US09682161B2
Provided herein are systems, ultraviolet (UV) devices, and methods for UV disinfection and sterilization, more specifically, systems, UV devices, and methods for UV disinfection and sterilization of a container, room, space or defined environment. The systems, UV devices, and methods are particularly useful for the UV disinfection and sterilization of a container used in the food and dairy industry and for containers used in the process of fermentation for an alcoholic beverage. Provided are also systems, UV devices, and methods for inhibiting the growth of one or more species of microorganisms present in a container, room, space or defined environment, preferably for inhibiting the growth of one or more species of microorganisms present on an interior surface of a container, room, space or defined environment.
US09682137B2
A pharmaceutical composition includes, as active substance a mutated lentiviral ENV protein, substantially devoid of immunosuppressive properties or a variant of the mutated lentiviral ENV protein or a fragment of the above proteins, in association with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
US09682132B2
Processes and compositions for the therapeutic treatment of pathogenic Gram-negative bacterial infection are provided whereby arginino succinate synthetase or PEGylated arginino succinate synthetase is administered to a subject to inactivate endotoxin thereby reducing the likelihood of bacterial sepsis and improving patient outcome.
US09682131B2
A process for the endogenic catabolism of homocysteine and the control of homocysteine levels for treating disease and the degenerative diseases of aging is provided along with pharmaceutical compositions having thioretinamide, retinol or combinations thereof in combination with an enzyme or a pro-enzyme. The process includes the catabolism of homocysteine thiolactone in cells and tissues by catalyzing the reaction of homocysteine thiolactone with an enzyme-bound retinoic acid to increase the bioavailability of thioretinamide in diseased and aged cells and tissue.
US09682128B2
An aqueous composition for application in a method for surgical or therapeutic treatment of the human or animal body or in a diagnostic procedure which is practiced on the human or animal body, the composition comprising osmotically active particles and containing less than 70 μl−1 of amniotic cells, the osmolarity of the composition being in the range from 240.0 mosm/l to less than 308.0 mosm/l, and the chloride ion concentration in the composition being not more than 130.0 mmol/l. An aqueous composition for application with an amniotic infusion, the composition containing less than 70 μl−1 of amniotic cells and comprising at least one surfactant, is also disclosed.
US09682127B2
A suspension formulation of an insulinotropic peptide (e.g., glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) or exenatide) is described. The suspension formulation comprises (i) a non-aqueous, single-phase vehicle, comprising one or more polymer and one or more one solvent, wherein the vehicle exhibits viscous fluid characteristics, and (ii) a particle formulation comprising the insulinotropic peptide, wherein the peptide is dispersed in the vehicle. The particle formulation further includes a stabilizing component comprising one or more stabilizers, for example, carbohydrates, antioxidants, amino acids, and buffers. Devices for delivering the suspension formulations and methods of use are also described.
US09682125B2
A method of treating or preventing cognitive impairment deficits in subjects with age-associated cognitive decline or a dementing illness includes administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of amylin, an amylin agonist, or an amylin derivative to treat the cognitive impairment or deficit.
US09682112B2
A process for the complete fractionation of cocoa beans with ‘zero waste’ into various value-added ingredients, a composition having cocoa polyphones/procyanidins and soluble dietary fiber, and a water dispersible and sustained release formulation of cocoa polyphones with cocoa soluble dietary fiber capable of forming a colloidal dispersion of bioactive cocoa polyphones in gastric fluid.
US09682110B2
The present invention is directed to the field of phage therapy for the treatment and control of bacterial infections. In particular, the present invention is directed to the novel bacteriophages F1245/05, F168/08, F170/08, F770/05, F197/08, F86/06, F87s/06 and F91a/06, isolated polypeptides thereof, compositions comprising one or more of the novel bacteriophages and/or isolated polypeptides and methods for the treatment and prevention of bacterial infection, either alone or in combination with other antibacterial therapies, e.g., antibiotics or other phage therapies.
US09682098B2
The invention relates to a compound suited as entity carrier, having the general formula (I) wherein X is an amine-containing residue further defined herein. The invention further relates to the use of such compounds, a nanocarrier system, a kit comprising such compounds and methods for gene silencing and anti-cancer treatment.
US09682097B2
Provided are LMNA-targeted antisense oligonucleotides for reducing expression of one or more aberrantly spliced LMNA mRNA isoforms that encode progerin.
US09682092B2
Methods of treating anti-inflammatory conditions through the use of boron-containing small molecules are disclosed.
US09682088B2
The invention relates to a method for treating uterine fibroids, which method comprises administering to a patient in need thereof, an effective amount of 17α-acetoxy-11β-[4-N,N-dimethylamino-phenyl)-19-norpregna-4,9-diene-3,20-dione (ulipristal) or any metabolite thereof. More particularly, the method is useful for reducing or stopping bleeding in a patient afflicted with uterine fibroids, and/or for reducing the size of uterine fibroids.
US09682083B2
The present invention relates to 6-amino-7-deaza-purine derivatives which modulate the activity of protein kinases and are therefore useful in treating diseases caused by dysregulated protein kinase activity, in particular RET family kinases. The present invention also provides methods for preparing these compounds, pharmaceutical compositions comprising these compounds, and methods of treating diseases utilizing pharmaceutical compositions containing these compounds.
US09682060B2
Apoptosis is generally believed to be a process that requires several hours, in contrast to non-programmed forms of cell death that can occur in minutes. Our findings challenge the time-consuming nature of apoptosis. We describe herein the discovery and characterization of a small molecule, named Raptinal, which initiates intrinsic pathway caspase-dependent apoptosis within minutes, in multiple different cell lines. Comparison to a mechanistically diverse panel of apoptotic stimuli reveals Raptinal-induced apoptosis proceeds with unparalleled speed. The rapid phenotype enabled identification of the critical roles of mitochondrial voltage-dependent anion channel function, mitochondrial membrane potential/coupled respiration, and mitochondrial complex I, III and IV function for apoptosis induction. Use of Raptinal in whole organisms demonstrates its utility to study apoptosis in vivo for a variety of applications. Overall, rapid inducers of apoptosis are powerful tools that will be used in a variety of settings to generate further insight into the apoptotic machinery.
US09682059B2
The present invention provides a pharmaceutical composition for preventing and/or treating a epilepsy or epilepsy-related syndrome, for example an intractable epilepsy or its related syndrome such as drug-resistant epilepsy, comprising the phenyl carbamate compound as an active ingredient, and a use of the phenyl carbamate compound for preventing and/or treating epilepsy or epilepsy-related syndrome.
US09682045B2
The present invention relates to pharmaceutical compositions comprising a thyroid hormone drug. The invention also relates to processes for the preparation of such compositions.
US09682044B2
Disclosed herein, are methods of preparing fetal support tissue powders. Further disclosed herein, are methods of using the fetal support tissue powder product.
US09682042B2
The invention relates to an agent for the treatment or prevention of an allergic condition, such as asthma, in a mammal. The agent comprises fragments of a Mycobacterium tuberculosis-complex (MTB-C) strain. These particular fragments may be from a virulent MTB-C strain and/or in the form of a liposome composition. The agent may include further components, such as a liposome-forming agent and/or particular proteins from the MTB-C strain.A particular allergic response that may be treated by the agent of the invention is allergic asthma. A pharmaceutical composition comprising the agent is also provided.Administration of the agent described herein significantly attenuates airway hyperresponsiveness, eosinophilia and lymphocytosis in the airways of sensitized animals. The effectiveness of the agent exceeds on all the evaluated parameters the commercial vaccine BCG Danish 1331 Strain.
US09682039B2
An oromucosally absorbable liquid composition for administration to a human patient comprises one liquid containing a pH-sensitive pharmaceutically active together with one or more optional suitable pharmaceutical excipients in a first compartment; and a second liquid at pH greater than 5 containing a buffer or alkaline components together with one or more optional suitable pharmaceutical excipients in a second distinct compartment; the first and second compartments maintaining separation of the first and second liquids during storage and allowing for mixing of the two liquids to form an oromucosally absorbable composition at the point of use.
US09682034B2
Compositions and methods for treating inflamed skin with Pro-Resolution Pathway Stimulators that may be Inflammatory Metabolite Inhibitors, Pro-Resolving Activators, or combinations thereof, and a method for screening active ingredients for activity as Pro-Resolution Pathway Stimulators for incorporation into topical cosmetic products.
US09682020B1
A hair treatment formulation comprises a plurality of composite nanoparticles in solution. The composite nanoparticles of at least one alternative embodiment are specifically prepared having a first inner layer comprising one or more acidic component, a second inner layer comprising one or more thiolate, and an outer layer comprising peptides formed one or more amino acids of hydrolyzed keratin protein. At least one treatment component is embedded in at least one of the first inner layer, second inner layer, or the outer layer. Alternative methods of preparing a hair treatment formulation comprising composite nanoparticles is disclosed along with alternative methods of use of the alternative hair treatment formulations comprising a plurality of composite nanoparticles.
US09682009B2
A system for assisting a rescuer in performing resuscitation activities on a patient is provided. The system includes at least one chest compression sensor configured to sense movement of the patient's chest and a second sensor configured to sense information indicative of whether the rescuer's hand is in contact with or is not in contact with the patient's chest. The second sensor can be configured to be positioned on the patient's chest at a location corresponding to a location of the rescuer's hand when delivering chest compressions to the patient's chest. The system also includes a processor configured to: receive and process information from the chest compression sensor and the second sensor; identify occurrence of a chest compression based on information from the second sensor; and calculate chest compression depth based on the information sensed by the chest compression sensor during the identified chest compression.
US09681999B2
A garment for absorbing fluid discharge in a male subject includes an open-topped pouch to receive the penis of the subject and an absorbent material lining at least a portion of the pouch. A strap attached to an upper edge of the front portion of the pouch is designed to encircle the waist of the subject and secure the pouch. The pouch is free to move with the penis through a wide range of positions. A system for absorbing fluid discharge in a male subject can include the garment and an absorbent pad that can be inserted into the pouch.
US09681989B2
Provided is an auditory sensitivity adjustment device suitable to enhance concentration and attentiveness in any direction. An auditory sensitivity adjustment device 100 includes grab parts 32a and 32b for holding a pinna 50, springs 22 for applying to the grab parts 32a and 32b a force for pulling, in an extending direction, the pinna 50 held by the grab parts 32a and 32b, and a base 38 for rotating the pinna 50 held by the grab parts 32a and 32b so as to twist the pinna 50.
US09681984B2
The present invention relates to a method of altering the refractive properties of the eye, the method including applying a substance to a cornea of an eye, the substance configured to facilitate cross linking of the cornea, irradiating the cornea so as to activate cross linkers in the cornea, and altering the cornea so as to change the refractive properties of the eye.
US09681980B2
Systems and methods for improving or preventing a condition, such as the treatment of pain syndromes and migraine headaches are disclosed. A method for treating pain can include one or more of the steps including identifying a region of the patient comprising glabrous tissue; positioning the region of the patient comprising glabrous tissue into an enclosed chamber; adjusting the relative humidity of the enclosed chamber sufficient to create a physiologic effect. The method need not involve altering the temperature within the enclosed chamber.
US09681976B2
An interdigital pad for toes having a larger diameter engaging ring fitted on the big toe, a smaller diameter engaging ring fitted on the fourth toe, a base connecting said engaging rings and positioned on the sole of the foot, a projection fitted between and caught by the second and third toes, said base and two engaging rings forming an arched edge contacting the roots of respective toes, and a thickness of a lower ring of said larger diameter engaging ring and a thickness of the base of the second toe being thicker than a thickness of a portion located from the third to the fifth toes, so a height from the floor surface at a side of the little toe and fourth toe is a higher than at a side of the big toe.
US09681974B2
Transoral obesity treatment devices and related methods for operation thereof are described which occupy space within a stomach and/or stimulate the stomach wall. The transoral obesity treatment devices and related methods are intended to assist a patient in maintaining a healthy body weight. Features of the devices include insertion transorally and without invasive surgery, without associated patient risks of invasive surgery, and without substantial patient discomfort. The life span of these devices may be material-dependent upon long-term survivability within an acidic stomach, but is intended to last one year or longer. The devices have the capacity to vary in size and are desirably self-actuating in that they change shape and/or volume using internal motors or actuators. The changing character of the devices helps prevent the person's stomach from compensating for the implant, such as sometimes happens with static intragastric devices.
US09681973B2
A sealing device attached to an intragastric balloon device having a head flexibly attached to a body by a pivot portion, where the pivot portion provides the head with a closed state and an open state relative to the body and the intragastric device. The sealing device having one or more plugs configured to seal an aspiration port of a lumen when the head is in a closed state and further configured to release the aspiration port of the lumen when the head is in an open state.
US09681970B2
A device and method for deploying an endoluminal sleeve is disclosed. The endoluminal sleeve has a proximal end that is rolled with a thread. The distal end is disposed about a balloon and can be expanded to contact the lumen wall. An adhesive holds the sleeve in place and the endoluminal sleeve is unrolled. The balloon is deflated and moved to a second location. The balloon is then inflated again expanding the endoluminal sleeve proximate the second location.
US09681969B2
Systems and methods are disclosed for delivering a stent to a lumen internal to a body of a patient and for sheathing a stent just prior to an insertion procedure. One embodiment comprises a delivery device having a partially sheathed configuration, a fully sheathed delivery configuration, and a deployed configuration. A panchor (combination pusher and anchor) is configured to engage and limit proximal and distal movement of the implantable device. An outer sheath surrounds a distal portion of an inner member and retains the implantable device near the distal end. The outer sheath is slidably moveable relative to the inner member to deploy the implantable device. Proximal movement of a trigger results in movement of the outer sheath to deploy the implantable device. A sheathing mechanism is configured to crimp and fully sheathe the implantable device prior to a deployment procedure.
US09681968B2
A catheter for detachably receiving an expandable and/or decollapsible or unfoldable, respectively, implant, in particular a stent may include at least one assembly for controlling the expansion and/or the unfolding or decollapsing, respectively, of the implant from a first diameter to a second diameter and/or its return back from the second diameter to the first diameter. Furthermore, an implant, in particular a stent, and a set including a catheter and an implant are proposed.
US09681960B2
A height measuring tool may include a body member configured to releasably couple to an implant component. A slidable member having a distal end surface may be coupled to the body member. A height reference member may also be coupled to the body member. Movement of the sliding member in a distal direction in relation to the body member may cause corresponding movement of the height reference member in the distal direction when the sliding member is engaged to the height reference member and the height reference member is in an unlocked state. Generally, when an implant component is attached to the height measuring tool, a user may insert the implant component at least partially into a bone, with the slidable member and the height reference member used in conjunction to objectively mark off a height of the implant component relative to the bone.
US09681944B2
An accommodating intraocular lens for providing a range of accommodative vision includes a deformable optic. The deformable optic includes a plurality of layers that have a progressively increasing hardness and/or refractive index characteristic from the outermost layer to the innermost layer to provide a range of accommodative power.
US09681943B2
An intraocular lens wherein an outer edge of a support part has a curved concave shape at a base thereof and extends therefrom toward a tip thereof with a curved convex shape having a radius of curvature of 5.25 to 7.50 mm. In a region where a Y coordinate of an orthogonal coordinate system is 1.0 mm or greater, an origin of the coordinate system being a geometric center of an optical part, an inner edge of the support part is positioned between shapes obtained by offsetting the outer edge of the support part by 0.2 mm and by 1.0 mm towards the X-axis origin. The tip of the support part is positioned in a region where the Y coordinate is greater than a radius of the optical part, outside a circle with a radius of 5.0 mm centered on the origin.
US09681941B2
Methods and devices are disclosed for breast reconstruction surgery. An implantable fixation device is attached to pectoralis muscle tissue and a tissue graft that forms a sling for supporting a tissue expander or permanent breast implant. The implantable fixation device provides flap stabilization of overlying skin and reduces breast reconstruction complications such as seroma formation.
US09681939B2
A method for bonding a graft material to a support element employing a silane coupling agent, and a medical device obtainable by the method. A medical device including a graft material bound to a support element by a plurality of silane linkages is also described.
US09681934B2
The invention relates to the use of a semi-occlusive flexible flat wound dressing having a wound contacting layer consisting of an elastomer or a thermoplastic elastomer component in which hydrophilic polymers are embedded, for treating contaminated wounds in animals, in particular in the region of the body limbs.
US09681926B2
The present invention relates to a medical pendant lifting system, comprising a main frame, a driving device, a transmission device, a main body component, a first connecting rod, a second connecting rod, a third connecting rod and a connecting head, wherein the driving device drives the main body component and the third connecting rod via the transmission device; the driving device is connected to the main frame by a first rotating shaft; the main body component is connected to the main frame by a third rotating shaft, connected to the output component of the transmission device by a second rotating shaft, connected to the connecting head by a fifth rotating shaft, and connected to the second connecting rod by a sixth rotating shaft; the third connecting rod is connected to the main frame by a fourth rotating shaft, and connected to the second connecting rod by a seventh rotating shaft; the first connecting rod is connected to the second connecting rod by a ninth rotating shaft, and connected to the connecting head by an eighth rotating shaft; and the first to ninth rotating shafts are parallel to each other, the third, the fourth, the sixth, and the seventh rotating shafts form a first parallelogram, and the fifth, the sixth, the eighth, and the ninth rotating shafts form a second parallelogram. The present invention has the beneficial technical effects of being convenient in wiring and pipe arrangement and having a large lifting height.
US09681924B2
A three-pin skull clamp, including a U-shaped frame defined by an interconnectable base piece with a slot that receives the ratchet arm of a ratchet piece, also includes a plate movably connected to the base piece, thereby to permit inspection and cleaning of the slot which receives the ratchet arm. To increase the adjustability of the ratchet piece relative to the base piece, the base piece includes at least two pawls with offset engagement teeth, preferably with the offset equal to half the pitch of ratchet teeth located along the ratchet arm. This feature facilitates positioning of the skull clamp relative to a patient, and is particularly beneficial for radiolucent skull clamps.
US09681919B2
Systems, methods, and devices are provided for assisting or performing guided interventional procedures using custom templates. The system uses pre-procedure scans of a patient's anatomy to identify targets and critical structures. A template is then manufactured containing guide elements. During a procedure, the template may be aligned to the patient and instruments passed though the guide elements and into various targets. The template may be aligned using one or more of, for example, a position sensing system or a live imaging modality to register the patient to the template. The system makes optional use of devices designed to immobilize or track an organ during therapy.
US09681916B2
A method of repairing an inner vessel wall includes the step of inserting at least a portion of a microwave ablation device into a vessel. The microwave ablation device includes an inner conductor disposed within an outer conductor and defines a longitudinal axis. The method also includes the steps of inserting a repairing sealant into the vessel such that the repairing sealant is disposed between an inner vessel wall and the outer conductor and expanding at least a portion of the outer conductor relative to the longitudinal axis to force at least a portion of the repairing sealant into the inner vessel wall. The method also includes the step of delivering energy to at least one of the inner conductor and the outer conductor to activate the repairing sealant to repair the inner vessel wall.
US09681914B2
A device comprising: a handpiece having one or more attachment ports; a tubeset having one or more attachment features for connecting the tubeset to the one or more attachment ports in the handpiece; a removable tip having an attachment arm for attaching to the one or more attachment ports in the handpiece; wherein the device comprises one or more of the following: the handpiece includes an attachment port that attaches the handpiece to an active lead and a return lead and the device is adapted to use only the active lead or both leads so that the device can switch between bi-polar energy and mono-polar energy; the tubeset has one or more fluid conduits that are in fluid communication with the removable tip, wherein the removable tip is located at a distal end of the device; and the handpiece connects to one or more electrical input lines; the tubeset connects to one or more fluid lines, and the removable tip is free of direct connection to both the one or more electrical input lines and the one or more fluid lines.
US09681913B2
An elongated shaft assembly includes a rotatable inner cutting sleeve and a non-rotating outer sleeve. A window of the inner cutting sleeve is selectively rotatable within an opening of the non-rotating outer sleeve to cut tissue with a sharpened cutting blade when rotated in a first rotational direction and to cut tissue with an electrode when rotated in a second rotational direction.
US09681908B2
A jaw assembly includes an electrically-conductive tissue-engaging structure, a jaw member including a support base, and a non-electrically conductive member including a first portion configured to engage the electrically-conductive tissue-engaging structure and a second portion configured to engage the support base of the jaw member. The non-electrically conductive member adapted to electrically isolate the electrically-conductive tissue-engaging structure from the jaw member. The electrically-conductive tissue-engaging structure and the non-electrically conductive member cooperatively define a longitudinally-oriented knife channel therethrough.
US09681905B2
An expandable screw includes generally a shaft, a head, and a cut pattern. The shaft includes a longitudinal axis, an outer surface including a thread to engage bone, and an expandable region configurable between a first state with a first radius measured from the longitudinal axis to the outer surface and a second state having a second radius measured from the longitudinal axis to the outer surface. The head coupled with the shaft at a neck is configured to receive a driving instrument to insert and drive the shaft into the bone when the expandable region is in the first state. The cut pattern on the shaft permits at least partial nesting of a first portion of the expandable region within a second portion of the expandable region in the second state.
US09681904B2
A method and device for attaching a bone plate to a bone includes the steps of placing a first surface of a wire insertion device against the bone, inserting a reference wire through an opening of the wire insertion device extending therethrough from the first surface of the wire insertion device to a second surface of the wire insertion device, removing the wire insertion device from the reference wire and positioning a bone plate on the bone by moving the bone plate in a transverse direction relative to a longitudinal axis of the reference wire so that the reference wire is received within a slot of the bone plate, the bone plate including a first surface facing toward the bone and a second surface opposing the first surface, the slot open to a lateral side surface connecting edges of the first and second surfaces.
US09681903B2
A clip includes a body and a pin. The body includes a first end, a second end, and a backspan extending between the first and second ends. The backspan defines a through hole. Each of the first and second ends of the body are configured to releasably couple to a rail of a dynamic spinal clip between two adjacent segments of a dynamic spinal clip to maintain a span between two adjacent segments. The pin defines a longitudinal axis and includes a head and a shaft. The shaft extends from the head to a tip. The tip is configured to penetrate bone. The shaft is configured and dimensioned to be slidably received through the through hole of the body The head is sized to prevent the head from passing through the through hole of the body.
US09681901B2
An osteosynthesis system for treating fractures of tubular bones includes an intramedullary nail with an elongated nail body consisting of a hard metal material with two end sections and a middle section therebetween that has at least one transverse screw hole close to the end for screwing in at least one bone screw into each end section. The nail body is solid or has a through-channel arranged in the center in the cross-section of the nail body. In the middle section at least two transverse one-sided screw holes are placed proximate to a fracture. Screw holes are formed as inlays made out of soft metal material securely joined to the nail body, and bone screws with an initial thread consisting of hard metal material that can be screwed into the bone and screw holes while forming threads.
US09681898B2
Devices and methods for positioning and immobilizing at least two adjacent vertebrae using adjacent spinous processes. The method includes positioning a spinous process fusion device in an interspinous space between adjacent spinous processes including a rod and a first wing, and attaching a second wing to the rod, for example, using a ratcheting mechanism.
US09681891B2
A tympanostomy tube delivery device comprises a body, a cannula extending distally from the body, and a cylindraceous member disposed within the cannula. The cylindraceous member comprises a tubular portion and a plurality of leaves positioned at the distal end of the tubular portion. The leaves are movable between a collapsed position and an expanded position. The cylindraceous member is slidable relative to the cannula to selectively expose the leaves relative to the open distal end of the cannula. A first leaf of the plurality of leaves has a sharp distal point configured to pierce a tympanic membrane and a longitudinally extending sharp edge. The cylindraceous member may be used to create and dilate a myringotomy incision in a tympanic membrane. The tympanostomy tube delivery device may then be used to deploy a tympanostomy tube through the myringotomy incision.
US09681887B2
A support apparatus for supporting a trocar while the trocar extends through a body wall of a patient includes an inflatable collar extending around the trocar which can be inflated to a predetermined size by a source of fluid where the source of fluid is located on the trocar support apparatus itself so as to be carried thereby and is defined by a pump mechanism to provide a fixed volume allowing inflation only to a fixed size. An abutment member is shaped to be received on an outer surface of the trocar sleeve and adjustable longitudinally of the trocar sleeve so as to be located at a selected position. A tube connecting the pump on the abutment to the inflatable collar is wrapped helically around the sleeve of the trocar. The collar includes a sleeve portion which can be unrolled on to the trocar sleeve.
US09681885B2
A surgical system and a method of providing and enabling a surgical system. The surgical system having a console and a first component configured to be directly or indirectly detachably attached to the console. The surgical system having a sensor circuit arranged to the console, and a first target state identifying circuit arranged to the first component. The sensor circuit outputs a feedback signal indicative of a state of electrical connection of the first target state identifying circuit to the sensor circuit. A controller arranged in the console is configured to control a therapy signal generator based on the feedback signal.
US09681881B1
An acetabular reamer of the type used in total hip arthroplasty (THA) to prepare a patient's acetabulum for implantation of a hip prosthesis is described. The acetabular reamer consists of a substantially hemispherical cup having a plurality of cutter-hole combinations aligned along one or more loxodromes on the surface of the hemispherical cup. The reamer, complete with integral back plate for connecting the reamer to a driver, is produced to net shape using a molding and sinterwelding technique.
US09681874B2
An volume filling device for treatment of obesity is placed outside the stomach wall of the patient to reduce the inner volume of the stomach, thereby affecting the patient's appetite. By providing the volume filling device outside the stomach wall, contact with stomach acids is avoided, thereby increasing the life of the device. Furthermore including a stretching device to stretch a portion of the stomach wall to further affecting the patient's appetite.
US09681873B2
A surgical stapling instrument includes a handle having a stapler-closing device. A surgical stapling end effector is connected to the handle and has a pair of opposing stapling surfaces. At least one of the stapling surfaces is operable to move with respect to the other of the stapling surfaces upon actuation of the stapler-closing device to apply a compressive force to tissue therebetween. At least one variable member is operable to receive the compressive force applied to the tissue and to exhibit at least one of mechanical and electrical change associated with the received compressive force. The change influences a surgical procedure on the compressed tissue.
US09681868B2
A wound closure system includes a device, a sleeve, and a needle assembly. The device includes a shaft and one or more arms movable relative to the shaft between a retracted position and a deployed position. The sleeve is removably positionable about the shaft and is slidable about the shaft to retain tissue between the distal end of the sleeve and the arms when the arms are in the deployed position. The needle assembly includes a base one or more needles insertable through respective needle lumens of the sleeve. The base defines a central aperture for removably positioning the base about the shaft. The base is slidable relative to the shaft and sleeve between a proximal position, wherein the needles are disposed within respective needle lumens, and a distal position, wherein the needles extend from respective needle lumens towards respective arms.
US09681862B1
A medial lateral retractor system includes a first medial lateral retractor arm, a second medial lateral retractor arm movably coupled thereto, and a base member coupler coupled to one of the first medial lateral retractor arm and the second medial lateral retractor arm. The base member coupler is configured to couple to a base member to which a rostral refractor blade and caudal retractor blade are coupled. The first medial lateral retractor arm is configured to move relative to the second medial lateral retractor arm in a direction substantially perpendicular to a direction of movement of the rostral retractor blade relative to the caudal retractor blade when the base member coupler is coupled to the base member. In implementations the medial lateral retractor system further includes the base member, the rostral retractor blade and the caudal retractor blade, and the base member is coupled to the base member coupler.
US09681860B2
The present invention relates to a halo spray tip atomizer device primarily suited for the application of the fibrin glues. The device offers way to transition seamlessly between a static delivery device and an atomization device. The device is also so configured as to limit possible clogging.
US09681844B2
A biopotential signal acquisition system, comprising: a first active electrode including an integrated pre-amplifier and an analogue to digital converter; a second active electrode including an integrated pre-amplifier and an analogue to digital converter, wherein the second active electrode has variable gain; a test signal generator for generating a test signal at a test frequency and coupling the test signal to the first and/or second active electrodes; and a digital signal processor configured to: process the digital outputs of the first and second active electrodes to derive a gain control signal based on a difference between the first and second active electrode outputs at the test frequency, and apply the gain control signal to the second active electrode. The disclosure also relates to an electronic circuit or device and a biopotential signal acquisition method.
US09681833B2
Coextruded plastic capillary tube and method of manufacturing a coextruded tube for collecting a volume of liquid. The tube is disposable, inexpensive to manufacture and can reliably draw blood and other aqueous based fluids into the tube by capillary action, at a fluid uptake level comparable to glass and other commercially pre-treated plastic tubes, without requiring further interior coating.
US09681823B2
An integrated catheter placement system for accurately placing a catheter within a patient's vasculature is disclosed. In one embodiment, the integrated system comprises a system console, a tip location sensor for temporary placement on the patient's chest, and an ultrasound probe. The tip location sensor senses a magnetic field of a stylet disposed in a lumen of the catheter when the catheter is disposed in the vasculature. The ultrasound probe ultrasonically images a portion of the vasculature prior to intravascular introduction of the catheter. The ultrasound probe includes user input controls for controlling use of the ultrasound probe in an ultrasound mode and use of the tip location sensor in a tip location mode. In another embodiment, ECG signal-based catheter tip guidance is included in the integrated system to enable guidance of the catheter tip to a desired position with respect to a node of the patient's heart.
US09681821B2
Systems and methods for providing quantitative measurements of global glymphatic flow of cerebrospinal fluid (“CSF”) using magnetic resonance imaging (“MRI”) are described. In general, images are obtained from a subject using flow-sensitive MRI techniques that are designed to be particularly sensitive to the glymphatic flow of CSF. Measures of glymphatic flow can be obtained while the subject is in an awake state and again while the subject is in a sleep state. Based on these two measurements, a biomarker that indicates a neurological state or disease can be generated.
US09681815B2
The present invention relates to an active medical device that uses non-linear filtering for reconstructing a surface electrocardiogram from an endocardial electrogram. At least one endocardial EGM electrogram signal is collected from of samples collected from at least one endocardial or epicardial derivation (71′, 72′, 73′), and at least one of a reconstructed surface electrocardiogram (ECG) signal through the processing of collected EGM samples by a transfer function (TF) of a neural network (60′). The neural network (60′) is a time-delay-type network that simultaneously processes said at least one endocardial EGM electrogram signal, formed by a first sequence of collected samples, and at least one delayed version of this EGM signal, formed by a second sequence of collected samples distinct from the first sequence collected samples. The neural network (60′) provides said reconstructed ECG signal from the EGM signal and its delayed version.
US09681810B2
A fluorescent image acquisition and projection apparatus for real-time visualization of an invisible fluorescent signal is provided. The apparatus visualizes an invisible fluorescent signal generated from a target object (a tissue of a living body, a cell of a living body, or the like) by using a photodetection unit and a projector in real time. The apparatus directly projects a visualized fluorescent signal onto a region of the target object where the invisible fluorescent signal is generated, thereby enabling users to determine and confirm the generation location of the fluorescence with the naked eye.
US09681809B2
An implantable medical device for optically sensing action potential signals in excitable body tissue. The device includes an elongated tubular lead body carrying an optical fiber extending from a proximal lead end to a distal lead end to position the optical fiber at a target site. The lead body additionally carries a conduit for dispensing a voltage-sensitive fluorescent dye into tissue surrounding the target site. The optical fiber transmits excitation light to the fluorescent dye to cause the dye to fluoresce with varying intensity as the transmembrane potentials of local tissue cells vary due to passing depolarization wavefronts. The optical fiber transmits the fluorescence signal to the device to generate an action potential signal or fiducial points of an action potential signal for use in accurately measuring and characterizing electrical activity of excitable tissue.
