US08442882B1
A method for managing charitable donations of a donor. The method includes receiving donation information associated with a charitable donation of a donor from a browser extension of a browser application, where the browser application is executing on a user system associated with the donor and where the browser extension obtains the donation information independent of web content presented in the browser application. The method further includes receiving a request for the donation information from a tax preparation entity. The method further includes in response to the request, sending the donation information to the tax preparation entity, where the donation information is used by the tax preparation entity to generate tax documentation for the donor.
US08442863B2
A “Real-Time-Ready Analyzer” combines a data stream management system (DSMS) with a map-reduce (M-R) framework to construct a streaming map-reduce framework that is suitable for real-time Behavioral Targeting (BT) (or other temporal queries). The Real-Time-Ready Analyzer allows users to write “dual-intent” temporal analysis queries for BT. These queries are succinct and easy to express, scale well on large-scale offline data, and can also work over real-time data. Further, the Real-Time-Ready Analyzer uses the aforementioned streaming map-reduce framework to provide dual-intent algorithms for end-to-end BT phases. Experiments using real data from an advertisement system show that the Real-Time-Ready Analyzer is very efficient and incurs orders-of-magnitude lower development effort than conventional systems.
US08442857B1
A high performance capability assessment model helps a pulp and paper business meet the challenges of the global marketplace. As a result, the pulp and paper business can achieve the clarity, consistency, and well-defined execution of core processes that reduce inefficiencies and waste that result from unnecessary process complexity and exceptions. In addition, the high performance capability assessment model helps the pulp and paper industry business to identify specific areas in which improvements may be made and understand how to make the improvements, and establishes levels of capability along the way to reaching an ultimate capability goal.
US08442849B2
Methods and systems are provided for emotional mapping, such as of online users, based at least in part on online activities of users. Techniques are provided in which information including a set of emotional states is generated or obtained, such as a hierarchical network of emotional states representing a spectrum of human emotions. Information regarding user online activities and content choices of a user is obtained. Based at least in part on this information, the user is classified into an emotional state of the set of emotional states, and advertisements or content may be targeted to the user accordingly.
US08442841B2
A method is provided for identifying a patient as being suitable for implantation of a weight-loss assist device. The method includes identifying the patient as being generally suitable for the implantation and subsequently, measuring a value associated with the patient. Responsively to determining that the value is beyond a threshold associated therewith, the weight-loss assist device is implanted.
US08442840B2
A healthcare payment transaction system for managing and arranging payment for a healthcare service transaction provided by a healthcare service provider to a patient, particularly where the payment is to be paid by an insurer. The system includes an electronic deposit account for the healthcare service provider whereby the healthcare service provider records information regarding healthcare service transactions performed by the healthcare service provider for patients. It also features an electronic deposit account for the insurer whereby the insurer accesses information regarding healthcare service transactions for services provided for patients for which the insurer has payment responsibility. The insurer can also use its electronic deposit account to deposit payments for healthcare service transactions performed for patients covered by a policy issued by the insurer. A central system is used as a means for electronically transferring payments from the insurer's electronic deposit account to the healthcare service provider's electronic deposit account. A sweep function is further provided as a means for determining whether the healthcare service provider has recorded information regarding a healthcare service transaction for a patient for whom the insurer has payment responsibility.
US08442839B2
Collaborative agents for simulating teamwork (CAST) are provided with a recognition-primed decision (RPD) model, thereby enhancing analysis through linking and sharing information using knowledge and experience distributed among team members. The RPD model is integrated within a CAST architecture to the extent that agents can proactively seek and fuse information to enhance the quality and timeliness of the decision-making process. The approach, which is applicable to both human assistants and virtual teammates, can approximately track human's decision-making process and effectively interact with human users. A disclosed example relates to teams of agents analyzing terrorist activities.
US08442835B2
Methods, systems, and products measure health data related to a user. A spoken phrase is received and time-stamped. The user is identified from the spoken phrase. A window of time is determined from a semantic content of the spoken phrase. A sensor measurement is received and time-stamped. A difference in time between the time-stamped spoken phrase and the time-stamped sensor measurement is determined and compared to the window of time. When the difference in time is within the window of time, then the sensor measurement is associated with the user.
US08442827B2
Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for approximating an accent source. A system practicing the method collects data associated with customer specific services, generates country-specific or dialect-specific weights for each service in the customer specific services list, generates a summary weight based on an aggregation of the country-specific or dialect-specific weights, and sets an interactive voice response system language model based on the summary weight and the country-specific or dialect-specific weights. The interactive voice response system can also change the user interface based on the interactive voice response system language model. The interactive voice response system can tune a voice recognition algorithm based on the summary weight and the country-specific weights. The interactive voice response system can adjust phoneme matching in the language model based on a possibility that the speaker is using other languages.
US08442826B2
Architecture for integrating application-dependent information into a constraints component at deployment time or when available. In terms of a general grammar, the constraints component can include or be a general grammar that comprises application-independent information and is structured in such a way that application-dependent information can be integrated into the general grammar without loss of fidelity. The general grammar includes a probability space and reserves a section of the probability space for the integration of application-dependent information. An integration component integrates the application-dependent information into the reserved section of the probability space for recognition processing. The application-dependent information is integrated into the reserved section of the probability space at deployment time or when available. The general grammar is structured to support the integration and improve the overall system.
US08442822B2
Machine-readable media, methods, apparatus and system for speech segmentation are described. In some embodiments, a fuzzy rule may be determined to discriminate a speech segment from a non-speech segment. An antecedent of the fuzzy rule may include an input variable and an input variable membership. A consequent of the fuzzy rule may include an output variable and an output variable membership. An instance of the input variable may be extracted from a segment. An input variable membership function associated with the input variable membership and an output variable membership function associated with the output variable membership may be trained. The instance of the input variable, the input variable membership function, the output variable, and the output variable membership function may be operated, to determine whether the segment is the speech segment or the non-speech segment.
US08442819B2
Methods and apparatus are disclosed for controlling a buffer in a communication system, such as a digital audio broadcasting (DAB) communication system. A more consistent perceptual quality over time provides for a more pleasing auditory experience to a listener. The disclosed bit allocation process determines, for each frame, a distortion d[k] at which the frame is to be encoded. The distortion d[k] is determined to minimize (i) the probability for a buffer overflow, and (ii) the variation of perceived distortion over time. A buffer level is controlled by partitioning a signal into a sequence of successive frames; estimating a distortion rate for a number of frames; and selecting a distortion such that the variance of the buffer level is bounded by a specified value.
US08442817B2
It is provided a voice activity decision apparatus capable of accurately performing the decision on the state being associated with a sound interval or a silence interval also in terms of the input signal having many aperiodic components and/or plural mixed different periodic components. The apparatus 1 comprises: an autocorrelation calculating unit 11 for calculating autocorrelation values of an input signal; a delay calculating unit 12 for calculating plural delays at which autocorrelation values calculated by the autocorrelation calculating unit 11 become maximums; a noise deciding unit 13 for deciding whether the input signal is a noise or not based on the plurality of delays calculated by the delay calculating unit 12; and an activity decision unit 14 for performing the activity decision in terms of the input signal based on results of decision by the noise deciding unit 13 and the input signal.
US08442811B1
Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, implementing and using techniques for translating digital content from a source language to a target language. A message is displayed to a user. The message contains digital content to be translated from the source language to the target language, as well as the context of the digital content in the source language and/or a reference to a context in which the digital content occurs. A proposed translation of the digital content into the target language is received from the user. The proposed translation is submitted to a translation server.
US08442810B2
In one embodiment, the invention provides a method for machine translation of a source document in an input language to a target document in an output language, comprising generating translation options corresponding to at least portions of each sentence in the input language; and selecting a translation option for the sentence based on statistics associated with the translation options.
US08442804B2
A computer implemented method for generating a section cut in a model of a part. A location on the part is identified. An axis system is created at the location in the model of the part, wherein the axis system has an axis that is normal to a surface at the location in the model of the part. Section cuts intersecting the surface and plies below the surface are created. A plurality of sampling points on the surface is identified based on the section cuts. Core sampling is preformed using the plurality of sampling points to generate sampled data.
US08442800B2
The system according to the invention interprets sensor observations by tracking objects and by collecting information about the objects by means of the tracking and by using this information for affirming events linked to the objects and in producing information describing the events. The system detects events according the conditions defined for them, on the basis of sensor observations. The conditions can relate to the essence of the objects, e.g. to the strength of the observations linked to the object, to the size and/or shape of the object, to a temporal change of essence and to movement. The event conditions used by the system can comprise conditions applying to the location of the object. The system according to the invention can be used e.g. for detecting the falling, the getting out of bed, the arrival in a space or the exit from it of a person by tracking an object with a dense sensor field, and for producing event information about the treatment or safety of the person for delivering to the person providing care.
US08442795B2
Test systems and methodologies are provided and may include platforms for developing test programs for automated testing. In one example, tester and instruments are isolated from the tester OS, permitting any OS to be used. In another, a user layer is isolated from the physical layer, permitting hardware-independent development and usability among different tester platforms. In another, test program execution is isolated from a tester platform OS, permitting test program function independent from tester platform. In another embodiment, functions are only added, existing links to functions are not broken, ensuring continued operation with new software, hardware and/or features. Systems may be non-deterministic. In one example, the non-deterministic computer is required to execute computer instructions within a constant execution time. A deterministic engine, may be used to wait a variable amount of time to ensure constant execution time. Execution over constant time is deterministic permitting applications requiring deterministic behavior.
US08442786B2
A system and method for efficient reporting of power usage. A power reporting unit within a processor receives a power consumption number once every sample interval from a power monitor. The power monitor determines a power consumption number based on sampled signals within one or more functional blocks in the processor, rather than based on temperature. An average power consumption number is computed based on received power consumption numbers for a running time interval, wherein the running time interval is larger than the sample interval. This value is conveyed to an external agent. Responsive to receiving and processing the average power consumption number, the external agent may cause changes in a cooling system.
US08442781B2
A drive device for operating an electromagnetic oscillator includes an OP amplifier for amplifying an analog input signal from an electromagnetic pick-off and an A/D converter for converting an analog signal output from the OP amplifier into a digital signal. The drive device also includes a D/A converter for converting, after digital processing performed by a DSP on the digital signal output from the A/D converter based on phase detection, a digital signal having a processed data amount into an analog signal, and a D/A converter for converting, after the digital processing performed by the DSP on the digital signal output from the D/A converter based on the phase detection, a digital signal having a processed data amount into an analog signal.
US08442777B1
The system and method for measuring rolling resistance provide for the measurement of various properties associated with pre-rolling resistance. A cruciform pendulum is formed from a rigid rod having opposed upper and lower ends and a horizontal support extending orthogonal thereto. A pair of substantially hemispherical samples formed from a first material are mounted on opposing ends of the horizontal support. Flat, planar samples of a second test material are placed upon spaced apart supporting surfaces. The cruciform pendulum is suspended between the supporting surfaces with the hemispherical first material resting on the planar second material. The rigid rod is deflected from vertical and released to induce pendulum oscillations with the first material rolling on the second material. Based upon the measured angular deviations and periods of pendulum oscillations, coefficients of rolling friction, moments of rolling friction, hysteresis losses, adhesion and moments of elastic rolling resistance may be easily calculated.
US08442769B2
Various methods are disclosed, comprising obtaining a plurality of raw depth measurements for a wellbore; obtaining survey data about a bottom hole assembly; obtaining depth compensation information; calculating a plurality of compensated depth measurements from the raw depth measurements and the depth compensation information and one or more additional corrections for residual pipe compliance, tide, and rig heave; calculating sag angle and correcting the survey data with the sag angle; determining a high fidelity wellbore trajectory from the compensated depth measurements and the survey data; and then employing the high fidelity wellbore trajectory in various drilling, formation evaluation, and production and reservoir analysis applications. Depth compensation information may comprise at least one of weight on bit, a friction factor, temperature profile, borehole profile, drill string mechanical properties, hookload, and drilling fluid property. The surveys may include both static and continuous surveys.
US08442764B2
A computer generated 3-dimensional map display includes a reference icon identifying an observation point in the geographic area defined by the map, the map being presented on a curved surface which extends from a first plane to a second plane which is substantially orthogonal to the first plane. The observation point is located in the first plane. The display is configured such that the height of landmarks and buildings in a defined foreground of the reference icon are presented normal to the first plane, the height of land marks and buildings at a defined far distance are presented normal to the second plane and the height of land marks and buildings in a defined middle ground are presented normal to the non-linear portion of the curved surface. The geographic area represented can be translated along the curved surface to provide a perception that the reference icon is roaming through the displayed geographic area.
US08442735B2
In one example, a first vehicle traveling on a road is provided. The vehicle comprises a communication device coupled in the first vehicle configured to receive information transmitted by a second vehicle traveling on the road, the information identifying road surface conditions experience by the second vehicle; and a controller configured to adjust a vehicle operating parameter of the first vehicle in response to receiving the transmitted information from the second vehicle.
US08442731B2
A control system for an electronically controlled continuously variable transmission of a straddle type vehicle in which an intentional shift down operation is easily made in an AT mode. An MT mode temporarily selecting section makes the gear change mode selecting section select the MT mode temporarily and makes the gear ratio control section change the gear ratio of the transmission to a gear ratio from among a plurality of predetermined gear ratios that is positioned lower than a current gear ratio when a mode change signal is inputted in AT mode. An AT mode returning section returns the gear change mode selected by the gear change mode selecting section to AT mode when a release signal is outputted after MT mode is temporarily selected by the MT mode temporarily selecting section.
US08442724B2
A passenger protection system includes: a sensor outputting a detection digital data corresponding to collision; a passenger protection device; and an ECU. The sensor outputs a bit sequence providing an important bit group. A memory stores the data and the sequence doubly for storing first and second detection digital data and first and second bit sequences. The ECU determines based on the first or second data whether it is necessary to protect the passenger when the first data is equal to the second data. When the first data is different from the second data, and the first sequence is equal to the second sequence, the ECU replaces the important bit group in the first or second data with the first or second sequence, and determines based on the first or second data after replacement.
US08442720B2
A vehicle includes a control system that is used to control a vehicle system. The control system determines a roll condition in response to a yaw rate sensor and a pitch rate sensor without having to use a roll rate sensor. A relative roll angle, relative pitch angle, global roll angle, and global pitch angle may also be determined. A safety system may be controlled in response to the roll condition, roll angle, or the pitch angles individually or in combination.
US08442717B2
In an ECU provided for idle-stop control, when a user start command is outputted from an ECU to start an engine in response to a manual start operation of a driver, transistors are turned on and a solenoid is operated to engage a pinion gear of a starter with a ring gear. After a delay period of a delay circuit, a transistor is turned on by an output of the delay circuit and an electromagnetic switch is turned on to energize a motor of the starter. A microcomputer measures an actual delay time from when the user start command is outputted to turn-on of the transistor and checks whether the measured time corresponds to a normal time of the delay time.
US08442716B2
Businesses and other entities may be assigned geographic locations based on various types of data. In one example, entities are associated with segments in a street grid. Additionally, data points (e.g., geotagged blog entries or other online information) are associated with segments in the street grid. For a given segment, data points are compared with entities to identify possible matches between the data points and the entities. Each match is assigned a score, and each match represents a possible physical location for a given entity. The locations of entities on the street are assigned, from among the matches, based on which assignment of entities optimizes the aggregate score for the segment, while satisfying one or more physical constraints.
US08442712B2
An electronic system for an electric drive mobile machine includes at least one transistor that emits heat, a pressure detector that generates a pressure signal, a temperature detector providing a first temperature signal indicative of the detected first temperature and a second temperature of or substantially adjacent to the transistor, and a controller configured to determine a temperature protection set point based upon the first temperature signal and the pressure signal and execute a control strategy for thermally protecting the transistor when the first temperature signal indicates that the first temperature reaches the temperature protection set point.
US08442711B2
A hybrid vehicle and method of control are associated with the following operation. A quantized previous engine power command based on a previous engine power command is obtained. A current engine power command is quantized. The quantized current engine power command is maintained if the magnitude of the difference between the current engine power command and the quantized previous engine power command is larger than a threshold. The quantized current engine power command is set equal to the quantized previous engine power command if the magnitude of the difference between the current engine power command and the quantized previous engine power command is smaller than the threshold. An output engine power command based on the quantized current engine power command is generated. An engine of the hybrid vehicle is operated based on the output engine power command.
US08442704B2
A method for dynamically computing an equi-distance point (EDP) for an aircraft includes receiving at least two reference points for landing the aircraft upon an occurrence of an emergency, determining a remaining flight path for the aircraft based on a current location of the aircraft and a flight plan serviced by a flight management system (FMS) of the aircraft, and generating the EDP for the aircraft by locating a point on the remaining flight path which is equidistant from the at least two reference points.
US08442701B2
A method, apparatus, and computer program product are present for operating an aircraft. A roll angle limit is identified using a load factor selected to allow a lateral maneuvering capability of the aircraft by forming an identified roll angle limit in response to vertical maneuvering of the aircraft. The vertical maneuvering of the aircraft is performed using the identified roll angle limit.
US08442700B2
A mobile station for an unmanned vehicle comprises a vehicular storage area for storing a vehicle during transit or at rest. A first wireless transceiver communicates a status or command between the vehicle and the mobile station during at least one of vehicular deployment and rest. A station controller manages a management plan of the vehicle comprising at least one of retooling the vehicle, loading a payload on the vehicle, and recharging or refueling of the vehicle.
US08442697B2
Embodiments of a method and an apparatus for on-demand power management of a processing system have been presented. In some embodiments, the apparatus includes a power management unit (PMU) to provide power to an electronic system. The apparatus further includes a power management controller (PMC) coupled to the power management unit, to control values of one or more parameters of an operating state of the PMU in response to the operating conditions of the electronic system. The PMC may execute a power management algorithm (PMA) to determine the values of the parameters. Further, the PMU and the PMC may reside on different integrated circuit substrates.
US08442694B2
An air conditioner and a method of controlling the same are disclosed herein. The method of controlling the air conditioner includes receiving an electric power rate information, and distributing an internal air from a first indoor room to a second indoor room to reduce a temperature difference between a plurality of indoor rooms. During periods of peak power rates, costs associated with operating the air conditioner may be reduced by limiting operation of the indoor and outdoor units, while adjusting the temperatures of the indoor rooms by distributing air among the plurality of the indoor rooms.
US08442669B2
A self-feeding device for a user and method operating is provided. The self-feeding device includes a base assembly having a housing with an upper wall, a lower wall and a sidewall extending therebetween the upper wall and the lower wall. A plate is disposed on the upper housing wall of the base assembly, and the plate includes a food compartment having a food item located therein. A feed arm assembly located on the base assembly includes an arm moveable with a predetermined degree of freedom, and a feeding utensil is coupled to the feed arm. A controller actuates the feed arm assembly to obtain the food/drink item from the food compartment via the feed utensil, and to transfer the food item to the user. The methodology includes software to control operation of the self-feeding device within a STORAGE mode, a SELECT mode, and a RETRIEVE food and drink mode.
US08442667B2
Software for controlling processes in a heterogeneous semiconductor manufacturing environment may include a wafer-centric database, a real-time scheduler using a neural network, and a graphical user interface displaying simulated operation of the system. These features may be employed alone or in combination to offer improved usability and computational efficiency for real time control and monitoring of a semiconductor manufacturing process. More generally, these techniques may be usefully employed in a variety of real time control systems, particularly systems requiring complex scheduling decisions or heterogeneous systems constructed of hardware from numerous independent vendors.
US08442664B1
Virtually-integrated wire harness design and automated production systems and methods that achieve completely integrated data management by automatically producing scripts to dynamically propagate production commands and data to various subsystems for handling assembling necessary circuits and wire harness layout boards to produce corresponding batches of wire harnesses while script-based methods control configuring, testing, and using wire harness layout boards, and assembling, testing, reworking, and delivering wire harnesses. As derived from CAD-created specifications, the production system uses a programmable, automated wire C&C center prepares individual wire circuits. While automatic wire indexing, sorting, and delivery systems transfer circuits into, and retrieve circuits from, a transportable programmable, automated, indexed storage system equipped with an array of individual circuit tubes, and a script-controlled assembly system sends visual, aural, and other cues to help an assembler populate and configure a wire harness layout board with connector blocks and turn posts, and guides the assembler in building, testing, reworking, and delivering the corresponding batch of wire harnesses.
US08442650B2
A medical electrical lead that includes a lead body and at least one tubular electrode sub-assembly positioned over and attached to the external surface of the lead body. The lead body includes at least one elongated conductive element, such as a cable, that is electrically connected to an electrode of the tubular electrode sub-assembly. The tubular electrode sub-assembly includes a tubular liner and an electrode embedded in the outer surface of the liner. In some embodiments, only a portion of the inner surface of the tubular liner is attached to the lead body which may potentially improve flexibility of the medical electrode lead in the area occupied by the tubular electrode sub-assembly.
US08442649B2
A lead assembly includes a nerve stimulation lead and at least one anchoring unit. The nerve stimulation lead includes electrodes disposed at a distal end that are electrically coupled to terminals disposed at the proximal end by a plurality of conductive wires. The at least one anchoring unit includes at least one elongated member and at least one fastener. The at least one elongated member extends along at least a portion of the nerve stimulation lead with a distal end of the at least one elongated member extending outwards from the nerve stimulation lead in proximity to the distal end of the nerve stimulation lead. The at least one fastener is attached to the distal end of the at least one elongated member and is configured and arranged for anchoring the at least one elongated member against a bony structure or against soft tissue abutting a bony structure.
US08442648B2
Lead body designs for forming a fluid tight seal between a multilumen tube and other portions of a lead body are provided. One lead body design has a multilumen tube having a first portion defining a first number of lumens and a second reduced dimension portion defining a second number of lumens, the second number of lumens being smaller than the first number of lumens. The reduced dimension portion is attached to a distal tip portion of the lead body, forming a fluid tight passageway through the multilumen tube to the distal tip portion. Also provided are methods for forming such multilumen tubes and incorporating such multilumen tubes into a lead body.
US08442644B2
Deep brain electrodes are remotely sensed and activated by means of a remote active implantable medical device (AIMD). In a preferred form, a pulse generator is implanted in the pectoral region and includes a hermetic seal through which protrudes a conductive leadwire which provides an external antenna for transmission and reception of radio frequency (RF) pulses. One or more deep brain electrode modules are constructed and placed which can transmit and receive RF energy from the pulse generator. An RF telemetry link is established between the implanted pulse generator and the deep brain electrode assemblies. The satellite modules are configured for generating pacing pulses for a variety of disease conditions, including epileptic seizures, Turrets Syndrome, Parkinson's Tremor, and a variety of other neurological or brain disorders.
US08442610B2
Systems and methods for processing sensor analyte data, including initiating calibration, updating calibration, evaluating clinical acceptability of reference and sensor analyte data, and evaluating the quality of sensor calibration. During initial calibration, the analyte sensor data is evaluated over a period of time to determine stability of the sensor. The sensor may be calibrated using a calibration set of one or more matched sensor and reference analyte data pairs. The calibration may be updated after evaluating the calibration set for best calibration based on inclusion criteria with newly received reference analyte data. Fail-safe mechanisms are provided based on clinical acceptability of reference and analyte data and quality of sensor calibration. Algorithms provide for optimized prospective and retrospective analysis of estimated blood analyte data from an analyte sensor.
US08442606B2
An apparatus for, and method of, sensing characteristics of a vessel and a fluid conveyed therein.
US08442603B2
A method of manufacturing a case for a mobile communications terminal, includes disposing an antenna pattern inside a mold having a shape of a case for a mobile communications terminal, the mold including one or more magnets, and injecting a molding material into the mold and molding a case for a mobile communications terminal in which the antenna pattern is embedded. The antenna pattern is fixed by a magnetic force of the one or more magnets formed within the mold, and prevented from being deformed or moved while the molding material is injected.
US08442599B2
Portable information terminal equipment having a function to perform the informing process at the time of reception in cooperation with a connecting section driving mechanism as well as a function to enable the open/close movement of the upper and lower units through one-touch operation making use of the connecting section driving mechanism. Depending on informing modes, a motor drive circuit drives a motor under the control of a controller on receipt of a call or a message to apply a driving force to the open/close mechanism of a hinge unit. Thereby, the portable information terminal equipment is folded/unfolded, that is, the posture of the portable information terminal equipment is changed, and a user is informed of the receipt of the call or the message.
US08442597B2
A telephone apparatus having a calling card support function is disclosed. The telephone apparatus includes: a card information storage section for storing therein card information on a calling card; a controller for making a telephone call with use of the card information stored in the card information storage section, by using telephone communication means; and a card information reception section for receiving the card information stored in a cellular phone from the cellular phone. The controller allows the card information reception section to receive the card information stored in the cellular phone from the cellular phone. The controller records the received card information in the card information storage section when the card information reception section receives the card information stored in the cellular phone from the cellular phone.
US08442593B1
A mobile terminal including a case having electronic components loaded therein and having a perforated window formed on a front side; a touchscreen coupled with the case and having a front side exposed via the perforated window, the touchscreen being configured to output an image and to receive an input touch signal; a window layer coupled with the front side of the touchscreen, the window layer including a light transmitting part situated in front of an image output and touch input area of the touchscreen and an opaque window bezel disposed only on top and bottom sides of the light-transmittive part; and an elastic part within an inner surface of the case on both sides of the perforated window. Further, right and left end portions of the front side of the touchscreen contact the elastic part.
US08442589B2
A base station has a wireless interface, a processor, and a management interface. The processor determines a delay before an attach request was successful, the processor also being arranged to determine a cumulative distribution of the delay values of different attach requests, and a compressed representation of the cumulative distribution. The management interface is used to send the compressed representation to a management system. The cumulative distribution is simpler, having no change in a sign of its gradient, and so can be approximated and represented in compressed form with much less risk of loss of relevant information.
US08442575B2
The present invention is summarized as a radio communication method including the steps of: calculating a transmission power difference between transmission powers of a first carrier and a second carrier; determining whether or not the transmission power difference exceeds a threshold set on the basis of a maximum transmission power difference allowable between the first carrier and the second carrier; and when the transmission power difference exceeds the threshold set on the basis of the maximum transmission power difference, assigning a first time frame used for transmitting reverse link data by using the first carrier and a second time frame used for transmitting reveres link data by using the second carrier in a manner that the two times frames do not overlap with each other on the time axis.
US08442573B2
The present invention relates to a network node and a method for providing macro diversity in a radio telecommunications network comprising a radio base station providing a radio link to a mobile terminal, the radio base station comprises communication resources for supporting the radio link to the mobile terminal and for supporting transmission of data between the mobile terminal and a network node. The invention comprises: —receiving a signal from the mobile terminal; estimating a signal quality parameter for the received signal; sending a first message to the mobile terminal instructing the mobile terminal to adjust at least a first transmission parameter if the signal quality parameter is below a quality target; and if the signal quality parameter is above the quality target, and if lack of the resources prevents the radio base station to relay data between the mobile terminal and the network node, sending the first message to the mobile terminal instructing the mobile terminal to adjust the at least one transmission parameter.
US08442560B1
An item-providing system supplies items to a user device for consumption at the user device via communication infrastructure. In one representative implementation, a user device includes a mode switching wireless communication module. The mode switching wireless communication module is adapted to receive a first paging signal via a first communication protocol when in a first mode of operation and adapted to receive a second paging signal via a second communication protocol when in a second mode of operation. The user device also includes a to-do list processing module. In response to receiving one of the first or second paging signal, the to-do list processing module sends a request to a remote network device. The request requests that one or more instructions be sent from the remote network device.
US08442557B2
Techniques are provided which may be implemented using various methods and/or apparatuses to allow for expected signal data for a region of space within a structure to be encoded and transmitted to a mobile station. The mobile station may decode the encoded version and use the resulting decoded version to support signal-based position estimation.
US08442551B2
A device for performing authentication and authorization checking on Location-Based Service (LBS) in a WiMAX network is provided. This device strengthens security for LBS in a WiMAX network, and protects privacy right of subscribers to LBS. The device includes a Location Assessment module (LA) for performing the location assessment, a Location Coordination and control module (LC) for controlling LBS assessment and calculation of a location of a mobile terminal. The device also includes an Authentication/Authorization/Accounting module (AAA) that includes a memory storing authentication and authorization information. The AAA also includes an authentication processing module for authenticating an LBS, and an authorization checking processing module for checking whether an LBS client and a Mobile Station (MS) requesting services from the LBS are authorized to request the location of a target MS.
US08442549B2
A system and method for wireless communication by a plurality of devices in a scatternet network is provided. The method includes discovering one or more of the plurality of devices in the scatternet network. The method includes determining roles for one or more of the plurality of devices, and transferring data between one or more of the plurality of devices. The discovering of other devices, determining roles, and transferring data between one or more of the plurality of devices occur substantially simultaneously.
US08442546B2
A radio base station (eNB) according to the present invention includes: a calculation unit (12) configured to calculate an adjusted value of a reception quality, based on the reception quality in a specific mobile station in at least one first resource block assigned to the specific mobile station in a PUSCH, and the number of resource elements assigned to transmission of dedicated control information in the first resource blocks; and a selection unit (13) configured to select, based on the adjusted value of the reception quality, the number of bits which can be transmitted and a modulation scheme that should be used in the first resource blocks.
US08442536B2
A communications system provides a robust and fast inter-base station handoff mechanism, e.g. for networks using Enhanced Base Stations (EBS) equipment. A method for connecting a mobile device to a destination base station in the wireless communications system, may include steps of receiving a mobile device measurement report, transferring context information from a serving base station to possible target base stations, and receiving admission control information from possible target base stations. A priority list of the possible target base stations is calculated and sent to the mobile device. The mobile device connects to one or more of possible target base stations according to the priority list. The method may also entail receiving a release message from one of the possible target base stations to which the mobile device has successfully established a wireless connection, to allow release of resources of the prior serving base station.
US08442534B2
A mobile communication method according to the present invention includes the steps of: when a gateway apparatus (S-GW) is switched from a first state where downlink data is transmitted to a first radio access apparatus to a second state where the downlink data is transmitted to a second radio access apparatus, transferring, from the first radio access apparatus to the second radio access apparatus, the downlink data which is received from the gateway apparatus and to which specific information is added; and transmitting, from the second radio access apparatus to a mobile station (UE), transfer downlink data which is transferred from the first radio access apparatus and to which the specific information is added, before new downlink data transmitted from the gateway apparatus (S-GW).
