US08257113B2
In one possible embodiment, a waterproof connector is provided having pins secured to a bendable board. The bendable board and a portion of each of the pins are encased in a compressible material capable of providing a biasing force on the plurality of pins upon mating with a mating surface. The compressible material also provides a deformable sealing surface for mating with the mating surface.
US08257105B2
In order to lock a housing that consists of at least two parts, particularly a plug connector housing, a locking system that functions similar to a toggle lever mechanism is provided. In this case, a locking plate is arranged within a shell-shaped sliding element to both sides of a first and a second housing half and movably held on bearing pins on the second housing half, wherein latches are provided on the first housing half and engage into window openings provided in the locking plate for this purpose when the sliding element is displaced into its locking position in order to hold together the two housing halves.
US08257096B2
A device connector is provided with a metal reinforcing plate (30) including an opening (31) for permitting the passage of terminal fittings, a housing main body (10), a flange (11) formed by insert molding using the reinforcing plate (30) and synthetic resin, a device-side housing portion (12) to be accommodated into a connector mounting hole, and terminal fittings (15) held in the housing main body (10) while being passed through the opening (31). The reinforcing plate (30) is beveled along a peripheral edge thereof to form an R-surface (36). Thus, the device connector is produced at a low cost and eliminates possible starting points of cracks created in the synthetic resin covering the peripheral edge of the metal reinforcing plate (30).
US08257092B2
A memory module configured to connect to a slot of a data processing system. A set of tabs is connected to the module and configured to electrically connect the module to the slot and to electrically connect the module to a clock of the data processing system. The set of tabs includes a first tab, a second tab, a third tab, and a fourth tab. The first tab and the second tab are opposite the third tab and the fourth tab. The first tab comprises a positive type tab, the second tab comprises a negative type tab, the third tab comprises a positive type tab, and the fourth tab comprises a negative type tab. The first and third tabs are configured to provide a first electrical connection to the clock. The second and fourth tabs are configured to provide a second electrical connection to the clock. Together, the first, second, third, and fourth tabs comprise two dual tabs.
US08257091B2
In a method and system for matching learning objects with a user profile, a top-level concept structure, including a keyword hierarchy for each of one or more top-level concepts, can be used to determine the complexity of a learning object. The learning object can include one or more learning object keywords related to one or more top-level concepts contained in the top-level concept structure. The learning object keywords can be assigned a complexity score based upon their location within the keyword hierarchy, and the complexity scores for all of the learning object keywords relating to a top-level concept can be aggregated to generate a learning object top-level concept complexity score. The learning object top-level concept complexity score can be compared with a user's experience rating for that top-level concept and be used to select an appropriate learning object.
US08257090B1
A residual limb model may be a model of a residual limb. A residual limb model may include a residual limb portion and a bladder complementary in shape to the residual limb portion. A prosthesis donning and doffing training system may include a check socket and a residual limb model complementary in shape to the check socket. A method of training in the care of a residual limb may include providing a residual limb model and training in the care of a residual limb using the residual limb model. A method of training in the donning and doffing of a prosthesis may include providing a prosthesis training system and training in the donning and doffing of a prosthesis using the prosthesis training system.
US08257082B2
In a set of artificial teeth, at least one of mutually adjacent artificial anterior teeth includes abutting faces which contacts linearly with the other one so as to form abutting lines and capable of continuously moving the positions of the linear contact, the abutting faces being formed of any one of circular columnar surface, elliptical columnar surface, and conical surface.
US08257080B2
A bite corrector for moving the relative positions of the jaws includes a telescoping assembly with an outer member and an inner member received in the outer member. The outer and inner members have matching, curved configurations. Both of the members remain in close proximity to the patient's dentition during opening and closing movement of the jaws and the likelihood of contact of the bite corrector with adjacent tissue in the patient's oral cavity is reduced.
US08257073B2
An oven (10) for the thermal conditioning of preforms made of thermoplastic, is traversed upstream to downstream by an air stream (A) for cooling the preforms and includes successively an air inlet zone (16a) having at least one air inlet port (22a), a zone (16b) for heating the preforms, that includes at least one ventilation module (36) that is able to guide the air stream (A) coming from the inlet zone (16a) to the preforms, an air extraction zone (16c) having at least one air extraction duct (68), characterized in that the air inlet zone (16a) includes a plurality of ventilation modules (36) and at least one air distribution chamber (18), called a plenum (18), which is interposed between the air inlet port (22a) and each of the ventilation modules (36).
US08257058B2
An electric ventilator (1) comprises a frame (2), a pair of centrifugal fans (3) mounted on the frame (2), an electric motor (4) for driving the fans (3) and axially interposed between the fans (3), and a unit (5) for controlling the speed of the motor (4); the speed control unit (5) comprises a plurality of electrical switching resistors (7) housed in a box-shaped container (8) that can be closed and sealed; the container (8) is mounted on the frame (2) and has the shape of a bridge so as to surround the casing (13) of the motor (4) without touching it.
US08257053B2
In order to provide a compressed air manufacturing facility which can increase a stability of a supply pressure while obtaining an energy saving effect, in a compressed air manufacturing facility provided with a compressor compressing an air, an electric motor driving the compressor, and an inverter variably controlling a rotating speed of the electric motor, the compressed air manufacturing facility is provided with a pressure sensor detecting a discharge pressure of the compressor at an upstream side position of a discharge air system connected to a discharge side of the compressor, and a control apparatus computing a pressure loss of the discharge air system in correspondence to a rotating speed of the electric motor, and changing a control range of the discharge pressure of the compressor at the upstream side position of the discharge air system on the basis of the computation in such a manner that a terminal pressure at a downstream side position of the discharge air system comes to a predetermined range, and variably controlling the rotating speed of the electric motor via the inverter in such a manner that the discharge pressure of the compressor detected by the pressure sensor comes to the changed control range.
US08257051B2
A rotor-hub for a rotary-wing aircraft is disclosed. The rotor-hub comprises a yoke comprising a plurality of yoke arms and a plurality of yoke straps, wherein the yoke arms are joined together by the yoke straps, and wherein a plurality of inner walls of the yoke define a central void space. A pitch horn is movably connected to the yoke and a portion of the pitch horn is located within the central void space. A connecting shell is fixedly attached to the yoke.
US08257044B2
The present invention is a steam turbine rotor blade assembly including: an airfoil; a shroud provided at a tip of the airfoil; a blade root (dovetail) projecting toward a radially internal circumferential side of a turbine rotor and fitted to a root attachment provided on an outer circumferential portion of the turbine rotor; a platform provided between the airfoil and the blade root; a pin provided between the blade root and the root attachment; a bore formed between respective surfaces of the shrouds facing each other and included in the respective adjacent rotor blades; and a bar-like member provided in the bore.
US08257039B2
A method of repairing an engine case for a gas turbine engine includes the steps of identifying a damaged flange on an engine case, removing the damaged flange down to a surface of the engine case to receive a replacement flange. The replacement flange is placed on the surface, and welded to the surface utilizing cold metal transfer.
US08257038B2
A method of joining a first part together with a second part is disclosed. The method may comprise providing a first part having a first joining portion including a first channel and a second part having a second joining portion including a second channel. The method may further comprise positioning the first part adjacent to the second part such that the first channel and second channel align with one another to define a cavity. The method may still further comprise preparing a mixture comprising at least one of a metal powder and a polymer binder, placing the mixture into the cavity so as to form a preform and solidifying the preform forming a metal element in the cavity. The metal element joins the first part together with the second part.
US08257027B2
An exhaust-driven turbocharger for a motor vehicle may include a bearing housing and a turbine housing, which are mounted in the bearing house by means of a common shaft. A guide vane cage surrounds the turbine wheel. The guide vane cage may have at least two arms. The arms may be used to help secure the guide vane cage between the bearing housing and the turbine housing such that it can move in the radial direction.
US08257026B2
A braking mechanism is provided that is suitable for an expansion turbine that rotates at high speed. Upper end salient poles 26a and 26b are formed in two opposite places on the outer peripheral upper end of a rotating shaft 12, and lower end salient poles 28a and 28b are formed in two opposite places on the outer peripheral lower end of the rotating shaft 12 such that they are staggered in the vertical direction with respect to the upper end salient poles 26a and 26b. A casing 22 is provided in a location facing an outer periphery of the rotating shaft 12, and an excitation coil 30 is provided on the casing 22 for forming a magnetic path between the upper end salient poles 26a and 26b and the lower end salient poles 28a and 28b. By rotation of the rotating shaft 12, and by the magnetic path formed by the excitation coil 30, eddy currents are generated in the casing 22.
US08257020B2
Systems and methods for capturing the energy of wind currents by placing wind-driven turbines in vortices formed near one or more edges of a building's roof, where the wind currents are concentrated by deflection of the wind off the horizontal faces of the building. In one embodiment, a cylindrical wind turbine is placed near the edge of a building's rooftop. The turbine structure drives an electrical generator. The axis of rotation of the turbine is parallel to the ground and to the edge of the building. A concentrator may be used to concentrate vortex winds into the turbine. Turbines can be installed on multiple sides of the building to optimize the system for variations in wind direction with changes in seasons or weather conditions.
US08257016B2
A gas turbine with a compressor includes at least one row of blades, with the blades having a free end each, with a self-healing abradable coating being provided adjacent to the free end of the blades on an annular casing area and/or an annular drum area.
US08257011B2
In an item-handling device, a layer head includes an item layer building platform defining an item receiving plane, the layer building platform being vertically positionable. A puller bar mounts to the layer head and moves in relation thereto within a plane above the item-receiving plane. The puller bar is positionable between a retracted position above the layer building platform and an extended position offset from the layer building platform.
US08257006B2
A bookbinding device includes a plurality of annular binders corresponding to binding holes. A part of an annular binder is inserted into a binding hole to be engaged, and by virtue of the insertion of the annular binder into the corresponding binding hole, the sheet bundle is bound to be provided as a booklet. Respective ends of binding members engage with each other, whereby the binding members are unified. The binding members are disposed so as to be aligned and constitute respectively binding member units which can be separated one by one. The pairs of the binding members are located in sequence so as to correspond to the binding holes to be pushed and moved and, thus, to be inserted through the binding holes. The respective ends of the binding members then engage with each other, whereby the binding members are unified.
US08257003B2
A side actuated collet lock mechanism includes a collet; a drawbar at least partially disposed within the collet, and a pair of wedge members threadingly received onto each end of a double-ended drive screw. The drive screw is rotated to cause the wedge members to move downward such that a first cam surface engages the drawbar. The drawbar and collet are pulled into the tool holder and firmly secure the shank. To remove the shank, the drive screw is rotated in an opposite direction to cause the wedge members to move upward such that a second cam surface engages the drawbar. The drawbar and the collet are pushed out from the toolholder, thereby releasing the shank.
US08256995B2
A system and method are disclosed for the treatment of liquid runoff, such as rainfall, irrigation, and waste or produced water, utilizing aboveground, modular, permeable barriers containing reactive media that can immobilize particular solutes of concern, removing them from the liquid runoff. The modular design allows construction of a relatively-uniform barrier, or media volume, that is self-supporting and easily assembled, maintained, modified, and augmented. A permeable reactive barrier constructed according to the present invention provides significant contact between the reactive media and the solutes of concern while allowing the runoff stream to flow through the structure relatively unimpeded.
US08256994B2
The invention relates to a method to repair a leak in a geological structure or a construction comprising a geological material, comprising administering a liquid nutrient composition, comprising an energy source for anaerobic bacteria and a multivalent metal ion upstream of the leak allowing micro-organisms present in the structure or construction to ferment the energy source and to grow, thereby increasing biomass in and/or around the leak releasing mineral particles upstream of the leak allowing the mineral particles to migrate to the leak; and allowing the mineral particles to settle in the biomass.
US08256989B2
The present invention relates to a water-storing and water-cleaning system. Said system is designed in such a manner that it can be used irrespective of location. It is used, inter alia, in agriculture, in horticulture and in reforestation. Said system comprises a reservoir (2) that is filled with a porous material (3), into which the water is seeped. In order to displace the seepage path, the reservoir (2) contains at least one barrier layer (5) made of a water-impermeable material, that separates the two layers made of the porous material (3) and comprises an outlet (6) for connecting the layers.
US08256986B2
A machine for paving concrete paths, of the type in which a concrete mix, in a plastic condition, is spread over a certain width, and is then levelled to a certain height. The machine includes a tractor and a levelling section connected to it, wherein the working width of the tractor and levelling section are adjustable and wherein the adjustment of the working width of the tractor is independent of the adjustment of the working width of the levelling section. The tractor is provided with an element whose width is adjustable and which distributes the concrete mix over a certain width and to a certain height.
US08256978B2
A kit for dispensing a viscous fluid from a container comprising: a nozzle for coupling to an outlet of the container defining a nozzle opening for dispensing the viscous fluid from the container, the nozzle including applicator engaging structure; and an applicator including a working area and nozzle engaging structure releasably engageable with the applicator engaging structure of the nozzle to releasably secure the applicator to the nozzle. The applicator further including a working area for spreading the viscous fluid dispensed by the nozzle. The kit also including another applicator and the nozzle may be selectively engageable with either of the two applicators. The applicators may be in the form of a spatula applicator and a brush applicator or may be in any other suitable form.
US08256971B2
A fiber optic stub fiber connector for reversibly and nondestructively terminating an inserted field fiber having a buffer over at least a portion thereof. The connector includes a housing and a ferrule including a stub fiber disposed within and extending from a bore through the ferrule. The ferrule is generally at least partially disposed within and supported by the housing. The connector further includes a reversible actuator for reversibly and nondestructively terminating the inserted field fiber to the stub fiber. The reversible actuator includes a buffer clamp for engaging with the buffer to simultaneously provide reversible and nondestructive strain relief to the terminated field fiber.
US08256968B2
The invention concerns a wheel hub bearing unit for a vehicle, said hub bearing unit comprising a rotating bearing ring member (1) and a non-rotating bearing ring member (2), where the rotating bearing ring (1) has at least a radially extending wheel mounting flange (4) with a reference flange surface (5), wherein a gasket (9) with at least a sacrificial metal gasket surface is provided on the flange surface (5). Hereby, corrosion protection of the surface of the wheel mounting flange of a hub bearing unit is realized in a cost-effective manner.
US08256965B2
A thrust sliding bearing 1 includes a synthetic resin-made bearing body 4 having an annular upper surface 2 and an annular outer peripheral surface 3; a synthetic resin-made bearing body 6 which is superposed on the bearing body 4 so as to be relatively rotatable; a synthetic resin-made thrust sliding bearing piece 7 interposed between the annular upper surface 2 of the bearing body 4 and an annular lower surface 5 of the bearing body 6; an annular upper cover 10 having an annular engaging inner peripheral surface 9 which engages an annular engaging outer peripheral surface 8 of the bearing body 4; and an annular metal plate 15 interposed between an annular upper surface 11 of the bearing body 6 and a lower surface 14 of the annular upper cover 10.
US08256964B2
In the case of a plain bearing having at least one support part (25), which is composed of an iron-containing base material, of a bearing sleeve (24) which is provided at the raceway side with a coating (8, 26) which is composed of a coating material, is formed as a melted-on layer and is metallurgically connected to the base material by an FeSn2-containing connecting zone (9), it is possible to obtain a long service life in that the thickness for the FeSn2-containing connecting zone (9) is at most 10 μm.
US08256963B2
There is provided a roll machining apparatus for machining the surface of a roll, which can accurately support a roll by hydrostatic bearings while absorbing thermal expansion of the roll in the length direction, thus enhancing the machining precision. The roll machining apparatus can include a first hydrostatic radial bearing for receiving the radial load of a first spindle and rotatably supporting the first spindle, a hydrostatic thrust bearing for receiving the thrust load of the first spindle and limiting axial movement of the first spindle, a second hydrostatic radial bearing for receiving the radial load of a second spindle and rotatably supporting the second spindle, and a floating thrust having a thrust bearing for receiving the thrust load of the second spindle. The floating thrust selectively limits and permits axial movement of the thrust bearing.
US08256962B2
The present invention aims to achieve a reduction in cost for a fluid dynamic bearing device. The fluid dynamic bearing device supports a shaft member (2) radially in a non-contact fashion by a dynamic pressure action generated in a radial bearing gap between an outer peripheral surface of the shaft member (2) and an inner peripheral surface (7a) of a bearing member (7), and is composed of the shaft member (2), the bearing member (7), a cover member (8), and a seal member (9). The shaft member (2) is inserted into an inner periphery of the bearing member (7), and an opening at a lower end thereof is sealed by the cover member (8). The seal member (9) is attached to an opening at an upper end of the bearing member (7), forming a seal space (S) between itself and the outer peripheral surface of the shaft member (2). Dynamic pressure grooves (G) of radial bearing portions (R1 and R2) are formed in an inner peripheral surface (7a) of the bearing member (7) by molding.
US08256957B1
The present disclosure provides a bi-directional image receptor assembly capable of receiving an image receptor in either a lengthways (or longitudinal) or crossways (or transverse) orientation, while maintaining the axis of an anti-scatter grid in a fixed position. The axis of the anti-scatter grid can be placed in a fixed orientation (such as a parallel orientation) to a subject's craniocaudal axis regardless of whether the image receptor is inserted in the lengthways or crossways orientation. Methods of using the bi-directional image receptor assembly in mobile radiography are also disclosed. The present disclosure further provides for an X-ray image receptor comprising a portion of an automatic position measurement system. Still further, the present disclosure provides for a cover comprising a reinforcing geometry that maximizes the strength of the cover while minimizing the thickness of the cover.
US08256951B2
Stirring apparatuses for stirring molten glass are disclosed. The method includes stirring a molten glass with a stirrer comprising a layer containing at least about 50% iridium. An apparatus comprising an iridium-containing layer is also presented. In one embodiment, an apparatus for stirring molten glass includes a cylinder comprising a bore. A stirrer may be disposed in the bore. The stirrer may include a platinum or platinum alloy shaft coaxial with the cylinder. A plurality of impellers may project radially from the shaft into close proximity of a wall of the cylinder. Each impeller may include an arcuate distal end portion farthest from the shaft. The distal end portion of each impeller consists of iridium or an iridium alloy and the remainder of the impeller consists of platinum or a platinum alloy. The stirring apparatuses reduce metal loss from the refractory metal of the stirring apparatus.
US08256937B2
A drawing assembly for children includes a housing having a drawing surface and an illumination assembly pivotally connected to the housing and movable between a storage position within a recess in the housing, and a deployed position. The illumination assembly includes an illumination source that is positionable to provide illumination to the drawing surface when in the deployed position.
US08256931B2
A lens arrangement with an achromatic homogenizer and collimator for multiple LEDs. The lens arrangement combines the hemispherical emittance profiles from one or more LEDS into a collimated beam without chromatic aberration. The lens arrangement has one or more LEDs, a homogenizer, a solid lightpipe, an internal parabolic reflector, a retroreflector, and a refractor. The emittance profiles of the LEDs are distributed evenly over space and angle by multiple reflections inside a diffusely reflecting cavity of the homogenizer. The internal reflector has a numerical aperture of 1.0, which defines a hemispherical solid angle of collection within air. The retroreflector directs rays away from the LEDs. The retroreflection permits space for the electronics of high radiance LEDs. The refractor converts the retroreflector rays in a plurality of shapes. The lens is optimally designed for applications with high standards for color mixing, uniformity, and efficient conversion of electrical power into light.
US08256929B2
An efficient LED array. In an aspect, an LED apparatus includes a metal substrate having a reflective surface, and LED chips mounted directly to the reflective surface to allow for thermal dissipation, and wherein at least a portion of the LED chips are spaced apart from each other to allow light to reflect from a portion of the reflective surface that is located between the portion of the LED chips. In another aspect, a method includes configuring a metal substrate to have a reflective surface, and mounting a plurality of LED chips directly to the reflective surface of the metal substrate to allow for thermal dissipation, and wherein at least a portion of the LED chips are spaced apart from each other to allow light to reflect from a portion of the reflective surface that is located between the portion of the LED chips.
US08256911B2
The system for asynchronous remote steering of reflectors has parallel asynchronous remote steering mechanisms operably connected to reflectors. A powerless (mechanical) focal beam brake is also provided. In addition to the powerless focal beam brake, a plurality of safety mechanisms are employed. Remote angle checking is provided to adapt the system for solar thermal power plants, solar furnaces, or the like.
US08256903B2
An optical system and a projector utilizing the optical system can prevent tilted projection, hence ensuring that keystone distortion will not occur. The inventive optical system includes a lens group and a reflection layer. The lens group has a plurality of lens elements, and is utilized for guiding an input light beam. A shape of each of lens elements is substantially identical to a shape of a half of a rotationally symmetrical lens. The reflection layer is disposed under the lens group, and utilized for reflecting an incident light beam. As a result, the optical system is configured for guiding the output light beam derived from the input light beam to be projected onto an area substantially higher than a common line.
US08256887B2
The present application relates to a surface treatment composition for inkjet media, including: starch; fluorescence whitening agent selected from the group consisting of nonionic, cationic, and anionic fluorescence whitening agents, and combinations thereof; metallic salt including cation and anion, the cations being selected from monovalent metal ions, multiple valent metal ions, and combinations and derivatives thereof, and the anions being selected from the group consisting of fluoride, chloride, iodide, bromide, nitrate, phosphate, chlorate, acetate, and combinations and derivatives thereof; and chemical chelant. The application also relates to a method of making surface-treated inkjet media, including providing a base stock including cellulose paper and applying a surface treatment composition to the base stock. The application also relates to a paper coated with the surface treatment composition and a system of inkjet printing with surface treated inkjet media.
US08256885B2
The present invention relates to cyan dye-based inkjet inks having improved permanence when jetted onto porous photo media. The inkjet ink includes a copper phthalocyanine dye having sulfonylamine groups, at least three co-solvents having about 18% to about 24% of the composition of the ink by weight, a polymeric dye dispersant having about 0.5% to about 2.0% of the composition of the ink by weight, a penetrant, at least one wetting agent, and water.
US08256855B2
An image forming apparatus which ejects ink to form an image on a recording medium flows the ink from an upstream side tank to a downstream side tank on an ink circulation path, includes a sensor for detecting a parameter corresponding to variations in amount of the ink in the downstream side tank, and confirms ink circulation in accordance with an amount of ink which returns through circulation from an appropriate amount of ink and a measured time.
US08256854B2
A method and apparatus for the circumferential printing onto individual bottles in a run of bottles where the individual bottles in the run have at least one varying dimension due to manufacturing tolerances, the method and apparatus providing more consistent artwork on individual containers in the run of containers. The abstract of the disclosure is submitted herewith as required by 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b). As stated in 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b): A brief abstract of the technical disclosure in the specification must commence on a separate sheet, preferably following the claims, under the heading “Abstract of the Disclosure.” The purpose of the abstract is to enable the Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and gist of the technical disclosure. The abstract shall not be used for interpreting the scope of the claims. Therefore, any statements made relating to the abstract are not intended to limit the claims in any manner and should not be interpreted as limiting the claims in any manner.
US08256851B2
A method, a vehicle using the method, and a system using the method, of controlling the vehicle configured to tow a trailer. The method includes determining first and second vehicle parameters indicative of first and second conditions of the vehicle, and determining a trailer presence from at least one of the first and second vehicle parameters. The method also includes updating the first vehicle parameter when the trailer is present, generating a third vehicle parameter, and determining first and second braking control parameters from the first, second, and third vehicle parameters. The first braking control parameter corresponds to at least one of the second and third vehicle parameters, and the second braking control parameter correspond to at least one of the first and second vehicle parameters. The method can further include generating a braking signal based on one of the first and second braking control parameters.
US08256846B2
Disclosed herein is a lifting pipe which is used in a manganese nodule mining system including a collection device for collecting deep-sea manganese nodules and a lifting pump and which has a structure in which dimples are formed on the surface of the lifting pipe so as to reduce drag so that the lifting pipe is less influenced by flows of ocean current. The dimpled lifting pipe includes dimples that are formed on the outer circumferential surface of the dimpled lifting pipe, so that turbulent flows are generated, thereby reducing drag caused by ocean currents of a deep sea.
US08256843B2
A seat reclining device has a torsion spring for a cam, and a plurality of guide-protrusion pairs formed integral with the inside face of a stationary member for guiding movement of tooth blocks into and out of meshed-engagement with an internal tooth of a movable member. Two opposing circular-arc concave portions are formed on opposing faces of two circumferentially adjacent guide-protrusion sets. A space between the concave portions is dimensioned to be wider on a radially outward side for defining a spring accommodation space, and dimensioned to be narrower on a radially inward side for forming circumferentially-opposing convex portions. Two spring hooks engage with the respective convex portions under preload. One of the hooks is also engaged with the cam for forcing it in its locked direction. An anti-rotation protrusion is formed on the outside face of the stationary member at a position conforming to the spring accommodation space.
US08256836B2
A child safety seat includes a seating base, an armrest base, and a storage structure. The armrest base is disposed on a side of the seating base. The storage structure is pivotally connected to the armrest base. A first storage space and a second storage space are formed in the storage structure. The first storage space and the second storage space are located on different planes of the storage structure. The storage structure is lay down at a side of the armrest base that is located substantially on the same plane with the seating base and an opening of the first storage space faces up when the storage structure is in a first position. The storage structure is standing on the side of the armrest base and an opening of the second storage space of the storage structure faces up when the storage structure is in a second position.
US08256832B2
A roof module for a motor vehicle has an inner frame connected to a roof that has an opening for panorama roof parts that are displaceable in guide rails in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and have glass sections. A transversely running reinforcing support can be fit retrospectively in a central region of the inner frame of the roof module, as seen in the direction of travel, at a distance behind B pillars. Free ends of the reinforcing support are held in receiving brackets on frame parts on the longitudinal sides of the inner frame.
US08256828B2
A chassis component of a motor vehicle including a first outer component and a second inner component connected to the first outer component to form a composite, wherein the first outer component is formed of a material of greater ductility than the material of the second inner component whereby the force of impact on said composite component will be absorbed by deformation of said first outer component.
US08256825B1
A vehicle body structure comprises at least one vehicle body panel, a hinge and a vehicle door. The vehicle body panel includes a roof ditch that is defined by a recessed support surface, a first wall surface and a second wall surface. The second wall surface is disposed outboard of the first wall surface. The hinge includes a base component and an arm component. The arm component is pivotally coupled to the base component. The base component is mounted to the recessed support surface of the roof ditch. The arm component includes a vehicle door mounting structure. The vehicle door is fixed to the arm component by the vehicle door mounting structure, which defines at least one fastening point that is situated at a location outboard of the second wall surface of the roof ditch.
US08256824B2
A protective cover assembly for covering a space defined by at least one wall. The protective cover assembly includes a plurality of rails coupled to one another to form a frame for securing a material over the space. At least one support bow spans the space to support the material. Clamp mechanisms are coupled to the ends of the support bow for securing the protective cover over the space. The clamp mechanisms include a latch member for engaging the wall and a handle for biasing the latch member against the wall. The clamp further includes a shaft for interconnecting the support bow to the frame. A collar is disposed over the shaft for guiding the handle and the latch member between an operational position and a stowed position along the shaft.
US08256822B2
A driving force transmitting device having a direction changing gear mechanism which transmits a rotation torque from a drive shaft to a driven shaft having an axis extending in a direction different from a direction of an axis of the drive shaft. The direction changing gear mechanism includes an output, an input gear attached to the drive shaft for restricting a relative rotation and engaged with the output gear, a gear housing rotatably supporting the output gear and the input gear under engagement condition, wherein one of the output gear and the input gear is provided with a rotation phase adjusting portion exposed outside for adjusting a rotation phase of the output gear relative to a rotation phase of the second engagement portion of the driven shaft upon the output gear being assembled to the driven shaft.
US08256816B2
A guide unit is provided for a height-adjustable cargo floor of a motor vehicle with a retaining part, to which a cargo floor can be fixed, and with a guide, along which the retaining part can be displaced from a lower position into an upper position. In addition, a spring element is provided for prestressing the retaining part into the topmost position. A motor vehicle is also provided with a height-adjustable cargo floor and at least one guide unit of the above-described type that is rigidly fixed to the vehicle.
US08256811B2
Featured is a door gripper for a vehicle including a frame, upper clamping units and a lower clamping unit. The lower clamping unit including a rotary pad with a swivel ball in restricted surfaces of a clamper and a locator of a lower clamping unit to deal with an angle difference of restricted cross sections of the door. The lower clamping unit and upper clamping units being configured and arranged so as to be movable in the up-down direction and the width direction along a guide rail of the frame in order to deal with differences in height and width of the restricted cross section.
US08256806B2
A magnetic latch system including a latch assembly and a keeper assembly. The keeper assembly includes a magnetically attractable keeper pin. The latch assembly includes two base assemblies, one on either side of a movable gate element. The base assembly adjacent the keeper assembly includes a magnet and an internal actuator which is arranged to engage the keeper pin to move it away from the permanent magnet when one of the latch handles is manually rotated. The system may also include a locking system in one or both handles to fix the internal actuator in a locked position so that it cannot engage the keeper pin.
US08256801B2
A coupling device for tubes and/or pipes comprising two substantially identical plate-type coupling parts is provided. Each coupling part has an even number of openings to receive inserted plug-in couplings configured as plug parts or socket parts. In one embodiment, the receiving openings for plug parts are arranged mirror-symmetrically across an axis of symmetry from the receiving openings for socket parts. The plug and socket parts are joined by first inserting and securing them into their respective receiving openings in the two coupling parts, then connecting the coupling parts.
US08256799B2
A drop deck trailer frame includes a front section having a first upper surface, a rear section having a second upper surface lower than the first upper surface, and an improved connection between the front and rear sections which tends to reduce cracking which commonly occurs in drop deck trailer frames due to the stresses in the region of the connection. The connection preferably includes a semicircular weld. In addition, heat treated bent flanges are typically used to provide additional strength. Fasteners such as bolts are also typically used to connect various flanges.
US08256791B2
A gliding board with an effective edge length to waist width ratio of 3.8 to about 4.35, a waist width of at least about 250 mm, a core that has an approximately constant thickness of greater than 5 mm along substantially the entire running length of the board and to within about 80-100 mm of the effective edge points, but thins to a thickness of about 2 mm or less in areas nearer the effective edge points, and/or side edges that include a curved, concave sidecut portion at the waist, curved, convex transition zones at the forward and rear effective edge points and a straight section in the running length adjacent each transition zone.
US08256789B2
A device for guiding a boat onto a trailer, the trailer having at least two longitudinal side rails, the device including a mounting assembly for attachment to a side rail to provide for transverse adjustment relative to the side rail's longitudinal axis and a bumper assembly attached to the mounting assembly and having at least one bumper mechanism that moves between an engaged position in which the device guides the boat into an aligned position on the trailer and a disengaged position in which the bumper mechanism is moved away from the boat to avoid contact with the boat.
US08256786B2
A caster mount assembly for a front caster of a wheelchair. The assembly includes a first rotatable body having a first plurality of non-uniformly spaced apart apertures and a second rotatable body having a second plurality of non-uniformly spaced apart apertures. The first and second rotatable bodies may be rotated relative to one another along a common axis of rotation to align a selected one of the first apertures with a selected one of the second apertures. The first rotatable body is non-rotatably coupled to the second rotatable body by a first coupler after the selected first aperture and second aperture have been aligned. A bearing fork assembly is non-rotatably coupled to the second rotatable body for rotation therewith. The second rotatable body may be rotated to orient an upright pivot pin of the bearing fork assembly substantially perpendicular to a support surface.
US08256781B2
A vehicle suspension, steering, damping and anti-roll system for a wheeled vehicle. Unlike most previous vehicle suspension and steering systems, this invention uses a rod-in-sleeve design for the front and rear suspension assemblies to allow vertical linear wheel knuckle movement of the wheels. This invention is unusual by using a cable-operated steering system and also by using cables to transfer cable tension from upward wheel movement to remote spring/shock absorber assemblies. Also unique is the use of a spring/shock absorber assembly arrangement that provides both suspension and anti-roll effects for a pair of right and left wheels in the same unit. The rear suspension proposed shares some similarities to the front suspension and consists of a dual rod-in-sleeve design with cables that transfer forces from road bumps to a remote spring assembly.