US09681787B2
A vacuum cleaner including a dust collector having a first stage cyclonic separator, a plurality of second stage cyclonic separators, a dirt cup configured to collect dust particles separated by the first stage cyclonic separator, and a perforated tube at least partially within the dust collector. The perforated tube includes a cylindrical wall and a plurality of openings in the cylindrical wall to allow the flow of air to pass through the cylindrical wall in a flow direction from the first stage cyclonic separator toward the plurality of second stage cyclonic separators. A plurality of isolated air conduits within the perforated tube. Each of the plurality of isolated air conduits defined at least partially by walls extending in a direction inwardly from the cylindrical wall of the perforated tube and each of the plurality of second stage cyclonic separators has a corresponding one of the plurality of isolated air conduits.
US09681783B2
A sheet product dispenser is provided for sheet product from a roller. The sheet product dispenser includes a first roll of sheet product, called a stub roll, a main roll of sheet product, and a dispensing arrangement. A sensor is provided for detecting when sheet product on a stub roll is depleted. The sensor generates a signal in response to the depletion of the stub roll and a controller activates an electromechanical actuator. The actuator acts to operate a transfer bar that moves an end portion of the main roll sheet product adjacent a roller assembly that engages the main roller sheet product.
US09681781B2
A personal care accessory support system is provided with a rail with at least one fastener configuration to fasten the rail to an upright support surface. A plurality of receptacles is formed in the rail. At least two accessory holders are provided. Each of the at least two accessory holders is provided with a base to receive and support an accessory. A retainer is sized to extend over the rail in a horizontal orientation of the rail to mount and support the accessory holder on the rail. The retainer is also sized to extend into one of the plurality of receptacles in a vertical orientation of the rail to mount and support the accessory holder on the rail.
US09681777B1
An herb grinding device is disclosed that includes a first section and a second section. The first section includes a first cavity, a top surface, an outer wall surrounding the first cavity, and a plurality of teeth extending from the top surface. The second section is rotatably coupled to the first section and includes a second section floor, a plurality of holes in the second section floor, a second cavity facing the first cavity, a plurality of teeth extending from the second section floor, and an annular flange positioned within the first cavity and interfacing an outer wall of the first section. The herb grinding device may also include a third section that is removably coupled to the second section opposite the first section and includes a channel extending through the third section, and a fourth section that is removably coupled to the third section and includes a collection cavity.
US09681776B2
An adapter for a slow cooker having one or more basins for food items and a perimeter configured to fit an upper rim of the slow cooker and also receive the cover of the slow cooker such that the original closure seal of the cover to the slow cooker is maintained. Another embodiment comprises at least first and second identically shaped trays configured to nest in side-by-side fashion when supported within the slow cooker.
US09681759B2
A display apparatus, such as a table, for display consumer products, such as electronic devices, is disclosed. The table may include a display cavity for displaying products. The display cavity may include a transparent glass panel defining a top portion thereof so as to allow consumers to view products housed within the display cavity. The table may include a lighting system configured to illuminate at least a portion of the display cavity. The table may also include a cooling system for maintaining or modifying the temperature within the display cavity. A rotatable display panel defining at least a portion of the bottom of display cavity may rotate from the bottom of the table to allow a user can access the products within the display cavity.
US09681753B1
A combination cooler support and drink display device combined with a cooler support includes a frame that comprises a pair of front legs and a pair of back legs. Each of a pair of beams is pivotally coupled to a respective front leg and a respective back leg. A platform, which is rigid, is pivotally coupled to each of the front legs and each of the back legs. The frame is foldable. With the frame unfolded, the pair of beams are coplanar and in substantial parallelism with the platform. Each of a pair of side tables has an inner edge hingedly coupled to a respective beam. Cup holders are positioned in the side tables. The platform is configured to support and position a cooler to dispense drinks into cups, and the cup holders are configured to store the cups prior to and after filling.
US09681751B2
An electric support system for headrest includes first sliders connected with and slid on each other, first and second fasteners, and first to fourth connecting rods; the first and second sliders are respectively fixed to the first fastener and the first connecting rod, an upper end of the first connecting rod and one end of the second connecting rod are respectively connected to the second fastener, one end of the third connecting rod is connected to the first connecting rod, the other end of the third connecting rod is pivotally connected to one end of the fourth connecting rod, the other end of the fourth connecting rod is pivotally connected to the first slider, the other end of the second connecting rod is pivotally connected to the third connecting rod between the two ends thereof, and a linear drive device having an output shaft for driving the first connecting rod.
US09681748B2
A driving mechanism for furniture is disclosed. The furniture includes a first furniture part and a second furniture part. The driving mechanism includes a first driving device including a first base, a locking device connected to the first base, a swing member movably connected to the second furniture part, a second driving device mounted to the second furniture part and including an elastic member, and a clutch device mounted to the first base. Wherein when the second furniture part is moved from an open position toward a retrieve position to reach a predetermined position, the clutch device is switched from an engaging status to a free status by the second driving device, and the elastic member provides a driving force for driving the second furniture part to be retrieved relative to the first furniture part.
US09681747B1
A folding table has an integrated electrical power outlet. The table has a tabletop with a horizontal orientation supported in an elevated position by at least a pair of legs or leg assemblies pivotally coupled at opposite sides of the tabletop and pivotal between a closed storage position against the tabletop and an open elevated position extending transverse to the tabletop. The tabletop has a bottom framework with a perimeter rail extending along at least a portion of a perimeter the tabletop and defining at least a portion of the perimeter of the tabletop. The perimeter rail is segmented and defines a rail gap in the perimeter rail, with the perimeter rail having opposing ends at the rail gap. The electrical power outlet is spliced into the perimeter rail at the rail gap and spans the rail gap in the perimeter rail.
US09681741B2
A grill cleaner with a handle and a head is provided. The handle includes a first end and a second end. The head is attached to the second end of the handle. The present invention further includes a grill brush including a block and a plurality of bristles protruding from the block. The grill brush is removeably attached to the head so that the grill brush may be easily replaced once the bristles have been worn down. A bristle wear indicator is attached to and protrudes from the head beyond the block and ending at a plane in between a first end of the plurality of bristles and a second end of the plurality of bristles. Therefore, once the bristles have worn down to the plane, the user is indicated to replace the grill brush.
US09681736B2
A makeup assisting apparatus includes an image acquirer that acquires a face image, a facial part acquirer that acquires a face portion area from the image, a facial makeup selector that selects facial makeup for each of the facial parts, the facial makeup comprising a way of applying the facial makeup, a skin condition acquirer that acquires a skin condition of the face and a skin correction makeup selector that selects skin correction makeup or skin care based on the skin condition, the skin correction makeup being a way of applying the skin correction makeup, and the skin care being a way of applying basic skin care. A makeup presenter presents, to a user, the selected facial makeup in association with a corresponding area of the portion of the face and presents the selected skin correction makeup or skin care.
US09681735B2
An applicator for a cosmetic product, in particular mascara, comprises a twisted core and fibers which extend from the core and are held by the core, the core having a main longitudinal direction of extension, known as the main axis (X), and the core being rectilinear along the main axis (X), the fibers forming an envelope (E) with their free ends, characterized in that the envelope (E) comprises, along the main axis (X), a substantially concave face (F1) and a substantially convex, opposite, face (F3).
US09681731B2
A rotary dispenser-type cosmetics container in which, when a button part rotates, guide protrusions move along a bottom surface of a pumping guide formed on an inner peripheral surface of the button part and then an ascending and descending member ascends and descends, whereby a pumping action is conducted. Therefore, the container discharges contents in a fixed state in which the height of the button part is not changed, and is thereby capable of preventing contents from unnecessarily leaking due to pressing a button by an external pressure.
US09681727B2
A cosmetic carrying case having a pair of clamshell members hinged together at a bottom edge thereof such that the members, when closed, form an interior chamber for containing cosmetics materials and, when open, provide access to the interior chamber, divided into two compartments. One of the compartments may include a magnetic surface adapted to removably secure cosmetic pans. A mirror may be pivotally combined with one of the interior compartments. One of the interior compartments may contain elastic straps for retaining cosmetic articles in a fixed position.
US09681716B2
In various embodiments, a carry (or carrying) bag is provided that includes an interior, substantially cut-resistant security panel assembly with a matrix of wires secured between or on one or more flexible material layers. Also in various embodiments, the security panel assembly may be positioned intermediate the bag outside wall and a lining of the bag, and in other embodiments, may also take the form of an expansion panel. Second or secondary locking fasteners are also provided to lock first or primary fasteners to or within the carrying bag, to provide security for compartments and pockets. A strap with one or more security cables, and various locking fasteners, may be attached to the carry bag. Methods for forming such security panel assemblies, expansion panels, and carrying straps are also disclosed.
US09681710B2
Provided is a slide fastener including: a first fastener stringer that includes a first element row and a first fastener tape, the first element row including a plurality of first elements and one or more second elements; a second fastener stringer that includes a second element row and a second fastener tape, the second element row including one or more second elements; and a slider that is slidable along the first and second element rows. Each of the first element and the second element includes a head coupled to a base via a neck. The base includes an opposite surface that is located at the opposite side of the head. The opposite surface of the second element is positioned farther from the opposed side edge than the opposite surface of the first element. At least two engaged second elements of the first and second element rows constitute a lock unit that is for locking the slider.
US09681702B2
A sole for an article of footwear having elongated cleats is provided. The elongated cleats extend toward the toe end of the sole and toward the heel end of the sole such that the heel-ward end of each of the elongated cleats is closer to the midline than each corresponding toe-ward end of the elongated cleats. The configuration and position of the elongated cleats can provide increased lateral and forward stability for a wearer's feet.
US09681701B2
Various arrangements for an article of footwear including an outsole having grooves forming discrete lugs are presented. The outsoles generally include a plurality of grooves formed in at least a portion of the outsole that extend from a lateral side of the outsole to a medial side of the outsole. The grooves may be linear or curved and generally extend in an angular fashion. The grooves may have a first depth at a perimeter of the outsole and a second depth, greater than the first depth, at the center of the outsole. The grooves form discrete lugs. In some arrangements, the lugs are diamond shaped.
US09681700B2
A method of manufacturing an article of footwear having an upper, a footbed, an outsole, and a bladder that is disposed between the footbed and the outsole includes providing a plurality of layers. The layers include a top, outsole, first bladder, and second bladder layer. Also, the method includes molding the layers together substantially simultaneously to form the upper, the footbed, the outsole, and the bladder.
US09681696B2
A helmet and/or helmet liner including at least one compartment, chamber, bladder, or internal sipe. The at least one compartment, chamber, bladder or internal sipe includes a media with at least one magnetorheological liquid for use to absorb shock or change sliding resistance by changing an alignment of metal particles of the magnetorheological fluid to alter a flow resistant structure. The helmet and/or helmet liner also includes an electronic control system that controls the flow resistance of the magnetorheological liquid of the at least one chamber compartment or bladder by changing an alignment of metal particles of the magnetorheological liquid to alter a flow resistant structure included in the at least one inner compartment, chamber or bladder. The helmet and/or helmet liner may also include a second compartment, chamber or bladder surrounding another compartment, chamber or bladder, with an internal sipe located between surfaces thereof.
US09681690B2
Method of manufacturing a sleeve assembly for a shirt including a sleeve adapted to receive an arm and a cuff. An outer surface of the cuff is connected to a lower edge region of the sleeve at a location between upper and lower edges of the cuff to define a cuff extension portion. The sleeve assembly is foldable from the unfolded condition to a first folded condition about the location at which the cuff is connected to the sleeve. The sleeve assembly is foldable from the first folded condition to a second folded condition about a location at which a free edge of the cuff abuts the sleeve to place a portion of the sleeve on an outer side of the sleeve assembly and an outer surface of the cuff extension portion between two portions of the sleeve.
US09681687B2
A battery rod includes a battery cartridge, and a connector inserted at one end of the battery cartridge and for being connected with the atomizer. A battery supplying power for the atomizer is provided in the battery cartridge. The battery cartridge is a workpiece made of non-metallic material, a connection cartridge is inserted at one end of the battery cartridge and sleeved on the connector, the connection cartridge and the battery are coaxially arranged at different positions in an axial direction of the battery rod. A fastening ring for clamping the connector is sleeved on the outside of the connection cartridge where corresponds to a position of the connector, the battery cartridge and the fastening ring are coaxially arranged at different positions in the axial direction of the battery rod, and one end surface of the battery cartridge faces one end surface of the fastening ring.
US09681686B2
The invention provides an accessory for cigarette smokers which provides a portable cigarette accessory device for cutting the end of a partially smoked cigarette and storing the partially smoked cigarette for later enjoyment wherein the device is attachable to a disposable lighter.
US09681675B2
A rack of a yogurt machine is disclosed. The yogurt machine includes a main body, which has a surface to which a controller is mounted and is recessed to form an accommodation compartment for receiving a blower assembly mounted therein and in connection with the controller. At least one rack is mounted atop the main body and includes, at a lower portion thereof, a lower rack frame that is stacked on and coupled to the main body. The lower rack frame has an inner surface on which coupling projections are mounted and is coupled, with a top thereof, to an upper rack frame that is inwardly contracted with respect to and extends upward from the lower rack frame. The upper rack frame receives a horizontal support board therein and includes yogurt fermentation cups mounted thereto. A top cover is fit to a top rim of the upper rack frame.
US09681669B2
A sugar beet extract (SBE) induced defense in potato plants under green-house conditions and in field trial, without apparent toxicity for the plant. Treatment with SBE resulted in significant reduction of the size of Phytophthora infestans infection lesions and lower sporangia production. SBE had no apparent toxic effect, neither on the hyphal growth of the pathogennor on the germination of sporangia. SBE triggered PR-1 protein induction which suggests that the defense mechanism conferred by SBE could be via direct induced resistance. An array of phenolic metabolites and minerals was found in the SBE and constitutes potential inducers of the defense.
US09681666B2
The antimicrobial effect of extracellular metabolite composition from Bacillus coagulans MTCC 5856 and composition comprising from about 61% w/w of thymol, about 38% of monolaurin and about 1% w/w of magnolol obtained from supercritical fluid extracts of Magnolia officinalis is described.
US09681662B2
The invention relates to novel active substance combinations consisting of heterocyclic trifluorobutenylen of formula (1), wherein X is halogen and n is 0, 1 or 2, and of known insecticide substances. Said novel active substance combinations are suitable for fighting harmful pests like insects and nematodes.
US09681656B1
A method of preventing or minimizing trespassing of a hunting tree stand and an apparatus therefor. The abstract of the disclosure is submitted herewith as required by 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b). As stated in 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b): A brief abstract of the technical disclosure in the specification must commence on a separate sheet, preferably following the claims, under the heading “Abstract of the Disclosure.” The purpose of the abstract is to enable the Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and gist of the technical disclosure. The abstract shall not be used for interpreting the scope of the claims. Therefore, any statements made relating to the abstract are not intended to limit the claims in any manner and should not be interpreted as limiting the claims in any manner.
US09681655B2
A tree stand includes a frame and a strap for attaching the frame to a tree. The strap includes engagement features and a latch is pivotably coupled to the frame for selectively engaging the engagement features. The latch is pivotable between a locked position for engaging the engagement feature of the strap and an unlocked position for being disengaged with the engagement feature of the strap. The latch includes a finger extending from the body receiving the engagement feature when the latch is in the locked position.
US09681654B2
According to one embodiment, there is provided a breakaway hinge for an expandable boom on an agricultural vehicle. The boom includes of a first and a second section combined in a manner to allow the second section to move with respect to the first section when the second section encounters an obstruction. A breakaway hinge is provided between the first and the second section, and includes a first pivot member attached to the first section at an angle α with respect to a vertical line and a second pivot member attached to the second section at an angle θ with respect to the vertical line. A connecting member holds the first pivot member with respect to the second pivot member.
US09681648B2
Provided are transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) overexpressing DNA methyltransferase 3a (Dnmt3a) and a method of producing the same. According to the method, a specific mechanism and related factors for DNA methylation mediated by Dnmt3a may be found, and a critical gene for regulating the life span of C. elegans may be identified, and therefore C. elegans may be used as an animal model for screening a drug for a DNA methylation-related disease.
US09681646B2
Methods and compositions for reducing expression of genes on Chromosome 21 (“Chr 21”) by targeting an XIST transgene to the Dual specificity tyrosine-phosphorylation-regulated kinase 1A (DYRK1A) gene or a Regulator of calcineurin 1 (RCAN1) gene, and cells and transgenic animals comprising an XIST transgene inserted into a DYRK1A or RCAN1 allele, e.g., cells and animals trisomic for human Chr 21 and mouse Chr 16.
US09681644B2
A process includes microbially degrading harvested polyculture plant material to form a concentrated microbial biomass and providing the concentrated microbial biomass to an intermediary animal for consumption. The process may also be directed to producing a product animal which includes providing a growth area having an outlet for waste and providing a harvested plant material collection area having an outlet for degradation products. The process may also include providing a microbial growth system for producing a bacterial biomass and directing at least some waste from the outlet of the product animal growth area to the harvested plant material collection area. The process may also include directing at least some degradation products to the microbial growth system, directing some of the microbial biomass produced in the microbial growth system to an intermediary animal for consumption, and directing the intermediary animal to a product animal growth area.
US09681643B2
A tug toy that includes at least two gripping members and a central portion, wherein the at least two gripping members are attached to the central portion, and wherein the central portion further includes a noise maker.
US09681641B2
An interchangeable pet carrier system includes a pet carrier and at least one handbag. The pet carrier includes a bottom panel, a pair of long side panels and a pair a short side panels connected to the bottom panel, and a top panel connected to top edges of the side panels. A zipper is disposed on the carrier to run through the top carrier panel to separate the top carrier panel into first and second sides, and to run partially down the short side carrier panels. Alternating connectors are disposed along an exterior of an upper portion of side panels. The handbag has a bottom panel connected to short and long side panels. Alternating male and female connectors are disposed along an interior of an upper portion of the side panels. The carrier is inserted into the handbag and is secure via corresponding alternating male and female connectors.
US09681640B2
A pet waste collection apparatus having an absorbent pad having opposing outermost layers, comprising a permeable layer and an opposing substantially leak proof layer; the absorbent pad comprising at least one innermost layer of waste absorbing material sandwiched and completely enclosed between the opposing outermost layers and completely filling a volume therebetween extending to the outer peripheral border, which has an interior passageway, a draw tape therein, and a plurality of outside cut off corners having adjacent interior passageway openings; the draw tape having a length greater than that of the outer peripheral border; the draw tape routed through the adjacent interior passageway openings exposing the draw tape at the outside cut off corners; the waste collection apparatus forming a bag, when the draw tape is pulled taut.
US09681634B2
A system includes a first camera, a second camera, and a processor wherein the second camera has a higher resolution than the first camera. The processor is communicatively coupled to the first camera and the second camera and is operable to determine a center coordinate of an udder of a dairy livestock based at least in part upon visual data captured by the first camera. The processor is also operable to determine a position of a teat of the dairy livestock based at least in part upon the center coordinate and visual data captured by the second camera.
US09681633B2
The present invention relates to a Lactuca sativa seed designated 41-138 RZ, which exhibits a combination of traits including broad base leaves, resistance against downy mildew (Bremia lactucae) races Bl:1-31 and Ca-I to Ca-VIII, currant-lettuce aphid (Nasonovia ribisnigri), lettuce mosaic virus (LMV), and to corky root rot (Sphingomonas suberifaciens), wherein resistance to Bremia lactucae races Ca-I to Ca-VIII is conferred by resistance gene Dm17. The present invention also relates to a Lactuca sativa plant produced by growing the 41-138 RZ seed. The invention further relates to methods for producing the lettuce cultivar, represented by lettuce variety 41-138 RZ.
US09681629B1
According to the invention, there is provided seed and plants of the corn variety designated CV871614. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of the variety CV871614, and to methods for producing a corn plant produced by crossing a corn plant of variety CV871614 with itself or with another corn plant, such as a plant of another variety. The invention further relates to corn seeds and plants produced by crossing plants of variety CV871614 with plants of another variety, such as another inbred line. The invention further relates to the inbred and hybrid genetic complements of plants of variety CV871614.
US09681620B2
The present disclosure relates to barley plants having grain with ultra-high beta-glucan content, methods for constructing said barley plants, grain therefrom and uses thereof. In an exemplary embodiment, present disclosure provides a barley plant having grain with ultra-high beta-glucan content known as CM1.
US09681614B2
The present invention relates to plant of the species Cucumis melo, said plant comprising a genetic element derived from a plant of the species Cucumis melo var. agrestis, which genetic element comprises a closterovirus-resistance-conferring QTL or a closterovirus-resistance-conferring part thereof linked to at least one marker located on the chromosome equivalent to linkage group (LG) 6 of melon accession PI 313970, wherein said plant is not melon accession PI 313970.
US09681609B2
The application discloses a unique technique for watering a garden. This technique involves application of a watering system. This system provides an enclosure about the garden plot that includes a barrier permissive of light and air to the garden plot and at least partly preventing entry of land animals of interest to the garden plot. The garden plot is watered through a number of misting nozzles connected to the enclosure and held above the garden plot. Water is distributed to the misting nozzles with a conduit loop. Multiple conduit loops may be included to disburse the water.
US09681608B2
Embodiments disclosed herein provide systems and methods for an in-ground sprinkler to controller a liquid flow rate through a chamber, while reducing or eliminating leakage. Embodiments may utilize a flat, external surface that is configured to be flush with a ground surface to control the liquid flow rate through the in-ground sprinkler. In embodiments, a permanent magnet may be positioned on the flat, external surface to control an internal patch system. Responsive to the permanent magnet controlling the internal patch, liquid flowing through the chamber may be controlled.
US09681597B1
A weed-pulling tool including a rectangular blade with a V-shaped notch at one end thereof and a handle connected to the blade via a tubular extension member extending from a second end thereof. The handle forms approximately a 50° angle with the level ground when the blade is laid flat against the ground. Such a configuration provides suitable leverage whereby a user may: (i) slide the blade into position with stems from one or more weeds in the V-shaped notch and (ii) push down on the handle thereby causing rotation about a support point such that the V-shaped notch portion of the blade pulls the one or more weeds, including root systems, out of the ground. One or more stiffening ribs runs along the perimeter of the V-shaped notch. The stiffening rib helps prevent the blade portions adjacent to the V-shaped notch from bending or failing while weeds are being pulled.
US09681596B2
A hand-pulled garden row making tool includes a set of blades that are attached to a rail. The rail is attached to an elongated shaft coupled to a pull handle. The wide pull handle allows the tool to be easily pulled and turned to give the tool a continuous, rapid movement capability. The blades enable the user to create multiple sets of deep, straight, and evenly spaced rows of furrows with corresponding rows of mounds, each row of proportional depth, height, and width. The tool facilitates the design of a garden layout plan, the seeding process, the harvesting process, and the conservation of irrigation water.
US09686891B2
Thermoelectric-enhanced, rack-level cooling of airflow entering an electronics rack is provided by a cooling apparatus, which includes: an air-to-liquid heat exchanger; a coolant loop coupled to the heat exchanger, the coolant loop including a first loop portion and a second loop portion, where the heat exchanger exhausts heated coolant to the first loop portion and receives cooled coolant from the second loop portion. The cooling apparatus further includes a heat rejection unit and a thermoelectric heat pump(s). The heat rejection unit is coupled to the coolant loop between the first and second loop portions, and provides partially-cooled coolant to the second loop portion. The thermoelectric heat pump is disposed with the first and second loop portions coupled to opposite sides to transfer heat from the partially-cooled coolant within the second loop portion to provide the cooled coolant before entering the air-to-liquid heat exchanger.
US09686890B2
A structure for efficiently transferring heat generated from an electronic part or the like to a heat dissipation member is provided. A bus bar is used for a wiring pattern in an electronic device (60), such as a power line (2), a GND line (6) and the like. A heat transfer member (25) is held between a first bus bar that is a power line (2) connected to an electronic part and a second bus bar that is a GND line (6) connected to a heat dissipation member (7) to configure a heat dissipation structure in which heat generated from the electronic part is transferred through the power line (2), the heat transfer member (25) and the GND line (6) to the heat dissipation member (7).
US09686877B2
A locking structure between a member to be supported and a supporting body includes an electronic component unit as a member to be supported, an electronic component unit housing part of an electrical connection box as a supporting body, a lock mechanism for upper insertion fitting (an engagement claw and a lock arm) that, when the electronic component unit is fitted to the electronic component unit housing part from an upper-side opening, locks the electronic component unit to the electronic component unit housing part to prevent the electronic component unit from escaping toward the upper-side opening, and a lock mechanism for lower insertion fitting (an engagement claw and a lock arm) that, when the electronic component unit is fitted to the electronic component unit housing part from a lower-side opening, locks the electronic component unit to the electronic component unit housing part to prevent from escaping toward the lower-side opening.
US09686874B2
Provided is a display device that includes a middle cabinet in which two display panels of which two rear sides are leaning on each other are safely held, and an incision is formed in at least a portion of a rim of the middle cabinet; a back cover is interposed between the two display panels and has an extension portion that is inserted through the incision and extends to an outside, and a fixing member in which control printed circuit boards that are coupled to the extension portion of the back cover and are connected to the two display panels respectively are embedded.
US09686868B2
A concave part defined by a ring-shaped step is formed on the upper surface of a housing body. A first elastic member is brought into contact with a portion of an electroless nickel-plated layer, the portion being in a region inside the concave part. The first elastic member is then pressed and deformed so that the whole of an angular portion, at which the upper surface of the ring-shaped step and its side surface cross, bites into the first elastic member and that the first elastic member and the electroless nickel-plated layer on the upper surface of the ring-shaped step are separated from each other. The housing body is then immersed in a dissolving liquid that can dissolve the electroless nickel-plated layer while the first elastic member is kept deformed.
US09686864B2
A device including a semiconductor, a substrate, and an interposer. The interposer is attached between the semiconductor and the substrate to absorb stresses between the semiconductor and the substrate.
US09686861B2
Disclosed are embodiments of a glass core substrate for an integrated circuit (IC) device. The glass core substrate includes a glass core and build-up structures on opposing sides of the glass core. Electrically conductive terminals may be formed on both sides of the glass core substrate. An IC die may be coupled with the terminals on one side of the substrate, whereas the terminals on the opposing side may be coupled with a next-level component, such as a circuit board. The glass core may comprise a single piece of glass in which conductors have been formed, or the glass core may comprise two or more glass sections that have been joined together, each section having conductors. The conductors extend through the glass core, and one or more of the conductors may be electrically coupled with the build-up structures disposed over the glass core. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US09686856B2
A circuit may include a first transmission line that includes a first first-line conductor configured to transport a signal and a second first-line conductor. The circuit may also include a second transmission line that includes a first second-line conductor, a second second-line conductor electrically coupled to the second first-line conductor, and a third second-line conductor separated from and positioned between the first and second second-line conductors. The third second-line conductor may be electrically coupled to the first first-line conductor. The circuit may also include a conductive jumper electrically coupling the first and second second-line conductors. The conductive jumper may contact the first and second second-line conductors in a position near the coupling of the first and second transmission lines.
US09686849B2
Certain embodiments described herein are directed to a torch that includes a suitable amount of a refractory material. In some embodiments, the torch can include one or more non-refractory materials in combination with a refractory material. In some embodiments, the torch can comprise a refractory material and an optically transparent window. In other embodiments, the torch can comprise a material comprising a melting point higher than the melting point of quartz.
US09686848B2
A plasma torch assembly, and components thereof, is provided with optimized attributes to allow for improved torch durability add versatility. A torch nozzle is provided having a novel design, including exterior cooling channels running along a length of the nozzle. An improved inner retaining cap assembly is provided which imparts a swirl on shield gas flow. Additionally, a shield cap and outer retainer have optimized geometries to allow the torch to be made narrower to facilitate the cutting of complex 3-D shapes and bevel cuts not attainable with known mechanized plasma torches.
US09686844B2
An intense X-ray or EUV light source may be driven by the Smith-Purcell effect. The intense light source may utilize intense electron beams and Bragg crystals. This may allow the intense light source to range from the extreme UV range up to the hard X-ray range.
US09686840B2
A multi-mode control device is provided for controlling a load device. A high-power interface of the control device can be electrically coupled to a high-power module. An occupancy sensor can receive a first current from the high-power module via the high-power interface, and a trigger detection device can receive a second current that is less than the first current from a low-power module via a low-power interface. The processor can switch the control device from a high-power mode for powering the occupancy sensor to a low-power mode by causing a reduction in the current provided to the occupancy sensor and causing current to be provided to the trigger detection device. The trigger detection device can detect a trigger in the low-power mode. The processor can cause the control device to operate in the high-power mode based on the trigger's detection.
US09686833B2
An LED driving apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept may include a rectifier circuit rectifying alternating current (AC) power to generate driving power for operating a plurality of LED arrays; a controller integrated circuit (IC) including a plurality of internal switches connected to respective output terminals of the plurality of LED arrays and controlling a path of a current flowing in the plurality of LED arrays by adjusting operations of the plurality of internal switches according to a magnitude of the driving power; and a current controlling circuit connected to the output terminal of at least one of the plurality of LED arrays and controlling a current flowing in the at least one LED array.
US09686831B2
A lighting fixture having a light source, a light sensor, a communication interface, and circuitry is described. In addition to controlling the light source, the circuitry is adapted to monitor for a light signal provided from a handheld device via the light sensor; upon receiving the light signal, measure a signal level associated with the light signal; and effect transmission of the signal level to the handheld device via the communication interface. In one embodiment, the circuitry is further configured to receive an instruction to monitor for the light signal from the handheld device via the communication interface such that the circuitry begins monitoring for the light signal upon receiving the instruction.
US09686830B2
A circuit is disclosed for supplying energy to a sequential circuit of typically non-linear loads by a current source. The load is preferably a series circuit of light emitting diodes (LEDs). Said current-operated load, preferably a LED series circuit, consisting of one to N elements is partially short-circuited and thus dimmed.
US09686814B2
A method of reference cell maintenance for a mobile device in a wireless communication system is disclosed. the method comprises being configured a plurality of secondary cells, where one of the plurality of secondary cells is a reference cell for information reference for another secondary cell, and keeping the reference cell in activated when the reference cell is used by another secondary cell for information reference.
US09686811B2
Methods, apparatus, computer program products and wireless devices are provided for performing a wireless P2P communication application in a wireless device equipped with two or more radio interfaces. A method comprises establishing a first transport layer connection for transporting meta-information of a P2P communication application via a first radio interface; and establishing a second transport layer connection with at least one peer node for transporting data chunks of the P2P communication application by using a network address of a second radio interface, so that the data chunks can be transported via the second radio interface.
US09686806B2
Some demonstrative embodiments include apparatuses, systems and/or methods of adjusting transmission intervals for discovery frames. For example, an apparatus may include a wireless communication unit to communicate over a wireless communication medium according to a discovery scheme including a plurality of contention-based discovery windows, the wireless communication unit is to select a discovery window according to a transmission interval, to schedule transmission of a discovery frame for the discovery window, and to adjust the transmission interval based on whether or not the wireless communication medium is observed to be busy during a predefined time period of the discovery window.
US09686805B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide a method for processing a serving grant value, a user equipment and a network device, so that it can prevent a serving grant value of a UE from being excessively low. The method includes: taking, by a user equipment, a maximum value of historical values of a power ratio of a data channel to a control channel as a maximum power ratio value after receiving a non-serving relative grant down command sent by a network device; and obtaining, by the user equipment, a first serving grant value according to the maximum power ratio value and a first threshold, where the first threshold is a threshold of a serving grant value or a threshold of the power ratio of the data channel to the control channel.
US09686802B2
A method of providing an indication of ambient operational characteristics of user equipment to a network control node in a wireless communication network is disclosed. A method of configuring radio resource allocation to user equipment in a wireless communication network in response to an indication of ambient operational characteristics of said user equipment is also disclosed. The method of providing an indication of ambient operational characteristics of user equipment to a network control node in a wireless communication network includes determining how many cell boundaries the user equipment has crossed within a monitoring period; assessing an operational parameter indicative of a relationship between the user equipment and each cell visited during the monitoring period; and communicating an indication of how many cell boundaries have been crossed together with an indication of the operational parameter to the network control node.