US08442533B2
A method for preventing ping-pong handover in mobile radio networks having a multiplicity of stationary base stations at a distance from one another, and also stationary and/or moveable mobile radio stations, such as mobile radio telephones, which are in the transmission and reception range of the base stations. Repeated unwanted handover of a mobile radio station in the connected/active mode from a source base station to a destination base station is reduced or prevented. System messages are transmitted between the mobile radio stations and the base station, wherein the system messages for initiating the handover are used to transmit historical information relating to handovers which have already been performed, that information being used to automatically ascertain and set optimum operating parameters for the mobile radio stations and/or at least one of the base stations which are involved. The aim is to develop a method for preventing ping-pong handover in mobile radio networks, specifically in networks with network elements from different manufacturers, such that the parameters, particularly the hysteresis of the reception field strength, of the mobile radio and/or of the base stations are automatically set independently, to prevent ping-pong handover, without the need for expensive measurement trips with “manual” measurements.
US08442521B2
Methods, systems, and computer-readable medium for providing telecommunications carrier configuration at activation of a mobile device. In one implementation, a method is provided. The method includes receiving a request for activation of a mobile device, and during activation of the mobile device, determining for the mobile device a telecommunications carrier from a number of telecommunications carriers, and identifying information associated with the determined telecommunications carrier for configuring the mobile device.
US08442518B2
Subject matter disclosed herein relates to aircraft communication, and more particularly to a non line-of-sight communication path to augment a line-of-sight communication path.
US08442517B2
A method and an apparatus for controlling a communication established between terminals through a telecommunications system. When a malfunction event related to a communication (310) established between terminals is detected (320), a determination (330) is made in the telecommunications system of a faulty terminal and a non-faulty terminal, according to the malfunction event. Subsequently, the telecommunications systems determines (340) whether a terminal is registered for a user identifier which was registered through the faulty terminal, or which is related to it by subscription and, in that case, it establishes (350) a new communication between said registered terminal and the non-faulty terminal. The user of the non-faulty terminal can rely on the telecommunications system to recover automatically the lost communication, without trying to attempt a new communication request with an uncertain result.
US08442516B2
A method and apparatus for world-mode devices capable of managing technology selection for multimode roaming between existing access technologies, as well as possible future access technologies, in a manner that eliminates wasteful scanning for non-existent systems and reduces roaming charges is disclosed. The method allows the device an opportunity to reacquire its home system before scanning for available roaming network resources in a prioritized manner that mitigates roaming costs, while conserving power and acquisition delays by eliminating scanning for non-existent system types. A minimum OOS duration is imposed on a home system before acquisition of a roaming partner to provide more time to re-acquire the home system. Preferred partner scanning and acquisition reduces roaming charges, while scanning for non existent systems is eliminated altogether.
US08442504B2
Embodiments of the invention provide for methods and apparatus for fragmenting a single message and sending the message fragments over multiple independent networks to a single receiving unit. The receiving unit then reassembles the message fragments to generate the original message. One embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention is a wireless radio frequency modem that can both receive and transmit fragmented messages over multiple independent networks.
US08442497B2
The invention relates to a method for linking Internet-based forums and web logs to a push to talk platform, especially methods for adapting PoC to the environment of Internet forums by means of a novel PoClog storage platform and a novel interface from the PoC platform to the PoC log storage platform. Mobile clients have to support a new client functionality in order to request a log that is based on media messages.
US08442489B2
Systems and methods for establishing a security-related mode of operation for computing devices. A policy data store contains security mode configuration data related to the computing devices. Security mode configuration data is used in establishing a security-related mode of operation for the computing devices.
US08442488B2
To provide a portable communication terminal which can improve security. A mobile telephone device (1) includes: a RFID chip (52) which performs magnetic field communication based on a signal coming from outside; a NAND flash memory (73) which stores use-enabled/disabled information indicating whether the RFID chip (52) can be used; and a CPU (72) which updates the use-enabled/disabled information. When a signal comes from outside, the RFID chip (52) judges whether to perform a predetermined process according to predetermined information based on the use-enabled/disabled information stored in the NAND flash memory (73).
US08442487B2
The invention relates to a mobile communication system including mobile stations, a mobile switching center, and a subscriber register containing subscriber data, which includes location information indicating the location of mobile stations. In order to detect the presence of a fraudulent mobile station the system includes a monitor for monitoring the processes which trigger location information changes in the subscriber register, and a detector for detecting and indicating the presence of a fraudulent mobile station if a location information change has been triggered by a process which should not trigger a change of location information in the subscriber register.
US08442481B2
The emergency location information gateway provides Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) with the capability to receive NG911-compliant (i.e., Session Initiation Protocol (SIP-based) and/or SIP-Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)) and other types emergency calls including embedded emergency location information and determine a physical location of a mobile or non-mobile target network device based on the embedded emergency location information. Conversely, a legacy network gateway (LGN) enables the conversion of traditional 911, and E911 calls into NG911 calls for transport and dissemination by so-called Emergency Services IP networks, or ESInets.
US08442480B2
Described herein are systems and techniques that can coordinate priority communications for the users of one telecommunications network relative to the users of other such networks. This may be useful in emergency situations where one of the networks comprises a public services entity, which may from time to time demand priority communications in order to efficiently respond to urgent situations.
US08442466B2
A frequency modulation (FM) transmitter implemented with a delta-sigma modulator and a phase-locked loop (PLL) is described. The delta-sigma modulator receives a modulating signal (e.g., an FM stereo multiplex (MPX) signal) and provides a modulator output signal. The PLL performs frequency modulation based on the modulator output signal and provides an FM signal. The FM transmitter may further include a gain/phase compensation unit and a scaling unit. The compensation unit may compensate the modulating signal for the closed-loop response of the PLL. The scaling unit may scale the amplitude of the modulating signal based on a gain to obtain a target frequency deviation for the FM signal. The PLL may operate in a transmit mode or a receive mode, may perform frequency modulation in the transmit mode, and may provide a local oscillator (LO) signal at a fixed frequency in the receive mode.
US08442462B2
A system including a first frequency divider, a plurality of second frequency dividers, and a control module. The first frequency divider includes a first plurality of components and is configured to divide an input frequency of an input signal to generate a first signal having a first frequency and a first phase. Each of the plurality of second frequency dividers includes a second plurality of components and is configured to divide the input frequency of the input signal to generate a second signal having the first frequency and a second phase. The control module is configured to connect the second plurality of components of one of the second frequency dividers to the first plurality of components of the first frequency divider.
US08442458B2
A system, apparatus, method and article to manage channel prediction for a wireless communication system are described. The apparatus may include a media access control processor to perform channel prediction, and a transceiver to communicate information using the channel prediction. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08442442B2
Example methods use secondary scrambling codes in telecommunications networks. The secondary scrambling codes are assigned to mobile stations and channels used by mobile stations that are not adversely affected by the use of secondary scrambling codes. By assigning secondary scrambling codes additional users can utilize telecommunications networks with unique scrambling codes without reducing quality of service or increasing resource consumption. Example methods also reduce interference between mobile stations in the telecommunications networks.
US08442438B2
A wireless transmitter includes a first filtering unit coupled to a first cable for outputting a first DC source transmitted on the first cable, a first power converting unit for converting the first DC source into a second DC source, a second filtering unit for eliminating noise in the second DC source, a first DC blocking unit for blocking the second DC source and outputting a second frequency modulation (FM) signal, an amplifier for amplifying the second FM signal to generate a first FM signal, and a second DC blocking unit coupled to the amplifier and the first cable, for outputting the first FM signal to the first cable, such that the first FM signal is transmitted to the air through the first cable as a transmitting antenna.
US08442436B2
A wireless communication game system includes a plurality of mobile game apparatuses, which function as a parent device or a child device and are capable of making a communication with each other, and broadcasts from the parent device a parent device packet including a parent device PID, a user name UserName, a game name GameName, an OC flag, an E slot, a U slot, and a payload. All the parent device packets are received from the parent device existing within a communicationable range of a user's own apparatus, and the user's own apparatus creates a parent device list, and displays the parent device list on an LCD. Therefore, a user or a player of his own apparatus looks at the game name of the parent device list, for example, and operates a cross key included in an operation key so as to select one desired parent device. Then, transmitting a child device number CID of the user's own apparatus at the E slot designated by the parent device packet, the user's own apparatus transmits a connection request to the parent device.
US08442434B2
Methods and systems for auto coexistence priority selection for a SCO link are disclosed. Aspects of one method may include a first Bluetooth device communicating with a collocated WLAN device via a coexistence method. The first Bluetooth device, prior to executing a non-SCO task, which may comprise tasks that do not involve SCO packet transfer, may communicate low priority via the coexistence method if a Bluetooth SCO link is present between the first Bluetooth device and a second Bluetooth device, and if a current task being handled by the first Bluetooth device is a high priority task. If a SCO link is not present between the first and second Bluetooth devices, and if the current non-SCO task is a high priority task, the first Bluetooth device may communicate high priority via the coexistence method prior to executing the non-SCO task.
US08442433B2
An article (100) has a device (122), and a radio frequency identification (RFID) module (102) coupled to the device. The RFID module is programmed to receive (210) provisioning instructions from a wireless source (142), and transfer (212) to the device the provisioning instructions when said device is enabled.
US08442426B2
A method and system of performing high-throughput identifications of broadcast content is provided. A device can send a content identification query, which includes a sample of content being broadcast, to a server to request an identity of the content. The server will perform a computational identification of the content, return the result to the device, and store the result. For all subsequently received content identification queries requesting an identity of content being broadcast from the same source and in a time during which the content is still being broadcast from the source, the server will send the stored content identification in response to the subsequent queries. If a subsequent content identification query does not request the identity of content being broadcast from the same source or is not received during the time that the content is still being broadcast, the server will perform a computational identification of a content sample.
US08442422B2
Bookbinding unit that in binding an inner-leave sheet bundle together with a cover enables accurate binding of the cover onto the bundle's spine and meanwhile forms folding scores in the cover flaps. Furnished with: a stacking tray unit; a process path for sequentially transporting bundles from the tray unit into adhesive-application and cover-binding locations; an adhesive application unit, disposed in the adhesive-application location, that applies adhesive to bundles from the tray unit; a cover-supply unit that supplies covers to the cover-binding location; and a cover-binding unit, disposed in the cover-binding location, that binds sheet bundles from the adhesive-application location together with covers. The cover-binding unit has a shoulder-pressing unit that forms spine creases in the spine portion of the covers, and a flap-pressing unit that forms folds in the spine-creased sides of the covers.
US08442421B2
A conveying path switching structure includes a cover unit and a conveying path switch unit. The cover unit is attached to an image forming apparatus main body so as to be movable between a close state and an open state in which a fixing unit is exposed. The conveying path switch unit is rotatably attached to the cover unit and that switches a conveying path of a record medium between a discharge conveying path and a double-side conveying path. The discharge conveying path is a path where the record medium is conveyed from a discharge part of the fixing unit to a discharge unit that discharges the record medium to outside of the image forming apparatus main body in a close state. The double-side conveying path is a path where the record medium is conveyed again to an image forming unit.
US08442417B2
A bearing device to hold a rotor in an opening formed in a frame is provided. Circumference of the opening is formed to have a first edge and a second edge, which linearly extend along different directions from each other. The bearing device includes a flange member to be attached to an axial end portion of the rotor, a bearing member to be externally attached to the flange member and inserted in the opening, and a presser member to press the flange member toward a section between the first edge and the second edge.
US08442413B2
A bearing seal unit comprises: a bearing member that supports a rotating shaft so as to freely rotate; a seal member provided integrally at one side along an axial direction of the bearing member to seal the rotating shaft; a connecting part extended along the axial direction from one member to the other member of the bearing member and the seal member and having an end side in the extending direction which protrudes more in the direction intersecting the axial direction than a base end side to connect the bearing member integrally with the seal member.
US08442397B2
A technology of acquiring and processing light field data for images is provided. A light field data acquisition apparatus includes a modulator with an attenuation pattern to spatially modulate a 4D light field for an image, and a sensor to acquire 2D signals of the spatially modulated 4D light field. By utilizing the attenuation pattern of the modulator, more spatial data may be acquired in a low angular frequency region than that acquired in a high angular frequency region.
US08442392B2
In accordance with an example embodiment, an apparatus comprises a printed wiring board. The printed wiring board comprising a coil and being coupled to an image sensor. The coil, using the magnetic circuitry, is designed to tilt the printed wiring board and automatic focus optomechanics, the automatic focus optomechanics being attached to the printed wiring board over a gimbal pivot system to operate an optical imaging stabilizing system. A second coil is designed to interact with the magnetic circuitry to move the lens barrel at least one of closer and farther from the image sensor to perform an automatic focus. An apparatus comprises a lens barrel comprising at least four coils. The at least four coils each configured to interact with respective magnet circuitry. The at least four coils and respective magnetic circuitry capable designed to tilt the lens barrel in such a manner as to correct an imbalance.
US08442386B1
Methods and apparatus provide for an insert deflector to provide a user (i.e. video editor) with greater control as to media enhancements applied to a user-created video. Specifically, the insert deflector provides blocking code for a portion of a media presentation created by the user. The blocking code is associated with an edit decision list that defines the media presentation. Via execution of the edit decision list to render the media presentation, the insert deflector applies the blocking code to prevent insertion of at least one media insert at the portion of the media presentation. A media insert can be an advertisement inserted into a user-created video, or an advertisement shown in conjunction with the playback of the video.
US08442385B2
The MBT information for each frame is extracted from the moving picture compressed data containing the MBT information, an MBT symbol string is created by obtaining the frequency at which a specific MBT is contained from the extracted MBT information for each frame, appending a predetermined MBT symbol to each frame in accordance with its frequency feature, and arranging the MBT symbols according to the frame order, the cut point of the moving picture is discriminated from an array feature of MBT symbols in the MBT symbol string, and further a shot is identified based on an estimation model using the MBT symbol string.
US08442382B2
A stream generation apparatus generates a stream including coded pictures and a command for managing a buffer which holds a decoded picture, the command being added to one of the coded pictures as a reference picture. A judging unit judges whether or not the coded picture to which the command is added is skipped at the time of trick-play, and an adding unit adds, in the case where the coded picture is judged to be skipped, repetition information indicating the same contents as the command to another coded picture that follows, in decoding order, the coded picture judged to be skipped and that is not skipped at the time of the trick-play. A generating unit generates the stream including the coded pictures, the command and the repetition information.
US08442379B2
According to one embodiment, a broadcast reception apparatus includes a first receiver, second receivers, a first controller, and a second controller. A first receiver is configured to switch to a channel as a target and receive a broadcast signal. Second receivers are configured to receive broadcast signals from channels which are set for the second receivers, respectively. A first controller is configured to perform display control to display a video on the basis of the broadcast signal received by the first receiver. A second controller is configured to switch between a first mode performing drive control of operation of the second receivers and performing record control based on the broadcast signals received by the second receivers, and a second mode performing control to stop operation of at least one of the second receivers and performing record control based on any remaining one or ones of the second receivers.
US08442378B2
A video recording device includes: a first identification block that reads video information from a first recording medium in which video information on an analog television broadcast is stored, and identifies the broadcasting format of the read video information; a recording execution block that records the video information, which is read from the first recording medium, in a second recording medium other than the first recording medium; a second identification block that when the video information is recorded in the second recording medium by the recording execution block, identifies the broadcasting format of the video information to be recorded in the second recording medium; and a format decision block that decides whether the broadcasting format identified by the second identification block agrees with the broadcasting format identified by the first identification block. When the format decision block decides that the broadcasting formats do not agree with each other, the recording execution part records the video information in the second recording medium according to the broadcasting format identified by the first identification block.
US08442373B2
Frequency standards based on mode-locked fiber lasers, fiber amplifiers and fiber-based ultra-broad bandwidth light sources, and applications of the same.
US08442363B2
An apparatus consisting of stacked slab waveguides whose outputs are vertically staggered is disclosed. At the input to the stacked waveguides, the entrances to each slab lie in approximately the same vertical plane. A spot which is imaged onto the input will be transformed approximately to a set of staggered rectangles at the output, without substantial loss in brightness, which staggered rectangles can serve as a convenient input to a spectroscopic apparatus. A slit mask can be added to spatially filter the outputs so as to present the desired transverse width in the plane of the spectroscopic apparatus parallel to its dispersion.
US08442355B2
A system and method for generating a multi-dimensional image of an object in a scene is disclosed. One inventive aspect includes a spectral estimation module configured to convert a two-dimensional (2D) high-resolution light intensity image of the scene to a spectral-augmented image of a selected channel. The system further includes a high-resolution depth image generation module configured to generate a high-resolution depth image of the object based on a three-dimensional (3D) low-resolution depth image of the scene and the spectral-augmented image.
US08442354B2
In recording an image file that is shot by panoramic image shooting, a plurality of pieces of image data are recorded in the image file, and therefore there is a problem that the file size increases. Although it is possible to reduce the file size by applying higher compression processing using JPEG or the like, there is a problem that the image degradation appears noticeably. With respect to an input image file, it is determined whether or not it is the one obtained by panoramic image shooting, and then at the time of recording, one of two overlap areas is deleted and the positional information on the other overlap area is attached. Thereafter, at the time of transmission or printing, the overlap area is restored based on the attached positional information. In this manner, the file size at the time of recording is reduced without degrading the image.
US08442352B2
A method (100), an apparatus (1100), and a computer program product are disclosed for generating alignment marks. A basis pattern (120) and a high frequency component (130) are combined (140). The basis pattern is defined such that a scaled and rotated version of the basis pattern correlated with the basis pattern is substantially equal to the auto-correlation of the basis pattern within a complex multiplicative constant. The high frequency component is of sufficient energy for cross correlation without detriment to the basis pattern. The basis pattern may be generated from a basis function, which may be a logarithmic radial harmonic function (LRHF). The combination is output as at least one alignment mark having an increased maximum frequency. The method (100) may further comprise printing the at least one alignment mark on a print medium.
US08442342B2
Fractional Fourier transform properties inherent in lens systems and other light and particle-beam environments are used to correct optical misfocus utilizing numerical operations. The invention produces a focused image from a partially-focused operation computed by at least one processor and a misfocused lens or other imaging system. Image data is operated on by a two-dimensional discrete fractional Fourier transform operation and a two-dimensional discrete fractional Fourier transform phase operation to create misfocused phase-adjusted image data comprising some amount of misfocus, the misfocus resulting from the application of the two-dimensional discrete fractional Fourier transform operation. The misfocused phase-adjusted image is presented to a misfocused exogenous optical system to create a resulting image. The power parameter of the fractional Fourier transform is adjusted to maximize sharp edge content of the resulting image. The invention can be used in imaging, integrated optics, optical computing, particle beam systems, and radiation accelerator systems.
US08442341B2
A method corrects unfocus and misfocus in original image data using an origin-centered two-dimensional discrete fractional Fourier transform. The origin-centered two-dimensional discrete fractional Fourier transform numerically corrects a modeled evolution of an image propagating through a medium, aligning a propagation model centerline with the center of image data and the center an index-shifted numerical fractional Fourier transform operation. A zero transform-image domain origin is accordingly aligned to the center of modified image data. The corrective fractional Fourier transform power may be determined automatically or by human operator. The image correction can be applied to lens-systems or other systems obeying Fourier optics including electron microscopes, particle beams, radiation accelerators. The invention can be incorporated into cameras, film processing, photo editing software, websites, video recorders, video editing systems, surveillance systems, conferencing systems, image processing algorithms, optical computing systems, and other types of system, products and service facilities.
US08442331B2
A system for processing a text capture operation is described. The system receives text captured from a rendered document in the text capture operation. The system also receives supplemental information distinct from the captured text. The system determines an action to perform in response to the text capture operation based upon both the captured text and the supplemental information.
US08442328B2
Systems and methods for evaluating the robustness of objects within a scene or a scene itself.
US08442322B2
An image processing apparatus executes acquiring, on a first image having a pattern having first areas and second areas that have a different color from the first areas, center position of the pattern where the first areas and the second areas cross, acquiring boundary positions between the first and second area, converting the first image to a second image having its image distortion corrected by using the center position and the boundary positions, acquiring, by scanning on the second image, expectation values which are areas including the point where the first and second areas cross excluding the center position, acquiring a intersection position of the intersection on the second image based on the expectation values, acquiring the center position and the positions on the first image corresponding to the intersection position by inverting the second image to the first image, determining the points corresponding to the acquired positions as features.
US08442315B2
An image processing apparatus for applying a color balance correction to input image data, comprises a first highlight color calculation unit which estimates a light source at the time of shooting from pixel values of the image data, converts color values of the image data based on a condition of the estimated light source at the time of shooting, and calculates a first highlight color; a second highlight color calculation unit which calculates a second highlight color from the image data; a third highlight color calculation unit which calculates a third highlight color based on a positional relationship between the first highlight color and the second highlight color on a color space; and a correction unit which attains the color balance correction by converting the pixel values of the image data using the third highlight color.
US08442312B2
An apparatus detects an area specified based on a mark of a specific color out of three primary colors in pigment or three primary colors in light from an image. An other-color-information eliminating unit eliminates information of other colors from a tone level of the specific color by correcting the tone level of the specific color based on tone levels of two colors other than the specific color out of the three primary colors in pigment or the three primary colors in light. An area detecting unit detects the area by specifying the mark based on the tone level from which the information of other colors is eliminated.
US08442303B2
Disclosed are a method and an apparatus for constructing an accurate three-dimensional model. The apparatus includes a plurality of light sources, an image-capturing element and an image-processing unit. The present invention is used to integrate the two-dimensional images from different views of an object into a high accurate three-dimensional model. Compared with conventional apparatuses, the apparatus of the present invention is useful without safety problems, relatively easily manipulated, and capable of quick image reconstruction.
US08442299B2
One exemplary aspect of this invention pertains to a method to evaluate an image processing algorithm. The method includes varying a parameter of a model of an imaging system and, for each variation of the parameter, calculating with a data processor a corresponding image of a sample; applying an image processing algorithm to the calculated corresponding images of the sample; and determining an ability of the image processing algorithm to detect the variation in the parameter.
US08442298B2
A mixed injection inspection system is provided for inspecting mixed injection work for mixing an injection drug by an inspector different from a mixed injection worker. The mixed injection inspection system includes: a mixed injection work photographing device provided in a mixed injection work place and used to photograph the mixed injection work; an inspector side mixed injection work monitor provided in a place remote from the mixed injection work place and used to display the mixed injection work photographed by the mixed injection work photographing device; an inspector side input device provided in a place remote from the mixed injection work place and used to input instructions for the worker working at the mixed injection work place; and a mixed injection worker side display for displaying to the mixed injection worker what has been input by the inspector side input device.
US08442297B2
Methods and mark verification systems for evaluating the quality of a two-dimensional matrix dot peen mark on an object are provided. An exemplary embodiment of the methods includes scanning a two-dimensional matrix dot peen mark disposed on a surface of an object with a laser displacement sensor to generate three-dimensional scanned data for the mark, the mark including a plurality of dots disposed in a plurality of rows and columns on the surface; and determining whether the mark passes a verification test based on the scanned data.
US08442294B2
An example of sporadic motion that causes difficulty in CT scanning is gas pockets moving around the rectum. The invention allows the automatic detection of such movements, by enhancing low density features around the prostate in the individual X-ray images, projecting these features on the cranio-caudal axis (assuming that the gas predominantly moves in this direction) to form a 1-dimensional image, and combining successive ID projections to form a 2D image. Moving gas will produce tilted lines in this image, identifying an angular range that needs to be discarded. Such a process can be used in an image processing apparatus of a CT scanner.
US08442278B2
A system and method are provided for associating faces to determine whether the faces are similar. For example a captured face may be associated with known faces to determine which known face the captured most closely resembles. The system and method incorporate the use of Gabor filters applied to masked face images to develop covariance matrixes. The covariance matrixes are subject to a similarity measure to determine the similarity of the images.
US08442268B2
An image analysis apparatus comprising: an identification unit operable to, in each of a plurality of scenes, identify one or more persons who appear in the scene; a scene evaluation value calculation unit operable to calculate a scene evaluation value for, among the plurality of scenes, each scene in which at least one person has been identified, the one person being included as one of persons identified by the identification unit; a scene selection unit operable to select, from among the plurality of scenes, one or more scenes that include the one person; and a person evaluation value calculation unit operable to calculate a person evaluation value for the one person by summating scene evaluation values of the scenes selected by the scene selection unit.
US08442257B2
Fibers may be intertwined to form cables for headsets and other structures. The cables may include wires. The wires may be surrounded by a jacket formed from intertwined fibers. The intertwined fibers may include fibers with different melting temperatures. The jacket may be heated to a temperature that is sufficient to melt some of the fibers in the jacket without melting other fibers in the jacket. The melted fibers may flow into spaces between the unmelted fibers and may serve as a binder that holds together the unmelted fibers. The intertwining process may be used to form a bifurcation for a headset. A dipping process may be used to cover the jacket with a coating. The coating may be formed over the entire length of the cable or may be formed in a particular portion of the cable such as the portion of the cable that includes the bifurcation.
US08442252B2
A hearing aid includes a casing, an ear hook, and an ear tube. The casing includes a first connector on an upper portion of the casing and a second connector on a lower portion of the casing, wherein the first and second connectors are substantially identical. The ear hook includes a receptacle sized to fit the first and second connectors and adapted to releasably couple to one of the first connector and the second connector. The ear tube includes a receptacle sized to fit the first and second connectors and adapted to releasably couple to another of the first connector and the second connector.
US08442251B2
An audio processing system processing an input sound to an output sound includes: an input transducer for converting input sound to an electric input signal and defining an input side; an output transducer for converting a processed electric output signal to an output sound and defining an output side; a forward path defined between the input transducer and the output transducer; a signal processing unit for processing an SPU-input signal originating from the electric input signal and to provide a processed SPU-output signal, and an electric feedback loop from the output side to the input side, having a feedback path estimation unit for estimating an acoustic feedback transfer function from the output transducer to the input transducer, and a enhancement unit for estimating noise-like signal components in the electric signal of the forward path and providing a noise signal estimate output.
US08442249B2
A human body sound transmission apparatus and method for minimizing a signal loss are disclosed. The human body sound transmission apparatus includes: an audio signal transmission unit modulating an audio signal desired to be transmitted, and transmitting the modulated audio signal to the vicinity of a user's ear through the human body (i.e., a user's body); and a carrier wave signal transmission unit transmitting a carrier wave signal for demodulating the modulated audio signal to the vicinity of the user's ear through the air.
US08442245B2
A hearing device with a plurality of microphones is intended to be able to be continued to be operated sensibly, even if a microphone fails. Therefore, a hearing device, and in particular a hearing aid, is proposed which provides a decision unit for deciding whether one of the microphones is defective, and a signal processing unit for processing the signals from the microphones using a plurality of processing algorithms. The signal processing unit switches from a first one of the processing algorithms to a second one of the processing algorithms if a decision is made in the decision unit that one of the microphones is defective. In particular, if a microphone fails, automatic switching from directional microphone operation into omnidirectional operation is for example made possible.
US08442242B2
A speaker assembly is provided with a speaker and a reflector spaced apart from the speaker. The reflector faces the speaker. The reflector has a central region and a plurality of circumferentially spaced lobes. Each lobe extends radially outward from the central region for reflecting acoustic vibrations from the speaker radially outboard from the reflector. Gaps are provided between the lobes for permitting acoustic vibrations to pass through the gaps.
US08442237B2
A stereo sound generation apparatus and method of reproducing multi-channel sound input signals through two-channel speakers. The stereo sound generation apparatus includes: a preprocessing filter unit to reduce correlation between two-channel audio signals from among multi-channel audio signals and to generate a presence perception, a virtual speaker filter unit to convert the two-channel audio signals output from the preprocessing filter unit into a virtual sound source at a predetermined position, a signal correction filter unit to correct a signal characteristic between remaining multi-channel audio signals excluding the two-channel audio signals, and the two-channel audio signals output from the virtual speaker filter unit, and an addition unit to add signals to be output to a first channel from among the multi-channel audio signals output from the virtual speaker filter unit and the signal correction filter unit, and to add signals to be output to a second channel from among the multi-channel audio signals output from the virtual speaker filter unit and the signal correction filter unit.
US08442223B2
A video device for determining whether a digital broadcasting channel through a point of deployment (POD) is reproduced, includes a memory; a communicator to communicate with the POD; a controller which stores a first copy control information (CCI) value with respect to a first digital broadcasting channel in the memory, if converting the first digital broadcasting channel into an analog broadcasting channel, and sets the first CCI value stored in the memory to a second CCI value with respect to a second digital broadcasting channel if the second CCI value is not received through the communicator from the POD and if converting the analog broadcasting channel into the second digital broadcasting channel.
US08442218B2
A method and apparatus for a system and process for generating a hashing value using any number of cryptographic hashing functions. The hashing process receives an input value to be hashed. The input value is cyptographically hashed and augmented. The augmented value is then cryptographically hashed. The process then iteratively applies a set of non-linear functions to these values. Each iteration maintaining a ‘left half’ and ‘right half.’ After the last iteration, the left and right portions are concatenated to form a hash value that is output.
US08442215B2
Presented is a method for determining the maximum number of key selection vectors (KSVs) supported by an HDCP source. The method includes providing a number of KSVs to the HDCP source, determining whether the HDCP source has entered a failure mode in response to the provided number of KSVs, increasing or decreasing the number of KSVs in response to the HDCP source not entering or entering the failure mode, providing the increased or decreased number of KSVs to the HDCP source, determining whether the HDCP source has entered the failure mode in response to the provided increased or decreased number of KSVs, and repeating the increasing, decreasing, and determining steps until the difference between a lowest number of provided KSVs resulting in the HDCP source entering the failure mode and a highest number of provided KSVs resulting in the HDCP source not entering the failure mode is one.
US08442212B2
The invention provides a single digital communication link between system-side and line-side circuitry in a DAA, capable both of carrying data signals and of transferring a substantial amount of power to the line-side circuitry. The invention comprises a system-side interface circuit, a line-side interface circuit, and an isolation barrier including a transformer. Each interface circuit is capable of connection to an upstream communication circuit (either line-side or system-side), from which it may receive data signals to be transmitted across the isolation barrier to the other interface circuit, and to which it may pass data signals received across the isolation barrier from the other interface circuit. The line-side interface circuit may further include a rectifier and a storage device.
US08442205B2
One or more aspects of the disclosure relate to various functions and processes related to routing of calls originating from other service providers. For example, a method includes receiving a request to route a call or a call session, such as a session initiation request, from a second service provider and proceeding to route the requested call or session through a call routing facility of the first service provider to a requested destination of the call. Routing the call through the call routing facility may include determining a service provider type and/or an origination number type for the call, determining routing information for the call using the type information, and causing routing of the call to a destination of the call based on the routing information. Further aspects of the disclosure relate to various functions and processes related to accessing routing data and/or information from a routing database.
US08442202B2
A telecommunications system is disclosed that enables a user to pair a desk set that is an extension of a private-branch exchange with a cell phone that is accessible via the Public Switched Telephone Network. One feature of the telecommunications system enables a call that is directed to the user's desk set to be automatically forwarded to the user's cell phone. This is advantageous to the user because it provides the illusion to the caller that the user is physically in her office when she is not necessarily there. A similar feature also provides the illusion when a third party initiates a call that connects the user's cell phone to a called party. Such a third party includes a computer-telephony integration (CTI) application in a telephone telemarketing center, which automatically places many outgoing telephone calls.
