Document	Document Title
US09294947B2	Method and apparatus for measuring interference in a wireless communication system The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for measuring interference in a wireless communication system. User equipment (UE) receives a common reference signal (CRS) from a first domain having the same cell identity and a channel state information (CSI) reference signal (RS) from a second domain including a configuration of the CSI RS designated by the UE. The UE measures interference for the second domain on the basis of the received CRS and CSI RS.
US09294939B2	Method and apparatus for reducing interference A method includes receiving information relating to interference between a relay node associated with a first base station and at least one other relay node associated with a second base station. The method also includes initiating modifying transmitting parameters of the relay node and/or the at least one other relay node on the basis of the information.
US09294937B2	Apparatus and method for selection between receivers in a wireless communication system Apparatus and methods are disclosed for selecting between a Rake receiver and an interference cancellation engine (ICE) for receiving forward link signals in a wireless communication network. Selection can be based on one or more of various factors in the channel. These factors can include an average SINR of at least one of the first receiver or the second receiver, a dispersion of a downlink channel, a flatness metric, a number of locked fingers at the first receiver or the second receiver, or a size of an Active Set. Other aspects, features, and embodiments are claimed and described.
US09294930B2	Combined unique gold code transmissions Methods, systems and instructions stored on computer-readable media for generating a first data stream and a second data stream. The first data stream is spread using a first gold code unique to a first tag. The second data stream is spread using a second gold code unique to a second tag. The spread first data stream and the spread second data stream are combined into a combined data stream. The combined data stream is transmitted to the first tag and the second tag.
US09294929B2	LTE operation in small cells using dynamic shared spectrum Systems, methods, and apparatus may be used to provide assistance for connection procedures in a hierarchical network where macro cells may be operating in licensed spectrum while small cells may be operating in dynamic and shared spectrums, such as TVWS. This may be done, for example, to allow an LTE system performing carrier aggregation (CA) to reconfigure itself to change from a supplementary cell (SuppCell) in one dynamic and shared spectrum channel to a SuppCell in another dynamic and shared spectrum channel.
US09294920B2	Captive portal systems, methods, and devices Embodiments of the present technology provide out-of-band captive portal devices, networks, and methods. An example of a method includes executing a redirection of a client request for network access to a captive portal login, initiating an association between the wireless controller and the client, receiving authentication credentials of client from the captive portal login, negotiating a change of authorization with a wireless controller in accordance with RFC 5176 protocol, wherein the controller includes a mapping to a captive portal Internet Protocol (IP) address, and redirecting the client to a URL specified in the client request for network access.
US09294919B2	Method for exporting on a secure server data comprised on a UICC comprised in a terminal A method for exporting on a UICC in a terminal. An export request signed by the UICC, is transmitted by the terminal to a secure server. The server verifies the signed export request by comparing the signature and the identity of the UICC. The server sends a signed export certificate to the UICC via the terminal. An export package containing the data is prepared, signed and encrypted by the UICC, and sent to the terminal. The terminal transmits the export package to the server. The server signs an acknowledgment message and transmits it to the UICC via the terminal. In the UICC, the data that have been exported is destroyed, and a signed acknowledge message is sent to the server via the terminal. The server makes the data available for a further transfer to a new terminal or UICC.
US09294912B1	Selective regulation of information transmission from mobile applications to third-party privacy complaint target systems Selective regulation of information transmission from mobile applications to a third-party privacy compliant target system. A privacy policy is configured for and mapped to each of a multiplicity of mobile application concerns, with each privacy policy comprising rules regulating the transmission of information to a third-party privacy compliant target system. Instrumentation instructions can be integrated with a mobile application and provided to a mobile device. The instrumentation instructions direct the mobile application to submit a privacy policy request comprising a mobile application identifier from the mobile device to a third-party privacy compliance system and enable sending information from the mobile device to the third-party privacy compliant target system, subject to the privacy policy. The privacy policy request is received at the third-party privacy compliance system which selects the privacy policy based on an application identifier and sends the privacy policy to the mobile device for implementation.
US09294908B2	Method and apparatus for controlling inter-PLMN handover to CSG cell A method and apparatus for controlling inter-PLMN handover based on CSG lists of equivalent PLMNs is provided. A method for receiving subscriber information of a terminal at a Mobility Management Entity (MME) includes transmitting an update location request message for the terminal to a Home Subscriber Server (HSS), and receiving an update location acknowledgement message with the subscriber information of the terminal from the HSS, wherein the update location request message comprises a list of equivalent Public Land Mobile Networks (PLMNs) among which the MME supports inter-PLMN handover of the terminal. The method and apparatus for controlling inter-plan handover to a CSG cell according to the present invention is characterized in that a control apparatus of a core network acquires the allowed CSG lists for determining a User Equipments (UEs) capability of access to a CSG cell and determines whether to permit inter-PLMN handover based on the allowed CSG lists.
US09294905B2	Method for enhancing the use of proximity services in a public land mobile network A method for enhancing the use of proximity services in a public land mobile network includes: in a first step, a base transceiver station receives a first proximity services activation information related to a first user equipment of a plurality of user equipments; in a second step, the base transceiver station receives a second proximity services activation information related to a second user equipment of the plurality of user equipments; in a third step, a proximity services broadcast information is sent from the base transceiver station to the plurality of user equipments within the geographic area; and in a fourth step, the first user equipment starts to emit a first proximity services discovery signal and the second user equipment starts to emit a second proximity services discovery signal.
US09294901B2	Synoptic emergency cellular device and system A wearable emergency cellular device for use in a medical emergency alert situation includes an application containing synoptic medical information and other user data, a call module for mobile communication with a call center and a display for selectively controlling information displayed on the cellular device. Only the call center is able to input the synoptic medical and selected other information to the device. The cellular device is usable for emergency situations other than medical, such as for personal security at home or for mobile use. Various access methods are described using panel displays for medical or other emergency personnel to access the stored cellular device information. Initiation of user communication with the call center can be activated manually or by the user's voice. Also described are an electronic emergency call system and methods for handling an emergency alert using the emergency cellular device.
US09294891B2	Short message sending method, short message service center and gateway A short message sending method, a short message service center (SMS-SC) and a gateway are provided. The short message service center constructs a message body for bearing short message, includes routing information of the short message in this message body, and sends the message body to a short message mobile switching center gateway; after receiving the message body and determining that the message body includes the routing information of the short message, the short message mobile switching center gateway sends the short message to a core network service node according to the routing information. The SMS-SC sends the obtained routing information together with the short message to an SMS-GMSC, so that the SMS-GMSC does not need to request the routing information from an HSS or an HLR, which can reduce the interactive signaling, save the network resources, and optimize the system performance.
US09294889B2	System and method for offline voicemail deposit Systems and methods for an offline voicemail recording system are provided. A voicemail server establishes a session with a caller responsive to detecting the unavailability of a callee. Session information is transmitted to the caller and the voicemail server then purposely terminates the session with the caller. The caller can record a voice or video message offline, without an active connection to the voicemail server, and later upload the recorded message. The voicemail server correlates the uploaded message with the previously terminated session and notifies the callee of the receipt of the message.
US09294887B2	Selectively granting a floor during set-up of a communication session within a wireless communications system An embodiment is directed to an application server configured to set-up a communication session within a wireless communications system. The application server receives, from a session originator, a request to initiate the communication session with a set of session targets, and then transmits one or more call announcement messages for announcing the communication session to the set of session targets. The application server determines information associated with a probability that the set of session targets will fail to accept the announced communication session, and/or delay information associated with when call responses will arrive from the set of session targets in response to the one or more call announcement messages. The application server selectively grants a floor of the communication session to the session originator based on the determined information.
US09294885B2	Method and system for system information acquisition The embodiments herein provide a method of acquiring a plurality of system information messages in a radio communication network. The method comprises the steps of overlapping a plurality of system information windows and acquiring the plurality of system information messages for which the system information window overlaps in the user equipment. The method of overlapping the system information windows comprises of transmitting system information scheduling configuration containing scheduling information list, calculating start sub-frame and start radio frame of the system information window for the system information messages from the scheduling information, determining occurrence of system information window overlap of the system information messages and acquiring a plurality of system information messages in the overlapped system information windows. The system information acquisition is performed until the plurality of system information messages in the overlapped system information widow is acquired.
US09294884B2	Digital broadcasting system and data processing method A method of processing broadcast data in a broadcast transmitting system includes Reed-Solomon (RS) encoding and Cyclic Redundancy Check encoding an RS frame payload including mobile service data to build an RS frame, wherein the RS frame payload comprises a plurality of mobile and handheld transport packets; first encoding data of the RS frame with a first encoding code; second encoding signaling data with a second encoding code, wherein the signaling data include fast information channel (FIC) data and transmission parameter channel (TPC) data, the FIC data including information for rapid mobile service acquisition and the TPC data including a parade identifier for identifying a parade to which a current data group belongs; mapping the first encoded data into data groups and adding known data sequences and the second encoded signaling data to each of the data groups; and transmitting a transmission frame including data of the data groups.
US09294877B2	Use of a trained classifier to determine if a pair of wireless scans came from the same location The present disclosure describes methods, systems, and apparatuses for determining the likelihood that two wireless scans of a mobile computing device were performed in the same location. The likelihood is determined by scanning for wireless networks with a computing device. The scanning includes a receiving a plurality of network attributes for each wireless networks within the range of the mobile computing device. Further, the likelihood is determined by comparing the plurality of network attributes from the scanning with a reference set of network attributes. The comparing of network attributes is used to determine an attribute comparison. Finally, the likelihood between a position associated with the reference set of network attributes and the computing device, based on the attribute comparison, determines a position associated with the network.
US09294874B2	Wireless user based notification system A group of wireless device users are notified of an event. A location data determination algorithm is provided to a wireless device, where the algorithm determines a frequency at which the device interacts with network elements to determine its location. The location data is stored in a notification server and used to identify a user at a specific location. When a governmental or commercial entity wishes to issue a notification, a message is provided to those users whose location is identified as being in an area defined by the entity.
US09294858B2	Controlling acoustic echo cancellation while handling a wireless microphone An audio system has a base station, a speaker and one or more wireless microphones. The audio system operates to receive audio information from both a far-end audio source and a near-end audio source and to process the audio information for transmission to a far-end audio system. The wireless microphones have an electrically conductive element connected to a touch sensitive switch, and the electrically conductive element is proximate to an outer perimeter surface of the microphones. When the outer perimeter surface of the microphone is touched, the switch is activated which sends a microphone handling signal to the base station. The base station uses the microphone handling signal to control an operational characteristic of an audio signal processing function running on the base station.
US09294850B2	Parallel antennas for standard fit hearing assistance devices An embodiment of a hearing assistance device comprises a housing, a power source, a radio circuit, an antenna and a transmission line. The radio circuit is within the housing and electrically connected to the power source. The antenna has an aperture, and the radio circuit is at least substantially within the aperture. The transmission line electrically connects to the antenna to the radio circuit. Various antenna embodiments include a flex circuit antenna.
US09294849B2	Method and apparatus for detecting user activities from within a hearing assistance device using a vibration sensor The present subject matter relates to method and apparatus for processing sound by a hearing assistance device. In one example, the present subject matter is an apparatus for processing sound for a hearing assistance device, comprising: a microphone adapted for reception of the sound and to create a sound signal relating to the sound; a transducer that produces an output voltage related to motion; a signal processor, connected to the microphone and the transducer, the signal processor adapted to process the sound signal and the output voltage, the signal processor performing a vibration detection algorithm adapted to adjust hearing assistance device settings for a detected activity; and a housing adapted to house the signal processor.
US09294844B2	Voice coil speaker A signal processing board for outputting a driving signal to voice coils is disposed at a proper position. A voice coil speaker has a speaker frame, a diaphragm supported by the speaker frame, a bobbin which is connected to the diaphragm and has voice coils formed thereon, and a signal processing board for processing a driving signal to be output to the voice coil. The signal processing board is secured to the speaker frame while disposed at the outside of the diaphragm.
