US08302869B2

A first pad has first and second sub-pads that are connected to each other by a connection section extending in a manner overlapping with a mounted circuit chip and that are connected to two terminals formed at two positions on a diagonal of a lower surface of the circuit chip, respectively. The second pad has third and fourth sub-pads that are connected to each other via a route bypassing the mounted circuit chip and that are connected to two terminals formed at two positions on the other diagonal of the lower surface of the circuit chip, respectively.
US08302868B2

A method for collecting and processing information bearing indicia (IBI) comprising the steps of: converting light reflected off an IBI into IBI signals representative of the IBI; running at least one signal process for processing the IBI signals on a first processor if the IBI is of a first type; and running at least one signal process for processing the IBI signals on a second processor if the IBI is of a second type, wherein the first processor and second processor are configured to run in parallel.
US08302867B2

Disclosed is a symbol reading device including: an imaging section to capture a symbol and generate an image; a detecting section to detect a size of the symbol; a judging section to judge large or small by comparing the size of the symbol to a pre-set value; a focus movement controlling section to move a focus position of the imaging section to a predetermined position of a farther side when the size of the symbol is smaller than the pre-set value as a result of the judgment, and to move a focus position of the imaging section to a predetermined position of a closer side when the size of the symbol is larger than the pre-set value as a result of the judgment; and an analyzing section to analyze symbol data corresponding to the symbol at a focus position moved by the focus movement controlling section.
US08302866B2

A method for decoding an encoded candidate character of a symbology is provided that includes the steps of providing a plurality of valid barcode characters of a symbology having n elements, generating a seed codeword comprising n elements, computing a seed distance value from the seed codeword to each character in the symbology, generating a distance map comprising each character in the symbology and the associated computed seed distance value, and arranging the plurality of seed distance values into a plurality of bins. Each bin contains a subset of the characters in the symbology. The method includes the steps of selecting a candidate barcode character for decoding, computing a candidate distance value from the candidate barcode character to the seed codeword, identifying the bin containing the candidate distance value, and comparing the candidate barcode character with the valid barcode characters in the bin having the candidate distance value.
US08302864B2

A method and apparatus for use with a camera that includes a field of view (FOV), the method for selecting a portion of the field of view for analysis and comprising the steps of placing at least a portion of a first object within the field of view of the camera, providing a light source separate from the camera, directing the light source toward the first object within the field of view of the camera so that the light forms an aiming pattern that is one of on and proximate a first location of interest on the first object, obtaining an image of the portion of the first object within the field of view including the aiming pattern, identifying the location of the aiming pattern in the obtained image and using the aiming pattern in the obtained image to perform a processing function.
US08302859B2

An apparatus, method and system for facilitating payment of a monetary transaction using a card device, the card device comprising a microchip for storing encrypted information including a denomination-specific balance having a plurality of selectable digital monetary amounts associated with a plurality of selectable denominations and a denomination non-specific balance, wherein the card device is rechargeable with further monetary amounts and allows a balance of a transaction to be credited to the card.
US08302858B2

The invention provides systems and methods for protecting information related to credit card accounts and other kinds of information displayed on personal and identification cards. In some embodiments, the invention further provides a credit card with a card portion displaying a first part of an account number and an electronically readable region. The credit card may also include a sleeve portion that holds the card portion and that may display a second part of an account number. The sleeve portion may have a window through which the first part of the account number is visible, so that the first and second parts of the account number provide a complete valid account number.
US08302857B2

A tamper detection mechanism for detecting tampering when a sub system is removed from a host device may include a screw member that may include a head portion, a major diameter shaft portion and a minor diameter shaft portion. The tamper detection mechanism may also include a through hole provided in the sub system, a lever member, and a detection switch. The lever member may withdraw from said through hole as it is pushed by the major diameter shaft portion when the screw member is tightly screwed, and may advance into the through hole when the screw member is loosened. The detection switch may detect whether the screw member is tightly screwed or loosened based on withdrawal or advancement of the lever member.
US08302838B2

A micro-bump forming apparatus includes: a film attachment mechanism that attaches a film on a surface of a substrate; exposure and developing mechanisms that provide openings in the film on electrodes formed on the substrate; a solder ball loading mechanism that loads solder balls into the openings, a flux printing mechanism that prints flux through the openings loaded with the solder balls; a reflow part that heats the solder balls to form solder bumps; and a film detachment mechanism that detaches the film from the surface of the substrate. After a loading head loads the solder balls into the openings of the film, a controller of the solder ball loading mechanism allows a line sensor to operate to check a loading state of the solder balls, and determines, based on the check result, whether to reload the solder balls.
US08302835B2

To prevent clogging in a jet nozzle without using any inert gas and to allow reliability to be improved by filling a through hole of a printed circuit board with the molten solder.By flowing the molten solder 4 in the solder bath 2 from inside of the inner cylinder 15 to a nozzle cap 19, the inside of the nozzle cap 19 is filled with the molten solder 4, and the molten solder 4 filling the inside of the nozzle cap 19 is flown downward from between an inner cylinder 15 and an outer cylinder 16 without substantially flowing it to outside from an insert hole 19a. This enables the molten solder 4 to be prevented from oxidizing because the molten solder 4 is not exposed to the outside air. For this reason, it is possible to prevent clogging in the jet nozzle 3 without filling a part of nozzle outlet with any inert gas as in the conventional soldering apparatus. Further, since the soldering is performed with a lead 31 of electronic component 30 being inserted into the insert hole 19a, it is possible to fill the through hole of the printed circuit board P with the molten solder 4, so that the reliability can be improved.
US08302830B1

A device aid in the retention and transportation of small oxygen bottles worn by a user during use is herein disclosed, comprising a somewhat larger and cylindrical holster to hold a type “B” oxygen canister which is approximately twelve (12) inches long and three (3) inches in diameter. The device uses a formed shoulder strap available in two different models for specific right or left hand use. The formed radius of the strap forces the strap up onto the shoulder and makes the device conform securely to the user. A retention strap that goes under the opposite arm also aids in this retention. The device can be worn while sitting, walking, standing or performing most normal activities.
US08302827B1

A holster apparatus includes a taller outside and a shorter inside panel joined together to form a shallow bottom pocket. The holster apparatus is generally open to the inside. The outside of the holster apparatus substantially completely covers the handgun so that the holster apparatus and handgun may be carried in a user's pocket and give the general appearance of a wallet carried within the pocket. The handgun is not discernible to a viewer when the handgun and holster are carried in the user's pocket.
US08302821B2

There is provided a paste application device which can solve problems of an increased exclusively occupied space attributed to an arrangement of a syringe and of deterioration of a tube.In a paste application unit 15 (a paste application device) for applying a paste 7 stored in a syringe 16 to an application target material, a configuration is adopted in which a pump mechanism 18 for sending the paste 7 under pressure is formed by causing a discharge thread portion 32b provided at a lower portion of a rotary member 32 to rotate about an axis AX within a discharge space 31b provided in a casing portion 31, in which a discharge port 17a, which communicates with the discharge space 31b, is provided at an end portion of the casing portion 31, and in which the syringe 16 is disposed coaxially with the rotary member 32 for detachable connection thereto. By adopting this configuration, the problems can be solved of the increased exclusively occupied space that would occur when the syringe 16 is disposed in parallel to the pump mechanism 18 and of deterioration of the tube.
US08302820B2

A dispenser mechanism 1 for a foamed product comprises a liquid chamber 9 and air chamber 10, each compressed by a common actuator mechanism 6a, 6b, wherein the liquid and air simultaneously enter a foaming chamber 15. The liquid is forced through a diffuser 18a defining a plurality of distributed channels 18e, each channel 18e having a predetermined cross section such that in use the liquid is forced through the channels and enters the foaming chamber as a plurality of jets. The dispenser mechanism 1 provides a particularly advantageous arrangement for producing foam and may be arranged to prevent the foam dripping from an outlet after the end of a dispensing cycle.
US08302819B2

An assembly includes a fluid dispenser, an engagement feature on a portion of the fluid dispenser and a fragrance element with one or more surfaces that define an opening through the fragrance element, wherein the portion of the fluid dispenser with the engagement feature can extend through the opening in the fragrance element to engage a mounting base on an opposite side of the fragrance element.
US08302813B2

A connecting device for ensuring proper connection of liquid containers is provided. The connecting device comprises a bottle closure having a dip tube passage and a first key code pattern at the top. A rupturable film is disposed in the bottle closure. A connector is provided for coupling with the bottle closure. The connector has an upper member and a lower member. The bottom surface of the upper member has a second key code pattern configured to mate with the first key code pattern. The lower member is pivotally coupled to the upper member. A dip tube penetrates the upper member of the connector. A pre-check member having a puncturing structure for puncturing through the rupturable film is also provided. The pre-check member has a key code pattern substantially identical to the second key code pattern to mate with the first key code pattern.
US08302808B2

A closure device includes: a main body having first and second shoulders; a door secured rotatably to the main body and having first and second door edges; an engaging member; an engaging mechanism; and a second pivot axle. The first shoulder and the first door edge respectively have a through hole and a first axle hole. The engaging member and the engaging mechanism are disposed respectively at an inner side of the main body. The engaging member includes a first pivot axle extending through the through hole and the first axle hole, and a positioning piece extending radially from the first pivot axle and engaging the engaging mechanism. One of the second shoulder and the second door edge has a second axle hole, while the other of the second shoulder and the second door edge has the second pivot axle extending through the second axle hole.
US08302807B2

A fitting part includes a support part fastenable to the vessel wall of a boiling or frying vessel and comprises a grip part fastenable to the support part and fixed with a latching device, and a manual actuation element provided on the latching device for unlatching the latching device from a latched position, wherein a latching nib is provided on the support part and is gripped from behind by a complementarily formed latching projection of the grip part during downwardly direction tilting motion and fixes the grip part in position on the support part, wherein a motion guide element with a motion guide surface is provided on the actuation element, and the motion guide surface inclines at an acute angle obliquely against a linear travel path and glides on the contact area when the actuation element is displaced along the travel path.
US08302806B1

A drink vessel holder holds a drink vessel on a target surface such as a plate of food allowing the user to hold both the plate and the drink vessel held thereon with the same hand in order to allow the other hand to be used for enjoyment of the products being held. The drink vessel holder has a flexible body member with an upper portion with a first top surface and a first bottom surface and a lower portion with a second top surface and a second bottom surface with an adhesive material disposed on the first bottom surface of the upper portion.
US08302801B2

A telescoping egg container is disclosed comprising a plurality of slidable egg holder units that can nest one within another, such that the telescoping egg container can be extended or collapsed to accommodate various numbers of eggs to be stored.
US08302799B2

A container for installation in a vehicle has a housing and a lid mounted pivotably on the housing and connected operatively via a gear to a spring device prestressing the lid in an opening direction and supported on the housing. A cardiod control moves and locks the lid. It is in this case important that the cardiod of the cardiod control is disposed continuously on an outer circumference of a shaft having the spring device and co-operates with a movable pin arranged on the housing side.
US08302793B2

A closure for a container having a support device for fillers, in particular a tablet tube, the support device providing an elastically deformable support element that is capable of being brought from a first position, in which the support element is undeformed, into a second position in which the support element is deformed. The support element has a contact area that, in the second position, transmits a supporting force to the fillers; in the second position the support element is situated closer to the container mid-axis than is the case in the first position.
US08302785B2

A tool hanger assembly has a frame and a hanger. The frame has a back plate and a bracket. The bracket is mounted securely on the back plate and has a recess formed in the bracket. The hanger is connected securely with the frame and has a base plate, multiple screwing devices and multiple arms. The base plate is mounted securely in the recess. The screwing devices are mounted through the base plate and mounted in the bracket to connect securely the base plate with the bracket. The arms are securely mounted on the base plate to allow wrenches to be hung on. Accordingly, to assemble the hanger having the multiple arms with the frame is quick, reduces manufacturing cost and is convenient.
US08302783B1

A dispensing display assembly is provided which can deter the theft of goods without prohibitively restricting the access to goods. The display is made from corrugated paper or a thin walled plastic.
US08302776B2

A pack of oral care items that allows for simultaneous opening and easy access to the items contained in the pack. The pack of oral care items includes two or more flexible packages. The flexible packages may be arranged in parallel. One flexible package may be an inner package that is located substantially within another flexible package that forms an outer package. The inner package may include an integral burst pouch configured to release a liquid into an interior space of the outer package while keeping the interior space of the inner package dry. Each flexible package includes a frangible region located at or adjacent a top portion and at least one oral care item is disposed within an interior space of each flexible package. At least one fastening means joins the flexible packages together into a substantially unitary pack so the frangible regions are juxtaposed and the top portions of the packages are aligned to allow for opening simultaneously by applying a force to the frangible regions to open the flexible packages. Upon opening of the top portions of the flexible packages, the central portions of the flexible packages are configured for axial movement simultaneously toward the bottom portions to expose at least the tops of the oral care items so they can be readily grasped by a user.
US08302769B2

A protective case or mounting device for a portable digital media device includes a first and a second snap fit cavity adapted to receive and selectively retain a first and a second protrusion element, respectively, associated with any of various accessory mounting or position retention elements. Connection between respective protrusions and snap fit cavities is made by depressible insertion. A portable digital media device may thus be removably engaged to various positioning elements without requiring the device to be removed from a protective case.
US08302761B2

An isolating device for isolating objects, in particular fuel pellets, contains a conveying device having a conveying belt with a conveying side and a backing side and is guided over at least two deflection pulleys and on which a number of pushing elements protruding from the conveying side of the conveying belt are arranged. The isolating device is configured for a particularly reliable and interruption-free isolation at a high processing speed. Each pushing element is connected with a directing element arranged on the backing side. The directing element includes a sliding surface facing away from the conveying belt. The conveying device contains a guide rail having a guiding surface for the directing elements arranged in a partial section of the conveying belt lying between the deflection pulleys. The sliding surface and the guiding surface are of a complementary shape so that the sliding surface can slide on the guiding surface.
US08302760B2

Device (6) for transferring candy articles, in particular lollipops provided with a stick, from a feed location to an exit location spaced apart therefrom, comprising at least one conveyor with candy article holders (23a, 23b), wherein the device is provided with first operation means for at the location of a reception location (H) at the conveyor setting candy article holders in a receiving position for receiving a stick coming from the feed location and with second operation means for at the location of a discharge location (I) at the conveyor setting the candy article holders in a discharge position for discharging the stick to the exit location, wherein the device is furthermore provided with third operation means (4) positioned between the reception location and the discharge location for, upstream from the discharge location, setting the candy article holders in a discharge position.
US08302755B2

A clutch hydraulic mechanism wherein the positional relationship between two cylinders is not varied, and a compact structure can be achieved. A see-saw member for transmitting motive power is provided between a second release cylinder and a first master cylinder and the first master cylinder and the second release cylinder are formed in the same cylinder block. This eliminates the need for adjusting the positions of the first master cylinder and the second release cylinder. In addition, it is possible to dispose the first master cylinder and the second release cylinder close to each other.
US08302744B2

An improved automatic slack adjuster for reducing slack in the brake of a vehicle, in which a one-way clutch assembly is arranged at a side of the automatic slack adjuster housing, and one-way motion-inhibiting pawls in the one-way clutch assembly act on one-way gear teeth disposed on an inner radius of a gear wheel within the assembly whose outer circumference drives a slack adjuster unit. The incorporation of the one-way clutch within the anchor unit of the adjuster provides an automatic slack adjuster which can be produced at a reduced cost, manufactured more easily, and provides for improved adjustment performance with much reduced dependence on the lubricity of grease used.
US08302741B2

A disk brake caliper with an integrated parking brake comprising a housing, a piston, an adjust screw, a ramp nut, a ramp nut return, a ramp shaft and a fix cage. The ramp nut has a body and a head at one end of the body. The fix cage is secured to the inner wall of the housing, which has a hollow structure and through which the body of the ramp nut passes. One of the fix cage and the head of the ramp nut is provided with a locking lug and the other of the fix cage and the head of the ramp nut is provided with a locking notch for mating with the locking lug to prevent the ramp nut from rotating relative to the housing.
US08302740B2

A single support device (30) is adapted to support and secure a machine (34) at least one sheave (38) and a plurality of termination members (44, 46). The single support device (30) is conveniently installed within a hoistway (26) or within a machine room (90). The machine (34) and sheave (38) may be premounted to the support device (30) and the entire assembly can be lowered into position by crane (300).
US08302738B2

A power train handler having a first inverted T-shaped stand and a second inverted T-shaped stand the height of each of which is preferably independently adjustable. A T-shaped support is slidably attached to the upper end of each inverted T-shaped stand. Either an inverted U-shaped tip plate is rotationally balanced on a T-shaped support or a slotted bar having rotationally mounted arms is attached to the T-shaped support. Preferably, wheels are attached to the bottom of the inverted T-shaped stands; and, preferably, the inverted T-shaped stands are releasably, slidably, and lockably connected to each other.
US08302737B2

The amount of lubricant oil supplied to a bearing is optimized. A main-shaft lubrication device includes a supply device for variably supplying lubricant oil to bearings which support a main shaft, a collection device for collecting, from the bearings, the lubricant oil supplied from the supply device, a measurement device for measuring the amount of lubricant oil collected by the collection device, and a control device for controlling the amount of lubricant oil to be supplied from the supply device.
US08302735B2

A self-erecting suspension platform system having a work platform suspended between a sinistral modular mast and a dextral modular mast by a hoisting system. The modular masts are composed of at least two mast units stacked vertically and attached to one another. Each mast unit has a multifunction rail including a plurality of safety engagement devices and a stabilizer guide device, and a unit interconnection device. The work platform has at least two mast stabilizers that cooperate with the stabilizer guide devices to prevent undesired swaying of the suspended work platform. The work platform has a plurality of platform mast engagers cooperating with at least one of the mast safety engagement devices to releasably lock the platform to the modular masts. The hoisting system includes multiple carriages, hoists, and mast cables. Each carriage engages the associated mast so that the carriage may be conveniently slid up and down the mast.
US08302734B2

A hinged docking platform may include a base having a planar surface configured to support a user while suspended adjacent to an elevated unit. The base may be coupled to an elevated unit via a hinge. The hinge may enable a rotational transition of the base between a substantially vertical orientation of the planar surface as a closed position and a substantially horizontal orientation of the planar surface as an open position. The base may also include a guard rail extending around at least a portion of a perimeter of the base where the guard rail protrudes above the base when the base is in the open position. In some aspects, a ladder may be coupled to the base to enable access to the base when the base is oriented in the open position. In further aspects, a biasing component may be coupled between the elevated component and the base to bias the base during the rotational transition between the closed position and the open position.
US08302732B2

A silencer, particularly rear silencer, for an exhaust system of a combustion engine, particularly of a motor vehicle, has a housing in which an outlet chamber is located. An outlet pipe arrangement leads out of the housing which on the inlet side is fluidically connected to the outlet chamber. A particularly compact design can be realized if the outlet pipe arrangement is configured as pipe-in-pipe arrangement including at least one deflection pipe closed on one side and arranged in the housing and an outlet pipe led out of the housing.
US08302722B2

An air cleaner case whereby a seat height can be reduced and the air cleaner case can be disposed in proximity to an engine. In a two-wheeled motor vehicle having a vehicle body frame, a fuel tank disposed at a front upper side of the vehicle body frame, a seat disposed behind the fuel tank and above the vehicle body frame, an engine suspended between the lower side of the fuel tank and the lower side of the vehicle body frame, an air cleaner case, a plate-like element disposed in the air cleaner case, and a maintenance lid used when the plate-like element is mounted/dismounted, the air cleaner case is disposed below the fuel tank, the plate-like element is disposed to be tilted rearward and upward in side view of the vehicle, and the maintenance lid is provided below the seat so as to face the seat.
US08302709B2

A back reamer includes a drive stem configured to support a main reamer body, the main reamer body including a plurality of receptacles, and a plurality of cutting leg assemblies in positive locking engagement with the plurality of receptacles to restrict radial movement of the cutting leg assemblies.
US08302704B2

A steering head for use with a casing, the steering head having a generally cylindrical body with a first body end with a lead edge, a second body end with a rear edge, and a body surface extending from the lead edge to the rear edge, an outer tube with an internal side generally facing the body surface, the outer tube extending from the first body end to the second body end, and a steering flap disposed on an external side of the outer tube having a first flap face facing radially inwardly and a second flap face facing radially outwardly. A biased hinge is secured to both the outer tube and the steering flap, the biased hinge being operative to retract the steering flap into a retracted position from an extending position.
US08302703B2

A technique is used to control the direction of a drill bit or bottom hole assembly via hydraulic steering utilizing a plurality of steering pads. A portion of hydraulic fluid, e.g. drilling fluid, is directed under pressure to a pad interface region proximate each pad. The hydraulic fluid provides additional force against a surrounding wall and/or reduces or eliminates contact between the pads and the surrounding wall.
US08302700B2

A vertical tilling implement to be pulled behind and agricultural vehicle having a number of gangs of fluted-concave disc blades, rolling baskets, and wheels connected to a main frame. As the vertical tilling implement is pulled, the fluted-concave disc blades move the soil in a direction lateral to the side of the blades as well as up. Meanwhile, the rolling bars aid in leveling the seedbed and crushing the remaining large pieces of soil. The vertical tilling implement reduces the amount of subsoil compaction and cuts through heavy residue making it ideal for use in the fall or in the spring.
US08302697B2

A system which attaches at least one line to a tubular string can include at least one clip pivotably secured on one side of a recess. At least one structure is positioned on an opposite side of the recess. Rotation of the clip into engagement with the structure secures the line in the recess. A method of attaching at least one line to a tubular string can include securing the line to a support on the tubular string as the tubular string is being conveyed into a wellbore. The securing step further includes rotating at least one clip into engagement with at least one structure, thereby preventing removal of the line from a recess formed in the support.
US08302696B2

An actuator includes a tubular configured to longitudinally expand in response to radial expansion of at least a portion of the tubular.
US08302695B2

A downhole assembly for deliquifying a wellbore. In an embodiment, the assembly comprises a nozzle section including a converging nozzle and a diverging nozzle in fluid communication with the converging nozzle. In addition, the assembly comprises a throat section including a convergent throat passage proximal the diverging nozzle and a cylindrical throat passage distal the diverging nozzle and extending axially from the convergent throat passage. The convergent throat passage and the cylindrical throat passage are in fluid communication with the diverging nozzle. Further, the assembly comprises a diffuser section coaxially aligned with the throat section. The diffuser section includes a divergent diffuser passage extending axially from the straight throat passage.
US08302692B2

A sand slurry valve that includes a mandrel within a housing and a seal assembly connected to the mandrel. A portion of the housing includes a seal bore. The mandrel is movable within the housing such that the seal assembly may be positioned within the seal bore. The mandrel includes a flow passage adapted to provide rotational fluid flow through the housing prior to the seal assembly being moved into the seal bore. The seal assembly may include a seal, a first backup ring, and a second backup ring with the second backup ring positioned between the seal and the first backup ring. The rotational flow through the housing may help to protect the seal from being damaged by particles carried within the flow. The first backup ring may have a harder durometer measurement than the second backup ring, which may have a harder durometer measurement than the sealing element.
US08302691B2

Exemplary embodiments provide methods of treating a subterranean formation to improve gas production therefrom. Exemplary embodiments of the methods comprise introducing a cationic polyorganosiloxane into the subterranean formation, wherein the cationic polyorganosiloxane comprises at least two quaternary ammonium groups.
US08302684B2

A method for controlling the flow of a multiphase fluid from a well extending into a subsurface formation, which well is provided at a downstream position with a valve having a variable aperture, which method comprises allowing the multiphase fluid to flow at a selected aperture of the valve; selecting a flow parameter of the multiphase fluid, which flow parameter is responsive to changes in a gas/liquid ratio of the multiphase fluid at an upstream position in the well, and a setpoint for the flow parameter; and monitoring the flow parameter; controlling the flow parameter towards its setpoint by manipulating the aperture of the valve; wherein the control time between detection of a deviation from the setpoint and the manipulation of the aperture is shorter than the time needed for the multiphase fluid to travel 25% of the distance between the upstream and downstream positions. Further a well extending into a subsurface formation for producing a multiphase fluid to surface, which well is provided at a downstream position with a valve having a variable aperture, and with a control system for controlling the multiphase flow.
US08302680B2

Screen assemblies capable of being disposed in a wellbore for hydrocarbon fluid production are described. The screen assemblies can support tubes for receiving hydrocarbon fluid and reduce or eliminate plugging of the tubes by swellable material. A screen assembly may include a support material between a tube and swellable material located exterior to a base pipe. The tube may include perforations and can receive and direct hydrocarbon fluids from the formation. The swellable material can expand after contact with an activating fluid and can displace the tube toward a surface of the bore. The swellable material can expand more than the support material and the support material can reduce or prevent plugging of the perforations by the swellable material expanding.
US08302679B2

A gripper for use in a downhole tool is provided. The gripper can include an actuator, an engagement assembly, and an expandable assembly. The engagement assembly can comprise a leaf-spring like elongate continuous beam. The expandable assembly can comprise a linkage including a plurality of links. The linkage can be coupled to the actuator such that the actuator expands the expandable assembly which in turn expands the engagement assembly. In operation, during one stage of expansion radial forces are transmitted to the engagement assembly through both interaction of a rolling mechanism on the engagement assembly with the expandable assembly and pressure of the linkage assembly directly on an inner surface of the engagement assembly.
US08302675B2

A safety heat exchanger for combining a heat pump with a device of a drinking water supply facility for obtaining heat from drinking water. The heat exchanger includes a primary circulation loop (4) with drinking water, a secondary circulation loop (6) with antifreeze as a material that does not pose a health risk, and a tertiary circulation loop (7) with a coolant. The primary circulation loop (4) includes an inlet (3) connected to a drinking water supply facility and an outlet (5) with electrically controllable magnetic valves (16). The secondary circulation loop (6) and tertiary circulation loop (7) each have any dedicated difference pressure monitor (9, 18), which difference pressure monitors (9, 18) are controllably connected with the magnetic valves (16) such that when the difference pressure monitors (9, 18) detects a pressure difference in the secondary circulation loop (6) and/or in the tertiary circulation loop (7), the inlet (3) and the outlet (5) of the drinking water to the drinking water facility are closed, wherein the difference pressure monitor (9) of the secondary circulation loop (6) comprises an expansion vessel (11), a safety valve (12) and a manometer (13).
US08302672B2

Plate type heat exchanger (20,120) for a isothermal chemical reactor (60), of the type comprising a substantially box-shaped flattened body (22), defining an internal chamber (24) and equipped with an inlet connection (28) and an outlet connection (29) for a first flow of a heat exchanger operative fluid into and from said chamber (24), at least one supplying-distributing device (26, 126) of a second fluid flow, associated with said body (22) and in fluid communication with the internal chamber (24) thereof, in order to regulate the temperature of said operative fluid, said at least one supplying-distributing device (26,126) being supported inside said internal chamber (24) and in fluid communication therewith.
US08302664B2

A strand guide (1) for a steel slab continuous casting installation includes a number of segments (2) with support elements (6, 7) which support a strand (3) on two opposite sides (4, 5). The support elements (6, 7) are arranged in a lower frame (8) and an upper frame (9) which are formed to guide the strand (3) in a conveying direction (F). The upper and the lower frames (8, 9) are adjusted relative to one another in the conveying direction (F) with adjusting elements (10).
US08302660B2

A feed block unit for a hot-runner feed system of a pressure die-casting machine includes a block body in which is incorporated at least one melt-conveying channel running out of the block body by way of a sprue orifice close to the gate, and a heating system, integrated into the block body, for the at least one melt-conveying channel. The feed block unit is designed as a structural unit which is insertable independently into a respective casting mold, and/or the heating system integrated therein includes at least a first heating device for supply channel heating and a second heating device, which can be controlled independently of the first heating device, for sprue channel heating. With this modular hot-runner feed system, individual temperature profiles can be predetermined and set for the respective feed block unit.
US08302651B2

A stripping method for stripping a support plate from a laminate including a substrate and the support plate adhered to the wafer via an adhesive layer, in which the adhesive layer is formed from an adhesive compound soluble in a non-polar solvent or a highly polar solvent; and the stripping method includes the step of supplying the non-polar solvent or the highly polar solvent, so that the non-polar solvent or the highly polar solvent is retained at least on an edge portion of that surface of the laminate which faces the support plate, and on a lateral surface of the laminate.
US08302644B2

A pneumatic tire has a rib sectionalized by main grooves extending along a tire circumferential direction in a center portion of a tread surface. Depressions are arranged in series in a center portion in a width direction of the rib so as to leave a space in the tire circumferential direction. The depressions extend in the tire circumferential direction and become wider from both end portions in a longitudinal direction toward a center portion.
US08302643B2

A pneumatic tire having a rubber tread of a cap/base construction comprised of an outer rubber tread cap layer containing an outer running surface and an underlying rubber tread base layer, wherein said tread cap layer is comprised of a plurality of circumferential, longitudinal rubber tread cap zones of graduated physical properties, wherein said tread cap zones individually extend from said tread cap running surface radially inward to said tread base layer; wherein said tread cap zones are comprised of two primary tread cap zones and one central tread cap zone; wherein said central tread cap zone is positioned between said primary tread cap zones and spans at least 14 percent of the total running surface of the tread cap layer, wherein said primary tread cap zones are of substantially equal widths and collectively span at least 50 percent of the total running surface of the tread cap layer.
US08302642B1

An invertible handbag. The invertible handbag has a handbag compartment defined by four sides, a handbag roof, and a handbag floor; a handbag roof mouth bordered by a handbag roof mouth closure in the handbag root and a handbag floor mouth bordered by a handbag floor mouth closure in the handbag floor. A strap is swivelably attached to strap bridges at opposite ends of the invertible handbag. Method steps are taught wherein the handbag closures may be closed, the invertible handbag inverted, and then the uppermost closure and mouth opened, to permit seeing and removing items which were formerly lost at the bottom of the handbag compartment. Means is disclosed to hold the closures closed. Optional sidebags may be mounted to the handbag sides, each including a sidebag roof mouth closure and a sidebag floor mouth closure.
US08302641B2

A reversible handbag capable of taking a variety of different shapes and configurations having a front side, a back side, and a bottom side, two side seams formed by joining the boundaries of the front side with the boundaries of the back side. The bottoms of the front side and back side are joined to the outer perimeter of the bottom side leaving an open periphery at the top of the handbag. The side seams each have an aperture located near their top edges and the front back sides each have two columns of two or more apertures. The open periphery can be folded inward or outward to create several different configurations of the handbag and the apertures on the side seams and front and back sides are capable of receiving clasps or other fasteners from straps in order to provide handles, carrying straps, and the like for the various configurations.
US08302630B2

A gate valve has a gate movable between open and closed positions within a valve body, and walls in the gate defining an equalizer port between opposite sides of the gate. The equalizer port is adapted and arranged to be shiftable by actuation of the gate between closed and opened positions and between opened and closed positions.
US08302627B2

A valve is provided including a first valve member and a second valve member. The first valve member includes a first step and a first orifice adjacent the first step. The second valve member includes a second step and a second orifice adjacent the second step. The second valve member is movable relative to the first valve member between an open position, in which the first orifice is fluidly connected the second orifice, and a closed position, in which the first orifice is substantially fluidly disconnected from the second orifice. The first and second steps are fluidly connected to the second orifice and substantially fluidly disconnected from the first orifice when the second valve member is in the closed position, and the first and second steps are fluidly connected to the first and second orifices when the second valve member is in the open position.
US08302626B2

The invention relates to a plant for recovering a polluting fluid contained in the tank (4) of a sunken vessel (1) comprising a plurality of pipes (5) fixed to a deck (2), wherein each pipe comprises a first and second ends and, according to the beaching position of the sunken vessel, can form means for introducing a pressurized water into the tank or means for removing the polluting fluid outside thereof. Said invention is characterized in that said pipes are positioned in such a way that the ends thereof enters near each top corner of the tank and the second ends thereof are accessible from the inside of the sunken vessel.
US08302621B2

A pressure limiting valve comprises a valve closing body (7) which comprises a valve closing surface (8) which together with a first valve seat (9) opposing the valve closing surface (8) forms a first seal seat and a valve closing body orifice (11), which is surrounded by a second valve seat (12) which together with a closing head (14) configured on an axially displaceable valve bolt (13) forms a second seal seat and with a spring plate (15) which is connected to the valve bolt (13) and axially displaceable therewith, and a first return spring (10) clamped between the spring plate (15) and the valve closing body (7), which pretensions the valve bolt (13) against the second valve seat (12) configured on the valve closing body (7) and a second return spring (35) which pretensions a valve unit (7, 13, 15, 10) against the first valve seat (9). In the valve bolt (13) a longitudinal bore (53) is provided extending over the entire axial length of the valve bolt (13).
US08302617B2