US08256777B2
There is provided a shopping cart adapted to receive elongated items. The shopping cart includes a frame having an upper portion and a lower portion. A plurality of wheels are connected to the lower portion of the frame. The shopping cart includes an upper basket attached to the upper portion of the frame and a lower basket attached to the lower portion of the frame. The upper basket and lower basket are each open at the top and each is formed from a plurality of vertical and horizontal wire segments which form a plurality of windows. The upper basket has a front wall with a slot therein. The slot has a top portion and a bottom portion with the top portion being open so as to receive and retain an elongated item. The bottom portion of the slot extends down at least a portion of the front wall. The lower basket has a back wall with at least one major open for receiving an elongated item.
US08256774B2
A chucking member configured to chuck the edge of a substrate includes a chucking pin which is eccentric from the rotation center. The chucking pin has a streamline shape and includes a first front-end portion disposed at the front end relative to the flow of an air current generated by the rotation of the substrate and a first back-end portion disposed at the back end relative to the flow of the air current. The first front-end portion includes a first tip, and the first front-end portion has a round shape.
US08256750B2
A mounting assembly is provided. The mounting assembly comprises an outer ring having a plurality of insert portions, each of the plurality of insert portions extending toward the center of the outer ring and having an insert cavity, a plurality of vibration isolation assemblies, each of the vibration isolation assemblies disposed in one of the insert cavities, each of the plurality of vibration isolation assemblies comprising a first bellows portion and a second bellows portion, a passageway formed therein and connecting the first and second bellows portions, and a contact portion adapted to receive a force, an inner ring having a plurality of contact cavities, each contact cavity adapted to receive a contact portion from one of the plurality of vibration isolation assemblies, and a central ring coupled to the outer ring by the plurality of insert portions, and to the inner ring by a plurality of bridge portions.
US08256738B2
A double action directional fluid flow valve includes a stepped piston connected with a poppet valve and moveable by a controller between open and closed positions by applying a continuous pressure to a small diameter piston face and selectively applying and removing pressure from a large diameter piston face to move the poppet valve between an open position and a closed position.
US08256735B2
The invention is in particular a supporting device for relative supporting loads with respect to a base comprising a load side part, a base side part, and an intermediate part giving support to the load side part, and thus defining a supporting direction with reference to the base and the load side, including a pressure chamber bounded by chamber walls.
US08256725B2
A support stand comprises an elevating support; a monitor bracket; and a support member; the elevating support comprising a first and a second chasses, a pluralities of supporting blocks, an elastic member, a first and a second pivot subassemblies, a resisting member, a roller, and a pressing block; the first chassis comprises a resisting wall opposite to the second pivot subassembly; the elastic member is between the resisting wall and the pressing block, two ends of the elastic member resist the resisting wall and the pressing block, the first pivot subassembly is fixed to the plurality of supporting blocks connected to first ends of the chasses, the second pivot subassembly is fixed to the plurality of supporting blocks connected to second ends of the chasses; the resisting member is connected to the plurality of supporting blocks, the roller is assembled with the pressing block and rotatable against the resisting member.
US08256710B2
A trim tab is disclosed for use on an aerodynamic foil that has first and second surfaces which extend between a leading edge and a trailing edge. Structurally, the trim tab includes a tab member that is bounded by slits formed through each surface to extend from the trailing edge toward the leading edge. Also, the tab member is bounded by a slot formed between the slits on the second surface to establish a flange between the slot and the trailing edge. Further, the trim tab includes an actuator that is mounted on the foil between the slot and the leading edge. The actuator includes an actuator arm that is connected to the flange. As a result, extension and retraction of the actuator moves the tab member about a hinge-less tab that is created on the first surface.
US08256699B2
A webbing take-up device includes a speed-reduction mechanism that reduces rotation speed of a motor to transmit rotation force to a take-up shaft. An overload release mechanism is disposed at a middle position of the speed-reduction mechanism. The overload release mechanism includes a large-diameter gear rotating with the rotation speed of the motor being reduced and the rotation force being transmitted, a spring member mounted to the large-diameter gear, and a small-diameter gear provided to rotate relatively to the large-diameter gear, rotating the take-up shaft when the rotation speed thereof is reduced and the rotation force is transmitted to the take-up shaft, engaging with the spring member to become a state where relative rotation with respect to the large-diameter gear is stopped, and slides with the spring member when the rotation force acts between the large-diameter gear to become a state where relative rotation to the large-diameter gear is allowed.
US08256696B1
A grinder (30) has a toolessly attached ingredient hopper assembly (50) overlying a toolessly attached fixed grinding burr (134) defining the top of a grind chamber (158) within which is received a mating rotary grinding burr (150) that is slidably mounted to a rotary drive motor (154) for adjustment relative to the fixed grinding burr (134). Adjustment is achieved automatically by control of a stepper motor (168) that pushes on the end of an elongate member (151) passing through a hollow rotary drive axle (152) and carrying the rotary grinding burr (150) at an opposite end. Start of a grinding cycle in response to actuation of a start switch is inhibited if a pair of photosensors (81, 82) do not detect location of a ground ingredient container (68) in a correct position for receipt of the ground food ingredient, if an automatically closable hopper cover lid (57) is not in a closed position or if grinding parameters, such as the fineness of the grind and the amount of ingredient to be ground has not been detected.
US08256692B2
Apparatus for positioning and maneuvering a sludge, or manure, distributing hose used in fertilizing a field includes a first frame adapted for coupling to a three-point tractor hitch and a second frame pivotally coupled to an aft portion of the first frame. Attached to and disposed aft of the second frame is a horizontally oriented, rotatable wheel assembly adapted to engage, lift and position the hose and to provide for changes in the direction of the hose as it is pulled through a field during fertilizing. The wheel assembly is horizontally and vertically pivotable about the first frame for respectively facilitating maneuvering of the hose in a field and for raising the wheel assembly for transport. A locking mechanism is provided for engaging and preventing rotation of the wheel assembly when desired. Hydraulic cylinders connected to the tractor's hydraulic system allow for changing the configuration of the apparatus.
US08256690B2
A radiant panel for use in radiant heating and cooling systems that provides numerous benefits over conventional panels currently in use. The radiant panel comprises an offset hydronic radiant tube channel in which is nested a hydronic radiant tube that obviates the need to thread the hydronic tubes through the joists in a ceiling installation or the studs in a wall installation. In an alternative embodiment, specific emissivity coatings on each side of the radiant panel further promote the efficient transfer of heat. The system provides increased sound isolation and is robust enough to withstand the crushing forces associated with a floor installation.
US08256671B2
Various methods and systems are provided to manage on-line transactions by categorizing users who request refunds of purchases (e.g., digital goods) and requiring certain conditions to be met before a refund is issued or processed. The conditions change for different categories of users. In one embodiment, a refund process is made progressively harder or burdensome as users are categorized in worsening refund abuse categories.
US08256668B2
An online system uses, in various embodiments of the invention, credit report information, loan affordability screening and credit approval and management functionality to facilitate the purchase and finance of products online. The online system may include both sellers of products and lenders that offer financing to buyers seeking to purchase the products. The system may automatically obtain a buyer's credit report information and use that information to determine if the buyer is pre-approved, for example, to obtain financing for a particular product or products. The system also enables use of buyer credit information to identify only those of a seller's products for which the buyer is pre-approved, for example, to finance using one or more loans. The system then enables selection of an identified product or products for purchase, and selection of a loan, for example, for financing of the selected product or products. Credit approval (or pre-approval) may be performed automatically, and along with credit processing, may be performed completely online.
US08256663B2
An instrument parameter setting device and an instrument parameter setting method are provided. The instrument parameter setting device has a parameter-setting card combined with a biological detection instrument. The parameter-setting card includes a strip area and a first set of block areas. Each block area in the first set of block areas is connected to the strip area respectively. The instrument detects data represented by a logical change of the block areas, so as to set parameters. In addition, it is convenient to input the data into the instrument through an external setting of the instrument. Accordingly, the characteristic parameters of a detection specimen are conveniently input into the instrument, thereby increasing the yield of specimen production, establishing a self-owned technology, and reducing the cost.
US08256649B2
A clothes hanger is provided including a hanger body and a hook assembly. The hanger body includes a pair of laterally and downwardly extending arms which connect at a central apex. The hook assembly is connected to the hanger body apex so as to rotate about a horizontal axis. The hook assembly includes a clothes rod hook and a door hook which extend in opposite directions from the hanger body's apex. The clothes rod hook includes an arcuate portion for hanging from a clothes rod having a circular cross-section. The door hook is u-shaped including a straight bar, a straight top plate, and a return flange. The door hook may be rotatable about an axis 90° relative to the axis which the hook assembly rotates about.
US08256636B2
A tamper-evident package includes a flexible lid sealed to a flange of a container. A localized region of the flange defines a break tab that can be broken to detach a small portion, such as a corner, of the flange from the rest of the flange, in order to begin peeling back the lid to open the package. The lid is affixed to the detachable portion of the flange in a manner effectively preventing the lid from being detached from it. At least that part of the lid overlying the break tab can be sufficiently transparent that the broken or unbroken condition of the break tab can be seen through the lid from an upper side thereof. The break tab thereby serves to indicate whether the lid has been at least partially peeled back.
US08256629B2
A foldable and portable storage shelf includes two spaced apart side frames, a plurality of foldable shelf panels spacedly supported between the two side frames, and a foldable frame pivotally coupled between the two side frames to fold between an unfolded position and a folded position. At the unfolded position, the side frames are pivotally moved apart from each other to retain each of the foldable shelf panels in a horizontal manner, and at the folded position, the side frames are pivotally moved towards each other such that each of the foldable shelf panels is folded in an overlapped manner.
US08256625B2
A filter cartridge includes a top end cap and a bottom end cap spaced apart from one another. A filter media is disposed between the top and bottom end caps. An outlet channel is within the filter media and extends between the top end cap and the bottom end cap. The outlet channel includes an open top end proximate the top end cap and a closed bottom end proximate the bottom end cap.
US08256623B2
A screen panel for use in a vibrating screen device. The screen panel has a plurality of in-flow slots and cross-flow slots arranged in a regular pattern to provide enhanced open area for a given slot size.
US08256621B2
A new load tray especially well suited for use under loads on pallets is disclosed. The tray has a central load supporting base and as many as four flaps hingedly connected to the base. The tray includes flap supports for supporting the flaps and releasably maintaining them at a 90 to 135 degree angle relative to the base. The tray is designed so that it may be positioned on a pallet and have a load placed on it so that the flaps remain in an upstanding position so that when the load is wrapped, the flaps are held captive against the load.
US08256620B2
A box template formed of a sheet of material defines a foldable box having at least four side surfaces, a first end surface, and a second end surface. The box template also includes corner protector sections integrally formed with the foldable box. The corner protector sections are configured to be folded to protect an object placed inside the foldable box. The first end surface and second end surface may each include at least two surfaces that are integrally formed with, and connected to, two of the side surfaces. The corner protector sections may be integrally formed with, and connected to, the other two sides of the four side surfaces. The corner protector sections are configured with a plurality of identifiable sections that may be folded in order to create corner protectors. Four corner protector sections may be integrally formed with the foldable box so as to define eight corner protectors.
US08256613B2
The preset disclosure describes packaging for sutures having barbs. The packaging includes a base, a cover configured to be placed adjacent to the base to form the suture package and a plurality of protrusions which are configured for selectively maintaining and slideably releasing surgical barbed sutures. Additionally disclosed is a barbed suture package including a substantially flat base member having a top side, a bottom side, and an outer periphery, an outer wall extending upwardly from said top side of said base member about the periphery of said base member, said outer wall having a top, an outer surface, and an inner surface, at least one groove in said base member for receiving a suture, each of said grooves having an opening in a bottom and both sides and an opening in said top side of said base member, a needle park for receiving a needle, said needle park centrally mounted to said top side of said base member within the interior wall, and, a flat cover member having a top, a bottom, a suture discharge opening, and an outer periphery, wherein said cover member is mounted on said top of said outer wall.
US08256603B2
A device for the intake and output of paper currencies comprises an arrangement for examining the value and authenticity of the currency, which thereafter is fed to a transport system of a currency stacking bank via a currency storage module, wherein the storage module, which is exchangeable located below the currency stacking bank is constructed as a revolving magazine and comprises a series of roller magazines, whereby the intake and output opening of each of the roller magazines is pivoted by means of an actuator into a d position of the transport system.
US08256601B2
The invention relates to a mechanical sprung anti-backoff device, capable of fixedly immobilizing or releasing a manual control handwheel (4) and a motor acting on one and the same rotation shaft, comprising a cylindrical spring (7, 16), a cylinder (9, 17) mounted so as to rotate on the rotation shaft, the spring being able to rotate with the cylinder, turns of the spring being in contact with a surface of the cylinder and its ends being capable of coming into contact with the handwheel. The ends of the spring (7, 16) are curved inward or outward, the handwheel (4) may act on the curve of one or other of the ends of the spring (7, 16), and the rotation of the spring (7, 16) is limited by a stop acting against one or other of the ends of the spring. Application can be to manual control and motorized control valves, for example on fluid pipes.
US08256600B2
A transmission includes an input member, an output member, four planetary gear sets, a plurality of coupling members and a plurality of torque-transmitting devices. A hydraulic fluid control circuit is provided for controlling the operation of the plurality of torque-transmitting devices. The hydraulic fluid control circuit receives pressurized hydraulic fluid from an off-axis hydraulic fluid pump and has a plurality of fluid passages disposed in the transmission house, input member and other coupling members.
US08256599B2
A wave spring holding structure includes a wave spring that includes crest portions and recessed portions that are alternately formed in a circumferential direction thereof, and a first gap; a circular member provided to be rotatable around an axis; and an arc-shaped snap ring that includes a second gap, and that restricts movement of the circular member in a direction of the axis. The wave spring and the snap ring share the axis with the circular member. The wave spring and the snap ring are rotatable with respect to each other. The wave spring is disposed and held between the circular member and the snap ring so that the crest portions protrude toward the circular member, and the recessed portions protrude toward the snap ring. The first gap is formed in one of the crest portions.
US08256598B2
A permanent magnet activated wrap spring clutch (10). A coil spring (32) surrounds an input hub (14) and an output hub (22) and is selectively engaged to wrap down upon the hubs for the transmittal of torque. In an unpowered, engaged condition of the clutch, a permanent magnet (40) attracts a control collar (38) attached to the spring into frictional engagement with a rotating input element (20). Rotation of the control collar causes the spring to wrap down from its somewhat oversized diameter at rest to grip the hubs. In a powered, disengaged condition of the clutch, an energized coil (44) causes the magnetic field of the permanent magnet to move away from the control collar, thereby removing the frictional engagement and allowing the spring to unwrap. The clutch provides torque transmittal without electrical power and ensures complete disengagement regardless of a low momentum or high drag on the output.
US08256596B2
An outer housing for a clutch assembly that allows for the housing to be placed over an already assembled multi-disc clutch pack. The outer housing incorporates a plurality of internally splined grooves, a lead-in chamfer to assist in the alignment of the center line between the housing and the center line of the clutch pack, and an index chamfer on elevated ridges that reside between the splined grooves to assist in the alignment of the splined teeth of outer clutch plates in the assembled clutch pack with said splined grooves.
US08256586B2
A shock absorber includes an external control valve which controls the damping characteristics of the shock absorber. The external control valve controls the flow of fluid between the lower working chamber of the shock absorber and the reservoir chamber and between the upper working chamber of the shock absorber. The damping characteristics are dependent on the amount of current being applied to a solenoid valve which controls a fluid valve assembly. A soft fluid valve assembly is disposed in series with the fluid valve assembly to allow for the tuning of the damping forces at low current levels provided to the solenoid valve.
US08256583B2
A integrated outboard wet disk brake comprises a one-piece casting including a power plate, an upper portion and a lower portion. The power plate provides a backing surface for a sealed annular housing for brake cooling fluid, and having a central opening. The upper portion extends radially and axially from the power plate above the central opening, and is pivotably connected to a first component of an independent wheel suspension. The lower portion extends radially and axially from the power plate below the central opening, and is pivotably connected to a second component of the independent wheel suspension.
US08256577B2
A portable automobile lift includes a plurality of portable lifting columns and a portable power unit. Each lifting column includes a column base, a post extending upwardly from the column base, a lifting carriage moveably mounted on a forward side of the post, and a hydraulic actuator connected to the lifting carriage for movement of the lifting carriage along the post. Each column base comprises a respective base plate connected to a lower end of the respective post. The base plate anchor bolt receiving holes extending therethrough for receiving respective anchor bolts. Each column base further includes a pair of wheels positioned to engage a ground surface rearward of the base plate. The lift also includes a portable power unit for providing hydraulic fluid to the actuators. The power unit is mounted on a cart for easy transportation and storage.
US08256573B2
A leveler for a ladder having side rails and a rung comprises a metal housing fixed to one of the side rails. The housing has an opening. The leveler comprises a metal leg with slides in the housing and is adjustable in the housing. The leg has a top end and a bottom end. The leg has two rows of holes which are set side by side and extend through the leg. The leveler comprises a holder for holding a leg to the housing. The holder extending through the opening and one of the holes to hold a leg in place. The leveler comprises a cap disposed on the top end which acts as a stop for the leg when the cap contacts the housing. A method for setting a ladder in place.
US08256570B2
An exhaust flow control valve includes: a valve plate hinged to a downstream exhaust pipe to be pivotable, inside the pipe, between a fully closed position where a short-cut hole is closed and a fully open position where the short-cut hole is opened, the valve plate having a tip end directed toward a downstream side of the downstream exhaust pipe when at the fully open position; a spring receiving member provided to the downstream exhaust pipe to traverse the short-cut hole; and a valve spring having one end portion fastened to a tip end portion, which is located on the downstream side of the downstream exhaust pipe with respect to the spring receiving member, of the valve plate, and having an opposite end side being slidably in pressure contact with the spring receiving member, thereby generating a repulsive force to bias the valve plate toward the fully closed position.
US08256567B2
A diaphragm is disclosed. The diaphragm includes a dome part, an edge part connected to an outer peripheral part of the dome part. The dome part includes a main body defining a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, a first dome part connected to the first surface, and a second dome part connected to the second surface.
US08256566B1
A loudspeaker enclosure accommodates at least one speaker. Sound waves emanating from the rear of the speaker exit through a port in the enclosure. The interior of the enclosure contains at least one partition to lengthen the acoustic path from the rear of the speaker to the port and to cause alternating expansion and contraction of the sound waves emanating from the rear of the speaker. The partitions are arranged in relation to the speaker(s) so as to reduce sound wave reflections that would create non-linearities in the frequency response.
US08256560B2
A programmable device that interfaces with a motor vehicle. The device is programmed to identify the operator who is gaining access to the motor vehicle. The device is further programmed to associate a maximum allowable speed with each person allowed to operate the motor vehicle. The device incorporates an access and operation means together with a computer that is compatible with the motor vehicle on board computer. The computer includes in it's output a signal that controls the maximum allowable speed that the on board computer will permit the motor vehicle to operate at for the identified operator.
US08256552B2
A car battery array is provided with battery blocks (2) having a plurality of connected batteries (1), a first load-bearing plate (3) on top of which the battery blocks are mounted, a second load-bearing plate (4) attached on both sides to the first load-bearing plate and covering the tops of the battery blocks, and a reinforcing rod (5) that connects with the second load-bearing plate and the battery blocks to attach the second load-bearing plate to the battery blocks. The battery blocks are disposed in a battery compartment (6) established inside the first and second load-bearing plates, which are joined together on both sides. The battery blocks are mounted on top of the first load-bearing plate and connected to the second load-bearing plate via the reinforcing rod to support the battery block load with the first load-bearing plate and the second load-bearing plate.
US08256548B2
A method controls or regulates the charge state of an electrical energy accumulator of a hybrid vehicle, where, in some operating states, the energy accumulator is charged from a low to a higher charge state level by way of an electric machine driven by an internal-combustion engine of the hybrid vehicle and operating as a generator. The level of the charge state to which the energy accumulator is charged by the internal-combustion engine is selected as a function of a parameter representing the load of the electrical system or correlating thereto.
US08256545B2
To provide a coaxial two-wheel vehicle that allows a person to easily get off the vehicle with high safety, and a method of controlling the same. A coaxial two-wheel vehicle according to the present invention includes step portions on which feet are placed, and a handle capable of operating back-and-forth movements, and said vehicle moves with a passenger riding thereon. Upon detecting that the passenger gets off the vehicle by using a getting-off switch or the like, a control device of the coaxial two-wheel vehicle performs an assist control for getting-off the vehicle by increasing an inclination angle of each of the step portions with respect to a direction in which the passenger gets off the vehicle.
US08256537B2
A system for blasting lateral holes in the formation around a well bore, the well bore containing production casing and production tubing inside the producting casing. The system includes: a coiled tubing system including a first pump for pumping under pressure cutting fluid; coiled tubing for inserting into the production tubing; a flexible hose having a first end attached to the bottom end of the coiled tubing; a jetting nozzle attached to a second end of the flexible hose; and a deflection shoe adapted for attaching to the bottom of the production tubing. The system further comprises a centering system for centering the coiled tubing within the production tubing; a fluid transport system comprising a second pump and tubing adapted for pumping circulating fluid through the production casing; and a flow-back system comprising tubing adapted for receiving spent cutting fluid out of the production casing.
US08256524B2
A fire protection system for reducing the danger of fire, which has a fuel cell for producing a nitrogen-enriched cathode exhaust air. The fuel cell is supplied with air and a fuel. Within the fuel cell, the air is then reduced to a determined oxygen content. The exhaust air is supplied to the room to be protected.
US08256521B2
A downhole tool having a body or structural component comprises a material that is at least partially consumed when exposed to heat and a source of oxygen. The material may comprise a metal, such as magnesium, which is converted to magnesium oxide when exposed to heat and a source of oxygen. The downhole tool may further comprise a torch with a fuel load that produces the heat and source of oxygen when burned. The fuel load may comprise a flammable, non-explosive solid, such as thermite.
US08256517B2
A tubing assembly for entering multiple boreholes includes an outer shroud having an axial throughbore, and an inner tubular member disposed in the axial throughbore, wherein the tubular member is releasably coupled to the shroud, and wherein the outer diameter of the shroud is adjustable. A tubing assembly for entering multiple boreholes may also include a shroud having an axial throughbore, a movable tubular member disposed in the axial throughbore, and a releasable coupling between the shroud and the tubular member, wherein the releasable coupling includes a retracted position allowing entry of the tubing assembly into a junction between two boreholes, wherein the releasable coupling includes an expanded position allowing movement of the tubular member relative to the shroud and prevents re-entry of the tubing assembly into the junction.
US08256514B2
An apparatus for holding and launching down-hole actuation devices that has a body, a bottom end, a top end and a long bore between the ends. Moveable and protruding into the long bore are retainers upon which down-hole actuation devices may rest. Retainers are moved by a lockable hydraulic drive system. Additionally, a method for loading the apparatus with down-hole actuation devices and for launching said devices into a well bore is provided.
US08256504B2
An unlimited stroke drive method for pumping fluid from an oil well in which the well has a tubing string extending from the earth's surface down to a fluid producing formation. The method includes the steps of positioning a pump barrel within the tubing, an upper end of the pump barrel having communication through a standing valve with the interior of the tubing string, vertically reciprocating a length of flexible cable within the tubing string to vertically reciprocate a plunger within the pump barrel to allow a lower portion to quickly fill with fluid from the producing formation and then to a downward position in which fluid within the pump barrel lower portion is transferred through a traveling valve to an area within the pump barrel above the plunger to move formation fluid from within the pump barrel to the interior of the tubing and thence to the earth's surface.
US08256500B2
A heat dissipation device includes a heat sink, a fan having a flange and a plurality of brackets mounting the fan on the heat sink. Each of the brackets includes two pair of spaced buckles extending from a top thereof toward the fan. A bottom of each bracket is fixed on a bottom of the heat sink. The two pair of buckles of the bracket are buckled on the flange of the fan.
US08256485B2
The invention comprises separating the strippings of a strip of paper and of a precut prepreg into strippings to be discarded and blanks to be kept using a suction roller that is tangent to the strip along an action line. In a downstream position, a device collects the blanks on said rectilinear path, and a device closer to the roller discharges the strippings. The paper runs through the device along said rectilinear path while maintaining the blanks thereon, and a strip temporary diversion device, capable of orthogonal movement relative to the strip, temporarily diverts the strip and brings it closer to the roller in order to facilitate the initial peeling of the strippings.
US08256480B1
A component coupling apparatus for mounting a component to an internal contact surface of a hollow workpiece which includes a positioning unit and at least one component holding unit. The component positioning unit includes a processor having memory which pre-stores data representative of a workpiece target feature and an access opening therein. The component positioning unit includes a 3D laser scanner/digitizer which is movable to scan the exterior surface of the workpiece and identify the axial centers of the access opening and target feature, and calculate the distance and/or directional vector therebetween. The component holder unit includes component holder supported on a support arm. The component holder releasably secures the component to be joined to the workpiece, and is sized for insertion at through the access opening to move the component into alignment with the contact surface. The processor controls movement of the carrying arm in directional movement in relation to the scanned distance between the access opening and the target feature, by providing control signals to a robot used to selectively activate position the component holder in response to identified and triangulated relative distances between the access opening and target features.
US08256478B2
A pneumatic tire includes at least two types of cap tread rubber layers made from differing rubber compositions disposed in a tread portion. A tan δ at 60° C. of a rubber composition forming the cap tread rubber layer on a vehicle outer side is greater than a tan δ at 60° C. of a rubber composition forming the cap tread rubber layer on a vehicle inner side. A ratio (tan δH/tan δL) of a maximum tan δH to a minimum tan δL at 60° C. of the tan δ of the rubber compositions forming the at least two types of cap tread rubber layers is from 1.05 to 1.80 . An under tread rubber layer disposed in the tread portion has an average thickness from 0.8 mm to 4.0 mm. A hardness of a rubber composition forming the under tread rubber layer is from 73 to 83. A tan δ at 60° C. of the rubber composition forming the under tread rubber layer is 0.25 or less.
US08256449B2
A thermal management system for gas flow from an on board high pressure vehicle gas storage tank comprising an on board heat source operatively interconnected with a heater disposed in proximity to the metal component gas outlet flow control system of the on board tank; a thermostat regulating the flow of heat to the heater such that the thermostat regulates the temperature of the metal component outlet flow control system of the tank to a temperature corresponding to at least the minimum lower limit temperature permitted by the temperature tolerance range of metal component outlet flow control system of the tank; and an optional insulating shroud circumferentially disposed surrounding the gas flow heater installed in the system.
US08256443B2
A collapsible privacy shelter includes an upper section, lower section, and roof section. The lower section includes a back wall, a pair of side walls pivotally connected to the back wall of the lower section and are operable to fold inward, a front wall pivotally connected to the plurality of side walls of the lower section, and a door pivotally connected to the front wall of the lower section. The upper section includes a back wall disposed on an edge of the back wall of the lower section and operable to engage the back wall of the lower section, a pair of opposing side walls pivotally connected to the back wall of the upper section and operable to fold inward and each operable to engage a corresponding side wall of the lower section, a front wall pivotally connected to the plurality of side walls of the upper section and operable to engage the front wall of the lower section, and a door pivotally connected to the upstanding front wall of the upper section and operable to engage the door of the lower section. The roof section includes a roof operable to engage an upper portion of the upper section.
US08256442B2
The present invention relates to a tray for use with a walker. The tray includes a generally rigid tray base having an essentially rectangular shape with a front long side, a back long side, a first short side and a second short side, and wherein the tray has a length that extends to or past the essentially horizontal support member; a ridge extending along the sides of the tray, wherein the ridge has a height of at least about a ½inch; a strap having a hook and loop fastener wherein the strap is positioned at or near the back long end; and a first hinge and a second hinge, the first and second hinges are positioned, when the tray is in use, at or near the front leg of the first and second support, respectively. The length of the tray is greater that the distance between the support member of the first support and the support member of the second support; and the width of the tray is less than the length of the support member of the first support or second support. The present invention further includes methods of using the tray, and system and kits that include the tray.
US08256433B2
The invention relates generally to a system and method for treating conditions responsive to nicotine therapy. More specifically, the invention relates to pulmonary administration of a nicotine containing formulation to effect smoking cessation.
US08256430B2
A method of using a probe that emits energy to coagulate lesions is disclosed. The probe is constructed and arranged to emit light from its distal end, either at an angle to its longitudinal axis, or along its longitudinal axis. Optionally, an end reflector may be used to direct the energy in a beam to one side of the fiber end. A reinforcing sleeve for the fiber is mounted to a shielded, Piezo-electric motor constructed and arranged to move the fiber both longitudinally and rotationally within an optional elongate cannula. An MRI system is arranged to generate a series of output signals indicative of temperature in the targeted area. The application of energy is stopped when the temperature at the boundary of the lesion reaches the required hyperthermic temperature. Cooling of the tip portion of the probe is effected by expansion of a supplied cooling fluid through a restrictive orifice into an expansion zone at the probe end. The fiber is encased in a stiff tubular titanium probe with a relatively small fluid supply duct inside the probe with the interior of the probe acting as a return duct for the expanded liquid. The temperature of the probe end is monitored by a sensor in the probe end and controlled by controlling the pressure in the supplied cooling fluid.
US08256428B2
A method for treating tissue is provided. The method comprises introducing into a patient the distal end of a catheter. The catheter comprises a catheter shaft comprising an elongated tubing having proximal and distal ends, and a distal shaft comprising a tubing having proximal and distal ends. The distal shaft carries a treatment device along a side of the distal shaft. A hinge is mounted between the distal end of the catheter shaft and the proximal end of the distal shaft. The hinge enhances the ability of the distal shaft to bend relative to the catheter shaft in a single predetermined plane A force is exerted on the distal shaft to cause at least a portion of the treatment device that is along a side of the distal shaft to contact the tissue. The tissue is treated with the treatment device.
US08256426B2
An embodiment of a device in accordance with the present invention is adapted to be positioned at least partially in a mouth of a user to reduce resistance of air flow in the oral pharyngeal region and to improve anatomic and functional relationships of the oral pharyngeal structure. The device comprises a base unit adapted to be removably mounted on a lower jaw of the mouth, a pair of tongue positioner guides, each tongue positioner guide connected at a proximal end to the base unit, and a pair of tongue positioners, each connected with a distal end of a corresponding tongue positioner guide. When the base unit is mounted on the lower jaw, the tongue positioners are adapted to be arranged beneath a tongue of the mouth so that the tongue is urged against a soft palette of the mouth to thereby reduce resistance of air flow in the oral pharyngeal region and improve anatomic and functional relationships of the oral pharyngeal structure.
US08256420B2
A breathing system with a facepiece that includes a first port adapted to be placed in fluid connection with the outlet of a regulator assembly to introduce pressurized breathing gas into the facepiece; a second port adapted to be connected to an air purifying system; and an exhaust valve through which the user's exhausted breath can exit the facepiece. The breathing system also includes a pressure adjustment mechanism that includes a communication link in communicative connection with an actuator such that the exhaust pressure adjustment mechanism sets the internal facepiece pressure required to open the exhaust valve, independently of the respiration of the user, to a first pressure when the actuator is in the first state, to a second pressure when the actuator is in the second state. The first pressure is higher than the second pressure.
US08256418B2
In a CPAP or positive pressure ventilation system, leak is determined at each instant by a lookback for a time as long as single breath to establish the start of an averaging window over which low-pass filtered values used in the determination of a parameter of a leak model are averaged. A jamming index indicates whether the leak is rapidly changing. To the extent that jamming is high, the leak estimate used progressively changes from that using sliding breath-window averaging to a more robust and faster responding low-pass filter method, and adjustment of ventilatory support based on measures employing estimated respiratory flow is slowed down or stopped.