US09294838B2	Sound capture system A sound capture system is disclosed that includes an open-sphere microphone array where at least four omnidirectional microphones providing at least four output signals are disposed around a point of symmetry and an evaluation circuit that is connected to the at least four microphones disposed around the point of symmetry and that is configured to superimpose the output signal of each of the at least four microphones disposed around the point of symmetry with the output signal of one of the other microphones to form at least four differential microphone constellations providing at least four output signals, each differential microphone constellation having an axis along which it exhibits maximum sensitivity.
US09294829B2	Wind noise reduction filter A noise reduction filter for a microphone reducing unwanted wind noise includes a first filter element made of a first material configured to filter out wind noise, wherein the first filter element comprises a first surface configured to face towards a first microphone inlet of a first sound tube, the first microphone inlet having a central axis, and a second filter element made of a second material configured to be impermeable to wind, wherein the second filter element is configured to be positioned at the central axis so that a first part of a sound wave travelling towards the first microphone inlet is prevented by the second filter element from passing through a second surface of the first filter element into the first filter element, wherein the second surface is configured to be positioned at the central axis.
US09294825B2	System and method for utility meter activation A utility network includes a utility meter capable of measuring a property of the network once installed and capable of communicating the measurement to a server once activated. The network also includes an access point configured to communicatively couple to the utility meter and to the server and configured to notify the server when the utility meter has been bound to the access point. The network further includes a mobile device configured to notify the server when the utility meter has been installed, configured to request the server to add the utility meter to a queue of utility meters to be activated by the server, and configured to receive a response from the server when the utility meter is activated.
US09294821B2	Scrubbing noise remover and methods for use therewith A scrubbing noise remover includes a proxy device that is operable to intercept a request from a video player to a streaming video server for at least one scrubbing segment of a selected one of a plurality of video programs, and in response, sending at least one corresponding fixed segment to the video player, and pass a request from the video player to the streaming video server for a plurality of non-scrubbing segments of the selected one of the plurality of video programs.
US09294807B1	System for the delivery and dynamic presentation of large media assets over bandwidth constrained networks Media content, based on a predetermined set of constraints, from a content provider is delivered to a local cache of a user device before viewing the media. A client asset manager process resides in the user device, an asset list at the content provider site, and the media assets are located at a remote site.
US09294803B2	Kiosk set-top-box A device may include one or more processors. The one or more processors may be configured to receive user input via a user interface and provide an appearance of selecting a channel, via a content presentation device connected to the device, without actually selecting the channel when the user input requests a particular program channel. The one or more processors may also be configured to display interactive program guide data at the content presentation device when the user input requests an interactive program guide and when the device is disconnected from a network from which the device received the interactive program guide data.
US09294799B2	Systems and methods for providing storage of data on servers in an on-demand media delivery system A system and method may be provided that allows users to store, retrieve, and manipulate on-demand media content and data stored on a remote server network in an on-demand media delivery system. More particularly, the system may allow a user to access his or her on-demand media account from user equipment in different locations as long as the current user equipment can communicate with a remote server that stores user-specific information. The system upon user selection may freeze the delivery of on-demand media at a particular point and allow the user to resume the media at a later time from some other network location in system. Users may upload personal images or files to an on-demand delivery server for later retrieval and display. Users may be permitted to assign access rights to the uploaded files.
US09294792B2	Dynamic rebroadcast scheduling of videos Some embodiments include a method for managing rebroadcast of a previously broadcast video. The method includes a computer determining popularity of the previously broadcast video based, at least in part, on a number of requests to rebroadcast the previously broadcast video. The method includes the computer determining a popularity threshold based in part on demographics of viewers sending the number of requests to rebroadcast the previously broadcast video. The method includes the computer determining that the popularity of the previously broadcast video exceeds the popularity threshold, and in response, the computer determining a day of week and time of day to rebroadcast the previously broadcast video based in part on days of the week and times of day in which the requests were sent.
US09294791B2	Method and system for utilizing switched digital video (SDV) for delivering dynamically encoded video content A server may be used to handle at least some of processing of content that is based on web access operations initiated in a set-top box (STB), wherein one or more links between the server and the STB that are used to forward multimedia broadcasts are configured to free bandwidth for communicating at least a portion of the processed content to the STB. The bandwidth may be freed based on switched digital video (SDV) and/or dedicated IPTV channels or systems. The broadcast links may be reconfigured based on monitoring of multimedia broadcast access by the STB and/or one or more other STBs. The freed bandwidth in the multimedia broadcast links may be configured for unicast transport of processed content to a specific STB, or may be configured for multicast transport of the processed content to a plurality of STBs.
US09294787B2	Ad hoc collaboration network for capturing audio/video data Software authenticates a first user of a first mobile device and a second user of a second mobile device. Each of the mobile devices includes a video capturing device and each user agrees or has previously agreed to share video data captured by the user with other authenticated users. The software determines whether the first mobile device is located proximate to the second mobile device. Then the software receives video data captured by the second mobile device and transmits the video data to the first mobile device for display along with an annotation indicating the location of the second mobile device relative to the first mobile device, if the first mobile device is proximate to the second mobile device. The software receives an indication from the first mobile device that at least some of the video data is to be indexed in a profile associated with the first user.
US09294784B2	Method and apparatus for region-based filter parameter selection for de-artifact filtering Methods and apparatus are provided for region-based filter parameter selection for de-artifact filtering. An apparatus includes an encoder for encoding picture data for at least a region of a picture. The encoder includes a de-artifact filter for performing de-artifact filtering on the region using region-based filter parameter selection. The region includes any of a non-block-boundary, a block boundary, a combination thereof, and the non-block-boundary to an exclusion of any block boundaries.
US09294782B1	Image processing system with artifact reduction mechanism and method of operation thereof An image processing system, and a method of operation thereof, including: a capture device for obtaining a base input image; and an image signal processing hardware including: a pre-processing module for: partitioning the base input image into base image blocks, generating an input image block based on the base image blocks, inverting the input image block associated with some of the positions within the base input image; a wavelet transform module for generating a transformed image block based on the input image block; a coding module for generating a scaled wavelet block based on the transformed image block, the coding module for generating a compressed image block based on the scaled wavelet block; and a decoding module and an inverse wavelet transform module for generating an output image block by decoding and performing an inverse wavelet transform on the compressed image block for display on a display device.
US09294781B2	Method and apparatus for encoding video by using transformation index, and method and apparatus for decoding video by using transformation index Encoding and decoding a video using transformation index that indicates information that indicates a structure of a transformation unit transforming data of a current coding unit.
US09294780B2	Method and apparatus for encoding video by motion prediction using arbitrary partition, and method and apparatus for decoding video by motion prediction using arbitrary partition An apparatus for decoding a video by parsing asymmetric partition information indicating whether partition types include asymmetric partition types, from a bitstream of an encoded image, determining at least one coding unit included in a maximum coding unit by using split information parsed from the received bitstream, determining at least one prediction unit of a coding unit among the at least one coding unit, by using the asymmetric partition information and information about a partition type of the coding unit parsed from the received bitstream, and performing motion compensation using the prediction units for the coding unit.
US09294779B2	Multi-bit information hiding using overlapping subsets Methods and devices for reconstructing coefficient levels from a bitstream of encoded video data for a coefficient group in a transform unit. Sign bits are hidden in the parity of partially overlapping subsets of a set of coefficients. This enables the hiding of multiple sign bits per coefficient group. Other information bits may be hidden instead of sign bits in some cases.
US09294778B2	Block motion estimation Methods and apparatus for conducting motion searching are provided. A first 2D array includes interconnected multi-directional shift registers for storing and shifting image values corresponding to a search window within a search region. A second 2D array includes registers for storing image values corresponding to a macroblock. A distortion calculation module is arranged to calculate and output a distortion value corresponding to the difference between image values stored in associated registers of the first and second arrays. The distortion value quantifies the correlation between the search window and the macroblock. The shift registers of the first 2D array are controlled to pass image values between adjacent shift registers to translate the position of the search window within the search region. Distortion values outputted after progressive shifts of the first 2D array are tracked to determine an optimal registration position of the macroblock relative to the search region.
US09294776B2	Parallel processing for video coding In one example, a device for coding video data includes a video coder configured to code, for a tile of an enhancement layer picture, data indicating a number of tiles in a base layer picture that need to be coded before the tile of the enhancement layer picture can be coded, code tiles of the base layer picture corresponding to the number of tiles, and, after coding the tiles of the base layer picture, code the tile of the enhancement layer picture substantially in parallel with at least one other tile in the base layer picture.
US09294769B2	Intra-prediction method using filtering, and apparatus using the method Disclosed are an intra-prediction method using filtering and an apparatus using the method. An image-decoding method comprises: a step of filtering an n upper reference pixel of a block to be predicted and neighboring pixels of the n upper reference pixel so as to obtain the filtered n upper reference pixel; and a step of filtering an n left reference pixel of a block to be predicted and neighboring pixels of the n left reference pixel so as to obtain the filtered n left reference pixel. According to the present invention, intra-prediction may be efficiently performed to improve image-encoding/decoding efficiency.
US09294758B2	Determining depth data for a captured image A method, system, and one or more computer-readable storage media for depth acquisition from density modulated binary patterns are provided herein. The method includes capturing a number of images for a scene using an IR camera and a number of IR lasers including diffraction grates. Each image includes a density modulated binary pattern carrying phase information. The method also includes performing pixel based phase matching for the images to determine depth data for the scene based on the phase information carried by the density modulated binary patterns.
US09294757B1	3-dimensional videos of objects A plurality of cameras capture images of an object from different viewpoints. The images from each of the cameras are used to generate a 3D video of the object. The 3D video is provided to a user for viewing the object. The user may switching between different viewpoints of the 3D video while viewing the 3D video. A media viewer may be provided to a user and the media viewer may allow the user to specify different viewpoints and to control playback of the 3D video.
US09294753B2	Apparatus for extracting image object in 3D image system and method thereof Disclosed are an apparatus for extracting an image object in a 3D image system and a method thereof.The apparatus for extracting an image object in a 3D image system includes: an image inputting unit receiving an image; a space setting unit setting virtual space at which the image object is positioned from the received image; and an object extracting unit extracting the image object from the set virtual space from the received image.
US09294743B2	Pixel interpolation apparatus, image capture apparatus, storage medium, and integrated circuit An image capture apparatus 1000 includes an image capture unit C1, a signal processor unit C2, and a pixel interpolation unit 100. In the image capture apparatus 1000, with respect to an image signal captured by the image capture unit C1 which includes a single image sensor having three-color filters in arbitrary colors, a plurality of pairs of correlation degrees of two directions which are perpendicular to each other are obtained using image data of pixels provided around an observed pixel, and a pixel interpolation process is carried out using the correlation degrees as a reference for determination. Then, in the image capture apparatus 1000, even if a color component pixel in the same color as a color component pixel on which the pixel interpolation process is to be carried out is not provided in a direction where there is strong correlation, a rate of change in a direction perpendicular to the direction where there is strong correlation is obtained using a pixel value which is obtained though color space conversion in the direction perpendicular to the direction where there is strong correlation. Thus, a pixel interpolation process is carried out based on the obtained rate of change.
US09294742B2	Spectral improvement of digital camera color images Systems and methods for modifying a color image of a scene are provided. The systems and methods involve illuminating at least a portion of the scene with a light having a known spectral power distribution, and detecting a finite number of spectral components of light received from the scene under such illumination. The detected values of spectral components of light received from the scene are used to modify the color image or rendition of the scene.
US09294740B2	Imaging device having a color image generator generating a color image using edge data and a fake color suppressing coefficient An imaging device is provided with an imaging element. The imaging element has a sensitive wavelength region including an infrared wavelength region, and selectively including a visible wavelength region, and is composed of at least three types of pixels having spectral sensitivities different from each other. The imaging device generates a color image, based on a luminance signal including an infrared wavelength component, and based on a color-difference signal that has been generated based on a visible wavelength component in original image data. The luminance signal including an infrared wavelength component is generated, based on a signal obtained by compressing the dynamic range of original image data including at least three types of original image components acquired by an imaging operation of the imaging element.