A fluid control valve for use in a system for inflating an anti-G garment. The valve includes an elongate chamber in which a valve member is moveable. The chamber has first and second axial ends. An inlet opening in a chamber wall provides for the flow of fluid into the chamber. A valve edge is provided at the second end of the chamber to form an outlet. The valve member has a first portion which closes the first chamber end and is moveable in the chamber between the inlet opening and the first chamber end, an intermediate portion which has a cross sectional area less than that of the chamber wall to permit the inflow of fluid to the chamber, and a second portion including a flow control device which co-operates with the valve edge to control fluid flow from the valve.
US08302612B2

A cigarette paper of the present invention includes a base cigarette paper and a plurality of combustion-suppressing regions provided, spaced apart from each other, on one surface of the base cigarette paper, the combustion-suppressing regions being formed by applying a polyvinyl alcohol having a degree of polymerization of 900 or more, or a polyvinyl alcohol whose 3% by weight aqueous solution exhibits a viscosity of 5 to 30 mPa·s as measured at 20° C.
US08302608B2

A compactable vaginal pessary for managing pelvic organ prolapse is provided. The compactable pessary easily expands once inside a patient's vagina, remaining firmly anchored in the vaginal cavity during movement, thereby effectively countering the effects of any prolapsing organ. In a first embodiment, the vaginal pessary employs an expandable and collapsible frame member, while in a second embodiment; the frame member is an open, substantially cone-shaped, collapsible frame member that is biased to an open position. In a third embodiment, the compactable vaginal pessary is a yieldably extensible, self-retracting pessary. The vaginal pessary of the present invention may be easily inserted and removed by a patient on a daily basis, or as needed, thereby facilitating good hygiene and thus reducing or eliminating common pessary related complications.
US08302607B2

Whole-nose nasal respiratory devices and methods of making and using whole-nose nasal respiratory devices are described and illustrated herein. These devices are typically configured to be adhesively secured to a subject so that they engage both of the subject's nostrils and allow airflow from both nostrils to communicate with an airflow resistor. The airflow resistor is configured so that it inhibits exhalation through the nostrils more than it inhibits inhalation through the nostrils.
US08302599B2

This invention is directed to a protective headgear system which includes a relatively light weight, substantially rigid, headgear structure which may include an internal, adjustable headband. The system includes at least one filter which is attachable to the headgear structure to cover the structure and a filter protector mounted thereon. A fan mechanism is mounted on the headgear structure to draw air into the headgear structure through the filter means. A power supply selectively powers the fan. A facial shield is attachable to the headgear structure to cover the face of the wearer to maintain non-contaminating conditions relative to the wearer. A flexible cuff or hood is attachable to the facial shield to enclose the lower opening of the lens and provides protection for the wearer through which air can be exhausted.
US08302597B2

A medical tube securing device for a patient is disclosed, comprising at least one bite block and a support frame integral with said bite block, said support frame comprising a protruding extension with at least one inwardly recessed portion so as to avoid contact with the patient's mouth, said protruding extension operable to receive an adjustable medical tube retaining device without contacting the face of the patient.
US08302587B1

Methods are presented which improve the performance of semi and fully automatic paintball guns include sensing paintball and gun bolt position during loading to coordinate and pace the gun for maximum automatic feed rate and minimal chopping. In addition, methods are presented for indicating a need for servicing through an alarm when the magazine nears empty based upon various conditions such as sensed magazine feed rate fall-off. Additional apparatus are discussed for carrying out the methods, and for performance of other tasks such as selection of pre-wind in spring-type forced-feed loaders.
US08302586B2

An assembly for rapid loading and feeding of paintballs in a paintball marker comprises a receiver mountable on the marker, having an opening to receive and secure a magazine carrying paintballs, and a gate opening mechanism to open the magazine, releasing the paintballs. An ejection mechanism to clear a magazine from the opening may also be provided. The magazine comprises a resiliently biased gate mechanism to protect the paintballs until the magazine is inserted into the receiver. The magazine may be opened to refill it with paintballs, and may be disassembled for cleaning or maintenance.
US08302575B2

In a system installed in a vehicle, an automatic stop of an engine is carried out when an engine automatic stop condition is met during the vehicle being decelerated. The automatically stopped engine is restarted when an engine restart condition is met before the vehicle is stopped. A vehicle speed obtaining unit obtains a vehicle speed, and a threshold determining unit determines a threshold based on a predetermined-timing value of the vehicle speed. The predetermined-timing value is obtained at a predetermined timing when or after the engine restart condition is met. The threshold is used to determine whether to enable a next automatic stop of the engine. A stop enabling unit enables the next automatic stop of the engine when the speed of the vehicle obtained after the engine restart condition is met is equal to or higher than the threshold.
US08302568B2

A variable compression ratio apparatus for a vehicle engine that is mounted at the engine receiving combustion force of an air-fuel mixture from a piston and rotating a crankshaft mounted between upper and lower cylinder blocks, and that changes compression ratio of the air-fuel mixture by changing a mounting height of the crankshaft according to a driving condition of the engine, may include a bearing having a hollow space eccentric to a center thereof and rotatably mounted between the upper and lower cylinder blocks, the crankshaft being rotatably inserted in the hollow space; and an operating unit provided at the lower cylinder block and controlling a rotational displacement of the bearing.
US08302565B2

A garment for animals includes a first panel of flexible material attachable to a second panel of flexible material, the first and second panels being connectable to each other by adjustable chest, body and tail fittings, such that the garment can be configured in situ to fit various sizes and shapes of animals, such as dogs. The garment is adapted to receive a disposable pad on an underside of the garment on the animal.
US08302563B2

A sow feeder includes a feed storage hopper comprising an upper funnel, an intermediate feed discharging tube, and a ring fixedly secured under the feed discharging tube; a feed transport mechanism comprising a cylindrical solid post having a diameter less than inner diameters of both the ring and the feed discharging tube, and a base having a diameter greater than an outer diameter of the ring; a hollow fastening mechanism releasably secured to the post passing through the ring and the feed discharging tube; and a feed collection container releasably secured to the feed discharging tube to dispose below the base. Feed material in the feed storage hopper is adapted to discharge into the feed collection through the feed discharging tube by lifting the base.
US08302531B2

One object of the present invention is to provide a self-inking stamp which can easily perform replacement of a character arrangement block or an ink pad without sudden release of locked condition of the stamp during the replacement operation. According to the present invention there is provided a self-inking stamp comprising an inner frame member (10) provided therein with a reversing guide (14), an outer frame member (20) slidably mounted on the inner frame member (10) via an elastic member or members (30) therebetween, a main body (50) of stamp containing the character arrangement block (51) and adapted to be reversed by the reversing guide (14), and an ink pad (42) adapted to be arranged within the inner frame member (10) characterized in that the inner frame member (10) is formed on its side wall with a projection (16) movable toward the inside of the inner frame member (10), that the outer frame member (20) is formed on its side wall a pusher (26) for pushing the projection (16) toward the inside of the inner frame member (10) and an engaging portion (27) adapted to be engaged with the projection (16), and that a vertical relative motion between the inner and outer members (10, 20) is locked when the projection (16) is fitted in the engaging portion (27) and the lock is released when the pusher (26) is pushed inside to disengaging the projection (16) from the engaging portion (27).
US08302529B2

The stamp-type printer includes: a stamp-type printer comprising: a receiving section for receiving image data including character information; a transfer member; a print head for printing an image on a portion of the transfer member with ink based on the received image data; and a transport member for transporting the printed portion of the transfer member to a contact transfer position, wherein a stamping operation is performed by causing the printed portion to come in contact with a desired recording medium at the contact transfer position.
US08302526B2

A sealing mechanism is mounted at an end section of a cylinder tube, which configures a cylinder device, by having a step section in between, and the sealing mechanism is sandwiched between the cylinder tube and a rod cover. The sealing mechanism includes a thin plate formed of a metal material, and a sealing member attached to one side surface of the plate. The plate and the sealing member are integrally arranged.
US08302523B2

A firing head embodiment of the invention confines a connected capacitance cartridge, explosive detonator, and wireline connection switch within an independent, cylindrical housing tube that is environmentally capped at both ends by threaded closures for secure transport to a well site.
US08302520B2

A selection plate (39) is provided on a punch device (1) for activating or deactivating individual punch holding bars (13, 14). The plate has a coupling device (40) associated with a positive-locking coupling between a punch holding bar (13, 14) and the selection plate (39). Associated with the positive-locking coupling is an edge of the selection plate (39), that is provided with a recess (42), an extension (43) of the punch holding bar (13, 14) that extends around said edge, and/or a rib (41), which is located on the underside of the selection plate (39) and is associated with the punch holding bar (13, 14). As a result, it is possible to selectively establish or eliminate a positive-locking connection between the punch holding bar (13, 14) and the selection plate (39). Via the rib (41), the punch stroke of the selection plate (39) is merely transmitted to the punch holding bar (13 or 14), which is in positive-locking engagement with the lateral edge or the projections of the selection plate (39). The elongated rib (41) covers the heads (26, 27, 28, 29) of the punches (8) and transmits the stroke in a planar manner to the punch holding bar (13 or 14).
US08302517B2

To increase the cutting quality and to improve the operation of a press, in particular in punching high-strength martensitic materials or when punching thick sheet metal, a sheet metal holding device is provided for securely clamping the respective workpiece during the punching operation. The clamping force is increased to 40% or more of the ram force. The force exerted by the sheet metal holding device during the penetration of the workpiece can be further increased. The increase in the clamping force preferably takes place in a controlled manner as a function of the press angle.
US08302516B1

An apparatus for punching at least one hole in a sheet of paper and attaching a reinforcing ring onto the sheet around the hole includes a platform; a hole punch rod mounted to and extending outwardly from the platform positioned to match a desired location for a hole on a sheet, the hole punch rod having a rod cutting end extending away from the platform; a sheet panel having a ring passing hole positioned to register with the longitudinal axis of the punch rod and sized to pass a reinforcing ring; a hole punch plate generally parallel to and spaced forwardly from the sheet panel and having a hole punching port positioned to register with the longitudinal axis of the hole punch rod, the hole punching port being sized to pass the rod cutting end closely enough to cut a hole into a sheet placed between the rod cutting end and the punching port; a sheet panel return spring mechanism.
US08302513B2

A fastener guide includes a shaft having a first end for transferring torque to a fastener and a second end for receiving a torque from an external source, the shaft including a threaded portion and an axial groove extending axially along the threaded portion. The fastener guide also includes a sleeve slidable axially with respect to the shaft, the sleeve having a first end proximate the first end of the shaft and a second end proximate the second end of the shaft, and a depth-adjustment ring having a threaded inner surface for engaging the threaded portion of the sleeve and a detent ring for selectively engaging the axial groove.
US08302512B2

A locking pliers includes a slide bar mounted in both second handle unit and locking unit and comprising a wavy edge facing bottom of the second handle unit, the wavy edge including a rear slot member and a forward hook; and a movable jaw at a forward end of the second handle unit and comprising two intermediate opposite stop members each having an inclined edge, a channel between the stop members with a forward end of the slide bar movably received therein, and a rear stop bar interconnected two sidewalls of a rear portion of the movable jaw, the inclined edges being stopped by bending members on sidewalls of the second handle unit for retaining the stop members in an inoperative position.
US08302507B2

A bending state known as “coning,” in which the amount of bending of the flexspline gradually decreases in accordance with the distance from the open end of the spline, occurs in cup-type or “silk hat”-type wave gear devices. A tooth profile in which the tooth depth is kept constant and in which the bottom lands and top lands are parallel to each other along the tooth trace direction is used as the basic tooth profile for the circular spline and the flexspline of the wave gear device. A taper surface is formed on a part of the top land near the open end of the flexspline in the basic tooth profile, whereby a modified tooth profile is obtained. The modified tooth profile is employed as the tooth profile for both of the splines. Both of the splines can be caused to mesh together without generating coning-induced interference. Both of the splines can also be subjected to gear cutting by a simple process using a typical machining mechanism.
US08302496B2

A universal fitting for in-line fluid measurement in a process application. The fitting including an inlet and outlet port. The fitting also having a body with a fluid flow passage providing fluid communication between the ports. A sensor housing is provided that extends outwardly away from a wall of the body, wherein the housing is sized to receive a sensor assembly, which assembly measures at least one characteristic of the fluid. A base of each housing integrally formed with the wall and including a sensor seat for receiving a portion of the sensor assembly. A probe aperture receives a probe portion of the sensor assembly, each housing having the probe aperture disposed in the wall and extending from the fluid passage through its respective sensor seat. A filtering assembly being disposed between the inlet and outlet ports.
US08302492B2

A magnetostrictive torque sensor includes a rotatable shaft rotatably supported by bearings, a magnetostrictive film disposed on the surface of the rotatable shaft, and a detecting coil that detects a change in a magnetic property of the magnetostrictive film. A hollow cylindrical ring is press-fitted over and fixed to the rotatable shaft near the magnetostrictive film, for example, near the right end of the magnetostrictive film.
US08302484B2

A pressure connection concept for pressure sensor modules is provided, using which the influence of assembly-related stresses in the sensor system on the sensor diaphragm and accordingly on the measuring signal detection is kept very low. The sensor system includes a sensor module for pressure detection and a connecting piece and at least one seal for coupling the sensor module to a measuring system. The sensor module includes at least one sensor element having a diaphragm and means for signal detection. Together with the means for signal detection, the sensor element is provided with packaging having a pressure connection opening and electrical contacts. A pressure channel is provided in the connecting piece, the pressure channel being coupled to the pressure connection opening of the sensor module using the seal. The packaging of the sensor module includes a tube-shaped projection which forms the pressure connection opening, and the pressure channel of the connecting piece terminates in a connecting tube. The tube-shaped projection of the sensor module and the connecting tube of the connecting piece fit into each other, and the seal designed as a radial seal is situated between the walls of the tube-shaped projection and the connecting tube.
US08302469B2

A detection-alarm mechanism is provided. The detection-alarm mechanism for a tire includes a sensor, an electronic processing unit, a post-processing unit and a display unit. The sensor includes a substrate disposed in the tire and at least one photoelectronic element fixed to the substrate. If the tire is cracked, light passes through the cracks and reaches the photoelectronic elements to generate signals. The electronic processing unit receives signals from the photoelectronic elements to generate wear information. The post-processing unit is disposed in a vehicle on which the tire is installed and receives wear information from the electronic processing unit. The display unit is disposed in the vehicle for presenting the wear information.
US08302461B2

A gas detector with a selectively adsorbing surface (3) and an acoustic measuring cell (5) is presented. The detector is characterized in that the selectively adsorbing surface (3) and the acoustic measuring cell (5) can be arranged with respect to one another such that gases desorbed by means of thermal desorption from the adsorbing surface (3) reach the acoustic measuring cell (5) and there trigger a pressure wave that can be measured by one or more acoustic pick-ups (13, 14), in particular microphones, which are arranged in the acoustic measuring cell (5). Furthermore, a corresponding method is provided. The detector is particularly suitable for measuring contaminants in interior spaces and ventilation systems.
US08302459B2

The measurement sensitivity is improved by suppressing the surrounding temperature influence as much as possible, while realizing scale reduction, and by enlarging the detection signal, while reducing the production errors in enclosing a reference gas. Provided is a thermal conductivity sensor that detects thermal conductivity of a sample gas by using a Wheatstone Bridge circuit constructed in such a manner that measurement resistors that are brought into contact with the sample gas are disposed on a first side, and reference resistors that are brought into contact with a reference gas are disposed on a second side, and comparing the potential difference between connection points of the reference resistors and the measurement resistors. The measurement resistors disposed on the first side are assembled in one measurement space, and the reference resistors disposed on the second side are assembled in one reference space.
US08302456B2

A technique for actively damping internal vibrations in a scanning probe microscope is disclosed. The excitation of various mechanical movements, including resonances, in the mechanical assembly of an SPM can adversely effect its performance, especially for high speed applications. An actuator is used to compensate for the movements. The actuator may operate in only the z direction, or may operate in other directions. The actuator(s) may be located at positions of antinodes.
US08302453B2

An apparatus for attaching edging to a sheet has two stationary guides at each end, an upper hollow guide (8), a pair of lower guides (5), with a fixed base (4) between the lower guides. A hollow profile (1) is vertically movable, having a binding rail (2) on the underside thereof. The upper guide (8) is placed inside the profile, forming upper and lower spaces (7, 9) between the profile and the upper guide. Upper and lower flexible elements (10, 11) are provided in each space. In use, one element is filled while the other element is emptied, such that when an edging and a sheet is placed between the fixed base (4) and the binding rail, the lower element is filled to force the profile and thus the binding rail down to attach the edging. Then the upper element is filled to release the sheet with the attached edging.
US08302448B2

A method for cold expansion of a hole formed in a work piece. The method comprises providing a body comprising at least a cylindrically shaped part having an inner hole in axial direction of the body. The body further comprises along its circumferential direction a plurality of members which are movable in radial direction of the body, such that the outer diameter of the cylindrical part of the body can be changed. The method comprises introducing the body into the hole formed in the work piece; inserting a core into the inner hole of the cylindrically shaped part, wherein at least one of the core or the inner hole comprises a portion having changing diameter and the inner hole and the core get into contact with respect to each other upon insertion of the core, such that in dependency of the insertion depth of the core into the inner hole in axial direction the members move in radial direction outwardly and the outer diameter of the cylindrical part of the body increases and, accordingly, acts on the inner circumference of the hole formed in the work piece so that a boundary zone of the hole is compressed, which leads to a compression or hardening and, accordingly, to the introduction of compressive stress in the boundary zone. The inner hole and the core have a polygonal cross section in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, and the hole formed in the work piece is expanded over the entire thickness of the work piece in which the hole is formed.
US08302441B2

The present invention relates to a device (6) and method for repairing an upright profile (2) which has been bent out of an original position, in particular a profile of a warehouse rack upright for mounting of warehouse rack girders (3), wherein an inner space (13) accessible from an open side is defined in the profile. The device comprises an outer template (7) adapted to the form of the outer surface of the profile, an inner template (16,17) adapted to the form of the inner surface, wherein during use the inner template is arranged in the inner space of the profile via the open side, and pressing means for pressing the outer template against the outer side of the profile and pressing the inner template against the inner side of the profile with pressing force such that the upright profile is bent back into its original position.
US08302437B2

A locking assembly for a door having an outer side, an inner side and a sidewall and has an exterior assembly, a cylinder and an interior assembly. The exterior assembly is mounted on the outer side of the door and has an outside mounting seat, a press-button, a transmitting device, a transmitting board, an engaging wheel and a rotating spindle. The cylinder is mounted in the exterior assembly and has a cylinder-transmitting panel. The multi-point latch is mounted in the sidewall of the door and is connected to the exterior assembly and the cylinder. The interior assembly is mounted on the inner side of the door, is connected to the exterior assembly and the cylinder and has an inside mounting seat, a operating handle, a switch, a linking device, a seat board, an inside reset spring and a switch mount.
US08302435B2

A locking device includes a shaft, a locking head joined to the shaft, and a lock body having a lock opening for receiving a locking end of the shaft. A latch member is disposed within the lock body and includes a shaft aperture for receiving the locking end of the shaft therethrough. The shaft aperture includes an edge portion spring biased radially inward of the lock opening to engage the recessed portion with the edge portion when the locking end of the shaft is disposed in the lock opening. A locking member is disposed within the lock body. Rotation of the locking member from a locked condition to an unlocked condition moves the edge portion of the shaft aperture out of engagement with the recessed portion of the shaft to permit withdrawal of the shaft from the lock opening.
US08302430B2

In a process for granulating slag, from a blast furnace or a smelting reduction plant, in which a granule/water mixture formed during the granulation is fed to a granulation tank and then to a dewatering installation, in which the slag granules are dewatered. H2S-containing vapors and gases formed during the granulation are at least partially condensed by injection of water in a condensation space which is flow-connected to the granulation tank. H2S-containing residual gases are discharged from the compensation space below the water injection point, H2S is burnt.
US08302427B2

An evaporator includes two heat exchangers including an entry-side heat exchanger and an exit-side heat exchanger which are arranged opposite each other. The entry-side heat exchanger has a first path, a second path, and a third path, and the exit-side heat exchanger has a fourth path, a fifth path, and a sixth path. The sectional area of heat exchange passages of the first path in which refrigerant from an entry firstly flows downward is set smaller than the sectional area of heat exchange passages of the fifth path in which the refrigerant lastly flows downward. The sectional area of heat exchange passages of the sixth path in which the refrigerant to an exit lastly flows upward is set smaller than the sectional area of heat exchange passages of the second path in which the refrigerant firstly flows upward.
US08302418B2

An air conditioning system comprising an outdoor and an indoor unit connected through common power supply lines. The outdoor unit including a first communication circuit using one of the plurality of common power supply lines and one signal line independent of the power supply lines. The indoor unit comprising terminals connected to the first communication circuit; a switch configured to set the first and second communication circuits to a connection state or a disconnection state; a detection circuit configured to detect a voltage between the terminals; and a controller configured to control the switch. The switch sets the first and second communication circuits to the disconnection state when the voltage detected by the detection circuit equals or exceeds a predetermined threshold value; otherwise the switch sets the first and second communication circuits to the connection state.
US08302415B2

A method for controlling a refrigeration system with a variable compressor capacity, and at least two refrigeration entities, e.g. display cases, includes controlling suction pressure by either permitting or preventing the flow of refrigerant into the evaporators of one or more refrigeration entities. The method also includes controlling compressor capacity based on a signal derived from one or more properties of the one or more refrigeration entities, said signal reflecting a possible difference between the current compressor capacity and a current refrigeration demand of the refrigeration system. The method reduces wear on compressors by avoiding switching them ON or OFF to the largest extent possible, and also prevents problems relating to conflicting control strategies due to control parameters, e.g. suction pressure, being determined based on two or more controllable parts, e.g. compressors and flow of refrigerant into refrigeration entities.
US08302399B1

The present application and the resultant patent provide a waste heat recovery system for recovering heat from a number of turbocharger stages. The waste heat recovery system may include a simple organic rankine cycle system and a number of charge air coolers in communication with the turbocharger stages and the simple organic rankine cycle system. The charge air coolers are positioned in a number of parallel branches of the simple organic rankine cycle system.
US08302398B2

A work machine having an internal combustion engine such as a diesel is connected to a transmission by a flexible coupling. The engine may have a turbocharger to increase its output. A power turbine is connected to receive exhaust products from the turbocharger turbine via an exhaust aftertreatment device. The power turbine is connected to either the transmission downstream of the flexible coupling or to an external load. In either case, the power turbine in the form of a centripetal turbine is isolated from the torsional vibrations of the IC engine.
US08302368B1

A metal utility pole including a hollow, centrifugally cast, ductile iron utility pole member having a tapered exterior and variable wall thickness for providing a shortened press-fit, slip joint between interconnected pole members. The shortened joint length requires less metal than conventional press-fit, slip joints while maintaining or improving the overall strength of the joint. This is accomplished by increasing the wall thickness of one or both interconnected pole members along the joint relative to the wall thickness of the body or mid-section of the pole members.
US08302365B2

A partially self-erecting wind turbine tower and a method for carrying out the assembly thereof. A central extendable pylon is provided. This is placed in an upright position, with its base on a temporary foundation. A plurality of legs is then attached to the extendable pylon. The upper extreme of each of the plurality of legs is temporarily attached to the upper extreme of the extendable pylon. With the pylon and legs thus secured, a nacelle is attached to the upper extreme of the extendable pylon. A hub with attached blades is then affixed to the nacelle. The extendable pylon is then forced upward through the collar to extend the height of the assembly.
US08302361B2

A panel, in particular floor panel (1, 2), with a core of wood material or a wood material/plastic mixture (17), a top side (18) and a bottom side (19), which panel has on at least two opposite lateral edges (I, II) a profiling corresponding to one another such that two identically embodied panels (1, 2) can be connected and locked to one another by an essentially vertical joining motion in the horizontal (H) and vertical (V) directions, wherein the locking in the vertical direction (V) can be brought about by at least one tongue element (3) movable in the horizontal direction (H), which element snaps into place during the joining motion behind a locking edge (4) extending essentially in the horizontal direction (H), is characterized in that the tongue element (3) is formed in one piece out of the core (17).
US08302354B2

A receptor buck and receptor system for securing a window or door frame. The receptor buck includes a longitudinal rack, a surface of the rack that includes an aperture for accepting a first fastener to fasten the rack to a wall opening surface, and another surface that includes another aperture for accepting a second fastener to fasten the window or door frame to the rack. The receptor system includes the rack, the first and second fasteners, and the fasteners extend in generally the same direction.
US08302343B2

A fish strike signal that can selectively be placed in a storage position, a ready position or a deployed position. The signal has a main body with a storage ledge, a retainer and a pocket. A trigger is provided having a notch for engaging a segment of fishing line and having a kick-out post for deploying a signal. The kick-out post can be held with a pocket in the ready position. Rotation of the trigger caused by a strike forces the post from the pocket and causes the wire of the signal to clear a retainer on the side of the main body. A tension assembly is provided for adjusting the amount of force that is required to rotate the trigger. The post and a ledge holds the signal in place and the tensioner can be used to lock the signal in the storage position.
US08302341B2

A method of producing a cobalt-based tubular product includes forming a cobalt or cobalt alloy tubular workpiece having at least about 30% by weight of fcc phase and subjecting the workpiece to at least about a 20% wall reduction at a temperature below a recrystallization temperature of the workpiece using a metal forming process. The metal forming process may include radial forging, rotary swaging, pilgering and/or flowforming. A gun barrel includes a tubular component made of a cobalt-based superalloy material. The component has at least about 25% by weight of hcp phase with basal planes radially oriented perpendicular to an inner diameter of the component.
US08302327B2

A valve for magnetorheological fluids is formed with a control duct in which the magnetic field of a magnetic device, consisting of a permanent magnet and coil, acts on the fluid. The viscosity of the fluid is directly proportional to the magnetic field strength, with the result that the flow resistance of the valve can be varied via the coil current. The respective control duct is arranged in the end-face region of the coil and runs radially with respect to the center line of the valve, with the result that high flux densities can be achieved in the control duct. A permanent magnet is arranged in the inner space of the coil and, even under currentless operating conditions, can close the valve up to a certain blocking pressure.
US08302326B2

A steam dryer control method controls the amount of water supplied to a heater to adjust an amount of steam. The steam dryer control method includes turning on a steam heater, turning on a water supply valve and counting the number of lapses of unit water supply duration at any time when the unit water supply duration elapses, and rotating a drum when the number of lapses of the unit water supply duration reaches a preset number.
US08302319B1

An apparatus for aligning a rail in a computer server rack has a laser transmitter for generating a laser dot. The apparatus has a prism for converting the laser dot into a laser line. The apparatus has a laser lens for projecting the laser line. The apparatus has an elongated bar for positioning the apparatus on a rack post, such that the laser line is projected perpendicular to the rack post.
US08302310B2

A rod-based well screen is formed in place on a perforated pipe base by wrapping wire around the pipe base and a plurality of rods located around the outside of the pipe. The wire is welded sequentially to each individual rod as it is wrapped around the pipe. The welding and ground electrodes engage the wire and the rods respectively. The rod engaging ground electrode is positioned a short distance ahead of the wire being wrapped around the rods and the pipe base. The ground electrode includes a plurality of contacts. Each contact is mounted to pivot toward and away from a rod. Springs urge each contact toward a rod to hold the rod against the outside surface of the pipe base and to maintain good electrical contact between the contact and the rod. Each contact has a groove to guide the rod into position for welding to the wire.
US08302309B2

A method is directed to a production of a bearing device for a wheel including an inner member and an outer member rotatable relative to each other through a plurality of rolling elements, in which a component part forming one of the inner member and the outer member is a hot forged product. In the practice of this method, during or at the end of a hot forging step for hot forging the component part, a portion of the component part is cooled by spraying a coolant or by controlling an atmospheric temperature, to thereby render a matrix of the component part to represent a standard structure and render a surface portion of the component part to represent a non-standard structure.
US08302307B2

A method of forming a plurality of protrusions on the inner surface of a tube to reduce tube side resistance and improve overall heat transfer performance. The method includes cutting through ridges on the inner surface of the tube to create ridge layers and lifting the ridge layers to form the protrusions. In this way, the protrusions are formed without removal of metal from the inner surface of the tube, thereby eliminating debris which can damage the equipment in which the tubes are used.
US08302295B2

A method for processing an end of a very thin coaxial cable which includes sequentially from its center to outer side a center conductor, an inner insulator, a shield conductor formed of a helically wound or a braided conducting wire, and a jacket. The method includes cutting the jacket to expose the shield conductor, cutting a circumferential portion of the exposed shield conductor in plural longitudinal portions of the very thin coaxial cable, and pulling and removing the jacket and the shield conductor between the end of the very thin coaxial cable and a farthest end-processing portion from the end of the very thin coaxial cable, to expose the inner insulator.
US08302290B2

An apparatus for mounting electronic parts includes a bulk feeder into which electronic parts in a bulk form are introduced, at least one inspection unit to inspect and align the electronic parts directed from the bulk feeder, an electronic part insertion unit to receive the electronic parts which have been completely inspected in the inspection unit, a positioning wheel installed to rotate along the bulk feeder, the inspection unit, and the electronic part inspection unit and serving to transfer the electronic parts, and a part supply unit to pick up the electronic parts received in the part insertion unit.
US08302285B2

In a sensing unit according to the present invention, a spring portion having a support portion and a movable portion is conductive. A signal of a sensor portion provided on the movable portion of the spring portion is transmitted via the spring portion. Hence, the sensing unit according to the present invention has a simple constitution with a small number of components, and a wire does not necessarily have to be provided for each sensor portion. As a result, a reduction in manufacturing cost, simplification of the manufacturing process, and so on are achieved.
US08302282B2

Placing device for placing a fastener. The device includes a housing, a mounting surface for a fastener and comprising an opening, a drive mandrel comprising a rotation axis and a portion which passes through the opening and that is structured and arranged to engage the fastener, and a fork-shaped receptacle arranged at least one of in an area of the mounting surface, adjacent the mounting surface, and associated with the mounting surface.
US08302280B2

An appliance includes a housing having top and bottom panels disposed opposite each other and a plurality of walls connected to the top and bottom panels. The top and bottom panels and the plurality of walls define a cavity of the appliance. The housing also has an outermost surface about which a polyurethane foam is disposed. The polyurethane foam reduces noise and vibrations emitted from the appliance during use and has a density of from 20 to 50 pounds per cubic foot (pcf). The polyurethane foam also has a damping factor of at least 0.2 measured at a temperature of from 40° C. to 60° C. Furthermore, the polyurethane foam has a k-factor of less than 2.0 btu-in/hr-ft2-° F. which reduces an amount of energy required to operate the appliance. The appliance is formed by applying the polyurethane foam to at least one of the top panel, bottom panel, and plurality of walls.
US08302276B2

A wedge-type anchor assembly, capable of meeting cracked concrete testing standards, comprises an anchor bolt component and a substantially C-shaped expansion sleeve component annularly disposed about the anchor bolt component. A plurality of annular grooves, threads, or teeth are disposed only about the forward end portion of the expansion sleeve component, as opposed to throughout the entire axial length thereof, so that when the anchor bolt component is moved axially through the expansion sleeve component, the maximum interference area (M.I.A.) and maximum interference volume (M.I.V.) can be generated between the anchor bolt component and the expansion sleeve component in a controlled and predictable manner, as well as between the expansion sleeve component and the internal peripheral side wall portions of a concrete substrate or substructure can be generated so as to enhance pull-out resistance and reliability of the anchor assembly within the concrete substructure or substrate.
US08302274B1

A blade pipe has an exterior end and an interior end with a tube for receiving a lawnmower blade. A locking nut, threadedly received in the tube, retains the blade within the tube. A wrench pipe has an exterior end and an interior end with a recess adapted to receive a wrench. A threaded pivot pin extends radially from the wrench pipe adjacent to the recess. A slide has a blade end and a wrench end, an aperture adjacent to the blade end, and a pivot bolt extending through the aperture and threadedly received in the tube. The slide has a slot slidably receiving the pivot pin.
US08302255B2

A hexagonal wrench has a head. The head has an end surface, six equal side surfaces and at least one groove. Each side surface has a left edge segment and a right edge segment adjacent to the left edge segment of an adjacent side surface. The at least one groove is formed in at least one of the right edge segments and the left edge segments and extends to the end surface. Therefore, the head can engage securely an inner surface of a socket to rotate the socket even when the socket is worn or rounded.
US08302254B2

The invention relates to a dirt-collecting device for a floor-cleaning machine, for picking up a liquid from a floor surface which is to be cleaned, having a carrier and at least one wiping member for wiping the floor surface, the carrier and the at least one wiping member bounding a suction channel which opens out into a suction mouth and of which the free cross-sectional area, through which a suction stream can pass, decreases, at least in one channel portion, in a direction away from the suction mouth. In order to produce such a dirt-collecting device in a more cost-effective manner, it is proposed according to the invention that the suction channel has disposed in it at least one channel-narrowing member, which is produced separately from the carrier. The invention also relates to a floor-cleaning machine having such a dirt-collecting device.
US08302253B2