US08256415B2
A portable liquid oxygen medical delivery system including a portable liquid oxygen delivery apparatus and a portable liquid oxygen recharger. The portable liquid oxygen delivery apparatus contains an initial quantity of liquid oxygen. The liquid oxygen delivery apparatus is sufficiently lightweight for portability by an ambulatory patient and has a fill port for receiving liquid oxygen. The liquid oxygen recharger stores a supplemental quantity of liquid oxygen and is also sufficiently lightweight for portability by an ambulatory individual. The liquid oxygen recharger has an interface for interfacing the liquid oxygen recharger with the portable liquid oxygen delivery apparatus for delivering the supplemental quantity of liquid oxygen to the portable liquid oxygen delivery apparatus.
US08256412B2
A warming device of sheet form having (1) a heat generating sheet prepared by papermaking and containing an oxidizable metal, a moisture retaining agent, and a fibrous material and (2) an air permeable holder holding the heat generating sheet. The warming device has a thickness of 0.1 to 10 mm and a flexural strength of 0.01 to 0.3 N/cm. The sheet preferably has a thickness of 0.1 to 2.0 mm. The fibrous material preferably has a CSF of 600 ml or less.
US08256409B2
A protruding portion 100 having a sloped surface 100b sloped against a ceiling surface is provided on the ceiling side of a cooking chamber 20. Superheated steam from a steam temperature-raising device 50 is blown off from first ceiling steam blowoff openings 101 provided in a flat surface 100a of the protruding portion 100 toward a bottom face within the cooking chamber 20, while the superheated steam is blown off from second ceiling steam blowoff openings 102 provided in a sloped surface 100b of the protruding portion 100 toward the side face within the cooking chamber 20. The superheated steam blown off from these steam blowoff openings 101 and 102 is effectively supplied to upper-and-back surface of a heating object 90 rested in the cooking chamber 20 so as to be spaced from the bottom face of the cooking chamber 20.
US08256396B2
A power cutter including a housing; a two stroke internal combustion engine mounted within the housing; a throttle switch by which the engine can be accelerated when the engine is running; a support arm mounted on the housing and which projects forward of the housing. A blade mounting mechanism is rotatably mounted on the end of the support arm and is capable of being rotationally driven by the engine when the engine is running. A carburetor provides aerated fuel for the engine and an air intake provides air for the carburetor. An air filtration mechanism filters the air drawn in from the air intake for the carburetor. A fuel tank provides fuel to the carburetor. An exhaust is provided through which the exhaust gases generated by the operation of the engine are expelled from the engine. The power cutter also includes an engine controller that controls the operation of the engine; an oil tank that provides lubricating oil for the engine; an oil pump that pumps lubricating oil from the oil tank to mix it with fuel; and a sensing system that determines whether sufficient lubricating oil is being provided for mixing with the fuel in accordance with predetermined parameters. The sensing system provides an indication to the engine controller of when the lubricating oil is not being provided in accordance with the predetermined parameters. When the sensing system indicates that the lubricating oil is not being provided in accordance with the predetermined parameters, the engine controller places the engine either in an idle mode or switches it off.
US08256391B2
The invention relates to a valve control system for an engine including at least one cylinder (1, 2, 3, 4) with valves (5, 6), wherein said system comprises valve electromagnetic actuation members (7, 9, 10) associated with a management unit (11, 15) that controls the actuation members, said system comprising a member (11, 12, 13) for detecting a malfunction of the actuation members and a member (11, 12, 13) for electrically insulating the faulty actuation member.
US08256386B2
A saddle-ride vehicle includes an engine with a front cylinder extended forward and diagonally upward from a crankcase. The engine is mounted between a front wheel and a rear wheel. A space gradually vertically extended forward is provided between a fuel tank arranged on the upside of the front cylinder and a front head cover provided to an upper part of the front cylinder. A radiator upstream water passage extended backward from an upper part of a radiator is provided in front of the front cylinder and is arranged in the space. The radiator upstream water passage is covered with a front overhead cover attached to the front cylinder. With this configuration, vehicle body components are not exposed, thereby protecting the vehicle body components. In addition, the appearance of the vehicle is efficiently enhanced.
US08256384B2
The present invention is a multifunctional pet leash storage device for collecting and disposing animal waste. The multifunctional pet leash storage device comprises a leash housing, a waste storage compartment, a sanitary compartment, a sanitary wipe dispensing slot, a sanitary bag dispensing slot, a leash securing hole, a front lid button, a rear lid button, a handle and a battery storage compartment. The sanitary compartment includes a sanitary wipe storage area and a sanitary bag storage area. The sanitary wipe dispensing slot and the sanitary bag dispensing slot are bilaterally symmetrical to each other. The bilaterally symmetrical arrangement of the sanitary wipe dispensing slot and the sanitary bag dispensing slot provides good balance characteristics to the multifunctional pet leash storage device and an easy access of the at least one sanitary bag and the at least one sanitary wipe from the sanitary compartment.
US08256366B2
A boatlift for use with small, manual or paddle or oar powered watercraft (such as canoes and kayaks) is provided with a guide rails on either side of the boat lift, which can be utilized by a boater to propel or urge his/her watercraft onto the boatlift. In addition, that boatlift is provided with an entrance/exit assist member which can be used by boaters with impaired leg function to enter and exit from the watercraft.
US08256365B2
A boat plug system for automatically sealing a boat. The boat plug system is mounted in a drain hole passing through the boat's transom and includes: a cylindrical-shaped plug; a ball valve assembly removably coupled within the cylindrical-shaped plug; and further comprising a ball, a sealing ball seat component having a frustroconical shape to receive the ball when the ball valve assembly is in the sealed position, and at least one screen; and a plug cap/tool further comprising a tool head on one side for removably coupling the ball valve assembly within the cylindrical-shaped plug and an opposite side of the plug cap/tool from the tool head is for sealing the cylindrical-shaped plug. Water may flow out of the boat's drain hole, but is substantially stopped from flowing from the exterior of the boat to the interior via the drain hole.
US08256361B2
A grill consisting of liquid-cooled grill plates and liquid-cooled lateral panels, the surfaces of which are provided with wear plates (1) connected to the liquid-cooled grill plates (2) and lateral planks in a heat-conducting manner. Wear plates (1) consist of a wear-resistant material which must however be cooled. Advantageously, a layer of a heat-conducting material in the form of a highly heat-conducting soft silicon film (3) is clamped between the liquid-cooled grill plates (2) and lateral panels and the wear plates (1), the layer providing a good heat transfer between the wear plates (1) and the permeable grill plates (2) and central panels. It is thus ensured that, during operation, the wear plates (1) always remain in a non-critical temperature range as they are cooled by the underlying grill plates (2) and lateral panels which are cooled to ca. 50° C.
US08256360B2
A massage table for supporting a person above a surface during a massage includes a table top assembly and a leg assembly. The table top assembly supports the person. The leg assembly is secured to the table top assembly and supports the table top assembly above the surface. The leg assembly includes a plurality of legs. At least at least one of the legs includes (i) a first leg section that is attached to the table top assembly, (ii) a second leg section that is movable relative to the first leg section to adjust the position of the table top assembly relative to the support, and (iii) a section attacher that selectively attaches the first leg section to the second leg section. In one embodiment, the section attacher includes a section stop and a section clamp. The section stop inhibits relative movement between the first leg section and the second leg section. The section clamp also selectively inhibits relative movement between the first leg section and the second leg section. With this design, in certain embodiments, the leg is designed to inhibit relative movement between the leg sections to insure quiet use of the massage table.
US08256357B2
A support for a non-automotive vehicle to be placed over a service pit and allow for servicing of the vehicle is disclosed. In addition, a process for servicing the vehicle is also disclosed. The support can include a support surface that has an engine access opening, a rolling mechanism attached to the support surface that affords for the support surface to roll over a surface at a predetermined height and at least one ramp attached to the support surface. The at least one ramp can be movable between a retracted position and an extended position and the support is dimensioned to roll over the service pit and allow for servicing of the non-automotive vehicle engine. In some instances, the support affords for the non-automotive vehicle to have its oil changed.
US08256349B2
A system and method is provided for identifying any one or more of a plurality of blast holes in a drill pattern. The method involves providing each blast hole in a drill pattern with an individually identifiable first identifier and a GPS device capable of relaying identification and location data for the respective blast hole. A data reception system is provided to receive the data and store it in a database for processing purposes. The information may be later used to correlate any one or more of the blast holes with a corresponding detonator.
US08256348B1
A method for preparing lithographic printing plates for on-press development, including sequentially feeding the plates to an imaging station to produce a plurality of latent image reference marks allocated among at least two margins along a respective two sides of the plate, and a latent print image within the margins. The imaged plates are transported from the imaging station to a plate bending station where the short ends of the plate are bent over. Between the imaging station and the bending station, the unimaged areas of the coating in at least two of the margins are removed to reveal the reference marks without developing the latent print image. Preferably, the reference marks are revealed while the plate is temporarily aligned in landscape orientation at stop, such as at the feeder to the bending station.
US08256339B1
A missile is guided and/or supported within a canister by a collapsible support structure. In one embodiment the collapsible support structure is part of a railcar running on a rail within the canister. Each railcar includes a missile-engaging guidance and/or support structure, a rail engaging element, and a hinged pantograph-like collapsible support extending between the missile-engaging structure and the rail engaging element. A hinge of the pantograph is locked in a storage state and during part of motion during the missile launch. The hinge is unlocked, and travel of the rail engaging element is stopped. The missile-engaging support structure momentarily continues its motion, and the pantograph collapses. Capture elements engage parts of the railcar or the canister during collapse to prevent rebound of the missile-engaging support structure toward the missile.
US08256338B1
A system that provides wireless power transfer between a weapon and a platform. A method for loading, testing, targeting, and launching a weapon.
US08256336B2
A system and method for disabling a small boat comprises at least two hulls and an entanglement device disposed therebetween. In the illustrative embodiment, each hull is an unmanned underwater vehicle. The system is launched from a vessel to intercept the small boat. When close to the small boat, the separating distance between the two hulls is increased, thereby deploying the entanglement device and causing it to become entangled with the small boat (e.g., the small boat's propulsion system, etc.).
US08256333B2
An apparatus for cutting a window covering comprises a lateral support surface and a saw for cutting the window covering positioned at an end of the lateral support surface. An engagement member locates the center of the window covering that is retractably mounted on the lateral support surface. A clamp assembly comprises a clamping jaw that is movable to a first position where the clamping jaw presses the window covering against the lateral support surface. The clamp assembly is movable relative to the first saw and the second saw. A controller for moves the clamp assembly to automatically position a first end of the window covering relative to the first saw and a second end of the window covering relative to the second saw. Methods of cutting a window covering are also provided.
US08256329B2
A tool for removing and replacing a light bulb includes a long handle rod, a chuck at an upper end of the handle rod, and an operating mechanism at a lower end of the handle rod for actuating the chuck. The chuck includes an arm holder, bearing brackets, chuck arms pivotally supported by the bearing brackets, tension springs for closing the chuck arms, a seat pad for receiving and supporting a top surface of the glass sphere of the light bulb, guide bars for opening the chuck arms, and a movable bar-holder-block connected to the operation mechanism for supporting the guide bars. When the movable bar-holder-block is pulled downward by the operating mechanism, the upper end portions of the chuck arms are operatively opened away from one another.
US08256327B2
A coaxial gear set, in particular a hollow shaft gear set for industrial drive technology, having high power density, comprising a drive element (7), an element (3), and an output element, with a gear ratio and a transmission of a drive torque occurring between the drive element (7) and the output element via a plurality of radially movable tooth segments (5), an outer tooth flank contour (11.1, 11.2) of the tooth contour (6) of the tooth segments (5) and/or a flank contour (12.1, 12.2) of a gearing (13) of an inner gearing (15) of an internal wheel (1), relative to a gear axis (M), a tooth contour that allows surface contact in the engagement area comprising a logarithmic spiral.
US08256316B2
A linear bearing employs spherical roller bodies which are contained in a roller nut body with two drive helixes and two return helixes which form a continuous loop in the nut body. The return helixes are offset from the drive helixes and have a pressure relief cutout to allow for movement of the spherical roller bodies through the return helix region.
US08256315B2
Disclosed is an apparatus for automatically adjusting clearance of a support yoke of a rack and pinion type steering apparatus, the apparatus including: a support yoke making contact with one side of a rack bar so as to support the rack bar; at least one cam assembled with one side of the support yoke so as to support the support yoke; a yoke plug which is positioned at one side of the cam so as to support the cam and is assembled with a rack housing; and a yoke spring included at one side of the support yoke so as to apply elastic force to the support yoke in a direction of the rack bar. In a case where the support yoke is worn away due to friction, etc. against the rack bar, while the cam performs relative rotation movement respective to the support yoke by means of an elastic force of the elastic member disposed between the support yoke and the cam, the spacing member pushes the support yoke in a direction of the rack bar so as to maintain a predetermined interval between the spacing member and the support yoke, thereby maintaining clearance of the support yoke in a predetermined degree.
US08256310B2
Rotary to linear and linear to rotary motion conversion devices that consist of rotational elements, at least two flexible linking elements, and motion elements are disclosed. Rotary elements and motion elements are connected by the flexible linking members, which twist around each other when rotational elements rotate and thus produce pulling force on the motion elements. A methodology to design the motion conversion devices and robotic joints incorporating the motion conversion devices are disclosed.
US08256309B2
An apparatus for detecting a break in a screen of a vibratory separator includes an infeed section coupled to the housing such that at least a portion of the material passing through the screen and directed from the housing is directed through the infeed section, a detector screening element receiving material from the infeed section, wherein the detector screening element has a plurality of openings having a size equal to or slightly larger than the opening size of the screen in the vibratory separator, and a level sensor positioned above the detector screening element, wherein the level sensor is positioned to detect material build up on the detector screening element. A method for detecting a break in a screen of a vibratory separator includes the steps of directing at least a portion of material that passes through the screen to a detector screening element including a detector screening element having a plurality of openings having a size equal to or slightly larger than the opening size of the screen in the vibratory separator, detecting when the material directed to the detector screening element builds up to a predetermined level and sending a signal in response to the detection of materia! build up to the predetermined level.
US08256303B2
A platform includes main transverse beams (“MTBs”), each supported by at least one hoist. It is determined whether a load on any MTB is different from the load on any other MTB by more than a predetermined amount. An MTB which has a load different from the load on any other MTB by more than a predetermined amount is selected and then vertically moved with respect to the other MTBs within a predetermined safety limit to transfer load between the selected MTB and the other MTBs while monitoring the loads on each MTB and the position of the selected MTB as vertical movement of the selected MTB proceeds. The monitored loads and position are compared with the safety limit; and the movement of the selected MTB stopped when either the desired load transfer is completed or the safety limit has been met.
US08256281B2
An object of the present invention is to determine individually and accurately an ignitability index value and an evaporativity index value of a fuel.A fuel injection valve (12) for which a fuel injection direction is set such that fuel is directed toward a cylinder wall surface (54) is included. An air-fuel ratio (a first air-fuel ratio) of an exhaust gas and a crank angular velocity (a first crank angular velocity) during combustion associated with fuel injection at a first after injection timing T1 are acquired. An air-fuel ratio (a second air-fuel ratio) of the exhaust gas and a crank angular velocity (a second crank angular velocity) during combustion associated with fuel injection at a second after injection timing T2 that is retarded from the first after injection timing T1 are acquired. A cetane number and a distillation property are determined based on Δ A/F that is an amount of change between the first air-fuel ratio and the second air-fuel ratio, Δ crank angular velocity that is an amount of change between the first crank angular velocity and the second crank angular velocity, and predetermined determination basic information.
US08256279B2
A device for detecting a combustion chamber pressure of an internal combustion engine, in particular a gasoline engine. The device includes a sensor housing, the sensor housing being set up to be at least partially introduced into a combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine. At least one mechanical-electrical transducer element is accommodated inside the sensor housing, which is separated from the sensor housing by at least one sensor holder, in particular a sensor holder which at least partially encloses the mechanical-electrical transducer element. The sensor holder has an at least partially rigid design.
US08256272B1
Examples of an apparatus and method for adjusting a viscosity of an adhesive are disclosed. An apparatus may comprise a motor including a spindle. A tooling bit may be disposed spaced from and axially aligned with the spindle extending into a first end of a syringe to contact an adhesive in the syringe while the syringe is detachably mounted for rotation to the spindle. A lamp may selectively shine a curing light on the adhesive. A meter may be coupled to the motor to measure a torque on the motor. The method may include detachably mounting the syringe containing the adhesive to the motor. The motor may be operated to stir the adhesive at a first voltage for a predetermined time. A torque on the motor may be measured and compared to a reference range of values.
US08256266B2
A testing stylus used for testing a keyboard, includes a sleeve, a resisting member and an elastic member, the resisting member be conductive and have an engageable end and an opposite resisting end, the resisting end is used to resist against the keyboard. The resisting member and the elastic member are assembled in the sleeve, the elastic member resists against the engageable end, to allow the resisting end to be exposed to the outside from the sleeve, the resisting end is withdrawn into the sleeve by pressing the sleeve.
US08256260B2
A forging method including extruding a billet to form a ring shaped hollow workpiece; reducing a cross section of the workpiece; and forging the workpiece in a closed die having a first split die including a plurality of first die segments and a second split die including a plurality of second die segments by sequentially advancing pairs of opposing die segments from the first split die and second split die towards each other.
US08256256B2
A coiler furnace having a heat-insulated enclosure delimiting a furnace interior, a strip coiling device includes a coiler drum having a slotted receiving opening for the hot-rolled strip in the furnace interior, A controlled rotational drive for a coiler shaft is located outside the furnace interior. An inlet and outlet opening to the enclosure for a hot-rolled strip. A strip guiding device between a roller table and the coiler drum. In order to avoid any winding errors, a feeding shield extends through the enclosure of the coiler furnace and is coupled to a displacement drive arranged outside the furnace interior. The displacement drive can be displaced between an insertion position and a withdrawal position of the shield. The feeding shield, in the insertion position, interacts with the strip guiding device to form a feed funnel, mounted upstream the slotted receiving opening on the coiler drum for the hot-rolled strip together.
US08256253B2
A kind of cylindrical lock, this lock able to be installed on a door, includes: one transmission structure which can operate a drive base, this drive base gearing a latch mechanism; this latch mechanism having: one tubular shaped element, which can be coupled to a handle for actuation; a tube, which can be rotated and inserted into the tubular shaped element; one pushing part, having one side with at least one pushing section, this pushing section able to push the drive base at the appropriate time; a collar, which can be set on one end of the tubular shaped element, a meshing section formed on one end of the collar; an engaging element, partly installed in this pushing part, one meshing section formed on this engaging element, and this engaging element having at least one pushable section; one rotating part, having at least one pushing portion, each pushing portion at the appropriate time pushing the adjacent pushable section of the engaging element; one lock set, having a lock core linked to one transmission part; rotating this lock core to move from the beginning position at an angled position in a predetermined direction back to the beginning position, the transmission part of this lock set can push a moving part, causing this engaging element to do axial displacement, and causing the meshing section of the engaging element to be positioned and move between the incompatible meshing of the first position or compatible meshing of the second position, on the meshing section of this collar.
US08256243B2
Methods and apparatus for the integration of a fractionation process and an olefin refrigeration system, wherein the fractionation process olefin effluent is supplied to the refrigeration system, can eliminate a fractionation process condenser and reflux drum typically present. A plurality of bottoms streams can be collected from the fractionation process. The olefin refrigerant can be supplied to alternate olefin refrigerant consumers, as desired. A column in the fractionation process can be refluxed with an olefin stream from refrigeration system, and olefin product can be collected or exported via line.
US08256225B2
A turbofan engine includes a fan variable area nozzle having a multiple of vents through a fan nacelle and a sleeve system movable relative to the vents by an actuator system. The fan variable area nozzle changes the effective area of the fan nozzle exit area to permit efficient operation at predefined pressure ratios. The vents include a grid structure which directs and smoothes the airflow therethrough as well as to reduce noise generation.
US08256221B2
An assembly (45) includes a plurality of separate pie-shaped segments (72) forming a disk (70) around a central region (48) for retaining a plurality of tubes (46) in a concentrically spaced apart configuration. Each segment includes a support member (94) radially extending along an upstream face (96) of the segment and a plurality of annularly curved support arms (98) transversely attached to the support member and radially spaced apart from one another away from the central region for receiving respective upstream end portions of the tubes in arc-shaped spaces (100) between the arms. Each segment also includes a radial passageway (102) formed in the support member for receiving a fluid segment portion (106) and a plurality of annular passageways (104) formed in the support arms for receiving respective arm portions (108) of the fluid segment portion from the radial passageway and for conducting the respective arm portions into corresponding annular spaces (47) formed between the tubes retained by the disk.
US08256219B2
A system, apparatus and method for generating electricity from renewable geothermal, wind, and solar energy sources includes a heat balancer for supplementing and regulating the heat energy fed to a turbine generator; a hydrogen-fired boiler for supplying supplementary heat; and an injection manifold for metering controlled amounts of superheated combustible gas into the working fluids to optimize efficiency.Wind or solar power may be converted to hydrogen in an electrolysis unit to produce hydrogen. A phase separator unit that operates by cavitation of the geothermal fluids removes gases from the source fluid. A pollution prevention trap may be used to remove solids and other unneeded constituents of the geothermal fluids to be stored or processed in a solution mining unit for reuse or sale. Spent geothermal and working fluids may be processed and injected into the geothermal strata to aid in maintaining its temperature or in solution mining of elements in the lithosphere.
US08256211B2
An internal combustion engine wherein when an aqueous urea solution should be fed from an aqueous urea solution feed valve (8), a feed pump (9) is operated forward and aqueous urea solution in an aqueous urea solution tank (4) is fed through an aqueous urea solution feed passage (10) into the aqueous urea solution feed valve (8). When ceasing the feed of aqueous urea solution from the aqueous urea solution feed valve (8), the feed pump (9) is operated in reverse whereby the ammonia gas generated in the aqueous urea solution tank (4) is drawn through a ammonia gas feed pipe (11) into the aqueous urea solution feed passage (10). Next, when the feed pump (9) is operated forward, the ammonia gas drawn into the aqueous urea solution feed path (10) is ejected from the aqueous urea solution feed valve (8).
US08256205B2
Various systems and methods are described for controlling a NOx sensor coupled to an engine exhaust system in a motor vehicle. One example method comprises generating an offset of the sensor based on an ambient air flow drawn into the exhaust system, the ambient air flow having circumvented cylinders of the engine, and adjusting an output of the sensor based on the generated offset.
US08256200B2
A high-security cable is provided, wherein the high-security cable is capable of achieving a smoothing of a work-to-break energy curve. The high-security cable is manufactured of a mixture of plastic yarns or of plastic yarns and metal wires, wherein the cable comprises a first constituent part of untwisted or twisted yarns, or untwisted or twisted yarns and metal wires, a second constituent part of doubled yarn, the doubled yarn manufactured of plastic yarns or of plastic yarns and metal wires, and a third constituent part of cord manufactured from the doubled yarns, wherein the doubled yarn is manufactured from plastic yarns or of plastic yarns and metal wires. The high-security cable can be used as a safety arrester cable, and can also be used to form a netting to serve as safety arrester netting or falling-rock protection netting.
US08256197B2
A method and apparatus for enabling reverse mow condition in a tractor comprises a switch assembly having an ignition switch that is rotatable through a plurality of positions, a housing for supporting the ignition switch, and an actuator movably located in the housing. The enabling of a reverse mow condition is achieved by displacing the actuator from a rest position to two separate and distinct positions.
US08256196B2
An equine tongue tie has a small elastic tongue loop 14 and a large elastic jaw loop 12. The two loops 12, 14 are stitched or otherwise joined at a location 18 across the width of the loops. The two loops 12, 14 can be made from a single strap 2 of elastomeric material wherein the ends are preferably folded over prior to stitching or otherwise affixing so as to form four layers of the elastomeric material at the location 18 wherein the tongue loop 14 and jaw loop 12 are joined. Alternatively, each loop can be made from a separate strap, each tongue loop 14 and jaw loop 12 having its ends overlapped and sewn together to form a separate loop and these two separate loops 12, 14 being sewn together where the sewn ends overlap creating four layers of material at the location 18 where the loops are joined.
US08256186B2
A formed building element or “log” comprising a top filler section and a bottom filler section affixed on opposite sides of a center reinforcement member. The center reinforcement member may be a steel or metal rod or tube. The reinforcement member, which may be of approximately the same length of the filler sections, has one end extending out from the end of the building element. The extended end may have a vertical hole extending from top to bottom, adapted to accept a rod pin, which may or may not be threaded. Matching holes extend from the top to bottom of the filler section at the opposite end of the building element, so adjacent building elements may be attached end-to-end.
US08256172B2
A modular free standing structure and an adjustable footing configured to support the modular free standing structure are described. The structural footing comprises a support member having a support surface configured to provide vertical support to one or more modular platform structures, a base member, and an adjustable leveling mechanism disposed between the support member and the base member, and configured to level adjoining modular platform structures by adjusting a height of the support member relative to the base member about a vertical axis of the structural footing.
US08256169B2
Precise parameters are maintained in a support system for solar panels or other panel-like structures through use of a collapsible folding, support frame which is preassembled to precise tolerances at a convenient staging site before being collapsed for shipment. Installation on flat roofs is also facilitated through the use of a roof interface frame which rotatably supports the panel support frame of the support system and folds along with it at the assembly, staging site.
US08256168B2
A structure comprising a plurality of regular hexagonal tubes and a plurality of rhomboid inserts is disclosed. At least one of the tubes can be placed end-to-end relative to another of the tubes in a configuration where the central axes of the tubes are parallel. These central axes can be either collinear or not collinear depending upon the overall configuration of the structure chosen. Each rhomboid insert fits inside at least one section of a hexagonal tube. Those rhomboid inserts that fit into more than one hexagonal tube provide a means for interlocking the tubes.
US08256158B2
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a visual attenuation composition applicable to a landscape to visually attenuate or camouflage the landscape to approximate color characteristics of the surrounding terrain. The visual attenuation composition includes a colorant selected from the group consisting of a pigment, a dye, and combinations thereof, and optionally includes an additive selected from the group consisting of a flocculent, a tackifier, a stabilizer, and combinations thereof. The visual attenuation composition may further include a liquid medium such as water to form a slurry suitable for spray application. The visual attenuation composition described herein can be combined with a soil treatment product to impart desirable color and colorfastness. Alternatively, the soil treatment product can be first applied to the landscape prior to the application of the visual attenuation composition.
US08256156B1
A portable angler cooler apparatus includes two skis removably connected to a bottom-most circumferential edge of two wheels such that the wheels may remain elevated above a ground surface during transportation. A handle is pivotally coupled to a proximal end of the cooler such that the skis are removably connected to the handle after the skis are detached from the wheels. Each of the skis may have a pair of spring-loaded clips mated to opposed longitudinal edges of each wheel respectively so as to be selectively biased between tensioned and equilibrium positions when engaged and disengaged from each of the wheels and the handle respectively. A T-bar locks selected ones of the compartments at a closed position to prohibit premature disengagement from the cooler during transport.
US08256153B1
A laser sighting device having a laser sight body with a barrel aperture formed through the laser sight body; two or more laser emitter apertures formed in the laser sight body; a laser light aperture extending from a bottom wall of each laser emitter aperture through the laser sight body; a laser emitter for each laser emitter aperture; wherein a laser emitter is fitted within each laser emitter aperture; a cap associated with each laser emitter aperture; wherein when the cap is a threadedly connected and sufficient torque is applied to the cap, the laser emitter produces a laser light beam that is projected through the laser light aperture.
US08256152B2
A laser alignment assembly has two or more lasers aligned relative to one or more reflective surfaces to generate coaligned and collimated light beams. The assembly may further make the light beams collinear. The orientation of the reflective surface may be controlled by an electrically controllable actuator. The laser alignment assembly may be disposed in a weapon aiming system having visible and infrared lasers and may be coupled to a weapon to aid in aiming of the weapon.
US08256150B2
The present invention and related disclosure describes greeting cards with moving elements or devices which are operable to create motion in connection with some portion of the greeting card. The greeting card may include a multi-panel greeting card body or a three-dimensional foam greeting card body. At least one movable object is contained upon or within the greeting card body. A sound module having at least one pre-recorded digital audio file saved therein and a motor module are contained and concealed within the greeting card body. One or more switches may be used to activate the sound and motor modules, causing the pre-recorded audio file to play and causing movement of the movable or mobile object.
US08256146B2
An infant shoe includes a shoe outsole defining a longitudinal axis and a transverse axis. The outsole defines a substantially arcuate shape along both the longitudinal and transverse axes. A shoe upper is secured to the shoe outsole. The shoe upper and the shoe outsole together define curved side surfaces.
US08256140B2
Provided is a personal traction device that includes a traction mechanism that is very comfortable underfoot, while providing excellent traction over slippery surfaces as well as excellent long-term wear.
US08256137B2
A home laundry drier (1) having a revolving drum (5) for housing the laundry to be dried, a hot-air generator (7) for circulating a stream of hot air inside the drum (5), and a steam generator (17) for feeding steam into the drum (5); the steam generator (17) having an electric boiler (18) designed to receive a given quantity of water and immediately convert it into a stream of low-pressure steam to be fed into the drum (5), a demineralized-water reservoir (20) located over and communicating with the electric boiler (18), and a lint filter (23) located upstream from the water reservoir (20); the water reservoir (20) receiving distilled water from the water canister (12) of the heat exchanger (10) of the hot-air generator (7) via a water drain circuit (13); and the laundry drier (1) also having a liquid level sensor (26) for determining when the water in the water reservoir (20) is below a given minimum level, and a central control unit (24) for determining whether the water reservoir (20) is in a given low-water-level condition at both the start and end of a user-selected drying cycle not including activation of the steam generator (17).
US08256133B2
A dryer exhaust duct alarm detects the presence of lint or other obstructions in an exhaust duct or vent. A thin lever is suspended within the duct and is slightly cupped in shape to more effectively capture air flow. In the presence of uninhibited air flow, the lever is substantially displaced from its initial substantially-vertical position toward a substantially horizontal position. But when airflow is inhibited, the lever is not sufficiently displaced. A detector detects operation of the dryer. If the dryer operates for a determined period of time but the lever is not sufficiently displaced, the user is alerted of the problem. Other data may also be presented to the user, including real-time data over a communication medium.
US08256126B2
The present invention relates to a tool holder for adapting a tool to be measured in a measuring arrangement. Such tool holder can, for example, include a spindle or an adapter of a tool presetter to be inserted in such spindle. Furthermore, this invention refers to a measuring arrangement for measuring of tools as well as a method for calibration of such measuring arrangement to a zero-point of the tool.
US08256125B2
The present invention relates generally to a sliding square that can be slipped over a standard retractable tape measure that is extendable perpendicularly to abutment wall allowing 0-90 degrees angle lines to be scribed at measured distances from the end of a work piece. Sliding Square also may include a depth gage, bubble levels on the x and y planes, a protractor scale along with linear dimensions along its right angle straight edge side and standard rafter pitch angles to be defined. Abutment wall t's into base 32 extending equally above and below base so that it functions right side up from the left side of a work piece or flipped over from the right side.
US08256121B2
A hand tool, a handle of a hand tool and associated methods for fabricating the handle of a hand tool are provided in order to reduce the weight and thickness of the resulting hand tool. The handle generally includes a composite portion fabricated of fibers embedded in a matrix material in such a manner such that the composite portion meaningfully contributes to the strength of the handle and, in turn, the hand tool. In this regard, the composite portion may include a relatively high percentage of fibers, relatively long fibers and/or fibers that are generally aligned with respect to the longitudinal axis of the handle. For example, the composite portion may include fibers that constitute at least 50% by volume, fibers that are at least 30 mm in length on average and/or fibers that are within 15° of being parallel to the longitudinal axis of the handle.
