US09913594B2

An apparatus for monitoring EMG signals of a patient's laryngeal muscles includes an endotracheal tube having a first cuff and a second cuff. Conductive ink electrodes are formed on an exterior surface of the first cuff. The conductive ink electrodes are configured to receive the EMG signals from the laryngeal muscles when the endotracheal tube is placed in a trachea of the patient. At least one conductor is coupled to the conductive ink electrodes and is configured to carry the EMG signals received by the conductive ink electrodes to a processing apparatus.
US09913592B2

The present invention relates to a method for assessing the electrical function of a heart, comprising the steps of: (1) for each of a plurality of leads of an ECG, determining a value derived from the output of that lead and which corresponds to an action potential duration; (2) for each of the plurality of leads of the ECG, determining a value derived from the output of that lead and which corresponds to a diastolic interval; (3) for each of the plurality of leads of the ECG, determining a relationship between the determined values for action potential duration and for diastolic interval; (3) assessing the differences between the determined relationships for each of the plurality of leads. The invention further relates to apparatus and a computer program that may be used in the method.
US09913591B2

A device is provided that includes a housing and a mount configured to mount the housing to a wrist of a wearer. The device also includes a first electrical contact disposed on an inner surface of the mount and configured to contact skin at a first external body surface. The device also includes a second electrical contact disposed on an outer surface of the mount and configured to be contacted by skin of a second external body surface. The device also includes a signal conditioner disposed in the housing. The signal conditioner is configured to determine data indicative of a biological state of the wearer based on voltage fluctuations between the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact.
US09913585B2

A catheter is disclosed for providing pressure measurements at a vascular lesion. The catheter includes an outer component having a side opening the providing transverse access to a lumen thereof and an inner component slidably disposed within the lumen. The inner component has a guidewire lumen with a proximal side port. When the inner component is longitudinally translated relative to the outer component, the side port of the inner component is accessible through the side opening of the outer component for providing transverse access to a guidewire. A first pressure sensor is disposed proximate of a distal end of the outer component and a second pressure sensor is disposed proximate of a distal end of the inner component, such that relative longitudinal translation between the inner and outer components permits a distance between the first and second pressure sensors to be varied.
US09913580B2

Apparatus, method, and non-transitory medium for optical stabilization and digital image registration in scanning light ophthalmoscopy. Scanning an object with measurement light. Acquire an image of the object to be examined based on return light from the object. Acquire information which indicates movement of the object to be examined based on a plurality of acquired images. Control the scanning based on the information which indicates the movement of the object to be examined. Performing registration of the plurality of images.
US09913579B2

Method and systems are presented for analyzing a wavefront using a spectral wavefront analyzer to extract optical phase and spectral information at a two dimensional array of sampling points across the wavefront, wherein the relative phase information between the sampling points is maintained. Methods and systems are also presented for measuring an eye by reflecting a wavefront of an eye and measuring the wavefront at a plurality of angles to provide a map of the off-axis relative wavefront curvature and aberration of the eye. The phase accuracy between wavelengths and sample points over a beam aperture offered by these methods and systems have a number of ocular applications including corneal and anterior eye tomography, high resolution retinal imaging, and wavefront analysis as a function of probe beam incident angle for determining myopia progression and for designing and testing lenses for correcting myopia.
US09913575B2

Computerized information processing methods for processing data from a medical device, such as an ingestible probe. In one embodiment, the method includes processing data obtained by the probe so as to produce a plurality of image frames, and further processing the frames to identify a plurality of frames of potential interest to a reviewer, and using the identified frames to form a preview of the entire data set. In one implementation, the processing of the data includes identification of one or more artifacts or shapes within the data associated with a medical condition, and selection of the frames for the preview includes those frames with the identified artifacts or shapes.
US09913574B2

An endoscope cap is provided for directing medical devices toward a selected target anatomy in a patient. The endoscope cap includes a ramp that may be used to deflect medical devices that have been advanced from a proximal portion of an endoscope to a distal portion thereof. The ramp may be integral with the endoscope cap, or alternatively, may be pivotally attached thereto.
US09913570B2

A single-use electronic endoscope has a hub, a shaft extending from the hub, flexible or rigid as desired, and an expandable distal tip extending from the shaft. Within the distal tip, an image sensor provides a field of view external from the endoscope. Illuminating elements or light guides within the distal tip emit light to illuminate the field of view. The distal tip also has a variable profile working channel that permits tools to be passed from the hub and into the field of view. The expandable working channel changes cross-sectional shape from a generally noncircular shape to a shape to accommodate the cross-sectional shape of the tool when expanded.
US09913564B2

Disclosed are a robot cleaner and a control method thereof. The control method includes determining by a controller a connection between a user terminal and the robot cleaner and allowing communication between the user terminal and the robot cleaner, receiving a signal regarding a tilt direction of the user terminal by a wireless communication unit and conforming by the controller a tilting of the user terminal, and driving by the controller the robot cleaner in accordance with the received signal.
US09913553B2

A beverage container lid includes an interior cover, an exterior cover, and a hinge connecting the interior cover to the exterior cover. The beverage container is versatile in that it may be adapted for use with a beverage container containing a cold beverage, a hot beverage, or a foamy or creamy beverage. The beverage container lid preferably includes a spout, straw perforations, an elevated portion, a reservoir bottom, a well portion, and a pair of retaining walls preventing direct flow of beverage from a pair of openings in the interior cover to the spout. Methods of use and methods of making a beverage container lid are also described.
US09913549B2

A motion apparatus for use in combination with a standard infant carrier, such as a car seat. The motion apparatus comprises a support structure and a frame for receiving the transportable base of an infant car seat, and a drive assembly, which, when activated causes motion of the infant carrier. Methods and devices of the invention are useful to soothe an infant.
US09913541B2

An adjustable seating assembly is disclosed having a base with a first end, a second end opposite the first end, and a length extending from the first end to the second end. A frame assembly has a pair of support legs coupled to the base along the length. A seating-support surface is disposed above the base and coupled to the frame assembly. A chest-support surface is disposed above the base and coupled to the frame assembly and the chest-support surface is orientated at an acute angle with respect to the seating-support surface. The pair of the support legs are selectively translatable along the length of the base in a first direction and a second direction opposite the first direction so as to selectively rotate the chest-support surface and the seating-support surface simultaneously while maintaining the acute angle between the chest-support surface and the seating-support surface during the rotation.
US09913540B2

A chair component assembly includes a support component adapted to support a portion of a seated user and including a shell member having an outer peripheral edge, the support component further including at least one coupler having an interior and an opening facing the outer peripheral edge of the shell member, and at least one tab member located substantially proximate the opening of the at least one coupler, and an upholstery cover assembly wrapped about at least a portion of the support component and including an edge that is retained within the interior of the at least one cupler by the at least one tab member.
US09913539B2

A back support for a chair includes a chair frame, a pair of upright support posts mounted to the chair frame, the upright support posts being laterally flexible with respect to the chair frame, a plurality of flexible support arms extending laterally outwardly from the upright support posts, the support arms each including a peripheral edge, the support arms including a first set of support arms extending in a first lateral direction from the upright posts and a second set of support arms extending in a second direction from the upright posts; and a material extending in tension between the peripheral edges of the first set of support arms and the peripheral edges of the second set of support arms such that at least a central portion of the material is spaced from the support arms. In addition, a seat support includes a repositionable front edge.
US09913529B2

A push broom head includes a body including an upper face, a lower face, a front face, a rear face, and left and right end faces. A plurality of sweeper bristles project outwardly from the lower face. A handle mounting block portion includes a socket adapted to receive an associated broom handle. The handle mounting block portion is located between left and right portions of the body. The body includes a plurality of open pockets defined in the upper face on both the left and right portions of the body. Each of the pockets opens through the upper face of the body and comprises a bottom wall. Each of the pockets defines a depth between the upper face of the body and the respective bottom wall.
US09913515B2

A cover-type containing structure for flexible enclosures primarily includes a front cover sheet, a rear cover sheet and a flexible enclosure. The front cover sheet includes a first joining edge and a cover piece, whereas the rear cover sheet includes a cover assembly corresponding to the cover piece. The flexible enclosure includes a second joining edge and by engaging the first joining edge with the second joining edge, the front cover sheet and the flexible enclosure are fixed. Besides, the containing structure further includes a holding portion. Under a contained state, the holding portion is used to contain smaller objectives; whereas, in an unfolded state, in addition to using the flexible enclosure to contain larger objectives, the holding portion can be also used to contain smaller objectives. The present invention can be also applied to a piece of clothing combined with a bag unit or other flexible enclosure.
US09913512B2

An apparatus for selectively extending and retracting spikes includes spike actuating assemblies mounted to, and cooperating between, a first plate and a first slider frame, and a second plate and a second slider frame, pivotally mounted to the first plate and first slider frame respectively. Each spike actuating assembly contains a spike. The first slider frame is translatable to actuate the spike actuating assemblies to thereby extend and retract the spikes from the spike actuating assemblies. A cyclically alternating positioner is mounted on the first plate for moving the first and second slider frames relative to the first and second plates. The positioner has only a single actuating button adjacent the heel. Depressing the actuating button a first time causes the positioner to move the slider frames to extend the spikes. Depressing the actuating button a second time causes the positioner to move the slider frames to retract the spikes.
US09913507B2

The present invention relates to a helmet that includes an outer shell, a heads-up information system that comprises a display, and an attachment assembly. The heads-up information system is movable from a storage position within the outer shell to a use position in which the display of the heads-up information system is visible by a user, without obstructing the field of vision of the user, when the helmet is worn by the user. The attachment assembly is coupled to outer shell and the heads-up information system, and is operable to move the heads-up information system between the storage position and the use position.
US09913501B1

A method utilizing a synthetic neck muscle system for minimizing risk of an injury when the system is worn by a user. An impact-absorbing layer of the system is constructed from a core material having a fiber-reinforced foam with a plurality of microspheres located therein. A shell frame of the system has a shell material having a fiber-reinforced putty. The system is molded into a C-shaped structure to be wrapped around the user's neck.
US09913500B1

The elasticized cushioned thermal glove provides heating, cooling, and compression modalities. The constant fluidity of the gel disposed in the gel bladders substantially throughout the glove palm side is in constant fluidity when heated and cooled. The gel is pre-heated via a power module, heatable when in use, and also pre-cooled prior to use. The glove is also provided as a compression glove to alleviate pain, swelling, and to provide for support for those in need. As the glove provides these heating and cooling advantages, fingers can be left in an open state to enhance dexterity as opposed to full-fingered gloves.
US09913495B2

An e-vaping section includes a power supply, control circuitry and a removable insulator. The removable insulator is operable to prevent an electrical connection between the power supply and the control circuitry during manufacturing and shipment of the section when the e-vaping section is in a stored configuration.
US09913490B2

A thin-walled polypropylene product display tube. The thin-walled polypropylene product display tube includes a tubular member having a closed end, an open end, an inner diameter and, between the closed end and the open end, a first outer diameter, the open end terminating in a flared portion having a second outer diameter, the tubular member having a wall thickness sufficient to yield a level of haze equal to or less than 8%. A process for forming a thin-walled polypropylene product display tube is also provided.
US09913489B1

Low fat peanut butter food slices that are all natural, made from dehydrated peanut powder, and having nothing added thereto but water, or water with honey and or salt dissolved therein. The peanut butter food slices have a viscosity in the range of 800,000 centipoise to 2,000,000 centipoise which is much thicker than regular peanut butter which has a viscosity in the range of 150,000 centipoise to 250,000 centipoise.
US09913487B2

Anti-sense-oriented RNA gene suppression agents in the form of a loop of anti-sense-oriented RNA is produced in cells of transgenic organisms, e.g. plants, by transcription from a recombinant DNA construct that comprises in 5′ to 3′ order a promoter element operably linked to more than one anti-sense-oriented DNA element and one or more complementary DNA elements.
US09913477B2

A small animal repellent wherein an aromatic compound capable of repelling small animals is infused into a salt so that the aromatic compound can be released over an extended period of time such as days or weeks.
US09913476B2

The invention relates to use of masterbatches containing high concentrations of antimicrobial materials such as copper salts, particularly copper iodide. These masterbatch compositions are added to other materials which are used to form various articles of manufacture with antimicrobial properties. The copper salts may be incorporated in the masterbatches as surface functionalized particles or the salts may be incorporated into porous particles prior to the formation of masterbatches.
US09913474B2

The present invention relates to an ophthalmic solution comprising 0.00001 to 10.0 weight percent of a simple saccharide, at least 0.00001 weight percent of a preservative, and not more than about 0.2 percent by weight chloride. The simple saccharide is chosen from the group consisting of: inositol; mannitol; sorbitol; sucrose; dextrose; glycerin; propylene glycol; ribose; triose; tetrose; erythrose; threose; pentose; arabinose; ribulose; xylose; xylulose; lyxose; hexose; allose; altrose; fructose; galactose; glucose; gulose; idose; mannose; sorbose; talose; tagatose; adlose; ketose; heptose; sedoheptulose; monosaccharides; disaccharides; sugar alcohols; xylitol; and polyol.
US09913468B2

A synergistic microbicidal composition having two components. The first component is a nonionic surfactant with structure: R1O(CH2CH(CH3)O)5(CH2CH2O)9H, where R1 is a C8 alkyl group. The second component is 2-decylthioethylamine. The weight ratio of the nonionic surfactant to 2-decylthioethylamine is from 1:0.004 to 1:0.0137 or 1:0.016 to 1:0.4571.
US09913441B2

A barley cultivar, designated Claymore, is disclosed. The disclosure relates to seeds, plants, and derivatives of barley cultivar Claymore, and methods for producing a barley plant by crossing barley Claymore with itself or another barley variety. The disclosure also relates to barley varieties or breeding varieties and plant parts derived from barley Claymore, to methods for producing other barley varieties, lines, or plant parts derived from barley Claymore, and to the barley plants, varieties, and their parts derived from the use of those methods. The disclosure further relates to hybrid barley seeds and plants produced by crossing barley cultivar Claymore with another barley cultivar. The disclosure relates to methods for developing other barley varieties or breeding lines derived from variety Claymore, including cell and tissue cultures and haploid systems.
US09913437B2

A control system for moving an end effector of a work machine may include sensors for determining current orientations of components of a boom assembly connected to the work machine. A controller may be configured to receive, via an input interface, signals corresponding to a velocity input command for a desired movement of the end effector. The controller may determine, based upon the velocity input command and signals from the sensors, at least one target velocity for one or more actuators for the boom assembly. Commanding the actuators to move with the at least one target velocity may cause the end effector to move with an aggregate velocity corresponding to the desired movement of the end effector, as indicated by the velocity input command.
US09913428B2

A vehicle including a body, a plurality of wheels movably coupled to the body, a guidance control system. The plurality of wheels can be configured to roll through rows between plant beds such that at least a portion of the body moves above the plant beds. The guidance control system can be configured to guide the vehicle along the rows. The guidance control system can be configured to track a different individual plant location of each individual plant of plants that are either planned for growth or growing in the plant beds. Other embodiments are provided.
US09913427B2

A harvesting system for harvesting stemmed plants having elongated stems and including bulbous growth disposed at the top of the stems. The harvesting system includes a harvesting unit having a plurality of gripping elements; a cutter for harvesting the plants; and a divergent zone defined by gripping elements for vertically aligning the harvested plants. The harvesting unit further includes a transfer zone defined by gripping elements having another cutter for cutting the harvested plants to selected size, and includes a rotating brush for removing unwanted foliage from the harvested plants, a pair of belts disposed aft of the transfer zone for receiving selectably sized, harvested plants from the transfer zone and a belt-like table disposed aft of the pair of belts for receiving the selectably sized harvested plants from the pair of belts for packing and shipping the plants from the field.
US09913421B2

A suspension set for an agricultural implement includes a first arm, a holder attached to a portion of a chassis of the agricultural implement, the holder comprising an attachment point for receiving the first arm to allow pivoting of the first arm, a first flange associated with the first arm, and at least a disc associated with the first arm via the first flange. The holder comprises a second attachment point to receive a second arm to allow pivoting of the second arm. The first flange is replaced by a second flange when the second arm is inserted. The second flange is associated with the first and second arms and with the disc. Receipt of the second arm and replacement of the first flange by the second flange provides a pantographic movement to the disc.
US09918420B2

The present disclosure is directed to an apparatus and method of batch assembly. The apparatus for batch assembly may include a plurality of spring units, a plurality of handling units, and a control unit. The method of batch assembly may include aligning an array of devices with a plurality of handling units, attaching the array of devices onto the handling units, expanding the handling units so as to expand the array of devices from a first area to a second area, and transferring the array of devices to a destination.
US09918418B2

Devices, methods and systems disclosed herein relate to the application of a protective film on a surface of an electronic device that instantly reduces air bubbles and eliminates the waiting time usually required when using a wet fluid solution. In one embodiment, a roller apparatus may be used to apply the protective film on the surface of the electronic device. The roller apparatus may include an opening for receiving a display peg.
US09918415B2

A shield structure includes a main body portion and a lid portion. An electronic circuit is stored in the main body portion. The lid portion is attached to the main body portion in a detachable manner, and includes a first contact portion. The main body portion includes an opening portion, a second contact portion, and a pressurizing portion. When the first contact portion moves in a direction perpendicular to a direction of the lid portion attached to the main body portion, in a state of being inserted in the opening portion, the first contact portion is elastically deformed in a first direction by contacting the second contact portion and comes into pressure contact with the second contact portion. When the first contact portion is inserted in the opening portion, the pressurizing portion contacts and pressurizes the first contact portion in a second direction opposite to the first direction.
US09918405B2

A sample cooling device for histological samples is connectable to a power network for supplying electrical voltage to the device. The sample cooling device comprises a measuring apparatus for measuring a magnitude of an input line voltage present at the sample cooling device, and a transformer having a primary coil that comprises at least three coil pickoffs, and a secondary coil. The sample cooling device further comprises a switching means that connects two of the coil pickoffs to the power network as a function of the magnitude of the input line voltage, so that a magnitude of an output voltage present at the secondary coil has a predefined or predefinable voltage value irrespective of the magnitude of the input voltage. A corresponding method for supplying electrical power to a sample cooling device for histological samples is also disclosed.
US09918403B2

A rack-based information handling system (IHS) includes a rack containing at least one chassis having a plurality of bays open to laterally receive sleds that contain a plurality of information technology (IT) components that, when operational, enable the rack to function as an IHS. A storage sled including a stationary tray received in the chassis and a moveable trace received in the stationary tray. One or more hot swap bays that are horizontally arrayed in the storage sled in less than one (1) Server System Infrastructure (SSI) rack unit of height, wherein the moveable tray is extendable from the rack to a service position to expose all of its hot swap bays. Storage devices are insertable into a respective one of the hot swap bays of the storage sled. Each storage device may include a latching handle to lift and downward position the storage device in the corresponding hot swap bay.
US09918402B2

A storage cell according to one embodiment includes a housing for storing a data storage cartridge, an opening in said housing for inserting and removing a data storage cartridge, and a retention tab in said housing for engaging with a notch of said data storage cartridge for retaining said data storage cartridge in said housing. The retention tab has a texture, the texture being configured to reduce a force necessary for inserting and/or removing said data storage cartridge from said storage cell.
US09918401B2

According to some examples, a bay is provided to receive at least a portion of a housing of a removable device, where the bay includes a management controller to communicate a management signal to the removable device received by the bay, and a cooling mechanism to provide airflow to the removable device received by the bay. The removable device may be one that receives an optical cable, receives an electrical cable, converts a first optical signal received through the optical cable to a first electrical signal transmitted through the electrical cable, and converts a second electrical signal received through the electrical cable to a second optical signal transmitted through the optical cable.
US09918400B2

A server enclosure having a plurality of panels abutted to one another and constrained by a connector having a channel and at least one aperture. Each respective panel has at least one perpendicular portion being perpendicular to a face of the respective panel and adjoining a perimeter of the respective panel. Connectivity media coincident to the aperture can affix at least two panels and a connector to one another.
US09918392B2

Method and apparatus for assembling a component with a flexible foil, as well as assembled product A method is provided for assembling a component (20) with a flexible foil (10). The method comprising the steps of —providing (SI) a flexible foil (10) having a first side (11) with at least one liquid confinement zone (12) and at least one liquid confinement subzone (13) enclosed by the liquid confinement zone, —depositing (S2) an alignment liquid (30) in the at least one liquid confinement subzone (13), —moving (S3) the component (20) towards the liquid confinement zone, and bringing (S4) a surface (21) of the component facing the flexible foil into contact with the alignment liquid in the at least one liquid confinement subzone and releasing (S5) the component (20). The step of moving (S3) the component (20) towards the flexible foil, and the step of bringing (S4) a surface (21) of the component facing the flexible foil into contact with the alignment liquid, is realized with a gripping tool (130) that includes one or more capillary tubes (131) ending in a downward facing opening (132). At least a portion of the capillary tubes that ends in the downward facing opening (132) is filled with a carrier liquid (135). A first, adhesive force (Fa1) exerted by the carrier liquid on the component is larger than a second force (Fg), that is exerted by gravity on the component and wherein said first adhesive force (Fa1) is smaller than the sum (Fg+Fa2) of said second force (Fg) and a third, adhesive force (Fa2) exerted by the alignment liquid on the component when the component comes into contact with the alignment liquid. The alignment liquid (30) in contact with the component (20) exerts adhesive forces on the component that align the released component with the flexible foil.
US09918383B2

A high-frequency signal line includes a laminate of a plurality of insulator layers, a signal line provided on a first principal surface of one of the insulator layers, a first ground conductor provided on a second principal surface of the insulator layer provided with the signal line, the first ground conductor including openings that overlap with the signal conductor, and a second ground conductor provided in or on the laminate so as to be opposed to the first ground conductor with the signal conductor positioned therebetween.
US09918372B2

The wireless lighting control device examples conserve battery power before installation and/or commissioning. To save battery life, such a device remains in a low power mode and is awakened for commissioning, for example, by a button press (e.g. for a wall switch) or motion or audio sensing (e.g. for an occupancy sensor or the like). When awakened, the lighting control device enters its commissioning mode with the radio transceiver active for a short period of time. If the lighting control device is not commissioned within that time interval, for example, it may reenter the sleep mode. Conversely, if successfully commissioned during the active time period, the lighting control device is ready for normal operations.
US09918365B1

A ripple removing circuit and an LED control circuit applying the same are described herein. The LED control circuit receives alternating current input, converts the input into direct current with ripples and supplies power for an LED load. The direct current with ripples is connected to a positive end of the LED load, a negative end of the load is connected to a first end of a regulation tube, and a second end of the regulation tube is grounded. A first capacitor is connected between a control end of the regulation tube and the ground, and the time constant of the filter circuit formed by the first capacitor, a current generating circuit and a current source is far greater than a power frequency period. The current flowing across the regulation tube is approximately a direct current free of ripples, thereby decreasing the current ripples going across the LED load.
US09918355B2

A television/space heater combination device for displaying image content and for heating air and method of using the same is presented. The television/space heater combination device includes a television, a space heater and, sometimes, a frame. The method of use includes activating the space heater; selecting a temperature value for the space heater; generating heat and distributing the same into a room from the space heater; activating the television; and displaying an image on a screen of the television while generating heat with the space heater. The displayed image may be an image of a wood or gas burning fireplace generated by a continuous video loop; or be images from regular television programming or images generated by data transmitted to the television by a remote computer.
US09918352B2

Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communication are described. A user equipment (UE) may establish a connection to a base station for wireless communications with a network that supports vehicle based communications. The UE may identify a boundary time for the base station. The boundary time may be associated with a periodic schedule when UEs connected to the base station and participating in the vehicle based communications over the network perform a disconnect procedure and a reattach procedure. The UE may perform the disconnect procedure and the reattach procedure at the boundary time.
US09918350B2

The present invention relates to a wireless communication system. Particularly, the present invention relates to a method and device by which a terminal performs a discovery step for D2D communication in a wireless communication system, the method comprising the steps of: receiving a first discovery signal (DS) including identification information of a target terminal from a member terminal of a first terminal group; checking whether the target terminal belongs to the first terminal group; and transmitting a second DS corresponding to the first DS, wherein if the target terminal belongs to the first terminal group, the second DS is transmitted to member terminals within the first terminal group, and if the target terminal does not belong to the first terminal group, the second DS is transmitted to a specific terminal within a second group different from the first group.
US09918341B2

In order to provide a generic access rule, the present disclosure proposes a new potential set of adaptivity rules for LBE based on LBT. The generic access rule of the present disclosure provides LTE-U and Wi-Fi coexistence and DL/UL coexistence in both LTE-U and Wi-Fi. The apparatus receives, from the first master device, a resource allocation for communicating with the second master device. The apparatus also determines a type of CCA procedure to perform before communicating with the second master device on an unlicensed channel. The apparatus further performs a CCA procedure to obtain a transmission opportunity based on the determining, the CCA procedure being one of an ICCA procedure or an ECCA procedure. In addition, the apparatus transmit data to the second master device in accordance with the resource allocation on the unlicensed channel when the transmission opportunity is obtained.
US09918335B2

A method is provided for receiving a downlink control information (DCI) from a base station (BS) by a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system. The UE monitors a plurality of Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) candidates having a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled by a cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) and having a same payload size in a common search space and a UE-specific search space on a primary cell to receive the DCI from the BS. The common search space and the UE-specific search space are overlapped. When the UE is configured with a carrier indicator field (CIF), determining, by the UE, that only a PDCCH in the common search space is transmitted by the BS from among the plurality of PDCCH candidates. The UE receives a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) corresponding to the PDCCH in the common search space.
US09918329B2

Embodiments of a station (STA) and method for communication on primary and secondary channel resources are generally described herein. The STA may transmit a grant frame to indicate a transmission of a data payload by the STA during a grant period. The grant frame may indicate whether the data payload is to be transmitted on primary channel resources or on secondary channel resources. The STA may transmit the data payload to a destination STA on the secondary channel resources when the grant frame indicates that the data payload is to be transmitted on the secondary channel resources. The grant frame may be transmitted on the primary channel resources and on the secondary channel resources when the grant frame indicates that the data payload is to be transmitted on the secondary channel resources.
US09918326B2

Methods and systems for providing data are disclosed. An optimal set of subcarriers can be determined for a data transmission when a plurality of devices have requested the data transmission. The optimal set of subcarriers can be determined based on similarities or differences between parameters assigned to subcarriers in capability profiles. Capacity loss and other information can be determined based on the similarities or the differences among corresponding parameters of the capability profiles. The data transmission can be transmitted to the plurality of devices via the optimal set of subcarriers.
US09918320B2

Various embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an apparatus and method for transmitting capability information in an electronic device. Here, an electronic device may include: a memory configured to store a parameter corresponding to a wireless communication connection scheme which can be supported by the electronic device; a communication module, and a processor. The processor is configured to check first capability information on a plurality of connection schemes that can be supported by an external electronic device. The processor is further configured to select, based on the first capability information and the parameter, second capability information including at least one connection scheme that can be supported by the electronic device among the plurality of connection schemes. The processor is further configured to generate a message using the selected second capability information; and transmit the message to the external electronic device, using the communication module. Other embodiments can be made.
US09918313B2

Embodiments include processes, systems, and devices that allow a white space base station to request available frequency ranges for white space transmission in a local area. A white space finder service models a primary user device's transmission signal propagation area using terrain data associated with the local area of the primary user device. The white space finder service also determines, based on the location of the white space base station and the modeled propagation area, one or more locally available, non-interfering frequency ranges and provides them to the white space base station. The white space base station compares the provided frequency ranges to policies and selects one or more of the available frequencies that accommodate the policies. The white space base station also maps the transmission frequency ranges to virtual frequency ranges for transmission by a software-defined radio employing spectrum virtualization.
US09918312B2

A method in a wireless communication device including receiving (410) a composite control channel including at least two control channel elements, each control channel element only contains radio resource assignment information, for example, a codeword, exclusively addressed to a single wireless communication entity. The device combines (420) at least two of the control channel elements, and decodes (430) the combined control channel elements.
US09918310B2

An RF receiver comprises a down-converting and sampling circuit (104) adapted to: receive an RF input signal (RFIN) having a signal band (BWRF) comprising a plurality of sub-bands (BWIF), each sub-band comprising a plurality (2K) of channels separated by frequency channel spaces (ΔfCH); and perform frequency transposition and sampling to generate a discrete time signal in which a selected one of the plurality of sub-bands is brought from an initial frequency band to a lower frequency band (IF20±KΔfCH); and a discrete time filter (108) having a variable pass band, the central frequency (f0) of the discrete time filter being controllable to select any one of the plurality (2K) of channels of the selected sub-band.
US09918305B2

Methods and apparatus for decoding system information include determining a maximum repetition rate duration based at least in part on a master information block (MIB). The methods and apparatus further include generating a distributed system information block (SIB) decoding scheme for allocating radio frequency resources between a first subscriber identity module (SIM) and a second SIM. In some aspects, the distributed SIB decoding scheme includes a partitioned SIB decoding schedule for the maximum repetition rate duration and based at least in part on a continuous SIB decoding period. Additionally, the methods and apparatus include attempting to decode one or more SIBs during the maximum repetition rate duration according to the distributed SIB decoding scheme.
US09918302B2

A first method for wireless communications may comprise determining sizes of payloads of user equipment (UEs), determining whether to multiplex the payloads of the UEs based on the sizes of the payloads, and allocating codes or cyclic shifts to the UEs to transmit the payloads on a single interlace of resources. A second method for wireless communications may comprise determining a first code or a first cyclic shift used for a first transmission using an interlace of resources, and allocating second codes or second cyclic shifts to UEs for a second transmission, where the second transmission may be multiplexed with the first transmission on the interlace of resources. A third method for wireless communications may comprise allocating a first interlace of resources for a first transmission for occupying an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band, and allocating a second interlace of resources, occupied by a base station, for a second transmission.
US09918297B2

A method and apparatus for measuring a location of a communication terminal using an access point is provided. Information of nearby access points from the communication terminal is received. A predetermined number of nearby access points among the nearby access points is selected based on the received information. Location coordinates of the selected predetermined number of nearby access points are extracted. A barycentric coordinate is calculated using the extracted location coordinates. The calculated barycentric coordinate is determined as a final location of the communication terminal.
US09918292B2

A method, apparatus and computer program product are described for reducing delay when making a network connection between user equipment (UE) and a network node when a tracking area update (TAU) request has been denied during LTE reselection. Following a revised signaling protocol, a UE can avoid activation of a NAS Attach Retry timer and move directly to establishing a connection to the network, reducing the UE communications delay from about eleven seconds to less than one second.
US09918286B2

One disclosure of the present specification provides a method for receiving downlink data in a wireless communication system supporting 256 QAM. The method for receiving downlink data in a wireless communication system supporting 256 QAM comprises the steps of: receiving configuration information about power back-off; receiving downlink data transmitted on the basis of the configuration information about power back-off; and demodulating the received downlink data on the basis of the configuration information about power back-off, wherein the configuration information about power back-off may comprise information related to at least one of the following: whether to apply power back-off, the reduced amount of power of downlink data by power back-off, a frame index to which power back-off is applied, a subframe index and a resource to which power back-off is applied.
US09918279B2

Provided is a method and apparatus for executing an uplink channel power control in dual connectivity configuration when power is limited. An appropriate power controlling method may be determined based on a priority, and may be applied to a UE that has dual connectivity with a Master eNB (MeNB) and a Secondary eNB (SeNB) in a network.
US09918262B2

A method and apparatus for forwarding data in a wireless communication system is provided. A small cell receives an indication which indicates stopping serving a small cell service from a macro eNodeB (eNB). Upon receiving the indication, the small cell starts to forward data to the macro eNB together with a sequence number (SN) status transfer message. The indication may be received via a form of a message or a form of an information element (IE) in a message.
US09918258B2