US08442193B2
A method and device for preventing fraud in collect calls from a domestic origin point to an international terminating point through a long-distance telecommunications system is described. In the system and method, a Screening for International Calls database is added to the call processing platform. This Screening of International Calls database contains records keyed by country codes, and each record has a blocked collect call field listing destination numbers that are blocked from receiving collect calls. When a domestic-to-international collect call is made, the record corresponding to the country code of the international terminating point of the collect call is retrieved from the Screening for International Calls database. This record is checked to determine if the destination number of the collect call matches any destination numbers listed in the blocked collect call field of the country code database record. If there is a match, the call is blocked.
US08442192B2
An appliance for use at home or a business is disclosed that is inserted between the Public Switched Telephone Network and wireline terminal(s) in the home or business. The appliance also connects to the Internet and has a wireless transceiver for communicating with wireless terminals via radio. The appliance enables a user of a wireless terminal in the vicinity of the appliance to answer and conduct telephone calls on the wireline terminal(s) in the home or business. Furthermore, the appliance enables a user of the wireline terminal(s) in the home or business to initiate and conduct telephone calls through the wireless terminal. Furthermore, the appliance enables a user of the wireline terminal(s) in the home or business to answer, initiate, and conduct telephone calls through the Public Switched Telephone Network and the Internet.
US08442184B2
An imaging system includes a radiation source (106, T1, T2, T3) that rotates about an examination region and emits radiation that traverses the examination region. The radiation source (106, T1, T2, T3) emits radiation having an energy spectrum that is selectively alternately switched between at least two different energy spectra during an imaging procedure. The system further includes an energy-resolving detector array (116, D1, D2, D3) that detects radiation traversing the examination region. The energy-resolving detector array (116, D1, D2, D3) resolves the detected radiation over at least two different energy ranges and produces energy-resolved output signals as a function of both emission energy spectrum and energy range. The system further includes a reconstructor (126) that performs a spectral reconstruction of the energy-resolved output signals. In another embodiment, the detector array (116) includes a photon-counting detector array (116).
US08442174B2
Apparatus and methods for rotational frequency detection are disclosed. In one embodiment, a rotational frequency detector is configured to receive samples taken from a serial data stream and to generate a frequency up error signal or a frequency down error signal. The rotational frequency detector processes a first set of samples to generate first transition data, which may be stored in a memory. The rotational frequency detector processes a second and third set of samples to generate second and third transition data. The frequency up or frequency down error signal is generated based at least partly on the first, second or third transition data. This configuration can reduce the maximum operating frequency of the rotational frequency detector, thereby simplifying the rotational frequency detector design to a point that a conventional static digital CMOS circuit design flow can be used to design the rotational frequency detector.
US08442173B2
Apparatus and methods for clock and data recovery are disclosed. In one embodiment, a clock and data recovery system includes a sampler, a deserializer, a phase detector and a frequency detector. The sampler may be configured to sample a serial data stream to produce data samples and transition samples. The deserializer may be configured to deserialize the data samples and the transition samples to produce deserialized data samples and deserialized transition samples. The deserialized data samples and the deserialized transition samples can be aligned and provided to the phase detector and the frequency detector, thereby improving phase alignment and cycle slip detection.
US08442170B2
A method is provided for equalizing OFDM symbol vectors received on AM in-band on-channel radio signal including a main carrier and first and second BPSK modulated subcarriers. The method comprises the steps of: computing a BPSK magnitude signal; filtering the BPSK magnitude signal; filtering complex samples received on the main carrier; using the filtered BPSK magnitude signal and the filtered complex samples received on the main carrier to compute a plurality of flat fade equalization coefficients; and multiplying the OFDM symbol vectors by the flat fade equalization coefficients. A receiver that includes an equalizer, which operates in accordance with the method is also provided.
US08442158B2
In a multivalue modulation type with one pilot symbol inserted for every 3 or more symbols, signal points of each one symbol immediately before and after a pilot symbol are modulated using a modulation type different from that for pilot symbols. In this way, it is possible to suppress deterioration of the accuracy in estimating the reference phase and amount of frequency offset by pilot symbols and improve the bit error rate characteristic in the signal to noise ratio in quasi-coherent detection with symbols whose symbol synchronization is not completely established.
US08442151B2
A method and an apparatus for transmitting a reference signal in a multiple antenna system are provided. The method includes transmitting a common reference signal through N antennas (N
US08442149B2
Following a transmission comprising a plurality of symbols, an error measurement is generated for each symbol, so that one may distinguish between symbols having a relatively low error and symbols having a relatively high error. A bit rate to be used for subsequent transmission is determined as a function of error measurements of those symbols that have relatively low error and as a function also of the proportion of symbols having a relatively high error, such that the bit rate reduces as the proportion increases. Measurement of the error rate and/or the durations of high and low error conditions may also be used to set other transmission parameters such as error-correcting code and interleaver settings.
US08442147B2
A local carrier wave output from a synthesizer to quadrature demodulators is multiplied by an offset that makes a frequency shift by an integer number of subcarriers in units of sub-carrier bands. The offset is set to a value obtained by multiplying the number sequentially counted up from 0 to the number of unused sub-carriers included in guard tones in a signal band by the bandwidth of a sub-carrier. By shifting the frequency of the local carrier wave at the time of quadrature demodulation with the offset, the SNR of a baseband signal is prevented from being constantly degraded by a frequency characteristic possessed by the circuit of a receiver in a particular sub-carrier signal. Especially, by preventing a pilot signal from being constantly degraded, the signal can be received with higher accuracy.
US08442134B2
Synchronization tracking in an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) receiver by obtaining a DFT output vector; determining a sample timing offset indication using reference symbols extracted from the DFT output vector; and adapting the OFDM symbol timing using said determined indication. To provide an improved post-DFT algorithm for estimating time tracking error in OFDM receivers the determining includes (a) estimating the channel transfer function at equidistant frequency positions using said reference symbols, for a first OFDM symbol; determining plural frequency correlations for said equidistant frequency positions for said OFDM symbol; (c) repeating steps (a) and (b) for subsequent OFDM symbols; (d) linearly combining said plural frequency correlations for said plural OFDM symbols obtained in steps (a) through (c), for obtaining said sampling clock offset indication wherein the linear combining uses nonzero weights only. An OFDM receiver circuit arrangement performing this method.
US08442133B2
An apparatus and a method for transmitting a Coexistence Beacon Protocol (CBP) packet in a Cognitive Radio (CR) wireless communication system are provided. In the method for transmitting CBP packet in a transmitter that operates in a scalable Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) mode, a priority is given to each channel of one or more channels based at least partly upon channel use statuses of two or more neighbor Wireless Regional Area Networks (WRANs). Whether a Quality of Service (QoS) for CBP packet transmission for each channel is met is sequentially determined according to the respective priority. A channel having a highest priority is selected from the one or more channels meeting the QoS as a channel for CBP packet transmission. A CBP packet is transmitted via the selected channel.
US08442132B2
A multi-carrier linear equalization receiver, e.g., a RAKE receiver or chip equalization receiver, is described herein. The multi-carrier receiver distributes processing delays among a plurality of received carriers based on a comparison between the signal-to-interference ratios (SIRs) determined for each carrier. The receiver initially allocates a minimum number of processing delays to each carrier. In one embodiment, any remaining additional processing delays are distributed evenly between the carriers when a comparison between the largest and smallest SIR is less than or equal to a threshold. In another embodiment, the remaining additional processing delays are distributed to favor the carrier(s) with the strongest SIR(s) when the comparison between the largest and smallest SIR exceeds the threshold. By distributing the additional processing delays to favor the carriers with the strongest SIRs, the embodiments of the present invention enable system designers to limit the total number of available processing delays without sacrificing performance.
US08442131B2
An apparatus comprising a transmitter configured to transmit a low power mode Discrete Multi-Tone (DMT) signal using a plurality of DMT tones, wherein at least some of the DMT tones comprise a low power mode (LPM) tone that carries data at a normal PSD level and a non-LPM tone that is transmitted at a reduced PSD level. Also disclosed is a network component comprising at least one processor configured to implement a method comprising detecting a plurality of signal to noise ratio (SNR) values for a plurality of LPM tone signals and a plurality of non-LPM tone signals, and handling crosstalk interference between lines using the detected SNR values.
US08442127B2
A method for receiving signals over a power line network, within the power line network at least one transmitter and at least one receiver communicate via at least two channels, each of the channels having a respective feeding port of the at least one transmitter and a respective receiving port of the at least one receiver, and the receiver having at least two receiving ports. The method determines a channel characteristic of each of the channels, applies a receiving port selection criterion based on the channel characteristic, and selects an excluded receiving port among the at least two receiving ports based on the receiving port selection criterion, the excluded receiving port is not used during further communication.
US08442118B2
The invention relates to a method for obtaining transformation parameters. A camera motion can be modeled by providing a vector field of motion vectors describing estimated motion vectors, projecting the vector field on at least one axis, and deriving the transformation vector parameters from the projection of the vector fields. As the camera motion can be modeled by way of translation, scale and rotation, the projections of the vector field on the axis can be used.
US08442112B2
The present invention has an objective of providing an optical disk having a high resolution picture and a system for reproducing data on the optical disk, which are compatible with a conventional system for reproducing an ordinary resolution picture. A high resolution signal is divided into a main signal and a sub signal by picture division means and MPEG-encoded. The main signal and the sub signal are divided into frames each having 1 GOP or more. The resultant first interleave block 54 and second interleave block 55 are recorded alternately on an optical disk. A high resolution reproduction apparatus reproduced both the first and second interleave blocks, so that a high resolution picture is obtained. A non-high resolution reproduction apparatus reproduces only the first or second interleave block, so that an ordinary resolution picture.
US08442109B2
A method for signaling ROI scalability information in a file format. The present invention provides an efficient signaling of ROI scalability information in the file format, wherein the signaling comprises providing the geometrical information of a ROI and an indication to identify the ROI each coded data unit is associated with within a tier or layer.
US08442108B2
Techniques and tools are described for scalable video coding and decoding. For example, a video encoder and decoder perform adaptive update operations in lifting-based motion-compensated temporal filtering and inverse motion-compensated temporal filtering, respectively. The encoder, in a prediction stage, computes a motion-compensated prediction for an odd image and computes a high-pass image as the difference between the odd image and the prediction. For an update stage, the encoder performs motion compensation on the high-pass image (and potentially another high-pass image) to compute a motion-compensated update. Based upon perceptual criteria, the encoder adaptively combines the update with an even image to form a low-pass image. The decoder, for an update stage, performs motion compensation on one or more high-pass images to compute a motion-compensated update. Based upon perceptual criteria, the encoder adaptively combines the update with a low-pass image to reconstruct an even frame.
US08442106B2
An apparatus including a first circuit and a second circuit. The first circuit may be configured to determine values for a predefined metric for a plurality of tap positions within a range covered by a decision feedback equalizer (DFE). The values for a number of taps may be determined in parallel. The second circuit may be configured to set one or more floating taps of the DFE to tap positions based upon the values of the predefined metric. The floating taps in the decision feedback equalizer may be selected adaptively.
US08442099B1
A transceiver circuit is disclosed. The transceiver circuit comprises a receive path to receive a differential signal and a first crosstalk filter coupled to the receive path. A common-mode path is provided for carrying a common-mode signal. An RFI interference filter is coupled between the common-mode path and the receive path. Isolation circuitry decouples the RFI interference filter from the first crosstalk filter.
US08442097B2
A receiver includes a pre-correlation filter that forms an image of the average chip shape of a received signal over a specified period of time. The filter includes an array of complex accumulation registers that accumulate measurements that are associated with signal samples from specific ranges of locations, or code chip phase angles, along a spread-spectrum chip. Using the accumulated measurements, the receiver estimates the location of the chip transitions in a direct path signal component. The receiver may thereafter change the starting points, sizes and numbers of ranges, such that the accumulation registers accumulate more detail from the chip edges. The receiver in addition may use the accumulated measurements from selected registers and/or selected groups of registers, to produce the correlation values that are needed to perform one or more correlation techniques and/or one or more multipath mitigation techniques. As appropriate, the sizes and/or starting points of the bins, and/or the selections of the bins for the various groupings may be altered, to change the spacings, locations, and so forth to which correlation values correspond.
US08442096B2
A system for detecting and identifying the identity of a base station or cell which transmits a scrambling code is provided. According to one aspect of the system, the system is used to perform scrambling code detection of eight (8) primary cells (each scrambling code's X-component being spaced sixteen (16) chips apart) in a group. According to another aspect of the system, a single scrambling code generator is used to generate a master scrambling code. The master scrambling code is then used to create individual scrambling codes which are used in correlation with received signals to detect in parallel which one of the eight (8) possible primary cells in the group transmitted the received signals. According to yet another aspect of the system, each of the correlators maintains a corresponding X-component segment of the master scrambling code. For every sixteen (16) chips, a new X-component segment of the master scrambling code is introduced into one of the correlators, a X-component segment of the master scrambling code is dropped from another correlator, and X-component segments of the master scrambling code are sequentially shifted or propagated through the remaining correlators; and concurrent correlations are performed by the correlators using their respective corresponding X-component segments of the master scrambling code and newly received signals.
US08442092B2
A method for generating and using frequency-hopping sequences in frequency-hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) networks, such that no additional network overhead is required to convey a device's hopping sequence to another device, is disclosed. Furthermore, a method to maximize the number of unique hopping sequences, without increasing the random access memory (RAM) requirements on the network devices, is disclosed.
US08442087B2
Provided is a mounting member having a light receiving element, capable of constraining increase in size and of arranging a plurality of laser element portions closer to each other. The mounting member includes three or more electrodes, which respectively include element mounting portions arranged in a first direction, and a light receiving element disposed in a second direction intersecting with the first direction relative to the element mounting portions. The length in the second direction of at least one of the element mounting portions disposed at both ends in the first direction among the three or more element mounting portions is smaller than the length in the second direction of an element mounting portion disposed at an inner position in the first direction among the three or more element mounting portions.
US08442074B1
The present disclosure generally pertains to systems and methods for passing timing information over packet networks. In one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a transmitter inserts a timestamp into various packets being transmitted. A receiver determines the packet delay for each of these packets. The receiver monitors the packet delays of received packets over time to estimate a minimum packet delay for the network. Thereafter, the receiver uses the timestamps of received packets in order to update a local receiver clock signal so that the local receiver clock signal is synchronous to the clock signal used by the transmitter to generate the timestamps. However, the receiver filters the received timestamps such that the effects of packet delay variation to the synchronization of the local clock signals are reduced.
US08442073B2
The invention provides a novel method and apparatus for analyzing a communication network such as a computer network or a social network comprising nodes communicating with each other by means of messages. A topic discovery unit is provided for performing a topic discovery on the basis of a message content which can be formed by textual content. A segmentation unit performs a segmentation of a global network graph representing the communication network into topic sub-graphs depending on the discovered topics. A property calculation unit calculates intra-topic network properties and inter-topic network properties of the network nodes. An advantage is that a deeper understanding of the analyzed communication network can be achieved such as communications patterns to identify roles of participating nodes. The method and apparatus according to the present invention can be used to optimize the organization of any communication network.
US08442070B1
Fractional encoding of a packet into fractional packets and reconstruction of fractional packets into an original packet is disclosed. A packet is received. A plurality fractional packets is constructed from the received packet such that the received packet is fully reconstructable from a portion of the fractional packets. The portion is fewer than all of the fractional packets. At least one fractional packet is transmitted.
US08442068B2
A telecommunication apparatus (100) enabled for high-speed packet access is disclosed. The apparatus (100) is arranged to operate according to a reduced and a further reduced mode of transmission of dedicated physical control channel transmission, and has an operation mode controller (102). The operation mode controller (102) is arranged to determine a number of present consecutive dedicated physical data channel transmissions, and if the number of present consecutive dedicated physical data channel transmissions reaches a threshold, set the operation mode to the reduced mode, or if the number of present consecutive dedicated physical data channel transmissions is below the threshold, set the operation mode to the further reduced mode. Corresponding method and computer program are also disclosed.
US08442067B2
Provided are a method, system, and computer program product for using gathered system activity statistics to determine when to schedule a procedure. Activity information is gathered in a computer readable storage medium indicating activity in a computer system during time slots for recurring time periods, wherein each time period includes a plurality of time slots. A high activity value is determined comprising an activity amount of a slot having a maximum amount of activity among the slots for the time periods and a low activity value is determined comprising an activity amount of a slot having a minimum amount of activity among the slots for the time periods. A threshold point is determined as a function of the high activity, the low activity, and a threshold percent comprising a percentage value. A determination is made as to whether there is at least one lull window having a plurality of consecutive time slots each having an activity value lower than the threshold point. A selection is made of one of the at least one lull window in response to determining that there is at least one lull window. The procedure in the computer system is scheduled to be performed during the time slots in the lull window in a future time period.
US08442066B2
A method of changing channels of a first device in a wireless network, which includes a first coordinator and at least one device, comprises searching whether another channel other than a first channel which is currently used in the wireless network is available, changing the first channel to a second channel among at least one or more available channels as a result of the searching step, and transmitting data to a second device or receiving data from the second device through the second channel.
US08442065B2
An apparatus and method for supporting Quality of Service (QoS) in a wideband wireless communication system using multiple Frequency Allocations (FAs) are provided. In a transmitting method for packet distribution in the wideband wireless communication system, the method includes, during a network entry process, determining a number of FAs through multi-FA capability negotiation; distributing packets, received from a superordinate layer, through the multiple FAs; and transmitting the packets distributed through the multiple FAs. Accordingly, packets can be effectively distributed through multiple FAs, and QoS can be effectively provided.
US08442059B1
A fiber channel network is configured into different zones. A first zone of the fiber channel network is configured with an initiator port, a first virtual port for a first physical port on a storage proxy, and a first virtual port for a second physical port on the storage proxy. A second zone of the fiber channel network is configured with a storage target port, a second virtual port for the first physical port on a storage proxy, and a second virtual port for the second physical port on the storage proxy. The virtual ports configured on the storage proxy increase the amount of bandwidth in the fiber channel available for asymmetric data transfers.
US08442052B1
A method for providing ordered data packets to a processor is provided. The method comprises receiving a plurality of data packets, each comprising an order identifier. At least one out-of-order data packet of the plurality of data packets is placed in a priority queue. One or more correction packets are received. One or more missing data packets or corrupted data packets of the plurality of data packets are detected based on the one or more correction packets. The one or more missing data packets or corrupted data packets of the plurality of data packets are corrected based on the one or more correction packets. The one or more corrected data packets are provided to the processor. The at least one out-of-order data packet in the priority queue is provided to the processor.
US08442049B2
A base station and an attaching method thereof are provided. A relay network system comprises the base station, a relay station and a core network. The base station is connected with the core network via a backhaul link. The base station comprises a processing unit and a transceiver. The processing unit is configured to setup a communication link procedure between the relay station and the core network corresponding to a link request from the relay station, and to create a mapping table for connecting the relay station and the core network. The transceiver is configured to forward network packets and control signals between the relay station and the core network based on the mapping table.
US08442048B2
In one embodiment, a method includes sending a configuration signal to a virtual network switch module within a control plane of a communications network. The configuration signal is configured to define a first network rule at the virtual network switch module. The method also includes configuring a packet forwarding module such that the packet forwarding module implements a second network rule, and receiving status information from the virtual network switch module and status information from the packet forwarding module. The status information is received via the control plane.
US08442043B2
As described herein, explicit service ordering information may be associated with each of a plurality of logical services in a service path. A unique sequence number, for example, may be assigned, and associated with each service in the path. The sequence number may be assigned by a service broker in the control plane of a service insertion architecture that provides a platform-independent framework to insert services into a network. The sequence number may represent the relative ordering of the service with respect to the other services in the path. The sequence number, along with a traffic classification identifier, constitutes the shared context that is tagged to the packet injected into the chain which is used in the SIA data plane to virtualize and uniquely select series of services defined in the policy.
US08442041B2
In one embodiment, ports of a network device are assigned to virtual service domains (VSDs). The ports are coupled to a virtual Ethernet module (VEM) of the network device. Each VSD is associated with one or more virtual service engines (VSEs) in a particular order. Each VSE is configured to apply a particular service to traffic traversing the VSE. Traffic received at a virtual Ethernet module (VEM) of the network device that is destined for a particular VSD, and is received on a port that has not been assigned to the particular VSD, is forwarded to the particular VSD via the one or more VSEs associated with the particular VSD such that the traffic traverses the one or more VSEs in the particular order.
US08442034B2
A system and method for routing and interacting with a dual mode network telephony environment are disclosed. In one embodiment, the system includes an external analog telephony line, a DSL modem, an analog telephony bridge controller, one or more additional analog telephony lines, and a communication center computer. The system routes analog and Voice-over-Internet Protocol calls between the analog telephony lines and the communication center computer. Furthermore, the communication center computer performs operations on calls inbound to the environment and calls outbound from the environment.
US08442029B2
The present technology relates to protocols relative to utility meters associated with an open operational framework. More particularly, the present subject matter relates to protocol subject matter for advanced metering infrastructure, adaptable to various international standards, while economically supporting a 2-way mesh network solution in a wireless environment, such as for operating in a residential electricity meter field. The present subject matter supports meters within an ANSI standard C12.22/C12.19 system while economically supporting a 2-way mesh network solution in a wireless environment, such as for operating in a residential electricity meter field, all to permit cell-based adaptive insertion of C12.22 meters within an open framework. Cell isolation is provided through quasi-orthogonal sequences in a frequency hopping network. Additional features relate to apparatus and methodology subject matters concerning Traffic Load Control in a Mesh Network.
US08442028B2
A system including multiple nodes performing radio communication, wherein each node stores routing information, uses it to determine a transmission path, and performs cut-through transmission by transmitting and receiving packets to and from a node on the determined path through transmission and reception radio waves given a directivity by controlling their phases. In the system, time synchronization and transmission and reception of packet communication records are performed during a certain time period by carrying out the cut-through transmission while controlling phases of the radio waves so that all of the nodes form one or more closed loops. The node transmits and receives packets in accordance with routing information and a time frame assigned to each of the nodes as a time when each node is allowed to transmit and receive a packet, updates the routing information, and shares it with each node.
US08442027B2
A mobile station (UE) is configured to establish uplink synchronization with a radio base station (eNB). The mobile station (UE) is configured not to return transmission acknowledgment information for downlink data until receiving a command for adjusting uplink transmission timing, when the radio base station (eNB) allocates a radio resource for transmission of the downlink data to the mobile station (UE).
US08442018B2
A wireless communication system includes a first communication apparatus that uses first frequency band to communicate wirelessly by time division method, a second communication apparatus that uses second frequency band adjacent to the first frequency band to communicate wirelessly by time division method, and a router apparatus that relays data communicated wirelessly in the first and second communication apparatus. The router apparatus includes a first communication unit that uses the first frequency band to communicate wirelessly by time division method with the first communication apparatus, a second communication unit that uses the second frequency band to communicate wirelessly by time division method with the second communication apparatus simultaneously with wireless communication by the first communication unit, and a controller that causes transmission intervals and reception intervals in the second communication unit to coincide with transmission intervals and reception intervals that are partitioned by time divisions in the first communication unit.
US08442008B2
Methods performed by a mobile node (MN) in a secured network for handoff of communication from a serving access point (AP) to a target AP are provided. In a bounded delay channel switching (BDCS) method, the MN periodically switches between a first channel and one of multiple other channels during handoff, utilizes the first channel to transmit/receive packets to/from a corresponding node (CN) via the serving AP and utilizes one of the other channels to perform the handoff procedure to the target AP. In a dual-MAC switching (DMS) method, the MN employs a first MAC (medium access control) address to transmit/receive packets to/from the serving AP and a second MAC address to perform the handoff procedure to the target AP. The BDCS and DMS methods may be used concurrently, and may be used in a secured network that complies with, e.g., the IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.1x or IEEE 802.11i plus IEEE 802.11f standards.
US08441999B2
An adaptive modulation and coding method is provided by the present invention, comprising: selecting punctured Physical Resource Blocks (PRBs) to transmit the downlink data for the User Equipment (UE); determining the Transport Block Size (TBS) and the number of punctured PRB pairs for transmission to the UE based on the carried service; scheduling the downlink data for the UE based on the determined TBS, and transmitting the number of the used punctured PRB pairs and a Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) sequence number to the UE; and the UE converting the number of the punctured PRB pairs to the number of normal PRB pairs, determining the modulation scheme and the TBS sequence number based on the MCS sequence number, and determining the TBS of the downlink data based on the number of the normal PRB pairs and the TBS sequence number. The specific condition when downlink data are transmitted with punctured PRBs may be performed in the present invention on the basis of utilizing the existing resources and adaptive processing of the general subframes by performing conversion between the number of punctured PRBs and the number of normal PRBs in scheduling resource for the UE with the NodeB, which may be implemented simply and efficiently.
US08441987B2
The present technology relates to protocols relative to utility meters associated with an open operational framework. More particularly, the present subject matter relates to protocol subject matter for advanced metering infrastructure, adaptable to various international standards, while economically supporting a 2-way mesh network solution in a wireless environment, such as for operating in a residential electricity meter field. The present subject matter supports meters within an ANSI standard C12.22/C12.19 system while economically supporting a 2-way mesh network solution in a wireless environment, such as for operating in a residential electricity meter field, all to permit cell-based adaptive insertion of C12.22 meters within an open framework. Cell isolation is provided through quasi-orthogonal sequences in a frequency hopping network. Additional features relate to apparatus and methodology subject matters concerning the handling of Beacon Requests and Registered State bit resolving to avoid circular routes.
US08441983B2
Techniques are provided to support roaming of wireless devices in a network such that the wireless devices can keep their Internet Protocol (IP) addresses as they roam within and across mobility sub-domains. When a wireless device roams from one access switch to another access switch, a tunneling endpoint apparatus in the wireless device's home mobility sub-domain is configured to serve as the point of presence for the roamed wireless device. Traffic for the roamed wireless device is tunneled from the access switch where the wireless device has roamed (where it is currently attached) to the tunneling endpoint apparatus. When the wireless device roams across mobility sub-domains, then traffic is tunneled from the access switch where the wireless device is currently attached to the tunneling endpoint apparatus in that mobility sub-domain (called a “foreign” mobility sub-domain) to the tunneling endpoint apparatus in the wireless device's home mobility sub-domain.
US08441982B2
The present invention provides a multiple antenna mode control method based on Station, including the steps: step 1 the Station reports a multiple antenna mode set or subset supported by the Station to the Access Point; step 2, the Access Point returns a multiple antenna mode set or subset supported by the Access Point to the Station, or returns directly a multiple antenna mode set or subset supported by both the Station and the Access Point to the Station; and step 3, a multiple antenna mode is chosen from a multiple antenna mode set or subset supported by both the Station and the Access Point for communicating between the Station and the Access Point. Thereby, a best transmission quality can be achieved during data transmission, and furthermore, the retransmission times and the error frame rate are reduced, and the network throughput is decreased.
US08441976B2
Method of managing multimedia broadcast multicast service reception and related communication device
A method of managing multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) reception for a communication device in a wireless communication system is disclosed. The method comprises the step of using a dedicated-type resource allocation to decode data of a MBMS subframe when a MBMS resource allocation and the dedicated-type resource allocation are received. The dedicated-type resource allocation is dedicated to the communication device and used for the MBMS subframe.
US08441973B2
Methods and apparatus for operating a user equipment (UE) for a wireless communication system. A method includes determining, by the UE, whether the UE is in a battery-efficient state; if the UE is not in a battery-efficient state, configuring the UE to transmitting a signaling connection release indicator with a cause value; if the UE is in the battery-efficient state, determining whether the UE is in a high-mobility state; if the UE is in the high-mobility state and is in the battery-efficient state, enabling the UE to transmit the signaling connection release indicator with a cause value; and if the UE is not in the high-mobility state and is in the battery-efficient state, disabling the UE from transmitting the signaling connection release indicator with a cause value.
US08441971B2
Apparatus and systems, as well as methods and articles, may operate to enter an idle state of a wireless device for a selected amount of time responsive to a combined clear channel assessment indication.
US08441970B1
A method and apparatus for reusing an uplink control channel configuration associated with an uplink control channel, the method comprising the steps of, at a user agent, receiving an uplink control channel resource configuration assigned by an access device, transmitting to the access device using the control channel resources associated with the received uplink control channel resource configuration and, after a time alignment timer expires, retaining the uplink control channel resource configuration.
US08441963B2
A system (10), method (90) and apparatus (14) are provided for provisioning a multicast stream, such as an IP multicast stream, in a network. The system includes a first tier (12), such as a national backbone, with a first Multicast Address Discovery (MCAD) directory (34), and at least one second tier having a headend, such as a regional headend (14), with a second MCAD directory (36, 38). The system (10) includes a tiered MCAD directory network that allows the assignment of multicast addresses to multicast streams received from an upper tier MCAD directory. The tiered MCAD directory structure allows for requesting and storing stream descriptors and delivering stream descriptors on-demand to MCAD-enabled devices throughout the system. The system (10) also allows for stream provisioning maintenance and validation at lower tier headends via MCAD-enabled device queries or re-queries of upper tier MCAD directories.
US08441961B1
Disclosed are systems and methods to automatically and continuously control a switch network using a metadata-driven switch apparatus. In particular, a switch apparatus, comprised of multiple server-grade processors and co-processors coupled with a switch silicon, has a metadata-driven control program running on the switch apparatus to monitor and control the switch apparatus itself and the network traffic running through the switch apparatus. Furthermore, the switch apparatus and metadata-driven control program monitors the network state (health, behavior, and performance) of the entire switch network and receives feedback from the network to improve switch and network controls. The switch network may be composed of one metadata-driven switch apparatus coupled with one or more other metadata-driven switch apparatuses and may also be composed of one metadata-driven switch apparatus coupled with one or more foreign switch apparatuses.
US08441945B2
A method is provided for providing a multimedia content type ring-back by an origination terminal in a communication system. The method includes providing a multimedia content type ring-back including menu keys mapped to services; and providing a service mapped to a particular menu key, upon receipt of the particular menu key while providing the multimedia content type ring-back. Further, a method is provided for providing a multimedia content type bell by a destination terminal in a communication system. The method includes providing a multimedia content type bell including menu keys mapped to services; and providing a service mapped to a particular menu key, upon receipt of the particular menu key while providing the multimedia content type bell.
US08441942B1
A method and system of loop detection for improving network performance and data integrity over a communications network are disclosed. A process is capable of transmitting a diagnostic packet stream from a source object to a destination object. The diagnostic packet stream, in one embodiment, is an IEEE 802.1ag continuity check message and is transported to a destination object periodically across a communications network. Upon receipt of a returning packet stream from the destination object, the process broadcasts loop detection at a port level in response to the comparison between the returning packet stream and the diagnostic packet stream.