A cyclone separation dust cup, which includes a cup body and a cyclone tube, the cyclone tube being provided with an air inlet, an ash ejection outlet, and an air exhaust outlet; and the ash ejection outlet communicates with a dust storage cavity in the cup body, the air exhaust outlet with an air outlet positioned on the cup body through an air exhaust pipe, and the dust storage cavity with the air exhaust pipe. The dust storage cavity, by communicating with the air exhaust pipe, enables part of the air current entering the cyclone tube to enter the dust storage cavity in the cup body, thus producing suction in the ash ejection outlet of the cyclone tube that can draw the dust into the dust storage cavity. This enables the impurities with a lighter weight (e.g. hair and downy floc), which cannot fall into the dust storage cavity under gravity, to be inhaled into the dust storage cavity successfully, thus greatly improving the separating and filtering effect of this cyclone separation dust cup.
US08302251B2

A vacuum cleaner having a base with an inlet facing a surface, a handle connected to the base, an air passage connecting the base inlet to the handle, and a removable handheld unit. The handheld has an inlet nozzle, a dirt separator, a vacuum fan to generate a working airflow into the inlet nozzle and through the dirt separator, and a housing joining the handheld, the dirt separator and the vacuum fan. The vacuum has a docking latch with a first latch position in which the latch holds the handheld in an operating position on the handle, and a second position in which the latch permits removal of the handheld from the operating position. The vacuum also has a safety catch with a catch member on the handle and a second member on the handheld. The catch members resiliently hold the handheld unit on the handle in a partially-removed position.
US08302250B2

A hand-held cleaning appliance includes a suction conduit having a longitudinal axis, an airflow generator generating an airflow along the suction conduit, a separating apparatus arranged in communication with the suction conduit for separating dirt and dust from the airflow, a power source supplying power to the airflow generator and an elongate handle disposed between the airflow generator and the power source. The elongate handle is dimensioned and arranged to be gripped by a user's hand and the elongate handle lies transverse to the longitudinal axis of the suction conduit. By providing a hand-held vacuum cleaner with such an arrangement, the hand-held vacuum cleaner is easier and more comfortable to manipulate in use.
US08302249B1

A vacuum cleaning system which has particular application to the oil-field industry. The system includes a vacuum unit for suctioning material from a surface to recycle, reclaim or cleanup said material. The system also includes a collection and discharge unit operable to automatically discharge, into an open atmosphere, an amount of the suctioned material collected while suctioning continues by the vacuum unit. The automatic discharging cycle of the collection and discharge unit allows drilling fluid to be rapidly vacuumed up and discharged to minimize settlement of debris in the collected material.
US08302242B2

An apparatus and method for cleaning workpieces (5) using two pairs of substantially vertical rotating roller brushes (15) at each brush station whereby rotation of said brushes (15) propel workpieces (5) from one brush station to the next. Workpieces (5) are held for a predetermined period of time at each station by edgewheels (30, 31) which also rotate the workpieces (5). Cleaning fluid is sprayed onto workpieces (5) as they rotate to assist in removing particulate contamination. Method involves inserting a single workpiece (5) in between two pairs of rotating roller brushes (15) which scrub said workpiece as it is rotated by a pair of edgewheels (30, 31). There may be a divider shield (9) in between each brush station to prevent a large proportion of particulate matter and used cleaning fluid from traveling between the brush stations.
US08302238B2

A toothbrush tip for a motorized toothbrush with a first brush head and a second brush head. The second brush head encircles the first brush head. The first and second brush heads has different axes of rotation. The first and second brush heads are driven by an elongated shaft. The shaft engages the second brush head. Interactive gear teeth associated with each first and second brush heads allows the first and second brush heads to rotate at opposite direction, upon being driven by the shaft.
US08302232B2

The present invention relates to a washing machine and a method of controlling the washing machine. According to a washing machine and a method of controlling the washing machine in accordance with the present invention, a drum operates at a first speed so that part of the laundry tumbles within the drum and another part of the laundry adheres within the drum. The drum operates at a second speed lower than the first speed so that an amount of the tumbling laundry is more increased than at the first speed. Accordingly, at the time of a dehydration cycle, stability of the washing machine and laundry balancing can be ensured.
US08302229B1

A furniture cushion comprises a matrix of interconnected pocketed springs, each spring of which is contained within a pocket of fabric, and a fiber pad overlying an upper surface of the matrix of pocketed springs, the fiber pad having a first layer in contact with the upper surface of the matrix of pocketed springs and a second layer in contact with the first layer, the first layer having a first density and said second layer having a second density, the first density being greater than the second density.
US08302223B1

The luggage attachable cushion device sections are held together with pliable hinges at the folding lines for wrapping the device around average carry on luggage. Two full-length cloth straps tie sections together lengthwise and wrap around an existing luggage. The strap ends fasten together at the top of the luggage using hook and loop. When unfolded, the device makes a bed, a chair cushion, or can cushion other surfaces as desired. The mat is removably attached to the folding blanket that can be used to further cushion or to cover a user as decided. The device may be especially sized to fit around carry-on luggage so that a user can more conveniently travel.
US08302222B2

A patient transfer mattress is disclosed which includes a plurality of pods connecting the upper and lower sheets of the mattress. The pods may include a first aperture in a side wall thereof and a second aperture in an end thereof, said first and second apertures allowing air to flow from within a main cavity of the mattress and out to form a cushion of air beneath the mattress. One or more of the pods may also include a perforated disc positioned between the opposite ends thereby dividing the pod into upper and lower portions. The perforated disc controls air flow between the upper and lower portions to buffer local changes in air pressure caused by pump pressure, patient body weight or saturation.
US08302217B2

A valve mechanism for controlling release of pressurized fluid includes a fluid chamber. A plunger is received in an aperture in the fluid chamber, and is movable between a fluid retention position in which fluid is substantially trapped in the fluid chamber and a fluid release position in which fluid can escape from the fluid chamber through passages in the plunger. The plunger is biased into the fluid retention position. A driver drives a plunger actuator, and the plunger actuator is guided into engagement with the plunger to cause the plunger and the plunger actuator to move in unison and move the plunger into the fluid release position during a first portion of a stroke of the driver towards the fluid chamber, and the plunger actuator is further guided to permit the plunger to return to the fluid retention position during a second portion of the stroke.
US08307455B2

A decryption key for decrypting data from an access node is distributed to an access terminal intending to receive the data. An authentication unit receives a message for terminal authentication including a terminal identifier from the terminal and authenticates the terminal. The authentication unit refers to a content registration table having stored in advance the content type of a content which the terminal can receive, in association with the terminal identifier, according to the received terminal identifier to obtain a corresponding content type. The authentication unit refers to a decryption data base having stored in advance a decryption key and its valid period in association with a content type, according to the obtained content type to obtain a corresponding decryption key and valid period. The authentication unit sends an authentication result and the decryption key and valid period to the terminal or to a packet control unit.
US08307452B2

A browser cache-securing component facilitates online communication of confidential data, such as for financial information, purchasing transactions, or user identification. Caching webpages for subsequent presentation enhances user productivity and efficiency while reducing burdens on network resources. Yet, the security risks of intrusions into cache memory are mitigated by retaining encrypted data in cache memory without prior decryption. A modest overhead in decrypting when and if the webpage is to be presented again gains a security and privacy advantage without taking away functionality. Decrypted versions of confidential data can thereby be relegated to volatile memory. Upon termination of a session, a session key shared by a network server is deleted, preventing subsequent decryption. Executing the browser cache-securing component in a virtual machine environment allows multiple browser types to benefit from the security feature.
US08307451B2

Determining confidentiality of an office document shared by multiple organizations. Each block of a document data set is stored in association with confidentiality information indicating whether the block is confidential. The document data set is dividable into blocks each being a unit including properties evaluated as having a certain characteristic. A document data set targeted for the confidentiality determination is acquired, and it is determined whether a document data set, including a block similar to each block of the acquired document data set, is stored. If the document data set including the similar block is stored, it is determined whether the confidentiality information indicating that the block is confidential is assigned to the block of the acquired document data corresponding to the similar block. If the confidentiality information indicating that the block is confidential is assigned, the acquired document data set is determined as confidential.
US08307445B2

An anti-worm program allows a computer to execute control of communication suspected as worm communication, the program allowing the computer to execute: a communication information acquisition step that acquires communication information which is information concerning communication from a target source; and a communication control step that has a control amount calculation formula for calculating the control amount of the communication from the target source using the communication information and performs control of the communication from the target source based on the communication control amount obtained using the control amount calculation formula.
US08307432B1

Detecting buffer-overflow exploits scans generically for shellcode without using virus signatures and maintains close to a zero false-positive rate. Shellcode is detected generically without determining specifically which buffer-overflow exploit is being used. Protection is offered against unknown buffer-overflow exploits. A file is scanned to determine if a vulnerable buffer in that file includes suspect code that has characteristics of shellcode. Next, it is determined if the suspect code contains a routine to find the imagebase of Kernel32.dll using any of the techniques of PEB, TOS or SEH (process environment block, top of stack or structured exception handling). It is next determined if the suspect code contains a routine to search for APIs in the export table of kernel32.dll. Techniques for analyzing the suspect code include static analysis and executing the code in an emulator. A high sensitivity setting determines that shellcode is present when any of the techniques of PEB, TOS or SEH are found.
US08307424B2

A password authentication apparatus and a password authentication method for preventing the leakage of password information from user's password input operations includes a memory device for storing a correct answer symbol and selection information for selecting at least one input symbol for each digit of a password; a display for displaying combinations of input symbol candidates based on user operation; a processor for selecting, for each digit of the password, one or more input symbols from the combinations of input symbol candidates displayed by the display based on the selection information corresponding to the digit to determine whether the correct answer symbol corresponding to the digit is included in the selected one or more input symbols; and an authentication board for authenticating that the password is entered correctly when the processor determines that correct answer symbols for all the digits of the password are included.
US08307406B1

A method allows access to a set of secure databases and database applications over an untrusted network without replicating the secure database. The method involves authenticating a user using a first authentication application. When the user is verified, then the user's credentials are directed to a second authentication application associated with a secure database based on a first set of user settings retrieved for the user. The second authentication application, based on a second set of user settings, grants the user access to the secure database and database applications associated with the secure database.
US08307402B2

A method and apparatus that enable the use of a multi-service endpoint device to integrate features and functions of voice and/or data services with IPTV service through a TV console are disclosed. For example, the method connects a multi-service endpoint device (MSED) to a plurality of networks, where at least one of the plurality of networks provides a voice service, and where at least one of the plurality of networks provides an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) service. The method then integrates the voice service with the IPTV service using the MSED.
US08307394B2

In an image processing apparatus and method, a digital broadcasting receiver enables electronic program guide (EPG) information data and digital broadcasting image data not to visually overlap each other when digital broadcasting image data of a channel, including caption information, is processed. The image processor of the digital broadcasting receiver determines whether a changed channel includes caption information, and when the changed channel includes the caption information, the image processor scales down the digital broadcasting image data received from a digital broadcasting server, displays the scaled down digital broadcasting image data on one side of a screen, and displays EPG information data on another side of the screen.
US08307392B2

The solution of the ad delivery platform described herein provides for the marketing and monetizing of media assets via the delivery of advertisement with on-demand video. The ad platform optimizes the delivery of ads by controlling the insertion frequency and format of the ad delivered with video streams. The ad platform provides flexible and configurable ad insertion rules to specify the insertion frequency and format for the composition of ads during playback of on-demand video media. The ad insertion rules may be based on a user profile, user behavior history, topic of the stream to be delivered, duration of the video or ad, and/or the popularity rating of the video or ad. The ad platform includes a reporting tool and usage reports to measure the effectiveness of the ad insertion rules in delivering ads to market and monetize the video media. The ad platform also includes an ad inventory management and forecasting tool for determining the available inventory of ad placement based on data collected over a period of time regarding the delivery of ads and the ad insertion rules to be used for the delivery of a desired ad. With these tools, a more effective ad campaign can be created based on the target information and optimization via the ad insertion rules.
US08307391B2

An information processing apparatus and an information processing method for providing the results of searches of broadcast content. A search space processing section acquires a search keyword based on search information coming from a user terminal, and searches a search keyword dictionary database for search-related keyword data related to the search keyword. On the basis of the search keyword and search-related keyword data, the search space processing section generates a search keyword space and submits the generated space to a correction process. A search processing section compares the corrected search keyword space, EPG data, and an EPG keyword space for a match. A search display processing section prepares a list of display-ready information from the result of the matching and sends the list to the user terminal.
US08307386B2

An optical disc of a thicker supporting section and a thinner recording section is characterized by: a reinforcement section of a predetermined width which overlaps a supporting section and a recording section. With the reinforcement section, the structure of the optical disc is strengthened, and the resonant frequency of the optical disc is raised, so that the vibration of the optical disc is suppressed and the disc is suitable for high speed (16× up) reading/writing. The optical disc comprises: a circular opening disposed in the center of the optical disc; an annular recording section; an annular supporting section disposed between the annular recording section and the circular opening, wherein the annular supporting section is thicker than the annular recording section; and an annular reinforcement section which is disposed on one of the two sides of the optical disc and overlaps the annular supporting section and the annular recording section.
US08307383B2

A disc cartridge includes upper and lower shells making up a cartridge body, and with the lower shell, a first-rectangular plate, and disc holders making up the side wall of the cartridge body provided to first-side edges of the first-rectangular plate, and also slidably supporting a disc are provided, and second-side edges which face each other are opened, with the upper shell, a second-rectangular plate, standing wall members provided to third-side edges of the second-rectangular plate, making up the front and rear faces of the cartridge body, and a dividing wall provided to fourth-side edges are provided, and with the disc holders, an disc insertion/ejection opening from the second-side edges is provided to one edge, and a push-out opening for a disc push-out member is provided to the other edge, and when the shells are combined together, the second-side edges are closed, and are opened when the shells are separated.
US08307382B2

An optical disc apparatus includes: a disc tray 2; a main chassis 1 including an opening 130 in a front wall 13, the disc tray 2 being moved in and out of the main chassis through the opening 130; a plurality of support portions 151, 151f supporting lower surfaces of guide rails 22 of the disc tray 2; a plurality of pressing portions 16(17) for suppressing floating of the guide rails 22, wherein the plurality of the support portions 151, 151f is arranged so that the front side is inclined upwards with respect to the rear side when the disc tray 2 is accommodated in the main chassis 1.
US08307375B2

A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer program product for processing events. Events occurring during execution of an application are monitored to form monitored events. A plurality of sequences of method types and transition types from the monitored events are identified to form an identified plurality of sequences of method types and transitions types. Overhead compensation values are identified for the identified plurality of sequences of method types and transitions types to form identified overhead compensation values. Observed metrics for the monitored events are adjusted using the identified overhead compensation values.
US08307373B2

A system and method for integrating enterprise services repository (ESR) events into business process model and notation (BPMN) processes are disclosed. An instance of a message event definition is created based on an ESR event imported into a modeling infrastructure and which can be used as an event of a BPMN process modeled using the modeling infrastructure. The instance of the message event definition is provided as a trigger of the event of the BPMN process for a business process application. The instance of the message event definition is associated with an instance of the event of the BPMN process to link the enterprise service repository event to the BPMN process.
US08307371B2

A method for selecting a processor to be acquired in a virtual, shared computing environment includes initiating a first selection phase to attempt to acquire a last relinquished processor of the shared computing environment, and initiating a second selection phase in the event of a failure of the first selection phase in acquiring the last relinquished processor. The second selection phase further includes a round-robin selection process for presently relinquished processors.
US08307369B2

Provided is a method of controlling a virtual computer system in which a physical computer includes a plurality of physical CPUs that is switchable between a sleep state and a normal state, and a virtualization control unit divides the physical computer into a plurality of logical partitions to run a guest OS in each of the logical partitions and controls allocation of resources of the physical computer to the logical partitions, causes the virtualization control unit to: receive an operation instruction for operating the logical partitions; and if the operation instruction is for deleting a virtual CPU from one of the logical partitions, delete this virtual CPU from a table for managing virtual CPU-physical CPU allocation and put, if the deleting leaves no virtual CPUs allocated to one of the physical CPUs that has been allocated the deleted virtual CPU, this one of the physical CPUs into the sleep state.
US08307366B2

A method and apparatus for processing a computing job in a distributed processing system. A control process sends a message to an instance of an application instructing the application instance to divide the job into assignments for processing by various application instances. The application instance divides the job in a way that is suitable for the particular application and sends, to the control process, assignment information that describes how the job is to be divided. The control process stores the assignment information and assigns each of the application instances a portion of the computing job based on the assignment information. After, the application instances have completed the assignments, the control process instructs one of the application instances to perform post-processing on the assignment results, based on the assignment information.
US08307364B2

The present invention relates to a system for handling client/server traffic and communications pertaining to the delivery of hypertext information to a client. The system includes a central server which processes a request for a web page from a client. The system operates by receiving a request for a web page from a client. If information for the requested web page is available in a cache, it is forwarded to the client. Otherwise, the relevant information for the requested web page is retrieved from the pertinent server and processed to generate additional relevant information for creating an annotated version of the requested web page which includes additional displayable hypertext information. In handling its communications with various processing/storage entities, the operating system running behind the central server utilizes a pool of persistent threads and an independent task queue to improve the efficiency of the central server.
US08307355B2

A method and a corresponding apparatus for inventorying software products on a plurality of computer are proposed. The inventorying system aims at populating a software catalogue without the manual intervention of an administrator. The present invention reduces the cost of producing and maintaining a comprehensive knowledge base (the catalogue) which contains definitions of software products and the related signature. Information about software products and their related signature is obtained through a process which gathers information from a potentially very large collection of computers. Any occurrence of a group of identical files across multiple computers is considered a reliable indicator that they belong to the installation footprint of a product.
US08307353B2

A system and method are provided for inlining across protection domain boundaries with a system virtual machine. A protection domain comprises a unique combination of a privilege level and a memory address space. The system virtual machine interprets or dynamically compiles not only application code executing under guest operating systems, but also the guest operating systems. For a program call that crosses a protection domain boundary, the virtual machine assembles an intermediate representation (IR) graph that spans the boundary. Region nodes corresponding to code on both sides of the call are enhanced with information identifying the applicable protection domains. The IR is optimized and used to generate instructions in a native ISA (Instruction Set Architecture) of the virtual machine. Individual instructions reveal the protection domain in which they are to operate, and instructions corresponding to different domains may be interleaved.
US08307347B2

System and method for performing program-related operations over a network via a web browser. A network connection is established between a server computer and a client computer over a network. A universal resource identifier (URI) is sent from the client computer to the server computer over the network, where the URI indicates a program, e.g., a graphical program (GP), or at least a portion of a graphical program interactive development environment (GPIDE), e.g., a graphical program editor, an execution engine, a static or dynamic analyzer, and/or compiler. The at least a portion of the GPIDE is received from the server computer over the network in response to the URI, and executed in a web browser of the client computer to perform some specified functionality with respect to the GP.
US08307346B2

Transactional memory implementations provide the “illusion” of multiple memory locations changing value atomically, while in fact they do not. Techniques that employ transactional memory may allow a debug user to define a group of variables as an atomic group and may ensure coherent or consistent access to variables of the atomic group. These techniques may facilitate the debugging of programs that are executed using transactional memory. Unlike conventional debuggers, debuggers that employ these techniques may be adapted to provide a coherent or consistent view of variables in a system that employs transactional memory. The atomic group may be accessed for viewing and/or modifying during debugging using a transaction, regardless of whether all or less than all of the variables in the atomic group are modified.
US08307344B2

In a method for tracing data within an integrated circuit, a default time stamp granularity is selected for a sequence of time stamps, wherein each time stamp has a resolution of 2**N. A sequence of trace events is captured and an elapsed time is determined between each time sequential pair of trace events in the sequence of trace events. A time stamp is formed to associate with each trace event of the sequence of trace events, wherein each time stamp has an associated time stamp granularity, wherein the time stamp has the default time stamp granularity if the elapsed time between a current trace event and a sequentially prior trace event is less than 2**N time slots, otherwise the time stamp granularity is slid to a larger value such that the elapsed time can be represented by N bits, whereby a small number N of bits can accurately represent a large range of elapsed times.
US08307340B2

A system and a machine-implemented method are provided. The system may include a platform, in which one or more application domains may be specified. At least some of the application domains may abstract a hardware device. Partitioning of the system into a number of independent applications with fixed public interfaces may provide each application domain with isolation, or protection, from other application domains. Application domains may be specified via programming language constructs. An application, within one application domain, may access a hardware device, or software, in another application domain via similar generic interfaces provided in a managed code environment enforced by the platform.
US08307338B2

A method and system provides one or more product type descriptions, and constructs a map between the sub-conditions of the product type descriptions and constructs in a Web Ontological Language (OWL). The method converts the product type description rules into new OWL classes by creating a new OWL class for each corresponding rule; adding the new OWL class to the OWL ontology; for each condition of the corresponding rule, extracting sub-conditions; for each the sub-condition extracted; creating new constructs for the new OWL class using the map; and adding new class restrictions to the new OWL class, wherein each of the new class restrictions relates to a corresponding condition of the corresponding rule.
US08307336B1

An output processor for transforming the output produced by a functional component into different forms that can be consumed and presented by different types of clients is disclosed. With this output processor, a functional component is allowed to produce a single set of output that is not targeted at any particular type of client. The output processor then determines which type of client is requesting the output, and transforms the output into a form that can be consumed and presented by that type of client. By performing this transformation, the output processor allows the implementation of the functional component to be decoupled from the client that is requesting output from the functional component. This decoupling in turn enables the amount of effort needed to develop and maintain functional components in a large scale program to be significantly reduced.
US08307333B2

A system and computer program product for assisting a user in creating software code. In one implementation, the system includes a display; and a code editor configured to permit a user to edit software code that is displayable on the display. The software code is associated with a programming language having a plurality of software constructs. The code editor comprises a code assistant that is invokable by the user, in which the code assistant comprises a plurality of panels that correspond to the plurality of software constructs. One or more of the plurality of panels contain a set of user-selectable options associated with a given software construct to assist the user in editing the software code.
US08307332B2

Apparatus and associated systems and methods may relate to a data traffic modification system that may receive operating code developed using a graphical user interface (GUI) that permits substantially real-time editing of instructions that have been determined to include errors. In various implementations, a data traffic modification device may selectively modify data traffic upon the occurrence of a predetermined condition. In one illustrative example, operating code may be developed by sequentially editing individual instructions. Upon modifying each instruction, the validity of the operating code with the edited instruction may be checked, and the GUI may display the updated code substantially in real time during an editing session. The GUI may display an indication of the validity status of the set of instructions. In some embodiments, the user may be permitted to continue editing the code within the GUI while the set of instructions contains errors.
US08307326B2

A method includes generating an application model that represents a relation of connection based on a control flow relation and a data dependency relation between a module and data constituting an application, by analyzing a source code, evaluating complexity of the relation of connection that is represented by the application model generated in the generating, and outputting an enhancement point used in reducing the complexity evaluated in the evaluating.
US08307325B2

According to one embodiment, a design method of a semiconductor integrated circuit is a design method of a semiconductor integrated circuit including a first wiring layer, a second wiring layer formed on the first wiring layer, and a third wiring layer formed on the second wiring layer. This method includes a process in which plural spare wirings are arranged on the second wiring layer along a first direction, and plural spare wirings are arranged on the third wiring layer in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. The method also includes a process of arranging a cell on the first wiring layer after the arrangement of the spare wirings, a process of arranging a signal wiring on at least any one of the first to the third wiring layers after the arrangement of the cell, and a process of performing an engineering change order of the wiring by using the spare wirings.
US08307321B2

A method for dummy metal and dummy via insertion is provided. In one embodiment, dummy metals are inserted using a place and route tool, where the place and route tool has timing-awareness. Then, dummy vias arrays are inserted inside an overlap area of dummy metals using a design-rule-checking utility. Fine-grained dummy vias arrays are inserted in available space far away from main patterns. The dummy-patterns resulting from the inserted dummy vias are compressed using the design-rule-checking utility to reduce the size of a graphic data system file generated from the integrated circuit design. The dummy vias can be inserted with relaxed via spacing rules. The dummy metals are inserted with a constant line-end spacing between them for better process control and the maximum length of the dummy metal can be limited for smaller coupling effects. The dummy vias can have various sizes and a square or rectangular shape.
US08307320B2

A method of placing delay units of a pulse delay circuit on a programmable logic device having logic cells in each of cell strings has a step of arranging each delay unit in one logic cell of the device such that the delay units are placed in respective specific cell strings aligned in a row direction and a step of serially connecting the delay units with one another as a straight delay line such that the delay units placed in the specific cell strings in the connecting order are aligned in the row direction. In the device, an inter-string transmission delay time on a line between two logic cells of different cell strings differs from an intra-string transmission delay time on a line between two logic cells of one cell string.
US08307319B2

A method of manufacturing an integrated circuit having minimized electromigration effect, wherein the integrated circuit comprises one or more interconnect, said the or each interconnect comprising a dielectric layer having an intrinsic parameter at a first defined value, characterized in that said method comprises: identifying one or more characteristics of the or each interconnect; determining a minimal process distance from the or each interconnect for the application of one or more first metal elements; calculating a required correction parameter which can correct the intrinsic parameter at said first defined value; calculating a required number of the first metal elements which have the intrinsic parameter at a second defined value, such that the second defined value provides the required correction parameter for the first defined value; applying a plurality of said first metal elements around the interconnect at said minimum process distance to overcome the problem of electromigration caused by the intrinsic parameter at the first defined value.
US08307316B2

A method is provided that includes: determining a minimum clock cycle that can be used to propagate a signal about the critical cycle in a circuit design; wherein the critical cycle is a cycle in the design that has a highest proportionality of delay to number of registers; determining for a circuit element in the circuit design, sequential slack associated with the circuit element; wherein the sequential slack represents a minimum delay from among respective maximum delays that can be added to respective structural cycles of which the circuit element is a constituent, based upon the determined limit upon clock cycle duration; using the sequential slack to ascertain sequential optimization based design flexibility throughout multiple stages of a design flow.
US08307309B1

A method is described that involves identifying a subset of operational scenarios for a circuit being designed. The family of equations are solved for the circuit over the subset and the solving produces numeric values for design parameters of the circuit. The family of equations enhanced with said numeric values are solved over a remainder of the scenarios and none of the remaining scenarios are identified as being infeasible scenarios. A design for the circuit that includes the numeric values is produced.
US08307306B2

A selection candidate display method, a selection candidate display device, and an input/output device are provided. When a number of receivable broadcasting stations is not “4” or less, a controller allocates the receivable broadcasting stations to three segmented logical areas among four segmented logical areas, allocates a scroll area to the remaining one logical area, and displays the channel numbers of the allocated receivable broadcasting stations and information indicating the scroll area, for example, “S” in the respective logical areas of a circle pad. When the logical area to which the scroll area is allocated is operated, the controller moves the scroll area to the adjacent logical area and allocates the next receivable broadcasting station after the broadcasting station allocated to the remaining logical area among the logical areas adjacent to the scroll area, to the logical area which was the scroll area.
US08307305B2

Disclosed is a method (600) of scrolling a list (510) including video items (504-508) on a display device (501). The list is scrolled to modify a displayed subset of the items. The scrolling of the list is terminated and at least one of the displayed video items (507) is played after the termination, and the playback of the at least one displayed video item is then adapted after a predetermined period of time. The terminating of the scrolling may be in response to a user input. The displayed video items generally comprise one selected focus item the playback of which is adapted differently from the remaining displayed video items. The adapting is preferably to stop the playback of the video items.
US08307276B2

A method of verifying content, for example webpage content, including receiving, at an indexing system (100), a first copy (240) of a document (220) from a hosting server (210), then processing the first copy (240) to obtain first indicating data including one or more properties of the first copy (240). Also obtaining second indicating data, the second indicating data obtained by processing a second copy (255) of the document (220) from the hosting server (210), the second copy (255) received by a client terminal (250), the second indicating data including one or more properties of the second copy (255). Then the first indicating data and the second indicating data can be compared, and the first copy (240) of the document (220) received by the indexing system (100) can be determined to be verified or not verified based on a comparison between the first indicating data and the second indicating data.
US08307274B2

A method for converting a computerized briefing file to a PC-less briefing file is disclosed and comprises the steps of: presenting the computerized briefing file via a briefing software, wherein the computerized briefing file has a plurality of pages of briefing data; capturing the plurality of frames of the presented page of briefing data while presenting each page of briefing data, wherein if a difference block is existed between the last frame and the next frame, the difference block being stored in the PC-less file, otherwise, to presenting the next frame; judging whether the pagination of the presented frame is changed or not, if not, continuously capturing, comparing and storing the present page of briefing data, otherwise, capturing, comparing and storing the next page of briefing data; and such steps are not stopped until the last page of briefing data has being done.
US08307271B1

Detecting data errors in connection with a data transfer process includes performing an XOR operation on a plurality of data blocks to obtain a data block XOR result. An XOR operation may be performed on a plurality of cyclic redundancy check (CRC) codes associated with the plurality of data blocks to obtain a CRC XOR result. The data block XOR result and the CRC XOR result may be used to determine whether an error exists in the plurality of data blocks. The system may be used in connection with local IO transfers and in connection with local CPU XOR operations for a RAID system in which data may be mirrored, striped or otherwise distributed across multiple storage devices.
US08307264B2

A detection apparatus detecting an error component contained in two signals (A, B) approximated by a cosine and sine functions representing an object position, the detection apparatus including an arithmetic portion (3, 4) which reduces an error contained in the signals (A, B) based on an error prediction value to output two error correction signals (A*, B*), a phase arithmetic portion (5) which calculates a phase (θ) based on the error correction signals (A*, B*), an arithmetic storage unit (9, 10) which stores the error correction signals (A*, B*) and a plurality of sampling values of the phase (θ), and a Fourier transform portion (11, 12) which obtains coefficients αk, βk, γk, and δk in the following two expressions: A*=α0+α1 cos θ+β1 sin θ+ . . . +αk cos kθ+βk sin kθ B*=γ0+γ1 cos θ+δ1 sin θ+ . . . +γk cos kθ+δk sin kθ (k≧2) wherein the arithmetic portion (3, 4) updates the error prediction value using the coefficients.
US08307263B2

A method begins by a processing module determining dispersed storage preferences for streaming multi-media data. The method continues with the processing module transcoding the streaming multi-media data into transcoded data when the dispersed storage preferences include transcoding. In addition, the method continues with the processing module encoding the transcoded data in accordance with an error coding dispersed storage function of the dispersed storage preferences to produce pluralities of error coded data slices. In addition, the method continues with the processing module outputting the pluralities of error coded data slices to a plurality of data storage units for storage therein.
US08307255B2

A layered message updating method and system for the decoding of LDPC codes with high sub-matrix degree has a scalable and flexible decoder architecture to support LDPC codes with arbitrary high sub-matrix degree with very small hardware overhead and high throughput. Embodiments of the invention support LDPC codes with sub-matrix degree W>=1. The architecture does not require duplication of extrinsic memory which greatly reduces decoder complexity. The size of the memory is also independent of sub-matrix degree which makes the decoder scalable for large W values.
US08307251B2

To facilitate retransmission of a data file that has been deleted from a server, a data processing device includes a first storage section in which a management table is stored. The management table includes a list of communication histories with respect to communications with each of the servers. Each communication history indicates a data file transmitted to the server. The device further includes a second storage section storing data files transmitted to the servers. A control section is provided for judging, when a communication section is in communication with a server, whether or not a data file which has already been transmitted to the server needs to be retransmitted and retransmit the data file to the server upon retrieving the data file from the second storage section when judgment is made so that retransmission of the data file is needed.
US08307249B2

In a sophisticated semiconductor device including a large memory portion, a built-in self-test circuitry comprises a failure capturing logic that allows the capturing of a bitmap at a given instant in time without being limited to specific operating conditions in view of interfacing with external test equipment. Thus, although pipeline processing may be required due to the high speed operation during the self-test, reliable capturing of the bitmap may be achieved while maintaining high fault coverage of the test algorithm under consideration.
US08307244B2

A storage system includes first and second expanders for connecting storage units, each of the first and second expanders being connected cascade each other, a first controller connected one of the first and one of the second expanders and a host, a second controller connected the one of the second expanders, the one of the first expanders and the host, the second controller detecting a failure of at least one of the first controller, the first expanders and the second expanders, the second controller selectively controlling a first boot sequence which boots the first controller after the first expanders have been booted and a second boot sequence which boots the first controller before the first expanders have been booted, determining one of the first boot sequence and the second boot sequence on the basis of a place where a failure has occurred in a recovery process.
US08307240B2

The present invention is a method for communication between an initiator system and a block storage cluster. The method includes receiving a command at a first storage system of a block storage cluster. The command is transmitted by the initiator system to the first storage system via a network and includes a request for data. The method further includes transferring the stored data from the first storage system to the initiator system via the network when data requested in the data request is stored by the first storage system. The method further includes transmitting a referral response from the first storage system to the initiator system when a portion of the data requested in the data request is not stored by the first storage system, but is stored by a second storage system of the block storage cluster. The referral response indicates to the initiator system that: a) not all of the requested data was transferred; and b) that the second storage system stores the portion of the requested data.
US08307236B2