US09294733B2	Driving assist apparatus Provided is a driving assist apparatus that eases the driver's operational burden by superimposing a guide image on an image captured by a vehicle-mounted camera, with a simple system configuration. A captured image of the periphery of the vehicle captured by the vehicle-mounted camera is displayed on a display apparatus inside the vehicle as a display image superimposed with a guide image using a guide display, which is a graphics image containing a guide line. Predicted course lines, which are guide lines indicating predicted courses according to an actual steering angle of the vehicle in the captured image, are stored as a plurality of graphics images that have been generated in advance for every predetermined steering angle, in a storage portion that stores graphics images for forming guide displays. A graphics image of a predicted course line is acquired from the storage portion according to the actual steering angle of the vehicle, and is provided as a guide image.
US09294730B2	Method and apparatus for distributing merchant advertisements A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) system having a controller to present a merchant a graphical user interface (GUI) for entering advertisement information, receive from the merchant advertisement information, generate an advertisement GUI for presenting the received advertisement information, identify a plurality of users of the IPTV system that demographically correlate to the advertisement information, and direct the advertisement GUI to one or more set-top boxes of the identified plurality of users. Other embodiments are disclosed.
US09294728B2	System and method for routing content A system for transmitting information to a display includes one or more content sources, a network, a content processor, and a display device. The content sources are each capable of transmitting content to a content router in first formats according to packet-based communication protocol. The network selectively couples content sources to the content processor. The content processor requests and receives content from a selected content source. The content processor then modifies the first formats and generates a video stream based on the received content and transmits the video stream to the display device. The display device then displays the video stream.
US09294722B2	Optimized telepresence using mobile device gestures Telepresence of a mobile user (MU) utilizing a mobile device (MD) and remote users who are participating in a telepresence session is optimized. The MD receives video of a first remote user (FRU). Whenever the MU gestures with the MD using a first motion, video of the FRU is displayed. The MD can also receive video and audio of the FRU and a second remote user (SRU), display a workspace, and reproduce the audio of the FRU and SRU in a default manner. Whenever the MU gestures with the MD using the first motion, video of the FRU is displayed and audio of the FRU and SRU is reproduced in a manner that accentuates the FRU. Whenever the MU gestures with the MD using a second motion, video of the SRU is displayed and audio of the FRU and SRU is reproduced in a manner that accentuates the SRU.
US09294720B2	Method, device, and system for reducing bandwidth usage during a communication session A communication system, method and communication terminal are configured to permit bandwidth reduction when communication partners are engaged in a communication session. In one embodiment, a communication terminal such as a cellular phone or tablet may turn off at least one of its display and camera sensor within a predetermined amount of time when the terminal is detected as being positioned near a user's ear via at least one sensor of the terminal. In some embodiments, the communication terminal may also transmit one or more messages to communication devices of communication partners engaged in the communication session to inform those devices that video transmissions should no longer be sent to the communication terminal. The communication terminal and other communication devices involved in the communication session may also stop transmitting video as a result of the detection of the communication terminal being positioned near a user's ear.
US09294716B2	Method and system for controlling an imaging system First image data representing a first view, captured by a camera system, of a second location, is displayed at the first location. The first view is associated with a first orientation relative to the second location. A first angular displacement associated with a motion of a chair disposed at the first location is determined. Information representing the first angular displacement is transmitted to the camera system. Second image data representing a second view of the second location associated with a second orientation is displayed at the first location, the second orientation having a relationship to the first orientation based on the first angular displacement.
US09294712B2	Interpolated video tagging Interpolated video tagging techniques are described. An example method includes identifying, a sequence of video frames included in a plurality of video frames of a video, where an object exists in at least one video frame of the sequence of video frames, determining an interpolation function associated with the existence of the object in the sequence of video frames, where the interpolation function specifies a time domain of the video in which the interpolation function is valid, and transmitting the video, an indication of the object, and an indication of the interpolation function.
US09294711B2	De-interlacing and frame rate upconversion for high definition video Technologies and implementations for de-interlacing an interlaced digital video and up-converting a frame rate of a digital video are generally disclosed.
US09294707B2	Television A television may include a main body, an additional electronic unit installed at an outside of the main body, at least one port allowing which is configured to connect a connector of a cable for communication with the an additional external electronic unit to the main body be connected thereto; and at least one heat transfer member to receive which is configured to receive and transfer heat transferred from the at least one port.
US09294704B2	Image capturing apparatus and image capturing method An image capturing apparatus includes an input unit, a detecting unit, and a controller. The input unit continuously inputs a signal sequence. The signal sequence includes values of multiple pixels and control information. The pixels constitute an image. The control information is embedded at multiple positions according to a rule. The detecting unit detects occurrence of an error on the basis of the inputted control information. The controller interrupts the input performed by the input unit when the detected error is based on the control information embedded in a first region of the image, and continues the input when the detected error is based on the control information embedded in a second region.
US09294703B2	Image sensor including data transmission circuit having split bus segments A data transmission circuit of an image sensor includes first to Kth bus segments, and first to Kth data regeneration circuits respectively connected to the first to Kth bus segments and the first to (K−1)th data regeneration circuits respectively connected to the second to Kth bus segments. Each of the first to Kth data regeneration circuits may be embodied as one of a buffer, a logic gate, and a synchronous circuit operating in response to a clock signal.
US09294685B2	Image processing apparatus, electronic camera, and medium storing image processing program In an image processing apparatus performing synthetic processing on N number of images (where N is an integer of two or larger) being captured from a same photographic scene under mutually different exposure conditions to generate a synthetic image with a higher dynamic range than the N number of images, obtaining the N number of images, and performing low-pass processing on at least one image among the N number of images to generate a low-pass image. Then, a weighting amount in the synthetic processing is decided based on the low-pass image, and the synthetic processing is performed on the N number of images according to the decided weighting amount to generate the synthetic image. Accordingly, a natural synthetic image with fewer changes in contrast, hue, and chroma is generated in a simple configuration when generating the synthetic image.
US09294679B1	Real-time perspective correction A system and method for correcting the perspective of visual data in real-time is disclosed. A electronic device accesses live visual data through a camera associated with an electronic device. The electronic device displays the live visual data on a display associated with the electronic device. The electronic device detects tilt data from a sensor associated with the electronic device, wherein tilt data indicates that the electronic device has tilted from an original angle to a current angle. In response to detecting tilt data from the sensor associated with the electronic device, the electronic devices alters the displayed live visual data to correct a live perspective of a live video feed.
US09294678B2	Display control apparatus and control method for display control apparatus A display control apparatus performs control so as to enlarge and display a portion of an image in response to a TELE operation performed while the entire image is being normally displayed, and performs control so as to change an enlargement area of the image to an area corresponding to an in-focus position within an area of the image in response to a press of a set button while the image is being enlarged and displayed. The set button has a function of displaying a FUNK menu when the set button is pressed while the entire image is being normally displayed.
US09294667B2	MEMS auto focus miniature camera module with fixed and movable lens groups A MEMS auto focus miniature camera module includes an image sensor and an optical train including at least one movable lens and one or more fixed lenses or fixed lens groups on either side of the movable lens. The movable lens provides an auto focus feature of the camera module. A MEMS actuator translates the movable lens through an auto focus range to adjust focus.
US09294666B2	Communication method A communication method is used in a terminal having a front camera as a first image capturing unit and a back camera as a second image capturing unit. The communication method includes: switching between the front camera and the back camera according to an orientation of the terminal; and performing visible light communication by using the front camera or the back camera which is selected.
US09294659B1	Device and assembly for coupling an external optical component to a portable electronic device An assembly for coupling an external optical component to a portable electronic device is disclosed. The assembly includes a portable electronic device case having two sidewalls extending from a rear wall, a camera opening extending through the rear wall, a rear groove on an outer surface of the rear wall, and a side groove on a sidewall. Also included is an optical component coupling configured to removably couple to the portable electronic device case. The optical component coupling includes a face plate, a side plate, a rear tongue positioned to engage with the rear groove, a side tongue positioned to engage with the side groove, an optical component mount positioned to align with the camera opening. The optical component comprises one of a spectrometer, a magnifying optical component, a light filter, a telescope, a night vision optical component, a spotting scope, and a bore scope.
US09294656B2	Image processing apparatus and image processing method An image processing apparatus includes: an interface unit configured to input an image signal from an imaging apparatus that exposes a specimen dyed with a fluorescent dye to excitation light and images fluorescence by a color imaging element; and a color correction circuit configured to retain information on a percentage of each of a component of a second color and a component of a third color with respect to a component of a first color corresponding to the excitation light in the image signal, which is determined in advance based on color filter spectral characteristics of the color imaging element, and reduce each of an amount corresponding to the percentage of the component of the second color and an amount corresponding to the percentage of the component of the third color from the input image signal.
US09294635B2	Method for generating a common mosaic design for the covers of photo projects created through an electronic interface A system for creating media-based projects includes a server, the server having access to a processor and a data repository, the server including a non-transitory physical medium, and software running from the non-transitory physical medium, the software providing a method comprising steps of receiving a plurality of images from a user-operated computing appliance to add to the media-project; performing image analysis on the images added to the media-project to identify a plurality of distinguishable features in the images; and selecting a subset of the plurality of distinguishable features in the images for presentation in a mosaic pattern in the media-project, wherein the mosaic pattern comprises the plurality of distinguishable features displayed in a tile pattern comprising a plurality of tiles, and wherein an overlaid die-cut pattern has a plurality of die-cuts corresponding to the plurality of tiles through which the mosaic pattern comprising the distinguishable features is visible.
US09294628B2	Method and apparatus for processing network origination calls in a hybrid network A method and apparatus for processing network origination calls in a hybrid network. A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a network management system (NMS) having a detection module to detect at a first terminal a network origination call directed to a second terminal, a search module to search a terminal type for each of the first and second terminals according to information supplied in the network origination call, and an enablement module to enable at least one media gateway to provide communication services to each of the first and second terminals identified as a circuit-switched terminal by its corresponding terminal type. Additional embodiments are disclosed.
US09294627B1	Methods and systems for providing telecommunications services The present invention is related to telecommunications. A call processing system receives a first call from a caller intended for a first person. A notification regarding the first call is transmitted over a network to a terminal associated with the first person. A user interface is displayed on the terminal via which the first person can indicate that a callback message is to be transmitted to the caller. The callback message is transmitted to the caller, wherein the callback message includes an identification of the first person, a callback control, and text indicating that the caller is to activate the control to initiate another call to the first person. At least partly in response to the caller activating the control, A second call to be placed via which the first person and caller are connected.
US09294625B2	Limiting contact in a networked contact center environment This document discusses, among other things, limiting contact to a networked contact center that is a host to multiple tenants. In an example embodiment, a communication is received by a networked contact center. In determining whether to allow the communication to reach contact center resources, a contact rate value may be examined. The contact rate value may represent an allowable quantity of contact within a time interval. For some example embodiments, a determination of whether the network contact center is to accept or reject the communication is made based on the contact rate value.
US09294618B2	Call-back to a UE that has made an emergency call via a visited IMS network Exemplary methods for establishing an emergency call and an emergency call-back for a first User Equipment (UE) communicatively coupled to a visited Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network includes establishing an emergency call by the first UE sending an emergency call request to a Proxy Call Session Control Function (P-CSCF) in the visited IMS network. The methods further include providing, from the P-CSCF to a Serving CSCF (S-CSCF) in a home IMS network for the first UE, information comprising an indication that the emergency call has been performed and an equipment identifier of the first UE. The methods further include receiving, in the S-CSCF, an emergency call-back request from an emergency call-center, and using, in the S-CSCF, information comprised in the received emergency call-back and the information provided by the P-CSCF, to route the emergency call-back to the first UE and/or to a second UE.
US09294612B2	Adjustable mobile phone settings based on environmental conditions A mobile communication device automatically adapts to different environments based on the ambient audio it detects. Device message indicators (e.g., ringers, haptic feedback devices) are automatically adjusted based on ambient audio levels and possibly other environmental parameters so that they are less intrusive in quieter environments and, in noisier environments, more intrusive so that they are more able to gain the attention of the user.