US08441939B2
In one embodiment, a method comprises receiving notification of a cable modem operational issue for a cable modem and establishing layer-2 logging communications with the cable modem. The method comprises receiving a message from the cable modem, the message generated by the cable modem in response to the operational issue and indicating the operational issue associated with the cable modem.
US08441936B2
Provided is a communication device, which is enabled to improve the throughput of a communication system by reducing the difference of a transmission power between an SCCH and an SDCH thereby to satisfy the required quality of a PAPR. In this device, an MCS selection unit (111) of a transmission unit (110) decides, with reference to a CQI lookup table, an MCS pattern (MCS1) of the SDCH, an MCS pattern (MCS2) of the SCCH and information (multiplex information) on multiplex positions on the time axes of those two channels, on the basis of the CQI information. On the basis of the MCS2 and the MCS1, encoding modulation units (112 and 113) perform encoding and modulating operations. According to the multiplex information, a channel multiplexing unit (114) time-division multiplexes the SCCH and the SDCH thereby to generate a transmission signal.
US08441932B2
Method of efficiently allocating a downlink channel from a transmitter (1) to one user selected from a plurality of users (30-1, 30-2, . . . 30-N) in a wireless network providing different service applications to said users (30-1, 30-2, . . . 30-N), which comprises the steps of: at a DLC queue (221) of said transmitter (1), ranking (21, 220) a plurality of M application layer packets to be transmitted to said plurality of users (30-1, 30-2, . . . 30-N), said ranking being based on a quality of service demand associated to each application layer packet, said quality of service demands being in turn associated to respective classes of applications (C1, C2, C3, C4), said DLC queue (221) having length M, M being a natural number, said M packets corresponding to P users of said plurality of users (30-1, 30-2, . . . 30-N), wherein P≦M. It also comprises: dynamically changing said length M of said DLC queue (221) as a function of the different instantaneous values of quality-of-service demands of the different service applications to which said application layer packets relate, thus adjusting the operating point of the network; and at a scheduler (23) of said transmitter (1), allocating a channel to the user having best channel conditions of said group of P users.
US08441928B2
Wireless networks are becoming increasingly heterogeneous in terms of the processing capabilities of network users' receiving equipment. According to embodiments of the innovation, in a communications network comprising a plurality of receivers with different data reception rate capabilities, data frames targeted to respective receivers may be transmitted to the receivers in accordance with the respective data reception rate capabilities of the receivers.
US08441927B2
An advance is made over the prior art in accordance with the principles of the present invention that is directed to a new approach for a system and method for a buffer management scheme called Periodic Early Discard (PED). The invention builds on the observation that, in presence of TCP traffic, the length of a queue can be stabilized by selection of an appropriate frequency for packet dropping. For any combination of number of TCP connections and distribution of the respective RTT values, there exists an ideal packet drop frequency that prevents the queue from over-flowing or under-flowing. While the value of the ideal packet drop frequency may quickly change over time and is sensitive to the series of TCP connections affected by past packet losses, and most of all is impossible to compute inline, it is possible to approximate it with a margin of error that allows keeping the queue occupancy within a pre-defined range for extended periods of time. The PED scheme aims at tracking the (unknown) ideal packet drop frequency, adjusting the approximated value based on the evolution of the queue occupancy, with corrections of the approximated packet drop frequency that occur at a timescale that is comparable to the aggregate time constant of the set of TCP connections that traverse the queue.
US08441923B2
A method provides a communication path in a ring network having a plurality of communication nodes. The method includes: setting transfer information of data in each of the plurality of communication nodes by making the transfer information correspond to connection information for identifying a connection within the ring network to provide a first communication path; determining whether to update the transfer information in each of the communication nodes according to the position where the fault occurs; and updating the transfer information according to the position where the fault occurs in one or more of communication nodes to provide a second communication path. Each of the plurality of communication nodes transfers input data by using the first or second communication path according to transfer information corresponding to connection information attached to the input data.
US08441911B2
An optical disc has a data layer including a data-layer substrate made of a transparent material and a data-layer reflection film formed on an upper side of the data-layer substrate, a display layer including a display-layer substrate having a display pattern and a display-layer reflection film formed on a lower side of the display-layer substrate, and an intermediate layer made of a transparent material provided between an upper side of the data layer and a lower side of the display layer.The data- and display-layer reflection films exhibit specific reflectivity to allow the display pattern to be visible from a lower side of the data-layer substrate through the data-layer reflection film.
US08441904B2
There is disclosed a method and apparatus for measuring a signal using a measurement system. The signal has a frequency component that is to be detected by the measurement. The frequency component has a varying phase. The signal has at least one interruption thereto. The method includes: processing the signal with the measurement system to detect the frequency component in the signal and stalling the measurement system before the start of the interruption. The stall period is calculated such that the processing of the signal is resumed: i) after the end of the interruption, and ii) where there is substantially no discontinuity between the phase of the frequency component in the signal at the end of the stall and in the phase of the frequency component in the signal at the beginning of the stall.
US08441888B2
Circuits, memories, and methods for latching a write command and later provided write data including write command and write data timing circuits. One such timing circuit includes internal write command latch to latch an internal write command in response to write command latch signal. The internal write command latch releases the latched write command in response to the write command latch signal after a latency delay. The timing circuit further includes a write leveling flip-flop (FF) circuit and a write data register. One such method includes generating and latching an internal write command. The latched internal write command is released after a latency delay responsive to the memory clock signal. The internal write command is propagated over an internal write command path. Write data is captured and internal write command latched in response to a write clock signal. The captured write data is released to be written to memory.
US08441884B2
A semiconductor memory device comprises: a memory cell group, the memory cell including a number of which is 2n, the n being a positive integer; and a first decoder provided with respect to each of the memory cell groups and a second decoder. The first decoder activates a word line by the memory cell group based upon a first address and an n bit in a second address and the second decoder activates a bit line based upon the second address.
US08441874B2
A memory circuit includes a memory cell configured to be re-writable. A write enable circuit is configured to enable writing a signal via a pair of bit lines to the memory cell depending on a write signal. A charge supply circuit is configured to supply a charge to at least one of the pair of bit lines. A charge supply controller is configured to control the charge supply circuit to disable the supply of charge and couple the write enable circuit to at least one of the pair of bit lines after a first determined period following the reception of the write signal.
US08441871B2
A circuit for a semiconductor memory device includes: a filtering control signal generation unit configured to synchronize a seed signal activated in a pre-amble period of a data strobe signal with the data strobe signal and sequentially generate a plurality of filtering control signals in response to the seed signal; and a filtering signal output unit configured to generate a filtering signal for filtering the data strobe signal in response to the plurality of filtering control signals and a plurality of burst length (BL) control signals.
US08441855B2
Strings of memory cells having a string select gate configured to selectively couple ends of a string to a data line and a source line concurrently, memory devices incorporating such strings and methods for accessing and forming such strings are provided. For example, non-volatile memory devices are disclosed that utilize vertical structure NAND strings of serially-connected non-volatile memory cells. One such string including two or more serially-connected non-volatile memory cells where each end of the string shares a string select gate with the other end of the string is disclosed.
US08441853B2
In a NAND non-volatile memory system, a sensing process accounts for a relative position of a selected non-volatile storage element in a NAND string. In one approach, the storage elements are assigned to groups based on their position, and each group receives a common sensing adjustment during a verify or read process. A group which is closest to a source side of the NAND string may be the largest of all the groups, having at least twice as many storage elements as the other groups. The adjusting can include adjusting a sensing parameter such as body bias, source voltage, sensing time or sensing pre-charge level, based on the position of the sensed storage element or its associated word line position. The adjusting of the sensing may also be based on the control gate voltage and the associated data state involved in a specific sensing operation.
US08441839B2
A cross point variable resistance nonvolatile memory device includes memory cells having the same orientation for stable characteristics of all layers. Each memory cell (51) is placed at a different one of cross points of bit lines (53) in an X direction and word lines (52) in a Y direction formed in layers. In a multilayer cross point structure where vertical array planes sharing the word lines are aligned in the Y direction each for a group of bit lines aligned in a Z direction, even and odd layer bit line selection switch elements (57, 58) switch electrical connection and disconnection between a global bit line (56) and commonly-connected even layer bit lines and commonly-connected odd layer bit lines, respectively. A bidirectional current limiting circuit (92) having parallel-connected P-type current limiting element (91) and N-type current limiting element (90) is provided between the global bit line and the switch elements.
US08441837B2
A nonvolatile resistance variable memory device (100) includes memory cells (M11, M12, . . . ) in each of which a variable resistance element (R11, R12, . . . ) including a variable resistance layer placed between and in contact with a first electrode and a second electrode, and a current steering element (D11, D12, . . . ) including a current steering layer placed between and in contact with a third electrode and a fourth electrode, are connected in series, and the device is driven by a first LR drive circuit (105a1) via a current limit circuit (105b) to decrease resistance of the variable resistance element while the device is driven by a second HR drive circuit (105a2) to increase resistance of the variable resistance element, thus using the current limit circuit (105b) to make a current for decreasing resistance of the variable resistance element lower than a current for increasing resistance of the variable resistance element.
US08441835B2
A memory device has a crossbar array including a first array of first electrodes extending along a first direction. A second array of second electrodes extends along a second direction. A non-crystalline silicon structure provided between the first electrode and the second electrode at an intersection defined by the first array and the second array. The non-crystalline silicon structure has a first layer having a first defect density and a second layer having a second defect density different from the first defect density. Each intersection of the first array and the second array defines a two-terminal memory cell.
US08441832B2
For example, to include plural data input/output terminals and a strobe terminal that are electrically connected in common by a test probe, a command address terminal that is connected to a test probe, and an output control circuit that performs a selecting operation of data output circuits based on a signal that is supplied to the command address terminal. According to the present invention, it is possible to perform a test that uses non-compressed actual data while allocating plural data input/output terminals to one determination circuit within a tester. With this configuration, it is possible to test a large number of semiconductor devices in parallel by using a limited number of determination circuits within the tester.
US08441830B2
The invention relates to a method for making a stack of memory circuits, wherein the method includes the step of testing the validity of at least two memory circuits. According to the invention, the method includes the phase of configuring each memory circuit, the configuration phase including the step of writing, within a configuration device of each memory circuit included in the stack, a piece of information on an identifier allocated to the memory circuit in the stack, and a piece of information on the results of the validity test of the memory circuit. The invention also relates to a method for addressing a memory circuit, to a stack of memory circuits, and to an electronic device including such a stack.
US08441829B2
SRAM cells and SRAM cell arrays are described. In one embodiment, an SRAM cell includes a first inverter and a second inverter cross-coupled with the first inverter to form a first data storage node and a complimentary second data storage node for latching a value. The SRAM cell further includes a first pass-gate transistor and a switch transistor. A first source/drain of the first pass-gate transistor is coupled to the first data storage node, and a second source/drain of the first pass-gate transistor is coupled to a first bit line. The first source/drain of the switch transistor is coupled to the gate of the first pass-gate transistor.
US08441826B2
An apparatus includes an inverter including a high-side switch coupled to a low-side switch, the inverter generating a time-varying drive current from a plurality of drive control signals, a positive rail voltage, and a negative rail voltage wherein controlling the switches to generate the time-varying drive current produces a potential transitory overshoot condition for one of the switches of the inverter; a drive control, coupled to the inverter, to generate the drive control signals and to set a level of each of the rail voltages responsive to a plurality of controller signals; and a controller monitoring one or more parameters indicative of the potential transitory voltage overshoot condition, the controller dynamically adjusting, responsive to the monitored parameters, the controller signals to reduce a risk of occurrence of the potential transitory voltage overshoot condition.
US08441821B2
An AC-to-DC converter for converting an AC voltage to a DC voltage includes a first converter, a second converter, a sense circuit, a controller, and an enabling circuit. The first converter converts an AC voltage to a first DC voltage. The second converter converts the first DC voltage to a second DC voltage. The sense circuit coupled to the first and second converters provides a first sense signal indicative of the first DC voltage and a second sense signal indicative of the AC voltage. The controller coupled to the first and second converters controls the first and second DC voltages. The enabling circuit coupled to the sense circuit generates a control signal to the controller to disable both the first converter and the second converter by comparing the first sense signal to a first threshold voltage and comparing the second sense signal to a second threshold voltage.
US08441819B2
The present application discloses methods, circuits and systems for power conversion, using a universal multiport architecture. When a transient appears on the power input (which can be, for example, polyphase AC), the input and output switches are opened, and a crowbar switch shunts the inductance which is used for energy transfer. This prevents this inductance from creating an overvoltage when it is disconnected from outside lines.
US08441807B2
An electronic circuit is obtained that has reduced EMI levels. The circuit includes an integrated circuit, which is a source of noise, a bypass capacitor, and a circuit substrate on which they are mounted. An electronic circuit one electrode terminal of the bypass capacitor and one connecting electrode of the integrated circuit are connected through a first wire interconnect formed in the circuit substrate, and, additionally, another electrode terminal of the bypass capacitor and another connecting electrode of the integrated circuit are connected through a second wire interconnect, and the gap between the first wire interconnect and the second wire interconnect is made smaller than either the gap between the one connecting electrode and the other connecting electrode on the integrated circuit or the gap between the one electrode terminal and the other electrode terminal of the bypass capacitor.
US08441798B2
A mounting adapter for mounting a device on a support rail includes a central body, at least one rail attaching member, and at least one detent. The rail attaching member projects rearward from the body and is configured for releasable attachment to at least one of the upper and lower flanges of the support rail. The detent projects forward from the body. The detent is resiliently deflectable relative to the body and configured for releasable attachment to the electronic device.
US08441797B2
According to one embodiment, a module connection structure designed to connect a module to other modules. The module includes a dielectric layer, a micro-strip path, a projection, and a plurality of gain adjusting lands. The dielectric layer is formed on a substrate. The micro-strip path is provided on the dielectric layer and configured to transmit a transmission signal input to one end portion, to the other end portion. The projection is formed at edges of the substrate, which are adjacent to the other modules, and protruding from the micro-strip path and the dielectric layer toward the other modules. The plurality of gain adjusting lands is formed adjacent to the micro-strip path, for use in adjusting an input/output gain of the module. The gain adjusting lands uncouple from the micro-strip path or other gain adjusting lands couple to the micro-strip path, thereby to adjust the input/output gain of the module.
US08441793B2
Disclosed is an embodiment of a rack system including a universal hardware platform having a frame, a module insertion area on a first side of the rack system and a universal backplane area on a second side of the rack system opposite to the first side, a power bus, a plurality of partitions, a plurality of module bays, and two or more service unit backplanes. The power bus may be configured to provide power to the modules coupled to the universal backplane area.
US08441787B2
A portable docking accessory that contains an attachably detachable mechanically rigid means for providing a Tablet Pc user a host of I/O interconnect solutions that allows continuous mobile use in an ergonomic and aesthetically appropriate form factor.
US08441785B2
An electronic apparatus includes: a housing that is provided with an opening at a bottom face thereof; a printed circuit board accommodated in the housing; a first lid member that is detachably arranged so as to cover the opening; a disk drive that is mounted in a lower position than the printed circuit board inside the opening in a state where the first lid member is removed from the opening; and a second lid member that is detachably arranged so as to cover the opening in a state where the disk drive is mounted inside the opening, wherein the second lid member has a storage section, and the disk drive is stored in the storage section.
US08441782B2
Computer workstation includes a mounting bracket for attachment to a wall, and a cabinet connected to the mounting bracket. A track, attached to the cabinet, is engaged with the mounting bracket to vertically guide the cabinet. A non-contacting sensor detects a computer operator. An input device tray is rotatably connected to the cabinet, and has i) an operating position that holds computer input device(s) in an input position and ii) a stowed position substantially preventing access. First electromagnet selectively retains the tray in the stowed position. Second electromagnet selectively retains the tray in the operating position. An electronic lock control panel accepts authentication input from the operator. An electronic lock control module, in a lockable compartment of the cabinet, is connected to the lock control panel and the sensor. The lock control module separately controls electric current flow through the electromagnets in response to authentication by the lock control module.
US08441781B2
An electronic device includes a casing, a fan bracket and a fan module. The casing includes a top plate and a bottom plate spaced from and facing the top plate. The fan bracket is mounted on the bottom plate. The fan module includes a fan, a fan holder enclosing the fan therein, and two vibration dampening structures mounted on opposite top and bottom sides of the fan holder. The fan holder is engaged in the fan bracket. The vibration structures protrude beyond the top and bottom sides of the fan holder and abut the top plate and the bottom plate of the casing, respectively.
US08441779B2
A hook apparatus includes a front side and a back side. A hook extending from the front side is included for hanging objects. A shelter structure extends from the front side positioned around and apart from the hook. The shelter structure may serve as a second hook for hanging objects. A communications device extends from the body, at least a portion of which is above and spaced apart from the shelter structure. The back side of the hook apparatus is adapted to be secured to a surface. An interface adapter plate between the back side and the mounting surface may be provided to enable the securing. The communications device includes a display device that is either passive or capable of interactive communication of information. The apparatus may be operationally coupled to a remote server to alert vendors to deliver purchased products, services, and/or to provide emergency services to the user.
US08441765B2
An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protected device includes a device (6) to be protected and an ESD protection circuit (4). It is determined that if an ESD pulse is applied to pad (2) a leakage current flows on path (14) through the device (6). This leakage current of the device to be protected (6) is used as a precursor trigger signal to trigger the ESD device (4).
US08441763B2
A magneto-resistive effect (MR) element includes first and second magnetic layers in which a relative angle formed by magnetization directions changes in response to an external magnetic field, and a spacer layer positioned between the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer. The spacer layer, on an air bearing surface, has a larger film thickness at both side edge parts in a track width direction than a film thickness at a central part in a track width direction. When a region of the spacer layer on the air bearing surface is divided into quarters which are both side edge part regions and two central regions such that track width direction lengths are equivalent, an average film thickness of a region where the both side edge regions are combined is preferably larger than a region where the two central regions are combined.
US08441760B2
Provided that a distance between a distal edge of a supporting part and a dimple is represented by L1, a load beam part is bent around a first bending line within a center region away from the distal edge of the supporting part by more than or equal to 0.4*L1 and less than or equal to 0.6*L1 and also around a second bending line positioned closer to a proximal side in the suspension longitudinal direction than the first bending line. Paired leaf springs are bent around a third bending line. The second bending line is positioned within a proximal region within 0.22*L1 from the distal edge of the supporting part, and no paired flange portions exist at an area at which the second bending line is positioned.
US08441756B1
A method and system for fabricating a magnetic transducer are described. The magnetic transducer includes a pole and a nonmagnetic intermediate layer adjacent to the pole. The pole has a paddle and a pole tip including a plurality of sidewalls. The pole includes a first magnetic pole layer, at least one antiferromagnetic coupling (AFC) structure on the first magnetic pole layer, and a second magnetic pole layer on the AFC structure(s). At least a portion of the first magnetic pole layer resides on the sidewalls of the pole tip. The paddle has a paddle width in a track width direction. The pole tip has a pole tip width in a track width direction that is less than the paddle width.
US08441755B2
A magnetic head includes: a main pole; a coil; a first shield having an end face that is located in a medium facing surface at a position forward of an end face of the main pole along a direction of travel of a recording medium; and a first return path section disposed forward of the main pole along the direction of travel of the recording medium. The first return path section connects part of the main pole away from the medium facing surface to the first shield so that a first space is defined. The coil includes a first portion having a planar spiral shape and wound around a core part of the first return path section. The first portion includes first and second coil elements that each extend through the first space. No part of the coil other than the first and second coil elements exists in the first space.
US08441752B1
A receiving device may be configured to derive an oversampled dibit pulse response estimate using symbols sampled at substantially the read channel symbol rate of the receiving device. The receiving device may include a data acquisition circuit configured to digitize data derived from a memory medium, as well as a dibit pulse estimation circuit configured to estimate the oversampled dibit pulse response using symbols sampled at the read channel rate of the receiving device.
US08441747B2
There is provided an optical module for microlithography. The optical module includes an optical element and a retaining device for holding the optical element. The optical element has (a) a main extension plane, in which it defines a radial direction R and a circumferential direction U, and (b) a free optical diameter and an overrun in the region of its outer periphery. The retaining device contacts the optical element in the region of the overrun, and is formed and/or contacts the optical element in such a manner that the overrun ratio, calculated from the overrun related to a minimum overrun necessary for the production of the optical element, is at most 1.5.
US08441726B2
Light from an optical fiber is incident on a frequency dispersion element. The frequency dispersion element disperses the incident light into light beams in different directions according to their frequencies and directs the dispersed light beams to a lens. The lens develops the incident light beams over an xy plane according to their frequencies in a strip-like form. A frequency selective element has pixels arranged in a frequency dispersion direction and brings pixels located at positions corresponding to the frequency to be selected into a reflective state. A light beam selected by the frequency selective element is emitted from an optical fiber through the same path. By changing reflection characteristics of the frequency selective element according to each pixel, optical filter characteristics can be desirably changed so as to achieve change of passband width and frequency shift.
US08441722B2
An amplifier optical fiber comprising a central core of a dielectric matrix doped with at least one element ensuring the amplification of an optical signal transmitted in the fiber and a cladding surrounding the central core and suitable for confining the optical signal transmitted in the core. The fiber also comprises metallic nanostructures suitable for generating an electronic surface resonance in the dielectric matrix of central core, the wavelength of said electronic surface resonance corresponding to an excitation level of the element ensuring the amplification.
US08441719B2
In a photon pair generating apparatus for generating a pair of correlated photons by hyper-parametric scattering, a light-shaping section irradiates an optical resonator with two beams of light of equal wavelength from different directions, and the optical resonator is configured to emit two correlated photons of different wavelengths in one direction as a pair of correlated photons. This makes it possible to provide a photon pair generating apparatus capable of achieving generation of a pair of correlated photons by a simpler configuration.
US08441716B2
A process for producing a color electro-optic display uses an electro-optic sub-assembly comprising an electro-optic layer and a light-transmissive electrically-conductive layer. This sub-assembly is laminated to a backplane comprising a plurality of electrodes with the electro-optic layer disposed between the backplane and the electrically-conductive layer. A flowable material is placed over the sub-assembly and a color filter array is placed over the electrically-conductive layer and aligned with the electrodes of the backplane to form the color electro-optic display.
US08441712B2
A display system for a portable device is switchable by electrical addressing. The display system can absorb ambient light and reflect at least a portion of the absorbed light to render an image on a surface of the display. The display includes a plurality of pixel electrodes. Each of the plurality of pixel electrodes includes linkers with acceptor molecules and donor molecules that form groups having respective color properties. In an off-state, a respective pixel is configured to reflect white light. In an on-state, a respective pixel is configured to reflect light according to the molecular grouping of the acceptor-donor group.
US08441705B2
A rotary construction laser is disclosed. The rotary construction laser having a deflection device rotatably mounted around an axis of rotation for emitting laser light as well as a stepper motor for rotating the deflection device around the axis of rotation.
US08441702B2
A mechanism for scanning and capturing digital images using residue detection. Upon detecting a document placed on a scanning surface of a scanning device, the illustrative embodiments detect a residue deposited on the document. The illustrative embodiments determine a portion of the document to be scanned based on a location of the residue on the document. The illustrative embodiments then scan the portion of the document.
US08441700B2
An image processing apparatus for use with a printed substrate is disclosed. The image processing apparatus comprises an imaging device configured to receive light reflected from a portion of multiple patches of a colorbar on the printed substrate and configured to process color data from the light reflected from the portion of multiple patches of the colorbar.
US08441695B2
A computer peripheral that may operate as a scanner. The scanner captures image frames as it is moved across an object. The image frames are formed into a composite image based on computations in two processes. In a first process, fast track processing determines a coarse position of each of the image frames based on a relative position between each successive image frame and a respective preceding image determine by matching overlapping portions of the image frames. In a second process, fine position adjustments are computed to reduce inconsistencies from determining positions of image frames based on relative positions to multiple prior image frames. When the determined position of multiple image frames overlap, pixels in the composite image may be formed by combing values of pixels in the image frames, which improves image quality of the composite image.
US08441693B2
An information processing apparatus that generates print data sent to a printing device acquires variable information from a plurality of devices, the variable information being finalized when the printing device carries out printing. The apparatus selects variable information from the plural pieces of variable information acquired from the plurality of devices in accordance with its own operation environment and operating location. The apparatus then adds the selected variable information to the print data and outputs the resultant.
US08441691B2
What is disclosed is a system and method for generating a destination profile LUT. In a manner more fully described herein, a high resolution LUT (e.g., 100-cube LUT) is received. Regions of high curvature of the gamut of an image output device are identified. A non-parametric dynamic optimization node selection method is utilized to select a subset of nodes from the high resolution profile LUT which captures these nonlinearities. Down-sampling the high resolution LUT produces a low resolution LUT. The low resolution LUT is up-sampled to a size of the high resolution LUT to obtain a reconstructed LUT. An error is then calculated between the reconstructed LUT and high resolution LUT. The process of node selection is iteratively repeated until all the subsets of nodes are considered. A destination profile LUT is then generated from the subset of nodes with the least error.
US08441676B2
In a case where both a first group and a second group obtainable by dividing a head rendering object of a second page can be disposed on a same surface of a same paper, the head rendering object of the second page is divided into the first group and the second group and the first group is located on the first page.
US08441673B2
A disclosed image forming apparatus forming a visible image on a recording medium includes: a functional element required for an image forming operation; a first control unit controlling the functional element; an input unit inputting an external instruction; and a second control unit communicating with the first control unit about information on the image, performing a process in accordance with the instruction input via the input unit, and outputting a return signal for starting the functional element required for performing the process in accordance with the instruction.
US08441666B2
A printing system and a printing control method for a printing system that enables automatically resumption of printing after recovering from a printing interrupt event without adding any changes to the conventional page printer, serial printer, line printer, or other type of printer and without needing to monitor which page is being printed when a printing interrupt event occurs. A reprint data management unit temporarily stores one page of print data to which page end information is added. A printing completion monitor monitors reception of a completion report that is sent by the printer when the printer reads the page end information. When the printing completion monitor detects the completion report, the reprint data management unit deletes the stored page of print data. A print interruption monitor detects if a printing interrupt event occurs during printing. If the print interruption monitor detects an interrupt and the cause of the interrupt is then corrected, the reprint data management unit sends the stored page of print data to the POS printer from the beginning again.
US08441660B2
An apparatus and method for print job redirection is disclosed. The method can include providing print job forwarding preference options. The print job forwarding preference options can include options for print job preferences based on printing device capabilities. The method can include receiving print job forwarding preferences at a printing device. The print job forwarding preferences can include at least one mandatory print job preference that specifies a mandatory printing device capability for a specific print job and at least one desirable print job preference that specifies a desirable printing device capability for the specific print job. The method can include determining whether the specific print job requires forwarding from the printing device to another printing device. The method can include forwarding the specific print job for printing if the specific print job requires forwarding.
US08441659B2
An image processing apparatus that enables a user who is restricted in use of a function to use the restricted function easily and exactly only for a specific process flow. A function restriction unit restricts execution of a function of the image processing apparatus based on restriction information set for every user. A process-flow generation unit generates a process that is achieved by combining a plurality of functions as a process flow according to an instruction from a user. An authentication unit authenticates the user according to his user account. A storage unit stores a process flow that is generated by the process-flow generation unit according to an instruction from an authenticated first user as a process flow on which a second user who is restricted in use of at least one of functions included in the process flow can issue an execution instruction to an execution unit.
US08441654B2
Provided herein is a cable label forming apparatus having an edit screen display device, a selection candidate display instructing device, and a selection candidate display device. The selection candidate display device displays a last selected candidate among the plurality of selection candidates on a priority basis in a normal edit screen when displaying the plurality of selection candidates is instructed, and displays a specific candidate among the plurality of selection candidates on a priority basis in a cable label forming edit screen when displaying the plurality of selection candidates is instructed.
US08441653B2
An apparatus for performing non-contact material characterization includes a wafer carrier adapted to hold a plurality of substrates and a material characterization device, such as a device for performing photoluminescence spectroscopy. The apparatus is adapted to perform non-contact material characterization on at least a portion of the wafer carrier, including the substrates disposed thereon.
US08441642B2
A color measuring device includes a lighting arrangement for a measurement field of a measurement object to be measured, a pick-up arrangement for detecting the measurement light reflected back from the measurement field and for converting it into corresponding electric signals, an electronic circuit for controlling operation of the color measuring device and for processing and evaluating the electric signals, and a display for displaying measurement results. The lighting arrangement has a lamp ring with three identical lamp groups for illuminating the measurement field from a predefined range of angles of incidence. The pick-up arrangement has a digital camera which creates an image of the measured measurement field. The electronic circuit is designed to switch the light sources of the lamp groups on sequentially, and the camera creates a separate image of the measurement field for every switched-on light source.
US08441638B2
A method and apparatus are disclosed for measurement of the electrophoretic mobility of particles in solution. A sample is placed in a cell containing two electrodes that apply an alternating electric field. A monochromatic light beam passes through the sample. Light scattered by the particles, along with the unscattered beam, is collected and collimated as it exits the cell. This beam is combined in free space with a phase modulated reference beam. The interference forms a frequency modulated speckle pattern, which is detected by a photodetector array. Each array element collects a narrow range of well-defined scattering angles. The signal from each is demodulated to provide a measurement of the electrophoretic mobility of the scattering particles. Each detector element provides a simultaneous independent measurement, increasing the amount of information which results in increased sensitivity, extending mobility measurements to particles below one nanometer while reducing the required concentration and electric field.
US08441621B2
The invention describes a long-range optical device (1) with two observation parts (3, 4) and a first observation beam path (11; 12) and a measurement beam path (25), in which the two observation parts (3,4) are arranged essentially parallel next to each other and spaced a predefinable distance (10) apart via at least one connection element (7). In a plan view of the device 1 with respect to a plane, in which the longitudinal axes (8, 9) of the observation parts (3, 4) are arranged, the sub-regions of the observation parts (3, 4) facing each other lie directly opposite each other over a length aligned parallel to the longitudinal axis (8, 9) of the observation parts (3, 4) of 20% to 90%, preferably 30% to 80% of a length (24) of the observation parts (3, 4). In addition, the observation beam path (11, 12) and the measurement beam path (25) are arranged outside the sub-regions (22, 23) of the observation parts (3, 4).
US08441619B2
A photodetector capable of improving dynamic range for input signals is provided. This photodetector includes a photoelectric converting portion, a charge separating portion, a charge accumulating portion, a barrier electrode formed the charge separating portion and the charge accumulating portion, and a barrier-height adjusting portion electrically connected to the barrier electrode. Undesired electric charges such as generated when environment light is incident on the photoelectric converting portion are removed by the charge separating portion. A potential barrier with an appropriate height is formed under the barrier electrode by applying a voltage to the barrier electrode according to an electric charge amount supplied from the charge separating portion to the barrier-height adjusting portion. Electric charges flowing from the charge separating portion into the charge accumulating portion over the potential barrier are provided as an output of the photodetector.