Optimizing neighbor cell relationships for improving handover performance by interpreting handover failures is presented herein. A method can include receiving data representing a time series of failures of outgoing handovers corresponding to a wireless access point device, and determining, based on a determined condition corresponding to a metric, that a source cell of the wireless access point device is associated with an anomalous cell relation corresponding to the time series of the failures of the outgoing handovers in response to quantifying the time series based on the metric. In various examples, the quantifying can include quantifying the time series with respect to: a volume of the failures during a period of time, an entropy calculated on a probability distribution of the failures by determined relations between the source cell and target cells, and/or an entropy calculated on a probability distribution of determined outgoing handover outcomes.
US09918256B2

The present disclosure relates to a method in a User Equipment (UE) for use in handover from its serving base station to a neighboring base station. The method includes: performing one or more downlink quality measurements of the neighboring base station on one or more downlink subframes in a TDD configuration of the neighboring base station to obtain a downlink quality measurement result; and transmitting said downlink quality measurement result to the serving base station for enabling the serving base station to determine whether to trigger the handover or not.
US09918255B2

A modular electronic device including a master core and a plurality of communication radio modules is provided. The modular electronic device maximizes communication performance by receiving a request for network operations from a mobile operating system of the modular electronic device; polling a table to determine a capacity of each communication radio module; and assigning the network operations to a module of the communication radio modules with a highest available capacity to maximize the communication performance of the modular electronic device.
US09918251B2

A method, an apparatus, and a computer program product for wireless communication are provided. The apparatus determines a first fractional amount of a first data flow to be served to a UE via a first communication link using a first radio access technology (RAT), determines a second fractional amount of the first data flow to be served to the UE via a second communication link using a second RAT, and serves the first fractional amount of the first data flow to the UE using the first communication link.
US09918237B2

Apparatus comprises means for monitoring at least one criterion for an adjustment of a transmit power of a positioning packet by a mobile apparatus, the positioning packet enabling a determination of a position of the mobile apparatus to be made; and means for, when it is detected that the at least one criterion is met, causing an adjustment of the transmit power of positioning packets at the mobile apparatus.
US09918235B2

A steerable antenna, of a UAV, is used to optimize connectivity to a wireless network, such as to radio access network (RAN) of a cellular wireless network. In one implementation, the altitude of a UAV may be used to determine a direction in which to point the antenna of the UAV. In some implementations, additional factors, such as the travel direction of the UAV and/or the known location of base stations associated with the wireless cellular network, may alternatively or additionally be used to determine the direction of the antenna.
US09918225B2

One feature pertains to a method operational at a device. The method includes performing authentication and key agreement with a session key management entity (SKME) device. The method also includes generating an authentication session key based in part on a secret key shared with a home subscriber server, the authentication session key being known to the SKME device. The method further includes generating a mobility session key based in part on the authentication session key, the mobility session key being known to a mobility management entity serving the device. Data sent from the device to a wireless communication network is cryptographically secured using the mobility session key.
US09918223B2

A fingerprint based communication terminal and method, a server and method thereof are disclosed. The terminal includes a fingerprint processing module, a processing module, a storage module, and a communication module. The fingerprint processing module is configured to obtain fingerprint information; the processing module is configured to verify the fingerprint information through a network to obtain a fingerprint phone number bound to the fingerprint information, and bind the fingerprint phone number to the terminal; the storage module is configured to store the fingerprint phone number obtained by the processing module; and the communication module is configured to read the fingerprint phone number in the storage module for performing communication.
US09918218B2

A first personal electronic (PE) device may enable generation, updating, and/or storage of user configuration information. The user configuration information may comprise information pertaining to device configuration and/or operational preferences specific to the device user and/or various use settings, connectivity, and/or use of available resources. The generation, updating, and/or storage of the user configuration information may be performed manually and/or automatically, and may be performed directly within the first PE device and/or via networked devices, which may communicatively coupled to the first PE device. A second PE device may be enabled to be communicatively coupled to the first PE device and/or the networked devices. The second PE device may then be enabled to download existing user configuration information from the first PE device and/or the networked device, and the downloaded user configuration may be utilized to configure the second PE device.
US09918216B2

Embodiments provide a call control device, an HSS, an AS, and a user service processing method. The call control device includes: a receiving module, configured to: receive an access domain confirmation request message, comprising an identifier of the called UE, sent by a call routing device on a home network; a determining module determining, according to the identifier, that the home network communicates with a visited network of the called UE by using a CS domain on the home network; and a sending module sending an access domain confirmation response message, carrying instruction information, to the call routing device and the instruction information is used to instruct the call routing device to route the call to the visited network by using the CS domain on the home network.
US09918208B2

A method and system that inhibits transmission of location information by a telematics unit outside of a geographic region in which such transmission is prohibited. The method includes identifying the relative location of the vehicle and a call center to which the information is to be sent. If the vehicle is in a country or other geographic region that prohibits transmission of vehicle location data outside of the region and, if the call center is determined by the vehicle to be outside of that region, then the telematics unit inhibits the location data from being sent in any communication between the vehicle and call center.
US09918199B2

A method for communicating tour information to a user of a mobile electronic device is disclosed. The mobile device receives from a global positioning satellite (GPS) system geographic coordinates of the mobile device, compares them with coordinates stored in a database having associated with them a point-of-interest. Once coordinates of a point-of-interest are located and determined to be within a predetermined distance from the mobile device, the system will select from the plurality of tour data, a preprogrammed tour corresponding to that POI. The internet may be accessed through the device's wireless transceiver in order to download internet material associated with the point-of-interest. The tour and internet material information is then communicated to the user through a user interface.
US09918195B2

Aspects of the present disclosure may compensate for cyclic shift delays (CSD) in transmitted signals when estimating angle of arrival information of a wireless signal transmitted by a transmitting device. In some aspects, a receiving device may determine a presence of CSD in the wireless signal, and estimate an angle of arrival of the wireless signal based at least in part on the presence of CSD. For example, the receiving device may determine a first tap of the wireless channel based at least in part on the CSD. The receiving device may then determine a phase difference of the wireless signal between a plurality of antennas of the receiving device based on the first tap of the wireless channel. The receiving device may estimate the angle of arrival of the wireless signal based on the phase difference.
US09918184B2

A machine type communication (MTC) device is configured to communicate through a long term evolution (LTE) network. The MTC device include a wireless transceiver to receive a signal through the LTE network, a soft buffer configured to store a plurality of soft channel bits for up to a maximum number of hybrid automatic retransmission request (HARQ) processes, and a signal processing unit. The signal processing unit is configured to determine a total number of soft channel bits based at least on the maximum number of HARQ processes, and to use limited buffer rate matching (LBRM) to store a reduced number of the total number of soft channel bits in the soft buffer.
US09918181B2

The present invention relates to a method for achieving synchronization for the device-to-device (D2D) communication of a first terminal in a wireless communication system, comprising the steps of: calculating a time advance of a second terminal using the information relating to the transmission timing of a second transmission point, the downlink transmission timing of a first transmission point, timing the receipt of a downlink signal from the second transmission point; and receiving a signal from the second terminal using the timing advance of the second terminal.
US09918176B2

An embodiment provides a system, including: a sensor; a processor operatively coupled to the sensor; and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to: capture, using the sensor, depth data related to at least one position within an area; determine characteristics associated with the at least one position based on the depth data; and configure audio output to one or more speakers of an audio system based on the acoustic characteristics. Other aspects are described and claimed.
US09918175B2

Method, equipment and apparatus for acquiring a spatial audio direction vector, the method including: determining a position of a sound source in a multi-sound system; setting a parameter comprising: a human response time Δt and a tolerance percentage δ; acquiring a sound signal from the sound source; and processing the sound signal by using the parameter and acquiring a corresponding spatial audio direction vector {right arrow over (E)} within each time interval Δt. A proportional constant D is determined according to a modulus of a spatial audio direction vector {right arrow over (E)}, and provides spatial information of depth for a virtual image corresponding to a multi-tone audio signal. A vector angle θE the spatial audio direction vector {right arrow over (E)} provides spatial information of direction for the virtual image corresponding to the multi-tone audio signal, to improve viewer's viewing experience. This invention figures out how to enrich audience experience by applying the spatial audio directional vector to glasses-free 3D display.
US09918171B2

In one embodiment, a system includes a programmable hearing device configured to deliver a sequence of outputs in-situ, each output corresponding to a sound segment, wherein the outputs are delivered according to fitting parameters programmed into the programmable hearing device, and a computing device communicatively coupled online to a remote server. The computing device may be configured to receive a consumer input indicative of a subjective assessment of the consumer of each of the sound segments, wherein the consumer input is configured to adjust one or more fitting parameters associated with the output corresponding to the sound segment being assessed, wherein the fitting application is configured to make adjustments to the fitting parameters in accordance with the consumer input.
US09918162B2

The present technique relates to an earhole-wearable sound collection device, a signal processing device, and a method for realizing sound collection at a high S/N ratio. In the earhole-wearable sound collection device, a microphone that collects emitted speech voice is provided in a space that is substantially sealed off from outside and connects to an ear canal of the wearer (the speaker). With the microphone being located in the space sealed off from outside, emitted speech voice that propagates through the ear canal of the wearer is collected. In a sound collection signal obtained through the ear canal, the emitted speech voice component is dominant over the noise component particularly at low frequencies. Therefore, the S/N ratio of an emitted speech voice collection signal is improved by an equalizing process for reducing muffled sound that is generated when sound is collected through the ear canal on the sound collection signal.
US09918157B2

This headphone type acoustic apparatus includes a pair of housing blocks each including a headphone unit, a headband section that supports the housing blocks at both ends and includes a pair of speaker units, one or more sensors that obtain information for estimating a mounted state achieved by a user, and a control unit that estimates the mounted state based on outputs of the one or more sensors and controls, based on the estimated mounted state, outputs of the pair of headphone units and the pair of speaker units.
US09918144B2

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for enhancing the viewing experience of video content by analyzing the content to determine where enhanced sensory experience events may be appropriate, by identifying devices at the viewing location and devices personal to the viewer that can be controlled to provide an enhanced sensory experience, and by activating those devices in a way that is synchronized with the presentation of the content.
US09918141B2

The embodiments herein provide a system and method for monitoring and detecting Television (TV) ads in real-time using content databases. The method comprises an ingest process and a lookup process. An audio stream of an ad is chopped into predetermined timeframe samples. The chopped samples are stored in an ingest database. A TV broadcast stream of predefined length is chopped into samples which are compared with the ingest database. When the threshold value of a candidate is more than an average value, the candidate is shortlisted for further filtrations. Then the TV broadcast stream is compared with contents of an additional database. The additional database stores the whole length of an ingested ad without any chopping. A shifted search is performed on short listed candidates to detect the version of the ad played in the TV channel.
US09918139B2

A system for providing a distributed architecture for mobile streaming content delivery is disclosed. In particular, the system may include bypassing a master head end facility and its accompanying fiber distribution network to deliver a content stream directly to mobile cell sites. In order to do so, the system may receive, at a cell cite, a content stream directly from a content satellite and then format the content into a format suitable for delivery to a subscriber device. The system may receive, such as via a radio access network, a request from the subscriber device to access the content stream. In response to the request from the subscriber device, the system may deliver the formatted content stream to the subscriber device. The distributed architecture may also allow for delivering the content stream jointly with voice data services, such as those provided in a Long-Term Evolution network or other network.
US09918128B2

The invention relates to content categorization and a method to that end comprises acts of: rendering content within graphical user interfaces to a plurality of viewers; receiving multiple signals related to feedbacks from the plurality of viewers relatively to the rendered content; and tallying the multiple received signals from the plurality of viewers to categorize the content. More particularly: the content is fragmented into a plurality of fragments having a predetermined duration, each signal comprises data of a facial expression recognition of each viewer, to sense a mood expression of the viewer during the content rendering, a memory is provided for storing at least timestamps associated to fragments for which an intensity of the sensed mood expression of a viewer is above a first threshold, and a processing circuit is further provided for implementing tallying acts of: For all the viewers and for each given timestamp, using the memory for counting a first number of viewers for which the intensity is above the first threshold during the fragment corresponding to the given timestamp, and When the first number is above a second threshold, labelling the fragment corresponding to the given timestamp as a moment of interest of the content.
US09918119B2

A device may determine media content to be prescheduled for recording without receiving a request to record the media content and based on a quantity of users expected to record the media content. The device may determine a digital video recorder (DVR) device, for which the media content is to be prescheduled for recording, without receiving a user request to record the media content using the DVR device. The device may provide an instruction to cause the DVR device to record the media content.
US09918117B1

Method and system for managing advertising in program streams. Advertisement opportunities (avails) in a program stream may be divided into sections (subavails) with the goal of directing advertising at a particular target audience (group). A program stream is split into one or more sub-streams to produce additional advertising avail sections (subavails) able to be targeted to a subgroup of subscribers. Subavails may also refer to various advertisement opportunities in different presentation streams (sub-streams). Each sub-stream may be targeted at a subgroup of subscribers with demographic and product preference characteristics. By correlating the subscriber characteristics with advertisement parameters supplied by an advertiser, the system/method determines which advertisement is best to display in the one or more subavails. Accordingly, such a subavail, or group of subavails may be sold to an advertiser, e.g., via an auction.
US09918116B2

Systems and methods for generating domain-compliant image data. Domain-specific usage rights may be evaluated. The domain-specific usage rights may be associated with the transfer of particular encoded image data to a particular computing system other than the computing system. The domain-specific usage rights may specify maximum allowable spatial frequency content of the particular encoded image data. Domain-compliant image data may be generated by removing particular disallowable spatial frequency content from the encoded image data prior to transfer to the particular computing system.
US09918110B2

A point of view platform may be comprised of an ingest layer; a processing layer; a rules engine; and a streaming layer. The ingest layer may be configured to: receive audio, video, and telemetric data associated with a plurality of capturing devices. The rules engine may be configured to: determine a plurality of views to be generated from the received data, and derive a set of rules for processing the received data to generate each of the plurality of views. The processing layer may be configured to derive metadata from the received data, apply the set of rules for processing the data, process the received data based on the metadata and the rules, and generate content associated with each of the plurality of views. The streaming layer may be configured to: receive an end-user selection of a particular view and stream the content associated with the particular view.
US09918104B2

An entropy decoder is configured to, for horizontal and vertical components of motion vector differences, derive a truncated unary code from the data stream using context-adaptive binary entropy decoding with exactly one context per bin position of the truncated unary code, which is common for horizontal and vertical components of the motion vector differences, and an Exp-Golomb code using a constant equi-probability bypass mode to obtain the binarizations of the motion vector differences. A desymbolizer is configured to debinarize the binarizations of the motion vector difference syntax elements to obtain integer values of the horizontal and vertical components of the motion vector differences. A reconstructor is configured to reconstruct a video based on the integer values of the horizontal and vertical components of the motion vector differences.
US09918094B2

In a general aspect, a method includes determining a tile position in a frame of a spherical video based on a view perspective, selecting a first portion of the frame of the spherical video as a first two dimensional tile based on the tile position, selecting a plurality of second two dimensional tiles from a second portion of the frame of the spherical video, the second portion of the frame surrounding the first portion of the frame and extending away from the first portion of the frame, encoding the first two dimensional tile using a first quality, encoding the plurality of second two dimensional tiles using at least one second quality, and transmitting a packet, as a streaming spherical video, the packet including the encoded first two dimensional tile and the plurality of encoded second two dimensional tiles.
US09918092B2

Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media receive a source video having a source file size. A bit rate at which to encode the source video is determined. The source video is encoded at the determined bit rate to produce an encoded video having a file size less than the source file size. A video quality metric for the encoded video is determined. Whether or not the video quality metric for the encoded video is within an allowable deviation from a target quality metric is determined. The source video is encoded at another determined bit rate when the video quality metric for the encoded video is outside the allowable deviation from the target quality metric. Determining the bit rate and encoding the source video at the determined bit rate can repeat iteratively until the video quality metric for the encoded video is within the allowable deviation from the target quality metric.
US09918088B2

A transform and inverse transform circuit is provided. The transform and inverse transform circuit includes: at least one quantization and inverse quantization circuit, including at least one quantization and inverse quantization unit, wherein each quantization and inverse quantization unit includes a plurality of first coefficients, and each quantization and inverse quantization unit performs quantization or inverse quantization on one of multiple ways of inputting data; and at least one one-dimensional transform circuit, coupled to the quantization and inverse quantization circuit, wherein the one-dimensional transform circuit includes a plurality of second coefficients, wherein the one-dimensional transform circuit performs one-dimensional transform on the inputting data processed by the quantization and inverse quantization circuit, wherein the plurality of first coefficients and the plurality of second coefficients are set up based on a video codec standard.
US09918084B2

The present technology relates to an encoding device and an encoding method, and a decoding device and a decoding method that are capable of reducing the calculation amount of orthogonal transform processing or inverse orthogonal transform processing. A DWT unit (91) performs a DWT of which the calculation amount is smaller than that of a KLT for residual information. KLT units (92-0 to 92-8) perform separable-type KLTs for a low-frequency component of the residual information that is acquired as a result of the DWT using bases of KLTs of the corresponding intra prediction modes. A coefficient acquired as a result of the KLT and a high-frequency component of the residual information that is acquired as a result of the DWT are losslessly encoded. The present technology can be applied to, for example, an image encoding device.
US09918082B2

A method for encoding a spherical video is disclosed. The method includes mapping a frame of the spherical video to a two dimensional representation based on a projection. Further, in a prediction process the method includes determine whether at least one block associated with a prediction scheme is on a boundary of the two dimensional representation, and upon determining the at least one block associated with the prediction scheme is on the boundary, select an adjacent end block as a block including at least one pixel for use during the prediction process, the adjacent end block being associated with two or more boundaries of the two dimensional representation.
US09918074B2

A display system creating three dimensional (3D) imagery for a viewer in a viewing space wearing 3D stereo glasses. The 3D stereo glasses have first and second lens passing colored light in first and second ranges of wavelengths. The display system includes a 3D mural element with a display surface facing the viewing space and a light receiving surface opposite the display surface. The display system includes a first wavelength multiplex visualization (WMV) light source outputting a first light stream onto the light receiving surface, and the first light stream has a wavelength in the first range of wavelengths. The display system includes a second WMV light source outputting a second light stream onto the light receiving surface, and the second light stream has a wavelength in the second range of wavelengths. WMV light sources may be directed onto 3D surfaces and props in the viewing space providing 3D effect.
US09918073B2

An apparatus is described having an integrated two-dimensional image capture and three-dimensional time-of-flight depth capture system. The integrated two-dimensional image capture and three-dimensional time-of-flight depth capture system includes an illuminator to generate light for the time-of-flight depth capture system. The illuminator includes an array of light sources and a movable lens assembly. The movable lens assembly is to movably direct an emitted beam of the light to one of any of a plurality of locations within the illuminator's field of view to form an illuminated region of interest within the illuminator's field of view. The illuminated region of interest has a size that is smaller than the illuminator's field of view.
US09918071B2

A three-dimensional (3D) image sensor device and an electronic apparatus including the 3D image sensor device are provided. The 3D image sensor device includes: a shutter driver that generates a driving voltage of a sine wave biased with a first bias voltage, from a loss-compensated recycling energy; an optical shutter that varies transmittance of reflective light reflected from a subject, according to the driving voltage, and modulates the reflective light to generate at least two optical modulation signals having different phases; and an image generator that generates 3D image data for the subject which includes depth information calculated based on a phase difference between the at least two optical modulation signals.
US09918062B2

An image capturing apparatus which captures an image of a subject with an image sensor having pixels each including a plurality of areas and generates a RAW image for each of the plurality of areas from a signal generated by the image sensor. The apparatus generates a first RAW image and a second RAW image from the RAW images, generates first image data by performing first development on the first RAW image, generates first RAW image data and second RAW image data by compressing the first RAW image and the second RAW image and performs second development on the first RAW image having a higher processing load than the first development. Second image data is generated by the second development on the first RAW image by using the second RAW image.
US09918058B2

The present technology relates to an information processing apparatus and method that allow a plurality of projection units to project images more easily in cooperation. The information processing apparatus of the present technology forms a group for projecting one contents data in cooperation with other information processing apparatuses including projection units to project images and imaging units to shoot a subject and obtain shot images, shares correction information as information relating to correction made to images projected by the projection units of the information processing apparatuses belonging to the formed group among the information processing apparatuses belonging to the formed group, and updates the correction information for the subject information processing apparatus on the basis of the shot image obtained by shooting the image projected by the projection unit as a subject and the shared correction information. The present technology is applicable to projectors or cameras, or electronic devices including the both functions of projector and camera, computers controlling these devices, and others, for example.
US09918049B2

A small wearable recall device is provided to capture images triggered by a combination of a detection of a capture condition (e.g., changes in motion, temperature or light level) followed by a relatively stable period, as detected by an accelerometer. By triggering on the combination of a detected capture condition followed by a detected stability condition, a clearer image of the environment of an interesting event is expected to be captured. The small size of the recall device makes it possible to integrate it into common portable consumer products, such as MP3 players, purses, clothing, hats, backpacks, necklaces, collars, and other human-wearable products.
US09918048B2

An approach is provided for automatic location-based imaging. A platform receives, over a communication network, positional information corresponding to a location of a device associated with a user. The platform determines whether the location is within a zone including a pre-positioned camera and retrieves one or more images or sounds of the user from the camera based on the determination. The platform can receive the positional information in real-time or as cached positional information. The cached positional information can then be correlated with the one or more images at a later time.
US09918044B2

The invention relates to a handheld observation device including a digital magnetic compass for measuring a magnetic field direction of a magnetic field present, a gravitation sensor for measuring a gravitational field direction of a gravitational field present, and a control and evaluation unit configured for determining an externally referenced orientation of the observation device depending on a measured magnetic field direction and a measured gravitational field direction and with application of an algorithmic disturbance suppression, for which compensation parameters are stored. The observation device can also include a video tracking system (4) for recording an image sequence and for deriving orientation changes of the observation device.
US09918043B2

In one of many possible embodiments, a system includes a requesting media content processing subsystem and a network entity. The requesting media content processing subsystem is configured to transmit to the network entity a request to access a snippet of a media content instance. The network entity is configured to augment the snippet with additional media content and provide a user with access to the augmented snippet via the requesting media content processing subsystem.
US09918040B2

Methods and systems are described for displaying a thumbnail preview of video content. In an aspect, one or more mosaic images made up of thumbnails corresponding to frames of the video content at multiple time points can be loaded into the system or created by the methods described. In an aspect, the selected thumbnail, as well as any other thumbnails, can be selected in response to receiving a command (e.g., trick play request) from the viewer. The command can dictate the direction from the selected thumbnail that the next thumbnails will be selected. The command can also dictate the frequency with which thumbnails will be selected from the mosaic image. In an aspect, frames comprised of thumbnails can be encoded to create the video content.
US09918037B2

A multi-tier color look-up table (LUT) database system is provided. A first LUT can be stored in a database. First and second users can be granted access to the first LUT. The first and second users can have access to the first LUT for first and second periods of time, respectively. A second LUT can be stored in the database. The first user's access to the first LUT can be removed while the second user's access is maintained. The first and second users can be granted access to the second LUT. The first user can be granted a second access to the first LUT, and can have second access to the first LUT for a third period of time. The third period of time beginning after the end of the first period of time, with the second period of time overlapping with the first and third periods of time.
US09918028B2

An image capturing apparatus comprises: an image sensor which has a plurality of pixels; and a plurality of processing circuits which correct images of different frames output from the image sensor. Each processing circuit includes: a first detection circuit which performs defective pixel detection on a portion of a region of the plurality of pixels which is different from portions of the region on which the other processing circuits perform defective pixel detection; and a memory which stores information on defective pixels for the entire region obtained by combining information on defective pixels detected by the first detection circuit and information on defective pixels obtained by the other processing circuits. Further, each processing circuit corrects the image of each frame output from the image sensor, using the information on defective pixels for the entire region stored in the memory.
US09918026B2

Photo-detector device for electro-optical sensors, comprising at least a detection and conversion circuit, or pixel (20), having at least a photo-sensitive reception mean (26) and a reset control terminal (11), which is able to drive an element to control the charge dissipation (23) of the photo-sensitive reception mean (26). The pixel (20) is able to convert the current generated by the photo-sensitive reception mean (26) into a voltage signal on a read-out terminal (28). The photo-detector device also comprises a circuit for controlling the reset voltage (40), able to generate a suitable input signal to the reset control terminal (11) by connecting it alternatively to a reset terminal (42) or to an external reference terminal (47), the input signal to said external reference terminal (47) is the type that can be programmed from outside. Furthermore, the circuit for controlling the reset voltage (40) can be shared between a subset of detection and control circuits (20).
US09918024B2

An apparatus is described that includes a camera. The camera has a beam splitter to impose different optical paths for visible light and infra red light received by the camera. The camera has an infra red light detector to detect the infra red light and a visible light detector to detect the visible light.
US09918021B2

An image processing device includes: an image processing unit that alters an image by executing first image processing and second image processing on the image; and a processing change unit that changes an extent to which the image is altered through the first image processing and an extent to which the image is altered through the second image processing. The processing change unit raises the extent to which the image is altered through the second image processing when the extent to which the image is altered through the first image processing is lowered.
US09918019B2

A conversion method for converting luminance of a video, including a luminance value in a first luminance range, to be displayed on a display apparatus includes: acquiring a first luminance signal indicating a code value obtained by quantization of the luminance value of the video; and converting the code value indicated by the acquired first luminance signal into a second luminance value determined based on a luminance range of the display apparatus, the second luminance value being compatible with a second luminance range with a maximum value smaller than a maximum value of the first luminance range and larger than 100 nit. This provides the conversion method capable of achieving further improvement.
US09918016B2

An apparatus includes a processor and a recording medium having a program, the program causing the processor to execute operations. The operations include providing a normal mode and a visible light communication mode, wherein the normal mode and the visible light communication mode are switchable. In the normal mode, first image data is obtained by image capture with a first exposure time by sequentially starting exposure for a plurality of exposure lines in an image sensor each at a different time and each of the plurality of exposure lines partially overlaps in exposure time an adjacent exposure line. In the visible light communication mode, (i) a second exposure time of the image sensor is set, (ii) a bright line image is obtained, and (iii) information is obtained by demodulating data specified by a pattern of the plurality of bright lines included in the obtained bright line image.
US09918012B2

To provide a display system which enables power consumption to be reduced. An imaging device operates in first and second imaging modes. In the first imaging mode, a digital processing circuit converts a third imaging data captured by a first pixel into a digital data and supplied the data to a display device. In the second imaging mode, an analog processing circuit detects a difference data between first and second imaging data and sets a determination signal to an active value in accordance with the difference data. A display device operates in first and second display modes. In the first display mode, an image data is updated to display an image. In the second display mode, an image is displayed without an update of an image data. The switching of the imaging mode and the display mode is performed by setting the determination signal to an active value.
US09918009B2

There is provided a luminaire that includes a plurality of cameras supported by a member. One camera has a field of view overlapping the field of view of another camera.
US09918008B2

The present disclosure relates to a method and device for assisting a user for capturing an image. In an embodiment, an image is focused by a user of an image capturing device. The image capturing device extracts one or more features from the image being focused. The extracted features are classified into significant features and background features. The image capturing device also extracts one or more line segments in the image. Upon extracting the features and the line segments, the image capturing device determines relation between the features and the line segments. The image capturing device provides assistance to the user for capturing the image based on the relation.
US09918007B2

The present invention discloses a photographing method. The method includes: determining a photographed object in a viewing frame; obtaining characteristic information of the photographed object, where the characteristic information is used to indicate a type of the photographed object; analyzing a behavioral parameter of the photographed object and an environmental parameter in the viewing frame, where the behavioral parameter is used to indicate a behavior type and a behavior speed of the photographed object, and the environmental parameter is used to indicate a color condition and/or a light condition in the viewing frame; determining a photographing parameter that corresponds to the characteristic information, the behavioral parameter, and the environmental parameter; and photographing the photographed object according to the photographing parameter.
US09917998B2

Systems and methods for measuring scene information while capturing images using array cameras in accordance with embodiments of the invention are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method of measuring scene information while capturing an image using an array camera includes defining at least two subsets of active cameras, configuring the active cameras using image capture settings, capturing image data using the active cameras, synthesizing at least one image using image data captured by a first subset of active cameras, measuring scene information using image data captured by a second subset of active cameras, and determining whether the image capture settings satisfy at least one predetermined criterion for at least one image capture parameter using the measured scene information, where new image capture settings are determined and utilized to configure the active cameras upon a determination that the image capture settings do not satisfy the at least one predetermined criterion.
US09917995B2

The present invention generally relates to the field of communication between electronic devices used for photography. In particular, the invention relates to a method, transmission unit, system and computer program for wireless communication between a camera and at least one remote flash device, such as photoflash units and related equipment. More in particular, the invention provides a way of controlling a plurality of flash devices from an intermediate radio transmission unit mountable on the camera, and utilized a delay a sequence flash control sequence so as to synchronize the function of the camera and the remote flash devices during image acquisition.
US09917988B2

A method and apparatus for occlusion area detection based on block difference associated with a motion vector and a predicted block difference are disclosed. For each current block of a frame, motion estimation is performed based on a temporally previous frame and a temporally subsequent frame. Based on the motion vector derived, two reference blocks of the current block are located in the temporally neighboring frames. The block difference between these two reference blocks is calculated for the current block. By comparing the block difference with a predicted block difference of the current block, the current block is determined to be an occlusion block or not accordingly. The predicted block difference is updated by averaging the block difference of neighboring blocks in a non-motion boundary area.
US09917981B2

An image processing apparatus includes: an image processing unit; an authentication-information input unit; a storage unit; and a controller. The storage unit stores a plurality of secure jobs and a plurality of authentication information associated with the secure jobs respectively. The controller is configured to: acquire first authentication information; in a case that the first authentication information matches an authentication information stored in the storage unit, cause the image processing unit to execute a secure job stored in the storage unit and associated with the authentication information; acquire second authentication information which has been inputted during an interruption of the secure job; and in a case that the second authentication information matches another authentication information, and that another secure job associated with the another authentication information is executable by the image processing unit, cause the image processing unit to execute the another secure job.
US09917979B2

Systems and methods are directed towards generating a verified unique watermark. More specifically, the systems and methods are directed towards generating a watermark that is as long as possible without any repetition. Such watermarks are possible by selecting characteristics of the watermark and methods for producing the watermarks (e.g., dandy rollers). By producing longer unique watermarks, users would be capable of generating longer rolls of paper whereby more sheets can be produced that each possesses a unique watermark. With the unique watermark, users can identify what information is printed on each sheet as well as authenticate the contents of each individual sheet.
US09917976B2

An image forming system includes a portable terminal device, an image forming apparatus, and a marker registration circuit. The image forming apparatus prints a marker associated with location information of a user who has instructed execution of printing on a recording medium. The portable terminal device includes an information acquisition circuit and a position notification image output circuit. The information acquisition circuit photographs a marker printed on a recording medium using an imaging device so as to acquire the location information registered in the marker registration circuit, and the location information is associated with the marker photographed by the imaging device. The position notification image output circuit outputs a position notification image that notifies a position corresponding to the location information acquired by the information acquisition circuit to an output device.
US09917975B2

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system and computer program product for facsimile requirements monitoring during facsimile transmission of a form. In an embodiment of the invention, a method of facsimile requirements monitoring during facsimile transmission of a form is provided. The method includes loading a document directed for facsimile transmission by a facsimile data processing system, identifying within the document a facsimile requirement that a particular location within the document include end user supplied data, determining whether or not the particular location specified by the facsimile requirement includes end user supplied data, and generating an error message in the facsimile device responsive to a determination that the particular location lacks any end user supplied data.
US09917974B2