In one embodiment, an apparatus to synchronously communicate on an interface that has an associated interface clock for a circuit that has an internal clock used internal to the circuit comprises a control circuit coupled to receive the internal clock and the interface clock. The control circuit is configured to sample the interface clock multiple times per clock cycle of the internal clock and to detect a phase difference, to a granularity of the samples, between the internal clock and the interface clock. The apparatus comprises a data path that is configured to transport data between an internal clock domain and an interface clock domain. The data path is configured to provide at least two different timings on the transported data relative to the internal clock. The control circuit is coupled to the data path and is configured to select one of the timings responsive to a detected phase difference.
US08307233B2

A processor, comprising a processing unit having an active state and a sleep state in which at least one of its sub-sections is inactive and a communication port adapted to receive signals from external units over a bus, which is configured to be not fully operative when the processor is in the sleep state. The processor additionally includes a bus monitoring unit configured to stall the bus responsive to identifying transmissions on the bus directed to the communication port, while the processing unit is in the sleep state and to indicate to the communication port that a transmission started while it was in the sleep state.
US08307221B2

A mobile communication device includes a control circuit unit, a first interface, a status change detecting circuit, and an embedded controller. The control circuit unit is operated in either a normal working mode or a power-saving mode. The first interface is connected with the data card and the control circuit unit. The status change detecting circuit is connected with the first interface. The embedded controller is connected with the status change detecting circuit and the control circuit unit. If the control circuit unit is operated in the power-saving mode and the data card is switched from a standby status to a working status, the data card generates a status-changing signal to the status change detecting circuit. In response to the status-changing signal, the control circuit unit is controlled to be switched from the power-saving mode to the normal working mode by the embedded controller.
US08307211B2

A method of verifying a pair of correspondents in electronic transaction, the correspondents each including first and second signature schemes and wherein the first signature scheme is computationally more difficult in signing than verifying and the second signature scheme is computationally more difficult in verifying than signing. The method comprises the step of the first correspondent signing information according to the first signature scheme and transmitting the first signature to the second correspondent, the second correspondent verifying the first signature received from the first correspondent, wherein the verification is performed according to the first signature scheme. The second correspondent then signs information according to the second signature scheme and transmits the second signature to the first correspondent, the first correspondent verifies the second signature received from the second correspondent, wherein the verification is performed according to the second signature algorithm; the transaction is rejected if either verification fails. The method thereby allows one of the correspondents to participate with relatively little computing power while maintaining security of the transaction.
US08307202B2

The invention relates to method and system for using PKCS and especially PKCS#10 registration standard on a mobile environment and in particularly in a WPKI (Wireless PKI) environment comprising a registration server and a client provided with a key pair is provided only with a part of the certificate request info defined on the PKCS registration standard. A PKCS registration structure is formed by the client of said part of the certificate request info and the public key to be registered, after which a verifying code is determined using at least part of said formed PKCS registration structure. Finally said verifying code and the public key are delivered to the registration server advantageously without delivering said part of the certificate request info received at first by the client.
US08307201B2

The present invention is related to an information processing system, a service providing apparatus and method, an information processing apparatus and method, a recording medium, and a program that are intended to simultaneously share content data in private virtual spaces. A home server 11 is arranged at user A's home. A portable user terminal 1 and so on can access the home server 11. A virtual home DB server 21 supplies the layout information about virtual home and so on to the portable user terminal 1. An authentication server 22 executes authentication processing on the portable user terminal 1. An inter-user-terminal communication relay server 23 executes the processing associated with the communication between a plurality of users. A user information holding server 24 stores the personal data of each user and the content data, which are shared with other users. The present invention is applicable to programs realizing realtime communication by use of the Internet.
US08307196B2

A method for operating a data processing system is provided. The method includes providing a first operand stored in a first register, providing a second operand stored in the register, providing a third operand stored in the register. The method further includes executing a first instruction, where executing the first instruction comprises: (1) retrieving the first operand, the second operand, and the third operand from the first register; (2) performing an operation using the first operand, the second operand, and the third operand to generate a bit exact result.
US08307190B2

The memory control device according to the present invention includes a command generating unit which divides the memory access request issued by the master into access commands each of which is for one of the memory devices, a command issuing units which issue each of the access commands to the memory devices, a data control unit which switches data between a master and memories, and the command generating unit switch between control for outputting an identical physical address to the memory units and control for outputting different physical addresses to the memory devices, depending on when the physical addresses of the memory devices are identical and when the physical addresses of the memory devices are different, each of the memory devices corresponds to one of the divided access commands.
US08307187B2

A method for managing storage for a desktop pool is described. The desktop pool includes a plurality of virtual machines (VMs), each VM having at least one virtual disk represented as a virtual disk image file on one of a plurality of datastores associated with the desktop pool. To identify a target datastore for a VM, a weight of each datastore is calculated. The weight may be a function of a virtual capacity of the datastore and the sum of maximum sizes of all the virtual disk image files on the datastore. The virtual capacity is a product of the data storage capacity of the datastore and an overcommit factor assigned to the datastore. The target datastore is selected as the datastore having the highest weight. The VM may is moved to or created on the target datastore.
US08307163B2

The present invention discloses a hybrid density memory storage device configured to store data responsive to a host and a file system thereof. The hybrid density memory storage device includes a non-volatile memory, a hot data buffer and a control unit. The non-volatile memory includes a high density storage space and a low density storage space. The control unit is coupled between the host, the non-volatile memory, and the hot data buffer. The control unit has a hot list used for recording a plurality of logical locations of hot data, and the control unit is capable of accessing data in/out the hot data buffer in accordance with the hot list.
US08307162B2

Methods and apparatus for cache flush control and write re-ordering in a data storage system are provided. A cache flush control method includes cache flushing information stored in a cache memory to a first storage apparatus of a plurality of storage apparatuses included in a data storage system when a cache flush condition is generated, and performing a write command in a second storage apparatus of the plurality of storage apparatuses which has a write speed lower than the first storage apparatus according to information stored in the first storage apparatus processed with the cache flush.
US08307155B1

Technologies are provided for integrating a caching module into a data storage system architecture. A request to perform an I/O operation is received at the caching module from an initiator. The caching module provides a notification to a storage driver that the request will be delivered to the storage driver in the future. The storage driver then determines whether the request can be satisfied. If the storage driver determines that it will be able to satisfy the I/O request, the storage driver can optimize the allocation and placement of the I/O request before receiving the actual I/O request. When the caching module subsequently sends the actual I/O request to the storage driver, the storage driver utilizes the previously allocated space and optimized placement to perform the requested I/O operation.
US08307151B1

An e-MMC memory having a controller for a NAND Flash and another controller for a Phase-Change Memory (PCM) in a memory managed system. The different memory technologies of the NAND Flash and PCM may be partitioned to segment available memory space to store different types of data or code while accounting for an attribute property stored in a register.
US08307148B2

Various flash management techniques may be described. An apparatus may comprise a processor, a flash memory coupled to the processor, and a flash management module. The flash management module may be executed by the processor to receive a write request to write data to the flash memory, write a first control sector with a sequence number to the flash memory, and write the sequence number, an address for a logical sector, and data to at least one physical sector corresponding to the logical sector of the flash memory. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08307145B2

A single USB-to-IDE adapter (204) connects two or more IDE devices (208, 210, 212) to a USB apparatus (202). The USB apparatus (202) communicates with each IDE device using a connection identifier associated with the USB connection (206) and a unique identifier associated with each IDE connection (214, 216, 218). The USB-to-IDE adapter (204) may be integrated within the USB apparatus (202) or as a discrete component connected to the USB apparatus (202).
US08307143B2

There is provided an interface card system for SD bus control. The interface card system for SD bus control includes a CPU bus interface 11a and/or an SD bus interface 11b, a host interface module 16 connected to the interfaces which interprets an SD command and controls operation of the whole of the interface card system, first and second internal SD host engines 15a and 15b which function as a host controller, first and second selectors 14a and 14b respectively connected to the internal SD host engines which each select a path for data or a command, first and second SD bus interfaces 13a and 13b respectively connected to the selectors, and a data pass-through control section 17 connected to the SD bus interfaces connected to the selectors which allows an SD command and data to pass through.
US08307142B2

A card reader includes a printed circuit board (PCB). The PCB includes a universal serial bus (USB) interface to be connected to an electronic device, a card interface to be connected to a card, a control chip, and a normally-closed switch coupled in a wire connecting a positive differential pin of the USB interface to the control chip. A length of the wire connecting the positive differential pin of the USB interface to the control chip equals to a length of a wire connecting a negative differential pin of the USB interface to the control chip. The normally-closed switch is operable to be switched on or switched off, so as to control the connection between the card and the electronic device.
US08307137B2

A remote communication method of a network includes a main controller and a plurality of control units, wherein each control unit is serially connected to the main controller and the control unit at next stage through a transmission terminal and a transmitter. Each control unit receives the data sent from the main controller and identifies the received data as one of a first, a second and a third packet. If it is the first packet and the main controller attempts to read data from each control unit, a switch in the control unit is turned on and a response data is transmitted to the main controller. If it is the second packet and a connection index is equal to a target unit address, then data is written to a corresponding single control unit. If it is the third packet and a target unit address is zero, data is written to all control units.
US08307136B2

Provided is a method of streaming transfer of data between a plurality of devices of a computer system. The method includes providing data to be sent from a source device to a target device and includes receiving, at the source device, one or more transfer credits from the target device. A transfer credit may be indicative of an amount of data that the target device is authorizing to be sent to the target device. The method also includes determining whether or not an accumulated transfer credit value satisfies a threshold value. If the accumulated transfer credit value satisfies the threshold value, the source device sends data to the target device and modifies the accumulated transfer credit value based on a quantity of data sent. If the accumulated transfer credit value does not satisfy the threshold value the source device does not send data to the target device.
US08307126B2

A control device having an output pin expansion function and an output pin expansion method thereof are provided. The method includes: connecting at least a shift register unit having a plurality of data transmission pins to a control unit such that the shift register unit can receive strobe signals, a multi-bit data stream, clock signals and enable signals generated by the control unit; sending an enable signal by the control unit so as to allow the shift register unit to shift and store each bit of a multi-bit data stream according to a clock signal generated by the control unit; and sending a strobe signal by the control unit so as to allow the shift register unit to output the multi-bit data in parallel format as opposed to the received serial format through the plurality of data transmission pins, thereby allowing a processing device to interface with more devices (such as LED state indicators) than its fixed number of dedicated output pins would conveniently allow, thus saving costs and board space.
US08307124B2

Memory allocation in a Broker system for managing the communication between a plurality of clients and a plurality of servers. The method may include allocating memory for a plurality of memory pools; and dividing each memory pool into memory blocks of a size which is specific to the type of a resource. The resource may be related to the communication managed by the Broker.
US08307113B2

Techniques for efficiently and economically providing data transfer through wireless data networks. These techniques are particularly suitable for Internet data transfers. In one aspect, mobile devices are able to be allocated additional wireless channels to obtain increased data transfer capabilities. The additional wireless channels can be used for unicast, multicast or broadcast of data. These techniques provide additional wireless bandwidth to mobile devices and allows control over allocation of the additional wireless bandwidth.
US08307109B2

Methods and systems for enterprise data integration are described. The methods and systems take elements of a data integration process typically operating in a batch-mode, transform the elements in real time, and expose the results as a service that can be accessed by a business enterprise in real time, and optionally also in batch mode. The service can be accessed through a graphical user interface, providing automatic data integration in real time without additional coding. The service can also operate with mobile devices.
US08307104B2

Submit report handling in Short Message Session Initiation Protocol (SMSIP) is provided. For example, a method can include preparing a submit report, wherein the preparing includes using a combination of forking and an in-reply-to header to find an appropriate terminal. The method can also include sending the submit report to the appropriate terminal. Likewise, another method can include receiving, by an apparatus, a session initiation protocol message request including a submit report. The method can also include processing the submit report to determine whether the request corresponds to a message sent by the apparatus. The method can further include sending, when the submit report is determined not to correspond to any message sent by the apparatus, a not-acceptable-here session initiation protocol response. The method can additionally include sending, when the submit report is determined to correspond to the message sent by the apparatus, an ok session initiation protocol message.
US08307101B1

Methods, systems and apparatus, including computer program products, for storing web analytics data in a generic format. Multiple data elements are stored in a database in association with project identifiers, data type identifiers, and index numbers.
US08307099B1

Techniques are described for identifying the use of software applications, such as to determine an identity of a user interacting with a Web site or other electronic information service based on information regarding an application copy used by the user. When a communication is received from a software application, the communication is analyzed to attempt to identify a particular software application copy that sent the communication. Various types of information about a client software application copy may be used in the analysis, including information about particular configuration settings for the client software application and for the client computing device on which the client software application is executing. After a matching software application copy is identified for a received communication, possible inappropriate activities related to the received communication may be identified in various ways, including based on previous communications received from the same software application copy.
US08307092B2

A system and method for collecting information about a user's media collections at a central location from multiple login points and/or multiple devices owned by the user. The user establishes a user account at a central server. A client application may be downloaded to the user's device for establishing a connection to the central server. Subsequently, each time the user logs in to the central server, the central server receives a unique machine identifier (MID) for the connected and currently in-use user device. The central server receives information about the user's media collection from the user device and stores that media collection by its MID under the user's individual account. In this manner, the central server obtains and stores information about all the user's media collections owned by user devices connected and in-use and previously connected to the central server rather than only having knowledge of the media collection stored on the currently in-use user device.
US08307090B2

A system and method detects an amount of data attributed to a device including reports sent to the device, and reduces the amount of data being used to provide reports to the device if the amount of data attributed to the device exceeds an amount assigned to the device. Data uploaded from the device is also minimized.
US08307081B1

A method and system for customizing web sites for visitor to increase the likelihood a visitor becomes deepens the relationship with the web site or becomes a customer is disclosed. A progression level design defines levels and conditions for moving between those levels. At each level, the web site is customized in predetermined ways commensurate with that level. Information on the visitor is gathered to evaluate their level and possibly upgrade or downgrade that level. Reports detail flow of visitors between levels for various time periods. Where that flow is not desired, the progression level design can be changed by adding, removing or changing levels and conditions.
US08307079B2

Techniques are provided that allow users to collaborate in relationship to data views, application displays, applications or events. A user can type in a text view related to a specific view in an application display, and the information is shared with other users that take part in sharing that view. A user that expresses an interest in an event is notified about the event and has the capability to interact, in relation to the event, with other users (e.g. by text). The particular form of interaction (and sharing) can be selectively specified. This interaction is comparable to a dynamic bulletin board where the subject is event driven, and where a user can specify who are allowed to participate. In the case of an event interest(s), users specify their interest (e.g. in other user application events or system events) and the system automatically alerts them to the occurrence of the event.
US08307073B1

A server system is disclosed that is capable of providing responsive content to a user when a request for an invalid URL is received. In a preferred embodiment, the server system implements multiple rescue strategies for attempting to rescue the invalid URL. One such rescue strategy involves repairing the URL by correcting for encoding errors, such as errors introduced by some web clients. Another rescue strategy involves determining that the URL contains an obsolete or outdated item identifier (e.g., product identifier) that renders the URL invalid, and returning information regarding one or more related items to the user. Another rescue strategy involves mining the invalid URL for one or more text strings reflective of the type of content desired, and then using the one or more text strings to execute a keyword search to identify content to provide to the user. The various rescue strategies may be attempted in sequence according to a hierarchy.
US08307069B2

A method, a device and computer program products product for allowing performance related data to be obtained from an isolated computer network that includes a diagnostics collection function. Selections from a support user of nodes and plug-in modules associated with applications provided in the isolated computer network that are to be diagnosed are received by a autocollector file generating unit, which then provides at least one command file with instructions for the diagnostics collection function, including the user selected nodes and plug-in modules, and saves the provided data as an autocollector file that automatically makes the diagnostics collection function to apply the command file on the nodes and plug in modules when being activated.
US08307066B2

An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for automated digital media content filtration based on relationship monitoring. The method determines a plurality of user relationships based at least in part on an online association between a user and a content producer. The method monitors each user relationship with each content producer for a relationship interaction between the user and the content producer. Furthermore, the method also identifies digital media content published by a content producer having a relationship with the user. A determined relevancy may be based on a strength factor derived at least in part on monitored relationship interactions between the user and the content producer that published the digital media content. The digital media content is presented to the user, with that having a greater relevancy weight having a higher priority than other digital media content available to the user from other content producers.
US08307061B1

Examples disclose systems and methods related to manufacturer submitted robot instructions. The method may be executable to receive from a robotic device an identifier of an object and based on the identifier, determine a manufacturer of the object, and identify in a database first instructions associated with the identifier of the object, wherein the manufacturer instructions may be associated with the manufacturer of the object and executable by the robotic device to interact with the object. The method may further be executable to send a query to the robotic device regarding an interaction between the robotic device and the object and receive a query response indicating information associated with an interaction between the robotic device and the object. Based on the query response, the method may be executable to identify second instructions executable to perform the interaction with the object and send the second instructions to the robotic device.
US08307060B2

One aspect of the invention is a method for providing real-time feedback regarding the effect of applying a policy definition used for management in a computing system. An example of the method includes receiving the policy definition, and accessing stored information regarding at least one managed entity in the computing system. This example also includes applying the policy definition to the information regarding the at least one managed entity. This example further includes outputting information providing real-time feedback regarding the effect of applying the policy definition to the information regarding the at least one managed entity. Another aspect of the invention is a method for defining a policy used for management in a computing system.
US08307054B2

The example embodiments disclosed herein relate to networks and, more particularly, to systems and/or methods that enable processes to be routed and/or executed in a distributed, location transparent manner. A process engine for use across instances of a service-oriented integration server is provided to a network having a messaging layer. The process engine executes a process in accordance with a process model defined at design time. Each instance of the process engine comprises runtime artifacts such as deployable units of executable logic; a publishing service for publishing a process transition document (PTD) that includes routing data as a part of the message itself; a subscription service for subscribing to the PTDs to be routed to the corresponding instance of the process engine; and a filtering service for filtering other PTDs published to the messaging layer. The messaging layer includes a first queue to process PTDs that trigger new process instances, and a second queue to accommodate transitions between steps of the process model. After a step in the process model is executed, the publishing service publishes a new PTD to cause a next step in the process model to be executed.
US08307052B2

A method and computer program product includes calculating a score for one or more communication sessions on a communication device, associating the score with the one or more communication sessions, and measuring a performance metric on the communication device. The performance metric may be indicative of a load on the communication device, and may be caused, at least in part, by the one or more communication sessions. If the performance metric on the communication device falls outside an acceptable value, a number of participants in at least one of the one or more communication sessions may be reduced based on the score associated with the at least one of the one or more communication sessions.
US08307050B2

Systems and methods for intelligent service assurance testing provided herein include receiving network infrastructure information relating to a network, receiving one or more service assurance testing parameters, determining a test schedule of one or more service assurance tests for service assurance testing of the network, the test schedule being based at least in part on the network infrastructure information and the one or more service assurance testing parameters, and deploying the one or more service assurance tests on one or more devices of the network according to the test schedule.
US08307045B1

Methods for facilitating the creation of templates used to convert service data from a non-displayable format to alternate formats which are suited to be displayed on various client devices. In a preferred embodiment, the data corresponding to a selected service is examined to identify name-value pairs. A user is queried for a label corresponding to each pair. Formatting information for a plurality of client devices is contained in a master template. This information is used to generate a plurality of templates which are specific to the service data and the client devices and which are configured to convert the name-value pairs into formats adapted to be displayed on the corresponding devices.
US08307037B2

A method and network for transmitting a message from a sender to a recipient wherein the sender has no previous knowledge of the recipient's identity. A method is provided for registering a user with a web-enabled database service by providing correlating data on the user's identity and vehicle license plate number and/or other vehicle identifying information. A sender observing a vehicle can send a message to the recipient by logging onto the service and sending a message including the license plate number of the vehicle or other vehicle identifying information. The service will forward the message to the recipient by looking up the vehicle information, discerning the most appropriate communications method(s), and causing the message to be transmitted to the recipient or stored for later delivery.
US08307010B2

A data set may be represented as a hierarchical node set, comprising interrelated nodes that respectively include various data features (e.g., versions in a version-controlled software architecture.) Queries may be formulated regarding the inclusion of a particular feature in the nodes of the hierarchical data set (“does this node include this data feature?” and “what is the path of the data feature through the node set?”) Such queries may be evaluated by identifying a source node that includes the data feature, identifying candidate merge paths from the source node to the taget node, and determining whether the nodes of any candidate merge path include the data feature. The results may be presented to the user, e.g., as a visual layout of the portion of the hierarchical node set that includes the data feature or a timeline of nodes illustrating the path of the data feature over time.
US08307009B2

An index structure of metadata provided for searching for information on contents and a method for providing indices of the metadata, and a method and an apparatus for searching for the metadata using the index structure of the metadata are provided, in which the index structure of the metadata includes values of multi-keys and identification information of the metadata corresponding to the values of the multi-keys, wherein the multi-keys are structured by a combination of predetermined fields of the metadata.
US08307004B2

Systems and methods are provided for storing and restoring digital data. In some implementations, a method is provided. The method includes initiating a backup operation of data including a plurality of items, interrupting the backup operation, where interrupting occurs after a portion of the data has been completed, receiving an input to resume the backup operation, identifying a previously completed portion of the backup data, and performing a backup of a remaining uncompleted portion of the backup data. Other embodiments of this aspect include corresponding systems, apparatus, computer program products, and computer readable media.
US08307002B2

In an image forming apparatus, a user of the image forming apparatus is authenticated, and a search is performed for user information stored in the storage unit by the authenticated user. Of all user information detected in the searching, deletable user information is displayed on a category-by-category basis on a display unit. In a mode selected from a plurality of modes, user information displayed on a category-by-category basis on the display unit is deleted from the storage unit.
US08306993B2

A method, system and computer readable medium for information handling within an operating system, including providing a record retrieval program; providing an input device within a window or screen of the operating system and configured to enter an execute command which initiates a record retrieval from local and remote information sources using the record retrieval program; using the record retrieval program to enter first information into search fields provided in the record retrieval program; entering the execute command using the input device after the step of entering the first information; searching, using the record retrieval program, the local and remote information sources for second information associated with the first information; and displaying the second information in the record retrieval program, when one of the local and remote information sources includes second information associated with the first information.
US08306986B2

In a business where a database tracks customers and manages customer accounts, a method and system correctly link accounts with customers. The method entails reading customer information for a first customer and for a second customer, and then utilizing personal identification information obtained from other sources to determine if the first customer is the same as the second customer. If the first customer and the second customer are the same person, the first customer and the second customer are identified as being the same unique person. Accounts associated with the two customers are identified as belonging to the same unique person. Viewed another way, the method and system of the present invention takes an existing database of personal identification information, and cross-references that database against other sources of personal identification information to identify persons who appear to be separate persons, but who are actually one and the same individual.
US08306983B2

Representing in a database, a collection of items characterized by features. In a data processing system, determining a semantic space representations of the features across the collection. Each representation characterized by parameters and settings, and differing from each other by only one of: the value of one parameter, and the configuration of one setting. Determining, for each feature pair of a set of feature pairs, the relatedness of the first feature to the second feature in each semantic space representation. And representing the collection by the semantic space that provides the best aggregate relatedness across the set of feature pairs.
US08306979B2

Improvements are provided in a service registry in SOA and in service propagation, query, and service selection and routing methods during service invocation. The service registry is connected with a local service domain and a remote service registry and comprises: a local service information manager for registering local services in the local service domain; and a local service information repository connected with the local service information manager for storing service metadata of the local services. The service registry further comprises: a remote service information manager connected with the local service information manager and the remote service registry for receiving a remote service index from the remote service registry; and a remote service information repository connected to the remote service information manager for storing the remote service index received from the remote service registry. The service registry makes it easy to realize service control and share among different service registries.
US08306974B2

Ranking database query results using an efficient method for N-ary summation is provided. Such operation, referred to herein as “mid-fold N-ary summation” significantly reduces costs of computation for large numbers of queries, as are common in enterprise database applications. Thus, ranking query results using mid-fold N-ary summation offers improved runtime performance and reduced latency relative to using conventional N-ary summation.
US08306972B2

A system and method for providing preferred language and/or country ordering of search results is described. A search query describing potentially retrievable information provided in a plurality of search result languages and/or countries is received. A search is executed by evaluating the search query against information characteristics maintained in a searchable data repository. At least one preferred language and/or country applicable to search results generated is dynamically determined responsive to the executed search. At least some of the search results are ordered in consideration of the at least one preferred language and/or country.
US08306953B2

Embodiments for efficiently computing complex statistics from historical time series data are provided. A hierarchical summarization method includes receiving at least one stream of data and creating data blocks from the at least one stream of data. In another embodiment, a method for computing statistics for historical data includes accessing at least one online stream of historical data, the online stream of historical data including metadata, and creating data blocks from the at least one online stream of historical data. Each data block includes a pair of timestamps indicating a sampling start time and a sampling end time, a number of data samples spanned by the data block, a SUM(X) statistic, a SUM(XX) statistic, and a SUM(XY) statistic computed for the data samples spanned by the data block. Other methods are also presented, such as methods for efficiently and accurately calculating statistical queries regarding historical data for arbitrary time ranges, among others.
US08306951B2

A cluster manager is configured to manage a plurality of copies of a mid-tier database as a mid-tier database cluster. The cluster manager may concurrently manage a backend database system. The cluster manager is configured to monitor for and react to failures of mid-tier database nodes. The cluster manager may react to a mid-tier database failure by, for example, assigning a new active node, creating a new standby node, creating new copies of the mid-tier databases, implementing new replication or backup schemes, reassigning the node's virtual address to another node, or relocating applications that were directly linked to the mid-tier database to another host. Each node or an associated agent may configure the cluster manager to behave in this fashion during initialization, based on common cluster configuration information. Each copy of the mid-tier database may be, for example, a memory resident database. Thus, a node must reload the entire database into memory to recover a copy of the database.
US08306950B2

A client node on which a file system is mounted can be configured to efficiently handle content access requests after a snapshot is created. The client node can maintain generation numbers at a data block, a file, and a fileset level to determine whether a data block is part of a snapshot generation and consequently whether the data block is writable in a current generation. Data block mappings and write access permissions associated with the data blocks need not be revoked at the client node prior to creating the snapshot. Cached data block mappings can be accessed to identify data blocks for servicing a read request. The data block can be updated in place if the data block is not part of the snapshot generation. The write request can be serviced at a new data block if the data block is part of the snapshot generation.
US08306934B2

A method, system, and computer program product for issuing an alert when a method of a live demonstration deviates from demonstration simulation actions. A computer receives a command to commence a demonstration simulation. During the demonstration simulation, capture logic of a computer is initialized. The capture logic records events of the demonstration simulation. When a live demonstration subsequently initiated, demonstration verification logic of the computer continually monitors, in real-time, events of the live demonstration and compares the events to the previously recorded events captured during the demonstration simulation. In response to detecting that a live demonstration has deviated from the recorded demonstration simulation method, the demonstration verification logic issues a non-invasive alert. The non-invasive alert may be issued using visual, audible, or vibration feedback cues in such manner that an audience observing the live demonstration is un-aware of the non-invasive alert.
US08306925B2

A computer-implemented system and method are described in which an appropriate pricing structure for a new stationery design is identified by automatically comparing attributes of the stationery design with attributes of existing stationery designs which have assigned pricing structures. In one embodiment, the attributes are prioritized such that certain attributes are weighted more than other attributes when determining an appropriate price structure. For example, in this embodiment, a search is initially performed for a price structure of an existing stationery product which shares all of the same attributes as the new stationery product. If a match is not found, then the least significant attribute is removed from the set of search criteria and another search is performed. This process continues until an existing pricing structure of a stationery product which shares the most significant attributes of the new stationery product is identified. Once the pricing structure is identified, the designer has the option to modify the pricing structure and create a new pricing category, which is then stored in a database with other pricing categories.
US08306907B2

A system and method for communicating an offer to apply for a credit instrument is provided. A processing allows for processing credit history data. A calculating step allows for calculating a first plurality of interest rates based on the credit history data. A determining step allows for determining a second plurality of interest rates based on the first plurality of interest rates, wherein the second plurality of interest rates corresponds to a plurality of credit risk scores. Finally, a communicating step allows for communicating the offer to apply for a credit instrument in an initial communication with an offeree, the offer disclosing the second plurality of interest rates. An apparatus that calculates the interest rates used in the offer is also provided.
US08306905B2

A method of and system for terminating or assigning outstanding OTC derivative transactions between a plurality of financial institutions (banks). The system comprises: a processing station arranged to receive transaction data describing a plurality of transactions from a plurality of banks via the Internet. The processing station comprises: a linking module for linking different versions of the same transaction received from different parties to that transaction; an analysis module for determining a set of linked transactions between a plurality of different banks, wherein each bank has debts and claims towards other banks in the set; a calculation module arranged to calculate an aggregated value of each set of linked transactions and select the set of linked transactions which has an aggregated value within bank-specified tolerance limits acceptable for executing a termination; and an execution module for executing a termination or assignment of the selected set of linked transactions.
US08306887B1

A system is provided comprising a computer, project forecast, workflow allocations, and incurred expense databases, and an application on the computer extracting from the project forecast database a list of costs and revenues associated with a first and second project, costs comprising approved expenses described in the workflow allocations database and incurred expenses in the incurred expense database. The system determines the first project is operational and for a first subscriber base and the second project is incomplete and is to be for a second subscriber base, completion of the second project pending release of a remaining cost item. The system analyzes an alternate allocation of the cost item to improve the profitability of the first subscriber base, delaying the second project. The system determines the proposed alternate allocation increases the first subscriber base profitability more than a reduction of second subscriber base profitability resulting from the proposed alternate allocation.
US08306885B2

The present invention provides systems and methods for facilitating financial advising and planning for a user. The system includes a portfolio integration module that integrates goals, assets, savings, and risk tolerance to develop a customized strategy for financial portfolio planning. A portfolio reconciler module facilitates comparison of the customized strategy to other strategies and projected user financial decisions in order to further facilitate the financial portfolio planning. A stochastic modeling module uses data from the portfolio integration module and the portfolio reconciler module in a stochastic modeling analysis using a synchronous stationary bootstrap sampling method to construct a proposed situation portfolio. A simulator module forecasts the effects of the proposed situation portfolio on the user's portfolio, and monitoring, simulating, designing, and testing the portfolio integration module, the portfolio reconciler module, and the stochastic modeling module.
US08306881B2

A tax transaction system, and combined sale and tax transaction systems, are disclosed for use in electronic commerce for the deduction of a tax, which may be a sales tax, value-added tax, or any tax on income related to a transaction or taxing event. A trusted third party server system (300, 1060) may be provided which handles the calculation and/or deduction of a tax, e.g. related to a transaction of the sale of a good or service from a seller (200) to a buyer (100), on behalf of the seller, and which further provides for the remission of the tax to a tax collection agency (500, 1090), and which may perform the entire sale and tax transaction by proxy on behalf of the seller. Software modules (1070) including objects which embody instruction code and data structures to enable integral tax calculation and collection solutions, including multi jurisdictional tax calculation, remission and reporting, and even real time tax collection at point of sale, are provided. Such modules may form part of a data processing system hosted by a third party to a taxing event transaction, or be distributed in a pervasive manner, such as via the Internet in multiple server locations, as a downloadable client module, embodied in multiple hardware devices such as smartcards, electronic tags, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags.
US08306879B2

An electronic settlement system which is similar to cash settlement and which is usable in a gaming parlor is provided. In the electronic settlement system, a mobile phone communicates with a ball lending machine using a contactless IC card to acquire a device ID from the ball lending machine, and transmits a payment request message including the device ID and a user ID to an electronic settlement server. The electronic settlement server notifies an in-store server of a transfer amount from a user account to a settlement provider account, and the in-store server stores the transfer amount as a deposit. In response to a payment request message from the mobile phone, the in-store server instructs the ball lending machine to provide gaming media corresponding to a gaming medium cost, adds an amount corresponding to the gaming medium cost to a consumed amount, and issues a transfer request to a receiving network so as to transfer the consumed amount from the settlement provider account to a gaming parlor operator account. Upon receiving a provision instruction message from the in-store server, the ball lending machine provides gaming media corresponding to the gaming medium cost.
US08306873B2

There is a media distribution system and method configured to distribute media over a computerized network including a media distribution module configured to selectively permit access to media over a computerized network and including a user interface module. The media distribution system also includes an operational administration module in communication with the media distribution module and configured to facilitate operational management of the media distribution module by selectably altering operational parameters of the media distribution module. In addition, the media distribution system includes a supervisory administration module in communication with the operational administration module and configured to selectably determine operational parameters available to the operational administration module for control. Furthermore, the media distribution system includes a network module in communication with the media distribution module and configured to transfer data over a computerized network.
US08306871B2