US08441618B2
A substrate transfer apparatus, for transferring a substrate from a first module to a second module, includes a moving base having a Y-motion axis for moving the moving base in Y-direction, and a substrate holding member mounted to the moving base via X-motion axis so as to move relative to the moving base to be in an advanced position and a retracted position relative to the moving base. The X-motion axis operates when the Y-motion axis is operating, if the X-motion axis must be parallel to the Y-motion axis when transferring the substrate from the substrate holding member to the second module.
US08441615B2
A precision assembly (10) for fabricating a substrate (42) includes a precision fabrication apparatus (12), a pedestal assembly (14) and a suspension system (16). The precision fabrication apparatus (12) fabricates the substrate (42). The pedestal assembly (14) supports at least a portion of the fabrication apparatus (12). The suspension system (16) inhibits the transfer of motion between the mounting base (20) and the pedestal assembly (14). The suspension system (16) can include (i) a first boom (380) that is coupled to the mounting base (20) and the pedestal assembly (14), the first boom (380) being pivotable coupled to at least one of the mounting base (20) and the pedestal assembly (14), and (ii) a first resilient assembly (382) that is coupled between the mounting base (20) and at least one of the first boom (380) and the pedestal assembly (14). The first resilient assembly (382) can function similar to a zero length spring over an operational range of the resilient assembly (382). With this design, the components of the precision fabrication apparatus (12) are better protected by the suspension system (16) during a seismic disturbance. This reduces the likelihood of damage and misalignment of the components of the precision fabrication apparatus (12) during the seismic disturbance.
US08441606B2
An electro-optical device comprises: a first data line extending in a first direction; a second data line extending in the first direction and arranged so as to be at least partially overlapped with the first data line; a first scanning line and a second scanning line extending in a second direction intersecting the first direction; a first transistor electrically connected to the first data line and electrically connected to the first scanning line; a first pixel electrode electrically connected to the first transistor; a second transistor electrically connected to the second data line and electrically connected to the second scanning line; and a second pixel electrode electrically connected to the second transistor.
US08441605B2
The present invention provides a polarizing plate including: a layer of polarizer for polarizing incident light and emitting the polarized light; and a coating type optically anisotropic layer disposed on the side to which the polarized light is emitted from the polarizer layer.
US08441603B2
A liquid crystal display structure includes a first substrate panel, a second substrate panel, and a liquid crystal layer between the first substrate panel and the second substrate panel. Pixel portions, formed by respective electrodes for applying a voltage to the liquid crystal layer, include a transparent substrate panel, an organic insulating layer, a patterned reflective layer, a dielectric layer, a transparent conductive layer and a thin film transistor. The organic insulating layer is formed over the transparent substrate panel. The patterned reflective layer is formed over the organic insulating layer exposing a portion of the organic insulating layer. The dielectric layer is formed over the patterned reflective layer. The dielectric layer has a smooth upper surface. The transparent conductive layer is over the dielectric layer. The transparent conductive layer is connected to the thin film transistor so that the thin film transistor can drive the transparent conductive electrode.
US08441602B2
Improved apparatus and method for collecting and directing light from a source via a light guide and modulated display assembly in an efficient manner through the design and use of prismatic optical structures, diffusers and/or light redirectors.
US08441599B2
A pixel unit including a first sub-pixel is disclosed. The first sub-pixel includes a first display medium, a second display medium, a first driving device, and a second driving device. The first driving device drives the first display medium. The second driving device drives the second display medium.
US08441574B2
A system and method for displaying images or video on an electronic display. A unique identifier may be embedded within the frames of images or video and detected by a light sensor. The data from the light sensor is analyzed to determine if the proper image or video was actually shown at the display. Some embodiments analyze the data from the light sensor in real time and may stop displaying the image or video if the data is not in the format of a unique identifier. Using this embodiment, the system can prevent unintended images or video from being shown on the display.
US08441557B2
A zoom lens includes a first lens group with positive refracting power and normally located at a fixed position, a second lens group with negative refracting power and movable in an optical axis direction for zooming, a third lens group with positive refracting power and normally located at a fixed position, a fourth lens group with positive refracting power and movable in the optical axis direction for correction of a focal position for zooming and focusing, and a fifth lens group. These lens groups are arranged in order from an object side to an image side. The zoom lens satisfies the conditional equations (1) 1.00
US08441553B2
An imager is provided having an image-capturing device, a voice detector, a voice recognition device and a composer. The image-capturing device captures a subject image and outputs an image. The voice detector detects ambient sound. The voice recognition device converts the ambient sound to characters. The composer composes the characters into the image.
US08441551B2
Circuitry, apparatus and methods provide flicker detection and improved image generation for digital cameras that employ image sensors. In one example, circuitry and methods are operative to compare a first captured frame with a second captured frame that may be, for example, sequential and consecutive or non-consecutive if desired, to determine misalignment of scene content between the frames. A realigned second frame is produced by realigning the second frame with the first frame if the frames are determined to be misaligned. Luminance data from the realigned second frame and luminance data from the pixels of the first frame are used to determine if an undesired flicker condition exists. If an undesired flicker condition is detected, exposure time control information is generated for output to the imaging sensor that captured the frame, to reduce flicker. This operation may be done, for example, during a preview mode for a digital camera, or may be performed at any other suitable time.
US08441549B2
A method for suppressing banding and rolling flicker in video acquired by a video camera. The method comprises acquiring a plurality of video frames and assessing an amount of rolling flicker in the plurality of video frames. The method further comprises configuring the video camera to quiet banding and rolling flicker responsive to periodic illumination at a first frequency if the amount of rolling flicker is above a threshold, and, configuring the video camera to quiet banding and rolling flicker responsive to periodic illumination at a second frequency if the amount of rolling flicker is below the threshold.
US08441548B1
An example method includes capturing, by a camera of a mobile computing device, an image, determining whether the image includes a representation of at least a portion of a face, and, when the image includes the representation of at least the portion of the face, analyzing characteristics of the image. The characteristics include at least one of a tonal distribution of the image that is associated with a darkness-based mapping of a plurality of pixels of the image, and a plurality of spatial frequencies of the image that are associated with a visual transition between adjacent pixels of the image. The method further includes classifying, by the mobile computing device, a quality of the image based at least in part on the analyzed characteristics of the image.
US08441534B2
An electronic article surveillance system (1) comprises a read/write station (2; 217, 218, 220-224) that is designed to communicate an electronic article surveillance status test-request command comprising zone information that indicates an electronic article surveillance zone for which an electronic article surveillance status that is assigned to said zone is to be tested, and further comprises a data carrier (3; 31-35) having a circuit (11) that is designed to store status data (SD) for indicating whether an electronic article surveillance status is active and to store zone data (ZD) for specifying at least one electronic article surveillance zone to which the electronic article status is assigned, the data carrier (3; 31-35) being further designed to test whether said stored status is active for the electronic article surveillance zone to which it is assigned in the case that this zone is indicated by the zone information provided by the read/write station (2; 217, 218, 220-224).
US08441526B2
It is made possible to record stereoscopic image data of parallel-ray one-dimensional IP type in a format at a high compression rate with little image quality degradation. This stereoscopic image data can be efficiently decompressed and reproduced. A stereoscopic image data structure includes: a parallax component image data representing n or more parallax component images, each having accumulated pixels that cause the pixels to generate the parallel light rays in the same parallax direction in the viewing zone, and having different numbers of horizontal pixels. N combined images with the same numbers of vertical and horizontal pixels are a unit to be converted into a parallax interleaved image, the n combined images being formed by combining two or more parallax component images with parallax directions different from each other by n.
US08441524B2
A digital zoom rate of two-dimensional images zoomed by a digital zoom unit is obtained. When the obtained digital zoom rate is larger than 100%, at least one of the digitally zoomed two-dimensional images is modified based on an enlarged amount of parallax to provide an amount of parallax between the digitally zoomed two-dimensional images equal to the enlarged amount of parallax. The enlarged amount of parallax is obtained by enlarging, at a moderated digital zoom rate, an amount of parallax between the two-dimensional images before being digitally zoomed, and the moderated digital zoom rate is obtained by moderating the digital zoom rate at a moderation rate, where the moderation rate increases as the zoom rate increases. Then, a display unit is caused to carry out three-dimensional display based on the modified two-dimensional images.
US08441520B2
Disclosed herein are primary and auxiliary image capture devices for image processing and related methods. According to an aspect, a method may include using primary and auxiliary image capture devices to perform image processing. The method may include using the primary image capture device to capture a first image of a scene, the first image having a first quality characteristic. Further, the method may include using the auxiliary image capture device to capture a second image of the scene. The second image may have a second quality characteristic. The second quality characteristic may be of lower quality than the first quality characteristic. The method may also include adjusting at least one parameter of one of the captured images to create a plurality of adjusted images for one of approximating and matching the first quality characteristic. Further, the method may include utilizing the adjusted images for image processing.
US08441516B2
In an embodiment, a machine-readable volatile or non-volatile storage medium stores one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform monitoring a plurality of video conference locations, each of the locations comprising one or more video conference rooms, resulting in creating and storing monitored data; generating service level view data which when displayed on a video display unit concurrently comprises graphical representations of all the locations and all the rooms, and graphical representations of faults associated with each of the rooms. Rooms can include coder-decoders (codecs), cameras, video monitors, and network packet data routing or switching elements. Embodiments provide a holistic view of all video conference rooms in a deployment, with aggregated call usage, quality and fault data, with highly useful graphical management displays.
US08441509B2
An image forming apparatus includes: a transport unit that transports a recording medium; a thermal transfer sheet that has an ink layer, and a protective material layer thermally transferred onto the recording medium to form a protective layer; a reforming sheet that has a printing opening portion for causing the ink layer and the protective material layer to come into contact with a surface of the recording medium, and a surface property reforming portion for reforming surface properties of the protective layer; and a thermal head that heats and causes the surface property reforming portion to come into pressing contact with the recording medium through the thermally transferred protective material layer, wherein a temperature limitation area is set in an outer peripheral portion of an area where the surface properties are reformed, and heating of the surface property reforming portion in the temperature limitation area is restricted.
US08441508B2
An image erasing apparatus includes: a first carrying section carrying a recording medium; a second carrying section carrying the recording medium; a branching section branching a carrying path into the first carrying section and the second carrying section; a first erasing section erasing an image of the recording medium in the first carrying section; a second erasing section erasing the image of the recording medium in the second carrying section; a third carrying section carrying the recording medium passing through the first erasing section to the second carrying section; and a control section selecting the carrying path of the recording medium depending on an image erasing mode.
US08441507B2
The present invention provides an annular exposure device, including: plural light emitting members that are provided two-dimensionally along an outer circumferential surface of the annular exposure device, the annular exposure device rotating when the annular exposure device contacts a surface of an image holding member.
US08441504B2
An image processing apparatus includes a control amount calculating unit configured to calculate an equivalent electric power value using a pixel value of an input video signal, the equivalent electric power value corresponding to an amount of energy involved when an image based on the video signal is displayed on a display unit, and to calculate a control amount for controlling display luminance of the display unit so that the equivalent electric power value becomes equal to a predetermined value, and a correction processing unit configured to control the display luminance using the control amount calculated by the control amount calculating unit.
US08441494B2
Remote desktop servers include a display encoder that maintains a secondary framebuffer that contains display data to be encoded and transmitted to a remote client display. The display encoder submits requests to update the display data in the secondary framebuffer to a video adapter driver that has access to a primary framebuffer whose display data is updated according to drawing commands received from applications running on the remote desktop servers. The video adapter driver utilizes a spatial data structure to track changes made to the display data located in regions of the primary framebuffer and copies the display data in those regions of the primary framebuffer to corresponding regions in the secondary framebuffer.
US08441493B2
Systems and methods of compressing and displaying the contents of multiple display devices on a single display device are presented. The display content from each of a plurality of devices is contemporaneously displayed by placing each respective desktop display raster data into video memory in a sequential order for each of the plurality of monitors and setting the scan engine to scan a single, very wide, image having a horizontal value equal to the sum of the widths of the individual displays and a vertical value equal to the original height of the individual display.
US08441488B2
Exemplary apparatus, method, and system embodiments provide for processing an action script for a graphical image for visual display. An exemplary apparatus comprises: a first memory; first circuitry configured to convert a plurality of descriptive elements of the action script into a plurality of operational codes; and second circuitry configured to execute the plurality of operational codes using corresponding data stored in the first memory to generate pixel data for the graphical image. Exemplary embodiments may further include third circuitry configured to parse the action script into the plurality of descriptive elements and the corresponding data, and fourth circuitry configured to extract data from the action script and to store the extracted data in the first memory as a plurality of control words having the corresponding data in predetermined fields.
US08441483B2
A bullet-mark information memory unit (250) stores bullet hole information containing a normal map defining a recess of a bullet hole. An original image drawing unit (261) draws an original image containing an object having undergone lighting. A synthesizing unit (262) synthesizes a bullet hole to which a normal map is applied with a hit location of the drawn object. A compensation value calculating unit (263) calculates a compensation value based on a relationship between a normal line of the object and a light source direction. A brightness value calculating unit (264) calculates a brightness value based on a relationship between a normal line direction of a bullet through a normal map and a light source direction, and a relationship with the calculated compensation value. A shading unit (265) uses the calculated brightness value and performs shading which changes a tone of the object at a synthesis position.
US08441481B2
A method is disclosed to automatically segment 3D and higher-dimensional images into two subsets without user intervention, with no topological restriction on the solution, and in such a way that the solution is an optimal in a precisely defined optimization criterion, including an exactly defined degree of smoothness. A minimum-cut algorithm is used on a graph devised so that the optimization criterion translates into the minimization of the graph cut. The minimum cut thus found is interpreted as the segmentation with desired property.
US08441478B2
Disclosed are image resource loading system and method, the system comprising a basic recording space for partitioning a game map into at least one cell and maintaining an object by unit of the cell, a loading target identification unit identifying a cell becoming a target for loading and an object associated with the cell in the basic recording space, in case that a loading event occurs, an order determination unit giving a loading order to the object associated with the cell in accordance with a predetermined determination criterion, and a processor unit loading the object by referring to the given loading order, wherein the order determination unit determines the loading order by considering the size of the object or whether the object is positioned within a predetermined range of the visual field.
US08441477B2
A method and an apparatus of enhancing a ray tracing speed. The method of enhancing a ray tracing speed may group a secondary ray based on a direction of the secondary ray in a 3D space, and may perform packet tracing based on the grouped secondary ray.
US08441475B2
In one embodiment, a method for operating a virtual environment is disclosed. The method can include receiving an interactive virtual universe feed from a network in coordinate format. The method can also include displaying an interactive virtual universe and providing a trigger to a client application responsive to a user interaction. The trigger can change a mode of a user's computer where the computer receives and displays video data or pixel data. Thus, the client machine can display higher quality video. Other embodiments are also disclosed.
US08441471B2
A light source device with an improved contrast ratio between a bright portion and a dark portion of a displayed image and a display divide including the light source device. In order to change a reflectance of a portion of a reflection sheet 110, 111 with gradation in response to light and dark of portions of an image displayed on a display panel 201, a control mechanism 202 arranged to control the display panel 201 is provided. A first storing mechanism 104 and a second storing mechanism 105 arranged to store signals generated by the control mechanism 202, a calculation mechanism 103 arranged to calculate reflectances of portions of the reflection sheet 110, 111, a third storing mechanism 106 arranged to store the reflectances calculated by the calculation mechanism 103, and a reflectance control mechanism 107 arranged to control the reflection sheet 110, 111 based on the reflectances are provided.
US08441470B2
In a color sensor unit for use in a display device, a color measuring device for use in a display device, a display system and a display calibration method of the invention, a CPU is operable to calculate a luminance value or a chromaticity value substantially equivalent to that to be obtained by a measuring device having a light receiving angle smaller than a light receiving angle of a sensor, by correcting a luminance value or a chromaticity value measured by the sensor based on gradation information from the display device.
US08441464B1
A capacitive touch panel is disclosed. The capacitive touch panel includes a substrate having a plurality of sensing units, a frame having a hollow opening for accommodating the substrate, and an optical composite layer disposed on the frame. Two adjacent sensing units comprise a distance therebetween. the frame and the substrate form a composite structure. The optical composite layer includes a shielding layer and an ink layer, and the thickness of the shielding layer is adjusted with respect to the distance such that the sensing units are invisible from outside.
US08441463B2
A mobile electronic device has a touch screen display, a processor operably coupled to the touch screen display, and a network interface coupled to the processor. An array of one or more tactile pixels is located on the display or proximate the display along at least one edge of the touch screen display. Each of the tactile pixels in the array includes an actuatable portion coupled to an actuator. The actuatable portion is actuatable by the actuator in response to execution of one or more instructions by the processor. A tactile feel of the actuatable portion changes as a result of actuation of the actuatable portion by the actuator. This abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.
US08441459B2
An in-cell capacitive touch panel is disclosed. The present invention utilizes a sensing unit that comprises a sensing liquid crystal capacitor and three transistors to detect touch events. A first transistor is connected to a first gate line and the sensing liquid crystal capacitor and controlled by the first gate line to charge the sensing liquid crystal capacitor. A second transistor together with a third transistor functions as a capacitance-current converter. The second transistor generates an output current according to the voltage of a first electrode of the sensing liquid crystal capacitor. A second gate line controls the third transistor to transfer the output current through a readout line to a readout unit that determines the touch positions. Thus, the in-cell capacitive touch panel of the present invention can use a simple-structure readout circuit to achieve superior readout accuracy and is adaptive to various sizes of touch panels.
US08441456B2
A touch display substrate comprises a base substrate, a plurality of pixel portions, a sensing element portion and a sensing line portion. The pixel portions can be arranged in at least one pixel column and at least one pixel row on the base substrate, and may include a pixel electrode. The sensing element portion may be disposed in a first column between a first pixel column and a second pixel column, and senses a touch. The sensing line portion may be disposed in a second column between adjacent pixel columns and coupled to the sensing element portion, and the second column is different from the first column. The sensing line portion may be disposed between pixel columns different from the pixel columns where the sensing element portion is disposed so that an aperture ratio of the touch screen display apparatus may be enhanced.
US08441449B2
A handheld electronic device includes a reduced QWERTY keyboard and is enabled with disambiguation software that is operable to disambiguate text input. In addition to identifying and outputting representations of language objects that are stored in the memory and that correspond with a text input, the device provides a learning function which facilitates providing proposed corrected output by the device in certain circumstances of erroneous input.
US08441448B2
A method for enabling generation of text on a handheld electronic device which has a plurality of input members, at least some of which have a number of linguistic elements assigned thereto, and a memory having language objects stored therein. The method comprises enabling detection of a number of input member actuations corresponding with an ambiguous input, making at least one of a determination that the number of actuations exceeds a first threshold and a determination that a quantity of predicted language objects corresponding with the ambiguous input is less than a second threshold, generating prefix objects corresponding with the ambiguous input and predicted language objects corresponding with the ambiguous input, each predicted language object comprising a prefix object portion and a completion portion, and providing at a text input location an output comprising a prefix object and a completion portion of a first predicted language object.
US08441447B2
An electronic device includes an input module, which has a plurality of first keys, a plurality of second keys, a first vibration element and a second vibration element. When any one of the first keys is pressed or touched, the first vibration element vibrates accordingly; and when any one of the second keys is pressed or touched, the second vibration element vibrates accordingly thereby providing a tactile feedback to a user.
US08441443B2
The present invention features a remote touchpad device for a vehicle, which preferably comprises a circuit board having luminous elements installed at predetermined intervals along the circumference of a circle to irradiate light and at least one light-receiving element to receive the light the luminous elements, a pad provided on an upper part of the circuit board to make the light from the luminous elements reflected by an approaching or contact object and incident to the light-receiving element, a controller controlling a user interface by calculating the position of the object with 3D coordinates based on the amount of light incident to the light-receiving element, and a housing forming the exterior of the circuit board, the pad, and the controller. The invention also features a method of controlling the remote touchpad device.
US08441424B2
A driver circuit for an LCD display includes; a gate line; a data line crossing the gate line; a feed TFT connected to the gate line; a feed control line connected to the feed TFT to switch on the feed TFT; and a feed signal line connected to the feed TFT to supply a feed signal to the gate line.
US08441419B2
A display apparatus includes: an edge processing section extracting an edge component of a display data signal; a display data signal processing section changing the display data signal according to a level conversion signal and adding the edge component thereto; a level conversion signal generating section changing the level conversion signal according to the display data signal and a signal output from the display data signal processing section; and a display section performing a display operation according to the signal output from the display data processing section.
US08441418B2
Charge corresponding to a potential difference between electrodes of an electroluminescence element is accumulated in a period in which the electroluminescence element emits light; the potential difference is detected without decrease in the luminance at the time of light emission of the electroluminescence element; and a reference potential of one electrode of the electroluminescence element is changed based on the detected potential difference, so that reduction in luminance of the electroluminescence element due to deterioration of the electroluminescence element is compensated.
US08441406B2
An apparatus has an improved antenna pattern for a cross dipole antenna. Such antennas desirably have an omnidirectional antenna pattern. Conventional cross dipole antennas exhibit nulls in their antenna patterns, which can cause antennas to deviate from a standard or specification. Applicant recognized and confirmed that the connection of a coaxial cable to the antenna arms is a cause of the nulls in the antenna pattern, and has devised techniques disclosed herein to compensate or cancel the effects of the connection. In one embodiment, the arms of the cross dipole antenna that are coupled to a center conductor of the coaxial cable remain of conventional length, but the arms of the cross dipole antenna that are coupled to a shield of the coaxial cable are lengthened by a fraction of the radius of the outer diameter of the coaxial cable.
US08441405B2
A transformer between a waveguide and a transmission-line includes a high-frequency circuit module, transmission-lines, a waveguide, and feed pins. The high-frequency circuit module has differential-pair terminals to input and output a differential signal. The transmission-lines are connected to the differential-pair terminals. The waveguide includes first to third metal walls. The feed pins are connected to the transmission-lines inside of the waveguide. The feed pins have a first distance of approximately (λg/2) from each other. One of the feed pins has a second distance of approximately (λg*(1+2α)/4) from the third metal plane. “λg” is a wavelength in the waveguide and “α” is an integer which is equal or larger than “0”. Each of the feed pins has a third distance of approximately (a/2) from the first or second wall. “a” is length of the waveguide along the third metal wall.
US08441404B2
Electronic devices and antennas for electronic devices are provided. The antennas may have ground plane elements with dielectric-filled openings. The dielectric-filled openings may be configured to form one or more rectangular slots. The antennas may be fed using transmission lines having first and second conductors. The first conductor of a given transmission line may be coupled to the ground plane element on one side of the slots. The second conductor of the transmission line may be coupled to a planar conductive element. The planar conductive element may couple to the ground plane element on the other side of the slots. The slots may be separated by a portion of the ground plane element. The planar conductive element may bridge at least one of the slots and may overlap the portion of the ground plane element that separates the slots without electrically contacting that portion of the ground plane element.
US08441394B2
A system, controller, antenna, and method for detecting obstruction and misalignment of a ground vehicle radar having an antenna configured to detect objects in a first direction characterized as being substantially parallel to a horizontal plane about the ground vehicle, and detect objects in a second direction characterized as being toward a roadway surface proximate to the ground vehicle. The second direction radar return from the roadway is expected to have certain characteristics. If the characteristics are outside of a predetermined window, then obstruction and/or misalignment of the first direction and the second direction is likely, and so the radar may not reliably detect an object in the first direction, such as a vehicle in an adjacent lane.
US08441393B2
An orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication system is adapted for radar ranging and imaging. A radar system includes an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) radio communications transmitter configured to transmit information bits using one or more payload symbols in a transmitted signal; and a receiver configured to: construct the payload symbols from the information bits provided by the transmitter; receive the payload symbols in the transmitted signal reflected from a target; apply a matched filter to the received payload symbols using the constructed payload symbols as a template; and process a magnitude response at an output of the matched filter for estimating location and imaging of the target.
US08441390B2
An event detecting apparatus capable of high-precision detection of an event even by use of a narrow-band signal comprises: a plurality of antennas 21 that receive radio waves transmitted from a transmitter, a correlation matrix operation unit 22 that expresses signals received by the plurality of antennas 21 as received vectors, to operate a correlation matrix on the basis of the received vectors, an eigenvector operation unit 23 that performs eigenvalue expansion of the correlation matrix operated by the correlation matrix operation unit 22, to operate eigenvectors covering a signal subspace, and an event detecting unit 24 that detects a temporal change in the eigenvectors operated by the eigenvector operation unit 23, to detect an event.
US08441378B2
Various embodiments of methods and devices for reducing capacitor mismatch errors in a pipeline analog-to-digital converter (ADC) are disclosed. A plurality of pipeline element circuits are provided, where each pipeline element circuit corresponds to a given bit of the pipeline ADC. A first pipeline element circuit is configured to digitize analog A and B capacitor mismatch error calibration voltages generated by all the pipeline element circuits of the ADC when the pipeline ADC is operating in a capacitor mismatch calibration phase. According to one embodiment, digital representations corresponding to A and B capacitor mismatch error calibration voltages for each of the pipeline element circuits are provided to an output shift register and summing circuit, which generates capacitor mismatch error correction codes corresponding to each bit and pipeline element circuit. The capacitor mismatch error correction codes are applied to each bit weight of the pipeline ADC after conversion of analog signals input to the pipeline ADC has been completed.
US08441376B1
A present novel and non-trivial system, module, and method for presenting surface symbology on an aircraft display unit are disclosed. Symbology image data representative of an image depicting takeoff distance symbology is generated by a symbology generator based upon flight management data and navigation reference data provided by a flight management data source and the navigation reference data source, respectively. The takeoff distance symbology comprises a far end and a near end, where the location of the far end corresponds to a location of the end of the assigned runway, and the location of the near end is dependent upon the location of the far end, the direction of the runway opposite of the assigned runway, and the takeoff distance. The takeoff distance symbology may be presented as a superimposition against an image of the assigned runway presented on the screen of the display unit.
US08441375B2
A flight management verification apparatus adapted to verify at least one flight management, wherein the flight management in use outputs a warning, disables an aircraft and/or inhibits the activation thereof in response to a power fail condition. The flight management verification apparatus comprises a first connection means adapted to be disposed in a first power indicator line to a first flight management, wherein the first power indicator line provides a signal representative of a condition of a first power supply, and further comprises a first switch connected in use such that the signal of the power indicator line for the first flight management means is switched. Actuating the switch causes the signal on the power indicator line to change indicating a distortion or failure of the power supply of the aircraft and/or a part thereof. The response of the flight management can be verified by the signal output by the flight management, e.g. on a display, or in that the aircraft is deactivated and/or cannot be activated.
US08441368B2
A surface mountable radiation guide for a radiation path between a measurement volume (1) and an electro-optical component has a first radiation interface in a radiation path towards the measurement volume, a third radiation interface in a radiation path towards the electro-optical component, and a reflecting portion forming a first radiation path between the first and the third radiation interface, said first radiation path providing a focus region at the measurement volume.
US08441364B2
A power outlet locator for locating concealed inductive power outlet. A sensor is provided for detecting a signal emitted by an inductive power outlet. A processor uses the detected signal to compute location coordinates of the power outlet. A user interface is provided to communicate the location of the power outlet to a user.
US08441363B2
A system and method is described for rapid charging and power management of a battery for a meter. A charger component is operably associated with the meter and is capable of executing a rapid charge algorithm for a rechargeable battery. The algorithm includes monitoring for a connection to an external power source and implementing a charging routine of a battery at a first charge rate and then at a second charge rate. The second charge rate is lower than the first charge rate. A temperature rise in the rechargeable battery due to the first charge rate has a negligible heat transfer effect on the fluid sample. The meter can also include a power switch for controlling current flow to a battery fuel gauge. The power switch is open when the meter enters into a sleep mode. The state of battery charge is determined after the meter exits the sleep mode.
US08441360B2
A system includes an ultraviolet c-band radiation detector to enable detection of radiation during search and rescue operations, at least a portion of the radiation including ultraviolet c-band radiation, and a stimulus generator configured to generate a stimulus in response to detected ultraviolet c-band radiation. Further embodiments may include multiple synchronized ultraviolet c-band detectors to enhance system sensitivity and facilitate detection of relatively weak radiation sources, relatively distant sources, and/or radiation scattered about an environment.
US08441358B2
Temperature monitoring system for power transformers submerged in oil applied preferentially in transformers submerged in oil and it presents several facilities in the sense of becoming temperature monitoring more reliable and safe, with highlight for the redundant measurement of temperature of the top of the oil; self-calibration of the temperature measurement entrances by means of internal references and specific electronic circuits; timing between successive activation of the groups of forced cooling when the deactivation of monitoring system on screen; internal watches with auxiliary alimentation without battery; safety reinforced in the alarms signaling for elevated temperature and finally automatic adjustment of the alarm values of the temperature differential of the commuter of derivations in load.
US08441355B2
A host article and electronic tag assembly includes an article portion of rubber-based material composition. The electronic device and antenna attach to or are embedded within the article portion. The antenna is constructed to be flexible and at least partially composed of a flexible conductive material such as conductive rubber. The flexible antenna conductive material is selected to provide material composition properties substantially equivalent to the rubber-based article portion, whereby rendering the antenna mechanically compatible for incorporation into the article portion. A change in compression within the rubber-based article portion changes compression forces exerted from the article portion on the antenna arms which, in turn, results in a detectable change in signal strength from the tag. The antenna may further be configured and positioned within the article portion to change transmission characteristics responsive to a change of air pressure in an ambient adjacent air mass within the article, and thereby function as an air pressure sensor.
US08441353B2
A monitoring system includes a plurality of display devices located throughout a facility, and a data server in communication with the display devices. Each subject within the facility has an information tag attached thereto that contains subject identification information. A plurality of information tag readers in communication with the data server are located throughout the facility. Each information tag reader is configured to activate and read subject identification information from an information tag of a subject who comes within a predetermined distance of the reader. If the reader is located near a display device, the data server displays subject information for the identified subject on the display device. Displayed subject information includes identification information for of a subject and one or more coded icons adjacent to the identification information, wherein each coded icon provides information about a respective subject attribute.
US08441352B2
A personal security backpack and method of use include a portable container having a first compartment and a second compartment, the second compartment having an audible alarm siren window for transmission of an audible siren; a strap attached to the portable container; and an alarm system responsive to at least one activation signal, the alarm system includes an alarm system circuit removably disposed in the second compartment; an audible alarm siren operably connected to the alarm system circuit and responsive to the activation signal to generate the audible siren; and a microphone operably connected to the alarm system circuit, the microphone being responsive to the activation signal, responsive to a user voice, and selectively unresponsive to the audible siren to generate a voice signal.