US08256118B2
A metal leading edge of a turbine fan blade is manufactured by cutting and shaping an elongated metal part. The metal part has front and rear edges extending lengthwise of the part, and has a generally wedge-shaped transverse cross-section with opposite sides diverging from the front edge toward the rear edge. A cavity is cut inward from the rear edge toward the front edge. This provides the part with a generally V-shaped transverse cross-section having opposite side walls diverging rearwardly from the front edge. A mandrel is inserted into the cavity, and the side walls of the V-shaped part are deflected toward each other to constrict the cavity into the configuration of the mandrel. The part is then mounted as a metal leading edge by inserting a turbine fan blade component into the constricted cavity and fastening the part to the component.
US08256113B2
A method of manufacturing an electrically driven L.E.D. lamp assembly (20) comprises disposing an electrically insulative coating (24) on a thermally conductive substrate (22). A plurality of light emitting diodes (26) is secured to the coating (24). A coupling agent is disposed on a tape portion (48) of a foil tape (46), and the foil tape (46) is secured to the coating (24) with the coupling agent in predetermined spaced lengths (42) along the coating (24) to establish discrete and electrically conductive spaced lengths (42) with the light emitting diodes (26) disposed between the spaced lengths (42). Each light emitting diode (26) includes a pair of electrical leads (32) which are secured to the spaced lengths (42) to electrically interconnect the light emitting diodes (26).
US08256111B2
A method for laying out a circuit board includes following steps. A substrate board is formed with a plurality of board sides. A ground plane, including a plurality of tiles, is provided. Each ground trace tile is defined by a plurality of ground traces. A signal plane on the substrate board has a plurality of signal traces that comprise of a plurality of straight line segments. Any one ground trace of each tile is arranged at an angle other than zero degrees relative to one determined board side. The straight line segments is applied to be mapped on the ground plane crossing one ground trace of one tile within an angle range determined by the ground traces of the tile and an adjacent diagonal line of the tile. The one ground trace and the straight line segments are applied at an angle movable in a range from 22.5° to 32.5°.
US08256109B2
A device for inspecting and rotating electronic components, particularly flip chips, includes a component which is rotatably mounted at a position of rotation and which is used to rotate electric components. A first receiving element is fixed to the outer side of the component in order to receive a single electronic component of a carrier and to secure it during a rotational movement of the component. A second receiving element is arranged on the outer side of the component opposite the first receiving element in relation to the point of rotation such that when the component is rotated by 180° it respectively faces the carrier, and a through opening is arranged in the component between the receiving elements such that when the component is rotated by 90° or 270° the through opening faces the carrier. Also a method for inspecting and rotating electronic components, particularly flip chips.
US08256097B2
A method for manufacturing a coil device comprises a first step of twisting a tip end part of the conductive wire by approximately 90 degrees with respect to a conductive wire portion arranged rearward continuously from the tip end part to form a twist part, and winding the tip end part of the conductive wire around the outer peripheral surface of the core in a lying posture on the outer peripheral surface; a second step of winding the conductive wire arranged rearward continuously from the twist part around the outer periphery surface of the core in a standing posture on the outer peripheral surface; and a third step of transforming the conductive wire on a tip end side with respect to the twist part in a direction apart from the outer periphery surface of the core to form one lead part extending substantially linearly.
US08256090B2
A fastening system head for attachment to a movable frame, in particular to a robot, has a carrier to which a fastening tool is attached which is rotatable about an axis of rotation. The fastening tool has a holding device for an element fastenable to a component, and has a fastening drive device to move the holding device along a fastening direction for fastening. The axis of rotation is oriented crosswise to the fastening direction. A feed mechanism is included to feed elements to the fastening tool. At least one additional feed mechanism is provided on the fastening system head, for feeding elements to the fastening tool.
US08256085B2
A quantity of wire is associated with a number of interruptions that occurred during the production and/or subsequent processing of the wire. The number of interruptions is used to classify the wire as being of a particular quality and/or suitable for a particular task.
US08256044B1
A bed covering apparatus that prevents bed bugs from intrusion to an enclosed sleeping area, wherein the bed covering apparatus has a net for exclusion of insects and an openable section disposed at one end of the net that is dimensioned to accommodate legs of a person sleeping within the net, and also contains at least one slippery section to which bed bugs cannot adhere, thereby causing the bed bugs to fall from the netted sleeping area before they have an opportunity to enter the sleeping enclosure. The bed covering apparatus further may comprise straps to securely attach it to a mattress.
US08256036B2
A lockable assembly for a urinal valve is provided. The lockable assembly includes a shaft assembly configured to engage portions of the urinal valve and a housing body configured to connect to the urinal valve and further configured to support the shaft assembly for axial movement. The lockable assembly is configured to allow selective operation of the urinal valve between a flushable state and a locked non-flushable state, wherein in a locked non-flushable state, the shaft assembly is prevented from moving in the axial direction and in a flushable state, axial movement of the shaft assembly urges the shaft assembly into contact with portions of the urinal valve.
US08256033B2
An open face helmet includes an outer shell and a shock-absorbing liner, as well as a fixing member on the front side of the inner surface of the right side of the outer shell for the attachment of a removable cheek pad. The cheek pad includes a shock-absorbing member and a cushioning member stacked thereon, as well as an engaging body to be removably engaged with the fixing member. The fixing member is opposed to the front edge of the shock-absorbing liner, having a slit to be engaged with or disengaged from the engaging body in a front-back direction. The cheek pad is supported on the inner surface of the right side of the helmet shell by an engagement of the engaging body with the slit and a face-to-face contact of the back edge of the cheek pad with the front edge of the shock-absorbing liner.
US08256026B2
The invention relates to an integral protective work clothing item comprising releasable integrated retaining elements and a digitally-activated retaining fastener. The inventive clothing item includes a harness and a retractable mechanism for securing a user to a standard lifeline. The item also comprises additional protective elements, such as a helmet, gloves and shoes which are connected thereto by means of respective elastic bands. Each of said bands is equipped with a hole for a fastener device that can only be released using a device designed for said purpose. The digitally-activated fastener comprises an electromagnet, a mobile discoidal part and a spring element. The cover of the fastener casing is provided with a hole and a tubular formation in which a pin or rod can be inserted and guided. In the operative position, the core of the electromagnet retains the rod in place and prevents the removal thereof, such that the casing and the rod are connected to one another and can only be released using the separate releasing device.
US08256025B2
A vapor permeable retroreflective material for use on protective garments. The material may be formed in a non-continuous pattern that provides a high-level of retroreflective brightness, yet also provides adequate permeability to prevent exposure to trapped thermal energy and heated moisture. The non-continuous retroreflective pattern may include retroreflective regions and non-retroreflective regions arranged such that thermal decay through the protective garment is not substantially decreased in the regions corresponding to the retroreflective material. Rather, vapor permeation and thermal decay through the garment may be substantially the same as if the retroreflective material was not present.
US08256024B2
Described herein are various embodiments of a cold-weather garment. In one exemplary embodiment, a long-sleeve upper-body cold-weather garment includes a torso portion and two sleeve portions that are attached to and extend from opposite edges of the torso portion. The torso portion is made from a first material and the sleeve portions are each made from a second material. The first material is lighter per unit area and more breathable than the second material. The second material is heavier per unit area than the first material, but is more resistant to cold-weather environmental conditions. For example, the second material is water resistant, flame resistant and comprises an outer surface having a camouflage pattern. In some implementations, the second material is made up of at least approximately 50% hydrophobic fibers, includes a coating having water-repellant characteristics, and/or includes a multi-layer composite fabric that includes a water-resistant membrane made from either polyurethane or polytetrafluoroethylene.
US08261367B2
Data, stored in MRAM-cells should be protected against misuse or read-out by unauthorized persons. The present invention provides an array of MRAM-cells provided with a security device for destroying data stored in the MRAM-cells when they are tampered with. This is achieved by placing a permanent magnet adjacent the MRAM-array in combination with a soft-magnetic flux-closing layer. As long as the soft-magnetic layer is present, the magnetic field lines from the permanent magnet are deviated and flow through this soft-magnetic layer. When somebody is tampering with the MRAM-array, e.g. by means of reverse engineering, and the flux-closing layer is removed, the flux is no longer deviated and affects the nearby MRAM-array, thus destroying the data stored in the MRAM-cells.
US08261363B2
An improved approach for managing and sending electronic data which allows one to access electronic data corresponding to a hardcopy document is provided. For example, when the hardcopy bearing a visible image is output, an identification image corresponding to identification data identifying the document is added to the visible image. The identification data can be recognized from the identification image, and used to retrieve various information in a database corresponding to the document.
US08261361B2
Various exemplary user interfaces, methods and computer program products describe enabling sharing of mobile communication devices. This process utilizes a shared mode for an owner of the mobile communication device to create a virtual environment for a borrower of the mobile communication device, which allows content information (e.g., certain applications and files) to be accessible and visual to the borrower. The process allows an owner of the mobile communication device to track and to manage data created or changed by the borrower. The owner may accept or reject the changes made in the content information. Furthermore, the process conceals non-shared resources to the borrower.
US08261360B2
A content distributing system for distributing content disclosed herein is an encrypting apparatus for encrypting each of objects constituting content using a different encryption key, a content offering apparatus for offering the encrypted content to a content reproducing apparatus; a license information offering apparatus for offering license information including information necessary for decrypting the encrypted content, and a content reproducing apparatus for acquiring the encrypted content from the content offering apparatus in order to decrypt and reproduce the acquired content using the license information acquired from the license offering apparatus.
US08261353B2
An automatic patch deployment system is provided that deploys a patch according to an assessed risk and a policy. The policy may specify actions to be taken to deploy the patch for different categories of risk. The automatic patch deployment system receives a patch notification, an assessment of the risk, and the policy and deploys the patch accordingly. For example, installation of a patch may be indefinitely delayed for high risk patches, rescheduled for medium risk patches, or installed immediately for low risk patches.
US08261352B2
A method includes receiving a data unit, determining whether a current state, associated with a deterministic finite automata (DFA) that includes a portion of states in a bitmap and a remaining portion of states in a DFA table, is a bitmap state or not, and determining whether a value corresponding to the data unit is greater than a threshold value, when it is determined that the current state is not a bitmap state. The method further includes determining whether the current state is insensitive, when it is determined that the value corresponding to the data unit is greater than the threshold value, where insensitive means that each next state is a same state for the current state, and selecting a default state, as a next state for the current, when it is determined that the current state is insensitive.
US08261349B2
A router and method for preventing port scans using a router includes receiving a datagram from a remote computer, transferring the datagram to a local computer, and receiving a response datagram from the local computer. The router and method further includes dropping the response datagram if the response datagram is an Internet Control Messages Protocol (ICMP) port unreachable datagram and the ICMP port unreachable datagram is abnormal, and recording a port scan event of the remote computer into the log system.
US08261341B2
A system and method for creating a virtual private network through a VPN gateway configuration service. The VPN gateway configuration service inherits UPnP zero-configuration characteristics and also provides an interface for configuring the VPN gateway that enables the configuration of any VPN gateway device, regardless of manufacturer. Additionally, the device control protocol defined by the VPN gateway configuration service can provide client provisioning, as well as enabling the configuration of gateway-to-gateway virtual private networks.
US08261339B2
Dynamically selecting an endpoint for a tunnel into an enterprise computing infrastructure. A client dynamically selects a gateway (which may alternatively be referred to as a boundary device or server) as a tunnel endpoint for connecting over a public network (or, more generally, an untrusted network) into an enterprise computing infrastructure. The selection is made, in preferred embodiments, according to least-cost routing metrics pertaining to paths through the enterprise network from the selected gateway to a destination host. The least-cost routing metrics may be computed using factors such as the proximity of selectable tunnel endpoints to the destination host; stability or redundancy of network resources for this gateway; monetary costs of transmitting data over a path between the selectable tunnel endpoints and destination host; congestion on that path; hop count for that path; and/or latency or transmit time for data on that path.
US08261338B2
In a system with a policy server, a first device able to communicate with the policy server and a second device able to communicate with the first device and unable to communicate with the policy server, the first device is to act as a policy proxy. The policy server may push to the first device a policy for the second device, and the first device may push the policy to the second device.
US08261333B2
A biometrics authentication system using biometrics media simplifies the process, and reduces the costs, of issuing a portable communication terminal having biometrics functions. A biometrics application program is downloaded from a server to a portable communication terminal, an area for authenticated biometrics information is caused to be created, and biometrics information on an individual card of the user is stored in a common area of the portable communication terminal. Thus, the portable communication terminal has the functions of an individual card storing biometrics information, and the portable communication terminal can be used as an individual card for biometrics authentication.
US08261332B2
A first computing entity provides evidence to a second computing entity to demonstrate that the first computing entity has a trusted configuration specification that is one of a set of such specifications agreed between the computing entities. This evidence comprises a computed commitment, made using (but not revealing) the configuration specification of the first computing entity, and a ring signature generated using a plurality of keys where each such key is generated using the commitment and one of the trusted configuration specifications. The second computing entity verifies the ring signature in order to convince itself that the configuration specification of the first computing entity is in the set.
US08261321B2
Systems and methods for authenticating digital assets in relation to a telecommunications network. In various cases, the systems include a network interface device associated with a customer premises. The network interface device includes a local authentication authority operable to authenticate one or more digital assets maintained in relation to the customer premises. In some cases, a global authentication authority can authenticate the network interface device, and implicitly authenticate the one or more digital assets. Many other cases and/or embodiments are disclosed herein.
US08261319B2
Logging events associated with accessing an area includes recording an event associated with accessing the area to provide an event recording and authenticating at least the event recording to provide an authenticated recording. Recording an event may include recording a time of the event. Recording an event may include recording a type of event. The event may be an attempt to access the area. Recording an event may include recording credentials/proofs used in connection with the attempt to access the area. Recording an event may include recording a result of the attempt. Recording an event may include recording the existence of data other than the credentials/proofs indicating that access should be denied. Recording an event may include recording additional data related to the area. Authenticating the recording may include digitally signing the recording. Authenticating at least the event recording may include authenticating the event recording and authenticating other event recordings to provide a single authenticated recording.
US08261312B2
A streaming file is constructed with a file header section that includes a file header object, a media data file descriptor, and an index descriptor. A hinting index section includes a first level hinting index with a linear organization corresponding to timing tick key values. A second level hinting index has a non-sequential organization corresponding to such timing tick key values. A special mark in the second level hinting index indicates that the first level hinting index must be consulted for a next timing tick key value. Such mark is positioned in the last of a sequential run of timing tick key values associated with its entries. A data section that can be put in a separate file, and it accepts media data blocks associated in sequential runs of timing tick key values as its entries. Thus hinting is provided for a non-sequential media data file.
US08261311B2
An apparatus and method for transmitting video data to a receiving terminal is disclosed. The apparatus comprises an event processing unit for outputting a signal to store a selected portion of the video data that is currently being reproduced, a video data reproduction unit for receiving the signal from the event processing unit and storing the selected portion of the video data that is currently being reproduced in response to the outputted signal while reproducing the video data. A message transmission unit is further provided for attaching the stored selected portion of the video data that is currently being reproduced to a message and transmitting the message to the receiving terminal. A data storage unit stores the video data and the selected portion of the video data.
US08261308B2
Aspects of the invention are directed to a cell-frequency-link descriptor configured to map network-specific parameters with time frequency slicing (TFS) information in a digital video broadcast system. The cell-frequency-link descriptor may include fields that provide a mapping between a cell identifier, a TFS group identifier, a bandwidth, a guard interval, a transmission mode, and a frequency. The fields may provide a mapping between cells, frequencies, TFS groups, related guard intervals, bandwidths, and transmission modes for multiple cells within the digital video broadcast system. The fields may include: a cell identifier field, a TFS-group identifier field, a bandwidth field, a guard interval field, a transmission mode field, a frequency field, a cell identifier extension field, and a transposer frequency field.
US08261307B1
A wireless multimedia content brokerage service can provide for real time selective content extraction in a manner that allows users to easily obtain, at a mobile device, one or more portions of a real time multimedia composite content presentation. The brokerage service ensures that the experience is transparent from the point of view of the user, and additionally does not require any specific interaction between the user and the display, or interaction between the user and the content service provider (or providers). Instead, the brokerage service handles the transactional details involved in subscribing to content and in obtaining, formatting, and forwarding content to the mobile device. Additionally, since the content of interest is not forwarded from the display itself and since some embodiments of the system do not rely on any interactivity at the display to identify the display device or content, relatively unsophisticated display devices can be used.
US08261301B2
A broadcast receiver and a method for managing reserved recording information are disclosed. If a cell for a reserved recording list is added to an EPG (Electronic Program Guide), a user can easily check, modify, or delete all information associated with the reserved recording on the EPG, such that the user can conveniently manage the reserved recording information on the EPG. A method for managing reserved recording information of a broadcast receiver includes the steps of: a) receiving a reserved recording signal of a specific program; b) storing reserved recording information of the program on the basis of the reserved recording signal; and c) loading the stored reserved recording information, inserting the loaded reserved recording information into a pre-stored Electronic Program Guide (EPG), and creating an EPG-reserved recording list.
US08261298B2
A disk loading device of a slot-in optical disk drive comprises two loading levers to load and eject a disk, wherein the two loading levers are connected to a pivot pin; and a guide slot having a right recess and a left recess, wherein the pivot pin is moveable along the guide slot.
US08261296B2
Creating interoperability between a calling entity and an external service includes configuring an invocation channel using codeless process, designating the external service, passing source data from the calling entity to the invocation channel, the invocation channel formatting the data, invoking a connection to the external service, and passing the data over the connection to the external service.
US08261292B2
If a new device object matching at least a portion of device information concerning a device of an existing device object is detected, the device information of the existing device object is acquired, and the existing device object is deleted. Device information of the new device object is updated by using the acquired device information.
US08261284B2
Various technologies and techniques are disclosed that provide fast context switching. One embodiment provides a method for a context switch comprising preloading a host virtual machine context in a first portion of a processor, operating a guest virtual machine in a second portion of the processor, writing parameters of the host virtual machine context to a memory location shared by the host virtual machine and the guest virtual machine, and operating the host virtual machine in the processor. In this manner, a fast context switch may be accomplished by preloading the new context in a virtual processor, thus reducing the delay to switch to the new context.
US08261282B1
Techniques introduced here allow restoration of a virtual machine container using resources of a host least likely to suffer a performance impact from additional loading associated with the restoration of the virtual container. In particular, a protection manager controls the restoration process. Restoration of virtual machine containers is accomplished without overloading any one hosting system where multiple such hosting systems are executing a plurality of virtual machines.
US08261267B2
A mapping data generator determines a virtual page number of a virtual page where an executable code in an object file is mapped. A virtual page manager manages a virtual page record containing the virtual page number, a first object ID corresponding to the virtual page number, and a detection flag indicative of existence of another virtual page record containing a second object ID identical with the first object ID. A machine page manager manages a machine page record containing the first object ID, and a machine page number to which the virtual page number is mapped. A sharable page detector determines whether a detection flag indicates existence of another virtual page record containing the first object ID and determines whether a machine page number has been set. A page mapper maps a set machine page number to the virtual page number of the access page.
US08261266B2
A system and a method are provided. Performance and capacity statistics, with respect to an application executing on one or more VMs, may be accessed and collected. The collected performance and capacity statistics may be analyzed to determine an improved hardware profile for efficiently executing the application on a VM. VMs with a virtual hardware configuration matching the improved hardware profile may be scheduled and deployed to execute the application. Performance and capacity statistics, with respect to the VMs, may be periodically analyzed to determine whether a threshold condition has occurred. When the threshold condition has been determined to have occurred, performance and capacity statistics, with respect to VMs having different configurations corresponding to different hardware profiles, may be automatically analyzed to determine an updated improved hardware profile. VMs for executing the application may be redeployed with virtual hardware configurations matching the updated improved profile.
US08261265B2
A virtual-machine-based system provides a control-transfer mechanism to invoke a user-mode application handler from existing virtual hardware directly, without going through an operating system kernel running in the virtual machine. A virtual machine monitor calls directly to the guest user-mode handler and the handler transfers control back to the virtual machine monitor, without involving the guest operating system.
US08261262B2
A method, system, and apparatus for installing software components are provided. The method includes a terminal which receives a software component package delivered by a Device Management (DM) server directly or a download address of the component package and a command instructing to download delivered by the DM server, where the software component package contains more than one software component; if the terminal receives the download address and the command instructing to download, the terminal downloads the software component package from the download address; the terminal installs the obtained software component package locally and generates management nodes and subnodes of the management nodes corresponding to the software components under a Deployed subtree of the Software Component Management Object (SCOMO) of the terminal.
US08261259B2
Improved techniques which enable a user of a terminal to select a printer, without a priori knowledge of available printers, for printing a print job are provided. A map indicating locations of available printing devices is retrieved from a back-end server based on user information or other information retrieved from the user, and provided to the user terminal for user selection of an appropriate printing device.
US08261258B1
Systems and techniques to provide for software installation. In general, in one implementation, the technique includes receiving a manifest, the manifest including a reference to one or more applications to be installed, obtaining an installer associated with an application, and using the associated installer to install the application on a target system, the application and the associated installer not being provided in the manifest.
US08261256B1
System and method for automatically updating the software of a networked personal audiovisual device
A method for automatically updating software executed by an electronic device is disclosed herein. The method includes receiving, at the electronic device, an update indication from a server that updated software is available for the electronic device. The method further includes modifying, in response to the update indication, a boot state of the electronic device and initiating operation of the electronic device in an update mode. The updated software is received, at the electronic device, during operation in the update mode. The method further includes initiating, upon determining the updated software has been correctly received, operation of the electronic device in a normal mode.
US08261252B2
A method and system for converting application code into optimized application code or into execution code suitable for execution on a computation engine with an architecture comprising at least a first and a second level of data memory units are disclosed. In one aspect, the method comprises obtaining application code, the application code comprising data transfer operations between the levels of memory units. The method further comprises converting at least a part of the application code. The converting of application code comprises scheduling of data transfer operations from a first level of memory units to a second level of memory units such that accesses of data accessed multiple times are brought closer together in time than in the original code. The converting of application code further comprises, after the scheduling of the data transfer operations, deciding on layout of the data in the second level of memory units to improve the data layout locality such that data which is accessed closer together in time is also brought closer together in the layout than in the original code.
US08261247B2
In a method of modifying code of a running computer program so as to modify the running computer program without having to restart the running computer program for changes to the running computer program to take effect, the improvement is disclosed of: (a) comparing differences in the running program's running binary code versus object code produced by compiling the running program's source code and (b) using the results of step (a), determining what values to use for symbols in said changes to the program. The compiling may be performed using either the compiler originally used to compile the running program or a different compiler. A data storage medium having instructions stored therein for a computer to perform the improved method is also disclosed.
US08261246B1
Improved techniques for automatic (or dynamic) updating (or maintaining) of file groups in a developer environment that stores and executes files are disclosed. The automatic update to file groups can occur when additional files are added to or removed from the developer environment. The automatic update to file groups can also occur when previously stored files are otherwise altered.
US08261238B2
Real user input targeting an application under test is blocked to prevent interference with a test. A shield window can be placed in front of an application-under-test window to intercept input destined for the application. Users can be notified of interception or a failed attempt to access the application. Furthermore, the shield window can be employed to provide feedback about the test including pointer movement and area focus.
US08261235B2
The invention relates to the field of source code development and in particular a method and system for generating a tutorial application from one or more selected source code elements. The invention provides for a user to select one or source code elements and one or more data elements to be tagged to one or more source code elements. The selected source code elements are tagged using a mark-up language and a tutorial application is generated displaying the tagged selected source code elements and the data elements.
US08261230B2
A system for optimizing a current overload protection circuit includes an input device, a data storage device, a central processing device, and a display. The central processing device includes a storage module, a control module, and a calculation module. The storage module stores a VI application therein. The control module receives instructions from the input device and selects virtual electronic components of the current overload protection circuit from the data storage device and connection of the selected electronic components. The current overload protection circuit is completed and run in the VI application; electronic components significantly affecting the maximum protection current are labeled. The calculation module calculates normal distribution samples of the current overload protection circuit based on the labeled electronic components. The display shows whether the current overload protection circuit meets a process capability standard.
US08261227B2
A circuit design, responsive the input signals, may be obtained and processed. The circuit design may define connections between combinational elements, memory elements, and input signals. Identification of cut-off points may be performed with respect to predetermined combinational logic input signals. The cut-off points may be connections whose values are not dependant on the value of the predetermined combinational logic input signals. An approximated circuit design may be synthesized by relaxing the logic associated with the cut-off points. Based on the approximated circuit design, processing may be performed. In some exemplary embodiments, a clock gating function of a memory element may be determined by approximating the circuit design with respect to the output signal of the memory element. The clock gating function may be determined based on the approximated circuit design and introduced to the circuit design, with or without additional refinement.
US08261224B2
Components are inserted into a cell-based current chin design with multiple levels of nested hierarchy. A selection of components having various silicon densities to insert into the current chip design is received. The components are inserted into the current chip design such that the components do not touch or overlap existing circuits or silicon shapes in the current chip design. The components are inserted such that components having highest silicon densities are placed further away from the existing circuits or silicon shapes than components having lower silicon densities.
US08261223B2
A placer produces a global placement plan specifying positions of cell instances and orientations of macros within an integrated circuit (IC) by initially clusterizing cell instances and macros to form a pyramidal hierarchy of blocks. Then the placer iteratively repeats the declusterization and routability improvement process from the highest level to the lowest level of the hierarchy. An objective function is provided in Cartesian coordinate for representing the position of each movable instance and in polar coordinate for representing the orientation of a macro relative to its the center. For each movable instance and each rotatable macro, its position or orientation is determined by conjugate gradient method to minimize total wire length. Finally, the placer uses a look-ahead legalization technique to rotate rotatable macros to legal orientations and move cell instances to legal positions in the end of global placement.
US08261214B2
A graph in which patterns are each regarded as nodes and nodes of patterns adjacent to each other at a first distance are connected with each other by an edge is produced, each of the patterns is classified into two types so that the two patterns corresponding to the nodes at both ends of the edge are types different to each other, a classification result is corrected by grouping the patterns in each node cluster connected by the edge or each node cluster connected via the node by the edge, and by inverting each of types of a pattern belonging to a same group as that of one pattern, out of a pair of patterns that are classified into a same type and that belong to respectively different groups adjacent to each other at a second distance, and a pattern layout diagram is created based on the corrected classification result.
US08261213B2
Techniques involving gestures and other functionality are described. In one or more implementations, the techniques describe gestures that are usable to provide inputs to a computing device. A variety of different gestures are contemplated, including bimodal gestures (e.g., using more than one type of input) and single modal gestures. Additionally, the gesture techniques may be configured to leverage these different input types to increase the amount of gestures that are made available to initiate operations of a computing device.
US08261212B2
A computing system for displaying a GUI element on a natural user interface is described herein. The computing system includes a display configured to display a natural user interface of a program executed on the computing system, and a gesture sensor configured to detect a gesture input directed at the natural user interface by a user. The computing system also includes a processor configured to execute a gesture-recognizing module for recognizing a registration phase, an operation phase, and a termination phase of the gesture input, and a gesture assist module configured to first display a GUI element overlaid upon the natural user interface in response to recognition of the registration phase. The GUI element includes a visual or audio operation cue to prompt the user to carry out the operation phase of the gesture input, and a selector manipulatable by the user via the operation phase of the gesture.
US08261205B2
A user interface allows a user to access media items by selecting from a list of thumbnail items associated with the media items. Various techniques are used to reduce the latency times when displaying the list of thumbnail items in the user interface. When the list is initially displayed, for example, the thumbnail items may be loaded into memory according to how far they are from a currently displayed portion of the list, rather than always starting from the top of the list. In addition, if not all of the thumbnail items can be loaded at one time, when the list window is scrolled, the thumbnail items relatively far from a current scroll position of the list are purged so that the items closer to the current scroll position may be loaded.
US08261185B2
Described herein are systems and methods for constructing linear representations of content based networks. The methods comprise receiving a sub-network of a content based network comprising a plurality of fragments connected by one or more links, calculating fragment weight for at least some of the plurality of fragments, calculating link weight for at least one of the one or more links, creating a hierarchical structure from the sub-network, based on at least some of the calculated fragment weights and at least some of the calculated link weights, and converting the hierarchical structure to a linear representation. The linear representation may be augmented by additional overview information such as table of contents and index, which may be automatically generated.
US08261183B2
The invention provides embodiments of a method an apparatus for dynamic management of distributed context. Each of a plurality of sticky notes can be associated with contextual information corresponding to a first context in which the virtual sticky note was posted. A request to access at least one of the virtual sticky notes can be received. A second context in which the request was generated can be identified. At least one of the virtual sticky notes that is associated with contextual information that corresponds to the second context can be identified. The identified virtual sticky note(s) can be communicated for presentation to a user.
US08261182B1
Techniques for annotating an electronic document in an electronic document application are described. A request to add an annotation to an electronic document application is received. An annotation template for the requested annotation is retrieved. The annotation template is external to the electronic document application and the electronic document and includes fixed content, associated instructions defining variable content, and layout information for the fixed and variable content. The associated instructions are executed to define the variable content for an instance of the requested annotation. The instance of the annotation is applied to the electronic document. The annotation instance has an appearance defined by the variable content, the fixed content and the layout information.
US08261178B2
An embodiment of the present invention relates to a method, system, or program that automatically associates background music with an image slideshow. The embodiment can receive a selected image collection, extract metadata from the image collection, and associate audio files with the image collection based on the metadata. The embodiment will then prompt concurrent playing of the audio file while the image collection is displayed. The metadata identifies a theme for the image collection which can form the basis for associating the audio file with the image collection.
US08261176B2
Systems and methods to perform polynomial division are disclosed. In a particular embodiment, the method includes receiving a codeword and storing a portion of the received codeword at a register. The portion of the received codeword has a first number of terms. A divisor having a second number of terms is also received. During at least one stage of a multi-stage polynomial division operation using the portion of the codeword and the divisor, the portion of the received codeword to be divided by the divisor is adjusted based on a result of a comparison of the first number to the second number.
US08261173B2
One embodiment of the invention features a programmable gain stage in analog update circuitry to overcome the accuracy limitation of the circuit gain and the maintenance of small finite number of possible sequence estimates.
US08261169B2
The invention is embodied for solving a problem of occurrence of degradation of the reception characteristic caused by the interference signal component if a symbol making a determination error is contained or if an error factor caused by a propagation channel estimation error or a hardware error (carrier frequency error, sampling frequency error) is contained at the interference canceling time in a wireless communication apparatus for iteratively decoding and receiving a spatial multiplex signal. A wireless communication apparatus 100 according to the invention has an error estimator 13 for estimating an error of a replica signal at the interference canceling time and a weighter 14 for weighting likelihood information for a spatial multiplex signal separated and combined after interference is canceled based on output of the error estimator 13, whereby if an error of the replica signal at the interference canceling time is contained, a good reception characteristic can be provided.
US08261157B2
A plurality of logical pages is stored in a MBC flash memory along with corresponding ECC bits, with at least one of the MBC cells storing bits from more than one logical page, and with at least one of the ECC bits applying to two or more of the logical pages. When the pages are read from the memory, the data bits as read are corrected using the ECC bits as read. Alternatively, a joint, systematic or non-systematic ECC codeword is computed for two or more of the logical pages and is stored instead of those logical pages. When the joint codeword is read, the logical bits are recovered from the codeword as read. The scope of the invention also includes corresponding memory devices, the controllers of such memory devices, and also computer-readable storage media bearing computer-readable code for implementing the methods.
US08261156B2
Methods and apparatuses for correcting an error in a data stream that is coded with a line code and an error detection scheme. Information relating to the line code is used to locate at least one possible error character. At least one possible correct character to replace one or more of the at least one possible error character is then identified. Subsequently, the error detection scheme is applied to the data stream updated with one of the at least one possible correct character. If none of the at least one possible correct character results in a valid data stream, an error that is observable by a user is generated.
