments.
US07954749B2
A method and is disclosed for the production of winding cores having a solid wood exterior. The method comprises adhering a plurality of staves about the exterior of the extruded wood core, such that those staves form a shell.
US07954743B2
The invention relates to a roller mill having at least one mill roller and a rotatable mill platen, which are arranged in a mill inner space, and a moment arm which is retained so as to be pivotably movable and rotationally secure in a bearing, with the mill roller being supported in a rotatable manner at one end of the moment arm and there further being provided means for applying a force to the moment arm comprising a pressure cylinder which is in operative contact with the moment arm in order to adjust the mill pressure which is applied by the mill roller. The contact location, at which the force of the pressure cylinder is transmitted to the moment arm, is located outside the mill inner space.
US07954741B2
Apparatus for grinding biological samples contained in tubes (12) carried by a turntable (10) driven with oscillating motion, the zone in which the tubes (12) oscillate being surrounded by cooling means (30) enabling the samples in the tubes (12) to be maintained at a desired low temperature, e.g. 4° C., while they are being ground.
US07954731B2
A rotary impact sprinkler is disclosed having a nozzle connected to a housing and a discharge deflector member connected to a rotatable shaft assembly without a dynamic seal between the nozzle and the deflector. The sprinkler may be provided with different nozzles and discharge deflectors that are easily removed and replaced for providing desired water flow and discharge characteristics. The shaft assembly and housing may have contacting braking surfaces outside of the water flow. The braking surfaces may provide a frictional braking force dependent on both water flow rate and water flow pressure. The sprinkler has a rotatable impact assembly supported by the shaft assembly and including a deflection member for rotating the impact assembly relative to the shaft assembly. The shaft assembly may have a pin for supporting the impact assembly at a position above the deflection member. A lower portion of the shaft assembly may be positioned in a recess in the housing such that a surface on the shaft assembly contacts a surface in the recess, and a highly wear resistant material may be disposed on the surface of either the shaft assembly or the recess for providing improved wear characteristics. The deflection member of the impact assembly may have a channel that receives a portion of the water stream for rotating the impact assembly, and the channel may expel the water from the sprinkler. The discharge deflector may have a varying profile for discharging water at varying trajectories.
US07954727B2
A shoulder for use in retaining a railway rail fastening clip, comprising two interconnected spaced-apart walls, between which a portion of the clip to be retained is held when the shoulder is in use, and clip-engaging means, supported by the walls, for engaging a portion of the clip to be retained, does not have any feature or surface which engages the surface of that clip portion which faces downwardly when the clip is in use. Alternatively, or in addition, none of the contact regions, at which the device engages the rail clip, can be seen when the anchoring device is viewed from above when in its operative orientation and all of the contact regions can be seen when the anchoring device is viewed from below when in the operative orientation. Alternatively, or in addition, all the contact regions lie substantially at the same horizontal distance from the edge of the rail foot when measured perpendicularly to the axis of the rail and in the plane of the rail foot.
US07954719B2
A tunnel-type digital imaging-based self-checkout system capable of generating and projecting coplanar illumination and imaging planes into a 3D imaging volume within a tunnel structure. The tunnel structure is supported above a package conveyor in a retail POS environment, and employs automatic package identification, profiling and tracking techniques during self-checkout operations.
US07954712B2
The invention utilizes a system that links two-way communication components with inventory, fixtures, and people. Once linked, the system permits a centralized computer network to collect information about the spatial and temporal relationship between inventory, fixtures, and people using a low frequency communication protocol. When the invention is applied to a retail situation, the retailer can track inventory throughout the supply chain and can do so without substantial human involvement. Furthermore, the two-way communication components also permit the retailer to communicate directly with products on the shelves in a way that allows for re-pricing of goods or broadcasting of messages to customers, also without the need for direct human involvement.
US07954692B2
An auxiliary member is inserted into holes of opposite portions of a main member such that opposite ends of the auxiliary member extend outwardly through the holes. A joining tool is pushed, while being rotated, against one of the ends of the auxiliary member, so that the material of the auxiliary member softened due to frictional heat and plastic flow is deformed and pushed inside the main member via the hole. The tool is released to allow the plastic flow portion of the auxiliary member into solidification. Then, a similar operation is performed with respect to the other end of the auxiliary member.
US07954691B2
The invention relates to a method for the joining of tube plates (10) and tubes (11) in a tube bundle heat transfer device with the help of a rotating friction tool. Here, the friction tool is rotatingly moved into the open end of a tube (11) surrounded by the tube plate (10) in the axial direction of said tube and pressed against the face of the tube (11) in the manner that the tube end (12) and the region of the tube plate (10) surrounding the tube end are plasticized and merge into a weld joint.
US07954690B2
An inkjet print head for which an ink flow path formation member, arranged on a printing element board, is prevented from being peeled off or being damaged, and the printing element board in an appropriate state can be mounted on a support member. According to the present invention, an ink flow path formation member is arranged on one face of a printing element board, and a peripheral area extending outward from the ink flow path formation member is prepared. Since pressure is applied to the peripheral area using a mounting tool, to bond the first terminals of the printing element board to the electrode terminals of the support member, damage to the ink flow path formation member, caused by the mounting tool, can be prevented.
US07954687B2
A coated surgical fastener is provided for an easy visualization within tissue. The coated surgical fastener includes a core and a relatively non-reflective coating applied about the core. There is also disclosed an illuminated staple cartridge for use with a surgical stapling device having a light source. The illuminated staple cartridge includes a transparent insert and a relatively nontransparent U-shaped outer channel at least partially surrounding the transparent insert. Windows formed in sides of the U-shaped outer channel allow defined amounts of light to project from the sides of the illuminated staple cartridge.
US07954685B2
There is provided a surgical instrument incorporating driving force mechanisms capable of transmitting a driving force through an articulated section of the surgical instrument. In one embodiment, a series of racks connect with a transfer gear to pass forces around the articulated section. In an alternative embodiment a series of cable sections and wheels or pulleys are provided to transmit a driving force through the articulated section of the surgical instrument.
US07954672B2
The dispensing appliance for a double syringe includes double plungers (4) connected by a thrust plate (5) and a flange holder (6) having a guiding slot (8) for receiving the retaining flange (9) of the double syringe (1) and at least one finger rest grip (7). Such a dispensing appliance allows an easier dispensing especially of smaller double syringes.
US07954670B2
A container evacuation system is provided for viscous flowable materials such as grease, paste or flowable powders. The container system includes a lightweight, rigid exterior, such as a cardboard container. Provided within the container is a flexible containment system constructed of polyethylene sheets or the like. The flexible containment system is provided with a plurality of weldments to create at least two pockets, wherein one pocket contains the flowable material and a second pocket is available to be filled with air, to allow air provided to the second pocket to force the flowable material from the first pocket out through a drain. The system includes a weldment which curves around at least a portion of the drain to crease a funnel which focuses flowable material toward the drain, while reducing the likelihood of a portion of the flexible containment system from obstructing the movement of flowable material out of the first pocket through the drain.
US07954654B1
A collapsible bow holder that fits over the back of a car or truck seat to facilitate the ready access to a bow in the event that a sportsman wants to deploy it in a nearly immediate manner. The bow holder allows for one or more bows to be securely stored within a vehicle along with arrows, maps, and other accessories. When not in use, the bow holder can be collapsed to a flat shape that is easily stored within a vehicle.
US07954653B2
A display system for casket selection comprises a back wall, actual utilitarian and ornamental casket features mounted to the back wall, and a display adjacent the back wall. The display is operable to display facsimiles of the actual utilitarian and ornamental casket features.
US07954646B2
An apparatus that allows for separating and collecting a fraction of a sample. The apparatus, when used with a centrifuge, allows for the creation of at least three fractions in the apparatus. It also provides for a new method of extracting the buffy coat phase from a whole blood sample. A buoy system that may include a first buoy portion and a second buoy member operably interconnected may be used to form at least three fractions from a sample during a substantially single centrifugation process. Therefore, the separation of various fractions may be substantially quick and efficient.
US07954645B2
A vibratory plate screen having a first end for quickly mounting in a vibrator housing, an intermediate region with openings therein and a securement end that allows one to quickly secure a vibratory plate screen in a vibratory housing. In addition, the screen is sufficiently flexible to enable one to mount the vibrator screen in a curved condition or stressed condition so that the inherent tensile strength of the material assists in holding the vibratory plate screen in position. A further feature of the invention is the quick removal and securement of the vibratory plate screen.
US07954643B2
A derivative of aspartic acid is used as a collector for a phosphate containing mineral, such as apatite, in a froth flotation process. According to the invention the collector has a high selectivity for phosphate containing minerals even in the presence of carbonate minerals, such as calcite. The derivative has the formula (I) where RI is a hydrophobic group containing a hydrocarbon group of 6-24 carbon atoms; RII is an alkyl group with 1-7 carbon atoms or a group of the formula (B)yH, in which B is an alkyleneoxy group with 2-4 carbon atoms and y is a number from 1 to 10; and M is a group selected from the group consisting of a cation or hydrogen. Methods for producing the derivative are also described.
US07954639B2
A dugout organizer includes a plurality of compartments formed from a flexible material, wherein each of the compartments are sized to hold a player's glove, helmet and hat, a shelf for holding larger equipment coupled to the compartments, and a plurality of bat holders for holding bats. The compartments, shelf and bat holders can be folded into a relatively flat unit for transport.
US07954626B2
The invention relates to a belt conveyor (1) having a conveyor roller (5) and such a conveyor roller (5) comprising a drum shell (54), a fluid connection (55), and at least one first fastening element (52) for fastening the conveyor roller (5) in a conveyor frame (3), wherein the drum shell (54) has an exterior pipe (541), which is rotatably supported about the first fastening element (52), wherein the exterior pipe (541) has a plurality of fluid outlet orifices (545) on the circumferential surface (543) thereof, and wherein the fluid connection (55) is in communication with the fluid outlet orifices (545).
US07954624B2
A shuttle-type conveying system to convey an article. The system includes a feeding and collecting device capable of setting a cassette in which articles to be conveyed are stacked as they are on a rotating and feeding table, a pickup device taking out the article and placing it on a receiving/delivery table, and a conveying device feeding the article on the receiving/delivery table to another receiving/delivery table by a shuttle conveying portion traveling on conveying paths below the receiving/delivery table. After the article is lifted up by the shuttle conveying portion and moved to outside the receiving/delivery table, the article is lowered below the receiving/delivery table and made to travel under the receiving/delivery table to another receiving/delivery table.
US07954615B2
A device for actuating a disk clutch (B) in a transmission, which consists of an actuating piston-cylinder arrangement with rotation pressure compensation, whose actuating piston (6) is associated with a pressure chamber (4) for a pressure medium fluid to produce the actuating force, and in which a pressure compensation chamber (26) is provided, in which by virtue of centrifugal action a pressure medium fluid produces on the actuating piston a compensation force directed in opposition to the actuation direction of the actuating piston, the pressure chamber and the pressure compensation chamber each having a delivery line (9, 21) for pressure medium fluid. To simplify the structure of this device and reduce costs, the pressure compensation chamber is arranged completely a radial distance away from the pressure chamber, the pressure compensation chamber is delimited by a disk carrier (1) of the disk clutch that carries inner disks and by the actuating piston and the pressure compensation chamber is arranged radially above a flow channel (25) leading through the disk carrier that carries inner disks (13).
US07954613B2
A decoupler assembly that includes a hub, a drive member disposed about the hub, and a clutch coupling the hub and the drive member. The drive member is disposed about the hub for rotation about a rotational axis and includes an inner clutch surface. The clutch includes a carrier, a plurality of arcuate springs, and a wrap spring. The carrier is received between the hub and the drive member. The arcuate springs are mounted to the carrier and are configured to transmit rotary power between the carrier and the hub. The wrap spring includes a proximal end, which is drivingly coupled to the carrier, and a plurality of helical coils that are engaged to the inner clutch surface of the drive member.
US07954611B2
A composite profile comprising a carrier profile made of a light metal material and a profiled strip which is made of a harder material and covers the top surface of the carrier profile. An insertable bar is added to the profiled strip on each longitudinal side in a position parallel to the direction thereof and is inserted into a lateral slot embodied therein. The insertable bar is firmly connected to the profiled strip thereof by a weld seam.
US07954602B2
A lift apparatus is disclosed. Particularly, a lift apparatus may comprise a support frame and a platform movably coupled to the support frame. Further, the platform may comprise at least one roller and a transmission connected to the at least one roller of the assembly, wherein rotation of the at least one roller causes the platform to move relative to the support frame. In another aspect of the present invention, a lift apparatus may include a telescoping platform. The present invention also contemplates a method of moving a wheelchair lift. Particularly, a wheelchair may be positioned such that at least one wheel of the wheelchair contacts a drive mechanism of a platform or a telescoping platform that are positioned at an initial position. Further, the at least one wheel of the wheelchair may be rotated to cause the platform or the telescoping platform to move relative to their initial positions.
US07954601B2
A lubricant dispenser includes a lubricant container that has an outlet opening for lubricant, a piston disposed in the lubricant container, and a cap connected with the lubricant container, having a device for generating a gas that impacts the piston. The device for gas generation has a gas cell with an electrolyte fluid and electrodes for electrochemical gas generation, a power source, as well as an electrical connection between the power source and the electrodes with a switch. The cap is a plastic injection-molded part produced in one piece, formed from several parts, using the multi-component injection-molding method, which part is made of an outer ring made of insulation material and an insert that forms the gas cell, having two electrically conductive wall regions as electrodes, as well as having an intermediate piece that separates the conductive regions. The insert contains a sponge saturated with electrolyte fluid, and is closed off with a plastic lid.
US07954587B2
A collision behavior control apparatus which comprises a contacting portion disposed in a portion of the front of a vehicle, and which, at the time of collision against a pedestrian or a two-wheeler with a rider riding thereon, controls the behavior of the pedestrian or the two-wheeler rider by pushing the pedestrian or the two-wheeler rider separated from the two-wheeler with the contacting portion, wherein the pedestrian or the two-wheeler rider is pushed by the contacting portion such that the pedestrian or the two-wheeler rider is not bumped up onto the hood, whereby the pedestrian or the two-wheeler rider is moved to the vehicle side.
US07954583B2
An agricultural harvester rear axle arrangement for an agricultural harvester (10) having a body (12), the arrangement comprising left and right rear wheels (18, 20); means for supporting the wheels for rotation about a generally vertical steering axis (38, 40, 78, 94) and for supporting the wheels for extension and retraction from the body of the combine (26, 28, 30, 90); actuator means for steering the wheels (38, 40, 70, 72, 94) and for extending and retracting the wheels (34, 36, 70, 72); an electronic controller (50) coupled to the actuator means to steer, extend and retract the wheels.
US07954570B2
Cutting elements configured for casing component drillout and earth boring drill bits including same
A drill bit includes a bit body having a face on which two different types of cutting elements are disposed, the first type being cutting elements suitable for drilling at least one subterranean formation and the second type being cutting elements suitable for drilling through a casing bit disposed at an end of a casing or liner string and cementing equipment or other components, if such are disposed within the casing or liner string, as well as cement inside as well as exterior to the casing or liner string. The second type of cutting elements exhibits a relatively greater exposure than the first type of cutting elements, so as to engage the interior of the casing bit and, if present, cementing equipment components and cement to drill therethrough, after which the second type of cutting elements quickly wears upon engagement with the subterranean formation material exterior to the casing bit, and the first type of cutting elements continues to drill the subterranean formation. The first type of cutting elements may comprise superabrasive cutting elements and the second type of cutting elements may comprise abrasive or superabrasive cutting elements comprising a plurality of configurations.
US07954552B2
A system that is usable with a well may include a piston, a primary control subsystem and an override subsystem. The piston actuates the downhole tool, and the primary control subsystem may be connected to at least one hydraulic line in order to move the piston in response to pressure that is communicated to the tool via the hydraulic line(s). The override subsystem may be connected to the hydraulic line(s) to override the primary control subsystem and move the piston in response to pressure communicated to the tool via the hydraulic line(s).
US07954541B2
A heat dissipation module for being assembled to a circuit board with a first heat-generating element and a second heat-generating element is provided. A heat generation rate of the first heat-generating element is higher than that of the second heat-generating element. The heat dissipation module includes a heat-transferring connection element, a cooling device, a first heat-transferring plate and a second heat-transferring plate. The heat-transferring connection element has a first part and a second part. The cooling device connects to the first part. The first heat-transferring plate is connected between the first heat-generating element and the second part. The second heat-transferring plate has a third part and a fourth part. The second part is connected between the first heat-transferring plate and the third part. The fourth part is connected to the second heat-generating element. The thermal conductivity of the first heat-transferring plate is higher than that of the second heat-transferring plate.
US07954532B2
An apparatus for forming a hem is provided. The apparatus has a tape station for use in application of tape to a blank. A hemmer is used for folding the blank. A driving roller is present for use in moving the blank and for use in compressing the blank and the tape to form a hem. A method of forming a hem is also provided.
US07954530B1
At least one guide roller is provided for guiding a moving cable or conduit. At least one tamping device comprising at least one tamping pad is provided for applying at least one label onto the moving cable or conduit. A guide shoe assembly comprising at least one guide shoe is provided for pressing the at least one label directly against at least one side of the moving cable or conduit. A method for applying labels is also provided. A method comprising guiding a cable or conduit to a labeling unit with a set of guide rollers, affixing a label to the cable or conduit with at least one tamping device, and pressing the label against at least one side of the cable or conduit using at least one guide shoe.
US07954529B2
A heavy duty tire comprises: a carcass ply of cords extending between bead portions; and a bead reinforcing layer disposed in each of the bead portion. The carcass ply has edges winded around the bead cores so that the winded portion has a base part extending along the bead core from the axially inside to the axially outside thereof, and a radially outer part extending axially inwards on the radially outside of the bead core. The bead reinforcing layer comprises: a curved portion extending along the base part; an axially outer portion extending radially outwardly, separation from the base part; and an axially inner portion extending radially outwardly along a main portion of the carcass ply. The bead reinforcing layer is composed of a ply of cords laid side by side, and the spacing Da of the cords in an axially outer part beneath the bead core, of the curved portion is not less than 1.5 times and not more than 3.0 times the spacing Db of the cords in the axially outer portion.
US07954522B2
A guiding device for a tenoner includes a mounting member for mounting the guiding device on the tenoner and for releasably engaging with a plurality of guide members. The mounting member includes a recess inset on a lateral side thereof. Each guide member includes an engaging section and a guiding section, and the engaging section is moveably engaged in the recess and is adapted to be fixed at various positions.
US07954521B2
A container and method are provided for storing fat containing liquid products. The container includes a body defining a storage chamber for receiving the product, and a container closure. A first material portion forms at least most of the surface area overlying the storage chamber that can contact any product therein. Neither the body nor the first material portion leach more than a predetermined amount of leachables into the product or undesirably alter a taste profile thereof. A needle penetrable and thermally resealable second material portion either (i) overlies the first material portion and cannot contact any product within the storage chamber, or (ii) forms a substantially lesser surface area overlying the storage chamber that can contact any product therein in comparison to the first material portion. A sealing portion is engageable with the body to form a substantially dry hermetic seal between the container closure and body.
US07954515B2
A combination cap and plug assembly. A cap portion of the assembly is used to stop flow of material through a male coupling, and a plug portion is used to stop flow of material through a female coupling. The combination cap and plug assembly includes a tether that allows the assembly to be coupled to hose or tubing that is connected to the male and female coupling.
US07954496B2
A custom-fitted dental appliance prevents grinding contact between upper and lower teeth of a wearer. The appliance includes a base member having a generally U-shaped horizontal portion with opposing posterior sections and an anterior section disposed between the posterior sections. The anterior section has an arcuate curvature substantially matching the curvature of the dental arch of most wearers. The base member has a vertical portion connected to a forward edge of the horizontal portion. The vertical portion of the base member has an arcuate curvature substantially following the curvature of the anterior section. The appliance includes over-molded anterior occlusal pads and molar pads that are attached to the upper surfaces of the base member. An over-molded anterior flange is attached to the vertical portion of the base member. The anterior occlusal pads, molar pads and anterior flange are formed from a thermoplastic material having a Vicat softening temperature below that of the base member. After heating the appliance to above the softening temperature of the over-molded portions, the anterior occlusal pads, molar pads and anterior flange may be custom fitted to the upper teeth and gums of the wearer.
US07954481B2
An archery bow string vibration suppressor includes a telescoping arm having a hollow member and an internal slideable elongate shaft. A bumper is affixed to the distal end of the elongate shaft. Furthermore, the vibration suppressor includes a male threaded coupling for affixing the telescoping arm to the rear mounting hole of a bow. In additional embodiments, the vibration suppressor includes an offset adapter bracket for affixing the vibration suppressor to the rear mounting hole of a bow or extension adapter bracket for affixing the vibration suppressor to the front mounting hole of a bow.
US07954479B2
A fuel supply device for a gas engine is provided that includes a vaporizer, a primary regulator, a fuel changeover valve, a second inlet passage to which is introduced a second fuel fed out from a second fuel source, and a common outlet passage and can selectively connect the first and second inlet passages to the outlet passage, a common secondary regulator that regulates the pressure of the first fuel or second fuel so that it is at substantially atmospheric pressure and supplies it to a mixer, and a cutoff valve that opens/closes a fuel passage between the fuel changeover valve and the secondary regulator in response to operation/stopping of a gas engine, the vaporizer, the primary regulator, the fuel changeover valve, the cutoff valve, and the secondary regulator being integrally connected to each other to form a unit.
US07954475B2
A fuel injector for injecting fuel into a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine. A fuel supply line enters an injector housing from a high-pressure fuel source which can be hydraulically connected to a pressure chamber. A 3/2 directional control valve for injecting fuel into the combustion chamber has a valve piston which can be moved axially back and forth between a rest position and an injection position. The 3/2 directional control valve, by a first end face of the valve piston, is hydraulically coupled to and can be activated by a piezoelectric actuator. The 3/2 directional control has a ball element which is connected to a second end face of the valve piston and, in the rest position, can be moved against a first sealing edge and, in the injection position, can be moved against a second sealing edge.
US07954472B1
High performance, low emission engines, multiple cylinder engines and operating methods based on compression ignition of a combustion chamber charge. In accordance with the methods, fuel is injected into the combustion chamber after the exhaust valve closes, and air is injected into the combustion cylinder before the end of the compression stroke in an amount to limit the temperature after ignition to less than the temperature at which NOX forms. After ignition and during the power stroke, more air is injected into the combustion chamber to sustain combustion until all fuel is consumed, the air being injected so as to again limit the combustion temperatures to less than the temperature at which NOX forms. The air injected during the compression stroke is injected at substantially the same combustion chamber pressure as the air injected during the power stroke, so that air may efficiently be injected from the same pressurized source. The fuel injected into the combustion chamber may be all the fuel needed, or additional fuel may be injected during the power stoke.
US07954471B2
There is provided a spark ignited internal combustion engine having a geometric compression ratio of 13.0 or greater. The engine comprises combustion chambers having a cylinder stroke volume of 0.3 liter or greater, with the spark plug in the chamber ceiling having its spark point in the combustion chamber, and a cavity being formed on the top surface of the piston. At least part of the cavity defines a spherical surface that a hypothetical sphere having its center at the spark point contacts when the piston is at top dead center. The cavity is formed so that V2/V1≧0.31, where V1 is top-dead-center combustion chamber volume, and V2 is the volume of the part of the hypothetical sphere not interfering with the combustion chamber floor or ceiling at top dead center. The flame thus spreads with less interference, shortening combustion duration and reducing fuel consumption.
US07954463B2
An engine has a crankshaft, rotating about a crankshaft axis of the engine. An expansion piston is slidably received within an expansion cylinder and operatively connected to the crankshaft such that the expansion piston reciprocates through an expansion stroke and an exhaust stroke of a four stroke cycle during a single rotation of the crankshaft. A compression piston is slidably received within a compression cylinder and operatively connected to the crankshaft such that the compression piston reciprocates through an intake stroke and a compression stroke of the same four stroke cycle during the same rotation of the crankshaft. A ratio of cylinder volumes from BDC to TDC for either one of the expansion cylinder and compression cylinder is fixed at substantially 26 to 1 or greater.
US07954461B2
An engine has a crankshaft, rotating about a crankshaft axis of the engine. An expansion piston is slidably received within an expansion cylinder and operatively connected to the crankshaft such that the expansion piston reciprocates through an expansion stroke and an exhaust stroke of a four stroke cycle during a single rotation of the crankshaft. A compression piston is slidably received within a compression cylinder and operatively connected to the crankshaft such that the compression piston reciprocates through an intake stroke and a compression stroke of the same four stroke cycle during the same rotation of the crankshaft. A ratio of cylinder volumes from BDC to TDC for either one of the expansion cylinder and compression cylinder is fixed at substantially 26 to 1 or greater.
US07954459B2
An apparatus and method for vaporizing liquid are provided which employ a plurality of rods disposed within a storage vessel that serve as the heat transfer element. While the plurality of rods are generally submerged by the liquid fuel to facilitate heat transfer and vaporization of the liquid fuel, the rods may be packed closely together such that the liquid inventory required to maintain the rods in a submerged state is substantially less than required by conventional fuel supply systems, thereby permitting the weight of a fuel supply system that incorporates the apparatus and method to be reduced while still permitting effective vaporization of the fuel.
US07954458B2
A system is described wherein a boiler 10 is integrated with an oxygen producing device 12. Combustion heat generated in the boiler 10 is used to generate steam in the boiler and is also applied to at least one of a sweep gas stream 13 and a feed gas stream 15 to ensure that the sweep gas and feed gas streams 12, 15 are provided at the appropriate temperature to the oxygen producing device 12. Flue gas generated by fuel combustion within the combustion chamber 14 may be used as the sweep gas stream 13, in which case, the flue gas exiting the oxygen producing device 12 includes the oxygen removed from the feed gas stream. The flue gas/oxygen mixture may be used for fuel combustion within the combustion chamber, and may be provided to an oxygen separator 28 for removing oxygen from the flue gas. Sensible heat contained in the oxygen depleted feed gas from the oxygen producing device 12 may be recovered by the feed gas stream 15.
US07954457B2
A dispenser that delivers a small but consistent and sustained amount of fluid over an extended period of time, particularly useful but not limited to dispensing pesticides when worn by cattle. The dispenser has a shell having an opening. A reservoir is disposed in the shell and is saturated with a pesticide. A wick is in fluid communication with the reservoir. The wick extends through the opening and has a greater capillary attraction or wicking ability than the reservoir, whereby during use of the dispenser the wick draws fluid from the reservoir and deposits it upon contact.
US07954456B2
A self-supporting pet barrier comprising a front panel and two side panels, each panel having floor-contacting surfaces preferably to which a friction reducing substance has been applied is disclosed. The front and side panels preferably are attached so that the side panels can be positioned from generally perpendicularly to the front panel in use to a folded position adjacent said front panel for storage or travel. A generally triangular stabilizing leg may protrude forward from the plane of the front panel and can be attached in either the side panel or front panel.
US07954454B2
An automatic animal feeder, comprises a barrel, spinner plate, and control unit. Barrel is free standing large container for storing the feed. The bottom of the barrel forms a funnel for conducting the food into a spinner plate. A spinner plate is disposed directly below the funnel of the barrel. An elongated shaft extends vertically upward through the spinner plate and into the funnel of the barrel. A control unit containing an operationally timer is positioned below the spinner plate. The timer is set to come on at predetermined intervals throughout the day. When the timer in the control unit comes on, the shaft rotates within the funnel thereby facilitating the conduction of the feed into the spinner plate.
US07954449B2
A solar cell production system utilizes self-contained vacuum chucks that hold and cool solar cell wafers during transport on a conveyor between processing stations during a fabrication process. Each self-contained vacuum chuck includes its own local vacuum pump and a closed-loop cooling system. After each wafer is processed, it is removed from its vacuum chuck, and the vacuum chuck is returned to the start of the production line by a second conveyor belt. In one embodiment, each vacuum chuck includes an inductive power supply that is inductively coupled to an external source to drive that vacuum chuck's vacuum pump and cooling system. An optional battery is recharged by the inductive power supply, and is used to power the vacuum pump and cooling system during hand-off between adjacent processing stations.
US07954444B2
A tool for assisting a reader in grasping the thought expressed in a group of words on a page is disclosed. The tool is a flexible film card which has a window adjacent contrastingly colored film segments of the card. A group of words may be viewed through the window, and the window may then be moved by the user from one group of words to the next. The groups all around the window may be viewed through the colored segments of the card, thus allowing the reader's eyes to review and anticipate the passages of words which he has read or those which he is about to read while still focusing his attention on the group of words in the window.
US07954443B2
A boat windshield is described including a transparent pane. A rail is disposed adjacent and secured to one of either the bottom or the top edge of the transparent pane. An opening is defined through the rail. An air intake housing is secured to the front surface of the rail. An air intake opening and passageway are defined in the air intake housing. An air discharge housing is secured to the rear surface of the rail. An air discharge opening and passageway are defined in the rear intake housing. The air intake passageway, the opening through the rail, and the air discharge passageway define an air pathway from the front surface to the rear surface of the rail. The air discharge opening is positioned adjacent to the rear surface of the transparent pane to direct air along the rear surface of the transparent pane upon exiting the air discharge housing.