US09294610B2	Emergency alert system and program for portable devices A system and software application that communicates with a central service for alerting a security service that help is needed, wherein an application running on a smart phone causes identity information, location information, and an emergency alert to be transmitted to an emergency response facility either by a single button press or a delayed count-down, or else, in the even that a data network is unavailable, presents an interface to directly dial an emergency response service with a single button press.
US09294606B2	Method for realizing downloading of mobile terminal application program and mobile terminal The method of the present invention adds a plug-in control unit on an operation interface of a mobile terminal, and displays the plug-in control unit on the operation interface. An application program downloading icon pushed by a background server is arranged and displayed on the plug-in control unit, and before the downloading of the application program is completed, the application program downloading icon links to a downloading address of a corresponding application program. An operational instruction of a user is received, a corresponding application program is downloaded, and identification is displayed according to the downloading status. The present invention has the advantage of downloading and installing an application program quickly.
US09294603B2	Standard mobile communication device distraction prevention and safety protocols Methods and systems for providing standardized mobile device distraction prevention and safety protocols are disclosed. In particular, an embodiment of a method for activating a distraction prevention or safety protocol behavior in a mobile device when the mobile device satisfies a specific condition is disclosed. The method includes discovering one or more protocol activators configured to transmit discovery information associated with a specific condition. The method further includes activating distraction prevention safety protocol behavior in the mobile device based at least in part on the discovery information. In an implementation, the specific condition may be a specified environment itself and or include an event when the mobile device enters a specified environment or a specified sequence of numbers is dialed from the mobile device.
US09294601B2	Illuminated cell phone case An illuminated cell phone case that includes a one piece bumper that surrounds a perimeter of a cell phone, illuminated indicia that is disposed on a back portion of the illuminating cell phone case and a LED, PCB and battery assembly. The illuminating cell phone case includes one or more programmable microprocessors that controls a plurality of LED lights, LCD Screens, LED Screens, a motion sensing chip, an audio detection sensor microphone, electronic microprocessor switches that activates electronic components powered by a battery that provides power to the illuminating cellphone case.
US09294594B2	Method and apparatus for transmitting data and method and apparatus for processing data A method of transmitting data and a method of processing data, the methods including acquiring basic data of a type defined in the open API and extended data of a type not defined in the open API; converting the extended data to data of a type defined in the open API; and invoking the open API and transmitting the basic data and the converted extended data to the server.
US09294592B2	Method and system for serialization and deserialization (SERDES) for inter-system communications An integrated circuit may comprise a tuner operable to digitize a band of frequencies comprising a plurality of television channels, a crossbar operable to select one or more of the plurality of television channels output by the tuner, a plurality of demodulators operable to receive the selected one or more television channels from the crossbar and demodulate the selected one or more television channels to recover a plurality of transport streams, a transport module operable to multiplex the plurality of transport streams into a single packet stream, and a framer operable to: encapsulate packets of the plurality of transport streams into transport stream frames of a serial datastream, and insert filler frames into the serial datastream after every Nth transport stream frame of the serial datastream, where N is an integer.
US09294591B2	Apparatus and methods for flexible communications in a network A method that incorporates teachings of the subject disclosure may include, for example, transmitting a first query to a domain naming server responsive to receiving a session initiation protocol message comprising a fully qualified domain name. The first query can include one of an internet protocol version 4 address query or an internet protocol version 6 address query associated with the fully qualified domain name. The method can include receiving at least one answer from the domain naming server. The at least one answer can include at least one of an internet protocol version 4 address having no errors, a second internet protocol version 6 address having no errors, or both. The method can also include transmitting a message to a communication device. The message can include information associated with the at least one answer.
US09294584B2	Transporting serially over TCP/IP using raw TCP encapsulation In one embodiment, a router establishes a serial-over-TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) communication session between terminal units using raw-TCP encapsulation. For the session, the router maps serial characters to TCP out-of-band (OOB) communication fields, maps serial flow control signals to TCP/IP receiver-window advertisements, and dynamically adjusts a TCP/IP priority based on serial payload priority. Accordingly, the router may thus communicate data over the serial-over-TCP/IP session based on the mappings and priority.
US09294579B2	Centralized registration for distributed social content services A system and method are directed towards enabling centralized registration for managing a selective display of visitor information to distributed social networking websites. A visitor may enter selective personal information, and determine what information is made available on a social networking webpage. The visitor may then return to the social networking website to view selective visitor information, such as within a reader roll. A visitor to a social networking website may select to not have their information displayed at selective a social networking website, while still being displayed at another social networking website. In one embodiment, selecting to not display their information may be performed by ‘mousing’ over their information and selecting a display option. Social networking websites may look to a centralized registration system to determine whether to display the visitor information, while still being able to obtain information about the visitor, and/or provide benefits to the visitor.
US09294574B2	Device discovery using broadcast technology Techniques described herein automatically discover the IP address of a first network device such as but not limited to a multifunction printer. Such techniques use a unique identifier of the first network device, such as for example a multifunction printer serial number. Such unique number is used in the configuration of a second network device, such as for example a Digital Front End/External Print Controller that may need the IP address of the first network device. The unique number may be entered once into the second network device or may be received from the first network device through a data interface by the second network device. Techniques then may use any available broadcast technology such as but not limited to Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) to determine from available network devices which network device therefrom has the same unique number, thereby obtaining the IP address of the first network device.
US09294573B2	Determining the status of a device through use of a publisher/subscriber interface A publish/subscribe interface is used to enable a non-publish/subscribe first system (such as an IP network device) to obtain status information about a publish/subscribe device that cannot be pinged by the first system. The first system sends a status request to a domain name server associated with a system known to include the publish/subscribe device. The status request includes a domain name for the publish/subscribe device. Topic space maintained by a message broker in the publish/subscribe system includes status topics associated with publish/subscribe devices. The status topics contents reflect the current availability of the associated publish/subscribe device. The domain name is mapped to a status topic associated to the publish/subscribe device identified in the status request and the contents of that status topic are retrieved. If the contents have a first value, a “good” IP address is returned to the first system. If the contents have the second value, a “bad” IP address is returned. The return address is used in ping messages. If the ping operation succeeds, it is concluded the publish/subscribe device is online. If the ping operation fails, it is concluded that the publish/subscribe device is off-line.
US09294558B1	Connection re-balancing in distributed storage systems At a particular node of a storage service to which connections have been established on behalf of one or more clients, respective workload indicators are collected from a set of peer nodes of the storage service. A determination is made at the particular node that (a) a local workload metric exceeds a connection rebalancing threshold, and (b) a peer capacity availability criterion has been met. The peer capacity availability criterion may be determined from the respective workload indicators. In response to the determination, a particular client connection is closed.
US09294556B2	System and method for integrating an electronic pointing device into digital image data A method and system is provided for creating a new video stream having an electronic pointer rendered therein. The disclosed system includes a receiver that continuously receives position data from a wireless pointing device; a calibration unit that calculates positions for the electronic pointer relative to a viewing device based on the position data received from the wireless pointing device; a processor that renders the electronic pointer in an original video feed received from a video source to create the new video stream as a single data stream, such that the electronic pointer is positioned at locations in the new video stream that correspond to the calculated positions for the electronic pointer; and a server that transmits the new video stream to the wireless pointing device to be rendered on a screen of the wireless pointing device.
US09294555B2	Information processing apparatus, information processing method, information processing program and recording medium recording information processing program therein It is an object to provide an information processing apparatus and the like capable of, even when an initial application cannot be accepted, presenting an alternative to the application to an applicant so that the applicant can easily apply the alternative.When the contents of an initial application are grasped from received transmission data and it is judged that the application cannot be accepted, reply data containing transmission destination information capable of identifying an alternative to the application is created and the created reply data is transmitted to the transmission source of the transmission data.
US09294551B1	Collective engine method and apparatus A data-processing system and method for performing collective operations. Some embodiments provide a plurality of leaf software processes, a plurality of collective engines (CEs), and a network operatively coupled to the plurality of CEs, wherein collective operations messages are sent between CEs. Each of the plurality of hierarchies includes a root, leaf CEs, and one or more intermediate levels of CEs between the root and the leaf CEs. Each CE except the root is configured to have a parent CE, and each non-leaf CE in the hierarchy that is not the root CE and not one of the leaf CEs has one or more child CEs. Data is sent from software processes to one or more of the plurality of CEs, and data is received to one or more software processes from one or more of the plurality of collective engines. The root CE outputs a final result.
US09294545B2	Fast join of peer to peer group with power saving mode A wireless peer-to-peer protocol that supports fast and low power joining to an existing group. The protocol may be an extension of a peer-to-peer protocol that supports a sleep state for a device controlling the group. When a device is seeking to join a group at a time when the controlling device is in a sleep state, another device that has information about the controlling device may provide information to the joining device that may then be used by the joining device to more quickly, and using less power, synchronize with the controlling device. The information may include information about a channel used by the controlling device or about timing of availability of the controlling device. The information may also reveal whether the group provides a service being sought by the joining device or may otherwise influence whether the joining device will attempt to join a group.
US09294544B1	System and method for facilitating client-server communication Computer-implemented method is disclosed. Method includes defining, at one or more computing devices, first client-server communication protocol for communication between client side and server side. First client-server communication protocol is application layer protocol in OSI model. Method also includes defining connection for client side associated with first client-server communication protocol. Method also includes defining data sink for first client-server communication protocol. Data sink is external to client side and external to server side. Data sink is configured to receive and process output of client side or server side. Method also includes defining data source for first client-server communication protocol. Data source is external to client side and external to server side. Data source is configured to provide input for client side or server side. Method also includes defining communication pathway between two or more of data source, data sink, client side, and server side to facilitate communication.
US09294539B2	Cooperative federation of digital devices via proxemics and device micro-mobility The subject disclosure is directed towards co-located collaboration/data sharing that is based upon detecting the proxemics of people and/or the proxemics of devices. A federation of devices is established based upon proxemics, such as when the users have entered into a formation based upon distance between them and orientation. User devices may share content with other devices in the federation based upon micro-mobility actions performed on the devices, e.g., tilting and/or otherwise interacting with a sending device.
US09294530B2	Producing equivalent content across encapsulators in a network environment A method is provided in one example and includes receiving first synchronization information associated with a first encapsulated output, receiving second synchronization information associated with a second encapsulated output, and determining whether the first encapsulated output and the second encapsulated output are in synchronization based upon the first synchronization information and the second synchronization information. The method may further include, when the first encapsulated output and the second encapsulated output are determined to out of synchronization, generating corrected synchronization information, and sending the corrected synchronization information to an encapsulator generating at least one of the first encapsulated output and the second encapsulated output.
US09294526B2	Managing multiple dynamic media streams A coordinated adaptive streaming system provides a level of intelligence between adaptive streaming heuristics applied to multiple multi-bitrate streams playing on a client computer at the same time. The system receives a media event that includes multiple multi-bitrate streams and plays two or more of the streams. Each stream registers with the coordinated adaptive streaming system so that the system is aware of each of the streams. The system receives a priority indication from each stream that indicates the priority of the stream relative to other streams associated with the media event. The system uses the received priority indications to make adaptive streaming decisions. Thus, the coordinated adaptive streaming system provides playback that more closely aligns with a user's priorities and provides a higher quality experience to a user viewing multiple concurrent media streams.
US09294523B2	Automatic future meeting scheduler based upon locations of meeting participants In a network that supports communications between client devices and at least one meeting server, a meeting request that includes one or more meeting constraints to be satisfied is monitored prior to scheduling or initiating a meeting between a plurality of meeting participants associated with respective client devices. At least one meeting constraint includes a location constraint that identifies a location for a client device associated with a meeting participant prior to scheduling or initiating the meeting. In response to each meeting constraint being satisfied, including the at least one location constraint, the meeting is automatically scheduled or initiated for the participants via the meeting server.