US08261150B2
In a multi-antenna communication system using LDPC codes, a simple method is used to effectively improve the received quality by performing a retransmittal of less data without restricting applicable LDPC codes. In a case of a non-retransmittal, a multi-antenna transmitting apparatus (100) transmits, from two antennas (114A, 114B) , LDPC encoded data formed by LDPC encoding blocks (102A, 102B). In a case of a retransmittal, the multi-antenna transmitting apparatus (100) uses a transmission method, in which the diversity gain is higher than in the previous transmission, to transmit only a part of the LDPC encoded data as previously transmitted. For example, the only the part of the LDPC encoded data to be re-transmitted is transmitted from the single antenna (114A).
US08261138B2
A test structure for characterizing a production static random access memory (SRAM) array. The test structure includes a characterization circuit having multiple memory cell columns connected in series to form a ring configuration. The characterization circuit is fabricated on a wafer substrate in common with and proximate to a production SRAM array. The characterization circuit preferably includes SRAM cells having a circuit topology substantially identical to the circuit topology of memory cells within the production SRAM array. In one embodiment, the test structure is utilized for characterizing a multi-port memory array and includes multiple memory cell columns connected in series to form a ring oscillator characterization circuit. Each cell column in the characterization circuit includes multiple SRAM cells each having a latching node and multiple data path access nodes. Selection control circuitry selectively enables the multiple data path access nodes for the SRAM cells within the characterization circuit.
US08261137B2
An apparatus and method for efficiently processing memory faults. A faulty memory is exchanged with a spare memory when the total number of faults in the memories is over a threshold. After the switching, when the number of faults in a single cache line is over a threshold, a memory page corresponding to the single cache line is blocked.
US08261132B2
A technical system is broken down into a plurality of subsystems, each of which is allocated a time-dependent distribution function which describes the probability of failure of the respective subsystem. The distribution functions are linked to one another to form a time-dependent system distribution function which describes the probability of failure of the technical system.
US08261131B2
A user of a user computer whose hard disk drive (HDD) is “fried” can press a special key to cause BIOS to automatically gather location information about the computer from its GPS receiver and gather information about the HDD, activate a WWAN transceiver, and automatically send the location and HDD information over the WWAN to a service computer, which may return a location of a nearest service center to the user computer and any other advice including recovery advice for the HDD that the service center might be able to divine from the information sent to it by the user computer.
US08261123B2
An information processing apparatus which manages a document file to be stored includes a creating unit for creating an output job which is output to an image forming apparatus according to an instruction to an icon of the document file displayed on a display unit, a job management unit for managing the output job by relating a job ID for identifying the output job to a file ID of the document file when the output job is created by the creating unit, an acquirement unit for acquiring from the image forming apparatus the job ID of the output job in which processing ends in error, and a first display control unit for changing an icon display state of an a document file including a file ID specified by the job ID acquired by the acquirement unit and the job ID managed by the management unit, from a normal display state to an error display state.
US08261115B2
A processing device may comprise a first controlling unit, a second controlling unit, a first memory and a second memory. The second memory may be set to a normal operation mode in a case where the first controlling unit is in the non-sleeping state, and may be set to a low power consumption mode in a case where the first controlling unit is in the sleeping state. In the case where the first controlling unit is in the sleeping state, the second controlling unit may be configured to perform one of the below processes depending on its condition. If the second controlling unit is to perform a specific process by using a first program, the second controlling unit may perform the specific process on behalf of the first controlling unit by using the first program stored in the first memory while the first controlling unit is maintained in the sleeping state and the second memory is maintained in the low power consumption mode. If the second controlling unit is to perform the specific process by using a second program, the second controlling unit may change a mode of the second memory from the low power consumption mode to the normal operation mode, and perform the specific process on behalf of the first controlling unit by using the second program stored in the second memory, while the first controlling unit is maintained in the sleeping state.
US08261112B2
A method, system, and computer program product for optimizing power consumption of an executing processor executing. The method includes determining a first sensitivity relationship (SR) based on a first and a second performance metric value (PMV) measured at a first and second operating frequency (OF), respectively. The first SR predicts workload performance over a range of OFs. A third OF is determined based on the first SR and a specified workload performance floor. A third PMV is measured by executing the processor operating at the third OF. A second SR based on the second and third PMVs is then determined. The first and second SRs are logically combined to generate a third SR. Based on the third SR, a fourth OF is outputted.
US08261110B2
A data processing apparatus 100, to reduce power consumption for processing and wirelessly transmitting continuous data to a data reproducing apparatus 200, comprises a first signal processing unit 120 processing data stored in a data storage unit 110, a first wireless communication unit 140 wirelessly transmitting the processed data to the data reproducing apparatus, a signal processing control unit 150 controlling the first signal processing unit 120 so as to work intermittently by processing at a speed faster than real-time processing, a clock/power control unit 160 controlling supplies of clock and power to the first signal processing unit 120 and the signal processing control unit 150 during a non-operating period of the intermittent operation, and a start-up control unit 180 requesting a release of restrictions to the clock/power control unit 160 and a transfer to an operating time period of the intermittent operation to the signal processing control unit 150 based on the amount of data stored in a received data storage unit 230.
US08261109B2
A peripheral device and a method for operating a peripheral device is disclosed. The peripheral device includes one or more connection mechanisms for coupling to a computing device, a power supply, and a controller. The controller is configured to enable the peripheral device to communicate with the computing device. When the peripheral device is coupled to the computing device, the controller is configured to determine the amount of power remaining in the power supply of the peripheral device, and based at least in part on the amount of power remaining in the power supply of the peripheral device, enable the peripheral device to charge a power supply of the computing device, and enable the peripheral device to receive power from the power supply of the computing device.
US08261105B2
The invention relates to a switching power circuit connected to a motherboard of a computer system. The switching power circuit includes a PWM circuit and a snubber circuit. The PWM circuit includes a phase terminal, and it may output an output voltage to the motherboard via the phase terminal. The snubber circuit includes a zener diode. A negative terminal of the zener diode is connected to the phase terminal, and a positive terminal is connected to the ground terminal. The level of a breakdown voltage of the zener diode is equal to the level of the output voltage in a steady state.
US08261100B2
Power adapter capable of communicating digitally with electronic devices using packet-based protocol
A power adapter capable of communicating digitally with a device or a legacy adapter associated with a device is described. The power adapter includes an input port to receive power from a power source, a regulator to convert the received power from the power source, an output port configured to deliver power from the regulator to a device, and a microprocessor configured to communicate digitally with a communication module associated with the device to determine the power requirements of the device. The regulator converts the power from the power source in accordance with the power requirements of the device. A related method of adapting power to a device is also described.
US08261096B2
An information processing apparatus, an information recording medium, an information processing method, and a computer program are provided.In an information recording medium storing many pieces of content, a configuration that allows use management on segmented content basis is provided. A plurality of content management units corresponding to title, index and other information are set by partitioning stored content in an information recording medium. Different unit keys that are encryption keys are allocated to different content management units. At least the content real data included in each content management unit is encrypted by use of the unit key and the encrypted data is stored. In content reproduction, units are identified and decryption is executed by use of a unit key corresponding to each unit for reproduction. In an information recording medium storing many pieces of content for example, each of segmented pieces of content may be managed.
US08261093B1
A system, method, and computer program product are provided for disabling a communication channel during authentication. In operation, an authentication request for an authentication event is detected. Furthermore, a communication channel is disabled, in response to the authentication event.
US08261092B2
An image retrieval system that provides secured image data in response to a query specified by a user. The system includes a data retrieval unit, an encryption unit, and an output unit. The data retrieval unit is configured to retrieve image data relevant to the specified query from a collection of image data. The encryption unit is configured to encrypt at least a portion of the retrieved image data according to the specified query. The output unit is configured to output the at least partially encrypted image data to the user. The image data represents an image formed of one or more regions each having a keyword associated therewith. The encrypted portion is decryptable by the user only when the user is authorized to view the entire image.
US08261087B2
The DigiPass for the Web provides security for internet communication greater than that achieved by the use of a static password without requiring the user to install any software or to possess or use dedicated hardware of any kind. The user merely access an appropriate website which downloads an applet to the user's browser. This is a conventional function which is handled by the browser and does not require any expertise on the part of the user. The browser relies on a password known only to the user for authenticating the user to the browser/applet. The browser/applet interacts with the server to create an authentication key which is then stored on the user's computer. The user can invoke the authentication key dependent on the user's presentation to the browser/applet of the password. Since the password is not used outside the user-browser/applet interaction it is not subject to attacks by hackers. The authentication key is also protected from attacks by encryption although the user need not memorize any information other than the password.
US08261075B2
The present invention is directed to an architecture and mechanism for securely backing up files and directories on a local machine onto untrusted servers over an insecure network.
US08261073B2
Provided are a digital rights management (DRM) method and apparatus, and more particularly, a DRM method and apparatus which can support different DRMs and use various digital content. The DRM method includes receiving a hello message request from a host device; comparing information included in the hello message request to information stored in advance; generating an error code when the hello message request contains unsupported information; and generating a hello message response that contains the error code.
US08261072B2
Aspects of the present invention include a method and system for generating a secure access code at a remote device in communication with a computer system having a secure storage device; conveying the secure access code to the system secure storage device; receiving the secure access code at the system secure storage device with unique data characteristics associated with remote device; and, securely providing content to the remote device.
US08261068B1
A method is provided for providing an operating system (OS) independent input/output (I/O) filter driver capable of encrypting at least a portion of a logical unit (LUN), the method comprising the unordered steps of: providing an I/O filter driver component to an I/O stack for a host in communication with the LUN; determining, based at least in part on at least one of OS requirements and an arrangement of data on the LUN, at least one region in the LUN that contains data that is used below the I/O filter driver in an I/O stack on the host; and performing at least one of a read and a write of the one or more regions while keeping the one or more regions in plaintext, while permitting other regions of the LUN to be at least one of encrypted and decrypted.
US08261066B2
An algorithm (such as the MD5 hash function) is applied to a file to produce an intrinsic unique identifier (IUI) for the file (or message digest). The file is encrypted using its IUI as the key for the encryption algorithm. An algorithm is then applied to the encrypted file to produce an IUI for the encrypted file. The encrypted file is safely stored or transferred within a network and is uniquely identifiable by its IUI. The encrypted file is decrypted using the IUI of the plaintext file as the key. The IUI serves as both a key to decrypt the file and also as verification that the integrity of the plaintext file has not been compromised. IUIs for any number of such encrypted files may be assembled into a descriptor file that includes meta data for each file, the IUI of the plaintext file and the IUI of the encrypted file. An algorithm is applied to the descriptor file to produce an IUI for the descriptor file. The plaintext descriptor file is then encrypted using the descriptor file IUI as a key for the encryption algorithm. An algorithm is applied to the encrypted descriptor file to produce an IUI for the encrypted descriptor file. The IUI of the encrypted descriptor file is a location-independent identifier to locate the encrypted descriptor file. A flattened descriptor file includes the IUIs of encrypted data files and the IUI of the encrypted descriptor file. An algorithm is applied to the flattened descriptor file to produce its own IUI.
US08261061B2
Embodiments of the present invention enable a user to engage in secure communications using digital certificates and other cryptographic technologies in an easy way with a minimum of distracting interaction. In some embodiments of the present invention, webmail is enabled to allow users to obtain and use S/MIME certificates to secure his or her e-mails. Embodiments of the present invention can also be implemented to other forms of messaging, such as text messages, instant messages, etc.
US08261054B2
In one embodiment, the present invention includes a method for receiving a request for a trusted platform module (TPM) operation from a virtual machine, determining whether the request is for a modification of a TPM version, and associating part of a multi-context hardware TPM with a virtual TPM (vTPM) to enable the modification. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08261052B2
A method for storing boot time is performed by a computer product having a programmable read-only memory with a basic/input output system resident therein. The method includes the steps of: (A) while the computer product is in a process of booting, determining whether a command is received; and (B) storing system time information of the computer product as boot time information in the programmable read-only memory of the computer product when it is determined in step (A) that no command is received. This invention takes advantage of the tendency of consumers to not boot the computer product in the event of malfunction. When the malfunctioning computer product is sent to a service center, the repairperson can determine whether the computer product broke down within a warranty period based on latest boot time information stored therein, rather than based on the claims of the consumer.
US08261051B2
A computer includes an application system, a storage device and a basic input output system (BIOS). The application system can be respectively coupled to the storage device and the BIOS, set at least a multimedia file as a preset playing file according to an input instruction and store the preset playing file into the storage device. The application system can further generate a log file according to the input instruction and the storage position of the preset playing file, wherein the log file is sent to the BIOS. The BIOS has a file access module, so that the BIOS can acquire the preset playing file from the storage device according to the log file for playing during booting the computer.
US08261049B1
Systems, apparatuses, and methods for determinative branch prediction indexing are described herein. The determinative branch prediction indexing method includes receiving a program counter address for a branch instruction, dynamically selecting a branch indexing scheme from a plurality of branch indexing schemes, and generating a branch prediction index based at least in part on selected branch indexing scheme and the program counter address. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.
US08261042B2
A signal processing device is adapted for simultaneous processing of at least two process threads in a multi-processing manner. The device comprises a plurality of functional units capable of executing word- or subword-level operations on data. The device further comprises means for interconnecting the plurality of functional units, the means for interconnecting supporting a plurality of dynamically switchable interconnect arrangements, and at least one of the interconnect arrangements interconnects the plurality of functional units into at least two non-overlapping processing units each with a pre-determined topology. The device further comprises at least two control modules each assigned to one of the processing units.
US08261041B2
An example of a device comprises a first MMU converting a logical address into a physical address for a cache, a controller accessing the cache based on the physical address for the cache, a first storage storing history data showing an access state to a main memory outside a processor, a second storage storing relation data showing a relationship between a logical address and a physical address in the main memory, and a second MMU converting a logical address into a physical address for the main memory based on the history and relation data and accessing the main memory based on the physical address for the main memory. The first and second MMU, controller, first storage, second storage are included in the processor.
US08261040B2
A data storage device is provided, including a first data storage device electrically storing write data, a second data storage device magnetically storing write data, and a controller partitioning write data into first and second write data portions. The first write data portion is programmed to the first data storage device and the second write data portion if magnetically written to the second data storage device at the same time.
US08261025B2
Memory sharing in a software pipeline on a network on chip (‘NOC’), the NOC including integrated processor (‘IP’) blocks, routers, memory communications controllers, and network interface controllers, with each IP block adapted to a router through a memory communications controller and a network interface controller, where each memory communications controller controlling communications between an IP block and memory, and each network interface controller controlling inter-IP block communications through routers, including segmenting a computer software application into stages of a software pipeline, the software pipeline comprising one or more paths of execution; allocating memory to be shared among at least two stages including creating a smart pointer, the smart pointer including data elements for determining when the shared memory can be deallocated; determining, in dependence upon the data elements for determining when the shared memory can be deallocated, that the shared memory can be deallocated; and deallocating the shared memory.
US08261024B1
From among a plurality of threads accessing a shared data object, one thread acquires a “master” status to arbitrate among the requests of competing threads during a given session of data access to the shared data object. During the session, the master thread resolves any conflicts resulting from attempts to access or modify the shared data object by other threads, and only the master thread may apply modifications to the shared data object during the session. Meanwhile, during the session, non-master threads may perform non-blocking read operations on the shared data object. During a subsequent session, a different thread may acquire master status.
US08261020B2
In response to a request including a state object, which can indicate a state of an enumeration of a cache, the enumeration can be continued by using the state object to identify and send cache data. Also, an enumeration of cache units can be performed by traversing a data structure that includes object nodes, which correspond to cache units, and internal nodes. An enumeration state stack can indicate a current state of the enumeration, and can include state nodes that correspond to internal nodes in the data structure. Additionally, a cache index data structure can include a higher level table and a lower level table. The higher level table can have a leaf node pointing to the lower level table, and the lower level table can have a leaf node pointing to one of the cache units. Moreover, the lower level table can be associated with a tag.
US08261018B2
A method, system and computer program product for managing data storage systems. The data storage system being coupled to a volume storage pool as data storage resource, the data storage system presenting at least one virtual volume as a storage resource to a host device, the method for managing the data storage system comprising collecting the volume storage pool occupancy and the virtual volume consumption; trending the volume storage pool and the virtual volumes consumption; forecasting the volume storage pool occupancy and virtual volume consumption; and recommending at least one action based on the forecasted values of storage pool occupancy data and virtual volume consumption data. The method may further comprise detecting a rapid increase or surge in the volume storage pool occupancy data.
US08261013B2
A method for addressing a memory having a plurality of flash memory chips organized in erasable blocks, which in turn contain writable sectors, and where an erase counter is associated with each memory block. The overwriting of the sectors occurs by way of alternative memory blocks searched in the same chip for low erase counter values, as long as a threshold value of the erase counter is not exceeded. The copying operations are conducted efficiently using a copy command internal to the memory chip. As soon as the threshold value is exceeded, alternative memory blocks are searched in other memory chips as well.
US08261008B2
The invention discloses a NAND flash controller, including a command and address data transmission channel adapted to connect the bus timing interface with the channel selector and transmit command and address data, a data buffer region adapted to receive message data from the bus timing interface through system bus, a control register adapted to receive an operation parameter configured through system bus via the bus timing interface, a logic controller adapted to write the data information into or read the data information from the data buffer region according to the operation parameter, a channel selector adapted to connect the DMA data transmission channel or the command and address data transmission channel according to the operation parameter for transmitting data. The invention also discloses a date exchange method between NAND flash controller and NAND flash memory. The invention improves the data transmission efficiency and is compatible with various NAND flash memories.
US08261002B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide a unique capability of implementing a pair of pseudo-PHY interfaces using a bridge. From the host and device perspectives, the host and device communicate through a PHY interface. The bridge, however, avoids actually using a USB PHY interface. This PHY-less bridge allows communication between a host and a device at high speeds without high-power transceivers associated with a USB PHY interface. In accordance with the present invention, a host and a device may be coupled together using a PHY-less bridge using the same interface or translating between different interfaces by using a wrapper. Such PHY-less bridges include a UTMI-to-UTMI bridge, a UTMI-to-ULPI bridge, a ULPI-to-UTMI bridge and a ULPI-to-ULPI bridge, each avoiding the need for a USB PHY interface.
US08260999B2
In general, the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in methods, system and program products. A mobile computing device determines that the mobile computing device has physically paired with a docking system. Wireless communication between the mobile computing device and the docking system is automatically established in response to said determining that the mobile computing device has physically paired with the docking system. Data that encodes an audio signal is transmitted, by the mobile computing device and to the docking system as part of the wireless communication, so as to cause speakers of the docking system to audibly output the audio signal from the mobile computing device.
US08260992B2
An apparatus includes a plurality of data lines defining a data bus for communicating data. A controller is operable to communicate a plurality of data transfers over the data bus using a plurality of data time slots, wherein for at least a subset of the data time slots the controller is operable to communicate an associated data bus inversion indicator indicating that bits communicated during the associated data time slot are inverted, the data bus inversion indicators for the subset of the data transfers are grouped into a data bus inversion vector, and the controller is operable to communicate a global data bus inversion indicator indicating an inversion of the data bus inversion vector.
US08260989B2
One embodiment of the present invention is a sensor comprising one or more sensing devices, data-transmission components that transmit sensor data to a receiving component, and a processing component. The processing component executes routines to record sensing-device output as data for transmission to the receiving entity and to control the data-transmission components to transmit the data to the receiving entity. The processing component executes one or more compressing routines to compress data prior to transmission, when data compression is estimated to result in a lower power cost than transmitting uncompressed data, and controlling the data-transmission components to transmit data without compressing the data when data compression is estimated to result in a higher power cost than transmitting uncompressed data.
US08260984B2
A serial communication device has: a MAC (Media Access Control), a mask circuit and a buffer. The MAC conforms to Serial Media Independent Interface specification and outputs an identical segment data for plural times within a unit period. The mask circuit is configured to mask a predetermined segment data out of the plurality of identical segment data and to output the other segment data out of the plurality of identical segment data. The buffer is configured to receive the segment data output from the mask circuit and to output the received segment data to a physical layer device in synchronization with a clock signal.
US08260983B2
A recording and/or reproducing apparatus includes a plurality of devices in which a first device has a connecting unit connected with a host device to perform a data transfer with the host device, a second device shares a temporarily recording area with the first device to perform the data transfer between the first and second devices via the temporarily recording area, and the data transfer is performed by using the temporarily recording area shared with the first device and using the connecting unit of the first device when the second device performs the data transfer with the host device, in this way, a power consumption is reduced.
US08260979B2
A method and apparatus for providing bidirectional signaling in a bus topology is provided. The bus topology allows more than two electrical circuits or devices to be coupled together along one or more common electrical conductors. For each device on the bus, a transmit buffer is preferably provided for every other device on the bus with which it will communicate. One or more logic circuits, for example, a scheduler, is provided to coordinate exchange transactions between pairs of devices. Time delays are preferably provided between exchange transactions of different device pairs so as to prevent interference. Coherency checking is preferably implemented to avoid discrepancies introduced by information being held in a buffer pending an exchange transaction.
US08260965B2
A method and system to provide a blog by using a mobile terminal, and a mobile blog (MB) caster therefor, the method including: receiving blog data including one or more pieces of downsized data from an MB caster; selecting a piece of downsized data from among the one or more pieces of downsized data; obtaining metadata corresponding to the selected piece of downsized data; accessing a web blog server; and downloading original data corresponding to the metadata from the web blog server. Since the blog is created and provided by using the downsized data, instead of the original data, a blog server operation can be realized by using only existing mobile devices. Furthermore, the mobile terminal does not have to be connected to the Internet (or the web blog server) for a blog service. Also, it is possible to provide the blog at very high speed.
US08260962B1
A device may include a donor to maintain a pool of addresses; a group of borrowers to obtain addresses from the donor; a daemon that has registered an interest in one or more borrowers in the group of borrowers; and a library to maintain first relationships between donors and borrowers that have obtained addresses from the donors, maintain second relationships between daemons and borrowers in which the daemons have registered an interest, receive a notification regarding an incident associated with the donor, identify, in response to the notification, the group of borrowers based on the first relationships, determine that the daemon has registered an interest in the one or more borrowers in the group of borrowers based on the second relationships, and output, to the daemon, a notification regarding the incident associated with the donor.
US08260958B2
A load balancer, comprising a network interface, a power conservation unit, and a routing module configured to route client requests received through the network interface to a plurality of servers. The power conservation unit is characterized by having a learning mode and a routing mode. In the learning mode one or more operation parameters of the servers are determined for a plurality of different external conditions and for a plurality of different values of one or more operation parameters of the routing module, and to generate a correlation table between the operation parameters of the routing module and the external conditions. In the routing mode the power conservation unit adjusts the operation parameters of the routing module responsive to the external conditions, using the correlation table.
US08260947B2
A media delivery apparatus for relaying media data streaming-delivered from a server to a client terminal through a network, including a receiving portion for receiving packets transmitted from the server to the network when stream-delivering the media data, and a storage device, wherein: each of the packets contains at least one media data element as a split of the media data and is constructed according to a certain protocol; and the receiving portion extracts the media data element, generates information necessary for reconstructing a packet having the same construction as that of the packet containing the media data and stores the necessary information in addition to the extracted media data in the storage device.
US08260944B2
The present invention discloses a system for implementing a software application programming interface (API) within a session initiation protocol (SIP) servlet. Such a system can utilize a state machine, a SIP servlet configured to execute the state machine, and an enterprise service bus (ESB). The state machine can be configured to send and receive a series of communications and can be defined in a definition document. The series of communications can represent the execution of a software function defined within an API. The SIP servlet can select a state machine based upon an indicator contained within a received SIP message. The ESB can be configured to execute a system function in response to communications with the state machine.
US08260942B2
A system and method of constructing cluster views may involve determining that a process such as an application server process having an IP address is stopped. Another IP address may be assigned to the process in response to determining that the process is stopped, wherein the other IP address is dedicated to processes that are stopped. If a connection request for the process is received at the other IP address, the connection request may be actively refused. The active refusal may significantly reduce the amount of time required to generate cluster views.
US08260935B2
Systems, methods, and devices for novel error detection and retransmission processes are described. These processes may be implemented on intermediate communication links between two end terminals, wherein the intermediate links are via satellite. Error control mechanisms to detect and retransmit lost or corrupted frames may be implemented at the network layer, or between the network and data link layers. Processes for discovering error control protocol-aware terminals are described. Features of these error control processes may include a configurable delay limit, tailored to traffic type or class.
US08260934B2
A remoting client and a remoting server are described. In one embodiment, the remoting client has a client remote access application comprising an application programming interface (API), and a client invoker coupled to the client remote access application, the socket invoker comprising a multiplex invoker. The multiplex invoker is to form a socket on the remoting client, to bind the socket to a port of the remoting client, to couple the socket to a socket of a remoting server, to form a plurality of virtual sockets on the remoting client, and to associate the plurality of virtual sockets with the socket of the remoting client. The plurality of virtual sockets share the socket and the port of the remoting client.
US08260928B2
A method includes generating a space information value for each of a plurality of spaces based on at least one environmental condition measurement for the corresponding space. Each space includes one or more computing devices. The space information value includes information regarding the relative suitability of a corresponding space for accepting computing load. The method also includes determining an allocation of additional computing load based on the space information values.
US08260926B2
The present invention provides systems and methods for maintaining site persistence in a hierarchical Global Server Load Balancing (GSLB) deployment. Via configuration of GSLB services locally and remotely on each of the GSLB appliances and LB appliances at a site, a site appliance identifies and associates requests from the GSLB with the site. Furthermore, the site appliance may receive a GSLB cookie with the client request and confirms the request is from the expected GSLB in the site hierarchy. When the load balancers receives a response from a server, the appliance may include the GSLB cookie with the response back to the client. The appliance may also include an LB cookie to identify the server selected by the LB. When the client sends another request, the request may include the GSLB and LB cookie. With this information, the GSLB and LB appliance may maintain site persistence for the client as well as server persistence at the site.
US08260923B2
A server system has a blade system formed of a plurality of servers that are mounted in one or a plurality of stages within a single chassis so as to have a plurality of different functions, and a management server for managing said blade system. The management server has means for grouping the plurality of mounted servers to manage for each function, means for managing the deployment of the plurality of servers within the chassis, and deployment changing means for changing the functions of the plurality servers and transposing the functions to change the deployment of the servers within the chassis. Thus, the deployment changing means makes the servers of each of the plurality of functions be arrayed in regular order within the chassis.
US08260921B2
A demand forecasting system and a demand forecasting method capable of forecasting demands for IT resources in a data center accurately are provided. The demand forecasting system includes: a classification unit that classifies a plurality of users who use IT resources in a data center into a plurality of user's behavior classes; an event characteristics model generation unit that generates an event characteristics model representing a variation over time in a usage state of the IT resources caused by an event and the number of the users moving among the user's behavior classes caused by the event; an event influence calculation unit that calculates a predicted value of the variation over time in a usage state of the IT resources and a predicted value of the number of the users moving among the user's behavior classes that will be caused by an event scheduled to be held in the future using the event characteristics model; and a demand forecasting unit that calculates a variation in load on the IT resources.
US08260911B2
A dispatching method for polling device data. The method comprises: sorting managed devices according to their types, sorting various types of data of each device so as to form different modules, and assigning a priority attribute and a polling period attribute to each module; dividing the managed devices into two sets: one set consisting of devices to be polled and the other set consisting of devices whose connection states need to be detected; and polling each module in the set consisting of devices to be polled according to its priority and polling period periodically. Different polling periods can be set and different polling policies can be applied according to data changeability. Polling policies can be changed in real time and flexibly based on the condition of devices.
US08260909B2
A system that determines whether a data element exists within a set of data elements observed from a stream of data. During operation, the system receives a query which seeks to determine whether the data element exists within a set of data elements observed from a stream of data. In response to the query, the system performs a lookup in an enhanced Bloom filter to determine whether the pattern of data elements was observed in the stream of data, wherein the enhanced Bloom filter includes multiple instances of a Bloom filter, and wherein each instance of the Bloom filter is associated with a different time interval. If so, the system generates a notification that the data element was observed.
US08260906B1
A system, method and computer program product are provided for heuristically identifying protocols during network analysis utilizing a network analyzer. First provided is a sequencing and reassembly (SAR) engine module for sequencing and/or re-assembling network communications. Coupled to the engine module is a plurality of protocol interpreter modules for interpreting protocols associated with the network communications. At least one of the protocol interpreter modules is adapted for heuristically identifying protocols associated with the network communications.
US08260894B2
A method for adjusting a load among subsystems in a communication network system having a bus network structure, wherein: the communication network system includes a broker processing a message routing, a connector, and a plurality of services which is a communicable terminal node connected to the broker via the connector, and the method includes the steps of: connecting all brokers of the communication network system to each other in a full mesh topology, the broker being a module setting up a routing path or a connection with the connector, to process the message routing; maintaining a broker list recording a network address of each broker in the connector; the connector receiving a service registration message from the service, randomly selecting one broker from the broker list, and transmitting a connection request message.
US08260891B2
A system and method for providing a network boot is provided in which the entire length of the communications link between the client computer and the boot server is secure. Because the communications link between the client and the boot server is secure, an identifier for that uniquely identifies the client can be passed to the boot server, and the boot server is operable to serve a boot image to the client computer on the basis of the uniquely identified client computer.
US08260887B2
Method and device for automatic configuration of an access router 2, compatible with the DHCP protocol, for controlling resources for a client terminal 1, as a function of a profile associated with the terminal client line and an ID identifier of the terminal client line, in a computer network, starting from the configuration phase of the terminal by a DHCP 3 server in the network; the router routing the DHCP traffic of the terminal with the server. The ID identifier, inserted 5 in the DHCPREQUEST message 4 broadcast by the terminal, is used 9 to query 10 a profiles server 11 that transmits 12 the corresponding profile in response; Extraction 14 of the parameters of the transmitted profile 13 configures 15 the router so that it can be able to process terminal flows.
US08260886B2
A method and compiler for compiling hierarchical command based policy rules to a flat filter list structure adapted for storage in a Content Addressable Memory (CAM), wherein the policy rules are organized in a tree-structure of classifiers. First, all of the possible search paths in the tree structure are found, and then only the valid search paths according to defined criteria are added to the flat filter list. The CAM may be a Ternary Content Addressed Memory.
US08260885B2
Bootstrapping an electronic communication device in a communications network by receiving a detection message from a detection source that a new device/subscriber combination is detected by the communications network and sending a notification message with basic device management parameters and subscriber identification to an operator's business system, notifying the operator's business system that a new device/subscriber combination has been detected, and to send—in response to the notification message—an order message to a smartcard management system to update a smartcard of the device with the basic device management parameters.
US08260884B2
To configure a secure bus subscriber connected to a field bus in a secure control system, the secure bus subscriber being assigned a defined subscriber address, the invention provides a method having the following steps: an address allocation message is sent from a control unit connected to the field bus to the secure bus subscriber, the address allocation message comprising the defined subscriber address, the defined subscriber address is stored in a memory in the secure bus subscriber, and an acknowledgement message is sent from the secure bus subscriber to the control unit, the acknowledgement message comprising the defined subscriber address, where the address allocation message is sent on the basis of planning data for the secure bus subscriber connected to the field bus which are stored in the control unit. The invention also provides an appropriate control system.
US08260882B2
A method, system, and apparatus are directed to sharing information over a network. A request to share a multimedia object may be received. A relevance measure may be retrieved based on an identity of the multimedia object. Sharing the network of the multimedia object between an originating sharing member and a plurality of members of a social network may be enabled. A combination of the relevance measure and a hop distance for the shared multimedia object may be provided.