US08441347B2
The present invention provides system, method and apparatus for energizing one or more brake lights on a vehicle without an operator of the vehicle applying a brake of the vehicle by determining an acceleration of the vehicle, energizing the brake lights on the vehicle whenever the acceleration of the vehicle equals or exceeds a braking threshold, and deenergizing the brake lights on the vehicle whenever: (a) the brake lights are energized, (b) the acceleration of the vehicle is less than the braking threshold, (c) a specified period of time has elapsed since the brake lights were energized, and (d) the operator is not applying the brake of the vehicle.
US08441338B2
A digital media playing system includes, in one embodiment, a digital video and/or audio media object, such as a portable digital media container adapted to hold one or more digital storage mediums, that includes a radio frequency identification tag containing RFID tag information. The digital media playing system also includes a trusted media content playing device that has a radio frequency identification tag reader operatively coupled therewith, to read the RFID tag information from the RFID tag that is located on the portable media container and that securely downloads remotely stored audio and/or video media based on the RFID tag information. The RFID tag information that is in the RFID tag includes, in one embodiment, encrypted tag identification information and unencrypted remote content identification information as well as, if desired, portable digital media container authentication data (e.g. player ID). Other RFID enabled digital video and/or audio media objects include movie tickets, concert tickets, 3-D objects, clothing and other forms.
US08441334B2
An electronic circuit includes a first inductor, a second inductor that is magnetically coupled with the first inductor, induced current flowing through the second inductor by a magnetic field generated by the first inductor, and a current changing part that is connected to the second inductor and is configured to change the induced current that flows through the second inductor.
US08441328B2
An electrostatic switch for high frequency and a method for manufacturing the same are disclosed. The electrostatic switch for high frequency in accordance with an embodiment includes: a first substrate module including a first substrate, an electrode part and a pair of CoPlanar Waveguides (CPWs), the electrode part being installed on the first substrate, the pair of CPWs being formed on either side of the electrode part and guiding an RF signal to travel; and a second substrate module being joined to the first substrate module, the second substrate module including a membrane and a bias line, the membrane being installed on a second substrate and bent by bias voltage supplied to the electrode part and being coupled to the pair of CPWs across an upper area of the electrode part in order to be short-circuited to the electrode part, the bias line being connected to the electrode part.
US08441323B2
A signal processing module with a timing comparator such as a time to digital converter is provided. The timing comparator comprises an error cancellation stage to remove a predicted effect of the imparted jitter from the timing comparator output signal. A jitter detector is used to detect the jitter from the comparator output signal, preferably residual jitter after the predicted effect of the jitter has been removed. Synchronous detection, such as correlation with the predicted jitter may be used to detect the jitter. The jitter detector adjusts a calibration factor of the timing comparator dependent on the detected jitter.
US08441320B2
A system includes a power amplifier, a preamplifier, a first temperature sensor, and a bias generator. The power amplifier has a first gain, which is a function of a temperature of the power amplifier. The preamplifier has a second gain, amplifies an input signal, and outputs an amplified signal to the power amplifier. The first temperature sensor senses the temperature and generates a first signal. The bias generator generates a first biasing signal to bias the power amplifier, generates a second biasing signal to bias the preamplifier, and adjusts the second gain by adjusting the second biasing signal based on the first signal. The adjusted second gain compensates a change in the first gain due to the change in the temperature.
US08441312B2
A reference current generating circuit has: first and second current mirror circuits and first and second output terminals. The first current mirror circuit has: a first transistor of a first polarity being an input-side transistor; and a first resistor connected between a gate of the first transistor and a power supply terminal. The second current mirror circuit has a second transistor of a second polarity being an input-side transistor. An output node of the first current mirror circuit is connected to an input node of the second current mirror circuit, and an input node of the first current mirror circuit is connected to an output node of the second current mirror circuit. A control voltage applied to the gate of the first transistor is output from the first output terminal. A control voltage applied to a gate of the second transistor is output from the second output terminal.
US08441297B2
Provided is a PMOS resistor. The PMOS resistor includes a PMOS transistor pair, a switching unit, and a negative feedback unit. The PMOS transistor pair is symmetrically connected between first and second nodes. The switching unit compares a voltage of the first node and a voltage of the second node to output one of the voltages of the first and second nodes. The negative feedback unit receives an output of the switching unit to control a current which flows in the PMOS transistor pair, for maintaining a constant resistance value.
US08441292B1
In one embodiment, multiple (serializer/deserializer) SERDES channels are aligned by selectively slipping one or more of the incoming serial data streams one bit at a time prior to deserialization. Within each SERDES channel, a slip circuit slips the corresponding serial data stream by one bit (i.e., one unit interval (UI)) by extending the high portion of the duty cycle of a corresponding clock signal. The high portion of the clock signal is extended using a 3-to-1 mux that selects a fixed high signal, such as the high power supply rail, as an intermediate mux output signal whenever transitioning between two different applied clock signals that are offset from one another by one UI. In this way, the slip circuit avoids glitches that might otherwise result from switching directly between the two clock signals.
US08441282B2
An integrated circuit includes a first ODT (On Die Termination) unit and an input buffer. The first ODT unit is configured to receive at least one pull-up code and at least one pull-down code and calibrate a resistance value for impedance matching of a first line transferring data. The input buffer is configured to buffer the data in response to a reference voltage level and drive input data. Herein, the driving of the input data is controlled in response to the pull-up code and the pull-down code.
US08441280B1
An electronic circuit includes a plurality of programmable components connected in an electronic chain. An interface is adapted to connect the programmable components to an external controller wherein the controller is adapted to program the programmable components. A component isolation element is connected to the interface at an input end and to the electronic chain of the programmable components at an output end wherein the isolation element is adapted to isolate one component of the programmable components from the electronic chain and wherein the one component is a safety component.
US08441276B2
A solar photovoltaic panel test platform includes a test section and a signal processing section. The test section has a frame, a light-emitting unit disposed on the frame, a first angle adjustment unit and a second angle adjustment unit arranged on the frame, an air-cooling unit mounted on the first angle adjustment unit for connecting with a first solar photovoltaic panel, and a water-cooling unit mounted on the second angle adjustment unit for connecting with a second solar photovoltaic panel. The signal processing section is connected to the first and second angle adjustment units, the light-emitting unit, the air-cooling unit, the water-cooling unit, and the first and second solar photovoltaic panels. The signal processing section serves to receive sensing signals and transmit control signals. The solar photovoltaic panel test platform can provide different illuminations, angles of incidence and heat dissipation modes to test the efficiency of the solar photovoltaic panels.
US08441273B2
A testing card for a USB port includes first USB contacting pins, a second USB contacting pin, a transmitting circuits, a voltage converting circuit, and a testing portion. The first USB contacting pins are connected to the USB port to receive a number of USB signals. The second USB contacting pin is connected to the USB port to receive a voltage signal from the USB port. The transmitting circuit is electrically connected to the first USB contacting pins to transmit the USB signals therefrom. The voltage converting circuit is electrically connected to the second USB contacting pin to convert the voltage signal to a predetermined level. The testing portion is electrically connected to the outputs of the transmitting circuit and the voltage converting circuit to receive the USB signals and the converted voltage signal.
US08441272B2
A MEMS probe adapted to contact a corresponding terminal of an integrated circuit, integrated on at least one chip of a semiconductor material wafer during a test phase of the wafer is provided. The probe includes a support structure comprising a first access terminal and a second access terminal; the support structure defines a conductive path between said first access terminal and said second access terminal. The probes further-includes a probe region connected to the support structure adapted to contact the corresponding terminal of the integrated circuit during the test phase for providing at least one test signal received from the first access terminal and the second access terminal to the integrated circuit through at least one portion of the conductive path, and/or providing at least one test signal generated by the integrated circuit to at least one between the first access terminal and the second access terminal trough at least one portion of the conductive path. The probe region is arranged on the conductive path of the support structure between said first access terminal and said second access terminal.
US08441268B2
A system for detecting fluid on a substrate is provided. The system includes, but is not limited to, a sensor board, a first capacitive sensor, and a platform upon which the substrate is to be placed. The first capacitive sensor is mounted on the sensor board. The first capacitive sensor has a transmit sensor pad for transmitting a signal, a receive sensor pad for receiving the signal, and an analog-to-digital convertor connected with the receive sensor pad for analyzing the received signal. The platform is a first distance from the transmit and receive sensor pads.
US08441261B2
A method for determining orientation of an electrically conductive formation proximate an electrically substantially non-conductive formation includes measuring multiaxial electromagnetic induction response within the substantially non-conductive formation using an instrument disposed in a wellbore drilled through the formations. A difference from zero conductivity is determined for each component measurement of the multiaxial electromagnetic induction response. The differences are used to correct the measured response of each component measurement in the electrically conductive response. The corrected component measurements are used to determine the orientation of the conductive formation.
US08441258B2
A radio frequency (RF) coil array includes a plurality of RF coil sections arranged in a superior-inferior direction. Each RF coil section includes a first linear coil element, a loop-saddle coil quadrature pair and a second linear coil element configured in an overlapping arrangement in a left-right direction. The position of the first linear coil element and the second linear coil element on the left and right may be shifted in the superior-inferior direction with respect to the center loop-saddle coil quadrature pair.
US08441257B2
A sequence of magnetic resonance images of the beating heart depicts the flow of blood through the heart chambers. Blood appears bright and background tissues are darkened by acquiring MR data following a preparatory pulse sequence in which spin magnetization throughout the field of view is inverted using a non-selective RF inversion pulse and spin magnetization in a selected pool of blood moving into the heart is re-inverted by a selective RF inversion pulse.
US08441254B2
An encoder to be mounted to a shaft extending from a piston meter configured to compute a volume of distributed fluid includes a magnet affixed to the shaft via a floating magnet holder, a magnetic sensor configured to sense the flux density and direction of a magnetic field created by the magnet and to output a signal indicating the flux density and direction of the magnetic field to a printed circuit board, and the printed circuit board configured to output a signal indicating the volume of distributed fluid if the encoder has not been tampered with and configured to output an error signal if the encoder has been tampered with.
US08441253B2
A measuring apparatus includes: a measuring circuit configured to carry out predetermined processing for the measurement result of an object to be measured; a communication control circuit configured to generate output data to be output externally depending on the processing result of the measuring circuit; a power source circuit having a charging element configured to supply power to the measuring circuit and the communication control circuit; an output circuit having open-drain output terminals configured to externally output the output data generated in the communication control circuit; and a charge control circuit configured to charge the charging element at the timing when the output data is not output externally, the open-drain output terminals of the output circuit being used as the input terminals thereof.
US08441251B2
The present invention relates to a proximity sensor having a first transmission coil, a second transmission coil, at least one reception coil, an excitation device which is connected to the first and second transmission coils, and an evaluation unit which is connected to at least one transmission coil and/or to the excitation device as well as to the at least one reception coil.
US08441243B2
Power control circuit with reducing noise and switching loss includes a first gate driver for driving a first switch, an additional gate driver for driving the first switch, and a managing circuit for controlling the first and the additional gate driver to drive the first switch according to a switching signal and turning off the additional gate driver according to a switching voltage on a first end of the first switch, wherein the first end of the first switch is coupled to a load, second end of the first switch is coupled to an input power source, a third end of the first switch is coupled to the first and the additional gate drivers.
US08441237B2
Consistent with an example embodiment, a circuit comprises a power factor correction stage having a DC input, a ground input, a DC output and a ground output. The circuit further includes a capacitor; a diode; and a discharge circuit. A first terminal of the diode is connected to an input of the power factor correction stage, a second terminal of the diode is connected to the first plate of the capacitor; and the second plate of the capacitor is connected to the other input of the PFC stage. The discharge circuit is connected to the capacitor and is configured to discharge the capacitor such that it contributes to the output of the PFC stage when the level of a signal at the input of the PFC stage falls below a threshold value.
US08441234B2
A detecting module is for detecting a battery equalizer of a power supply device. The detecting module includes a current detecting unit, a drive circuit, and a control circuit. The current detecting unit is to be coupled to the battery equalizer and a battery set of the power supply device, and generates an output based on detected current flow through the battery equalizer. The drive circuit is to be coupled to the battery equalizer for driving operation of the battery equalizer. The control circuit is coupled to the drive circuit and the current detecting unit, controls the drive circuit to drive operation of the battery equalizer and determines, according to the output of the current detecting circuit, whether the battery equalizer is in a normal operating state.
US08441233B2
An automated power reporting system is provided in one aspect. The system includes one or more devices that can report or transmit power status information over a bus or network. A protocol component utilizes a generalized protocol to process or convert the power status information over the network in order to facilitate power management operations for a plurality of devices. In this manner, devices that send power information can interact and exploit personal computing resources in order to better help users manage limited power resources for their respective devices.
US08441227B2
A portable terminal includes a cover movably coupled to a body, a first solar cell on the body; and a second solar cell on the cover. The first and second solar cells may be oriented in the same or different directions. When oriented in the same direction, both solar cells may receive light when the cover is opened relative to the body. The solar cells output voltages for simultaneously charging a battery when the cover is opened and when voltages from the first and second solar cells exceed a predetermined reference voltage.
US08441226B2
Disclosed is an apparatus for adaptive illumination charging, including: an image process sensor for detecting an external image information; a pixel sensor unit for receiving light of the image information detected by the image process sensor, the pixel sensor unit including multiple pixels; a light quantity calculator for calculating average quantity values of light received by pixels of the pixel sensor unit within a specific area during a pre-set time period; a controller for searching for a location of a pixel corresponding to an average value with a highest light quantity average among the average quantity values of the light and notifying of the search result; and a solar battery for generating energy according to a quantity of light received by the pixel sensor unit.
US08441224B2
An inverter circuit for a motor outputs three-phase AC currents, which are outputted from common connection points to stator coils, based on output voltage of a DC power source and a power supply capacitor by a switching operation of transistors. An inverter control circuit determines that a system main relay is turned off, upon receiving a main relay-off signal from an electronic control unit. The inverter control circuit turns on the low-side transistors, while turning off the high-side transistors. A discharge current flows from the positive electrode to the negative electrode of the power supply capacitor through the stator coil and the low-side transistors, so that electric charge stored in the power supply capacitor is discharged.
US08441213B2
A system includes a controller and line units. The controller receives AC power from a power source and supplies an AC power signal via two conductors to the units. In one example, the controller is a dimmer switch and the units are intelligent LED lamps. The controller uses phase cut modulation to communicate information (for example, lighting control commands) to the units. The units receive the AC power signal, demodulate and recover the phase cut modulated information, and optionally communicate information back to the controller using load modulation. An addressed unit changes loading on the two conductors from phase cut time to phase cut time, thereby modulating information onto the AC power signal. The controller monitors the AC power signal, and demodulates and recovers the information. The overall bidirectional communication is referred to as bidirectional phase cut modulation over AC power conductors. Units can be controlled individually or in groups.
US08441210B2
Exemplary embodiments provide an apparatus, system and method for power conversion to provide power to solid state lighting, and which may be coupled to a first switch, such as a dimmer switch. An exemplary system for power conversion comprises: a switching power supply comprising a second, power switch; solid state lighting coupled to the switching power supply; a voltage sensor; a current sensor; a memory; a first adaptive interface circuit to provide a resistive impedance to the first switch and conduct current from the first switch in a default mode; a second adaptive interface circuit to create a resonant process when the first switch turns on; and a controller to modulate the second adaptive interface circuit when the first switch turns on to provide a current path during the resonant process of the switching power supply.
US08441186B2
An organic electroluminescence display device is disclosed wherein plural organic electroluminescence elements each having an anode, a cathode and an organic layer sandwiched in between the anode and the cathode, the plural organic electroluminescence elements including organic electroluminescence elements developing different colors in a row direction, and at least one of the organic layers having an outer edge of a conic section at an end portion in a column direction thereof, the outer edge of the conic section becoming narrower gradually in its width in a row direction of vapor deposition thereof toward an extreme end at an end portion in a column direction thereof. The organic electroluminescence display device can improve the vapor deposition accuracy and the degree of design freedom.
US08441185B2
As a result of miniaturization of a pixel region associated with an improvement in definition and an increase in a substrate size associated with an increase in area, defects due to precision, bending, and the like of a mask used at the time of evaporation have become issues. A partition including portions with different thicknesses over a pixel electrode (also referred to as a first electrode) in a display region and in the vicinity of a pixel electrode layer is formed, without increasing the number of steps, by using a photomask or a reticle provided with an auxiliary pattern having a light intensity reduction function made of a diffraction grating pattern or a semi-transmissive film.
US08441184B2
The present invention provides a lighting system which uses a stacked light emitting element provided with a plurality of light emitting units and causes little change in emission color even after a long time of usage. A lighting system is provided, including a first light emitting element including a plurality of light emitting units; a second light emitting element; a first control means which controls light emission of the first light emitting element; and a second control means which controls light emission of the second light emitting element, where the first light emitting element emits light of a first emission color that is an initial emission color and a second emission color that is an emission color after change over time, and the second light emitting element emits light of a complementary color of the second emission color. The above structure suppresses color shift due to change over time.
US08441181B2
An organic light emitting display resulting in an improved aperture ratio and a manufacturing method thereof. The organic light emitting display that includes a plurality of pixels arranged between first and second substrates, each of said pixels includes a plurality of thin film transistors, an organic light emitting diode, and a capacitor. The thin film transistors and the organic light emitting diode are formed on the first substrate and the capacitor is formed on the second substrate, and the thin film transistors and the capacitor are electrically connected with each other upon the first substrate being bonded to the second substrate.
US08441173B2
A wake-up unit for waking up an electronic device is provided. The wake-up unit comprises a resonating unit (C) for resonating at least one specific frequency, at least one first electrode (TE), at least one piezoelectric material (PM) and at least one second electrode (BE). The piezoelectric material (PM) is sandwiched between the at least one first and the at least one second electrode (TE, BE) such that an electronic current is provided to the at least one first and at least one second electrode (TE, BE) when the resonating unit (C) resonates at the at least one specific frequency.
US08441169B2
A voltage converter is provided for receiving a low input DC voltage and driving a piezoelectric actuator of a fluid transportation device. The voltage converter includes plural capacitors, a resistor and a boost chip. The boost chip is connected with the plural capacitors and the resistor, has a switch element and a polar switching circuit, and receives the low input DC voltage. The low input DC voltage is increased and multiplied to a high DC voltage by a switching operation of the switch element. The high DC voltage is converted into an output AC voltage by the polar switching circuit so as to drive the piezoelectric actuator. An operating frequency of the boost chip is controlled by the plural capacitors and the resistor.
US08441168B2
The subject of the present invention is a set of SAW (surface acoustic wave) based sensor tag device embodiments system for remotely sensing and/or providing identification information. These sensor/tag devices would operate in a system which consists of one or more uniquely identifiable sensor/tag devices and a wireless interrogator. The sensor device incorporates an antenna for receiving incident RF energy and re-radiating the tag identification number and the sensor measured parameter(s). Since there is no power source in or connected to the sensor, it is a passive sensor. As such the device is elegantly simple, low-cost, and rugged. The device is wirelessly interrogated by the interrogator which is described elsewhere.
US08441165B2
Disclosed are a motor for a compressor and a hermetic compressor having the same. An aluminum coil cheaper than a copper coil is used in the motor for the compressor, a ratio between the aluminum coil and a stator core is set, and sectional areas of main and sub slot portions of the stator core and the numbers thereof are adjusted to be suitable for usage conditions, whereby fabricating costs of the motor for the compressor and the hermetic compressor can drastically be reduced and efficiencies thereof can be improved.
US08441164B2
An outer rotor motor includes a stator and a rotor. The stator includes a stator core having a plurality of teeth, coils and insulators retaining the coils. The insulators are connected to each other in an annular configuration such that the teeth are inserted into the insulators. Each of the insulators includes a body portion and an outer peripheral flange. Each of the insulators further includes an auxiliary tooth portion on at least one of two axial ridge portions. The axial ridge portions include bonding portions between the body portion and the outer peripheral flange. The auxiliary tooth portion includes a rotor-facing surface facing the rotor and a tooth-contacting surface contacting one of the side surfaces in the circumferential direction.
US08441163B2
The present invention essentially relates to an electric machine (1.1) with homopolar double excitation, comprising a rotor particularly consisting of a central portion (51) made of a solid magnetic material and a laminated annular portion (53) located at the periphery of the solid portion. In addition, the rotor comprises permanent magnets (54), the magnetization thereof being radially oriented relative to the axis (33) of the rotor (31), and separated from one another such that the double excitation flow generated by the field coils (38, 39) can enter the rotor (31, 67) via the flanges (48, 49) of the rotor, and come back out via the spaces between the magnets (54), or vice-versa.
US08441159B2
A self-latching sector motor for producing a net torque from two integral independent sources where one can serve as a spare backup or paralleled for double net torque or used alternately for extended life operation. The self-latching sector motor includes a housing, a magnet-shaft assembly, and two pair of electromagnetic poles. The magnet-shaft assembly rotates within the housing. The two pair of electromagnetic poles extend fixedly and radially inwardly from the housing, towards the magnet-shaft assembly. The electromagnetic poles of an associated pair of electromagnetic poles are diametrically and magnetically opposed to each other, and each pair of electromagnetic poles are similarly poled to each other for North and South poles so as to provide the net torque to the magnet-shaft assembly that can be backed-up or doubled. The self-latching torque at the stops is achieved by restraining the magnet-shaft assembly from seeking a position of maximum flux.
US08441154B2
A mobile wireless receiver for use with a first electromagnetic resonator coupled to a power supply and a second electromagnetic resonator coupled to at least one of a power supply and the first electromagnetic resonator. The mobile wireless receiver includes a load associated with an outdoor lighting unit that draws energy from the load to power a light source associated with the outdoor lighting unit, and a third electromagnetic resonator configured to be coupled to the load and movable relative to at least one of the first electromagnetic resonator and the second electromagnetic resonator, wherein the third resonator is configured to be wirelessly coupled to at least one of the first electromagnetic resonator and the second electromagnetic resonator to provide resonant, non-radiative wireless power to the third electromagnetic resonator from at least one of the first electromagnetic resonator and the second electromagnetic resonator.
US08441148B2
A DC to DC converter comprises voltage regulation circuitry for generating at least two output voltages responsive to an input voltage. The voltage regulation circuitry further includes a plurality of main switches connected to receive the input voltage. A plurality of auxiliary switches is connected to provide the at least two output voltages. A single inductor is connected between the plurality of main switches and the plurality of auxiliary switches. A dual-output PWM controller provides a first PWM control signal for controlling the operation of the plurality of main switches responsive to a first feedback voltage from a first output voltage using a first control loop and provides a second PWM control signal for controlling the operation of the plurality of auxiliary switches responsive to a second feedback voltage from a second output voltage using a second control loop. Current mode control can be used for each control loop to reduce the cross regulation problem.
US08441147B2
A bypass device for bypassing a power cell of a multi-cell device. The bypass device includes a stationary portion of a first set of contacts connected to at least first and second output terminals of a power cell, a magnetically latching solenoid that, when energized, moves a moving portion of the first set of contacts from a first position to a second position or from the second position to the first position, and at least one added insulating material positioned between the solenoid and the first set of contacts, and configured to allow a voltage between the magnetically latching solenoid and the first and second output terminals of the power cell to exceed a voltage between said output terminals.
US08441146B2
A current supply arrangement for, e.g., producing polysilicon, with a first current supply device and a second power supply device, including two AC current regulators and a voltage sequence controller for controlling the AC current regulators, with a terminal group having two terminals for connecting a load. A terminals is connected directly, i.e., without an interconnected switch, with an output terminal of the second current supply device, and with a first switching group associated with the terminal group, with switches for connecting and disconnecting the terminals of the terminal group with or from output terminals of the first current supply device. The current supply arrangement also includes an additional current supply device having two AC current regulators and a voltage sequence controller for controlling the AC current regulators, additional terminal groups comprising two terminals for connecting one load.
US08441143B2
A rail vehicle system and a method for managing distribution of power in the rail vehicle system are provided.
US08441136B2
This description relates to a semiconductor device including a wafer having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface and a carrier attached to the first surface of the wafer by an adhesive layer, a portion of the adhesive layer adjacent to an edge of the wafer is exposed. The semiconductor device further includes a protection layer to cover the exposed portion of the adhesive layer. The semiconductor device further includes a plurality of dies attached to the second surface and a molding compound encapsulating the plurality of dies.
US08441135B2
A semiconductor device includes a first semiconductor chip that includes a driver circuit, a second semiconductor chip that includes a receiver circuit and an external terminal, and a plurality of through silicon vias that connect the first semiconductor chip and the second semiconductor chip. The first semiconductor chip further includes an output switching circuit that selectively connects the driver circuit to any one of the through silicon vias, the second semiconductor chip further includes an input switching circuit that selectively connects the receiver circuit to any one of the through silicon vias and the external terminal, the input switching circuit includes tri-state inverters each inserted between the receiver circuit and an associated one of the through silicon vias and the external terminal, and the input switching circuit activates any one of the tri-state inverters.
US08441128B2
A semiconductor arrangement includes a circuit carrier, bonding wire and at least N half bridge circuits. The circuit carrier includes a first metallization layer, a second metallization layer, an intermediate metallization layer arranged between the first metallization layer and the second metallization layer, a first insulation layer arranged between the intermediate metallization layer and the second metallization layer, and a second insulation layer arranged between the first metallization layer and the intermediate metallization layer. Each half bridge circuit includes a controllable first semiconductor switch and a controllable second semiconductor switch. The first semiconductor switch and the second semiconductor switch of each half bridge circuit are arranged on that side of the first metallization layer of the circuit carrier facing away from the second insulation layer. The bonding wire is directly bonded to the intermediate metallization layer of the circuit carrier at a first bonding location.
US08441125B2
A semiconductor device, including: a semiconductor layer having an active region; a first conductive layer formed above the semiconductor layer and having a first width; a second conductive layer connected to the first conductive layer and having a second width smaller than the first width; an interlayer dielectric formed above the semiconductor layer; an electrode pad formed above the interlayer dielectric and covering the active region when viewed from a top side; and a forbidden region provided in the semiconductor layer in a specific range positioned outward from a line extending vertically downward from an edge of at least part of the electrode pad. A connection section at which the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer are connected is not provided in the forbidden region.
US08441124B2
A sidewall protection structure is provided for covering at least a portion of a sidewall surface of a bump structure, in which a protection structure on the sidewalls of a Cu pillar and a surface region of an under-bump-metallurgy (UBM) layer is formed of at least one non-metal material layers, for example a dielectric material layer, a polymer material layer, or combinations thereof.
US08441120B1
A heat spreader package includes a substrate having a first surface, first traces on the first surface of the substrate, and an electronic component having an inactive surface mounted to the first surface of the substrate. The electronic component further includes an active surface having bond pads. Bond wires electrically connect the bond pads to the first traces. An inverted pyramid heat spreader includes a first heatsink, a first heatsink adhesive directly connecting the first heatsink to the active surface of the electronic component inward of the bond pads, a second heatsink having an absence of active circuitry, and a second heatsink adhesive directly connecting a first surface of the second heatsink to the first heatsink. The second heatsink adhesive is a dielectric directly between the bond wires and the second heatsink that prevents inadvertent shorting between the bond wires and the second heatsink.
US08441116B2
The substrate for a semiconductor package includes a substrate body having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface. Connection pads are formed near an edge of the first surface. Signal lines having conductive vias and first, second, and third line parts are formed. The first line parts are formed on the first surface and are connected to the connection pads and the conductive vias, which pass through the substrate body. The second line parts are formed on the first surface and connect to the conductive vias. The third line parts are formed on the second surface and connect to the conductive vias. The second and third line parts are formed to have substantially the same length. The semiconductor package utilizes the above substrate for processing data at a high speed.
US08441111B2
A microelectronic package can include a substrate having first and second opposed surfaces and first and second apertures extending between the first and second surfaces, first and second microelectronic elements each having a surface facing the first surface of the substrate, a plurality of terminals exposed at the second surface in a central region thereof, and leads electrically connected between contacts of each microelectronic element and the terminals. The apertures can have first and second parallel axes extending in directions of the lengths of the respective apertures. The central region of the second surface can be disposed between the first and second axes. The terminals can be configured to carry address information usable by circuitry within the microelectronic package to determine an addressable memory location from among all the available addressable memory locations of a memory storage array within the microelectronic elements.
US08441110B1
A semiconductor package which includes a generally planar die paddle defining multiple peripheral edge segments and a plurality of leads which are segregated into at least two concentric rows. Connected to the top surface of the die paddle is at least one semiconductor die which is electrically connected to at least some of the leads of each row. At least portions of the die paddle, the leads, and the semiconductor die are encapsulated by a package body, the bottom surfaces of the die paddle and the leads of at least one row thereof being exposed in a common exterior surface of the package body.
US08441095B2
A semiconductor integrated circuit device having a control signal system for avoiding failure to check an indefinite signal propagation prevention circuit, for facilitating a check included in an automated tool, and for facilitating a power shutdown control inside a chip. In the semiconductor integrated circuit device, power shutdown priorities are provided by independent power domains (Area A to Area I). A method for preventing a power domain having a lower priority from being turned OFF when a circuit having a high priority is turned ON is also provided.
US08441091B2
A photodiode assembly includes a semiconductor substrate, a photodiode cell, a ground diffusion region, and a guard band. The photodiode cell includes a first volume of the substrate doped with a first type of dopant. The diffusion region includes a second volume of the substrate that is doped with a second, opposite type of dopant. The guard band is disposed in the substrate and at least partially extends around an outer periphery of the photodiode cell. The guard band includes a third volume of the substrate that is doped with the first type of dopant. At least one of the ground diffusion region or the guard band is conductively coupled with a ground reference to conduct one or more of electrons or holes that drift from the photodiode cell through the substrate. The guard band is disposed closer to the photodiode cell than the ground diffusion region.
US08441082B2
There is provided a memory element including a magnetic layer that includes FexNiyBz (here, x+y+z=1, 0.2x≦y≦4x, and 0.1(x+y)≦z≦0.4(x+y)) as a main component, and has magnetic anisotropy in a direction perpendicular to a film face; and an oxide layer that is formed of an oxide having a sodium chloride structure or a spinel structure and comes into contact with one face of the magnetic layer.
US08441074B2
A device includes a number of fins. Some of the fins have greater heights than other fins. This allows the selection of different drive currents and/or transistor areas.
US08441071B2
A body contacted semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) metal gate containing transistor that has a reduced parasitic gate capacitance is provided in which a metal portion of a gate stack is removed over the body contact region and a silicon-containing material is formed that contacts the gate dielectric in the body contact region of an SOI substrate. This causes an increase of the effective gate dielectric thickness on the body contact region by greater than 5 angstroms (Å). This results in a lower parasitic capacitance at the body contact region.