US07954441B2
A method for producing multi-layered sewing products from a sewing material such that within the length of sewing material several sewing products are formed with at least one sewing product pattern; the length of sewing material being fed to a processing station for sewn material downstream of the sewing unit, in which the sewn length of sewing material is separated and cut to individual sewing products at least transversely to its conveying direction and wherein markers are applied to the length of sewing material which include information concerning the processing of the length of sewing material and which are read by a reading device.
US07954440B2
Device for producing a fiber preform with virtually any desired surface geometry by a TFP process. A guiding device lays a fiber strand along virtually any desired path curve on a backing layer and a sewing head attaches the fiber strand on the backing layer by at least one fixing thread. The backing layer can be positioned in an xy direction in relation to the guiding device and the sewing head, wherein the sewing head and/or the guiding device can be positioned in a z direction. The separation of the positioning capabilities of the backing layer (xy direction) and the guiding device, the sewing head and the lower thread guide (z direction) provides a relatively simple device construction. Example devices can produce fiber preforms for dome-shaped composite components for use inter alia as pressure bulkheads for cabins in aircraft with virtually optimum properties.
US07954434B2
An apparatus for transferring substrates includes a carrier to which substrates are loaded, an upper transfer unit transferring the carrier horizontally by applying thrust to the carrier, a lower transfer unit maintaining the lower body of the carrier at the horizontal in a non-contact status, a magnetic levitation module levitating the carrier magnetically, and a lower damper unit maintaining the lower center of gravity of the carrier levitated by the magnetic levitation module.
US07954425B2
To improve the efficiency of juice-extracting food processors (1) based on grating fruit or vegetables, wherein the inlet piece (2) forms an interstice (I) with the grating disk (3), interstitial cutting teeth (302) are arranged in the interstice (I). Pieces of fruit or vegetables in the interstice (I) are additionally accelerated in the direction of the sieve 151 due to centrifugal forces by the interstitial cutting teeth (302) acting on these pieces. The juice contained in these pieces is thus more efficiently extracted. For better processing of pieces of fruit or vegetables with a high juice content, the interstitial cutting teeth (302) are preferably higher than the other cutting teeth (301) of the grating disk (3).
US07954424B2
A rack for an appliance comprises a support platform including a support frame and a plurality of elongated support wires attached to the support frame to form a support surface extending generally along a plane. An upwardly projecting portion is adapted to engage structure of an appliance to inhibit the rack from being removed therefrom. In one example, at least one leg section is attached to the support platform and extends a distance along a longitudinal axis of the support platform that is less than half of the total length of the support platform. In addition or alternatively, the support frame includes a rear member having a portion that is bent inwardly in a direction towards the front member so as to be spaced a distance from a rear wall of an appliance. In addition or alternatively, an arrangement for supporting items in an appliance includes the rack.
US07954422B2
Cooking apparatus having first and second platens with product recognition. A positioning mechanism moves the second platen toward the first. A detector senses the second platen making contact with a food product disposed on the first platen and provides a signal. A controller uses the signal to measure the travel distance of the second platen. The product thickness is a function of the travel distance, which is used to select a cooking procedure for the food product. The controller then executes the selected cooking procedure to cook the food product. The detector can include a micro switch, proximity sensor, touch sensor, strain sensor, thermal sensor, optical sensor, sonar sensor or positioning load change sensor.
US07954421B2
A piston has a piston head that is provided with a field of rings and a piston shaft which is disposed thereupon. The piston shaft is equipped with supporting shaft wall sections and rear connecting walls which interconnect the shaft wall sections, have an arched shape, and are fitted with a bolt bore. An undercut free space is provided below the annular field in the area of the bolt bore in the region of the piston head. An arched zone is disposed in the interior of the piston at the transition from the bolt bore in the direction of the shaft wall session.
US07954409B1
A method for forming a projectile cartridge includes positioning a sabot within a compartment of a projectile cartridge casing. A delivery tube is inserted within a chamber of the sabot positioned within the casing, the delivery tube bounding a channel that passes therethrough. A projectile comprised of an elastomeric material is passed through the channel of the delivery tube under a pressurized gas so that at least a portion the projectile is received within the chamber of the sabot, the projectile being radially compressed as it is passed through the channel of the delivery tube.
US07954407B1
A steel rule die is disclosed which includes a bottom board with one or more cavity boards stacked on top of the bottom board. A metal plate is located on top of the uppermost cavity board. A top board is located on top of the metal plate. A plurality of rule slots are provided on the top board which define in plan view a generally rectangular or square configuration and a steel rule die is located in each of the slots. Each of the steel rules is generally flat to fit into a given slot and has a bottom portion adjacent the metal plate with a top portion formed into a cutting edge residing above the upper surface of the top board. Each of the steel rules extends on a longitudinal axis and has first and second end portions with the first end located approximately at a 45° angle to the longitudinal axis and one side of the same and the second end portion extending at approximately a 45° angle to the longitudinal axis and on another side of the axis. The steel rules in the rule slots are arranged alternately with the first end portion of a given rule located adjacent the second end portion of the next rule adjacent the given rule.
US07954405B2
A dispensing unit includes an outer front wall, two outer side walls, a housing for holding a pile of a continuous length of accordion-like folded web of towels of tissue paper or nonwoven including bundles, the outer front wall having an access opening to the pile, a dispensing opening for the web of towels and a feeding mechanism including a member for controlling the dispensing of the web of towels, a drive unit and a braking arrangement for the web of towels. A unit of consumable articles includes the pile of bundles with connecting elements therebetween, which are inserted through the access opening into the housing in the dispensing unit and added to the bottom of the pile. The web of towels is dispensed from the upper part of the pile by a feeding mechanism, which positions the web of towels in a starting mode in the dispensing opening.
US07954404B2
A punch assembly for a punch press has a punch housing with a punch that is slideably mounted for reciprocation along punch axis within the punch housing and at least one resilient member in the housing for yieldably biasing the punch upwardly in the housing along the punch axis. A punch length adjustment subassembly is provided in the punch housing. The subassembly has a base member that is slideable axially but non-rotatably mounted within the housing and a punch head member having an upper end that is positioned to be struck by a punch ram of a punch press for driving the punch downwardly to an operating position. The punch head is mounted for rotation on the punch axis relative to the base member but is held against axial movement relative to the base member. The punch head is operatively associated by a threaded length adjustment connection to the punch and a releasable stop member is connected between the punch head and the base member for preventing rotation of the punch head relative to the base member while the punch assembly is in operation on the punch press. The invention is also directed to the punch head subassembly per se as a retrofit insert to update existing punch assemblies for manual tooless punch length adjustment and tooless punch removal.
US07954389B2
A torque sensor (50) comprises a magnetic collecting ring (91, 92) fitted into an annular groove (31, 32) formed on the inner periphery (38) of a housing (30). By providing a staking part (33, 34) on the inner periphery (38) of the housing (30) in the vicinity of the annular groove (31, 32) using a staking device (100), the magnetic collecting ring (91, 92) can be secured in the annular groove (31, 32) through a simple process.
US07954382B2
A pressure-measuring device is situated in a chamber of an internal combustion engine. The pressure-measuring device has a housing, a force-transmitting element that protrudes partly from the housing at a chamber-side opening of the housing, and a pressure sensor that is situated in an interior space of the housing. The pressure sensor stands in effective connection to the force-transmitting element. In addition, a diaphragm is provided that seals the interior space of the housing, in which the pressure sensor is situated, against the chamber-side opening. The diaphragm, which is preferably fashioned as a metal diaphragm, has a force-transmitting segment that is oriented in an axial direction of the force-transmitting element. Moreover, the pressure sensor stands in effective connection with the force-transmitting element via the force-transmitting segment of the diaphragm. In this way, there takes place at least a partial compensation of thermally caused changes in length of the diaphragm, caused for example by hot combustion gases, and resulting in periodic impairments of the pressure measurement made by the pressure sensor.
US07954379B2
The invention is directed toward a new method for estimating and imaging the spatial and temporal mechanical behavior of materials in responses to a mechanical stimulus. This method is designed to work in inherently noisy applications, such as the imaging of the time-dependent mechanical behavior of biological tissues in vivo and using a preferred hand-held configuration of scanning.
US07954378B2
The invention relates to a method for determining a separation, spacing or distance of an object from an ultrasonic sensor, in which ultrasonic pulses are emitted by a transducing or sensing element and in which ultrasonic pulses reflected by the object are detected by the same transducing element. According to the invention, the method is characterized in that there is a spectral analysis of the signal detected by the transducing element, that the multiple echo frequency attributed to multiple echoes of the ultrasonic pulses is determined in the spectrum of the detection signal and that on the basis of the multiple echo frequency the separation of the object from the ultrasonic sensor is determined. The invention also relates to an ultrasonic sensor for determining the separation of an object.
US07954377B2
An acceleration sensor includes: a piezoelectric vibration device; an oscillation circuit; and a detection circuit, wherein the piezoelectric vibration device includes a substrate, an insulation layer formed above the substrate, a vibration section forming layer formed above the insulation layer, a vibration section formed in a cantilever shape in a first opening section that penetrates the vibration section forming layer, a second opening section that penetrates the insulation layer and formed below the first opening section and the vibration section, and a piezoelectric element section formed on the vibration section, the oscillation circuit vibrates the piezoelectric vibration device at a resonance frequency, and the detection circuit detects a change in the frequency of vibration of the piezoelectric vibration device which is caused by an acceleration applied in a direction in which the vibration section extends, and outputs a signal corresponding to the acceleration based on the change in the frequency.
US07954371B2
A method of monitoring the condition of a pump (10) or at least one component of a system that includes a pump which component or components are not a part of the pump, includes the step of generating a predetermined test condition in the pump or system component or components. During a period in which such a test condition is present, signals indicative of the pump or system component or components are obtained. Wear in the pump bearings, the build-up of deposits in the pump or in pipework forming a part of the pump system can be detected or predicted and corrective action taken before the pump or system fails. By providing a method of monitoring pump or system condition in-situ, it is possible to reduce the likelihood of pump failure in use and the need to carry out over frequent servicing of the pump.
US07954370B2
Disclosed ia an apparatus and methodology for detecting tire (1) rotation by associating a piezoelectric sensor (250) with an enclosure housing (210) tire environment related sensors and electronics. The enclosure (210) may be mounted in a tire (1) in a location subject to multi-dimensional strain and a signal processor is employed to separate tire rotation information for other types of strain induced signals that may be produced by the piezoelectric sensor (250).
US07954368B2
Tire pressure monitoring system for a vehicle includes sensor units mounted in each tire of the vehicle, each sensor unit being operable to output an RF signal indicative of the pressure in the tire in which it is mounted; a pair of communicator units for receiving signals from said sensor units, said pair of communicator units being provided at different locations on the vehicle; and a control unit connected to said communicator units wherein said control unit is operable to determine which sensor unit is associated with which tire by monitoring the strength of the RF signal received from each respective sensor unit by each communicator unit.
US07954366B2
An environmental test enclosure for modifying the temperature of a vehicle test property is presented. The enclosure includes a movable pallet assembly that is operable to deliver the test property to and from the property test site. The movable pallet assembly includes a base plate that is configured to attach to and support the test property thereon. A plurality of sidewalls project upward from the base plate to surround the test property. A flexible cover is mounted to the overhead structure of the test site, and configured to transition between an open position, in which the cover is in a raised and generally folded state, to a closed position, in which the cover is in a lowered state and attachable to the pallet assembly. The flexible cover cooperates with the movable pallet assembly when attached thereto to define an enclosed and substantially thermally insulated space around the test property.
US07954364B2
A malfunction diagnosis apparatus diagnoses a malfunction of an exhaust gas sensor provided on a downstream side of a catalyst. A dead time determination unit determines a dead time between a first time point, at which fuel cut of the internal combustion engine is started, and a second time point, at which the fuel cut starts exerting effect on an output of the exhaust gas sensor. An output change time measurement unit measures an output change time between the first time point and a third time point, at which the output of the exhaust gas sensor changes to a leaner side than a threshold. A malfunction determination unit determines whether a malfunction is caused in the exhaust gas sensor on the basis of a response time of the exhaust gas sensor obtained by subtracting the dead time from the output change time.
US07954363B2
An improved method for detection of engine faults especially suited for use on ships. The method is in particular related to the detection of a fault in an internal combustion engine having within the housing a crankshaft connected to a piston. The method includes determination of a pressure difference between the housing and the area outside the housing. If comparison of the pressure difference with a fault indicating pressure difference limit shows that the pressure difference is greater than the fault indication pressure difference limit then the presence of the fault is indicated. According to the method is in the pressure difference determined by comparing the pressure existing in the housing with the pressure of the area outside the housing, while attenuating pressure changes of the area outside the housing, so that pressure changes having a duration equal to or less than a defined fault characteristic period of time are supposed.
US07954362B2
An apparatus and method to determine fractions of various phases in a multiphase fluid. The apparatus includes main body including an interior configured receive a multiphase fluid and an exterior. The apparatus senses fluid pressure of multiphase fluid received in the interior and senses a fluid temperature of the multiphase fluid. The apparatus transmits an ultrasonic wave into the fluid and detects the transmitted wave to determine its velocity and attenuation. The apparatus may adjust the determined velocity and attenuation based on the temperature and pressure of the fluid to compensate for a difference between the sensed temperature and pressure and a standard temperature and pressure. The apparatus determines a gas fraction, water fraction, and a non-water fluid fraction of the multiphase fluid based on the sensed fluid pressure, the sensed fluid temperature, and the velocity and attenuation of the ultrasonic wave in the multiphase fluid.
US07954361B2
Method and apparatus for detecting tank leaks, in which a gas pressure acts on a fluid which is situated in a tank, and in which the gas pressure in the tank or tank system is changed, wherein a tank leak is detected by evaluation of a temporal profile of a sum pressure of the fluid which is situated in the tank.
US07954358B2
A method for a calibration module to calibrate laser bias current in an optical transceiver. The method comprises causing the calibration module to configure a control module of the optical transceiver for a calibration operation, causing the calibration module to determine a laser bias current monitored by the control module, and determining one or more calibration factor values that cause the laser bias current monitored by the control module to substantially match a laser bias current as measured by an external test meter.
US07954356B1
A PEX crimping tool includes four rigid links pivotally coupled together in a modified four-bar linkage arrangement. The first link has a first jaw with semicircular work face, a first handle and an elongated slot between the jaw and handle. The second link is pivotally connected with the first link at a first pivot and includes a second jaw with semicircular work face. The third link is pivotally connected with the second link at a second pivot and includes a second handle remote from the second pivot. The fourth link has a first end pivotally connected to the third link at a third pivot and includes a second end connected to the first rigid link so as to swing and move with respect to the first link about a fourth pivot movable along the elongated slot. The tools are designed to crimp ASTM F 1807 rings.
US07954354B2
A method for manufacturing containers including providing a container having a first diameter; expanding the diameter of the container to a second diameter with at least one expansion die is disclosed. Expansion dies can be used to expand the diameter of a container. Multiple expansion dies can be used to gradually expand the diameter of the container without significantly damaging the container. The container can then be formed to accept a closure.
US07954353B2
A method and a device for determining a quality of a metallic surface of a metallic substrate, for example a steel or steel alloy substrate, are provided. The device includes a mould, a sheet holder and a die, with which the metallic substrate is formed to produce a drawn test surface. The method and device are used to test the quality of the metallic surface of a metallic coating with a view to a later utilization, especially with a view to a later forming, wherein the metallic substrate is formed at least in-an area of a test surface, wherein a main and an additional shape change of the metallic substrate in the area of the test surface assume predetermined values that are related to the later utilization of the metallic substrate, and wherein the quality of the metallic surface is tested on the test surface after forming.
US07954352B2
A bending brake assembly for manually bending pieces of sheet metal material including a base supporting a plurality of c-shaped members presenting opposing clamping surfaces for receiving the sheet metal material. An extension extends away from the clamping surfaces with a socket connection rotatably supporting a bending member on the base for bending the sheet metal material disposed between the clamping surfaces. The socket connection includes a male portion and a female portion in sliding engagement with one another as the bending member moves between a pre-bending position, a first operating position, and a second operating position. A finger extends from the male portion and defines a gap between the finger and the extension when in the pre-bending position with the finger maintaining the gap as the finger moves from the pre-bending position to the first operating position and the finger engaging the extension when in the second operating position.
US07954351B2
A metal strip is stretched as it is moved longitudinally generally continuously between an upstream traction-roll set and a downstream traction-roll set. The roll sets are differentially driven—with the downstream set moving at a slightly higher peripheral speed than the upstream set—so as to apply to the strip in a region between the sets a tension generally equal to a stretch limit of the strip. The strip is locally heated or cooled at an upstream location in the region between the roll sets so as to set in the strip in the region a temperature distribution that is nonhomogeneous transversely across the strip at least immediately downstream of the upstream location.
US07954349B2
A method and apparatus is disclosed for simultaneously creating a pair of stacks of nested sinuous spring strips. This apparatus includes first and second generally circular forming drums onto which a feeder mechanism is operable to sequentially and alternately pass each of the spring strips from over a forming mandrel onto the top surface of the first and second generally circular forming drums. A first stripper mechanism is then operable to strip a first one of the strips onto a first stacking drum and for stripping a second following one of the strips onto a second stacking drum. A second stripper mechanism is then operable to strip those stacks from the stacking drums onto a pair of discharge chutes.
US07954347B2
A mechanical key code verification system including a mechanical key and a lock apparatus into which the mechanical key is insertable. The mechanical key includes a key body and a key code pattern including a plurality of recessed portions and a plurality of non-recessed portions formed on the at least one plane of the key body, the key code pattern having line symmetry.
US07954336B2
Disclosed is a demand shifting thermal storage system employing a heat transfer/thermal energy storage vessel to produce and hold a phase change fluid using an air cooled/water cooled/ground coupled or evaporative condensing unit to generate the cold fluid with a separate and dependent circuit coupled to the indoor cooling load to remove heat from the HVAC or process cooling load using one or multiple indoor coils to absorb heat returning the heat to the thermal energy storage vessel to reject the space heat, cool the space and continue the cycle.
US07954332B2
Systems and methods for controlling the temperature of an electrical device is described. The system includes a heat sink system in conjunction with a thermoelectric assembly. The systems and methods are particularly suitable in NEMA-4 electrical enclosures used in electrical submersible pump applications.
US07954325B2
A gas turbine engine has a combustor module including an annular combustor having a liner assembly that defines an annular combustion chamber having a length, L. The liner assembly includes a radially inner liner, a radially outer liner that circumscribes the inner liner, and a bulkhead, having a height, H1, which extends between the respective forward ends of the inner liner and the outer liner. The combustor has an exit height, H3, at the respective aft ends of the inner liner and the outer liner interior. The annular combustor has a ratio H1/H3 having a value less than or equal to 1.7. The annular combustor may also have a ration L/H3 having a value less than or equal to 6.0.
US07954318B2
A hydraulic system having a solenoid bleed valve for bleeding air out of the system is provided. The present invention is a hydraulic system having an actuator, a coupling operably associated with the actuator, and a first solenoid valve operably associated with the actuator and the coupling, where the first solenoid is operable to control pressure applied to the coupling. The present invention also includes a second solenoid valve operably associated with the actuator and the first solenoid, where the second solenoid is operable to relieve pressure.
US07954306B2
The present invention relates generally to the packaging materials. More specifically, the invention relates to materials and methods suitable for use as packaging materials whereby the appearance of grease, fat or oil staining on the packaging material is reduced or eliminated.
US07954305B2
A packaging system or container for packaging one or more oxygen-sensitive products. The container includes a wall that defines an interior for receiving one or more oxygen-sensitive products. The space between the product or products and the wall defines a headspace. The headspace is filled with an inert gas and a scavenger gas. The wall has at least an inner layer and one or more outer layers. At least one of the outer layers includes an oxidation catalyst such that as oxygen diffuses from outside the container to the interior and scavenger gas diffuses from the interior to outside the container, the diffusing scavenger gas and oxygen react together with the oxidation catalyst in one or more of the outer layers substantially consuming the oxygen.
US07954303B2
A machine for covering articles with sheets of plastic material. The machine includes a device suitable for cutting and sealing the sheets that cooperate with a work plane and a guide suitable for arranging a roll of a continuous sheet of plastic material in a suitable position for unrolling subsequent portions of the continuous sheet and the positioning thereof on the work plane.
US07954299B2
A method for securing a roof sheathing and shingles in a retrofitting reinforcement of an existing roof structure, the shingles being laid on the roof sheathing in a partially overlapping pattern, comprises (a) driving a plurality of fasteners down through selected shingles and the roof sheathing in a selected area of the roof structure into at least one of underlying roof frames; and (b) applying a water-resistant coating to the roof structure to seamlessly cover exposed surfaces with exposed ends and sides of all shingles in the selected area.
US07954290B2
A decorative surface covering includes a fabric; and a layer of molded resin disposed on said fabric, where the resin is molded into decorative features of the covering. A method of forming a decorative surface covering includes molding resin disposed on a fabric to produce decorative features, the resin adhering to the fabric.
US07954284B2
A grid simulating muntins is retained or secured by clips within a spacer frame between glass sheets. The clips include a spacer-engaging member having a platform, and upright walls bendable toward one another, and a grid-engaging member. The grid-engaging member is mounted on the platform, extends upward between and spaced from the upright walls, and is received into one of the ends of the elongated members of the grid. The platform and portions of the upright walls of the spacer-engaging member are positioned within the spacer frame such that the ends of the elongated members of the grid are below the sight line of the unit. The spacer-engaging member and the grid-engaging member can be a monolithic piece, or the grid-engaging member can be detachably secured to the platform of the spacer-engaging member.
US07954282B2
Certain example embodiments relate to a storm shutter assembly clip used for stitching together multiple storm shutter panels in making a storm shutter system, and/or assembly method for accomplishing the same. The clip includes upper and lower portions, with the upper portion having at least one arm extending therefrom, and the lower portion having a housing including a nut. A hole is formed in the lower portion. The upper and lower portions of the clip may be angled so as to correspond with an angle formed by intermediate portions of the storm shutter panels. The at least one arm of the clip is slipped over an end of the first shutter panel so that the hole of the clip aligns with holes of the inner and outer shutter panels. A screw is fed through the holes of the first and second shutter panels and the clip so as to engage with the nut, the shutter panels tightening together via the screw being received by the nut in forming the storm shutter system.
US07954278B2
A device for taking the weight of a one-leaf or two-leaf door for a switchgear cabinet, a frame of which is made up of profiled bars, in the case of a one-leaf door a free vertical side edge of the door striking against a vertically running profiled bar and in the case of a two-leaf door the vertical free side edges touching or ending at a small distance from one another when the two-leaf door is closed. The device includes at least one guiding element with at least two respective run-up slopes, which in the case of a one-leaf door is arranged in the region on the free side edge and interacts with a run-up edge on the profiled bar against which the door strikes in such a way that, during closing, the guiding element slides with its run-up slope onto the run-up edge and thereby takes part of the weight of the door, and which in the case of a two-leaf door, is arranged in the region of the upper side edge and in the vicinity of the free side edges of each door leaf and, during closing, runs with its run-up slope onto a respective run-up edge at least on the upper horizontally running profiled bar, and consequently takes part of the weight of the door leaves.
US07954277B2
A container for growing plants has a base and a side wall extending upwardly from the base, for containing a growing medium. An opening is defined in an inclined portion of the side wall, and a rib positioned on the side wall and facing into the container defines a root-guiding angle between the rib and the side wall, the root-guiding angle leading to the opening. Plant roots growing adjacent to the side wall are therefore guided by the root-guiding angle to the opening to be air pruned.
US07954271B1
A monopod for a firearm is disclosed. The monopod has a body and a leg that can extend from the body. The monopod may fit into a pistol grip of a firearm, such as a rifle. Once installed, the leg of the monopod may be extended from the pistol grip of the firearm and secured by a pin. When the leg is retracted into the body, the leg is kept in place by the pin, which opposes a force provided by a constant force spring. The monopod may be used by a user to stabilize the firearm on a surface.
US07954261B2
Footwear including a flexible sole having a series of flexure zones positioned to correspond to primary joint axes of the human foot approximating the characteristics of a bare foot in motion.
US07954260B2
Various embodiments of an evolutionary interchangeable sandal are disclosed. Certain example embodiments described herein relate to various sandal configurations that utilize at least two main elements, including a platform sole base and a strap assembly. These elements may be joined by special fasteners that provide quick-connect or disconnect while securely maintaining sandal integrity and wearability. The platform sole base may be customized in various thicknesses and sandal sizes. The strap assembly may be customized in various shapes, colors, styles, and/or manufacturing materials. In the case of the sole tread/height enhancement addition, the soles tread and height may be interchanged as needed.
US07954251B2
A multifunctional airway evaluator for orotracheal intubation includes first and second connected elongated arms, movable relative to each other about a pivot axis, a planar plate connected to the first arm and extending upwardly therefrom, and a gravity-operated angular indicator attached to the planar plate. The plate includes a distance scale on its front face, and the distance scale includes a plurality of spaced apart grade lines aligned radially with the pivotal axis and distance parameters associated with the grade lines, each of the distance parameters indicating a distance between the distal ends of the first and second arms when the arms are in a relative position. The gravity-operated angular indicator includes an axial pin disposed perpendicular to the planar plate, a rotating disk pivotally attached to and rotatable around the axial pin by gravity, and one or more angular measurement marker provided adjacent the rotating disk.
US07954243B2
Hair cutting apparatus having at least one cutting unit (2) with a stationary cutting member (3) and reciprocable movable cutting member (4) each having cooperating bearing surfaces (7,8) with cutting edges (9,10). To minimize the friction between the bearing surfaces a visco-elastic element is provided between the coupling element (14) and the movable cutting member (4) resulting in a small cutting gap between the bearing surfaces. During cutting of hairs the visco-elastic element behaves as a stiff element whereas during periods in which no hairs are cut the element behaves relatively soft so that the cutting gaps between the cutting edges are closed.
US07954231B2
The invention relates to a clip machine comprising two closing tools that are movable relative to each other between an open position and a closed position in order to close clips, and further comprising adjusting means designed to set the neutral position of a closing tool and hence the gap between the closing tools, in particular in their closed position (closure gap). The clip machine includes a measuring device configured to measure a closing force applied when closing a clip, or a parameter proportional to said closing force, and to output a measured value representing the closing force or the parameter proportional thereto. The invention also relates to a method for adjusting such a clip machine.
US07954219B2
A device for mounting and removing a substrate from a baseplate, in particular a substrate holder assembly device, including automated features for latching and unlatching a substrate, for use in a coating mechanism, from a baseplate, which includes an adjustable snap ring holder.
US07954217B2
A seal ring dismounting device includes a handle and a first section of a shank is connected to the handle, a second section is connected to the first section at an angle. The second section includes first teeth defined in a lower side thereof. An operation plate having hook portion is connected to the second section. A rod is connected to a U-shaped frame and includes second teeth which are engaged with the first teeth of the second section. A spring member is located between the frame and the second section so that when pushing the frame toward the second section, the rod is moved to disengage the second teeth from the first teeth such that the rod can be easily moved along the second section.
US07954197B2
The invention relates to a mop (1) comprising a mop-head plate (2) and an interchangeable mop cover (3) with a mopping surface (4) that is attached to the mop-head plate (2). According to the invention, the mop cover (3) is equipped on two opposing sides with a respective fixing device (5), which engages in a respective retainer (6) of the mop-head plate (2). At least one retainer (6) is formed by a recess (7) and the corresponding fixing device (5) is held by a positive fit in the recess (7) so that it can be detached without sustaining any damage.
US07954196B1
A brush small in diameter consisting of stiff bristles of 0.014 inch nylon filaments bundled in 50 nylon filaments glued within a plastic shank. Stiff, short 4 mm, flat even ended bristles are equal in length to form a substantially planar cleaning surface. The small diameter allows for improved dental hygiene via clearance in tight areas such as under orthodontic arch wires and other dental prostheses along with maintaining hygiene in normal and healthy oral cavities. The bristles are capable of fluoride and antibacterial mouthrinse transfer to treat sensitivity, decalcification and inflamed or infected gumline areas. The ergonomical handle has an angled neck, over molded soft grips and additional, replaceable heads are stored inside the hollow handle. The head rotates into multiple angles. Primary embodiment is manual, but other embodiments may allow for mechanical applications that include agitating or reciprocating articulation powered by a motor.
US07954187B1
A swaddle accessory to restrain an infant or child's arms has a single panel that is both wide and long enough to wrap entirely both of the infant's arms, hook and loop fasteners to secure the arm restraints and pockets to contain the hands to prevent them from breaking out of a swaddle made from a receiving blanket or other swaddle device.
US07954182B2
Washroom designed for taking a shower which comprises a water intake and a drain for wastewater, and includes an accessory representing a removable bathtub wall. A mechanism is provided for locking and for pressing on the outer surface of the accessory when in a bathtub wall configuration to ensure that it is strong and watertight. The locking mechanism is an element which takes up a horizontal position on the floor in a shower configuration of the washroom, and a substantially vertical position in a bathtub configuration.