US08260866B2
Upon accepting, from a user B, a new registration of a configuration showing that the user B wishes to receive data via a FAX, a server sets a notification flag to an address book of a user A which includes an address of the user B. Upon accepting a login of the user A, an MFP displays a message to notify the user A of the new registration by the user B, based on the notification flag. The user A, who has notified of the new registration, can transmit the data to the user B with use of the new registration configured by the user B, namely via a FAX. Accordingly, the user B can receive the data via a FAX as the user B wishes.
US08260863B2
A method and computer program product for determining that a user of a client electronic device is in do-not-interrupt mode. A message directed to the user is routed to a client-based storage queue for subsequent delivery.
US08260851B2
An improved system and method for managing data on a handheld electronic device includes a server that periodically pushes data to a particular handheld electronic device, with the data being stored on the handheld electronic device by way of a routine running in the background whereby such reception and storage is generally transparent to a user. The data can be any type of data and may be data that is desired by the user or that fits a profile or preference of the user. The profile can, for instance, be predetermined and/or can be customized by the user and/or can reflect a preference of the user. The data pushed to the handheld electronic device can also be related in some fashion to a geographic disposition of the handheld electronic device. Such pushing of data and storage is managed by a routine running in the background of the handheld electronic device. The routine enables current data to be maintained on the handheld electronic device for ready access by a user.
US08260850B2
A system and method of data programming includes declarative rule-based programming in which a distributed program for computers on a network is defined through tabular structures. The tabular structures can store logic, including data (e.g., primitive variables and dynamic data structures) and code (e.g., arguments and functions) that govern operation of the distributed program.
US08260847B2
A method for scheduling an event over a network in a calendar of an invitee includes creating a schedule request that includes at least a set of details of the event and an identifier if the event creator. The schedule request is sent to a server in communication with the network. The server has access to the calendar of the invitee and a calendar for the event creator. Upon receipt of the schedule request, an event record is created at the server that includes at least the set of details for the event and a link to the invitee's calendar. The event is also added to the calendar of the invitee. The schedule request may be created using a link associated with the event.
US08260833B2
A method allowing for fast mapping between a content identifier (ID) for a media content file and the file path of said media content file includes: dividing a plurality of characters making up the contend ID into a plurality of ordered subsections separated by a separator character, correlating at least one of the subsections with a directory in an electronic file system, and correlating the last of the subsections with a name of the media content file, the media content file being located within a directory correlated with a preceding subsection.
US08260820B2
A method of searching data on heterogeneous databases connected over a network. Configuration data representing the configuration of each database is received. The configuration data includes mapping data associating search terms to data field names in each database. A search request specifying criteria for a search term for data is received from a client. The mapping data is processed to select a data field name in a database, the data field name corresponding to the search term specified in the search request. A search command is generated which is compatible with the database using the data field name. The search command is transmitted to a data provider system associated with the database. Search results are received from the data provider system, which results from the execution of the search command on the database. The search results are processed to generate search report data, and are transmitted to the client terminal.
US08260817B2
The invention relates to topic classification systems in which text intervals are represented as proposition trees. Free-text queries and candidate responses are transformed into proposition trees, and a particular candidate response can be matched to a free-text query by transforming the proposition trees of the free-text query into the proposition trees of the candidate responses. Because proposition trees are able to capture semantic information of text intervals, the topic classification system accounts for the relative importance of topic words, for paraphrases and re-wordings, and for omissions and additions. Redundancy of two text intervals can also be identified.
US08260799B2
The present invention discloses a method and an apparatus for creating a pattern matching state machine and identifying a pattern, and relates to pattern matching technologies. The method includes: obtaining a sub-keyword field after division; generating a state transition (goto) function according to the sub-keyword field; generating a failure function of each state node according to the goto function; generating a next-hop goto function δ of each state node according to the goto function and the failure function; in the process of converting the failure chain, the entry with a failure transition to the initial state is not generated. Therefore, the storage content does not increase massively, the storage structure of the AC algorithm is optimized, and the processing speed of the AC algorithm is improved.
US08260798B2
A method for migrating files including receiving, from a client, a first FS operation request for a target FS, making a first determination that migration for a source FS is not complete and making a second determination that the first FS operation request specifies a directory and that a directory level attribute for the directory on the target FS specifies that the directory on the target FS is un-migrated. In response to the first and second determination obtaining, from the source FS, meta-data for content in the directory and creating, using the meta-data, a directory entry for a file in the directory on the target FS. The method further includes creating an on-disk space map for the file, creating an in-memory space map for the file, and servicing, after creating the on-disk space map and in-memory space map, the first FS operation request using the target FS.
US08260785B2
Links between facts associated with objects are automatically created and maintained in a fact repository. Names of objects are automatically identified in the facts, and collected into a list of names. The facts are then processed to identifying such names in the facts. Identified names are used as anchor text for search links. A search link includes a search query for a service engine which search the fact repository for facts associated with objects having the same name.
US08260784B2
Disclosed is a method of encoding JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) documents in an inverted index, wherein a tree representation of a JSON document is first generated, and, next, the JSON document is shredded into a list of
US08260783B2
A method and system may receive time-series data of each of a plurality of real-time data streams from one or more sensors and create an electronic file based on the plurality of real-time data streams. The plurality of real-time data streams comprises a primary data stream, a low limit data stream, a high limit data stream, and a target value data stream. The electronic file includes a data portion and a metadata portion. The metadata portion of the electronic file comprises, for each of the plurality of data streams, one or more data stream identifiers, a time range, a source type, and a data type, and the data portion comprises the time-series data of each of the plurality of real-time data streams.
US08260780B2
A system protects database operations performed on a shared resource. The system may chunk memory to form a set of memory chunks which have memory blocks, at least some of the memory blocks including database objects. The system may configure at least one binary search tree using the memory chunks as nodes and buffer a set of pointers corresponding to the memory blocks. The system may further validate the buffered pointers and dereference validated buffered pointers.
US08260766B2
A method of processing documents is described. The method includes the operation of receiving a document in a search engine crawler. The document includes an embedded first link tag. The first link tag includes one or more information pairs. A respective information pair includes a respective parameter and a corresponding value. The parameters in the one or more information pairs may correspond to content at one or more content locations or one or more document locations. The method also includes selecting a method of processing content associated with the first link tag in accordance with one or more of the information pairs.
US08260762B2
Example methods and apparatus for storing and providing application runtime data are disclosed. An example method include receiving, at a data list manager, a set of identifiers associated, respectively, with one or more persistently stored structured data records. The example method further includes storing, by the data list manager, the set of identifiers. The example method also includes receiving, at the data list manager, a request for one or more of the structured data records and retrieving, by the data list manager, the one or more requested structured data records. The example method still further includes storing, by the data list manager, the retrieved data records in correspondence with their respective identifiers and providing, by the data list manager, the retrieved data records for display to a user.
US08260748B1
Method and apparatus for capturing data from a backup image are described. In one example, the backup image is mounted on a volume in a host computer. The backup image includes files, a first portion of which include an operating system. A database in the backup image is mounted. The database stores configuration data for use by the operating system. The configuration data includes file paths referencing at least one of the files. The file paths are re-mapped based on the volume. The data is captured from the backup image using the database as mounted and the file paths as re-mapped.
US08260746B2
A computer system having a first storage system which includes a first logical volume and a second logical volume, wherein the second logical volume stores a first differential data item representing a differential between data that was stored in the first logical volume at a first time instant and data that was stored in the first logical volume at a second time instant being later than the first time instant, and a second storage system which includes a third logical volume. The first storage system transmits the first differential data item to the second storage system, the second storage system stores the first differential data item into the third logical volume, the first storage system deletes the first differential data item from the second logical volume, and the computer system retains management information set for associating the first logical volume with the third logical volume storing therein the first differential data item.
US08260745B2
A method and system for automatically managing changes to organizational data in a unified messaging (UM) platform are disclosed. A database snapshot is retrieved from a client human resources database. Added user information associated with a user is detected in the database snapshot, and an existing mailbox associated with the user in the UM platform is detected. Organizational data in the UM platform is automatically modified to combine the added user information and the existing mailbox in the UM platform. When the existing mailbox is detected in the UM platform for the user, it is possible for the UM platform to automatically compose and send a message to at least one user associated with the added user information including potential modifications of the organization data. The organizational data in the UM platform can then be modified in response to receiving approval of the potential modifications of the organizational data from at least one user associated with the added user information.
US08260738B2
Described is time-weighted blending of the results of time series algorithms in a manner that changes their relative weights based on the prediction time. The prediction values from each algorithm are mathematically blended into a forecast result corresponding to the desired time of prediction. In this manner, an ARTXP algorithm that provides accurate near term predictions is given more weight than an ARIMA for near term predictions, and less relative weight for long term predictions. An example exponential function to compute the relative weights is described; the function corresponds to a curve having a control variable for the slope and the start of the curve, and constant coefficients, with the weights based (in part) on the prediction time. A user-provided parameter may also affect the relative weights used in the blending result.
US08260736B1
An intelligent system manager system and method for managing and controlling a platform may comprise a management component providing intelligent decision support and managing platform functions responsive to data representative of the platform and equipment thereof; an execution and monitor component for causing execution of commands controlling the platform and equipment thereof, and monitoring the execution of the commands and the status of platform sensors and platform equipment; a display component providing information representative of the current state of the platform and receiving input; and a common services component providing processing services to the management component, to the execution and monitor component and to the display component.
US08260728B1
A system and method for influencing behavior in a virtual environment. A virtual environment identifies a hotspot of activity that is, or may, cause lag in the virtual environment. An influencing event is determined and is presented into the virtual environment. The influencing event is configured to influence a control entity associated with a virtual object to avoid the hotspot.
US08260727B2
A factor estimation apparatus which can appropriately estimate a factor without increase in the cost, the factor estimation apparatus includes a characteristic quantity determination unit which determines the characteristic quantity; a user input unit which accepts an input from a user as data for the characteristic quantity determined by the characteristic quantity determination unit; an apparatus-data input unit to which data is inputted from a data obtaining device as the data for the characteristic quantity determined by the characteristic quantity determination unit; an input source defining unit which previously determines that the data for the characteristic quantity is inputted from which one of the user input unit and the apparatus-data input unit; and an estimation unit which estimates the factor using the data inputted from the input unit determined by the input source defining unit.
US08260724B2
A seller may sell advertisements, such as banner ads, to a buyer pursuant to a request made by the buyer to the seller. Each request has a value. The seller may accept the request from the buyer to provide a banner ad for the buyer at a later time. A request, once accepted, may be revoked at a cost which may be a fixed fraction of the request value. The cost may be referred to as a buyback cost. The buyback cost represents the cost of revoking a request that had been accepted. Additionally, matroid set systems and knapsack systems may use buyback techniques.
US08260722B2
A random number generating algorithm is seeded with an unpredictable number. The seed value is computed by subjecting variable data to a Secure Hashing Algorithm, and truncating the right most, or left most, 16 bytes from the message digest generated. The algorithm generates the unpredictable number by using the seed value as a counter value in the random number generator, and performing a data encryption standard operation. In one exemplary embodiment, the unpredictable number is modified to a predetermined maximum unpredictable number value as determined by the sender and receiver of the unpredictable number.
US08260712B2
Providing a data structure appropriate for performing rights management for multimedia-type contents, and further providing a recording medium containing data with the data structure, and a reproduction device and a reproduction method for reproducing the data. The present invention is a computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon license data for permitting a computer to use contents data comprising a plurality of resources, the license data including a resource-based use condition configuration structure, in which a use condition is set for the computer with respect to each of resources.
US08260706B2
A Web server hosted by a first enterprise has a first mechanism receiving a request for information or services to be provided to an end user, and a second mechanism determining whether the request comes directly from the end user, or from a server hosted by a second enterprise. If the request is determined by the second mechanism to come from the server hosted by the second enterprise, any information or service provided to the end user by the first enterprise is identified as coming from the second enterprise.
US08260695B1
The disclosed technology comprises a device and a method for accurately determining the amount of electrical energy utilized in a circuit with a quarter-cycle transformer and transducers operating off quarter-cycle power. The method allows for a primary power meter associated with an entity which provides a power source to remain in operation, without modification, and for a second power meter to be utilized which accurately measures consumption of quarter-cycle power usage. An adjustment to an invoice can then be made, based on the difference.
US08260687B2
In some example embodiments, a system and method are illustrated as including generating an item page that includes widget code and details related to an item for sale. Some example embodiments may include making the widget code available for retrieval from the item page.
US08260682B2
An interchange party computer system (IPCS) having means for presenting user interfaces to consumer computer systems and capturing data input through the user interfaces, the IPCS being associated with at least one database holding data representing a plurality of consumer profiles, the profiles including consumer profiles expressing service selection attributes for a plurality of service sectors, and at least one database holding data for a plurality of service programs under a plurality of service sectors, each sector being represented by service programs from a plurality of service providers, the IPCS including (a) a Service Comparison/Selection; (b) a Automatic Bill Payment Module; (c) an Automated Services Monitoring Module; (d) an Automated Best Services Selection Module; (e) a Services Search Module; (f) an Incentive Program Module; (g) a Data Mining Module; and/or (h) a Pooling Module.
US08260677B1
A system and method for regulating a proposed transaction between a first party and a seller is provided. The method includes providing a transaction intermediary machine (TIM) on a network that is associated with a transactional limitations database storing in relation to each of a plurality of unique identifiers at least one criterion that has been established by a second party, and concerning one or more transactional limitations imposed by the second party on the first party. A request for approval (RFA) is received from the seller at the TIM having a unique identifier provided by the first party and details concerning the proposed transaction between the first party and the seller. Then, the RFA is compared with the criteria, completion of the proposed transaction is approved and a payment to the seller is also approved, and personal identification information is provided from the TIM to the seller.
US08260674B2
A method for distributing a digital image of a customer includes receiving a request from a customer to a human representative (i.e., a “roving” photographer) for an image to be taken of the customer at a site. An image of the customer is captured by the “roving” photographer at the site in response to the received request. The image is transmitted to a remote processor. An electronic request is received from the customer to view the transmitted image, and the image is transmitted from the remote processor to the customer's communication device. If the customer decides to purchase the image, a transaction is finalized by receiving payment data from the customer, and the final image is provided to the customer. A commission is then paid to the photographer for the transaction. In another embodiment, the cost is at least partially subsidized by advertisement pushed to the customer's communication device.
US08260667B2
In at least one embodiment, a data processing system receives from a user device a query regarding a dining decision, where the query includes a location. At least one menu item at a restaurant proximate to the location is determined based upon at least one user-specific criterion, and the at least one menu item is transmitted to the user device.
US08260664B2
Advertisements are selected for presentation on search result pages and web pages based on phrases generated from lateral concepts and topics identified for the search result pages and web pages. A search query or an indication of a web page is received for which advertisements are to be provided. Lateral concepts and topics are identified based on the search query or content of the web page. The lateral concepts and topics are used as phrases for selecting advertisements from an advertisement inventory. Selected advertisements are provided for presentation on a search results page in response to a search query or on a web page initially identified.
US08260662B2
A system and method for managing, distributing, and processing promotional offers is provided. The system includes at least one consumer interface that enables communication between the promotional offer processing system and a plurality of consumers; a consumer information database for storing consumer data for a plurality of consumer profiles; an offer catalog having a plurality of offers; a product catalog having product codes corresponding to products associated with each of the accepted offers; and an offer management module. The offer management module is configured to identify one or more of the plurality of offers to be provided to a consumer; cause the identified offers to be transmitted to the consumer; receive an indication from the consumer that the first consumer has accepted at least one of the provided offers; identify product codes corresponding to products associated with each of the accepted offers; provide the identified product codes to a transaction management system; receive information identifying whether any of the identified product codes were contained in consumer purchase transactions; and process each accepted offer for which the consumer has met the terms for the offer.
US08260654B2
System and method for operational risk assessment and control. The present invention, in disclosed, example embodiments provides systems and methods to facilitate risk assessment, prioritization, mitigation and control activities. Various modules work together to accomplish risk assessment, prioritization, mitigation and stability tracking. The modules can be implemented by a computer system or systems, software and networks, or by other means, such as paper-based means. In some embodiments, operational risk management and control begins with an assessment for one or more functions of the organization involved. This assessment includes identifying failure modes, causes and effects, which are permuted to define risk items. A risk prioritization report is produced which prioritizes the risk items based at least in part on the ratings associated with the causes and effects, and a mitigation plan can be put in place.
US08260650B2
Methods for scheduling a transportation operation such as the operation of an airline. The method desirably selects a demand (100) for transportation specifying an origin, destination, and time of arrival or departure, and selects resources from a database of available resources such as aircraft (508), crew, and departure gates. The resource selection desirably is conducted so as to optimize a result function such as contribution to margin or other financial result from the particular operation specified in the demand. Upon developing a schedule fragment (108), the specified resources are committed, and the database of available resources is modified (110) to indicate that the resources are no longer available at the relevant times. The system then treats another demand and repeats the process so as to develop a full schedule. The system can develop a feasible schedule, even for a complex transportation operation in a brief time, typically in minutes or less. Schedules can be developed using alternative strategies and assumptions, and tested against one another.
US08260646B2
A method and system for customer segmentation using adaptive spectral clustering may include determining initial segmentation labels, determining new customer behavior data, formulating a single objective minimization function that integrates the initial segmentation labels with the new customer behavior data, and determining best fit to both the initial segmentation labels and the new customer behavior data simultaneously by minimizing the single objective minimization function.
US08260645B2
Embodiments of the present invention relate apparatuses and methods that allow a financial institution to monitor, group, and store customer transaction data and determine market information therefrom according to recurrence patterns. For example, in one embodiment a financial institution uses a computerized apparatus to monitor recurrences in financial transactions across a plurality of financial accounts maintained by the financial institution for a plurality of different customers, where the computerized apparatus is configured to automatically track recurrences in transaction data.
US08260642B2
A method and system for scoring and ranking a plurality of component links in a social technical system having a plurality of components representing people and objects are provided. In one aspect, a degree of consistency relative to two or more people working on one or more objects and dependencies between the objects is determined to derive scores for the component links. The method and system identifies gaps in the link and determines the impact of filling the gaps. In another aspect, component links may be ranked and scores aggregated to provide system level quantifications.
US08260635B2
An apparatus for communicating health care data from a sender to a receiver is provided. The apparatus has a first computer system, a second computer system, and a rules engine. The first computer system has health care data stored therein. The second computer system is in operable communication with, and is configured to extract the health care data from, the first computer system. The rules engine normalizes the extracted health care data to a predefined format.
US08260632B2
A system, software and related methods of enhanced pharmaceutical operations in long term care facilities are provided. An embodiment of a system includes a long-term care facility pharmacy group management server, long-term care facility pharmacy management software associated with the long-term care facility pharmacy group management server to manage pharmacological operations in a plurality of long-term care facilities, a plurality of pharmaceutical storage and electronic dispensing carts each positioned in a long-term care facility remote from the long-term care facility pharmacy group management server and in communication therewith, a remote pharmacy group server in communication with the long-term care facility pharmacy group management server, and a plurality of pharmaceutical prescription document processors each positioned in a long-term care facility and in communication with the remote pharmacy group server or the long-term care facility pharmacy group management server.
US08260627B2
A system and method for determining business partner value by creating weighted metrics for identifying, evaluating and selecting a business partner for a company; creating a business agreement and weighted metrics for evaluating the agreement; creating weighted metrics for ongoing management of the partner; and managing the partner by ongoing periodic evaluation of the weighted metrics for partner selection, agreement, and management. Both company and partners may participate in the evaluation on an ongoing basis (e.g., once per month or once per quarter) rather than an annual review. In one embodiment, weighted metrics of partner selection, agreement, and management are reported, charted and graphed providing for visual evaluation and side-by-side comparison of the perceptions of company and partner for optimization of the business relationship and prediction of future performance.
US08260624B2
A computationally implemented method includes, but is not limited to: receiving a request for one or more personalized plans designed to facilitate an end user to achieve one or more target outcomes when one or more emulatable aspects indicated by the one or more personalized plans are emulated, the request identifying the one or more target outcomes; seeking one or more reported aspects that are relevant to achieving the one or more target outcomes in response to receiving the request; and developing the one or more personalized plans based, at least in part, on the seeking. In addition to the foregoing, other method aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of the present disclosure.
US08260622B2
The embodiments of the invention provide methods, computer program products, etc. for complaint-based service level objectives. More specifically, a method of deducing undefined service level objectives receives complaints regarding behavior of a system. The complaints could include a severity parameter, an entity parameter, a nature-of-complaint parameter, a timestamp parameter, and/or an identification parameter. Next, system details representing a current state of the system are recorded for each of the complaints. The method then automatically analyzes a history of the system details and the complaints to produce a historical compilation of the system details. The analyzing can include weighing each of the system details by a severity parameter value.
US08260614B1
A method and system that expands a word graph to a phone graph. An unknown speech signal is received. A word graph is generated based on an application task or based on information extracted from the unknown speech signal. The word graph is expanded into a phone graph. The unknown speech signal is recognized using the phone graph. The phone graph can be based on a cross-word acoustical model to improve continuous speech recognition. By expanding a word graph into a phone graph, the phone graph can consume less memory than a word graph and can reduce greatly the computation cost in the decoding process than that of the word graph thus improving system performance. Furthermore, continuous speech recognition error rate can be reduced by using the phone graph, which provides a more accurate graph for continuous speech recognition.
US08260605B2
A machine-readable storage medium includes computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to receive as input a target sentence comprising a target word and retrieve a gloss of the target word. The processor is further caused to parse the target sentence and the gloss. The processor is further caused to assign a score to the gloss based on the gloss's coherence to the target sentence.
US08260592B2
A method of surface topography prognosis for a tissue paper which is to be produced in a manufacturing process by utilizing a structured fabric and into which a structure is embossed by way of the fabric, the surface topography of at least one structured fabric which is already used in the production process is plotted by way of a sensor. Originating from the surface topography of the already utilized structured fabric, the surface topography of the tissue paper is simulated through data processing, through a simulation of the paper production process. The algorithm used for the simulation is calibrated with the aid of a comparison of the simulated surface topography of the tissue paper with the surface topography of the actual tissue paper produced with the structured fabric, which is already being utilized in the production process. Originating from the surface topography of a respective additional structured fabric the simulation of the surface topography of the tissue paper is subsequently conducted by utilizing the calibrated algorithm in order to provide a prognosis of the tissue paper's surface topography that can be expected.
US08260590B2
A method and system for modeling a three-dimensional smoke propagation animation system. The animation system can be configured to include a particle system manager, a compartment manager, a state variable manager, a three-dimensional space outline rendering module, and a three-dimensional smoke animation rendering module. The particle system manager creates and updates an existing particle system based on an input script and data from the state variable manager. The state variable manager loads smoke propagation data and provides smoke information to the particle system manager to create and update the particle system and space outline. The compartment manager creates a three-dimensional outline with respect to each compartment space from a compartment data and updates the status of the existing three-dimensional outlines based on information from the state variable manager. A final three-dimensional smoke propagation animation can then be rendered by the three-dimensional smoke animation rendering module.
US08260584B2
A computer model of a physical structure (or object) can be generated using context-based hypothesis testing. For a set of point data, a user selects a context specifying a geometric category corresponding to the structure shape. The user specifies at least one seed point from the set that lies on a surface of the structure of interest. Using the context and point data, the system loads points in a region near the seed point(s), and determines the dimensions and orientation of an initial surface component in the context that corresponds to those points. If the selected component is supported by the points, that component can be added to a computer model of the surface. The system can repeatedly find points near a possible extension of the surface model, using the context and current surface component(s) to generate hypotheses for extending the surface model to these points. Well-supported components can be added to the surface model until the surface of the structure of interest has been modeled as far as is well-supported by the point data.
US08260576B2
An exhaust gas sensor abnormality diagnostic device includes an exhaust gas sensor, and a judgment means that judges whether execution conditions are established for making an abnormality diagnosis of element breakage in the exhaust gas sensor. The device also includes an abnormality diagnosis means that makes the abnormality diagnosis in accordance with an output signal generated by the exhaust gas sensor. Further, when the integrated value of intake air amounts of an internal combustion engine is not smaller than a predetermined value, the judgment means judges that the execution conditions are established. The abnormality diagnosis means cancels the establishment of the execution conditions when an intake air amount of the internal combustion engine remains less than a predetermined value for a predetermined period of time.
US08260572B2
A signal transmission system evaluation apparatus acquires statistics about a variation in a characteristic value and a limit value of the characteristic value corresponding to a given range of variation, with respect to each of the characteristic values which represent characteristics of the components. The apparatus calculates a probability distribution with respect to each of the characteristic values, based on the statistic acquired, calculates an eye-opening of the signal transmission system in case that the characteristic value is the limit value, makes an adjustment of the limit value. The apparatus calculates a yield rate of the signal transmission system based on the probability distribution and the limit value.
US08260570B2
A method and system for fall-onset detection is provided. The method includes the steps of monitoring acceleration at the thigh of a person; monitoring acceleration at the waist of the person; monitoring orientation of the thigh of the person; and detecting the fall-onset if the orientation of the thigh exceeds a first threshold value and a correlation between variation in acceleration of the thigh and variation in acceleration of the waist exceeds a second threshold value and a correlation between variation in the orientation of the thigh and a fall-template variation exceeds a third threshold value.
US08260569B2
A method for determining a dimension of a regular pattern of elements, wherein the elements in the regular pattern are arranged along an arrangement direction with a first spatial frequency includes providing a sensor for sampling the regular pattern; providing a plurality of data sample sets, wherein each data sample set includes data samples provided by the sensor while sampling over a portion of the regular pattern, and each data sample set consists of a different number of data samples; analyzing each data sample set to determine a corresponding spatial frequency; determining a plurality of quantified values, each quantified value being associated with a different one of the determined spatial frequencies; selecting a first quantified value from the plurality of quantified values; and determining the dimension based at least on the selected first quantified value.
US08260568B2
Provided is an apparatus for detecting a moving direction that can accurately detect the position, regardless of the moving direction. The moving direction detector includes groups of sensor elements that face a moving body to output detection signals in accordance with travel of the moving body. The detector includes signal processing units that convert output signals of the groups of sensor elements into rectangular waves and a moving direction detection unit that outputs a signal corresponding to a moving direction of the moving body based on the detection signals from the groups of sensor elements. The moving direction detection unit includes a delay function of generating an output signal at a time instant that is delayed by a predetermined time from a time instant when a moving direction of the moving body is changed.
US08260559B2
A system and method for measurement of radioactivity concentration of a radiopharmaceutical are disclosed. The radiopharmaceutical may be a radioactive tracer solution including a tracer solution and a buffer solution. The system may include a vial that receives the tracer solution and the buffer solution; a scale; a radioactivity measuring device; and a controller that determines the radioactive concentration based on a measured radioactivity of the tracer solution and the buffer solution in the vial, and a weight of the tracer solution and the buffer solution in the vial. The method may include the steps of (1) transferring the tracer solution into a vial; (2) measuring a radioactivity of the tracer solution in the vial; (3) determining a weight necessary to achieve a desired radioactivity concentration; and (4) diluting the tracer solution in the vial to the determined weight with a buffer solution.
US08260555B2
To perform a marine survey, a streamer is deployed into a body of water, where the streamer has plural first sensors to perform a subterranean survey. Indications are received from second sensors in corresponding sections of the streamer, where the indications are regarding which sections are in the body of water. Information is updated regarding which sections of the streamer are in the body of water in response to the received indications.
US08260554B2
A method for correcting a motion related distortion in a sensor measurement comprises establishing a reference position in a borehole. A parameter of interest is measured at a plurality of toolface angles as the tool makes a revolution in the borehole. A distance to a wall of the borehole is measured associated with each parameter of interest measurement. A lateral motion of the tool is measured between each parameter of interest measurement, and a toolface angle of the tool is measured at each parameter of interest measurement. A controller comprising a processor acts according to programmed instructions to calculate a correction to the parameter of interest measurement referenced to the reference position based at least partly on the measured tool motion.
US08260553B2
A method, apparatus, and computer program product are provided, which may provide activity user location information. An apparatus may include a processor configured to maintain data describing a first user's location timeline. The processor may be further configured to receive a request for the first user's current location. The first user's current location may define the first user's location at a current time. The processor may also be configured to estimate the first user's current location based at least in part upon the maintained data. The processor may additionally be configured to provide the first user's current location to a second user. Corresponding methods and computer program products are also provided.
US08260547B2
A music configuration menu shortcut is provided in a PND by software which interacts within a music menu display device. In one embodiment, A PND having a display, memory, processing capability, one or more speakers, and at least one signal reception device by which the PND can determine its approximate position globally by way of software installed on the device is disclosed. The PND performs one or more primary navigation and/or route calculation functions, as well as one or more secondary functions including the audible reproduction of digital content stored in the memory. The software also causes the display of changing graphical map information during route navigation and is capable of being caused to display one or more configuration menus to enable a user to configure various primary or secondary device operation options. In at least one embodiment, the software further provides an option for the on-screen display of a user-selectable graphical indicator during route navigation in conjunction with the changing graphical map information, selection of the indicator during navigation causing the software to display a configuration menu specific to the reproduction of digital music. In an alternative embodiment, the music menu display device includes a physical button by which one or more of the music reproduction and/or configuration menus can be caused to be displayed.
US08260541B2
A power supply control apparatus of a navigation system includes a power switch for a user to turn a display screen of the navigation system on or off; a navigation power switching unit to turn an internal function of the navigation system on or off by a power supply connection; a navigation information unnecessary state detecting unit to detect a navigation information unnecessary state where a user does not need navigation information; and a power supply control unit to turn the navigation power switching unit off when the navigation information unnecessary state detecting unit detects the navigation information unnecessary state.
US08260540B2
Provided herein are methods and systems for efficient communication between a server and a client in an assisted navigation system. In one or more embodiments, the client, e.g., a GPS receiver, receives a set of parameters for a satellite from the server via a wireless or wired connection. The set of parameters includes a force parameter, initial condition parameters and time correction coefficients for the satellite. The receiver uses the received parameters in a numerical integration to compute the position of the satellite at a desired time. The set of parameters needed for the integration is small compared to current methods which require sending more data to the client. Thus these parameters require less communication resources to transmit. To further reduce the amount of data that needs to be transmitted, reference parameters may be subtracted from the original parameters before transmission from the server. The receiver is able to reconstruct the original parameters from the received parameters and the identically computed reference parameters. The parameters may be further compressed using data compression techniques.
US08260534B2
A vehicle occupant information controller includes a fuel volume determining section, a fuel economy determining section, a first distance determining section, a traveled distance determining section and a second distance determining section. The first distance determining section determines a first obtainable travel distance based on a remaining fuel volume from the fuel volume determining section and a fuel consumption rate from the fuel economy determining section. The traveled distance determining section determines a vehicle traveled distance between two locations. The second distance determining section determines a second obtainable travel distance based on a difference between a previous obtainable travel distance value and an adjusted vehicle traveled distance value, with the adjusted vehicle traveled distance value being equal to a product of the vehicle traveled distance and a distance adjustment factor that is selectively adjusted based on a ratio of the second obtainable travel distance to the first obtainable travel distance.
US08260529B2
An ignition controlling apparatus that can diagnose a state of spark discharge in an internal combustion engine, and perform appropriate actions based on the diagnostic results. In the internal combustion engine ignition controlling apparatus, a signal extracting device extracts an ion current that is generated together with combustion of a gas mixture inside a combustion chamber by spark discharge of an ignition apparatus based on an ignition signal of an ignition coil, includes a signal diagnosing device that sets a predetermined detection zone from a period in a single stroke of an internal combustion engine from a first spark discharge commencement until after a last spark discharge completion, and that determines an ignition state based on parameters included in the signal extracted in this detection zone, and controls the internal combustion engine in response to this ignition state.
US08260518B2
Reverse proximity sensors are used to determine an angle between a towed trailer and the towing vehicle. The trailer sway control determines a trailer angle of sway based upon proximity sensor readings from the reverse proximity sensors and from a sensor reading of an angle of turn of a steering wheel of the towing vehicle. Provided the determined trailer angle of sway exceeds a range that can be tolerated, a controller sends instructions to apply necessary braking to the vehicle or trailer to mitigate the trailer sway.