US08441070B2
A sinker layer is in contact with a first conductivity-type well, and is separated from a first conductivity-type collector layer and a second conductivity-type drift layer. A second conductivity-type diffusion layer (second second-conductivity-type high-concentration diffusion layer) is formed in the surface layer of the sinker layer. The second conductivity-type diffusion layer has a higher impurity concentration than that of the sinker layer. The second conductivity-type diffusion layer and the first conductivity-type collector layer are isolated from each other with an element isolation insulating film interposed therebetween.
US08441055B2
DRAM trench capacitors formed by, inter alia, deposition of conductive material into a trench or doping the semiconductor region in which the trench is defined.
US08441053B2
A vertical capacitor-less DRAM cell is described, including: a source layer having a first conductivity type, a storage layer disposed on the source layer and having a second conductivity type, an active layer disposed on the storage layer and having the first conductivity type, a drain layer disposed on the active layer and having the second conductivity type, an address gate disposed beside the active layer and separated from the same by a first gate dielectric layer, and a storage gate disposed beside the storage layer and separated from the same by a second gate dielectric layer. The DRAM cell can be written by turning on the MOSFET formed by the storage layer, the active layer, the drain layer, the first gate dielectric layer and the address gate to inject carriers into the storage layer from the active layer.
US08441051B2
A space is provided under part of a semiconductor layer. Specifically, a structure in which an eaves portion (a projecting portion, an overhang portion) is formed in the semiconductor layer. The eaves portion is formed as follows: a stacked-layer structure in which a conductive layer, an insulating layer, and a semiconductor layer are stacked in this order is etched collectively to determine a pattern of a gate electrode; and a pattern of the semiconductor layer is formed while side-etching is performed.
US08441042B2
This invention provides structures and a fabrication process for incorporating thin film transistors in back end of the line (BEOL) interconnect structures. The structures and fabrication processes described are compatible with processing requirements for the BEOL interconnect structures. The structures and fabrication processes utilize existing processing steps and materials already incorporated in interconnect wiring levels in order to reduce added cost associated with incorporating thin film transistors in the these levels. The structures enable vertical (3D) integration of multiple levels with improved manufacturability and reliability as compared to prior art methods of 3D integration.
US08441036B2
A trench is formed extending from a surface of a hetero semiconductor region of a polycrystal silicon to the drain region. Further, a driving point of the field effect transistor, where a gate insulating film, the hetero semiconductor region and the drain region are adjoined, is formed at a position spaced apart from a side wall of the trench.
US08441035B2
The present invention has an object to provide an FET and a method of manufacturing the FET that are capable of increasing the threshold voltage as well as decreasing the on-resistance. The FET of the present invention includes a first undoped GaN layer; a first undoped AlGaN layer formed on the first undoped GaN layer, having a band gap energy greater than that of the first undoped GaN layer; a second undoped GaN layer formed on the first undoped AlGaN layer; a second undoped AlGaN layer formed on the second undoped GaN layer, having a band gap energy greater than that of the second undoped GaN layer; a p-type GaN layer formed in the recess of the second undoped AlGaN layer; a gate electrode formed on the p-type GaN layer; and a source electrode and a drain electrode which are formed in both lateral regions of the gate electrode, wherein a channel is formed at the heterojunction interface between the first undoped GaN layer and the first undoped AlGaN layer.
US08441031B2
Electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection is provided for discharging current between input and output nodes. In accordance with various embodiments, an ESD protection device includes an open-base transistor having an emitter connected to the input node and a collector connected to pass current to the output node via a resistor in response to a voltage at the input node exceeding a threshold that causes the transistor to break down. The resistor is coupled across emitter and collector regions of a second open-base transistor that is configured to turn on for passing current in response to the current across the resistor exceeding a threshold that applies a threshold breakdown voltage across the second transistor. In some implementations, an emitter and/or base of the second transistor are connected to, or are respectively the same region as, a base and a collector of the first transistor.
US08441029B2
To suppress adhesion of impurities to a semiconductor light emitting element, there is provided a nitride-based semiconductor light emitting element including: a laminated body having a first cladding layer, an active layer formed over the first cladding layer, and a second cladding layer formed over the active layer; and a dielectric film with a thickness of 3 μm or more that is formed on the side surface of the laminated body on the side where light is emitted and that covers at least a first side surface of the active layer.
US08441024B2
A semiconductor light emitting device includes an active layer; a first nitride semiconductor layer on the active layer; a first delta-doped layer on the first nitride semiconductor layer; a second nitride semiconductor layer on the first delta-doped layer; a second delta-doped layer on the second nitride semiconductor layer; a third nitride semiconductor layer on the second delta-doped layer. The first delta-doped layer, the second nitride semiconductor layer, the second delta-doped layer, and the third nitride semiconductor layer are doped with an n-type dopant.
US08441022B2
An outer lead connected to an inner lead penetrating a molded resin section, and another outer lead connected to another inner lead penetrating the molded resin section are provided on an outer wall surface of the molded resin section. The outer lead has a surface area greater than that of the another outer lead.
US08441011B2
It is an object to manufacture and provide a highly reliable display device including a thin film transistor with a high aperture ratio which has stable electric characteristics. In a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device having a thin film transistor in which a semiconductor layer including a channel formation region is formed using an oxide semiconductor film, a heat treatment for reducing moisture and the like which are impurities and for improving the purity of the oxide semiconductor film (a heat treatment for dehydration or dehydrogenation) is performed. Further, an aperture ratio is improved by forming a gate electrode layer, a source electrode layer, and a drain electrode layer using conductive films having light transmitting properties.
US08441009B2
In a semiconductor device using a nonvolatile memory, high speed erasing operation and low power consumption are realized. In a nonvolatile memory in which a channel formation region, a tunnel insulating film, and a floating gate are stacked in this order, the channel formation region is formed using an oxide semiconductor layer. In addition, a metal wiring for erasing is provided in a lower side of the channel formation region so as to face the floating gate. With the above structure, when erasing operation is performed, charge accumulated in the floating gate is extracted to the metal wiring through the channel formation region. Consequently, high speed erasing operation and low power consumption of the semiconductor device can be realized.
US08441005B2
Disclosed is a light-emitting material including a polysilsesquioxane having a ladder structure with photoactive groups bonded to a siloxane backbone. In addition to superior heat resistance and mechanical property, the light-emitting material provides improved cotability and film property when prepared into a thin film. Further, it provides higher luminous efficiency than the existing organic-based light-emitting material.
US08440996B2
The present invention relates to a GaN based nitride based light emitting device improved in Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) tolerance (withstanding property) and a method for fabricating the same including a substrate and a V-shaped distortion structure made of an n-type nitride semiconductor layer, an active layer and a p-type nitride semiconductor layer on the substrate and formed with reference to the n-type nitride semiconductor layer.
US08440988B2
A magnetically shielded, efficient plasma generation configuration for a pulsed discharge extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light source comprises two opposed convex electrodes mounted with axes parallel to a static magnetic field. A limiter aperture disposed between the electrodes, in conjunction with the field lines, defines a hollow plasma cylinder connecting the electrodes. A high pulsed voltage and current compresses the plasma cylinder and its interior magnetic field onto the electrode surfaces to create a magnetic insulating layer at the same time as propelling the working gas from each side toward the space between the electrode tips. The plasma then collapses radially in a three-dimensional compression to form a dense plasma on the axis of the device with radiation of extreme ultraviolet light.
US08440987B2
Systems and methods are provided to perform efficient, automatic cyclotron initialization, calibration, and beam adjustment. A process is provided that allows the automation of the initialization of a cyclotron after overnight or maintenance imposed shutdown. In one embodiment, five independent cyclotron system states are defined and the transition between one state to another may be automated, e.g., by the control system of the cyclotron. According to these embodiments, it is thereby possible to achieve beam operation after shutdown with minimal manual input. By applying an automatic procedure, all active devices of the cyclotron (e.g., RF system, extraction deflectors, ion source) are respectively ramped to predefined parameters.
US08440986B2
The present invention provides a method for on-axis visualization of a target placed in a photon beam, the method comprising: placing the target in the path of the photon beam; selecting a mirror with an external reflecting surface; placing the mirror on a mirror support so that the surface faces the target; placing a reflective microscope so as to collect photons emanating from the target that have been reflected by said surface; counting and analyzing photons collected by the microscope with a CCD camera; and storing and analyzing data collected by the camera.
US08440981B2
A non-radioactive source for Atmospheric Pressure Ionization is described. The electron-beam sealed tube uses a pyroelectric crystal(s). One end of the crystal is grounded while the other end has a metallic cap with sharp feature to generate an electron beam of a given energy. The rate of heating and/or cooling of the crystal is used to control the current generated from a tube. A heating and/or cooling element such as a Peltier element is useful for controlling the rate of cooling of the crystal. A thin window that is transparent to electrons but impervious to gases is needed in order to prolong the life of the tube and allow the extraction of the electrons. If needed, multiple crystals with independent heaters can be used to provide continuous operation of the device. Dielectric shielding of the pyroelectric crystal is used to minimize discharge of the crystal.
US08440975B2
A scintillator includes a scintillator layer which converts radiation into light, the scintillator layer having a first end forming part of a contour of the scintillator layer and a second end forming another part of the contour, wherein the first end and the second end are located on opposite sides of the scintillator layer when viewed from the center of the scintillator layer, wherein an efficiency of conversion from radiation into light decreases from the first end to the second end.
US08440964B2
A device and method for transporting ions along a longitudinal direction in an elevated gas pressure region. The device includes a multipole ion guide having a set of rods positioned along the longitudinal direction on an inscribed diameter equal to or less than 3.5 mm, a voltage source which provides alternating voltages to at least a subset of the rods to create a trapping field in a transverse direction, and a conductance limit having an opening d and placed at the exit of the multipole ion guide. At the end of this configuration near the opening of the conductance limit, a converging continuum gas flow through the conductance limit is provided that transfers the ions collimating near a center of the ion guide into a low gas pressure region. The method injects ions into the elevated gas pressure region of the ion guide, and transports the ions in the converging continuum gas flow into the low gas pressure region.
US08440953B2
A laser beam source device includes: a first light emission element and a second light emission element each of which has a light emission portion for emitting a laser beam having a fundamental wavelength, wherein the first light emission element and the second light emission element are disposed such that light emitted from the light emission portion of each of the first light emission element and the second light emission element can enter the light emission portion of the other light emission element, at least either the first light emission element or the second light emission element has the plural light emission portions, and the areas of the plural light emission portions are not uniform.
US08440948B2
A heating cooker includes a cooking chamber accommodating an object to be cooked, a hot air generator and a blower. Hot air generated by the generator impinges as a high-speed impinging jet on the object from a nozzle hole located in a ceiling plate. The hot air having impinged on the object is drawn our through hot-air suction openings located in lower parts of right and left sidewalls of the chamber by the blower. A shelf plate is located in the chamber so that the object is placed on it. The shelf plate has openings on right and left sides. Hot air is caused to impinge on the object through the nozzle hole. The shelf has a convex portion formed on a face on which the object is to be placed which supports the object from below.
US08440947B2
Various blanks are provided for forming sleeves, containers, and other constructs for heating, browning, and/or crisping of a food item in a microwave oven, and for holding and/or transporting the food item after heating. The various blanks, sleeves, containers, and other constructs include a removable portion defined by one or more lines of disruption that enable the removable portion to be separated from the remainder of the blank, sleeve, container, or other construct.
US08440946B2
Coal is processed to produce relatively pure carbon particles of small size by first subjecting mined coal fragments to microwave energy to vaporize the water, mercury, sulfur, and like contaminants and to increase the friability of the coal. Next the fragments are pulverized and then reduced in a jet mill to produce particles of small maximum size and fine particles having an average size of about 20 microns, for use in a power plant or as a fuel for a turbine or diesel engine.
US08440945B2
A control unit for an electric household appliance for setting functions and operating parameters. The control unit includes at least one control knob located on a display panel by magnetic force. The control knob capable of being pushed by an operator from an initial position into a selecting position to select a function, such as a specific cooking plate and capable of being rotated about its axis to set an operating parameter of the function, such as the cooking temperature of the cooking plate.
US08440942B2
A circuit arrangement is provided for protecting from overheating a heating element whose resistance value is a function of its temperature. The circuit arrangement includes a power supply, a switch, and a switch control circuit, a current sensor providing a signal proportional to the current flowing through the heating element, and a first scaling device whose output provides a signal proportional to the supply voltage of the heating element. An evaluation circuit compares the difference signal determined by a first detector having an output that provides a difference signal formed from the signals of the current sensor and the first scaling device with a reference signal and the switch control circuit can be switched from a conducting state when the switch control circuit is in a first state to a non-conducting state when the switch control circuit is in a second state.
US08440939B2
Disclosed is an annealing device that includes a processing chamber into which a wafer is received, a heating source having a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) for emitting a light toward the wafer, which faces the surface of the wafer, and a light transmissive member provided corresponding to the heating source, into which the light from the light emitting elements is transmitted. The heating source has the light emitting elements attached on a support toward the wafer. Each of the light emitting elements is individually covered with a lens layer made of a transparent resin.
US08440922B2
Electromechanical switches are provided. The electromechanical switches can include conductive components that are configured to change position relative to one another in response to a mechanical input. The electromechanical switch can include a distribution mechanism for replenishing a moisture inhibiting layer, such as an oleophobic material, on surface portions of conductive components within the switch. During actuation of the electromechanical switch, the distribution mechanism can be configured to reapply the moisture inhibiting material to the surface portions of the conductive components to prevent damage resulting from moisture intrusion.
US08440919B2
A seal (300) for use in a cable gland (301) is disclosed. The seal (300) has a body portion (308) formed from a first rubber material having a first hardness and seals against a cable (320). The seal (300) also has one or more support portions (302,304) formed from a second material that is harder than the first material and supports the structure of the body (308) against excessive deformation as well as forming a mechanical grip with the cable (320).
US08440915B2
A semiconductor device is of a PoP structure such that first electrode portions provided on a first device mounting board constituting a first semiconductor module and second electrode portions provided in a second semiconductor module are joined together by solder balls. A first insulating layer having an opening is provided on one main surface of an insulating resin layer which is a substrate, and an electrode portion, whose top portion protrudes above the top surface of the first insulating layer, is formed in the opening. A second insulating layer is provided on top of the first insulating layer in the periphery of the top portion of the first electrode portion; the second insulting layer is located slightly apart from the top portion of the first electrode portion. The first electrode portion is shaped such that the top portion is formed by a curved surface or formed by a curved surface and a plane surface smoothly connected to the curved surface.
US08440904B2
Disclosed in one aspect is a voltaic cell assembly comprising one or more voltaic cells, a photovoltaic cell in one embodiment; an elastomeric film and a transparent film, the voltaic cell sandwiched there between. The elastomeric film can be formed from a natural rubber or an isobutylene-based elastomer. More particularly, the elastomeric film may comprise a DVA of a polyamide and a functionalized poly(isobutylene-co-p-methylstyrene). The assembly described is useful for a number of end use articles including roofing shingles, automotive components, building components, and, in general, solar arrays.
US08440898B2
A system that allows the repositioning (scrolling) of the displayed portion of a music notation computer file in rasterized format, according to an internal or external time code/metronome, to constantly display the currently active part of the music notation file. By use of a corresponding data file describing the relative position of each music stave and form defining musical markings such as repeats or codas, a software application based on this invention can shift the displayed part of the entire music file to match the current played portion of the music notation file.
US08440894B2
Device for supporting a guitar (1) or another string instrument, with a support (2) which is fastened on its upper part to a guitar body (9) in a lockable hinge (4). In an unfolded position the support (2) creates an angle at approximately 45° to the length axis through the guitar body (9), in such manner that the guitar can rest on the support (2). When mounted on an electric guitar the support is placed in grooves at the back of the guitar, and can be pivoted from the guitar body when the locking mechanism is released.
US08440888B1
A novel maize variety designated 10084890 and seed, plants and plant parts thereof, produced by crossing Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. proprietary inbred maize varieties. Methods for producing a maize plant that comprises crossing maize variety 10084890 with another maize plant. Methods for producing a maize plant containing in its genetic material one or more traits introgressed into 10084890 through backcross conversion and/or transformation, and to the maize seed, plant and plant part produced thereby. This invention relates to the maize variety 10084890, the seed, the plant produced from the seed, and variants, mutants, and minor modifications of maize variety 10084890. This invention further relates to methods for producing maize varieties derived from maize variety 10084890.
US08440880B2
The present invention relates to a nucleic acid sequences from Xenorhabdus that encodes a GroEL protein. The invention encompasses nucleic acid molecules present in non-coding regions as well as nucleic acid molecules that encode proteins, fragments of proteins, tRNA's, fragments of tRNA's, rRNA's and fragments of rRNA's. In addition, protein and fragments of proteins so encoded and antibodies capable of binding the proteins are encompassed by the present invention. The invention also relates to methods of using the disclosed nucleic acid molecules, proteins, fragments of proteins, RNA'S, and antibodies, for example, for gene identification and analysis, and preparation of constructs.
US08440879B2
To provide a highly expressed F3′5′H gene, whereby a blue moth orchid can be produced and a method using the gene for producing Orchids having blue flowers.A gene encoding a flavonoid 3′,5′-hydroxylase of Commelina communis, which has an amino acid sequence depicted in SEQ ID No: 2 or an amino acid sequence having at least 90% of homology to the amino acid sequence depicted in SEQ ID No: 2. A method for producing an orchid having a blue flower, which comprises transfecting a white moth orchid with the gene, a gene encoding a dihydroflavonol 4-reductase of Torenia or Gerbera; a gene encoding a flavanone 3-hydroxylase; and a gene encoding an anthocyanidin synthase and expressing the genes.
US08440868B2
An alcohol such as methanol is produced from an alkane such as methane and oxygen in a single step process using a heterogeneous catalyst. The catalyst comprises the chloride salts of copper, potassium, lead and zinc.
US08440861B2
The invention relates to solid forms of the anti-epileptic agent lacosamide (I). The invention also relates to mixtures of solid forms of lacosamide. The invention further relates to mixtures of lacosamide enantiomers crystallized in a conglomerate Form and the use thereof in providing enantiomerically enriched lacosamide, preferably lacosamide enriched with the (R)-enantiomer of lacosamide.
US08440858B2
A method for preparing saturated partially fluorinated alkoxy carboxylic acids or salts thereof by treating a compound: (II), where Rf represents a fluorinated, linear or branched alkyl residue interruptible by one or more oxygen atoms, n is 0 or 1, with a Z-anion in a reaction medium comprising water and an organic solvent, where the Z-anion is selected from CN—, SCN— and OCN— or combinations thereof. A method of making partially fluorinated ethers of the general formula (I) wherein Rf is defined as above, n is 0 or 1, and Z is nitrile (—CN), azide (—N3), thiocyanate (—SCN) or cyanate (—OCN) group, said method comprising treating a fluorinated olefin of the general formula (II) wherein the Z-anion is CN—, OCN—, SCN— or N3−. A compound of the general formula (I) as previously described where Z is selected from SCN, OCN and N3.
US08440841B2
The present invention relates to novel 5-pyrrolidinylsulfonyl isatin derivatives, non-peptidyl Caspase binding Radioligands (CbRs) and CbR-transporter conjugates derived from said isatin derivatives, diagnostic compositions comprising said compounds of the invention and their use for non-invasive diagnostic imaging.
US08440832B2
Heterocyclic compounds which modulate cannabinoid receptors are presented. Pharmaceutical compositions containing these compounds, methods of using these compounds as modulators of cannabinoid receptors and processes for synthesizing these compounds are also described herein.
US08440831B2
The invention provides synthetic processes and synthetic intermediates that can be used to prepare 4-oxoquinolone compounds having useful integrase inhibiting properties.
US08440827B2
The present invention provides compounds of Formula I: (I) along with compositions comprising the same and methods of using the same, such as for photodynamic therapy in the treatment of cancer.
US08440822B2
The present invention relates to a compound of the formula I wherein R1 to R6, A, B, n and m are as defined herein. Such novel sulfonyl amide derivatives are useful in the treatment of abnormal cell growth, such as cancer, in mammals. This invention also relates to a method of using such compounds in the treatment of abnormal cell growth in mammals, especially humans, and to pharmaceutical compositions containing such compounds.
US08440818B2
Herein disclosed is an apparatus having a first porous rotor positioned about an axis of rotation, wherein the first porous rotor comprises a first catalyst; an outer casing, wherein the outer casing and the first porous rotor are separated by an annular space; and a motor configured for rotating the first porous rotor about the axis of rotation.
US08440811B2
The present invention provides a ligand-nucleic acid nanostructure that promotes cell-cell interaction. Specially, the invention provides a ligand-nucleic acid nanostructure for treating tumor in a mammal. The methods of using and making the composition comprising a ligand-nucleic acid nanostructure are also provided.
US08440810B2
It has been discovered that certain natural mRNAs serve as metabolite-sensitive genetic switches wherein the RNA directly binds a small organic molecule. This binding process changes the conformation of the mRNA, which causes a change in gene expression by a variety of different mechanisms. Modified versions of these natural “riboswitches” (created by using various nucleic acid engineering strategies) can be employed as designer genetic switches that are controlled by specific effector compounds. Such effector compounds that activate a riboswitch are referred to herein as trigger molecules. The natural switches are targets for antibiotics and other small molecule therapies. In addition, the architecture of riboswitches allows actual pieces of the natural switches to be used to construct new non-immunogenic genetic control elements, for example the aptamer (molecular recognition) domain can be swapped with other non-natural aptamers (or otherwise modified) such that the new recognition domain causes genetic modulation with user-defined effector compounds. The changed switches become part of a therapy regimen—turning on, or off, or regulating protein synthesis. Newly constructed genetic regulation networks can be applied in such areas as living biosensors, metabolic engineering of organisms, and in advanced forms of gene therapy treatments.
US08440807B2
Polynucleotide molecules and polypeptide molecules A34 and A33-like 3 are described, as well as antibodies to polypeptide molecules A34 and A33-like 3. Also described are methods of detecting cancers expressing these polypeptides, and methods and kits for diagnosing said cancers, and methods of inhibiting effects of a cancer in a patient.
US08440801B2
The invention provides an aptamer possessing an inhibitory activity against IL-17, as well as a complex comprising an aptamer possessing a binding activity or inhibitory activity against IL-17 and a functional substance (for example, affinity substances, substances for labeling, enzymes, drug delivery vehicles, drugs and the like). The invention also provides a pharmaceutical drug, cell migration inhibitor, diagnostic reagent, detection probe, carrier, labeling agent, and the like comprising the aforementioned aptamer or complex, and methods of detecting and purifying IL-17 by using the aforementioned aptamer or complex.
US08440798B2
The present invention provides a method for inducing a cancer specific immune response against MUC1 using an immunogenic glycopeptide. Other aspects of the invention are a pharmaceutical composition comprising the immunogenic glycopeptide and a cancer vaccine comprising the immunogenic glycopeptide. Another aspect is an antibody generated using the immunogenic glycopeptide and the use of said antibody in therapy and diagnosis.
US08440788B2
The present invention relates generally to variants and peptides of the mitochondrial protein, voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) and to polynucleotides encoding same. In particular, the present invention is directed to N-terminal truncated and mutated VDAC and specific amino acid and polynucleotide sequences thereof useful in inhibiting apoptosis, and to pharmaceutical compositions comprising same useful in the treatment of diseases associated with excess apoptosis.
US08440786B2
A phosphorated polymer includes a conductive polymer main-chain and a side-chain connected to the conductive polymer main-chain. The side-chain includes an electrochemically active phosphorated group Pm. A method for making the phosphorated polymer and a lithium-ion battery using the phosphorated polymer is also provided.
US08440783B2
Enhanced oligomeric polyols are reported. The enhanced oligomeric polyols may be prepared by a method comprising the steps of: (a) providing an oligomeric polyol that comprises at least one glycerol fatty acid ester having at least one glycerol fatty acid ester bond; wherein at least 5% of the ethyldenyl groups (*C═C*) in the glycerol fatty acid ester are substituted with a bonding structure selected from the group consisting of: C-*C—C*-C; O-*C—C*-O; C=*C—C*-C, and mixtures thereof, where * is used to denote the original carbon atoms in the ethylidenyl group; and (b) cleaving at least a portion of the glycerol fatty acid ester bonds to form the enhanced oligomeric polyol. The enhanced oligomeric polyols are useful in making polymers such as polyurethanes.
US08440781B2
The object of the present invention is to provide an epoxy resin composition capable of realizing low dielectric constant and low dielectric dissipation factor, which is suited for use as a latest current high-frequency type electronic component-related material, without deteriorating heat resistance during the curing reaction. A phenol resin, which has the respective structural units of a phenolic hydroxyl group-containing aromatic hydrocarbon group (P) derived from phenols, an alkoxy group-containing condensed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon group (B) derived from methoxynaphthalene and a divalent hydrocarbon group (X) such as methylene and also has a structure represented by -P-B-X- wherein P, B and X are structural sites of these groups in a molecular structure, is used as a curing agent for the epoxy resin, or a phenol resin as an epoxy resin material.
US08440776B2
Silicone resin compositions comprising (A) an organopolysiloxane containing at least two aliphatic unsaturated bonds and having a viscosity of 100-1,000,000 mPa·s at 25° C., (B) an organohydrogenpolysiloxane having at least three silicon-bonded hydrogen atoms (SiH groups) in the form of HR62SiO—, and (C) a platinum group metal base catalyst cure into colorless transparent parts which are useful lenses.
US08440775B2
A curable liquid composition obtained by subjecting hydrogen halosiloxane or hydrogen alkoxysilane to condensation or to hydrolysis and condensation in an organic solvent in which fine polyvalent metal oxide particles with hydroxyl groups are dispersed; a method of forming a hard silica-type layer by applying onto an inorganic substrate the aforementioned composition and then curing the composition; an inorganic substrate with the aforementioned hard silica-type layer; and a semiconductor device comprising the aforementioned inorganic substrate on which a semiconductor layer is formed.
US08440774B2
A transparent silicone epoxy composition is provided. The transparent silicone epoxy composition comprises (a) at least an epoxy modified siloxane, (b) at least a silanol-containing siloxane and (c) a catalyst. Each epoxy modified siloxane molecule comprises at least two cycloaliphatic epoxy groups and epoxy modified siloxane in the transparent silicone epoxy composition is about 10˜89 weight percentage. Silanol-containing siloxane can be cross-linked with epoxy modified siloxane. Silanol-containing siloxane comprises at least two hydroxyl groups. Silanol-containing siloxane in the transparent silicone epoxy composition is about 89˜10 weight percentage. The catalyst in the transparent silicone epoxy composition is about 0.01˜1 weight percentage.
US08440773B2
A stimulus-responsive compound includes a pair of alkyl chains; a crosslinking portion that crosslinks the pair of alkyl chains; and a liquid-crystalline functional group attached to at least one of the alkyl chains. The crosslinking portion includes: a unit A that has a bond that serves as a rotational axis, a first group positioned at one end of the bond, and a second group positioned at the other end of the bond, a first unit B disposed at a first bonding site of the first group, and a second unit B disposed at a first bonding site of the second group. The first unit B and the second unit B are capable of forming a bond between each other through redox reaction.
US08440770B2
Polyurea/urethane silicone elastomers with improved properties are obtained by addition of solid polyurea/urethane silicone low molecular weight oligomers.
US08440767B2
The present invention is directed to a multi-layer golf ball comprising at least one core or core layer, at least one intermediate layer, and at least one cover layer. The core has a diameter of about 1.20 to about 1.56 in. and a PGA compression of about 40 to about 90. The intermediate layer comprises a modified ionomeric polymer, and it has a thickness of about 0.01 to about 0.10 in. and a Shore D hardness of about 30 to about 70. The cover layer has a Shore D hardness of about 40 to about 75. The multi-layer golf balls of the present invention provide high driver ball speed and/or a high Coefficient of Restitution, while maintaining excellent shot feel.
US08440758B2
A flame retardant resin composition is disclosed. An acrylonitrile-styrene based polymer, into which sulfonic acid groups and/or sulfonate groups have been introduced by sulfonating processing with a sulfonating agent containing less than 3 wt % of moisture, is contained in a resin to be made flame retardant, so that flame retardant properties will be conferred on the resin flame resistant.
US08440753B2
Disclosed herein is a polycarbonate composition comprising polycarbonate; a colorant composition that comprises a white colorant in an amount of about 1 to about 15 wt %, based on the total weight of the polycarbonate composition; a fibrous composition; and an acid composition; wherein the weight ratio of the acid composition to the colorant composition is about 0.0001:1 to about 1:1. Disclosed herein too is a method comprising blending a polycarbonate composition that comprises polycarbonate; a colorant composition that comprises a white colorant in an amount of about 1 to about 15 wt %, based on the total weight of the polycarbonate composition; a fibrous composition; and an acid composition; wherein the weight ratio of the acid composition to the colorant composition is about 0.0001:1 to about 1:1.
US08440752B2
Coating compositions containing coalescents and a latex polymer, wherein the coalescent has a volatile organic content of less than about 50% and is dispersible in the coating composition.
US08440741B2
A one-part, self-etching dental adhesive is disclosed. The adhesive includes a hydrolytically stable acidic adhesive monomer and a hydrolytically stable, difunctional hydrophilic monomer.
US08440739B2
A dental composition of the present invention includes: a polymerizable monomer (A); an amorphous filler (B) having an average particle size of 1 to 20 μm and including silica-based fine particles and coatings of an oxide that cover the surfaces of the silica-based fine particles; and inorganic particles (C) having an average particle size of 0.1 to 1.0 μm. The oxide contains a zirconium atom, a silicon atom, and an oxygen atom. It is preferable that the dental composition contain 50 to 400 parts by weight of the filler (B) and 100 to 400 parts by weight of the inorganic particles (C) per 100 parts by weight of the polymerizable monomer (A).
US08440736B2
The present invention provides modified multifunctional thiol-ene monomers wherein one or more thiols are reacted with a Michael addition reactive double bond compound. The present invention further discloses photocurable thiol-ene formulations comprising thiol-ene monomers including the modified multifunctional thiols. The present invention further discloses photocurable thiol-ene formulations comprising thiol-ene monomers and Michael addition reactive double bond molecules and a Michael catalyst. The formulations of the present invention can be photocured to make films or coatings. In a further disclosure, the formulations, including those comprised of unmodified multifunctional thiols and multifunctional enes, are photocured to form films applied to non-flexible or flexible polymer or non-polymer substrates suitable for food packaging, electronic products, optical products and other applications and free-standing films. The present invention further discloses photocurable thiol-ene formulations comprising thiol-ene monomers and Michael addition reactive double bond molecules and a Michael catalyst. These formulations are disclosed to form free-standing films and coatings on substrates when applied to flexible substrates. Such materials are suitable for use in the packaging of food products and other products which are to be maintained in a hermetically sealed relationship to the atmosphere.
US08440733B2
Semiconductor component and method for production of a semiconductor component. The invention relates to a semiconductor component having a semiconductor chip, which is arranged on a substrate, in one embodiment on a chip carrier, and an encapsulation material, which at least partially surrounds the semiconductor chip. The chip carrier is at least partly provided with a layer of polymer foam.