US07954180B2
A toilet transfer system is described for assisting a person to transfer between a wheelchair and a toilet. The system comprises a base unit that is attached to a toilet and that may be supported by one or more legs. The system further comprises a transfer board that is rotatably coupled to the base unit, allowing the transfer board to be positioned in a variety of positions without need to detach the toilet transfer system from the toilet. The transfer board may be pointed forward to allow the wheelchair to be positioned for transfer, pointed towards the wheelchair for transfer, and pointed back for compact storage between transfers and for normal use of the toilet. A coupling system accommodates height differentials between the toilet and the wheelchair, and allows the transfer board to become lifted up off the base unit and/or rotated without becoming misaligned from the base unit.
US07954177B2
The present invention provides a sports helmet, such as a football, hockey, lacrosse or baseball helmet. The helmet includes a shell having an outer surface, a front region, a rear region, and two side regions. A jaw flap extends from each ear flap towards the front region of the shell, wherein the jaw flap overlies an extent of a mandible of a wearer of the helmet. A crown, defined by a raised band of the shell, extends between the front and rear regions of the shell. The crown has a front portion that is flush with the outer surface at the front region of the shell, and an intermediate portion raised from the outer surface of the side regions of the shell. The crown also has a rear portion that is flush with the outer surface at the rear region of the shell. The width of the crown increases from the front portion to the rear portion. The helmet shell includes at least one vent opening, which may be located in the crown or proximate thereto.
US07958565B2
A driving laser unit (11) irradiates a laser beam on a cantilever (5) to cause thermal expansion deformation. A driving-laser control unit (13) performs feedback control for the cantilever (5) by controlling intensity of the laser beam on the basis of displacement of the cantilever (5) detected by a sensor (9). A thermal-response compensating circuit (35) has a constitution equivalent to an inverse transfer function of a heat transfer function of the cantilever (5) and compensates for a delay in a thermal response of the cantilever (5) to the light irradiation. Moreover, the cantilever (5) may be excited by controlling the intensity of the laser beam. By controlling light intensity, a Q value of a lever resonance system is also controlled. It is possible to increase scanning speed of an atomic force microscope.
US07958564B2
A scanning measurement instrument is capable of simultaneously achieving both higher accuracy and higher speed in autonomous scanning measurement. The instrument includes a path information holding unit for holding information about the path of the center position of a tip of a scanning probe at past tip center positions with respect to the current tip center position during autonomous scanning measurement performed with the scanning probe; a path reference direction setting unit for setting an approximate straight line direction of the path as a path reference direction; a traveling direction setting unit for setting the path reference direction as a traveling direction; a movement control unit for controlling a moving unit such that the scanning probe is moved in the traveling direction; and a normal direction setting unit for setting the normal direction of a measurement surface according to the traveling direction.
US07958562B2
In accordance with one embodiment, apparatus are provided including a document access arbiter, a guest access control mechanism, and a guest setup interface. The document access arbiter securely controls user access to a secured document repository. The guest access control mechanism provides, to guest users, selective access to respective select set of documents in the secure document repository. The guest users include users that do not have account holder access to the document repository. The guest setup interface presents, via a computer screen, guest parameter graphical tools to account holder users having account holder access to the repository.
US07958554B2
Attacks by computer viruses, worm programs, and other hostile software (‘malware’), have become very serious problems for computer systems connected to large communication networks such as the Internet. One potential defence against such attacks is to employ diversity—that is, making each copy of the attacked software different. However, existing diversity techniques do not offer sufficient levels of protection. The invention provides an effective diversity solution by applying tamper resistant software (TRS) encoding techniques, to the communications that take place between software components, with corresponding changes to the code handling those communications. These communications may include, for example, data passed between software routines via parameters or mutually accessible variables, light-weight messages, signals and semaphores passed between threads, and messages passed between software processes. Effective TRS encoding techniques include data-flow encoding and mass-data encoding techniques.
US07958553B2
An information storage device is provided which includes a password input section for inputting a password to be notified only to the information storage device without outputting it to external equipment connected to it by way of a predetermined interface, a password collation section for collating the password input by way of the password input section and an access permission section for permitting an access to the storage section of the device from the external equipment connected by way of the predetermined interface in response to the collation of the password by the password collation section.
US07958551B2
An information processing apparatus, including a storage device a security list, wherein a security level of each of communication protocols installed in a network is listed, a status management list, which describes validity of each communication protocol, and a protocol setting system, which sets validity of each communication protocol, is provided. The protocol setting system includes a status detecting unit, which refers to the status management list and detects validity of each communication protocol, an unsecured protocol detecting unit, which refers to the security list when at least one of the communication protocols is validated and detects a communication protocol with a security level being lower than the validated communication protocol, and a status updating unit, which invalidates the communication protocol detected by the unsecured protocol detecting unit to have the lower security level and detected to be valid by the status detecting unit.
US07958550B2
A method and system for secure communication is presented. A virtual private proxy is generated based on an agreement between a first entity and a second entity. A first virtual private proxy is associated with the first entity and a second virtual private proxy is associated with the second entity. Data associated with the first entity is monitored at the virtual private proxy. Whether the data violates the agreement is determined and communication of the data from the first virtual private proxy to the second virtual private proxy is disallowed when the data violates the agreement.
US07958544B2
A computer-implemented method of assisting in establishing a secure communication is disclosed. The method includes obtaining an encryption key that is shared with a credentialing device, receiving from a client device an encrypted session identifier that encodes a password, decrypting the session identifier with the key to extract the password, and authenticating a communication session for the device using a challenge-response protocol.
US07958537B2
A method of providing initial pictures to a digital TV is provided. The method includes recognizing a set-top box, which is connected to the network and is activated, when a digital TV is turned on, issuing a request for transmitting broadcast signals for displaying initial pictures on the screen of the digital TV to the set-top box, and decoding the broadcast signals received from the set-top box and displaying the decoded broadcast signals.
US07958533B2
Method and system for enabling users to perform self-service operations in interactive TV environments. In one embodiment, the method enables users to select and activate programming packages via a set-top box, thereby eliminating the need for the users to have to call a call center to activate the unit. Using a set of interactive screens, the user is enabled to view various programming package information, including comparative information. In one embodiment, the method assists users who are moving to activate/reactive broadcast services. For example, options are provided to enable the user to schedule service work, disconnect and activate services, and other activities connected with the move. In another embodiment, the method enables a user to select a programming package based on packages that are recommended by the system. Historic usage patterns, including viewing habits and attempts to access unavailable content are analyzed to determine which programming packages should be recommended for the user.
US07958527B1
A unified system of programming communication. The system encompasses the prior art (television, radio, broadcast hardcopy, computer communications, etc.) and new user specific mass media. Within the unified system, parallel processing computer systems, each having an input (e.g., 77) controlling a plurality of computers (e.g., 205), generate and output user information at receiver stations. Under broadcast control, local computers (73, 205), combine user information selectively into prior art communications to exhibit personalized mass media programming at video monitors (202), speakers (263), printers (221), etc. At intermediate transmission stations (e.g., cable television stations), signals in network broadcasts and from local inputs (74, 77, 97, 98) cause control processors (71) and computers (73) to selectively automate connection and operation of receivers (53), recorder/players (76), computers (73), generators (82), strippers (81), etc. At receiver stations, signals in received transmissions and from local inputs (225, 218, 22) cause control processors (200) and computers (205) to automate connection and operation of converters (201), tuners (215), decryptors (224), recorder/players (217), computers (205), furnaces (206), etc. Processors (71, 200) meter and monitor availability and usage of programming.
US07958517B2
An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for executing functions in an event driven environment. A bridge module stores parameters and a proxy function pointer for a proxy function in a bridge structure for a co-routine context executing in a co-routine environment. The proxy function is configured to execute in an event driven environment. The bridge module also stores a bridge pointer for the bridge structure in a bridge pointer register of an event driven context structure. A swap context module swaps to the event driven context. An execute module retrieves the proxy function pointer from the bridge structure using the bridge pointer if the bridge pointer register is not null, executes the proxy function, and stores the results of the proxy function in the bridge structure.
US07958515B2
A method for managing events in a web service environment is provided. A request for a subscription to desired events in an event class in an associated catalog namespace of a catalog repository is received from a subscribing application. The subscription request includes an event filter to select the desired events from a plurality of events described by the event class. An event which is received from a web evens source and described by the event class is processed through the event filter. If the received event matches the event filter, the received event is forwarded to the subscribing application through an event listener associated with the subscribing application.
US07958508B2
Provided is a method used in a computer system which includes at least one host computer, the method including managing a job to be executed by the host computer and a power supply of the host computer, the method including the procedures of: receiving the job; storing the received job; scheduling an execution plan for the stored job; determining, based on the execution plan of the job, a timing to execute power control of the host computer; determining a host computer to execute the power control when the determined timing to execute the power control is reached; controlling the power supply of the determined host computer; and executing the scheduled job.
US07958498B1
Methods and systems for processing a geometry shader program developed in a high-level shading language are disclosed. Specifically, in one embodiment, after having received the geometry shader program configured to be executed by a first processing unit in a programmable execution environment, the high-level shading language instructions of the geometry shader program is converted into low-level programming language instructions. The low-level programming language instructions are then linked with the low-level programming language instructions of a domain-specific shader program, which is configured to be executed by a second processing unit also residing in the programmable execution environment. The linked instructions of the geometry shader program are directed to the first processing unit, and the linked instructions of the domain-specific shader program are directed to the second processing unit.
US07958496B2
A method of application service exchange across different execution environments includes receiving a registration to handle a service from a server application operating in a first execution environment, receiving a request for the service from a client application operating in a second execution environment, requesting the service from the server application, receiving a result from the server application responsive to the requesting step, and delivering the result to the client application.
US07958495B2
An improved automated software testing system provides the ability to generate and reuse test cases over multiple platforms. Keywords and natural language are used in test case creation, simplifying the process for non-technical business users. Business users can write test cases without scripts. Test cases can be generated even before the application to be tested is available. Data substitution provides ability for test cases to adapt to changing data. Abstraction allows use of all third-party and custom software test tools to be incorporated. Persistent data handling allows capture of data generated during test execution for later use. Testing can be performed entirely automatically or can incorporate some manual interaction. Test results, screen captures of the system tested, along with environment and machine variables are saved in results logs for later review.
US07958490B2
A configurable class system for an application author working in an application development environment that automates the handling of undo, redo and logging operations is discussed. The configurable class system removes the burden from the application author of having to custom manage undo, redo and logging information during application writing by providing the necessary mechanisms to every application object created. The configurable class system also allows the application author to handle exceptional state changes in an application by configuring the underlying base classes provided by the configurable class system. Additionally, the embodiments of the present invention enable the application author to customize the compression of a series of identified operations by selecting the type of operations that are to be compressed and the manner in which the compression is to occur.
US07958476B1
A power optimization method of deriving gated circuitry in an integrated circuit (IC) is provided. A design description of the IC is received and analyzed. A state machine is identified based on the analysis. One or more candidate blocks are determined to be capable of being disabled. At least one of the candidate blocks is selected based on one or more states of the state machine. A gating circuit is inserted for gating the selected candidate block(s). In another embodiment of power optimization, one or more state machines are identified and a synthesized netlist is generated. One or more candidate blocks in the synthesized netlist are determined to be capable of being disabled. At least one of the candidate blocks is selected based on one or more states in the state machine, and a gating circuit is inserted for gating the selected candidate block(s).
US07958469B2
A design structure for a hybrid phase locked loop (PLL) circuit that obtains stabilized dynamic response and independent adjustment of damping factor and loop bandwidth is provided. The hybrid PLL circuit of the illustrative embodiments includes the resistance/capacitance (RC) filter elements of a conventional RC PLL and the feed-forward path from the output of the phase frequency detector to the voltage controlled oscillator (VCO). The hybrid PLL essentially enhances the performance of the conventional feed-forward PLL by providing the RC filter whose components can be weighted to provide a dynamic response that is significantly less sensitive to parameter variation and which allows loop bandwidth optimization without sacrificing damping.
US07958458B2
A screen plug extracts screen image data of a display screen from a target application and acquired data to be linked from the screen image data. The acquired data is output to a linkage application. Thus the screen plug realizes data linkage between the linkage application and the target application.
US07958457B1
A method of presenting digital content to a user on a display of a computing device displaying a continuous stream of digital content in a stream portion of the display, obtaining a current context of the user and the computing device, providing contextual sensitivities for the digital content items, determining a value for the digital content item's relevance of being displayed, calculating a probability of displaying the digital content item based upon the value of the digital content item's relevance of being displayed, performing a random selection of the digital content item based upon the probability of displaying the digital content item, and presenting the digital content item in the stream of digital content being displayed.
US07958452B2
The subject application is directed to a system and method for thin client graphical user interface development. Primitive data is stored in associated memory corresponding to graphical user interface primitives. Each primitive corresponds to a display or a control of an associated document processing device. Selection data is received via a thin client, representing primitive data corresponding to at least one graphical user interface primitive. The primitive data is selectively communicated to a display associated with the thin client according to the received selection data resulting in the generation of visual indicia on the display. A data set is generated representing a graphical user interface display according to a selected set of indicia that is displayed on the thin client. Map data is generated representing the mapping of a generated data set to user interface data, corresponding to the display and the control of one or more document processing devices.
US07958449B2
A method, apparatus, and computer instructions for presenting input fields from a document. A selected indicator associated with a set of mandatory input fields in the document is identified. The set of mandatory input fields is presented. Further, the mandatory input fields may be pre-filled using data from a repository associated with a user.
US07958440B2
A content management system (CMS) allows defining multi-element burst rules that allow multiple elements to be bursted to a single object. A multi-element burst mechanism performs the bursting of multiple elements when a multi-element burst rule is processed. A multi-element burst policy allows a user to specify conditions that govern the function of the multi-element burst mechanism. The result is a CMS that includes multiple elements in a single object, thereby enhancing reusability of content in the CMS.
US07958428B2
LDPC (Low Density Parity Check) coded signal decoding using parallel and simultaneous bit node and check node processing. This novel approach to decoding of LDPC coded signals may be described as being LDPC bit-check parallel decoding. In some alternative embodiment, the approach to decoding LDPC coded signals may be modified to LDPC symbol-check parallel decoding or LDPC hybrid-check parallel decoding. A novel approach is presented by which the edge messages with respect to the bit nodes and the edge messages with respect to the check nodes may be updated simultaneously and in parallel to one another. Appropriately constructed executing orders direct the sequence of simultaneous operation of updating the edge messages at both nodes types (e.g., edge and check). For various types of LDPC coded signals, including parallel-block LDPC coded signals, this approach can perform decoding processing in almost half of the time as provided by previous decoding approaches.
US07958425B2
The present invention relates to methods, apparatuses, and systems for performing data encoding involving encoding data bits according to an outer convolutional code to produce outer encoded bits processing the outer encoded bits using an interleaver and a logical unit to produce intermediate bits, wherein the logical unit receives a first number of input bits and produces a second number of corresponding output bits, the second number being less than the first number, and wherein the logical unit takes each of the first number of input bits into account in producing the second number of output bits, encoding the intermediate bits according to an inner convolutional code to produce inner encoded bits, wherein the inner convolutional code is characterized by at least two states, and combining the data bits and the inner encoded bits to produce encoded outputs.
US07958416B1
Programmable logic device integrated circuits with differential communications circuitry are provided in which the differential communications circuitry is used to support programming, testing, and user mode operations. Programming operations may be performed on a programmable logic device integrated circuit by receiving configuration data with the differential communications circuitry and storing the received configuration data in nonvolatile memory. The nonvolatile memory may be located in an external integrated circuit such as a configuration device or may be part of the programmable logic device integrated circuit. The stored configuration data may be loaded into configuration memory in the programmable logic device to program the device to perform a desired custom logic function. The differential communications circuitry may be used to handle boundary scan tests and programmable scan chain tests. During user mode operations the differential communications circuitry carries user data traffic.
US07958407B2
A diagnostic information converter reads an existing static diagnostic procedure in the form of a tree graph and generates a diagnostic Failure Modes and Effects Analysis that can be used in the generation of a dynamic diagnostic test plan. The converter identifies the end nodes of the graph and associates a specific failure mode with each of the end nodes. In addition, the converter traces a unique path from each end node along successive branches through one or more intermediate nodes to the root node, and from each of the paths derives an initial failure mode test including the test steps corresponding to the root node, the intermediate nodes and the end node. The converter further identifies and annotates precondition nodes that correspond to a vehicle state or condition, rather than to an actual diagnostic test step and allows a user to edit the initial failure mode tests.
US07958406B2
Provided are a method, system and article of manufacture for verifying a record as part of an operation to modify the record. A search request is received to determine whether a record matches a value. A first component executes the search request to determine if the record matches the value. The first component sends a verify request to a second component that did not execute the search request to execute the search request to determine whether the record matches the value. A result of the first and second components executing the search request is logged.
US07958405B1
An automatic testing system and method for judging whether a universal serial bus device is configured to a computer are provided. The automatic testing system includes a computer and a testing device for testing the universal serial bus device. By judging whether the universal serial bus device is configured to the computer, the automatic testing system could determine the timing of performing an automatic testing procedure on the universal serial bus device.
US07958396B2
Systems and methods are provided for securing a multicore computer chip with a watchdog processor. In a system with a watchdog process and any number of other processors and components, the watchdog processor monitors bus communications between the second processor and at least one third component. The watchdog processor may be further independently coupled to at least one of the other components so that it can monitor internal operations of such component, thereby acquiring detailed information about the specific operations of at least one component in the system. The watchdog processor can enforce an interaction policy on bus communications between components, as well as enforce an independent security policy on the monitored components.
US07958389B2
Replacement data for updating data recorded on an information storage medium is recorded in an area for logical overwrite (LOW) replacement; replacement data for replacing a defect generated on the medium is recorded in an area for defect replacement; and, if a defect is generated in an original block recorded in a predetermined area of the medium during a read-modify-write (RMW) process for a LOW for at least partial data of an original block, a replacement block replacing the original block is recorded in the area for LOW replacement and a defect list (DFL) entry including location information of the original block and location information of the replacement block is generated to indicate the replacement state.
US07958355B2
Systems and methods that facilitate introducing devices having digital characteristics to one another, to mitigate a man-in-the-middle attack. A keytote component supplies initial session keys for communication between devices, and includes a plurality of interfaces that can facilitate such communication. The keytote component can receive a key from a first device via one of a plulrality of communication interfaces associated with the keytote component. The user can then physically carry the keytote component to the vicinity of a second device for transferring the key thereto. As such, a man-in-the-middle attack can be mitigated, as an encrypted channel can be established in an insecure environment.
US07958353B2
The present invention provides an apparatus for securely acquire a circuit configuration information set corresponding to a new cryptosystem without increasing the number of reconfigurable circuits. A content playback apparatus 100 includes an FPGA 122 that is reconfigurable. The content playback apparatus 100 stores a decryption circuit program that shows the structure of a decryption circuit that executes decryption in accordance with a prescribed cryptosystem. The FPGA is reconfigured in accordance with the program to configure the decryption circuit. The playback apparatus 100 acquires, from outside, an encrypted file that has been generated by encrypting a file including a decryption circuit program corresponding to the new cryptosystem in accordance with the prescribed cryptosystem, and decrypts the encrypted file by the decryption circuit.
US07958340B2
Software pipelining on a network on chip (‘NOC’), the NOC including integrated processor (‘IP’) blocks, routers, memory communications controllers, and network interface controllers, each IP block adapted to a router through a memory communications controller and a network interface controller, each memory communications controller controlling communication between an IP block and memory, and each network interface controller controlling inter-IP block communications through routers. Embodiments of the present invention include implementing a software pipeline on the NOC, including segmenting a computer software application into stages, each stage comprising a flexibly configurable module of computer program instructions identified by a stage ID; executing each stage of the software pipeline on a thread of execution on an IP block; monitoring software pipeline performance in real time; and reconfiguring the software pipeline, dynamically, in real time, and in dependence upon the monitored software pipeline performance.
US07958319B2
A method and apparatus for accelerating transactional execution. Barriers associated with shared memory lines referenced by memory accesses within a transaction are only invoked/executed the first time the shared memory lines are accessed within a transaction. Hardware support, such as a transaction field/transaction bits, are provided to determine if an access is the first access to a shared memory line during a pendancy of a transaction. Additionally, in an aggressive operational mode version numbers representing versions of elements stored in shared memory lines are not stored and validated upon commitment to save on validation costs. Moreover, even in a cautious mode, that stores version numbers to enable validation, validation costs may not be incurred, if eviction of accessed shared memory lines do not occur during execution of the transaction.
US07958310B2
An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for selecting a space efficient repository. A cache receives write data. A destage module destages the data sequentially to a coarse grained repository such as a stride level repository and destages a directory entry for the data to a coarse grained directory such as a stride level directory if the data satisfies a repository policy. In addition, the destage module destages the data to a fine grained repository such as a track level repository overwriting an existing data instance and destages the directory entry to a fine grained directory such as a track level directory if the data does not satisfy the repository policy.
US07958302B2
Systems and methods for communicating data in a storage network are disclosed. A method may include communicating, from a host to a storage array, a request for data having different portions stored in different storage nodes of the storage array. In response to the request, a first storage node of the storage array may communicate to the host a first portion of the requested data stored on the first storage node. The first storage node may communicate a message to the host indicating that a second portion of the requested data is stored on a second storage node of the storage array. The host may communicate a message to the second storage node indicating that the host is ready to receive the second portion of the requested data. The second storage node may communicate to the host a second portion of the requested data stored on the second storage node.
US07958298B2
The present invention is a method for providing address decode and Virtual Function (VF) migration support in a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIE) multi-root Input/Output Virtualization (IOV) environment. The method may include receiving a Transaction Layer Packet (TLP) from the PCIE multi-root IOV environment. The method may further include comparing a destination address of the TLP with a plurality of base address values stored in a Content Addressable Memory (CAM), each base address value being associated with a Virtual Function (VF), each VF being associated with a Physical Function (PF). The method may further include when a base address value included in the plurality of base address values matches the destination address of the TLP, providing the matching base address value to the PCIE multi-root IOV environment by outputting from the CAM the matching base address value. The method may further include constructing a requestor ID for the VF associated with the matching base address value, the requestor ID being based upon the output matching base address value and a bus number for a PF which owns the CAM.
US07958294B1
An integrated circuit having a plurality of data transceivers positioned on opposite ends of the integrated circuit is disclosed. The integrated circuit comprises a first plurality of data transceivers positioned in a column on a first end of the integrated circuit and a second plurality of data transceivers positioned in a column on a second end. A circuit is preferably positioned between the first plurality of data transceivers and the second plurality of data transceivers. The circuit could comprise, for example, circuits for implementing a programmable logic device. The circuitry of the plurality of data transceivers is also preferably arranged such that analog circuitry is positioned closer to an end of the integrated circuit than the digital circuits to reduce interference with the analog circuits. According to another aspect of the invention, the data transceivers are formed on layers to reduce the amount of interference.
US07958287B2
A semiconductor storage device includes a first nonvolatile memory to store user data of a file, a second nonvolatile memory to store management data of the file, the second nonvolatile memory being different in type from the first nonvolatile memory, and a controller to control read/write of data with respect to the first and second nonvolatile memories.
US07958284B2
Methods and apparatus to transfer data between one or more clock domains are described. In one embodiment, a plurality of signals corresponding to write pointers of a buffer and a read pointer of the buffer are generated. The signals corresponding to the write pointers of the buffer are to be generated based on different data patterns for transmission over different channels. Other embodiments are also claimed and described.
US07958276B2
A method for automatically configuring peripheral devices performs a device assessment resulting in a list of available peripheral devices currently connected to the computer, calculates a configuration setting value from the list, and compares the configuration setting value to other values in a settings repository. If there is a match, then a prior selection of the peripheral devices is automatically restored. If there is no match, then devices are automatically selected from among the available peripheral devices in accordance with a predetermined devices database. The devices database includes possible devices and corresponding priority ranks for the possible devices. In addition, the computed configuration setting value is saved together with a current device selection in the settings repository.
US07958274B2
Methods, compute nodes, and computer program products are provided for heuristic status polling of a component in a computing system. Embodiments include receiving, by a polling module from a requesting application, a status request requesting status of a component; determining, by the polling module, whether an activity history for the component satisfies heuristic polling criteria; polling, by the polling module, the component for status if the activity history for the component satisfies the heuristic polling criteria; and not polling, by the polling module, the component for status if the activity history for the component does not satisfy the heuristic criteria.
US07958273B2
A system comprising a first expander device and a second expander device. The first expander device and the second expander device comprise a subtractive port and a table mapped port and are suitable for coupling a first serial attached SCSI controller to a second serial attached SCSI controller. The first and second expander devices are cross-coupled via a redundant physical connection.
US07958269B2
A network camera 1 comprises a camera block 10 for taking an image, a signal processing unit 20 supplied with an imaging output of the camera block 10, a communication interface unit 30 which connects to an external network to establish communication, a backup memory unit 40 which temporarily stores data to be transmitted to an external device via the communication interface unit 30, a system control unit 50 which controls the above components, and the like. The system control unit 50 monitors the state of the network and stores temporarily the compressed image data to be transmitted to the server in the backup memory unit 40 when a failure occurs in the network, and controls transmission processing such that the compressed image data that has been stored in the backup memory unit 40 is transmitted to the server after the network has recovered.
US07958268B2
Data security for processing data or securing browser-input data operates on security sensitive content which is extracted, then either encrypted or stored in remote extract stores, and processed separate from remainder data. Extracted data, in one system, is remotely stored. Other methods attach, append, add or insert an encrypted version of the extract content to the document. The browser system operates with an extract store. Remainder data is sent to the addressee or designated client by the web server. The addressee is permitted to retrieve the extracted data from said extract store only with a security clearance and hence, reconstruct the source input data with the extract data. In other systems, the addressee reconstructs the input by decryption and integration. The browser method extracts data, facilitates the storage, forwards the remainder data to a target. Financial data or credit card scrubber may use pop-up windows for enablement.
US07958266B1
Any arrangement of URLv identity syntax can now be used in a repository, once its second.top domain is known to have an identity syntax. The repository can extract, select, store, organize, prioritize, and consolidate URLvs of differing identity syntaxes. The correlation and association among different contact entities' containing the same individual's identities can yield accurate same individual's identity and URLvs. These increase the competition of the Internet by enabling users to transport their data easily to websites allowing for individuals' data-transport.
US07958265B2
A coding method of vector network address (VNA), which encodes the VNA according to output port names (OPN) of one source device and the forwarding devices along the Data Transmission Path (DTP). Each OPN acts as a component address, and all component addresses compose a sequence in the order along the direction of the DTP. This sequence is the result of the coding method, i.e. the VNA. More specifically, the VNA is a finite sequence as follows: The first component address in the sequence is the OPN of the source device, the second that is the OPN of the first forwarding device in the DTP, the third that is the OPN of the second forwarding device in the DTP, and so on. The final OPN in the sequence is the OPN of the final forwarding device in the DTP.
US07958262B2
The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for allocating and reclaiming resources within a rendezvous federation. Embodiments of the invention include formulating and routing messages in accordance with cached two-way agreements between adjacent nodes on a ring of nodes. Cached two-way agreements divide responsibility for at least unoccupied identifiers between the adjacent nodes on a ring. When a message is received at a node, the node can refer to a cached two-way agreement to determine if it or an adjacent node is responsible for the message. The node then sends the message to the next appropriate component in accordance with the cached two-way agreement.
US07958260B2
In a data system, such as a cable modem termination system, different-priority flows are scheduled to be routed to their logical destinations by factoring both the priority level and the time spent in queue. The time that each packet of each flow spends waiting for transmission is normalized such that the waiting times of all flows are equalized with respect to each other. A latency scaling parameter is calculated.
US07958251B2
A method and system is disclosed for processing information provided from various content providers in the form objects having states subject to periodic updates. Formatted information indicating a current state of the objects are delivered to subscribing clients in substantially real-time. An information manager module is configured to receiving raw data objects from the content providers, format the information, and broadcast current state information on various broadcast data stream. A client manager module supports multiple client communication sessions and connects to at least one broadcast data stream. Current state information received on a broadcast data stream is processed and transmitted to specific clients in accordance with processing rules specified in the client profiles.
US07958247B2
A mobile device apparatus uses an HyperText Transfer protocol (HTTP) push operation to simulate server-initiated sessions. The illustrative mobile device apparatus comprises a push server logic operable in a push server that sends a message to a mobile device over a network. The push server logic is configured to receive a GET command from a mobile device. The GET command includes a mobile device identifier parameter and a timeout parameter designating a maximum time interval for the push server to reply with a message. The push server logic holds a GET command session until expiration of a timeout designated by the timeout parameter in a condition that no message is targeted to the mobile device. The push server logic terminates the GET command session by sending a message immediately in a condition that the message is targeted to the mobile device.