There is provided a recording medium having a printer driver embodied therein, the printer driver causing, when executed by a processor, the processor to implement a method. The method includes: receiving, with the processor, an input of information that includes an instruction on setting a first region; and generating, with the processor, frame data that includes a first frame and an instruction marker. The first region is included in a medium region that corresponds to a print medium. The first frame surrounds the first region. The instruction marker is adapted to give an instruction on setting a position of the first frame in the medium region.
US09917970B2

A resolution of an image data needs to be higher than a predetermined value for character recognition. A control method in an image reading apparatus having a reading unit for reading an image of a document to generate image data, and a storing unit for storing the image data generated by the reading unit includes receiving from a user, after the image data is stored by the storing unit, an instruction for executing character recognition processing on the image data stored by the storing unit, executing character recognition processing on the image data stored by the storing unit according to a reception of the instruction by the receiving unit, and performing control, in a case where the image data generated by the reading unit is to be stored by the storing unit, to read an image of a document by the reading unit with a resolution that enables character recognition.
US09917963B2

An information processing device includes: an operation display unit that displays information for a user and receives an input from the user; and an information processing unit including a processor that executes a browser program. The information processing unit includes: a communication unit that functions by the processor executing the browser program, and acquires an operation program and a conversion script that provide a user interface for operating an equipment through the operation display unit; a conversion script processing unit that functions by the processor executing the conversion script on the browser program, analyzes a state of the equipment, and issues an event corresponding to the state of the equipment; and a display control unit that functions by the processor executing the operation program on the browser program, and provides the user interface corresponding to the event through the operation display unit in response to issuance of the event.
US09917960B2

Provided are an image forming apparatus, a management apparatus, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a load control program and a load control method. The image forming apparatus includes a controller that provides a job execution function and a server function. The controller defines a condition for restricting server connections from one or more client terminals, according to a status of job execution, and instructs a load balancing apparatus to perform load control to restrict the server connections based on the condition. The management apparatus includes a controller that sends a request from a client terminal to a server function, to one of image forming apparatuses. The controller obtains, from each image forming apparatus, information relating to a status of job execution, and performs load control to restrict server connections to each image forming apparatus, according to the status of job execution.
US09917949B1

Techniques for behavioral pairing in a contact center system are disclosed. In one particular embodiment, the techniques may be realized as a method for pairing in a contact center including ordering one or more contacts, ordering one or more agents, comparing a first difference in ordering between a first contact and a first agent in a first pair with a second difference in ordering between a second contact and a second agent in a second pair, and selecting the first pair or the second pair for connection based on the comparing, wherein the first contact and the second contact are different or the first agent and the second agent are different.
US09917934B2

A portable electronic device such as a handheld electronic device is provided. The device may have upper and lower portions. The upper portion may have clips that attach to springs on the lower portion. The device may have a housing with a bezel. A prong on the springs may ground the bezel. A vibrator mounting bracket may hold a vibrator in place within the housing. The vibrator mounting bracket may have an end that engages the housing. A threaded insert may be welded to the spring. A screw that passes through a hole in the vibrator mounting bracket may be screwed into the threaded insert to attach the vibrator to the housing. An elastomeric member may bias the vibrator towards the bracket. An acoustic module may serve as a subassembly for the device. Components such as an antenna, dock connector, microphone, and speaker may be attached to the acoustic module.
US09917929B2

A packet parser has a set of marker elements each comprising a one bit latch and connected to store flag values from the results of the application of parser rules. Some marker elements are connected to provide the stored marker values as input to the parser rule logic to be taken into account in the processing of subsequent parser rules and some are connected to control external hardware. Some markers are reset at the end of each packet. A special toggle marker element toggles its value when its address is selected and other marker elements are connected to store, when its own address is selected, the value of the toggle element. Other markers toggle their own value when selected.
US09917923B2

A system, method, and computer program product for building JSON message relationships for offline operation of an enterprise application is presented. The claimed embodiments address the problem of mobile application behavior during periods of limited access to backend application services and data. More specifically, some embodiments are directed to approaches for capturing request and response information communicated between a client device and application server when connected by a network, and storing respective relationships using the captured information. The stored requests and responses and respective relationships are used to emulate the backend services provided by the application server when the client device is disconnected from the network. In one or more embodiments, a crawler on the client device can generate simulated online requests to build a set of information for use by the emulator when the client device is disconnected from the application server.
US09917917B2

Disclosed are various embodiments for prefetching of objects referenced on a network page. An encoded network page referring to at least one item is retrieved. The same item is included on a second network page. In response to an indication of user interest in the item on the first network page, at least an initial portion of a video resource associated with the indicated item and included on the second network page is retrieved. In response to a user selection of the same item, the retrieved initial portion of the video resource is rendered on the second network page.
US09917914B2

Methods and systems for facilitating content accessibility via different communication formats are provided. According to one embodiment, information indicative of one or more communication formats via which a client device is capable of communication is stored on a client device by (i) sending the client device a web page having embedded therein test content associated with a first protocol stack and/or a second protocol stack; and (ii) based on a response to the test content received from the client device, determining communication capabilities of the client device. A result of the determination is stored within a browser cookie, which is sent to the client device. A content request is received from the client device that includes the browser cookie. The client device is redirected to a server device appropriate for the communication capabilities of the client based at least in part on the browser cookie.
US09917909B2

In one embodiment, a user of a social networking system requests to look up a contact's communication channel information in the user's address book. The social networking system provides to the user the contact's communication channels in an ordered sequence based on the user's social graph and communication information.
US09917904B1

In general, the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in methods, systems, and program products for invoking a non-search action based on a search query. A server system receives a search query from a remote computing device. The server system determines whether the search query includes reserved text that indicates an intent by a user that provided the search query to the remote computing device to perform a non-search messaging action instead of or in addition to obtaining search results. The server system provides to the computing device, in response to determining that the search query includes the reserved text, code for causing the remote computing device to display a draft communication that includes at least the search query without the reserved text, and for allowing the user to edit the draft communication before transmitting the draft communication for receipt by recipient users.
US09917901B2

A method includes receiving, by a distribution server, a plurality of network traffic records. The distribution server generates a first hash from a first plurality of fields in a first of the plurality of network traffic records and generating a second hash from a second plurality of fields in a second of the plurality of network traffic records. The distribution server determines that the first and second of the plurality of network traffic records relate to a session. The method includes transmitting the first and second of the plurality of network traffic records to one of a plurality of worker computing devices selected based on the determination and on at least one of the first and second hash. The distribution server transmits a request for an enumeration of addresses ranked according to a criterion, receives partial enumerations from a plurality of worker computers, and generates a combined, deduplicated enumeration.
US09917900B2

Systems, methods, and computer program products to perform an operation comprising providing a plurality of processing elements comprising one or more operators, the operators configured to process streaming data tuples, establishing an operator graph of a plurality of operators, the operator graph defining at least one execution path in which a first operator of the plurality of operators is configured to: (i) receive data tuples from at least one upstream operator and (ii) transmit data tuples to at least one downstream operator, wherein the first operator executes on a first compute node of a plurality of compute nodes, monitoring a memory use by the first operator on the first compute node, and upon determining that the memory use of the first operator exceeds a memory threshold, moving the first operator to a second compute node, of the plurality of compute nodes.
US09917899B2

Provided are a method, system and program for publishing configuration patterns for storage resources and storage performance models from client systems to share with client systems in a network computing environment. A determination is made of a configuration pattern of storage resources within the client computing environment and storage performance metrics for the configuration pattern of storage resources within the client. At least one storage performance model is created based on the determined storage performance metrics. Information on the at least one storage performance model and the configuration pattern of the storage resources for which the storage performance metrics were determined are published to the service provider.
US09917893B2

Disclosed is a method and system for re-directing a dynamic instance hosting service of a virtual object. The dynamic instance hosting service re-directing system may include a spatial information controller configured to determine whether an instance of an Internet of Things (IoT) device is movable based on spatial information of the IoT device using an instance hosting function; and an instance resource controller configured to manage available instance resources associated with the IoT device and an external service for an instance movement of the IoT device.
US09917891B2

Methods, apparatus, and systems for distributing network loads in a manner that is resilient to system topology changes. Distribution functions and associated operations are implemented on multiple load splitters such that if a load splitter becomes inoperative, another or other load splitters can forward packets corresponding to flows previously handled by the inoperative load splitter without requiring flow state synchronization to be maintained across load splitters. The distribution functions are implemented in a manner that distributes packets for the same flows to the same servers through system topology changes, addressing both situations when servers fail and/or are taken off-line and when such servers or replacement servers are brought back on-line. The techniques are facilitated, in part, via use of redistributed flow lists and/or Bloom filters that are marked to track redistributed flows. A novel Bloom filter recycle scheme is also disclosed.
US09917890B2

A dynamic rebalancer operates in a server cluster independently of routers directing traffic to the servers in the cluster. An analysis component uses configuration information and statistics information to determine which session, if any, should be moved. A filter component receives transfer instructions from the analysis component. When the filter component receives transfer instructions from the analysis component, the filter component adds a redirect command to the client request. The filter component continually redirects client requests within the session to the new server until the client receives the redirect command and begins to send client requests to the new server.
US09917889B2

According to various example embodiments, a request transmitted from a client and directed to a service application is intercepted. A logical database (DB) host specified by a hint value included in the request is then identified. Moreover, a target physical DB host is identified, based on the identified logical DB host and DB host mapping information. Thereafter, the request is routed to an instance of the service application co-located with the identified target physical DB host at a particular data center.
US09917888B1

Disclosed aspects relate to data integration application execution management using both a set of managed nodes and a set of unmanaged nodes. An execution request for a data integration application may be sensed. A first set of commands of the data integration application may be assigned to the set of managed nodes. A second set of commands of the data integration application may be assigned to the set of unmanaged nodes. Execution of the data integration application may be initiated using the set of managed nodes to process the first set of commands and the set of unmanaged nodes to process the second set of commands.
US09917886B2

In an embodiment, information contents, such as, e.g., media contents arranged in pieces including blocks of bits, is distributed over a network including plural terminals at least one of which acts as a source of the pieces of information distributed. Various terminals in the network are configured to act as peer terminals with at least one first peer terminal sending the information to one or more second peer terminals. A set of blocks of a corresponding piece of information is received at the first peer terminal and the corresponding piece of information is reconstructed from the set of blocks received. The pieces of information distributed over the network are fountain encoded by XOR-ing the blocks in a piece, so that a received piece is reconstructable from a combination of a corresponding set of linearly independent XOR-ed blocks. The first peer terminal may start sending to the second peer terminal(s) blocks it is receiving before the corresponding piece of information is reconstructed and possibly subjected to integrity check at the first terminal. Fountain encoding the pieces of information is by means of plural sets of linearly independent XOR-ed blocks. A same piece of information is distributed to a plurality of peer terminals by sending thereto different sets of linearly independent XOR-ed blocks, thus avoiding undue redundancy in the information further propagated to other peers.
US09917885B2

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a system compares database transactions to corresponding performance information to identify conforming database transactions with an acceptable deviation from the performance information and outlier database transactions beyond the acceptable deviation from the performance information. The system aggregates information from a threshold quantity of conforming database transactions into an aggregated record, wherein the threshold quantity is dynamically adjusted, and generates a record for each outlier database transaction, wherein conditions for identifying the outlier database transactions are dynamically adjusted. Embodiments of the present invention further include a method and computer program product for managing database transactions in substantially the same manners described above.
US09917881B2

An apparatus and method for transferring data from a first mobile terminal to a second mobile terminal are provided. The method includes pairing the first mobile terminal and the second mobile terminal using Near Field Communication (NFC), selecting at least one item on the first mobile terminal to be transferred to the second mobile terminal, and confirming transfer of the at least one item to the second mobile terminal, and transferring the at least one item from the first mobile terminal to the second mobile terminal.
US09917870B2

One or more embodiments of the disclosure provide systems and methods for providing media presentations to users of a media presentation system. A media presentation generally includes a one or more media streams provided by one or more capturing users of the media presentation system. In one or more embodiments, a user of the media presentation system may share a media presentation with a viewing user. The media presentation system can provide a number of features to produce a media stream within a media presentation.
US09917862B2

Disclosed are various approaches for integrating application scanning into a mobile enterprise computing management system. A management service can add a first command to a command queue associated with a client device, wherein the first command instructs the client device to provide a unique device identifier associated with the client device to the management service and the unique device identifier uniquely identifies the client device with respect to at least one other client device. Then, the management service can receive a first request from the client device for the first command stored in the command queue. Later, the management service sends the first command to the client device. When the management service receives the unique device identifier from the client device, the management service sends the unique device identifier to a scanning service and a policy linked with the unique device identifier to the scanning service. The policy comprises an identifier of a client application prohibited on the client device. The management service then receives a notification from the scanning service. The notification comprises the unique device identifier and an indication that the client application is present on the client device. Later, the management service adds a second command to the command queue, wherein the second command instructs the client device to perform a remedial action specified by the policy. When the management service receives a second request from the client device for the second command stored in the command queue, the management service sends the second command to the client device.
US09917857B2

Methods and systems for improved attack context data logging are provided. According to one embodiment, prior to a logging event being triggered (i) it is determined by a network security device whether a received packet is potentially associated with a threat or undesired activity by analyzing the packet; (ii) when the determination is negative, the packet is stored within a circular buffer; and (iii) when the determination is affirmative, (a) the logging event is triggered, (b) pre-attack context information regarding the threat is captured by extracting information from packets within the circular buffer and (c) the pre-attack context information is stored within a log. After the logging event has been triggered and until information regarding a predefined quantity of packets has been logged, post-attack context information regarding the threat is captured by extracting information from subsequently received packets and the post-attack context information is stored within the log.
US09917845B2

The present application discloses a link discovery method and apparatus. The method includes: when a network device receives a first LLDP packet sent by a directly connected device, determining a security level of the directly connected device according to an authentication TLV; if the security level of the directly connected device is secure, determining a device type of the directly connected device, and sending a second LLDP packet to the directly connected device according to a correspondence between the device type of the directly connected device and a TLV. In the present application, a corresponding TLV is selected according to the device type and sent, which avoids that all types of TLVs are sent to a directly connected device every time, and reduces a possibility of device information leakage. It is ensured that a sent LLDP packet is more proper, and a link overhead is reduced.
US09917829B1

A system for providing a conditional single sign-on, wherein during a first access sequence a connection broker provides a first random number to a device. During a subsequent access period, the device provides encrypted user credentials to the connection broker comprising credentials of a user encrypted by a key K. The key K comprises the first random number combined with a second random number. The device further provides an encryption of the second random number to the connection broker, the second random number encrypted with a first public key held by the computer resource. The connection broker decrypts the first random number and retransmits the encryption of the second random number and the encrypted user credentials to the computing resource.
US09917828B2

An email security system is described that allows users within different organizations to securely send email to one another. The email security system provides a federation server on the Internet or other unsecured network accessible by each of the organizations. Each organization provides identity information to the federation server. When a sender in one organization sends a message to a recipient in another organization, the federation server provides the sender's email server with a secure token for encrypting the message to provide secure delivery over the unsecured network.
US09917825B1

Methods and systems for verifying a user's identity on a computing device using two-factor authentication are described. More particularly, the system utilizes a personal identification number input by a user, together with one or more of a secure browsing feature, a device fingerprint, and a token generator to authenticate the user on the computer.
US09917818B2

Multi-tenant and single-tenant methodologies are blended into a single solution to provide cost savings of multi-tenancy along with data security and privacy of a single-tenant environment. The cloud infrastructure is partitioned to include a first set of servers, and a second set of servers. The first set of servers are dedicated to a first operation, such as data presentation, while the second set of servers are dedicated to a second operation, such as data processing. The first set is operated in a multi-tenant operating mode, while the second set is operated in a single-tenant operating mode. Thus, the first set is available for general use, presenting data from any of the server(s) in the second set. The second set, in contrast, is dedicated to individual tenants. Preferably, each tenant has dedicated server(s) in the second set, which functions like a traditional, single-tenant environment providing inherent security and privacy guarantees.
US09917812B2

Systems and methods for inline security protocol inspection are provided. According to one embodiment, a security device receives an encrypted packet from a first network appliance and buffers the encrypted packet in a buffer. An inspection module accesses the encrypted packet from the buffer, decrypts the encrypted packet to produce plain text and scans the plain text by the inspection module.
US09917779B2

A method, system and computer program product for ingress level filtering of packets is provided. The system includes a Media Access Control (MAC) and a buffer pool that includes buffers configured to store packets. The MAC includes a memory configured to store an incoming packet and an inspection engine coupled to the memory. The inspection engine is configured to parse the incoming packet to determine a priority level of the incoming packet, determine whether there is a buffer available in the buffer pool to store the incoming packet, and allocate a buffer in the buffer pool to store the incoming packet based on the priority level of the incoming packet.
US09917774B2

Techniques are described that enable local caching of content data within metro transport networks for delivery to subscribers of ISPs that are connected to metro transport networks. Routers within the metro transport network, including an access router, ISP-facing provider edge routers and one or more caching routers, establish an EVPN within the metro transport network. The access router outputs, within the EVPN and to the caching routers, EVPN route advertisements that advertise network address reachability information of the subscriber devices on behalf of the ISPs. Responsive to subscriber content requests that have been redirected from the ISPs and based on the EVPN route advertisements from the access routers, the caching routers of the metro transport network forward, by the EVPN, content from the local content cache to the access routers for efficient delivery to the one or more of the subscribers.
US09917772B2

Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method and related network node including one or more of the following: receiving a Diameter message at the DRA from an origin device, wherein the Diameter message includes a first destination address; establishing a context object based on receiving the Diameter message, wherein the context object is associated with a copy of the Diameter message; evaluating at least one rule, comprising modifying, based on a first reference to the context object, the copy to include a second destination address, and transmitting the copy to another device based on the second destination address.
US09917763B2

A service provided to an end user in a service session is analyzed. A plurality of measurements of at least one performance parameter of a network providing a service to an end user in a service session is received (501). The received plurality of measurements of the at least one performance parameter are divided (503) into a plurality of snapshots. The service is analyzed (505) by determining the compliance of the received measurements to the expectations of the end user for that service session within a snapshot.
US09917761B1

A system and method assists a user in achieving one or more goals of the user or the operator of a web site, application or other media by comparing a series of two or more actions of a user to those of other users, and identifying whether a primary action has been requested or performed by the user, or determining if a first piece of information has been specified by the user as being in a first set, and a second piece of information has not been specified or has been specified in a non-committal manner, and then provides relevant information to the user to instruct the user how to perform the primary action or to notify the user of the consequences of not specifying the second piece of information or specifying it in a non-committal manner.
US09917754B2

Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for monitoring decommissioned servers in a shared data environment. Embodiments of the present invention can be used to aggregate information associated with an environment from external resources, and calculate a baseline of server activity from the aggregated information. When new information is received, it is compared to the baseline of server activity in order to determine a possible misuse of the server assets, when inconsistencies are detected between the baseline of activity and the new information.
US09917752B1

A system and method for optimizing voice communications in a wireless network including an AP having a message waiting time that provides proper QoS while losing minimal communication bandwidth. The QoS may be responsive to the amount of user traffic in both the AP and neighboring APs. The method may include setting parameters for each level of QoS in response to a measure of the degree of contention for that level of QoS, and in response to a measure of the degree of contention for those levels of QoS with higher priority, and setting waiting time parameters in response to a stochastic model of contention at each level of QoS. Operational parameters might include contention window time, AIFS time, and back-off value(s), and might be modified in response to message QoS.
US09917746B2

A method of dynamically allocating media resources includes providing a plurality of microservices in a signaling server and receiving, by one of the microservices, a call message from a client capable of browser-to-browser communications. The call message includes an identifier specifying a target. The identifier is send by the microservice to a cache with a request for capability information of the target. The cache is configured to retrieve the capability information of the target using the identifier. The microservice receives the capability information of the target from the cache. The microservice sends a media resource request to a service directory server coupled to a plurality of media servers when the capability information of the target indicates that the target is not capable of browser-to-browser communications, and initiates browser-to-browser communications between the client and the target when the capability information of the target indicates the target is capable of browser-to-browser communications.
US09917741B2

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a method of processing network activity data. The method includes receiving network activity data and generating an event based on the network activity data. The method also includes generating a probability based at least in part on Bayesian statistics, the probability corresponding to a likelihood that the event caused or was caused by another event. The method also includes generating an event message corresponding to the event based on the probability.
US09917740B2

A clustered system has a subset of nodes coupled to a particular cluster resource. Nodes not coupled to the cluster resource may operate on a cluster resource through a node coupled to that resource. The nodes coupled to the resource form a group, the nodes in the group perform protocols to operate on the cluster resource, nodes not in the group do not participate in the protocols.
US09917739B2

Example embodiments of systems and methods for network pattern matching provide the ability to match hidden networks from noisy data sources using probabilistic multi-attribute graph matching analysis. The algorithms may map roles and patterns to observed entities. The outcome is a set of plausible network models. The pattern-matching methodology of these systems and methods may enable the solution of three challenges associated with social network analysis, namely network size and complexity, uncertain and incomplete data, and dynamic network structure.
US09917727B2

A method is provided that uses a consistent hashing technique to dispatch incoming packets in a stable system prior to adding of a node. The method uses a hash table and assigns hash buckets in the table to each network node. A set of fields in each incoming packet is hashed and is used to identify the corresponding hash bucket. The packets are then dispatched to the network nodes based on the nodes' hash buckets. During an observation period, the method identifies the ongoing sessions by creating a bit vector table that is used to identify the old and new sessions during a re-dispatching period. The method uses the consistent hashing method and the probabilistic method dispatch the incoming packets such that each packet that belongs to an old session is dispatched to the same old node that has been processing the other packets of the session.
US09917723B2

Circuits for producing signals representative of mean and variance estimations for quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) are provided where the circuits comprise: sequentially repeated first circuit modules and sequentially repeated second circuit modules configured for producing updates in the corresponding estimation iterations. In one embodiment, a closest negative integer power of 2 is used as a substitute multiplicand when multiplying together two or more outputs of hyperbolic function generating units where the substituted for output is less than one. Size and complexity of the corresponding multiplier can then be reduced.
US09917719B2

A satellite broadcasting system is achieved where remote beam forming processors combined with wavefront multiplexers located among distributed ground stations are used to control downlink beam footprints and pointing directions. Digital beam forming (DBF) techniques allow a single satellite download broadcast antenna array to generate multiple independently pointed simultaneous downlinks, which may contain distinct information content. Allocation of some uplink back-channel elements as diagnostic signals allows for continuous calibration of uplink channels, improving downlink broadcast array and user broadcast performance. Wavefront multiplexing/demultiplexing allows all array element signals to be radiated by the broadcasting antenna array, with simultaneous propagation from ground stations to the broadcasting satellites through available parallel propagation channels in the uplinks of feeder links, with equalized amplitude and phase differentials. Further, additional wavefront multiplexing/demultiplexing pairs are further used to coherently broadcast signals from a remote beam forming facility on ground to cover areas through multiple broadcasting satellites.
US09917710B2

An adaptive equalizer, an adaptive equalization method and receiver are disclosed where the adaptive equalizer is used for performing adaptive equalization processing on a frequency-domain signal, a channel used by the frequency-domain signal containing multiple subcarriers, the adaptive equalizer comprises: an equalizer coefficient generating unit configured to, for each subcarrier, generate an equalizer coefficient to which the subcarrier corresponds according to channel information and a step length of the subcarrier; where different subcarriers correspond to different step lengths and an equalization processing unit configured to, for each subcarrier, perform equalization processing on a signal in the subcarrier by using the equalizer coefficient.
US09917704B2

An energy saving monitoring method and device are provided. The method includes: acquiring system resource occupation information of an information technology (IT) device layer management system; sending a power-off instruction to the IT device layer management system according to the system resource occupation information, so that the IT device layer management system closes a virtual machine in a no-load state; and receiving a power-off feedback message sent by the IT device layer management system, and sending a cooling adjustment instruction to an infrastructure layer monitoring system according to a running state of a corresponding virtual machine in a cooling area where the closed virtual machine is located, so that the infrastructure layer monitoring system adjusts cooling deployment of the cooling area where the closed virtual machine is located.
US09917701B2

According to an embodiment, a communication device includes a version storage unit, a receiving unit, a determining unit, and a command processing unit. The version storage unit is configured to store therein the first version information. The receiving unit is configured to receive a command including the second version information. The determining unit is configured to determine whether a version represented by the second version information is a next version after a version represented by the first version information. The command processing unit is configured to, based on a determination result of the determining unit and decision information that defines processes corresponding to a command and the determination result, execute processes corresponding to a received command.
US09917700B2

Systems, methods, and computer readable media for policy enforcement correlation are disclosed. According to one aspect, a method for policy enforcement correlation includes, at a policy and charging rules function (PCRF) node: receiving, from a first network node, first policy and charging related information associated with a first user of a telecommunication network; receiving, from a second network node, second policy and charging related information; correlating the first and second policy and charging related information; and, in response to correlating the first and second policy and charging information, issuing a policy and charging control (PCC)-related instruction. In one embodiment, the PCC-related instruction may be sent to the first network node, the second network node, a third network node, or some combination of the above. In one embodiment, the PCRF may receive policy and charging related information from, and may issue PCC related instructions to, policy and charging enforcement functions (PCEFs), deep packet inspection (DPI) nodes, or Diameter signaling routers (DSRs).
US09917697B2

The present invention provides an incremental upgrade method and system for a file. The method comprises: reading ZIP data information of an APK file, the ZIP data information being a ZIP data header and/or a ZIP directory table; acquiring an APK eigenvalue of the APK file according to the read ZIP data information; and performing incremental upgrade on an APK base file corresponding to the APK eigenvalue according to the APK eigenvalue. By means of the present invention, the efficiency of incremental upgrade can be improved while the calculation amount for acquiring an APK eigenvalue is reduced.
US09917695B2

A computer-implemented authenticated encryption method for converting a plaintext message into a ciphertext message. The method includes dividing the plaintext message into at least two working blocks, each working block having a mathematical relationship to the plaintext message. For each working block, a working block ciphertext is computed as a function of such working block, a deterministic working block initialization vector, and a deterministic working block encryption key. For each working block, a message authentication tag is computed as a function of a deterministic working block message authentication key and at least one of (a) the working block ciphertext computed for such working block and an indication corresponding to the mathematical relationship of such working block to the plaintext message and (b) such working block. The method further includes computing a global message authentication tag as a function of the message authentication tag computed for each working block and a global message authentication key. The ciphertext message comprises the working block ciphertext computed for each working block and the global message authentication tag.
US09917692B2

A key exchange device includes an initial setup unit that generates a verification key that serves as a public key and a signature key based on a discretionary random tape, a session identifier based on a first random tape, and a secret key based on a second random tape; an arithmetic unit that generates an encrypted second random tape by an arithmetic operation of a pseudo-random function having the second random tape and the secret key as variables and an encrypted third random tape by an arithmetic operation of the pseudo-random function having a third random tape and the secret key as variables; a key encapsulation processing unit that generates a key-encapsulated public key and a key-encapsulated secret key based on the encrypted second random tape to transmit the key-encapsulated public key to an other party of key exchange and decrypts a session key using the key-encapsulated public key and a key-encapsulated ciphertext received from the other party of key exchange; and a verification processing unit that generates a signature based on the signature key, a transmission message and the encrypted third random tape, transmits the signature to the other party of key exchange and verifies a signature received from the other party of key exchange based on a verification key that is a public key of the other party of key exchange, a received message and the signature received.
US09917683B2

A method of transmitting channel information by a User Equipment (UE) when an uplink sub-frame is used for downlink transmission in a communication system using a dynamic Time Division Duplex (TDD) UpLink-DownLink (UL-DL) configuration is provided. The method includes receiving reconfiguration information for reconfiguration of TDD uplink and downlink from an evolved Node B (eNB), measuring interference in a first sub-frame changed from an uplink sub-frame to a downlink sub-frame by the reconfiguration, and transmitting information on interference measured in only the first sub-frame to the eNB in an uplink sub-frame according to a predetermined timing.
US09917681B2

Methods and apparatuses are provided for wireless communication. A scheduling message is received that includes first information on at least one resource allocated for uplink transmission and second information. Data and a pilot are transmitted via the allocated at least one resource for uplink transmission. An ACK/NACK resource is identified based on a lowest index among at least one index of the allocated at least one resource for uplink transmission and the second information. An ACK/NACK signal is received in response to the transmitted data using the identified ACK/NACK resource.
US09917677B2

When transmitting signals from a plurality of base stations (broadcasting stations), the base stations include at least a first base station having a first antenna with a first polarization and a second base station having a second antenna with a second polarization that is different from the first polarization. Then, when the first base station transmits a signal from the first antenna having the first polarization, the second base station transmits the same signal as the first antenna of the first base station from a second antenna having the second polarization, at the same time.
US09917665B1

A testing device is provided. The testing device comprises a signal generating unit configured to generate a first number of signals based on a number of receiving components of a device under test, and at least one noise generating unit, each configured to generate noise and to apply the noise to the first number of signals, such that one of a preset total noise power and a preset signal-to-noise ratio is achieved at a reference point associated with the device under test. The testing device is configured to output a second number of signals to the device under test, wherein the second number of signals corresponds to one of the first number of signals and the first number of signals with the applied noise.
US09917663B2

An apparatus, system, and method are provided for configuring a serializer/deserializer (SerDes) based on evaluation of a probe signal. Included is circuitry configured to detect at least one of a probe signal or a reflection resulting from the probe signal. Such probe signal and/or reflection is evaluated such that at least one configurable aspect of the apparatus may be set, based on the evaluation.
US09917658B2

Embodiments relate to a concept for testing a transceiver device (302) which may be coupled to an antenna array (312), the antenna array (312) comprising at least two an antenna elements. It is provided (204) spatial radiation characteristics of an antenna reference or the antenna array (312) and at least one antenna element of the antenna array. It is determined (206), based on the spatial radiation characteristics and a predefined test quantity for a spatially unaware receiver or transmitter test of the transceiver device (302), a spatially aware test quantity for testing the transceiver device (302) using the spatially unaware receiver or transmitter test based on the determined spatially aware test quantity.
US09917656B1

A device to cancel noise in broadcast signal is disclosed. The device a first port to connect to a main antenna, a second port to connect to a noise antenna, a processor coupled to the first port and the second port to measure the broadcast signal received at the first port and a noise signal received at the second port to derive a first set of coefficients, a first adaptive filter coupled to the first port and the processor and a second adaptive filter coupled to the second port and the processor. The first adaptive filter and the second adaptive filters are configurable based on the first set of coefficients to remove the high energy parts of a frequency spectrum of signals received at the first port and the second ports respectively. The device also includes a subtraction coefficient calculator module coupled to the first filter and the second filter to derive a second set of coefficients and a subtractor coupled to the first port, the second port and the subtraction coefficient calculator module to subtract the noise signal from the broadcast signal.
US09917653B2

A mobile terminal and controlling method thereof are disclosed, by which a communication can be performed using a sound wave or an ultrasonic wave. The present invention includes a display unit configured to display information, a microphone configured to receive an input of a sound, and a controller, if a preset user input is received, controlling the microphone to enter a state capable of listening to a communication signal on at least one band of a sound wave and an ultrasonic wave.
US09917640B2