US09294518B2	Method to process a call request Establishing a communication session in a packet-based network. A communication session request is received from an originating device. The communication session request includes a destination address. A communication session is established with the originating device. The communication session includes a communication session identifier. Based on the destination address, a first media path is set up between the originating device and a first destination device, the first media path not including a communication session controller. The first media path between the originating device and the first destination device is taken down while maintaining the communication session with the originating device. After taking down the first media path, a second media path in the communication session is set up using the communication session identifier. The second media path extends between the originating device and a second destination device, the second media path not including the communication session controller.
US09294514B2	Caller-callee association of a plurality of networked devices The present disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for establishing and maintaining communication between two or more communication devices coupled to communication networks. Some specific aspects relate to communication between a plurality of communication devices each of which is coupled to a respective network. Other aspects relate to establishing such communication by way of contact lists maintained and facilitated on systems coupled to the networks. Users of multiple communication networks, such as VoIP, PSTN and wireless, employ multiple communication devices to communicate with their contacts. For example, a VoIP enabled computer is necessary to access contacts on a VoIP network and a mobile or cellular telephone is used to access contacts on wireless and PSTN networks. A contact list, stored on one communication device, in some instances, cannot be accessed from another communication device. For example, a contact list stored in a VoIP enabled computer cannot be accessed from PSTN or wireless phone devices. Various embodiments described herein provide a convenient solution that can integrate contacts stored on different communication devices and make them accessible from a single device.
US09294513B2	Method and system for providing emergency related services via a broadband gateway Aspects of a method and system for providing emergency-related services via a broadband gateway are provided. In this regard, a broadband gateway may receive one or more emergency notification messages, generate one or more alert messages in response to the received emergency notification message(s), and communicate the alert message(s) to the electronic device(s). Accordingly, each of the one or more alert messages may be formatted for communication to a corresponding one or corresponding ones of the one or more electronic devices. The emergency notification message(s) may be generated by an emergency services provider in response to an emergency. The emergency services provider may send a notification message to the broadband gateway device upon determining that the broadband gateway device, a person associated with the broadband gateway device, and/or a location associated with the broadband gateway device meets particular criteria.
US09294512B2	System and method for handling complaints about unsolicited communications A system and method to control sending of unsolicited communications over a network is provided. Typically, the network is the Internet and the system defines a SPAM prevention tool for users of an on-line service, such as an on-line bidding service. Users may contact an intended recipient with a contact form, which is forwarded to the recipient's e-mail address by an on-line service provider. A link accessible from a Web site allows recipients of unsolicited e-mail to complain to the on-line service provider. Sanctions are implemented against the sender of unsolicited e-mail based on the frequency of complaints. When the complaint level against a sender reaches a certain threshold, the sender is unable to use the contact form for a predetermined time period.
US09294509B2	Hierarchical management of devices A system for hierarchical management of devices may include memory and a processor. The processor may configure first devices of a first network with device operating policies to perform operations based at least on attributes of the first devices, where the operating policies prevent device interference. The processor may discover a second network of second devices managed by a second management entity and may negotiate with the second management entity to determine a primary management entity for the networks. The processor may receive device operating policies and attributes of the second devices when the second management entity is not the primary management entity. The processor may provide an adjusted device operating policy for a second device to the second management entity when the second device causes interference with a first device, the adjusted second device operating policy being based at least on attributes of the second device.
US09294505B2	System, method, and computer program product for preventing a modification to a domain name system setting A system, method, and computer program product are provided for preventing a modification to a domain name system setting. In use, an attempt to modify a domain name system setting is detected. Additionally, a source of the attempt and an attribute of the modification are verified. Further, the modification to the domain name system setting is prevented, based on the verification.
US09294504B1	Multiple operating system rotation environment moving target defense Systems and methods for providing a multiple operating system rotation environment (“MORE”) moving target defense (“MTD”) computing system are described. The MORE-MTD system provides enhanced computer system security through a rotation of multiple operating systems. The MORE-MTD system increases attacker uncertainty, increases the cost of attacking the system, reduces the likelihood of an attacker locating a vulnerability, and reduces the exposure time of any located vulnerability. The MORE-MTD environment is effectuated by rotation of the operating systems at a given interval. The rotating operating systems create a consistently changing attack surface for remote attackers.
US09294501B2	Fuzzy hash of behavioral results A computerized method is described in which a received object is analyzed by a malicious content detection (MCD) system to determine whether the object is malware or non-malware. The analysis may include the generation of a fuzzy hash based on a collection of behaviors for the received object. The fuzzy hash may be used by the MCD system to determine the similarity of the received object with one or more objects in previously classified/analyzed clusters. Upon detection of a “similar” object, the suspect object may be associated with the cluster and classified based on information attached to the cluster. This similarity matching provides 1) greater flexibility in analyzing potential malware objects, which may share multiple characteristics and behaviors but are also slightly different from previously classified objects and 2) a more efficient technique for classifying/assigning attributes to objects.
US09294497B1	Method and system for behavioral and risk prediction in networks using automatic feature generation and selection using network topolgies A system or method may include receiving, by a processor, data describing a network, wherein the network includes a plurality of entities and links describing relationships between the plurality of entities. The method may further include identifying a set of seed entities from the plurality of entities based on predefined rules. The method may further include generating a set of sub-networks based on the set of identified seed entities, wherein each of the sub-networks may include one or more other entities of the plurality of entities having at least one link to the at least one seed entity. The method may further include calculating a risk score for each of the generated sub-networks.
US09294489B2	Method and apparatus for detecting an intrusion on a cloud computing service Provided is a method and apparatus for detecting an intrusion in a cloud computing service. An elementary detector may monitor a virtual machine provided by a cloud computing service, and may generate a raw alert based on a result of the monitoring. An intrusion detection system (IDS) dispatcher may determine occurrence of an intrusion into the cloud computing service by comparing the raw alert and a local database. The IDS dispatcher may generate a hyper alert when it is determined that the intrusion has occurred. An intrusion detection system (IDS) manager may determine the occurrence of the intrusion by comparing the hyper alert and a global database.
US09294488B2	Control loop control using broadcast channel to communicate with a node under attack In one embodiment, a control loop control using a broadcast channel may be used to communicate with a node under attack. A management device may receive data indicating that one or more nodes in a computer network are under attack. The management device may then determine that one or more intermediate nodes are in proximity to the one or more nodes under attack, and communicate an attack-mitigation packet to the one or more nodes under attack by using the one or more intermediate nodes to relay the attack-mitigation packet to the one or more nodes under attack.
US09294486B1	Malware detection and analysis Embodiments of the invention describe systems and methods for malicious software detection and analysis. A binary executable comprising obfuscated malware on a host device may be received, and incident data indicating a time when the binary executable was received and identifying processes operating on the host device may be recorded. The binary executable is analyzed via a scalable plurality of execution environments, including one or more non-virtual execution environments and one or more virtual execution environments, to generate runtime data and deobfuscation data attributable to the binary executable. At least some of the runtime data and deobfuscation data attributable to the binary executable is stored in a shared database, while at least some of the incident data is stored in a private, non-shared database.
US09294480B2	Tracking and tracing information theft from information systems In one embodiment, a processing device receives, from an accessing system, an access request for stored information. In response, the device generates unique classification and tracking metadata based on the access request, and embeds the classification and tracking metadata as steganographic code into the source information before returning the information according to the request. The device then replies to the access request with the return information containing the embedded steganographic code.
US09294476B1	User-defined identity verification system A system and application for providing a user authentication or verification of a user identity are provided. A primary log in factor is created by a user. In addition, one or more smart devices associated with the user are verified by the user to create a list of user authentication devices. Upon a request for user authentication, a combination of the correct primary log in factor and a determination that the user is within the vicinity of at least one of the user authentication devices on the list are used to determine the authenticity of the user. A user authentication may be used to unlock a secured application on a user device or to authenticate a transaction with a third party. Methods and machine-readable medium for user authentication are also provided.
US09294475B2	System and method for generating a biometric identifier Systems and methods are provided for recording a user's biometric features and generating an identifier representative of the user's biometric features using mobile device such as a smartphone. The systems and methods described herein enable a series of operations whereby a user using a mobile device can capture imagery of a user's face, eyes and periocular region. The mobile device is also configured analyze the imagery to identify and determine the position of low-level features spatially within the images and the changes in position of the low level features dynamically throughout the images. Using the spatial and dynamic information the mobile device is further configured to generate a biometric identifier characterizing the user's biometric features and which can be used to identify/authenticate the user by comparing the biometric identifier to a previously generated biometric identifier.
US09294474B1	Verification based on input comprising captured images, captured audio and tracked eye movement In one embodiment, a method comprises receiving a verification request, sending one or more patterns for display at one or more specified locations on a screen of a device, receiving verification input responsive to the one or more patterns, and granting or denying the verification request based at least in part on the verification input. The verification input comprises one or more captured images, captured audio and tracked eye movement. The verification request may be generated in conjunction with an attempted launch of a designated application on a first device, with user access to the designated application on the first device being controlled responsive to the granting or denying of the verification request.
US09294465B2	Identity verification and authentication In one embodiment, receiving, at a first computing device associated with a social-networking system and from a second computing device, a first request to verify an identity of a user of the social-networking system; sending, by the first computing device and to a mobile device associated with the user, a second request for information about the user; receiving, at the first computing device and from the mobile device, the information about the user; determining, by the first computing device, a confidence score indicating a probability that the identity of the user is true based on the information about the user received from the mobile device and information available to the social-networking system; and sending, by the first computing device and to the second computing device, the confidence score.
US09294463B2	Apparatus, method and system for context-aware security control in cloud environment An apparatus, method and system for context-aware security control in a cloud environment are provided. The apparatus includes an authentication header inspection unit and a packet data processing unit. The authentication header inspection unit generates an authentication header based on the received context information and key of a user, compares the generated authentication header with the authentication header of packet data received from a remote user terminal, and outputs the results of the comparison. The packet data processing unit performs one of the transmission, modulation and discarding of packet data from the cloud server of a cloud service network based on the results of the comparison by the authentication header inspection unit.
US09294462B2	Redirect to inspection proxy using single-sign-on bootstrapping An authentication request is generated when a user of a client device attempts to initiate a user session with an application managed by a service provider. An authentication response is generated based on credentials received from the user. The authentication response includes an assertion on behalf of the user. A delivery resource locator for the assertion is rewritten to a resource locator of a proxy in order to redirect the assertion to the proxy. The authentication response is sent to the client device together with the resource locator of the proxy in order to cause the client device to send the assertion to the proxy that decodes the re-written resource locator and sends the assertion to the service provider.
US09294456B1	Gaining access to an account through authentication A user locked out of an account can gain access by allowing the user to reset the current password. An account access service can determine questions to ask the user. The account access service can maintain a trust level score, which is increased or decreased with each response to a question. Once this trust level reaches a certain predetermined amount, the user can regain access to the service, the account is unlocked, and the user can enter a new password to use.
US09294443B2	Secure integration of hybrid clouds with enterprise networks A system and method of managing secure integration of a cloud-based computing resource with a private domain are disclosed. One system includes a hybrid cloud arrangement including a plurality of virtual machines, the plurality of virtual machines including at least a first virtual machine within the private domain and a second virtual machine within a public cloud. The system also includes a virtual data relay within the private domain and associated with the second virtual machine. The virtual data relay includes a private domain interface used to establish a secure communication link according to a first security protocol with each virtual machine within the private domain that is a member of a community of interest, the virtual data relay assigned a community of interest key used by the private domain interface and defining the community of interest of which the second virtual machine is a member. The virtual data relay also includes a public cloud interface used to establish a secure communication link with the second virtual machine, the public cloud interface using a second security protocol different from the first security protocol.
US09294442B1	System and method for threat-driven security policy controls Methods, systems, and media for a security system are provided herein. Exemplary methods may include: acquiring a firewall security policy from a policy compiler; receiving network traffic originating from a source machine and directed to a destination machine; analyzing the network traffic using the firewall security policy; forwarding or dropping each of the network traffic according to the security policy; accumulating the network traffic and metadata associated with the network traffic; and initiating an update to the firewall security policy by the policy compiler using at least one of the accumulated network traffic and metadata.