US07958246B2
A method and system for providing service over a communication network. The method includes establishing a plurality of virtual DNS servers that is supported by a DNS server. A plurality of target IP addresses is assigned for the plurality of virtual DNS servers. Each target IP address includes a first IP subaddress identifying the DNS server, and a second IP subaddress identifying a corresponding virtual DNS server. A plurality of network capable devices is uniquely assigned to the plurality of virtual DNS servers for domain name resolution. Each network capable device accesses the communication network through a corresponding network device associated with a corresponding source IP address. A service plan of a client is assigned to a first network capable device used by the client. The service plan is implemented through a DNS request under a session established between the first network capable device and its assigned first virtual DNS server. The session is uniquely identified by a combination of a first source IP address of a first network device used by the first network capable device to access the communication network, and a first target IP address of the first virtual DNS server.
US07958242B2
The present invention relates to a method and terminal for reporting media format adaptation resources to convert a media format of a media stream of a media session to be established between terminals through a packet switched communications network towards a requesting terminal. The invention further relates to a method and NSIS router for reporting media format adaptation resources for converting a media format of a media stream of a media session to be established between terminals. To allow terminals to establish a media session utilizing media adaptation, the invention provides a NSIS (Next Step In Signaling) based signaling framework facilitating the detection and reservation of media adaptation resources on (and off) a media data path on which media data are transported utilizing a media transport protocol among terminals participating in the session.
US07958225B2
A method and apparatus for monitoring the transportation of medical images on a communication network includes a medical image transport service (MITS) that may be used to notify clients of the status of scheduled requests. The MITS may be configured to provide numerous notifications, such as the scheduled time for delivery, changes in scheduled time for delivery, delays associated with delivery at the scheduled time, and likely resolutions to network or other delays attendant to the requested transaction. The notifications may be sent in-band on the network or out-of-band on a parallel network. Where the notification relates to a delayed transaction, the notification message may contain the reason for the delay, the source of the delay, its location, and if other images can still be retrieved. The notification may also include a likely resolution of the problem and an estimate of when the problem will be resolved.
US07958218B2
An apparatus, program product and method for determining unreturned standby resource usage. Unreturned standby resource data is monitored and stored separately from other standby resource data for billing and other accounting purposes.
US07958211B2
A user of a wireless device connects a cable to a router and is given the option of manually or automatically creating a user profile to configure the wireless device for subsequent wireless communication with the router when the user removes the cable.
US07958208B2
A method for automatically designing a switched metro Ethernet data is provided. During execution of the method, data network information, customer demand information, equipment information, and at least one design constraint is received. Based thereon, a potential topology design for the switched metro Ethernet data network is automatically established. The potential topology for the switched metro Ethernet data network can be a tree topology that is rooted at a predetermined hub node and that has a plurality of leaves. Each leaf is located at a customer location. In a particular embodiment, an aggregation node is placed at the hub node. Further, an aggregation node is placed at a predetermined redundant hub node. Additionally, an aggregation node is placed at another location in the tree topology.
US07958198B2
Redirecting a notification to a wireless user device includes registering for notification of incoming messages for an account on a message server, the incoming messages being directed to an account on the message server. The redirecting also includes receiving at least one notification and redirecting the at least one notification through a firewall to a wireless user device associated with the account. The remote message server is in communication with a network protected by the firewall. According to one aspect, a cradle is configured to perform the redirection. According to another aspect, the cradle is associated with a remote desktop computer in communication with the network.
US07958197B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system and computer program product for type-ahead processing for multiple different addressees. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for type-ahead processing for multiple different addressees can include detecting character input in an addressee field of a composition view of a messaging client executing in memory by a processor of a computer. The method also can include matching the detected character input to entries in a table of different lists in that each of the entries in the table includes multiple different addressees specified for a previously composed message. Finally, the method can include auto-completing the addressee field with a selected list of multiple different addressees matching the detected character input.
US07958187B2
The present invention provides an electronic message management system (EMS) that includes a real-time feedback loop where data is collected from the electronic messages on incoming connection attempts, outgoing delivery attempts, and message content analysis, and written to a centralized data matrix. A separate process accesses the data matrix and analyzes trends in that data. The detected data patterns, trends or behavior is based on configuration parameters for the recipient. Based on these determinations, the process is able to instruct components in the EMS to accept, redirect, refuse, modify, defer, or otherwise dispose of the connection request, the delivery attempt, or the message. Associated methods for managing the transmission of electronic messages are also disclosed.
US07958185B2
A system and method of geo-spatially viewing project oriented data relating to engineering, construction, and operations (ECO) computer-aided design (CAD) services online using a browser-based viewer can include a three-tiered client/server architecture for accessing a database storing a plurality of files, each of which is stored as a series of components including spatial information. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a system, method and computer program product includes a browser-based project-oriented, collaboration system including a viewer operative to enable viewing of at least one of a business, a project, and a person, geospatially according to geospatial attributes associated with the business, project or person.
US07958178B2
A Finite Impulse Response (“FIR”) filter that uses an approximation of the time integral of the impulse response derived from data collected at non-uniform intervals and processes time-synchronized measurements taken at uneven intervals.
US07958146B2
Techniques for providing limited access to data stored in records of databases are disclosed. The techniques can be implemented in a database program operating on a computer system. The database program can provide a Graphical User Interface that can be used to conveniently define calculation expressions that limit operations on the records of the database. The calculation expression can be defined for a user or group of users with respect to a particular operation that can be requested to be performed on the records of the database. The calculation expression can be defined based on fields of the records, as well as other information, for example, various state variables of the database (e.g., date, time, number of records, etc.) The calculation expression can, in turn, be evaluated with respect to each record to determine whether a request to perform an operation on that particular record should be granted or denied.
US07958145B2
Provided is a method for creating a unique class of Mbean in which a “parent” Mbean generates and manages multiple “child” Mbeans. When a user requests the functionality of a particular Mbean, a specific type of Mbean, or parent Mbean, is called. The parent Mbean is a factory method that, rather than executing the request, generates a child Mbean to execute the request. The child Mbean is assigned a name that distinguishes the child from other children of the same parent and the process that called the parent is provided with the name. In this manner, the calling process may use the assigned name to access the specific child Mbean for future requests and the child Mbean is employed to store client state information.
US07958140B2
A method of controlling user information for an information processing apparatus includes the steps of a process of an application program requesting user information controlling unit to obtain an item of said user information, and said user information controlling unit providing the obtained item of said user information to said process. The user information controlling unit obtains the user information requested by the process of the application program and provides the user information to the process. Accordingly, the user information can be shared by the application programs and centrally controlled.
US07958139B2
In an exemplary method, content instances and metadata associated with the content instances are maintained, a request for content is received, one of the content instances is identified based on the request, at least one other of the content instances is identified as being related to the one content instance based on a predefined relationship heuristic and the metadata associated with the content instances, and data representative of the one content instance and the other content instance is provided in response to the request. In certain embodiments, the related content instance is identified by identifying a metadata value associated with the one content instance and a common metadata value associated with the other content instance. In certain embodiments, the common metadata value includes at least one of a common location data value, a common time data value, a common user identifier, and a common content type.
US07958137B2
A computer-implemented method is provided to facilitate creation of linked inter-related models in a database. The method comprises obtaining a search text and match criteria from a user, and determining whether a prequery exists. If not, a list of all destination items is obtained. If yes, a determination is made whether the prequery is enabled. If not, a list of all destination items is obtained. If enabled, a list of all destination items limited by the prequery is obtained. A determination is then made whether all match criteria is selected. If yes, all items in the destination list are returned to the user. If not, a word list is generated by parsing all words from the search text. All valid synonyms are added for each word in the word list. The items in the destination list are reduced to items that match at least one word in the word list. A determination is made whether one or more additional filters exist. If not, a reduced list filtered by the match criteria is returned to the user. If the additional filters exist, the filters are presented to the user. The matched item list is then reduced based on criteria of the filters. The reduced matched item list is then returned to the user.
US07958135B2
An information processing apparatus is disclosed that that acquires image/audio information in response to an operations command and generates predetermined electronic data from the acquired information. The information processing apparatus includes a user information storing unit that stores and manages information for identifying an operator issuing the operations command, a personal information storing unit that stores and manages personal information of the operator, a gathering information storing unit that stores or describes a personal information managing service managing personal information that is subject to processing, and an information extracting unit that analyzes the personal information managing service of the gathering information storing unit and extracts relevant personal information from the personal information of the operator stored in the personal information storing unit corresponding to the personal information managing service.
US07958130B2
A method and a system may be provided to sample media content similar to media content enjoyed by a user. Feature vectors, which describe a number of characteristics, with respect to media content enjoyed by the user, may be employed to find similar media content from a media library, or a media service. The similar media content may be played, interleaved with requested media content. Relevance feedback, with respect to played media content, may be transparently or explicitly provided. The feature vectors may be updated based on the provided relevance feedback. Additional similar media content may be found from the media library, or the media service, based on the updated feature vectors, and may be played. An interface may be provided such that the user may purchase sampled, media content via a media device for playing the content.
US07958121B2
A retrieval information that is a retrieval target, acquired from an information source, is arranged on a vector space. Data of a usage information and a content specifying manners of usage, used by the user in the past is acquired by a usage-information acquisition unit. A user's preference extraction unit extracts a preference of a user from the data, and notifies a number-of-effective-elements reduction unit of the extracted data. The number-of-effective-elements reduction unit evaluates each element of a vector of retrieval information by using the preference of the user, and reduces the number of effective elements by removing the elements smaller than a certain criteria. Thereafter, a statistic is acquired in the vector space of the vector of the retrieval information, and the cosine normalization is performed on the result that includes a large number of elements, and the normalization in which the variation of the statistic was compensated by the average weight is performed on the result that includes a small number of elements.
US07958116B2
A system and method for trans-factor ranking of search results. Any number of attributes of items in a database being searched may be synthesized into a uniquely suitable ordering that brings relevant and authoritative results to the top of the list whenever such results exist in the database. The manner in which the attributes are used to create this ordering may be varied by users to tailor the ranking to their needs, and by database providers to take advantage of unique database contents. Attributes that are not in the database may be created dynamically and used to synthesize the order, based on the intersection between attributes that do exist in the database and attributes that are associated with the user or database manager. Attenuation and amplification factors are applied to attributes to control rankings. A multi-ranking interleaver determines a final ordering when more than one ranking strategy is used.
US07958113B2
A method and system for automatically and adaptively determining query execution plans for parametric queries. A first classifier trained by an initial set of training points is generated. A query workload and/or database statistics are dynamically updated. A new set of training points is collected off-line. Using the new set of training points, the first classifier is modified into a second classifier. A database query is received at a runtime subsequent to the off-line phase. The query includes predicates having parameter markers bound to actual values. The predicates are associated with selectivities. A mapping of the selectivities into a plan determines the query execution plan. The determined query execution plan is included in an augmented set of training points, where the augmented set includes the initial set and the new set.
US07958104B2
Systems, methods, and software are provided for facilitating data searching over a network. For example, in one implementation, a first component may be adapted to communicate with a user via a user device over the network. A second component may be adapted to receive a search request from the user via the user device over the network, process the search request by identifying zero or more contexts related to the user based on information that may be passed with the search request or via other sources, and provide zero or more search results in response to the search request. A database may be adapted to store information, including contextual information, related to the user. The second component may select information from the database related to zero or more contexts in order to provide zero or more search results to the user. Various other implementations are also provided.
US07958101B1
One aspect involves mounting a file system stored on a CAS system. The file system has a directory structure that includes a plurality of directories arranged in a hierarchy and including a root directory at the top of the hierarchy. Each of the directories is represented by a content unit stored on the CAS system, the content unit having a content address that is computed based, at least in part, on at least a portion of the content of the content unit. The file system is mounted by specifying the content address of the content unit that represents the root directory and determining the file system to be mounted based on the content address of the content unit that represents the root directory.
US07958100B2
A method of managing medical information is disclosed. The method comprises receiving, at a first computer, requests for medical information from a second computer. The first computer responds by sending a set of instructions to the second computer. The instructions are sufficient to allow the second computer to automatically retrieve the requested medical information from a third computer.
US07958093B2
A system and method for optimizing a storage system to support short data object lifetimes and highly utilized storage space are provided. With the system and method, data objects are clustered based on when they are anticipated to be deleted. When an application stores data, the application provides an indicator of the expected lifetime of the data, which may be a retention value, a relative priority of the data object, or the like. Data objects having similar expected lifetimes are clustered together in common data structures so that clusters of objects may be deleted efficiently in a single operation. Expected lifetimes may be changed by applications automatically. The system automatically determines how to handle these changes in expected lifetime using one or more of copying the data object, reclassifying the container in which the data object is held, and ignoring the change in expected lifetime for a time to investigate further changes in expected lifetime of other data objects.
US07958089B2
Creating transaction instructions is disclosed. A description of a set of objects is received. For each of at least a subset of objects in the set of objects, a description of one or more associated relationships is received. The description of the set of objects and the descriptions of the one or more associated relationships for each object in the at least a subset of the set of objects are processed to create an ordered list of transaction instructions for storing the set of objects and the one or more associated relationships for each object in the at least a subset of the set of objects.
US07958086B2
A system and method for operating a storage library. The system comprises a management server, a media agent connected to the management server, a library connected to the media agent and a database connected to the management server. The management server controls the media agent to monitor for the addition or removal of a piece of media in the library. When the media agent determines that the piece of media has been added to the library or removed from the library, the media agent causes the library to read a media label stored as data on the piece of media, the media label including an identifier identifying the piece of media. When a backup or restore is performed, the system checks the media label to ensure that the correct media is being used. Inventory procedures are disclosed. Media labels are stored in a database along with an indication of the corresponding slot where the media is stored, a time when the label was put on the medium, and a confidence parameter indicating how confident the system is that the particular medium is stored in the respective slot.
US07958074B2
A method (and structure) for using reasoning heuristics in a network-based information system based on an entity/relation paradigm and characterized as being a self-similar hypergraph. The method includes packaging domain-independent reasoning heuristics so that they can be attached to data in a self-similar-hypergraph information system, thereby allowing self-describing knowledge capsules to be created from the data.
US07958070B2
A plurality of pieces of learning data, each associated with a class to which the piece of the learning data belong, are input. In each piece of the learning data, a statistical amount of attribute values of elements in each of specific k parts, k being equal to or larger than 1, is calculated. Each piece of the learning data is mapped in a k-dimensional feature space as a vector having the calculated k statistics amounts as elements. Based on each piece of the mapped learning data and the classes to which the pieces of learning data belong, parameters for classifying input data into one of the plurality of classes are learned in the k-dimensional feature space. By using the parameters, pattern classification can be performed with high speed and high accuracy.
US07958069B2
Dependencies between different channels or different services in a client or server may be determined from the observation of the times of the incoming and outgoing of the packets constituting those channels or services. A probabilistic model may be used to formally characterize these dependencies. The probabilistic model may be used to list the dependencies between input packets and output packets of various channels or services, and may be used to establish the expected strength of the causal relationship between the different events surrounding those channels or services. Parameters of the probabilistic model may be either based on prior knowledge, or may be fit using statistical techniques based on observations about the times of the events of interest. Expected times of occurrence between events may be observed, and dependencies may be determined in accordance with the probabilistic model.
US07958062B2
A method and system for creating healthy operating envelope from only data samples obtained during normal operation/behavior of dynamic systems is provided. This method determines healthy operating envelope by clustering a stream of discrete event code sequences from the underlying system under normal operation condition only. The method is unsupervised, that is, requiring no prior knowledge of event code patterns corresponding to different operation conditions. Such created envelope can be used for fault detection and health monitoring of dynamic systems.
US07958061B1
Techniques are described for automatically and dynamically determining how to handle items being returned from customers while the items are in transit. Various factors may be considered to determine appropriate item return handling, including by assessing current conditions at the time of the determination. In addition, the dynamic item return handling may include selecting one of various potential return destinations for each item being returned and one of various types of return routing for the return. In some situations, the item return handling is performed for an item being returned from a customer while the item is at an intermediate shipping location, such as a selected location to which the customer was directed to send the item. This abstract is provided to comply with rules requiring an abstract, and with the intention that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.
US07958056B2
A contents data creating device is configured by equipping a computer with a contents creating software. In this contents creating software, a license information file stores license information containing information describing the permitted range of input data or output data. A GUI manager module displays a choice of options indicating the range of input data or output data unpermitted with the license information, in the mode different from that of the choice of options indicating the range of input data or output data permitted. The GUI manager module performs a conversion using the range of the input data or the output data inputted from the outside, as a parameter.
US07958049B2
An integrated electronic bill presentment and payment (EBPP) system is disclosed which obtains bills for customers (which include individuals, businesses, and organizations) and allow payments including payments by credit card to be processed at the biller websites on behalf of customers. The integrated EBPP system obtains bills for customers from paper billers, electronic billers, and scrape-enabled biller websites, with customers providing access information for biller websites to the integrated EBPP system, which uses a software agent or bot to make scheduled scrapes of biller websites to obtain customer bills. The integrated EBPP system enables customers to automatically set up a user account at biller websites, with customers providing user access information and user financial account information, such as a credit card or debit card, for accessing biller websites and for initiating payments at biller websites.
US07958047B2
A method and system provides for the use of credit arrangements in simulated environments. A user can participate in credit transactions involving purchases of virtual products, virtual services, and virtual items of value. Feedback is provided to the user regarding results of the credit transactions. In some embodiments multiple users can make simulated purchases or incur simulated credit obligations that are posted to virtual accounts, and the multiple users can also make simulated compensation against balances due or obligations owed for said virtual accounts. The user is also provided with an opportunity of engaging in real-world financial transactions related to the virtual credit arrangement. In some implementations of the system and method, multiple players at different locations can use virtual charge accounts and/or real world financial accounts in connection with arranging or resolving a virtual credit transaction.
US07958046B2
Computer systems and methods for providing credit information data are disclosed. In one embodiment, an exemplary method includes generating a first mark up language document in a requestor domain. The credit information query data may include provider identification data to enable identification of a provider of credit information data. The method further includes retrieving a first provider specific transformation document for transforming the first markup language document into a provider domain of the provider and sending the second mark up language document to the provider. The method further includes receiving a third mark up language document carrying the credit information data, where the third mark up language document is in the provider domain. The method further includes retrieving a second provider specific transformation document for transforming the third document into the requestor domain. The method further includes transforming the third mark up document by the second provider specific transformation document.
US07958038B2
In one aspect, the invention comprises a method comprising: (a) acquiring data regarding a first group of securities in a first portfolio; (b) based on said data and on risk characteristics of said first group of securities, identifying a second group of securities to be included in a second portfolio; and (c) calculating holdings in said second portfolio based on one or more portfolio optimization procedures. In another aspect, the invention comprises software for performing the steps described above (as well as steps of other embodiments), and in another aspect, the invention comprises one or more computer systems operable to perform those steps.
US07958036B1
Systems and methods of generating metrics for volatility products are disclosed. According to various embodiments, the metric may use a carry of the volatility product and a volatility of the implied volatility to determine the metric. Through the metric, or carry quotient, global interest rate volatility may be searched to identify trades with attractive rolldown and carry characteristics.
US07958034B2
A catastrophic hazard protection (CHP) mortgage may be provided on real property or structure(s) on the real property of a owner. The CHP mortgage may be structured to include financial protection in the event that one or more structures of the real property is damaged by a catastrophe such as a hurricane or earthquake. The owner may pay an increased interest rate on the CHP mortgage. If catastrophe damage occurs, the principal amount of the CHP mortgage may be reduced by the lesser of the value of the damage or the principal balance. Alternatively, the owner may receive a payment equivalent to the lesser of the value of the damage or the principal balance. A CHP mortgage may be implemented electronically. Additionally, catastrophic hazard protection may be added onto an existing mortgage.
US07958024B2
A system provides a way to manage agreements that institutions such as financial services companies have with distributors who sell their products. Each distributor has a plurality of sales representatives that earn commissions for selling such products. The commissions earned and any other constraints imposed on the sales representatives may be defined within a selling agreement. The system can generate each selling agreement utilizing a set of components representative of the type of agreement formed between the institutions and the distributor. The components of each selling agreement contain an associated rule set that enables a configuration engine to generate an appropriate document. The system also contains a set of regulatory conditions for each sale made by the sales representatives. The system may be utilized to process sales transaction data to ensure that selling agreement terms are followed and that regulations for each sale are satisfied.
US07958020B2
An inventory management method for managing an inventory of goods for a plurality of demand groups with each demand group having at least one service quality, the method includes determining a total safety stock level for the plurality of demand groups that satisfies the distinct service quality of each demand group, determining a shipment limit Zi for each demand group Gi, wherein goods are shipped for a demand group Gi only if the inventory of goods for the demand group Gi exceeds the shipment limit Zi. Also disclosed is a computer program product and a method for an inventory management service.
US07958016B2
Method and apparatus for specifying product characteristics by combining characteristics of products
A computer-implemented method for specifying the characteristics of a desired item includes specifying a plurality of items, each of which possess at least one but not all characteristics of the desired item, selecting a subset of characteristics from each of said plurality of items, combining selected subsets of characteristics into a characterization of the desired item, and validating an availability of the desired item.
US07958012B2
A system and method for enabling online research, publication, promotion, and management of user goods is presented. An embodiment guiding the process of online selling across multiple platforms is presented. Information is gathered from various sources across the Internet to determine pricing and publication options. Data and user input are aggregated to create a listing. Listings are published and promoted across platforms and channels and feedback is presented to the user through an online interface.
US07958011B1
A method, computer program product and system for obtaining property owner or community association data. An order for a selection of products is directly received from a requestor. The order is built using a master questionnaire, which is stored on a database from which all sub-questionnaires (products) are created. As all “products” are created at the moment the order is placed, the information (community association data) in the master questionnaire is the information which will be incorporated into each sub-questionnaire. By receiving an order directly with the requestor and building the order using a master questionnaire which includes questions and answers that may be incorporated into the sub-questionnaires (products), the association data may be obtained by requestors in a direct, efficient manner without the use of a third party service provider.
US07958006B2
A system to determine preference information in which preference information associated with a consumer is determined, the preference information is validated, and the preference information is mixed with preference information associated with a plurality of consumers based on the validating step. The validating step may includes provision of trade-off questions to the consumer, reception of actual answers to the trade-off questions, prediction of consumer answers to the trade-off questions based on the preference information associated with the consumer and prediction of subgroup answers to the trade-off questions based on the preference information associated with the plurality of consumers. Moreover, the preference information may be mixed with the preference information associated with the plurality of consumers based on the actual answers, the predicted consumer answers and the predicted subgroup answers.
US07958002B2
The present invention provides a system and method for measuring the relative economic benefits from services offered by health care plans. The present invention quantifies value of health care quality by indicating an economic return on the investment in health care quality, enabling organizations and businesses to view health care quality in a familiar paradigm that extends health plan differentiation beyond premium and benefits. Businesses may employ the present invention to compare different health care plans or classes of plans, such as accredited versus non-accredited plans. Specifically, a particular plan or class of plans may provide improved monitoring, treatment and control of various medical conditions, and the present invention quantifies the economic benefits to employers from the improved health care for employees. In one embodiment, the present invention looks to a set of specific medical conditions and is based on three key steps. First, the present invention identifies the overall level of employees at the organization affected by these conditions. Second, the present invention uses the reduction in absenteeism and low productivity days made possible by improved monitoring and control of the medical conditions. Third, the present invention calculates a monetary valuation to the firm of the reduction in absenteeism and low productivity days based on the firm's average revenue per employee, average daily wage, and other parameters.
US07958000B2
A method and system for analyzing a “detail” (the use of promotional materials in combination with a sales pitch), measures the effectiveness of a sales presentation and its ability to drive market share through a standardized, quantitative evaluation of the entire sale presentation and its related components. The method includes administering a two, different surveys. The first survey, the Detail Performance Monitor survey, comprises an “in the field” test of how respondents are responding to various marketing strategies by tracking subsequent behavioral data of the respondents and comparing the behavioral data to the survey results. The second survey, the Detail Assessment survey, comprises an “in the lab” test of how various marketing strategies affect respondent attitude towards a product by comparing respondent attitude before and after presentation of a simulated “detail” that represents the marketing strategy.
US07957999B2
A system and method providing a centralized acquisition utility for facilitating event requests for multiple client products and/or services, where a dispatcher forwards event requests to one or more handlers to apply client business logic to process and fulfill said request. The handlers further employ task-specific workers for facilitating the individual steps required to complete the process.
US07957995B2
A method for coordinating a project for designing, implementing, and using a general procurement and accounts payable (GP/AP) system for a customer. A playbook database is created and includes templates of information relating to designing, implementing, and using the GP/AP system. The templates are particularized for the customer. A playbook summary view is generated from the playbook database. The playbook summary view displays a folders and views section, a task title display and selection area, a summary task creation button, and a detailed task creation button, which visually appear together in an undivided display area within the playbook summary view. Communication is between team members of a team and the playbook database via a server coupled to the playbook database and an intranet coupled to both the server and the team members. The team members have responsibility for the designing and implementing of the GP/AP system.
US07957994B2
Methods and systems for defining service funding for a Service Oriented Architecture (‘SOA’) are described that include, in response to an event requiring a change in service funding, identifying a potential SOA funding model for a business's SOA, the potential SOA funding model governing funding of services implemented in the business's SOA; reviewing for approval the potential SOA funding model by relevant stakeholders of the business; and upon approval of the potential SOA funding model by relevant stakeholders of the business, implementing the approved SOA funding model.
US07957991B2
A system, method, and article of manufacture are provided for technology sharing during demand and supply planning in a network-based supply chain environment. Steps included are providing locator and mapping capabilities utilizing the network. Technology that includes streaming audio, stereo audio and video data is also shared utilizing the network. Encryption capabilities for the technology are also included. Further, searching capabilities are provided utilizing the network in addition to logging events and passive user profiling. The event logging includes logging network operations. User profile data is automatically received and stored. User profile data includes user identity, state, preferences and interests. User profile data is also automatically exported to an active profile manager which automatically adds additional user profile data. Additional user profile data includes information related to whether the user is a service provider or a manufacturer and the location of user.
US07957986B1
Systems and methods for managing subrogation and recovery of insurance claims with a computer including receiving data for a first insurance claim; determining from the data whether the first insurance claim has recovery potential; thereafter when it is determined that the first insurance claim has recovery potential, collecting information about the event from which the first insurance claim was derived; repeatedly seeking data, as necessary, for additional insurance claims associated with the event such that all insurance claims arising from the event are processed together.
US07957985B2
A personalized health information discovery and presentation system is presented. The system has an input device, a subject-profile module, an information database, an alignment module, a solutions module, an integration engine, a plan module, a graphical user interface, and a processor. The input device allows a user to enter a personalized subject-profile, the subject-profile module receives the subject-profile and converts it into a recognized health profile. The health information database comprises a library of health information, and the alignment module aligns the recognized health profile with relevant health information. The solution's module parses the relevant information into information subsets, and the integration engine integrates the information; identifies conflicting health information, contraindications, or health warnings; creates notifications; and compiles data for presentation to the user. The plan module converts the integrated health information into a personalized health maintenance plan for display in a form selected by the user.
US07957974B2
A method and apparatus for controlling home electronic devices connected to a home network are provided. The method for controlling home electronic devices connected to a home network includes receiving a user voice command and converting the user voice command into a character command; extracting actions and objects from the character command and converting the character command into a logical command; extracting an action list containing a series of actions from the logical command by referring to an action library storing action data for controlling home electronic devices connected to the home network; and converting the series of actions included in the action list into a control signal and controlling the home electronic devices connected to the home network. According to the method and apparatus, user commands to home electronic devices connected to a complicated home network can be simplified such that home electronic devices are controlled conveniently and efficiently.
US07957965B2
In order to enhance the quality of a communication signal derived from speech and noise, a filter divides the communication signal into a plurality of frequency band signals. A calculator generates a plurality of power band signals each having a power band value and corresponding to one of the frequency band signals. The power band values are based on estimating, over a time period, the power of one of the frequency band signals. The time period is different for different ones of the frequency band signals. The power band values are used to calculate weighting factors which are used to alter the frequency band signals that are combined to generate an improved communication signal.
US07957960B2
A high-quality, low-complexity audio time scale modification (TSM) algorithm useful in speeding up or slowing down the playback of an encoded audio signal without changing the pitch or timbre of the audio signal. The TSM algorithm uses a modified synchronized overlap-add (SOLA) algorithm that maintains a roughly constant computational complexity regardless of the TSM speed factor and that performs most of the required SOLA computation using decimated signals, thereby reducing computational complexity by approximately two orders of magnitude.
US07957957B2
A method and apparatus for discovering polysemous words and classifying polysemous words found in web documents. All document corpi in any natural language have words that have multiple usage contexts or words that have multiple meanings. Semantic analysis is not feasible for classifying all word occurrences in all documents on the web, which contain trillions of words in total. In addition, semantic analysis typically cannot distinguish multiple usages of a given meaning of a given word. In one embodiment of this invention, polysemous words in natural languages can be discovered by analyzing the co-occurrence of other words with the polysemous word in web documents. In one embodiment, the multiple meanings and usages of a polysemous word can be determined by analyzing the co-occurrences of other words with the polysemous word. No semantic analysis is used in discovering or classifying polysemous words.
US07957953B2
A weighted linear word alignment model linearly combines weighted features to score a word alignment for a bilingual, aligned pair of text fragments. The features are each weighted by a feature weight. One of the features is a word association metric, which may be generated from surface statistics.