US08260517B2
A control system for a self-propelled patient-support apparatus includes a controller that utilizes a power drive speed control algorithm to control the power output to a motor of a drive mechanism for driving the patient-support apparatus across a floor. The control algorithm normalizes a force input by a user on a user input device, the force indicative of a desired drive speed. The algorithm varies the responsiveness of the output to the drive mechanism based on the current operating conditions of the drive mechanism.
US08260515B2
An adaptive vehicle control system that classifies a driver's driving style based on characteristic curve-handling maneuvers and road and traffic conditions. The system includes a plurality of vehicle sensors that detect various vehicle parameters. A maneuver identification processor receives the sensor signals to identify a characteristic maneuver of the vehicle and provides a maneuver identifier signal of the maneuver. The system also includes a traffic and road condition recognition processor that receives the sensor signals, and provides traffic condition signals identifying traffic conditions and road condition signals identifying road conditions. A style characterization processor receives the maneuver identifier signals, sensor signals from the vehicle sensors and the traffic and road condition signals, and classifies driving style based on the signals to classify the style of the driver driving the vehicle.
US08260511B2
A powertrain system includes an engine mechanically coupled to an electro-mechanical transmission selectively operative in one of a plurality of transmission operating range states and one of a plurality of engine states. A method for controlling the powertrain system includes determining a current transmission operating range state and a current engine state, determining at least one potential transmission operating range state and engine state, determining preferability factors associated with the current and potential transmission operating range state and the engine state, preferentially weighting the preferability factors for the current transmission operating range state and engine state, and selectively commanding changing the present transmission operating range state and engine state based upon the preferability factors.
US08260503B2
A method and device for actuating an active and/or passive motor vehicle safety system in a driving situation in which the vehicle executes a rotary movement about the vertical axis of the vehicle. A variable describing the rotary motion is measured, and this variable is processed by a mathematical model, which determines information therefrom about the future rotary motion of the vehicle. This information in turn may be used to control the vehicle safety systems as a function of the situation and prepare them for a possibly imminent collision.
US08260496B2
An aware vehicle network system and method for one or more vehicles each having adaptive active suspensions includes at least one vehicle having a vehicle position detector for determining a vehicle position and a road condition detector for determining road condition information for any given position determined by the vehicle position detector. A transmitter sends the road condition information and the vehicle position over a vehicle communication network. A central network device receives the road condition information and the vehicle position and calculates ideal active suspension parameters based thereon. The network device sends ideal active suspension parameters over the vehicle communication network to at least another vehicle having an adaptive active suspension. The adaptive active suspension is adjusted based on the ideal suspension parameters received from the network device.
US08260487B2
Methods and systems for a vital bus system for communicating data in a control system are provided. The system includes a plurality of data communication buses configured in a multiple redundant orientation and at least one safety supervisor module including a database including a plurality of logic rules. The logic rules are programmed to receive data from the plurality of data communication buses and to determine the validity of the received data from each bus using one or more of the plurality of the logic rules. If the received data is invalid, the logic rules are programmed to restore the validity of the data using one or more of the plurality of the logic rules. If the data can not be restored the logic rules are programmed to transmit an alert to the control system. Otherwise, the logic rules are programmed to transmit the validated data to an intended destination.
US08260484B2
To perform updating of maximum values and minimum values of measurement data with a simple procedure without incurring an increase in the computational load of an arithmetic processing element such as a microcomputer. When processing is started, a most recent maximum value stored in a nonvolatile storage element is written to a maximum value-use variable Xmax and a positive maximum value is written to a minimum value-use variable Xmin. Each time temperature data is acquired, a value of acquired data Xk and a most recent minimum value Xmin are compared and the smaller value is set as a new minimum value Xmin. Each time updating of this minimum value is repeated a predetermined number of times of processing Ns, the minimum value Xmin at that point in time and the maximum value Xmax are compared and the larger value is set as a new maximum value Xmax.
US08260483B2
The present invention provides a guidance, navigation, and control method and system for an underground mining vehicle that allow said vehicle to be taught a route by a human operator and then have it automatically drive the route with no human intervention. The method works in three steps: teaching, route profiling, and playback. In the teaching step the vehicle is manually driven by a operator along a route which can consist of an arbitrary sequence of maneuvers including tramming forwards, switching directions, tramming backwards, turning, or pausing movement. During this phase raw data from vehicle-mounted sensors including odometric sensors and rangefinders are logged to a file throughout teaching for later processing. During the (offline) route profiling step, the raw data in the log file are processed into a route profile, and a profile of desired speed as a function of distance along the path.
US08260477B2
The method and apparatus for tracking a center of gravity (COG) of an air vehicle provides a precise calculation and updating of the COG by disposing a plurality of acceleration measuring devices on a circumference of one or more rings in a manner that establishes redundancy in acceleration measurement. A multivariable time-space adaptive technique is provided within a high speed digital signal processor (DSP) to calculate and update the position of the COG. The system provides the capability of executing a procedure that reduces dispersion in estimating angular velocities and lateral accelerations of a moving vehicle and corrects the vehicle's estimated angular velocities and lateral accelerations. In addition, a consistency check of the measured values from the acceleration measuring devices is performed to assist in fault detection and isolation of a faulty accelerometer in the system.
US08260472B2
A system for cooling a power transformer which generates heat, when driving a load, includes cooling devices, such as fans and pumps, located about the transformer, which are powered for circulating a coolant about the transformer. Each cooling device has a motor which is energized in response to given temperature (heat) conditions. In systems embodying the invention, the currents flowing through the motors of cooling devices are sensed and monitored to determine whether the cooling devices are functioning correctly and to substitute functional cooling devices for those which are malfunctioning. Sensing the currents in the motors enables the early detection of fault conditions in the cooling system. It also enables the monitoring of operating conditions and running time of the cooling devices to aid in the maintenance and operation of the cooling system.
US08260471B2
An energy management system (400) includes a series of smart devices (404) connected through a network system communications bus (402). The smart devices (404) are connected to loads (408) and include energy monitor boards (448) and a core board (450) for monitoring energy consumption of the loads (408) and transmitting the energy consumption data to a gateway (410).
US08260469B2
The subject matter described herein includes a distributed hybrid renewable energy power plant. One exemplary hybrid renewable energy power plant includes a plurality of renewable energy power generation sources that are distributed over a geographic area. A plurality of grid interface boxes connect each of the renewable energy power generation sources to a power distribution grid, measure power output by each of the renewable energy power generation sources, and regulate power delivered to the grid by each of the renewable energy power generation sources. A plant front end communicates with the grid interface boxes, determines a total output power available from the renewable energy power generation sources based on instantaneous power available from each of the renewable energy power generation sources, determines a statistical availability of the total output power based on weather and other conditions affecting power output from the renewable energy power generation sources, and outputs the total output power and the statistical availability to an energy management system.
US08260467B2
A method and a system are for determining of the compatibility of control software, which is designed for standard parameters, with a wind energy installation which is operated using operating parameters. The method is an automatic method in which the operating parameters of the wind energy installation and the standard parameters of the control software are first transmitted to a computation unit. The computation unit determines discrepancies between the operating parameters and the standard parameters. A decision on compatibility is made on the basis of the discrepancies. The system includes a logic module which is designed to make the decision. This method makes it easier to automatically update the control software for a wind energy installation. There is no longer any need to manually check the compatibility of the new version of the control software before the new version of the control software can be installed.
US08260465B2
An irrigation control device having a modulator that modulates data onto an alternating power signal by distorting amplitude of a first leading portion of selected cycles of the alternating power signal, and permit effectively a full amplitude of the alternating power signal on a following portion of the selected cycles, wherein the first leading portion and the following portion are either both on a high side of a cycle or both on a low side of a cycle of the alternating power signal. The irrigation control device further includes an interface configured to couple the modulator to a multi-wire interface coupled to a plurality of irrigation devices to permit the alternating power signal to be applied to the multi-wire interface.
US08260463B2
A robot control section (7) has an object information calculation section (21) for calculating, based on image information from an image processing section (8), the size and shape of an object to he held; a holding method determination section (22) for determining, based on the object information calculated, a method for holding the object; a holding execution section (23) for executing lifting of the object by the holding method determined; a sensor information processing section (24) for processing pieces of sensor information and controlling holding force, the pieces of sensor information being those obtained at the time of the execution, the processing of the pieces of sensor information being made for each combination of one or more of the pieces of information; and a holding method correction section (25) for correcting, based on the result of the processing, the pieces of sensor information, the method of holding the object.
US08260458B2
Disclosed are a robot, a robot hand, and a method of controlling the robot hand, in which the robot hand rapidly and correctly approaches an object to be gripped and safely grips the object regardless of the shape and material of the object. The method of controlling a robot hand, which has a palm, and a plurality of fingers, each having a plurality of segments, connected to the palm, includes causing the palm to approach an object using at least one first distance sensor installed on the palm; causing the plurality of fingers to approach the object using at least one second distance sensor installed on the plurality of fingers; and causing the palm and the plurality of fingers to come into contact the object to grip the object.
US08260446B2
Methods, systems, and apparatus for spectrographic monitoring of a substrate during chemical mechanical polishing are described. In one aspect, a computer-implemented method includes storing a library having a plurality of reference spectra, each reference spectrum of the plurality of reference spectra having a stored associated index value, measuring a sequence of spectra in-situ during polishing to obtain measured spectra, for each measured spectrum of the sequence of spectra, finding a best matching reference spectrum to generate a sequence of best matching reference spectra, determining the associated index value for each best matching spectrum from the sequence of best matching reference spectra to generate a sequence of index values, fitting a linear function to the sequence of index values, and halting the polishing either when the linear function matches or exceeds a target index or when the associated index value from the determining step matches or exceeds the target index.
US08260443B2
A method for the optimized movement co-ordination of measuring machines or machine tools having redundant axles having at translatory action, wherein the longer partial axles in each case permit a relatively slowly accelerated partial movement over a relatively large measuring or processing space and the shorter partial axles in each case essentially carry out the movement components of a total movement at a substantially altogether constant measuring or processing speed, which require an acceleration beyond a maximum set or stipulated for the respective longer partial axles, wherein, when approaching positions that in an undivided movement would otherwise not be attainable, the base axles correspondingly decelerate and can even come to a complete standstill, wherein by simultaneous displacement of the neutral starting point of the additional axles, the respective movement component of the base axles missing from the total movement is compensated.
US08260439B2
A selective nerve stimulation patch includes a substrate having a top surface and a bottom surface, integrated components overlying the top surface of the substrate and being electrically interconnected with one another for generating at least one nerve stimulating signal, electrodes integrated into the substrate and exposed at the bottom surface thereof for applying the at least one nerve stimulating signal to a target nerve, a waterproof, breathable cover overlying the substrate and the integrated components, and a support flange surrounding the substrate and coupling the cover and the substrate together. The support flange has a top surface that slopes downwardly toward an outer perimeter thereof, and at least a portion of the cover conforms to the sloping top surface of the support flange. In one embodiment, the patch generates a high frequency waveform with properties such as amplitude, frequency and the like chosen so as to overcome tissue impedance and the stimulation threshold of the target nerve. The modulated waveform is the waveform obtained by modulating the carrier waveform by a pulse envelope.
US08260430B2
Methods and systems are disclosed for determining the stimulation channels for application of stimulation by a medical device, such as a cochlear implant or an auditory brain stimulator. In embodiments, the medical device filters a received signal to obtain a plurality of band-pass filtered signals, each corresponding to one or more stimulation channels. The medical device then selects a stimulation channel for application of stimulation based on the amplitudes of the band-pass filtered signals. The medical device determines whether to apply stimulation on the adjacent stimulation channels by determining if the amplitude of the corresponding adjacent stimulation channel exceeds an information limit. If the amplitudes for either adjacent channel fall below the information limit, the corresponding adjacent stimulation channel is eliminated from consideration. The medical device further may determine the amplitudes for application of stimulation on the adjacent stimulation channels, if selected, using a pitch steering function. This pitch steering function may specify a current level difference between the selected stimulation channel and the adjacent stimulation channel to use in applying the stimulation.
US08260417B2
Safety pacing in multi-site cardiac rhythm management (CRM) devices is provided. According to various method embodiments, a first cardiac signal from a first cardiac region and a second cardiac signal from a second cardiac region are sensed. The first cardiac region is paced to maintain at least a minimum cardiac rate, and the second cardiac region is paced to maintain at least the minimum cardiac rate when a pace in the first cardiac region is inhibited. Other aspects and embodiments are provided herein.
US08260410B2
A device for identifying the likelihood of a patient suffering a myocardial infarction comprises a heart rate monitor operative to generate an output indicative of the current heart rate of the patient, and memory means for storing heart rate data indicative of a heart rate of the patient at which angina has previously occurred. Electronic control means is provided and is operative to analyze both the output from the heart rate monitor and the heart rate data stored on the memory according to an algorithm so as to identify a change in the current heart rate indicative of an increased likelihood of the patient suffering myocardial infarction.
US08260398B2
There is provided a position detection system (1) including a first marker (4) that produces a first alternating magnetic field having a first position-calculating frequency by means of an external power supply; a second marker (3) including a magnetic induction coil (5) having a resonance frequency equal to the position-calculating frequency; a magnetic-field detection section (13) that is disposed outside a working region of the second marker (3) and that detects a magnetic field at the first position-calculating frequency; an extracting section (24) that extracts, from the detected magnetic field, a first detection-magnetic-field component having the first position-calculating frequency and having the same phase as the phase of the first alternating magnetic field; and a position/orientation analyzing section (22) that calculates at least one of the position and the orientation of the first marker (4) based on the intensity of the extracted first detection-magnetic-field component.
US08260396B2
Quantitative assessment of haemodynamics by cycled arterial spin labeling (CACL) that distinguishes between blood magnetization tagged by a specific labeling pulse, using a time series acquisition in which all measured data sets are used for reconstruction of each single time step, thereby reducing measurement time while maintaining signal-to-noise ration compared to conventional ASL.
US08260394B2
A modular catheter includes an elongate tubular member having a proximal end and a closed, distal end. A lumen extends from the proximal end to the distal end and a plurality of electrodes are arranged at, or adjacent, the distal end, conductors for the electrodes being contained within a wall of the tubular member. An elongate shape-imparting mechanism is removably received within the lumen of the tubular member such that a distal end of the shape-imparting mechanism is substantially in register with the distal end of the tubular member. A control device has a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end of the tubular member and a proximal end of the shape-imparting mechanism being releasably connectable to the distal end of the control device.
US08260379B2
A mobile electronic device includes: a main body to which a reading device of a storage medium is detachably coupled; an accommodation chamber formed in the main body to accommodate the reading device when the reading device is coupled to the main body; and a communication module configured to transmit and receive a radio signal, inserted into the accommodation chamber in a state in which the reading device is separated, and electrically connected with the main body.
US08260376B2
An information processing apparatus includes an external fit frame having a concave part for battery pack storage, a card storage slot provided on a plane surface formed from one side wall of the external fit frame in an external direction for inserting and removing an IC card, and a wing shaped locking member supported on a back side of the plane surface for IC card locking, in which while the battery pack is mounted to the storage concave part, one end part of a wing part of the locking member abuts to be engaged in one end edge of the battery pack via a first opening part provided on the one side wall, and a locking protrusion formed at another end part of the locking member protrudes from a second opening part provided to the plane surface in a periphery of the one side wall to lock the IC card.
US08260374B2
Mobile User Equipment (UE) is operated in a first mode in which radio functions are enabled. In response to a predetermined condition, the UE is operated in a power saving mode involving disabling all radio functionality for a first period of time during which no connection is maintained with a cellular communication system serving node. After the first period of time, the UE ascertains whether any attempts were made to contact it during the first period of time and if so whether any of the attempted contacts is characterized by an attribute that matches a predefined attribute. If any of the attempted contacts is characterized by the attribute that matches the predefined attribute, then a user alarm is activated. If the response to the user alarm has been made, then the UE is again operated in the first mode; otherwise, the UE is again operated in the power saving mode.
US08260371B2
A battery pack is provided which includes an antenna coil for generating a magnetic field, a battery cell and a positive pole terminal and a negative pole terminal electrically connected with the battery cell, wherein a resultant of superimposing current from the battery cell or current to the battery cell and a signal from the antenna coil or a signal to the battery is sent from the positive pole terminal or the negative pole terminal, or received from the positive pole terminal or the negative pole terminal.
US08260370B2
An apparatus for powering a wireless peripheral includes a controller and a power management circuit. The controller is configured to determine the strength of wireless signals received by the peripheral. The power management circuit selectively powers the peripheral with either an external power source or a combination of the external power source and an internal power source included in the wireless peripheral. If the wireless signal strength is weak, the power management circuit uses both the internal an external sources to power the peripheral. This allows the wireless peripheral to boost its transmit power, even though its power requirement may exceed that available from the external source. If the wireless signal strength is strong, the power management circuit uses only the external source to power the peripheral. When this occurs the internal power source may also be simultaneously charged by the external power source.
US08260367B2
A motion driven event alert system and method synchronize output of follow-up event alerts on a mobile electronic device to changes in the state of motion of the device. Generally, the device outputs an initial alert in response to receipt of a new event from a wireless network. If a user fails to take action on the device after the device outputs the initial alert, the device determines a state of motion of the device and monitors for a change in the state of motion. When a change is detected, the device outputs a follow-up alert. If the user fails to take action on the device after the device outputs the follow-up alert, the device repeats the steps of motion state determination, motion state change monitoring, motion state change detection and output of another follow-up alert.
US08260365B1
A method and apparatus of modifying user content data on a mobile station are disclosed. One example method of displaying customized content data on a mobile station may include receiving the content data at the mobile station, and modifying the content data for a user of the mobile station to view the content data based on predefined viewing preferences of the user. The modified content may then be displayed on a display interface of the mobile station allowing the user to view the content based on their specified preferences.
US08260357B2
A method for 4G node frequency selection describes a mechanism for automatically selecting the frequency of a newly installed base station, thereby optimizing the throughput per area unit of the newly installed base station in its predefined vicinity area. The method is based on an iterative calculation approach which combines real-world network and base station measurements information with the nominal specifications of the newly installed base station (antenna diagram, output power) and the location and direction thereof.
US08260344B2
In a mobile phone device 1 including a three-axial direction vibration sensor 16 for detecting the walking of a user carrying the mobile phone device 1 and counting the number of walking steps, when an incoming call is received, vibrations due to a notification operation by a vibrator 14 or a speaker 15 are transmitted to the three-axial direction vibration sensor 16. As a result, the three-axial direction vibration sensor 16 inevitably detects unintended vibrations in addition to vibrations from walking, causing the number of walking steps to be miscounted. To prevent this and perform the accurate detection of walking, in the present invention, the detection of walking is performed without using, among vibrations in three directions detected by the three-axial direction vibration sensor 16, vibrations in the same direction as the direction of vibrations caused by a notification operation by the vibrator 14 or the speaker 15.
US08260342B2
Two or more transceiver units can interact with each other via millimeter wave radio frequency signals. One of the transceiver units can detect time-varying signals having specific waveforms in order to initiate an action such as establishment of a communication link, powering a piece of equipment and the like. The time-varying signal can be generated by a user moving one of the transceiver units and/or by passing an non-transmissive obstruction in between the transceiver units. Related apparatus, systems, and methods are also disclosed.
US08260341B2
A power control scheme for an enhanced Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) is disclosed. In a first embodiment, when an uplink grant is configured for accumulation commands, the wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) combines the accumulation commands received in both the scheduling grant and the transmit power control physical downlink control channel. In a second embodiment, when an uplink grant is configured for absolute commands, the WTRU resets the accumulation control function immediately after receiving each absolute transmit power control command and then combines the absolute power control with the accumulation power control.
US08260337B2
Systems and methods are provided for delivering both PMP communications, for example standard cellular communications via a base station, and also delivering P2P communications, for example, communications between two mobile stations, using the same spectral resources for both types of communication.
US08260336B2
The present invention relates to methods for adjusting a radiation beam pattern of an antenna arrangement providing coverage in an area. The antenna arrangement comprises an antenna having at least one array of antenna elements connected to a distribution network configured to generate the radiation beam pattern. The method comprises: arranging the antenna elements of said array in at least one column in an antenna plane in relation to a reference plane, each column comprising multiple antenna elements arranged in at least two sub-panels; arranging a motion sensor to the antenna arrangement, said motion sensor is configured to detect deviation of the antenna elements relative the reference plane; and adjusting a beam shape of the radiation beam pattern based on the detected deviation of the antenna to maintain coverage in the area by controlling the distribution network. The invention also relates to an antenna arrangement and base station.
US08260328B1
A mobile user equipment includes a user equipment clock and a dual mode time tracker. The clock periodically wakes up the user equipment. The dual mode time tracker uses a serving cell reference signal to correct timing errors of the user equipment clock with respect to a network clock while timing errors remain minimal and otherwise uses a serving cell synchronization signal to correct timing errors of the user equipment clock. The dual mode time tracker also sets a next wakeup time as a function at least of the size of the timing errors.
US08260326B2
A method of receiving a Short Message Service (SMS) message by a mobile station in a wireless communication system is provided. The method includes receiving a paging message including a first field indicating whether there is a broadcast SMS message to be received from a base station, if the first field is set to a value indicating that the broadcast SMS message is to be received, recognizing a broadcast transport Connection IDentifier (CID) indicating a channel over which to transmit the broadcast SMS message, and a data burst allocation region by decoding a broadcast MAP Information Element (IE), and receiving the broadcast SMS message, transmitted using a resource of the data burst allocation region, through the channel over which to transmit the broadcast SMS message.
US08260323B1
A tracking/locating/paging system utilizes a “pre-established” local area network to determine essentially real-time information regarding one or more client devices within a closed communication environment (“pre-established” also considered as including an ad hoc network connection of devices deployed to serve a common interest). Particularly suited for arrangements such as an amusement park, college campus, shopping mall, etc., the service of the present invention utilizes conventional client devices and includes the ability to transmit an identification signal unique to each device. Various network access points distributed through the closed environment receive these unique identification signals and can therefore pinpoint the location of various client devices in real time. Accordingly, a paging function may be added to further enhance the communication aspects of the tracking and locating features of the present invention.
US08260313B1
An apparatus may comprise a location-aware application, a first location detector, and a data storage device. The storage device may contain service-access-point (SAP) data that identifies a first SAP through which the apparatus may access a second location detector. The first detector may obtain data from the second detector via the first SAP and use the obtained data to determine a location of the apparatus. This determined location may be provided to the location-aware application. The data storage may include program instructions for modifying the SAP data such that the SAP data identifies a second SAP through which the apparatus may access a third location detector. The first detector may obtain data from the third detector via the second SAP and then use the obtained data to determine a location of the apparatus. This determined location may be provided to another location-aware application that is executable at the apparatus.
US08260296B2
A mobile terminal for reduction of data loss during transitioning of the mobile terminal between network devices includes a controller. The controller is capable of transmitting a request to transition and receiving queued data from an original network device prior to transition from the original network device to a target network device. The queued data is content data intended for and undelivered to the mobile terminal that is temporarily stored at the original network device from a time when the request to transition is transmitted to when the transition occurs. The controller is also capable of transitioning from the original network device to the target network device and receiving data stored at the target network device responsive to the request to transition following transition from the original network device to the target network device.
US08260293B2
Devices and methods for placing a call from a mobile device on one of a plurality of communication lines accessible at the mobile device are disclosed herein.
US08260291B2
A method of performing a periodic public land mobile network (PLMN) search for a mobile station in a CELL_PCH state of radio resource control (RRC) connected mode in a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) is described. The method includes providing a mobile station operating in the CELL_PCH state camping on a serving cell of a PLMN utilizing a first PLMN identity; performing a periodic PLMN search with the mobile station and selecting a cell with a second PLMN identity, the second PLMN identity having a higher network priority than the first PLMN identity; and performing a CELL UPDATE procedure to register the mobile station with the selected cell utilizing the second PLMN identity if the serving cell and the selected cell are each associated with a common PLMN identity.
US08260273B2
A method and system for establishing a service relationship between a mobile communication device and a mobile data server for connecting to a wireless network are disclosed. In accordance with one embodiment, an Internet browser receives a request to establish a service relationship between a mobile communication device and a mobile data server. A device identifier and device capability data is received from the mobile communication device. Service data for the mobile communication device is received from a mobile data administration server in accordance with the device identifier and device capability data, which is then stored in a memory of the mobile communication device.
US08260271B2
The present invention provides systems and methods for acquiring content (e.g., a ring tone or a ring view) for a communication device.
US08260270B2
A signal transmission method includes determining whether there is a User Equipment (UE) within an area of the femto BS, determining whether the UE is in an active mode, operating in a first mode of alternating a first Available Interval (AI) with a first UnAvailable Interval (UAI) in time, if no UE exists within the area of the femto BS, operating in a second mode of alternating a second AI with a second UAI shorter than the first UAI in time, if a UE exists within the area of the femto BS and operates in an inactive mode and operating in a third mode of continuously transmitting a signal, if a UE exists within the area of the femto BS and operates in the active mode.
US08260257B2
A method for communicating a key to a wireless device includes communicating the key to a cellular telephone system which subsequently communicates the key to the wireless device. Thus, the need to manually enter a key into a wireless device to facilitate communication with a local area network is avoided.
US08260253B2
Device agents and methods are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method comprises monitoring, at an access device, at least a subset of device activity. The method further comprises detecting an activity satisfies at least one condition specified by a policy and executing at least one action in the policy associated with the satisfied condition.
US08260250B2
A method and apparatus for providing location information for subscribers connected to a packet-switched mobile access network in connection with emergency calls made over a multimedia service network. An emergency request is received at the multimedia service network from a subscriber containing the calling number of the subscriber. In response thereto, a media gateway control function in the multimedia service network sends a location query including the calling number to a mobile positioning center in the mobile access network, which then can retrieve location information for the subscriber. After receiving location information from the mobile positioning center, the media gateway control function selects an emergency center and sends a location indication for the subscriber thereto in a circuit-switched control message for initiating an emergency call, according to prevailing standards.
US08260248B2
There is provided a method for use by a computing device for automatically establishing a dial-up connection to a network through a mobile device. The method includes establishing a communication link with a mobile device. For example, the mobile device can be a cellular telephone and the communication link can be a Bluetooth communication link. The method further includes receiving network identification data from the mobile device, where the network identification data indicates the type of the network, e.g., Global System for Mobile (“GSM”) communications or Code Division Multiple Access (“CDMA”). The method further includes configuring a dial-up connection entry in the computing device and configuring connection entry in the mobile device based on the type of the network, and establishing the dial-up connection to the network using the dial-up connection entry.
US08260238B1
Disclosed herein are systems and methods for recovering a sub-carrier signal from a multiplexed signal having an embedded pilot tone signal. The recovery system includes circuitry for recovering a pilot signal from the received multiplexed signal, for generating a frequency-doubled signal from the recovered pilot signal, and for phase-shifting the frequency-doubled signal by a pre-determined phase difference from the embedded pilot tone signal. Another recovery system includes circuitry for recovering a pilot signal from the received multiplexed signal, for phase-shifting the pilot signal by a pre-determined phase difference from the embedded pilot tone signal, and for generating a frequency-doubled signal from the phase-shifted signal.
US08260233B2
The IFBPF (80) can variably set a passband width (WF) and an attenuation slope (KF). The bandwidth control circuit (102), which is constituted in hardware, controls the WF in accordance with the receiving state, which is composed of a combination of the receiving electric field intensity, the modulation degree, and the intensity of the adjacent-channel interference. A microcomputer (54) controls the KF on the basis of a program stored in a nonvolatile memory (60) and finely adjusts the effective passband width. Control of the WF contradictory for prevention of audio distortion and control of adjacent-channel interference is required when high modulation and adjacent-channel interference exist in a weak electric field state, and the setting becomes difficult. In this particular case, a configuration in which the KF can be modified by a program allows an advantageous receiving state to be readily obtained.
US08260228B2
A radio transmitting apparatus that has a plurality of antennas and changes the number of modulated signals transmitted simultaneously according to the propagation environment and so forth. A transmission power changing section 12 of a radio transmitting apparatus of the present invention adjusts the pilot symbol signal level so as to match the data symbol composite signal level according to the number of transmit modulated signals set by a modulated signal number setting section 11. By this means, the operating range of received pilot, symbols and the operating range of received data symbols become approximately the same on the receiving side, enabling pilot symbol quantization error to be reduced. As a result, the precision of radio wave propagation environment estimation, time synchronization, and frequency offset estimation using pilot symbols improves, and consequently data reception quality improves.
US08260224B2
A system and method are provided for reducing dynamic EVM of an integrated circuit power amplifier (PA) used for RF communication. In a multistage PA, the largest amplification stage is biased with a high amplitude current pulse upon receipt of a Tx enable, before receipt of the RF signal data burst. The high amplitude current pulse causes a large portion of the total ICQ budget of the multistage PA to pass through the largest amplification stage causing the entire integrated circuit to rapidly approach steady-state operating conditions. A smoothing bias current is applied to the largest amplification stage after the pulse decays to compensate for transient bias current levels while standard bias circuitry is still approaching steady-state temperature.
US08260213B2
A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a method involving a step to tune a plurality of tunable reactive elements by measuring a drift in reactance of at least one of the plurality of tunable reactive elements away from a desired reactance. Additional embodiments are disclosed.
US08260209B2
A system and method for coordinated spatial multiplexing using second order statistical information is provided. A method for controller operations includes receiving second order statistics from a plurality of communications devices, computing a beamforming vector for each communications device in the plurality of communications devices, selecting a subset of communications devices from the plurality of communications devices to receive transmissions, and transmitting transmissions to the subset of selected communications devices. The beamforming vector for a communications device is based on the second order statistics provided by the communications device, and the transmitting uses the computed beamforming vector for each selected communications device to transmit the transmissions to the selected communications device.
US08260208B2
Radio channel estimators are provided. In an exemplary embodiment, a radio channel estimator is provided for estimating a first radio channel to obtain a first estimate, the first radio channel being comprised in a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) radio channel extending between at least a first transmit antenna and a second transmit antenna and a receive antenna, the first radio channel extending between the first transmit antenna and the receive antenna. The estimator comprises a means for receiving a reference symbol transmitted by the second transmit antenna and a means for estimating a second radio channel based on the reference symbol, the second radio channel extending between the second transmit antenna and the receive antenna. The estimator further comprises a means for processing the estimate of the second radio channel based on a spatial property of the MIMO radio channel to obtain the first estimate.
US08260207B2
Apparatus and methods of performing interference mitigation in a communication network. The interference mitigation can include a controller sending a message to a first access point instructing the first access point to measure at least one signal transmitted by a first wireless terminal communicating a signal having known characteristics; the controller receiving from the first access point signal measurement information; and the controller communicating at least some of the signal measurement information received from the first access point to a second access point.
US08260197B2
A radio repeating system has first and second radio terminals, a radio repeater to receive a signal transmitted from the first radio terminal and transmit the signal to the second radio terminal, and a controller to control the radio repeater. The controller has a terminal signal determiner to detect a signal from the first radio terminal to determine whether the first radio terminal is in a transmission halt mode or a transmission mode, a first counter to start counting when a result of detection is the transmission halt mode, and a second counter to start counting when a result of detection is the transmission mode. The controller halts a wireless relay operation of the radio repeater when the result of detection is the transmission halt mode while the second timer is operating, or when the first timer finishes counting.
US08260196B2
An assembly of a low-noise block converter and a filter for a satellite antenna includes a low-noise block converter, a filter, and a connecting component. The low-noise block converter includes an output circuit, and the filter includes a filtering circuit. The connecting component includes a sleeve part for engaging threadedly the low-noise block converter and the filter, and a core extending through the sleeve part and interconnecting electrically the output circuit and the filtering circuit. By virtue of the sleeve part of the connecting component, connection between the low-noise block converter and the filter can be reinforced to reduce interference. The sleeve part can also serve as a ground circuit between the low-noise block converter and the filter so as to shorten a ground path, thereby reducing signal loss.