US09294440B1	Secure inter-zone data communication A proxy receives a message from a computing system in a trusted secure zone directed to a computing system outside the trusted secure zone. The proxy determines if the message includes trusted data. If the message includes trusted data, the proxy stores the trusted data for later use and provides the message to the destination computing system. When the proxy receives a message from a computing system outside the trusted secure zone directed to a computing system in the trusted secure zone, the proxy determines if the received message contains trusted data. If the message contains trusted data, the proxy determines if the trusted data matches previously stored trusted data. If the trusted data does not match, the proxy overwrites the trusted data in the message with the previously stored trusted data. The proxy then provides the modified message to the destination computing system in the trusted secure zone.
US09294439B2	Systems and methods for application-based interception of SSL/VPN traffic A method for intercepting, by an agent of a client, communications from the client to be transmitted via a virtual private network connection includes the step of intercepting communications based on identification of an application from which the communication originates. The agent receives information identifying a first application. The agent determines a network communication transmitted by the client originates from the first application and intercepts that communication. The agent transmits the intercepted communication via the virtual private network connection.
US09294436B2	Method, system and apparatus for verifying validity of location information in a packet-based network According to embodiments of the present invention, there are provided a method, system and apparatus for determining validity of location information in a packet-switched network. A method for determining if location information associated with an endpoint in a packet-switched network is valid, the location information having been stored in a memory, comprises obtaining an access device identifier associated with an access device responsible for handling a communication session between the endpoint and the packet-switched network. The access device identifier is then compared with a last known access device identifier associated with the endpoint to enable determining if the location information is valid.
US09294429B2	Method and system for providing service for searching friends A method of providing a friend search service of a portable terminal is provided. The method includes transmitting, by a first portable terminal, a message for controlling a microphone of a second portable terminal to a contact server through a cellular network, outputting a sound including a first encryption key after transmitting the message, receiving a second encryption key from the second portable terminal through the cellular network, checking the second portable terminals existing in a sound-reaching area by comparing the first encryption key with the second encryption key, and displaying a friends list including the second portable terminals existing in the sound-reaching area.
US09294428B2	Systems and methods for establishing communications between mobile device users Provided are systems and methods for establishing a communication between mobile device users that register with a collaboration system. The collaboration system determines a match between profile data of the first registered mobile device and profile data of the second registered mobile device. Displayed at the first registered mobile device is a first list of user identifications, which includes an identification of a user of the second registered mobile device and an identification of a user of at least one other mobile device. Displayed at the second registered mobile device is a second list of user identifications. The second list includes an identification of a user of the first registered mobile device and an identification of at least one other mobile device user.
US09294421B2	System and method for merging edits for a conversation in a hosted conversation system A server system hosts a plurality of conversations. For a respective conversation the server system receives a first sequence of edits and a second sequence of edits to a respective content unit of the conversation from different participants of the conversation. The server system converts the first and second sequences of edits into respective first and second merged sequences of edits. The server system responds to a determination that the first merged sequence of edits and the second merged sequence of edits meet predefined conflict criteria by transforming the first and second merged sequences of edits. The server system sends the respective transformed sequences of edits to respective participants so that respective participants can apply either the first sequence of edits followed by the second transformed sequence of edits or applying the second sequence of edits followed by the first transformed sequence of edits to produce a same result.
US09294418B2	64B/66B codec for ethernet applications Aspects of the disclosure provide a codec that transforms input data into a codeword. The codeword includes a header portion and a payload portion. The codec modifies the payload portion of the codeword based on a type control block that is included in the payload portion of the codeword. Specifically, the codec modifies a control block in the payload portion to create a reference block, which provisions for data blocks to be inserted in the codeword subsequent to the reference block. Thus, by modifying the payload portion of the codeword, the codec eliminates any wasted data bytes thereby achieving optimal usage of the payload bandwidth.
US09294413B2	Media playout for VOIP applications To address limitations of conventional packet buffer management strategies, the various embodiments provide methods implemented by a processor operating on a VoIP receiver device for managing media packet rejection logic on the receiving device to improve audio playout. The embodiment methods enhance the likelihood that a receiver device will buffer (rather than reject) an incoming media packet by maintaining a history of previously rejected media packets (i.e., a packet rejection history) and referencing the packet rejection history when determining whether to reject or to accept an incoming packet the receiver device has just received. Thus, the various embodiments may reduce gaps in playback by avoiding unnecessary packet rejections and may promote an overall increase in playout quality.
US09294410B2	Hybrid dataflow processor A network device that processes a stream of packets has an ingress front end. The ingress front end determines whether the packets are handled in a bounded latency path or in a best-effort path. The bounded latency path packets are granted a resource with a higher priority than the best-effort path packets. As the packets are processed through a number of processing stages, with processing engines, the bounded latency packets are processed within a period of time corresponding to a guaranteed rate. Resources are granted to the best-effort path packets only when the processing engines determine that the resource grant will not impact the latency bounds with respect to the first packets.
US09294408B1	One-to-many stateless load balancing A stateless load balancer may route a request to a computing device without tracking state information of the communication connection that delivered the request. The stateless load balancer may receive a request that is initiated by a client device. The request may be transported to the stateless load balancer via a communication connection that includes a public destination internet protocol (IP) address. One of the routing devices in the stateless load balancer may obtain connection tuples of the communication connection that transported the request, in which the connection tuples include the public destination IP address. Once obtained, the routing device may generate a hash value from one or more connection tuples. Subsequently, the routing device may map the hash value to a target network address of a particular computing device in a cluster of multiple computing devices by accessing stored mapping data, and then route the request to the particular computing device for processing.
US09294404B2	Modem mode control based on flow ranking A system can include a precondition detector configured to determine that the system has network congestion at a network link. The system can also include a flow ranking controller that includes a flow excluder configured to apply exclusion criteria to a plurality of data flows associated with respective modems that are operating in a lower bandwidth mode to generate a list of non-excluded data flows. The flow ranking controller can also include a flow tester configured to apply flow tests to the non-excluded data flows to determine which of the respective modems is likely to benefit from being switched to a higher bandwidth mode.
US09294403B2	Mechanism to control resource utilization with adaptive routing Methods and apparatus relating to techniques for controlling resource utilization with adaptive routing are described. In one embodiment, an output port for transmission of an incoming message that is to be received at an input port is determined at routing logic. The routing logic selects the output port from a first output port and a second output port based on congestion information that is detected at one or more other routing logic communicatively coupled to the routing logic. The first output port provides a deterministic route for the incoming message and the second output port provides an adaptive route for the incoming message. Other embodiments are also disclosed.
US09294401B2	Method and apparatus for data transfer in a peer-to-peer network A method is provided of managing traffic in a network. The method comprises applying (S5) an indication to a packet being sent through the network, the indication being selected in dependence upon a level of traffic determined (S3) for a subscriber associated with the packet and representing a per-hop behaviour to be applied subsequently to the packet. The indication is applied so as to manage at least to some extent traffic associated with the subscriber.
US09294398B2	Multipath effectuation within singly contiguous network fabric via switching device routing logic programming Each of a network fabric controller device and a network fabric forwarder devices includes network connecting hardware and network managing logic. The network connecting hardware of the devices connects them to a singly contiguous network fabric including switching devices that route data between initiator nodes and target nodes and that have routing logic programmable by the controller device. The controller device does not directly route the data themselves. The network managing logic of the devices effects multipaths for transmission of the data through the singly contiguous network fabric from the initiator node to the target nodes via programming of the routing logic of the switching devices.
US09294396B2	Port extender An extended bridge structure that includes a controlling bridge and port extenders is disclosed. A port extender according to some embodiments of the present invention includes a processor that processes receives packets in a way that executes at least one procedure that substitutes for a function of the controlling bridge. A controlling bridge according to the present invention provides data to the port extender that enables it to execute the at least one procedure that substitutes for a function of the controlling bridge.
US09294391B1	Managing network computing components utilizing request routing Aspects of the disclosure will be described with regard to the processing of a client computing device DNS queries by a DNS processing service to determine an identifier associated with a previously instantiated hosted virtual machine instance. In one aspect, if the previously instantiated hosted virtual machine instance is instantiated, the DNS service can resolve the DNS query by transmitting network address information associated with the previously instantiated hosted virtual machine instance. In another aspect, if the previously instantiated hosted virtual machine instance is not instantiated, the DNS service can initiate a process to cause an instantiation of a hosted virtual machine instance based on the previously instantiated hosted virtual machine instance. The DNS service can then resolve the DNS query by transmitting network address information, or an alternative identifier, associated with the newly instantiated hosted virtual machine instance.
US09294388B2	Systems and methods for routing broadband communications Systems and methods for routing broadband communications are provided. Downstream data to be communicated from a cable service provider head end system to a customer device may be received by a provider edge routing device. The downstream data may be mapped by the provider edge routing device to a physical address associated with the customer device, and the downstream data may be output by the provider edge routing device for communication to the customer device. A provider edge device separate from the provider edge routing device may receive the output downstream data. Based at least in part upon the physical address, the provider edge device may determine a port for outputting the downstream data, and the provider edge device may output the downstream data on the determined port.
US09294384B2	Distributed service routing protocol suitable for virtual networks A dynamic service routing protocol (DSRP) communicates messages (e.g., containing information regarding network routes and tables) across a partial-mesh network of nodes. Gateway nodes (i.e., computing devices that operate as a final sink point for a service route) are connected to edge routers (i.e., computing devices that operate as a transit for a service route) but not necessarily to other host nodes. Gateway nodes asynchronously and/or dynamically send DSRP messages for updating the router nodes' routing tables and to minimize manual route configuration.
US09294381B2	Systems and methods for trap monitoring in multi-core and cluster systems In a multi-core device or clustered system, instead of snmpd polling for configured monitoring values of an entity to determine if reached a threshold, each core in a multi-core system or node in a clustered system triggers information to the snmpd about entities that may be or are generating SNMP traps. A configured threshold T is distributed among the cores or nodes, as the case may be, based on the number of cores or nodes. If there are ‘n’ cores in a multi-core device, and the configured threshold is ‘T’, then each core checks for a per-core threshold value ‘T/n’. If there are ‘n’ nodes in a clustered system, and the configured threshold is ‘T’, then each node checks for a per-node threshold value ‘T/n’. According to the pigeonhole principle, if an entity has reached or exceeded the threshold ‘T’, then the entity must have reached or exceeded a value of ‘T/n’ on at least one core or node. Upon the entity crossing a ‘T/n’ value on any core or node, the core or node informs snmpd about this entity. Snmpd then gathers information about this entity from all the cores and checks for the threshold ‘T’.
US09294378B2	Systems and methods for quality of service of encrypted network traffic The present invention is directed towards systems and methods for providing classification of an encrypted network packet for performing QoS and acceleration techniques. Encrypted packets may be classified by a first classifier at a first portion of a network stack of a device as corresponding to a first predetermined application, and an application identifier may be included with the packet. In some embodiments, the packets may be decrypted in an order dependent on a first classification of the encrypted network packet. After decryption, packets may be reclassified as corresponding to a second predetermined application by a second classifier operating at a second portion of a network stack of the device above the first portion. Thus, network performance may be enhanced and optimized by providing QoS and acceleration engines with packet- or data-specific information corresponding to the application, while avoiding inefficiencies due to a lack of prioritization of decryption.
US09294376B2	Apparatus for searching route in layer 2 network A computer-readable recording medium stores therein a patch determination program causing a computer to execute a process including acquiring, from each of nodes constituting a layer 2 network, node information indicating an adjacent node to be selected as a relay destination of data by each of the nodes among adjacent nodes adjacent to each of the nodes; and extracting each route on which the data is relayed in the layer 2 network based on the acquired node information of each of the nodes and connection information between the nodes.