US07957938B2
A method of digitizing an analog signal is provided, comprising the steps of separating the analog signal spanning a frequency range into a plurality of frequency bands, and then translating at least one of the signals to a lower frequency band in accordance with a local oscillator and digitizing the at least one translated signal with digitizing elements having a frequency range less than the analog signal frequency range. A fixed relationship of the phase of the local oscillator and a repetitive signal generated in accordance with a writing to a circular buffer of the digitized representation of the at least one of the plurality of frequency bands is then defined. Signals corresponding to the other of the plurality of frequency bands are digitized and written to corresponding circular buffers. Finally, a digital representation of the analog signal is formed from the digitized signals.
US07957936B2
A system for visually presenting data receives signal processing data generated signal processing data collection blocks corresponding to devices associated with a process plant. The signal processing data collection blocks may generate data such as statistical data, frequency analysis data, auto regression data, wavelets data, etc. The system displays an image representative of the devices and representative of a context of the devices within the process plant. Additionally, data based on signal processing data corresponding to one or more devices is displayed. For example, the signal processing data for the device could be displayed. As another example, data may be generated based on the signal processing data and this generated data may be displayed.
US07957918B2
A computer performs press forming analysis based on a shape of a formed product or of a member, a blank holder force, a friction coefficient, a tensile strength of a material, a yield strength, a stress-strain relation, and a sheet thickness, as press forming conditions, to calculate sheet thickness distribution and post-formation strain distribution of the formed product. The computer also performs performance analysis based on the sheet thickness distribution, the post-formation strain distribution, and the shape of the formed product or of the member, as state amounts of the formed product. This calculate performance of the member. The computer repeats the calculations performed in the process from the first step through the second step a predetermined number of times, with at least one of the press forming conditions being changed, to output an optimum press forming condition that gives a maximum value or a target value of the performance
US07957917B2
A computer system. The computer system including a processor and memory unit coupled to the processor, the memory unit containing instructions that when executed by the processor implement a method for monitoring a solution in a tank used to fabricate integrated circuits, the method comprising the computer implemented steps of: (a) collecting data indicating of an amount of copper in a region of a substrate of a monitor, the monitor comprising an N-type region in a silicon substrate, the region abutting a top surface of the substrate, the monitor having been submerged in the solution for a preset time; (b) comparing the data to a specification for copper content of the solution; (c) if the data indicates a copper content exceeds a limit of the specification for copper, indicating a corrective action is required to prevent copper contamination of the integrated circuits; and (d) repeating steps (a) through (c) periodically.
US07957916B2
Methods, systems, and computer program products for generating theoretical mass spectral fragmentation patterns of a chemical structure is provided. The method includes obtaining a description of a chemical structure and generating, from the description, a list of chemical structure information. A binary tree data structure is used to organize the list of chemical structure information. The binary tree data structure may be fragmented by determining, based on a set of predetermined rules, a fragmentation point between two nodes in the binary tree data structure thereby dividing the binary tree data structure into a fragment and a complement. The molecular formula and molecular weight of each fragment is determined. The binary tree data structure is traversed and appropriate fragmentation rules are applied to produce a plurality of theoretical molecular fragments.
US07957908B2
A system, method and software arrangement are provided that use a fast adaptive multiscale procedure to characterize a random set of points spanning a high dimensional Euclidean space, and concentrated around special lower dimensional subsets. The procedure can be adapted to analyze gene expression data from microarray experiments, and may be applied generally to existing datasets without regard to whether a particular model exists to otherwise describe the dataset. The procedure accordingly can be used for identifying and mathematically isolating stable sets of data points in a given dataset from those in the same dataset that deviate from a stable model under various conditions.
US07957904B2
A method for mapping sub-surface resistivity contrasts comprising making multi-channel transient electromagnetic (MTEM) measurements using at least one electric source with grounded input current electrodes or one magnetic source with current in a wire loop or multi loop and at least one electric field or magnetic field receiver, measuring the resultant earth response simultaneously at each receiver using a known recording system, measuring the system response by measuring directly the current in the wire at the source using effectively the same recording system, using the measured system response to recover the impulse response of the earth from each measured earth response, and creating from such impulse responses a sub-surface representation of resistivity contrasts.
US07957896B2
A vehicular display system includes an in-vehicle navigation device and a vehicular meter device. The in-vehicle navigation device includes a display, a navigation data producing device for producing first data that is to be displayed on the display, and a transmitting device for transmitting intermediate data to the vehicular meter device. The vehicular meter device includes a receiving device for receiving the intermediate data from the in-vehicle navigation device and a navigation data display area for displaying second data. A display size changing device for changing the first data into the second data is included in at least one of the in-vehicle navigation device and the vehicular meter device. A display size of the first data is different from the display size of the second data.
US07957887B2
In an engine controller capable of carrying out spark ignition type combustion and compressed self-ignition type combustion, in order to suppress operation performance deterioration and exhaust performance deterioration at the time of switching a combustion mode from the compressed self-ignition type combustion to the spark ignition type combustion, intake pipe pressure downstream a throttle is quickly reduced by making the throttle opening degree smaller than a target throttle opening degree of the spark ignition type combustion immediately after switching for a certain period during the combustion mode is switched from the compressed self-ignition type combustion to the spark ignition type combustion. As a result, responsiveness of an intake amount at the time of switching the combustion mode from the compressed self-ignition type combustion to the spark ignition type combustion is enhanced, and combustion switching without exhaust deterioration and torque variation is realized.
US07957878B2
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for the calculation of aircraft braking friction and other relating landing parameters, including but not limited to aircraft braking action, aircraft takeoff distance, aircraft landing distance, runway surface conditions and runway surface friction based on the data collected by and available in the aircraft Flight Data Recorder (FDR) or other flight data management system, for example, the Quick Access Recorder (QAR), to provide all involved personnel in the ground operations of an airport and airline operations, including but not limited to aircraft pilots, airline operation officers and airline managers as well as airport operators, managers and maintenance crews, with the most accurate and most recent information on the true aircraft landing performance parameters to help better and more accurate safety and economical decision making.
US07957861B2
A system for use in transport vehicles includes an auxiliary power unit (APU) for a transport vehicle, the APU having a locator unit for use in a tracking and monitoring system 5 for communicating over a communication network. The locator unit can be attached to or installed within the APU or any other form of auxiliary provided power. Furthermore, the locator unit can have multiple sensor inputs that can read and store sensor data, including location information and emissions output. Then, the locator unit can transmit that information to a remote monitoring station or can use that information to calculate emission reduction data information for conversion to one or more emission reduction credits.
US07957836B2
A method used by a robot for simultaneous localization and map-building, including: initializing a pose of the robot and locations of landmarks; sampling a new pose of the robot during motion of the robot, and constructing chromosomes using the locations of the landmarks; observing the landmarks from a present location of the robot; generating offspring from the chromosomes; and selecting next-generation chromosomes from the chromosomes and the offspring using observation values of the landmarks.
US07957828B2
In the present invention, the line widths within a substrate of an etching pattern are measured for a substrate for which photolithography processing and an etching treatment thereafter have been finished. The line width measurement results are converted into the line widths of a resist pattern using relational expressions which have been obtained in advance. From the converted line widths of the resist pattern, coefficients of a polynomial function indicating variations within the substrate are calculated. Next, a function between line width correction amounts for the resist pattern and temperature correction values is used to calculate temperature correction values for the regions of the thermal plate to bring the coefficients of the polynomial function close to zero. Based on each of the calculated temperature correction values, the temperature for each of the regions is set.
US07957821B2
A system for performing statistical process control. A storage device stores a plurality of SPC charts, specifying data collected from a system during testing. A controller categorizes the SPC charts into a plurality of groups based on characteristics thereof. A detector determines whether the charts in any of the groups violate a preset rule. An alarm generator generates alarm information identifying the chart violating the rule.
US07957819B1
A low profile transvenous electrode system for use in an emergency to sequentially pace both the atrium and ventricle of the heart in a dual chamber mode that includes a plurality of pre-formed, pre-shaped resilient insulated electrical wires bundled together in a tubular, flexible retaining sheath that is used as a guide and delivery system during insertion and removal of the electrode system. When the sheath is retracted, it allows the wires to escape from the sheath and because of their pre-formed shape, each wire having memory, the wires spread out and contact the endocardial surfaces inside the ventricle and atrium chambers. Each of the wires have ball tips to provide high current density and sensitivity.
US07957814B2
The disclosure is directed to techniques for shifting between two electrode combinations. An amplitude of a first electrode combination is incrementally decreased while an amplitude of a second, or subsequent, electrode combination is concurrently incrementally increased. Alternatively, an amplitude of the first electrode combination is maintained at a target amplitude level while the amplitude of the second electrode combination is incrementally increased. The stimulation pulses of the electrode combinations are delivered to the patient interleaved in time. In this manner, the invention provides for a smooth, gradual shift from a first electrode combination to a second electrode combination, allowing the patient to maintain a continual perception of stimulation. The shifting techniques described herein may be used during programming to shift between different electrode combinations to find an efficacious electrode combination. Additionally, the techniques may be used for shifting between different electrode combinations associated with different stimulation programs or program sets.
US07957807B2
The disclosure is directed to gastric stimulation programmers, stimulators and methods for controlling delivery of gastric stimulation therapy to maintain the efficacy of the therapy over time. Maintaining the efficacy of gastric stimulation therapy may be possible by implementing one or more anti-desensitization features in a gastric stimulation controller or stimulator. As electrical stimulation therapy is continuously delivered to a patient, the stimulated tissue may become desensitized to the electrical stimulation therapy such that the beneficial effect of the electrical stimulation is diminished. Once desensitization occurs, the affected tissue may not respond favorably to electrical stimulation therapy. Application of one or more anti-desensitization features to control gastric stimulation therapy may reduce or prevent desensitization and effectively extend the efficacy of the therapy over time.
US07957804B2
The present invention refers to a device used to recharge the battery of electronic cardiac implants, like implanted pacemakers and defibrillators. It can be used to recharge the battery after an emergency requirement, such as: defibrillation or in diagnosis and or reprogramming of implants, during which no energy is demanded from the internal battery, seeing that the energy feed becomes guaranteed (accepted) by the proposed device. The invention is composed by three essential components: a generator (A), a transmitter unit (B) and a receptor coil (C). The generator is destined to produce an energy signal with determined amplitude and frequency and that is carried across through a coaxial cable to the transmitter unit (B). The emitted magnetic field is captured by the receptor coil (C) that is implanted inside the human body, generating a voltage with the absence of the Gibbs phenomenon. Furthermore, the battery recharging device guarantees the energetic supply of a communication channel between the exterior for diagnosis and/or implant reprogramming. In this case, there will be no demand of energy from the internal battery.
US07957803B2
Methods and systems for classifying cardiac responses to pacing stimulation and/or preventing retrograde cardiac conduction are described. Following delivery of a pacing pulse to an atrium of the patient's heart during a cardiac cycle, the system senses in the atrium for a retrograde P-wave. The system classifies the atrial response to the pacing pulse based on detection of the retrograde P-wave. The system may also sense for an atrial evoked response and utilize the atrial evoked response in classifying the cardiac pacing response.
US07957792B2
A non-contact cardiac mapping method is disclosed that includes: (i) inserting a catheter into a heart cavity having an endocardium surface, the catheter including multiple, spatially distributed electrodes; (ii) measuring signals at the catheter electrodes in response to electrical activity in the heart cavity with the catheter spaced from the endocardium surface; and (iii) determining physiological information at multiple locations of the endocardium surface based on the measured signals and positions of the electrodes with respect to the endocardium surface. Related systems and computer programs are also disclosed.
US07957786B2
A data transmission system that includes a transmitter; a receiver; and a magnetically coupled rotary transformer having a first portion and a second portion in moveable relationship with one another. The transmitter is electrically and mechanically coupled to the first portion of the rotary transformer, and the receiver is electrically and mechanically coupled to the second portion of the rotary transformer. The transmitter and the receiver are configured to wirelessly communicate data across the rotary transformer while the first and the second portions of the rotary transformer are in relative rotary motion.
US07957773B2
A system and method for using a wireless telephone in a vehicle in a hands-free mode. The wireless telephone and the vehicle have corresponding mating units. When a predetermined condition is satisfied while the mating units are not united, one of the wireless telephone and the vehicle is disabled. The predetermined condition can be one of several situations. For example, one condition may be that an attempt is being made to use the wireless telephone in the vehicle while the vehicle is moving. Another condition may be that an attempt is being made to move the vehicle while the wireless telephone is being used in a wireless communication session within the vehicle. When the mating units are united, the vehicle functions normally and the wireless telephone operates in a hands-free mode.
US07957767B2
A device includes an on-chip gyrating circuit that generates a motion parameter based on motion of the device. An RF transceiver generates an outbound RF signal from an outbound symbol stream, transmits the outbound RF signal to a remote station of a wireless network, and generates an inbound symbol stream from an inbound RF signal received from the at least one remote station. A processing module is coupled to process the motion parameter to produce motion data, to convert outbound data into the outbound symbol stream, and to convert the inbound symbol stream into inbound data, wherein the outbound data includes the motion data.
US07957765B1
A wireless mobile telecommunications device includes a detachable camera that wirelessly communicates data with the device body. The device is usable not only to make and receive telephone calls in the conventional manner but also to take photographs or video. When the camera portion is detached from the device body, the camera can be used in essentially the same manner as any digital photography or video camera. Images captured by the camera are wirelessly transmitted to the device body.
US07957757B2
Provided is an feedback mechanism to correct power control information in a broadcast signal that is determined to be incorrect by one or more devices that receive and rely on the broadcast information. A device that receives the incorrect broadcast information can determine a correction and to the information and provide a recommendation to the source of the broadcast information. The source can selectively determine whether to modify the broadcast information based on the recommendation from one or more devices. If the broadcast information is modified, subsequent devices that receive the broadcast information are provided with the modified information. If further changes are needed, the subsequent devices can provide further recommended changes.
US07957754B2
A method for authenticating a Short Message (SM) calling party, including: if a Signal Relay Function for support of Mobile Number Portability (MNP-SRF) module detects a calling party number carried in an SM belongs to its serving network after receiving a Mobile Originated (MO) SM, the MNP_SRF module adds an identifier of the MNP_SRF module's network to the calling party number. A Short Message Serving Center (SMSC) determines whether the SM passes calling party authentication according to the fact that whether the calling party number carries an identifier of the SMSC's network. The invention provides a system for authenticating an SM calling party, including: a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), a calling MNP_SRF module, a Number Portability Database (NPDB) and a Short Message Serving Center (SMSC). The invention may avoid a mobile number having subscribed to a new network from using resources of the SMSC of a network to which the subscription has been canceled.
US07957746B2
To schedule uplink transmission time slots for a collection of mobile communication devices, a set of base station target interference patterns is associated with base stations. A time slot target interference pattern is assigned for each time slot and it repeats after several time slots. The time slot target interference pattern in a given time slot specifies the interference allowed by each time slot to a given base station by any single mobile. A priority index may be determined for each time slot for each mobile associated with the particular base station. The priority index may be based, in part, on a determined correlation between the time-slot target interference patterns and a potential interference profile of a mobile to which a time slot is to be allocated. A mobile's throughput requirement, the throughput already received over a specified past duration, the system fairness requirement, as well as the amount of data available for transmission are also used for evaluating the priority index.
US07957743B2
The present invention relates to a cellular communications network and in particular to the problem of identifying cells for neighbor lists, or handover candidates when the cells are identified by a limited number of non-unique identities. The present invention includes a method for a radio base station, wherein the base station receives reports from one or more terminals in neighbor cells quality and non-unique identities. The match is sought in a neighbor cell list non-unique identity with a unique cell identity. If the match cannot be made without ambiguity, the base station causes the terminal to detect the unique cell identity. If the reason for the ambiguity is the particular cell is not included in the neighbor cell list it is included when its unique identity has been established. The uniquely identified cell is used if it is determined to perform a handover.
US07957741B2
A token-based receiver diversity processing is described. In one embodiment, a receiver diversity comprises repeaters receiving wirelessly transmitted packets from a mobile station, and one of the repeaters forwarding packets of the wirelessly transmitted packets to a switch if the one repeater is currently assigned to forward packets from the mobile station based on an indicator assigned prior to the wirelessly transmitted packets being sent.
US07957740B2
A handoff apparatus and a method for reducing the number of session transfers in a mobile communication system are provided, in which an ANC determines whether a target ANT is included in an active set of the mobile communication system, establishes a connection session between the mobile communication system and an AT through a path connecting a target ANC of a different vendor and the target ANT if the target ANT is not included in the active set, and establishes the connection session between the mobile communication system and the AT through a path connecting the ANC and the target ANT if the target ANT is included in the active set.
US07957739B2
A method and apparatus is provided for signaling network sharing information about neighbor cells in an NS system where a RAN is shared among a plurality of CN operators. In the signaling method, it is determined whether each of neighbor cells of a current cell in which a UE is located, is shared by a CN operator other than a CN operator controlling the neighbor cell. System information without network sharing information is generated if at least one of the neighbor cells is shared by a CN operator other than a CN operator controlling the neighbor cell. System information including the network sharing information is generated if none of the neighbor cells are shared by any CN operator other than CN operators controlling the neighbor cells. The system information is then broadcast to the UE from the current cell.
US07957734B2
A wireless communications system, and a corresponding method, for use with an aircraft, includes airborne base station equipment mounted on the aircraft, the base station equipment capable of communication with wireless devices used by subscribers on the aircraft and with one or more wireless communications networks, and switching/transaction processing equipment capable of communication with the base station equipment. The system further includes aircraft location equipment capable of communication with the base station equipment, where the aircraft's geographic location, including latitude, longitude, and altitude, is determined; and a push-pull wireless information system that receives the aircraft's geographic location information. The push-pull wireless information system includes an information service notification mechanism that provides notifications to one or more service providers, the service providers providing goods and services of possible interest to the subscribers, and an information delivery mechanism that provides information related to the goods and services to one or more of the subscribers.
US07957731B2
A system and method for determining the quality of communications provided by a plurality of mobile telephones is provided. The method may comprise, for example, receiving one or more telephone voice signals from each mobile telephone; storing the one or more telephone voice signals in a memory; concurrently with aid receiving telephone voice signals from a mobile telephone, receiving one or more reference device voice signals from a reference device substantially co-located with the mobile telephone; storing the one or more reference device voice signals in a memory; determining voice quality data for the telephone voice signals; determining voice quality data for the reference device voice signals concurrently received with the telephone voice signals; and normalizing the voice quality data of the telephone voice signals from each mobile telephone based on the voice quality data of the reference device voice signals concurrently received with the telephone voice signals.
US07957730B2
A weighting parameter estimation system for estimating a weight parameter for the antenna elements of a mobile terminal is provided. The system includes a prohibited space forming part to which electromagnetic waves should not be directed when the mobile terminal transmits a signal in wireless communications, and a weighting parameter determination unit configured to determine the weighting parameter for each of the antenna elements of the mobile terminal such that the power level of a test wave transmitted from or received in the prohibited space becomes the minimum.
US07957726B2
In one embodiment, a scheme is provided for porting a personalized indicium, i.e., a Personal Information Number or PIN, from a first mobile communications device to a second mobile communications device. Upon receiving identity information from the first mobile communications device via a secure peer-to-peer communication session, the second mobile communications device is operable to negotiate with a network node using at least a portion of the received identity information for reassigning the PIN to an identifier associated therewith. Upon successfully porting the PIN to the second mobile communications device, a service provisioning database is accordingly updated.
US07957725B2
A first method for facilitating personal contacts among a plurality of subscribers to a location-based person contact service provided by a service provider; a second method for communicating information to a user of a wireless device by a server; and a third method for real-time monitoring of vital signs of a living being. In the first method, personal profiles are transmitted to subscribers. In the second method, a message specific to both an establishment and the user is transmitted to a wireless device or smart display proximal to the user in the establishment. In the third method, information relating to a violated vital sign parameter determined from the monitoring is communicated to a local communication node.
US07957722B2
A method and a user device (1) for projecting a data file through a user device (1) are disclosed. The user device (1) has a reproducing device (1.7), means for identifying the user device (1) in a mobile radio network (5), and biometric recording means. The user is authenticated with the transmitted biometric data in a remote server (7) and downloads a data file to be projected or a key for decrypting a data file from the remote server (7) over the mobile radio network (5) in the user device (1). With the reproducing device (1.7) integrated in the user device (1), the data file or presentation is reproduced. The invention also concerns the disclosed user device (1).
US07957717B2
A method and system are provided that examine incoming and outgoing TTY transmissions to determine an identifier for distinguishing between correspondents in a TTY call. The system may utilize existing contact information associated wit an incoming call to provide context to a user for accepting incoming calls and during conversations and may apply various display settings. For TTY users, the additional context simplifies the ability to conduct critical reasoning, especially those with cognitive impairments. In particular, a picture from the user's address book is provided to assist in identifying the caller. The other display settings may include modified font styles, colors, multi-line display etc. to differentiate between incoming and outgoing messages.
US07957714B2
A system for tuning a radio-frequency signal includes a first input path, a second input path, a common reference generator, a selector, a mixer, and a filter. The first input path and the second input path propagate a first single-ended input signal and a second single-ended input signal, respectively, to the selector. The selector converts the first single-ended input signal and the second single-ended input signal into a first differential input signal and a second differential input signal, respectively, using a reference signal generated by the common reference generator.The selector selectively couples one of the first and the second input path to an input of the mixer. The mixer downconverts a selected on of the differential input signals received from the selector. The filter attenuates a portion of the downconverted input signal outside a passband associated with the filter.
US07957705B1
A base station (BS) and method to reduce RF interference by a carrier. The BS includes a first power amplifier (PA) that emits a first carrier, a second PA that emits a second carrier, a processor, and data storage containing program instructions. The BS is operable in a first state in which the first PA is on and the second PA is off and a second state in which the first and second PAs are on. Execution of the instructions while the BS operates in the first state cause the processor to determine that the BS receives a mobile station communication and cause the BS to operate in the second state, and while the BS operates in the second state, cause the processor to determine that no mobile stations are registered as being authorized to be served by the BS and cause the BS to operate in the first state.
US07957704B2
Methods and systems for reducing AM/PM distortion in a polar amplifier are disclosed and may comprise adding an offset signal to an amplitude signal in the digital domain and removing the offset signal in the analog domain during polar modulation. A sum of an amplitude signal and an offset signal may be mixed with a phase signal in a first differential amplifier to generate a first voltage signal, and the offset signal may be mixed with the phase signal in a second differential amplifier to generate a second voltage signal, which may be subtracted from the first voltage signal. The amplitude and offset signals may be mixed with the phase signal by modulating a current in the differential amplifiers, which may comprise cascode differential amplifiers. The modulated current may be generated using a current source and a current mirror circuit, which may comprise a cascode current mirror.
US07957693B2
A wireless relay amplification apparatus includes an interference canceller which generates cancellation waves to cancel interference waves from a mobile station antenna, which are included in downlink signals received by the base station antenna, a downlink amplifier which amplifies downlink signals from which the interference waves have been canceled by the interference canceller, an uplink amplifier which amplifies uplink signals received by the mobile station antenna, a receiver which detects a level of received signals based on the downlink signals from which the cancellation waves have been canceled by the interference canceller, and outputs a propagation loss calculated based on a difference between the detected reception level and a transmission level of the base station included in notification information in the downlink signals, and a controller which controls gain of at least one of the downlink amplifier and the uplink amplifier based on the propagation loss output by the receiver.
US07957688B2
In an image forming method, an electrostatic latent image formed on a surface of a photoreceptor is developed into a developer image with a developer, and a printing paper transported on a transfer belt is brought into contact with the surface of the photoreceptor so as to transfer the developer image onto the printing paper. The printing paper is transported in a proper transport direction, in which a projection generated in one direction on the printing paper as a result of cutting the printing paper in a printing paper manufacturing process does not face a surface of the transfer belt at a leading edge of the printing paper being transported on the transfer belt. In this way, even in the presence of the projection generated when the printing paper is cut, the printing paper naturally strips off from the surface of the photoreceptor, thereby preventing toner contamination caused by a striping claw in contact with the leading edge of the printing paper.
US07957685B2
An endless belt 300 includes an endless belt substrate 10, and a guide member 100 having a rib member 20 and an abutment that is abutted against an edge of the endless belt substrate 10, wherein the abutment of the guide member 100 is abutted against at least one edge surface of the endless belt substrate 10. Further, the guide member 100 may be provided on at least one edge surface of the endless belt substrate 10 with an adhesive layer 30 disposed therebetween. The abutment of the guide member 100 may include a contact surface 41 that contacts the edge surface of the endless belt substrate 10, an extended section 43 that extends beyond the edge of the endless belt substrate 100, and a support surface that contacts one side of the endless belt substrate 10. Moreover, a reinforcing tape 50 may be bonded across the other side of the endless belt substrate 10 and the short width surface of the extended section 43 of the guide member 100.
US07957673B2
The present application is directed to toner transfer systems with an adjustable transfer belt. The transfer belt transfers toner images from a first location to a second location. Two or more support rolls position and drive the transfer belt. A tensioning device is operatively connected to one of the support rolls. The tensioning device moves the support roll between a first position that places a first amount of tension on the belt, and a second position that places a lesser second amount of tension on the belt. The support roll is in the first position during image formation, and in the second position during non-image formation such as storage and shipping.
US07957666B2
An image forming apparatus is described. The image forming apparatus may include a casing including an image forming section, an ejecting section above the image forming section and an image scanning section above the ejecting section, formed with an ejecting port communicating with the ejecting section; and an operating section. A side surface of the casing closer to the ejecting port includes a generally vertical surface and an upper surface of the casing includes a generally horizontal surface. The casing is provided with an inclined surface inclined along a direction intersecting with the generally vertical surface and the generally horizontal surface for connecting the generally vertical surface and the generally horizontal surface with each other. The ejecting port is formed on the inclined surface. The operating section is inclined along a direction approaching a horizontal surface than the inclined surface under the ejecting port on the inclined surface.
US07957661B2
An image fixing assembly includes a heating unit having a heating element and a fusing member enclosing the heating element; a backup member; and a heat conducting member. The fusing member is configured to rotate around the heating element. Further, the fusing member is capable of being heated by the heating element. The backup member is abuttingly coupled to the fusing member for configuring a nip portion therebetween, and is capable of pressing media sheets against the fusing member, when the media sheets pass through the nip portion. The heat conducting member is capable of retractably coupling to one of the fusing member and the backup member for enabling flow of heat between the one of the fusing member and the backup member, and the heat conducting member, for reducing a thermal gradient. Further disclosed is a method for fixing images on the media sheets using the image fixing assembly.
US07957660B2
An image forming apparatus includes: a first image forming unit which forms a first image on a first recording medium with a first material which is not thermally decolorized; a second image forming unit which forms a second image on a second recording medium with a second material which is thermally decolorized; a fixing unit which is on a common carrying path shared by the first recording medium and the second recording medium and fixes the first image to the first recording medium; and a control unit which controls the fixing unit so that the temperature of the second recording medium passing through the fixing unit becomes lower than a decolorizing temperature of the second material.
US07957657B2
A measurement module for a printer generally includes a page diverter mechanism configured to selectively divert a sheet of media from a main media path to a module media path; a rotating drum configured to receive the media from the module media path and to affix the media on an outer surface of the drum; a measuring device spaced adjacent to the drum and configured to measure as aspect of the media affixed to the surface of the drum; and a sheet transport configured to remove the media from the drum. According to one embodiment, the module may include a drum with an electrostatic hold-down mechanism that captures a sheet and an axially translating measuring device that is configured to read the entire surface as the drum rotates. The measurement module also allows the printed media to cool to eliminate problems with color measurements due to thermo chromaticity.
US07957653B2
There is provided an optical modulator capable of controlling the phase of a USB signal and the phase of an LSB signal of an optical FSK modulated signal. A modulation signal is applied to a main Mach-Zehnder electrode (or an electrode C) (11) of a main Mach-Zehnder waveguide (MZC) (8) to switch the USB signal and the LSB signal, and so FSK modulation can be made. In order to control the phase of the optical signal to be outputted from the main Mach-Zehnder waveguide (MZC) (8), bias voltage is applied to the main Mach-Zehnder electrode (11), and the phases of the USB signal and the LSB signal are controlled. By doing so, FSK modulation with adjusted phases can be performed.
US07957648B2
An optical antenna assembly including multiple optical antenna elements, each of the optical antenna elements are arranged in a regular pattern and carried by a supporting body. The regular pattern of the plurality of optical antenna elements is nonuniform. Certain ones of the optical antenna elements are configured to respond to the one or more waves of light.
US07957642B2
Transport network interfaces operate to transport for Optical Transport Unit frames over an Optical Transport Network. Besides FEC bits for the Optical Transport Unit frames, the transmitting transport network interface provides sequences of error-determining bits for the Optical Transport Unit frames sent on working and protection communications channels. There is at least one sequence for each Optical Transport Unit frame, the number of bits in the at least one sequence much smaller than the number of bits in the Optical Transport Unit frame. The receiving transport network interface determines the bit error rates for the working and protection channels from the sequences of error-determining bits without decoding said Forward Error Correction bits and can select the working and protection channels accordingly.