US09686791B2
Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques and apparatus for operating in a television white space (TVWS) network. One example method generally includes receiving, at an apparatus, a message with a field indicating a current version of an unused frequency spectrum map (e.g., a white space map (WSM)), the unused frequency spectrum map indicating channels usable for wireless communications; determining whether the current version of the unused frequency spectrum map is different than a previous version of the unused frequency spectrum map; and using a channel for wireless communications based on the determination. Another example method generally includes accessing a database of available channels for a current location of an apparatus via a neighboring portable or fixed enabling apparatus and enabling one or more portable dependent apparatuses for the wireless communications via one or more of the available channels.
US09686786B2
This method whereby abase station in a first communication system updates base station information in a converged network supporting multiple communication systems may comprise the steps of: receiving a first message including changed information from a base station in a second communication system if information from and related to the base station in the second communication system has changed or if information related to the base station in the first communication system has changed; and updating with the changed information on the basis of the first message.
US09686775B2
Instead of adding control information that should be passed on to two or more RLC entities or two or more PDCP entities on the counterpart side to data respectively in two or more RLC entities or two or more PDCP entities at the sending end, control information is added in MAC entity and then distributed to two or more RLC entities in MAC entity on the counterpart side.
US09686772B2
Certain aspects of the present disclosure relate to methods and apparatus for Coordinated Multipoint (CoMP) communications. Certain aspects relate to methods and apparatus for determining resource mapping and/or rate matching for CoMP operations.
US09686769B2
System and method embodiments for mobility prediction in a wireless network enable the wireless network to determine the location of a wireless device with minimal transmissions from the wireless device. In an embodiment, the method includes negotiating with a mobile device to determine a mobility prediction algorithm and a condition upon which the mobile wireless device will report the actual location of the mobile device, training the mobility prediction algorithm using prior mobile wireless device location and timestamp information, determining a predicted location of the mobile device using the mobility prediction algorithm, and setting an predicted location for the mobile device at a time as the actual location for the mobile device at the time when failing to receive a location report from the mobile wireless device, wherein the mobile device transmits actual location information after the training period only if the condition is met.
US09686766B2
Machine-to-machine (M2M) devices are used to enable the automatic collection of fingerprint data without human intervention at various locations in a wireless communication system. A location server receives fingerprint data collected by one or more M2M devices positioned at fixed locations in the wireless communication system, and stores the fingerprint data received for each of the one or more M2M devices in the location database to associate the received fingerprint data with the fixed location of the corresponding M2M device. The collected fingerprint data characterizes the radio environment at the fixed location of the corresponding M2M device, where each M2M device corresponds to one fixed location in a fingerprint grid.
US09686760B2
A multiple independent narrow-channel wireless network and method for transmitting and received data over a wireless network using a fragmented frequency spectrum. The system and method uses a plurality of narrow wireless channels obtained from splitting a wide wireless channel. Each narrow channel performs sending, receiving, and carrier sensing. Moreover, each narrow channel is independent such that data can be sent or received without any interference from other narrow channels and without synchronization. Embodiments of the system and method include a compound radio having a compound receiver and a compound transmitter. The compound transmitter includes an inter-radiolet symbol synchronization module, to permit use of a single inverse fast Fourier transform block, and a dynamically configurable filter array, to mitigate leakage between channels. The compound receiver uses fraction data rate processing to optimize efficiency. A throughput maximal metric technique is used to determine its frequency of operation in white spaces.
US09686755B2
At a base station, a table is prepared that for each index value among multiple different index values, associates repetition counts of different channels correlated with each other. The base station acquires reception information indicating a reception state of a wireless signal at a mobile station, determines a repetition count for each channel based on the reception information, and acquires from the table, an index value corresponding to the respective repetition counts for the channels. The base station transmits to the mobile station, a wireless signal that includes the index value to notify the mobile station of the index value. The mobile station has a table that for each index value among different index values, associates repetition counts of different channels correlated with each other and acquires the repetition counts of the channels from the table, based on the index value from the base station.
US09686744B2
The disclosure discloses enabling/disabling receive diversity, including determining the UE in a receive diversity enabled state; comparing a first and second receive chain filtered channel chip energy to interference density ratio to an EcI0 threshold, wherein the first and second receive chain filtered channel chip energy to interference density ratios are based on at least two power measurements obtained in the receive diversity enabled state; comparing a first receive chain measured number of Ec/I0 samples below EcI0_LCR_thrshld to a non-receive diversity threshold, wherein the first receive chain measured number of Ec/I0 samples is based on the first receive chain filtered channel chip energy to interference density ratio; and comparing a second receive chain measured number of Ec/I0 samples below EcI0_LCR_thrshld to the non-receive diversity threshold, wherein the second receive chain measured number of Ec/I0 samples is based on the second receive chain filtered channel chip energy to interference density ratio.
US09686742B1
The power consumption in a client terminal is one of the important aspects of wireless communication systems. The power consumed when a client terminal is in standby mode when it is periodically monitoring the paging messages has a significant impact of the battery life. A method and apparatus are disclosed that enable reduction of the power consumption in standby mode and extend battery life of a client terminal.
US09686741B2
A method, apparatus and computer program product are therefore in order to enable efficient management of multiple communication channels. In this regard, the method, apparatus, and computer program product may utilize a user equipment (UE) (208), such as a mobile terminal, to communicate a plurality of networks. The UE (208) may identify that multiple communication networks are available or in use, and notify a network node (204, 206) associated with one of the networks of the communication status. In response to receiving a notification that UE (208) is communicating across an alternate channel, the network node (204, 206) may reconfigure the channel with which the network node (204, 206) communicates with the UE (208), or instruct the UE (208) to do the same.
US09686727B2
Idle mode reselection is presented herein. A virtual neighbor component can create at least one virtual neighbor object and associate the at least one virtual neighbor object with wireless access points. Further, a reselection component can facilitate idle mode reselection between a base station and a wireless access point of the wireless access points based on the at least one virtual neighbor object.
US09686723B2
A processing apparatus operates aiming to realize handover to each mobile station while reducing a failure rate of the handover even when PSC Confusion is generated. More specifically, when a connection of the mobile station is switched from a first base station to a second base station, the processing apparatus determines the second base station by selecting from a plurality of base stations according to connection history information indicating a success or a failure of past switching of the connection from the first base station to at least one of the plurality of base stations.
US09686721B2
A method and system for interworking between cellular networks and wireless local area networks (WLANs) are disclosed. At least one cellular network, at least one WLAN, and an IP network may be deployed. A wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) may establish a connection to a WLAN and a tunnel between an access point (AP) and a packet data gateway (PDG) may be established. The PDG may establish a tunnel to an IP network. The WTRU may invoke a service which is delivered through the WLAN. As signal quality from the AP degrades below a predetermined threshold, a handover from the WLAN to the cellular network may be performed. A new connection to the cellular network may be established either before or after breaking the current connection to the WLAN or the two connections may be maintained simultaneously.
US09686705B2
An apparatus for capturing a signal of interest, e.g., PSS and/or SSS, captures data transmitted by a WWAN by obtaining access to a WLAN receive chain for a period of time corresponding to a measurement gap. The signal of interest transmitted by the WWAN is captured during the measurement gap using the WLAN receive chain. Access to a WLAN receive chain may be obtained in any one of several ways. For example, access may be obtained by 1) requesting WLAN receive chain access for LTE measurements through a virtual flow, 2) entering into a power save mode, 3) tuning to a non-operating WLAN channel, 4) setting network allocation vector (NAV) at or above a threshold value, or 5) entering a measurement mode during which the WLAN receive chain is prevented from performing WLAN operations.
US09686699B2
A method for estimating an available bandwidth for each User Equipment (UE) in a mobile communication system comprises: a process of receiving estimated bandwidth information for at least one UE from an enhanced node B; a process of checking whether the estimated bandwidth information is received from a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer constituting said enhanced node B, or received through a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer or a Packet Data Control Protocol (PDCP) layer; a process of updating channel quality information using said estimated bandwidth information if it is checked that said estimated bandwidth information is received through the MAC layer; a process of updating an average value weighted with respect to the number of bytes of the bandwidth served by said enhanced node B using the estimated bandwidth information if it is checked that said estimated bandwidth information is received through the RLC or PDCP layer; and a process of calculating the bandwidth currently available by at least one UE using the updated channel quality information or the average value weighted with respect to the number of the bytes of the served bandwidth, and then transmitting the calculated bandwidth to a server.
US09686690B2
Apparatus and method pertaining to the calculation of at least one value that represents, at least in part, wireless reception signal strength from the perspective of both a local wireless receiver and a remote receiver that receives wireless transmissions from a local wireless transmitter. By one approach the apparatus directly determines the wireless reception signal strength from the perspective of the local wireless receiver and indirectly determines the wireless reception signal strength from the perspective of the remote receiver.
US09686681B2
Methods and systems for providing efficient communications between two mobile stations served by the same base station or relay station are provided. A base station maintains information identifying which mobile stations it is serving. When a connection is set up between two mobile stations, if they are both being served by the same base station, the base station forwards traffic directly between the two mobile stations without forwarding it on to higher level network entities.
US09686671B2
The present invention is directed towards a method for facilitating roaming tests for a club network. The method includes simulating a roamer's profile by a signaling gateway and associating with either a club network or a roaming partner network of the club network. The club network and the roaming partner network correspond to a Home Public Mobile Network (HPMN) and a Visited PMN, respectively, in case the roamer is an outbound roamer. In case the roamer is an inbound roamer, the club network corresponds to the VPMN and roaming partner network corresponds to the HPMN. The method further includes performing by the signaling gateway, one or more CAMEL capability tests on the roamer. The roaming subscriber is associated with either the club network or the roaming partner network.
US09686665B2
Dynamic group formation in a wireless radio communication system including a plurality of subscriber units is implemented using variable distance parameters. First, a request for a new group call relative to a defined location is received at a controller from a requesting device. A current location of each of a plurality of potential responding second subscriber units is determined. A maximum response distance associated with each of the second subscriber units is determined as a function of a stored mode of transport associated with each of the second subscriber units. A group is formed including second subscriber units having current locations that fall within the maximum response distance relative to the defined location associated with that second subscriber unit. Audio or data transmitted by the requesting device is then caused to be provided to the second subscriber units in the formed group.
US09686662B2
A wireless headset system comprising a first telecommunication device, a second telecommunication device, such as a mobile phone or a smart phone and a wireless headset adapted to be wirelessly connected by a first radio link to the first telecommunication device. The headset system is adapted to transfer a call from the first telecommunication device to the second telecommunication device, when the first wireless link or a second radio link between the first telecommunication device and the second telecommunication device is broken or becomes sufficiently weak. The invention also relates to a method and a headset to be used with such a system.
US09686653B2
A method of predictive targeting of a directional antenna is provided. The method includes receiving a plurality of state information at a directional antenna control system from a mobile communication node, where the state information includes a position and a trajectory of the mobile communication node. The directional antenna control system logs the state information as a last known position and a last known trajectory of the mobile communication node. An estimated future position of the mobile communication node is determined based on the last known position, the last known trajectory, and a time period. Based on a loss of communication between the directional antenna and the mobile communication node, the directional antenna control system positions the directional antenna to establish a line-of-sight between the directional antenna and the estimated future position of the mobile communication node.
US09686648B2
In a method for local discovery a request to make a search for at least one local service is received from at least one device. A search is performed by means of at least one service directory to discover the at least one local service. As a result of the search, information on such local services in proximity of the device is provided to the device.
US09686646B1
Systems and methods for distinguishing between user mobile device location data indicating user locations within an area of interest or merely near an area of interest are disclosed. User geospatial location data is obtained at user mobile devices (e.g., smartphones) upon the triggering event of a user action (e.g., visiting a web site or using an application on the user mobile device). The location data is stored and compared against polygonal map data accurately and precisely defining a map area of the area of interest. A map view may be generated by generating markers having different styles for user location data within or near the area of interest, which markers may then be overlaid on a map including a polygon representation of the area of interest. Such map view may be augmented by additional data and presented as a report including location and additional data for a plurality of users.
US09686643B2
An example method for providing motion detection via a Bluetooth low energy scan is disclosed. In particular, the method includes performing a scan via a Bluetooth unit of a computing device. Further, the method includes receiving one or more advertisement packets via the Bluetooth unit in response to the performed scan. The one or more advertisement packets may be associated with a respective Bluetooth device. Yet further, the method includes determining if a location of the Bluetooth unit has changed based on received one or more advertisement packets. The determining includes comparing the received one or more advertisement packets with a set of one or more reference advertisement packets. In addition, the method includes enabling an application processing unit in response to determining the Bluetooth unit has changed location. The application processing unit may be configured to determine the location of the Bluetooth unit.
US09686642B2
Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a SIM card obtaining GPS location data, second location data and communication session measurement data; monitoring for a wireless network connection between a controller of a wireless device and a wireless network; and, responsive to a failure to detect the wireless network connection, providing the aggregated location data to a wireless communication circuit of the SIM card for wireless transmitting via an antenna of the SIM card to a wireless access point to cause the wireless access point to transmit the aggregated location data to a location server. Other embodiments are disclosed.
US09686638B2
Disclosed is an operation method for an input device having a Bluetooth module, where the input device is a peripheral device of a computer. The operation method includes the following steps: a Bluetooth module of the input device connecting to and communicating with a Bluetooth module of a smart watch or a smart phone via a Bluetooth communication protocol; when the input device and the smart watch or the smart phone are close and perform a same operation, the Bluetooth module of the input device receiving data via the Bluetooth module of the smart watch or the smart phone, where the data is produced when an operation of the smart watch or the smart phone is sensed by at least one sensor of the smart watch or the smart phone; and a microprocessor of the input device storing the data received by the Bluetooth module of the input device in a memory of the input device.
US09686637B2
A Bluetooth master device is paired with a Bluetooth slave device that is selected from a group of Bluetooth slave devices that are in Bluetooth-discoverable range with the Bluetooth master device. The master device establishes with the slave devices unauthenticated communications, each containing a Bluetooth device address of the master device. The slave devices receive from the master device the Bluetooth device address. The selected slave device recognizes a manual action manually performed with the selected slave device by a user. The selected slave device initiates a pairing request, in response to recognition of the manual action, and communicates with the master device at the received Bluetooth device address.
US09686633B2
The present invention provides a method and system for enabling machine type communication in a long term evolution (LTE) network environment. In one embodiment, a Physical (PHY) layer of a LTE protocol stack maps data bits in resource elements of a logical channel to resource elements of a physical channel. The PHY layer identifies the data bits intended for legacy devices but mapped to a first set of resource elements of machine type communication (MTC) devices and the data bits intended for the MTC device but mapped to the second set of resource elements of the legacy devices. Accordingly, the PHY layer remaps the data bits intended for the legacy devices to the second set of resource elements and the data bits intended for the MTC devices to the first set of resource elements prior to transmission.
US09686622B2
This acoustic reproduction device can suppress a loss in sense of volume and sense of comfort. The acoustic reproduction device causes a user to hear sound and is provided with a vibration unit (10), which includes a piezoelectric element (101) that flexes and a panel (102) that vibrates by being bent directly by the piezoelectric element (101), and with a holder (60), which holds the vibration unit (10) at a position where the vibration unit (10) contacts the user's ear.
US09686621B2
A hearing aid with an assembly, the assembly includes: a first side; a second side; a signal processor; a wireless communications unit, the wireless communications unit being connected to the signal processor; and a monopole antenna for electromagnetic field emission and electromagnetic field reception, the antenna being connected to the wireless communications unit, the antenna having an excitation point; wherein at least a part of a first branch of the antenna extends from the excitation point along the first side of the assembly, the first branch having a first end, the first end being free or being coupled with the excitation point via a third branch; and wherein a second branch of the antenna extends from the excitation point, at least a part of the second branch extending in a space located between the first side of the assembly and the second side of the assembly.
US09686606B2
An example playback device includes a first interface for receiving a first audio signal from a first audio source; a second interface for receiving a second audio signal from a second audio source; and a processor configured to: cause the playback device to playback the second audio signal; determine that the first audio signal is present at the first interface; in response to determining that the first audio signal is present at the first interface, (i) cease playback of the second audio signal being played by the playback device and (ii) cause the playback device to playback the first audio signal; receive an instruction to stop the playback device from playing the first audio signal while the first audio signal is still present at the first interface; and arm the playback device such that a subsequent presence of the first audio signal at the first interface causes the playback device to play the first audio signal.
US09686602B2
A green headphone is disclosed. A force sensor is configured between a speaker cover and a cushion of the headphone. The headphone switches on automatically to play audio when a user puts the headphone on his head. The headphone switches off automatically to stop playing audio when a user puts the headphone off his head, the power consumption is saved.
US09686597B2
Provided are methods and systems for managing, distributing, and publishing content. An exemplary method can comprise receiving, in a content management system, an asset for distribution. The method can also comprise generating a metadata object according to a submission standard or requirement of a destination asset distribution platform. The destination asset distribution platform can be external to the content management system and the metadata object can comprise data indicative of or associated with the asset.
US09686586B2
A method for audio matching may include sending a request to an external server to deliver a plurality of main media segments to the media device, receiving a first main media segment, and playing the received first main media segment. The method may further include determining audio parameters of the first main media segment, determining audio parameters of a first interstitial media segment to be served in proximity to the first main media segment, determining when the audio parameters of the first interstitial media segment are to be adjusted to match the audio parameters of the first main media segment, adjusting the audio parameters of the first interstitial media segment, and playing the first main video followed by the first interstitial media segment.
US09686584B2
A method for providing a user of a target device with placeshifted content. The method includes detecting, utilizing the target device, a matrix code associated with an audio/visual program. Data encoded in the matrix code includes program identifying information and elapsed time information with respect to the program. The method further includes generating, utilizing the target device, a request for the program based at least in part on the encoded data. The method also includes transmitting, utilizing the target device, the program request across a network.
US09686582B2
An intelligent television can store and retrieve data about various functions of the television or associated with user behavior. The stored data streamlines the processes of providing electronic programming guide information, providing search results, providing statistics about content, providing channel information, etc. The unique set of data services in the intelligent television receive, store, manage, and retrieve the data for various of the applications or components.
US09686578B2
The present invention is intended to permit both real-time display of a picture represented by a non-compressed video signal on a television and display of a picture represented by a compressed video signal at any desired time by simultaneously transmitting the compressed video signal and non-compressed video signal via one interface. An STB packetizes a compressed video signal, and multiplexes the compressed video signal and a blanking signal combined with a non-compressed video signal. Thus, both the video signals are transmitted simultaneously. A picture represented by the non-compressed video signal is displayed on a television in real time. The compressed video signal is stored in a storage medium incorporated in the television, read at any user's desired time, and decoded so that a picture represented by the compressed video signal can be viewed at the user's desired time.
US09686575B2
The present disclosure provides for systems and methods for digital library channel creation. The disclosed methods and systems utilize a user's digital media library to create and/or simulate one or more broadcast channels for viewing by the user. Channels may be created randomly or according to particular preferences set by the user. In a further aspect, the disclosed methods and systems allow users to broadcast or share their channels with other users.
US09686573B2
A receiving system and a data processing method are disclosed. The receiving system includes a receiving unit, a demodulator, a first handler, and a second handler. The receiving unit receives a broadcast signal including fast information channel (FIC) data, mobile service data, and a service signaling channel, the FIC data including a field indicating that a table signaling service guide bootstrap information to the service signaling channel is included therein, and the mobile service data and the service signaling channel are packetized into an RS frame belonging to a desired ensemble. The demodulator demodulates the received broadcast signal. The first handler acquires service guide bootstrap information from the table included in the service signaling channel. And, the second handler accesses a service guide announcement channel by using the service guide bootstrap information.
US09686566B2
A prediction information derivation unit derives inter prediction information candidates from inter prediction information of coded prediction blocks neighboring a prediction block subject to coding within the same picture as the prediction block subject to coding and inter prediction information of a prediction block in a coded picture that is different from the prediction block subject to coding. The prediction information derivation unit determines an inter prediction information candidate to be used for inter prediction of the prediction block subject to coding from the inter prediction information candidates that have been derived. A second bitstream generation unit codes an index that indicates the inter prediction information candidate based on the number of the inter prediction information candidates.
US09686563B2
A video processing system 100 is provided with video encoding device 10 and video decoding device 20. The video encoding device 10 implements backward interframe prediction from a temporally subsequent frame and outputs information indicating that an option to eliminate use of a decoded image of the temporally subsequent frame was chosen. The video decoding device 20 eliminates use of the decoded image of the frame on the basis of this information, in conjunction with input of the information for eliminating use of the decoded image of the temporally subsequent frame.
US09686558B2
A method for scalable encoding of a digital image into a base layer and at least one enhancement layer comprising an up-sampling step providing at least one part of an enhancement layer, based on a corresponding part of a lower layer having a lower level than the considered enhancement layer, the area of said corresponding parts having a scale factor of 4p (p≧1), the lower layer comprising at least one Largest Coding Unit divisible into Q smaller Coding Units, said units being further divisible into K Prediction Units called lower Prediction Units. For a Largest Coding Unit of said lower layer not divided into smaller Coding Units, and having Prediction Units of different sizes, the corresponding portion of said enhancement layer, is divided into K subdivisions having substantially equivalent proportions as the Prediction Units of different sizes.
US09686557B2
An apparatus and corresponding method are provided for encoding video signal data by applying an adaptive quantizer parameter responsive to bit-rate; where a video encoder for encoding video signal data for an image block relative to at least one reference picture includes an adaptive quantizer for applying an adaptive quantizer parameter responsive to a current bit-rate; and where a corresponding method includes initializing an adaptive quantizer, calculating the bits used by the video signal data with the adaptive quantizer, assigning bits to each of a plurality of picture types, calculating a difference in adaptive quantizer responsive to the assigned bits from the previous number of bits used by the group of pictures and obtaining an updated adaptive quantizer for the video signal data, calculating an adaptive quantizer for a portion of the video signal data, encoding the portion of the video signal data, and obtaining the actual number of bits used for the encoded portion of the video signal data.
US09686548B2
A video coding or decoding method using inter-image prediction to encode input video data in which each chrominance component has 1/Mth of the horizontal resolution of the luminance component and 1/Nth of the vertical resolution of the luminance component, where M and N are integers equal to 1 or more, comprises: storing one or more images preceding a current image; interpolating a higher resolution version of prediction units of the stored images so that the luminance component of an interpolated prediction unit has a horizontal resolution P times that of the corresponding portion of the stored image and a vertical resolution Q times that of the corresponding portion of the stored image, where P and Q are integers greater than 1; detecting inter-image motion between a current image and the one or more interpolated stored images so as to generate motion vectors between a prediction unit of the current image and areas of the one or more preceding images; and generating a motion compensated prediction of the prediction unit of the current image with respect to an area of an interpolated stored image pointed to by a respective motion vector; in which the interpolating step comprises: applying a ×R horizontal and ×S vertical interpolation filter to the chrominance components of a stored image to generate an interpolated chrominance prediction unit, where R is equal to (U×M×P) and S is equal to (V×N×Q), U and V being integers equal to 1 or more; and subsampling the interpolated chrominance prediction unit, such that its horizontal resolution is divided by a factor of U and its vertical resolution is divided by a factor of V, thereby resulting in a block of MP×NQ samples.
US09686546B2
Improved methods and apparatuses are provided for switching of streaming data bitstreams, such as, for example, used in video streaming and other related applications. Some desired functionalities provided herein include random access, fast forward and fast backward, error-resilience and bandwidth adaptation. The improved methods and apparatuses can be configured to increase coding efficiency of and/or reduce the amount of data needed to encode a switching bitstream.
US09686538B2
An imager including a self test mode. The imager includes a pixel array for providing multiple pixel output signals via multiple columns; and a test switch for (a) receiving a test signal from a test generator and (b) disconnecting a pixel output signal from a column of the pixel array. The test switch provides the test signal to the column of the pixel array. The test signal includes a test voltage that replaces the pixel output signal. The test signal is digitized by an analog-to digital converter (ADC) and provided to a processor. The processor compares the digitized test signal to an expected pixel output signal. The processor also interpolates the output signal from a corresponding pixel using adjacent pixels, when the test switch disconnects the pixel output signal from the column of the pixel array.
US09686535B2
A method of displaying a three-dimensional (“3D”) image, the method includes determining a shutter electrode of an unit part included in a shutter panel as a left-eye electrode and a right-eye electrode, the unit part including ‘n’ shutter electrodes (herein, n is a natural number), selectively driving the left-eye electrode and the right-eye electrode as an opening part based on an image displayed on a display panel to transmit light through the opening part, and providing light transmitted through the opening part with an observer's two eyes through a lens plate, the lens plate including a plurality of lenses.
US09686534B2
A projection apparatus for projecting a plurality of stereoscopic images such that portions thereof overlap each other and displaying one stereoscopic image, the apparatus includes a projection unit adapted to project an indicator that is an image for adjusting a stereoscopic degree corresponding to a parallax between a projected left image and a projected right image, in an overlapping region where the plurality of stereoscopic images overlap each other; a detection unit adapted to detect a parallax between an indicator in the left image and an indicator in the right image based on a captured image of a projected indicator; and an adjustment unit adapted to adjust stereoscopic degrees of the plurality of stereoscopic images by an adjustment amount that is determined based on the detected parallax.
US09686530B2
Provided is an image processing apparatus, including: a data acquisition unit configured to acquire light field data containing a plurality of parallax images; a setting unit configured to set a virtual focal plane of the light field data acquired by the data acquisition unit; a reconstruction unit configured to generate, based on the light field data acquired by the data acquisition unit, light field data in which a focal plane is moved to the virtual focal plane; a determination unit configured to determine a data reduction amount of the light field data generated by the reconstruction unit in accordance with a refocusable range of the light field data generated by the reconstruction unit; and a reduction unit configured to reduce an amount of data of the light field data generated by the reconstruction unit in accordance with the data reduction amount.
US09686529B2
Provided is an image processing apparatus including a subtitle information acquiring unit configured to acquire subtitle information to be combined with a main stereoscopic picture, a parallax acquiring unit configured to acquire a parallax causing the subtitle information to be stereoscopically displayed, a stereoscopic subtitle picture generating unit configured to generate a stereoscopic subtitle picture to be stereoscopically displayed at a display position according to the parallax based on the subtitle information, and an edge processing unit configured to change intensity of an edge in the stereoscopic subtitle picture according to the parallax.
US09686515B2
There is provided an apparatus for detecting a quality defect in a video sequence, the apparatus comprising: a receiver arranged to receive a video bitstream representing a video sequence; and a defect module arranged to determine a measure of quantization parameter for each picture of the video sequence, the defect module further arranged to identify a quality defect when an abrupt change in the measure of quantization parameter occurs.
US09686511B1
A positioning system includes an image capturing device and a light-emitting microphone. When the microphone is working, a light emitting portion of the microphone emits light. The image capturing device captures an image of an area to include the light-emitting portion with an unadjusted capturing angle and focal distance and can adjusts the capturing angle and the focal distance to obtain an adjusted image. The light-emitting portion is to be located at a preset coordinated position in the target image before adjustments are made. The image capturing device captures images including a speaker at the microphone, applying an adjusting capturing angle and an adjusted focal distance. A positioning system is also disclosed.
US09686509B2
A teleconferencing system includes a dominance calculator (24), and a view engine (26). The dominance calculator (24) is configured to compute a dominance score for at least one channel of a plurality of channels of communication based on received video and/or audio from each communication channel. The view engine (26) is configured to send a display overlay including a visual indicator of the computed dominance score to the at least one channel.
US09686494B2
Conventional semiconductor devices disadvantageously failed to sufficiently enlarge a dynamic range. A semiconductor device according to an embodiment includes a plurality of registers 21 to 26 that sets a gradient of a ramp signal. In the semiconductor device, the values in the registers 24 to 26 that are reflected in the gradient of the ramp signal are switched at predetermined timings, whereby a ramp signal with a gradient that changes at the predetermined timings is generated, and an analog-to-digital converter uses the ramp signal to convert pixel signals acquired from a pixel area into digital values.
US09686492B2
An image sensor comprises: a plurality of pixels; a first reference signal generator configured to output a first reference signal whose signal level changes with time; a second reference signal generator configured to output a second reference signal whose signal level changes with time, a rate of change of the signal level of the second reference signal being larger than that of the first reference signal; an analog-to-digital converter configured to perform an analog-digital conversion of a pixel signal output from each of the plurality of pixels using the first reference signal or the second reference signal selected in accordance with a magnitude of the pixel signal, wherein the plurality of pixels and the first reference signal generator are arranged in a first chip, and the second reference signal generator is arranged in a second chip.
US09686491B2
A control method for a photosensitive device comprises a matrix of photosensitive pixels distributed at the intersections of rows and columns of the matrix, each of the pixels comprising a photosensitive element able to generate an electrical signal under the effect of incident radiation and a switch controlled by a row conductor, the switch allowing the electrical signal to be transferred to a column conductor, the device further comprising a readout circuit connected to the column conductor to read out successively the various pixels connected to the column conductor, the method consisting, for each of the pixels, in activating the switch a first time by deactivating the associated readout circuit and in activating the switch a second time by activating the associated readout circuit, the duration separating the first activation and the second activation of the switch being equal to a predefined duration of integration.
US09686479B2
Methods for stitching multiple sub-images together to form a substantially seamless composite image are disclosed. Overlap regions formed by each pair of neighboring sub-images are periodically examined and key features common to the overlap regions in each sub-image of the pair are identified. A transformation is determined for each sub-image pair based on the positions of these key features. The transformation is split between the sub-images and applied to distort the overlap regions in each sub-image pair such that they are substantially aligned. Applying the transformations to each overlap region in the overall image enables creation of a substantially seamless composite image. In some embodiments, the process wherein the transformations are determined is run as a feedback loop to enable continuing refinement of the transformations.
US09686473B2
A camera system includes a lighting device comprising a movable unit including a flash unit, an imaging apparatus, a setting unit, an operation unit, and a control unit. The setting unit sets an irradiation position which is to be irradiated with light from the flash unit. The operation unit accepts an operation for starting photographing preparation operation. The control unit performs driving control of the movable unit. When the operation unit accepts an operation for starting photographing preparation operation, the control unit performs driving control of the movable unit for irradiating the set irradiation position with light from the flash unit. When the operation unit does not accept an operation for starting photographing preparation operation, the control unit does not perform driving control of the movable unit for irradiating the set irradiation position with light from the flash unit.
US09686468B2
An apparatus is described. An embodiment of an apparatus comprises a stationary first camera; a second camera; and a mechanical coupling enabling a first and a second camera position, wherein the mechanical coupling enables the rotation of the second camera with respect to the stationary first camera; wherein in the first camera position the first camera and the second camera are orientated in substantially opposite directions, and in the second camera position the second camera is orientated in substantially the same direction as the stationary first camera.
US09686459B2
A method for switching cameras is disclosed. The method for switching cameras is used in an electronic device. The electronic device includes a first camera disposed at a first surface of the electronic device and a second camera disposed at a second surface of the electronic device different from the first surface. The method for switching cameras includes the following steps. Whether the first camera is covered is sensed when the first camera captures. When the first camera is covered, the first camera is disabled and the second camera is used to photograph.
US09686455B2
In an apparatus adapted to scan a lower side of an electronic component being suction-held by a suction-holding nozzle, to perform image recognition of suction-held conditions of the electronic component, this invention is intended to perform a transfer operation under a condition that the suction-holding nozzle is arranged closer to an upper surface of a base, wherein the optical path directed downwardly from the suction-holding nozzle is bended in a lateral direction by a first optical path changing member and then further bended in another direction by a second optical path changing member to allow image-sensing means to capture an image of a lower surface of the suction-holding nozzle, and the electronic component being suction-held by the suction-holding nozzle is illuminated along the lateral optical path changed by the first optical path changing member.