Disclosed is an optical coupler device, especially for monitoring purposes in an optical point-to-point transmission link, which includes a first, a second and a third optical port and is configured to transmit a first optical signal received at the first optical port to the second optical port and to transmit a second optical signal received at the second optical port to the first and third optical port according to a monitoring split ratio with respect to the optical power of the second optical signal, the first and second optical signal having a wavelength lying in a first optical band. The device is further configured to transmit a third and a fourth optical signal received at the third and the second optical port to the respective other optical port, the third and fourth optical signal having a wavelength lying in a second optical band. The device is controllable with respect to the monitoring split ratio and includes a control means adapted to receive a control signal. The control means controls the optical coupler device with respect to the monitoring split ratio such that in a first work the second optical signal is transmitted to the first optical port, only, and in a second work mode a major portion of the optical power of the second signal is transmitted to the first optical port and a minor portion of the optical power of the second signal is transmitted to the third optical port.
US09917638B1

A monitoring and troubleshooting system to determine whether or not an antenna that is used for receiving wireless weak signals, like base station for cellular wireless communication, is operational. The antenna status condition is signaled over the Fiber Optic (FO) link without interfering the signal during normal operation. When a fault is detected the status at the FO receiver is determined. Then, an indication using special signaling allows a service technician to distinguish if the status fault is antenna failure or antenna disconnect. The present invention will also allow a service technician to determine if there is a FO link failure by use of light intensity monitoring.
US09917616B2

Systems and methods related to a synchronization signal particularly well suited for wireless devices in an extended coverage area of a cell of a cellular communications network are disclosed. In one embodiment, a base station transmits a synchronization signal including multiple repetitions of a basic synchronization block during a coherence time of a downlink channel over which the synchronization signal is transmitted. The multiple repetitions of the basic synchronization block during the coherence time enable coherent combining during detection of the synchronization signal at wireless devices located in the cellular communications network. This coherent combining enables, for example, wireless devices located in an extended coverage area of a cell served by the base station to synchronize to the cell using a shorter synchronization signal than that which would be required if only non-coherent combining were used.
US09917613B1

A digitally controlled phase shifter and (optional) attenuator circuit that has both a broad range as well as a fine-tuning resolution. Embodiments maintain a full 360° phase range while providing nth-bit least-significant bit (LSB) resolution across the entire range of possible phase shift and attenuation states, and compensate for the effect of frequency and/or PVT variations. In embodiments, two or more range partitionings can be defined that can be monotonic over respective sub-ranges while providing full coverage when combined. One such partitioning is a “coarse+fine” architecture. Embodiments of the coarse+fine architecture provide for greater than 360° of range for phase shifting and more than the total nominal design level for attenuation, and provide for fine ranges for both phase shifting and attenuation that are greater than the LSB of the corresponding coarse ranges for phase shifting and attenuation.
US09917611B2

A removable case for a mobile device formed from a molded pulp that is capable of conforming to the shape of the mobile device. The elasticity of the molded pulp material allows it to conform to the shape of the mobile device and to retain the mobile device within the case. This elasticity also aids in the protection of the mobile device. The molded pulp case has a plurality of sides that cover at least a portion of the side walls of the mobile device and overlap a portion of the front panel of the mobile device. A back panel covers a substantial portion of the rear panel of the mobile device.
US09917607B1

Embodiments include systems and methods for baseline wander correction gain adaptation in receiver circuits. Some embodiments operate in context of an alternating current coupled transceiver communicating data signals over a high-speed transmission channel, such that the receiver system includes an AC-coupled data input and a feedback loop with a data slicer and an error slicer. A baseline wander correction (BWC) circuit can be part of the feedback loop and can generate a feedback signal corresponding to low-pass-filtered bits data from the data slicer output and having a gain generated according to pattern-filtered error data from the error slicer output. For example, gain adaptation is performed according to error information corresponding to a detected relatively high-frequency data pattern following a long low-frequency pattern.
US09917599B2

A coding scheme for coding “code constructs” (for example, alphanumeric characters) into “bit sequences,” where at least one of the code constructs is assigned at least two different bit sequences (that is, a first bit sequence and a second bit sequence). This is sometimes referred to herein as “alternative codings for a single code construct.” In some embodiments, at least one of the alternative codings includes bits that can be used for error detection and/or correction. In some embodiments, the code scheme will be similar to a pre-existing code scheme that does not have alternative codings for a single code construct so that the alternative-codings coding scheme is back compatible with data encoded under the pre-existing coding scheme.
US09917596B2

Technologies for data decompression include a computing device that reads a symbol tag byte from an input stream. The computing device determines whether the symbol can be decoded using a fast-path routine, and if not, executes a slow-path routine to decompress the symbol. The slow-path routine may include data-dependent branch instructions that may be unpredictable using branch prediction hardware. For the fast-path routine, the computing device determines a next symbol increment value, a literal increment value, a data length, and an offset based on the tag byte, without executing an unpredictable branch instruction. The computing device sets a source pointer to either literal data or reference data as a function of the tag byte, without executing an unpredictable branch instruction. The computing device may set the source pointer using a conditional move instruction. The computing device copies the data and processes remaining symbols. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US09917594B1

A comparator includes a first input stage coupled to a first signal input and a first reference input, wherein the first input stage is coupled between a first node and a second node. A second input stage is coupled to a second signal input and a second reference input, wherein the second input stage is coupled between a third node and the second node. An output stage generates at least one output signal in response to the first and second input signals. First switching circuitry is coupled between the first node and the output stage. The first switching circuitry is for coupling the first node to a fourth node in response to a reset signal. Second switching circuitry is coupled between the third node and the output stage. The second switching circuitry is for coupling the third node to a fifth node in response to the reset signal.
US09917591B2

A phase locked loop circuit is disclosed. The phase locked loop circuit includes a ring oscillator. The phase locked loop circuit also includes a digital path including a digital phase detector. The phase locked loop circuit further includes an analog path including a linear phase detector. Additionally, the phase locked loop circuit includes a feedback path connecting an output of the ring oscillator to an input of the digital path and an input of the analog path. The digital path and the analog path are parallel paths. The digital path provides a digital tuning signal the ring oscillator that digitally controls a frequency of the ring oscillator. The analog path provides an analog tuning signal the ring oscillator that continuously controls the frequency of the ring oscillator.
US09917583B2

[Problem] To provide a termination control apparatus that can provide an optimum termination state. [Solution] Included are: an input terminal to which an input signal is inputted; a termination resistance unit that terminates the input terminal by use of a variable resistor the resistance value of which can be set; a voltage measurement unit that measures the voltage of the input signal; and a control unit that changes the resistance value or a target voltage range when the voltage is not within the target voltage range having been set for the input signal on the basis of both an absolute maximum rated value and an operation-guaranteed voltage.
US09917580B2

A superconducting switch system is provided that includes a filter network having a first SQUID coupled to a second SQUID via a common node, an input port coupled to the common node, a first output port coupled to the first SQUID, and a second output port coupled to the second SQUID. The superconducting switch system also includes a switch controller configured to control an amount of induced current through the first SQUID and the second SQUID to alternately switch the first and second SQUIDS between first inductance states in which a desired bandwidth portion of a signal provided at the input terminal passes to the first output terminal and is blocked from passing to the second output terminal, and second inductance states in which the desired bandwidth portion of the input signal passes to the second output terminal and is blocked from passing to the first output terminal.
US09917575B2

A circuit includes a switching element with a first terminal, a second terminal and a control terminal. The circuit also includes an impedance network coupled between the control terminal and a switching node. The circuit also includes a first accelerating element coupled between the control terminal and a first node. The first node is different from the switching node. The circuit is configured to temporarily activate the first accelerating element when a switching state of the switching element is to be changed.
US09917571B2

Certain implementations of the disclosed technology may include systems and methods for high-frequency resonant gyroscopes. In an example implementation, a resonator gyroscope assembly is provided. The resonator gyroscope assembly can include a square resonator body suspended adjacent to a substrate, a ground electrode attached to a side of the resonator body, a piezoelectric layer attached to a side of the ground electrode, a drive electrode in electrical communication with the piezoelectric layer, and configured to stimulate one or more vibration modes of the square resonator body; and a sense electrode in electrical communication with the piezoelectric layer, and configured to receive an output from the square or disk resonator responsive to stimulation of the one or more vibration modes.
US09917555B2

An amplifier includes an input node, an output node, a transistor and a transformer. The input node is configured to receive a first signal. The output node is configured to output an amplified first signal. The transistor includes a first terminal, a second terminal and a third terminal. The first terminal is coupled to the input node and a first supply voltage source. The second terminal is coupled to a second supply voltage source and the output node. The third terminal is coupled to a reference node. The transformer is coupled to the first terminal and the third terminal. The transistor is configured to operate in a sub-threshold region and a near-triode region.
US09917550B2

Provided is a power amplification circuit that includes: a first transistor that has an emitter to which a first radio frequency signal is supplied, a base to which a first DC control current or DC control voltage is supplied and a collector that outputs a first output signal that corresponds to the first radio frequency signal; a first amplifier that amplifies the first output signal and outputs a first amplified signal; and a first control circuit that supplies the first DC control current or DC control voltage to the base of the first transistor in order to control output of the first output signal.
US09917547B2

A voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) comprising a first supply node, a second supply node, an oscillation transistor, a biasing network, an output node and a feedback network is described. The VCO is be powered by a supply voltage applied across the first and second supply nodes. The oscillation transistor and the biasing network are connected in series between the first supply node and the second supply node. The output node is connected to the oscillation transistor so as to deliver an oscillatory output signal. The feedback network provides an oscillatory feedback signal from the output node to the biasing network. The feedback network comprises a capacitive element and a transmission line connected in series for transferring the feedback signal. The VCO may be integrated in a radar device, for example.
US09917544B2

A method and power converter unit for operating a generator includes a rotatable shaft operably coupled with a source of rotational force, a rotor mounted to the rotatable shaft and having at least one rotor pole defining a rotatable direct axis, a stator encircling the rotor and having a set of stator windings, and a power output electrically coupled with the set of stator windings and operable in a power generating mode and a power absorption mode
US09917540B2

A control circuit controls the operation of a brushless DC (BLDC) sensorless motor having a first terminal connected to a first winding, a second terminal connected to a second winding and a third terminal connected to a third winding. A driver circuit applies drive signals to the first and second terminals and places the third terminal in a high-impedance state. The drive signals include first drive signals at a first current amplitude and second drive signals at a second current amplitude different from the first current amplitude. A differencing circuit senses a first mutual inductance voltage at the third terminal in response to the first drive signals and senses a second mutual inductance voltage at the third terminal in response to the second drive signals. The differencing circuit further determines a difference between the first and second mutual inductance voltages and produces a difference signal that is used for zero-crossing detection and rotor position sensing.
US09917539B1

A control device includes: an induced voltage detection circuit that detects induced voltages which is generated in at least one coil of a brushless DC motor; a rotational position that detects the rotational position of a rotor of the brushless DC motor; an error correct circuit that calculates a first difference between a phase of the induced voltage detected by the induced voltage detection circuit and a phase of the rotational position detected by the rotational position detection circuit; a correction circuit that corrects the detected rotational position based on the first difference and outputs a corrected rotational position signal; and a drive signal generation circuit that adjusts a phase of a drive signal which is supplied to the brushless DC motor based on the corrected rotational position signal and generates the drive signal whose phase has been adjusted.
US09917528B2

An energy efficient apparatus includes a switching device, a frequency dependent reactive device, and a control element is provided. The switching device is coupled to a source of electrical power and includes a pair of transistors and is adapted to receive a control signal and to produce an alternating current power signal. The frequency of the alternating current power signal is responsive to the control signal. The frequency dependent reactive device is electrically coupled to the pair of transistors for receiving the alternating current power signal and producing an output power signal. The frequency dependent reactive device is chosen to achieve a desired voltage of the output power signal relative to the frequency of the alternating current power signal. The control element senses an actual voltage of the direct current power signal and modifies the control signal delivered to achieve the desired voltage of the direct current power signal.
US09917524B2

Energy channelling AC-DC converters, methods, and control systems are provided. The converters comprise a first output circuit that receives power from the input circuit and provides a first output comprising a DC voltage with a first AC voltage ripple or a DC current with a first AC current ripple; a second output circuit that receives power from the input circuit and provides a second output comprising a second AC voltage ripple or a second AC current ripple, the second output circuit having one or more power switching device; and a controller that controls the power switching devices of the input circuit and the second output circuit so that the first output circuit and the second output circuit alternatively rectify output current only once during one switching cycle of the power switching devices; wherein the first output and the second output are connected together (i) in series, such that the first AC voltage ripple is substantially cancelled, or (ii) in parallel, such that the first AC current ripple is substantially cancelled; wherein substantially ripple-free DC output power is provided.
US09917517B1

An apparatus that includes resonant tanks, switches, control logic and one or more non-resonant capacitors. The control logic that generates two or more sets of control signal inputs applied to the inputs of the switches so that for each set of control signals one or more sub-circuit loops are formed, and wherein the one or more sub-circuit loops for a first set of control signals is different from the one or more sub-circuit loops for a second set of control signals, and each of the sub-circuit loops includes one or more of the resonant tanks, and at least one of the sub-circuit loops includes a non-resonant capacitor.
US09917510B2

A system and method of increasing the efficiency in multi-stage power converters by providing an open loop charge pump stage which reacts in part based on information from a closed loop multi-phase buck converter stage.
US09917507B2

A charge pump is connected to receive a supply voltage and a clock signal and generate an output voltage. The charge pump is connected to the supply voltage through a transistor whose gate voltage is set by a regulation voltage determined by feedback from the output voltage. The current supplied to the charge pump through this transistor is mirrored in a section that generates the clock signal, where the mirrored current is used by a current controller oscillator. This allows the pump's clock frequency to linearly track the load current, improving the pump's efficiency.
US09917502B2

One aspect of the present disclosure can include an electronic signal processing system and method used in a control system (e.g., for hour meter functionality, intelligent start/stop functionality, etc.). The system can include a rectifier component to receive a voltage input from an operation source during use. The voltage input can indicate that an engine is running. The rectifier component to convert the voltage input to a positive voltage input. The system can also include a constant current component to receive the positive voltage input from the rectifier circuit and to control a current based on the positive voltage input. The system can also include an optical component to provide an output based on the current and to communicate the output to a microcontroller during use of the operation source. For example, electronic signal processing methods and apparatuses are also described.
US09917494B2

An electrical conductor aligning device that can, without mutual interference, easily, and in a short period of time, align a plurality of electrical conductors in an annular shape while overlapping in the peripheral direction. The coil element aligning device includes: holding sections, a slide mechanism and a cylinder mechanism. One leg of each coil element is held by the plurality of holding sections, the plurality of coil elements being aligned in an annular shape at a spacing such that there is no overlapping in the peripheral direction, and then the plurality of holding sections being moved inwards in the radial direction by the slide mechanism and the cylinder mechanism, thereby aligning the plurality of coil elements in an annular shape while overlapping in the peripheral direction.
US09917492B2

An electric motor is provided. The motor includes a motor frame assembly including a motor frame and a motor housing. A stator is fixed relative to the motor frame assembly. A rotor including a rotor shaft is mounted in the motor frame assembly for rotational movement relative to the motor frame assembly about an axis. A rotor jack is operable to selectively support the rotor shaft. The rotor jack is shiftably coupled relative to the motor frame assembly for movement between a support position, in which the jack is shifted into supporting contact with the rotor shaft, and a retracted position, in which the jack is spaced from the rotor shaft.
US09917490B2

A gas turbine engine is provided, comprising a tail cone and a low-pressure spool outside the tail cone. An input shaft may be coupled to the low-pressure spool and inside the tail cone. A differential may be coupled to the input shaft and inside the tail cone. A generator may be coupled to the differential and also disposed inside the tail cone. An oil pump may be configured to pump oil through the generator to the differential. A generator assembly is also provided. The generator assembly may comprise an input shaft, a differential coupled to the input shaft, a rotating transfer tube coupled to the differential, a generator coupled to rotating transfer tube, and an oil pump configured to pump oil from the generator, through the rotating transfer tube, and into the differential.
US09917476B2

An adaptive near field electromagnetic coupler for coupling electromagnetic power to a plane metallic trace (inlay) independently of the inlay geometry and/or orientation without external control algorithms. This is achieved by employing a microstructure of phase altering elements suitable for creating a constant phase field distribution along a top surface of the coupler structure. This is advantageously applicable to printing devices having a function of encoding RFID layers printed on a medium. In view of the provided flexibility, the coupler arrangement can be employed in a variety of printers of different mechanical design.
US09917469B2

A number of variations may include a phone charger assembly that may include a housing assembly that may include a retainer body, a housing, a housing liner, a vent, and trim which may be constructed and arranged to house a cell phone. The housing may be dimensioned to store a multitude of cellphones in a vertical position. The phone charger assembly may further include a pawl assembly that may include a pawl ratchet, a plurality of screws, a pawl, and a release wherein the pawl assembly is constructed and arranged to raise and lower the housing within the phone charge assembly. Additionally, the phone charger assembly may include a gear rail assembly which may include at least one gear rail and at least one dampener. The gear rail assembly and pawl assembly may be constructed and arranged to raise and lower the housing within the phone charge assembly.
US09917467B2

A wireless power reception device includes a first resonant circuit having a first resonant frequency; a second resonant circuit connected in parallel with the first resonant circuit and having a second resonant frequency; and a rectifier configured to receive power received wirelessly by either one or both of the first resonant circuit and the second resonant circuit to output a charging current.
US09917462B2

A method is provided comprising: detecting an electrical connection between a first device having a first battery and a second device having a second battery; receiving an indication of a residual power of the second battery; displaying, by the first device, a power sharing interface based on the indication of the residual power of the second battery; detecting an input to the interface specifying a threshold amount of power; transmitting power from the first battery to the second device until the threshold amount of power is transmitted.
US09917456B2

One aspect includes an apparatus, including: a storage part having a storage hole defined therein to store a pen-type input device by insertion; and a power-supplying terminal within the storage hole that moves toward and away from the pen-type input device from a side part of the storage hole; wherein, the power-supplying terminal moves outwardly from the side of the side part of the storage hold during the insertion of the pen-type input device into the storage hole; and wherein the power-supplying terminal moves inwardly and away from a side of the pen-type input device during extraction of the pen-type input device from the storage hole. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US09917446B2

According to one aspect, embodiments herein provide a power converter configured to monitor at least one of current and voltage at a bidirectional AC load terminal, determine, based on the monitoring, whether the power converter is receiving AC power from at least one Photo-Voltaic (PV) inverter or whether AC power is being drawn from the power converter by at least one load, determine whether an energy storage device coupled to the power converter is fully charged, and in response to a determination that the power converter is receiving power from the at least one PV inverter and a determination that the energy storage device is not fully charged, operate a power conversion unit in the power converter to convert the AC power received from the at least one PV inverter into DC power and provide the DC power to a bidirectional DC terminal to charge the energy storage device.
US09917442B2

A system for management of distributed control and real-time data for an electric utility network having remote devices and legacy subsystems includes a distributed communications network and a plurality of nodes coupled to the distributed communications network. Each of the nodes includes a multi-protocol interface having a boundary protocol convertor comprising a protocol validation engine to validate messages and commands from the remote devices and an in-field distributed data analyzer. The multi-protocol interface provides a standard data model for the remote devices.
US09917439B2

The present invention relates to an electronic device comprising a power supply module connected to a converter system, wherein said power supply module comprises a plurality of elements for producing electricity from renewable energy connected in series and said elements for producing electricity from renewable energy are assembled in groups, characterized in that the converter system comprises a plurality of regulator circuits, each regulator circuit being connected to a group of elements for producing electricity from renewable energy so that each group of elements for producing electricity from renewable energy can be controlled separately.
US09917435B1

A power switching circuit provides temperature compensation for an insulated gate power switching device. A timing circuit determines a switch timing signal comprising desired on and off switching times of the switching device. A temperature monitor quantifies a device temperature. A gate drive profile generator generates a switching device drive signal according to the switch timing signal and having a dv/dt phase and a di/dt phase. The drive signal has a profile during the di/dt phase that is adjusted in response to the device temperature, and the drive signal has a profile during the dv/dt phase that is not adjusted in response to the device temperature.
US09917423B2

Provided herein is a laser beam combination system. The laser beam combination system includes a laser emitter array including a plurality of laser emitters arranged therein, a first combination lens, through which a plurality of laser beams emitted from the laser emitters are concentrated in a first axis direction, so that the plurality of laser beams are converted to each have an oval cross-section having a long axis that is parallel to a second axis, and a second combination lens disposed at a focal point of the first combination lens to combine the plurality of laser beams converted by the first combination lens at a predetermined target.
US09917413B2

A cooler for diode-laser bars comprises a machined base including a water-input plenum and a water-output plenum, and a top plate on which the diode-laser bars can be mounted. A stack of three etched plates is provided between the base and first plate. The stack of etched plates is configured to provide a five longitudinally spaced-apart rows of eight laterally spaced-apart cooling-channels connected to the water-input and water-output plenums. Water flows in the cooling-channels and in thermal contact with the first plate.
US09917401B2

The second housing has a side panel extending in the mating direction and at least three second connector lock portions protruding from the outer surface of the side panel, the second connectors each being arranged in the transverse direction of the second housing and separated by an interval, and the first housing has a side panel extending in the mounting direction, a locking arm portion formed in the side panel and covering at least a portion of the outer surface of the side panel of the second housing when the first housing and the second housing are mated, and at least three first connector locking portions each formed in the locking arm portion in the transverse direction of the first housing and separated by an interval, and each engaging a second connector locking portion when the first housing and the second housing are mated.
US09917396B2

A device connector (10) is mounted into a mounting hole (C1) on a case (C) of a device in a vehicle, and includes terminals (50) connected to wires (W). A synthetic resin housing (30) includes a wire introducing portion (32) and a fitting portion (31). The wire introducing portion (32) receives the wires (W) and the terminals (50) while the fitting portion (31) fits into the mounting hole (C1). A metal shield shell (60) accommodates the wire introducing portion (32) and includes a lower shell (62) for covering the entire outer circumferential surface of the wire introducing portion (32). A seal ring (72) fits on an outer surface of the wire introducing portion (32) and seals between the lower shell (62) and the wire introducing portion (32). Water drainage holes (77) vertically penetrate a stepped portion (69) of the lower shell (62) above the seal ring (72).
US09917392B2

A cabled midplane includes a first support plate along a plane between a first connector set and a second connector set that connect to line cards on either side of the cabled midplane. The first connector set and the second connector set include connector slices. A wiring sub-layer includes cable slices to provide a connection between the first connector slice of a connector of the first connector set to the first connector slice of a connector of the second connector set, such that the first wiring sub-layer connects each connector of the first connector set, through one cable slice, to a connector of the second connector set. Additional wiring sub-layers are added, and a second support plate, parallel to the first support plate, is provided to encase and support the wiring sub-layers between the first support plate and the second support plate. Other apparatuses and methods are described.
US09917380B2

A multipurpose wire connection device includes a base plate, a conductive plate, a wire fixation screw, a fireproof box, a support, and a dustpan-shaped housing. The support is disposed on the base plate. The fireproof box includes a rear panel, a bottom panel, two side panels, and an inserted plate. The wire fixation screw is mounted on the conductive plate. The housing is fixed on the bottom plate by a housing fixing screw. The multipurpose wire connection device prevents sparking and red burning of a ground screw when lightning current passes therein, due to corroded contact in long-term exposure to wind and rain. It avoids fire and explosion accidents. It avoids screw corrosion and facilitates ground resistance measurement. The multipurpose wire connection device can also be used for electrical relay, division, and branching. It prevents fire, explosion, rain intrusion, and rust development. It is easy to disassemble.
US09917371B2

The present invention provides a mid fed traveling wave antenna, which includes a signal feed point including a pair of terminals adapted for receiving a differential signal. The mid fed traveling wave antenna further includes a first transmission line branch extending from the signal feed point in a first direction, and a second transmission line branch extending from the signal feed point in a second direction, where each of the first transmission branch and the second transmission branch is terminated by a reflective termination. In at least one embodiment, the first transmission line branch and the second transmission line branch each have a respective length, where the length of the second transmission line branch is different than the length of the first transmission line branch.
US09917368B2

Package structures are provided having antenna-in-packages that are integrated with semiconductor RFIC (radio frequency integrated circuit) chips to form compact integrated radio/wireless communications systems that operate in the millimeter wave (mmWave) frequency range with radiation in broadside and end-fire directions.
US09917365B1

An apparatus may include two or more active antenna elements with a corresponding antenna pattern. The apparatus may further include a single radio frequency signal chain communicatively coupled with the two or more active antenna elements. The apparatus may also include multiple passive antenna elements in proximity to the two or more active antenna elements. The multiple passive antenna elements may alter the antenna pattern to form multiple simultaneous beams associated with the two or more active antenna elements.
US09917322B2

A Reversible Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (RSOFC) system includes a Reversible Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (RSOFC) unit, a bi-directional alternating current/direct current (AC/DC) converter, coupled to the RSOFC unit, a common bus, coupled to the bi-directional AC/DC converter and to a power grid, and a plurality of RSOFC subsystems, coupled to receive power only through the common bus. The RSOFC unit has a fuel cell mode, wherein the RSOFC unit produces electrical power from fuel, and an electrolysis mode, wherein the RSOFC unit consumes electrical power to produce the fuel. The bi-directional AC/DC converter is coupled to the RSOFC unit, and is configured to convert direct current (DC) electrical power produced by the RSOFC unit into outgoing alternating current (AC) power, and to convert incoming AC power into DC power for consumption by the RSOFC unit in electrolysis mode.
US09917317B2

The present invention relates to a combined fuel cell and boiler system, and comprising: a fuel cell portion for receiving supplied outside air and raw material gas and generating electricity through a catalyst reaction; and a boiler portion comprising a latent heat exchanger, which is connected to an exhaust gas pipe of the fuel cell portion, for collecting the latent heat of self-generated exhaust gas with the latent heat of exhaust gas from the fuel cell portion. The present invention can effectively increase the efficiency of a boiler by supplying the exhaust gas from the fuel cell to the latent heat exchanger in the boiler, so as to be heat-exchanged in the latent heat exchanger with the exhaust gas from the boiler and then discharged, and can simplify the composition by unifying exhaust gas pipes.
US09917312B2

[Object]The purpose is to provide a cooling and heating device.[Solution]This cooling and heating device includes: a fuel cell device including a fuel cell; a heating unit which utilizes the heat of exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cell; a thermoacoustic cooler (14) including a cooling unit which performs a cooling function with use of the heat of the exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cell; and an exhaust gas switching unit (25) which allows the exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cell to be supplied to at least one of the thermoacoustic cooler (14) and the heating unit, whereby there can be provided a cooling and heating device which effectively utilizes the exhaust gas of a fuel cell.
US09917311B2

The invention relates essentially to an electrical insulation and sealing surround for distributing gases in a high temperature steam electrolyzer of SOEC type or in a fuel cell of SOFC type. According to the invention, some of the functions of sealing, distributing gases and providing electrical insulation between interconnectors are grouped together within one and same component in the form of a surround made of electrically insulating material, the recessed zones of which serve to support the actual sealing gaskets, making them easier to use and to maintain.
US09917307B2

The invention relates to novel electrodes containing one or more active materials comprising: AaM1vM2wM3xM4YM5zO2−C(Formula 1) wherein A comprises either sodium or a mixed alkali metal in which sodium is the constituent; M1 is nickel in oxidation state less than or equal to 4+, M2 comprises a metal in oxidation state less than or equal to 4+, M3 comprises a metal in oxidation state 2+, M4 comprises a metal in oxidation state less than or equal to 4+, and M5 comprises a metal in oxidation state 3+ wherein 0≦a≦1 v>0 at least one of w and y is >0 x≧0 z≧0 c>0.1 where (a, v, w, x, y, z and c) are chosen to maintain electroneutrality. Such materials are useful, for example, as electrode materials in sodium-ion battery applications. AaM1VM2WM3XM4YM5ZO2−c  (Formula 1)
US09917303B2

A rechargeable lithium-sulfur cell comprising an anode, a separator and/or electrolyte, and a sulfur cathode, wherein the cathode comprises (a) exfoliated graphite worms that are interconnected to form a porous, conductive graphite flake network comprising pores having a size smaller than 100 nm; and (b) nano-scaled powder or coating of sulfur, sulfur compound, or lithium polysulfide disposed in the pores or coated on graphite flake surfaces wherein the powder or coating has a dimension less than 100 nm. The exfoliated graphite worm amount is in the range of 1% to 90% by weight and the amount of powder or coating is in the range of 99% to 10% by weight based on the total weight of exfoliated graphite worms and sulfur (sulfur compound or lithium polysulfide) combined. The cell exhibits an exceptionally high specific energy and a long cycle life.
US09917299B2

Highly porous synergistic combinations of silicon and carbon materials are provided, along with articles that incorporate such materials and processes for producing the materials. The compositions have novel properties and provide significant improvements in Coulombic efficiency, dilithiation capacity, and cycle life when used as anode materials in lithium battery cells including solid state batteries.
US09917297B2

Disclosed are a method for preparing a positive electrode active material for a lithium secondary battery and a positive electrode active material for a lithium secondary battery, the method including: preparing a mixture of a precursor represented by Chemical Formula 1 below, a lithium composite oxide represented by Chemical Formula 2 below and capable of intercalating/deintercalating lithium ions, and a lithium feed material; and firing the prepared mixture: A(OH)2-a   [Chemical Formula 1] Li[LizA(1-z-a)Da]EbO2-b   [Chemical Formula 2]
US09917285B1

A battery includes: a casing that houses a cell inside; and a terminal part that has connection terminals connected to electrode terminals of a connection apparatus, in which the casing includes a top face and a bottom face positioned on opposite sides in a height direction and two side faces positioned between the top face and the bottom face on opposite sides in a widthwise direction, a notch is formed by a level difference face that is continuous from the side face and a groove forming face that is continuous from the bottom face, and a guided groove that is open to the groove forming face is formed in the casing, and the guided groove is positioned on a further bottom face side than the level difference face.
US09917284B2

Provided are a system and method for a non-hazmat shippable portable power device (“NHSPD”). The NHSPD includes at least one cell block providing a plurality of electrically isolated encased electrochemical cells each in a predetermined location, each cell having one positive and one negative terminal in a predetermined location. At least one backplane circuit board is disposed adjacent to each cell block and, for each positive and negative terminal of each cell, the adjacent circuit board provides electrically isolated traces from each cell to at least one grouping area, the grouping area providing a connection point for each trace. A physically separate interconnection cap having at least one external positive terminal and external negative terminal connected by electrical circuitry to at least one connector structured and arranged to physically connect with each connection point of each trace at such time as the interconnection cap is disposed adjacent to the at least one cell block such that the cap connector engages the trace connection points. A method of providing NHSPD is also disclosed.
US09917277B2

A display panel including an EL panel unit, a CF panel unit, and a sealing resin layer. In the EL panel, a surface of a sealing layer has a non-flat surface as a whole in a Z-axis direction, with recess portions at light-emitting areas corresponding to regions between banks and protrusion portions at non-light-emitting areas corresponding to tops of the banks. D2<0.90×D1 and S>{(0.90×D1)−D2}×W are satisfied, where D1 (D1(R), D1(G), D1(B)) denotes a distance between the EL panel unit and the CF panel unit at a first recess portion, D2 denotes a distance between the EL panel unit and the CF panel unit at a protrusion portion, W denotes a width of a top of the protrusion portion, and S denotes a cross-sectional area of a second recess portion.
US09917274B2