A commodity inspection method, including gathering inspection information from a commodity lot; collecting grower, field, and packing information associated with the commodity lot; recording purchase orders associated with the commodity lot; assigning a trace code to each of the purchase orders; entering the inspection information, the grower, field, and packing information, the purchase orders, and the trace codes into a central database; updating a content of a web-based application with the inspection information, the grower, field, and packing information, the purchase orders, and the trace codes within the central database; and allowing the customer to access the inspection information, and the grower, field, and packing information, by entering one of the trace codes into the web-based application. According to one embodiment, each of the purchase orders associated with the commodity lot is linked within the web-based application and incorporates Global Standards One (GS1) standards.
US08306867B2

A reproducing apparatus (2) of the present invention receives information of a WEB site from a service-providing server (3) that administrates the WEB site, and reproduces the information. The service-providing server (3) holds identification information (40) of a user of a portable communication apparatus (1) that is permitted to access the WEB site. The reproducing apparatus (2) includes: a data receiving section for receiving, from the portable communication apparatus (1), invitation information (51), identification information (40), and transmission time point information (50); a reproducing apparatus infrared communication section; a destination determination section that establishes a connection to the service-providing server (3) based on the received invitation information (51), and transmits the invitation information (51), the identification information (40), and transmission-instruction time (50); and a reproducing apparatus communication control section. This allows the administrative server to confirm an authorized destination, based on the content request information received from the portable communication apparatus, when a content is provided from the administrative server managing the content.
US08306860B2

Patrons at a restaurant or bar can pay at their table using credit cards, without involving the restaurant or bar cashier and/or wait staff. Patrons are assisted using this system in dividing the bill by displaying the amount due (including tax) and allowing each patron to enter the amount they wish to pay. When the initial bill is presented, a balance due will be displayed and the indication will be provided that the bill has yet to be paid in full. As each transaction is entered, a running total will be displayed indicating the remaining balance due. When the running total reaches zero, the bill is paid in full, and an indication will be provided, such as by illuminating a green indicator light or by displaying a balance due of $0.00.
US08306858B2

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for consolidating content item request for multiple content item environments. In one aspect, a method includes consolidating content item requests for two or more content item environments in a webpage. A first content item environment is a primary content item environment and the remaining content item environments are secondary content item environments. The primary content item environments issues a content item request for itself and the secondary content item environments, and owns a process that distributes the received content items for the secondary content item environments to the secondary content item environments.
US08306854B1

A system is provided comprising a computer and application, that when executed, observes login and logout events at a client workstation enabling and disabling access to an operating system executing on the workstation. The system observes a first login and logout event and a second login and logout event occur in order. The system determines first and second exceptions when the time of the first login and second logout events vary from scheduled first login and second logout times by greater than first and second predetermined time intervals, respectively. The system determines a third exception when the time between the first logout and second login event exceeds a third predetermined interval. The system determines a fourth exception when either the first logout or second logout event does not occur before the end of the period. The system also reports the first, second, third, fourth exceptions to a workforce management function.
US08306845B2

Systems and methods are provided for analyzing data sets representing consumer and shopper behavior. A data processing system for analyzing sales of a company's consumer packaged goods includes an interface for receiving master and shipment data from sources internal to a company and sources external to the company. Master data and shipment data are stored on a database. A merge and aggregation component operates on shipment and consumption data to create a unique repository of shopper and consumer data. A transcoding and integration component operates on external and internal master data to create a unified master data repository. A set of analytics and reports use unified master data and shipment/consumption data to support Consumer and Shopper Analysis. A sub set of secondary analysis can be performed, capitalizing the Master Data unification and sell-in and sell-out data integration. Consumer and Shopper analysis are performed for clusters of buyers and key performance indicators (KPIs) are calculated for individual customer or groups of customers.
US08306840B2

A method, system, and computer-readable medium is described for facilitating interactions between task requesters who have tasks that are available to be performed and task performers who are available to perform tasks. In some situations, the tasks to be performed are human performance tasks that use cognitive and other mental skills of human task performers, such as to employ judgment, perception and/or reasoning skills of the human task performers. In addition, in some situations the available tasks are submitted by human task requesters via application programs that programmatically invoke one or more application program interfaces of an electronic marketplace in order to request that the tasks be performed and to receive corresponding results of task performance in a programmatic manner, so that an ensemble of unrelated human agents can interact with the electronic marketplace to collectively perform a wide variety and large number of tasks.
US08306838B2

Embodiments of the invention include a system and process that manages scheduling and processing of orders to provide improved delivery schedules. The system attempts to schedule package deliveries in time to meet a requested delivery target time and date. This scheduling attempts to schedule a shipping time for the current day to meet next day or nearer term deadlines. The scheduling system examines schedules and shipping locations that are not optimal for minimizing costs, but provide more timely delivery including examining locations other that a facing location for shipment.
US08306837B2

A computer-implemented method of offering shipment options for selection is disclosed. The method includes receiving shipment-related criteria from a user and defining at one or more one shipment options that meet the shipment-related criteria. Environmental data corresponding to the shipment options are received and an corresponding environmental impacts, based on the environmental data, are determined. The method further includes displaying the shipment option with the corresponding environmental impact to the user and storing a selection by the user of one shipment option of the one or more shipment options.
US08306834B1

A customer whose conditional purchase offer (CPO) has been accepted may receive a bounce back offer from a vendor (supplier-partner) of other services or products. The bounce back process determines whether a supplier-partner can participate in a bounce back transaction. If a bounce back transaction is effectuated between the customer and supplier-partner, the partner notifies the principal of the transaction. In the case of automobile rentals, the bounce back process permits a traveler to recognize reduced automobile rental rates while enabling a rental agency to more effectively manage its excess capacity. The CPO management system employing bounce back capability can be utilized to acquire any underlying product and/or service and bounce back product and/or service.
US08306829B2

A system for determining a patient benefits eligibility under a healthcare assistance program. Initial patient information, such as the patient's date of birth, household members, medical condition including pregnancy, and income and financial resources, if available, is used to make an initial determination as to whether the patient is likely to qualify for benefits. If the initial patient information satisfies one of the well-established criteria or the probability models, additional patient information is obtained, typically including additional details about the patient's income and financial resources, as well as the income and financial resources of the patient's household. The patient information is compared to the eligibility requirements for the assistance program. If the comparison indicates that it is likely that the patient will qualify for benefits under the assistance program, then an application for the assistance program is provided and the application is completed and submitted.
US08306823B2

A speech receiving unit receives a user ID, a speech obtained at a terminal, and an utterance duration, from the terminal. A proximity determining unit calculates a correlation value expressing a correlation between speeches received from plural terminals, compares the correlation value with a first threshold value, and determines that the plural terminals that receive the speeches whose correlation value is calculated are close to each other, when the correlation value is larger than the first threshold value. A dialog detecting unit determines whether a relationship between the utterance durations received from the plural terminals that are determined to be close to each other within an arbitrarily target period during which a dialog is to be detected fits a rule. When the relationship is determined to fit the rule, the dialog detecting unit detects dialog information containing the target period and the user ID.
US08306821B2

A signal enhancement system reinforces signal content and improves the signal-to-noise ratio of a signal. The system detects, tracks, and reinforces non-stationary periodic signal components of a signal. The periodic signal components may represent vowel sounds or other voiced sounds. The system may detect, track, and attenuate quasi-stationary signal components in the signal.
US08306815B2

A speech dialog system interfaces a user to a computer. The system includes a signal pre-processor that processes a speech input to generate an enhanced signal and an analysis signal. A speech recognition unit may generate a recognition result based on the enhanced signal. A control unit may manage an output unit or an external device based on the information within the analysis signal.
US08306809B2

A system and method for dynamically recognizing a potential recipient of an electronic message. The method includes receiving content input for an electronic communication. The electronic communication includes at least one field of a plurality of fields, including a subject line, a message body, and a recipient address field. The at least one field of the electronic communication is populated with the content input. The method also includes parsing the content input of the at least one field of the electronic communication. The method also includes semantically analyzing the parsed content input of the at least one field of the electronic communication to identify a content qualifier of a recipient rule. The method also includes suggesting a potential recipient of the electronic communication based on the content qualifier of the recipient rule associated with the content input of the at least one of field of the electronic communication.
US08306802B2

A method for digital circuit design. The first step of the process is the step of providing a circuit design in the form of a hardware definition language. Then, the process produces a binary simulation of the design by setting out for each unit of time during execution of the hardware design the a control state and a program state of the design and assigns a symbol to each signal of the design. The process proceeds by executing a symbolic simulation of the design, concluding with identifying and capturing the combinational logic expression of the simulation output and the next state functions of the simulation.
US08306800B2

A method is provided for calculating flow performance characteristics of a body immersed in a fluid under a set of fluid flow conditions. The method comprises providing a geometrical description of a surface of the body and determining the set of fluid flow conditions. The set of fluid flow conditions includes a combination selected from the combination set consisting of angle of attack and leading edge stagnation point location, angle of attack and flow separation point location, and leading edge stagnation point location and flow separation point location. The method further comprises calculating a velocity flow field for the body using a critical point potential flow methodology and calculating flow performance characteristics.
US08306788B2

Computer-implemented systems and methods for executing stochastic discrete event simulations for a stochastic model through a design of experiments approach. In the design of experiments approach, virtual mappings are generated between model component parameters in a model and the factors/responses contained in the design of experiments. The virtual mappings are used during execution of the model to generate values for the response contained in the design of experiments.
US08306781B2

The present invention discloses a professional diagnosis method of battery performance analysis, Through the overall evaluation of experiential data library, several parameters about the battery are input into the artificial neural network, outputting capacity prediction and service life prediction of each battery, etc. and giving useful advices for each battery. Therefore the result is much more in conformity with the real condition of the battery. Besides, it designs an adaptive learning function of the abovementioned artificial neural network. This invention effectively avoids the defect of evaluating the VRLA battery performance at single moment, from single perspective and by single method, and it does the real-time monitoring and evaluating for the performance of the battery during VRLA battery working period, which is easy to operate, and avoids checking discharge test to the battery so that it doesn't affect the cycle life of the VRLA battery.
US08306771B2

A system and method for measuring a temperature in at least one energy storage unit. The system includes at least one temperature sensor thermally coupled to the at least one energy storage unit, and a battery management controller in communication with the at least one temperature sensor. The battery management controller is configured to process a temperature of the at least one energy storage unit to obtain an internal temperature in the at least one energy storage unit.
US08306767B2

A sensor output correcting device includes: a sensor element for detecting a variation in an object to be measured, and for outputting this variation as a signal; an A/D converter for converting the analog signal outputted from the sensor element into a digital signal; a zero reference value calculating unit for calculating a zero reference value which is a drift amount of the sensor element from the signal outputted from the sensor element; a zero point correcting unit for correcting a zero point of the signal outputted from the A/D converter on the basis of the zero reference value calculated by the zero criterion calculating unit; an output limiting unit for limiting a value of an output signal inputted from the zero point correcting unit on the basis of a correction amount provided by the zero point correcting unit, and a high frequency removing unit for removing a high frequency component.
US08306766B2

A method of calibrating glucose monitor data includes collecting the glucose monitor data over a period of time at predetermined intervals, obtaining reference glucose values from a reference source that temporally correspond with the glucose monitor data obtained at the predetermined intervals, calculating the calibration characteristics using the reference glucose values and corresponding glucose monitor data to regress the obtained glucose monitor data, and calibrating the obtained glucose monitor data using the calibration characteristics. In additional embodiments, calculation of the calibration characteristics includes linear regression and, in particular embodiments, least squares linear regression. Alternatively, calculation of the calibration characteristics includes non-linear regression. Data integrity may be verified and the data may be filtered.
US08306765B2

Computer system and method for determining frequencies of various components of a volume choke volume dampener to be attached to a compressor. The method includes determining a sound spectrum of a cavity of the compressor without attaching the dampener to the compressor; calculating an acoustic wavelength of the cavity; receiving a length of a proximal nozzle of the dampener; and calculating, based on the acoustic wavelength of the cavity and the length of the proximal nozzle of the dampener, multiple order frequencies associated with the proximal nozzle of the dampener and the cavity of the compressor, wherein the proximal nozzle of the dampener is proximal to the cavity of the compressor when the dampener is attached to the compressor.
US08306758B2

Reference features are updated based on a previous scan during each mass spectrometry scan of a sample. Reference features with reference feature confidence values are generated from a plurality of initial scans. For each subsequent scan of a sample, sample features and sample feature confidence values are calculated. The reference features and sample features are aligned to determine common features. Constants are determined for an equation of mass of the mass spectrometer using confidence weighted regression of the common features. The constants and the equation of mass are used to calculate new mass values for the sample features. The reference features are updated using the sample features and the reference feature confidence values are recalculated in order to maintain the accuracy of reference features for calibration.
US08306757B2

Methods and apparatus relating to very large scale FET arrays for analyte measurements. ChemFET (e.g., ISFET) arrays may be fabricated using conventional CMOS processing techniques based on improved FET pixel and array designs that increase measurement sensitivity and accuracy, and at the same time facilitate significantly small pixel sizes and dense arrays. Improved array control techniques provide for rapid data acquisition from large and dense arrays. Such arrays may be employed to detect a presence and/or concentration changes of various analyte types in a wide variety of chemical and/or biological processes. In one example, chemFET arrays facilitate DNA sequencing techniques based on monitoring changes in hydrogen ion concentration (pH), changes in other analyte concentration, and/or binding events associated with chemical processes relating to DNA synthesis.
US08306743B2

A route guiding apparatus includes a subtraction distance calculating unit 18 for calculating a distance from an entrance of a guidance intersection determined by a route guidance unit 16 to a center of the guidance intersection according to the width of a road going out of the guidance intersection in a direction along a route to define the distance as a subtraction distance, a notification distance calculating unit 19 for subtracting the subtraction distance calculated by the subtraction distance calculating unit from the distance from a current position detected by a current position detecting unit 12 to the center of the guidance intersection determined by the route guidance unit to calculate a notification distance to be notified, and a display unit 20 for displaying the notification distance calculated by the notification distance calculating unit.
US08306742B2

A navigation server rapidly generating guide support information in view of a traffic state after occurrence of an accidental situation in a road section, and make a navigation device recognize the same. After occurrence of the accidental situation in a target road section, a changing pattern g2(t) of a cumulative traffic volume CQ of a second position x2 during a first period is estimated, on the basis of a value of a traffic volume Q1 of the target road section at the first time t1. Further, a primary guide support information during the first period is generated on the basis of a standard changing pattern g1(t) of the cumulative traffic volume CQ of the first position x1 and a changing pattern g2(t) of the cumulative traffic volume CQ of the second position x2 as the estimation result.
US08306723B2

A direct-injection, compression-ignition internal combustion engine control adapts nominal minimum pulsewidth parameters controlling the fuel injectors to minimize pilot fuel delivered to the cylinders required to initiate a preliminary combustion event.
US08306722B2

A control system includes an engine speed control module, a fuel control module, and an air control module. The engine speed control module controls an actual speed of an engine based a desired power to be generated by combustion in the engine, wherein the desired power is a product of a desired speed of the engine and a desired torque output of the engine. When operating in a fuel lead mode, the fuel control module controls fuel flow in the engine by adjusting a desired fuel mass for each activated cylinder of the engine based on the desired power. The air control module controls air flow in the engine based on an actual air/fuel ratio of the engine resulting from the desired fuel mass.
US08306713B2

An in-gear oil pressure correcting section corrects engagement control oil pressure set up by an oil pressure supply control section over the entire range to be reduced by first predetermined pressure. An engagement determining section determines, on the basis of a torque converter slip ratio calculated by a calculating section, whether a frictional engagement element of a destination gear starts to engage or not. An addition correcting control section corrects the corrected engagement control oil pressure to add second predetermined pressure thereto in the case where engagement of the frictional engagement element has not been started yet when a timer measures first predetermined time. The addition correcting control section further corrects the corrected engagement control oil pressure to add third predetermined pressure thereto in the case where the engagement of the frictional engagement element has not been started yet when the timer measures second predetermined time.
US08306689B2

A net-centric avionics diagnostics and automated maintenance environment system includes a storage medium on which is stored diagnostic data concerning the operation of systems of an aircraft and diagnostic data of aircraft systems, including BIT data, an organizational level automated maintenance environment server to transport maintenance and diagnostic information throughout the automated maintenance environment. The system also includes an organizational level diagnostics avionics tester that has a processor to execute diagnostics software for gathering, storing, and processing avionics diagnostics information. The tester is linked to an interface device that includes data acquisition hardware, standard interfaces for an avionics unit under test, and instrumentation for troubleshooting the unit under test. The organizational level diagnostics avionics tester is in network communication with the organizational level automated maintenance environment server. The system also includes a common intermediate level tester for testing a plurality of avionics modular assemblies, and an intermediate level maintenance environment server that stores historical maintenance data for use by the common intermediate level tester and by the organizational level diagnostics avionics tester.
US08306677B2

The invention relates to a method for automatic detection of turbulence by a second aircraft, by information exchange between the second aircraft and at least a first aircraft. The first aircraft has means for transmitting information and the second aircraft has means for receiving the information transmitted by the first aircraft. The method includes the identification of information about turbulence liable to be encountered by the second aircraft, by analyzing the information received from the first aircraft. An alarm is activated on the basis of the turbulence information.
US08306676B1

Systems and methods for differential altitude estimation utilizing spatial interpolation of pressure sensor data are provided. In one embodiment, a method for mobile navigation comprises: measuring a horizontal location of a mobile navigation unit to generate two-dimensional horizontal coordinate data; measuring a barometric pressure at the mobile navigation unit with a sensor to obtain local pressure data; processing information representative of pressure data derived from a network of a plurality reference stations to obtain a correction factor; performing a calculation using the two-dimensional horizontal coordinate data, the local pressure data, and the correction factor to calculate an altitude coordinate; and determining an altitude of the mobile navigation unit from the altitude coordinate.
US08306673B1

The present invention relates to a power riding apparatus with electronic options, a wireless user interface for control such apparatus, and a wave-information-system. One embodiment of the power riding apparatus is a surfboard configured with a booster system. An alternative embodiment is a motorized land board, such as a skateboard with a motor.The booster system or land board motor is electrically associated with an onboard controller. The onboard controller is in wireless communication with a user interface associated with a user. The user activates the user interface as desired to control the booster system and activate other board features such as: lighting system, repellant system, anti-theft system, entertainment system, recording system, and communication system.
US08306672B2

Methods and system are provided for detecting attributes of a terrain surrounding a vehicle. The system includes at least one terrain sensor configured to generate data describing the terrain and a processor coupled to the at least one terrain sensor. The processor is configured to detect at least one attribute of the terrain based on data generated by the at least one terrain sensor and to adjust a handling behavior of the vehicle based on the at least one terrain attribute.
US08306669B1

A thermostat-controlled heater/cooler is used to condition air in a temperature-controlled region. A target temperature is obtained and compared to the temperature of the region to determine if heating/cooling is required. If yes, then outside air is directed into the region without operating heater/cooler and updated temperatures of the region are measured. The directing and measuring are continued until (1) the measured temperature equals the target temperature, at which time control returns to the obtaining a target temperature step, or (2) the updated measured temperature differs from the target temperature by a chosen amount, and in some examples, if the updated temperature does not reach the target temperature within a chosen length of time, or the target temperature changes, or the program segment ends, at which time directing outside air into the temperature-controlled region is stopped and the heater/cooler is operated under control of the thermostat.
US08306661B2

In a system, a first closed region specifying unit specifies a first closed region on a screen for enclosing an imaged obstacle in a first image, and a first projection area determining unit determines a first virtual projection area by extending a first closed region in a first orientation. A second closed region specifying unit specifies a second closed region on the screen. The second closed region encloses the imaged obstacle in the second image. A second projection area determining unit determines a second virtual projection area by extending the second closed region in a second orientation. An establishing unit establishes an overlap region between the first and second projection areas as the no-entry zone for the robot.
US08306659B2

A method for communication between a charging station and a robot, via a pair of power lines coupled between a power supply in the charging station and a battery in the robot. In operation, the power supply is sequentially switched between a first voltage level and a second voltage level in accordance with a predetermined signal pattern. The voltage level on the power lines in the robot is monitored and correlated with a specific command to be executed by the robot.
US08306652B2

In one embodiment, a communication system for a multi-blade server system includes a multi-drop serial bus network interconnecting a management module with each of a plurality of servers in a multi-server chassis. A first transceiver subsystem is configured for communicating over the serial bus network between the management module and each server within a first frequency band. A second transceiver subsystem is configured for simultaneously communicating over the serial bus network between the management module and the servers within a second frequency band higher than the first frequency band. A first signal-filtering subsystem substantially filters out signals in the second frequency band from the first transceiver subsystem. A second signal-filtering subsystem substantially filters out the signals in the first frequency band from the second transceiver subsystem.
US08306650B1

A method and system for agent exchange-based materials handling. According to one embodiment, a method of agent exchange-based order fulfillment may include a number of agents moving along respective paths through an inventory storage area of a materials handling facility. While moving through the inventory storage area, a portion of the number of agents may respectively select one or more of a number of items stored within the inventory storage area, where each one of the selected items is specified in a corresponding customer order or materials request. The method may also include conveying the selected items to one or more corresponding processing areas of the materials handling facility in order to fulfill the corresponding customer orders. Further, at least some of the selected items may be exchanged one or more times among the agents in the course of being conveyed to corresponding processing areas.
US08306648B2

A process control device includes a tracking controller receiving event information indicating that a product pass a predetermined location is received; a conductor unit for determining a corresponding process based on the event information; and a work instruction unit for issuing a work instruction for the product in the production line in response to the request from the conductor unit. The device further includes a work instruction past record control unit for controlling past record of the work instructions in response to an issue of the work instruction; a work instruction sequence order control unit for controlling a sequence order of the work instructions; and a work instruction sequence order storage for storing information of the sequence order of the work instructions to control the information of the sequence order of the work instructions in addition to the current location information of the product.
US08306647B2

In a flexible manufacturing system, a control apparatus for a transfer device stores in a memory section thereof correlation information for correlating workpieces (ante-machining workpieces) to be attached to pallets with blank materials contained in blank material baskets. When a selected one of the pallets is to be transferred to a pallet loading station, the control apparatus determines blank materials corresponding to the workpieces to be attached to the selected one of the pallets based on the correlation information and then, controls the transfer device to transfer a blank material basket containing the determined blank materials from a basket rack to a basket loading station located adjacent to the pallet loading station in connection with transferring the selected one of the pallets to the pallet loading station. Thus, when the selected one of the pallets is transferred to the pallet loading station, it becomes possible to reduce the time taken for the worker to search for the blank material basket.
US08306632B2

An electrode array for insertion into soft tissue comprises a multitude of thin flexible electrodes each having a distal tip and a proximal end, wherein at least portions of the electrodes extending from their proximal ends are disposed in parallel. The electrodes are embedded in a matrix dissolvable in an aqueous solvent such as a body fluid. The matrix comprises two or more sections differing in their dissolution rates. A first section encloses a portion of the electrodes extending in a proximal direction from a distal portion thereof. A second section encloses a portion of the electrodes extending from the first section towards their proximal ends.
US08306629B2

Systems and methods are disclosed to control the temperature of an RF hyperthermia system with minimum overshoot and to improve safety by, among other things, detecting a defective temperature sensor. Temperature overshoot may be minimized by compensating for the short-term temperature difference between the area being treated and the applicator delivering the RF energy. The RF energy may heat the tissue and then the tissue may transfer heat to the applicator sensor. The system may also adapt to various applicator sizes and shapes by modifying control loop coefficients based on initial probe response.
US08306618B2

A method of detecting a cardiac event that includes sensing cardiac signals from a plurality of electrodes, determining rates of change of the sensed cardiac signals, and determining a range of the sensed cardiac signals. The sensed cardiac signals are detected as being associated with the cardiac event in response to the determined rates of change and the determined range.
US08306617B2

A method of modifying the force of contraction of at least a portion of a heart chamber, including providing a subject having a heart, comprising at least a portion having an activation, and applying a non-excitatory electric field having a given duration, at a delay after the activation, to the portion, which causes the force of contraction to be increased by a least 5%.
US08306616B2

A method of modifying the force of contraction of at least a portion of a heart chamber, including providing a subject having a heart, comprising at least a portion having an activation, and applying a non-excitatory electric field having a given duration, at a delay after the activation, to the portion, which causes the force of contraction to be increased by a least 5%.
US08306614B2

A method and apparatus for monitoring a patient's heart rate sense first cardiac events in a heart chamber using a first cardiac electrode pair and sense second cardiac events in the heart chamber using a second cardiac electrode pair. The method includes estimating a first heart rate using the first cardiac events, comparing the first heart rate to a heart rate threshold and estimating a second heart rate using the second cardiac events in response to the first heart rate exceeding the heart rate threshold.
US08306605B2

A tomographic system displays plural tomographic images, a relative distance between the tomographic images, whereby the operator can see the displayed data of the relative distances between tomographic images and the length of the treatment device instantaneously, and can therefore determine the insert position or the treatment device for the subject efficiently.
US08306604B2

A system and method for obtaining a quantitative measurement of the location and size of a contrast material within a bodily organ, such as the GI tract of a person. A contrast material is introduced into the organ and a plurality of images is obtained. A curve representing the bodily organ is formed based on the images. Local image fields are defined along the curve and a field intensity is found for each by integrating the intensity of the image in the field. An intensity profile along the length of the curve is thus obtained for each image and provides a quantitative representation of contrast material along the bodily organ. The profiles are displayed in any suitable way. In some embodiments, identification of the curve may be aided by introduction of targets are into the organ. The target locations can be identified in each image. In some embodiments, an image obtained without the contrast material is subtracted from each of the plurality of images to cancel the background radiopacity and isolate the contrast material in each profile.
US08306603B2

The present invention provides a method MRI imaging. By applying a time modulation to the contrast enhancement of an MRI contrast agent, the method according to the invention leads to images with improved signal-to-noise ratio in the contrast-enhanced areas, strongly suppressed unwanted signal in the unenhanced areas, and reduced artefacts, such as motion artefacts.
US08306596B2

The present invention relates to a method and system for estimating blood analyte levels using a noninvasive optical coherence tomography (OCT) based physiological monitor. An algorithm correlates OCT-based estimated blood analyte data with actual blood analyte data determined by other methods, such as invasively. OCT-based data is fit to the obtained blood analyte measurements to achieve the best correlation. Once the algorithm has generated sets of estimated blood analyte levels, it may refine the number of sets by applying one or more mathematical filters. The OCT-based physiological monitor can be calibrated using an Intensity Difference plot or the Pearson Product Moment Correlation method.
US08306576B2

A method of controlling a mobile terminal and which includes storing a plurality of haptic vibrations respectively representing different functions performed in a single application to be executed on the mobile terminal, executing a function for the single application is on the mobile terminal, selecting a corresponding haptic vibration that represents the function executing on the terminal, and generating the selected corresponding haptic vibration using a plurality of vibration modules disposed on the mobile terminal in which a first vibration module is activated and at least one second vibration module is activated to represent the function being executed on the mobile terminal.
US08306575B2

An electronic device includes at least two display casings each having a display therein, a connecting member comprising two rotation shafts arranged in parallel to each other and coupled to respective ones of the two display casings so as to allow each of the two display casings to rotate, and a sliding mechanism configured to allow the two display casings to move toward each other so as to allow the displays of the two display casings to form a single larger display area.
US08306566B2

In a method of selecting a transport format combination according to the present invention, a mobile station calculates the transmission power of a first physical channel using a first TFC with respect to each of first TFCs, and determines whether the mobile station is in a transmission capable state or not. Then, the mobile station calculates the sum of the transmission power of first and second physical channels using first and TFCs, with respect to each of combinations of the first and second TFCs, and determines whether the mobile station is in the transmission capable state or not. Then, the mobile station selects a first TFC from the first TFCs wherein the mobile station is in the transmission capable state. Then, the mobile station selects a second TFC from the second TFCs which are included in combinations wherein the mobile station is in the transmission capable state among the combinations including the selected first TFC. Thereafter, the mobile station transmits data in the first and second physical channels using the selected first and second TFCs, respectively.
US08306555B2

A passive traffic alerting method includes: identifying traffic events from analyzing traffic information; selecting an identified traffic event based on a location of a mobile communicator; and alerting the mobile communicator with a passive message regarding the selected traffic event without prompting the mobile communicator to launch an application on a mobile communication device. In some cases a user-zone and an event zone is selected and the user gets alerted when his user-zone overlaps with the event-zone. The alert can contain hierarchical messages. The method may include: determining an alert zone by rating a traffic incident and overlaying maps of the incident, the cell-phone towers, and the corresponding road network; acquiring user identification of cell phone users from data from cell-phone towers in the alert-zone; identifying subscribers from acquired cell-phone tower data; matching subscribers with alerts in appropriate formats; and sending the appropriate alert messages to cell phones of identified subscribers.
US08306550B2

An automatic gain controller (AGC) in white space devices is configured with two operational modes. When entering a quiet time of the white space device, the AGC selects the first operational mode. The first operational mode is associated with detecting licensed signals on one or more white space channels by testing a measured received signal strength indicator (RSSI) value to determine which one of a number of the AGC's gain states should be used corresponding to a gain for application to input white space signals on the whitespace channels. When not in the quiet time, the AGC enters a second operational mode. The second operational mode sets a fixed gain state of the AGC's multiple gain states to apply in selecting one of the white space channels on which no licensed signals were detected.
US08306549B2

The present invention discloses a method and an apparatus for suppressing inter-cell interference. The method includes: obtaining edge channels whose signal interference ratio (SIR) is above a preset threshold from edge channel group to constitute a first candidate channel set; selecting an edge channel of the lowest correlation as a tier-1 channel; obtaining central channels whose SIR are above a preset threshold from central channel group to constitute a second candidate channel set; selecting a central channel of the lowest correlation as a tier-2 channel; and comparing SIRs of the tier-1 channel and the tier-2 channel and assigning the channel of a higher SIR to an edge terminal in the local cell. The present invention may suppress inter-cell interference and reduce the waste of channel resources.
US08306545B2

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method and system for reassigning traffic channel configuration, which is applicable to reassigning traffic channel configuration between a site A and a site B with the reassignment being initiated by the site A. The site A transmits a reassignment message to the site B, where the reassignment message carries reassigned traffic channel configuration. The site B determines whether the reassignment message is received correctly, and processes traffic data and transmits the traffic data to the site A according to a determining result. The site A processes the traffic data, and determines whether the reassignment message is correctly received by the site B through determining whether the traffic data are correct. The method and the system enable a base station to determine whether a terminal correctly receives a reassignment message without the terminal transmitting an acknowledgement message, which guarantees fluent communications between the two parties.
US08306541B2

A wireless terminal receives an uplink traffic channel segment assignment including a maximum uplink rate option indicator. Each uplink rate option corresponds to a number of information bits, coding rate and modulation method. The maximum rate option indicator indicates the highest rate option that the wireless terminal is permitted to use when transmitting in the assigned traffic channel segment from the perspective of the base station. In some embodiments, the wireless terminal uses interference measurements to further quality, e.g., conditionally reduce, the maximum uplink rate option that may be used. Then, the wireless terminal selects an uplink rate option to use which is less than the determined allowed maximum uplink rate option, e.g., based on the amount of user data to communicate. The wireless terminal transmits data in the assigned uplink traffic channel segment in accordance with the wireless terminal selected uplink rate.
US08306522B1

A method of enforcing security and confidentiality on a communications device using a dynamic interface application comprises a first external device receiving a first message from a second external device indicating that the security of the communications device has been compromised, and the first external device authenticating the first message and processing the instructions contained in the first message to safeguard content marked confidential. The method also comprises the first external device sending a second message to a device security component executing on the communications device, the second message containing instructions to render inaccessible tiles marked confidential by one of deleting and temporarily disabling access to marked tiles, and disable selected functionality of the dynamic interface application and underlying communications functionality of the communications device until receiving further instruction. The method also comprises the device security component carrying out the instructions contained in the second message.
US08306517B2

Methods and apparatus that effectively manage capacity of a wireless-based communication infrastructure are presented herein. An evaluation component can generate configuration data associated with a base station of a cellular wireless network. Further, a radio network controller component can determine capacity of a physical port coupled between a radio network controller and the base station. The radio network controller component can configure the radio network controller to utilize an increase in capacity of the physical port based on the determined capacity of the physical port. A base station component can configure the base station to utilize the increase in capacity of the physical port based on the configuration data generated by the evaluation component.
US08306514B1

A device to automatically provide differing information levels according to a predetermined social hierarchy includes a memory and a processor. The memory stores social templates corresponding to unique social signatures and being selectable to provide, for each level of the predetermined social hierarchy, a corresponding differing amount of information to each member of the predetermined social hierarchy and/or a social networking service. The processor receives sensor data from a sensor set which detects sensor data related to an environment of a communication device, creates a detected social signature from the received sensor data, determines which of the social signatures of the social templates has the greatest correspondence with the created social signature, retrieves from the memory the determined one social template having the greatest correspondence, and provides only as much information as allowed in the retrieved social template.
US08306508B1