US07957633B2
There are provided a focus adjusting apparatus and method in which judgment of an object area to be focused can be favorably performed when the judgment of the object area to be focused is executed at the time of image-taking preparation operation. In the focus adjusting apparatus and method, a first operation of determining the object area to be focused is performed prior to the image-taking preparation operation, and a second operation different from the first operation is performed to execute a focusing operation at the time of the image-taking preparation operation. Prior to the first operation, whether or not an object to be focused can be predicted is judged to change a manner of the first operation based on a result of a judgment.
US07957620B2
The present invention intends to provide a two-dimensional photonic crystal resonator having a high Q-value. The slab-shaped body 21 is provided with cyclically arranged holes 22. The body 21 is divided into three areas 31-33 with the holes 22 arranged with cycle distances of a1 in area 31 and a2 in areas 32 and 33, which is smaller than a1. A waveguide 23 passing through the three areas is formed by linearly eliminating the holes 22. The waveguide 23 thus formed can propagate rays of light within a wavelength band that depends on the cycle distance of the holes 22. The cycle distance of the holes in the area 31 differs from that of the areas 32 and 33, and the wavelength band of the light propagating through the waveguide accordingly differs. Therefore, a ray of light whose wavelength is within the waveguide transmission wavelength band of the area 31 but outside of the waveguide transmission wavelength band of the other areas 32 and 33 will be confined within the waveguide of the area 31 and resonate therein. Thus, the waveguide in the area 31 functions as a resonator.
US07957619B2
An all-fiber optical pulse compression arrangement comprises a concatenated arrangement of a section of input fiber (e.g., a single mode fiber), a graded-index (GRIN) fiber lens and a section of pulse-compressing fiber (e.g., LMA fiber). The GRIN fiber lens is used to provide mode matching between the input fiber (supporting the propagation of chirped optical pulses) and the pulse-compressing fiber, with efficient pulse compression occurring along the length of the LMA fiber. The dispersion and length of the LMA fiber section are selected to provide the desired degree of pulse compression; for example, capable of reconstituting a femtosecond pulse as is used in supercontinuum generation systems.
US07957614B2
A suspension board with circuit includes a circuit board containing a metal supporting board, an insulating pattern formed on the metal supporting board, and a conductive pattern formed on the insulating pattern; an optical waveguide disposed on the circuit board; and a positioning portion provided on the circuit board in order to position the optical waveguide with respect to the circuit board.
US07957613B2
An automatic original feeding device includes an original paper feed tray that loads an original to read the image, the original paper feed tray being supported on an upper face of a platen glass for an image reader that reads an image of the original passing through an original reading position set along a straight line on the upper face of the platen glass disposed at an upper end; an original paper output tray, original feeding members feeding sequentially the original laid on the original paper feed tray to the original reading position and the original paper output tray and a strip sheet attaching part attaching detachably a strip colored sheet, the strip sheet attaching part provided in a back platen member disposed in a portion opposed to the original reading position under the condition that the sheet attaching part is supported on the upper face of the platen glass.
US07957608B2
Systems, including apparatus and methods, for obtaining and/or correcting images, particularly from atmospheric and/or other distortions. These corrections may involve, among others, determining corrective information in a first (e.g., visible) wavelength regime, and then applying the corrective information in a second (e.g., longer) wavelength regime, such as infrared (IR) or millimeter-wave (MMW) wavelengths, in real time or with post-processing. For example, these corrections may include scaling a phase diversity correction from one wavelength to another. These systems may be useful in any suitable imaging context, including navigation, targeting, search and rescue, law enforcement, and/or surveillance, among others.
US07957604B2
In this invention, even if final code data is to be generated by selectively discarding code data for each bitplane, errors due to bitplane rounding down operation can be suppressed from being gradually accumulated in predicted data such as P- and B-pictures, thereby preventing a deterioration in image quality. For this purpose, a block segmentation unit (31) segments an input frame into a plurality of blocks, and supplies the respective blocks to a difference computing unit (32). The difference computing unit (32) outputs the blocks to a DWT unit (33) without any change when the intra-frame coding mode is set. When the inter-frame coding mode is set, the difference computing unit (32) outputs the result obtained by computing a difference from predicted data from a motion compensation unit (42) to the DWT unit (33). The frequency component data obtained by the DWT unit (33) and a quantization unit (34) is entropy-coded by an entropy coding unit (35), and a bitplane formed by bit information at the bit position of each component value is coded. A bitplane round-down unit (36) rounds down the code data of bitplanes from the least significant position to an upper bit position such that the resultant code amount becomes equal to or less than a target code amount. A code forming unit then generates code data. Only when the intra-frame coding mode is set, a dequantization unit (39) and inverse DWT unit (40) are executed to update a frame memory (41).
US07957600B2
Provided are methods and systems for rate-distortion optimized quantization and for skipping transform blocks that can take into account the rate-distortion tradeoff as well as the perceptual quality of reconstructed video.
US07957598B2
A method for compressing data includes transmitting a requested compression factor such as a quality factor known in JPEG compression, to a scanner or like peripheral device. The type of communication link between the scanner or like device and a host computer is identified, and based on the communication link type, the requested compression factor is altered to generate a new compression factor subsequently used to compress the data. The amount of buffer, such as scan buffer, used by the scanner or peripheral device may also be used to alter the compression factor prior to compression.
US07957597B2
An analysis and classification tool compares at least a portion of a captured image and a reference image of nominally the same scene. One of the captured and reference images is taken with flash and the other is taken without flash. The tool provides a measure of the difference in illumination between the captured image and the reference image. The tool compares the measure with a threshold and segments a foreground region from a background region based on the measure.
US07957589B2
A display device performs the fractional part of gamma translation by using a logarithm lookup table. The logarithm of an image data value is found in a look-up table. The retrieved result is multiplied by the fractional portion of the power, and a search in the look up table for this product produces an index related to the desired result. In another embodiment, rather than a search of the first look up table, a second inverse logarithm look up table is used to produce the desired result by looking up the exponentiation of the product.
US07957583B2
A system and method for identifying objects using a machine-vision based system are disclosed. Briefly described, one embodiment is a method that captures a first image of at least one object with an image capture device, processes the first captured image to find an object region based on a reference two-dimensional model and determines a three-dimensional pose estimation based on a reference three-dimensional model that corresponds to the reference two-dimensional model and a runtime three-dimensional representation of the object region where a point-to-point relationship between the reference three-dimensional models of the object and the runtime three-dimensional representation of the object region is not necessarily previously known. Thus, two-dimensional information or data is used to segment an image and three-dimensional information or data used to perform three-dimensional pose estimation on a segment of the image.
US07957578B2
A method for automatically inspecting positive and negative polar directions of a polar element on a substrate is provided. Firstly, an image of a standard substrate is retrieved to form a standard sample, and relevant data of the polar elements on a substrate to be inspected is obtained to form the inspected sample. Then, transforming the geometry coordinates to the pixel coordinates, using different shapes of frames to make each polar element be positioned within, and marking the positions, positive and negative polar directions of all the polar elements in the image of the standard substrate. A database is set up to record the relevant data of each polar element as the standard sample for inspecting. The standard sample is compared with all the samples to be inspected to inspect whether the polar directions of each polar element is correct or not.
US07957573B2
A subtle color difference between a tooth and a color sample is made recognizable by accentuating the color difference therebetween. The invention provides a dental image processing device including a row-of-teeth image storing unit 21 in which a row-of-teeth image is stored; an area partitioning line provided movably on the row-of-teeth image; a selected color storing unit 29 in which color information for correcting the color of the row of teeth is stored; a color correction unit 30 that corrects the color of the row of teeth, using the color information stored in the color selection storing unit 29, at least in one area of the plurality of areas of the row-of-teeth image divided by the area partitioning line; and a display control unit 31 that displays the row-of-teeth image corrected by the color correction unit 30.
US07957572B2
The present invention relates to an image processing device and a corresponding image processing method for processing a multi-dimensional data set of image data, in particular of three-dimensional medical volume image data, including a segmentation unit (6, 16, 26) for a segmentation of an image object in said data set. Further, the present invention relates to a computer program for implementing said image processing method on a computer. In order to allow for a segmentation which is robust in terms of vulnerability to image artifacts and accurate in terms of reflecting anatomical details, wherein the results of the segmentation are achieved within reasonable short processing time an image processing device is proposed which comprises—model-based segmentation means (61, 161, 261) for performing a model-based segmentation (32) of said data set for obtaining a multi-dimensional model representing a first approximation of said image object; data-driven segmentation means (62, 162, 262) for performing a data-driven segmentation (33) of said multi-dimensional data set for obtaining a multi-dimensional subset of said multi-dimensional data set representing a second approximation of said image object; optimizing means (63, 163, 263) for adapting said model and/or said subset for optimizing a similarity value between said first and said second approximation; and —selecting means (64, 164, 264) for selecting said adapted model or said adapted subset as a segmentation of said image object.
US07957570B2
A system and method to generate an illustration of a cardiac region of interest of an imaged subject is provided. The method includes generating a three-dimensional model from a series of acquired images of the cardiac region of interest; measuring a series of values of at least one functional parameter of the cardiac region of interest; generating a map of a spatial relation of the plurality of values of the functional parameter in spatial relation to the three-dimensional model of the cardiac region of interest; generating a three-dimensional model of a vessel structure leading to the cardiac region of interest; generating an output image that includes combining the three-dimensional model of the cardiac region of interest, the map of the series of values of the functional parameter, and the three-dimensional model of the vessel structure in spatial relation to one another relative to a common coordinate system.
US07957564B2
An authentication apparatus is provided to improve efficiency in the use of memory while maintaining the accuracy of authentication.The authentication apparatus includes: extraction means that extracts a plurality of points on an authentication target from an image obtained by shooting the authentication target unique to a living body; connection means that connects the points extracted by the extraction means; storage means that stores information indicating a connection state of the points being connected by the connection means and information indicating the points as authentication information; and reproduction means that reproduces, based on the authentication information in the storage means, the authentication target to be compared with the other.
US07957558B2
A system and method for optically tracking a mobile device uses a first displacement value along a first direction and a second displacement value along a second direction, which are produced using frames of image data of a navigation surface, to compute first and second tracking values that indicate the current position of the mobile device. The first tracking value is computed using the second displacement value and the sine of a tracking angle value, while the second tracking value is computed using the second displacement value and the cosine of the tracking angle value. The tracking angle value is an angle value derived using at least one previous second displacement value.
US07957555B2
A method and an apparatus localize an object part location in a digital image. The method according to one embodiment accesses digital image data containing an object part; obtains an initial position estimate for object part location of the object part; extracts a sub-image window around the initial position estimate of the object part location; calculates feature values based on pixel values within the sub-image window; and determines an updated position estimate for the object part location based on the calculated feature values.
US07957540B2
The invention features a dual-mode audio system for an automobile which in one mode is configured for play while the doors to the automobile are closed, and in a second mode, is configured for play while a door, such as a tailgate, is opened. Additionally, the invention also features a battery monitor which monitors the operating condition of the battery and may estimate the energy capacity of the battery. The system may also take power conservation measures if the system determines that the engine is not running or the operating condition of the batter reaches a predetermined state. The invention also features a remote control integrated within a key fob for controlling the audio system. The invention features various orientations for mounting a pair of loudspeakers within an automobile which directly radiate sound out of a rear opening of the automobile.
US07957534B2
Embodiments of the application describe a method and system for discovering and authenticating communication devices and establishing a secure communication link within a wireless home network without requiring a secure channel. According to an embodiment, communication devices exchange public keys using multiple messages each including at least a portion of the public key of the sending device. The devices authenticate the receipt of the public key and establish a shared master key. The shared master key is used to further derive a session key for securing the application data between the communicating devices for a current session.
US07957529B2
A method to procure and audit digital rights management (DRM) event data by collecting a first set of event data in a first event data format, converting the first set of event data to one or more standardized event data formats, and communicating the first set of event data to an event data collection server for storage. The method may also include collecting a second set of event data in a second event data format, converting the second set of event data to one or more standardized event data formats, and communicating the second set of event data to the event data collection server for storage. The method may also include storing the first and second sets of event data in a centralized repository, authorizing access to the event data, and performing an event data audit corresponding to the event data.
US07957521B2
A method and system for hierarchical prioritization and execution of call completion services are provided. When a caller applies for a call completion service, the caller is identified and assigned a priority from among different priorities such as high priority or regular priority. Thereafter, attempts to execute call completion services are performed hierarchically by launching call completion services for callers having a higher priority before similar attempts are performed for callers of a lower priority. Hence, call completion services are handled according to the priority assigned to the callers rather than the order in which each caller applied for a call completion service.
US07957517B2
A method and apparatus for enabling a network provider, in concert with IP technology and protocols, to provide the ability to offer a simple pre-answer or post-answer call redirection, such as call transfer, to customers with IP endpoints is disclosed. The present invention allows call transfers to be initiated from an IP endpoint but processed in the packet network, e.g., the VoIP network instead of being processed by the endpoint. When a redirecting party (RP) receives a call from a calling party (CP), the RP simply sends a VoIP signaling message to the network to initiate a call transfer to redirect the call from the CP to a TP instead and the network will complete the call transfer on behalf of the RP.
US07957516B2
A method, system and computer program for utilizing destination information stored in a database are disclosed. The database is queried for information about a service located at a destination, and location information of a requesting party is determined. Routing information is determined based upon the location information of the requesting party and the destination information of the service. The routing information is utilized to establish a route between the requesting party and the destination of the service.
US07957514B2
A system, method, and computer program product are provided for conveying availability information of a calling party to a called party. A PBX serving the telephones of the calling and called parties is connected to a presence server. In an embodiment of the invention, the presence server is also connected to a computer and/or other information device (such as a personal data assistant or telephone) of the calling party. After the calling party has left a voice mail message for the called party, the called party will subsequently retrieve the message. In an embodiment of the invention, the PBX then queries the presence server as to the availability of the calling party. The presence server senses whether the calling party has indicated his or her presence; if so, it is inferred that the calling party is probably present and available for a return call. If the presence server detects no such indication by the calling party, it is inferred that the calling party is likely to be absent. The presence server responds to the query of the PBX by indicating the calling party's likely availability (or absence) to the PBX. Based on this information, the PBX modifies the voice mail message to include a statement that the calling party is either available or unavailable.
US07957508B2
System, apparatus and methods specialized for breast and related tissue radiation therapy and imaging of a prone patient but also usable for supine patient if desired or needed. A special treatment radiation source such as a LINAC unit generates radiation of types and energy ranges specifically matched to breast tissue. Any one or more of several imaging technologies may be used to localize the tissue to be irradiated and to generate information for therapy planning, adjustment, and verification.
US07957505B1
Arrangements of X-ray inspection systems are described for inspecting high-z materials in voluminous objects such as containers. Inspection methods may involve generating a radiographic image based on detected attenuation corresponding to a pulsed beams of radiation transmitted through a voluminous object. The pulsed beams of radiation are generated by a high-energy source and transmitted substantially downward along an incident angle, of approximately 1° to 30°, to a vertical axis extending through the voluminous object. The generated radiographic image may be analyzed to detect on localized high attenuation representative of high-z materials and to discriminate high-z materials from lower and intermediate-z materials on the basis of the high density and greater attenuation of high-z material for higher energy (3-10 MeV) X-rays, and the compact nature of threatening masses of fissionable materials.
US07957504B2
A system and method are disclosed for determining the enrichment of 235U in Uranium Hexafluoride (UF6) utilizing synthesized X-rays which are directed at a container test zone containing a sample of UF6. A detector placed behind the container test zone then detects and counts the X-rays which pass through the container and the UF6. In order to determine the portion of the attenuation due to the UF6 gas alone, this count rate may then be compared to a calibration count rate of X-rays passing through a calibration test zone which contains a vacuum, the test zone having experienced substantially similar environmental conditions as the actual test zone. Alternatively, X-rays of two differing energy levels may be alternately directed at the container, where either the container or the UF6 has a high sensitivity to the difference in the energy levels, and the other having a low sensitivity.
US07957497B2
A clock and data recovery (CDR) circuit comprises a data sampling unit which latches serial data input in response to data clock signals, and outputs a plurality of sampling data, the data clock signals maintaining a constant phase difference and having mutually different phases, an edge sampling unit which outputs an edge sampling signal generated by sampling edge information of the serial data in response to a selection edge clock signal, the selection edge clock signal being randomly selected from among a plurality of edge clock signals, a data selection unit which selects at least two consecutive sampling data from among the plurality of sampling data, and a decoding unit which performs a logical operation of the sampling data selected by the data selection unit and the edge sampling signal.
US07957490B2
An echo cancellation reference signal is generated within a DTV transmitter by approximating a pair of successive repetitive PN sequences with 8VSB symbols arranged in sequences that are capable of being generated by ⅔ trellis coding. The trellis coding is controlled so that the two sequences of 8VSB symbols can be linearly combined to generate a repetitive PN sequence doubled in amplitude and superposed on a constant-value pedestal. After this linear combining is performed by a comb filter in a DTV receiver, the resulting signal is convolved with the PN sequence as known a priori at the DTV receiver. This is a correlation procedure which generates the impulse response of the channel through which the DTV signal was received. The channel impulse response (CIR) provides a basis for computing the weighting coefficients of adaptive channel-equalization filtering in the DTV receiver.
US07957489B2
A digital amplifier including a clock generation unit configured to output a clock signal, a pulse width modulation unit configured to pulse width-modulate the clock signal based on an input signal, a driving unit configured to alternately drive at least two switching elements which convert the output of the pulse width modulation unit, an analysis unit configured to analyze characteristics of the input signal, and a control unit configured to control frequencies of the clock signal based on an output of the analysis unit.
US07957479B2
An apparatus and method for supporting distortionless vector perturbation in a Multi-Input Multi-Output (MIMO) system are provided. The apparatus includes a transmitter for supporting distortionless vector perturbation in a MIMO system. The transmitter includes a label inserter for generating a label and for inserting the label into a user information bit, a scrambler for scrambling the user information bit inserted with the label and for generating N independent candidate sequences, a modulator for modulating the N independent candidate sequences according to a modulation scheme and a vector perturbation unit for adding a limited offset vector so that the modulated symbols are mapped to a constellation point in a feasible region. The apparatus and method provide vector perturbation with improved performance and reduced computational complexity.
US07957464B2
A digital signal receiver including: a signal edge detector configured to receive a signal including a code and detect an edge of the signal; a reference point detector configured to detect a reference point for pulse width detection from a rising time point or falling time point of the edge detected by the signal edge detector; a pulse width detector configured to detect a pulse width from the rising time point or falling time point of the edge and the reference point; a sampling point determination module configured to generate a histogram of the pulse width and determines a sampling point of the code based on an analysis result of the histogram; and a sampling module configured to perform a sampling of the code based on the sampling point determined by the sampling point determination module.
US07957461B2
Calibrating automatic test equipment (ATE) includes determining an offset between a reference timing event and a channel event, where the channel event is associated with a communication channel of the ATE, and adjusting signal transmission over the communication channel based on the offset. Determining the offset may include obtaining a first time at which a reference timing signal is received at a device associated with a reference timing source, obtaining a second time at which the reference timing signal is received at a device associated with the communication channel, obtaining a third time at which a channel signal is received at the device associated with the communication channel, obtaining a fourth time at which the channel signal is received at the device associated with the reference timing source, and calculating the offset using the first time, the second time, the third time, and the fourth time.
US07957459B2
A symbol rate testing method based on signal waveform analysis is provided. A signal with a plurality of quasi bits 1 and a plurality of quasi bits 0 is received and sampled within an acquiring time. Maximum values of the quasi bits 1 are obtained by calculating sampling values of the signal at various sampling points. A minimum value among the maximum values is determined as a critical value. Whether a quasi bit 1 is a bit 1 or not is determined according to the critical value, and a total number of the bits 1 within the acquiring time is counted. Similarly, a number of the bits 0 within the acquiring time are also obtained. Thus, the symbol rate is obtained according to the above information.
US07957458B2
A jitter measuring apparatus measures timing jitter of a signal-under-test. The jitter measuring apparatus includes a pulse generator for outputting a pulse signal of a predetermined pulse width for an edge of the signal-under-test, and a jitter measuring sub-unit for extracting the timing jitter on the basis of a duty ratio of each cycle of the signal output by the pulse generator.
US07957457B2
An integrated circuit (IC) includes at least one baseband processing module, an RF section, and an interface. The baseband processing module converts outbound voice signal into an outbound voice symbol stream; an inbound voice symbol stream into an inbound voice signal; outbound data into an outbound data symbol stream; an inbound data symbol stream into inbound data; outbound wireless network data into an outbound wireless network data symbol stream; and an inbound wireless network data symbol stream into inbound wireless network data. The RF section converts an inbound RF voice signal into the inbound voice symbol stream; the outbound voice symbol stream into an outbound RF voice signal; an inbound RF data signal into the inbound data symbol stream; the outbound data symbol stream into an outbound RF data signal; an inbound RF wireless network data signal into the inbound wireless network data symbol stream; and the outbound wireless network data symbol stream into an outbound RF wireless network data signal. The interface module couples the baseband processing module(s) to the RF section.
US07957456B2
Embodiments of a method and apparatus for selecting coefficients of a non-linear filter are disclosed. The non-linear filter receives a transmit signal and generates a non-linear replica signal of a transmit DAC of a transceiver. The method include applying a plurality of periodic test pattern signals to inputs of the transmit DAC, wherein the periodic test pattern signals include a stream of symbols. Receive symbols are collected at an output of a receiver ADC of the transceiver resulting from the plurality of periodic test pattern signals. A non-linear map is generated that provides a value for each of n consecutive symbols input to the transmit DAC. Coefficients of the non-linear filter are selected based on the non-linear map.
US07957447B2
Provided is a VCSEL array device that includes at least a first multilayer reflective film, an active layer, and a second multilayer reflective film, formed on a substrate that extends in a longitudinal direction. Plural mesa portions are formed on the substrate by selectively removing at least a portion of the first multilayer reflective film, active layer, and second multilayer reflective film. A selectively oxidized region is formed in at least one of the first multilayer reflective film and the second multilayer reflective film. The VCSEL array device further includes an interlayer insulating film that covers at least a side portion and a bottom portion of the mesa portions, and a surface protecting film that covers the interlayer insulating film. The surface protecting film has plural grooves formed along a longitudinal direction of the substrate in which at least a portion of the surface protecting film is removed.
US07957441B2
A resonant modulator device and process are described that provide enhanced resonant frequency waveforms to electrical devices including, e.g., laser devices. Faster, larger, and more complex modulation waveforms are obtained than can be obtained by use of conventional current controllers alone.
US07957433B2
A mode-locked fiber laser comprising a multicomponent glass fiber doped with a trivalent rare-earth ion of thulium and/or holmium.
US07957427B2
A method and apparatus that use dynamic latency to estimate traffic flows in a communication network are disclosed. For example, the method obtains a demand matrix having at least one point pair demand, and satisfies each of the at least one point pair demand in the demand matrix by selecting a shortest path that minimizes a dynamic latency and a number of hops.
US07957419B2
A method for managing bandwidth in a synchronous communications network including a plurality of nodes, the network implementing a first clocking which defines a data-processing cycle including a determined number of virtual channels, the data-processing cycle being defined by a current data-processing frequency, the plurality of nodes including at least one transmitter node associated with at least one generator application, each generator application being associated with at least one virtual channel for transmitting its data, the virtual channel or channels associated with a given generator application being filled one by one from the first to a last virtual channel. Such a method includes the following steps performed for a given generator application: determining a rate of use of the last virtual channel of the set of virtual channels; adjusting the current data-processing frequency; and allocating an integer number of virtual channels.
US07957412B2
An apparatus comprising a transmission line, a receiver circuit, and a high pass filter circuit coupled between the transmission line and a receiver circuit input. The receiver circuit is configured to receive a data signal over the transmission line at a first data rate. The high pass filter circuit is connected between the transmission line and a receiver circuit input and has a corner frequency that is less than approximately the first data rate and is greater or equal to than approximately one-half the second data rate. The second data rate is an effective data rate caused by an expected data pattern on the transmission line. Other devices, systems, and methods are disclosed.
US07957395B2
The systems and methods for a hybrid telephony service may provide a plurality of user accounts that each user may have a circuit-based telephony service identifier, a packet-based telephony service identifier and a mapping instruction for the user account. The systems and methods for a hybrid telephony service may further provide a service control component to query the user account database to retrieve the mapping instruction for a telephony service identifier.
US07957389B2
A method of wireless communication. The method includes the step of determining a probability of a stalling condition for at least one data packet in a sequence of data packets. The method also includes the step of transmitting a flush command in response to the determined probability of the stalling condition. Prior to the transmitting of a flush command, a wait time may be estimated in response to the probability determined for the stalling condition. This wait time may be estimated by determining an average number of time slots necessary before the first data packet may be transmission. The estimated wait time may depend on the successful transmission of another packet having a lower order (e.g., previous) designation in the sequence of data packets, as well as on the probability determined for the stalling condition (e.g., the probability of a no-stalling condition).
US07957382B1
Disclosed are methods and apparatus for handling data containing embedded addresses. In general terms, prior to transmission of data having an embedded address or port, an initiating host sends a NAT Probe to an end-host with which the initiating host wishes to communicate. The NAT Probe includes the embedded address or port and a type indicating that translation of the address and/or port is requested if needed. As the NAT Probe traverses through one or more NAT devices as it is transmitted to the end-host, each NAT device is enabled to recognize the NAT Probe type and translate the embedded address and/or port, depending upon the individual NAT device's configuration. When the NAT Probe reaches the final hop NAT device or end-host, a NAT Probe Reply is sent back to the initiating host. The NAT Probe Reply contains a translated embedded address and/or port which is compatible with the end-host's network. The NAT Probe Reply also contains a type which differs from the type of the NAT Probe. As the NAT Probe Reply traverses back through the same NAT devices, the NAT device recognize the type of the NAT Probe Reply and do not translate the embedded address and/or port.
US07957381B2
This invention relates to the domain of Networks on Chips (NoC) and relates to a method of transferring data in a network on chip, particularly using an asynchronous “send/accept” type protocol.The invention also relates to a network on chip used to implement this method.
US07957379B2
A system and method are provided for processing packets received via a network. In use, data packets and control packets are received via a network. Further, the data packets are processed in parallel with the control packets.
US07957366B2
An IP telephone system comprises an IP telephone that performs voice communication via an IP network, a carrier that manages voice communication for the IP telephone via the IP network and a server that returns NAPTR resource record(s) in response to a request from the IP telephone. In the IP telephone system, when the IP telephone performs voice communication via the IP network, the IP telephone transmits, to the server, a request for NAPTR resource record(s) that correspond(s) to the telephone number of the destination terminal. When NAPTR resource record(s) is(are) stored, voice communication is directly performed between the IP telephone and the destination terminal via the IP network according to the NAPTR resource record. On the other hand, when NAPTR resource record(s) is(are) not stored, the carrier manages calls, and voice communication is performed between the IP telephone and the destination terminal via the IP network.
US07957361B2
A reception step receives a multicarrier signal containing subcarriers, at least one of which a synchronization signal is transmitted therein, multiplied only by a synchronization signal spreading code, a correlation detection step detects correlation values between the received multicarrier signal and replicas of the synchronization signal, and a timing detection step detects a FFT timing and a long code received timing according to the correlation values.
US07957357B2
A method for selecting a wireless local area network (“WLAN”) for a wireless device, comprising: generating a first list of WLAN identifiers for a first group of one or more wireless local area networks (“WLANs”) accessible at a first geographic location and storing the first list in the wireless device; generating a second list of WLAN identifiers for a second group of one or more WLANs accessible at a second geographic location and storing the second list in the wireless device; selecting one of the first and second lists as an active list; and, scanning for WLANs identified by the active list to identify an available WLAN for the wireless device.
US07957355B1
A Swarm Autonomous Routing Algorithm (SARA) is performed by simple communication node devices for node to node communications in a network, especially a Mobile Ad hoc NETwork (MANET). Each node maintains a table of pheromone values for known neighbor nodes. Pheromone values are dynamic for adapting to a dynamic arrangement of nodes, and are updated either passively or actively. Routing tables are not used. When a node receives a packet, it uses the pheromone table to simply determine whether or not to forward (rebroadcast) the packet to a neighbor node, and if possible, determines and indicates the best neighbor node for next forwarding the packet. Destination Zone Routing (DZR) and Swarm Location Service (SLS) are alternative enhancements of SARA that can be used for more efficient routing when nodes are location aware/knowledgeable. SLS may also be used to improve routing algorithms other than SARA.
US07957352B2
Various schemes for performing inter-system handoff, e.g., from a UTRAN to a cdma2000 radio access network (RAN) are described. For a MAHHO scheme, the UTRAN uses measurements obtained by a multi-RAT device to determine suitable cdma2000 cell(s) for handover. The measurements are obtained by a candidate frequency search procedure, and the handover is accomplished by a handoff execution procedure. For a MDHHO scheme, the UTRAN relies on location information for the multi-RAT device to select suitable cdma2000 cell(s) for handover. For a CRHHO scheme, a new call is established on the cdma2000 RAN and the pending call on the UTRAN is released in a manner such that the handover appears seamless to the multi-RAT device. The multi-RAT device includes two modem processors that perform processing for the UTRAN and cdma2000 RAN and an application processor that controls the modem processors.