US08440728B2
Disclosed is a method for increasing the yield of a slurry bed reactor. The method provides a slurry bed reactor with a recycling unit or a replacing unit. An absorbing agent is fed into the slurry bed reactor. The absorbing agent is a substance that can react with at least one product of a primary reaction or at least one reactant of a side reaction. Then, the absorbing agent is transmitted into the recycling unit or the replacing unit. The recycling unit renews the absorbing agent and sends the renewed absorbing agent back into the slurry bed reactor for reuse. The replacing unit replaces the absorbing agent with new absorbing agent and sends the new absorbing agent into the slurry bed reactor for use.
US08440717B2
A method for regulating hair growth is provided which comprises administering, to a subject in need thereof, dodecylcarbomoylmethyltrimethylammonium chloride and/or a compound of salt thereof selected from 2-dimethylamino-N-ethyl-acetamide, 2-dimethylamino-N-(2-{2-[2-(2-dimethylamino-acetylamino)-ethoxy]-ethoxy}-ethyl)-acetamide, 2-dimethylamino-N-[8-(2-dimethylamino-acetylamino)-octyl]-acetamide, 2-dimethylamino-N-[2-(2-{2-[2-(2-dimethylamino-acetylamino)-ethoxy]-ethoxy}-ethoxy)-ethyl]-acetamide, 2-dimethylamino-N-[12-(2-dimethylamino-acetylamino)-dodecyl]-acetamide, and 2-dimethylamino-N-[4-(2-dimethylamino-acetamino)-butyl]acetamide.
US08440716B2
The present invention provides novel compounds of formula (I) and pharmaceutical compositions thereof. The inventive compounds are useful as deacetylase inhibitors (e.g., histone deacetylase inhibitors) and may be useful in the treatment of proliferative diseases such as cancer. In particular, the inventive compounds are HDAC6 inhibitors. The invention also provide synthetic methods for preparing the inventive compounds.
US08440715B2
This invention is directed to a method of treating Excessive daytime Sleepiness (EDS) in a subject, comprising the step of administering a therapeutically effective amount of a compound of Formula (I): Formula (I) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or ester thereof wherein Rx is a member selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, lower alkyl of 1 to 8 carbon atoms, halogen selected from F, Cl, Br and I, alkoxy containing 1 to 3 carbon atoms, nitro, hydroxy, trifluoromethyl, and thioalkoxy containing 1 to 3 carbon atoms; x is an integer of 1 to 3, with the proviso that R may be the same or different when x is 2 or 3; R1 and R2 can be the same or different from each other and are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, lower alkyl of 1 to 8 carbon atoms, aryl, arylalkyl, cycloalkyl of 3 to 7 carbon atoms; R1 and R2 can be joined to form a 5 to 7-membered heterocycle substituted with a member selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, and aryl groups, wherein the cyclic compound can comprise 1 to 2 nitrogen atoms and 0 to 1 oxygen atom, wherein the nitrogen atoms are not directly connected with each other or with the ox en atom.
US08440705B2
Compounds and compositions are provided for treatment or amelioration of one or more symptoms of α-synuclein toxicity, α-synuclein mediated diseases or diseases in which α-synuclein fibrils are a symptom or cause of the disease. In one embodiment, the compounds for use in the compositions and methods are heteroaryl acylguanidines, heteroarylhydrazones, dihydropyridones, heteroaryl and aryl styryl ketones, and heteroarylpyrazoles.
US08440692B2
2-aryl-4-quinolones are converted into phosphates by reacting with tetrabenzyl pyrophosphate to form dibenzyl phosphates thereof, which are then subject to hydrogenation to replace dibenzyl groups with H, followed by reacting with Amberlite IR-120 (Na+ form) to form disodium salts. The results of preliminary screening revealed that these phosphates showed significant anti-cancer activity. A novel intermediate, 2-selenophene 4-quinolone and Λ/, Λ/-dialkylaminoalkyl derivatives of 2-phenyl-4-quinolones are also synthesized. These novel intermediates exhibited significant anticancer activities.
US08440682B2
The present invention provides a compound of formula (I): wherein the variants R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7 are as defined herein, and wherein said compound is an inhibitor of CETP, and thus can be employed for the treatment of a disorder or disease mediated by CETP or responsive to the inhibition of CETP.
US08440678B2
The present invention provides pharmaceutical compositions, which are useful for treatment of depression and the like, and which comprises a compound having an adenosine A2A receptor antagonistic activity such as (E)-8-(3,4-dimethoxystyryl)-1,3-diethyl-7-methyl-3,7-dihydro-1H-purine-2,6-dione or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof and an antidepressant drug (for example, a tricyclic antidepressant, a tetracyclic antidepressant, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, a selective noradrenalin reuptake inhibitor, a dopamine reuptake inhibitor, a serotonin-noradrenalin reuptake inhibitor, monoamine oxidase inhibitor, a 5-HT2 antagonist or the like), and the like.
US08440676B2
The present invention provides compositions comprising sucralose and 4-amino-5,6-dimethylthieno[2,3-d]pyrimidine-2(1H)-one or salts, solvates, and/or esters thereof and methods of making the compositions by spray drying. The present invention also provides ingestible compositions comprising compositions of the present invention and methods of making such foods. The present invention also includes a process of preparing 2-amino-thiophene derivatives, which are key intermediates for preparing 4-amino-5,6-dimethylthieno[2,3-d]pyrimidine-2(1H)-one.
US08440667B2
Certain imidazopyrazines of Formula (I): and pharmaceutical compositions thereof are provided herein. Methods of treating patients responsive to the inhibition of Syk activity, which comprises administering to such patients an amount of at least one chemical entity of Formula (I) effective to reduce signs or symptoms of the disease or disorder are provided. Also provided are methods for determining the presence or absence of Syk kinase in a sample.
US08440666B2
Novel pyridazinone compounds of formula (I), which inhibit the purinergic P2X7 receptor and are useful for prevention, therapy and improvement of inflammatory and immunological diseases.
US08440661B2
Provided herein are Aminopurine Compounds having the following structure: wherein R1, R2 and R3 are as defined herein, compositions comprising an effective amount of an Aminopurine Compound and methods for treating or preventing cancer, a cardiovascular disease, a renal disease, an autoimmune condition, an inflammatory condition, macular degeneration, ischemia-reperfusion injury, pain and related syndromes, disease-related wasting, an asbestos-related condition, pulmonary hypertension or a condition treatable or preventable by inhibition of the JNK pathway comprising administering an effective amount of an Aminopurine Compound to a patient in need thereof.
US08440655B2
The present invention provides methods of treating, reducing, preventing, or inhibiting symptoms of diabetes and/or lowering plasma levels of HbA1c by co-administration of therapeutic or subtherapeutic doses of telenzepine and sertraline to a subject in need thereof.
US08440650B1
In various embodiments, the present invention provides methods of treating and/or preventing cardiovascular-related disease and, in particular, a method of blood lipid therapy comprising administering to a subject in need thereof a pharmaceutical composition comprising eicosapentaenoic acid or a derivative thereof.
US08440648B2
The present invention provides for compositions, kits and methods for treatment of intraepithelial neoplasia, where the compositions include catecholic butanes, which include NDGA derivatives.
US08440644B2
The present invention relates to novel amine derivatives, processes for preparing them, pharmaceutical compositions containing them and their use as pharmaceuticals as modulators of sphingosine-1-phosphate receptors.
US08440642B2
This invention relates to compounds useful for treating fungal infections, more specifically topical treatment of onychomycosis and/or cutaneous fungal infections. This invention is directed to compounds that are active against fungi and have properties that allow the compound, when placed in contact with a patient, to reach the particular part of the skin, nail, hair, claw or hoof infected by the fungus. In particular the present compounds have physiochemical properties that facilitate penetration of the nail plate.
US08440634B2
The disclosure relates to compounds of formula (I): wherein R1, R2, and n are as defined in the disclosure, and addition salts solvates and hydrates thereof. The disclosure also relates to the preparation method of said compounds and to the use of the same in therapeutics.
US08440632B2
Provided herein are ginsenoside compositions comprising at least 10% (w/w) of a protopanaxadiol type of ginsenoside suitable for administration to a subject. Also provided are methods using the ginsenoside compositions for reducing acetaldehyde concentrations, preventing or ameliorating a symptom of elevated acetaldehyde concentration, or reducing the risk of diseases or disorders caused by the intake of ethyl alcohol.
US08440614B2
This invention is an improved process to formulate polymeric microspheres/nanospheres and encapsulate therapeutic proteins or other useful substances, and a polymer sphere apparatus. The invention is also methods of purifying protein-containing-polymeric-microspheres from unused polymer, and an apparatus therefore.
US08440611B2
The present invention relates to novel analogues of neuropeptide Y, pharmaceutical compositions containing the same, pharmaceutical formulations containing the same, and method of treating diseases or conditions mediated by neuropeptide Y-receptor binding. More particularly, the present invention relates to novel analogues of neuropeptide Y having at least one unnatural amino acid substitution, such as 4Hyp at position 34 , that selectively bind to the neuropeptide Y1 receptor subtype compared to the neuropeptide Y2 receptor subtype.
US08440610B2
The present invention relates to compounds and pharmaceutical compositions for treating cellular proliferative disorders, e.g., in patients having one or more p53-deficient cells, screening assays for identifying such compounds, and methods for treating such disorders.
US08440606B2
A cleansing product suitable for making the cleaning of both inanimate and animate surfaces more fun and effective for children is disclosed. Specifically, the cleansing product is capable of expanding in volume under certain temperature conditions, and in some embodiments, can additionally include a coloring agent, providing a color change to indicate when sufficient cleansing has been performed.
US08440603B2
The present invention relates to a liquid, cleaning and/or cleansing composition comprising biodegradable abrasive cleaning particles.
US08440592B2
The present invention is directed to the treatment of a plant at the flowering or fruiting stage with an effective amount of abscisic acid, its analogs or derivatives and salts thereof to reduce the number of fruits that the plant sets and grows to maturity.
US08440591B2
A composition comprising at least a compound (a) of general formula (I): and a fungicide compound (b) in a (a)/(b) weight ratio of from 1/1 to 1/1014. A method for preventively or curatively combating the pests and diseases of crops and increasing their yield by using this composition.
US08440585B2
A method and apparatus is provided for regenerating a sorbent that has been poisoned by components derived from flue gas. The sorbent is treated with an agent to remove the poisoning components and introduce a promoting agent into the sorbent. The method and apparatus can also be used to enhance the effectiveness of a new sorbent.
US08440583B2
A blue colored, infrared and ultraviolet absorbing glass composition uses a standard soda-lime-silica glass base composition and additionally iron, cobalt, and additional colorants selected from the group of Er2O3, Cr2O3, CuO, NiO, TiO2, Nd2O3 and combinations thereof. The glass of the present invention has a luminous transmittance of up to 60 percent, a dominant wavelength in the range of 480 to 489 nanometers and an excitation purity of at least 8 percent at a thickness of 0.160 inches (4.06 millimeters). The glass composition can form transparent glass panels that have varying limited LTA from one another as panel sets for mounting in automobiles.
US08440582B2
A filler cloth includes cellulosic fibers treated with a flame retardant chemistry such that the filler cloth has a char length of less than about nine inches when tested in accordance with NFPA 701, such that thermal shrinkage of the filler cloth at 400° F. is less than about 35% in any direction, and such that the filler cloth maintains flame and heat resistant integrity when impinged with a gas flame in accordance with testing protocols set forth in Technical Bulletin 603 of the State of California Department of Consumer Affairs. The filler cloth cellulosic fibers are treated with a flame retardant chemistry such that the filler cloth has a Frazier air permeability of less than about 400 cfm and a thermal resistance rating of at least about 3 when tested according to NFPA 2112.
US08440580B2
A method for fabricating a silicon nitride gap-filling layer is provided. A pre-multi-step formation process is performed to form a stacked layer constituting as a dense film on a substrate. Then, a post-single step deposition process is conducted to form a cap layer constituting as a sparse film on the stacked layer, wherein the cap layer has a thickness of at least 10% of the total film thickness.
US08440555B2
Effective fillability and the uniformity electrodeposition of a copper electroplating solution is judged by determining the time-dependent potential change thereof at a cathode current density of 0.1-20 A/dm2. The potential change is determined at a working electrode rotation of 100-7500 rpm, and the fillability with the solution is judged from the curve profile. In an embodiment of the present invention, the fillability is judged by obtaining the potential change speed in the initial stage of electrolysis and the potential convergent point from the time-dependent potential change curve for a predetermined period of time after the start of the electrolysis.
US08440552B1
A method includes providing an ETSOI wafer having a semiconductor layer having a top surface with at least one gate structure having on sidewalls thereof a layer of dielectric material. A portion of the layer of dielectric material extends away from the gate structure on the surface of the semiconductor layer. The method further includes faulting a raised S/D on the semiconductor layer adjacent to the portion of the layer of dielectric material, removing the portion of the layer of dielectric material to expose an underlying portion of the surface of the semiconductor layer and applying a layer of glass containing a dopant to cover at least the exposed portion of the surface of the semiconductor layer. The method further includes diffusing the dopant through the exposed portion of the surface of the semiconductor layer to form a source extension region and a drain extension region.
US08440549B2
A semiconductor epitaxial substrate includes: a single crystal substrate; an AlN layer epitaxially grown on the single crystal substrate; and a nitride semiconductor layer epitaxially grown on the AlN layer, wherein an interface between the AlN layer and nitride semiconductor layer has a larger roughness than an interface between the single crystal substrate and AlN layer, and a skewness of the upper surface of the AlN layer is positive.
US08440548B2
An object is to provide a manufacturing method of a microcrystalline silicon film with improved adhesion between an insulating film and the microcrystalline silicon film. The microcrystalline silicon film is formed in the following manner. Over an insulating film, a microcrystalline silicon grain having a height that allows the microcrystalline silicon grain to be completely oxidized by later plasma oxidation (e.g., a height greater than 0 nm and less than or equal to 5 nm), or a microcrystalline silicon film or an amorphous silicon film having a thickness that allows the microcrystalline silicon film or the amorphous silicon film to be completely oxidized by later plasma oxidation (e.g., a thickness greater than 0 nm and less than or equal to 5 nm) is formed. Plasma treatment in an atmosphere including oxygen or plasma oxidation is performed on the microcrystalline silicon grain, the microcrystalline silicon film, or the amorphous silicon film, so that a silicon oxide grain or a silicon oxide film is formed over the insulating film. A microcrystalline silicon film is formed over the silicon oxide grain or the silicon oxide film.
US08440546B2
The invention provides methods and devices for fabricating printable semiconductor elements and assembling printable semiconductor elements onto substrate surfaces. Methods, devices and device components of the present invention are capable of generating a wide range of flexible electronic and optoelectronic devices and arrays of devices on substrates comprising polymeric materials. The present invention also provides stretchable semiconductor structures and stretchable electronic devices capable of good performance in stretched configurations.
US08440543B2
A method of improving thermal cycling reliability for a hybrid circuit structure requires providing at least two circuit layers, aligning two of the circuit layers vertically such that their respective circuit elements have a precise and well-defined spatial relationship, and providing an adhesive material which wicks into a portion of the space between the aligned layers so as to mitigate damage to the structure and/or interconnections that might otherwise occur due to thermal contraction mismatch between the layers. The adhesive material is required to have an associated viscosity such that, when provided under predetermined conditions, the adhesive stops wicking before reaching, and possibly degrading the performance of, the circuit elements.
US08440535B2
A phase change memory may include an ovonic threshold switch formed over an cyanic memory. In one embodiment, the switch includes a chalcogenide layer that overlaps an underlying electrode. Then, edge damage, due to etching the chalcogenide layer, may be isolated to reduce leakage current.
US08440532B2
In one embodiment, a method of providing a semiconductor device is provided, in which instead of forming isolation regions before the formation of the semiconductor devices, the isolation regions are formed after the semiconductor devices. In one embodiment, the method includes forming a semiconductor device on a semiconductor substrate. A placeholder dielectric is formed on a portion of a first surface of the substrate adjacent to the semiconductor device. A trench is etched into the substrate from a second surface of the substrate that is opposite the first surface of the substrate, wherein the trench terminates on the placeholder dielectric. The trench is filled with a dielectric material.
US08440531B2
Methods of forming vertical nonvolatile memory devices utilize carbon-blocking sacrificial capping layers to increase device yield by reducing the likelihood that one or more vertically-stacked layers of materials will lift-off during fabrication. These capping layers may be provided to cover carbon-containing sacrificial layers that are highly polymerized.
US08440513B2
In a semiconductor that has a structure in which a work function controlling metal conductor is provided on a high dielectric insulation film, fine processing is performed without deteriorating a device. In a method of semiconductor processing, in which the semiconductor has an insulation film containing Hf or Zr formed on a semiconductor substrate and a conductor film containing Ti or Ta or Ru formed on an insulation film, and the conductor film is processed by using a resist formed on the conductor film under a plasma atmosphere, the resist is removed under the plasma atmosphere of gas that contains hydrogen and does not contain oxygen.
US08440511B1
A method for manufacturing multi-gate transistor device includes providing a semiconductor substrate having a patterned semiconductor layer and a patterned hard mask sequentially formed thereon, removing the patterned hard mask, performing a thermal treatment to rounding the patterned semiconductor layer with a process temperature lower than 800° C., and sequentially forming a gate dielectric layer and a gate layer covering a portion of the patterned semiconductor layer on the semiconductor substrate.
US08440509B2
A semiconductor device and a process for producing the same, the semiconductor device comprising two conductive layers provided as separate layers, and an insulating layer sandwiched by the two conductive layers, in which the two conductive layers are electrically connected to each other with an embedded conductive layer or an oxide conductive layer provided as filling an opening formed in the insulating layer, and the embedded conductive layer comprises an organic resin film containing a conductive material dispersed therein or an inorganic film containing a conductive material dispersed therein.
US08440507B1
A packaged electronic component and method of forming. The packaged electronic component is formed with a lead frame. The lead frame includes at least one silver structure. The silver structure attracts sulfur so as to inhibit sulfur contamination on the rest of the lead frame. In one example, the silver of the at least one silver structure has an average grain size thickness of one micron or less. In one embodiment, a sulfur removal process can be performed to remove sulfur from the silver structure.
US08440498B2
Methods and devices are provided for forming thin-films from solid group IIIA-based particles. In one embodiment of the present invention, a method is described comprising of providing a first material comprising an alloy of a) a group IIIA-based material and b) at least one other material. The material may be included in an amount sufficient so that no liquid phase of the alloy is present within the first material in a temperature range between room temperature and a deposition or pre-deposition temperature higher than room temperature, wherein the group IIIA-based material is otherwise liquid in that temperature range. The other material may be a group IA material. A precursor material may be formulated comprising a) particles of the first material and b) particles containing at least one element from the group consisting of: group IB, IIIA, VIA element, alloys containing any of the foregoing elements, or combinations thereof.
US08440497B2
A Kesterite film is vacuum deposited and annealed on a substrate. Deposition is conducted at low temperature to provide good composition control and efficient use of metals. Annealing is conducted at a high temperature for a short period of time. Thermal evaporation, E-beam evaporation or sputtering in a high vacuum environment may be employed as part of a deposition process.
US08440493B2
A solid-state imaging apparatus and a manufacturing method of a solid-state imaging apparatus are provided. Metal wirings 102 and 103 are formed in an effective pixel region A and out-of effective pixel region B of a semiconductor substrate 100, and an etch stop layer 118 is formed over the metal wirings 102 and 103. Moreover, an insulating film 119 is formed on the etch stop layer 118, and another metal wiring 104 is formed on the insulating film 119 in the out-of effective pixel region B. Next, the insulating film 119 in the effective pixel region A is removed by using the etch stop layer 118, and interlayer lenses 105 are formed in the step in the effective pixel region A where the insulating film 119 is removed.
US08440488B2
This present invention discloses a manufacturing method and structure for a wafer level image sensor module with fixed focal length. The method includes the following steps. First, a silicon wafer comprising several image sensor chips having a photosensitive area and a lens module array wafer comprising several wafer level lens modules with fixed focal length are provided. Next, the image sensor chips and the wafer level lens modules are sorted in grades according to the different quality grades. According to the sorting results, each of the wafer level lens modules is assigned to be situated above the image sensor chip that has the same grade. At the same time, each of the wafer level lens modules is directed to face the photosensitive area of each image sensor chip. Finally, in the packaging process, the wafer level lens module is surrounded by an encapsulation material.
US08440484B2
For forming a gate electrode, a conductive film with low resistance including Al or a material containing Al as its main component and a conductive film with low contact resistance for preventing diffusion of Al into a semiconductor layer are laminated, and the gate electrode is fabricated by using an apparatus which is capable of performing etching treatment at high speed.
US08440479B2
A method for sealing an organic light emitting diode (OLED) device is disclosed wherein the OLED device comprises a color filter. A color filter is deposited on a first glass plate or substrate and a glass-based frit is then deposited in a loop around the color filter, The deposited fit loop is then heated by electromagnetic energy to evaporate organic constituents and to sinter the fit in a pre-sintering step. An OLED device may then be assembled by positioning a second glass plate comprising an organic light emitting material deposited thereon in overlying registration with the first glass plate, with the color filer and the organic light emitting material positioned between the plates. The fit is then heated with a laser to form a hermetic seal between the first and second glass plates.
US08440477B1
A method for manufacturing an LED (light emitting diode) includes following steps: providing a first electrode, a second electrode and a Zener diode, the Zener diode being electrically connected to the first and second electrodes; providing a mold; the first electrode, the second electrode and the Zener diode being received in the mold; injecting a liquid molding material into the mold, thereby integrally forming a base, a dam, and a reflective cup, the Zener diode being encapsulated in the dam; setting first and second LED chips respectively on the first and second electrodes; filling an encapsulation material in the reflective cup to encapsulate the first and second LED chips. The first and second LED chips are separated from each other by the dam.
US08440476B2
The ohmic contact between a growth substrate and an electrode formed thereon is improved in a zinc oxide-based semiconductor light-emitting device, thereby improving the light-emission efficiency and reliability A step for forming an n-type semiconductor layer, a light-emitting layer, and a p-type semiconductor layer in sequence on a first principal face of a substrate having a composition of MgxZn1-xO (0≦x≦0.68); a step for forming microcracks in a second principal face of the substrate so as to extend toward an interior of the substrate; a step for carrying out a heat treatment at a temperature of 100° C. or higher; and a step for forming an electrode by depositing a metal material composed of one among Al, a Ga alloy, and an In alloy on the second principal face of the substrate, and forming an electrode in a heat treatment at a temperature of 300° C. to 1000° C. are provided.
US08440475B2
Alignment data from an exposure tool suitable for exposing a plurality of semiconductor wafers are provided, the alignment data including alignment values applied by the exposure tool to respective ones of the plurality of semiconductor wafers at a plurality of measured positions.
US08440474B2
A chip quality determination method includes the steps of (a) determining the continuity of defective chips in at least four directions of an X-axis and a Y-axis on a wafer based on the wafer test result of determining the acceptability of chips arranged in a matrix in the four directions on the wafer, and dividing the defective chips into one or more defective groups so that successive ones of the defective chips are in the same defective group; (b) calculating a quality determination index of each of one or more determination target wafer periphery neighboring chips among wafer periphery neighboring chips located within a predetermined range from the periphery of the wafer based on the distance from a corresponding one of the defective groups; and (c) determining the quality of the determination target wafer periphery neighboring chips by comparing the quality determination indexes thereof with a preset threshold.
US08440467B2
Electronic devices comprising a dielectric material, at least one carbon sheet, and two electrode terminals are described herein. The devices exhibit non-linear current-versus-voltage response over a voltage sweep range in various embodiments. Uses of the electronic devices as two-terminal memory devices, logic units, and sensors are disclosed. Processes for making the electronic devices are disclosed. Methods for using the electronic devices in analytical methods are disclosed.
US08440453B2
A functionalized nanofluidic channel and method for functionalization that provides control over the ionic environment and geometry of the nanofluidic channel with the immobilization of biomolecules on the inner surface of the channel and use of high ionic concentration solutions. In one embodiment, the surface charge of the nanochannel is controlled with the immobilization of a protein such as streptavidin in the nanochannel. In another embodiment, the biomolecules are receptors and changes in nanochannel conductance indicates ligand binding events. The functionalized nanofluidic channel can be easily adapted for use with microchannel arrays.
US08440447B2
A method for extraction and concentration of antibodies, antigens, bacteria and virus from biological samples. The method also provides a preparation that is suitable for use as a vaccine. The method includes the addition of liquid carboxylic acids and a centrifugation step.
US08440445B2
The use of a neutral protease (NP) together with a collagenase consists in that a neutral protease which is not contained in a collagenase enzyme preparation and which is not produced by a recombinant production ia mixed before the beginning of a tissue dissociation with a collagenase or a collagenase enzyme preparation with an individual dosage of the quantitative proportions of neutral protease and collagenase for improving the isolation results with respect to yield, viability and integrity of the cells.
US08440442B2
The present invention provides methods, compositions, devices and kits for assaying 5-FU.
US08440441B2
A substrate having compounds disposed thereon for immobilizing a functional molecule, each compound having a chain comprising: a moiety R that is chemically coupled to the substrate, said moiety R being selected from the group consisting of an ether, ester, carbonyl, carbonate ester, thioether, disulfide, sulfinyl, sulfonyl, and carbonothioyl; and an epoxide-containing moiety that is coupled to the moiety R by a linker comprising at least one nucleophilic group. Methods of preparing the substrate and use of the substrate are also disclosed.
US08440438B2
Increasing competition for fossil fuels, and the need to avoid release carbon dioxide from combustion of these fuels requires development of new and sustainable approaches for energy production and carbon capture. Biological processes for producing methane gas and capturing carbon from carbon dioxide are provided according to embodiments of the present invention which include providing an electromethanogenic reactor having an anode, a cathode and a plurality of methanogenic microorganisms disposed on the cathode. Electrons and carbon dioxide are provided to the plurality of methanogenic microorganisms disposed on the cathode. The methanogenic microorganisms reduce the carbon dioxide to produce methane gas, even in the absence of hydrogen and/or organic carbon sources.
US08440425B2
A method of preparing a slide of a biological specimen, including the steps of (a) providing a slide containing a biological specimen and a cover slip, (b) placing a liquid non-evaporating sealing compound such as mineral oil at spaced locations around an area on the slide and (c) placing the cover slip over the specimen area whereby the specimen and reagent is between the slide and the cover slip and the sealing compound spreads to define a closed boundary around the specimen in the space between the slide and the cover slip. Testing of the biological specimen may then be performed automatically.
US08440424B2
Subject of the present invention is a method for detection of an antibiotic resistance in a micro-organism comprising the steps of exposing suspected micro-organism to a labelled (fluorescent) antibiotic and observing the differences between it and a non-resistant micro-organism of the same type.
US08440422B2
In measuring phosphoric acid by the use of an enzyme cycling system using a dehydrogenase together with a thio-NADP, a thio-NAD, a reduced thio-NADP or a reduced thio-NAD as a coenzyme, phosphoric acid is measurable in a wide concentration range from a low concentration to a high concentration by measuring phosphoric acid after previous removal of free phosphoric acid in reagent components for the measurement.
US08440416B2
The invention provides methods of preparing a test sample for use in an assay for detecting an analyte bound by an intracellular ligand. The methods typically involve contacting the test sample with an assay reagent comprising: a lysis reagent; and a protease that has proteolytic activity for said intracellular ligand; to form a mixture compatible for use in an immunoassay without subsequent extraction steps. Other aspects of the invention include related immunoassays and test kits.
US08440408B2
The present invention relates to animal protein-free cell culture media comprising polyamines and a plant- and/or yeast-derived hydrolysate. The invention also relates to animal protein-free culturing processes, wherein cells can be cultivated, propagated and passaged without adding supplementary animal proteins in the culture medium. These processes are useful in cultivating cells, such as recombinant cells or cells infected with a virus, and for producing biological products by cell culture processes.
US08440402B2
The invention provides a method for more effective treatment of patients susceptible to or diagnosed with tumors overexpressing HER2, as determined by a gene amplification assay, with a HER2 antibody. Such method comprises administering a cancer-treating dose of the HER2 antibody, preferably in addition to chemotherapeutic agents, to a subject in whose tumor cells her2 has been found to be amplified e.g., by fluorescent in situ hybridization.
US08440400B2
The present invention relates to a process for efficiently amplifying a giant DNA. More particularly, the present invention relates to a process for amplifying DNA in a cell, comprising amplifying the DNA as the target of amplification in the presence of DNAs selected from the following (i), (ii) and (iii): (i) DNA encoding a protein selected from the following 1), 2) and 3): 1) a protein consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, 2) a protein comprising an amino acid sequence which has a deletion, substitution, insertion or addition of one or more amino acids in the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, and 3) a protein comprising an amino acid sequence which has an identity of 90% or more to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, (ii) DNA consisting of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2, and (iii) DNA hybridizing to the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 under stringent conditions.
US08440387B2
A topcoat material for immersion lithography and a method of performing immersion lithography using the topcoat material. The topcoat material includes a mixture of a first polymer and a second polymer. The first and second polymers of the topcoat material, when the topcoat material is formed into a topcoat layer between an immersion fluid and a photoresist layer, disperse non-homogenously throughout the topcoat layer.
US08440370B2
The present application provides a method of manufacturing a reflection hologram. The method comprises the steps of placing a first pattern of activating material upon a layer of inactive holographic recording material to selectively activate the layer and exposing the layer to holographic recording process for producing a reflection hologram.
US08440359B2
A method for filling a fuel cell system with a fuel during start-up is disclosed, the method including the steps of providing a fuel cell stack having a plurality of fuels cells, each fuel cell having an active area, the fuel cell stack including an anode supply manifold and an anode exhaust manifold, the anode supply manifold and in fluid communication with a source of fuel; providing an anode sub-system in fluid communication with an anode side of the fuel cell stack; and supplying the fuel to the fuel cell stack substantially uniformly and substantially simultaneously to compress any fluids in the fuel cell stack into a volume between an end of each active area adjacent to the anode exhaust manifold and an outlet of the anode sub-system.
US08440347B2
A secondary battery including an electrode assembly, a can accommodating the electrode assembly, a cap assembly sealing the can, and an insulating case interposed between the electrode assembly and the cap assembly and having two facing long side walls and two facing short side walls, wherein the two facing long side walls include opposing end portions and opposing central portions, the opposing end portions and the opposing central portions each include outer surfaces and a distance between the outer surfaces of the opposing end portions of the long side walls is greater than a distance between the outer surfaces of the opposing central portions of the long side walls.
US08440342B2
Cathode materials for use in thermal batteries are disclosed. The cathode material includes a primary active material and an amount of a bi-metal sulfide such as CuFeS2. Batteries (e.g., thermal batteries) that contain such cathode materials are also disclosed.