A method and computer-readable media are provided for presenting notifications to a user via a mobile communications device upon the device receiving an indication that an event has occurred, such as a telephone call, a voicemail, an e-mail, a text message, or a calendar event. A device may receive an indication that an event has occurred while it is in a motionless state, such as when the device has not detected its own movement for a predetermined amount of time. The device may track the event occurrence and may provide a notification of the event occurrence upon the device entering a moved state. A moved state may be entered upon when the device determines that it has been moved. If the device is in a motionless state when it receives the indication of the event, it may not provide a notification at that time.
US08306507B2

A user equipment (UE) is disclosed. The UE comprises a processor configured to transmit a session initiation protocol (SIP) SUBSCRIBE method request that comprises at least one filter criteria used for selecting specific messages and selecting the information about the messages, where each of the messages is directed to a user identity associated with the UE.
US08306502B2

Disclosed is a system and method for providing a distributed wireless network. At least one information processor is coupled to a communication network. Network bandwidth is provided to a first user of at least two end users for a first fee and to a second user of the at least two end users for a second fee. At least two wireless gateway devices are configured to provide wireless access to the communication network within a transmission range and to communicate with the at one least information processor. At least two wireless receiving devices are provided that are operable to receive the respective bandwidth from the wireless gateway devices when in transmission range. Preferably, the first user is authorized to use the second bandwidth and the second user is authorized to use the first bandwidth via the wireless devices. Thus a system and method of sharing bandwidth is provided.
US08306501B2

A system and method to allow a disabled device to receive an incoming communication after the termination of an emergency communication session with a service provider. A disabled device is a device having a portion of its service plan that allows the device to send or receive communications either temporarily or permanently disabled. In some embodiments, the system allows the disabled device to receive all incoming communications during a defined period of time after the emergency communication session. In some embodiments, the system allows the disabled device to receive all incoming communications from numbers or URIs contained in a repository of allowed numbers. In some embodiments, the system allows the disabled device to receive all incoming communications if the service provider initiating the communication enters an authenticated routing key or passcode.
US08306494B2

Methods and systems for a single-ended input low noise amplifier (LNA) with differential output are disclosed and may include configuring the LNA and/or a balun on a chip for single-ended or differential mode, which may function as a load for the LNA. A frequency response and gain of the LNA may be configured via switched capacitors and resistors, which may include CMOS transistors. A transition frequency, and thus impedance matching and matching network gain, may be tuned via configurable gate-source capacitors. A received signal may be filtered via a surface acoustical wave (SAW) filter. The LNA may be impedance matched with an input device via the transition frequency tuning and off chip inductors and/or capacitors. The LNA may be configured for single-ended or differential input mode via switches outside of a signal path to the LNA and reverse isolation may be enabled via a cascode device.
US08306493B2

Performing a decoding mode of a frequency modulation (FM) signal for an adaptive FM radio receiver includes passing the FM signal through a FM demodulator to obtain a composite signal that includes a pilot signal and noise around the pilot signal, passing the composite signal through a band bass filter, filtering the pilot signal from the noise using a pilot and noise separator that includes a notch filter that filters the pilot signal from the noise, obtaining average amplitudes of the pilot signal and the noise, comparing a ratio between the average amplitudes of the pilot signal and the noise with a programmable threshold, and selecting a decoding mode and an audio low pass filter. The decoding mode is selected based on a quality of the pilot signal being decoded and the audio LPF is selected based on the comparison ratio.
US08306489B2

A circuit for a loop antenna having a first antenna terminal and a second antenna terminal with an antenna impedance, and method for tuning an overall impedance that has an antenna impedance of a loop antenna and a tuning impedance, with an output amplifier for amplifying a transmit signal that has an output for connection to the first antenna terminal of the loop antenna, with a tuning device designed for automatic tuning that has a terminal, which is separated from the output of the output amplifier for connection to the second antenna terminal, in which the tuning device has an adjustable tuning impedance that is connected to the terminal, in which the tuning device has a measurement device that is connected to the tuning impedance in order to measure a voltage amplitude across the tuning impedance, in which the tuning device has a computing unit that is connected to the measurement device and the adjustable tuning impedance, and in which the computing unit is designed for automatic adjustment of the tuning impedance based on evaluation of the voltage amplitude and the tuning impedance.
US08306484B1

A direct-conversion transmitter with resistance to local oscillator pulling effect comprises a local oscillation circuit, a quadrature modulator connected with the local oscillation circuit, a power amplifier connected with the quadrature modulator, a first variable analog delay device connected with the power amplifier, a variable analog attenuator connected with the first variable analog delay device, an inner self-injection loop, and a power combiner connected with the variable analog attenuator and the inner self-injection loop. The local oscillation circuit comprises a two point voltage-controlled oscillator and a phase locked loop connected with the two point voltage-controlled oscillator. The inner self-injection loop comprises a second variable analog delay device, a phase shifter connected with the second variable analog delay device and a variable gain amplifier connected with the phase shifter. Signal distortion due to pulling effect in direct-conversion transmitter can be effectively suppressed by circuit design over the inner self-injection loop.
US08306479B1

A base station for use in a wireless communications system is disclosed, including transceiver circuitry for transmitting and receiving with at least one mobile device over at least one communications channel. Polarization control logic is included for controlling a polarization of signals transmitted over the at least one communications channel. The polarization control logic adjusts a polarization of the signal transmitted on the at least one communications channel responsive to at least one parameter received from the mobile device relating to a quality of signal received on the at least one communications channel.
US08306476B2

A transmitting accessory couples with a portable electronic device such that audio signals or data from the device can be digitally transmitted to a remote receiver. The accessory includes an input port for receiving audio data from the portable electronic device. A digital transmitter transmits digital data corresponding to the audio signals or data from the portable electronic device to the remote digital receiver. If the audio signal is an analog signal, the accessory uses encoding circuitry to digitally encode the analog audio signal for transmission. The audio signal may be encoded into an HD radio format for reception by an HD radio receiver. The user inputs of the portable electronic device can preferably be used to control functions of the accessory and the device's display to display the selected transmission frequency or channel.
US08306466B2

A fuser assembly including a heater assembly that includes a heater body, the heater body includes a substrate that extends across the fuser nip. A plurality of retention features are defined on a protective layer covering the surface of the substrate. The protective layer includes a first layer and a second layer, the second layer including a plurality of passages extending from an outer surface of the second layer to the first layer and dimensioned and positioned to allow a lubricant to pass through the second layer between the retention features and the outer surface of the second layer.
US08306464B2

Provided is a development device and an image forming apparatus both using a hybrid development method and capable of forming high quality images without occurrence of development hysteresis (ghost). The nip portion of the toner carrier and the developer carrier is configured as follows: the rotating direction of a toner carrier and a developer carrier are in counter directions; a magnetic pole facing the toner carrier is positioned on the upstream side in the developer carrier rotating direction; and a counter charge generated by the toner supply reaches a toner recovering portion without being considerably attenuated.
US08306457B2

A unit, which is configured to be attachable to and detachable from a body of an apparatus, includes: a holding portion for holding the unit to attach and detach the unit to and from the apparatus body, the holding portion being projected from a housing of the unit; and a lock mechanism for fixing the unit to the apparatus body, wherein an operating portion of the lock mechanism is operated to retract inside a projection end portion of the holding portion, by an operation of moving the lock mechanism to a lock cancel position.
US08306454B2

An image forming apparatus includes: a photoreceptor unit having a photoreceptor drum on which an electrostatic latent image is formed; a developing unit for developing the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoreceptor drum; a developing unit supporting shaft for rotatably supporting the developing unit; a pressing lever for pushing and rotating the developing unit to press the developing unit against the photoreceptor unit; a rotatable pressing lever shaft for supporting the pressing lever; and a holding member for holding the developing unit supporting shaft and the pressing lever shaft to maintain a fixed distance between the developing unit supporting shaft and the pressing lever shaft.
US08306451B2

A developer supply container detachably mountable to an image forming apparatus includes a first chamber, provided with a first opening, for accommodating a developer; a second chamber for receiving the developer from the first chamber through the first opening, the second chamber being provided with a second opening for permitting discharge of the developer to an outside of the developer supply container; a first sealing member for sealing the first opening; a second sealing member for sealing the second opening; and a connecting mechanism for interrelating an unsealing operation of the first opening with an unsealing operation of the second opening, while permitting a resealing operation of the second opening by said second sealing member without resealing the first opening by the first sealing member.
US08306445B2

An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes a mounting part configured to allow plural types of cartridges having different initial capacities of developing agent to be detachably mountable therein; a light emitting device configured to emit light into the cartridge mounted in the mounting part; a light receiving device configured to receive light emitted from the light emitting device and passed through an inside of the cartridge; a determining unit configured to determine that a replacement time of the cartridge has been reached when a ratio of time, during which an output value of the light receiving device exceeds a light reception reference value, exceeds a determination threshold value. The image forming apparatus or the cartridges are configured such that the determination of the replacement time changes according to the initial capacity of the cartridge.
US08306443B2

Multi-color document processing systems and methods are described in which the toner detachment field distribution curve is measured as a function of transfer field and the curve is shifted by adjustment of one or more toner state adjustment actuators to facilitate operation at lower transfer field levels for mitigating retransfer and other high field defects.
US08306438B2

The present disclosure relates to coherent optical receiver systems and methods for determining and correcting for optical angle and magnitude imbalance and for delay imbalance between quadrature paths. The present invention iteratively determines and corrects imbalance error and differential delay entirely in the digital domain (after an analog to digital conversion) in the presence of all the other impairments (polarization mode dispersion, chromatic dispersion, polarization gain imbalance, and polarization delay imbalance) using only the corrupted received signal during normal operation, i.e. without the use of training data. The present invention provides an effective adaptive scheme to drive impairments to zero, without using of any calibration of training, and may be applied during normal operation of the receiver via electrical circuitry or the like.
US08306426B2

An OCDM communication system and a method for correcting failure of the same are provided. In the system, encoders and decoders are provided respectively for channels. Each encoder, including an SSFBG, encodes an optical signal using a code value determined according to distance between adjacent unit fiber Bragg gratings in the SFFBG. Each decoder, including an SFFBG, generates a received optical signal by decoding the encoded signal using a code value determined in the same manner. A set temperature of each encoder and decoder is calculated and a corresponding control signal is generated based on average power and error rate detection signals of each received optical signal. The temperature of each encoder or decoder is individually adjusted according to the control signal, which makes equal the code values of an encoder and decoder of a channel in which average power of a received signal has changed or error rate thereof is excessive.
US08306424B2

The present invention provides a remodulating channel selector for a wavelength division multiplexed optical communication system. The remodulating selector receives a WDM input signal, selects a particular optical channel from the WDM signal and places the information from the selected signal onto a newly-generated optical output signal. The wavelength of the output optical signal can be the same as or different from one of the optical channels which comprises the WDM input signal. When used in a WDM optical communication system with remodulators at the transmission input, the remodulating selectors provide complete control over the interfaces with optical transmitters and receivers, permitting use with a broad range of optical equipment.
US08306423B2

A method and an optical network component for data processing in an optical network. A first signal and a second signal are influenced by a tunable element. The first signal is an incoming optical signal, and the second signal is a local oscillator signal generated by a laser. The laser has an optical gain element that is tuned by the tunable element. A communication system is provided with the optical network component.
US08306419B2

Techniques for controlling a light source in a wavelength division multiplexed passive optical network (WDM-PON) are disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the techniques may be realized as an apparatus for controlling a light source in a wavelength division multiplexed passive optical network (WDM-PON). The apparatus may include a digital signal processing device configured to output a pilot tone signal. The apparatus may also include an amplifier configured to modulate a modulation current and the pilot tone signal, and output an amplitude modulated signal. The apparatus may further include a capacitor configured to AC couple the amplitude modulated signal to a bias current applied to a light source; and a monitoring photodiode configured to detect an output optical signal of the light source and transmit the detected output optical signal to the digital signal processing device to control the output optical signal of the light source.
US08306416B2

An imaging apparatus includes a mount to which a lens unit is mountable, an imager operable to generate an image signal from light incident through the lens unit, a light-emitter operable to emit light, and an electric storage device operable to supply electric power to the light-emitter. The electric storage device is disposed behind the mount and below the imager.
US08306412B2

An improved handheld electronic device and camera apparatus upon which can be executed an improved method enable a modular camera to be used in conjunction with a flash. In one implementation, compensation parameters that are intended for use in a non-flash situation are overwritten with compensation parameters that are configured to compensate for the combined effects of the camera and the flash and are used by an embedded compensation routine executed on the camera. In another implementation, an image signal is processed by the embedded compensation routine using the original compensation parameters, but if it is determined that the image signal is a flash image signal, the image signal is further processed by the embedded compensation routine employing an additional set of parameters which compensate the image signal for the effect of the flash.
US08306408B2

A radiant heating system comprises a thermally sprayed resistive heating layer bonded to an underlayment building material substrate. The substrate can comprise a sub-flooring material and the heating system can comprise a radiant floor heating system. The resistive heating layer can be thermally sprayed directly onto a sub-floor or similar underlayment material, including a cementitious backing material or a sound reduction board. A finished floor surface, such as a tile, wood or laminate surface, can be provided over the substrate and thermally sprayed heater to provide a radiant floor heater. In other embodiments, a radiant heating system includes a thermally sprayed heater bonded to a flooring overlay, such as a laminate board, to a heater insert, such as a flexible polymer film or a mica-based material, or to a concrete substrate. Methods of fabricating radiant heating systems include thermally-spraying a resistive material on a sub-floor or flooring overlay.
US08306399B1

An architecture which allows real-time video editing using a 2D/3D graphics engine. This architecture comprises input and output buffers. It receives video streams from either compressed sources of data or non compressed sources of data. This architecture allows a flexible upgrade of the video effects using software plug ins.
US08306393B2

A first information recorder comprises a limited number-of-times of copying information setting unit for setting information on the limited number-of-times of copying electronic data, a first limited number-of-times of copying information updating unit for reading out the electronic data from a first information recording medium containing electronic data set with limited number of times of copying information by the limited number-of-times of copying information setting unit and updating the limited number-of-times of copying information set with respect to the electronic data, and a first transmitter for transmitting electronic data whose limited number-of-times of copying information is updated by the first limited number of times of copying information updating unit. A second information recorder comprises a second receiver for receiving electronic data transmitted from the first transmitter, a second limited number-of-times of copying information updating unit for reading out the electronic data from a second information containing medium recording the electronic data and updating the limited number-of-times of copying information set with respect to the electronic data, and a second transmitter for transmitting electronic data whose limited number-of-times of copying information is updated by the second limited number-of-times of copying information updating unit.
US08306389B2

On an optical disk, video object sets (VTST_VOBS) to be reproduced and video title set information (VTSI) serving as management information on the video object sets have been stored. In each video object set (VTST_VOBS), many data cells, each containing video, audio, and sub-picture data, are arranged. Management information on programs chains, which are combinations of programs to be reproduced one after another, has been written in a video title set PGC table (VTS_PGCIT). By referring to the program chain table (VTS_PGCIT) according to the user's input, the playback order of program chains can be changed, enabling the program chains to be reproduced one after another in various modes.
US08306388B2

On an optical disk, video object sets (VTST_VOBS) to be reproduced and video title set information (VTSI) serving as management information on the video object sets have been stored. In each video object set (VTST_VOBS), many data cells, each containing video, audio, and sub-picture data, are arranged. Management information on programs chains, which are combinations of programs to be reproduced one after another, has been written in a video title set PGC table (VTS_PGCIT). By referring to the program chain table (VTS_PGCIT) according to the user's input, the playback order of program chains can be changed, enabling the program chains to be reproduced one after another in various modes.
US08306378B2

Optical pulse compensator having a chirp unit including a normal dispersion fiber that provides a positive chirp to an input pulse and having a dispersion compensator including an anomalous fiber is provided. The nonlinear coefficient and the absolute value of the second-order group-velocity dispersion of the anomalous fiber that forms the dispersion compensator is set such that a soliton order becomes one or more, and the fiber length of the anomalous dispersion fiber is made to be equal to or smaller than a length required for optical soliton formation.
US08306365B1

A vector interpolator optimizes the conversion of an interlaced signal to a non-interlaced signal. The vector interpolator improves the visual clarity of slanted features in a displayed image by adjusting the luminance value of each pixel such that the appearance of “steps” or “jaggies” in the features is reduced. For each pixel, the vector interpolator determines a similarity measure for the pixels within a predetermined area around the pixel. From the similarity measure, an angle for interpolation is selected. The luminance value is then interpolated along the selected vector corresponding to the angle and applied to the pixel. One or more ambiguity measures such as a local edge count ambiguity measure may also be computed to indicate the reliability of the computed luminance value.
US08306356B1

A computer implemented system, plug-in application and method for composing a formatted text input to improve legibility, readability and/or print economy while preserving the format of the text input and satisfying any user selected aesthetic constraints. This is accomplished by reading in blocks of text input having defined characters including letters and punctuation in a given input format. A language unit such as a lexical or sub-lexical unit, a subset of punctuation or another defined unit for a particular language is examined and an information measure (IM) is assigned to each character in the language unit indicating the predictability of that character to differentiate the language unit from other language units. Typically, multiple different IMs are assigned to each character and combined to form a combined IM (CIM). The process is repeated for at least a plurality of language units and typically until all the text input in the block has been analyzed and information measures assigned to all of the characters. An adjustment to a physical feature is determined for each character in the plurality of units to modify the visual prominence of that character according to the values of the assigned information measures and a permitted range of physical variation for the block. The adjustments are applied to each character to compose the text input consistent with the input format.
US08306350B2

According to one embodiment of the invention, a method is provided for aspect ratio distortion minimization. The method includes receiving input pixels from a video source. The method then determines an input position and scale factor for each input pixel. A count value determines that a pixel should be outputted. A polyphase finite impulse response filter is centered on a particular input pixel based on the count value. An output pixel is generated using the polyphase finite response filter on a particular input pixel based on the count value and output pixels are outputted.
US08306346B2

A static image compression method, a computer readable data structure, and a computer readable storage medium are described. Firstly, an image is segmented into a plurality of sub-images. Then, each sub-image is sequentially compressed into a sub-data frame having a start character, so as to generate a compressed data with the sub-data frames interconnected according to a sequence of the sub-images. Finally, the addresses of the start characters are recorded to generate an index data. Thereby, the start character of a particular block can be obtained from the index data, and the sub-image of the particular block is preferentially decoded and displayed.
US08306338B2

A moving-picture coding device that performs inter-field motion compensation prediction, includes a reference limit area determining unit that determines to select, for each reference picture, with respect to reference pictures used for coding, a luminance or chrominance reference limit area putting a limit to a reference picture used for generating a prediction picture of a luminance or chrominance of a coding target block belonging to the coding target picture limit area of the case upon each reference picture being previously coded; a selecting inhibit vector determining unit that determines, in a case of coding the coding block belonging to the coding target picture limit area, a selecting inhibit vector that inhibits selecting a luminance and the chrominance are comprised only of pixels of the luminance reference limit area and the chrominance reference limit area.
US08306326B2

A system and method are disclosed for automatically classifying images of pages of a source, such as a book, into classifications such as front cover, copyright page, table of contents, text, index, etc. In one embodiment, three phases are provided in the classification process. During a first phase of the classification process, a first classifier may be used to determine a preliminary classification of a page image based on single-page criteria. During a second phase of the classification process, a second classifier may be used to determine a final classification for the page image based on multiple-page and/or global criteria. During an optional third phase of classification, a verifier may be used to verify the final classification of the page image based on verification criteria. If automatic classification fails, the page image may be passed on to a human operator for manual classification.
US08306311B2

A method and system for identifying voids in solder balls in a ball-grid array (BGA) using an image of the BGA include localizing an image of a solder ball on the BGA image, the solder ball image having a radius and having multiple points each having an image intensity, and producing a void-free model image of the solder ball based on the radius of the solder ball image, the void-free model image having multiple points each having an image intensity. The method and system also include computing a difference between the image intensities of the points of the solder ball image and the image intensities of the points of the void-free model image to produce a residual image, and identifying a void using the residual image.
US08306310B2

A pattern inspection apparatus includes a light source, a stage configured to mount thereon a substrate with a pattern formed thereon, a first laser measuring unit configured to measure a position of the stage by using a laser beam, a sensor configured to capture a pattern image obtained from the pattern, formed on the substrate, irradiated by light from the light source, an optical system configured to focus the pattern image on the sensor, a second laser measuring unit configured to measure a position of the optical system by using a laser beam, a correction unit configured to correct a captured pattern image by using a difference between the position of the stage and the position of the optical system, and an inspection unit configured to inspect whether there is a defect of the pattern by using a corrected pattern image.
US08306304B2

At least one embodiment of the invention relates to a method for the reconstruction of image data of an examined object from measuring data, wherein the measuring data were detected by a detector within and outside of its Tam-Danielsson window during a relative spiral movement between a radiation source of a computer tomography system and the examined object. As a result of the spiral movement, the measuring data outside of the Tam-Danielsson contain interruptions. A mathematically precise first reconstruction of first image data is realized in at least one embodiment based on the measuring data by using only measuring data from the Tam-Danielsson window. A mathematically precise second reconstruction is furthermore realized of second image data from the measuring data in at least one embodiment, using at least among other things measuring data from outside of the Tam-Danielsson window, wherein the interruption of the measuring data is compensated for by using existing measuring data and/or the first image data and/or other image data obtained from existing measuring data. Finally, the first image data and the second image data are combined.
US08306302B2

A method for suppressing noise in a diagnostic image executes one or more iterations of segmenting the image to identify and label one or more regions in the image; and performing selective diffusion on at least one of the one or more labeled regions in the image. A homogeneity value is computed for the region. A diffusion conductance function is generated for the region according to an intensity gradient between adjacent digital image elements within the region. The diffusion process is applied to a plurality of digital image elements within the region.
US08306300B2

A virtual microscope slide includes images of a specimen for a given level of optical magnification which are associated and stored in a data structure. The forming of the data structure having the multiple Z-plane images preferably includes automatically focusing at a principal reference focal plane and capturing and digitizing an optically magnified reference Z-image and then shifting the specimen relative to the lens system by a predetermined increment to capture and digitize another Z-plane image. Preferably, a multiple sequence of Z-plane images above and below the reference image and captured and digitized. For ease of retrieval and use, each reference image has its associated Z-plane images are formed in a stack that is sent over the Internet, or Intranet to a local computer storage for quick retrieval when a viewer wants to mimic a focusing up or down to better view a detail in an image. Thus, the resultant images are retrieved and displayed such that a virtual focusing capability is available to the user. The images can be formed with overlapping fields of depth, adjacent fields of depth, or wholly separated fields of depth.
US08306298B2

A method of and apparatus for viewing microscopic images include transmitting tiled microscopic images from a server to a client. The client assembles the tiled images into a seamless virtual slide or specimen image and provides tools for manipulating image magnification and viewpoint. The method and apparatus also provides a virtual multi-headed microscope function which allows scattered viewers to simultaneously view and interact with a coherent magnified microscopic image.
US08306295B2

A method is disclosed for generating computed tomography image data records of a patient in a heart CT scan during a perfusion control by applying contrast agent. In at least one embodiment, a plurality of temporally consecutive CT data records are recorded as an exposure series with a CT system and if necessary are reconstructed. These CT data records are improved for better visualization of the perfusion by way of electronic filtering and post-processing, with all projection and/or image data determined during a CT scan being used, however with the aid of frequency filtering only the data of a projection or of a reconstructed image for generating a final representation being used which does not fall within a predetermined local frequency range of a heart movement.
US08306294B2

The present invention relates to systems and methods for monitoring the amplification of DNA molecules and the dissociation behavior of the DNA molecules.
US08306292B2

An image display device has a point setting section for setting a point for each of multiple medical images representing a subject; a size determining section that determines a common size that fits for each image shown at the point set by the point setting section in each of the multiple medical images such that each image can be displayed within a display area of the common size; and a displaying section that displays the image in the display area of the common size.
US08306291B2

The invention relates to a method in which labels are introduced in a sample, a flat surface is prepared on the sample and a series of images is made of the sample surface with e.g. a scanning electron microscope. The labels may be gold labels or e.g. fluorescent labels. By removing a surface layer between obtaining each image, labels at the surface in one image will be removed and will not be visible in a subsequent image. Thereby a 3D reconstruction of the position of labels in the sample can be made.
US08306285B2

Processing for judging whether a face is included in a frame is performed, in a predetermined interval, on each of frames included in a moving image of a subject, displayed on a monitor, until the judgment becomes positive. If it is judged that a face is included in a frame, the facial position is detected in the frame, and stored. Then, judgment is made as to whether a face is included in the next frame after predetermined time. If the judgment is positive, the facial position is detected. The previously stored facial position is replaced by the newly detected facial position, and the newly detected facial position is stored. These processes are repeated until photographing operation is performed by operating a release unit.
US08306275B2

A method for signal conditioning of signals from a two-dimensional image by calculating the motion of an image in relation to an image plane. Two-dimensional structures in the image are correlated between images separated in time, using Radon transforms for two or more angles in order to reduce the correlation calculations from two-dimensional correlation to correlation of two or more one-dimensional projections. The one-dimensional projections are differentiated to obtain the gradients of the projections as the basis for the correlation of images separated in time and signal conditioning. The magnitude of the gradients of the projections is ignored and the sign value of the gradients is used for a binary representation as the basis for the correlation of images separated in time.
US08306272B2

A system and method for dynamically altering the analysis methodology of millimeter wave imagery in response to the range and direction of motion of a subject is disclosed. In a particular embodiment, an imaging zone of a scene is scanned using at least one millimeter wave camera during a current time frame and a CPU is used to dynamically process millimeter wave imagery of the imaging zone in response to detecting a range and direction of motion of the subject during a previous time frame. In addition, values of a grid of discrete cells are calculated representing the millimeter wave energy associated with the current time frame, which are then compared to values from a grid of corresponding discrete cells associated with the previous time frame in determining a current range and direction of the subject.
US08306270B2

A vehicle travel support device determines presence of a recognition inhibiting factor of a lane mark on a road on which a vehicle is traveling with high accuracy irrespective of an imaging history by a vehicular camera from the same position. The vehicle travel support system generates an edge image by extracting an edge or actualizing an edge in an image obtained through the vehicular camera. When Hough transform of the edge image is performed, votes for a specified vote value of a linear component is evaluated in a ρ-θ space (Hough space). Presence of a recognition inhibiting factor of a lane mark on a road is determined by determining whether or not the votes of a specified vote value in a specified region denoting a standard travel lane of a vehicle in the real space is ≧a threshold in the ρ-θ space.
US08306268B2

A method and system for determining integrity of images is disclosed herein. The method includes determining the integrity of a non-image data of an image file. The method of protecting images comprises: obtaining an image file having both image data and non-image data and generating at least one code based on the non-image data at the time of creation of the image file. The code is incorporated into the image data of the image file in a visually non-detectable format. In an example, a digital watermarking technique is used to incorporate the code into the image data.
US08306267B1

In general, the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in methods, systems, and program products. A computing system accesses an indication of a first template that includes a region of a first image. The region of the first image includes a graphical representation of a face. The computing system receives a second image. The computing system identifies indications of multiple candidate templates. Each respective candidate template from the multiple candidate templates includes a respective candidate region of the second image. The computing system compares at least the first template to each of the multiple candidate templates, to identify a matching template from among the multiple candidate templates that includes a candidate region that matches the region of the first image that includes the graphical representation of the face.
US08306264B2

A section processing apparatus has a mark forming control portion that transmits control information for forming marks on a surface of a sample. Each of the marks has at least two portions intersecting at a converging portion located at a previously determined position of an observation target section of the sample or in the vicinity of the previously determined position. A first focused ion beam apparatus emits a first focused beam for forming each of the marks on the surface of the sample based on the control information transmitted by the mark forming control portion and for processing a section of the sample. The section of the sample is processed by scanning the first focused beam in parallel with the at least two portions of the marks in the direction of the converging portion, while the section of the sample and positions of the marks are observed by a second focused ion beam apparatus, and to finish processing of the section of the sample when the first focused beam reaches the converging portion or a vicinity thereof.
US08306263B2

An object type determination apparatus, an object type determination method, a vehicle, and a program for determining an object type, capable of accurately determining the type of the object by appropriately determining periodicity in movement of the object from images, are provided. The object type determination apparatus includes an object area extracting means (11) for extracting an area of an object from an image picked up by an image pick-up means (2R, 2L), an object end point extracting means (12) for extracting an end point of an image portion of the object from the extracted object area, an object periodicity determination means (13) for calculating time series data of a feature value representing a size of the object using the end point of the image portion of the object extracted by the object end point extracting means (12) from the area of the object extracted by the object area extracting means (11) for respective ones of time series images picked up by the image pick-up means (2R, 2L) to determine whether the feature value changes with prescribed periodicity, and a living body determination means (14) for determining the object having the feature value determined to change with periodicity as a living body.
US08306262B2

The present invention discloses a face tracking method for electronic camera devices. The method is applied to an electronic camera device having a face database and a face classifier, and the face database is provided for storing data such as a position, a size and a skin color prototype of a face in a previously stored preview image, and the method includes the steps of: obtaining a current preview image; determining whether or not a known face exists in the face database; defining a searching space on the current preview image; and using the face classifier to detect the searching space in the current preview image, and determining whether or not a face exists in the searching space.
US08306261B2

The invention provides a method, system, and program product for detecting an object in a digital image. In one embodiment, the invention includes: deriving an initial object indication mask based on pixel-wise differences between a first digital image and a second digital image, at least one of which includes the object; performing an edge finding operation on both the first and second digital images, wherein the edge finding operation includes marking added edges; generating a plurality of straight linear runs of pixels across an image containing the object, wherein each of the plurality of straight linear runs starts and ends on an added edge and is contained within the initial object indication mask; and forming a final object indication mask by retaining only pixels that are part of at least one of the plurality of straight linear runs.
US08306253B2

A modular headset and method of use comprises a headset band having a first end and a second end. The headset includes a first node coupled to the first end of the headset band in which the first node has a plurality of first jacks. Each first jack selectively receives a first plug of a peripheral device. The headset includes a second node coupled to the second end of the headset band. The second node has a plurality of second jacks. Each second jack selectively receives a second plug of the peripheral device. The headset includes circuitry coupled to the jacks at the first and second nodes, wherein signals from a peripheral device are received or transmitted to any of the first jacks in the first node and signals from the external electronic device are received or transmitted to any of the second jacks in the second node.
US08306251B2

There is provided a narrow directional microphone in which a microphone unit can surely be positioned coaxially in an acoustic tube, and satisfactory electrostatic shielding can be attained. In the narrow directional microphone including an acoustic tube 10 consisting of a metallic cylindrical body, and a unidirectional microphone unit 20 arranged in a rear end part 10b of the acoustic tube 10 with a predetermined gap A serving as a sound wave passage being provided therebetween, the narrow directional microphone further includes a unit positioning means 60 consisting of plate spring material that positions the microphone unit 20 coaxially with the acoustic tube 10 and makes the width of the gap A between the inside diameter of the acoustic tube 10 and the outside diameter of the microphone unit 20 uniform.
US08306241B2

An automatic gain controller and a method using the same are provided. The automatic gain controller and method analyze background noise by operating a microphone mounted in a mobile communication terminal and automatically control the gain of the signal part which is non-audible due to the background noise. Thus, a user may listen to music by using an earphone or a headphone connected to the mobile communication terminal in an environment with background noise. The method includes receiving an audio signal to be reproduced, receiving a background noise signal introduced through a microphone, controlling a gain of the audio signal by comparing the background noise signal and the audio signal and outputting the gain-controlled audio signal so that the user can listen to the gain-controlled audio signal.
US08306240B2

A method for determining leakage factors or adaptation rates, or both, for adaptive filters in an active noise reduction system. The leakage factor or adaptation rate, or both, may vary depending on a parameter of an input reference signal. The parameter may include one or more of reference signal input frequency, rate of change of reference input signal frequency, if a predetermined triggering condition exits, or if a predetermined event has occurred.
US08306237B2

This invention is a wearable device that masks and/or cancels annoying ambient sounds to help a person sleep. It includes a soft and stretchable member, such as a headband or hat, that contains one or more sound-conducting tubes. Sound that is emitted from the one or more tubes helps to mask and/or cancel annoying ambient sounds. Advantages of this device over prior art include: no speakers or other rigid components over a person's ears that can be uncomfortable or unsafe when the person sleeps on their side; a relatively wide sound-emitting area to accommodate different size and shape heads; and a stretchable wearable member that gently clings to the person's head to avoid having sound-emitting areas shift away from the person's ears as they toss and turn in their sleep.
US08306227B2

A data encryption system implemented by running on a cache-equipped computer an encryption program including transformation tables each of which contains a predetermined number of entries. All or necessary ones of the transformation tables are loaded into the cache memory before encryption/decryption process. This causes encryption/decryption time to be made substantially equal independently of the number of operation entries for the transformation table. It is very difficult to extract plain texts used to determine a key differential, resulting in difficulties in cryptanalysis.
US08306225B2

A quantum communication system including an emitter and a receiver, the emitter including an encoder and at least one photon source and being configured to pass a signal pulse and a reference pulse, which are separated in time, through the encoder and output the signal pulse and the reference pulse. The reference pulse has a higher probability of containing more than one photon than the signal pulse. The receiver includes a decoder and at least one detector for measuring the signal pulse and the reference pulse.
US08306208B2