US09294365B2	Cognitive radio system and cognitive radio carrier device A method for operating a server includes receiving, at the server, a request from a mobile device identifying a data file and retrieving the data file from a remote storage device in response to receiving the request. A party other than a party that operates the server operates the remote storage device. A number of collaborator devices are identified. Each of the number of collaborator devices is capable of establishing a mobile-to-mobile communications link with the mobile device. Respective portions of the data file are allocated to each of the number of collaborator devices based on at least one of (a) throughputs associated with the number of collaborator devices and (b) potential debits charged by the number of collaborator devices. Respective portions of the data file are transmitted to each of the number of collaborator devices according to the allocation.
US09294361B1	Monitoring service-level performance using a key performance indicator (KPI) correlation search One or more processing devices cause display of a graphical user interface (GUI) that includes a correlation search portion that enables a user to specify information for a key performance indicator (KPI) correlation search definition. The KPI correlation search definition includes search information and trigger determination information. The search information identifies KPI values, indicative of the KPI states, in a data store. The trigger determination information includes trigger criteria. The trigger determination evaluates the identified KPI values using the trigger criteria to determine whether to cause a defined action. A contribution threshold for a particular KPI definition is received via the GUI. The contribution threshold corresponds to a particular KPI state. The contribution threshold is stored as trigger criteria information. Each of the KPI values is derived from machine data pertaining to entities identified in a service definition using a search query specified by a KPI definition for the service.
US09294354B2	Using multiple traffic profiles to design a network on chip The present application is directed to designing an efficient Network on Chip (NoC) interconnect architecture that is adaptable to varied interface protocols of different SoC components/hosts and is compliant to handle different types and models of traffic profiles. Aspects of the present application include a method, which may involve utilizing multiple traffic profiles described in a specification to generate a NoC that satisfies all the traffic profiles. Such a NoC interconnect architecture can be formed from multiple traffic profiles by generating a single consolidated traffic profile from individual or subset based dependency graphs of the multiple traffic profiles.
US09294353B2	Configuring a wireless router A method for configuring a wireless router includes electronically reading information that is unique to the wireless router. A code is automatically generated from the information. The generated code is automatically set as one or more of a network name and a device password for the wireless router.
US09294350B2	Secure stacking setup A method of configuring a stack includes: connecting stacking ports of a plurality of stackable devices using one or more stacking links; connecting a user console to a first one of the stackable devices; transmitting a stack setup command from the user console to the first stackable device; and establishing a stack in response to the stack setup command. The stack is established by initiating a discovery process with the first stackable device in response to the stack setup command, wherein the first stackable device requests and receives identifying information from the stackable devices over the stacking links during the discovery process. The topology of the stackable devices is displayed with the user console in response to the identifying information. The stackable devices are authenticated during the discovery process such that the stack setup is secure. The first stackable device becomes the active controller of the stack by default.
US09294348B2	Methods and apparatus to provision name-servers Methods and apparatus are disclosed to provision name-servers. An example system disclosed herein includes a name-server evaluator to determine capacities of the plurality of name-servers, a provisioner to compute profile assignment values based on a plurality of subscriber identifiers, and an assignor to assign the subscriber identifiers to one of the plurality of name-servers based on the profile assignment values and the capacities.
US09294344B2	Shared risk group handling within a media gateway A media gateway controller (MGC) is described herein that implements a shared risk group package to control and prevent a media gateway (MG) from establishing redundant links like a primary link and a secondary link that use resources that share the same risk of failure. Essentially, the MGC uses the shared risk group package to control which resources like ephemeral terminations are used by the MG to establish the primary link and the secondary link such that if any of the resources associated with the primary link fail then the secondary link remains operational within the MG and if any of the resources associated with the secondary link fail then the primary link remains operational within the MG.
US09294339B2	System and method for fuzzy concept mapping, voting ontology crowd sourcing, and technology prediction The invention provides a system and method for providing ttx-based categorization services and a categorized commonplace of shared information. Currency of the contents is improved by a process called conjuring/concretizing wherein users' thoughts are rapidly infused into the Map. As a new idea is sought, a goal is created for a search. After the goal idea is found, a ttx is concretized and categorized. The needs met by such a Map are prior art searching, competitive environmental scanning, competitive analysis study repository management and reuse, innovation gap analysis indication, novelty checking, technology value prediction, investment area indication and planning, and product technology comparison and feature planning.
US09294333B1	System and method for privacy setting differentiation detection A system and method for generating a notification of privacy settings difference is disclosed. A request is received. A first set of privacy settings is received from a first social network, and a second set of privacy settings is received from at least one other social network. The first set of is compared to the second set. A difference between the first set and the second is detected, and a notification is generated. The notification includes an indication that a difference was detected. The notification is sent for display to the user. In one embodiment, the notification allows the user to request to view, or edit, the first set of privacy settings. In one embodiment, the notification sends the user to a webpage on the first social network where the first set is typically displayed and/or edited. In another embodiment, the notification displays the first set and/or receives the edits.
US09294331B2	Attention commands enhancement A method of packet domain event reporting performed by a user equipment (UE) including a mobile termination (MT) and a terminal equipment (TE), and the user equipment thereof. The method according to one embodiment includes performing, by the MT, context activation for establishing a dual-stack bearer between the MT and a network; receiving, by the MT from the network, information indicating that the context activation of the dual-stack bearer is not possible between the network and the MT; and sending, by the MT to the TE, a message including a reason parameter for indicating a reason as to why the context activation of the dual-stack bearer is not possible between the network and the MT, when a requested Packet Data Protocol (PDP) type is Internet Protocol (IP) v4v6 and a assigned PDP type is either IPv4 or IPv6.
US09294326B2	Data unit format for multi-user data in long-range wireless local area networks (WLANS) A method includes receiving a data unit that includes a signal (SIG) field and a data field. The SIG field provides information for interpreting the data field. The method also includes detecting a first symbol constellation rotation of at least a first orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol in the SIG field of the data unit, determining, based at least in part on the detected first symbol constellation rotation, a number of information bits per OFDM symbol in the SIG field of the data unit, processing the SIG field of the data unit according to the determined number of information bits per OFDM symbol in the SIG field, and processing the data field of the data unit according to the information for interpreting the data field as provided in the SIG field of the data unit.
US09294314B2	Receiver having limiter-enhanced data eye openings A communication system having a receiver with a linear path and a nonlinear path. As the receiver receives a data signal, it adaptively equalizes the received signal, and amplitude-limits the equalized signal in the nonlinear path using a saturable amplifier limiter or the like. A slicer extracts data from the limited equalized received signal. In the linear path, a clock recovery circuit generates a clock signal from the equalized received signal. A delay circuit in the linear path at least partially compensates for propagation delay in the limiter. Having the clock recovery occur in other than the nonlinear path, a low jitter clock is generated. The limiter enhances the vertical opening of the data eye by increasing the rise and fall times of the limited signal, providing more noise margin for the slicer to operate with and a greater timing margin in which to sample the sliced data.
US09294303B2	Resource configuration change management Prior to a first configuration change of a first resource, such as a network resource of a network, a processor determines a first performance metric of a second resource, such as a second network resource of the network. The first configuration change does not result in complete failure or fault of the second resource. Subsequent to the first configuration change of the first resource, the processor determines a second performance metric of the second resource and compares the second performance metric to at least one of the first performance metric and a service objective to yield comparison results. Based on the comparison results, the processor can cause a second configuration change of the first resource. The second configuration change of the first resource can revert a configuration of the first resource to its state prior to the first configuration change.
US09294302B2	Non-fragmented IP packet tunneling in a network A method and apparatus is disclosed herein for IP packet tunneling in a network. In one embodiment, the method comprises receiving, at a first network device, a first IP packet of a IP connection; creating a second IP packet by replacing information in a field in the first IP packet with a session ID identifying the IP connection; and forwarding, by the first network device, the second IP packet to the second network device in the distributed network environment.
US09294300B2	Token based communication in daisy chain configured battery management devices A battery management and protection system includes a string of battery management and protection integrated circuit devices that may be connected to one another in a daisy chain configuration. Some of the devices can be electrically connected to one or more battery cells. Each device includes an inter-device communication interface comprising a daisy chain line driver. The system includes a controller external to the string of devices and a bi-directional connection lines connecting each device in the string to an upstream and/or downstream device in the string. The system can allow the external controller to access any single one of the devices in the daisy chain, any subset of the devices in the daisy chain, or all the devices in the daisy chain using a single command that is transmitted from one device to the next over a bi-directional connection line.
US09294296B2	Automated test execution in a shared virtualized resource pool In a computer-implemented method for automated test execution in a shared virtualized resource pool, a test description containing at least one model for a service under test (SUT) is received and one or more infrastructure configurations to be tested by resources in the shared virtualized resource pool based upon the test description are identified. In addition, a service lifecycle management (SLiM) tool is interacted with to cause the SUT and a load source to be created, the SLiM tool is directed to instantiate the SUT and the load source on the one or more infrastructure configurations in the shared virtualized resource pool for the SUT, and the SLiM tool and the load source are interacted with to receive performance data related to performance of the SUT under one or more loads generated by the load source.
US09294291B2	Adaptive connectivity in network-based collaboration Various embodiments include at least one of systems, methods, software, and data structures for peer-to-peer exchange of at least a portion of networked collaboration session data. Client and server solutions allow for switching between peer-to-peer and server-centric modes of collaboration data sharing. Some embodiments also allow for sharing of data of a first type via a collaboration server and data of a second type via peer-to-peer connections.
US09294290B2	Optical cable assemblies with low-speed data pass-through architecture and sleep mode operation Optical cable assemblies, optical engines, and methods for transitioning into and out of a sleep mode are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method of operating a sleep mode of an optical cable assembly includes receiving a sleep trigger, and for a time T1, turning a laser of an optical transmit (Tx) lane of an optical transceiver device on or off, and providing a fixed logical high or a fixed logical low on low-speed receive (Rx) line of the optical cable assembly based on a connection state of an electrical connector of the optical cable assembly. The method further includes, after the time T1, turning off the laser of the optical Tx lane, placing one or more components of the optical transceiver device into a low-power state, and periodically transmitting an optical intra-cable signal from the optical transceiver device over optical fiber to a far end of the optical cable assembly.
US09294273B2	Method and system for conditional access to a digital content, associated terminal and subscriber device The invention relates to a method and a system for conditional access making it possible to prevent the fraudulent use of a subscriber electronic device (1a, 1b, 1m) and to thus effectively combat the fraudulent making available of protected contents. The invention further relates to the adaptation of such a device as well as to a method allowing the revocation of the latter if it is deemed to be illicitly exploited or its possible reinstatement.
US09294263B2	Methods and systems of synchronizer selection A circuit includes a plurality of synchronizers to adapt a signal from a first clock domain to a second clock domain. Each synchronizer of the plurality of synchronizers includes a synchronizer input to receive the signal from the first clock domain and a synchronizer output to provide the signal as adapted to the second clock domain. The circuit also includes a multiplexer (mux) that includes a plurality of mux inputs and a mux output. Each mux input is coupled to the synchronizer output of a respective synchronizer of the plurality of synchronizers. The mux output provides the signal, as adapted to the second clock domain, from the synchronizer output of a selected synchronizer of the plurality of synchronizers.
US09294253B2	Wireless adaptive packet control message apparatus, systems, and methods Embodiments of wireless adaptive control message apparatus, systems, and methods are described generally herein. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.
US09294250B2	Method and an apparatus for providing channel quality information in a wireless communication system A method for transmitting channel quality information for a downlink channel. The method according to one embodiment includes receiving, by a User Equipment (UE), configuration information on periodic channel state information (CSI) reporting by higher layer signaling; and determining, by the UE, a channel quality information index at least based on a UE-specific reference signal overhead. The UE-specific reference signal overhead is determined according to a rank value. The method according to the one embodiment further includes transmitting the determined channel quality information index to a base station. The channel quality information index is determined further based on an assumption of no resource element allocated for a Channel Status Information-Reference Signal (CSI-RS).
US09294248B2	Method and device for use in frame acknowledgement Provided in the present invention are a method and device for use in frame acknowledgement. The method comprises: bearing an immediate acknowledgement instruction into a data frame, the immediate acknowledgement instruction is for use in instructing an immediate return frame acknowledgement response; and transmitting the data frame having the immediate acknowledgement instruction attached thereto.