US07957349B2
A method and apparatus for minimizing data forwarding between Evolved Node Bs (ENBs) during a handover. A User Equipment (UE) sends a status report to an ENB of a source cell immediately before the handover occurs. In this manner, a target cell avoids retransmission of the RLC PDUs, which were successfully transmitted but have not yet been ACKnowledged (ACKed) by the UE, thereby minimizing the amount of data being forwarded from the ENB of the source cell to an ENB of the target cell.
US07957348B1
Signaling regarding traffic and media types within a communications network control system is described. In one embodiment, the invention includes receiving an assignment request message from a call server of a communications network, the assignment request message including a description of a bearer connection between a subscriber and the communications network, sending a channel activation request to the subscriber, the channel activation request including at least a portion of the description of the bearer connection between the subscriber and the communications network, receiving connection information about a channel activated by the subscriber in response to the channel activation request, and sending the connection information to the call server to allow the call server to modify the bearer connection.
US07957346B2
According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a wireless communication apparatus for performing a first wireless communication with a first channel having a first bandwidth, and a second wireless communication with a second channel having a second bandwidth wider than the first bandwidth and having a frequency band covering the first channel, in accordance with CSMA/CA system by carrier sense, including: a predicting unit predicting a first time required until a transmission right for the first wireless communication is captured, and a second time required until a transmission right for the second wireless communication is captured; a judging unit judging that either one communication is recommended based upon the first and second times; and a producing unit producing, when judged that a wireless communication different from a present wireless communication is recommended, a notification frame including information indicative of the recommended wireless communication.
US07957342B2
A communication bandwidth is divided into a beacon period in which all master stations compete for transmission of a beacon packet, a first carrier sense multiple access (CSMA) period in which only authorized specific stations are allowed to compete for access, and a second CSMA period in which all stations are allowed to compete for access. The master stations exchange information with each other about a communication bandwidth being used in the first CSMA period, thereby calculating a communication bandwidth which can be used by each communication system in the first CSMA period, based on the information.
US07957335B2
Particular embodiments provide power usage management for network devices according to historical traffic pattern data. Network traffic statistics for traffic flowing through a network device may be determined. A traffic pattern for a time period based on the traffic flowing through the network device is then determined. The network device may then manage power based on the pattern. For example, when a pattern indicates that traffic flowing through the network device is light during a time period, then the network device may operate in a lower power mode, such as a standby mode and when it indicates that there is higher usage, the network device may operate in a normal power mode. In one embodiment, a power usage policy may be determined based on the historical traffic patterns and is automatically enforced by the network device. The power usage policy may also be dynamically adjusted over time based on network traffic statistics.
US07957331B2
A system and method are provided for controlling bandwidth allocation in a wireless local area network (wLAN). The method comprises: expressing device bandwidth allocations in terms of a time base; in response to expressing the bandwidth allocation in terms of a time base, monitoring network communications; and, measuring the allocated bandwidths. The method may further comprise: establishing polling schedules in response to expressing the bandwidth allocation in terms of a time base; and, de-energizing devices in response to the polling schedules. Expressing device bandwidth allocations in terms of a time base includes establishing: an inter-transmission opportunity (TXOP) interval; and, a TXOP jitter. These fields are supplied in the IEEE 802.11e transmit specification (TSPEC). Then, de-energizing devices in response to the polling schedule includes disengaging transmission and receiving functions in the minimum TXOP intervals between polling events, where the minimum TXOP interval is the inter-TXOP interval minus the TXOP jitter.
US07957327B2
Systems and methodologies are described that facilitate providing time-division duplexed beam-forming support in traditionally non-time-division duplexed wireless systems, such as an OFDMA system, a WCDMA system, etc. According to an aspect, a base station can analyze pilot information, such as a portion of bandwidth over which a user device is transmitting, and can transmit on the downlink using pre-hopped portion of bandwidth utilized by the user device on the preceding reverse link time slot. The base station can additionally transmit bandwidth segment reassignments to the user device to facilitate bandwidth segment hopping between user devices served by the base station. Additionally, the base station can instruct the user device to provide on-demand pilot information to resolve ambiguity related thereto.
US07957312B2
A transmission-time measurement section (201) and a jitter measurement section (202) measure transmission time length and jitter, respectively, by using the packets transmitted/received. A forward-error-correction (FEC)-scheme maximum-jitter measurement section (203) calculates a maximum jitter in the case of adopting an FEC scheme, and an automatic-retransmission-request (ARQ)-scheme maximum-jitter measurement section (204) calculates a maximum jitter in the case of adopting an ARQ scheme from the measured information. A packet control section (205) selects a communication scheme having a smaller maximum jitter from both schemes based on the calculation result of the FEC-maximum-jitter measurement section (203) and ARQ-maximum-jitter measurement section (204).
US07957310B1
At least one exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a method comprising the activities of detecting, via a public switched telephone network, a caller's dialing of a telephone number; and after said detecting activity, and prior to call setup, providing to the caller a voicemail status notification. At least one exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a method comprising the activities of placing a telephone call via a public switched telephone network, and receiving, via the public switched telephone network, a voicemail status notification after placing the telephone call and prior to call setup. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. This abstract is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope.
US07957306B2
An apparatus for providing reachability in a routing domain of a data communications network having as components nodes and links therebetween for a routing domain external destination address is provided. The apparatus is arranged to advertise destination address reachability internally to nodes in the routing domain and associate a reachability category with the internal advertisement of the destination address reachability.
US07957303B2
When simulating communication using a communication network such as a VoIP network, an actual communication state is accurately simulated, and communication is simulated. The distribution of delay times of packets is transformed by a predetermined transformation method, packet transmission timings to which delay times are added, are calculated based on the transformed distribution of delay times and predetermined transmission timings, a determination is made as to whether or not the packet transmission order is changed by the calculated transmission timings to which delay times are added, and, when a determination is made that the packet transmission order is changed, packet transmission timings adjusted so as not to cause a change in the transmission order are derived.
US07957302B2
The preferred embodiments include a method, system or computer-readable storage medium for identifying analog access line impairments in a communications network. The embodiments include determining a ping packet loss count and a ping failure count from digital packet loss data associated with at least one analog access line. The embodiments also include generating a line designation for the at least one analog access line in response to the ping packet loss count exceeding a first threshold and the ping failure count exceeding a second threshold. Also, a plurality of pings can be transmitted during a testing period, the digital packet loss data being generated in response to the plurality of pings. The first threshold can represent at least a three percent ping packet loss. The second threshold can represent the ping failure count being at least ten percent of a total number of the plurality of pings.
US07957299B2
A system and method for locating failures in a metro Ethernet network. Packets are communicated from a maintenance end point through a plurality of maintenance entities. An alarm is generated at a maintenance entity in response to determining the packets are not communicated through a next ME. The alarm indicates the location of the next ME. The alarm is sent back through the one or more of the plurality of maintenance entities to a sending MEP in response to detecting the alarm.
US07957298B2
A method of performing a random access channel (RACH) procedure between a mobile terminal and a network includes the steps of detecting whether a random access response (RAR) is received from the network within a certain time period, the RAR including information about a random access channel (RACH) preamble transmitted to the network; and if the RAR is not received within the certain time period or if the information about the transmitted RACH preamble included in the RAR does not match the transmitted RACH preamble, performing a first procedure to detect failures in the RACH procedure; and if the RAR is received within the certain time period and if the information about the transmitted RACH preamble included in the RAR matches the transmitted RACH preamble, performing a second procedure to detect failures in the RACH procedure.
US07957290B2
A radio communication system, a radio communication apparatus, and a radio communication method allow networks to operate without interference between contending networks. When plural piconets collide on the same frequency channel, a control station of one of the piconets temporarily sets a buffer super frame period to coexist between the piconets. When an apparatus other than a control station receives a beacon signal of the buffer super frame period, a shorter super frame period based on that super frame period is temporarily set to make fine adjustment of the next beacon signal transmission timing. An apparatus that has not received a beacon signal looks for a beacon signal of its own piconet for a redundant time to find a start time of a new super frame period.
US07957284B2
A method of optimizing bandwidth usage in a link aggregated network includes identifying available bandwidth on a plurality of data links in a link aggregation group, selecting the data link with the least available bandwidth, and determining whether the available bandwidth of the selected data link is less than a guaranteed bandwidth of an incoming data flow. If the available bandwidth of the selected data link is less than the guaranteed bandwidth of the incoming data flow, the method includes selecting the data link with the next least available bandwidth and repeating the previous steps until the available bandwidth of the selected data link is greater than the guaranteed bandwidth of the incoming data flow. The method further includes assigning the data flow to the data link determined to have an available bandwidth greater than the guaranteed bandwidth of the incoming data flow.
US07957278B2
The embodiments of the present invention provide for methods, devices, and systems for providing quality of service (QoS) to network data that is received by an intermediate node in a local area network. In general, the embodiments of the present invention generally evaluate network traffic. Certain streams or flows are copied in appropriate buffer areas and accordingly evaluated by their traffic flow characteristics and further evaluated to determine if such streams/flows contain signaling or control information, which may be based on characteristic key words and/or structures. Based on the signaling or control information extracted, the appropriate stream is accordingly assigned or configured for quality of service (QoS) handling.
US07957274B2
In source routed or hop-by-hop routed protocol communication networks, when congestion is detected at a certain network element, a notification message is sent to nodes. The nodes keep track of congestion condition and generally have knowledge of the congestion, thereby allowing them to make more intelligent routing decisions, i.e., rate controlling messages, routing traffic around congestion, regulating admission at the edge of the network. The intelligent routing decision is based on the congestion condition indicated by a restriction level which is periodically and dynamically updated.
US07957267B2
A fault detection device capable of detecting network faults by itself with high accuracy in multi-vendor environments, without the need to interoperate with an associated device according to an identical protocol. A monitoring control packet transmitter generates a fault monitoring control packet and transmits the generated packet to the associated device with which the fault detection device need not interoperate to detect faults according to the same protocol. A transmit packet counter keeps count of the transmitted fault monitoring control packet. A receive packet counter receives a control packet transmitted from the associated device, and keeps count of the received control packet. A fault detector monitors the count of transmitted packets and the count of received packets and, if at least one of the counts remains unchanged for a fixed period of time, judges that a fault has occurred and sends a fault notification to outside.
US07957266B2
A scheme for routing packets of traffic to their destination after ensuring that they pass through one or more pre-determined intermediate nodes, thereby permitting all permissible traffic patterns to be handled without knowledge of the traffic matrix, subject to edge-link capacity constraints. In one embodiment, a request for a path with a service demand for routing data between the ingress point and the egress point is received. A set of two or more intermediate nodes between the ingress point and the egress point is selected. Based on a bandwidth of the network, respective fractions of the data to send from the ingress point to each node of the set of intermediate nodes are determined. The data is routed in the determined respective fractions from the ingress point to each node of the set of intermediate nodes, and routed from each node of the set of intermediate nodes to the egress point.
US07957246B2
The present invention discloses an external optical disk drive assembly, which comprises a slim internal optical disk drive including a first transmission port; and an external module being disposed outside the slim internal optical disk drive and electrically coupled to the first transmission port, so that the slim internal optical disk drive is converted into the external optical disk drive, characterized in that the external module is disposed within the area covered by the slim internal optical disk drive.
US07957243B2
An integrated circuit (IC) for controlling a rotating data storage device comprises a drive module that is implemented by the integrated circuit and that at least one of processes data, stores data and controls operation of the rotating storage device. An audio monitoring module is implemented by the integrated circuit, communicates with the drive module and analyzes audio signals that are based on noise generated by the rotating storage device during operation.
US07957242B2
An optical pickup inspection device 3 sends to an actuator drive circuit 16 a command for changing defocus offset amount to set defocus offset amounts, and calculates jitter values for each of the defocus offset amounts based on a reproduction signal from a reproduction signal generation circuit 14. Then, the device 3 determines a quadric approximating curve of jitter values relative to the defocus offset amounts and calculates a correlation coefficient R2 of the quadric approximating curve and measured values. If the correlation coefficient R2 is lower than a threshold value, the setting of defocus offset amounts and the calculation of jitter values are executed once again, otherwise, a defocus offset amount corresponding to a bottom value of jitter in the quadric approximating curve is determined as an optimum value of the defocus offset amount. Thus, a less-error, high-accuracy optimum value of the defocus offset amount can be obtained.
US07957234B2
An optical pickup apparatus comprising: a laser diode; an objective lens configured to focus laser light emitted from the laser diode on a signal recording layer of an optical disc; a first aberration correction element arranged in an optical path between the laser diode and the objective lens; and a second aberration correction element arranged in the optical path between the laser diode and the objective lens and having an aberration correction speed lower than the aberration correction speed of the first aberration correction element, the first aberration correction element and the second aberration correction element being selectively operated according to the required aberration correction speed.
US07957230B2
An information recording medium having at least a read only area and a recording and reproducing area is composed of at least: a substrate; a recording layer formed on the substrate so as to record and reproduce information; and a light transmission layer having transparency formed on the recording layer. The information recording medium is further characterized in that a wobbling groove corresponding to the read only area and another wobbling groove corresponding to the recording and reproducing area is formed on the substrate without overlapping with each other, the recording and light transmitting layers are continuously adhered over at least two areas of the read only area and the recording and reproducing area, reflectivity of the recording layer is more than 5%, and a push-pull signal output T3 reproduced from the read only area and another push-pull signal output T4 reproduced from the recording and reproducing area before recording satisfies relations of T3≧0.1, T4≧0.1 and 1.5≧T3/T4≧0.5.
US07957226B2
A correction device for a timepiece display mechanism, which includes a display member fitted with a toothing of pitch P, includes a pinion provided with a toothing of pitch p, mounted on a winding stem so as to occupy at least one display correcting position A, and a correction wheel mounted between the pinion and the display member. The correction wheel includes a first toothing defined by pitch P, a head diameter D, and a foot diameter d1, formed of teeth including a tip extending substantially angularly, and the tip is cut so as to form a second discontinuous toothing that is coplanar and concentric to the first toothing, defined by pitch p less than the pitch P of the first toothing, a head diameter D equal to the head diameter of the first toothing, and a foot diameter d2 greater than the foot diameter d1 of the first toothing.
US07957225B2
A surveillance system is configured to detect a rotary-wing aircraft approaching a fixed facility and provide a warning upon detection. The system includes acoustic processing nodes that receive acoustic signals from the environment surrounding the fixed facility. As the nodes receive the acoustic signals, the nodes perform a spectral analysis of the signals to detect if the source of the acoustic signals is a rotary-wing aircraft. Additionally, based upon the acoustic signals, the nodes detect an altitude of the rotary-wing aircraft and a distance between the rotary-wing aircraft and the fixed facility. In the case where the system identifies the rotary-wing aircraft as encroaching a predefined geographical area outside of the facility, based upon the altitude and distance between the rotary-wing aircraft and the facility, the system generates a warning to allow security forces to intercept the rotary-wing aircraft prior to its arrival at the facility.
US07957219B2
An acoustic probe includes an acoustic transducer having acoustic transducer elements arranged in a one-dimensional array; and a variably-refracting acoustic lens coupled to the acoustic transducer. The variably-refracting acoustic lens has a pair of electrodes configured to adjust the focus of the variably-refracting acoustic lens in response to a selected voltage applied across the electrodes. In one embodiment, the variably-refracting acoustic lens includes a cavity, first and second fluid media disposed within the cavity, and the pair of electrodes. The speed of sound of an acoustic wave in the first fluid medium is different than the speed of sound of the acoustic wave in the second fluid medium. The first and second fluid media are immiscible with respect to each other, and the first fluid medium has a substantially different electrical conductivity than the second fluid medium.
US07957212B2
A unit memory cell for use in a pseudo static random access memory (SRAM) includes a cell capacitor; a normal accessing transistor whose gate, drain and source are respectively connected to a normal accessing word line, a normal accessing bit line and a storage node of the cell capacitor; and a refresh accessing transistor whose gate, drain and source are respectively connected to a refresh accessing word line, a refresh accessing bit line and the storage node of the cell capacitor.
US07957204B1
A non-volatile memory device includes an array of non-volatile memory cells. When programming the memory cells, a voltage supply source is used that includes multiple independent charge pumps. The independent charge pumps supply the programming voltage to different ones of bit lines in the array of memory cells. Using multiple charge pumps tends to reduce output voltage fluctuations and thereby reduce power loss.
US07957200B2
The semiconductor memory device includes a plurality of memory cell arrays and a control circuit that outputs a first signal and a second signal. The first signal instructs start of precharging of each memory cell array. The second signal instructs completion of the precharging and transition to a read access. The first signal is wired through one or more delay circuits to arrive at each memory cell array with a time difference, and the second signal is wired not through the one or more delay circuits.
US07957197B2
Sensing circuits for sensing a conduction current of a memory cell among a group of non-volatile memory cells being sensed in parallel and providing the result of the sensing to a data bus are presented. A precharge circuit is coupled to a node for charging the node to an initial voltage. An intermediate circuit is also coupled to the node and connectable to the memory cell, by which current from the precharge circuit can be supplied to the memory cell. The circuit also includes a comparator circuit to perform a determination of the conduction current by a rate of discharge at the node; a data latch coupled to the comparator circuit to hold the result of this determination; and a transfer gate coupled to the data latch to supply a latched result to the data bus independently of the node. This arrangement improves sensing performance and can help to eliminate noise on the analog sensing path during sensing and reduce switching current.
US07957192B2
A method of operating a nonvolatile memory circuit having a plurality of transistors arranged in series between a voltage/current source node and recall sink node includes asserting a gate bias on an isolation transistor between the source node and a charge storage transistor during nonvolatile STANDBY.
US07957179B2
Techniques and device designs associated with devices having magnetically shielded magnetic or magnetoresistive tunnel junctions (MTJs) and spin valves that are configured to operate based on spin-transfer torque switching.
US07957171B2
Associative memories capable of outputting multiple reference data close to search data are provided. A memory array compares each of the multiple reference data with the search data in parallel and generates multiple comparison current signals representing the result of the comparison. A WLA converts the multiple comparison current signals into voltages. During the first cycle, the WLA detects the lowest voltage among the voltages as Winner and detects the remaining voltages as Loser. After the second cycle, based on feedback signals, the WLA detects all the voltages other than a voltage detected as Winner during the last preceding cycle, and detects the lowest voltage among the detected voltages as Winner and detects the remaining detected voltages as Loser. The WLA repeats these operations k times.
US07957148B1
A low profile computer processor retention device, the computer processor including a processor substrate and a heat spreader mounted on the processor substrate. The retention device includes a retention housing. The retention housing is shaped to fit around a socket. The retention device also includes a load frame. The load frame is operatively coupled to the retention housing and is configured to retain the computer processor in the socket of a motherboard with direct contact between the load frame and the processor substrate. The load frame has a cutout. The retention device also includes a heat sink fastening member coupled to the retention housing and configured to fasten a heat sink to the retention housing and configured to couple the heat sink to the heat spreader through the cutout of the load frame.
US07957144B2
A heat exchange system for blade server systems is disclosed, wherein said blade server system contains a plurality of server blades arranged in a blade center, wherein the heat exchange system comprises first heat sink associated to each of said plurality of server blades, and whereby the first heat sink are adapted to collect heat emitted from heat emitting devices on said associated server blade; means for transferring heat from the heat emitting devices to the first heat sink; and a liquid cooled second heat sink associated to said blade center, whereby said first heat sink are connected to said second heat sink by thermal coupling.
US07957143B2
A motor controller, which is inexpensive and has small size, is provided by reducing the size of a heat sink used in the motor controller and the number of all parts of the motor controller, wherein said motor controller includes a heat sink, a power semiconductor modules that is in close contact with the heat sink, a substrate (4) that is electrically connected to the power semiconductor module, and a fan (6) that generates the flow of external air and supplies cooling air to the heat sink, wherein said heat sink is formed by combining two kinds of heat sinks, which include a first heat sink (7) and a second heat sink (8), so as to conduct heat therebetween, and, wherein said power semiconductor module is in close contact with the second heat sink (8).
US07957138B2
A gap filler member apparatus for blocking air flow through a gap existing between an edge of a first electronics board and a surface of a second electronics board that is disposed generally perpendicular to the first electronics board, where the first and second electronics boards are coupled by at least one pair of connectors and disposed within an electronics equipment enclosure, to block air flow through the gap. The apparatus has at least one rib extending therefrom, with the base portion being secureable to the surface of the second electronics board. A rib extends away from the base portion and has a height approximately equal to a height of the gap, and a length at least as long as a length of the gap so that the rib at least substantially blocks air flow through the gap.
US07957137B2
A method includes an integrated circuit (IC) die that has a front surface on which an integrated circuit is formed. The IC die also has a rear surface that is opposite to the front surface. The method also includes a microchannel member to define at least one microchannel at the rear surface of the IC die. The microchannel is to allow a coolant to flow through the microchannel. The method further includes at least one thin film thermoelectric cooling (TFTEC) device in the at least one microchannel.
US07957136B2
An electronic apparatus includes: a housing having an internal space formed by top, bottom and side plates; and a power-source housing section formed next to a part of the side plate in the internal space and having a plate wall shaped such that a part adjacent to the side plate is near the side plate on one side and is away from the side plate on the other side in a direction connecting the top plate with the bottom plate. The apparatus further includes: a power-source block having an outer wall-surface whose shape conforms to the plate wall and housed in the power-source housing section; an antenna disposed in a space between the side plate and the plate wall; and a circuit board disposed in the internal space and mounted with an electronic circuit that operates based on power supplied from the power-source block housed in the power-source housing section.
US07957122B2
A load center is equipped with a neutral phase conductive rail with breaker mounting and retention features providing automatic neutral connection for a plug-on mounted AFI and/or GFI circuit breaker. Breakers may be designed to have specific interfaces to the breaker mounting and retention features of the load center rails. The neutral rail may have two pieces including a breaker undercut positioning rail shorted to a standard neutral rail, or a neutral rail may be designed to have all mounting features integrated therewith. The new panel is compatible with non-AFI and non-GFI breakers.
US07957121B1
A circuit breaker box comprising a main circuit breaker for operatively connecting to hot service wires; first and second hot bus bars configured to receive power from the main circuit breaker; a plurality of receiver terminals configured to transfer power from a circuit breaker component to a first wire of an electrical circuit; and a safety shield for enclosing the hot bus bars and receiver terminals, wherein a plurality of slots is disposed in the safety shield, the slots are aligned with the first or second hot bus bars and receiver terminals, wherein the circuit breaker component comprises a first and a second prong contact for contacting the first or second hot bus bar and a receiver terminal, respectively.
US07957100B1
A disk drive gimbal, an apparatus, and a related method of manufacture, wherein the disk drive gimbal includes a strut having a trace with a zig-zag shape. The trace is made from conducting material, and the zig-zag shape is configured to provide a level of stress relief to the conducting material that is included in the trace.
US07957092B2
Embodiments of the present invention help to provide a magnetic disk drive in which the base and the lid are securely welded together, so that the low-density gas sealed therein is protected from leakage. According to one embodiment, the peripheral surface of the rib of the base is machined to form the surface, which is free of electrocoating and weld surface. The outer lid, which completely conforms to the contour of the base, is placed on the rib, and the laser beam is directed onto the outer lid. Thus the position of laser beam irradiation varies within only ±0.05 mm for both the base and the lid. Laser welding in this manner yields the bead invariably, which makes the enclosure completely sealed without helium leakage.
US07957083B2
A method for detecting an impending failure of a disk drive system. The method includes monitoring a signal from a magnetoresistive sensor for the presence of a negative signal spike. A negative signal spike can indicate that the carbon overcoat of the magnetic medium has been locally worn off. The resulting localized absence of carbon overcoat causes the magnetoresistive sensor to short to the magnetic medium. This causes a short, abrupt drop in voltage, which can be used as evidence of the localized absence of the carbon overcoat. If such a negative signal spike is detected, the user can be notified of an impending system failure. In addition to, or in lieu of, notifying the user of the impending system failure, the system can be automatically de-activated to prevent data loss and/or further damage to the recording system.
US07957078B2
A projection optical system includes: a refracting optical section composed mainly of a plurality of lenses disposed in order from a reducing side, and having positive power; a first reflecting optical section having a concave reflecting optical surface; and a second reflecting optical section having a convex reflecting optical surface, wherein the projection optical system satisfies the following conditional expression, denoting a focal length of a total system combining the refracting optical section, the first reflecting optical section, and the second reflecting optical section as F, and a focal length of the refracting optical section as FL: 0.2
US07957074B2
An imaging lens system is provided an includes: in order from the object side, a first lens which has a negative power; a second lens which has a negative power; a third lens; a fourth lens which has a positive power; a fifth lens; and a sixth lens which has a positive power. The first lens is made of glass, and the second to sixth lenses are made of plastic. At least one lens surface of each of the second to sixth lenses is aspheric, and each of the third lens and the fifth lens is made of a material having an Abbe number of 45 or less at the d-line.
US07957058B2
A microscope for introducing light from a light source via an objective lens to a sample so that a user observes the sample via the objective lens includes: a minute opening arranged in an optical path between the light source and the objective lens and on a focal plane of the image side of the objective lens or at a position conjugate with its conjugate plane; position adjusting means for adjusting the position of the minute opening so that the light from the light source via the minute opening is incident to the sample at the Brewster's angle; an polarizing element arranged in the optical path between the light source and the objective lens for extracting rectilinear polarized light from the light from the light source and applying the rectilinear polarized light to the sample.
US07957057B2
An observation field of view of a microscope can be moved without moving or changing an objective lens and without varying position or state of a sample. A microscope optical system has a mirror that changes the direction of the optical path by reflection and is located in the optical path between an objective lens of the microscope and an image to be observed. The mirror is able to be tilted by changing the position of a reflecting surface of the mirror. Accordingly, the observation field of view is moved by tilting the mirror. In other words, the observation field of view can be moved without changing a positional relationship between the objective lens of the microscope and the sample.
US07957056B2
The invention includes a master lens, which initially focuses a laser pulse, and then the pulse passes through a zonal lenslet array, which uses different lenslet elements that provide for predetermined focal lengths so as to establish a three or two dimensional, predetermined dispersion of foci of the laser pulse. The zonal lenslet array of the present invention may be thought of as a variant of a Shack-Hartman wave front sensor, but used for an entirely different application.
US07957042B2
A document feeder for transporting a document to a predetermined reading position at which image reading is performed by an image reading portion, including: a document transport portion for transporting the document to a reading standby position upstream of the reading position; and a control portion for controlling the document transport portion so that the document is made to stop at the reading standby position if the image reading portion is not in an image readable state by the time the document arrives at the reading standby position.
US07957040B2
A scan bar for scanning a media sheet in an image scanning device and a method for scanning the media sheet in the image scanning device are disclosed. The scan bar comprises a sensor arrangement and a lens arrangement. The sensor arrangement comprises a first sensor region and a second sensor region. Light reflected from the media sheet is focused by the lens arrangement onto the sensor arrangement. Each of the first sensor region and the second sensor region is capable of generating image data corresponding to the media sheet from the focused light received from the lens arrangement for scanning the media sheet. The image data generated by the first sensor region is of relatively higher resolution than image data generated by the second sensor region.
US07957038B2
This invention facilitates an operation required to restore a desired file from code information. To accomplish this, a printing apparatus prints code information generated by encoding a file on a first sheet set, and prints identification information required to identify the sheet on which the code information corresponding to the file is printed. A restoration apparatus scans the first and second sheet sets. The restoration apparatus specifies, based on the identification information on the second sheet set, a sheet on which code information corresponding to a desired file is printed. Furthermore, the restoration apparatus restores the desired file by decoding the code information printed on the specified sheet.
US07957036B2
It is intended to provide a facsimile device and a program product for facsimile printing capable of surely making a user know receipt of an irregular e-mail such as an error mail or the like, without requiring extra volume of memory, while preventing waste of paper. When an e-mail is received, there is detected whether a printing mode is set or a not-printing mode is set for a body part of an e-mail in #2. Even though a not-printing mode is set for a body part of an e-mail (#2: No), the body part is printed in #8 in case the e-mail is not accompanied by an attached file of predetermined format (#5: No). Therefore, even if a not-printing mode is set, the facsimile device can make a user know receipts of irregular mails such as an error mail, an e-mail without an attached file of predetermined format, and rough causes of the irregular mails.
US07957033B2
A print control program product comprises creating a new image file of the created printing data for a new watermark when an instruction is given to create the image file based on the created printing data, and storing the created new image file in the memory.
US07957027B2
A printing and display device comprising a flat panel display; a printer, including a printhead for printing onto paper; a multi-sheet paper holder; a paper sheet separator configured to separate a single paper sheet from the paper in the paper holder for supply to the printhead.