Directory assistance provides telephone number look up services to callers based on the business or caller name as listed in a telephone directory. As such, directory assistance in the prior art provides a value-added service to telephone users and an expense that must be charged back to telephone subscribers or absorbed by telephone carriers. The present invention provides a method and system whereby directory assistance is enhanced to deliver a targeted advertising service to telephone listing owners and advertisers. The enhanced directory assistance (EDA) service of the present invention becomes an additional revenue source for carriers. The present invention also provides a method and system for dynamically ordering these directory listings and tracking subsequent telephone referrals.
US08306205B2

A method for operating a conference assistance system is provided. The method includes receiving a conference code over a call established with an originating system, wherein the conference code is entered by a user over the call to initiate a conference session, and in response to receiving the conference code, identifying a conference system for the user. The method also includes upon identifying the conference system, initiating the conference session on behalf of the user with the conference system, and transferring the conference code to the conference system to authorize the conference session. The method further includes upon authorization of the conference session, connecting the conference system with the originating system to enable the conference session for the user.
US08306192B2

Systems and methods for processing speech are provided. A system may include a speech recognition interface and a processor. The processor may convert speech received from a call at the speech recognition interface to at least one word string. The processor may parse each word string of the at least one word string into first objects and first actions. The processor may access a synonym table to determine second objects and second actions based on the first objects and the first actions. The processor may also select a preferred object and a preferred action from the second objects and the second actions.
US08306190B2

The present invention enables packet-switched network providers, e.g., VoIP network providers, to use commonly deployed components and capabilities to support surveillance services, e.g., CALEA services. Specifically, signaling and media streams that flow through Border Elements can be forked and simultaneously redirected to a surveillance server, a CALEA Server in addition to the terminating endpoint. Additionally, a Media Server (MS) can unobtrusively join a third leg to a communication media path between the CALEA Server and the two, calling party and called party, endpoints. A CALEA Server provides the ability to identify and collect content of voice telephone calls traversing the VoIP Network, as mandated by the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act.
US08306189B2

X-ray apparatus comprises a linear accelerator adapted to produce a beam of electrons at one of at least two selectable energies and being controlled to change the selected energy on a periodic basis, and a target to which the beam is directed thereby to produce a beam of x-radiation, the target being non-homogenous and being driven to move periodically in synchrony with the change of the selected energy. In this way, the target can move so that a different part is exposed to the electron beam when different pulses arrive. This enables the appropriate target material to be employed depending on the selected energy. The easiest form of periodic movement for the target is likely to be a rotational movement.
US08306182B2

A high-resolution X-ray apparatus and a high-resolution X-ray detecting apparatus includes a plurality of multi-slice X-ray detection packs held on the pair of guide rails by detachable tight fitting members. A detachable pressing board is provided on the pair of guide rails for fixing the plurality of detection packs so that edges of adjacent detection packs contact each other.
US08306180B2

Disclosed is an image reconstruction method in a high-energy dual-energy CT system. The method comprises steps of scanning an objection with high-energy dual-energy rays to obtain high-energy dual-energy projection values, calculating projection values of base material coefficients corresponding to the dual-energy projection values on the basis of a pre-created lookup table or by analytically solving a set of equations, and obtaining an image of base material coefficient distribution based on the projection values of base material coefficients. The method provides a solution for reconstruction with high-energy dual energy CT technology and thus a more effective approach for substance identification and contraband inspection, thereby bringing a significant improvement on accuracy and efficiency in security inspection.
US08306175B2

A clock and data recovery circuit includes a voltage controlled oscillator for generating an output clock according to a control voltage signal, a loop filter for outputting the control voltage signal according to a current output, a charge pump unit for outputting the current output according to an error signal, and a controller for determining a run length corresponding to input data based on the output clock from the voltage controlled oscillator. The controller further controls at least one of the voltage controlled oscillator, the loop filter and the charge pump unit according to the run length to dynamically adjust loop bandwidth. A method of adjusting loop bandwidth is also disclosed.
US08306171B2

A bit synchronization method is proposed. The method includes buffering a plurality of samples from a signal stream, scanning the buffered samples for transitions and updating a zero-crossing histogram buffer upon detection of the transitions. The method further includes detecting at least two peaks simultaneously from the updated zero-crossing histogram buffer, fixing at least two boundaries from the detected peaks, and integrating the buffered samples within the boundaries. Finally the method includes generating an output signal comprising a synchronized bit stream from the integrated samples.
US08306168B2

A diversity antenna system and method comprising a plurality of antennas, a plurality of switches and a plurality of phase shifters, wherein the switches and the antennas are selectively opened and closed or switched on an off to achieve equiphasing. This system separates the noise signal from the useful signal in order to achieve a proper determination of the different phases. In addition there is a receiver which is configured to receive the output of the diversity system. The logic control unit is configured to perform particular steps or algorithms in order to achieve equiphasing of the received signals.
US08306167B2

A system for synchronizing a wireless receiver is provided. The system includes a first antenna and a second antenna to receive independent wireless signals containing different combination of data packets. The system includes one or more analyzer components operable to determine correlation metrics based on at least a portion of the first received signal and a portion of the second received signal. The system further includes a synchronization component operable to use the correlation metrics to determine a preferred correlation metric for synchronization by the wireless receiver of the first and second received signals to decode the data packet. A method for synchronizing a receiver of two wireless signals is also provided.
US08306162B2

A method for use in a digital communications receiver for controlling an input signal level (200) into an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) initially receives a sample sequence (201) where a threshold crossing rate is measured as a percentage samples of an input signal that exceed the threshold (203). The error between the measured threshold crossing rate and a desired reference threshold crossing rate is calculated (205) and an error signal is then utilized in a feedback loop to control the receiver gain such that the error is reduced (207).
US08306159B2

Aspects of a method and system for decoding single antenna interference cancellation (SAIC) and redundancy processing adaptation using burst process are provided. A wireless receiver may decode bit sequences based on a first decoding algorithm that may utilize redundancy in the data and that may impose physical constraints. The receiver may also decode a received bit sequence based on a second decoding algorithm that utilizes SAIC. Received data may be processed in a burst process portion in either decoding algorithm. Burst processed data from one of the decoding algorithms may be selected based on signal-to-noise ratio and/or received signal level measurements. The selected burst processed data may be communicated to a frame processing portion of the corresponding decoding algorithm.
US08306157B2

A receiver can be configured to include an RF front end that is configured to downconvert a received signal to a baseband signal or a low Intermediate Frequency (IF) signal. The receiver can downconvert the desired signal from an RF frequency in the presence of numerous interference sources to a baseband or low IF signal for filtering and channel selection. The filtered baseband or low IF signal can be converted to a digital representation. The digital representation of the signal can be upconverted in the digital domain to a programmable IF frequency. The digital IF signal can be converted to an analog IF signal that can be processed by legacy hardware.
US08306144B2

An adaptive baseband processing system having a scalable architecture to allow scaling to support adaptive transmission and receive, at different granularity, channel vs. subchannel, for different number of antennas and/or users, including their components, are described herein. In various embodiments, the components include an adaptive antenna signal (AAS) coupled to a front-end processor, a back-end processor, or combinations thereof.
US08306143B2

A system and method of transmit diversity for wireless communication. The system includes a transmitting terminal having a plurality of transmission antennas and a receiving terminal having a plurality of receiving antennas. The method includes analyzing channel state information obtained by the transmitting terminal; selecting an antenna to be one in use from the receiving antennas; matching the selected antenna in use with the wireless signals that are to be transmitted; transmitting wireless signals that are matched to the receiving terminal for being calculated and determining the pre-selected antenna in use, thereby significantly reducing complexities of the receiving terminal.
US08306139B2

Systems and methods for providing multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) detection, comprising a leaf node predictor for receiving a processed communications stream, computing at least one channel metric corresponding to the communications stream for a given channel realization, and generating at least one parameter corresponding to at least one predicted best leaf node candidate for the given channel realization. A MIMO engine receives the at least one parameter and enumerates at least one list of candidate vectors corresponding to the leaf nodes specified by the generated at least one parameter. Some embodiments simulate a MIMO detector over many channel realizations, track channel metric and parameter values used for each channel realization resulting from such simulating, and store, in a look-up table, best values of the tracked values used for a particular channel metric.
US08306138B2

A wireless communication apparatus and a wireless communication method wherein even when the permissible delay amount of data is small, the permissible delay thereof can be satisfied. A data type determining part (101) determines whether the delay of transport data or control information should be allowed or not. A pilot signal insertion control part (102) decides, based on pilot insertion interval information and allowable delay information, that a pilot signal is placed adjacently to data that is not allowed to delay. A multiplexing part (106) multiplexes encoded and modulated transport data with the pilot signal generated by a pilot signal generating part (105) in such a manner that realizes the placement decided by the pilot signal insertion control part (102).
US08306128B2

A video display system, such as useful in video surveillance applications, is disclosed. The system includes a video decoder (20) having a common output data port (27) at which it presents interleaved data streams (DSA, DSB). The interleaved data streams (DSA, DSB) may correspond to multiple scalings of a processed video input signal, for example as received from a surveillance camera (C1, C2, C3, C4). The video decoder (20) also outputs multiple clock signals (CLKA, CLKB), each of which are synchronous with a corresponding one of the interleaved data streams (DSA, DSB). This enables a common data port (27) to output multiple data streams (DSA, DSB), while individual destinations (30A, 30B) of the data streams (DSA, DSB) can continue to operate at legacy clock rates.
US08306117B2

A method for context-modeling coding information of a video signal for compressing or decompressing the coding information is provided. An initial value of a function for probability coding of coding information of a video signal of an enhanced layer is determined based on coding information of a video signal of a base layer.
US08306115B2

Provided are a method and apparatus for encoding an image capable of improving compression efficiency of the image by compensating for a loss due to quantization of a residual block in the frequency domain, and a method and apparatus for decoding the image. The method of encoding an image includes: generating a prediction macro block for a current macro block; generating a first residual block which is a difference between the prediction macro block and the current macro block; generating a compensation residual block by compensating for a quantization loss of the first residual block in the frequency domain; compensating for the prediction macro block by adding the compensation residual block and the prediction macro block.
US08306111B2

A hybrid connected component labeling process for analyzing digitized or binary images includes the following steps. Firstly, a forward scan is executed to assign a forward label to each foreground pixel in the image. Then, a backward scan is executed to assign a backward label to each foreground. The backward labels are rearranged and label connection is recorded. A label allocation table including final labels and reference labels is provided for recording the use of the labels. When an object is considered as noise, the label corresponds to the pixels of the object is released by updating the label allocation table.
US08306109B2

A method for scaling video content based on bandwidth rate is disclosed. Wherein, a plurality of target shots and non-target shots are recognized from shots of a video. A background and at least one foreground object are separated from the video frame of the target shot. The present invention method provides a plurality of bandwidth levels, and one among them is selected in advance. At least one foreground object is selected and pasted on the background based on the selected bandwidth level, so as to obtain at least one recombined target shot. The recombined target shot, the non-target shot or other recombined target shot can be merged to form a recombined video unit based on the selected bandwidth level. Therefore, the present invention proposes video content of scalability based on bandwidth rate to provide the different video bit-stream size, so that viewer can get the high quality video under the lower bandwidth rate.
US08306104B2

Various systems and methods providing high speed decoding, enhanced power reduction and clock domain partitioning for a multi-pair gigabit Ethernet transceiver are disclosed. ISI compensation is partitioned into two stages; a first stage compensates ISI components induced by characteristics of a transmitter's partial response pulse shaping filter in a demodulator, a second stage compensates ISI components induced by characteristics of a multi-pair transmission channel in a Viterbi decoder. High speed decoding is accomplished by reducing the DFE depth by providing an input signal from a multiple decision feedback equalizer to the Viterbi based on a tail value and a subset of coefficient values received from a unit depth decision-feedback equalizer. Power reduction is accomplished by adaptively truncating active taps in the NEXT, FEXT and echo cancellation filters, or by disabling decoder circuitry portions, as channel response characteristics allow. A receive clock signal is generated such that it is synchronous in frequency with analog sampling clock signals and has a particular phase offset with respect to one of the sampling clock signals. This phase offset is adjusted such that system performance degradation due to coupling of switching noise from the digital sections to the analog sections is substantially minimized.
US08306103B2

Systems and methods which provide a multimode tuner architecture implementing direct frequency conversion are shown. Embodiments provide a highly integrated configuration wherein low noise amplifier, tuner, analog and digital channel filter, and analog demodulator functionality are provided in a single integrated circuit. A LNA of embodiments implements a multi-path configuration with seamless switching to provide desired gain control while meeting noise and linearity design parameters. Embodiments of the invention implement in-phase and quadrature (IQ) equalization and a multimode channelization filter architecture to facilitate the use of direct frequency conversion. Embodiments implement spur avoidance techniques for improving tuner system operation and output using a clock signal generation architecture in which a system clock, sampling clock frequencies, local oscillator (LO) reference clock frequencies, and/or the like are dynamically movable.
US08306092B2

Sequence generation in wireless communication is provided for sequences having good aperiodic correlation properties. In particular, dual window quasi-Barker sequences are generated that possess at least some properties of Barker sequences. In addition, the sequences can be orthogonal to mitigate multiple access interference. Dual windowing allows the sequences even after being phase modulated by data to be recognized, provided that delay in transmission is large as compared to the correlation zone. In this regard, the sequences can be utilized in quasi-synchronous spread spectrum and/or code division multiple access (CDMA) signal communication to provide orthogonality while substantially eliminating inter-user and inter-symbol interference. In addition, unlike the single window low periodic correlation sequences, system overheads, such as cyclic prefix, need not be utilized in transmission as the data modulation effect can be accounted for by the dual windowing.
US08306087B2

A laser and electroabsorption modulator (EAM) are monolithically integrated through an etched facet process. Epitaxial layers on a wafer include a first layer for a laser structure and a second layer for an EAM structure. Strong optical coupling between the laser and the EAM is realized by using two 45-degree turning mirrors to route light vertically from the laser waveguide to the EAM waveguide. A directional angled etch process is used to form the two angled facets.
US08306085B2

The present invention is directed to a production method for a nitride compound semiconductor element including a substrate and a multilayer structure 40 supported by an upper face of the substrate. First, a wafer 1 to be split into individual substrates is provided. A plurality of semiconductor layers composing the multilayer structure 40 are grown on the wafer 1. By cleaving the wafer 1 and the semiconductor layers, a cleavage plane in the multilayer structure 40 is formed. In the present invention, a plurality of voids are arranged at positions in the multilayer structure at which a cleavage plane is to be formed. Thus, cleavage can be performed with a good yield.
US08306079B2

An apparatus processes a surface of an inhabitable structure. The apparatus includes a laser base unit adapted to provide laser light to an interaction region, the laser light removing material from the structure. The laser base unit includes a laser generator and a laser head coupled to the laser generator. The laser head is adapted to remove the material from the interaction region, thereby providing reduced disruption to activities within the structure. The apparatus further includes an anchoring mechanism adapted to be releasably coupled to the structure and releasably coupled to the laser head. The apparatus further includes a controller electrically coupled to the laser base unit. The controller is adapted to transmit control signals to the laser base unit in response to user input.
US08306072B2

A semiconductor laser device includes a lower cladding layer; an active layer disposed on the lower cladding layer; all upper cladding layer disposed on the active layer; a diffraction-grating layer disposed on the upper cladding layer, the diffraction-grating layer including periodic projections and recesses; and a buried layer disposed on the periodic projections and recesses in the diffraction-grating layer. In addition, the diffraction-grating layer and the buried layer constitute a diffraction grating. The lower cladding layer, the active layer, and the upper cladding layer constitute a first optical waveguide, the active layer constituting a first core region in the first optical waveguide. The upper cladding layer, the diffraction-grating layer, and the buried layer constitute a second optical waveguide, the diffraction-grating layer constituting a second core region in the second optical waveguide. Furthermore, the first optical waveguide and the second optical waveguide are optically coupled through the upper cladding layer.
US08306062B1

Aspects of the disclosure provide a method for large receive offload (LRO). The method adaptively changes a number of packets aggregated in an aggregated packet based on a packet loss state in a network. The method reduces reception stack overhead while reducing waiting time for LRO time-out. The method includes receiving a packet belonging to a packet stream transmitted from a sender to a receiver, detecting a size of a sliding window used by the sender to transmit packets, adjusting an LRO threshold indicating a maximum number of packets allowed in an aggregated packet as a function of the size of the sliding window, and aggregating incoming packets into an aggregated packet based on the adjusted LRO threshold.
US08306061B2

Disclosed is a radio (wireless) communication system providing a radio communication service and a terminal, and more particularly, to a method for retransmitting protocol data unit upon receiving a HARQ delivery failure notification with respect to a particular RLC data PDU by a RLC, only if the RLC did not receive a positive response (i.e., ACK) with respect to the particular RLC data PDU from a previous RLC status PDU within an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (E-UMTS) that has evolved from a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) or a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system.
US08306059B2

A method of constructing and transmitting packets with multiple-input multiple-output, hereinafter called MIMO, configuration in a radio link control layer of a wireless communication system includes, in a transmission opportunity, transforming at least an RLC service data unit into at least an RLC protocol data unit, hereinafter called PDU, according to an RLC PDU allowance of each of a plurality of transport blocks. Each of the at least an RLC PDU fits within at least an RLC PDU allowance of the plurality of transport blocks.
US08306057B1

A method and system for providing presence information related to a communications network is provided. A first presence information message is received from a first network element of the communications network at a presence aggregator of the communications network, where the first network element utilizes a first communications protocol. A second presence information message is received from a second network element of the communications network at the presence aggregator, where the second network element utilizes a second communications protocol. The presence aggregator translates the first and second presence information messages into a standardized protocol and sends the translated first and second presence information messages to a presence server coupled to the communications network.
US08306055B2

A method and system may include a source station to provide wireless multicast transmission to a plurality of destination stations according to a protocol adaptation layer multicast management protocol. The protocol adaptation layer may lie above the MAC layer. The multicast management protocol includes formation, maintenance, and termination procedures. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08306050B2

A backoff counter is used to determine the start time of a contended allocation for a device. The backoff counter is set to an integer randomly drawn from the interval [1, CW], where CW is a contention window value selected based upon the priority of the traffic to be transmitted. The backoff counter is decremented for each idle contention slot detected. When the backoff counter reaches zero, the device attempts to transmit in the next contention slot. If the device receives no acknowledgement or an incorrect acknowledgment, then the transmission has failed. After a failed transmission, CW is set by alternately doubling the CW value up to a CWmax value for the user priority. CW is unchanged, if it was doubled in the last setting; and CW is doubled, if it was unchanged in the last setting.
US08306048B2

In one embodiment, the present invention is a method and apparatus for scalable virtual private network multicasting. In one embodiment a service network builds a new data multicast distribution tree for each high-bandwidth multicast data flow (e.g., multicast data flows that require an amount bandwidth meeting or exceeding a predefined threshold). However, if the multicast data flow is a low-bandwidth flow (e.g., if the required amount of bandwidth falls below the predefined threshold), the multicast data flow is routed over an existing multicast distribution tree in order to minimize an amount of state information that must be maintained by service provider core routers in the backbone network.
US08306044B2

The invention pertains to a system and method of interactive queue management through public communication networks. Interactive queue management allows business or automated systems to easily and efficiently interact with waiting individuals in any queue through the individuals' preferred communication device, e.g., telephone, mobile phone, smart phone, wirelessly enabled PDA or handheld computer. In one embodiment this invention allows people to hold their place in a queue by proxy of their telephone or mobile phone number. An individual will provide their phone number to the interactive queuing system; the system will retain the phone number and other pertinent information about the individual, communicate via voice, wireless messaging, or other means with the individual, and collect the input from the individual. Key components of the system include a queue client system, a queue management and server system, an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system, and a wireless messaging infrastructure system. Interfaces between key components will be via the Internet or other networks using standardized protocols.
US08306038B1

A method, computer readable medium, and system for enhancing TCP communications includes transmitting a payload fragment for each of one or more of packets. A determination of which of the one or more packets to complete and reorder is made and a sequence in a completion fragment for one or more of the packets is adjusted based on the determination. One or more of the completion fragments are transmitted based on the determining to reassemble one or more of the transmitted payload fragments with one or more of the transmitted completion fragments based on the determination and adjustment.
US08306037B2

A networking processor is formed with selected ones of one or more system interfaces, one or more network/intermediate interfaces, a plurality of data link sub-layer control/processing blocks, and a plurality of physical sub-layer coders/decoders and processing units. The elements are provisioned in a combinatorially selectable manner, enabling the single networking processor to be able to selectively facilitate data trafficking in accordance with a selected one of a plurality of protocols. The protocols include at least one each a datacom and a telecom protocol. Accordingly, the network processor supports data traffics spanning local, regional and wide area networks. In one embodiment, the traffic data may be framed or streaming data being transmitted/received in accordance with a selected one of a plurality frame based protocols and a plurality of variants of a synchronous protocol. The frame based protocols may also be frame based protocols encapsulated with the synchronous protocol.
US08306029B2

Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media for managing a packet network to deal with rogue applications that produce non-audio packets marked as audio packets. The system analyzes packet flow through the network to identify an unauthorized source of non-audio packets marked as audio packets, and upon identifying the unauthorized source, the system stops subsequent unauthorized transmission of non-audio packets marked as audio packets from the identified unauthorized source. For example, such an unauthorized source is identified by finding that an audio marked packet has a source address that is not found on a list of authorized sources, or by detecting atypical patterns of audio queue utilization, or by determining whether audio marked packets from a source exceed a threshold value related to transmission of audio marked packets.
US08306021B2

In one embodiment, the method of processing telephony sessions includes: communicating with an application server using an application layer protocol; processing telephony instructions with a call router; and creating call router resources accessible through a call router Application Programming Interface (API). In another embodiment, the system for processing telephony sessions includes: a call router, a URI for an application server, a telephony instruction executed by the call router, and a call router API resource.
US08306019B2

A method for providing combined local, toll, toll-free services, and number portability, to a calling party originating calls from an IP-based communication devices which are coupled to an IP-based multi-media service provider. The method includes receiving a SIP INVITE message, which includes a multi-media service identifier, at the multi-provider. The SIP INVITE message represents a call request for a multi-media service. The SIP INVITE message is processed at the multi-media service provider for determining the call request can be satisfied. If the multi-media service provider includes resources for satisfying the call, the multi-media service identifier of the SIP INVITE message is set to a first predetermined state and the call is processed. If the multi-media service provider does not include resources for satisfying the call, the multi-media service identifier of the SIP INVITE message is set to a second predetermined state and the call is processed elsewhere.
US08306016B2

A method for creating, modifying, and terminating connections between Internet end systems, particularly, although not exclusively, for Internet telephony communication. The method relies on several request messages sent between a client and a server and the response messages sent back in response. Each request and response message may contain one or more header fields which modify or more uniquely link the messages with a given connection. On this basis, advanced telephony services, such as call forwarding, call transferring, and multiparty conferencing are provided.
US08306001B2

Techniques are provided to improve wireless beamformed communication between first and second wireless communication devices. At a plurality of antennas of the first wireless communication device (e.g., a base station) uplink transmissions sent from the second wireless communication device (e.g., a client or mobile device or station) are received. The first wireless communication device generates a downlink beamforming weight vector from received uplink transmissions, and computes a covariance matrix for received uplink transmissions. The first wireless communication device stores history information based on the covariance matrices for received uplink transmissions. The first wireless communication device computes first and second beamforming-space time code weight vectors based on the covariance matrix for an uplink transmission received in a current frame and the history information. The first wireless communication device uses the first and second beamforming-space time code weight vectors for a beamforming-space time code transmission technique to send a downlink transmission to the second wireless communication device.
US08305996B2

A mesh access point that includes an access point profile storing one ore more parameters in non-volatile memory, and a method of using the mesh access point having the access point profile to select and carry out mutual authentication on a wireless mesh network to establish itself to the mesh network using information in the access point profile, and further to provide services to wireless clients according to information in the access point profile. Access point profiles can be pre-configured/configured/updated suitably in order to adapt the mesh access point in a mesh network according to its capabilities and requirements.
US08305993B2

In one embodiment, a communication system includes a private cellular base station subsystem to communicate, using a cellular radio frequency air radio interface, with home cellular wireless devices and visiting cellular wireless devices located within a coverage area associated with the private cellular base station subsystem. Each of the home cellular wireless devices having associated therewith (i) a public cellular number from a home public land mobile network, and (ii) a private cellular number from a private network associated with the communication system. The communication system further includes a private cellular switching subsystem to provide cellular switching functionality within the private network for the home cellular wireless devices in connection with sessions that are associated with the respective private cellular numbers of the respective home cellular wireless devices. The communication system further includes unified communications (UC) functionality to interface the private cellular switching subsystem to a unified communications server in order to provide unified communications services using the home cellular wireless devices.
US08305989B2

This is provided a method for allocating pilots to a sub-frame. The sub-frame includes a plurality of blocks in time domain. The method includes allocating a data demodulation (DM) pilot used for demodulating data to two blocks spaced not contiguous with each other, and allocating a channel quality (CQ) pilot. System capacity can be increased, and degradation of performance incurred by a channel estimation error can be minimized.
US08305987B2

A method of decoding a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) is presented. An indication of a resource element (RE) configuration allocated for transmission of CSI-RSs by a first cell is received from a second cell. The method includes at least one of using the indication of the RE configuration to decode a first CSI-RS received from the first cell, and using the indication of the RE configuration to mute one or more REs within a data channel transmission received from a third cell. The first cell, second cell and third cell may be associated within a CSI-RS group. In some cases, at least two of the first cell, the second cell, and the third cell are mutually interfering cells. The indication of the RE configuration may include a plurality of logical indices having incremental values, the plurality of logical indices identifying REs used to transmit CSI-RS.
US08305986B2

A mobile station capable of communicating via an uplink transmission to at least one base station in a Multiple Input Multiple Output wireless network is configured to transmit multiple channel quality index (CQI) reports corresponding to multiple downlink component carriers. The mobile station includes at least one transmit antenna and a transmitter. The transmitter can communicate with a base station over the multiple downlink component carriers and at least one uplink component carrier. The transmitter can transmit the CQI report over the at least one uplink component carrier using at least one of a number of CQI reporting modes.
US08305985B2

A method of allocating an uplink radio resource includes transmitting a scheduling request signal for requesting allocation of the uplink radio resource, wherein the scheduling request signal comprises control information, a request of the allocation of the uplink radio resource is represented by transmitting the scheduling request signal and the control information is represented by a value of the scheduling request signal, and receiving a scheduling grant message in response to the scheduling request signal.
US08305982B2

A method for assigning signature sequences for E-HICH channel which may avoid the unbalanced situation brought about by the codeword assignment is provided, wherein the use of User Equipment (UE) signature sequences on Enhanced Dedicated Channel Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Acknowledgement Indicator Channel (E-HICH) is equalized, so as to drive the average detection performance toward equity for different UEs to detect their respective signature sequences on E-HICH channel, and to reduce the average false detection rate for the respective UE on the feedback information transmitted thereto. The method includes: firstly, assigning a E-HICH logical signature sequence index r for each UE; then, converting the logical signature sequence index r into a physical signature sequence index r′ varying with time by using a random permutation function; and after that, assigning a signature sequence corresponding to the physical signature sequence index r′ to the respective UE.
US08305979B2

A method, system and software to dynamically allocate bandwidth on an application flow basis in a non-Internet-Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (non-IMS) environment is described. The method includes: receiving a request to create an application flow for an Internet Protocol (IP) filter with desired Quality of Service (QoS) properties; searching for an access bearer that is comparable to the desired QoS properties; when a comparable access bearer is not found, creating the access bearer adapted to support the IP filter and the desired QoS properties; and associating the application flow with the access bearer. According to various embodiments, a method to add a new application flow from a flow bandwidth manager to a Policy Control and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) is also described The method can include: searching for an access bearer that supports an IP filter and desired QoS properties; when there is an existing access bearer, mapping the new application flow to the access bearer and modifying the properties of the existing access bearer to support the new application flow. and creating a new access bearer when there is no existing access bearer.
US08305975B2

A method for improving distributed resource allocation in OFDMA based wireless communication networks such as WiMAX IEEE 802.16 for either fixed or mobile subscriber stations SSs is executed by neighbor Base Stations BSs serving the SSs. Each BS controls the allocation of respective permutation zones and radio resources encompassing different radio subchannels within each permutation zone. In this task the BS avails of RRM primitives and instances of a NCMS functionality promoting direct BS-to-BS communication, which can be exploited in a distributed RRM profile. A BS playing the role of RRC sends to Neighbor BSs a unique RRM Request for receiving event-driven Spare Capacity Reports. Among driving events, “Change of Radio Resources Allocation” is included. Neighbor BSs, at every allocation change is detected, send to the requester BS a Spare Capacity Report including a Bitmap indicating subchannels used for transmission in each Permutation Zone. In order to eliminate Co-Channel Interference CCI, the requester BS avoids using same subchannels already indicated in the received Bitmap.
US08305964B2

Methods for allocating and choosing dedicated signatures for random access are provided. Options for allocating dedicated signatures include allocating the dedicated signatures from unused space of a random signature root index when there is unused space and allocating more dedicated signatures from the same root index using the same time/frequency resources if additional signatures are needed, and reserving some preambles from contention-based random access preambles from both sets of preambles. The dedicated signatures may be reserved in each of two sets of preambles.
US08305963B1

Methods are provided for facilitating local communication between wireless devices at a femto cell without passing communication to a network infrastructure, routing data packets to devices connected to a femto cell, and eliminating a need to send data to a home agent when two devices are connected to the same femto cell. When mobile devices are in a femto cell zone, it is not necessary to send payload information to a core network including a packet data serving node and a home agent. A femto cell local breakout with a PPP proxy can be used to handle the payload information locally. The femto cell local breakout with PPP proxy stores the mobile devices and IP addresses. So, when one mobile device in the femto cell zone sends payload information to another mobile device, the femto cell routes the payload information to the other mobile device in the femto cell zone.
US08305962B2

A heterogeneous wireless communication network includes a home access network with a home network characteristic and a home network policy, and a visiting access network with a visiting network characteristic and a visiting network policy. A packet data node gateway is adapted to communicate with the home access network and the visiting access network over a first communication path. An out-of-band communication path substantially separate from the first communication path is adapted to carry the visiting network policy from the visiting access network to the packet data node gateway. When the terminal is handed off from the home network to the visiting network, the packet data node gateway retrieves the visiting network policy, and the terminal accesses the visiting network over the first communication path using the visiting network policy.
US08305952B2

A method for controlling a feedback channel in a communication system including a relay station (RS) is disclosed. In a method for controlling transmission/reception of a channel quality information feedback in a wireless communication system including a relay station (RS), the RS receives total channel quality information from a mobile station (MS), transmits the channel quality information to a base station (BS), receives a delta CQI from the mobile station (MS), and transmits the delta CQI to the base station (BS) according to control information.
US08305945B2

A method and apparatus for discontinuously transmitting or receiving packets for low-power consumption of a terminal in a cellular system for packet transmission, for example, a method for performing discontinuous reception operation of a terminal in a wireless communication system, including: receiving parameters for performing the discontinuous reception operation from the base station; and performing, in a state being capable of transmitting or receiving data to or from the base station, the discontinuous reception operation based on the received parameters.
US08305941B2

A system for combining a plurality of signals in a wireless communication device employs a plurality of base station duplexers each coupled to a corresponding base station from a plurality of collocated base stations, each base station capable of receiving and transmitting signals in accordance with a corresponding transmission protocol. Each duplexer includes a transmit and receive paths for allowing signals to be transmitted from the base station and further allowing signals to be received by the base station. Isolators are each coupled to a corresponding one of the transmit path of each of the duplexers. Bandpass filters are each coupled to an output port of a corresponding one of the isolator and a combiner receives signals provided by each one of the band pass filters. An antenna duplexer is coupled to an output port of the combiner via a transmit path, where the duplexer provides a combined signal of the collocated base stations to an antenna. The duplexer further includes a receive path for providing signals received by the antenna to a corresponding receive path of each of the base station duplexers.
US08305934B2

In response to a route-changing event, original routes on the network are changed to new routes. A destination-reachable range is identified as a range from which packets can reach an information processing device specified by a destination address. Modification of forwarding data is performed for a neighbor communication device which is located outside the destination-reachable range and adjacent to a communication device in the destination-reachable range, so as to enable forwarding of packets to that communication device in the destination-reachable range. The modified forwarding data is then transmitted to the neighbor communication device. The modification made to the forwarding data results in an additional destination-reachable range, which is thus added to the destination-reachable range. Another cycle of processing is then performed on the basis of the expanded destination-reachable range.
US08305926B2