To provide a light-emitting panel in which the occurrence of crosstalk is suppressed. To provide a method for manufacturing a light-emitting panel in which the occurrence of crosstalk is suppressed. The light-emitting panel includes a first electrode of one light-emitting element, a first electrode of the other light-emitting element, and an insulating partition which separates the two first electrodes. A portion with a thickness A1 smaller than a thickness A0 of a portion of the layer containing a light-emitting organic compound, which overlaps with a side surface of the partition, is included. The ratio (B1/B0) of a thickness B1 of a portion of the second electrode, which overlaps with a side surface of the partition, to a thickness B0 of a portion of the second electrode, which overlaps with the first electrode, is higher than the ratio (A1/A0).
US09917265B2

The embodiments of the invention relate to copper(I) complexes of the formula A where X* is Cl, Br, I, CN, SCN, alkinyl and/or N3 (independently of one another), N*∩E is a bidentate ligand with E being a phosphanyl/arsenyl group of the form R2E (in which R=alkyl, aryl, alkoxyl, phenoxyl, or amide), N* is an imine-function, which is a component of an N-heteroaromatic 5-membered ring that is selected from the group consisting of pyrazole, isoxazole, isothiazole, triazole, oxadiazole, thiadiazole, tetrazole, oxatriazole or thiatriazole, and “∩” is at least one carbon atom, which is likewise a component of the aromatic group, the carbon atom being located directly adjacent both to the imine nitrogen atom as well as to the phosphorus or arsenic atom. The copper(I) complexes may be used in optoelectronic components, particularly in organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs).
US09917263B2

A transparent electrode includes a nitrogen-containing layer constituted by using a compound containing a nitrogen atom (N), an electrode layer containing silver (Ag) as a main component, which is disposed adjacent to the nitrogen-containing layer, and two high-refractive index layers each having a higher refractive index than that of the nitrogen-containing layer, which are disposed so that the electrode layer and the nitrogen-containing layer are sandwiched between the high-refractive index layers.
US09917254B2

An OLED encapsulation package, a display device and a packaging method are disclosed. The OLED encapsulation package includes a substrate, a cover board and a encapsulation unit located between the substrate and the cover board; the substrate is provided with display components thereon, and the encapsulation unit encapsulates the periphery of the display components; the encapsulation unit includes at least a moisture sensitive layer therein, and the moisture sensitive layer is capable of discoloring upon encountering with water.
US09917252B2

A Ga—Sb—Ge family of phase change memory materials is described, including GaxSbyGez, wherein a Ga atomic concentration x is within a range from 20% to 45%, a Sb atomic concentration y is within a range from 25% to 40% and a Ge atomic concentration z is within a range from 25% to 55%, is described wherein the material has a crystallization transition temperature Tx greater than 360° C. Adding impurities including one or more element selected from silicon Si, carbon C, oxygen O and nitrogen N, can also increase the crystallization transition temperature Tx to temperatures greater than 400° C., and also reduce reset current.
US09917245B2

Provided is a piezoelectric element including a substrate, electrodes, and a piezoelectric film, the piezoelectric film including an oxide including Ba, Ca, Ti, and Zr, and at least one element of Mn and Bi in which: 0.09≦x≦0.30 is satisfied, where x is a mole ratio of Ca to a sum of Ba and Ca; 0.025≦y≦0.085 is satisfied, where y is a mole ratio of Zr to a sum of Ti, Zr, and Sn; and 0≦z≦0.02 is satisfied, where z is a mole ratio of Sn to the sum of Ti, Zr, and Sn; a total content Save of Mn and Bi is 0.0020 moles or more and 0.0150 moles or less for 1 mole of the oxide; and a total content Sbou of Mn and Bi in a region of the piezoelectric film adjacent to one of the electrodes is smaller than Save.
US09917231B2

A fluoride phosphor may include: a fluoride represented by a composition formula: AxMFy:Mnz4+, where A is at least one selected from among Li, Na, K, Rb, and Cs, M is at least one selected from among Si, Ti, Zr, Hf, Ge and Sn, a composition ratio (x) of A satisfies 2≦x≦3, a composition ratio (y) of F satisfies 4≦y≦7, and a composition ratio (z) of Mn satisfies 0
US09917228B2

A semiconductor optical device has a multilayer structure 30 including a first compound semiconductor layer 31, an active layer 33, and a second compound semiconductor layer 32. A second electrode 42 is formed on the second compound semiconductor layer 32 through a contact layer 34. The contact layer 34 has a thickness of four or less atomic layers. When an interface between the contact layer 34 and the second compound semiconductor layer 32 is an xy-plane, a lattice constant along an x-axis of crystals constituting an interface layer 32A which is a part of the second compound semiconductor layer in contact with the contact layer 34 is x2, a lattice constant along a z-axis is z2, a length along an x-axis in one unit of crystals constituting the contact layer 34 is xc′, and a length along the z-axis is zc′, (zc′/xc′)>(z2/x2) is satisfied.
US09917219B2

A solar cell includes: a crystal silicon substrate of a first conductivity type including a first principal surface and a second principal surface; a first amorphous silicon film of a second conductivity type provided on a side of the first principal surface; and a second amorphous silicon film of the first conductivity type provided on a side of the second principal surface. At least one of the first amorphous silicon film and the second amorphous silicon film has a multi-layer structure comprising layers. An oxygen-rich layer is provided between any adjacent two of the amorphous silicon layers in the multi-layer structure.
US09917215B2

A device and method for fabricating a photovoltaic device includes forming a double layer transparent conductive oxide on a transparent substrate. The double layer transparent conductive oxide includes forming a doped electrode layer on the substrate, and forming a buffer layer on the doped electrode layer. The buffer layer includes an undoped or p-type doped intrinsic form of a same material as the doped electrode layer. A light-absorbing semiconductor structure includes a p-type semiconductor layer on the buffer layer, an intrinsic layer and an n-type semiconductor layer.
US09917208B2

A TFT, a method for manufacturing the TFT, and an array substrate are disclosed. In the TFT according to the present disclosure, the nano conductive points that are independent from one another are formed in a channel area of the active layer, so that the channel area of the active layer can be divided into a plurality of sub channels that are independent from one another, and an equivalent electric field strength thereof can be increased. The larger the equivalent electric field strength is, the higher the carrier mobility ratio would be, and the larger the saturation current of the TFT would become. Therefore, the TFT with a higher definition and a higher aperture ratio can be manufactured.
US09917207B2

A semiconductor device includes a first barrier layer having a barrier property against oxygen and hydrogen over a substrate, a first insulator over the first barrier layer, a second insulator over the first insulator, a third insulator over the second insulator, a transistor including an oxide semiconductor over the third insulator, a fourth insulator including an oxygen-excess region over the transistor, and a second barrier layer having a barrier property against oxygen and hydrogen over the fourth insulator. The transistor includes a first conductor with oxidation resistance, a second conductor with oxidation resistance, and a third conductor with oxidation resistance, the second insulator includes a high-k material, the first barrier layer and the second barrier layer are in contact with each other in an outer edge of a region where the transistor is provided, and the transistor is surrounded by the first barrier layer and the second barrier layer.
US09917205B2

This disclosure discloses an oxide semiconductor thin film, a thin film transistor, a manufacturing method and a device, belonging to the field of flat panel display. The oxide semiconductor thin film is made of an oxide containing zirconium and indium. A method of manufacturing the oxide semiconductor thin film comprises preparing a target using the oxide containing zirconium and indium, and sputtering the target to obtain the oxide semiconductor thin film.
US09917203B2

A thin film transistor, a manufacturing method thereof, an array substrate and a display apparatus are disclosed. The manufacturing method includes forming a gate electrode (2), a gate insulating layer (3), an active region (4), a source electrode (5) and a drain electrode (6) on a base substrate (1) with the active region being formed of ZnON material, and implanting the active region (4) with nitrogen ion while it being formed, so as to make the sub-threshold swing amplitude of the thin film transistor less than or equal to 0.5 mV/dec. The manufacturing method reduces the sub-threshold swing amplitude of the thin film transistor and improves the semiconductor characteristics of the thin film transistor.
US09917195B2

A semiconductor device includes a fin patterned in a substrate; a gate disposed over and substantially perpendicular to the fin; a pair of epitaxial contacts including a III-V material over the fin and on opposing sides of the gate; and a channel region between the pair of epitaxial contacts under the gate including an undoped III-V material between doped III-V materials, the doped III-V materials including a dopant in an amount in a range from about 1e18 to about 1e20 atoms/cm3 and contacting the epitaxial contacts.
US09917194B2

A self-aligned SiGe FinFET device features a relaxed channel region having a high germanium concentration. Instead of first introducing germanium into the channel and then attempting to relax the resulting strained film, a relaxed channel is formed initially to accept the germanium. In this way, a presence of germanium can be established without straining or damaging the lattice. Gate structures are patterned relative to intrinsic silicon fins, to ensure that the gates are properly aligned, prior to introducing germanium into the fin lattice structure. After aligning the gate structures, the silicon fins are segmented to elastically relax the silicon lattice. Then, germanium is introduced into the relaxed silicon lattice, to produce a SiGe channel that is substantially stress-free and also defect-free. Using the method described, concentration of germanium achieved in a structurally stable film can be increased to a level greater than 85%.
US09917193B2

A method of growing III-N semiconducting material on a silicon substrate including the steps of growing a layer of epitaxial rare earth oxide on a single crystal silicon substrate and modifying the surface of the layer of epitaxial rare earth oxide with nitrogen plasma. The method further includes the steps of growing a layer of low temperature epitaxial gallium nitride on the modified surface of the layer of epitaxial rare earth oxide and growing a layer of bulk epitaxial III-N semiconductive material on the layer of low temperature epitaxial gallium nitride.
US09917188B2

A method of forming a fin structure that includes forming a plurality of fin structures from a bulk semiconductor substrate and forming a dielectric spacer on a sidewall of each fin structure in the plurality of fin structure. A semiconductor spacer is formed on a sidewall of the dielectric spacer. A dielectric fill is formed in the space between the adjacent fin structures. The semiconductor spacer and a portion of the fin structures that is present below a lower surface of the dielectric spacer are oxidized. Oxidizing a base portion of the fin structures produces a first strain and oxidizing the semiconductor spacer produces a second strain that is opposite the first strain.
US09917182B1

A semiconductor device includes: a first nitride semiconductor layer, a second nitride semiconductor layer that is provided on the first nitride semiconductor layer and has a band gap larger than a band gap of the first nitride semiconductor layer, a gate electrode that is provided on the first nitride semiconductor layer, a first electrode that is electrically connected to the first nitride semiconductor layer, a second electrode disposed such that the gate electrode is positioned between the first electrode and the second electrode, and electrically connected to the first nitride semiconductor layer, and a first insulation layer that is provided between the gate electrode and the second electrode, disposed such that the second nitride semiconductor layer is positioned between the first nitride semiconductor layer and the first insulation layer, and including silicon oxide having an oxygen-to-silicon atomic ratio (O/Si) of 1.50 or more and 1.85 or less.
US09917173B2

A method includes forming a dummy gate of a transistor at a surface of a wafer, removing the dummy gate, and filling a metallic material into a trench left by the removed dummy gate. A Chemical Mechanical Polish (CMP) is then performed on the metallic material, wherein a remaining portion of the metallic material forms a metal gate of the transistor. After the CMP, a treatment is performed on an exposed top surface of the metal gate using an oxidation-and-etching agent comprising chlorine and oxygen.
US09917169B2

A semiconductor device and method of formation are provided. The semiconductor device includes a channel surrounding a dielectric tube and a gate surrounding the channel. The dielectric tube comprises a high dielectric constant material that has or conducts few to no carriers, such as electrons or holes. The presence of the dielectric tube confines carriers to the channel, which is in close proximity to the gate. The proximity of the channel, and the carriers therein, to the gate affords greater control to the gate over the carriers, thus allowing a length of the channel to be decreased while experiencing little to no short channel effects, such as current leakage through the channel.
US09917157B2

The present disclosure provides a TFT, an array substrate, their manufacturing method, and a display device. The method for manufacturing the TFT includes a step of forming a pattern of a semiconductor active layer on a transparent substrate through a patterning process, and the pattern of the semiconductor active layer includes a lanthanum boride pattern.
US09917152B1

A method of forming a semiconductor device and resulting device. The method may form a first gate on a gate region of a starting substrate. The starting substrate includes alternating sacrificial layers and semiconductor layers above a buffer sacrificial layer located on a bulk substrate. The method may remove the starting substrate located between the gates. Etching the starting substrate creates a trench into the bulk substrate. The method may form an insulating layer on the inside of the trench. The method may form a masking layer over in the trench in the starting substrate covering a portion of the insulating layer, but below a top surface of the buffer layer. The method may remove the unmasked portion of the insulating layer. The method may form a source/drain in the trench. The method may remove the buffer sacrificial layer, and the sacrificial layers in the layered nanosheet.
US09917151B2

A method for forming a multi-stack nanowire device includes forming a common release layer on a substrate, the common release layer comprising a common release material. The method also includes forming a first multi-layer stack on a first portion of the common release layer, the first multi-layer stack comprising at least two layers separated by at least one layer comprising the common release material, and forming a second multi-layer stack on a second portion of the common release layer, the second multi-layer stack comprising at least two layers separated by at least one layer comprising the common release material. The method further includes patterning each of the first multi-layer stack and the second multi-layer stack into one or more fins and forming two or more multi-stack nanowires from the one or more fins by removing the common release material using a common etch process.
US09917150B2

Deep trench isolation structures and systems and methods including the same are disclosed herein. The systems include a semiconductor device. The semiconductor device includes a semiconductor body, a device region, and the deep trench isolation structure. The deep trench isolation structure is configured to electrically isolate the device region from other device regions that extend within the semiconductor body. The deep trench isolation structure includes an isolation trench, a dielectric material that extends within the isolation trench, a first semiconducting region, and a second semiconducting region. The methods include methods of operating an integrated circuit device that includes a plurality of semiconductor devices that include the disclosed deep trench isolation structures.
US09917149B1

A diode includes a second semiconductor layer over a first semiconductor layer. The diode further includes a third semiconductor layer over the second semiconductor layer, where the third semiconductor layer includes a first semiconductor element over the second semiconductor layer. The third semiconductor layer additionally includes a second semiconductor element over the second semiconductor layer, wherein the second semiconductor element surrounds the first semiconductor element. Further, the third semiconductor layer includes a third semiconductor element over the second semiconductor element. Furthermore, a hole concentration of the second semiconductor element is less than a hole concentration of the first semiconductor element.
US09917143B2

An organic light emitting diode display includes a substrate and a first red organic light emitting element disposed on the substrate. The first red organic light emitting element may include a first light emission region and a second light emission region, wherein the first light emission region emits a first red light having a first peak wavelength, and the second light emission region emits a second red light having a second peak wavelength different from the first peak wavelength.
US09917142B2

An organic light emitting display device includes a plurality of pixels defined on a substrate. Each of the plurality of pixels has a plurality of sub-pixels, and each of the plurality of sub-pixels has a light emitting area and a driving area. Widths in a first direction of the driving areas of the plurality of sub-pixels are identical to each other. A size of a light emitting area of a first sub-pixel of the plurality of sub-pixels is greater than a size of a light emitting area of a second sub-pixel of the plurality of sub-pixels.
US09917140B2

A method for manufacturing a photoelectric converter includes a first step of preparing a semiconductor substrate including a metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistor, a second step of forming a plurality of interlayer insulating films above the semiconductor substrate, and a third step of forming a photoelectric conversion portion above the semiconductor substrate. The second step includes a step of forming a first film containing hydrogen. The third step includes a step of forming a first electrode, a step of forming a photoelectric conversion film, and a step of forming a second electrode. The method includes a step of performing heat treatment between the step of forming the first film and the step of forming the photoelectric conversion film.
US09917137B1

A method is presented for forming a semiconductor structure. The method includes depositing a barrier layer, such as a tantalum nitride (TaN) layer, over a dielectric incorporating magnetic random access memory (MRAM) regions, forming magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) stacks over portions of the TaN layer, patterning and encapsulating the MTJ stacks, forming spacers adjacent the MTJ stacks, and laterally etching sections of the TaN layer, after spacer formation, to form an electrode under the MTJ stacks. The electrode protects the MRAM regions. The electrode can be recessed from the spacers.
US09917135B2

A method of manufacturing a solid-state image sensor is provided. The method comprises: depositing a gate electrode film above the semiconductor layer; etching the gate electrode film to form a first gate electrode patterned in a pixel region, leaving the gate electrode film in a peripheral region; depositing a first insulating film above the semiconductor layer after the forming the first gate electrode; removing the first insulating film formed in the peripheral region; etching the gate electrode film left in the peripheral region to form a second gate electrode patterned in the peripheral region after the removing the first insulating film; forming a second insulating film above the semiconductor layer after the forming the second gate electrode; and forming a side wall on side surface of the second gate electrode by etching the second insulating film.
US09917134B1

A method of fabricating an image sensor includes the following steps. A substrate is provided. A first infrared filter is formed on a first region of the substrate. A second infrared filter is deposited on the substrate and the first infrared filter. The deposited second infrared filter covers the first infrared filter. The second infrared filter is lowered to expose the first infrared filter. The lowered second infrared filter is on a second region of the substrate and neighbors the first infrared filter.
US09917130B2

Among other things, one or more image sensors and techniques for forming image sensors are provided. An image sensor comprises a photodiode array configured to detect light. The image sensor comprises an oxide grid comprising a first oxide grid portion and a second oxide grid portion. A metal grid is formed between the first oxide grid portion and the second oxide grid portion. The oxide grid and the metal grid define a filler grid. The filler grid comprises a filler grid portion, such as a color filter, that allows light to propagate through the filler grid portion to an underlying photodiode. The oxide grid and the metal grid confine or channel the light within the filler grid portion. The oxide grid and the metal grid are formed such that the filler grid provides a relatively shorter propagation path for the light, which improves light detection performance of the image sensor.
US09917128B2

A semiconductor device having a first semiconductor section including a first wiring layer at one side thereof; a second semiconductor section including a second wiring layer at one side thereof, the first and second semiconductor sections being secured together with the respective first and second wiring layer sides of the first and second semiconductor sections facing each other; a conductive material extending through the first semiconductor section to the second wiring layer of the second semiconductor section and by means of which the first and second wiring layers are in electrical communication; and an opening, other than the opening for the conductive material, which extends through the first semiconductor section to the second wiring layer.
US09917117B2

A method of fabricating a display device including forming one or more thin-film transistors (“TFTs”) each configured to include an active layer, a gate insulating layer, a gate electrode, a source electrode, and a drain electrode on a substrate. A storage capacitor including a first storage electrode and a second storage electrode overlapping the first storage electrode with the gate insulating layer interposed there between is also formed on the substrate. A top surface of the first storage electrode may include hillocks and the gate insulating layer is formed between the first storage electrode and the second storage electrode to conform to the shape of the top surface of the first storage electrode with the hillocks.
US09917113B2

An array substrate including a display area and a non-display area surrounding the display area. The non-display area includes a pad portion including one or more first pads that each have a parallelogram shape.
US09917109B2

A semiconductor device includes a wiring embedded in an insulating layer, an oxide semiconductor layer over the insulating layer, a source electrode and a drain electrode electrically connected to the oxide semiconductor layer, a gate electrode provided to overlap with the oxide semiconductor layer, and a gate insulating layer provided between the oxide semiconductor layer and the gate electrode. The insulating layer is formed so that part of a top surface of the wiring is exposed. The part of the top surface of the wiring is positioned higher than part of a surface of the insulating layer. The wiring in a region exposed from the insulating layer is electrically connected to the source electrode or the drain electrode. The root-mean-square roughness of a region which is part of the surface of the insulating layer and in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer is 1 nm or less.
US09917102B2

A semiconductor device (1) is manufactured which includes a SiC epitaxial layer (28), a plurality of transistor cells (18) that are formed in the SiC epitaxial layer (28) and that are subjected to ON/OFF control by a predetermined control voltage, a gate electrode (19) that faces a channel region (32) of the transistor cells (18) in which a channel is formed when the semiconductor device (1) is in an ON state, a gate metal (44) that is exposed at the topmost surface for electrical connection with the outside: and that is electrically connected to the gate electrode (19) while being physically separated from the gate electrode (19), and a built-in resistor (21) that is made of polysilicon and that is disposed below the gate metal (44) so as to electrically connect the gate metal (44) and the gate electrode (19) together.
US09917100B2

A three-dimensional memory device includes an alternating stack of electrically conductive layers and insulating layers located over a substrate, an array of memory stack structures. A source conductive line structure is provided between the substrate and the alternating stack. The source conductive line structure includes a plurality of parallel conductive rail structures extending along a same horizontal direction and adjoined to a common conductive straddling structure. Each memory stack structure straddles a vertical interface between a conductive rail structure and a support matrix. A semiconductor channel in each memory stack structure contacts a respective conductive rail structure and the support matrix.
US09917091B2

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, includes: forming an insulating film on a first surface of a semiconductor substrate; and forming a hydrogen supply film on a second surface facing the first surface of the semiconductor substrate, the hydrogen supply film containing one or more of silicon oxide, TEOS, BPSG, BSG, PSG, FSG, carbon-containing silicon oxide, silicon nitride, carbon-containing silicon nitride, and oxygen-containing silicon carbide.
US09917088B2

A device comprises a substrate comprising a first portion and a second portion separated by an isolation region, a first gate structure over the first portion, a first drain/source region and a second drain/source region in the first portion and on opposite sides of the first gate structure, wherein the first drain/source region and the second drain/source have concave surfaces, a second gate structure over the second portion and a third drain/source region and a fourth drain/source region in the second portion and on opposite sides of the second gate structure, wherein the third drain/source region and the fourth drain/source have the concave surfaces.
US09917062B1

An integrated circuit structure may include an alignment column on a front-side surface of an isolation layer. The alignment column may extend through a backside surface opposite the front-side surface of the isolation layer. The integrated circuit structure may also include front-side transistors on the front-side surface of the isolation layer. The integrated circuit structure may further include backside transistors on the backside surface of the isolation layer. A first front-side transistor is aligned with a first backside transistor according to the alignment column.
US09917061B2

A semiconductor apparatus includes a chip ID generation unit, a chip ID transmission unit and a chip stack information generation unit. The chip ID generation unit is configured to generate a chip ID signal. The chip ID transmission unit is configured to output the chip ID signal to a common line on the basis of whether another chip is electrically coupled therewith. The chip stack information generation unit is configured to be electrically coupled with the common line in response to the chip ID signal and generate a stack information signal.
US09917048B2

An interconnect structure and a method of forming an interconnect structure are disclosed. The interconnect structure includes a low-k (LK) dielectric layer over a substrate; a first conductive feature in the LK dielectric layer, wherein the first conductive feature has a first sidewall, a second sidewall facing the first sidewall, and a first bottom surface contacting the LK dielectric layer; a first dielectric feature along an upper portion of the first sidewall, wherein a length of the first dielectric feature is at least 10 percent less than a length of the first sidewall; and a second dielectric feature along an upper portion of the second sidewall. The interconnect structure may also include a second conductive feature adjacent to the first conductive feature in the LK dielectric layer.
US09917047B2

A wiring board of the present disclosure includes a core substrate, insulating layers, signal wiring conductors, ground wiring conductors, power-supply wiring conductors, a first mounting portion on which a first semiconductor device is to be mounted, a second mounting portion on which a second semiconductor device is to be mounted, many first-semiconductor-device connection pads connectable to signal electrodes of the first semiconductor device, many second-semiconductor-device connection pads connectable to signal electrodes of the second semiconductor device, and many signal connection conductors that connect the first-semiconductor-device connection pads to the second-semiconductor-device connection pads. The signal connection conductors include signal connection conductors of a first wiring group that extend only through a region above the top surface of the core substrate, and signal connection conductors of a second wiring group that extend through a region below the bottom surface of the core substrate.
US09917042B2

A dielectric element has a plurality of contacts at a first surface and a plurality of first traces coupled thereto which extend in directions parallel to the first surface. A circuit structure made of a plurality of dielectric layers and electrically conductive features thereon includes a plurality of bumps at a first surface which face the contacts of the dielectric element and are joined thereto. Circuit structure contacts at a second surface opposite the first surface are electrically coupled with the bumps through second traces on the circuit structure, the circuit structure contacts configured for connection with a plurality of element contacts of each of a plurality of microelectronic elements, wherein the microelectronic elements can be assembled therewith such that element contacts thereof face and are joined with the circuit structure contacts.
US09917034B2

A method and an apparatus for cooling a semiconductor device. The method comprises the steps of contacting a surface of the semiconductor device with respective end portions of an array of contact elements thermally coupled to a cooling fluid, and disposing a flexible, heat conductive sheet between the respective end portions of the contact elements and the surface of the semiconductor device for transferring heat generated in the semiconductor device to the cooling fluid via the sheet and the contact elements.
US09917025B2

A printed wiring board includes a first circuit board having a first surface and a second surface, and a second circuit board having a third surface and a fourth surface and having a mounting area on the third surface of the second circuit board. The first circuit board is laminated on the third surface of the second circuit board such that the first surface of the first circuit board is in contact with the third surface of the second circuit board, the first circuit board includes reinforcing material and has an opening portion exposing the mounting area of the second circuit board, and the first circuit board and the second circuit board are formed such that a ratio H1/h1 is in a range that is greater than 0.75 and smaller than 2.4, where H1 represents a thickness of the first circuit board and h1 represents a thickness of the second circuit board.
US09917021B2

A method for forming CMOS devices includes masking a first portion of a tensile-strained silicon layer of a SOI substrate, doping a second portion of the layer outside the first portion and growing an undoped silicon layer on the doped portion and the first portion. The undoped silicon layer becomes tensile-strained. Strain in the undoped silicon layer over the doped portion is relaxed by converting the doped portion to a porous silicon to form a relaxed silicon layer. The porous silicon is converted to an oxide. A SiGe layer is grown and oxidized to convert the relaxed silicon layer to a compressed SiGe layer. Fins are etched in the first portion from the tensile-strained silicon layer and the undoped silicon layer and in the second portion from the compressed SiGe layer.
US09917017B2

Disclosed is a method of forming a semiconductor device. The method includes providing a precursor having a substrate and gate stacks over the substrate, wherein each of the gate stacks includes an electrode layer, a first hard mask (HM) layer over the electrode layer, and a second HM layer over the first HM layer. The method further includes depositing a dielectric layer over the substrate and the gate stacks and filling spaces between the gate stacks; and performing a first chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) process to partially remove the dielectric layer. The method further includes performing an etching process to remove the second HM layer and to partially remove the dielectric layer, thereby exposing the first HM layer. The method further includes performing a second CMP process to at least partially remove the first HM layer.
US09917012B2

A semiconductor substrate (1) is provided with integrated circuits. Dicing trenches (7) are formed in the substrate (1) between the integrated circuits, a polyimide layer (8) spanning the trenches (7) is applied above the integrated circuits, a tape layer (14) is applied above the polyimide layer (8), and a layer portion of the substrate (1) is removed from the substrate side (17) opposite the tape layer (14), until the trenches (7) are opened and dicing of the substrate (1) is thus effected. The polyimide layer (8) is severed in sections (18) above the trenches (7) when the tape layer (14) is removed. The semiconductor chip is provided with a cover layer (11) laterally confining the polyimide layer (8) near the trenches (7), in particular for forming breaking delimitations (9).
US09917004B2

Provided are a group III nitride composite substrate having a low sheet resistance and produced with a high yield, and a method for manufacturing the same, as well as a method for manufacturing a group III nitride semiconductor device using the group III nitride composite substrate. A group III nitride composite substrate includes a group III nitride film and a support substrate formed from a material different in chemical composition from the group III nitride film. The group III nitride film is joined to the support substrate in one of a direct manner and an indirect manner. The group III nitride film has a thickness of 10 μm or more. A sheet resistance of a group III-nitride-film-side main surface is 200 Ω/sq or less.
US09917001B2

An aluminum heated substrate support suitable for use in high temperature substrate processing systems and method for fabricating the same are provided. In one embodiment, an aluminum heated substrate support can include an aluminum body, a stem coupled to the body and a heating element disposed in the body. The body has an average grain size less than about 250 μm. In some embodiments, the stem to body joint is a fully penetrated lap weld that promotes service life of the substrate support.
US09916985B2

A chemical mechanical planarization for indium phosphide material is provided in which at least one opening is formed within a dielectric layer located on a substrate. An indium phosphide material is epitaxially grown within the at least one opening of the dielectric layer which extends above a topmost surface of the dielectric layer. The indium phosphide material is planarized using at least one slurry composition to form coplanar surfaces of the indium phosphide material and the dielectric layer, where a slurry composition of the at least one slurry composition polishes the indium phosphide material selective to the topmost surface of the dielectric layer, and includes an abrasive, at least one pH modulator and an oxidizer, the at least one pH modulator including an acidic pH modulator, but lacks a basic pH modulator, and where the oxidizer suppresses generation of phosphine gas.
US09916978B2

The invention provides a method for fabricating a fin field effect transistor (FinFET), comprising: providing a substrate having a logic region and a large region; forming a plurality of fin structures in the logic region by removing a portion of the substrate in the logic region; forming an oxide layer on the substrate filling in-between the fin structures in the logic region; forming an first epitaxial structure in the large region by removing a portion of the substrate in the large region; exposing a portion of the fin structures and a portion of the epitaxial structure by removing a portion of the oxide layer; and forming a gate electrode on portions of the fin structures.
US09916977B2

Provided are methods and apparatus for ultraviolet (UV) assisted capillary condensation to form dielectric materials. In some embodiments, a UV driven reaction facilitates photo-polymerization of a liquid phase flowable material. Applications include high quality gap fill in high aspect ratio structures and por sealing of a porous solid dielectric film. According to various embodiments, single station and multi-station chambers configured for capillary condensation and UV exposure are provided.
US09916969B2

A mass analyzer includes a desolvation chamber into which an upstream gas is injected to provide a counter-flow to said downstream flow in the chamber. The counter-flow may slow the downstream flow of solvated ionized particles in the chamber, while allowing lighter desolvated ions to travel toward an outlet aperture of the desolvation chamber.
US09916963B2

A specimen loading method for loading a specimen that contains water into a specimen chamber of a charged particle beam device, includes: a step (S100) of mounting the specimen on a specimen support; a step (S102) of covering a predetermined area of the specimen with a water retention material; a step (S104) of evacuating the specimen chamber in which the specimen having the predetermined area covered with the water retention material is placed; and a step (S106) of exposing the predetermined area covered with the water retention material.
US09916958B1

Methods and systems for fabricating a film, such as, for example, a photocathode, having a tailored band structure and thin-film components that can be tailored for specific applications, such as, for example photocathode having a high quantum efficiency, and simple components fabricated by those methods.
US09916953B2

The present disclosure describes an apparatus for increasing the initial closing force and reducing the final closing force in the actuating mechanism of electromechanical switching devices such as relays or contactors.
US09916951B2

The present invention relates to a contactor, a connector and a contactor component. According to the first aspect of the invention, a contactor relates to a switch mechanism, an iron core, an iron core position sensing circuit and a control circuit. The control circuit can measure the position of the iron core by measuring the variation in inductance by using the property that the coil can produce different inductances when the iron core is in different positions in the coil. According to the second aspect of the invention, a connector and contactor component are provided, wherein a control circuit is arranged on a connector, the control circuit comprises a PWM power-saving circuit. The PWM power-saving circuit is integrated on the connector, so that the average driving current of the contactor is reduced and meanwhile, the size of the contactor is reduced.
US09916949B2

The invention relates to an electric switching device (1), comprising at least one switching-device pole filled with insulating gas and a monitoring apparatus (14). The monitoring apparatus (14) comprises a density monitor (15) and a housing part (16), wherein a gas chamber (17) is contained in the housing part (16), which gas chamber is connected to the switching-device pole and to the density monitor (15) and can be connected to a testing device for the density monitor (15), and wherein the housing part (16) contains a shut-off element (20), which can be actuated into an open position and into a closed position. The actuation of the shut-off element (20) is independent of the connection of the gas chamber (17) to the testing device.
US09916937B2