US09686453B2
Pivot mechanisms for tracking cameras are disclosed herein. A tracking camera assembly includes a camera head having a housing and a pivot joint disposed within the housing. The pivot joint fitting is configured to rotate with respect to the housing. A cable is in electrical communication with the camera head and is fixedly coupled to the pivot joint fitting and extends away from the camera head. A stand pole is fixedly coupled to the pivot joint fitting and extends away from the camera head.
US09686448B2
Methods and systems to improve the operation of graphic's system are described. In general, techniques are disclosed for compensating for an image sensor's non-zero black-level output. More particularly, a image sensor noise model may be used to offset an image's signal prior to clipping so that the image's dark signal exhibits a linear or near linear mean characteristic after clipping. In one implementation the noise model may be based on calibration or characterization of the image sensor prior to image capture. In another implementation the noise model may be based on an evaluation of the image itself during image capture operations. In yet another implementation the noise model may be based on analysis of an image post-capture (e.g., hours, days, . . . after initial image capture).
US09686447B2
A display apparatus includes a detecting unit that detects a start position and an end position of an effective image area of an analog image signal, and a determination unit that determines a candidate format as a format of the analog image signal if a first difference and a second difference satisfy a predetermined condition. The first difference represents a difference between the start position of the effective image area and a start position of an effective image area of the candidate format. The second difference represents a difference between the end position of the effective image area and an end position of the effective image area of the candidate format.
US09686441B2
A method for restricting use of an electronic device including a display part includes the steps of a) designating an application identification data (ID) of a display target to be displayed by the display part, b) switching the display target to another display target by designating another application ID, c) instructing the display part to display an operation screen based on screen data corresponding to the application ID designated in step a), d) receiving a request for the switching of step b) from a use restriction application, e) determining whether the switching of step b) is possible, and f) instructing the display part to display another operation screen based on another screen data corresponding to the another application ID in a case where the switching of step b) is determined to be possible in step e).
US09686437B2
A relay device includes a first communication portion, a second communication portion, a request message reception portion, a request command transmission portion, a request information reception portion, and a request information transmission portion. The relay device receives a request message from a mobile terminal through a first communication network, transmits a request command corresponding to the request message to the image forming apparatus through a second communication network, and transmits information containing information of an apparatus status received from the image forming apparatus to the mobile terminal.
US09686436B2
A data recording apparatus in which a recording medium is attachable, comprises a detection unit which detects whether or not an attached recording medium is a predetermined recording medium having a wireless communications function; a determination unit which determines whether or not, when the attached recording medium is the predetermined recording medium, there is a settings information file; and a control unit which generates, when determined that the settings information file is not present, a predetermined settings information file in the predetermined recording medium. The predetermined recording medium has a function of generating a settings information file, and when generating a settings information file in response to an instruction from the external apparatus, the predetermined recording medium is in a write protect state where writing from the data recording apparatus is inhibited.
US09686435B2
An imaging apparatus is configured to capture an object image, generate a RAW image, perform simple development on the RAW image during the image capturing operation, and store not only the developed image but also the RAW image in a storage medium. If the imaging apparatus displays an image during the image capturing operation and immediately after the image capturing operation, the imaging apparatus displays the image processed by the simple development. When the imaging apparatus completes processing of high-quality image development, the imaging apparatus replaces the image processed by the simple development with the image processed by the high-quality image development and displays the image processed by the high-quality image development.
US09686430B2
Provided is an image reader including a substrate that includes a photoelectric conversion element which is disposed to face an imaging lens, a folded wire that has one end connected to the substrate, and a conductive inclination section that is inclined with respect to an up-down direction of the substrate and grounds a folded portion of the wire.
US09686426B2
A pull printing system includes a plurality of storage destination devices that store printing data for pull printing, and a printing data transmitter. The printing data transmitter transmits the printing data for the pull printing to at least one of the plurality of storage destination devices. The printing data transmitter selects a storage destination device to which to transmit the printing data from among the plurality of storage destination devices based on specific conditions of each of the plurality of storage destination devices and on specific requirements with respect to the conditions.
US09686421B1
In a method of payment for service of a portable communication unit, a customer prepays a dealer for said service, the dealer forwards transaction order information about the pre-payment to a prepaid management center (PMC); and the PMC provides a bank the transaction order information. The bank, upon receipt of the transaction order information from the PMC, determines whether there are sufficient funds in the dealer account to cover the transaction. If there is insufficient cash on hand, the dealer is notified and is provided an opportunity to replenish the account so that the transaction may proceed. If there are adequate funds in the dealer account, the bank automatically transfers the amount of the purchase transaction in the SPS account, less the dealer's fee for the purchase. After funds are transferred from the dealer account, the PMC is notified of the transfer, at which time the PMC generates codes and issues the codes to the dealer. The dealer transfers the codes to the user and the user enters the codes into the unit. On a regular basis the bank electronically transfers funds from the SPS account into accounts held by parties entitled to receive the funds.
US09686418B2
Disclosed technology relates to a method for transmitting a message, and more specifically but without limitations, to a method for transmitting a message in which if a shooting gesture is inputted by a user, an image showing that a message box flies to a receiver is implemented as augmented reality and outputted to a screen, and a message is transmitted to the receiver. A method for transmitting a message in a user terminal according to one of the embodiments comprises the steps of: acquiring an image through a camera equipped in the user terminal; receiving a message transmission request from a user; outputting an image showing that a message box flies to the receiver while superimposing the image onto the acquired image according to the message transmission request; and transmitting the message to the receiver.
US09686406B1
An issue is identified based on corresponding information indicative of steps taken in an on-boarding process and a velocity of transition through the steps. The issue is matched against an agent based on agent capabilities exposed by the agent. The issue and corresponding information are routed to the agent.
US09686386B1
A mobile electronic device that is configured to display travel-related information is disclosed. In one or more implementations, the electronic device includes a touch-sensitive display, the touch-sensitive display configured to receive one or more inputs, a memory operable to store one or more modules, and a processor communicatively coupled to the touch-sensitive display and to the memory. The processor is operable to execute the one or more modules to cause display of one or more graphical representations of travel-related data at the touch-sensitive display. The processor is also operable to cause display of a telephonic communication graphical interface and to cause a telephonic communication link to be established with a travel representative of a travel management company in response to an input received over the telephonic communication graphical interface.
US09686380B1
A process capable of distributing data is configured to receive a stream of data formatted under a wireless data communication protocol such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (“UMTS”) or Long Term Evolution (“LTE”). After identifying the portion of the IP data from the stream of data in accordance with a predefined IP data identifier, the process separates the IP data from the stream of data. Upon reformatting the IP data into one or more IP packets, the IP packet(s) bypasses at least a portion of circuit network and move directly to an Internet router.
US09686374B2
A system and method for provisioning dynamically generated content. One embodiment can interface a content delivery system and a content management system at the fragment level. Depending upon how a page is organized, a fragment may refer to a block within the page, a portion of the page, or a content item presented on the page. When a content item is updated and published onto the content management system, one embodiment can operate to track dependencies of managed pages and invalidate/validate fragment(s) affected by the change(s) accordingly. The updated fragment(s) may then be dynamically assembled on-the-fly or on-demand. The updated fragment(s) may or may not be cached. In this way, changes made to a piece of content can be reflected in all pages which utilize this content almost simultaneously with the changes to the content itself.
US09686373B2
A method, apparatus and computer program product for maintaining a connection cache at an intermediate server, wherein the connection cache relating to resource requests from a plurality of devices to a plurality of servers remote therefrom. The method comprises monitoring resource requests addressed to a plurality of said remote servers during a first time period; generating statistics data on the basis of the monitored resource requests; establishing a plurality of connections from the intermediate server to a subset of the plurality of remote servers, said subset being determined on the basis of the generated statistics data; and storing data indicative of the plurality of established connections in a connection cache. Caching of connections in this manner ensures efficient use of proxy server resources by only caching connections to “popular” remote servers.
US09686371B2
The disclosure describes a proxy server application that supports the dynamic modification of proxy rules implemented by a proxy server. The proxy rules implemented by the proxy server specify network behaviors to be performed at various points during the handling of requests from client applications. A proxy server implements the proxy rules by processing one or more user-generated network traffic filters for managing network traffic. In an embodiment, users generate network traffic filters by creating network traffic filter source code that specify processing steps to be performed by a proxy server relative to network messages the proxy server receives. In an embodiment, user-generated network traffic filters may be added, removed, reordered, or otherwise modified in a proxy server application at runtime in order to respond to current network conditions or to achieve other desired proxy configurations.
US09686370B2
A wireless access point may be in the form of a femtocell basestation in a cellular network. In order to establish a connection into the cellular network, an identity token is required for authorization. A remote service, accessible over a Wide Area Network such as the internet, can register with the access point. When a connected user attempts to connect to the remote service, information derived from the identity token is inserted into the data traffic. Where the identity token identifies the access point, the remote service can return location-specific information. Where the identity token identifies the connected user, the remote service can return subscriber-specific information. The access point can insert information derived directly from the identity token, or it can use the identity token to access a service identity registry, and can then insert the service identity into the data traffic.
US09686361B2
According to an embodiment, a communication device includes a connection establishment unit, a forwarder, and a generator. The connection establishment unit is configured to receive, from a terminal device, a connection request containing identification information of the terminal device, establish a communication connection with the terminal device, and store the identification information and terminal connection information. The forwarder is configured to receive, from a first terminal device, a message to be transmitted from the first terminal device to a second terminal device, and forward the message to the second terminal device, based on forwarding information containing the terminal connection information corresponding to the identification information of the first terminal device, and the terminal connection information corresponding to the identification information of the second terminal device. The generator is configured to generate the forwarding information, based on a request from the forwarder or the connection establishment unit.
US09686355B2
A data transfer system is described herein that allows data to be sent directly between two computing devices at the request of a third party client computer. The system allows a third party to initiate data transfers between computers in a network file system. This results in a significant speed increase because little to no data travels over the third party's potentially slower connection. The data transfer system provides a mechanism to determine if the direct transfer would be more efficient than two separate read and write operations, based on measurements of bandwidth and latency between each computing device. The data transfer system provides support for the source server to compress the data and the destination server to decompress the data at the direction of a third party client to further save network bandwidth.
US09686354B2
A data transmission method, a server and a data transmission system are provided. The data transmission method includes receiving data, storing data, selecting data based on device information, and transmitting the selected data, resulting in a more convenient sharing and utilization of data.
US09686351B2
Embodiments described herein involve selecting a group coordinator device for a group of media devices. An example implementation includes receiving an instruction to form a zone group comprising a first media device and a second media device. The implementation also includes comparing one or more first communication parameters corresponding to a network connection of the first media device to one or more second communication parameters corresponding to a network connection of the second media device. The implementation further includes identifying the first media device as a group coordinator of the zone group based on the comparison and based on identifying the first media device as the group coordinator of the zone group, configuring the first media device to provide data indicating audio content and audio content playback timing information to the second media device to facilitate synchronous playback of the audio content as the zone group.
US09686350B2
A reusable distributed computing framework may be established in which contributors of computing resources may participate by using a web browser to visit a web page that incorporates a distributed computing participation component. A distributed computing job provider may submit distributed computing jobs to a web-based distributed computing service. A distributed computing job may include browser-executable code in accordance with a particular distributed computing programmatic interface and data to be processed by the browser-executable code. The web-based distributed computing service may assign independently processable portions of the job data to browsers visiting a donor page for processing with the job code. Results returned by the donor browsers may be indexed and made available in real-time, as may a status of the distributed computing job such as with respect to processing the job data.
US09686349B2
Techniques are described for managing communications between multiple computing nodes, such as for computing nodes that are part of managed virtual computer networks provided on behalf of users or other entities. In some situations, one or more of the computing nodes of a managed virtual computer network is configured to perform actions to extend capabilities of the managed virtual computer network to other computing nodes that are not part of the managed virtual computer network, such as by forwarding communications between computing nodes of the managed virtual computer network and the other external computing nodes so as to enable the other external computing nodes to participate in the managed virtual computer network. In some situations, the computing nodes may include virtual machine nodes hosted on one or more physical computing machines or systems, such as by or on behalf of one or more users.
US09686344B2
A method for implementing cross-domain jump includes: a second domain name server obtaining a cross-domain jump request of jumping from a first domain name to a second domain name sent by a browser, the request including a cross-domain user identifier corresponding to a first identifier of a user in the first domain name; the second domain name server obtaining a second identifier of the user in the second domain name corresponding to the user identifier, and generating a login state of the user in the second domain name according to the second identifier. The second domain name server recognizes identity of the user according to the second identifier, so that user does not need to log in while still maintaining the login state. Therefore, operation convenience of the user is improved. Further, a browser, a first domain name server and a second domain name server are provided.
US09686336B2
A communicating apparatus comprising a receiving module which comprises: a first receiving line, for receiving a second input data stream; a timing detecting apparatus, for detecting timings for a plurality of data units of the second input data stream; a data allocating apparatus, for allocating the second input data stream to X allocated data streams, wherein the X is a positive integer and the X is larger or equals to 2; and X second receiving lines, for respectively transmitting one of the X allocated data streams.
US09686329B2
Methods and apparatus for displaying webcast rooms are provided therein. An exemplary method can be implemented by a computer system. A weight corresponding to each webcast room of a plurality of webcast rooms and an anchor-account weight corresponding to an anchor account of the each webcast room of the plurality of webcast rooms can be obtained. The weight corresponding to the each webcast room and the anchor-account weight can be pre-stored. A webcast room to be displayed can be determined from the plurality of webcast rooms, according to the weight corresponding to the each webcast room and the anchor-account weight. The webcast room to be displayed can be displayed.
US09686321B2
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a method for content sharing, where the method includes: receiving a content share request, establishing a share session with a receiving terminal, and sharing session content, which is played on a first initiating terminal, with the receiving terminal; and receiving a state notification about transferring the played session content from the first initiating terminal to a second initiating terminal, and according to the state notification, ending the share session or continuing to share the session content continuously played on the second initiating terminal. According to the embodiments of the present invention, CoD content watched on the initiating terminal can be shared, and when transfer occurs between display terminals of the content share initiator, a content share AS can perceive the transfer, and continuity of the share session can be ensured. The present invention further relates to a device for content sharing.
US09686296B1
Systems and methods are disclosed for detecting malicious lateral activity within a computer network. In an embodiment, an agent, implemented on one or more computing devices, subscribes to a plurality of privileged authentication events on a network node within the computer network, provides an alert to a network administrator in response to detection of one of the subscribed privileged authentication events, and initiates live collection of network metadata in response to the detection of the subscribed privileged authentication event. A security monitoring device, implemented on the one or more computing devices, includes an analyzer configured to detect when the network node has connected to the computer network and deploy the agent to the network node in response to the node connecting to the network. The agent may provide the collected network metadata to the analyzer.
US09686284B2
Systems and methods for extending and re-using an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) to extend the trust relationship from a closed group of customers of wireless service providers to users of other ecosystems (e.g., Gmail, Facebook, or Yahoo!) for IMS services. Some embodiments include receiving a request from an initiating device to establish a service connection between the initiating device and an endpoint through an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) session. The request may include third-party domain credentials (e.g., maintained by a third-party domain) associated with an end-user. The third-party domain credentials can be extracted from the request. Communications with the third-party domain can be used to verify the third-party domain credentials. The IMS session can be established between the initiating device and the endpoint upon verification of the third-party domain credentials.
US09686281B2
An embodiment includes a secure and stable method for sending information across a compute continuum. For example, the method may include executing an application (e.g., video player) on a first node (e.g., tablet) with a desire to perform “context migration” to a second node (e.g., desktop). This may allow a user to watch a movie on the tablet, stop watching the movie, and then resume watching the movie from the desktop. To do so in a secure and stable manner, the first node may request security and performance credentials from the second node. If both credential sets satisfy thresholds, the first node may transfer content (e.g., encrypted copy of a movie) and state information (e.g., placeholder indicating where the movie was when context transfer began). The second node may then allow the user to resume his or her movie watching from the desktop. Other embodiments are described herein.
US09686279B2
A method is disclosed of embedding a GPS location of a host device in an IPv6 address using IPv6 Neighbor Discovery, the method includes sending a neighbor solicitation request having a Global Positioning System (GPS) option from a first host device to an IPv6 server via an IPv6 communication network, the GPS option providing GPS information of the first host device; receiving the neighbor solicitation request having the GPS option on the IPv6 server, the IPv6 server configured to capture the neighbor solicitation request and create an IPv6 address with GPS information for the first host device; sending a neighbor discovery advertisement from the IPv6 server to the first host device; receiving the neighbor discovery advertisement and returning a solicit, request and renew message to the IPv6 server; and returning a reply message to the first host device with the IPv6 address with the GPS information.
US09686275B2
A technique is provided for continuous user authentication through real-time fusion and correlation of multiple factors. Monitored data is continuously obtained from a computer. The monitored data is related to user actions on the computer of a user. A server analyzes the monitored data of the computer to execute a windowing system event sequences modality, a network footprint modality, an application specific user actions modality, and/or a forensic linguistic analysis modality for the user. The user is authenticated on the computer based on a combination of the windowing system event sequences modality, the network footprint modality, the application specific user actions modality, and/or the forensic linguistic analysis modality.
US09686270B2
Packet telephony devices with encryption keys are configured to enable authentication systems and methods for increasing the security of online account access and transactions. The instant disclosure leverages the security in customer equipment hardware such as a terminal adaptor (TA) or router to authenticate a web transaction. A packet telephony device has an encoded encryption key. The encryption key may be used with a display, a user actuable trigger or in a secure connection with a web-enabled device to authenticate a user or a website.
US09686257B2
In response to reception of a request, an authorization server system identifies authorization based on first authorization information received by a reception unit along with the request. The authorization server system gives at least some of the identified authorization to an application, and issues second authorization information for identifying the given authorization.
US09686253B2
A method for managing keystore information on a computing device may include requesting a keystore from a distribution system, receiving the keystore from the distribution system, and populating a runtime environment with keystore information contained within the keystore. A method for generating a keystore may include receiving, by a distribution system, a request for a keystore from a computing device, generating a key pair including a public key and a private key, generating a certificate signing request, digitally signing the public key with the private key, generating the keystore, combining the signed public key with the private key in the keystore, and providing the keystore to the computing device. A method for generating a truststore may include receiving, by a distribution system, a request for a truststore from a computing device, generating the truststore, adding a certificate to the truststore, and providing the truststore to the computing device.
US09686245B2
A system and method for secure authentication performed on a mobile communication device. The method includes an authentication application carrying out the steps of: receiving a unique identifier for a transaction from a first application provided on the same mobile communication device as the authentication application; receiving an encrypted transaction from a remote secure server; decrypting or obtaining decryption of the transaction with a private key of the authentication application; signing or obtaining signing of the transaction with the private key; signing the transaction with the unique identifier; and transmitting the signed transaction back to the remote secure server.
US09686242B2
Systems and methods for preventing web services from using sensitive data in customizing web pages for a user. In one embodiment, a protection system is implemented between the user and the web service. The protection system identifies past interactions of the user with the web service, identifies text in the past interactions between the user and the web service, and identifies subjects discussed in the text. The protection system then communicates with the user to determine which of the subjects are sensitive to the user, and deletes a history stored by the web service for the user that relates to the sensitive subjects.
US09686238B1
A UE communicates with a network gateway to access a provisioning device via a provisioning network. The provisioning device uses identification data of the UE to authenticate the UE for a primary network, and provides primary network configuration data to the UE. Using the primary network configuration data, the UE communicates with the network gateway to access the primary network. The primary network configuration data can include data to enable the UE to establish communications with one or more private networks accessible via the primary network.
US09686237B2
Systems and methods to manage a network include a security blade server configured to perform a security operation on network traffic, and a controller configured to virtualize a plurality of network devices. The controller is further configured to program the network traffic to flow through the security blade server to create a secure network channel. A software defined environment may includes an application program interface (API) used to program the flow of the network traffic. The controller may use the API to virtually and selectively position the security blade server as waypoint for the network traffic.
US09686224B2
A provision device (100) in a provision system providing a user conducting activities through a service with reactions of other users to the user is configured as follows. A presenter (101) presents a current state of the reactions from the other users to the user that have occurred while the user is conducting activities through the service to the user via the service while the user is conducting activities through the service. A notifier (102) gives notice of a summary of the reactions from the other users to the user that have occurred while the user is not conducting activities through the service to the user with no intervention of the service while the user is not conducting activities through the service. Then, as the user conducts a given operation on information contained in the notified summary, the notifier (102) prompts the user to start conducting activities through the service.
US09686223B2
A method and apparatus are provided that incorporate the steps of creating a friends list through a social networking site, a security system detecting an event within a secured area of the security system, the security system selecting at least one friend of the friends list based upon a relative geolocation of the at least one friend with respect to the secured area, and the security system sending an alert to the at least one friend notifying the at least one friend of the event.
US09686222B2
Arrangements described herein relate to initiating social interaction based on e-mail content. Information associated with an e-mail being composed by a user can be analyzed to determine whether content of the e-mail is appropriate for incorporation into at least one social system. Responsive to determining that the content of the e-mail is appropriate for incorporation into at least one social system, a first option to enter the content of the e-mail in a first social system and a second option to enter the content of the e-mail in a second social system can be presented to the user. Responsive to the user selecting to enter the content of the e-mail in the first social system, a first entry in the first social system can be automatically created. The first entry can include the content of the e-mail composed by the user.
US09686210B2
In one embodiment, a method includes establishing at a Fiber Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) Data-Plane Forwarder (FDF), a connection with a controller in communication with a plurality of FDFs, processing at the FDF, control information received from the controller, and forwarding FCoE frames based on the control information. The FDF communicates with the other FDFs in an FCoE fabric and communicates with the controller through a control connection. An apparatus is also disclosed herein.
US09686207B2
A management server and method for performing resource management operations in a distributed computer system uses at least one sampling parameter to estimate demand of a client for a resource. The sampling parameter has a correlation with at least one target performance goal of an application that the client is running. The demand estimation can then be used to make at least one decision in a resource management operation.
US09686195B2
A relaying apparatus placed between a control apparatus and a storage device in a storage apparatus includes a first connection unit, a second connection unit and a processor. The first connection unit is connected to a storage device. A detecting unit detects a link-down of the first connection unit. The processor executes a process in which, the address of the storage device that was connected to the first connection unit when the link-down has occurred to the first connection unit matches the address of the storage device connected to the second connection unit when the link-up has occurred to the second connection unit, and an access request is given from the control apparatus with an attached first identifier that identifies the first connection unit, data is forwarded via the second connection unit.
US09686190B2
Examples are disclosed for forwarding or receiving data segments associated with a large data packets. In some examples, a large data packet may be segmented into a number of data segments having separate headers that include identifiers to associate the data segments with the large data packet. The data segments with separate headers may then be forwarded from a network node via a communication channel. In other examples, the data segments with separate headers may be received at another network node and then recombined to form the large data packet at the other network node. Other examples are described and claimed.
US09686186B2
A network device receives packets for one or more traffic flows to be sent into a network. The network device computes a flow identifier for each of the one or more traffic flows based on information contained in one or more headers of the packets for each of the one or more traffic flows and based on at least one value that is changed on an ongoing basis. The packets for each of the one or more traffic flows are encrypted to produce encrypted packets for each of the one or more traffic flows. An encapsulation is added to the encrypted packets for the one or more traffic flows. The flow identifier is included in a field of the encapsulation for a corresponding traffic flow.
US09686185B2
Some embodiments provide a method for a forwarding element that forwards packets. The method receives a packet and performs a hash lookup operation on one or more hash tables to find a matching rule for a packet. The method consults a common match data set to generate a wildcard mask. The method generates a flow based on the matching rule and the wildcard mask. The flow is used to process other packets that match each bit which is un-wildcarded.
US09686182B2
A method for providing a protected fast rerouting scheme for traffic conveyed in a network comprising a working path and a first backup path for conveying the traffic in case of a node failure. The method enables conveying traffic when two simultaneous failures occur, a failure of a link and/or of a node, belonging to the working path and the other—a failure occurring at a link and/or a node belonging to the first backup path. Upon detecting occurrence of a link/node failure along the working path, traffic is diverted to the first backup path, and upon detecting a concurrent failure at the downstream link/node at the first backup path, traffic is diverted to a second backup path extending from a node belonging to the first backup path and merges with the working path at a node located downstream of the failure that occurred at the working path.
US09686181B2
In one embodiment, a method includes identifying a failure of a service function at a service node in a service chain, receiving a packet at the service node, and processing the packet at the service node according to a flag associated with the service function and set based on a criticality of the service function. An apparatus is also disclosed herein.
US09686176B2
Path calculation systems and methods for determining a path, based on constraints and rules, for a connection at one or more layers in a network, include determining a path exploration map of the network based on a multi-layer network model of the network defining external edges and intra-node paths, the path exploration map comprising every external port in the network that is reachable from a source port; and utilizing the path exploration map to determine a viable path, from a destination port to the source port, subject to the constraints and the rules and based on a cost.
US09686175B2
Methods, systems, and computer readable media for testing network devices using simulated application traffic are disclosed. One method includes steps implemented in a network equipment test device including at least one processor. The method includes emulating data transfer operations of a plurality of server applications. The method further includes receiving application traffic from a plurality of different client applications. The method further includes queuing incoming connections received from the client applications. The method further includes, for each of the connections, attempting to correlate application-level data with one of the emulated server applications. The method further includes, in response to successful correlation of the received application-level data with one of the emulated server applications, performing application-specific processing for the emulated server application. Performing application-specific processing includes sending data from an emulated server application to a client application through a device under test.
US09686160B2
A method for providing a status of a wireless network, including: receiving a wireless signal from an access point and status information of the access point; determining processing capacity information of the access point based on the status information of the access point; and displaying wireless network information with respect to the access point, the wireless network information including the processing capacity information of the access point and signal strength information of the received wireless signal.
US09686155B2
Systems and methods of facilitating data integration between customer relationship management (CRM) applications on client computing devices are provided. A contact toolbar application of a client computing device can publish a connection point within a user workstation of the client computing device. First and second CRM applications can establish connections with the connection point. The user workstation can create an integration channel via the connection point between the contact toolbar application, the first CRM application, and the second CRM application, for real time exchange of computer telephony integration data between the contact toolbar application and at least one of the first CRM application and the second CRM application.
US09686152B2
Techniques to track resource usage statistics per transaction across multiple layers of protocols and across multiple threads, processes and/or devices are disclosed. In one embodiment, for example, a technique may comprise assigning an activity context to a request at the beginning of a first stage, where the activity context has an initial set of properties. The values of the properties may be assigned to the properties in the initial set during the first stage. The value of a property may be stored on a data store local to the first stage. The activity context may be transferred to a second stage when the request begins the second stage. The transferred activity context may include a property from the initial set of properties. The stored values may be analyzed to determine a resource usage statistic. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US09686151B2
There is provided a method of operating a self-organizing network and system thereof. The method comprises processing data informative of network events with regard to the one or more access points and respectively served clients, thereby periodically associating the clients with the one or more access points; periodically assessing to each access point a value indicative of a privilege level of a given access point, the value being a function of priority values assigned to clients associated with the given access point during an assessing period; and using the assessed values for periodically identifying at least one access point requiring at least one corrective action in consideration of its privilege level. The method can further comprise periodically reassigning at least part of priority values to be used for assessing the values to the one or more access points, wherein reassigning comprises processing data periodically received by the SON system.
US09686150B2
Certain example embodiments relate to a monitoring system for monitoring the operation of distributed computing components. The monitoring system includes a registry for storing descriptions of the computing components and at least one associated service-level agreement (SLA) specifying at least one performance requirement; a compiler for generating at least one first and second continuous query based on the information stored in the registry; and a complex event processing (CEP) engine for executing the at least one first continuous query on input events indicating actions performed by the computing components and corresponding performance information, and for producing at least one output event indicating a violation of at least one SLA. The CEP engine also executes the at least one second continuous query on input events indicating a violation of at least one SLA, and produces at least one output event indicating a relationship between at least two SLA violations.
US09686148B2
A computer-implemented method, operable in a network comprising multiple delivery service endpoints running on a plurality of devices. Each delivery service endpoint delivers resources. A plurality of the multiple delivery service endpoints comprise a group, each node in the group having at least one kind of responsibility relating to delivery of resources. The method includes receiving, at the node, a request relating to a particular resource. The kind of responsibility the node has for the request is determined based on at least one kind responsibility assigned to the node for requests relating to the particular resource. Based on the determining, an attempt is made to process the request in accordance with kind responsibility assigned to the node for requests relating to the particular resource.
US09686141B2
In various example embodiments, a system and method for managing a server cluster are provided. An example method may include scheduling a first job on a first node, using a first resource manager, establishing a service for a second resource manager on a second node, wherein the service is allocated node resources of the second node, and attempting to schedule a second job on the first node, using the first resource manager. The method may include preempting the service on the second node, using the second resource manager, in response to the attempt to schedule the second job on the first node, and deallocating the node resources of the second node from the service. The method may include advertising, using a node manager of the first resource manager, available node resources of the second node, and scheduling the second job on the second node, using the first resource manager.
US09686140B2
An intelligent network interconnect may include a control channel and a plurality of nodes. The plurality of nodes may include a first node coupled to a first network and a second node coupled to a second network. Each of the plurality of nodes is coupled to the control channel. The intelligent network interconnect may also include a control device coupled to the control channel. The intelligent network interconnect may be configured to: collect network data from the first node and the second node, wherein the network data includes traffic data of the first network; obtain metrics based on the collected network data; detect an event based on the metrics and the collected network data; and a rule whose condition matches the event; and send a command over the control channel, to one or more of the nodes, to perform an action associated with the rule.
US09686136B1
A method calibrates a sensor for a defined parameter using a calibration station adapted to receive the sensor while it is secured to a wearable device. The calibration station includes a device to close the space surrounding the sensor to control the space. A quantity of an element being measured/calibrated is injected into the space. The quantity of the element is then measured by the sensor. A measured signal is transmitted to the calibration station. The measured signal is compared to a predetermined level. The method identifies when the measured signal differs from the predetermined level by a threshold amount and indicates or adjusts the sensor, depending on the application.
US09686135B2
A system that incorporates teachings of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a method storing, at an integrated circuit card including at least one processor, parametric information descriptive of operational features of a plurality of software applications, where the plurality of software applications when executed makes use of services provided by equipment of a first network operator. The method can further include detecting, at the integrated circuit card, an event indicating that the plurality of software applications are to utilize services provided by equipment of a second network operator, and causing, from the integrated circuit card, a transmission of the parametric information descriptive of the operational features of the plurality of software applications to the equipment of the second network operator. Other embodiments are disclosed.
US09686127B2
A method includes issuing a tuned request on a specified active link having an ingress shaper and an egress shaper to a server utilizing a link capacity to an extent in both a forward path and a return path, determining a link capacity for the active link, monitoring the active link and dropping any traffic traveling via the active link when a limit of at least one of the ingress shaper and the egress shaper is exceeded.
US09686125B2
The present disclosure pertains to systems and methods for assessing reliability of communication links in a software defined network (SDN). In one embodiment, a system may include an SDN architecture subsystem configured to generate SDN architecture information and a bandwidth subsystem configured to generate bandwidth information. A latency subsystem may receive the bandwidth information from the bandwidth subsystem and may be configured to generate latency information using the bandwidth information. A failover subsystem may receive the SDN architecture information, the bandwidth information, and the latency information and generate a failover assessment and a failover route for the communication link. A reliability assessment subsystem may receive the SDN architecture information, the bandwidth information, and the latency information, and the failover assessment and generate a reliability assessment. A traffic routing subsystem may receive the reliability assessment and route data traffic to the failover route based on the reliability assessment.
US09686123B2
A system for media distribution and rendering over a spatially extended wireless network, comprising a plurality of media rendering devices configured as nodes in a spatially extended wireless network. The media rendering devices dynamically establish a hierarchical arrangement wherein a first media rendering device acts as a root node of the hierarchical arrangement. The first media rendering device receives media content over a network and distributes the media content to the remaining media rendering devices using the hierarchical arrangement. The media content is rendered synchronously by each of the plurality of media rendering devices.