The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for learning call routing information in a communication system. A switching architecture is presented. The switch may be implemented in a centralized architecture or a distributed architecture. In addition, the switch may be implemented in a variety of networks such as a circuit-switched network or a packet-switched network. The switch includes a policy server and a self-learning application server. The policy server includes routing information for routing calls across the switch. The routes for incoming and outgoing calls are analyzed as they pass through the switch. The self-learning application server uses artificial intelligence techniques and caching algorithms to learn new more-efficient routing paths or initial routing paths based on the incoming and outgoing calls. The self-learning application server then updates the policy server with the new learned routes.
US08305925B2

Methods, apparatuses and systems for transporting multi-lane Ethernet signal are disclosed. The method primarily includes utilizing a plurality of timeslot channels and justification bytes configured in the OPUk-Xv to build up multiple virtually concatenated transport lanes; and transporting a lane of independent Ethernet data via each lane in the multiple transport lanes. Such schema allows to transparently transport multi-lane Ethernet signal over OTN and addresses the uncontrollability of the time delay occurred when multi-lane Ethernet signal traverse over OTN. In addition, the problem that the frequency offset does not fit the IEEE definition of the Ethernet interface is solved.
US08305919B2

A method and system of managing end-to-end loss in a manner that allows phone calls to be executed across many networks at desirable end-to-end loss levels, including networks having fixed-loss stratagems, by controlling devices to adjust their local loss or gain in order to establish target end-to-end loss.
US08305911B2

A method for identifying disruptions using network and systems data includes receiving resource utilization information for a network component at a first time and receiving resource utilization information for the network component at a second time. The method also includes identifying a resource utilization pattern for the network component, predicting a resource utilization for the network component at a third time based on the resource utilization pattern, and determining whether the predicted resource utilization will breach a utilization threshold for the network component.
US08305909B2

A network information analyzing method is disclosed for determining the status of a network including plural communication apparatuses. The method involves assigning a line identifier to each logical line used for establishing data communication between a transmission terminal and a reception terminal, transmitting from a management apparatus to the communication apparatuses line management code information including the line identifier, controlling each communication apparatus to output the received line management code information to the logical line identified by the line identifier included in the received line management code information, controlling each communication apparatus to extract the line management code information from a transmission signal and transmit a corresponding apparatus identifier and the extracted line management code information to the management apparatus, and analyzing the status of the network at the management apparatus based on the corresponding apparatus identifier and the extracted line management code information received from each communication apparatus.
US08305907B2

To prevent, in using a multicast DA in an OAM frame, an increase in the network bandwidth usage and in the load of node processing and a degradation of the network reliability caused by a frame being transmitted to all routes in a broadcast domain. A MAC address and other basic frame information and the MEGID are associated with each other, and the MEGID information is added to the OAM frame, and these information are transmitted from an edge node serving as an end point of an ME. In a relay node of the ME, a route control table used for OAM frame control is provided, and a filter is generated by snooping of the OAM frame. Furthermore, when the relay node does not support the OAM function, the MEGID is denoted by a VLAN tag and the route control is made using the snooping function of each VLAN tag.
US08305906B2

Methods and apparatus for determining that all conductors of an Ethernet connection are connected to the same powered device (PD). In one disclosed embodiment, it is first determined that a signal conductor pair of the Ethernet connection is coupled to a valid PD according to a discovery process, and the unused conductor pair of the Ethernet connection is also coupled to a valid PD. However, it is not yet determined whether they are both coupled to the same PD. This disclosure provides for injecting a polluting signal into one of the conductor pairs, and performing the discovery process on the other conductor pair. If the discovery process fails on the other conductor pair as a result of the polluting signal, then it is determined that both of the conductor pairs are indeed coupled to same PD.
US08305902B2

Message traffic between a communications unit and a first network unit of a mobile radio system, initiated by an SIP control message, is monitored. The SIP control message is evaluated by a second network unit by using at least one analysis parameter and an analysis result is generated therefrom. The analysis result is used for generating at least one item for utilization information of the first network unit that monitors the message traffic between the communications unit and the first network unit.
US08305892B2

A method for connecting a guest browser with a proxy is provided. The method includes sending a registration request for a proxy from a peer to a proxy director and selecting a proxy by the proxy director and sending a proxy name to the peer. The method also includes sending a registration request with a peer name and the proxy name from the peer to a dynamic domain name server (DNS) and registering a dynamic DNS record with a DNS name server by the dynamic DNS to associate the peer name with the proxy name. The dynamic DNS converts the registration request from the peer to standard DNS. When a guest browser wants to connect to the peer, a standard DNS look-up is performed for the peer name at the DNS name server, which provides information regarding proxy connection.
US08305882B2

Faults are detected and recovered from in a multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) network by communicating packets between a first node and a second node in the MPLS network using a set of prioritized label switch path (LSP) pairs. A failure to receive a relatively constant rate of packets during a predetermined time interval is detected at the first node. Packets are sent from the first node to the second node using a backup LSP pair responsive to detecting the failure. Packets are then sent from the second node to the first node using a backup LSP pair responsive to receiving packets at the second node on the backup LSP pair.
US08305880B2

There is provided a network control device capable of surely distributing a content even when a relay function of one of the nodes contained in a network stops, without affecting the process in nodes below the node and while improving the re-liability of the network system itself.When controlling a node contained in a network system including a server and a plurality of nodes constituting a plurality of hierarchies and connected to one another, wherein a content is distributed from the server to the respective nodes, it is checked whether a content relay function in a node located at the uplink with respect to the node in the content distribution has stopped. When the stop of the relay function is detected, control is performed so that the consumption speed of the content accumulated in the lower node in the process executed in the node is smaller than the consumption speed before the relay function has stopped.
US08305876B2

A method is disclosed that enables an improved technique for recovering from an error scenario encountered during a call setup that involves a malfunctioning media gateway and the corresponding media gateway controller. The media gateway first detects a malfunction that affects a digital signal processing resource. The media gateway then proactively selects a processing resource available elsewhere at the gateway. The media gateway selects the new processing resource based on criteria that include: i) the capabilities that were identified to handle the packet stream at the affected (faulty) processor; ii) the capabilities of the IP terminal originating the packet stream that is being moved; and iii) the Internet Protocol address of the affected processing resource. Advantageously, an effort is made to avoid having to inform the media gateway controller of the move, thereby minimizing any discontinuity in each packet stream and minimizing the time and processing that are required to establish the call.
US08305873B2

A method and apparatus for transmitting a sequence in a wireless communication system is provided. A transmitter generates a block sequence comprising a first sub-block sequence and a second sub-block sequence, generates a phase modulated block sequence by performing phase modulation on the block sequence, maps the phase modulated block sequence to a plurality of sub-blocks, and transmits the phase modulated block sequence mapped to the plurality of sub-blocks.
US08305871B2

Described are methods and circuits for reducing the error-inducing effects of crosstalk. Communication circuits in accordance with some embodiments adjust the phase of transmitted “aggressor” data to misalign transmitted signals from the perspective of “victim” channels. This misalignment moves the noise artifacts cross coupled to the victim channel away from sensitive sample times in the victim data, and consequently reduces the net effects of aggressor crosstalk on neighboring victim channels. Some embodiments reduce the effects of crosstalk by introducing static timing offsets to one or a plurality of aggressor transmitters, one or a plurality of victim transmitters, or some combination of aggressor and victim transmitters. Other embodiments dynamically alter the relative timing of aggressor and victim transmitters.
US08305855B2

An information processing apparatus includes: a signal reproduction section configured to obtain a reproduced signal from a recording medium by radiating a laser beam emitted by a laser-beam source to the recording medium; and a high-frequency signal superposition section configured to superpose either a first high-frequency signal or a second high-frequency signal having a frequency higher than the frequency of the first high-frequency signal on a driving signal used for driving the laser-beam source, wherein, in a first signal reproduction operation, the high-frequency signal superposition section superposes the first high-frequency signal on the driving signal whereas, in a second signal reproduction operation to measure information on the amplitude of the reproduced signal, the high-frequency signal superposition section superposes the second high-frequency signal on the driving signal.
US08305841B2

A method and apparatus for determining the topography of a seafloor includes providing a vessel with a multibeam sonar device which transmits first pulses of first signals, and a pair of sidescan sonar devices, which transmit second pulses of second signals, spaced apart rearwardly from the multibeam sonar device on the vessel. The first and second pulses produced by the multibeam sonar device and the sidescan sonar devices, respectively, are interleaved, and the time duration between each second pulse and the next following first pulse, and between each first pulse and the next following one of the first and second pulses is determined as a function of the maximum time-of-flight of the first signals of one of the previous first pulses from the time of transmission thereof to the time of reception of the backscattered first signals.
US08305828B2

The present invention relates to a memory circuit and a method of controlling data retention in the memory circuit, wherein a supply signal is selectively switched to a respective one of at least two virtual supply lines (24) each shared by a respective one of a plurality of groups (30-1 to 30-n) of memory cells (C0,0 to Cy,z). The selective switching is controlled based on a global activity control signal (A), used for setting the memory circuit either into a standby state or into an active state, and a local data retention indication signal (DR1 to DRn) allocated to a dedicated group of memory cells. Thereby, the data retention part of the memory circuit can be adapted to the application and its state, and standby mode leakaged power is only dissipated in those memory cells for which data retentions actually required.
US08305827B2

A memory array comprises a plurality of memory cells arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns. A column of the plurality of columns includes a first power supply node configured to provide a first voltage, a second power supply node configured to provide a second voltage, and a plurality of internal supply nodes electrically coupled together and configured to receive the first voltage or the second voltage for a plurality of memory cells in the column and a plurality of internal ground nodes. The internal ground nodes are electrically coupled together and configured to provide at least two current paths for the plurality of memory cells in the column.
US08305821B2

A memory system includes a memory controller that writes data to and reads data from a memory device. A write data strobe accompanying the write data indicates to the memory device when the write data is valid, whereas a read strobe accompanying data from the memory device indicates to the memory controller when the read data is valid. The memory controller adaptively controls the phase of the write strobe to compensate for timing drift at the memory device. The memory controller uses the read strobe as a measure of the drift.
US08305817B2

Provided are nonvolatile memory devices and program methods thereof. A nonvolatile memory device provides a program voltage to a selected word line and performs a program verify operation. The nonvolatile memory device controls a bit line voltage of the next program loop according to the program verification result. In the program verification operation, a target verify voltage is used as a pre-verify voltage. The nonvolatile memory device controls the bit line voltage of the next program loop according to the program verification result, thus making it possible to reduce the threshold voltage distribution of a memory cell. Also, the nonvolatile memory device uses the target verify voltage as the pre-verify voltage, thus making it possible to increase the program verification speed.
US08305812B2

A flash memory module and a method for programming a page of flash memory cells, the method includes: receiving a cycle count indication indicative of a number of program cycles of the page of memory cells; setting a value of a programming parameter of a programming operation based on the cycle count indication; and programming at least one flash memory cell of the page of flash memory cells by performing the programming operation.
US08305809B2

The present disclosure includes methods, devices, and systems for dealing with threshold voltage change in memory devices. A number of embodiments include an array of memory cells and control circuitry having sense circuitry coupled to the array. The control circuitry is configured to determine changes in threshold voltages (Vts) associated with the memory cells without using a reference cell, and adjust the sense circuitry based on the determined changes and without using a reference cell.
US08305807B2

Techniques and corresponding circuitry are presented for the detection of broken wordlines in a memory array. In an exemplary embodiment, a program operation of the memory circuit is performed on a first plurality of memory cells along a word-line, where the programming operation includes a series of alternating programming pulses and verify operations, with the memory cells individually locking out from further programming pulses as verified. The determination of whether the word-line is defective based on the number of programming pulses for the memory cells of a first subset of the first plurality to verify as programmed relative to the number of programming pulses for the memory cells of a second subset of the first plurality to verify as programmed, where the first and second subsets each contain multiple memory cells and are not the same.
US08305806B2

A nonvolatile memory device includes global selection lines, local selection lines, a first selection circuit, and a second selection circuit. The local lines correspond respectively to the global selection lines. The first selection circuit is configured to connect to the global selection lines to select the global selection lines. The second selection circuit is connected between the global selection lines and the local selection lines and is configured to select the local selection lines. The first selection circuit is configured to select at least one global selection line, and the second selection circuit is configured to select the local selection lines corresponding to the selected global selection line while the at least one global selection line is continuously activated.
US08305804B2

The invention provides an operation method of a memory system including a flash memory device. The method includes programming at least one page included in a selected memory block of the flash memory device; and determining the selected memory block or the flash memory device to be invalid, according to whether a loop number of the programmed page is out of a reference loop range.
US08305794B2

The invention relates to the use of a material that belongs to the class of lacunar spinels with tetrahedral aggregates of an AM4X8 transition element as the active material for an electronic data non-volatile memory, in which: A includes at least one of the following elements: Ga, Ge, Zn; M includes at least one of the following elements: V, Nb, Ta, Mo; and X includes at least one of the following elements: S, Se.
US08305793B2

An integrated circuit includes an array of resistance changing memory cells, and a circuit configured to apply an initialization signal to a first one of the memory cells that is in a virgin resistance state. The initialization signal is configured to modify the first memory cell without switching an operation state of the first memory cell.
US08305784B2

A universal input switching power supply has a signal detecting unit, two DC converting units and a physical wiring and controlling unit. The DC converting units are respectively adapted to couple to an AC power source to convert the AC power source to two first DC power sources and changes a voltage of each of the first power sources according to different voltage of the AC power source. The physical wiring and controlling unit is connected to the outputs of the DC converting units and the signal detecting unit and automatically connects the outputs of the PFC circuits in parallel if a high line voltage range of the AC power source is coupled to the full bridge rectifier. On the contrary, the physical wiring and controlling unit automatically connects the outputs of the PFC circuits in serial. Accordingly, the universal input switching power supply has good transmitting efficiency at different AC power source conditions.
US08305778B2

A method and a system to influence the power generation of at least one adjustable speed generator. The system includes a first voltage source converter connected to a local AC bus. The local AC bus is provided with power by the at least one adjustable speed generator. A second voltage source converter connected to an AC grid. A DC link is connected between the first and the second voltage source converter. At least one control unit controls the first and the second voltage source converters. The at least one control unit performs the method to control the AC voltage in the local AC bus via the first voltage source converter and to modify a reference value for the AC voltage magnitude of the local AC bus in dependence on the AC voltage magnitude of the AC grid.
US08305774B2

An enclosure includes a plate. The plate defines a number of through holes. A hollow shield extends from the edges bounding each through hole. A top side of the shield opposite to the plate is smaller than a bottom side of the shield which is connected to the edges of the through hole. The enclosure can better shield electromagnetic interference (EMI) from the electronic device.
US08305762B2

There is disclosed an apparatus of planar heat pipe for cooling, which may be embedded in a printed circuit board for cooling of heat-dissipating components.The apparatus includes two panels that are both metal clad on one side, at least one of the panels being grooved on its metal clad side, the panels being assembled by their metal clad sides to form a sealed cavity, the cavity being filled with a fluid, the fluid circulating by capillary action along the grooves towards zones exposed to heat where it vaporizes.Application: electronics, cooling, printed circuit boards
US08305761B2

A low profile heat removal system suitable for removing excess heat generated by a component operating in a compact computing environment is disclosed.
US08305759B2

Dielectric liquid is used to cool heat generating electronic components disposed on a circuit board within a case. The liquid is poured or otherwise directed over the electronic components, with gravity assisting the liquid in flowing downward over the components, with the liquid thereafter being collected in a sump for eventual return back to the electronic components. One exemplary application of the described concepts is in cooling electronic components in computers, for example personal computers or server computers.
US08305752B2

An air duct defines a first air vent and a second air vent at opposite ends thereof, respectively. The air duct includes a duct body and a movable plate. The duct body defines a through opening in a side thereof. The through hole intercommunicates an interior and an exterior of the air duct. The movable plate is mounted on the side of the duct body adjacent to the through opening. By moving the movable plate, the through opening can be changed between an open state and a closed state freely. An electronic device incorporating the air duct is also provided.
US08305751B2

A disk drive test slot includes a housing that defines a test compartment for receiving and supporting a disk drive transporter carrying a disk drive for testing. The housing also defines an open end that provides access to the test compartment for insertion and removal of disk drive transporter carrying a disk drive for testing. The disk drive test slot also includes a mounting plate connected to the housing. One or more isolators are disposed between the housing and the mounting plate. The one or more isolators are operable to inhibit transmission of vibrational energy between the housing and the mounting plate.
US08305750B2

An electronic device includes a circuit module with a circuit board, and a plug connector with a supporting base, several terminals, and an outer shell. The terminals are disposed at the supporting base, and connected to the circuit board. The outer shell surrounds the supporting base, and has two parallel horizontal plates. Two extending plates are extended from a front surface of one of the horizontal plates. A slot is formed among that horizontal plate and the two extending plates. Via these arrangements, the out shell of the plug connector has the slot, so that the deformation of the outer shell is more easily caused. Thus, even if the assembly tolerance between the plug connector and the socket connector is deviated, the force for plugging or unplugging the plug connector would not be too abnormal. That is because the outer shell can be easily deformed to compensate for the deviation.
US08305749B2

A clip mechanism includes a first lateral wall whereon a slot is formed, and a second lateral wall disposed on a side of the first lateral wall. At least one opening is formed on the second lateral wall for engaging with a protrusion of a casing. The clip mechanism further includes a bending part bent for connecting the first lateral wall and the second lateral wall. The clip mechanism further includes a resilient arm. A first end of the resilient arm is connected to an end of the slot of the first lateral wall, and a second end of the resilient arm protrudes out of a side of the slot. The resilient arm further includes a contacting part protruding out of the other side of the slot for contacting against an electronic device so as to ground the electronic device.
US08305742B2

There is provided an improved solution for a user interface of a cycling computer user interface unit and an improved solution for mounting a cycling computer to a bicycle. The user interface solution comprises a swing switch rotating about a shaft and the mounting solution comprises a cross element enabling mounting in 90 degree resolution.
US08305741B2

A panel segment is structured to be attachable and detachable from the computing device in order to form a portion of the overall housing for the computing device. The panel segment includes a panel connector, positioned on an interior surface of the panel segment to electrically mate with an interior connector of the computing device when the panel segment is attached. The panel segment includes one or more electrical components that are operable to send an electrical output to, or receive an electrical output from a component of the computing device.
US08305738B1

A power transfer device adapted for interconnection with the electrical system of a building includes a cabinet, a set of switches mounted to an upper panel of the cabinet, and wires adapted to connect the switches to an electrical distribution panel associated with a building electrical system. The power transfer device includes an upper compartment and a lower compartment partitioned from one another by an intermediate wall. The upper panel closes the upper compartment and a lower panel is adapted to selectively close the lower compartment. A strain relief member is mounted in the lower compartment and tightly holds the wires against the housing to prevent the unintentional disconnection of the wires from the switches.
US08305733B2

A super-capacitor electrode is provided, which comprises a metal foil as a current collector, an active material, a conductive agent, and an organic adhesive agent. The metal foil is an uncorroded smooth metal foil. The super-capacitor electrode further comprises a silane coupling agent for binding the organic adhesive agent and the uncorroded smooth metal foil, so that the active material is adhered to the uncorroded smooth metal foil. In comparison with a case that only organic adhesive agent is used in a super-capacitor electrode, since the silane coupling agent is used in the super-capacitor electrode of the present invention to bind the organic adhesive agent and the uncorroded smooth metal foil, the binding strength of the active material on the uncorroded smooth metal foil is improved without increasing the amount of the agent used for adhering, so that the super-capacitor electrode of the present invention attains perfect overall performance.
US08305729B2

A laminated ceramic electronic component includes first internal electrodes and second internal electrodes that overlap each other through ceramic layers, each of the first and second internal electrodes having first and second effective portions, first and second connecting portions, and first and second extended portions whose film thickness is greater than that of the first and second connecting portions and which are exposed at the outer surface of a ceramic element assembly. When distances from side surfaces of the ceramic assembly on which first and second external electrodes are provided to the inner edges of the first and second extended portions are defined as L1 and L2, respectively, and a distance between side surfaces and the end of the second internal electrode or the end of the first internal electrode is defined as G2 or G1, G2>L1 and G1>L2 are satisfied.
US08305726B2

A method for progressively introducing current into, or removing current from, a superconducting coil mounted on a former, in which the coil vibrates relative to the former.
US08305725B2

A battery pack (200) includes a power limiting apparatus (230) comprising a power limiting resistor (232) in series with an overcurrent protection device (234). A switch (236) under the control of a data line (202) is placed in parallel with the series coupled power limiting resistor (232) and overcurrent protection device (234). When the switch (236) is enabled via the data line (202), current limiting is provided via the switch and a fuse. When the switch (236) is disabled via the data line (202) current limiting is provided via the overcurrent protection device (234) which limits the maximum battery system current.
US08305724B2

An electric connection box 10 comprises an FET 32 for connection with a power supply B, a substrate side conduction path 18 connected with the FET 32 and connecting the FET 32 with a load L, a diode element D connected with the substrate side conduction path 18 electrically and to transfer heat and having a PN junction, and a CPU 19 for judging whether the voltage drop value between the input/output terminals 25 and 26 of the diode element D is larger than a threshold or not and delivering an off-command signal to the FET 32 if a judgment is made that the voltage drop value is smaller than the threshold.
US08305722B2

A two terminal ESD protection structure formed by an alternating arrangement of adjacent p-n-p-n-p semiconductor regions provides protection against both positive and negative ESD pulses. When an ESD pulse appears across the two terminals of the ESD protection structure, one of the inherent n-p-n-p thyristors is triggered into a snap-back mode thereby to form a low impedance path to discharge the ESD current.Some embodiments of the ESD protection structure of the present invention have an enhanced current handling capability and are formed by combining a number of standard cells. The standard cells include a corner cell, a center cell and an edge cell which are arranged adjacent each other to form an ESD protection structure which provides for current flow from across many locations therein.Some embodiments of the ESD protection structure of the present invention include a network consisting of a pair of current sources, e.g. back-to-back zener diodes, each connected in series with a resistor to control the trigger voltage of the ESD protection structure.
US08305719B2

Disclosed is an improved electrostatic discharge protection device that can effectively cope with electrostatic stress of a microchip operating at high voltage. The ESD protection device includes at least one gate coupled NMOS (GCNMOS) having a gate connected to a drain via a capacitor disposed between the gate and the drain and connected to a source and a well to pick-up via a resistor, and devices for low or medium voltage operation of 6V or less connected in series to the gate coupled NMOS (GCNMOS).
US08305696B2

The present invention is directed to an improved inner focusing zoom lens barrel that implements a zoom ratio as high as 15×±α and that ensures a well-balanced cam configuration for the smooth zooming and focusing. The inner focusing zoom lens barrel includes a fixed barrel; a focusing cam barrel, a linear shuttle barrel, and a first cam barrel laid one over another in this order inside the fixed barrel; and a zoom linkage ring, a second cam barrel, and a 1st-lens-group sliding barrel laid one over another in this order outside the fixed barrel.
US08305682B2

An apparatus and methods for generating a substantially supercontinuum-free widely-tunable multimilliwatt source of radiation characterized by a narrowband line profile. The apparatus and methods employ nonlinear optical mechanisms in a nonlinear photonic crystal fiber (PCF) by detuning the wavelength of a pump laser to a significant extent relative to the zero-dispersion wavelength (ZDW) of the PCF. Optical phenomena employed for the selective up-conversion in the PCF include, but are not limited to, four-wave mixing and Cherenkov radiation. Tunability is achieved by varying pump wavelength and power and by substituting different types of PCFs characterized by specified dispersion properties.
US08305673B2

Disclosed is a light scanning unit that includes an imaging optical system disposed between a beam deflector and a surface to be scanned. The imaging optical system includes two adjacent imaging optical devices that are inclined with respect to the light path. The inclination directions of the two adjacent imaging optical devices may be determined according to the number of reflection units that are disposed on the light path between the two adjacent imaging optical devices. The disclosed light scanning unit of the above configuration may advantageously exhibit reduced ghost images, reduced bowing of the scan line, improved beam diameter uniformity, and/or improved color registration.
US08305669B2

An optical scanning device of the invention includes: a substrate main body; two cantilever beam portions which protrude from both-side portions of one side of the substrate main body; a mirror portion whose both-sides are supported by torsion bar portions between the cantilever beam portions; a drive source which causes the substrate main body to oscillate; and a light source which projects light onto the mirror portion, where the mirror portion resonates and vibrates in accordance with a vibration imparted to a substrate by the drive source, and a direction of reflection light from the light projected onto the mirror portion from the light source changes in accordance with the vibration of the mirror portion, and where a fixed end portion of the substrate main body which is located on the opposite side thereof from the mirror portion side is fixed to a supporting component, and the drive source is provided on a portion of the substrate main body.
US08305662B2

An image reading device comprising: a carrying unit; a reading unit; a first obtaining unit to obtain a first value representing a ground color of a first face of the document; a first judgment unit to judge whether to execute correction for the ground color of the first face; a first correction unit to correct the ground color of the first face; a second obtaining unit to obtain a second value representing a ground color of a second face of the document; a second judgment unit to judge whether the second value falls within a predetermined range including the first value; a third judgment unit to judge whether to execute correction for the second face of the document in accordance with a judgment result by the first judgment unit if the second judgment unit judges that the second value falls within the predetermined range; and a second correction unit.
US08305653B2

A method and system including a scanning subsystem for scanning a plurality of documents with a plurality of corresponding images is presented. The system further includes an image generation subsystem for automatically generating (1) a plurality of thumbnail images corresponding to the plurality of documents scanned with the scanner, and (2) a mark sense area corresponding to each one of the plurality of thumbnail images. A printing subsystem is included for producing at least one print including the plurality of thumbnail images and a plurality of mark sense areas. A thumbnail selection module is also included that causes at least one of the plurality of corresponding images to be replaced when both the at least one print with one or more marked mark sense areas and at least one of the plurality of documents are scanned with the scanning subsystem.
US08305644B2

Density-correction-table lists showing an amount of density changes in respective density levels of images that exist after an image having a predetermined density has been printed on a predetermined number of sheets are maintained. The amount of density changes in the respective density levels for an image ratio that exists after the predetermined number of sheets have been printed on and for the predetermined number of sheets that have been printed on are obtained with reference to values in the maintained density-correction-table lists. A density correction characteristic is determined using the obtained amount of density changes.
US08305637B2

A multicolor image forming apparatus includes an exposure unit to direct optical beams for optically writing different single-color images on image carriers, respectively, a pattern forming unit to form a positioning pattern on a transport member, a pattern detector to detect the positioning pattern, disposed above the transport member, a positional data detector disposed on a scanning line to detect positional data in a sub-scanning direction of the optical beams, an adjustment unit, and a storage unit. The adjustment unit detects positional deviations among the different single-color images based on detection results generated by both the pattern detector and the positional data detector, respectively, and then corrects the positional deviations. The storage unit stores as reference data the positional data in the sub-scanning direction of the optical beams detected when the positional deviations are corrected.
US08305634B2

In an image processing device, the memory stores conversion characteristic information corresponding to respective recording portions of an image recording device that records an image at a recording medium while moving a recording unit, which is provided with a plurality of the recording portions arrayed in a first direction, relative to the recording medium in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction, the conversion characteristic information expressing conversion characteristics for converting image data in units of one pixel. The first processing unit performs conversion processing along the first direction, continuously converting respective sets of pixel data aligned in the second direction, using conversion characteristic information that corresponds to the recording portions. The second processing unit performs image processing in the order of processing by the first processing unit. The output unit outputs the image data to the image recording device as aligned in the first direction.
US08305613B2

An image forming apparatus, a client PC, and a thin client PC are connected to a server device via a network. The client PC, or the thin client PC, transmits a printing instruction to the server device and the server device transmits the printing instruction to the image forming apparatus. In a thin client environment, a network between the server device and the image forming apparatus can be a narrowband network. Therefore, the server device compresses the whole printing instruction and then transmits the compressed printing instruction to the image forming apparatus.
US08305601B2

There is provided a device information management system, including a server, a client and a device in which the server and the client are configured to communicate with each other via a first communication channel while the client and the device are configured to communicate with each other via a second communication channel different from the first communication channel and device information is transmitted from the device to the client via the second communication channel and from the client to the server via the first communication channel and registered in a database of the server. The device includes a device-side information supplying unit configured to supply the device information to the client via the second communication channel.
US08305596B2

An object of this invention is to provide an information processing apparatus which can provide a plurality of services via a network, can easily manage objects to be processed which are permitted to be processed by the service, and enhances security for respective objects to be processed. To this end, an MFP according to this embodiment is an MFP (100) which can provide a plurality of services (306 to 308), and has a read unit for accessing a script (305) that describes information associated with a document file and reading the information, a unit (302) for, when a request is received, instructing to execute authentication processing of a user who issued the request, and a unit (301) for, when the user authentication has succeeded, checking based on the information whether or not a file included in the request is a file which is not permitted to be processed by the service. If it is determined that the file is permitted to be processed by the service, the service processes the file.
US08305590B2

A driver of a server managing a plurality of image forming device drivers and a data printing method using the same are provided. The virtual driver includes an object information storage part for storing image forming device information to provide object information and objects of the image forming devices; an object information register for registering new object information and corresponding image forming device information in the object information storage part by searching another new object different from the objects stored in the object information storage part when the image forming device is connected to the server, and then a new object is found by recognizing the connection; a user interface unit for displaying the object information stored in the object information storage part when the client device requests a data output; and a job controller for outputting print data to the image forming device providing the object when the object is selected through the user interface unit.
US08305587B2

A metrology tool (1) for measuring the positions of structures (32) on a mask surface (31) is disclosed. On a measuring stage (33) a reflector (36) selective with respect to the wavelength is provided, which essentially reflects light within a first wavelength region emitted from a first illumination device (10), and essentially does not reflect light within a second wavelength region emitted from a second illumination device (20). The reflector (36) selective with respect to the wavelength preferentially is a dichroic mirror. By detecting the light within the first wavelength region reflected by the reflector (36) the position of predefined sections of outer edges (37) of the mask is determined. The light from the second wavelength region is used for determining the coordinates of structures on the mask. Due to the selectivity with respect to the wavelength of the reflector (36) this determination of coordinates is not perturbed by a reflection of the light within the second wavelength region from the reflector (36).
US08305586B2

An optical encoder includes a linear power transmission member which moves longitudinally, a reflector which is provided on an outer peripheral surface of the linear power transmission member and which is longitudinally movable integrally with the linear power transmission member, the reflector including two kinds of reflecting portions different in reflectance are longitudinally arranged, and a light source which radiates light. Further, the optical encoder includes a linear light transmitter which guides the light from the light source to the reflector and to which reflection light reflected from the reflector is guided, and a calculation mechanism configured to calculate a longitudinal displacement of the reflector on the basis of an intensity of the reflection light from the reflector which is guided via the linear light transmitter.
US08305583B2

A sensing system comprises a light source, an optical fiber, a plurality of noble metal nano-particles, a micro-fluidic module and a photo detector. The optical fiber couples an incident light. The plurality of noble metal nano-particles are disposed on a surface of the optical fiber to form a noble metal nano-particle submonolayer, the noble metal nano-particles are substantially separated from each adjacent noble metal nano-particles such that the conductivity of the noble metal nano-particle submonolayer is smaller than that of a metal film. The micro-fluidic module accommodates the optical fiber and a sample, and the sample is driven to contact with the noble metal nano-particles. The photo detector detects an emergent light from the optical fiber. When the incident light interacts with the noble metal nano-particles, a signal derived from localized surface plasmon resonance in form of attenuated light or elastic scattered light is outputted through the photo detector.
US08305581B2

Methods and apparatus for analyzing a sample using at least one detector are disclosed.
US08305580B2

In apparatus for the production and detection of fluorescence at a sample surface, the height of the apparatus above the sample surface is reduced, and loss of the emitted fluorescence due to reflection loss and light scattering is minimized. The apparatus comprises a three-dimensionally curved light reflecting surface (40) that directs light from a light source (32) transversely to its original path and focuses the light on to an illumination zone (30) at or below the sample surface. The reflecting surface (40) also collects, directs and at least partially collimates emitted fluorescence transversely to its original path and towards a detector (46).
US08305574B2

This invention is to make the detection sensitivities as even as possible among a plurality of specimens to be inspected in an analyzer that leads light transmitted from the plurality of specimens to be inspected to a single spectrometer via optical fibers, the analyzer includes first and second light guide members provided for every first and second specimen to be inspected so as to lead the light obtained from each of the specimens to be inspected to a photo-detecting part, and light projection side end portions of a plurality of optical fiber elements composing the first and second light guide members are arranged in mixture.
US08305571B2

A sample is illuminated by laser light and the resulting Raman spectrum is dispersed at a high spectral resolution along one or more rows or columns of detector elements of a CCD. The resulting charge is shifted in a direction Y′ and binned in an output register of the CCD. The dispersed spectrum is moved along the rows or columns in a direction X′, synchronously with the shifting of charge in the output register. Thus, data from a given wavenumber in the spectrum continues to accumulate in the output register during the movement. This enables data from a wide spectrum to be collected at high resolution, without the need to subsequently stitch blocks of data together in a computer, even where the CCD is arranged such that row-by-row transfer of charge towards the output register is orthogonal to the direction of dispersion.
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