All-solid-state capacitor includes an inorganic solid electrolyte, and a pair of current collectors disposed so that the inorganic solid electrolyte is interposed therebetween. In the all-solid-state capacitor, the inorganic solid electrolyte has a polycrystalline structure composed of crystal particles and crystal grain boundaries formed between the crystal particles. In a first crystal particle included in the crystal particles, a domain located near the crystal grain boundaries is larger in size than a domain located near the center.
US09916933B2

A ceramic electronic component includes a laminated body including ceramic layers and conductor layers stacked alternately; and first and second external electrodes provided on portions of the laminated body. Each of the first and second external electrodes includes a sintered metal layer provided on the laminated body, a conductive resin layer covering the sintered metal layer, and a plated layer covering the conductive resin layer. The maximum length of the sintered metal layer provided on the second principal surface is shorter than the maximum length of the sintered metal layer provided on each of the first and second side surfaces.
US09916918B2

The invention mainly provides a busbar (BS1) designed to provide an electrical connection between a high-power converter (R) and a disconnector (S), said busbar being characterized in that the busbar (BS1) has a shape defining, at least in part, at least one hollow portion (10).
US09916916B2

The present invention provides a conductive material comprising: (A) a π-conjugated polymer, and (B) a dopant polymer which contains one or more repeating units selected from “a1” to “a4” respectively represented by the following general formula (1) and has a weight-average molecular weight in the range of 1,000 to 500,000, (C) a nanoparticle which is selected from a gold nanoparticle, a silver nanoparticle, and a platinum nanoparticle and has a particle diameter of 1 to 200 nm. There can be provided a conductive material that has excellent film-formability and also can form a conductive film having high transparency and conductivity, superior flexibility and flatness when the film is formed from the material.
US09916914B2

A carbon material comprising pyrolized egg protein characterized by containing mesopores or micropores. The pyrolized egg protein may comprise pyrolyzed eggshell membrane having a continuous conducting core and a porous shell, the pyrolyzed eggshell membrane comprising partially-activated carbon. The porous shell may comprise nitrogen or oxygen. The pyrolized egg protein may comprise mesoporous egg white.
US09916913B2

Embodiments described herein provide for a method of launching atoms in an atom interferometer. The method includes determining a direction of the total effective acceleration force on the atoms, controlling a direction of launch of the atoms for measurement in the atom interferometer based on the direction of the total effective acceleration force, and obtaining measurements from the atoms.
US09916906B2

Log likelihood ration (LLR) values that are computed in a flash memory controller during read retries change over time as the number of program-and-erase cycles (PECs) that the flash memory die has been subjected to increases. Therefore, in cases where an LLR table is used to provide pre-defined, fixed LLR values to the error-correcting code (ECC) decoding logic of the controller, decoding success and the resulting BER will degrade over time as the number of PECs to which the die has been subjected increases. In accordance with embodiments, a storage system, a flash memory controller for use in the storage system and method are provided that periodically measure the LLR values and update the LLR table with new LLR values. Periodically measuring the LLR values and updating the LLR table with new LLR values ensures high decoding success and a low BER over the life of the flash memory die.
US09916901B1

Some embodiments include apparatuses and methods of using and forming such apparatuses. An apparatus among the apparatuses includes first and second conductive materials located in respective first and second levels of the apparatus, a pillar including a length extending between the first and second conductive materials, memory cells and control lines located along the pillar, a first select gate and a first select line located along the pillar between the first conductive material and the memory cells, a second select gate and a second select line located along the pillar between the first conductive material and the first select line, a first transistor and a first transistor gate line located along the pillar between the first conductive material and the first select line, and a second transistor and a second transistor gate line located along the pillar between the first conductive material and the first transistor.
US09916898B2

A memory cell array includes local blocks disposed in parallel with rows and arrayed along a direction parallel with columns, first selection lines being parallel with the rows and including a couple of first selection lines connected to each of the local blocks, second selection lines disposed in parallel with the columns, and local block selectors disposed between the plurality of local blocks. Each of the local block selectors is disposed between a Qth wherein, “Q” is an odd number local block and a (Q+1)th local block among the local blocks to electrically connect unit cells disposed in any one of the Qth local block and the (Q+1)th local block to the second selection lines. The unit cells in the local blocks are disposed at cross points of the first selection lines and the second selection lines, respectively. Each of the unit cells includes a P-channel MOSFET.
US09916896B1

The present disclosure relates to a pre-charge circuit including a first inverter which receives an early pre-charge signal and outputs an inverted early pre-charge signal, a first gate which receives a late pre-charge signal and a match line output signal and outputs an AND output signal, and a second gate which receives the inverted early pre-charge signal and the AND output signal and outputs an effective pre-charge signal.
US09916895B2

Disclosed are methods, systems and devices for operation of non-volatile memory devices. In one aspect, a non-volatile memory device may be placed in any one of multiple memory states in a write operation by controlling a current and a voltage applied to terminals of the non-volatile memory device. For example, a write operation may apply a programming signal across terminals of non-volatile memory device having a particular current and a particular voltage for placing the non-volatile memory device in a particular memory state.
US09916889B1

An integrated circuit that includes an array of random-access memory cells is provided. Each memory cell in the array may be a single-port or a multiport memory cell. Memory cells in the same column of the array are connected to shared bit lines, whereas memory cells in the same row of the array are connected to shared word lines. The memory cells in the same row may also be connected to a row control line. During normal operations, the row control line may provide a positive power supply voltage to each memory cell along that row. During write operations, the row control line may be driven to ground or tri-stated to help improve the write margin and the write performance of the selected memory cells. The aspect ratio of these memory cells may also be more square-like or balanced to help improve power delivery.
US09916877B2

A packaged semiconductor device includes a data pin, a first memory die, and a second memory die stacked with the first memory die. The first memory die includes a first data interface coupled to the data pin and a first memory core having a plurality of banks. The second memory die includes a second memory core having a plurality of banks. A respective bank of the first memory core and a respective bank of the second memory core perform parallel row access operations in response to a first command signal and parallel column access operations in response to a second command signal. The first data interface of the first die provides aggregated data from the parallel column access operations in the first and second die to the data pin.
US09916868B1

An apparatus comprises a spindle to rotate a magnetic recording medium and a magnetic field generator to expose a track of the medium to a DC magnetic field. The magnetic field generator is configured to saturate the track during an erase mode and reverse the DC magnetic field impinging the track during a writing mode. A laser arrangement heats the track during the erase mode and, during the writing mode, heats the track while the track is exposed to the reversed DC magnetic field so as to write a magnetic pattern thereon. A reader reads the magnetic pattern and generates a read signal. A processor is coupled to the reader and configured to determine an anisotropy parameter using the read signal. The apparatus can further comprise a Kerr sensor that generates a Kerr signal using the magnetic pattern.
US09916866B2

Embodiments of a system and method for emotional tagging are generally described herein. A method may include receiving, at a device, biometric data and a timestamp, analyzing the biometric data to determine an emotional reaction occurred, tagging a portion of content with an emotional content tag based on the emotional reaction, wherein the portion of content was playing during a time corresponding to the timestamp, and sending the portion of content and the emotional content tag to a server. A method may include aggregating content tagged as emotional content, generating an emotional content video segment, and providing the emotional content video segment.
US09916855B2

A bearing portion includes an upper dynamic pressure portion, a lower dynamic pressure portion, and an intra-bearing space defined between a lower surface of a fluid in the upper dynamic pressure portion and an upper surface of a fluid in the lower dynamic pressure portion, and not including the fluid. An airway defined in a shaft includes an inner opening arranged to be in communication with the intra-bearing space, and an outer opening arranged to be in communication with an extra-bearing space. Each of the inner and outer openings is defined in a side surface of the shaft. The extra-bearing space and the intra-bearing space are arranged to be in communication with each other through the airway. The airway is arranged to extend substantially in a straight line or lines, is angled with respect to a central axis, and has no other openings than the inner and outer openings. This contributes to preventing a gas inside of a housing from leaking out of the housing through the airway. In addition, since the airway is arranged to extend substantially in a straight line or lines to join the inner and outer openings to each other, the airway can be defined by a single process using a drill, an EDM, or the like.
US09916843B2

A voice processing apparatus including a memory, and a processor coupled to the memory and the processor configured to acquire a first input signal containing a first voice, and a second input signal containing a second voice, obtain a first signal intensity of the first input signal, and a second signal intensity of the second input signal, specify a correlation coefficient between a time sequence of the first signal intensity and a time sequence of the second signal intensity, determine whether the first voice and the second voice are in the conversation state or not based on the specified correlation coefficient, and output information indicating an association between the first voice and the second voice when it is determined that the first voice and the second voice are in the conversation state.
US09916841B2

The invention includes a method, apparatus, and computer program to selectively suppress wind noise while preserving narrow-band signals in acoustic data. Sound from one or several microphones is digitized into binary data. A time-frequency transform is applied to the data to produce a series of spectra. The spectra are analyzed to detect the presence of wind noise and narrow band signals. Wind noise is selectively suppressed while preserving the narrow band signals. The narrow band signal is interpolated through the times and frequencies when it is masked by the wind noise. A time series is then synthesized from the signal spectral estimate that can be listened to. This invention overcomes prior art limitations that require more than one microphone and an independent measurement of wind speed. Its application results in good-quality speech from data severely degraded by wind noise.
US09916840B1

A technology for estimating a delay between a far-end audio signal and a near-end audio signal for acoustic echo cancellation is disclosed. A copy of the far-end signal is stored in a speaker buffer and organized in chunks, and a copy of the near-end signal is stored in a microphone buffer and organized in chunks. Cross correlation is performed on each pair of speaker chunks and microphone chunks based on β-PHAse Transform (“PHAT”) generalized cross correlation (“GCC”). A peak correlation value can be obtained for each pair of the chunks. Offset values corresponding to the peak correlation values are collected and clustered. A best cluster is selected and the offset value represented by the selected cluster is identified as the estimated delay. Acoustic echo cancellation can be performed on the near-end signal based on the estimated delay.
US09916836B2

Replacement of an encoded audio output signal is disclosed. In one example, a data set comprising a first encoded audio output signal and associated pre-stored digital audio input signals captured with a microphone array of an apparatus is received. An intermediate audio signal is produced by applying an audio processing modification to the digital audio input signals. The audio processing modification utilizes apparatus specific information. The specific audio processing modification to use is determined based on user input or other information. The intermediate audio signal is encoded to produce a second encoded audio output signal. The first encoded audio output signal is replaced with the second encoded audio output signal in the data set.
US09916830B1

Techniques for altering audio being output by a voice-controlled device, or another device, to enable more accurate automatic speech recognition (ASR) by the voice-controlled device. For instance, a voice-controlled device may output audio within an environment using a speaker of the device. While outputting the audio, a microphone of the device may capture sound within the environment and may generate an audio signal based on the captured sound. The device may then analyze the audio signal to identify speech of a user within the signal, with the speech indicating that the user is going to provide a subsequent command to the device. Thereafter, the device may alter the output of the audio (e.g., attenuate the audio, pause the audio, switch from stereo to mono, etc.) to facilitate speech recognition of the user's subsequent command.
US09916815B2

An enhanced system and method presents a view of a virtual space on a display based on a position of the display in one or more degrees of freedom. For such a position of the display, a corresponding field of view in the virtual space may be determined. In some examples, as the display rotates about an axis that runs perpendicular to the display through a centroid of the display, the view of the virtual space may shift such that the field of view varies dynamically with the rotational position of the display and the objects in the field of view are maintained fixed in the virtual space. In some implementations, an object of the virtual space may be controlled by the position change of the display in the degrees of freedom such that the objects may be steered according to the display's position in the degrees of freedom.
US09916814B2

A system on chip (SoC) includes a display controller configured to receive data of a current frame and to determine whether the data of the current frame has been updated from data of a previous frame, and a transmitter configured to output a panel self-refresh (PSR) inactive command and the data of the current frame when the display controller determines that the data of the current frame has been updated and to transmit a panel self-refresh (PSR) active command when the display controller determines that the data of the current frame has not been updated.
US09916813B2

An image displaying method including: obtaining an image to be displayed, dividing equally the image into a plurality of first sub-images along a first reference direction, and then obtaining position information of a view point relative to the display device, an angle of sight line and parameter information of a first virtual section line segment of the display device, and then calculating a compensation ratio along the first reference direction for each first sub-image of the image, and then compensating each first sub-image along the first reference direction according to the compensation ratio, and displaying the image on the display device, so that the compensated first sub-images are viewed at the view point as having the same size along the first reference direction.
US09916812B2

A display apparatus includes a display panel, a first timing controller, a second timing controller and a third timing controller. The first timing controller controls an operation of a first region in the display panel, and generates a reference clock signal. The second timing controller controls an operation of a second region in the display panel, and receives the reference clock signal. The third timing controller controls an operation of a third region in the display panel, and receives the reference clock signal. The first, second and third timing controllers are synchronized with one another in response to the reference clock signal and a state synchronization signal, and operate in one of a plurality of states depending on an operation of the display apparatus.
US09916808B2

The invention relates to a distributed display device for a vehicle comprising a set of subsystems, wherein said display device comprises at least one operator station, comprising at least one display unit arranged to receive and present information from at least one subsystem of a set of subsystems of the vehicle, wherein said at least one display unit comprises at least one dedicated safety critical input and at least one shared non safety critical input so as to be able to receive and present information from said at least one predetermined subsystem via at least one dedicated safety critical link and at least one shared non safety critical link.
US09916802B2

A display device includes a data driver, a gate driver, a plurality of first pixel unit and a first low-pass filter. Each first pixel unit includes a first transistor, a first storage capacitor and a first liquid crystal capacitor. The first transistor is electrically coupled to the data driver and the gate driver and from which to receive the first display data and the gate control signal, respectively. The first transistor is configured to output the first display data according to the gate control signal. The first low-pass filter is configured to have its input electrode terminal electrically coupled to the second electrode terminal of one of the plurality of first transistor and its output electrode terminal electrically coupled to the second electrode terminal of the first liquid crystal capacitor of each of the first pixel units. An operation method for the display device is also provided.
US09916801B2

A pixel structure, array substrate, display panel, display device, and driving method of the display device are provided. The pixel structure includes a plurality of data lines and a plurality of scan lines; a plurality of pixel units formed by intersecting the data lines with the scan lines. Each of the pixel units corresponds to one of the data lines and one of the scan lines; and the pixel unit includes a pixel electrode and a thin film transistor therein. In one of two adjacent columns of pixel units, a pixel electrode of each pixel unit is electrically connected with a thin film transistor of the pixel unit; and in the other one of the two adjacent columns of pixel units, a pixel electrode of each pixel unit in a row is electrically connected with a thin film transistor of a pixel unit in an adjacent row.
US09916799B1

An adaptive Vcom level generator circuit generates a variable Vcom voltage level. A variable Vcom voltage can be used for variable refresh rate display technology to prevent flicker on a display panel. The Vcom level can be changed based on the vertical frequency being used or can be changed based on external control signals.
US09916794B2

A display system adapted to use rapid switching techniques to switch between displaying content and displaying a mask for that content so as to provide per-pixel opacity control. The display system may employ rapid synchronized switching of both a non-emissive, transparent display and a transparent backlight. In a first state, the display is operated to display content with the backlight acting as a scattering luminous backlight. In the other or second state, the display is operated to display one or more masks (for some or all objects or items of the content displayed in the first state) with the backlight functioning as a clear and unlit backlight. The display system is capable of producing opaque emissive content on a transparent field to provide a novel display and/or for use in compact spatial augmented reality applications.
US09916793B2

To reduce the effect of external light and to improve the accuracy of detecting the location of a touch. In an image-capture period, light emission from a self-light-emitting element is controlled, and imaging data at the time of displaying white on a display screen and imaging data at the time of displaying black on the display screen are output from each sensor pixel. The location of a sensor pixel where a difference between the two pieces of imaging data output from the same sensor pixel is the greatest is detected. Thus, the location of a touch of the object on the display screen is detected with high accuracy. By utilizing a difference between imaging data at the time of reverse display, the effect of external light can be reduced.
US09916788B2

An organic electroluminescent display device includes: a display unit in which pixels are arranged in rows and columns, the pixels each including an organic electroluminescent element, a drive transistor, and a capacitor; a power supply unit which generates a supply voltage; a gate drive unit which applies a reference supply voltage to the capacitor; and a control unit which carries the supply voltage from the power supply unit to the gate drive unit, wherein the gate drive unit includes a buffer amplifier circuit which suppresses a variable component of the supply voltage carried via the control unit to stabilize the reference supply voltage, and supplies the stabilized reference supply voltage to the pixel.
US09916780B2

Disclosed embodiments relate to a light-emitting assembly and a display device. In some embodiments, the light-emitting assembly includes a lamp bead a lamp bead mounting plate and a lamp bead shading face mask, the lamp bead shading face mask covering the lamp bead, and there is a distance between the lamp bead shading face mask and the lamp bead, at least two side faces of the lamp bead shading face mask including light emergence holes, wherein one side, facing the lamp bead mounting plate, of the lamp bead shading face mask is provided with a first reflecting surface; one side, facing the lamp bead shading face mask, of the lamp bead mounting plate is provided with a second reflecting surface; and light emitted by the lamp bead is reflected by the first reflecting surface and the second reflecting surface and then emitted out of each of the light emergence holes.
US09916774B2

A wearable device for simulating wounds and injuries received during a trauma event includes a raiment and vest for covering the torso of a person. The raiment has an outer surface with a color and a texture comparable to human skin. Mounted on the outer surface is at least one wound simulator formed with an orifice that is in fluid communication with a fluid reservoir. Thus, the person can selectively expel a blood-like fluid from the reservoir, and through the wound simulator orifice, to simulate a trauma event. The vest includes an artificial rib cage and prosthetic internal organs juxtaposed with at least one wound simulator to simulate internal effects of a trauma event.
US09916772B1

A modeling system is provided which comprises a physical atomic modeling system structured for use in conjunction with a computer-implemented application which can execute a vision detection and analysis algorithm. When used to form molecular representations or models, the modeling system can be used to make molecular bonding visible, tangible, and more readily understandable to a student or other user. Various embodiments of the invention leverage the effectiveness of tangible, tactile systems to create a learning experience which increases understanding of atomic bonding at the valence electron interaction level.
US09916765B2

A method is provided for monitoring a landing approach of an aircraft. The method includes receiving instrument landing system (ILS) signals; determining a glideslope deviation from the ILS signals; disabling, when the glideslope deviation is less than a first predetermined threshold, at least one glideslope alert function; evaluating a current glideslope condition by comparing a designated glideslope angle to a glideslope check value; and re-enabling the at least one glideslope alert function when the glideslope check value differs from the designated glideslope angle by more than a second predetermined threshold.
US09916759B2

Systems and methods for requesting modification of traffic flow control systems that combine satellite position navigation systems and dead reckoning technology with secure radio communications to accurately report a vehicle's real-time location and estimated arrival times at a series of signal lights within a traffic grid or at a distant signal light, while enabling signal controllers to accommodate priority requests from these vehicles, allowing for these vehicles to maintain a fixed schedule with minimal interruption to other grid traffic.
US09916754B2

Arrangements related to proximity-based vehicle location alerts are described. A vehicle can include a location signaling mode. In the location signaling mode, an alert is automatically provided by the vehicle responsive to detecting an authorized portable communication device being located within a predetermined alert distance from the vehicle. In the way, an indication of the location of the vehicle is provided to a user of the portable communication device. However, responsive to determining that the vehicle is located in a predetermined special location, the location signaling mode can be altered in one or more respects. In one or more arrangements, altering the location signaling mode can include disabling the location signaling mode. Thus, an indication of the location of the vehicle is not provided responsive to detecting that the portable device is located within the predetermined alert distance from the vehicle.
US09916748B1

A system for detecting and stopping flooding from a residential water heating system. A central controller is coupled to one or more flooding sensors and one or more automatic valves. In response to the sensors' detecting water, the controller causes the automatic valves to close, shutting off flow of water into or out of the water heating system. Advanced modular galvanic sensors and low-voltage, high-torque automatic ball valves may be used to improve the energy efficiency and responsiveness of the system. When flooding is detected, a variety of visual and auditory signals are generated by the controller, providing advance warning to the blind, deaf, or elderly that flooding is occurring and prompt attention is required.
US09916742B2

A notification system, method, and/or computer program product that provides an automatic real-time notification to an owner of a property is provided. Further the notification system, method, and/or computer program determines a location with respect to an electronic lockbox associated with the property and generates a geo-fence environment with respect to the property based on the location. Then, the notification system, method, and/or computer program monitors movements of a user device with respect to the geo-fence environment to determine whether a breach of the geo-fence environment has occurred and outputs the automatic real-time notification to the property owner in response to a determination that the breach of the geo-fence environment has occurred.
US09916740B2

A signal display lamp is provided that is capable of performing display in diverse modes and hence capable of increasing the quantity of transmittable information and capable of improving the reliability of information transmission. The signal display lamp includes a display portion that is capable of performing display in a plurality of display colors and that is capable of changing a position or a size of a display region in each display color, a display color determining means for determining the display color based on first information, a display region determining means for determining a position or a size of a display region in a display color determined by the display color determining means based on second information, and a display portion control means for controlling the display portion based on a display color determined by the display color determining means and based on a position or a size of a display region determined by the display region determining means.
US09916737B2

Exemplary embodiments are directed to a method, system and assembly for storing components of a point-of-sale (POS) station while keeping the electronic components live and updated. All non-electronic and electronic components of a POS station are disassembled. The non-electronic components except for a cash box with an open face are removed from the sales floor. The electronic components are stored within the inner cavity of the cash box. The open face of the cash box is securely covered using a shroud. The electronic components are kept live and updated using an network and electricity pole resting in a hollow opening of the cash box.
US09916727B2

A gaming machine, a method of controlling a gaming machine, and a computer-readable recording medium storing a program wherein a first game and a second game are related to each other are provided. In a gaming machine, a first area and a second area sharing virtual reel strips are displayed, only the first area is set as a determination area in a first game, and both the first area and the second area are set as determination areas in a second game. Therefore, the first game and the second game can be provided in a form such that they are related.
US09916721B2

An electronic gaming machine is provided. In an entertainment game, utilization of an entertainment game element by a player may trigger a wager in accordance with a gambling proposition. Based on the outcome of the wager, the player may be awarded an intermediate in-game resource for use in the entertainment game. The intermediate in-game resource may be used by the player to acquire an entertainment game resource or element that may be used to enhance the player's play of the entertainment game.
US09916715B2

A pharmacy medication verification system is particularly useful for verifying medications to be dispensed to hospital patients while minimizing or eliminating verification by a pharmacist. Typically, a technician or robot picks the medications from storage bins in accordance with a medical prescription or stocking order and uses various sensors to ensure that the correct medication was picked and enters a medication container. The system typically provides correct and incorrect medication indicators as well as correct and incorrect entry indicators. Error reports may be generated when appropriate to communicate any relevant errors to the pharmacist, who can then verify that the correct medications are in the container. In one aspect, the containers are in the form of patient drawers which fit within a cart for delivery to hospital rooms. A containment device may be used to secure the drawer of other container during the verification process.
US09916703B2

Various embodiments relate generally to autonomous vehicles and associated mechanical, electrical and electronic hardware, computer software and systems, and wired and wireless network communications to provide an autonomous vehicle fleet as a service. In particular, a method may include receiving data associated with a sensor measurement of a perceived object, determining a label associated with the perceived object based on an initial calibration, retrieving log file data associated with the label, determining a calibration parameter associated with the sensor measurement based on the retrieved log file data, and storing the calibration parameter in association with a sensor associated with the sensor measurement. Sensors may be calibrated on the fly while the autonomous vehicle is in operation using one or more other sensors and/or fused data from multiple types of sensors.
US09916701B2

A method and apparatus of performing a task on a system on a platform. A task script is received by a data processing system on the platform. The task script identifies task steps for performing the task on the system. The task script is run by the data processing system to perform the task on the system.
US09916696B2

A method of inspecting a user device of a user of a transport system includes obtaining, by a portable inspection device, identification data of a user device of a user of a transport system; generating an inspection result of the user device, by an inspection system, in dependence on the read identification data and an item in a record within a database, wherein the record comprises a plurality of items each relating to entry data of a respective user device of a respective of users of the transport system; and conveying, by the portable inspection device, the result of the inspection.
US09916686B1

The invention provides a system, apparatus and method for interactively displaying a virtual three dimensional structure representing building information modeling (BIM) data. The displaying of the virtual structure provides a viewing perspective that simulates both internal and external lighting effects upon the virtual structure. Commands being communicated by a viewer of the virtual structure are processed in real time to direct navigation (location and direction) of a virtual camera that is located within the virtual three dimensional structure.
US09916683B2

In one embodiment of the present invention, a foldable beam generator produces a foldable beam polyline that approximates a three-dimensional (3D) space curve. The foldable beam generator optimizes the number and position of joints included in the foldable beam polyline to minimize differences between the foldable beam polyline and the 3D space curve while complying with one or more manufacturing constraints. Notably, the foldable beam generator designs each of the joints to act as a living hinge that closes to a fixed angle when heated and solidifies when cooled. By using the foldable beam polyline as a 3D digital model for manufacturing and subsequently applying heat to assemble the manufactured 3D object, defects and/or limitations of complex 3D objects typically associated with traditional manufacturing techniques may be reduced. In particular, support structures designed to buttress three-dimensional (3D) digital models during 3D printing may be minimized.
US09916676B2

The present application discloses a 3D model rendering method and apparatus and a terminal device. The method includes calculating, in a diffuse reflection illumination situation simulated by hardware, dot product operation results of a light vector and a normal line vector of each vertex on a surface of a 3D model, converting the dot product operation results of each vertex to corresponding UV coordinate values, then drawing, according to a preset correspondence between UV coordinate values and a color value of a 3D model basic texture after receiving light, a gradient map having a color value corresponding to the UV coordinate values of the each vertex, and covering the surface of the 3D model with the gradient map. The rendering method according to the present application transfers a conventional process of coloration in a three-dimensional model to drawing a gradient map in a two-dimensional plane and then, further covering the 3D model with the drawn gradient map, has a simpler processing process, and also reduces a performance requirement on an electronic device in a process of performing 3D model rendering.
US09916670B1

A method and apparatus is provided to iteratively reconstruct a PET image for emission data using separable quadratic surrogates (SQS). The quadratic surrogates include a Poisson likelihood surrogate that has a curvature that depends on a back-projection of an inverse of mean-background signal. The method can be used with Nesterov acceleration and ordered subsets to achieve quadratic convergence to an image minimizing a Poisson Likelihood objective function that includes a regularizer that penalizes roughness in the reconstructed image.
US09916669B2

Among other things, one or more techniques and/or systems are described for correcting projection data generated from a computed tomography (CT) examination of an object and/or for computing or updating a CT value of the object from the projection data. An image generator is configured to generate a CT image of an object under examination. Using this CT image, a set of actions are performed to correct projection data from which the CT image was generated and/or to update a CT value of one or more voxels within the CT image. In this way, the projection data and/or CT image is adjusted to reduce image artifacts and/or otherwise improve image quality and/or object detection.
US09916667B2

A stereo matching apparatus and method through learning a unary confidence and a pairwise confidence are provided. The stereo matching method may include learning a pairwise confidence representing a relationship between a current pixel and a neighboring pixel, determining a cost function of stereo matching based on the pairwise confidence, and performing stereo matching between a left image and a right image at a minimum cost using the cost function.
US09916664B2

A system and method for multi-spectrum segmentation for computer vision is described. A first sensor captures an image within a first spectrum range and generates first sensor data. A second sensor captures an image within a second spectrum range different than the first spectrum range and generates second sensor data. A multi-spectrum segmentation module identifies a segmented portion of the image within the second spectrum range based on: the second sensor data, a subset of the first sensor data corresponding to the segmented portion of the image within the second spectrum range, and a segmented portion of the image at the second spectrum range corresponding to the subset of the first sensor data. The multi-spectrum segmentation module identifies a physical object in the segmented portion of the image within the second spectrum range, and a device generates augmented reality content based on the identified physical object.
US09916659B2

Exterior orientation parameters of a camera are easily determined by, for example, a reference image being obtained by photographing a building 131 with a camera 112, in which exterior orientation parameters are determined, while a vehicle 100 travels, and a comparative image being simultaneously obtained by photographing the building 131 with a camera 113, in which exterior orientation parameters are undetermined. Then, points that match between the reference image and the comparative image are selected, and relative orientation and scale adjustment using a predetermined scale are performed, whereby the exterior orientation parameters of the camera 113 are calculated.
US09916654B2

Method, system and computer-accessible medium for determining at least one of axonal loss or myelin degradation can be provided. For example, it is possible to receive data based on at least one of a measure of diffusion of an axonal structure or a measure of a density of axons, and determine axonal loss and/or myelin degradation based on the data. The determination can be based on axonal geometry of at least one parallel tube.
US09916636B2

Server resources in a data center are disaggregated into shared server resource pools, including a graphics processing unit (GPU) pool. Servers are constructed dynamically, on-demand and based on workload requirements, by allocating from these resource pools. According to this disclosure, GPU utilization in the data center is managed proactively by assigning GPUs to workloads in a fine granularity and agile way, and de-provisioning them when no longer needed. In this manner, the approach is especially advantageous to automatically provision GPUs for data analytic workloads. The approach thus provides for a “micro-service” enabling data analytic workloads to automatically and transparently use GPU resources without providing (e.g., to the data center customer) the underlying provisioning details. Preferably, the approach dynamically determines the number and the type of GPUs to use, and then during runtime auto-scales the GPUs based on workload.
US09916634B2

A mechanism is described for facilitating efficient graphics command generation and execution for improved graphics performance at computing devices. A method of embodiments, as described herein, includes detecting an application programming interface (API) call to perform a plurality of transactions, where the API call is issued by an application at a first command buffer, where the plurality of transactions include a first set of transactions and a second set of transactions. The method may further include creating a second command buffer and appending the second command buffer to the first command buffer, where creating further includes separating the first set transactions from the second set of transactions. The method may further include executing, via the second command buffer, the first set of transactions, prior to executing the first set of transactions.
US09916630B2

An optimized operating schedule is obtained while avoiding a complexity of formulation and optimization in response to an incentive type demand response. A device includes an energy predictor setting a predicted value of energy of a control-target device within a predetermined future period, a schedule optimizer optimizing the operating schedule of the control-target device within the predetermined period in accordance with a predetermined evaluation barometer, an incentive acceptance determiner determining a time with a possibility that an incentive is receivable, an electricity suppressing schedule optimizer optimizing, for a time with a possibility that the incentive is receivable, the operating schedule of the control-target device based on a unit price of electricity fee having a unit price for calculating the incentive taken into consideration, and an adopted schedule selector selecting either one of the operating schedules.
US09916629B2

Methods, products, apparatus, and systems may provide for identifying a set of users associated with one or more collaboration artifacts. Additionally, a set of networks including a plurality of candidate social networks may be identified. Moreover, a relationship strength may be determined between the set of users associated with the one or more collaborations artifacts and each of the candidate social networks to identify one or more relevant social networks from the candidate social networks. Determining the relationship strength may include calculating a similarity metric. In addition, at least one member affiliated with the one or more relevant social networks may become aware of the collaboration artifact.
US09916628B1