US09686113B2
A method of transmitting a broadcasting signal is provided. The method includes encoding data; encoding signaling data by an LDPC (Low Density Parity Check) scheme; building a signal frame based on at least one preamble data symbol having the encoded signaling data and a data slice having the encoded data; inserting at least one pilot into the signal frame with a specific pattern and modulating the signal frame by an OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) method; and transmitting the modulated signal frame. A signaling block having the signaling data is repeated in the at least one preamble data symbol in a frequency domain by a bandwidth. The band width of the signaling block corresponds to a number of active subcarriers assigned to a single channel.
US09686112B2
A method for controlling a combined waveform, representing a combination of at least two signals having orthogonal frequency multiplexed signal components, comprising: receiving information defining the at least two signals; transforming the information defining each signal to a representation having orthogonal frequency multiplexed signal components, such that at least one signal has at least two alternate representations of the same information, and combining the transformed information using the at least two alternate representations, in at least two different ways, to define respectively different combinations; analyzing the respectively different combinations with respect to at least one criterion; and outputting a respective combined waveform or information defining the waveform, representing a selected combination of the transformed information from each of the at least two signals selected based on the analysis.
US09686103B2
A method for compensating the frequency dependent phase imbalance in a receiver is provided. The receiver downconverts an input signal to generate the signal r(t). The signal r(t) has an in-phase component rI(t) and a quadrature component rQ(t). A first test signal with a first carrier frequency is applied as the input signal of the receiver to obtain a first phase imbalance I. A second test signal with a second carrier frequency is applying as the input signal of the receiver to obtain a second phase imbalance. An IQ delay mismatch Δt of the receiver according to the difference of the second and the first phase imbalances and the difference of the second and the first carrier frequencies is obtained. The in-phase component rI(t) and the quadrature component rQ(t) of the signal r(t) corresponding to other input signal is compensated according to the obtained IQ delay mismatch Δt.
US09686101B2
The discovery of a topology of a network with an unknown topology can enable the selection of a data path within the network, and the establishment of a data stream over the selected data path. Routing tables mapping originating nodes to input ports can be created based on the receipt of discovery messages generated by the originating nodes. A source node can select a data path between the source node and a sink node in order to establish a data stream using the routing tables. Data paths can be selected based on, for instance, routing table bandwidth information, latency information, and/or distance information. Data streams can be established over the selected data path, and each node can release any reserved output bandwidth determined to be unnecessary for the data stream.
US09686094B2
A method and apparatus for controlling devices for a smart home service are provided. The method includes grouping devices to receive at least one command simultaneously from among devices registered to the smart home service into a group for one mode, generating mode configuration information for each mode including grouped devices for the mode and at least one command for the mode, transmitting the mode configuration information for each mode to the registered devices, selecting one of each mode for which the mode configuration information has been generated, and transmitting a mode activation request for activating the selected mode to the registered devices.
US09686091B2
A network communication system includes a network address management and functional object discovery system. The network address management and functional object discovery system includes a network manager that manages network addresses for functional objects of electronic devices that communicate with each other over a network. The network manager may maintain a database that maps or associates unique IDs of the functional objects with associated network addresses. The network manager may provide non-conflicting instance IDs and network addresses to the electronic devices. The network manager may also provide instance IDs and/or network addresses for other electronic devices so that the electronic devices may communicate with each other over the network.
US09686090B2
A communication control method is employed in a mobile communication system including a general cell supporting PTM transmission of MBMS data and a specific cell not supporting PTM transmission of the MBMS data. The method comprises: a step A of broadcasting general cell load information from the general cell; a step B of receiving the general cell load information broadcasted in the step A, by a user terminal which receives the MBMS data from the general cell in an idle mode with the general cell selected as a cell on which to camp; and a step C of controlling cell reselection from the general cell to the specific cell by the user terminal, based on the general cell load information received in the step B.
US09686088B2
In one embodiment, a user places a mobile device (e.g., a smart phone) facing downward on a table. A process running on the mobile device determines an orientation of the mobile device (i.e., a facing downward orientation), and determines that the mobile device has been in the facing downward orientation for over a threshold period of time (e.g., 3 seconds), then the process automatically selects a “Quiet” notification profile, and turn off the mobile device's display, without additional input from the user.
US09686076B2
Apparatus and methods for storing and controlling access control clients. In one embodiment, transmitting and receiving devices ensure that only one copy of an eSIM is active at any time. Specifically, each transferred eSIM is encrypted for the destination device; the eSIM from the source device is deleted, deactivated, or otherwise rendered unusable. Various aspects of network infrastructure are also described, including electronic Universal Integrated Circuit Card (eUICC) appliances, and mobile devices. Various scenarios for transfer of eSIMs are also disclosed.
US09686075B2
A method of configuring a network device for key sharing, the method comprising obtaining (410) in electronic form at least two parameter sets, a parameter set comprising a private modulus (p1) a public modulus (N), and a bivariate polynomial (f1) having integer coefficients, the binary representation of the public modulus and the binary representation of the private modulus are the same in at least key length (b) consecutive bits, generating local key material for the network device comprising obtaining (420) in electronic form an identity number (A) for the network device, and for each parameter set of the at least two parameter sets obtaining a corresponding univariate polynomial, by determining, using a polynomial manipulation device, a univariate polynomial from the bivariate polynomial of the parameter set by substituting (430) the identity number into said bivariate polynomial, and reducing the result of the substitution modulo the private modulus of the parameter set, and electronically storing (450) at the network device the generated local key material, the generated local key material comprising the public modulus of each parameter set and the corresponding univariate polynomial of each parameter set.
US09686067B2
The invention relates to a method for transmitting a periodic channel quality report (CSI) and/or a sounding reference symbol (SRS) from a UE to an e Node B. To avoid double decoding at the e Node B in transient phases, a deterministic behavior of the UE is defined by the invention, according to which the e Node B can unambiguously determine whether the UE will transmit the CSI/SRS or not. According to one embodiment, the UL grants and/or DL assignments received until and including subframe N−4 only are considered; UL grants and/or DL assignments received by the UE after subframe N−4 are discarded for the determination. Additionally, DRX-related timers at subframe N−4 are considered for the determination. In a second embodiment, DRX MAC control elements from the e Node B, instructing the UE to enter DRX, i.e. become Non-Active, are only considered for the determination if they are received before subframe N−4, i.e. until and including subframe N−(4+k).
US09686061B2
International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) Advanced technology, also known as 4th Generation (4G) targets to support up to 100 MHz BW. LTE currently supports single carrier bandwidths of up to 20 MHz. The present application describes a multi-carrier approach in which some embodiments of the invention provide a simple solution of aggregating multiple single carrier bandwidths to obtain a wider bandwidth (>20 MHz). Such an approach may extend Long Term Evolution (LTE) bandwidth to greater than that provided by a single carrier, yet maintain full backward compatibility with technologies that predate 4G technology and utilize smaller, single carrier bandwidths. More generally, embodiments of the invention can apply to other communication standards than only LTE.
US09686056B2
A method is provided for communication in a wireless telecommunication system. The method comprises multiplexing, by a network element, at least one symbol of a PHICH onto at least one resource element of a PCFICH.
US09686055B2
A user equipment (UE) enables synchronous peer-to-peer communication between devices for out of network coverage and partial network coverage scenarios. The UE performs a synchronization procedure and selects a spectrum resource within an uplink (UL) spectrum for device-to-device (D2D) communication. The UE, representing a synchronization source, generates timing information and synchronization signals for synchronizing a group of wireless communication devices (peer UEs) with the UE in a local synchronization area. The UE transmits, in selected or pre-allocated time or frequency resources, a synchronization signal including the timing information in order to synchronize devices in the local synchronization area.
US09686053B2
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods for testing channel compliance. The method generally includes identifying at least one design criteria and determining boundary sets of frequency domain parameters for compliant signal channels known to achieve the design criteria. The boundary sets may be used for verifying whether a particular signal channel is compliant by comparing values of frequency domain parameters for the particular channel to one or more of the boundary sets of frequency domain parameters for the known compliant channels.
US09686051B2
Systems, methods, and computer readable media for providing lossless transmission of sensor data in a wireless network are provided. In some aspects, a method for transmitting data in a wireless sensor network includes collecting data at a sensor node, attaching a timestamp to the data, buffering the data and the timestamp to a memory device and retransmitting the collected data where the sensor node fails to receive an acknowledgement message from the base station after the data transmission. In some aspects, a system can include a plurality of wireless sensor nodes having synchronized clocks and a base station. Collected sensor data can be associated with a timestamp via the clock prior to transmitting the data to the base station. The data can be buffered at a memory device and retransmitted therefrom to provide lossless data transmission.
US09686042B2
Disclosed is a method of transmitting, by a transmission device, broadcast signals in a frequency-shared terrestrial broadcast system. The method includes generating the broadcast signals including pilot signals arranged at a physical layer frame based on a group identification (ID) defined according to a broadcast service, and transmitting the generated broadcast signals to a reception device, wherein the positions of the pilot signals arranged at the physical layer frame are different by group IDs.
US09686032B2
A mobile viewing method includes accessing location information indicative of a current location of a mobile device associated with a home market. A current market corresponding to the current location of the mobile device is identified. If the current market differs from the home market, the mobile device is granted access to a retransmission of at least one local channel of the current market. The location information may include GPS information indicative of GPS coordinates of the mobile device. The mobile device may include a mobile viewing application that displays a channel guide indicating local channels available in the current market and national channels. The mobile viewing application may include a summary of the current market and the summary may include weather, news headline, and local advertisement information.
US09686031B2
Methods and apparatus to detect a state of media presentation devices are disclosed. An example state detector includes a detector to identify an operational frequency of a media presentation device to be monitored by the state detector; a frequency selector to, when the operational frequency is greater than a threshold associated with a sampling rate of a component of the state detector, select a first frequency for an oscillator signal, the frequency selector to select the first frequency based on the identified operational frequency; and a status identifier to, when the operational frequency is greater than the threshold, determine a state of the media presentation device based on whether a signal representative of a combination of the oscillator signal and an input received from an audio sensor includes an element greater than a reference value, wherein at least one of the detector, the frequency selector, or the status identifier is implemented via a logic circuit.
US09686026B1
A system and method to perform one or more tests related to the service quality and performance capabilities provided by a network, and to display and collect the test results. The tests may be initiated by a mobile device that may transmit testing requests to a network server. The mobile device may also store various information or data related to the testing request. The server collects various data in response to the test request that is used to generate a machine-readable symbol that may be visually rendered on a display of the mobile device. A test and measurement system may be used to capture and decode the machine-readable symbol. The test and measurement system may store the decoded information in one or more servers.
US09686025B2
Systems and methods may use proximate communication to retrieve information pertaining to a target device. In one example, the method may include detecting the target device within a vicinity of a user device, receiving an information request response communication including information pertaining to the target device, and receiving an operation request response communication including information pertaining to a performed operation.
US09686021B2
A wireless modem for communication in a network of wireless modems via a communication channel includes a transceiver assembly, transceiver electronics and a power supply. The transceiver electronics include transmitter electronics, receiver electronics and at least one processing unit. The transmitter electronics cause the transceiver assembly to send wireless signals into the communication channel. The receiver electronics decode signals received by the transceiver assembly. The at least one processing unit executes instructions to (1) enable the transmitter electronics to transmit the wireless signals into the communication channel to at least two wireless modems in a first direction away from the transceiver assembly, (2) receive a signal from at least one of the wireless modems, (3) assign a quality parameter to the signals received from the other wireless modems, and (4) select one of the wireless modems to communicate with based on an examination of the quality parameters with at least one predetermined criterion. The power supply supplies power to the transceiver assembly and the transceiver electronics.
US09686020B2
A signal processing device that processes a digital signal formed by sampling an electric signal using a clock signal, the electric signal being obtained by converting an optical signal inputted from a transmission line, the signal processing device includes: a first chromatic dispersion compensator that compensates a waveform distortion caused by a chromatic dispersion with respect to the digital signal; a first nonlinear optical effect compensator that compensates a waveform distortion caused by a nonlinear optical effect with respect to one signal outputted from the first chromatic dispersion compensator; and a controller that detects a phase fluctuation of other signal outputted from the first chromatic dispersion compensator, and controls the clock signal based on the detected phase fluctuation.
US09686009B2
A broadband multibeam satellite radio communication system is configured to cover a geographical service area that is broken down into a plurality of transmission spots that are each made up of a central internal area and a peripheral area. A first polarization state and a second polarization state are respectively allocated to the spots of a first grid G1 and the spots of the second grid G2. One and the same main band BP of frequencies is allocated wholly to each central internal area. The coverage of the quadruple points service area is a pavement of elemental useful surfaces or coverage meshes having the shape of a parallelogram.
US09685994B2
A dual antenna for wireless communication transmission (WPT) and near field communication (NFC) includes a loop antenna, and a dual loop antenna disposed at an inside and an outside of the loop antenna.
US09685993B2
A power line communication control system for coupling between an power line and a load is disclosed. The exemplary system is capable of simultaneously distributing electrical power and transmitting communication signals with minimized interference there-between. The exemplary system includes an inductive coupling input terminal and an inductive coupling output terminal. Each of the input and the output terminals includes a pair of series-connected inductors having substantially identical inductance value. Accordingly, the system is capable of may deliver the household power signal under common mode transmission while transmitting the communication signal using differential mode transmission, thereby minimizing the interference between the power line AC current and the communication signal.
US09685984B1
Feet for a multi-position computing device are described. In one or more implementations, a multi-position computing device is configured to include a base and a display device connected to the base by a hinge mechanism. The hinge mechanism is operable to position the display device into multiple positions relative to the base including at least an upright position and a laid-down position. An arrangement of feet on the underside of the base is designed to facilitate dynamic movement of the device into the multiple positions. The arrangement of feet includes sliding feet that engage for sliding of the base across a surface when pressure is applied to the hinge mechanism for transitions between positions. The arrangement of feet also includes tacky feet that engage and resist sliding of the base across the surface in the absence of pressure applied to the hinge mechanism.
US09685983B2
A system comprises a microwave backhaul outdoor unit having a first resonant circuit, phase error determination circuitry, and phase error compensation circuitry. The first resonant circuit is operable to generate a first signal characterized by a first amount of phase noise and a first amount of temperature stability. The phase error determination circuitry is operable to generate a phase error signal indicative of phase error between the first signal and a second signal, wherein the second signal is characterized by a second amount of phase noise that is greater than the first amount of phase noise, and the second signal is characterized by a second amount of temperature instability that is less than the first amount of temperature instability. The phase error compensation circuitry is operable to adjust the phase of a data signal based on the phase error signal, the adjustment resulting in a phase compensated signal.
US09685982B2
A mobile wireless communications device includes a housing an antenna, and radio frequency (RF) circuitry. A transceiver is connected to the antenna and a processor is operative with the RF circuitry. The transceiver includes an In-phase and Quadrature (I/Q) Modulation and Power Amplification circuit having an In-phase (I) circuit with a modulator mixer and power amplifier circuit. A Quadrature (Q) circuit includes a modulator mixer and power amplifier circuit. A power combiner receives the separately amplified In-phase and Quadrature signals and sums and outputs the signals as a combined I and Q signal. The I and Q circuits are isolated from the combined I and Q signal to enhance antenna matching and transmitted radiated power (TRP) and reduce harmonic emission from the power amplification circuits.
US09685977B1
A data compressing apparatus includes a polygonal line approximating circuit receiving first time series and outputs second time series by performing a polygonal line approximation process on the first time series. The polygonal line approximating circuit includes a first multiplier and a second multiplier performing multiplication having a first value calculated based on a difference between a time component of first data and a time component of second data in the time series data as input, and a third multiplier and a fourth multiplier performing multiplication having a second value calculated based on a difference between a sensor component of the first data and a sensor component of the second data as input.
US09685976B2
The invention relates to an improved K-Delta-1-Sigma Modulators (KG1Ss) that achieve multi GHz sampling rates with 90 nm and 45 nm CMOS processes, and that provide the capability to balance performance with power in many applications. The improved KD1Ss activate all paths when high performance is needed (e.g. high bandwidth), and reduce the effective bandwidth by shutting down multiple paths when low performance is required. The improved KD1Ss can adjust the baseband filtering for lower bandwidth, and can provide large savings in power consumption while maintaining the communication link, which is a great advantage in space communications. The improved KD1Ss herein provides a receiver that adjusts to accommodate a higher rate when a packet is received at a low bandwidth, and at a initial lower rate, power is saved by turning off paths in the KD1S Analog to Digital Converter, and where when a higher rate is required, multiple paths are enabled in the KD1S to accommodate the higher band widths.
US09685975B2
Provided are, among other things, systems, apparatuses methods and techniques for providing a complete output signal from a set of partial signals, which in turn have been generated by parallel processing paths in the time-interleaved and/or frequency-interleaved conversion of discrete signals to linear signals (i.e., discrete-to-linear conversion). One such apparatus includes a distributed network comprising a plurality of ladder networks through which input signals propagate before being combined to form an output signal.
US09685959B2
A method for transforming a tautology check of an original logic circuit into a contradiction check of the original logic circuit and vice versa comprises interpreting the original logic circuit in terms of AND, OR, MAJ, MIN, XOR, XNOR, INV original logic operators; transforming the original circuit obtained from the interpreting, into a dual logic circuit enabled for a checking of contradiction in place of tautology and vice versa, by providing a set of switching rules configured to switch each respective one of the original logic operators INV, AND, OR, MAJ, XOR, XNOR, MIN into a respective switched logic operator INV, OR, AND, MAJ, XNOR, XOR, MIN; and complementing outputs of the original circuit by adding an INV at each output wire. The method further provides testing in parallel the satisfiability of the original logic circuit, and the satisfiability of the dual logic circuit with inverted outputs. Responsive to one of the parallel tests finishing, the other parallel test is caused to also stop.
US09685958B2
A locking system for an integrated circuit (IC) chip can include an arrangement of one or more antifuse devices in a signal path of the IC chip. The antifuse devices can be configured to operate in a first state, corresponding to a normally open switch, to inhibit normal operation of the IC chip, and to transition from the first state to a permanent second state, corresponding to a closed switch, in response to a program signal applied to at least one terminal of the IC chip to enable the normal operation of the IC chip.
US09685956B1
Examples of techniques for enabling a field programmable device on demand are disclosed. In one example implementation according to aspects of the present disclosure, a method may include: determining, by a processing device, whether to enable a disabled field programmable device; responsive to determining to enable the disabled field programmable device, identifying, by the processing device, the field programmable device from a plurality of disabled FPDs; sending an authorization request to an authorization authority to request an authorization to enable the disabled field programmable device; responsive to receiving the authorization from the authorization authority, enabling the disabled field programmable device as an enabled field programmable device; loading computer readable instructions to the enabled field programmable device; and bringing the enabled field programmable device online.
US09685949B2
An ESD protection circuit is connected in parallel to a MIM capacitor between a first terminal and a second terminal. First Schottky diodes are connected in series to each other and have anodes connected on the first terminal side and cathodes connected on the second terminal side. Second Schottky diodes are connected in series to each other and connected in anti-parallel to the first Schottky diodes. When an RF signal is inputted to neither the first terminal nor the second terminal, the first terminal has a higher DC voltage than that of the second terminal. The number of the first Schottky diodes is greater than the number of the second Schottky diodes. The number of the second Schottky diodes is set such that an amplitude of the RF signal does not attenuate to predetermined amplitude of the RF signal when the RF signal passes through the MIM capacitor.
US09685945B2
An electric circuit includes: a plurality of switching elements connected in parallel to each other, the plurality of switching elements including a first switching element and a second switching element; a control voltage application element applying a control voltage to a connection point at which respective gates of the plurality of switching elements are connected to each other; a connection point grounding element grounding the connection point; and a control circuit configured to put the first switching element into an ON state and maintain the second switching element in an OFF state during a stand-by period, and put the second switching element into an ON state after an elapse of the stand-by period.
US09685934B2
A multi-bit flip-flop includes at least two storage stages. Each of the storage stages includes redundant latches to suppress state corruptions resulting from soft error upset at the storage stage. In addition, the multi-bit flip-flop includes a split clock path that routes different shared clock signals that control the timing of the latches. The shared split clock path reduces or eliminates the impact of soft errors on the clock signals, thereby further limiting the impact of such errors on data stored at the flip-flop. In particular, the split clock path can be distributed over disparate cells in a layout of multi-bit flip-flop, thereby reducing the likelihood that a transient charge will cause a soft error in all paths of the split clock path.
US09685932B2
Provided herein are apparatus and methods for enhancing bandwidth in trench isolated integrated circuits. In certain configurations, an auxiliary trench forming floating regions between moat isolation regions can isolate parasitic sidewall capacitances of active device regions from ground or AC ground. In this manner the active device regions are merged by the auxiliary trench so as to improve circuit bandwidth and enhance circuit performance. When arranged or combined within a circuit branch, transistors within each floating moat can operate with relatively small parasitic displacement current and can have improved performance.
US09685924B2
In some embodiments, a method for processing an audio signal in an audio processing apparatus is disclosed. The method includes receiving an audio signal and a parameter, the parameter indicating a location of an auditory event boundary. An audio portion between consecutive auditory event boundaries constitutes an auditory event. The method further includes applying a modification to the audio signal based in part on an occurrence of the auditory event. The parameter may be generated by monitoring a characteristic of the audio signal and identifying a change in the characteristic.
US09685923B2
A transmitter circuit comprises: an input, an encoder circuit, and a transmitter. During operation, the transmitter circuit receives an input signal. The encoder circuit encodes the received input signal into an encoded signal. The encoder circuit produces the encoded signal: i) to indicate changing states of the input signal, and ii) to include a supplemental transient signal with respect to the received input signal. The transmitter transmits the encoded signal from an output of the first circuit over a link to a second circuit such as a receiver circuit. A receiver decodes the encoded signal to reproduce a rendition of the input signal to control remote power supply circuitry. Presence of the supplemental transient signal in the encoded signal indicates to the receiver circuit that the first circuit actively transmits the output signal even though there may not be any change to a current state of the input signal.
US09685915B2
An amplification stage and a wideband power amplifier are provided. The amplification stage includes a stage input terminal, a stage output terminal, an amplifier, an input compensation network, and in output compensation network. At the stage input terminal is received a signal which is provided via the input compensation network to the amplifier. The input compensation network filters the signal to allow a wideband operation of the amplification stage around an operational frequency. The amplified signal provided by the amplifier is provided via the output compensation network to the stage output terminal. The output compensation network configured to allow a wideband operation of the amplification stage around the operational frequency with a minimal phase shift and distortion of amplitude and phase frequency response. The wideband power amplifier includes a plurality of amplification stage combined with transmission lines or their lumped element equivalents in a specific circuit topology.
US09685914B2
A differential signal is input to a pair of gates of a differential pair, a differential signal generated by a load circuit connected to drains of the differential pair is amplified by a differential amplifier stage, and the amplified differential signal is fed back to a pair of sources of the differential pair via a feedback circuit. It is possible to maintain a high input impedance in the pair of gates of the differential pair while not being influenced by a gain of negative feedback of an amplifier circuit, and it is possible to perform amplification in an input stage by using a pair of a first transistor and a second transistor of the differential pair. Therefore, compared with the related art, it is possible to decrease the number of transistors in the input stage and to reduce a flicker noise.
US09685907B2
A variable-gain power amplifying technique includes generating, with a network of one or more reactive components included in an oscillator, a first oscillating signal, and outputting, via one or more taps included in the network of the reactive components, a second oscillating signal. The second oscillating signal has a magnitude that is proportional to and less than the first oscillating signal. The power amplifying technique further includes selecting one of the first and second oscillating signals to use for generating a power-amplified output signal, and amplifying the selected one of the first and second oscillating signals to generate the power-amplified output signal.
US09685903B2
According to a first aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a method of controlling a power output of an inverter. The method comprises measuring an output current of the inverter, determining a difference between the output current and a reference current, and controlling a reference input voltage of the inverter as a function of the determined difference. In a second aspect of the disclosure, there is described a system for controlling a power output of an inverter. The system comprises an inverter arranged to output a current as a function of a reference input voltage. The system further comprises a controller arranged to determine a difference between the output current and a reference current. The controller is further arranged to control the reference input voltage as a function of the determined difference. The method may allow for control of a photovoltaic inverter at a power less than its maximum capability for a given solar irradiation, which may avoid the problem of the photovoltaic array voltage rising above a level where the inverter can run.
US09685901B2
A motor controller for use in a motor system includes a mode select circuit, a fault detection circuit, a protection logic circuit, and a motor control circuit. The mode select circuit sets the motor controller in one of an internal protection mode and an external protection mode. The fault detection circuit detects whether the motor system is operating in a normal operation state or a fault state. If the motor system is operating in the fault state, the protection logic circuit outputs a protection signal in the internal protection mode, and keeps the protection signal inactive while activating an external diagnostic signal in the external protection mode. The motor control circuit controls a motor of the motor system in response to a speed control signal when the protection signal is inactive, and in response to the protection signal when the protection signal is active.
US09685898B2
An apparatus includes a switch module that selectively turns on a switch to connect an input power conductor connected to a voltage source to a motor in a sequence. The switch for each phase is turned on for a portion of a cycle of a fundamental frequency of the voltage source. A source phase module determines a phase of the AC voltage source, a back-EMF phase module determines a phase of a back-EMF of the motor, and a torque module determines when a phase difference between the phase of the AC voltage source and the phase of the back-EMF is within a phase range indicative of a positive motor torque. A pulse module enables the switches in response to the phase difference having a phase within the phase range and disables the switches in response to the phase difference having a phase not in the phase range.
US09685894B2
When a set duty Dt of a PWM signal is less than a minimum duty (Dmin) that allows for pulse induced voltage detection, the PWM signal in which a duty D1 during a predetermined period is limited to Dmin and in which a duty D2 during the other period is adjusted so as to satisfy Dt=(D1+D2)/2 is applied to the switching elements connected to one of the two phases. When the duty D2 during the other period takes a negative value, the pulse-voltage application target during the other period is changed to the switching elements connected to the other of the two phases, and the duty D1 during the predetermined period is corrected and increased so as to compensate for an actual drop in the duty D2 during the other period corresponding to a dead-time period in a complementary PWM method.
US09685893B2
An alternating current generation system is provided. In the system, in a rotor, a plurality of detection subject portions are arrayed along a circumferential direction in correspondence to reversal states of the magnetic poles in a plurality of magnetized portions. A detecting unit is disposed opposing the rotor so as to generate an output signal corresponding to passage state of the detection subject portions. A phase control unit outputs, to a power converter, a control signal to perform phase control of switching elements depending on the rotation phase of the rotor, based on the output signal from the detecting unit.
US09685892B2
The brushless motor control device according to the present invention includes a drive controller, current detection circuits, AD converter circuits, a clock generation circuit, a pulse output circuit, and an RC filter. The drive controller generates a driving signal for driving a brushless motor. The current detection circuits each detect a current of the brushless motor. The AD converter circuits are each connected to a different one of the current detection circuits. The clock generation circuit outputs a clock pulse. The pulse output circuit outputs a pulse signal according to the clock pulse. The RC filter receives the pulse signal. The RC filter is formed of a resistor and a capacitor connected in series. A pull-up resistor connecting to a predetermined power supply is connected to an intermediate connection point between the resistor and the capacitor. The intermediate connection point is connected to the AD converter circuits. Based on output values form the AD converter circuits, it is determined whether the clock generation circuit, the AD converter circuits, and the current detection circuit are in an abnormal condition.
US09685888B2
A semiconductor module, an upper and lower arm kit, and a three-level inverter can be provided at low cost and with broad current ratings and voltage ratings using existing packages, without developing new packages. A first semiconductor module (100) on an upper arm side and a second semiconductor module (200) on a lower arm side are made using an existing package, and the semiconductor modules (100) and (200) are used to configure an upper and lower arm kit (300). Further, the upper and lower arm kit (300) is used to configure a three-level inverter (500). These devices can be formed using existing packages (56), and semiconductor modules (100), (200), the upper and lower arm kit (300), and the three-level inverter (500) can be therefore provided at low cost and with broad current ratings and voltage ratings.
US09685883B2
A three-level rectifier includes at least one phase bridge arm that includes an upper-half and a lower-half bridge arm circuit modules. The upper-half bridge arm circuit module includes a first diode unit and a second diode unit that are in series connection, and a first power semiconductor switch unit. The lower-half bridge arm circuit module includes a third diode unit and a fourth diode unit that are in series connection, and a second power semiconductor switch unit. These first and second power semiconductor switch units are connected to the neutral point of the capacitor unit; the second diode unit and the third diode unit are connected to the alternating-current terminal; the first diode unit and the fourth diode unit are respectively connected to the positive terminal and negative terminal of the direct-current bus. The two circuit modules are disposed side by side and facing each other.
US09685873B2
This invention is concerning a power supply device that includes a cut-off unit configured to cut off voltage to be applied to a primary winding of a transformer and a coil added in series with the primary winding of the transformer, a first circuit configured to cause, in a case where the voltage to be applied is cut off by the cut-off unit, current to flow in such a way that energy accumulated in the transformer is led to a capacitor, and a second circuit configured to clamp, in a case where the voltage to be applied is cut off by the cut-off unit, voltage of the primary winding and the coil.
US09685871B2
A switching power supply apparatus includes a PFM control circuit that outputs a clock signal Set such that a switching frequency of a switching element varies in accordance with a load state. The clock signal Set determines a turn-on timing of the switching element. A reference value of a current flowing through the switching element determines a turn-off timing of the switching element. A modulation signal is applied to the turn-off timing of the switching element to modulate one of a peak value of a drain current flowing through the switching element and an on-time of the switching element. Input control is performed separately on the clock signal Set and the modulation signal. Accordingly, even when the clock signal Set and the modulation signal contribute to each other to offset each other, modulation effects are not cancelled.
US09685868B2
A switch mode power supply, which functions in a continuous current mode and a discontinuous mode employing a zero crossing control circuit for determining a polarity of an inductor current and from the polarity of the inductor current, controlling an operational state of a switching section of the switch mode power supply such that the inductor current becomes approximately zero amperes at the end of each demagnetization phase of operation.
US09685866B2
In an embodiment a shunt driver circuit has a first and a second connection terminal (N1, N2) forming a two-wire interface (N1, N2), the first connection terminal (N1) being prepared to receive a supply power and to provide an output signal (Sout), the second connection terminal (N2) being connected to a reference potential terminal (10), an Operational Transconductance Amplifier, OTA, (11) comprising a first input coupled to the first connection terminal (N1), a second input for receiving a first reference signal (Sref1) and an output (12) for providing a signal (S12) depending on a difference between an input signal on the first input and the first reference signal (Sref1), a capacitor (C1) coupled between the output (12) and the first input of the OTA (11) via the second connection terminal (N2) in a control loop, and a controlled current source (13) coupled between the output (12) of the OTA (11) and the second connection terminal (N2). The controlled current source (13) is controlled to provide an additional current (Ifall) during a transient phase of the output signal (Sout).
US09685865B2
A power-supply apparatus according to an aspect includes an inductor, a transistor that supplies, in an on-state, a current to the input side of the inductor, a second transistor that becomes, when the first transistor is in an off-state, an on-state and thereby brings the input side of the inductor to a predetermined potential, a signal generation unit that generates voltage signals corresponding to a current flowing to the inductor, an amplifier that outputs a current according to the voltage signals, a converter that converts the current output from the amplifier into a voltage signal, and a control unit that controls the transistors based on a first feedback signal corresponding to the voltage on the output side of the inductor and the voltage signal, which is used as a second feedback signal.