US07957010B2
A printer for printing an interface of human-readable visible information and a machine-readable position-coding pattern onto a surface. The printer comprises: an input for receiving document data; a memory buffer storing dot data for the visible information and dot data for the position-coding pattern; a printhead for printing the interface; visible ink channels dedicated for printing the visible information; and an infrared ink channel exclusively dedicated for printing the position-coding pattern. The printhead is configured to print the interface onto the surface by printing the visible information and the position-coding pattern simultaneously.
US07957008B2
An optical-type rotational body position detection apparatus includes a body being rotational in a predetermined angle at each predetermined time interval to cross an optical axis between fixed light emitting and detecting units, including a standard position hole on a rotational locus crossing the axis, and configured such that after rotating the body at one interval from a standard position at which the hole coincides with the axis, a periphery of the hole is positioned outside the periphery at the standard position. The apparatus further includes a restriction unit on a support to cross the axis and to permit light passing and to restrict a diameter of the passing light. The restriction unit restricts the diameter of the passing light to be smaller than a minimum distance within a positional displacement tolerable error range of the hole after the predetermined angled rotation of the body.
US07956999B2
An object is to efficiently measure the resistivity of a transparent conductive film with high accuracy in a non-destructive and non-contact manner. Provided is a resistivity testing device that includes a light emitting device that emits p-polarized emission light having a wavelength selected by a preliminarily performed test-condition selecting method toward a transparent conductive film, formed on a light-transmissive substrate conveyed along a manufacturing line, from a film-surface side at an incidence angle selected by the method; a light detecting device that detects reflected light reflected at the transparent conductive film; and an information processor that calculates an evaluation value related to the amount of light of the reflected light with respect to the wavelength on the basis of the intensity of the detected light and obtains a resistivity from the calculated evaluation value by using a correlation characteristic in which the evaluation value and the resistivity are associated with each other in advance.
US07956982B2
A cooling apparatus is described that has a first cooling structure, in thermal contact with a heat source having a temperature greater than a cool structure, including a channel through which a cooling fluid is passed, an isolator between the heat source and the cool structure, the isolator in thermal contact with the first cooling structure and including a material of low thermal conductivity, and a second cooling structure between the isolator and the cool structure, the second cooling structure including a channel through which cooling fluid is passed.
US07956972B2
A liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) display panel with reducing fringe effect is provided herein. The liquid crystal on silicon display panel includes a common electrode, a semiconductor substrate having a plurality of pixel electrodes and control electrodes, a passivation layer on the pixel electrodes and a part of the semiconductor substrate, an anti-reflection coating (ARC) layers on the control electrodes, a transparent substrate on the semiconductor substrate, and a liquid crystal layer between the transparent substrate and the semiconductor substrate, wherein each of the control electrodes is disposed between and isolated with two adjacent ones of the pixel electrodes.
US07956967B2
A liquid crystal display device related to the present invention can reduce a stress applied to a crystal liquid panel and prevent unevenness in a display of the liquid crystal panel. This liquid crystal display device includes the crystal liquid panel having an upper substrate and a lower substrate facing each other, a transparent protection plate provided on the upper substrate of the liquid crystal panel, a transparent elastic adhesive material that fills a space between the liquid crystal panel and the transparent protection plate, and a planar light source unit that emits light from the lower substrate side of the liquid crystal panel. The planar light source unit has a frame that includes transparent protection plate supporting portions for supporting end portions of the transparent protection plate from below.
US07956965B2
This invention provides a vertically aligned liquid crystal display, including a first polarizing plate and a second polarizing plate having absorption axes perpendicular to each other and a vertically aligned panel provided therebetween and including vertically aligned liquid crystals having negative dielectric anisotropy, in which a +A-film and a +C-film are provided between the first polarizing plate and the vertically aligned panel, the +C-film is positioned between the first polarizing plate and the +A-film, and the optic axis of the +A-film is parallel to or perpendicular to the absorption axis of the first polarizing plate. According to this invention, the contrast of the vertically aligned liquid crystal display can be improved at surface-facing angle and tilt angle thereof and the color shift depending on the viewing angle in a dark state can be minimized, thus greatly increasing the viewing angle range of the vertically aligned liquid crystal display.
US07956959B2
A display device includes: a back light unit for emitting a light; a lower polarization plate on the back light unit; a liquid crystal display panel on the lower polarization plate for displaying an image; an upper polarization plate on the liquid crystal display panel; an optical film bonded to the upper polarization plate; and a transparent material on the optical film for improving hardness of the optical film.
US07956958B2
A multi-domain vertical alignment liquid crystal display that does not require physical features on the substrate (such as protrusions and ITO slits) is disclosed. Each pixel of the MVA LCD is subdivided into color components, which are further divided into color dots. The polarities of the color dots are arranged so that fringe fields in each color dots causes multiple liquid crystal domains in each color dot. Specifically, the color dots of a pixel are arranged so that each color dot of a first polarity has four neighboring pixels of a second polarity. Thus, a checkerboard pattern of polarities is formed. Furthermore, the checkerboard pattern is extended across multiple pixels in the MVA LCD. In addition, many display unit include multiple pixel designs to improve color distribution or electrical distribution.
US07956946B2
A flat-panel display having simplified test architecture is disclosed for reducing substrate border area. The flat-panel display includes a plurality of data lines, a plurality of gate lines, a plurality of first conductive lines, a plurality of first one-way switching units, a plurality of second one-way switching units, a plurality of control units and a second conductive line. The gate lines are used to deliver gate signals for use in a test. Each first one-way switching unit functions to allow one-way signal transmission from a corresponding first conductive line to a corresponding gate line. Each second one-way switching unit functions to allow one-way signal transmission from a corresponding first conductive line to the second conductive line. The second conductive line is employed to deliver a corresponding gate signal furnished by a corresponding second one-way switching unit. Each control unit controls inputting of test data signals to one corresponding data line.
US07956941B2
According to one embodiment, a method for reducing speckle in an image produced from a coherent light source includes directing a beam of coherent light at an electrically controlled diffuser. An electrical signal is applied to the electrically controlled diffuser to produce an electrical field across the electrically controlled diffuser layer. At least one of an amplitude and a frequency of the electrical signal are varied to transition the controlled diffuser between a first state and a second state. The varied application of the electrical signal operates to reduce spatial coherence in an image projected through the electrically controlled diffuser.
US07956934B2
A digital TV equipped with a general-purpose CPU having a higher performance than that of an embedded CPU and a signal processing method thereof are provided. According to the digital TV and method, if the digital TV is turned on, digital broadcast data is received and decoded irrespective of whether or not system booting is completed, and while the system booting is performed, the decoded signal is made to be output to a display apparatus. Accordingly, after the digital TV is turned on, a user does not need to wait until the system booting is completed and can watch the digital broadcasting while the booting process is being performed.
US07956933B2
In a tuner circuit, an automatic gain control circuit generates an RF-AGC voltage for automatically controlling a gain of an RF-AGC amplifier in accordance with a level of a signal output from an IF amplifier. An emitter follower circuit includes a transistor for current amplification, and varies a drive current of the transistor in accordance with the RF-AGC voltage. Thus, when an interference signal is at a high level, the drive current of the transistor becomes large. Therefore, distortion performance of the emitter follower circuit is improved. On the other hand, in a normal state where the interference signal is at a low level, the drive current of the transistor fails to become large. Therefore, low power consumption is achieved.
US07956932B2
According to one embodiment of the invention, a smoothing module is configured to smooth and reduce grayscale differences in a plain area of an input digital image signal according to a collection parameter. A histogram acquisition module is configured to acquire a histogram value of the input digital image signal for one frame. A histogram value buffer module is configured to buffer histogram values for a plurality of frames. A luminance level transition detection module is configured to detect an interval during which an image gradually changes from light to dark or from dark to light, based on the histogram values for a plurality of frames, and to output the correction parameter.
US07956931B2
A delay circuit is disclosed. A switched-capacitor group includes a plurality of switched-capacitor units, each of which have a switching element and a capacitive element charged/discharged by turning on/off the switching element. The switched-capacitor units are connected such that the input signal is input in common to all of the switched-capacitor units and the capacitive elements are charged as well such that the capacitive elements are discharged to allow the output signal to be output from the switched-capacitor units. A switching control unit performs on/off control of the switching elements to cause the capacitive elements to be charged in sequence based on the input signal, causing the capacitive element charged last time to be discharged to allow the output signal to be output in sequence from the switched-capacitor units, and performs control of all of the switching elements to be turned off upon on/off switching of the switching elements.
US07956930B2
Techniques and tools for high accuracy position calculation for picture resizing in applications such as spatially-scalable video coding and decoding are described. In one aspect, resampling of a video picture is performed according to a resampling scale factor. The resampling comprises computation of a sample value at a position i,j in a resampled array. The computation includes computing a derived horizontal or vertical sub-sample position x or y in a manner that involves approximating a value in part by multiplying a 2n value by an inverse (approximate or exact) of the upsampling scale factor. The approximating can be a rounding or some other kind of approximating, such as a ceiling or floor function that approximates to a nearby integer. The sample value is interpolated using a filter.
US07956929B2
A video processing system includes at least one video source, a region selecting unit, a subtracting unit and a display unit. The region-selecting unit selects the user-defined region of interest from the video source. The subtracting unit subtracts the required region, selected by the region selecting unit. The output of the subtracting unit is provided to the display unit, which displays the required output. In one embodiment, when video data is received from a plurality of video sources, the selecting of user defined regions of interest from the video sources is supported. The region subtracting unit can be used to subtract the required region of interest from video data and it is displayed on the display unit. In other embodiments of invention, the display unit displays on overlay of two unrelated video streams.
US07956925B2
Suppress deterioration in picture qualities while achieving expansion in a dynamic range.An image sensor readout method that reads out, from an area sensor where a plurality of image pickup elements are arranged in matrix, signal charges that are accumulated in the image pickup elements is constituted as follows. First, plural kinds of exposure time different in length from each other are set, and the exposure time is then individually allocated to each line of the area sensor. Next, the signal charges accumulated in the image pickup elements in the allocated exposure time are read out through a line unit of the area sensor. Then, the read out signal charges are synthesized through a screen unit of the area sensor.
US07956923B2
A mobile terminal has an image corrector which includes a comparator for receiving a first image signal photographed by a camera in a camera mode and a second image signal displayed in a normal mode, and for comparing them with a reference signal to generate a deviation signal, and a corrector for receiving the deviation signal from the comparator, and for supplying the first or second image signal, in which white balancing and gamma are corrected, in response to the deviation signal so that luminance and white balance of the first image signal displayed in the camera mode become equal to or similar to luminance and white balance of the second image signal displayed in the normal mode.
US07956921B2
An imaging apparatus includes a first part and a second part separable from each other. If the first part and the second part are in a united state, the imaging apparatus stores image data into a storage medium of the first part or a storage medium of the second part. If the first part and the second part are in a separated state, the imaging apparatus stores image data into a storage medium of the first part and transmits the image data stored in its storage medium to the second part.
US07956914B2
Methods, apparatuses and systems provide a high dynamic range mode of operation for an image sensor when operating in a skip mode where certain pixels of an array are not readout. Multiple integration periods are employed in the skip mode with selected pixels being readout through circuits associated with pixels that are not readout.
US07956903B2
An imaging device (1) including; a fluctuation correcting section (13) for correcting fluctuation of the input/output characteristics of the imaging element (4), and the linearizing section (14) for converting the signals outputted from the imaging element (4) into the state where the output signals are uniformly converted by one conversion characteristic. The fluctuation correcting section (13) is provided with a first correcting section (13a) for correcting fluctuation based on a computing equation obtained by modeling a plurality of kinds of conversion characteristic, and a second correcting section (13b) for correcting the output signals in a region close to a switch point of a plurality of kinds of conversion characteristics among the output signals whose fluctuations are corrected by the first correcting section (13a), by using model equations of two characteristics on the sides of the switch point, so that the output signal overlaps the characteristic of the imaging element (4).
US07956900B2
A video distributing apparatus that distributes video data of a program to an external viewer includes an editing-data calculating unit that calculates, based on scenario data describing contents of the program and reservation data describing a reservation for a video shoot using a camera, editing data indicating the contents of the video data; a video-data acquiring unit that selectively acquires, based on the editing data, the video data shot by the camera installed at a fixed position; and an output unit that outputs, to the external viewer, the video data acquired by the video-data acquiring unit. As a result, video data corresponding to the demands of each user can be easily acquired without requiring equipment and personnel to switch the camera angles and edit the shot video.
US07956896B2
An image-taking apparatus is disclosed which is capable of adjusting a positional displacement of an image-taking optical system and an image-pickup element even in a state in which they are fixed. The image-taking apparatus includes the image-taking optical system including an offset lens unit movable in a direction orthogonal to an optical axis, the image-pickup element and a memory which stores adjustment data. The adjustment data is data on a movement amount of the offset lens unit to make light amounts in peripheral parts on the image-pickup element substantially homogeneous in a case where an object has a surface with approximately homogeneous luminance.
US07956891B2
A camera control system having a terminal device connected to a plurality of cameras via a network is provided. In response to an operation that exceeds a maximum control value (maximum control angle) of the PTZ of a camera that is the target of control, the terminal device displays peripheral camera information, which corresponds to a shooting direction in which the operation has been requested, together with video shot by the camera being controlled. The peripheral camera information includes installation camera position information, viewable angle information, control status information and peripheral map information as well as at least one item of captured video from a camera other than the camera being controlled.
US07956888B2
Remote viewing devices and methods are provided to communicate audio information to and/or from a user of the remote viewing device. The audio information can serve an entertainment purpose, and/or can be instructional in order to provide training, guidance and/or feedback to the user prior to or during the inspection process. The audio information can be stored onto physical media such as a CD/DVD disk or a tape, or can be stored as data, such as MP3 data stored within memory accessible to the device. Outputted audio information can be generated by one or more speakers located within the body of the device or located within a headset having a wire line or wireless connection with the remote viewing device.
US07956875B2
A display device configured to realize a high display quality by correcting irregularity, caused by a lighting unit, by signal processing. The target light quantity in a displayed image of the liquid crystal panel is set, the estimated light quantity at each pixel location in the plane of the backlight is calculated, matrix coefficients are calculated based on the estimated light quantity and the target light quantity, image signals are subjected to matrix operations using the matrix coefficients, and the liquid crystal panel is driven by image signals resulting from the matrix operations. Therefore, the light quantity distribution in the displayed image becomes identical to the target light quantity distribution.
US07956873B2
A system, method and program product for rotating a first image in an image buffer such that the resulting, rotated image is substantially free of an aliasing error, i.e., broken lines, stair stepped edges, etc., is disclosed. An algorithm is applied to the first image that uses weighted sums of data points of the first image to create the rotated image. The weighting is based on the skew angle and data point location of the first image. The resulting rotated image also has a reduced data storage space requirement compared to rotated images created by prior art techniques.
US07956871B2
A method of displaying a captured image includes using an array of pixels to capture an image. The array of pixels includes a first plurality of pixels of a first color, a second plurality of pixels of a second color, and a third plurality of pixels of a third color. The pixels are arranged into rows and columns and the pixels of the third plurality of pixels have two different arrangements within the array of pixels with respect to neighboring pixels. The method includes, for each pixel in the third plurality of pixels, normalizing the pixel's value as a function of the pixel values of at least six other pixels in the third plurality of pixels. The method also includes displaying the captured image using a normalized value for the pixel value of each pixel in the third plurality of pixels.
US07956870B2
Systems and methods are provided for variable source rate sampling in connection with image rendering, which accumulate and resolve over all samples forward mapped to each pixel bin. In accordance with the invention, the textured surface to be rendered is sampled, or oversampled, at a variable rate that reflects variations in frequency among different regions, taking into account any transformation that will be applied to the surface prior to rendering and the view parameters of the display device, thus ensuring that each bin of the rendering process receives at least a predetermined minimum number of samples. A variety of image processing applications are contemplated wherein variable rate source sampling, and accumulation and resolution of forward mapped point samples can be applied, ranging from 3-D graphics applications to applications wherein images recorded in a recording/storage environment are mapped to the arbitrary requirements of a display environment.
US07956869B1
A cursor location associated with a user controlled cursor is obtained. For each of a plurality of windows, a respective distance to the user controlled cursor is determined based at least in part on the cursor location. A transparency value for each of the plurality of windows is determined based at least in part on the respective distance. The plurality of windows is displayed, wherein at least a portion of each window is displayed based on its corresponding transparency value.
US07956868B2
An improved gamut map model (GMM) useful in conjunction with Windows Color System (WCS). The method uses the WCS Minimum Color Difference (MinCD) GMM to handle gamut mapping for the Saturation rendering intent at low input chroma values. For input values to the gamut map model profile (GMMP), if the chroma value C falls within a predetermined chroma value range, the MinCD GMM will be applied, otherwise the Hue Mapping GMM is applied. The predetermined chroma value range can be determined by experimentation. The range is 0≦C≦10 in a preferred embodiment. This method will improve the gradation fidelity of the rendered images and reduce or prevent major hue shifts at low chroma values. The method may be implemented as a plug-in utility for a computer.
US07956864B2
An imaging system for use with an external memory system, an external memory system for use with an imaging system, and methods for archiving digital content are provided. The imaging system has a source of content data files and a communications link adapted to exchange data with the external memory system. A processor is adapted to prepare content data files for archival storage on the external memory system and to cause the external memory system to store the prepared content data files.
US07956863B2
An animation wireframe is modified with three-dimensional (3D) range and color data having a corresponding shape surface. The animation wireframe is vertically scaled based on distances between consecutive features within the 3D range and color data and corresponding distances within the generic animation wireframe. For each animation wireframe point, the location of the animation wireframe point is adjusted to coincide with a point on the shape surface. The shape surface point lies along a scaling line connecting the animation wireframe point, the shape surface point and an origin point. The scaling line is within a horizontal point.
US07956858B2
An integrated photonics module includes at least one light source and a MEMS scanner coupled to and held in alignment by an optical frame configured for mounting to a host system. According to some embodiments, the integrated photonics module may include a plurality of light sources and a beam combiner coupled to the optical frame. According to some embodiments, the integrated photonics module includes a selective fold mirror configured to direct at least a portion of emitted light toward the MEMS scanner in a normal direction and pass scanned light through to a field of view. The selective fold mirror may use beam polarization to select beam passing and reflection. The integrated photonics module may include a beam rotator such as a quarter-wave plate to convert the polarization of the emitted light to a different polarization adapted for passage through the fold mirror. The integrated photonics module may include one or more light detectors.
US07956855B2
A display device includes: a plurality of gate lines for transmitting a gate signal; a plurality of data lines for transmitting a data signal; a plurality of switching elements connected to the gate lines and the data lines; a plurality of pixel electrodes connected to the switching elements; a gate driver connected to the gate lines and including a gate signal generation mechanism for generating the gate signal and applying the gate signal to the gate lines; a data driver for applying the data signal to the data lines; a signal controller for receiving and processing incoming image signals to be supplied to the data driver, the signal controller generating a first gate control signal for controlling the gate driver and generating a data control signal for controlling the data driver; and a signal generator for receiving the first gate control signal and generating second and third gate control signals based on the received first gate control signal, wherein the gate driver is capable of receiving the second and third gate control signals, wherein the gate driver generates the gate signal based on the second and third gate signals, and wherein the period of the first gate control signal is the same as the period of the second and third gate control signals.
US07956848B2
Methods, systems, and programs products for license renewal and content chapter access. In one aspect, a method includes receiving a gesture input incident on a touch-sensitive surface to renew a content license, where the license identifies the content and a first period of time during which the content can be accessed. In another aspect, a method includes receiving a gesture input incident on a touch-sensitive surface. In response to the gesture input, a number of chapter indicators for content are presented, each chapter indicator including a thumbnail image and associated with a an offset in the content. In response to a second gesture input, the content from the selected chapter indicator's respective offset is played.
US07956847B2
Embodiments of the invention are directed to a system, method, and software for implementing gestures with touch sensitive devices (such as a touch sensitive display) for managing and editing media files on a computing device or system. Specifically, gestural inputs of a human hand over a touch/proximity sensitive device can be used to control, edit, and manipulate files, such as media files including without limitation graphical files, photo files and video files.
US07956846B2
A portable electronic device, having a touch-sensitive display, displays a plurality of icons on the touch-sensitive display. A contact region when a user makes contact with the touch-sensitive display is detected. Whether the contact region corresponds to one of the plurality of icons is determined in accordance with an electrostatic model.
US07956834B2
Provided are a method and apparatus for driving a liquid crystal display. The apparatus includes: a moving image detector which reads an input signal frame by frame and compares gray-scale data of a previous frame to gray-scale data of the current frame to detect a moving pattern; a gray-scale difference calculator which calculates a gray-scale difference in the detected pattern to discriminate the boundary of the pattern from the inside of the pattern; and an output processor that generates an over-driving voltage for over-driving pixels corresponding to the inside of the pattern and applies the over-driving voltage to pixels of liquid crystal.
US07956831B2
Apparatus, systems, and methods are provided for dimming pixels on an active matrix light-emitting diode display. One apparatus includes an LED couplable between a voltage source and ground. First and second pulse-width modulation (PWM) drivers are also coupled to the LED. A system includes a plurality of LEDs forming a plurality of rows coupled between a voltage source and ground. A plurality of PWM drivers, each coupled to each of the LEDs in one of the plurality of rows, and a global PWM driver coupled to each of the plurality of LEDs in each of the plurality of rows are also included. One method includes providing current to each LED of a row of LEDs for a first portion of a cycle via a PWM driver, and providing current to each LED in the row for a second portion of the cycle via a different PWM driver.
US07956824B2
A driver device for driving light emitting elements comprises a data latch having an input coupled to an input signal, a current control circuit having an input coupled to the data latch, and an output coupled to the input of an output stage, the latter being configured to drive the light emitting elements. The driver device has a power control circuit having an input coupled to the output of the data latch and an output coupled to the input of the current control circuit. The power control circuit is configured to control the current control circuit and the latter is configured to deliver a first current when the data inputted to the power control circuit is in a first state and a second current when at least part of the data inputted to the power control circuit is in a second state.
US07956811B2
An antenna and an antenna set are provided. The antenna is composed of a horseshoe sheet member and two rectangular sheet members. The horseshoe sheet member and the two rectangular sheet members are all made of a metal material. The antenna is made of a metal material, such as tinplate, and the antenna is adapted for receiving or emitting wireless signals of vertical polarization and horizontal polarization. The antenna set includes three antennae as above disposed on a substrate. The antenna set is adapted for polarization diversity, pattern diversity, and space diversity. Comparing with the conventional antenna and antenna set, the antenna and the antenna set according to the present invention have lower costs and lower heights, and can be designed as embedded antennae or hidden antennae.
US07956810B2
An antenna device includes a first conductive piece, a second conductive piece, a third conductive piece and a feeding point. The second conductive piece is electrically coupled to a predetermined voltage level. The third conductive piece is electrically connected to the first conductive piece and the second conductive piece. The feeding point is located on the first conductive piece.
US07956807B1
This invention provides arbitrary positioning accuracy for cognitive radio communications in both indoor and outdoor environments adaptively. It enables the user or wireless device itself to adjust positioning accuracy adaptively. Hence, this invention can be used for developing numerous personal, commercial, governmental and military cognitive location-based services and applications. Furthermore, the invented H-DSM technique can be used by cognitive wireless networks and devices to improve spectrum efficiency.
US07956803B2
A system and method for detecting one or more forged satellite measurements transmitted from a wireless device. Information may be transmitted to a wireless device, the information including a request that the wireless device provide a portion of a navigation data message from one or more satellites to a location determining system. The one or more satellite measurements and the portion of the navigation data message may be received from the wireless device. The navigation data message may be determined as a function of information from a reference network. The determined navigation data message may then be compared with the received navigation data message portion to thereby determine whether any of the one or more satellite measurements transmitted by the device have been forged.
US07956789B2
A disconnection detecting method includes charging a capacitor by connecting a node of the capacitor to a first power source line supplied with a first power source potential, connecting the node of the capacitor to an input terminal, after the node of the capacitor is disconnected from the first power source line, and converting a first value on the node to a first digital data. The method further includes discharging the capacitor by connecting the node of the capacitor to a first power source line supplied with a second power source potential, after the node is disconnected from the input terminal, connecting the node of the capacitor to the input terminal, after the node of the capacitor is disconnected from the second power source line, and converting a second value on the node to a second digital data. The method further includes comparing the first digital data with the second digital data to determine whether a difference between the first and second digital data exists, and determining that the input terminal is abnormal when the difference exists.
US07956783B2
An analog-to-digital converter includes a delta circuit, a sigma circuit, and a quantizer circuit and further includes a feedback circuit that modulates a reference voltage provided to the quantizer circuit based on the quantizer circuit output. Modulation of the quantizer reference voltage dithers the quantizer circuit to effectively reduce or avoid lock bands. The analog-to-digital converter may be used in combination with a microelectromechanical (MEMS) device such as a gyroscope, an accelerometer, or a pressure sensor.
US07956774B2
An image coding apparatus provides a run-length encoding unit RLE1 that subjects quantized coefficients which are obtained by quantizing frequency components of an image signal to a variable length coding process by using a run value Run that indicates the number of successive zero coefficients and a level value Lev that indicates a value of a non-zero coefficient following the zero coefficients. The run-length encoding unit RLE1 includes a reordering unit Lreodr for reordering level values Lev; a variable length coder LVLC for coding reordered level values ROLev by using a code table that is selected according to the value of a quantization parameter QP; a reordering unit Rreodr for reordering run values Run from high frequency component of the quantized coefficients to low frequency component; and a variable length coder RVLC for coding reordered run values RORun by using a code table that is selected according to the number of already-processed run values.
US07956771B2
An apparatus comprises an input keypad having a plurality of keys. The input keypad outputs an output signal that is indicative of either a single depressed key or a plurality of depressed keys. The apparatus includes a processor for receiving the output signal by the input keypad and associating an alphabetic character with the output signal.
US07956768B2
A system and method is provided for metering vehicular traffic. Specifically, the system uses a computer to prevent delays as vehicles transition from a greater number of toll lanes to a lesser number of travel lanes. Toll collection devices are used to send a ready signal to a computer to indicate a vehicle is ready to leave a start point. The computer receives ready signals from the toll collection devices and uses a pre-programmed departure schedule to queue the vehicles. After the vehicles are queued, the computer uses time delay variables to ensure efficient traffic flow between the toll lanes of the plaza and the travel lanes of the bridge or tunnel. An indicator signal responsive to a departure signal sent by the computer is employed to direct vehicles from a start point towards a travel lane.
US07956758B2
A thermal stimulation apparatus for vehicles capable of exerting an effect of, for example, reducing fatigue and improving the physical condition of a vehicle occupant. In a vehicle thermal stimulation apparatus 10, the piezoelectric sensor 26 detects a biorhythm accompanying a periodic change in an occupant, a control circuit 16 switches on and off heater elements 22, 24 on the basis of the detection result of the biorhythm detector such that by the heater elements 22, 24 being switched on and off, thermal stimulus to the occupant is synchronized with the biorhythm of the occupant. It is thereby possible to exert effects of, for example, reducing fatigue and improving the physical condition of a vehicle occupant.
US07956748B2
A system and method for silencing communication devices is disclosed. A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a silencing system having a controller element to transmit an RF signal to an RF receiver of a mobile communication device. An audible alerting function of the mobile communication device can be adjusted in response to the RF signal. Additional embodiments are disclosed.
US07956744B2
In some embodiments, a method of retrieving an electronics device may include one or more of the following steps: (a) accepting a purchase order for a DID from a user, (b) linking a tracking number to a tracking element to create the DID, (c) sending the DID to the electronics device, d) writing a jump copy to a database, (e) sending an instructional message to the user instructing the user how to place the DID on their electronics device, (f) saving the DID to the database, (g) requesting details regarding the electronics device, (h) storing the electronics device details in the database, (i) saving a user selected image to the database, (j) accessing available DID for use with the electronics device, (k) accessing dimensions of a display for the electronics device from the database, (l) downloading an image to a computer, and (m) transferring the image from the computer to the electronics device.
US07956741B2
A tumbler-type lock apparatus for use with a tumbler-type card key having a code pattern region including an array of holes and non-hole portions that expresses a key code of the tumbler-type card key. The tumbler-type lock apparatus includes a slider case and a slider movable relative to the slider case when the tumbler-type card key is inserted into the tumbler-type lock apparatus. Tumblers extending in the slider case and slider each correspond to one of the holes or non-hole portions. Springs bias the tumblers towards the slider. The tumbler-type lock apparatus verifies the tumbler-type card key when the tumblers are engaged with the slider case and slider during insertion of the tumbler-type card key. The slider includes accommodation portions. A distal end of the tumbler that has passed through the corresponding hole of the tumbler-type card key is accommodated in the corresponding accommodation portion.
US07956732B2
A vehicle flasher hazard function is implemented on an electrical controller having control over vehicle exterior lights. The flasher hazard function features an optimized duty cycle and operational frequency, consistent with legal requirements for the flasher rate. The point in time that individual bulbs are turned on is staggered in time to avoid all bulbs being simultaneously activated. This distributes the current surges associated with bulb activation being distributed in time. When a vehicle battery can no longer sustain the legally mandated flasher rate an optional path for flasher operation at a reduced rate is provided.