Computer-implemented methods, systems and articles of manufacture for modifying the manner in which interview questions are presented to a user of a tax return preparation application to provide a more personalized experience during preparation of an electronic tax return. A selected question that is consistent with a data model or schema is modified or twisted such that the selected question is reworded or rephrased. The modified question, rather than the original question, is presented to the user. The user's answer to the modified question is converted, mapped or “untwisted” to derive a corresponding answer to the original question that is consistent with the data model or schema utilized by the tax return preparation application. The corresponding answer may then be read by a rule engine or logic agent that utilizes a decision table that defines rules to determine which additional or other questions can be presented to the user.
US09916625B2

A mobile insurance architecture includes a wireless communication interface that connects mobile client devices to wireless networks. An insurance server cluster that includes a group of independent network servers operates and appears to mobile client devices as if the group of independent network servers were a single computer server. An adaptive transmission controller communicates with the insurance server cluster and processes content in multiple mobile formats that may be optimized to the screen sizes of the mobile client devices. The insurance server cluster responds to native application clients resident to the mobile client devices. The native application clients contain code stored on a non-transitory media that render insurance quoting services, insurance claims services, on-line insurance policy services, usage based insurance services, mobile monitoring services, or insurance agency management services.
US09916624B2

A scalable, adaptable, modular, and web-centric Insurance Back-Office System (IBOS) for serving the needs of carriers, agencies, agents, and service providers in the insurance industry is disclosed. The IBOS provides a framework for allowing web-centric collaboration among agents, agencies, carriers, and service providers, using applications that manage applicants, cases, and policies in an efficient and secure manner. The IBOS infrastructure is designed to facilitate the creation of a new application, module, tool, or view in a simplified manner. A multi-tiered framework of application, module, tool, and view facilitates ease of navigation for users.
US09916623B2

Methods, devices, and systems for managing electronic messages of an electronic trading system in which orders are extracted from the electronic messages involve executing actions associated with respect to the orders and matching orders to counter orders. Matching orders may be based on a priority determined using a market quality index of the order and an associated market participant.
US09916620B2

The disclosed embodiments include methods and systems for providing account status notifications. The disclosed embodiments include, for example, a device for providing account status notifications including a memory storing software instructions and one or more processors configured to execute the software instructions to perform operations. In one aspect, the operations may include receiving account status notification information for a first account associated with a user. The account status notification information may be generated based on one or more notification rules and account information associated with the first account. The operations may also include generating, based on the received account status notification information, a first account status indicator that provides a status of a first account parameter associated with the first account that is presented, via a device component and within a field-of-view of the user, without a user request to receive the status of the first account parameter.
US09916618B2

A method, system and computer program product for conducting an online auction of a plurality of heterogeneous items between a plurality of selling and potential purchasing parties. The method includes the steps of accepting an offer in respect of an item, accepting one or more subsequent offers that is/are preferable to a previously accepted offer, and rejecting the previously accepted offer. While the offer/s is/are binding on a party making the offer, acceptance of the offer/s is/are not binding on a party accepting the offer. Classes of “seller strategies”, for offering items to potential purchasing parties, and “buyer strategies”, to decide which offers to accept, are also disclosed. As a result of the interaction of the buyer and seller strategies, the auction mechanism converges to an allocation of items to buyers at particular prices and assists in discovering a free and fair competitive equilibrium price.
US09916617B2

Systems and methods described herein relate to processing of information, data and database identifiers involving content and/or experiences. According to one exemplary implementation, an illustrative method of computerized information processing may involve handling and/or processing data regarding a product, where the product may be an experience represented by and automatically processed via one or more computer system(s) and/or platform(s) as a function of product type identifiers and/or Boolean flags.
US09916614B2

To guide other products related to a product which is taken out in hand by a customer. The present product display rack system carries out a first step for detecting an RFID number of a product taken by a customer from desired display racks 11 to 14 based upon the detection result of the RFID reader; a second step for acquiring RFID numbers of related products having related product types and functional types relative to the product type of the RFID number from the product related information data base 260 by using the detected RFID number as a key; a third step for acquiring the product display coordinates of the product type from the product coordinate data base 250 by using the acquired RFID number of the related product as a key; and a fourth step for lighting or flickering the lamp of the lamp guiding units 30 to 33 at a position close to the acquired product display coordinates.
US09916607B2

An ink billing system is used between a client company X 200 that prints information and a printer manufacturer that supplies ink cartridges (or toner) to company X 200. Company X 200 has a main server 210, a plurality of in-store servers 220, 230 in communication with the main server, and a plurality of inkjet (or laser) printers 240 each having an ink cartridge 20 (or toner) for printing according to commands from the in-store server 220, 230. When billing company X 200 based on the number of ink shots (or drum charging time) used by the printers 240 and stored on the main server 210, the terminal device 100 of the printer manufacturer changes the billing rate per unit of ink according to the ink shot count (or drum charging time).
US09916603B2

Systems and methods for transmitting content to a client via a communication network are provided. An insertion server, running within a firewall device associated with a private IP network, detects establishment of a transport communication protocol connection between a client associated with the network and a destination located external to the network by examining packets as they pass through the network and pass by the insertion server. A content request of an application protocol initiated by the client and directed to the destination is observed by the insertion server. The content request is negated by the insertion server by causing a canceling message of the transport communication protocol to be sent to the destination. Unsolicited content is caused to be selected for delivery to the client by the insertion server. The unsolicited content is sent by the insertion server to the client via the application protocol.
US09916601B2

An ad-marketplace system manages an exchange for advertisement opportunities from a plurality of content brokers. Each advertising opportunity can include one or more attributes that describe advertisement slots during a broadcast of a data stream. The ad-marketplace system can receive one or more bids for an advertising opportunity associated with a media stream, and can select a matching bid from an advertiser for the advertising opportunity. Each bid can specify one or more advertising requirements that are to be satisfied by the advertising opportunity. When the ad-marketplace system selects the matching bid, the ad-marketplace system establishes a contract between the media broker, and places an initial payment from the advertiser in escrow. The ad-marketplace system can provide a payment to the media broker after confirming that a set of consumers have consumed the advertisement.
US09916588B2

Methods, apparatus and systems for computer-aided determination of quality assessment for locate and marking operations. In one example, information related to a locate and marking operation is electronically analyzed such that a quality assessment is made using assessment parameters that are dynamically selected based at least in part on first information describing at least some aspects of the locate and marking operation as performed by a field-service technician and second information relating to a description of the locate operation to be performed.
US09916586B2

Apparatus and methods for client-side deposit packaging compliance are provided. Apparatus and methods may include deploying a uniform reporting format for clients, banks, armored couriers and vaults. The uniform reporting format may be a XML data feed. The XML data feed may provide for reporting of condition codes associated with a deposit. The condition codes may correspond to one or more attributes of a deposit packaged by a client. The condition codes may be submitted by the client. The condition codes may be verified when a deposit is processed by a vault. Illustrative condition codes may correspond to: armored courier ID, envelope status, counterfeit status. The XML data feed may utilize dynamic online, rule-based forms for clients, banks, armored couriers and vaults.
US09916581B2

A method of reconstructing a packet that includes financial card information from a mobile device uses a card reader. The card reader has a read head, a slot for swiping a magnetic stripe of a card and device electronics that includes a microcontroller with logic resources with code. The card reader has a unique identifier and associated cryptographic key. The same code is used to produce an encrypted and signed signal. The encrypted and signed signal, that includes the card reader identifier, is sent to the mobile device. The mobile device sends an encrypted and signed packet to a back end of a payment system. A cryptographic key is used to decrypt and verify the contents of the packet at the back end. Non-encrypted financial card information is sent to a payment gateway.
US09916576B2

Described are methods and systems for remotely personalizing a payment device. In an embodiment, a trusted service provider (TSP) personalization server receives a payment device personalization request from a remote personalization device (RPD), determines that a hardware security token (HST) permits issuance of the payment device, and transmits a personalization data request to an issuer. The TSP personalization server then receives the requested personalization data from a Mobile Over-the-Air Provisioning Service (MOTAPS) server, generates session keys, converts data from the MOTAPS server into payment device application process data unit (APDU) data, and then transmits the personalization data and APDU data to the RPD to load onto a payment device.
US09916575B2

A method for wireless communication is described. The method includes using a routing table for multiple secure elements. The routing table assigns a preferred secure element for a transaction type. The method also includes selecting a first secure element for a transaction based on the routing table. The method further includes updating the routing table based on a received command to use a second secure element to complete the transaction.
US09916567B1

Systems, methods and apparatus are disclosed for remote management of payment terminals. Public keys, or other security elements can be received from a certification authority and distributed to the payment terminals. A merchant, or other entity affiliated with the payment terminals, can monitor the status of the software and security elements of the payment terminals.
US09916566B2

An apparatus can be employed as a mobile wireless order point and pick-up station. The apparatus can be configured to house a display device and to allow the display device to be used in many different locations for the purpose of receiving and/or picking up orders. To facilitate its mobility, the apparatus can include an integrated pallet jack and be configured with wireless communication capabilities and a portable power source. The apparatus may also include a retractable awning which can serve to provide shading to the display device to facilitate its use and to reduce heating when the apparatus is used in an outdoor environment.
US09916562B1

This disclosure describes systems, methods, and computer-readable media related to competitive merchandise fulfillment delivery speed monitoring. Competitor merchants for a geographic region may be identified. Data for merchandise from sources associated with the competitor merchants may be obtained. A set of policies may be retrieved. The obtained data may be analyzed based at least in part on the policies to identify merchandise and an associated delivery speed available via the one or more competitor merchants. One or more suggested inventory management actions affecting the identified merchandise available via an online retailer may be generated based at least in part on the analyzed data. Implementation of at least one of the suggested inventory management actions may be facilitated. A website of the online retailer may be updated for the identified merchandise based at least in part on the implementation of the at least one of the one or more suggested inventory management actions.
US09916560B2

The present disclosure extends to maintaining an item inventory status at an inventory cache management system. The inventory cache may be refreshed regularly by a threshold-based triggering mechanism. In embodiments, as item inventory breaches certain thresholds, the inventory cache may be refreshed with increased frequency to mitigate overselling or underselling scenarios and reduce overall network traffic for items having relatively high inventory levels.
US09916554B2

A method of assessing a risk level of an enterprise using cloud-based services from one or more cloud service providers includes assessing provider risk scores associated with the one or more cloud service providers; assessing cloud service usage behavior and pattern of the enterprise; and generating a risk score for the enterprise based on the provider risk scores and on the cloud service usage behavior and pattern of the enterprise. The risk score is indicative of the risk of the enterprise relating to the use of the cloud-based services from the one or more cloud service providers.
US09916542B2

A machine learning method operates on training instances from a plurality of domains including one or more source domains and a target domain. Each training instance is represented by values for a set of features. Domain adaptation is performed using stacked marginalized denoising autoencoding (mSDA) operating on the training instances to generate a stack of domain adaptation transform layers. Each iteration of the domain adaptation includes corrupting the training instances in accord with feature corruption probabilities that are non-uniform over at least one of the set of features and the domains. A classifier is learned on the training instances transformed using the stack of domain adaptation transform layers. Thereafter, a label prediction is generated for an input instance from the target domain represented by values for the set of features by applying the classifier to the input instance transformed using the stack of domain adaptation transform domains.
US09916541B2

An information processing apparatus includes a history acquisition section configured to acquire history data including a history indicating that a plurality of selection subjects have selected selection objects; a learning processing section configured to allow a choice model to learn a preference of each selection subject for a feature and an environmental dependence of selection of each selection object in each selection environment using the history data, where the choice model uses a feature value possessed by each selection object, the preference of each selection subject for the feature, and the environmental dependence indicative of ease of selection of each selection object in each of a plurality of selection environments to calculate a selectability with which each of the plurality of selection subjects selects each selection object; and an output section configured to output results of learning by the learning processing section.
US09916536B2

Certain relationships representing material insights are identified from among a set of discovered relationships. Cognitive discovery of relationships in a knowledge base, or corpus, are ranked according to one or more metrics indicative of material insights, including recentness and degree of alignment.
US09916528B2

A control circuit determines a reception parameter for an RFID tag that is attached to an object (such as an ice pack) and then determines a frozen state of the object as a function of that reception parameter. By one approach the RFID tag provides a transmission to support the aforementioned determinations, which transmission provides no data that explicitly represents temperature. The reception parameter can comprise, for example, an indication of received signal strength. So configured, a relatively higher indication of received signal strength can serve to determine that the object is and/or remains at least substantially frozen while a relatively lower indication of received signal strength can serve to determine that the object is not at least substantially frozen.
US09916527B2

A method is disclosed for creating a 2D barcode. In an embodiment, the method includes: embedding primary information that can be read by a 2D-barcode-reader in a primary information pattern, and embedding secondary information that is made difficult to reproduce without alteration in a visible pattern. In an embodiment, the visible pattern is embedded within the barcode in at least one area that does not contain any primary information.
US09916508B2

The disclosure includes a method that receives a real-time image of a road from a camera sensor communicatively coupled to an onboard computer of a vehicle. The method includes dividing the real-time image into superpixels. The method includes merging the superpixels to form superpixel regions. The method includes generating prior maps from a dataset of road scene images. The method includes drawing a set of bounding boxes where each bounding box surrounds one of the superpixel regions. The method includes comparing the bounding boxes in the set of bounding boxes to a road prior map to identify a road region in the real-time image. The method includes pruning bounding boxes from the set of bounding boxes to reduce the set to remaining bounding boxes. The method may include using a categorization module that identifies the presence of a road scene object in the remaining bounding boxes.
US09916507B1

A network device determines an exposure time associated with an image sensor coupled to a spacecraft for capturing an image of a target object orbiting the Earth. The network device computes a maximum relative angular velocity associated with the target object based on the exposure time and a dimension of a pixel of the image sensor. The network device identifies a first pointing direction of the image sensor for initiating a search for the target object. The network device generates a first angular velocity probability distribution map for the target object and divides the first angular velocity probability distribution map into a first set of angular velocity regions (AVRs). The network device selects a first AVR from the first set of AVRs for scanning by the image sensor and generates a search schedule that includes a first entry for informing the spacecraft to scan the first AVR.
US09916506B1

An example system includes a robotic device, at least one invisible fiducial marker on the robotic device that is detectable within a particular band of invisible light, a camera that is configured to detect the particular band of invisible light, and a control system. The control system may be configured to receive an image of the robotic device within an environment, identify at least one position within the image of the at least one invisible fiducial marker on the robotic device, determine a position of the robotic device relative to the camera, determine one or more positions within the image to overlay one or more virtual annotations, and provide for display of the image of the robotic device within the environment with the one or more virtual annotations overlaid at the one or more determined positions within the image.
US09916504B2

A user terminal and a providing method thereof are provided. The method includes acquiring an iris image, determining a capturing condition of the iris image, converting the acquired iris image to an iris code and performing iris recognition by comparing the converted iris code with an iris code corresponding to a determined capturing condition among pre-registered iris codes, determining a physical condition of a user who is subject to the iris recognition on the basis of an iris recognition matching rate being within a preset range, and providing a determined physical condition result.
US09916500B2

A mobile computing device-implemented method of imaging an object to read information, includes capturing, by running an image capturing thread, a plurality of raw images of the object by an image capturing component of the mobile computing device and placing in an image queue in a first memory location; processing, by running an image processing thread, one or more raw images to extract one or more potential machine readable zone (MRZ) candidates and placing in a MRZ candidate queue in a second memory location; analyzing, by running an image analysis thread, an MRZ candidate to detect an MRZ and placing in an MRZ queue in a third memory location; and creating a composite MRZ if a timer has expired, or the MRZ queue has reached a predetermined threshold.
US09916487B2

Methods and system for encoded information processing are described. In one embodiment, an encoded pattern may be optically detected from source media. Gaming data and associated synchronization data may be decoded from the encoded pattern. The gaming data may be synchronized for use during gaming based on the synchronization data. Additional methods and systems are disclosed.
US09916481B2

The invention is directed to systems and methods for detecting the loss, theft or unauthorized use of a device and/or altering the functionality of the device in response. In one embodiment, a method includes detecting that a security compromise event has occurred for a mobile device. The method also includes altering a function of the mobile device in response to the security compromise event to mitigate loss of control by an authorized user. Altering the function of the mobile device includes denying access to data stored on the mobile device.
US09916475B2

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for extending security of an application-based computer operating system are disclosed. One system includes a memory. The system also includes an application-based operating system security module bridge implemented using the memory. The application-based operating system security module bridge is for receiving, from a reference monitor, a registration for at least one security authorization hook, for receiving a callback when a protected event occurs, for communicating with the reference monitor that registered the at least one security authorization hook corresponding to the callback, and for receiving, from the reference monitor, an access control decision associated with the protected event.
US09916473B2

Technologies are generally described for privacy protection for a life-log system. In some examples, a method performed under control of a life-log system may include receiving, from a user account, a request to change one or more real life-log data entries relating to a real event that are stored in a first part of a database; removing the one or more real life-log data entries relating to the real event from the first part of the database; and storing, in the first part of the database, one or more misleading life-log data entries relating to a false event corresponding to the real event.
US09916466B2

The present application discloses systems and methods for systems and methods of creating, administrating, assigning, and managing lockout-tagout (LOTO) procedures and other safety compliance procedures.
US09916455B2

The disclosed principles describe systems and methods for assessing the security posture of a target device, wherein the assessment is performed by a scanning computer in communication with the target device via a communication network. By employing a system or method in accordance with the disclosed principles, distinct advantages are achieved. Specifically, conducting such a remote scan allows for the scanner computer to perform a remote scan of the remote device without installing client software to the remote device. Thus, the disclosed principles reduce the need for internal IT resources to manage the deployment and updates of client software on the target device. Also, conducting a remote scan according to the disclosed principles allows for the remote scan to be performed even if the scanner computer and remote device run different operating systems.
US09916452B2

A device-local key derivation scheme generates, during a first boot session for an electronic device, a sealing key that is derived at least in part from a device-generated random seed and an internal secret that is unique to the electronic device. After generating the sealing key, access to the internal secret is disabled for a remainder of the first boot session and until a second boot session is initiated. At runtime, the sealing key is used to sign a module manifest that describes the software that is authorized to access the sealing key, and the module manifest containing the sealing key is persisted in non-volatile memory of the electronic device. The module manifest can be used to validate software during a subsequent boot session and to authorize software updates on the electronic device without relying on an external entity or external information to protect on-device secrets.
US09916451B2

Pre-validation of bootloader certificates for firmware bootloaders of an operating system boot list during a setup mode of BIOS boot initiation provides the end user with a tool to address boot certification problems associated with the firmware bootloaders before the operating system boot precludes execution of bootloaders that lack a valid certificate. For example, re-configuration of a boot list to address certification problems before exit of boot setup prevents boot to an inoperative state caused by lack of firmware execution during boot due to a failed certificate, such as a failure to load an unsigned option ROM.
US09916442B2

Systems and methods may include monitoring data input to and output from an application on a mobile device. Such systems and methods may include storing meta-data, which describes a behavior of the data input to and output from the application, on the mobile device. Such systems and methods may include determining whether a behavior of the application is anomalous based on the meta-data stored on the mobile device. Such systems and methods may include providing detailed data, which includes the data input to and output from the application, to another device in response to determining that the behavior of the application is anomalous based on the meta-data stored on the mobile device.
US09916440B1

A computerized system and method is described for classifying objects as malicious by processing the objects in a virtual environment and monitoring behaviors during processing by one or more monitors, where the monitoring is conducted in an electronic device that is different than the electronic device within which an analysis of attributes of the objects is conducted beforehand. The monitors may monitor and record selected sets of process operations and capture associated process parameters, which describe the context in which the process operations were performed. By recording the context of process operations, the system and method described herein improves the intelligence of classifications and consequently reduces the likelihood of incorrectly identifying objects as malware or vice versa.
US09916432B2

Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, are provided securing information. In some example embodiments, there is provided a method, which may include receiving, at a user equipment, biometric data from a user of the user equipment; receiving, at the user equipment, sensitive data to be encoded and/or decoded; encoding, based on at least one feature detected in the biometric data, the sensitive data, when the user equipment is in a storage mode; and decoding, based on at least the at least one feature detected in the biometric data, the sensitive data, when the user equipment is in a read mode. Related apparatus, systems, methods, and articles are also described.
US09916428B2

Systems, methods, and devices for detecting infections in a clinical sample are provided. Small-volume clinical samples obtained at a point-of-service (POS) location and may be tested at the POS location for multiple markers for multiple diseases, including upper and lower respiratory diseases. Samples may be tested for cytokines, or for inflammation indicators. Dilution of samples, or levels of detection, may be determined by the condition or past history of a subject. Test results may be obtained within a short amount of time after sample placement in a testing device, or within a short amount of time after being obtained from the subject. A prescription for treatment of a detected disorder may be provided, and may be filled, at the POS location. A bill may be automatically generated for the testing, or for the prescription, may be automatically sent to an insurance provider, and payment may be automatically obtained.
US09916424B2

A system and method for predicting an onset of an exacerbation in a patient is provided. The method includes monitoring core body temperature of the patient; monitoring breath temperature of the patient; calculating a relationship, or a change in relationship, between the core body temperature and the breath temperature of the patient; and detecting the onset of the exacerbation, when the calculated relationship, or a change in relationship, satisfies a predetermined criteria.
US09916423B2

Random human eye generators are provided for use in evaluating aspects of treatment in refractive surgery or other therapeutic vision modalities. Exemplary random eye generators include an optical parameter such as a manifest refractive sphere parameter or a wavefront sphere parameter, and incorporate a Rayleigh distribution for such parameters.
US09916417B2

A medical image evaluation and diagnosis system to dynamically connect clinical tools, clinical applications and clinical findings includes a work context auto alignment manager (WAALM). The WAALM extracts, from a clinical application and tool initiation request, clinical application and tool information for a first clinical taskflow, and connects, with at least a first clinical application initiated in response to the clinical application and tool initiation request, at least a first clinical tool based on the extracted clinical application and tool information, the first clinical tool being independent of the first clinical application.
US09916406B2

A processor may receive a transistor level integrated circuit (IC) design to be modelled. The processor may determine that the transistor level IC design has a first stage and a second stage. The processor may determine a first cross-current effective capacitance of the first stage and a second cross-current effective capacitance of the second stage. The processor may then determine a cross-current effective capacitance for the transistor level IC design by accumulating the first and second cross-current effective capacitances.
US09916405B2

A method, system, and computer program product perform distributed timing analysis of an integrated circuit design. Aspects include dividing the integrated circuit design into non-overlapping design partitions, each design partition including nodes and edges, each edge interconnecting a pair of the nodes. Aspects also include identifying speculative nodes among the nodes, each speculative node having at least one and less than all timing inputs available and being associated with a speculative processing task, and identifying non-speculative nodes among the nodes, each non-speculative node having all timing inputs available and being associated with a non-speculative processing task. Assigning each of the non-speculative processing tasks to a respective processor of a processing system specific to each design partition for timing analysis processing is done prior to assigning any of the speculative processing tasks.
US09916403B1

An improved approach is provided for determining differential voltages for driver and receiver pairs as a result of electrostatic discharge (ESD) events including identifying circuits of interest, re-characterizing the circuits of interest into a system for evaluating differential voltages, determining the differential voltages for ESD pin locations, and outputting results after iterating through all the ESD pin locations. In some embodiments, re-characterizing may include performing a resistance only extraction of a net, attaching a resistance to any node in the circuit and to ground, formulating a conductance matrix and distributing the total current I as source points. In some embodiments, determining differential voltages for ESD pin locations may include, stamping a first ESD pin location with a total current, solving for the system using previously computed values, mapping the driver and receiver pairs to the nodes in the system, computing the differential voltage, and recording the lowest differential voltage.
US09916399B2

A method and system for creating a customized package design. Package design and preference information related to a shape of the package design is received. The preference information includes user-specified information related to one or more levels of one or more structural attributes of the package design. A detailed design is generated that incorporates the user-specified information and a detailed design file is generated and output. Generation of the detailed design includes identifying functional elements associated with the package that correspond to the user-specified information and altering at least one physical characteristic of the identified functional elements based upon the preference information, and incorporating the altered physical characteristic into the detailed design. A determination can be made as to whether the altered detailed design satisfies any constraints associated with the package being design, and the detailed design file can be updated accordingly.
US09916398B2

A 3D CAD model of a plant, a factory, refinery, or facility is re-built from laser scan data of the plant, a factory, refinery, or facility. Through a rules-based analysis, CAD model objects are identified in the laser scan data. The rules map laser scan data to CAD model objects based on shape, size and/or sequence of connection of objects in the plant, a factory, refinery, or facility grouping. Design logic of equipment and process facilities are also utilized by the rules.
US09916397B2

Embodiments relate to generating a retrieval condition for retrieving a target character string from texts by pattern matching. An aspect includes dividing a first text into words. Another aspect includes generating a converted character string by performing at least one of appending at least one character in at least either one of previous and subsequent positions of the target character string. Another aspect includes replacing at least one character of the target character string. Another aspect includes generating the retrieval condition for retrieval candidates in the words of the first text, the retrieval condition comprising determining that a retrieval candidate matches the target character string and does not match the converted character string based on a ratio of a part of the retrieval candidate which matches the converted character string and corresponds to the target character string is less than or equal to a reference frequency.
US09916392B2

The present disclosure relates to the field of computer technologies, and discloses a method, system, and storage medium for displaying media content applicable to a social platform. The method includes: detecting an input operation about a dynamic area located around a media content displaying area; and responding to the input operation, and scrolling to display, according to a layout direction of media content loaded in the media content displaying area, the media content in the media content displaying area, where a width of the media content in a direction that is perpendicular to the layout direction of the media content is consistent with a width of the media content displaying area. Embodiments of the present invention do not need to intercept the media content, and also do not need to display a clear and complete picture by using a large picture floating layer, so as to reduce a workload of the system effectively.
US09916389B2

A method and system. A framework, which is generated, is a table including N+1 columns and M+1 rows. A two-dimensional array within the table includes N×M intersections of the N remaining columns and the M remaining rows. A first row of the table identifies a filter including a list of K dimensions consisting of K dependent variables, and wherein N, M and K are each an integer of at least 2. The framework is transmitted to an end-user. A user-defined data collection tool is received and includes the table with the N×M intersections in the table each containing a measure of a dependent variable selected by the end-user independently from the K dependent variables. The dependent variable for each intersection is a function of the two dependent variables characterizing each intersection.
US09916386B2

A method and apparatus for presenting a search result. The method comprises: receiving a current search term input by a user; determining user information about a user, and determining a pre-established first model corresponding to the user according to user information, the first model recording historical data of the user, and the historical data comprising a historical search term and a corresponding historical selection result; determining, in the historical data, a historical search term matched with the current search term, determining a historical selection result corresponding to the matched historical search term, and determining an online recommendation result according to the historical selection result; and presenting a search result to the user, the search result comprising the online recommendation result or a result obtained by processing the online recommendation result. The disclosed method can provide a personalized search service, so that the search result better meets the user's needs.
US09916383B1

A system and method dynamically analyzes documents to determine the relevancy of a document relatively quickly and efficiently. Potentially relevant documents can be determined using a search string and then converted into corresponding document data structures for analysis. Keywords can be used to identify documents of interest from the document data structures. Tools are provided to assess the relevancy of documents, including tools to determine the frequency of keywords in the documents, to compare documents, and to contrast documents. Algorithms are provided that use prior searches to determine sets of relevant documents. Adaptive search methods are provided that refine searching during analysis to reduce a number of documents that are not sufficiently relevant. A dynamic relevancy matrix can be generated that provides access to keyword frequency and associated keyword frequency for a plurality of documents.
US09916382B1

Provided are systems and methods for determining a first subject of a first content item corresponding to a first storyline, determining a second subject of a second content item corresponding to a second storyline, determining first data associated with the first subject, determining second data associated with the second subject, comparing at least a portion of the first data to at least a portion of the second data, determining that the first subject is related to the second subject, and associating the first content item with the second content item.
US09916377B2

A base query having a plurality of base query terms is obtained. A plurality of problem log files are accessed. Words, contained in a corpus vocabulary, are extracted from the plurality of problem log files. Based on the words extracted from the plurality of problem log files, a first expanded query is generated from the base query. The corpus is queried, via a query engine and a corpus index, with a second expanded query related to the first expanded query.
US09916375B2

Embodiments of the present invention enable users to generate a summary for a document with respect to a concept, making use of inherent hierarchies present in a text document based on subject-object relationships of the sentences in the text document. In one embodiment, a text document is parsed into sentences, and a tuple is created for each sentence, the tuple comprising a subject and an object found in the sentence. The tuples may then be searched for a specified topic to identify matching tuples, as well as tuples that are related to the matching tuples based on relationships between their respective subjects and objects. A summary focused on the specified topic may then be generated using the sentences corresponding to the matching tuples and the tuples related to the matching tuples.
US09916369B2

The present invention includes a method, system, and computer-readable medium for calculating a social graph using a social utility grid interface. The method includes the following steps. First, collecting one or more types of communication data. Next, inputting the one or more types of communication data into a social utility grid infrastructure. The social utility grid infrastructure analyzes the input data to determine a multi-dimensional first-order social graph by: (1) normalizing each of the one or more types of communication data; (2) representing the each of the one or more types of communication data as a vector; (3) calculating a Euclidean Norm; and (4) generating the multi-dimensional first-order social graph. Then, providing the multi-dimensional first-order social graph to one or more software applications.
US09916363B2

An approach is provided for diversifying recommendation results. A diversification manager determines one or more recommendation scores associated with one or more items. The one or more recommendation scores are for determining a sort order of the one or more items. The diversification manager then determines similarity information associated with the one or more items, and processes and/or facilitates a processing of the similarity information to cause, at least in part, an adjustment of the one or more recommendation scores, the sort order, or a combination thereof.
US09916360B2

An approach for joining operations on document-oriented databases. The approach consists of receiving database identifiers, common attributes and results attributes for core and target databases being joined. Common attributes are searched for in the databases. The searches performed include string, expansive, character and nested. Common attribute join conflicts are identified and input is received to resolve attribute join conflicts. Resolved join conflicts are updated in a join substitution database for subsequent use and joined data results are output to virtual table(s).
US09916356B2

A memory controller receives request(s) to perform a plurality of memory operations on a datastore. The memory controller batches, into a set of leaf node operations, memory operations of the plurality of memory operations that are associated with keys in a range of keys, where a leaf node in a tiered data structure stored in the datastore is assigned the range of keys. The memory controller determines whether a condition is satisfied, and, in accordance with a determination that the condition is satisfied: locates the leaf node in the datastore; stores a copy of the leaf node in a cache; modifies the cached copy of the leaf node according to the set of leaf node operations so as to obtain one or more modified leaf nodes; and writes the one or more modified leaf nodes to one or more locations in the datastore with one or more write operations.
US09916355B2

A structured file includes information to bind a web data source to a web data query system. Code is embedded within the structured file and is in a code language understood by the web data query system. The code is unrestricted in function. Code language objects are exposed within the web data query system for use by the code to interface with the web data query system and the web data source. A URL is associated with the structured file to enable access of the structured file through the Internet. A unit-based quota method is implemented to manage execution of code in the structured file. The unit-based quota method collapses multiple dimensions of computing resource control into a single unit value, tracks a number of units expended by the code, and stops execution of the code when the number of units expended by the code reaches a set limit.
US09916354B2

A database management system (DBMS) runs on scalable production system. The DBMS includes a first operating mode, wherein the scalable production system runs on a first set of computing resources, and a second operating mode, wherein the scalable production system runs on a second set of computing resources. The DBMS in the first mode determines that with respect to the first set of resources a first query access plan for executing a query satisfies optimization criteria. A determination is made that with respect to the second set of resources the first plan fails preliminary criteria. In response to this failure determination, a second query access plan for executing the query is generated. Prior to having the DBMS receive a request to execute the query while in the second mode, a determination is made that with respect to the second set of resources the second plan satisfies the optimization criteria.
US09916353B2