US09685864B2
The present disclosure includes circuits that have a switching regulator and methods of operating the circuits. The switching regulator may receive a switching signal that has a switching frequency. The circuit also includes a monitor circuit to monitor the switching frequency, and includes a reconfigurable inductance coupled to an output of the switching regulator. The monitor circuit may change the reconfigurable inductance. The circuit includes an amplifier to receive an envelope tracking signal. An output of the amplifier is coupled to the output of the switching regulator to provide a power supply voltage. The circuit may further include a switching generator circuit to produce the switching signal for the switching regulator based on an output current of the amplifier. The monitor circuit may compare a frequency of the envelope tracking signal to the switching frequency of the switching signal and accordingly change the reconfigurable inductance.
US09685856B2
A bipolar output charge pump circuit having a network of switching paths for selectively connecting an input node and a reference node for connection to an input voltage, a first pair of output nodes and a second pair of output nodes, and two pairs of flying capacitor nodes, and a controller for controlling the switching of the network of switching paths. The controller is operable to control the network of switching paths when in use with two flying capacitors connected to the two pairs of flying capacitor nodes, to provide a first bipolar output voltage at the first pair of output nodes and a second bipolar output voltage at the second pair of bipolar output nodes.
US09685850B2
A voice coil motor 2 using a Dual Halbach Magnet Array has an outer magnet array 5 and an inner magnet array 6, wherein the inner magnet array 6 comprises axially magnetized magnets 6A, 6C and 6E and radially magnetized magnets 6B and 6D. Each of the axially magnetized magnets 6A, 6C and 6E of an inner magnet array 6 is formed of a monolithic magnet having ring-shape, whereas each of the radially magnetized magnets 6B and 6D of the inner magnet array 6 is formed of a plurality of split magnets divided in a circumferential direction. A fixing means 13 is provided to fix the radially magnetized magnets 6B and 6D and the axially magnetized magnets 6A, 6C and 6E of the inner magnet array 6 in an axially clamped manner.
US09685849B2
Displacement devices comprise a stator and a moveable stage. The stator comprises a plurality of coils shaped to provide pluralities of generally linearly elongated coil traces in one or more layers. Layers of coils may overlap in the Z-direction. The moveable stage comprises a plurality of magnet arrays. Each magnet array may comprise a plurality of magnetization segments generally linearly elongated in a corresponding direction. Each magnetization segment has a magnetization direction generally orthogonal to the direction in which it is elongated and at least two of the magnetization directions are different from one another. One or more amplifiers may be connected to selectively drive current in the coil traces and to thereby effect relative movement between the stator and the moveable stage.
US09685844B2
A motor may include a stator having coil groups of plural phases and a connector, the stator comprising a plurality of split stators. Each of the split stators may include a split core having an arc-shaped core back section and a tooth section, an insulator, a coil which has a lead-out line that is connected to the connector. The insulator may have a first void extending between a first inner wall and a first outer wall. The first inner wall may have a lead-in groove. The stator may have a support ring disposed on the upper side of the first void. The support ring may have a second void extending between a second inner wall and a second outer wall. A plurality of lead-out lines of different phases may respectively accommodated in the first void and the second void.
US09685843B2
A grounding device for an electric machine, having a rotating component and a stationary component, includes a core fabricated from a non-conductive material and a plurality of conductive fibers coupled to the core and extending therefrom. The plurality of conductive fibers are configured to electrically couple the rotating component with the stationary component such that an electrostatic charge on the rotating component is directed through the plurality of conductive fibers to the stationary component.
US09685839B2
In one embodiment, an electric motor includes at least three bearings. The ball bearing utilized in the three bearings may be sized based on benchmark surface areas associated with the ball bearing utilized in a conventional electric motor having two bearings. Moreover, a technique may be implemented to reduce the diameter at a point on the shaft where a backup or second bearing makes contact with the shaft. When the motor begins to operate, for example, at a first time, the at least three bearings together handle a the load coming through the motor. When the front-most bearing degrades to a predetermined point or fails, for example, at a second time, the load transitions from the front most bearing to the second or backup bearing in the front plate.
US09685837B2
A driving device for steering a vehicle includes a housing cover formed with a power supply connector; an insert mold installed in the housing cover and formed with a connecting connector; a printed circuit board disposed on one side of the insert mold; a motor driving module disposed on one side of the printed circuit board, formed with a first power connecting portion which is connected to the connecting connector by being installed in the housing cover, having a relay circuit portion which is connected to the first power connecting portion to switch power and three inverter circuit portions which are connected to the relay circuit portion, and formed with a second power connecting portion which is connected to the respective inverter circuit portions; and a motor portion disposed on one side of the motor driving module, and having a motor connector connected to the second power connecting portion.
US09685834B2
In a motor, a connection portion between a lead wire and an aluminum wire is provided distant from a terminal block, with a leading end of a winding residing on one of cores that is not adjacent to a core that is at a position where the terminal block is provided.
US09685832B2
The electric motor includes a rotor and a stator, the stator having a conductive wire wound thereon via a stator core and insulators. The insulators include an annular outer peripheral wall portion with the conductive wire run on an outer periphery side of the peripheral wall portion, a plurality of winding body portions protruding radially from the outer peripheral wall portion, and an inner flange portion. The outer peripheral wall portion on the winding body portion side includes an outer peripheral surface formed in an arc shape. The radial thickness of the outer peripheral wall portion is increasingly greater toward the circumferential center of the winding body portions.
US09685831B2
A rotating electric machine includes a rotor and a stator. The stator includes a stator core and a three-phase stator coil comprised of a plurality of star-connected phase windings. The phase windings are partially received in slots of the stator core to form a pair of coil ends which respectively protrude from opposite axial end faces of the stator core. Each of the phase windings is comprised of a plurality of winding segments. The stator coil also has a plurality of intraphase bridging wires electrically connecting the winding segments of the same phase and a plurality of interphase bridging wires electrically connecting neutral point-side ends of the phase windings. All of the intraphase and interphase bridging wires are arranged on one of the coil ends so that at least one of the intraphase bridging wires is in direct contact with at least one of the interphase bridging wires.
US09685830B2
An electric motor (1), comprising a primary part (2a, 2b) having an iron-free winding device (3) that comprises at least two phases (6), wherein one phase (6) comprises at least two phase windings (4) and at least one electrical connecting element (5), a secondary part (7a, 7b) having an even number of magnetic poles (8), which are arranged alternatively on the secondary part (7a, 7b), wherein the winding device (3) is arranged in an air gap (9) between the primary part (2a, 2b) and the secondary part (7a, 7b) relative to an axis (10a, 10b), in such a manner that each phase winding (4) of a phase (6) is arranged opposite a respective magnetic pole (8) and all magnetic poles (8) are usable simultaneously for force formation.
US09685822B2
A measurement unit measures power supplied from an outlet, a first acquisition unit acquires outlet identification information and power supply information which indicates a value of power supplied within a predetermined period of time, the value being measured by the measurement unit. Additionally, a second acquisition unit acquires appliance identification information and power consumption information which indicates a value of power consumed by the appliance within the predetermined period, a comparison unit compares the power supply information with the power consumption information, and a generation unit generates information indicating an association between the appliance and the outlet using the outlet identification information and the appliance identification information when a concordance rate between the power supply information and the power consumption information exceeds a threshold value according to the comparison result by the comparison unit.
US09685816B2
A power receiver for a wireless power transmission system that includes a power transmitter has input circuitry that converts power received from the power transmitter into an input signal. A regulator regulates the input signal to generate a regulated output signal based on a current reference signal and a voltage reference signal, and a load receives the regulated output signal. The regulator controls at least one of the current reference signal and the voltage reference signal to control power loss within the regulator. In one embodiment, the regulator globally controls the voltage of the rectified input signal and locally controls the current reference signal to limit power loss in the regulator as well as meet system load requirements.
US09685812B2
A device for inductive energy transfer between a stationary three-phase primary system and a mobile three-phase secondary system shows a stationary iron core part and two mobile iron core parts (3, 5) which are connected electrically in series are each designed as an equilateral triangle or as a star which spans an equilateral triangle and has limbs (3a, 3b, 3c; 5a, 5b, 5c) of equal length which run at the same angle in relation to one another, and supporting posts (3a′, 3b′, 3c′; 5a′, 5b′, 5c′) which start from the ends of said limbs, and also primary and secondary windings (4, 6) which are arranged at the same distance from one another. The device of simple design has a high degree of efficiency in respect of energy transfer. In the case of energy transfer only in the inoperative state, a stationary iron core part and a mobile iron core part can also be positioned directly one on the other without magnetic rails.
US09685809B2
A method and apparatus for controlling battery charging in an electronic device are provided. The electronic device may include a charging module, a connector, and one or more processors. Upon detecting charging by a power source, the one or more processors control the charging module to perform the charging of a battery cell by a first charging current through a first port of the connector. The one or more processors detect whether a voltage is applied through a second port of the connector, and if so, the one or more processors control the charging module to perform the charging of the battery cell using a second charging current through the first port and the second port of the connector.
US09685805B2
An assembled electronic apparatus and a control method thereof are provided. The assembled electronic apparatus includes a first body and a second body. A second processor shares a partial content of a sensing record generated by a sensing module through a second information sharing module. The first body and the second body are connected with each other through the first connector and the second connector. After being connected with each other, a message is transmitted by one of the first processor and the second processor to another one of the first processor and the second processor, so that a function is executed by the another one of the first processor and the second processor through the corresponding first processor or the corresponding second processor according to the message. The first processor shares a content of the sensing record generated by the sensing module through a first information sharing module.
US09685802B1
Wearable devices configured to detect a magnetic field related to the presence, proximity, relative location, relative orientation, configuration, identity, or other information about an eternal charger or other external device are provided. The wearable devices are configured to detect, using one or more magnetometers, magnetic fields produced by (e.g., by permanent magnets or electromagnets) and/or modified by (e.g., by a shim or other element of magnetic material configured to have a specified high permeability) the external charger. The wearable device can change an operational state, display some information, receive power from the external charger to charge a battery of the wearable device, or perform some other function in response to determining some information about the external charger based on the detected magnetic field.
US09685790B2
Approximately one-half of the loss of delivered power from a solar panel having photovoltaic (PV) cells connected in series to form sub-panels due to shading is recovered at low hardware cost by connecting sub-panels in series and providing maximum power point tracking control in common for the series connected sub-panels such that the respective sub-panels produce equal voltages even in the presence of shading of a portion of one or more sub-panels. By doing so, the input voltage of respective power converters which control the voltage at which each sub-panel is operated can be placed close to the maximum power point of each sub-panel regardless of shading and maximum total power harvested even though the respective sub-panels are not operated at optimum voltages.
US09685785B2
A system for delivering power over a network of devices connected through a serial link includes a first and second differential pairs of wires. Each differential pair of wires is double AC coupled by a HPF on one side and by another HPF on an opposite side. An LPF connects a portion of each differential pair of wires between the HPFs to a voltage source, and another LPF connects that portion of each differential pair to a load. The system further includes a third and fourth differential pairs of wires. All four differential pairs of wires are located within a single cable, such as a CAT6 cable. The first, second and third differential pair of wires are used for video links, and the fourth differential pair of wires are used for the bi-directional hybrid link. A power delivery circuit in each device includes a voltage source, a power relay switch, a signature resistor for detection, and a load detector.
US09685784B2
Provided is a network system for a component capable of effectively managing an energy source.
US09685777B2
A leakage detection breaker includes a current transformer configured to detect a leakage current, and a leakage determination unit configured to determine DC and AC leakages based on an output signal from the current transformer. The leakage detection breaker further includes a power supply cut-off unit configured to cut off a supply of DC or AC power when the current leakage determination unit determines the occurrence of the DC or AC leakage.
US09685771B2
A space damper for 4-cable bundles of overhead power transmission lines is disclosed, comprising a framework (10) where—from four support arms (20a-20b) depart, at the distal ends of which there are provided clamps for fastening electric cables, said arms (20a-20c) being constrained to the framework (10) through respective dampening hinges (30a-30c), wherein the spacer damper is configured so that the vertical, natural-mode frequencies thereof are higher than the corresponding horizontal, natural-mode frequencies thereof.
US09685770B2
Disclosed is a vacuum wall-through structure to be installed in a hole formed in a wall of a vacuum chamber. The vacuum wall-through structure includes a cable holder that holds a cable at the center thereof and a cable holder cover installed outside the cable holder.
US09685768B2
A spout for a connection between a bus bar and a circuit breaker in switchgear includes a housing and a fixed contact. The housing is formed of insulative material and includes a tubular body having an inner cavity and a radial first ventilation opening, a base portion having a first longitudinal opening, and a fixed contact receiving portion having a second longitudinal opening. The fixed contact is formed of a conductive material, has an outer contact surface exposed through the second longitudinal opening, and forms a portion of an outer surface of the spout. A switchgear includes a wall dividing a circuit breaker compartment from a bus bar compartment, and the base portion of the spout is securable to the wall. A method of increasing heat dissipation within switchgear using the spout includes securing a bus bar to the outer contact surface, and dissipating heat through the radial ventilation opening.
US09685765B2
A new monolithic resonator metasurface design achieves ultra-high Q-factors while using only one resonator per unit cell. The metasurface relies on breaking the symmetry of otherwise highly symmetric resonators to induce intra-resonator mixing of bright and dark modes (rather than inter-resonator couplings), and is scalable from the near-infrared to radio frequencies and can be easily implemented in dielectric materials. The resulting high-quality-factor Fano metasurface can be used in many sensing, spectral filtering, and modulation applications.
US09685764B2
A semiconductor optical element has a semiconductor substrate, a diffraction grating, a diffraction grating embedding layer, an active layer and a cladding layer. The diffraction grating includes a plurality of grating elements arranged on the semiconductor substrate along a direction (Z direction) in which laser light is emitted. Each grating element has a lower portion and an upper portion provided on the lower portion. The lower portions of the grating elements are connected to each other to form one layer in a lower section of the diffraction grating. The upper portion has a first refractive index and the lower portion has a second refractive index. A refractive index of the diffraction grating embedding layer is an intermediate value between the first and the second refractive index.
US09685763B1
Described herein are methods, systems, and apparatuses to utilize a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) comprising a silicon layer including a silicon waveguide, a non-silicon layer disposed on the silicon layer and including a non-silicon waveguide, first and second mode transition region comprising tapers in the silicon waveguide and/or the non-silicon waveguide for exchanging light between the waveguide, and a plurality of regions disposed between the first and second mode transition regions comprising different cross-sectional areas of the silicon waveguide and the non-silicon waveguide such that confinement factors for the non-silicon waveguide in each of the plurality of regions differ.
US09685762B1
Described herein are photonic integrated circuits (PICs) comprising a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) to output a signal comprising a plurality of wavelengths, a sensor to detect data associated with a power value of each wavelength of the output signal of the SOA, a filter to filter power values of one or more of the wavelengths of the output signal of the SOA, and control circuitry to control the filter to reduce a difference between a pre-determined power value of each filtered wavelength of the output signal of the SOA and the detected power value of each filtered wavelength of the output signal of the SOA.
US09685758B2
A laser system having an automatic diagnosis function enabling a plurality of laser diodes to be diagnosed for faults in a short time.The laser system includes a judging part judging the presence of a fault or deterioration of a component of the laser system. The judging part is configured to judge the presence of a fault or deterioration of a component of the laser system based on the results of detection of a first photodetection part and second photodetection part when successively driving a plurality of laser diode module groups included in an individual laser oscillation unit so that the mutual drive times do not overlap simultaneously for at least two laser oscillation units among a plurality of laser oscillation units.
US09685755B2
A method of controlling beam quality and stability of a laser apparatus, the laser apparatus comprising, a diode laser (10) providing first radiation of at least a first wavelength, and a frequency conversion unit (12) configured to frequency-convert the first radiation from the diode laser and to output the frequency-converted radiation (213), the frequency-converted radiation having at least a second wavelength different from the first wavelength, the diode laser (10) comprising at least a first and a second section (222,223), a first contact (220) for injecting a first current (I1) into the first section (222), a second contact (221) for injecting a second current (I2) into the second section (223), and means for controlling a temperature of the diode laser; wherein the method comprises monitoring a first parameter indicative of the power content of a dominant lobe of the first radiation; iteratively determining a combination of respective values of the first current, the second current and the temperature at which combination of respective values the monitored first parameter and a stability parameter indicative of a fluctuation over time of the monitored first parameter each fulfills a respective predetermined optimization criterion; and setting the first current, the second current, and the temperature to the determined combination of respective values.
US09685753B2
A new principle for a tunable optical parametric oscillator (OPO) and a related method are disclosed. An OPO is tuned by setting the temperature of a non-linear element to select a desired signal/idler combination, and narrow-band operation is effected by tuning a birefringent filter in the OPO to a temperature setting at which the filter matches the selected signal/idler combination, wherein broad and stable tunability is obtained by virtue of at least two different temperature settings of the non-linear element being matched to a single common temperature setting of the birefringent filter.
US09685749B1
A cable limiting device is for connecting to a connection device of a server. The connection device includes a motherboard, a bridgeboard, and a port disposed on the bridgeboard and coupled to the motherboard. The cable limiting device includes a side plate having a longitudinal opening and a transverse slot communicated with each other, a casing, and a cable fixed in the casing. A pillar of the casing passes through the longitudinal opening to be slidably disposed through the transverse slot and be movable relative to the transverse slot for making the casing away from or close to the side plate. When the cable is connected to the port, the casing is away from or close to the side plate with movement of the pillar in the transverse slot for guiding a gold-plated terminal of the cable to be inserted into the port and establishing signal transmission via the bridgeboard.
US09685748B2
An adapter includes an insulating body, a plurality of electrical terminals which are assembled into the insulting body and a shielding shell. The insulating body has a tongue board at a front thereof, the tongue board defines terminal grooves in a bottom surface thereof, a rear surface of the insulating body defines a rear insertion chamber. Each of the electrical terminals has a holding portion assembled in the insulating body, a first contact portion connected with a front end of the holding portion, a second contact portion connected with a rear end of the holding portion. The first contact portions of the electrical terminals are assembled in the terminal grooves and protrude beyond the bottom surface of the tongue board, the second contact portions of the electrical terminals are located in the rear insertion chamber.
US09685743B2
Electrical connector having a light guide and a light source carrying internal printed circuit board
A cable-end electrical connector includes a frontal mating member; a vertical internal printed circuit board defining a front surface; a number of light sources positioned on the front surface of the printed circuit board; a light transmissive member permitting a light emitted from the light source to pass through; and a cover enclosing the light transmissive member and the printed circuit board. The light transmissive member includes a penetrable portion permitting the light to pass through and a holding section holding the printed circuit board and constraining the printed circuit board from moving in an up-and-down direction.
US09685738B2
A connector system is disclosed that can include a first and second connector. The first connector supports a channel terminal that is U-shaped and includes a mating edge. The second connector includes one or more wafers that support terminals arranged in an edge-coupled manner. Ground terminals in the one or more wafers are configured to engage the mating edge of the channel terminal. Each wafer can include a shield mounted on a side of the wafer. If desired, the ground terminal, the channel terminal and the shield can be electrically connected in the mating interface.
US09685728B2
An electrical connector includes: an insulative housing having a rear base portion and a front tongue portion, said tongue portion being formed with a platform connected with the base portion; a number of terminals arranged at the tongue portion, each terminal comprising a conductive portion formed with a contacting portion for contacting with a mating connector, and a soldering portion extending outwardly of the insulative housing; at least one waterproof film extending rearwardly up to the platform; and a shielding shell enclosing the insulative housing; wherein the conductive portions of the terminals are exposed on the tongue portion to form at least one conductive region on the tongue portion covered by the at least one waterproof film.
US09685724B2
A connector includes a first terminal accommodated in a first housing portion of a housing and a holding terminal accommodated in a second housing portion of the housing. The holding terminal is identical in shape to the first terminal and is configured to hold a cable. The first terminal has a contact point configured to come into contact with the cable. The holding terminal has a holding part corresponding in position to the contact point of the first terminal. When the housing is oriented so that the direction of inserting and removing the cable is horizontal, the holding part of the holding terminal accommodated in the second housing portion differs in position in height from the contact point of the first terminal accommodated in the first housing portion.
US09685721B2
An electrical connector assembly, comprises a first connector, and a second connector mounted onto the first connector, a frame surrounding the connectors, a locking member, an actuator, a first lever assemble the locking member to the frame, and a second lever assemble the actuator to the frame. The locking member locks the second lever, a user must firstly press the first lever to make the locking member release the second lever, and next press the second lever to bring the actuator rotate, and then the actuator upwardly push the second connector to apart the second connector from the first connector.
US09685720B1
A connector structure (100) for a flexible light strip (10) includes a cable joint (110) and an insulation body (200). The cable joint (110) includes a housing (120) and a plurality of conductive terminals (130) assembled in the housing (120). Each of the conductive terminals (130) includes a piercing portion (150). The insulation body (200) has a first end (210) and a second end (220) communicating with the first end (210). The flexible light strip (10) is inserted into the first end (210), and the housing (120) is inserted into the second end (220). The piercing portion (150) is parallel to the flexible light strip (10) and correspondingly pierces the flexible light trip (10) to be electrically coupled to the same. Therefore, the connector structure (100) achieves fast assembly and improves efficiency and reliability for connection.
US09685716B2
The present invention provides an attachment structure of an electronic device which reduces the working man-hour and the electronic device is easily detached. Therefore, the attachment structure of the electronic device is to detachably latch latching claw portions provided on a lower surface of a base of a connector terminal platform onto latching ribs of a DIN rail. Particularly, in leading ends of elastic arm portions extending from the base, the latching claw portions capable of being latched onto the latching ribs of the DIN rail are provided, and operation receiving portions for elastically deforming the elastic arm portions by a push-down operation are provided. By pushing down the operation receiving portions and elastically deforming the elastic arm portions, a latching state of the latching claw portions latched onto the latching ribs of the DIN rail can be cancelled.
US09685714B2
Disclosed is a radar array antenna. The radar array antenna includes: at least one main power feed line electrically coupled to a feed point; a plurality of branch lines branched from the main feed line; and a plurality of patch radiators, each having a square shape, and respectively coupled to the plurality of branch lines. Each of the plurality of branch lines is coupled to one edge of each of the patch radiators. According to the disclosed radar array antenna, the power feed line of the radar array antenna may be minimized in size by using the patch radiator to reduce power losses and realize miniaturization.
US09685707B2
An antenna is provided and includes a radiator aperture assembly including a plurality of radiator sticks, each radiator stick including a row of radiating elements configured to transmit and receive RF energy and a body having opposite sides, conductive elements coupled to the radiating elements and a plate disposed proximate to the radiator aperture assembly through which the conductive elements extend. Complementary opposite sides of the respective bodies of adjacent radiator sticks and a surface of the plate are configured to form a slot radiator.
US09685701B2
An antenna system supports a common resonance mode and differential resonance mode, each with approximately equal radiation resistance and bandwidth at a given operating frequency band. The antenna system includes a resonant antenna section, a counterpoise, and two antenna ports. The resonant antenna section includes two spaced-apart poles and a distributed network therebetween. Each of the poles has a proximal end connected to the distributed network and an opposite distal end. The distal ends of the poles are separated from each other by a distance of ⅓ to ⅔ of the electrical wavelength at the given operating frequency. Each of the two antenna ports is defined by a pair of feed terminals with one feed terminal located on the counterpoise and the other feed terminal located on a different one of the poles of the resonant antenna section. The resonant antenna section, counterpoise, and ports are configured such that a signal within the given operating frequency band applied to one port is isolated from the other port.
US09685698B2
Multi-tap switchable antenna apparatus for use with mobile devices and other applications, and methods of utilizing the same. In one embodiment, the multi-tap switchable antenna apparatus includes a main radiator coupled to an antenna feed or source. Galvanically connected to the main radiator is a plurality of switchable antenna radiators which are in turn connected to an nPmT switch. The output of the nPmT switch can be connected to a variety of differing electronic component impedances. By altering the state of the nPmT switch, the operational length of the antenna (and hence, the operational frequency band of the antenna) can be varied. Performance characteristics associated with a given implementation of the multi-tap switchable apparatus are also disclosed.
US09685686B2
The invention provides a power divider, comprising: a plurality of transmission stages and a plurality of ground layers alternately arranged on respective ones of a plurality of dielectric layers, a first transmission stage being arranged on a first dielectric layer, and a last transmission stage being arranged below a last dielectric layer; wherein the plurality of transmission stages are arrayed vertically, each consisting of a loop formed by a transmission line; the first transmission stage has a first opening connected by a resistor, and each of the remaining transmission stages has the first opening connected by the resistor and a second opening without a resistor; two ends of the first opening of one of the adjacent transmission stages are connected to two ends of the second opening of the other one of the adjacent transmission stages by via transitions, in a top-to-bottom direction; and each ground layer has clearances through which the via transitions pass. The invention also provides a method of fabricating the power divider.
US09685685B2
Disclosed is a variable bandwidth RF filter. The disclosed filter comprises: a first filter unit having a first bandwidth and a variable-frequency structure; and a second filter unit having a second bandwidth and a variable-frequency structure. The first filter unit and the second filter unit are coupled to a cascade structure, and the bandwidth is adjusted by varying the frequency of the first filter unit and of the second filter unit. The disclosed filter is advantageous in that the variation of the bandwidth can be easily performed using a simple structure.
US09685660B2
A positive electrode for lithium-ion secondary battery is provided, the positive electrode being able to endure high-temperature and high-voltage driving modes or operations. At least parts of the surface of positive-electrode active-material particles are covered by a polymer coating layer, and an amino group and phosphoric-acid group are included in the polymer coating layer. Since the polymer coating layer includes a phosphoric-acid-based polymer, capacity declines are inhibited at the time of cycle tests.
US09685654B2
An electrode is produced by forming an electrode layer on a surface of a current collector using an electrode composition containing a binder including a polyamide acid that is obtained from a specific aromatic tetracarboxylic acid compound and a diamine component containing a diamine having a carboxyl group, and subsequently performing heat treatment to remove a solvent and perform an imidization reaction of the polyamide acid. It is preferable that the electrode composition further contains a crosslinking agent having an epoxy group or an oxazoline group. It is also preferable that the electrode composition further contains a pyridine.
US09685653B2
An object is to suppress electrochemical decomposition of an electrolyte solution and the like at a negative electrode in a lithium ion battery or a lithium ion capacitor; thus, irreversible capacity is reduced, cycle performance is improved, or operating temperature range is extended. A negative electrode for a power storage device including a negative electrode current collector, a negative electrode active material layer which is over the negative electrode current collector and includes a plurality of particles of a negative electrode active material, and a film covering part of the negative electrode active material. The film has an insulating property and lithium ion conductivity.
US09685651B2
In one example, a system for a flow cell for a flow battery, comprising: a first flow field; and a polymeric frame, comprising: a top face; a bottom face, opposite the top face; a first side; a second side, opposite the first side; a first electrolyte inlet located on the top face and the first side of the polymeric frame; a first electrolyte outlet located on the top face and the second side of the polymeric frame; a first electrolyte inlet flow path located within the polymeric frame and coupled to the first electrolyte inlet; and a first electrolyte outlet flow path located within the polymeric frame and coupled to the first electrolyte outlet. In this way, shunt currents may be minimized by increasing the length and/or reducing the cross-sectional area of the electrolyte inlet and electrolyte outlet flow paths.
US09685642B2
A sealed storage battery that is easy to produce, has a low short circuit risk, and has an improved total energy density is provided. A battery includes a first metal sheet having a recessed portion, the recessed portion having a flange portion at its periphery, a multilayer electrode assembly housed in the recessed portion, and a second metal sheet covering the flange portion and the recessed portion. The first metal sheet and the second metal sheet also serve as electrodes. The flange portion is joined to the second metal sheet with a hot-melt resin. A joint between the flange portion and the second metal sheet is folded back toward the recessed portion. An outer edge of the flange portion folded back toward the recessed portion protrudes relative to an outer edge of the second metal sheet folded back toward the recessed portion.
US09685636B2
A display device including: a display panel; a bottom cover configured to accommodate the display panel; and a composite sheet disposed between the display panel and the bottom cover. The composite sheet includes a buffer sheet having at least one through hole and at least one heat-dissipating sheet accommodated in the through hole.
US09685630B2
An organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display includes: a substrate on which an organic light-emitting element is formed; an organic light-emitting element on a substrate; a first inorganic layer on the organic light-emitting element and made substantially of hydrogenated silicon nitride (SiNx:H); an organic layer on a portion of the first inorganic layer; and a second inorganic layer on and completely covering the organic layer. Edges of the second inorganic layer come in contact with the first inorganic layer. A ratio of a number of oxygen atoms to silicon atoms contained in the first inorganic layer ranges from 0.12 to 0.19, and a ratio of a number of nitrogen atoms to silicon atoms contained in the first inorganic layer ranges from 0.9 to 1.5. The first inorganic layer and the second inorganic layer have substantially the same composition.
US09685626B2
An organic light-emitting display apparatus includes: a substrate; a display unit on the substrate and including a display area and a non-display area outside of the display area; and a thin-film encapsulation layer that seals the display unit, wherein the non-display area includes a dam region located outside of the display area and a plurality of protrusions on at least a part of the display unit outside of the dam region.
US09685622B2
Discussed is a white organic light emitting device for enhancing emission efficiency and panel efficiency. The white organic light emitting device can include a first emission part between a first electrode and a second electrode and configured to include a first emission layer (EML), a second emission part on the first emission part and configured to include a second EML, and a third emission part on the second emission part and configured to include a third EML. The first to third emission parts have an emission position of emitting layers (EPEL) structure in which the first to third emission parts have a maximum emission range in respective emission areas of the first to third EMLs.
US09685602B2
The present invention provides a piezoelectric thin film element having a pair of electrode layers and a piezoelectric thin film sandwiched between the pair of electrode layers, wherein the pair of electrode layers are composed of platinum (Pt), oxide particles are contained in at least one of the electrode layers, and the oxide particles are oxide particles of at least one element constituting the piezoelectric thin film or oxide particles of Pt.
US09685595B1
A light-emitting diode chip package and a manufacturing process thereof sequentially includes a transparent layer, a fluorescent layer, a wafer layer, a light-emitting diode chip, a dielectric layer, a metal circuit layer, and a protective film and conductive blocks used to draw out the electrodes of the light-emitting diode chip. The outer surfaces of the fluorescent layer and the wafer layer retreat from the fluorescent layer down to the wafer layer to form a slant, and the dielectric layer, the metal circuit layer, and the protective film spread out to coat the slant. Simple techniques at low cost are involved.
US09685594B2
An LED module includes a submount having a face in a thickness direction thereof, an LED chip bonded to the face of the submount with a first bond, and a patterned wiring circuit electrically connected to the LED chip. The first bond transmits light emitted from the LED chip. The submount is a light-transmissive member having light diffusing properties, and a planar size larger than a planar size of the LED chip. The patterned wiring circuit is provided on the face of the submount so as not to overlap the LED chip. The submount is constituted by a plurality of light-transmissive layers which are stacked in the thickness direction and have different optical properties so that a light-transmissive layer of the plurality of light-transmissive layers which is farther from the LED chip is higher in reflectance in a wavelength range of the light emitted from the LED chip.
US09685592B2
One embodiment of the surface mount LED package includes a lead frame and a plastic casing at least partially encasing the lead frame. The lead frame includes a plurality of electrically conductive chip carriers. There is an LED disposed on each one of the plurality of electrically conductive chip carriers. A profile height of the surface mount LED package is less than about 1.0 mm.
US09685590B2
The present invention relates to a light-emitting diode (LED), which comprises electrodes having a single metal reflective layer. The single metal reflective layer is thicker than the active layer of the LED. Thereby, at least a portion of light emitted from the active layer is reflected by the single metal reflective layer, and thus enhancing the light-emitting efficiency of the LED.
US09685589B2
An optoelectronic component includes a layer structure which has a first gallium nitride layer and an aluminum-containing nitride intermediate layer. In this case, the aluminum-containing nitride intermediate layer adjoins the first gallium nitride layer. The layer structure has an undoped second gallium nitride layer which adjoins the aluminum-containing nitride intermediate layer.