US08260195B2
A system and method for limiting the amount of satellite radio digital bandwidth used by allowing a vehicle to record and store songs broadcast by the satellite and then play the songs from the vehicle the next times the songs are to be broadcast. When a song is selected to be broadcast, the method determines whether a certain percentage of vehicles will have the song recorded on the vehicle, and if so, will broadcast a song code identifying the song to allow the vehicle to play the recorded song.
US08260190B2
An interference device and method of interfering with signals from a UMTS base station in a particular area are disclosed. The interference device receives a signal from the base station intended for a mobile device to initiate a communication session. The interference device synchronizes to the S-CCPCH and alters the TCFI and/or the data in the data field of the slot so that it is not longer correct. Time-shifted copies of the altered signal are then multiplexed and transmitted to the mobile device as a jamming signal. The jamming signal is received by the mobile device and causes the mobile device to be unable to determine the data of the original signal from the base station.
US08260186B2
A toner cartridge is configured by integrally arranging a fresh toner storing chamber and a residual toner collection chamber. Fresh toner is filled in the fresh toner storing chamber through a fresh toner filling opening. Residual toner is conveyed in the residual toner collection chamber through a residual toner conveying opening. Two residual toner discharging openings are created in the residual toner collection chamber through which the residual toner is discharged.
US08260184B2
Provided are fuser members and printing apparatuses including fuser members. The fuser member can include a substrate and a top coat layer including a hyper nanocomposite disposed over the substrate, wherein the hyper nanocomposite can include a plurality of nanoparticles substantially uniformly dispersed in one or more cross-linked hyperbranched polymers selected from the group consisting of polycarbosilane, polycarbosilixane, polycarbosilazene, and polyfluorocarbon.
US08260183B2
A soft pressure roller for use in a printer fusing system having an inside diameter and an outside diameter, wherein the roller is fabricated of LIM silicone elastomer having a softness of between 15 and 35 Asker C and wherein the distance between the inside diameter and the outside diameter is between 2 mm and 10 mm.
US08260175B2
A developing apparatus for an image forming apparatus. In order to suppress toner scattering that may occur after a development operation has been halted for a long time, the developer is transferred to a developer storage unit on the exterior of the developing machine when the development operation ends. A range in which an angle of a restricting member upstream side central angle α, which is a central angle of the surface of a developing roller on the upstream side of a restricting member opposing position opposing a developer amount restricting member in a surface motion direction of the developing roller, is not less than 0° and not more than 60° is set as a low magnetic flux density area γ in which the maximum value of a normal direction magnetic flux density on the surface of the developing roller is not more than 30 mT.
US08260173B2
A color image forming apparatus to which cartridges are detachably mountable includes a cartridge supporting member movable between a set position and an outside position; a driving source; a driving member provided opposite to the driving source through the cartridge supporting member, a first driving force transmission member for transmitting a driving force of the driving source; a second driving force transmission member provided oppositely to the first driving force transmission member through the cartridge supporting member; and a third driving force transmission member provided to the cartridge supporting member. The third driving force transmission member is, in a state in which the cartridge supporting member is located at the set position, connected to the first and second driving force transmission members to transmit the driving force of the driving source to the driving member.
US08260168B2
An image forming apparatus is disclosed. The image forming apparatus includes a body having an opening perforated in one side thereof, a developing unit detachably mounted to the body through the opening, a body cover configured to cover a rear portion of the developing unit in a mounting direction of the developing unit and adapted to open or close the opening, and a memory unit provided at the rear portion of the developing unit and having a developing device terminal. The body cover includes a body terminal to come into contact with the memory unit. Accordingly, an electrical connection between the developing unit and the body can be made less susceptible to vibration, etc. caused during operation of a drive motor.
US08260162B2
When image forming is to be successively performed on recording sheets having different sizes, an image forming apparatus suitably executes adjustment processing on a fixing apparatus or the like used in the image forming, and maintains image quality as well as suppresses a drop in productivity. To accomplish this, the image forming apparatus specifies the size of a printing material onto which an image is to be performed, and with use of the specified printing material size and the size of printing materials on which images have been formed immediately previously, determines whether it is necessary to execute adjustment processing for maintaining image quality. Specifically, adjustment processing is executed only if the size of the printing material on which an image is to be formed is greater than the size of the printing materials on which images were formed immediately previously.
US08260161B2
An image forming apparatus includes a control mechanism capable of selecting a plurality of print modes and a fixing device fixing an image developed based on one of the print modes selected by the control mechanism. The control mechanism selects any one of the print modes based on a successive print sheet number determined by print information received from a host device and a power consumption amount of each of the print modes calculated from fixing temperature of the fixing device prior to starting print operation.
US08260159B2
In an image forming apparatus, it is determined whether a shortage amount of toner in a developing device is greater than a threshold value of 4 g or not, when the power is turned on to start operation. As a result, if the shortage amount of toner in the developing device is greater than 4 g, an agitating operation is executed to agitate toner in the developing device prior to a printing operation. If the shortage amount is smaller than 4 g, the agitating operation is not executed. Then, a printing command is received, and if the agitating operation is not performed, control of an operation of supplying toner is started with a delay of at least for the time required for the agitating operation, after the printing operation is started.
US08260128B1
A water-resistant connector for use with fabric and sheet-like material comprises two plates stitched to each other on either side of and through the fabric or sheet-like material with at least one gasket made of an elastomeric material such as neoprene being placed between one of the plates and the fabric or sheet-like material. The gasket is stitched through and compressed between the plates so as to press against the stitching for water resistance. A suitable elastomeric material is a sheet of elastomeric compound adhered to either side of a reinforcing scrim. A rain cover for a camera and lens includes a water-resistant connector attached on the outside to a neck strap and on the inside to a strap system secured to the camera and lens whereby the camera and lens can be supported by the neck strap when the rain cover is protecting the camera and lens. A gasket may be provided encircling an eyepiece of the camera.
US08260121B2
Systems and methods are disclosed for writing data to an optical disc. In one example, a method includes the steps of receiving data to be written to an optical disc, determining the size of the data to be written to the optical disc, generating a file system image for the optical disc, writing the file system image to the optical disc and writing the data to the optical disc at a space beginning at a LBA located at a distance equal to about the size of the data from the last available LBA and terminating at about the last available LBA of the optical disc.
US08260108B2
A recording and reproduction apparatus may include an information signal recording section configured to record an information signal on a recording medium; a reproduction section configured to read/reproduce the information signal; a feature amount detection section configured to detect feature amounts of the information signal to be recorded and/or the reproduced information signal; a division detection section configured to detect divisions of the information signal; a keyword obtaining section configured to obtain a keyword; a keyword recording section configured to record the keywords obtained by the keyword obtaining section; a user operation input detection section configured to detect operation input by a user; a user evaluation value generator configured to generate a user evaluation value; a keyword evaluation value accumulation and storage section configured to accumulate the user evaluation value for each of the keywords and store the accumulated evaluation value; and a recommendation section.
US08260105B2
An enclosure for housing splice trays, including a bracket adapted to couple one or more splice trays to the enclosure, wherein the bracket is adapted to rotate the splice trays about an axis.
US08260096B2
Consistent with the present disclosure, the number of passive waveguides in a PIC are reduced by directly connecting active components to one another. Accordingly, optical signals propagating in the PIC may experience less loss, and, thus, improved performance may be achieved. In addition, active components may be bent or curved in order to obtain a more compact layout with greater device density. Reduced manufacturing costs can therefore be realized.
US08260095B2
An optical device to be connected to an optical fiber and an optical system in which the optical fiber is fixed to the optical device are provided, which optical device and optical system can restrict variations in a distance between inclined surfaces for supporting the optical fiber, and can enhance a productivity of the optical device and system. The optical system according to the present invention is, for example an optical multiplexer/demultiplexer having an optical device according to the present invention, which device has a substrate (2) with a crystal axis, and a groove (10a) for supporting an optical fiber (6a). The groove (10a) has a pair of opposing inclined surfaces (24) for supporting the optical fiber (6a), and a recess (26) formed between the pair of opposing inclined surfaces (24).
US08260092B2
In one exemplary embodiment, a method comprises transmitting an optical signal via the optical line, measuring a relative change in spectral intensity of the optical signal near a clock frequency (or half of that frequency) while varying a polarization of the optical signal between a first state of polarization and a second state of polarization, and using the relative change in spectral intensity of the optical signal to determine and correct the DGD of the optical line. Another method comprises splitting an optical signal traveling through the optical line into a first and second portions having a first and second principal states of polarization of the optical line, converting the first and second portions into a first and second electrical signals, delaying the second electrical signal to create a delayed electrical signal that compensates for a DGD of the optical line, and combining the delayed electrical signal with the first electrical signal to produce a fixed output electrical signal.
US08260091B2
An apparatus and method for searching for erroneous data is provided. The method of searching for erroneous data includes checking received data using an error-checking field included in the received data, and compensating for erroneous data of the checked data.
US08260078B2
Embodiments of the invention provide a technique to sharpen luminance data associated with each pixel of a digital image without introducing certain sharpening artifacts. An alpha mask is generated based on first, second, and third alpha submasks that indicate how strongly overshoot, color fringe, and dark regions, respectively, are detected at each pixel location. The alpha mask is used to combine luminance data derived from the digital image with sharpened luminance data that is generated by applying a sharpening filter to the luminance data.
US08260072B2
This invention provides a technique of easily encoding image data to generate encoded data having high image quality within a target code amount using a small memory capacity by image encoding processing of performing frequency transform and quantization of each pixel block. A frequency transform unit separates image data into low frequency band data and high frequency band data. A coefficient quantizing unit, coefficient encoder, and code amount controller operate to encode the high frequency band data within a predetermined amount. When the encoding processing of the high frequency band data has ended, the quantization parameter of the low frequency band data is set based on the generated code amount of the high frequency band data. A coefficient quantizing unit, coefficient encoder, code amount detector, and quantization parameter updating unit operate to encode the low frequency band data into codes within a low frequency band target code amount.
US08260067B2
Techniques are generally described to determine whether a JPEG image has undergone two compressions. Probabilities can be computed for the first digits of quantized DCT (discrete cosine transform) coefficients from a set of AC (alternate current) modes to detect or determine whether the JPEG image has undergone two compressions. The set of AC modes may include a predetermined number of distinguishable AC modes where a distinguishable AC mode may be an AC mode in which a second quantization step (QS2) is not an integer multiple of the first quantization step (QS1). Classifiers may be created during a training process, and later may be used to assist in determining whether a suspect JPEG image has undergone two compressions. When the classifiers support a multi-classification system, described detection techniques may also be arranged to determine a primary quality factor for the double compressed JPEG image.
US08260060B2
A comparison apparatus 2 designates first registration information RT1 inherent to a first parameter obtained by applying generalized Hough transform processing to a registered image AIM based on the set first parameter as the registration information RT1 used for the comparison and, designating second registration information RT1 obtained by applying generalized Hough transform processing to the registered image AIM based on a second parameter different from the first parameter as the registration information RT1 used for the comparison when receiving an instruction for change of the registration information RT1 after the designation, whereby security can be improved.
US08260049B2
In one embodiment, the invention provides a method for determining a logical structure of a document. The method comprises generating at least one document hypothesis for the whole document; for each document hypothesis, verifying said document hypothesis including (a) generating at least one block hypothesis for each block in the document based on the document hypothesis; and (b) selecting a best block hypothesis for each block; selecting as a best document hypothesis the document hypothesis that has the best degree of correspondence with the selected best block hypotheses for the document; and forming the document based on the best document hypothesis.
US08260047B2
A system and method for determining high frequency content in an analog image source. A method comprises creating a histogram of the image, and selecting a portion of the image based on the histogram. The histogram comprises a first number of horizontal bins and a second number of vertical bins, with each bin having an associated counter for maintaining a count of pixel differences of pixels in a portion of the image corresponding to the bin that exceed a threshold. The portion of the image selected corresponds to a portion of the histogram having a high pixel difference count relative to other portions of the histogram.
US08260043B2
Based on average values for respective color components calculated by an average value calculating section, a histogram generating section obtains, for respective pixels of interest, a maximum value of the average values among the color components and a maximum difference in the average values among the color components, and generates histograms respectively for the maximum value and the maximum difference in which histograms a number of pixels for a density bin is considered as a frequency-of-occurrence value. A determination section obtains a number of density bin having a predetermined frequency-of-occurrence value or more for each of the histograms for the maximum value and the maximum difference, and determines that the data of image is of a blank page image when both of the numbers of density bins are not greater than a bin threshold value which is set according to scanning modes or printing modes.
US08260039B2
Aspects of the present invention include systems and methods for forming generative models, for utilizing those models, or both. In embodiments, an object model fitting system can be developed comprising a 3D active appearance model (AAM) model. The 3D AAM comprises an appearance model comprising a set of subcomponent appearance models that is constrained by a 3D shape model. In embodiments, the 3D AAM may be generated using a balanced set of training images. The object model fitting system may further comprise one or more manifold constraints, one or more weighting factors, or both. Applications of the present invention include, but are not limited to, modeling and/or fitting face images, although the teachings of the present invention can be applied to modeling/fitting other objects.
US08260037B2
A 3D model reconstruction acquisition includes the steps of preparing a transparent container and at least one image capture device, wherein an object is placed in the transparent container and a liquid is received in the transparent container; keeping the liquid level rising or lowering to allow the liquid level to pass through a surface of the object and then keeping capturing a series of the images; computing a liquid-level equation for each of the images by using curves of the images between the object and the incremental or decremental liquid level confined by the transparent container; computing 3D coordinates of the curves in accordance with the liquid-level equation of each image; and collecting 3D coordinates of all of the curves to create a 3D model of the object. In addition, the acquisition can be done in the environment having water and thus be applied to various environments.
US08260036B2
Methods and apparatus are provided for detecting and tracking a target. Images are captured from a field of view by at least two cameras mounted on one or more platforms. These images are analyzed to identify landmarks with the images which can be used to track the targets position from frame to frame. The images are fused (merged) with information about the target or platform position from at least one sensor to detect and track the target. The targets position with respect to the position of the platform is displayed or the position of the platform relative to the target is displayed.
US08260030B2
In order to set an inspection area, a measurement target is disposed onto a stage, a reference data of the measurement target is summoned, and a measurement data of the measurement target is acquired. Then, at least one feature object is selected in the measurement data and the reference data of the measurement target, and at least one feature variable for the selected feature object is extracted from each of the reference data and the measurement data. Thereafter, a change amount of the measurement target is produced by using the feature variable and a quantified conversion formula, and the produced change amount is compensated for to set an inspection area. Thus, the distortion of the measurement target is compensated for to correctly set an inspection area.
US08260026B2
The invention is directed to counting techniques for counting biological agents on a biological growth plate or similar medium. In order to automate the counting of biological agents, a biological growth plate is inserted into a biological scanning unit. Upon insertion of the biological growth plate, the biological scanning unit generates an image of the plate. Then, the amount of biological agents that appear in the image, such as a number of bacteria colonies, can be counted or otherwise determined using image processing and analysis routines performed either by the scanning unit or an external computing device, such as a desktop computer, workstation or the like. A variety of counting rules are described herein that can be used to improve the accuracy of automated counts of biological agents on a biological growth plate.
US08260019B2
A method for reducing bandwidth required for transmission of data in a device having two portions rotating with respect to one another. The first portion includes a data acquisition system (DAS) having a charge-to-digital converter and a digital signal processor (DSP) configured to receive and compress digital data from the charge-to-digital processor. The second portion includes a computer configured to receive data from the DAS. The DAS and computer are communicatively coupled via a slip ring having a finite transmission bandwidth. The computer is configured to reconstruct and display an image using compressed data. The method includes using the DAS to compress scan data to a predetermined number of mantissa bits and a predetermined number of exponent bits, transmitting the compressed data from the first portion to the second portion across the slip ring, and using the transmitted compressed data to reconstruct and display an image of an object.
US08260017B2
The influences of the vibrations and the like of a rotational radiography system are corrected with respect to a projection image for each projection direction which contains an artificial artifact, and volume data containing only a ring artifact is generated by image reconstruction using the projection images. A ring center is determined by using this volume data, and polar coordinate conversion of an actual radiographed image is executed by using the ring center as an origin, thereby extracting a signal (ring artifact) parallel to an angular axis.
US08260016B2
Provided is an image processing system, including a depth calculating section that calculates a depth of an object from a surface of a body, the object existing inside the body; a light receiving section that receives light from the object; and a substance amount calculating section that calculates an amount of a substance, which generates the light received by the light receiving section, inside the object based on the depth of the object calculated by the depth calculating section and an amount of light received by the light receiving section.
US08260012B2
An image-capturing apparatus for capturing an image by using a solid-state image-capturing device may include a face detector configured to detect a face of a human being on the basis of an image signal in a period until an image signal obtained by image capturing is recorded on a recording medium; an expression evaluation section configured to evaluate the expression of the detected face and to compute an expression evaluation value indicating the degree to which the detected face is close to a specific expression in relation to expressions other than the specific expression; and a notification section configured to notify notification information corresponding to the computed expression evaluation value to an image-captured person.
US08260010B2
Systems and methods are provided for analyzing skin conditions using digital images. The method comprises acquiring a white-light image and an ultraviolet (“UV”) image of at least a portion of a body surface, such as a person's face, each of the white-light and UV images including a plurality of pixels and each pixel in the UV image corresponding to a respective pixel in the white-light image. The method further comprises identifying skin-pixels in the white-light and UV images, and obtaining results associated with at least one skin condition using information in the skin pixels in the first white light and UV images.
US08260009B2
An image quality measuring method enables a biometric image to be evaluated to determine whether the biometric image data are adequate for identification processing. The method includes converting a biometric image to dimensionless image data, filtering the dimensionless image data with a band pass filter, identifying a plurality of portions in the filtered data as containing identification features, each portion in the plurality having an information measurement that indicates feature content greater than portions in the filtered data that are excluded from the plurality, and measuring clarity for the biometric image from the identified plurality of portions in the filtered data.
US08260005B2
A system, method and device for grading of meat such as bovine, porcine, sheep, horse or poultry meat among others. The device of this invention is a portable tool, which is approached toward a meat specimen to be analyzed and captures an image. The device then objectively relates the image to meat quality parameters by means of an image analyzing method. The device and method solve, in a practical, fast and satisfactory way, the problem of determining meat quality parameters such as texture, color, and contained intramuscular fat percentage.
US08260003B2
An image-signal processing apparatus configured to track an object moving in an image includes a setting unit configured to set an eliminating area in an image constituting a moving image; a motion-vector detecting unit configured to detect an object in the image constituting a moving image and detect a motion vector corresponding to the object using an area excluding the eliminating area in the image; and an estimating unit configured to estimate a position to which the object moves on the basis of the detected motion vector.
US08259985B2
A speaker set configured for a portable electronic device includes a hollow shell, a back cover, and a loudspeaker sandwiched between the shell of the back cover. The shell includes a first chamber, a second chamber, a third chamber and a fourth chamber. The second and third chambers are positioned at opposite sides of the first chamber, and communicate with a surrounding environment at opposite sides of the shell. The loudspeaker is accommodated in the first chamber, and divides the first chamber into a front sub-chamber and a rear sub-chamber. The front sub-chamber communicates with the second and the third chambers thereby forming a front resonance chamber. The rear sub-chamber communicates with the fourth chamber thereby forming a rear resonance chamber. Sound waves generated from the loudspeaker are transmitted to and resonate in the front and rear resonance chambers and then transmitted to the surrounding environment in opposite directions.
US08259982B2
A mobile computing device comprises a printed circuit board, a processing circuit, a surface mount microphone, and a vibration attenuation portion. The processing circuit is disposed on a first portion of the printed circuit board. The surface mount microphone is disposed on a second portion of the printed circuit board. The vibration attenuation portion of the board is configured to attenuate vibrations from the first to the second portion of the printed circuit board.
US08259981B2
A sound reproduction system is disclosed in which a sound enclosure defines a soundwave path having a first end, a second open end and at least one bend therebetween. At least one driver is provided at the first end for producing a driver soundwave that is confined by the sound enclosure for travel along the soundwave path. At least one baffle member is situated in the soundwave path, defining a reflective surface of preselected shape that reflects and constricts the soundwave therethrough.
US08259975B2
A shielding element and a decoupling element are integrated into a combined attenuation element. The shielding element may be a shielding foil, preferably made of copper. The attenuation element may include a flexible backing foil, preferably a plastic backing foil which supports the shielding foil. It may also include an adhesive layer with which the electronic component is affixed to a housing. The physical properties of all elements of the attenuation element are attuned to one another such that it simultaneously attenuates both electromagnetic alternating fields as well as mechanical oscillations.
US08259972B2
A hearing aid having a microphone for converting an ambient sound signal to an electric sound signal, a voice detector adapted to determine if a voice is present in said electric sound signal and a frequency analyzer to determine a fundamental frequency of a voice present in said electric sound signal, a signal processor adapted to process said electric sound signal, or an electric signal derived from it, independent of adjustable processing parameters, a memory having corresponding sets of processing parameters and fundamental voice frequencies, a decision unit to select and forward from the memory to the signal processor a set of processing parameters in accordance with a fundamental frequency determined by the frequency analyzer. Further, a method of adapting a hearing aid and to the use of such hearing aid.
US08259971B2
A Hearing apparatuses is provided. The hearing apparatus includes a programming socket that features at least a first connection and a second connection, with a signal processing system that is connected to the second connection, and with a control system. The control system taps the potential of the first connection. The control system furthermore engages the signal processing system in a first function when the first connection reaches the predetermined potential and in a second function when the potential of the first connection deviates from the predetermined potential. This enables multiple usages for example of the input of a programming interface of a signal processing IC.
US08259969B2
A high-frequency pneumatic loudspeaker for sound broadcasting is provided, and comprises a housing, silencer exhaust holes, air inlet port, supporting plate, throat canal, central cone, annular nozzle, obstructing ring, and a voice coil and leads. Lower and an upper press plates hold the obstructing ring and the voice coil in position, a magnet having inner and outer magnetic poles is connected therewith, wherein a small gap exists between the obstructing ring and the end of the annular nozzle. This provides the advantages of both air passage area modulation by a sleeve air valve and airstream direction modulation by jet obstruction, reduces airstream consumption, improves air-sound conversion efficiency, and improves structures of an annular air flow-splitter, voice coil and leads. A cooling system is provided to improve high-frequency modulation sensitivity, operation stability, and/or extended fault-free operation time.
US08259950B2
A method and apparatus are disclosed for managing components of a secret key according to a secret sharing scheme. The disclosed secret sharing scheme divides a secret value, R, into n secret components (R1, R2, . . . , Rn) and one super component, S, in such a way that R can be computed from (i) any k or more R1 components (k
US08259948B2
The present subject matter is related to trusted computing, and more particularly to migration of virtual trusted platform module keys that are rooted in a hardware trusted platform module. Some embodiments include a trusted platform virtualization module that may perform one or more of inbound and outbound trusted platform module key migrations. Such migrations may be performed between a virtual trusted platform module and either a hardware or a virtual trusted platform module.
US08259942B2
Arranging data ciphering in a telecommunication system comprising at least one wireless terminal, a wireless local area network and a public land mobile network. At least one first ciphering key according to the mobile network is calculated in the mobile network and in the terminal for a terminal identifier using a specific secret key for the identifier. Data transmission between the mobile network and the terminal is carried out through the wireless local area network. A second ciphering key is calculated in the terminal and in the mobile network using said at least one first ciphering key. The second ciphering key is sent from the mobile network to the wireless local area network. The data between the terminal and the network is ciphered using said second ciphering key.
US08259941B2
In an MFP, an image on an original is read and the image is stored as a document (input image) in an HDD. A marking-information generation module generates marking information (two-dimensional code information) expressing at least one of information relating to storage of the document and an output parameters of the document. A document-relevance-information management module relates the marking information to the stored image, and an encryption/decryption module encrypts the marking information. A marking generation module generates a marking image from the encrypted marking information, and the marking image is printed out.
US08259938B2
Methods, devices, and computer program products enable the embedding of forensic marks in a host content that is in compressed domain. These and other features are achieved by preprocessing of a host content to provide a plurality of host content versions with different embedded watermarks that are subsequently compressed. A host content may then be efficiently marked with forensic marks in response to a request for such content. The marking process is conducted in compressed domain, thus reducing the computational burden of decompressing and re-compressing the content, and avoiding further perceptual degradation of the host content. In addition, methods, devices and computer program products are disclosed that obstruct differential analysis of such forensically marked content.
US08259937B2
There are provided a method and others capable of appropriately protecting literary works without requiring any operation by a web site administrator or a user. A web server transmits a content, copyright information on the content, and execution information for introducing the content to a creation device. The creation device receives the transmitted content, copyright information, and execution information. When the content is introduced in association with the transmitted execution information, the creation device extracts the copyright information on the transmitted content and transmits the address of the content and the extracted copyright information to a creation program for creating a web page.
US08259936B2
Apparatus and method for generating a traffic encryption key includes generating a traffic encryption key for encrypting data transmitted as part of a service, the traffic encryption key having a validity equal to a traffic encryption key validity time period; checking whether a period for the service is longer than the traffic encryption key validity time period; and if the period of the service is longer than the traffic encryption key validity time period, ascertaining a residual period which indicates by what period the service is longer than the traffic encryption key validity time period of the traffic encryption key; generating a residual traffic encryption key which is used for encrypting data transmitted as part of a service; ascertaining a residual traffic encryption key validity time period which indicates for how long the residual traffic encryption key is valid; and associating the residual traffic encryption key validity time period with the residual traffic encryption key.
US08259931B2
A sliding mechanism comprises a sliding plate, a main plate, a first slide enabling member and a biasing member. The sliding plate has two angled portions. The main plate has two side walls. The first slide enabling member is coupling the angled portions of the sliding plate to the side walls of the main plate such that the sliding plate is slid relative to the main plate from a closed position or to retract from an open position. The first slide enabling member comprises a set of first roller assembly and a set of first tracks that engage the first roller assembly, when the sliding plate slide relative to the main plate, the first roller assembly are rotated and slid relative to the first tracks. The biasing member biases the sliding plate to slide to the open position when the sliding plate crosses an intermediate position.
US08259930B2
With a waterproof structure for the space between a first case and a diaphragm doubling as a display panel provided facing the first case, a first resilient member is integrally formed at a surface of the diaphragm facing the first case, and the first resilient member is press-fitted into a groove formed in a surface of the first case facing the diaphragm side.
US08259927B2
The invention relates to a method for adaptive filtering in which a level of a reference signal necessary for the adaptive filtering is determined in the context of an adaptation by estimation, using a quantity equivalent to the reference signal, wherein the filtering is dependent on the electrical power of at least one signal extracted from a transmission channel to be filtered, and the equivalent quantity is determined by means of a mathematical function based on the electrical power of at least the extracted signal. The invention further relates to an arrangement with means for carrying out the method.
US08259915B2
A system and method for analyzing information associated with voice calls placed during a telephone number advertising campaign is described. The system receives information characterizing voice calls to advertiser telephone numbers and information from advertisers such as information about the outcome of the voice call (e.g., conversion information). The system correlates the voice call information with the advertiser information and generates reports based on the correlated information. The system can perform or enable the performance of other actions based on the correlated information. For example, the system may modify an ongoing advertising campaign based on an analysis of the correlated information.
US08259912B2
A programmable in-the-skin or intelligently connected message on hold delivery system is disclosed which comprises a message storage system and a processor for generating prompts which are transmitted to a control device. The prompts are received at the control device and allow an operator to select from a number of options in order to select, among other things, certain ones of the messages stored on said message storage system for playback, as well as the sequence in which said messages are to be played back. The message playback devices are each provided with one or more libraries of messages, and comprise at least one or more audio and/or visual advertising messages. Said system enables the user to start a pre-recorded audio or visual message at the beginning each time a caller is placed on hold in the telephone system.
US08259911B1
The present invention relates to telecommunications, and in particular, to systems and processes for processing telephone calls and providing telephony services. In one embodiment, a call processing system, compromises a first telephony interface configured to receive a call from a caller, a storage device configured to store a greeting, and a call answering system. The call answering system is configured to play the greeting in response to receiving the call, record a voice message from the caller, determine when the caller has completed recording the voice message, after determining that the caller has completed recording the voice message, play a prompt regarding the caller becoming a subscriber to call services provided by the call processing system, receive from the caller information used to establish a call services account, and establish a call services account for the caller.
US08259902B2
Non invasive in-vivo measurement of composition of a tissue within a part of a human or animal subject is carried out by detecting a Raman spectral characteristic in light scattered through the part using a transmission, rather than a backscattering geometry. The technique is applied to the detection of calcifications in human breast tissues.
US08259900B1
A method for detecting nuclear species in a sample by adaptive scanning using nuclear resonance fluorescence may comprise illuminating the target sample with photons from a source; detecting a signal in an energy channel; determining a scan evaluation parameter using the signal detected; determining whether the scan evaluation parameter meets a detection efficiency criterion; adjusting one or more system parameters such that the scan evaluation parameter meets the detection efficiency criterion; and comparing the signal in an energy channel to a predetermined species detection criterion to identify a species detection event. In another embodiment, detecting a signal in an energy channel may further comprise detecting photons scattered from the target sample. In another embodiment, detecting a signal in an energy channel may further comprise detecting photons transmitted through the target sample and scattered from at least one reference scatterer.
US08259899B2
The invention relates to a multi-modality tomography apparatus (11) including a first tomograph (13) and a second tomograph or imaging system (14) using different tomography techniques, such as X-ray CT tomography and PET or SPECT tomography, or a tomographic or planar optical imaging system, which are located on the same face of a support means (12) which can rotate in both directions of rotation around an axial support shaft (12), such that a subject undergoing examination and placed on a subject support does not have to be moved during a tomographic examination with any of the two tomographs (13, 14) installed on the same face of the support (12).
US08259897B2
A method and apparatus is disclosed for determining the central ray of scanning an object on a detector in a computer tomography system. The method comprises producing a fan beam of x-rays at a fixed x-ray source and detecting the x-rays at the detector. The scanning projection data of the object under examination is received and the object is rotated under examination using a manipulator. After calculating the opposite projection pixel position and projection angle for each pixel, a mismatching is measured between the grey levels of all pixels and their calculated opposite projection pixels with a set of assumed central ray, and identifying the minimum of the measurement as the true central ray.
US08259896B2
A method for determining absorption coefficients corrected with polychromy artifacts for an object composed of a plurality of material types differentiated with absorption attributes is provided. A plurality of x-ray beam projections of the object are recorded with monochrome x-rays from different positions. The recorded projections are reconstructed to determine a first set of absorption coefficients. The projections are calculated by reprojection. The recorded projections are corrected by the calculated projections. A second set of absorption coefficients corrected with polychromy artifacts is finally determined by reconstructing the corrected projections. A formula-based description of a rule taking account of polychromy is used in the calculation. The rule includes parameters to be determined by the reprojection in the course of the calculation of projections. The method combines steps of conventional methods and is thus more efficient.
US08259889B2
An apparatus and method for frequency synthesis using a Delay Locked Loop (DLL) are provided. The apparatus includes the DLL, an edge pulse generator, and an inductive-capacitive (LC) tank switch. If phases of a reference frequency signal and a feedback signal are the same and thus are locked, the DLL delays the reference frequency signal. The edge pulse generator generates a plurality of pulse signals representing phase delay amounts of signals. The LC tank switch combines the plurality of pulse signals and generates frequency.
US08259873B2
Watermarking of audio signals intends to manipulate the audio signal in a way that the changes in the audio content cannot be recognized by the human auditory system. The watermark data are decoded from the received watermarked audio signal by correlation with corresponding candidate reference sequences. One or more of the sync symbols are embedded twice in the watermark data frame in the encoder. Thereafter a circular correlation is calculated instead of a standard correlation.