A database management system (DBMS) runs on scalable production system. The DBMS includes a first operating mode, wherein the scalable production system runs on a first set of computing resources, and a second operating mode, wherein the scalable production system runs on a second set of computing resources. The DBMS in the first mode determines that with respect to the first set of resources a first query access plan for executing a query satisfies optimization criteria. A determination is made that with respect to the second set of resources the first plan fails preliminary criteria. In response to this failure determination, a second query access plan for executing the query is generated. Prior to having the DBMS receive a request to execute the query while in the second mode, a determination is made that with respect to the second set of resources the second plan satisfies the optimization criteria.
US09916343B2

Optimizing approximation of an earliest access time of objects in a datasharing environment by maintaining a global exception list for objects that are accessed by transactions that commit infrequently. The global exception list comprises a time value representing the earliest access time for each object in the global exception list, and an object identifier. The system references the global exception list to determine whether the object is in the global exception list. If the object is in the global exception list, the system uses the time value associated with the object when determining the earliest access time for the object. If not, the system approximates the earliest access time of the object by selecting the most recent access time value from the global exception list, providing more recent access times for objects accessed by transactions that commit frequently.
US09916342B2

The present disclosure describes systems and methods for managing and implementing an asset license reclamation program across a network. The status of an asset, such as computer software, is automatically determined and if the asset does not meet particular use criteria, the asset may be flagged for reclamation and/or redeployment, either within the same network segment or in a separate network segment.
US09916331B2

A method and device for automatically processing static test data of a rail transit vehicle are provided. A target operation step is determined in accordance with a commissioning template. Information about a commissioning task step is sent to a terminal device, for prompting that the target operation step needs to be executed. After the information about a commissioning result corresponding to the target operation step is received, it is judged whether test data in the information is correct. If it is judged that the test data is correct, the information is sent to the terminal device, the judgement result is filled into the commissioning template, and a step of determining the target operation step is executed. If it is judged that the test data is incorrect, the information is sent to the terminal device, and the judgement result is filled into the commissioning template.
US09916330B2

A method for analyzing an image of a real object, generated by at least one camera includes the following steps: generating at least a first image by the camera capturing at least one real object, defining a first search domain comprising multiple data sets of the real object, each of the data sets being indicative of a respective portion of the real object, and analyzing at least one characteristic property of the first image with respect to the first search domain, in order to determine whether the at least one characteristic property corresponds to information of at least a particular one of the data sets of the first search domain. If it is determined that the at least one characteristic property corresponds to information of at least a particular one of the data sets, a second search domain comprising only the particular one of the data sets is defined and the second search domain is used for analyzing the first image and/or at least a second image.
US09916328B1

Systems and methods are provided for providing user assistance on a mobile device. For example, a method may include receiving a first image of a screen captured on a mobile device, determining key content in the first image by performing recognition on the first image, and using the key content as a query to an index that associates key items with screen capture images previously received from the mobile device. The method may further include determining that a search result of the query includes at least one key item with a rank that exceeds a relevancy threshold, determining a portion of a second image from the screen capture images that is associated with the at least one key item, generating annotation data that includes the portion of the second image, and providing the annotation data for display with the screen on the mobile device.
US09916327B2

A document processing system for remote processing an image frame of a document and methods of using thereof. The system includes a remote server, having a processing unit and a data repository unit. The system further includes a personal mobile device having an image acquisition device for acquiring at least one image frame of a document, a communication unit adapted to communicate with the processing unit and an image-transmission-management module. Upon receiving the at least one image frame of a document by the remote server from the personal mobile device, via the wireless network, the processing unit extracts textual data, image data or both from the received at least one image frame to thereby create extracted data; associates an access code to the extracted data; and stores the at least one image frame, the extracted data and the associated access code in the data repository unit.
US09916324B2

A method, article of manufacture, and apparatus for protecting data. A file modification is identified. A previous file entry is modified where the previous file entry is stored in a key value database. A new file entry is created in the key value database. The previous file entry modification includes modifying the end version of the entry.
US09916317B2

There are provided methods and systems for transferring requested data over a node chain from a source node to a destination node through at least two intermediate nodes. A method includes identifying, at a file system level, at each of the at least two intermediate nodes, prior data previously sent to or received from a subsequent node in the node chain that matches at least a portion of the requested data. The method also includes transmitting, to the subsequent node, at least one pointer to the prior data and a reconstruction recipe for reconstructing the requested data at the subsequent node based on at least the at least one pointer, when the prior data matches at least the portion of the requested data.
US09916316B2

To provide a shortcut creating apparatus which creates folder shortcuts for a plurality of folders in a single flow without move to a target folder, and stores the created folder shortcuts in a selected folder. The shortcut creating apparatus according to the present invention includes: (1) a one-way shortcut creating unit configured to create a folder shortcut of a reference folder under a related folder, (2) a one-way shortcut creating unit configured to create a folder shortcut of the related folder under the reference folder, (3) a two-way shortcut creating unit configured to create a folder shortcut of the reference folder under the related folder, and create a folder shortcut of the related folder under the reference folder, and (4) a multiple-shortcut creating unit configured to create respective folder shortcuts of the reference folder and the related folders under folders except under the currently selected folder.
US09916315B2

A computer implemented system for comparing at least two visual programming language files, the system comprising an intransient repository, a user interface, an authentication module, a menu driven selector module, an extractor module, a transient repository, a processor and a report generation module. A computer implemented method for comparing at least two visual programming language files, the method comprising the steps of verifying login credentials of a user, identifying a file type, identifying a file format, identifying file path to the files stored in an intransient repository, extracting files from the intransient repository, creating a copy each of the files in a transient repository, carrying out iterations of node-wise comparison between the files using a DOM parser and generating a report in a chosen file format.
US09916308B2

Provided is a document management service that accepts a request for sharing a document from a user of client terminal so as to determine whether or not the document to which the sharing request was made has been successfully registered in a document management server as a sharing target among users. If the document has failed to be registered, the document management service posts the document to a microblog service.
US09916301B2

Click logs are automatically mined to assist in discovering candidate variations for named entities. The named entities may be obtained from one or more sources and include an initial list of named entities. A search may be performed within one or more search engines to determine common phrases that are used to identify the named entity in addition to the named entity initially included in the named entity list. Click logs associated with results of past searches are automatically mined to discover what phrases determined from the searches are candidate variations for the named entity. The candidate variations are scored to assist in determining the variations to include within an understanding model. The variations may also be used when delivering responses and displayed output in the SLU system. For example, instead of using the listed named entity, a popular and/or shortened name may be used by the system.
US09916300B2

For updating a character hint list based on a number of additional strokes, an apparatus, method, and computer program product are disclosed. The apparatus may include a touch-sensitive input panel for receiving handwritten character, a processor, and a memory that stores code executable by the processor. The executable code may cause the processor to: determine a hint list based on the handwritten character, the hint list comprising at least one entry, receive at least one additional stroke relating to the handwritten character, and update the hint list based on a number of received additional strokes. The processor may identify a number of post-character strokes corresponding to each entry in the hint list and remove, from the hint list, each entry whose number of post-character strokes is less than the received number of additional strokes.
US09916296B2

Methods, systems, and computer program products for updating annotator collections using run traces are provided herein. A computer-implemented method includes generating one or more alternate versions of one or more document annotators selected from a set of multiple document annotators; executing, on one or more document data sets, (i) one or more document annotators from the set of multiple document annotators and (ii) the one or more alternate versions to generate log information for each document annotator in the set and each alternate version of the one or more alternate versions; and outputting an instruction to modify, based on the generated log information for each document annotator in the set and each alternate version, at least one document annotator from the set with at least one alternate version from the one or more alternate versions.
US09916294B2

An e-book system receives and stores different versions of an e-book supporting different consumption modes. Additionally, the e-book system stores signposts for the e-book. The signposts include corresponding locations in different versions of the e-book. When a user switches from a first version to a second version, the e-book system determines based on the signposts a location in the second version of the e-book that corresponds to the current location in the first version. The e-book system then presents the content in the second version from the determined location.
US09916289B2

Methods and systems for passively relating data to metadata are disclosed. Associations are created, at a first computer system, that relate data in a first database to metadata in a second database. The associations are syndicated at the computer system to a first software application associated with the data. The syndicating to cause the first software application executing at a second computer system to display a visual clue to a user in a graphical interface associated with the first software application wherein the visual clue is visually associated with a visual representation of the data. Upon detecting a user interaction with the visual clue, cause the first software application to display a first portion of the metadata in the graphical interface.
US09916284B2

A method for generating an appendix from document content is provided. Included is analyzing a structure of a document to identify at least one logical element in a content of a page of the document; identifying at least one relation within the identified at least one logical element to determine an appendix topic; determining a degree of relevance of the at least one relation identifying the appendix topic; extracting an appendix content from at least one source document, based on determining a relevance of the source document to the appendix topic; and formatting the appendix based on the extracted appendix content.
US09916283B2

A method for solving a problem involving a hypergraph partitioning is disclosed, the method comprising receiving an indication of a problem involving a hypergraph partitioning; obtaining at least one property associated with a quadratic unconstrained binary optimization solver operatively coupled with the digital computer; formulating a partitioning problem of the hypergraph as an unconstrained binary optimization problem; reducing the unconstrained binary optimization problem into a quadratic unconstrained binary optimization problem; mapping the quadratic unconstrained binary optimization problem into the quadratic unconstrained binary optimization solver; obtaining from the quadratic unconstrained binary optimization solver at least one solution to the quadratic unconstrained binary optimization problem; applying a refinement procedure and translating the refined at least one solution to provide an indication of the partitioning and providing a solution to the problem.
US09916280B2

A method for testing a client service locally using a shared memory transport is presented. The method may include recording a plurality of interactions between the client service located in a local host and a real server. The method may include generating a virtual server based on the recorded plurality of interactions. The method may include deploying the generated virtual server in the local host. The method may include executing the client service. The method may include receiving a TCP/IP request from the client service. The method may include converting the received TCP/IP request to a shared memory request. The method may include sending the shared memory request to the virtual server. The method may include receiving a shared memory reply from the virtual server. The method may include sending the shared memory reply to the client service.
US09916279B1

A distributed storage system including memory hosts and at least one curator in communication with the memory hosts. Each memory host has memory, and the curator manages striping of data across the memory hosts. In response to a memory access request by a client in communication with the memory hosts and the curator, the curator provides the client a file descriptor mapping data stripes and data stripe replications of a file on the memory hosts for remote direct memory access of the file on the memory hosts.
US09916277B2

A Universal Armament Interface (UAI) translator for a legacy military standard-1760 (MIL-STD-1760) messaging interface can include a legacy interface, a UAI, and a processor. The legacy interface can transmit a legacy receive message (‘R’ message) and receive a legacy transmit message (‘T’ message). The legacy interface can include a MIL-STD-1760 remote terminal (RT) messaging interface. The UAI can receive a UAI ‘R’ message and transmit a UAI ‘T’ message. The processor can translate the legacy ‘R’ message to the UAI ‘R’ message, and translate the UAI ‘T’ message to the legacy ‘T’ message.
US09916276B2

A data selector circuit divides a group of data including a plurality of types of data into the plurality of types of data. A first compression circuit and a second compression circuit respectively compress the plurality of types of data in parallel with each other in accordance with each of the plurality of types of data. The first compression circuit compresses data and obtains compressed data. The second compression circuit compresses data and obtains compressed data. The data transmission circuit-transmits the compressed data and the compressed data to a terminal.
US09916275B2

Methods, computing systems and computer program products implement embodiments of the present invention that include configuring distributed storage system resources for a distributed storage system. Examples of the storage system resources include a plurality of network segments, one or more network devices coupled to the network, and multiple nodes coupled to the network, the nodes including both frontend and backend nodes. Upon receiving, by a given frontend node in the distributed storage system, an input/output (I/O) request, one or more of the distributed storage system resources required to process the I/O request are identified, and a respective load that the I/O request will generate on each of the identified distributed storage system resources is calculated. The distributed storage system processes the I/O request upon detecting that the respective loads are less than respective available capacities of the identified distributed storage system resources.
US09916274B2

An on-chip crossbar of a network switch comprising a central arbitration component configured to allocate packet data requests received from destination port groups to memory banks. The on-chip crossbar further comprises a Benes routing network comprising a forward network having a plurality of pipelined forward routing stages and a reverse network, wherein the Benes routing network retrieves the packet data from the memory banks coupled to input of the Benes routing network and route the packet data to the port groups coupled to output of the Benes routing network. The on-chip crossbar further comprises a plurality of stage routing control units each associated with one of the forward routing stages and configured to generate and provide a plurality of node control signals to control routing of the packet data through the forward routing stages to avoid contention between the packet data retrieved from different memory banks at the same time.
US09916273B2

Obtaining data about a peripheral device deployed in a computing environment. A method includes transmitting a primary data stream across a shared communication channel between the peripheral device and a host hosting the peripheral device. The method further includes transmitting on the shared communication channel, a secondary state information stream of consecutively occurring messages with peripheral device state information.
US09916267B1

Migrating interrupts from a source I/O adapter of a source computing system to a destination I/O adapter of a destination computing system, includes: collecting, by a source hypervisor of the source computing system, interrupt mapping information, were the source hypervisor supports operation of a logical partition executing on the source computing system and the logical partition is configured to receive interrupts from the source I/O adapter; configuring, by the destination hypervisor of the destination computing system, the destination computing system with the interrupt mapping information collected by the source hypervisor; placing, by a destination hypervisor of the destination computing system, the destination I/O adapter in an error state; migrating the logical partition from the source computing system to the destination computing system; and restarting the logical partition on the destination computing system, including recovering, by the logical partition, from the error state.
US09916266B2

Re-initialization of a link can take place without termination of the link, where the link includes, a transmitter and a receiver are to be coupled to each lane in the number of lanes, and re-initialization of the link is to include transmission of a pre-defined sequence on each of the lanes.
US09916262B2

A method and system encrypts data in a least privileged operating system. The method includes determining a first encryption scheme to be used with software code to be mapped to a virtual memory. The method includes mapping a first portion of the virtual memory with the software code for access by a processor using the first encryption scheme. The method includes receiving a call for an entry point of the operating system. The method includes determining a second encryption scheme to be used with the entry point when mapped to the virtual memory. The method includes mapping a second portion of the virtual memory for executing entry point code associated with the entry point for access by the processor using the second encryption scheme. The processor executing the software code is permitted to access only data from the first and second portions of the virtual memory.
US09916259B1

A system and method for low latency and higher bandwidth communication between a central processing unit (CPU) and an accelerator is disclosed. When the CPU updates a copy of data stored at a shared memory, the CPU also sends an “invalidate” command to a cache coherent interconnect (CCI). The CCI forwards the invalidate command to a dedicated cache register (DCR). The DCR marks its copy of the data as “out-of-date” and requests an up-to-date copy of the data from the CCI. The CCI then retrieves up-to-date data for the DCR. When the DCR receives the up-to-date data from the CCI, the DCR replaces the out-of-date data with the up-to-date data, and marks the up-to-date data with the status of “valid.” The DCR can then provide data to an accelerator with a status of “out-of-date” or “valid.”
US09916254B2

A logical address key is generated based at least in part on a logical address. Encoded data is generated by systematically error correction encoding the logical address key and write data. One or more physical addresses are determined that correspond to the logical address where the physical addresses that correspond to the logical address are dynamic. At the physical addresses, the encoded data is stored with the logical address key removed.
US09916252B2

Cache memory mapping techniques are presented. A cache may contain an index configuration register. The register may configure the locations of an upper index portion and a lower index portion of a memory address. The portions may be combined to create a combined index. The configurable split-index addressing structure may be used, among other applications, to reduce the rate of cache conflicts occurring between multiple processors decoding the video frame in parallel.
US09916251B2

A cache managing method of a display driving apparatus may be provided. The display driving apparatus including an encoder to generate compressed data by compressing raw data, a memory to store the compressed data, and a decoder to restore the compressed data and including a payload cache may be provided. The cache managing method including requesting an access to the compressed data, and managing the payload cache using a linked list according to the access request to the compressed data may be provided.
US09916247B2

A method is provided for cache coherence being based on a hybrid approach relying on hardware-and software-implemented functionalities. In case a processor core is requested to perform a write operation on a memory line missed in the local cache of said core, a hardware-implemented coherence directory ensures that said processor core becomes assigned exclusive write permissions to indicate that the memory line in said local cache is up-to-date after said write. In case the processor core is requested to perform a read operation on a memory line missed in the local cache of said processor core, the coherence directory updates the coherence directory to indicate that none of the processor cores of the system has exclusive write permission on the memory line and relies on software executed on said processor core to ensure that the cached memory line is up-to-date before performing the read operation.
US09916245B2

Accessing partial cachelines in a data cache including storing a first portion of a cacheline in a cache entry of the data cache; relaunching a load instruction targeting a second portion of the cacheline, wherein the second portion of the cacheline is not stored in the data cache; determining that the load instruction targets a portion of the cacheline not stored in the cache entry; storing the second portion of the cacheline in the data cache; and reading the second portion of the cacheline from the data cache according to the load instruction.
US09916243B2

A method and apparatus for performing a bus lock and a translation lookaside buffer invalidate transaction includes receiving, by a lock master, a lock request from a first processor in a system. The lock master sends a quiesce request to all processors in the system, and upon receipt of the quiesce request from the lock master, all processors cease issuing any new transactions and issue a quiesce granted transaction. Upon receipt of the quiesce granted transactions from all processors, the lock master issues a lock granted message that includes an identifier of the first processor. The first processor performs an atomic transaction sequence and sends a first lock release message to the lock master upon completion of the atomic transaction sequence. The lock master sends a second lock release message to all processors upon receiving the first lock release message from the first processor.
US09916237B2

Apparatuses, systems, methods, and computer program products are disclosed for model based configuration parameter management. An association module is configured to group a plurality of erase blocks of a non-volatile memory medium based on an amount of time since data has been written to the plurality of erase blocks. A read module is configured to sample data of at least two word lines from at least one erase block from each of a plurality of groups of erase blocks. A configuration parameter module is configured to determine different read voltage thresholds for different word lines of groups of erase blocks using different read voltage threshold models for different groups based on sampled data.
US09916236B2

An information processing device includes a plurality of processors each of which is coupled to at least some of the plurality of processors. A first processor from among the plurality of processors is configured to calculate a plurality of communication paths between a second processor and a third processor from among the plurality of processors, identify a communication path that does not pass through a processor that is a target of dynamic reconfiguration, as a path to be used, from among the plurality of calculated communication paths, and transmit information on the identified path to be used, to a processor on the identified communication path. The processor that receives from the first processor the information on the identified path executes communication processing between the second processor and the third processor, by using the communication path that is indicated by the received information on the path to be used.
US09916235B2

A method includes performing an integration test on executable software units. The integration test fails and identifies a symptomatic executable software unit at which the failure of the integration test is detected. One or more modified source code files, including instructions likely responsible for the failure of the integration test, are located from a plurality of modified source code files. The location involves searching a binary change database for change history records relating to both the plurality of modified source code files and the executable software units. Degrees of functional interaction between portions of modified source code files corresponding to the change history records and portions of a source code file corresponding to the symptomatic executable software unit are determined. Based on this determination, the modified source code file(s) including the instructions likely responsible for the failure of the integration test are identified.
US09916233B1

A system and method for software deployment, where the system and method include, at a deployment service, obtaining a software package and determining that a client device is ready to receive at least a portion of the software package. If the client device is ready, providing at least the portion of the software package to the client device, launching at least the provided portion of the software package as set of instructions executing in a test container, and performing a set of tests on the executing set of instructions in the test container. Based at least in part on results of performing the set of tests, determining whether to cause at least the provided portion of the software package to execute in an active container on the client device.
US09916230B1

The source code of a software artifact may be scanned, and a call tree model with leaf nodes may be generated based on the scan. A set of test cases can be executed against the software artifact and log data from the execution can be collected. A set of untested leaf nodes can be detected and a new set of test cases can be generated to test the untested nodes. The new set of test cases are executed and a subset of the test cases which cover the previously untested nodes are added to the existing set of test cases.
US09916209B2

According to an aspect, data asset reconstruction includes receiving a data lineage for a data asset, where the data lineage identifies a data source connected to the data asset by an intermediate process. It is determined whether the intermediate process can be used to reconstruct a lost data asset. Based on determining that the intermediate process can be used to reconstruct the lost data asset, reconstructing the lost data asset with the intermediate process and the data source.
US09916200B2

Fault-tolerant distributed information handling systems and methods, including a method in a system including: a first host configured to store a first fragment of data, a second host configured to store a second fragment of data, a third host configured to store a third fragment of data, and a fourth host configured to store a first code derived at least from the first fragment of data, the second fragment of data, and the third fragment of data, are provided. The method includes: the first agent transmitting via a multicast operation an updated second fragment of data to the second host and the fourth host; a second agent corresponding to the second host transmitting via a unicast operation the second fragment of data to the fourth host; and generating a second code derived from the first code, the second fragment of data, and the updated second fragment of data.
US09916198B2

A cluster receives a request to store an object using replication or erasure coding. The cluster writes the object using erasure coding. A manifest is written that includes an indication of erasure coding and a unique identifier for each segment. The cluster returns a unique identifier of the manifest. The cluster receives a request from a client that includes a unique identifier. The cluster determines whether the object has been stored using replication or erasure coding. If using erasure coding, the method reads a manifest. The method identifies segments within the cluster using unique segment identifiers of the manifest. Using these unique segment identifiers, the method reconstructs the object. A persistent storage area of another disk is scanned to find a unique identifier of a failed disk. If using erasure coding, a missing segment previously stored on the disk is identified. The method locates other segments. Missing segments are regenerated.
US09916197B2

Rank modulation has been recently proposed as a scheme for storing information in flash memories. Three improved aspects are disclosed. In one aspect the minimum push-up scheme, for storing data in flash memories is provided. It aims at minimizing the cost of changing the state of the memory. In another aspect, multi-cells, used for storing data in flash memories is provided. Each transistor is replaced with a multi-cell of mm transistors connected in parallel. In yet another aspect, multi-permutations, are provided. The paradigm of representing information with permutations is generalized to the case where the number of cells in each level is a constant greater than one. In yet another aspect, rank-modulation rewriting schemes which take advantage of polar codes, are provided for use with flash memory.
US09916191B1

A method of efficiently checking a filesystem for errors is provided, the filesystem including a set of data blocks and a set of VBPs, the set of VBPs arranged in a set of VBP blocks, each VBP block storing a plurality of the VBPs. The method includes multiple stages, one stage including iterating through VBP blocks of the filesystem to generate a validity bitmap, and a later stage including traversing a block pointer structure associated with each of a set of files of the filesystem, the traversal making reference to the validity bitmap.
US09916185B2

A facility is provided that, when installed, removes from an architecture a selected architectural function, such that the function is not able to be turned on/off regardless of other controls within the environment. When the facility is installed, the architectural function is not supported when processing in an architectural mode based on the architecture. It is as if the selected architectural function is no longer available in the architecture, and in fact, the code implementing the facility may have been deleted, bypassed, or otherwise eliminated. One such architectural function is virtual address translation, such as dynamic address translation (DAT), and the architecture is, for instance, ESA/390.
US09916183B2

There is provided a method, a system and a computer program product for improving performance and fairness in sharing a cluster of dynamically available computing resources among multiple jobs. The system collects at least one parameter associated with availability of a plurality of computing resources. The system calculates, based on the collected parameter, an effective processing time each computing resource can provide to each job. The system allocates, based on the calculated effective processing time, the computing resources to the multiple jobs, whereby the multiple jobs are completed at a same time or an approximate time.
US09916164B2

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed herein. An example apparatus includes an instruction profiler to identify a predicated block within instructions to be executed by a hardware processor. The example apparatus includes a performance monitor to access a mis-prediction statistic based on an instruction address associated with the predicated block. The example apparatus includes a region former to, in response to determining that the mis-prediction statistic is above a mis-prediction threshold, include the predicated block in a predicated region for optimization.
US09916156B2

A system for visualizing a congruency of versions of an application across phases of a release pipeline includes a selecting engine to select a phase from a number of phases; a representing engine to represent, via a user interface (UI), a congruency for a number of versions of an application compared against a target version of the application across the phases of a release pipeline, the congruency for the number of versions of the application represented with identifiers; a differentiating engine to differentiate a latest-deployed version of the application against a planned version of the application in a particular environment; and a comparing engine to compare, based on a selection, properties of the versions of the application.
US09916154B2

A system includes reception of a configuration set definition file defining the structure of one or more customizing tables of a software application, reception of a configuration data file including data for the one or more customizing tables, and, during activation of the software application in a run-time system, generation of the one or more customizing tables based on the configuration set definition file, generation of a service to access the configuration data file, and population of the one or more customizing tables with data of the configuration data file.
US09916153B2

In accordance with an embodiment, described herein is a system and method for supporting patching in a multi-tenant application server environment. The system can associate one or more partitions with a tenant, for use by that tenant, wherein a partition is a runtime and administrative subdivision or slice of a domain. A patching process can take advantage of high-availability features provided by an application server clustering environment, to apply patches in a controlled, rolling restart, which maintains a domain's ability to operate without interruption, or with zero downtime. The process can be used to automate complex or long running tasks, including preserving an unpatched or prior version of an application server, application, or other software component for possible rollback, or providing automatic reversion in the event of an unrecoverable error.
US09916137B2

A system and method for facilitating development of a web service, such as a Representational State Transfer (REST) web service. The example method includes determining one or more characteristics of a service interface and incorporating the resulting information in a file; and automatically generating computer code to implement a REST service based on the file. In a more specific embodiment, the file is an XML file, which may be output from a REST analysis tool applied to the service interface. The web service may leverage or include one or more resources that have been mapped to a REST service via a code generator used to implement the generating step.
US09916126B2

Embodiments described herein provide for smart configuration of audio settings for a playback device. According to an embodiment, while a playback device is a part of a first zone group that includes the playback device and at least one first playback device, the playback device applies a first audio setting. The embodiment also includes the playback device joining a second zone group that includes the playback device and at least one second playback device. The embodiment further includes the playback device applying a second audio setting based on an audio content profile corresponding to the second zone group.
US09916118B2

In a medical imaging system and an operating method therefor, in order to simplify the operation of the medical imaging system, a framework condition for the creation of image information is selected on the basis of one or more acquisition sequences, and a computer of the imaging system automatically preselects multiple parameter sets for the at least one acquisition sequence as a function of the selected framework condition. For each of the preselected parameter sets, at least one characteristic from the acquisition sequence or from image information assigned to the acquisition sequence is visually presented. A parameter set is selected on the basis of the presented characteristic.
US09916108B2

Methods and apparatus for efficient loading of data from memory to registers and storing of data from registers to memory are described. In an embodiment, a processor comprises a data structure to which addresses which are used for load operations are pushed. Instead of independently generating addresses for a store operation, addresses are popped from the data structure and either used directly or an optional offset may first be applied to the popped address. In this way, a store operation and a load operation may be performed in parallel because they do not both require use of the logic which independently generates addresses for load/store operations. In various examples, the data structure is a FIFO structure.
US09916098B2

Example implementations relate to using an alternative memory (AltMem) to reduce read latency of a memory module having a dynamic random-access memory (DRAM). In example implementations, write data may be written to the DRAM and to the AltMem. A read command may be issued to the AltMem if a DRAM read latency time for executing the read command is greater than an AltMem read latency time for executing the read command. Data read from the AltMem in response to the read command may be received.
US09916097B1

Promotion and demotion of extents for each storage pool is determined based on a storage pool state defined by demanded activity and demanded capacity. Promotion and demotion of extents for each storage group is determined based on whether the storage group is performing at SLO, above SLO or below SLO. Events are identified and stored in local records using hash tables. The locally stored events are used to update a database of historical extent activity. A moving average of extent activity is used to calculate the demanded activity.
US09916096B2

For increasing data storage capacity using a processor device, increasing logical capacity of data storage having a multiplicity of storage units containing fixed partitioned segments by moving a selected number of the fixed partitioned segments in one or more storage units to a reserved storage unit.
US09916095B2

Methods and systems are provided for fork-safe memory allocation from memory-mapped files. A child process may be provided a memory mapping at a same virtual address as a parent process, but the memory mapping may map the virtual address to a different location within a file than for the parent process.
US09916092B2

Methods and systems are directed to allocating costs of storage arrays to logical disks. A fully loaded cost of storage of a storage area network (“SAN”) is calculated based on capital and operational expenditures of the SAN. Data is stored in the SAN in logical groups partitioned into logical disks. The unit rates of the logical groups are calculated from the capacities and utilization of the storage arrays that form the SAN. The unit rate of a logical disk is the unit rate the logical group to which the logical disk belongs. The storage cost of each logical disk is calculated from the unit rate of the logical disk and the utilized capacity of the logical disk. Methods also calculate cost of unallocated capacities of the logical disks, storage arrays, and the SAN, in order to evaluate efficient use of the SAN storage resources.
US09916084B2

A method, and associated apparatus and system and program product, for enlarging or reducing an image. The image is displayed on a display screen. A pointing operation is detected. The pointing operation points to, with a single-touch gesture using pointing means on the display screen, a first figure indicative of a range of the image to be enlarged or reduced and a second figure indicative of a size of the enlarged or reduced range. In response to the detection of the pointing operation, an enlarged or reduced image is displayed after the enlarged or reduced image is obtained by enlarging or reducing the image at an enlargement or reduction ratio determined based on the first figure and the second figure.
US09916067B2

Embodiments are provided for a system, a computer program product, and/or a method that improves a display of an input selection displayed on a compact screen. To improve this display, embodiments search displayed content for input items, wherein the input items are selections inputted by a user; display different marks, each associated with each of the input items; receive a subsequent input from the user; and change a selection state of each item of the input items corresponding to a mark of the different marks in response to the subsequent input received corresponding to that mark.
US09916062B2

A method for presenting application list is disclosed, which is applied to an electronic device. The method includes activating a list arrangement program which reads several applications and generates categorized application list accordingly. Each application is associated with one of the categories, and includes objects representing the application. The categorized application list includes several groups, each of them includes a category name of one category and the objects associating with one or more applications under the category. The method further includes receiving the control command for displaying one of the groups at the index region of the user interface of the electronic device. The index region is arranged at the side of the user interface. Thus, an application list which is categorized may be provided for improving the convenience of accessing applications.
US09916045B2

A touch sensitive device includes a plurality of sense electrodes arranged in a pattern to receive charge from drive electrodes. The pattern of sense electrodes has extreme portions having worst case charge transfer times, wherein the worst case charge transfer time at multiple extreme portions is substantially equal.
US09916044B2

An information processing device is provided. The device comprises a 3D sensor configured to acquire depth information of a user's hand image and depth information of a background image on an object plane; a storage device in which a character input application is stored; a processor configured to execute the character input application; and a display configured to display a virtual keyboard by executing the character input application.
US09916043B2

An apparatus includes a detection unit configured to detect, from an image obtained by capturing a predetermined object, one or more indicated positions indicated by the predetermined object, an extraction unit configured to extract, from the image, feature information indicating a state of the predetermined object, the feature information being different from the indicated positions, a first recognition unit configured to recognize, based on a change in a positional relationship between two or more of the indicated positions, an operation to be input to the apparatus, a second recognition unit configured to, based on a change in the feature information, recognize an operation to be input to the apparatus, and an output unit configured to output either one of recognition results of the first recognition unit and the second recognition unit, the either one of recognition results being selected based on a shift of a number of the indicated positions.
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