US09685581B2
A manufacturing method of a solar cell having diffusion layers of different conductivity types on a front surface of a semiconductor substrate and a back surface thereof, respectively, includes a step of forming a diffusion protection mask containing impurities to cover at least a partial region of the semiconductor substrate, and a diffusion step of performing a diffusion step including a thermal step in a state where at least the partial region of the semiconductor substrate is covered with the diffusion protection mask containing impurities, forming a first-impurity diffusion layer in a first region covered with the diffusion protection mask, and forming a second-impurity diffusion layer having a different impurity concentration or a different conductivity type from that of the diffusion protection mask in a second region exposed from the diffusion protection mask.
US09685578B2
A photocoupler comprises a light emitting element, a light-sensing element, a transparent inner encapsulant body, an outer covering body, and two conductive frames. An optically reflective surface is formed on the outer covering body directly in contact with the dome encapsulant portion of the transparent inner encapsulant body. A portion of the light emitted by the light emitting element is reflected to the light-sensing element through the optically reflective surface, and the other portion of the light emitted from the light emitting element is directly emitting to the light-sensing element through the dome encapsulant portion. The present invention applies the optically reflective surface to minimize the overlapping area between the two conductive frames, and reduces the capacitance value, and increases the CMRR in a manner that the photocoupler of the present invention is able to meet the standard of electrical characteristics as required.
US09685571B2
A solar cell module includes solar cells that are encased in a protective package and a high electric susceptibility layer that is placed on the solar cells. The high electric susceptibility layer is polarized such that a sheet charge is developed at the interface of the high electric susceptibility layer and the solar cells. The protective package includes an encapsulant that encapsulates the solar cells. The encapsulant may be a multilayer encapsulant, with the high electric susceptibility layer being a layer of the encapsulant. The high electric susceptibility layer may also be a material that is separate from the encapsulant.
US09685570B2
A light receiving apparatus includes a light receiving device including a compound semiconductor substrate, photodiodes, and bump electrodes; and a semiconductor integrated device including a silicon substrate and read-out circuits. Bonded, the integrated device and the light receiving device face each other in a direction of a first axis through the bump electrodes. The light receiving device has a back surface with first and second back edges extending in a direction of a second axis intersecting with the first axis. The light receiving device has a first slope face extending from the first back edge along a first reference plane, and a second slope face extending from the second back edge along a second reference plane. The back surface of the light receiving device extends along a third reference plane intersecting with the first axis. The first and second reference planes are inclined with respect to the third reference plane.
US09685569B2
A method of forming a CIGS absorber wherein at least one source particle is selected and prepared as a powder or gel; the powder or gel is deposited on a substrate, compressed, and annealed. In some embodiments, a plurality of source particles are prepared as powders and mixed prior to deposition, compression, and annealing. In other embodiments, a plurality of source particles are individually deposited in layers, collectively compressed, and collectively annealed. In yet further embodiments, a plurality of source particles are individually deposited in layers, individually compressed, and collectively annealed.
US09685564B2
A Gate-All-Around (GAA) Field Effect Transistor (FET) can include a horizontal nanosheet conductive channel structure having a width in a horizontal direction in the GAA FET, a height that is perpendicular to the horizontal direction, and a length that extends in the horizontal direction, where the width of the horizontal nanosheet conductive channel structure defines a physical channel width of the GAA FET. First and second source/drain regions can be located at opposing ends of the horizontal nanosheet conductive channel structure and a unitary gate material completely surrounding the horizontal nanosheet conductive channel structure.
US09685561B2
An object is to provide a semiconductor device having good electrical characteristics. A gate insulating layer having a hydrogen concentration less than 6×1020 atoms/cm3 and a fluorine concentration greater than or equal to 1×1020 atoms/cm3 is used as a gate insulating layer in contact with an oxide semiconductor layer forming a channel region, so that the amount of hydrogen released from the gate insulating layer can be reduced and diffusion of hydrogen into the oxide semiconductor layer can be prevented. Further, hydrogen present in the oxide semiconductor layer can be eliminated with the use of fluorine; thus, the hydrogen content in the oxide semiconductor layer can be reduced. Consequently, the semiconductor device having good electrical characteristics can be provided.
US09685554B1
A FinFET including a gate stack, a semiconductor fin embedded in the gate stack, a source and a drain disposed is provided. The semiconductor fin extends along a widthwise direction of the gate stack and has a first concave and a second concave exposed at sidewalls of the gate stack respectively. The source and drain are disposed at two opposite sides of the gate stack. The source includes a first ridge portion embedded in the first concave and the drain includes a second ridge portion embedded in the second concave, wherein the first and second ridge portions extend along a height direction of the semiconductor fin.
US09685547B2
A semiconductor apparatus includes a substrate, a semiconductor layer formed above the substrate and including a nitride semiconductor, an electrode formed above the semiconductor layer and including gold, a barrier film formed above the electrode and a protection film formed above the semiconductor layer and including one of a silicon oxide film, a silicon nitride film, and a silicon oxynitride film. The protection film is formed on the barrier film. The barrier film includes a metal oxide material, a metal nitride film, or a metal oxynitride film.
US09685546B2
A semiconductor device of an embodiment includes a first layer, a second layer provided on the first layer, the second layer forming a two-dimensional electron gas in the first layer; a source electrode provided on the second layer, a drain electrode provided on the second layer, a gate electrode provided between the source electrode and the drain electrode on the second layer and a first insulating layer provided between the gate electrode and the drain electrode on the second layer. The first insulating layer includes a first film, a second film having a higher oxygen density than the first film and a first region provided between the first film and the second film. The first region contains at least one first element selected from the group consisting of F, H, and D, the first region having a first peak of concentration of the first element.
US09685531B2
A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device having metal gates includes following steps. A substrate including a first transistor and a second transistor formed thereon is provided. The first transistor includes a first gate trench and the second transistor includes a second gate trench. A patterned first work function metal layer is formed in the first gate trench and followed by forming a second sacrificial masking layer respectively in the first gate trench and the second gate trench. An etching process is then performed to form a U-shaped first work function metal layer in the first gate trench. Subsequently, a two-step etching process including a strip step and a wet etching step is performed to remove the second sacrificial masking layer and portions of the U-shaped first work function metal layer to form a taper top on the U-shaped first work function metal layer in the first gate trench.
US09685525B2
Some embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) which includes a heterojunction structure arranged over a semiconductor substrate. The heterojunction structure includes a binary III/V semiconductor layer made of a first III-nitride material to act as a channel region of the e-HEMT, and a ternary III/V semiconductor layer arranged over the binary III/V semiconductor layer and made of a second III-nitride material to act as a barrier layer. Source and drain regions are arranged over the ternary III/V semiconductor layer and are spaced apart laterally from one another. A gate structure is arranged over the heterojunction structure and is arranged between the source and drain regions. The gate structure is made of a third III-nitride material. A first passivation layer is disposed about sidewalls of the gate structure and is made of a fourth III-nitride material.
US09685524B2
Systems and methods for narrow semiconductor trench structures. In a first method embodiment, a method for forming a narrow trench comprises forming a first layer of insulating material on a substrate and creating a trench through the first layer of insulating material and into the substrate. A second insulating material is formed on the first layer and on exposed portions of the trench and the second insulating material is removed from the first layer of insulating material and the bottom of the trench. The trench is filled with an epitaxial material and the first layer of insulating material is removed. A narrow trench is formed by the removal of remaining portions of the second insulating material.
US09685520B1
A manufacturing method of a semiconductor device includes the following steps. A first gate dielectric layer is formed in a first gate trench and a second gate dielectric layer is formed in a second gate trench. A first bottom barrier layer is formed on the first gate dielectric layer and the second gate dielectric layer. A first conductivity type work function layer is formed on the first bottom barrier layer. A first treatment to the first gate dielectric layer and/or a second treatment to the first bottom barrier layer on the first gate dielectric layer are performed before the step of forming the first conductivity type work function layer. The first treatment and the second treatment are used to modify threshold voltages of specific transistors, and thicknesses of work function layers formed subsequently may be modified for increasing the related process window accordingly.
US09685518B2
A method of forming a semiconductor structure of a control gate is provided, including depositing a first dielectric layer overlying a substrate, forming a surface modification layer from the first dielectric layer; and forming semiconductor dots on the surface modification layer. The surface modification layer has a bonding energy to the semiconductor dots less than the bonding energy between the first dielectric layer and the semiconductor dots. Therefore the semiconductor dots have higher density to form on the surface modification layer than that to directly form on the first dielectric layer. And a semiconductor device is also provided to tighten threshold voltage (Vt) and increase programming efficiency.
US09685511B2
A semiconductor device includes a first region of a first conductivity type and a body region of a second conductivity type, the first conductivity type being different from the second conductivity type. The body region is disposed on a side of a first surface of the semiconductor substrate. The semiconductor device further includes a plurality of trenches arranged in the first surface of the substrate, the trenches extending in a first direction having a component perpendicular to the first surface. Doped portions of the second conductivity type are adjacent to a lower portion of a sidewall of the trenches. The doped portions are electrically coupled to the body region via contact regions. The semiconductor device further includes a gate electrode disposed in an upper portion of the trenches.
US09685505B2
A semiconductor device that includes: a semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type, having a peripheral area and a cell area inside of the peripheral area; a region of a second conductivity type in the semiconductor layer in the cell area; and a plurality of guard rings of the second conductivity type in the semiconductor layer in the peripheral area, each having a substantially same depth as the region of the second conductivity type in the cell area. The plurality of guard rings include at least one first ring that has a diffusion region in the depth profile in the semiconductor layer that is wider at a top thereof.
US09685499B1
A capacitive device includes a first electrode comprising a nanosheet stack and a second electrode comprising a nanosheet stack, the second electrode arranged substantially parallel to the first electrode. A first conductive contact is arranged on a basal end of the first electrode, and a second conductive contact is arranged on a basal end of the second electrode.
US09685497B2
A semiconductor device includes a first metallization layer including a first dielectric layer. A first conductive layer and a first conductive structure are embedded in the first dielectric layer. A second dielectric layer is disposed on the first metallization layer. A second conductive layer is disposed on the second dielectric layer and has a lateral dimension in a lateral direction larger than a lateral dimension of the first conductive layer in the lateral direction. A third dielectric layer is disposed on the second conductive layer. A first contact is disposed in the third dielectric layer and extends through the second conductive structure in a first peripheric region thereof that does not overlap the first conductive layer to contact the first conductive structure. A capacitor structure includes the first conductive layer, the second dielectric layer and the second conductive layer.
US09685492B2
A display apparatus includes a first substrate including a first display region and a first non-display region, a first display device in the first display region of the first substrate, a second substrate including a second display region and a second non-display region, the second display region overlapping the first non-display region of the first substrate, and a second display device in the second display region of the second substrate.
US09685473B2
A 4-color pixel image sensor having a visible color noise reduction function in a near infrared ray (NIR) pixel may include an active pixel region having a plurality of photodiodes, a plurality of first metal layers, a plurality of color filters, a first NIR pixel and a micro-lens, which are stacked, wherein the plurality of photodiodes are arranged in series and the plurality of color filters are formed to be adjacent to each other in series; an NIR optical black pixel region having a plurality of photodiodes and a second NIR pixel, which are stacked, wherein the plurality of photodiodes are arranged in series; and a visible optical black pixel region having a plurality of photodiodes, a second metal layer, a plurality of color filters and a micro-lens, which are stacked, wherein the plurality of photodiodes are arranged in series, and the plurality of color filters are formed to be adjacent to each other in series, wherein the active pixel region, the NIR optical black pixel region and the visible optical black pixel region are arranged on a same substrate in series.
US09685464B2
A display substrate includes a pixel portion, a test pad portion and a first electrostatic dispersion line. The pixel portion includes a switching element, a first electrode and a second electrode. The switching element is disposed in a display area of a base substrate. The switching element is electrically connected with a gate line and a data line. The first electrode is disposed adjacent to the switching element. The second electrode is disposed on the first electrode and overlaps the first electrode. The first electrode and the second electrode are electrically connected with the switching element. The test pad portion is disposed adjacent to the display area. The test pad portion is electrically connected with the pixel portion to apply a test signal. The electrostatic dispersion line extends to an end of the base substrate. The first electrostatic dispersion line and the second electrode are formed from a same layer.
US09685462B2
A semiconductor device of an embodiment includes an oxide semiconductor layer including a first region, a second region and the third region provided between the first region and the second region. The oxide semiconductor layer contains indium (In), gallium (Ga), and zinc (Zn). The first and second regions have thinner film thickness and lower indium (In) concentration than the third region. An insulating film is provided on the third region, and an electrode is provided on the insulating film. A first conductive layer is provided under the first region and electrically connected with the first region. A second conductive layer is provided under the second region and electrically connected with the second region.
US09685456B2
A transistor device is fabricated by growing an epitaxial layer of semiconductor material on a semiconductor layer and forming an opening extending through the epitaxial layer at a position where a gate is to be located. This opening provides, from the epitaxial layer, a source epitaxial region on one side of the opening and a drain epitaxial region on an opposite side of the opening. The source epitaxial region and a first portion of the semiconductor layer underlying the source epitaxial region are then converted into a transistor source region. Additionally, the drain epitaxial region and a second portion of the semiconductor layer underlying the drain epitaxial region are converted into a transistor drain region. A third portion of the semiconductor layer between the transistor source and drain regions forms a transistor channel region. A transistor gate electrode is then formed in the opening above the transistor channel region.
US09685449B2
A dynamic memory structure is disclosed. The dynamic memory structure includes: a substrate; a first strip semiconductor material disposed on the substrate and extending along a first direction; a gate standing astride the first strip semiconductor material, extending along a second direction and dividing the first strip semiconductor material into a first source terminal, a first drain terminal and a first channel region; a first dielectric layer sandwiched between the gate and the first strip semiconductor material; a first capacitor unit disposed on the substrate and comprising the first source terminal serving as a bottom electrode, a second dielectric layer covering the first source terminal to serve as a capacitor dielectric layer and a capacitor metal layer covering the second dielectric layer to serve as a top electrode. Preferably, the first source terminal and the first drain terminal have asymmetric shapes.
US09685446B2
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes preparing a light ion source, a first mask and a second mask. A side of a first region on a top surface of a semiconductor substrate is shielded by using the first mask. The top surface, with the side of the first region thereon being shielded with the first mask, is irradiated with light ions by operating the light ion source to introduce lattice defects at a specified depth on a side of a second region on the top surface. A side of the second region on a bottom surface of the semiconductor substrate is shielded by using the second mask. The bottom surface, with the side of the second region thereon being shielded with the second mask, is irradiated with light ions by operating the light ion source to introduce lattice defects at a specified depth on the side of the first region on the bottom surface.
US09685445B2
A semiconductor device includes a buffer layer formed with a semiconductor adapted to produce piezoelectric polarization, and a channel layer stacked on the buffer layer, wherein a two-dimensional hole gas, generated in the channel layer by piezoelectric polarization of the buffer layer, is used as a carrier of the channel layer. On a complementary semiconductor device, the semiconductor device described above and an n-type field effect transistor are formed on the same compound semiconductor substrate. Also, a level shift circuit is manufactured by using the semiconductor device. Further, a semiconductor device manufacturing method includes forming a compound semiconductor base portion, forming a buffer layer on the base portion, forming a channel layer on the buffer layer, forming a gate on the channel layer, and forming a drain and source with the gate therebetween on the channel layer.
US09685443B2
An integrated circuit includes an active device formed in a semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type, a first guard ring of the first conductivity type formed in the semiconductor layer surrounding at least part of the active device; a second guard ring of the second conductivity type formed in the semiconductor layer surrounding the first guard ring and the active device and including comprising alternating first well regions of the first conductivity type and the second well regions of the second conductivity type, the first and second well regions being electrically shorted together and electrically coupled to a ground potential or floating; and a third guard ring of the first conductivity type formed in the semiconductor layer surrounding the second guard ring. The first and third guard rings do not receive direct electrical connection.
US09685439B1
A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device is provided, including forming a plurality of fins on a semiconductor substrate, and forming source/drain regions on the fins. The source/drain regions have an uneven surface with a mean surface roughness, Ra, of about 10 nm to about 50 nm. A smoothing layer is formed on the source/drain regions filling the uneven surface. An etch stop layer is formed overlying the smoothing layer. A portion of the etch stop layer is removed to expose a portion of the smoothing layer. The exposed smoothing layer is removed, and a contact layer is formed on the source/drain regions.
US09685438B2
A Field Effect Transistor (FET) having: a plurality of FET cells having a plurality of source pads, a plurality of drain pads, and a plurality of gate electrodes disposed on a surface of a substrate; each one of the FET cells having a corresponding one of the gate electrodes disposed between one of the source pads and one of the drain pads; a gate contact connected to the gate electrodes of each one of the FET cells; a drain contact connected to the drain pad of each one of the FET cells; and a source contact connected to source pad of each one of the FET cells. The cells are disposed on a surface in a two-dimensional array.
US09685431B2
Disclosed is an electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit. The ESD protection circuit may include a silicon controller rectifier (SCR) which may be triggered via at least one of its first trigger gate or second trigger gate. The ESD protection circuit may further include a highly doped region coupled to either the anode or cathode of the SCR, wherein the highly doped region may provide additional carriers to facilitate triggering of the SCR during an ESD event, whereby the SCR may be triggered more quickly.
US09685428B2
A light-emitting array module includes a circuit substrate, a light-emitting unit, and an encapsulation body. The light-emitting unit includes a plurality of light-emitting groups arranged in matrix on the circuit substrate. The encapsulation body disposed on the circuit substrate for encapsulating the light-emitting groups. The encapsulation body includes a plurality of encapsulation portions and a plurality of thin connection portions. Therefore, light beams generated by the light-emitting group is transformed into an obvious single point light source without halation due to the design of “each thin connection portion connected between the two adjacent encapsulation portions to separate the two adjacent encapsulation portions from each other by a predetermined distance”, so that the color resolution of the light-emitting array module is increased. In addition, the present disclosure further provides a display device including the light-emitting array module.
US09685426B2
Some embodiments relate to a semiconductor device. The semiconductor device includes a substrate and a first die coupled to a top surface of the substrate. A second die is coupled to a bottom surface of the substrate. A thermal contact pad couples the second die to the bottom surface of the substrate. The thermal contact pad electrically isolates the first die from the second die. A molding compound resides over the substrate and surrounds the first and second dies and the thermal contact pad.
US09685422B2
A semiconductor package may include a first chip located over a substrate. The semiconductor package may include a second chip located over the substrate and adjacent to the first chip. The semiconductor package may include a test micro-bump located at a layer below the first chip and above the substrate, and electrically coupled to an external connection member through a first path. The semiconductor package may include a normal micro-bump located at a layer below the first chip and above the substrate, and electrically coupled to the second chip through a second path.
US09685416B2
A semiconductor wafer includes: a first semiconductor chip area formed with a semiconductor element; a second semiconductor chip area formed with a semiconductor element; and a scribe area sandwiched between said first and second semiconductor chip areas; wherein: the first semiconductor chip area includes a first metal ring surrounding the semiconductor element formed in the first semiconductor chip area; and the metal ring is constituted of a plurality of metal layers including an lower metal layer and an upper metal layer superposed upon the lower metal layer, and the upper metal layer is superposed upon the lower metal layer in such a manner that an outer side wall of the upper metal layer is flush with the outer side wall of the lower metal layer or is at an inner position of said first semiconductor chip area relative to said outer side wall of the lower metal layer.
US09685410B2
Semiconductor device security is provided as follows. A unique identification is generated by randomly forming a plurality of defects in one or more circuit elements of the semiconductor device. This method may yield a semiconductor device which is not susceptible to being replicated or cloned.
US09685407B2
Optimized metal wires for resistance or electromigration, methods of manufacturing thereof and design methodologies are disclosed. The method includes depositing metal material within openings and on a surface of dielectric material resulting in metal filled openings and a topography of recessed areas aligned with the metal filled openings. The method further includes depositing an alloying material over the metal material, including within the recessed areas. The method further includes planarizing the metal material, leaving the alloying material within the recessed areas. The method further includes diffusing the alloying material into the metal material forming alloyed regions self-aligned with the metal filled openings.
US09685406B1
A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes forming a dielectric layer on a substrate, forming a plurality of openings in the dielectric layer, conformally depositing a barrier layer on the dielectric layer and on sides and a bottom of each one of the plurality of openings, depositing a contact layer on the barrier layer in each one of the plurality of openings, removing a portion of each contact layer from each one of the plurality of openings, and removing a portion of the barrier layer from each one of the plurality of openings, wherein at least the removal of the portion of the barrier layer is performed using an etchant including: (a) a compound selected from group consisting of -azole, -triazole, and combinations thereof; (b) a compound containing one or more peroxy groups; (c) one or more alkaline metal hydroxides; and (d) water.
US09685405B2
A semiconductor structure comprising a fuse/resistor structure over a functional layer having a substrate. The fuse/resistor structure includes a via, a first interconnect layer, and a second interconnect layer. The via is over the functional layer and has a first end and a second end vertically opposite the first end, wherein the first end is bounded by a first edge and a second edge opposite the first edge and the second end is bounded by a third edge and a fourth edge opposite the third edge. The first interconnect layer includes a first metal layer running horizontally and contacting the first end and completely extending from the first edge to the second edge. The second interconnect layer includes a second metal layer running horizontally and contacting the second end of the via and extending past the third edge but reaching less than half way to the fourth edge.
US09685401B2
An interconnect element includes a semiconductor or insulating material layer that has a first thickness and defines a first surface; a thermally conductive layer; a plurality of conductive elements; and a dielectric coating. The thermally conductive layer includes a second thickness of at least 10 microns and defines a second surface of the interconnect element. The plurality of conductive elements extend from the first surface of the interconnect element to the second surface of the interconnect element. The dielectric coating is between at least a portion of each conductive element and the thermally conductive layer.
US09685399B2
A power semiconductor device is provided with a base plate thermally connected to the power semiconductor element for heat generated from the power semiconductor element to be conducted to heat radiation fins. An electrically conductive member fixed to the base plate is electrically conducted to the base plate and is connected to ground, and has projections fitted into notches provided in the electrically conductive member. By deforming the projections, the electrically conductive member is fixed to the base plate and electrical conduction can be secured. With this arrangement, noise radiated from the power semiconductor element is reduced and malfunction of the power semiconductor element is suppressed.
US09685398B2
In a general aspect, a packaged semiconductor device can include a semiconductor die having at least a first terminal on a first side of the semiconductor die and a second terminal on a second side of the semiconductor die. The device can include a leadframe portion electrically coupled to the first terminal of the semiconductor die and a clip portion electrically coupled to the second terminal of the semiconductor die. The device can include a molding compound. A surface of the leadframe portion and a first surface of the molding compound can define at least a portion of a first surface of the device. A surface of the clip portion and a second surface of the molding compound can define at least a portion of a second surface of the device that is parallel to the first surface of the device.
US09685395B2
A method of forming photo masks having rectangular patterns and a method for forming a semiconductor structure using the photo masks is provided. The method for forming the photo masks includes determining a minimum spacing and identifying vertical conductive feature patterns having a spacing less than the minimum spacing value. The method further includes determining a first direction to expand and a second direction to shrink, and checking against design rules to see if the design rules are violated for each of the vertical conductive feature patterns identified. If designed rules are not violated, the identified vertical conductive feature pattern is replaced with a revised vertical conductive feature pattern having a rectangular shape. The photo masks are then formed. The semiconductor structure can be formed using the photo masks.
US09685393B2
A phase-change chamber, a method for fabricating a phase-change chamber and a heat dissipation apparatus for electronic device cooling are disclosed. The phase-change chamber includes: a phase-change medium capable of transitioning between a plurality of phases; a first surface for transitioning a portion of the phase-change medium from a first phase into a second phase; a second surface for transitioning a portion of the phase-change medium from the second phase into the first phase; and at least one supporting member along the circumference of the first surface and the second surface for separating and enclosing the first surface and the second surface. The first surface is patterned on a first plate and includes regions of high and low affinity to the phase-change medium. The second surface is received on a second plate and comprises low affinity to the phase-change medium.
US09685391B2
A wiring board includes a substrate having first and second opposite surfaces, a first adhesive layer on the first surface of the substrate, a thermal diffusion metal pattern on the first adhesive layer, multiple vias vertically extending from the thermal diffusion metal pattern into the substrate through the first adhesive layer with a gap around each of the vias in the substrate and the first adhesive layer, and a second adhesive layer on the second surface of the substrate. The thermal diffusion metal pattern is not to be electrically connected to a semiconductor device to be mounted. The second adhesive layer fills in the gap around each of the vias within the substrate and the first adhesive layer. The gap includes a first gap and a second gap in the substrate and the first adhesive layer, respectively. The second gap is greater in lateral size than the first gap.
US09685385B1
The present invention provides a method for forming a semiconductor device, including the following steps: first, a substrate is provided, at least one gate is formed on the substrate, a contact etching stop layer (CESL) and a first dielectric layer are formed on the substrate in sequence, afterwards, a first etching process is performed to remove the first dielectric layer, and to expose a top surface and at least one sidewall of the etching stop layer, next, a second etching process is performed to partially remove the contact etching stop layer, and to form at least one epitaxial recess in the substrate. Afterwards, an epitaxial process is performed, to form an epitaxial layer in the epitaxial recess, and a contact structure is then formed on the epitaxial layer.
US09685379B2
An asymmetric high-k dielectric for reduced gate induced drain leakage in high-k MOSFETs and methods of manufacture are disclosed. The method includes performing an implant process on a high-k dielectric sidewall of a gate structure. The method further includes performing an oxygen annealing process to grow an oxide region on a drain side of the gate structure, while inhibiting oxide growth on a source side of the gate structure adjacent to a source region.
US09685378B2
Disclosed herein is a method of dividing rectangular plate-shaped workpieces into individual device chips including a detecting step wherein an annular frame to which a plurality of rectangular plate-shaped workpieces are stuck is held on a chuck table and the positions and angles of the projected dicing lines on each of the plate-shaped workpieces are detected, and a dividing step wherein a laser beam having a wavelength which is absorbable by the plate-shaped workpieces is applied from a laser beam applying unit to the plate-shaped workpieces while the chuck table and the laser beam applying unit are being relatively processing-fed and finely adjusted for each of the plate-shaped workpieces on the basis of the positions and angles detected in the detecting step, thereby dividing the plate-shaped workpieces into a plurality of device chips along the projected dicing lines.
US09685377B2
A wafer is divided into individual device chips along a plurality of scheduled division lines. A protective film is formed by coating liquid-state resin, which is hardened by irradiation of ultraviolet rays thereon, on the front face of the wafer. The protective film is hardened by irradiating ultraviolet rays upon the protective film. A protective tape is adhered on a front face of the hardened protective film. A modified layer is formed by irradiating a laser beam of a wavelength having a transparency to the wafer along the scheduled division lines with a focal point thereof positioned in the inside of the wafer. A back face of the wafer is ground while grinding water is supplied to thin the wafer to a given thickness and divide the wafer into the individual device chips along the scheduled division lines using the modified layer as a start point of the break.
US09685376B2
A semiconductor device including: a support plate 1; a semiconductor chip 2 mounted on one principal surface of the support plate 1 via an adhesive layer, with the element circuit surface of the chip being directed upward; an insulation material layer 4 that seals the semiconductor chip 2 and the periphery of the semiconductor chip; openings formed on an electrode arranged on the element circuit surface of the semiconductor chip 2 in the insulation material layer 4; conductive portions 6 formed in the openings so as to be connected to the electrode of the semiconductor chip; a wiring layer 5 formed on the insulation material layer 4 so as to be connected to the conductive portions 6 and partially extending to the peripheral region of the semiconductor chip 2; and external electrodes 7 formed on the wiring layer 5.
US09685372B2
A method of forming an integrated circuit device includes forming a conductive element over a substrate, wherein the conductive element is over an under bump metallurgy (UBM) layer, and the UBM layer comprises a first UBM layer and a second UBM layer over the first UBM layer. The method further includes etching the second UBM layer to expose a portion of the first UBM layer beyond a periphery of the conductive element. The method further includes forming a protection layer over sidewalls of the conductive element, over sidewalls of the second UBM layer and over a top surface of the first UBM layer. The method further includes etching the first UBM layer to remove a portion of the first UBM layer. The method further includes forming a cap layer over a top surface of the conductive element.
US09685368B2
A multilayer interconnect structure for integrated circuits includes a first dielectric layer over a substrate and a conductive line partially exposed over the first dielectric layer. The structure further includes an etch stop layer over both the first dielectric layer and the exposed conductive line, and a second dielectric layer over the etch stop layer. The second dielectric layer and the etch stop layer provide a via hole that partially exposes the conductive line. The structure further includes a via disposed in the via hole, and another conductive line disposed over the via and coupled to the conductive line through the via. Methods of forming the multilayer interconnect structure are also disclosed. The etch stop layer reduces the lateral and vertical etching of the first and second dielectric layers when the via hole is misaligned due to overlay errors.
US09685356B2
A substrate support assembly comprises a ceramic body and a thermally conductive base bonded to a lower surface of the ceramic body. The substrate support assembly further comprises a protective layer metal bonded to an upper surface of the ceramic body, wherein the protective layer is a bulk sintered ceramic article.
US09685354B2
An embodiment of this invention provides a separation apparatus for separating a stacked article, such as a semiconductor chip package with sensing functions, comprising a substrate and a cap layer formed on the substrate. The separation apparatus comprises a vacuum nozzle head including a suction pad having a top surface and a bottom surface, a through hole penetrating the top surface and the bottom surface of the suction pad, and a hollow vacuum pipe connecting the through hole to a vacuum pump; a stage positing under the vacuum nozzle head and substantially aligning with the suction pad; a control means coupling to the vacuum nozzle head to lift upward or lower down the vacuum nozzle head; and a first cutter comprising a first cutting body and a first knife connecting to the first cutting body. The cap layer is pressed against by the bottom surface of the suction pad and sucked by the suction pad of the vacuum nozzle head after the vacuum pump begins to vacuum the air within the hollow vacuum pipe and the through hole. Then, the first cutter cuts into the interface between the substrate and the cap layer, and the cap lay is separated from the substrate by the suction force of the vacuum nozzle head and the lift force generated by the upward movement of the vacuum nozzle head.
US09685352B2
An electronic device manufacturing system is provided that may reduce the amount of resources used in electronic device manufacturing processes. In some embodiments, unreacted ozone exiting a process tool operating in an ozone mode may be diverted and used as an oxidant in an abatement tool when the process tool is operating in a non-ozone mode. Numerous other embodiments are provided.
US09685344B2
A method of fabricating a semiconductor device includes etching a substrate to form a plurality of first trenches and a plurality of second trenches performed at an electrostatic chuck (ESC) temperature between about 90° C. to 120° C. in the substrate, wherein each trench of the plurality of first trenches extends downward from the substrate major surface to a first height, and each trench of the plurality of second trenches extends downward from the substrate major surface to a second height greater than the first height. The method includes forming a first isolation structure in each of the plurality of first trenches. The method includes forming a second isolation structure in each of the plurality of second trenches, wherein a difference between a height of the first isolation structure and the first height equals a difference between a height of the second isolation structure and the second height.
US09685340B2
After forming a first contact opening to expose a portion of a first source/drain contact located at one side of a functional gate structure followed by forming a second contact opening that intersects the first contact opening to expose the functional gate structure and a portion of a second source/drain contact located at an opposite side of the functional gate structure, the exposed portions of the first source/drain contact and the second-side source/drain contact are recessed. A dielectric cap is subsequently formed over the recessed portion of the second source/drain contact. A shared contact is formed in the first contact opening and the second contact opening to electrically connect a gate conductor of the functional gate structure to the first source/drain contact. The dielectric cap isolates the second source/drain contact from the shared contact, thus preventing contact shorts in a one-sided gate tie-down structure for 7 nm node and beyond.
US09685338B2
A compound semiconductor device includes: a compound semiconductor layered structure; a gate electrode formed above the compound semiconductor layered structure; a first protective insulating film that covers a surface of the compound semiconductor layered structure and is made of silicon nitride as a material; a second protective insulating film that covers the gate electrode on the first protective insulating film and is made of silicon oxide as a material; and a third protective insulating film that contains silicon oxynitride and is formed between the first protective insulating film and the second protective insulating film.
US09685336B1
A method of monitoring critical dimensions of gate electrode structures is provided including providing a substrate, forming a gate electrode pattern on the substrate comprising forming gate electrode lines parallel to each other, forming a mask layer on the gate electrode pattern and forming openings in the mask layer in a crosswise direction with respect to the direction of the parallel gate electrode lines, thereby exposing portions of the gate electrode pattern, etching exposed portions of the gate electrode pattern through the mask layer openings, thereby obtaining a negative image of the mask layer openings, removing remaining portions of the mask layer, and monitoring dimensions of the mask layer openings.
US09685332B2
A method for self-aligned patterning includes providing a substrate, forming a patterned mandrel layer that includes a plurality of mandrel features, the patterned mandrel layer being formed on the substrate, depositing a first spacer layer over the mandrel layer, the first spacer layer comprising a first type of material, anisotropically etching the first spacer layer to leave a first set of spacers on sidewalls of the mandrel features, removing the mandrel layer, depositing a second spacer layer over remaining portions of the first set of spacers, and anisotropically etching the second spacer layer to form a second set of spacers on sidewalls of the first set of spacers.
US09685330B1
Methods for manufacturing semiconductor devices are disclosed. A photoresist layer is formed over a substrate. A cryogenic process is performed on the photoresist layer. After the cryogenic process, a cleaning process is performed on the photoresist layer to remove the photoresist layer.
US09685328B2
A method provides a substrate having a top surface; forming a first semiconductor layer on the top surface, the first semiconductor layer having a first unit cell geometry; epitaxially depositing a layer of a metal-containing oxide on the first semiconductor layer, the layer of metal-containing oxide having a second unit cell geometry that differs from the first unit cell geometry; ion implanting the first semiconductor layer through the layer of metal-containing oxide; annealing the ion implanted first semiconductor layer; and forming a second semiconductor layer on the layer of metal-containing oxide, the second semiconductor layer having the first unit cell geometry. The layer of metal-containing oxide functions to inhibit propagation of misfit dislocations from the first semiconductor layer into the second semiconductor layer. A structure formed by the method is also disclosed.
US09685311B2
Provided are methods for determining the amount of reverse T3 in a sample using mass spectrometry. The methods generally involve ionizing reverse T3 in a sample and detecting and quantifying the amount of the ion to determine the amount of reverse T3 in the sample.
US09685310B2
An ion detection system for a detecting a quantity of ions exiting from a mass analyzer of a mass spectrometer comprises: (a) photon generating means configured to receive the quantity of ions and to generate a quantity of photons that is proportional to the quantity of ions; (b) a linear array of photo-detectors configured along a line for detecting a variation of a portion of the quantity of generated photons along the line; and (c) an optical system for directing the portion of the quantity of photons from the photon generating means to the linear array of photo-detectors comprising: (c1) a first cylindrical lens having a first lens axis disposed parallel to the line; (c2) a second cylindrical lens or rod lens having a second lens axis disposed parallel to the line; and a doublet lens.
US09685308B2
Getter pumping system particularly useful for linear accelerators or more generally high-volume environments, wherein a plurality of getter cartridges (100, 100′, 100″, . . . 100n) having a linear support (110, 110′, 110″, . . . 110n) and a plurality of linear heaters (120, 120′, . . . 120n) are connected in a high-density configuration to a wall (11) that has a surface area of at least 0.5 m2.
US09685302B2
An electron microscope is offered that is capable of achieving noise cancellation which results in a low level of noise and which can be implemented at high speed. An electron microscope (1) associated with the present invention includes: an electron beam source (11) for producing an electron beam; a noise detector (4) for detecting a part of the beam to thereby produce a beam detection signal and dividing a dividend by the beam detection signal; at least one image signal detector (6) for detecting an image signal obtained by making the beam impinge on a sample (A); and an arithmetic section (60) for performing a multiplication between an output signal of the image signal detector (6) and an output signal of the noise detector (4).
US09685293B1
An apparatus and a method are provided to block and unblock a breaker handle of a circuit breaker having main contacts. The apparatus comprises a locking mechanism including a locking handle shaft and a locking latch. The locking handle shaft is configured to latch the locking mechanism for keeping the breaker handle in a mid-position in which the main contacts stay open. The locking handle shaft has a latching surface configured to be removed from its position in order to rotate the breaker handle to a fully ON position in which the main contacts fully close. The locking latch is configured to prevent rotation of the locking handle shaft. The locking latch is configured to engage and disengage with the locking handle shaft in order to rotate the breaker handle from a reset position to the mid-position in which the locking mechanism locks the breaker handle rotation thus preventing the main contacts from closing. The breaker handle is stopped at the mid-position by the locking mechanism until a self-test is passed.
US09685285B2
A control switch includes a key, a housing structure, in the upper portion of which the key is secured in a manner such that the key can rotate about a first fulcrum. A tip is secured at one end to the key and moving integrally therewith, so as to slide along a first axis (X) of the key is countered by an elastic element. A printed circuit board includes at least two push-buttons, arranged in the lower portion of the housing structure. The housing structure includes in its internal portion, a flared structure having two inclined contact planes specularly opposite with respect to a second vertical axis (Z) and forming a first obtuse angle (a), on which the tip can slide along its stroke. The flared structure is structurally secured to the housing structure. The switch includes at least one actuator positioned in proximity to the flared structure.
US09685283B2
A circuit-interrupting device includes a load-breaker operable between an open state and a closed state and a first interlock member operatively associated with the load-breaker. The first interlock member moves between a first position and a second position when the load-breaker moves between the closed state and the open state. The circuit-interrupting device further includes a disconnect switch that moves between an open state and a closed state. When the load-breaker is in the closed state, the first interlock member is in the first position and contacts the disconnect switch to prevent the disconnect switch from moving from the closed state to the open state.
US09685277B2
An electrode which can have an improved performance such as higher discharge capacity and in which deterioration due to peeling of an active material layer or the like is difficult to occur are provided. The electrode includes an active material layer including a first protrusion, a second protrusion and a continuous active material film, a metal oxide layer, and a continuous mixed layer. The first protrusion, the second protrusion and the continuous active material film includes silicon. The metal oxide layer includes oxygen and a metal element which is capable of forming silicide by reacting with silicon. The continuous mixed layer includes silicon and the metal element.
US09685270B2
This invention is directed to a polymer thick film thermoformable dielectric composition with a high dielectric constant. Dielectrics made from the composition can be used in various electronic applications to enhance the performance of thermoformable capacitive circuits.
US09685269B2
A method of anodizing a coil comprised of wire having a copper core and a layer of a metal formed on the core is disclosed. The metal has electrically insulating characteristics when anodized. Two variations of the method are provided. In the first variation, the metal-clad wire is partially anodized prior to being wound on a spool to form a coil. Once the partially anodized wire is wound onto a spool the coiled wire is anodized to complete anodization. The anodized coiled wire may be rinsed to remove residual electrolytic material. In the second variation, the metal-clad wire is wound on a spool to form a coil. The coiled wire is then anodized. The method of the disclosed invention reduces or entirely eliminates the presence of micro cracks in the oxide layer. The resulting coil may be used in motors, electromagnets, generators, alternators and subsystems for the same.
US09685265B2
Wearable housings are configured in size and shape to be securely attached to a strap, such as a belt, suspender, backpack strap, rifle strap, shoulder bag strap, vest, carrier, or other strap with one or more clasping members. One or more magnets are positioned within the substantially hollow receptacle area(s) of the wearable housing. The magnet(s) have sufficient holding force to securely hold a handgun or other item against the wearable housing for ready access.
US09685263B2
A coil component is constituted by a composite magnetic material containing alloy grains whose oxygen atom concentration in their surfaces is 50 percent or less, and resin, and also by a coil. The coil component using the composite magnetic material does not require high pressure when formed.
US09685250B2
A method of preparing radioisotope hybrid nanocomposite particles using a sol-gel reaction, and radioisotope hybrid nanocomposite particles prepared using the same are provided. The method includes preparing a complex precursor using a metal ion and an unshared electron pair reactive compound, growing hybrid nanocomposite particles based on the complex precursor by means of a sol-gel reaction, calcining the nanocomposite particles in the air to remove organic matters present in the nanocomposite particles, and irradiating the nanocomposite particles with neutrons to prepare radioisotope hybrid nanocomposite particles. The radioisotope nanocomposite particles prepared using the method can be used as diagnostic and therapeutic particles in the fields of oil refining, chemistry, cement, agriculture, water resources, environment, ocean, and medicine, and can also be used as a radioisotope tracer for evaluating the risk of nanomaterials.
US09685235B2
A 3D non-volatile memory device may include a dummy string selection line, string selection lines, wordlines, bitlines, a ground selection line, and memory layers. Each of the memory layers comprising channel lines respectively coupled to the bitlines via first ends and coupled to a common source line of the memory layer via second ends. The dummy string selection line, the string selection lines, the wordlines, and the ground selection line intersect with the channel lines, and each of the channel lines defines a memory string. Initializing the 3D non-volatile memory device may include programming string selection transistors coupled with the string selection lines to have one or more threshold values, and programming a dummy string selection transistor coupled with the dummy string selection line to have a predetermined threshold value, such that the dummy string selection transistor together with the string selection transistors function as string selection transistors.
US09685233B2
A multiple bits per cell memory is operated by applying a one-pass, multiple-level programming, using a single pulse sequence one time (or in one-pass), such as an incremental pulse program sequence, with program verify steps for multiple target program levels, to program multiple bits per cell in a plurality of memory cells. Using these techniques, the number of program pulses required, and the time required for programming the data can be reduced. As a result, an improvement in programming throughput and a reduction in disturbance conditions are achieved. Variants of the one-pass, multiple-level programming operation can be adopted for a variety of memory cell types, memory architectures, programming speeds, and data storage densities.
US09685228B2
A sensing method for a memory is provided. The memory includes: a memory cell; a reference circuit generating a reference voltage and a clamp voltage; and a current supplying circuit receiving the clamp voltage to develop a cell current passing through the memory cell to form a cell voltage, wherein the cell voltage is used for incorporating with the reference voltage to determine the information stored in the memory.
US09685225B2
The disclosed invention provides a semiconductor storage device that creates no trouble, independently of power-on sequence. A semiconductor storage device includes a first power supply for the memory cells, a second power supply which is turned on independently of the first power supply and provided for a peripheral circuit which is electrically coupled to the memory cells, and a word line level fixing circuit for fixing the level of the word lines, which operates in accordance with turn-on of the first power supply. The word line level fixing circuit includes multiple level fixing transistors which are provided to correspond respectively to the word lines and provided between one of the word lines and a fixed potential and a level fixing control circuit which controls the level fixing transistors in accordance with input of a signal responding to turn-on of the second power supply.
US09685223B2
A voltage controller is provided that is connected to a voltage inducing circuit which is connected to a static random-access memory (SRAM) cell. The voltage controller comprises a voltage clamping circuit and a pull up circuit. The voltage clamping circuit comprises one or more transistors. The voltage clamping circuit is configured to inhibit a second voltage of a second signal at a second node of the voltage inducing circuit from exceeding a first specified voltage threshold so that a fifth voltage of a fifth signal at a fifth node of the voltage inducing circuit is inhibited from exceeding a second specified voltage threshold. The pull up circuit is configured to maintain the second voltage substantially equal to a specified pull up voltage. The fifth node is connected to the SRAM cell, and a voltage to which the SRAM cell is exposed is thereby controlled.
US09685222B2
Memory cell of the SRAM type, including storage transistors forming a memory point for storing a bit and a read port having at least one MOS transistor, a TFET transistor, a power terminal and a read bit line whereof a potential is designed to vary depending on the value of the stored bit, and such that: the gate of the MOS transistor is connected to the memory point, and the gate of the TFET transistor is able to receive a read command signal; a first electrode of the MOS transistor is connected to the power supply terminal; a second electrode of the MOS transistor is connected to a first electrode of the TFET transistor; a second electrode of the TFET transistor is connected to the read bit line.
US09685218B2
A memory device includes a memory cell array, an intensively accessed row detection circuit, and a refresh control circuit. The memory cell array includes a plurality of memory cell rows. The intensively accessed row detection circuit generates an intensively accessed row address indicating an intensively accessed memory cell row among the plurality of memory cell rows based on an accumulated access time for each of the plurality of memory cell rows. The refresh control unit preferentially refreshes neighboring memory cell rows adjacent to the intensively accessed memory cell row indicated by the intensively accessed row address when receiving the intensively accessed row address from the intensively accessed row detection unit. The memory device effectively reduces a rate of data loss.
US09685214B2
Devices and methods for controlling magnetic anisotropy and orientation of magnetic single domain structures between stable states are provided based on piezoelectric thin films and patterned electrodes. By using patterned electrodes, piezoelectric strain is manipulated to achieve a highly localized biaxial strain in a piezoelectric substrate and rotate the magnetic anisotropy of magnetic materials. Reorientation of a magnetic single domain between different stable states is accomplished by pulsing voltage across pairs of electrodes. Since only a small region surrounding the electrodes is strained, the methods can be applied to arrays of indexed magnetic elements and to piezoelectric thin films clamped to silicon base substrates.
US09685213B2
Embodiments of the present disclosure describe techniques and configurations for controlling current in a non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM) device. In an embodiment, the NVRAM device may include a plurality of memory cells coupled to a plurality of bit lines forming a bit line node with parasitic capacitance. Each memory cell may comprise a switch device with a required level of a holding current to maintain an on-state of the cell. A voltage supply circuitry and a controller may be coupled with the NVRAM device. The controller may control the circuitry to provide a current pulse that keeps a memory cell in on-state. The pulse may comprise a profile that changes over time from a set point to the holding current level, in response to a discharge of the bit line node capacitance through the memory cell after the set point is achieved. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.
US09685205B2
Data hold time is controlled without excessively increasing a circuit area. A semiconductor device includes a data buffer and a flip-flop formed of fin. As a delay line, gate wirings being in the same layer as gate electrodes of the fin are provided in a data signal path from a data output node of the data buffer to a data input node of the flip-flop.
US09685203B2
A power supply voltage switching circuit includes a power selecting module, a level shifting module, and a supply switching module. The power selecting module receives a first supply signal and a second supply signal, and outputs an intermediate supply signal according to the first supply signal and the second supply signal. The level shifting module receives the intermediate supply signal as a power supply, and generates a first shifted signal and a second shifted signal by shifting voltage levels of a first control signal and a second control signal respectively. The supply switching module receives the first supply signal and a third supply signal, and generates an output signal according to the first shifted signal, the second shifted signal, the first control signal, and the second control signal.
US09685187B1
A chip-to-chip eutectic bonding system includes a stage with a top surface, a bottom surface, and a plurality of vacuum apertures extending therebetween and a carrier with a top surface, the top surface including one or more smooth surface portions and one or more rough surface portions, wherein at least one smooth carrier surface portion laterally aligns to at least one vacuum aperture, and at least one of the stage's rough surface portions frictionally couples to at least one of the carrier's rough surface portions when the carrier top surface couples to and opposes the stage bottom surface.
US09685183B2
An apparatus includes a substrate and a magnetic layer coupled to the substrate. The magnetic layer includes an alloy that has magnetic hardness that is a function of the degree of chemical ordering of the alloy. The degree of chemical ordering of the alloy in a first portion of the magnetic layer is greater than the degree of chemical ordering of the alloy in a second portion of the magnetic layer, and the first portion of the magnetic layer is closer to the substrate than the second portion of the magnetic layer.
US09685175B1
A technology for synchronizing text with audio includes analyzing the audio to identify voice segments in the audio where a human voice is present and to identify non-voice segments in proximity to the voice segments. Segmented text associated with the audio, having text segments, may be identified and synchronized to the voice segments.
US09685170B2
According to some embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a computerized method for selecting and correcting pitch marks in speech processing and modification. The method comprises an action of receiving a continuous speech signal representing audible speech recorded by a microphone, where a sequence of pitch values and two or more pitch mark temporal values are computed from the continuous speech signal. The method comprises an action of computing for each of the pitch mark temporal values a lower limit temporal value and an upper limit temporal value by a cross-correlation function of the continuous speech signal around the pitch mark temporal values associated with pairs of elements in the sequence and replacing one or more of the pitch mark temporal values with one or more new temporal value between the lower limit temporal value and the upper limit temporal value.
US09685160B2
A method for offering suggestion during conversation, an electronic device using the same, and a non-transitory storage medium are provided. The method includes listening to a conversation on a first electronic device and a second electronic device, and determining whether the conversation satisfies a recommendation criterion. The method also includes determining whether at least one suggestion information exists in a database if the conversation satisfies the recommendation criterion. The method further includes displaying at least one suggestion option related to the at least one suggestion information on the first electronic device if the at least one suggestion information exists in the database.
US09685154B2
The technology of the present application provides a method and apparatus to managing resources for a system using voice recognition. The method and apparatus includes maintaining a database of historical data regarding a plurality of users. The historical database maintains data regarding the training resources required for users to achieve an accuracy score using voice recognition. A resource calculation module determines from the historical data an expected amount of training resources necessary to train a new user to the accuracy score.
US09685151B2
A noise cancellation method and system comprises a system controller that produces a command signal in response to a signal from at least one microphone detecting sound in an area. The system controller includes an arrayed speaker controller for producing a driver signal for each speaker in response to the command signal such that combined sound emitted by the speakers in response to the driver signals produces a substantially uniform sound pressure field adapted to attenuate a noise field corresponding to the sound detected by the at least one microphone. The system controller includes an in-phase speaker controller for producing a common in-phase driver signal for all speakers in response to the command signal and a signal director module for proportioning the command signal between the arrayed and in-phase speaker controllers in response to a magnitude of voltage associated with driving the speakers in accordance with the command signal.
US09685144B2
A toy piano including one or both an enlarged sound plate intermediate the sound bar of the toy piano and its sound board, and a sound box into which the sound board is incorporated. Preferably, the sound plate extends beyond the normal edges of the sound bar in which the longitudinal tines of the toy piano are mounted so as to lie adjacent to the sound board over a larger area. Likewise, the sound box should preferably be shaped so as to be somewhat wider (measured in the longitudinal direction of the tines) towards the end where the tines are longest (and produce lower tones) and somewhat narrower towards the end where the shorter tines (producing higher tones) are located. It preferred shape is characterized by somewhat convex curves at the more treble and bass ends, respectively, of the sound box with a somewhat concave curve intermediate these two ends. The backboard of the sound box can be bowed outward for enhance acoustics.
US09685136B2
A display system and a conversion apparatus are provided. The display system includes an image signal input apparatus configured to convert a first parallel image signal to a serial image signal, a conversion apparatus configured to convert the serial image signal to a second parallel image signal, and a display apparatus configured to process the second parallel image signal, and display the processed second parallel image signal. The conversion apparatus is attachable to and detachable from the display apparatus.
US09685135B2
Disclosed herein is a display device including: a display section configured to have a plurality of scanning signal lines to which respective scanning signals are applied, the display section performing line-sequential scanning by repeating interruption and resumption of the line-sequential scanning on a basis of the plurality of scanning signals, and displaying an image; and a scanning section configured to generate the plurality of scanning signals such that transition times on a pulse termination side of the respective scanning signals are equal to each other.
US09685133B2
There are provided with a strobe driving circuit, a strobe driving method, an array substrate and a display apparatus. The strobe driving circuit includes: a first driving unit for receiving a timing control signal, generating a first strobe driving signal based on the power signal under the control of the timing control signal; a first energy storing unit, storing energy based on the first strobe driving signal; a second driving unit connected to the first energy storing unit, for generating a second strobe driving signal based on the energy stored by the first energy storing unit under the control of the timing control signal. In the technical solution according to the embodiments of the application, the number of required bonding pads is reduced, so that the complexity of semiconductor manufacturing process and the difficulty of the manufacturing procedure are reduced.
US09685131B2
An objective is to provide a technique for reducing the size of the picture-frame region of the active-matrix substrate and improve the freedom of design, such as the freedom in designing the active-matrix substrate. An active-matrix substrate includes a group of gate lines and a group of source lines crossing the gate lines. At least some of the gate lines have a length that is smaller than the maximum value of the width of the active-matrix substrate as measured in the direction in which the gate lines extend. The active-matrix substrate further includes pixel electrodes connected with the gate lines and source lines, and gate line driving units (11) provided in the display region for switching the gate lines to the selected or non-selected state in response to a supplied control signal. First terminals (12s) for providing data signals from the source driver and second terminals (12g) for providing control signals from the display control circuit are provided in the portion of the picture-frame region that is adjacent a side of the display region.
US09685128B2
A display apparatus includes a set control circuit configured to generate a plurality of transmission signals and transmitting the transmission signals through a transmitting interface, a display control circuit configured to receive the transmission signals through a receiving interface and to drive a display panel based on the transmission signals, and a transmission channel connecting the transmitting interface and the receiving interface, and configured to transfer the transmission signals. The display control circuit is configured to transmit and receive a transmission signal with the set control circuit through the transmission channel, and to control the set control circuit to determine a signal level of the transmission signal into an optimal signal level being a receivable signal level for the display control circuit.
US09685127B2
The present invention provides an array substrate, a driving method and a display device. The array substrate comprises a plurality of gate lines. A first gate line of the two adjacent gate lines is coupled to a first switch unit and a second gate line is coupled to a second switch unit. The first switch unit and the second switch unit are coupled to a control line, and are coupled to a gate drive output channel. The second switch unit is turned off when the first switch unit is turned on under control of the control line, and the first switch unit is turned off when the second switch is turned on under control of the control line. According to the present invention, it is able to effectively reduce the number of the gate drive ICs and thereby to reduce the cost.
US09685116B2
A display device is disclosed to include a display panel including a plurality of data lines, a plurality of gate lines, and a plurality of pixels coupled to the data lines and gate lines. The data lines include first and second data lines, and the pixels include first and second color pixels. The display device also includes a data driving circuit to generate data voltages through a plurality of output channels, a gate driving circuit coupled to the gate lines, and a timing controller to generate control signals to the data driving circuit and the gate driving circuit. The display device further includes a demultiplexer switching circuit with first demux switches to supply, when turned on, the data voltages from the output channels to the first data lines, and second demux switches to supply, when turned on, the data voltages from the output channels to the second data lines.
US09685114B2
A system for controlling a display in which each pixel circuit comprises a light-emitting device, a drive transistor, a storage capacitor, a reference voltage source, and a programming voltage source. The storage capacitor stores a voltage equal to the difference between the reference voltage and the programming voltage, and a controller supplies a programming voltage that is a calibrated voltage for a known target current, reads the actual current passing through the drive transistor to a monitor line, turns off the light emitting device while modifying the calibrated voltage to make the current supplied through the drive transistor substantially the same as the target current, modifies the calibrated voltage to make the current supplied through the drive transistor substantially the same as the target current, and determines a current corresponding to the modified calibrated voltage based on predetermined current-voltage characteristics of the drive transistor.
US09685112B2
A display unit (1) includes a light-emitting device (13) and a pixel circuit (12) in each pixel (11), and a drive section (20) configured to drive the pixel circuit (12). The pixel circuit (12) includes a drive transistor (Tr1) configured to drive the light-emitting device (13), and a write transistor (Tr2) configured to control application of a signal voltage corresponding to an image signal to a gate of the drive transistor (Tr1). The drive section (20) performs Vth correction that allows a gate-source voltage of the drive transistor (Tr1) to be brought close to a threshold voltage of the drive transistor (Tr1) on all pixel rows, and then performs writing of the signal voltage corresponding to the image signal to gates of the drive transistors (Tr1) in all pixel rows.
US09685103B2
A door with an “EXIT” signal which operates automatically includes a door panel and a light source. The door panel includes a first plate. The first plate includes a front surface. The front surface defines a plurality of pits. The pits form a predetermined pattern, in the shape of a word. The light source is fixed above the first plate. The light source emits light to toward the pits to illuminate the predetermined pattern in the shape of a word when the door is in a closed state.
US09685100B2
A rollable display is disclosed. In one aspect, the rollable display includes a flexible display panel configured to display an image via at least a portion thereof and a housing accommodating at least a portion of the flexible display panel. The flexible display panel has a point of inflection in the portion of the flexible display panel accommodated in the housing.
US09685084B2
Information on a traffic event, such as a traffic accident, may be provided to a vehicle equipped with a system for performing a wireless data communication with a traffic event center. The system can determine automatically if the vehicle approaches the traffic event by receiving corresponding information in a wireless data transmission, or by a determination based on the vehicle's current position and a location of the traffic event received in a wireless data transmission. If it is determined by the system that the vehicle has approached a traffic event, the system can automatically acquire image data of the vehicle environment, and transmit the acquired image data to the traffic event center.
US09685083B2
A non-transitory computer readable medium stores a computer program causing a computer to execute a process. The process includes determining traffic regulations which are applicable in a region of current surroundings of a vehicle. The process further includes determining if a driver of the vehicle violates at least one of the determined traffic regulations and determining a degree of severity of a violation. The process further includes determining a parameter illustrating a driving behavior of the driver of the vehicle based on the classified degree of severity of the violation. A message is then output including the determined parameter with at least one output device.
US09685079B2
A method for detecting a vehicle running a stop signal includes acquiring at least two evidentiary images of a candidate violating vehicle captured from at least one camera monitoring an intersection. The method includes extracting feature points in each of the at least two evidentiary images. The method includes computing feature descriptors for each of the extracted feature points. The method includes determining a correspondence between feature points having matching feature descriptors at different locations in the at least two evidentiary images. The method includes extracting at least one attribute for each correspondence. The method includes determining if the candidate violating vehicle is in violation of running the stop signal using the extracted attribute.
US09685075B2
A data communication system including an electronic device including a serial port, a client device including at least an audio port and an interface device is provided. The electronic device is configured to obtain serial data and output the serial data via the serial port. The interface device is coupled between the electronic device and the client device and includes a serial port connected to the serial port of the electronic device, a signal conversion device and an audio port connected to the audio port of the client device, wherein the interface device receives first serial data from the electronic device via the serial port, converts the received first serial data to first audio signals via the signal conversion device, and outputs the first audio signals to the client device via the audio port, such that the client device obtains the serial data according to the first audio signals.
US09685069B2
The invention describes a device for emergency signaling from a vehicle, having: a housing; a detection device, which is arranged in the housing and which is suitable for recording measurement information concerning an emergency vehicle state from one or more sensor arrangements, which are formed in a housing and/or externally; a data communication management, which is arranged in the housing and configured for emitting data signals concerning an emergency message via a data interface, wherein the emergency message comprises the electronic measurement information at least partially and/or electronic vehicle status information derived therefrom; and a plug-in device, which is arranged on the housing and has a plug connector for plugging into a motor vehicle socket. The invention further relates to a method for operating the device.
US09685064B2
A user device may determine that an environmental parameter, sensed by the user device, satisfies a condition, and may detect an emergency based on detecting that the environmental parameter satisfies the condition. The user device may output, via the user device, an alarm notification, and may determine whether an input is received by the user device to cancel the alarm notification. The user device may notify an emergency device when the user device determines that input is not received by the user device to cancel the alarm notification.
US09685046B2
A gaming system comprising an input device for placing wagers. The wagers include a first wager consisting of a base wager, and second and third wagers, each consisting of a base wager portion and an additional wager portion. The third wager has a higher ratio of the additional wager portion to the base wager portion than the second wager. An outcome is based on the first, second or third wager, such that upon said second wager being made and an designated event associated with the second wager occurring, a first additional benefit relative to when the first wager is made is provided, and upon said third wager being made and a designated event associated with the third wager occurring, a second additional benefit relative to when the first wager is made is provided. The second additional benefit is a greater benefit than the first additional benefit.
US09685037B2
An electromechanical gaming machine constructed to receive real world credits from a user, including a real world engine that provides a randomly generated payout of real world credits for a wager, an entertainment software engine that executes an entertainment game, a game world engine that manages the entertainment software engine and communicates gambling events and wager results, and an anti-cheating module that applies an anti-cheating measure to the entertainment game and allows the execution of the entertainment game based upon a determination that the anti-cheating measure has been applied to the entertainment game.
US09685014B1
A carrier wave is selected based on a state of a target device such as a vehicle. A polling signal is generated using the selected carrier wave for transmission from the target device for receipt by a portable controller. A sinusoidal carrier wave is selected when the target device is in a state that is more sensitive to electrical noise interference caused by the polling signal being generated using the carrier wave than to electrical energy consumed in generating the polling signal using the carrier wave. A non-sinusoidal periodic carrier wave is selected when the target device is in a state that is more sensitive to electrical energy consumed in generating the polling signal using the carrier wave than to electrical noise interference caused by the polling signal being generated using the carrier wave.
US09685005B2
Systems and methods enabling users to interact with an augmented reality environment are disclosed. Real-world objects may have unique markers which are recognized by mobile devices. A mobile device recognizes the markers and generates a set of virtual objects associated with the markers in the augmented reality environment. Mobile devices employ virtual pointers and virtual control buttons to enable users to interact with the virtual objects. Users may aim the virtual pointer to a virtual object, select the virtual object, and then drag-and-drop the virtual object to a new location. Embodiments enable users to select, move, transform, create and delete virtual objects with the virtual pointer. The mobile device provides users with a means of drawing lines and geometrically-shaped virtual objects.
US09685001B2
A method and system are provided for indicating a presence of supplemental information in augmented reality to a user. The method includes capturing a field of view of a camera, obtaining supplemental information for at least one object in the captured field of view, displaying the captured field of view on a display and tracking a point of regard of the user. The point of regard is indicative of an area on the display at which the gaze of the user is focused. The method also includes, for each object associated with supplemental information, displaying, overlaid the captured field of view, a respective indicator that the supplemental information is associated with the object if one or more criteria are satisfied. The one or more criteria are based on at least a proximity between an image of the object in the captured field of view and the point of regard.
US09684993B2
A method includes receiving a first motion path for an object, where an orientation of the object is not aligned with the first motion path for the object for at least a portion of the first motion path. The method also includes receiving a first motion path for a virtual camera and determining a speed of the object along the first motion path for the object. The method additionally includes calculating a second motion path for the object based on the speed of the object along the first motion path for the object and the orientation of the object, where the second motion path of the object is aligned with second motion path. The method further includes calculating a second motion path for the virtual camera based on a difference between the first motion path of the object and the second motion path of the object.
US09684992B2
For visualization of objects along a length of street, a user selection of a street is received. The selected street is displayed in an above-street view. At least a first plurality of street view images are concurrently displayed for objects along at least a first side of the selected street.
US09684973B2
A method is provided that includes acquiring, with a detector defining a field of view (FOV), emission imaging data of an object over the FOV. The method also includes determining, with one or more processing units, a volume of interest (VOI) of the emission imaging data, wherein the VOI defines a volume smaller than an imaged volume of the object. Further, the method includes performing, with the one or more processing units, a multivariate data analysis on the VOI to generate a waveform for the VOI. Also, the method includes determining, with the one or more processing units, an amount of motion for at least the VOI based on the waveform. The method further includes displaying, on a display unit, at least one of the amount of motion or an image reconstructed based on the emission imaging data.
US09684966B2
A method for providing improved foreground/background separation in a digital image of a scene is disclosed. The method comprises providing a first map comprising one or more regions provisionally defined as one of foreground or background within the digital image; and providing a subject profile corresponding to a region of interest of the digital image. The provisionally defined regions are compared with the subject profile to determine if any of the regions intersect with the profile region. The definition of one or more of the regions in the map is changed based on the comparison.