US09294245B2	Method and apparatus for sequence distributing and sequence processing in communication system A sequence distributing and sequence processing method and apparatus in a communication system are provided. The sequence distributing method includes the following steps: generating sequence groups including a number of sequences, the sequences in the sequence groups are determined according to the sequence time frequency resource occupation manner which is supported by the system; distributing the sequence groups to cells. The method avoids the phenomenon that signaling transmission is needed to distribute the sequences to the cells for different time frequency resource occupation manner, and saves in so far as possible the wireless network transmission resource occupied during the process of distributing the sequences through distributing the sequence groups comprising a number of sequences to the cells.
US09294238B2	Multicarrier communication system employing explicit frequency hopping Variable bandwidth assignment and frequency hopping are employed to make efficient use of radio resources. Variable bandwidth assignment is achieved by dynamically allocating different numbers of subcarriers to different mobile terminals depending on their instantaneous channel conditions. The frequency hopping patterns are determined “on-the-fly” based on the current bandwidth assignments. The bandwidth assignments and frequency hopping patterns are signaled to the mobile terminals in a scheduling grant.
US09294235B2	Methods and apparatuses for user equipment-based enhancements of radio link control for multi-point wireless transmission In aspects of the present disclosure, a user equipment receives inter-NodeB multi-point transmissions, and a multipoint aggregation component detects a gap in the sequence numbers, delays transmitting a not acknowledged signal (NAK) by starting a NAK delay timer, and transmits, by a transceiver, NAK for the gap in sequence numbers in response to the NAK delay timer expiring and detecting that the gap has not been filled during the delaying. If the Medium Access Control (MAC) entity as the respective NodeB identifies itself to the Radio Link Control (RLC), out-of-order delivery (skew) can eventually be distinguished from genuine data loss before the NAK delay timer expires based upon tracking the highest sequence numbers received. Adaptive NAK delay timer can be performed by monitoring skew duration.
US09294227B2	LT staircase FEC code Systems and methods for encoding data for transmission over a communications channel using an improved LT staircase FEC code are provided. Embodiments may include mapping source symbols to repair symbols, wherein a number of edges of the mapping associated with a source symbol is determined randomly according to a first distribution. The repair symbols may be ordered, and at least a first repair symbol may be encoded based on the source symbols that map to the first repair symbol and/or another repair symbol that immediately precedes the first repair symbol in the ordering of the repair symbols.
US09294225B2	Reduced state sequence estimation with soft decision outputs A receiver may be operable to receive an inter-symbol correlated (ISC) signal, and generate a plurality of soft decisions as to information carried in the ISC signal. The soft decisions may be generated using a reduced-state sequence estimation (RSSE) process. The RSSE process may be such that the number of symbol survivors retained after each iteration of the RSSE process is less than the maximum likelihood state space. The plurality of soft decisions may comprise a plurality of log likelihood ratios (LLRs). Each of the plurality of LLRs may correspond to a respective one of a plurality of subwords of a forward error correction (FEC) codeword.
US09294220B2	Adjusting channel quality report in a wireless communication network The present invention relates to a method and an arrangement in a first communication node for adjusting a channel quality report transmitted between the first communication node and a second communication node. The first communication node and the second communication node are comprised in a wireless communication network, and are adapted to communicate with each other via a radio link. In a first step, a channel quality report is received from the second communication node. The channel quality report is established by the second communication node. Then at least one channel characteristic parameter is obtained. The next step is to determine a channel quality offset based on the obtained channel characteristic parameter. Based on the channel quality offset, the channel quality report is adjusted.
US09294216B2	Optical OFDM transmission A method for transmitting digital information having a predetermined bit-rate (B) via a nonlinear optical channel includes determining a combination of transmission parameters comprising a number (N) of subcarriers, an information symbol rate (S) for each subcarrier, and a number (b) of bits per symbol on each subcarrier, such that B=NSb. An optical signal is generated comprising the plurality (N) of orthogonal optical subcarriers. Each subcarrier is modulated to carry a proportion (Sb/B) of the total bit-rate (B) of the digital information. The optical signal is then transmitted to a corresponding optical receiver via the nonlinear optical channel. The received signal has a measurable signal quality (Q) which is a function of the transmission parameters (N, S, b). Determining the combination of transmission parameters comprises selecting the parameters such that the associated signal quality is greater than a corresponding quality for a single-carrier transmission, and greater than a corresponding quality employing a larger number (M>N) of subcarriers.
US09294213B2	Packet data network connections for multi priority wireless devices A device and method for forming a packet data network (PDN) connection at a dual access priority mode configured user equipment (UE) is disclosed. The method comprises sending, from the UE to a mobility management entity (MME), a PDN connectivity request message that includes a NAS signaling priority override indicator to indicate that the PDN connection has a different NAS signaling priority mode than an existing PDN connection. The existing PDN connection is operating in a first signaling priority mode. The existing PDN connection is deactivated at the UE. A new PDN connection, operating in a second NAS signaling priority mode, is established at the UE.
US09294210B2	System for providing interaction between a broadcast automation system and a system for generating audience interaction with radio programming A software system is provided which links a broadcast station operating system or playback system via the internet to an external data source, such as a separate audience participation system for providing audience interaction with broadcast programming, and specifically radio programming to allow the automation system of the broadcast system operating system to play externally chosen; such as by audience participation, selections automatically and in real time.
US09294208B2	Method and system to signal network information in TPS bits Embodiments are directed to defining hierarchical digital broadcast transport streams as separate cells, which reduces the signaling in OSI layer 1, and removing use of sub-cells so that the coverage area of a transposer may be treated as a cell. In accordance with at least one embodiment, each hierarchical DVB-H stream (i.e., the HP stream and the LP stream) has its own separate dedicated “current signal” frame. This allows the streams to be independent of each other (even to belong to different networks). Furthermore, in accordance with the hierarchical signal arrangement, a cell can be uniquely identified by its network_id and cell_id. In accordance with at least one embodiment, frequency may be used as an additional identifier thereby allowing a first cell to be transposed to a sub-cell.
US09294204B2	Removing network delay in a live broadcast A first stream of audio data is received a into a data store. Excess pauses are identified in the audio data. A second stream of audio data is transmitted from the data store comprising the first stream of audio data with the excess pause removed, the second stream of audio data transmitted after a delay that is approximately equal to but no less than the duration of the removed excess pause.
US09294200B2	Optimum modulator bias systems and methods in coherent optical transmitters A modulator bias selection method, a coherent optical transmitter, and optical modulator solve the problem of generating a correct constellation using the bias points with the minimum phase adjustment range. The optimum modulator bias systems and methods include a coherent optical transmitter with control of four (XI, XQ, YI, YQ) quadrature data signals via a transmitter (Tx) application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), with a modulator bias controller which implements an algorithm to find the optimum bias points. The optimum bias points yield a correct constellation with minimum phase/bias adjustment. An algorithm is used to find the optimum bias solution using fast, simple method, adjusting only one quadrature at a time and exploiting a control feature of the Tx ASIC. This algorithm is significantly simpler than a generalized search, is a local algorithm, and uses only DC power measurement at the transmitter.
US09294199B2	Method for generating an optimized return-to-zero pulse shape against aggressive optical filtering and an optical transmitter implementing the method An optical transmitter comprises: first and second sets of optical in-phase and quadrature modulators; an integrable tunable laser assembly; a first polarization beam splitter that is configured to divide the continuous-waveform optical signal into a x-polarized tributary and a y-polarized tributary, each of the x-polarized tributary and the y-polarized tributary is modulated by one of the first and second sets of optical in-phase and quadrature modulators in accordance with the two respective input signals; a second polarization beam splitter that is configured to combine the modulated x-polarized tributary and the modulated y-polarized tributary into one optical signal; and an optical modulator that is configured to modulate the combined optical signal using a driving voltage, wherein the driving voltage has a bias point that is reduced by a predefined offset from a predefined reference voltage level.
US09294194B2	Network monitoring using thin film splitters and avalanche photodiode detectors in multimode application A network monitoring system for a multimode optical data network includes a filter based splitter and an avalanche photodiode detector-based detection subsystem. The system takes a very small amount of the energy from the main data stream to use as monitoring data signal. The filter based splitter operates in a manner that is fairly uniform among modes and permits very low energy levels to be diverted for monitoring without disrupting either the main or monitor data streams for any modes.
US09294193B2	System and method for providing active RF shielding A system and method for removing radio frequency emissions from an electronic device. The system comprises collectors for collection of the radio frequency signals, combiners for combining the signals to produce a combined signal, fiber optic transmitter for up-converting the combined radio frequency signals to an optical wave length signal, optical fiber for directing the optical signal, and a heat sink for terminating the optical signal.
US09294192B2	Method, system, and transceiver device for bi-directionally transmitting digital optical signals over an optical transmission link A method for bi-directionally transmitting digital optical signals over an optical transmission link in which a first optical transmit signal is created according to a first binary digital signal in such a way that the bit information of the first binary digital signal is included in first sections of the symbol interval of the first optical transmit signal. A second optical transmit signal is created by creating an optical wavelength reuse signal using the first optical transmit signal received at the second end of the optical transmission link, the optical wavelength reuse signal being modulated according to a second digital signal in such a way that the bit information of the second digital signal is included in second sections of the symbol interval of the first optical transmit signal received.
US09294189B2	Lighting fixture and visible-light-communication system with same A lighting fixture is configured to modulate light intensity of a light source (11) comprising a light-emitting device (2) to superpose a communication signal on illumination light of the light source (11). The fixture includes: a main power supply (3) configured to control light output of the light source (11) based on a dimming signal; a switch device (Q1) for modulating an output current supplied from the main power supply (3) to the light source (11); an impedance element (Rx); a communication circuit (7); and a control power supply (8). The communication circuit (7) is configured to control the switch device (Q1) to superpose a modulation signal on illumination light from the light source (11). The control power supply (8) is configured to supply electric power to the communication circuit (7). One end of two input ends of the control power supply (8) is connected to one end of the impedance element.
US09294184B1	Accurate fast-switching cross polarization repeater using non-reciprocal solid-state phase shifters In a system for receiving an input signal, for example, at radar frequencies, having polarization components and transmitting an output signal which is cross polarized with respect to an input signal, separate transmit and receive phase shift networks are utilized. Consequently, the phase shift circuitry utilized need not be reciprocal, in order to provide accurate cross polarization.
US09294183B2	Distributed wireless transmission and reception system, and expanded wireless network The present invention relates to a distributed transmission and reception system, and an expanded wireless network. The distributed transmission and reception system according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a distributed transmission system, a distributed reception system, and a distributed relay system. A source signal of a source radio is divided into a plurality of signals through the distributed transmission system, is relayed through an associate's radio, and can be distributed into and transmitted to other networks which are located out of a distance range. A destination radio positioned in another network can restore the original signal of the outgoing radio with the help of relay from the associate's radio via the distributed reception system. The associate's radio providing help in relay amplifies only a part of the source signal, and thus the intensity of the signal can be enhanced. Accordingly, when the outputs of associate's radio providing help in relay are combined, the combined associate's radio function as a high-power radio, and thereby having a greater capability than the original distance range capability. When a distributed transmission system and a distributed reception system operate within one network, a distributed relay system is constructed. The distributed relay system relays a signal arriving at another network to be transmitted to yet another network, thereby consequentially, expanding a wireless network area.
US09294180B2	Pilot design for long term evolution uplink multi-input multi-output antenna system A pilot transmission in a multiple antenna closed loop transmission time multiplexes a beam-specific pilot and an antenna-specific pilot in two short blocks of one uplink sub-frame. The beam-specific pilot is transmitted as an in-band pilot with the same beam as data to provide optimal data demodulation/estimation. The antenna-specific pilot is transmitted as an out-band pilot to provide optimal beam selection.
US09294179B2	Gain normalization correction of PMI and COI feedback for base station with antenna array A wireless communication device and a method therein includes estimating a channel for each of a plurality of transmit antenna ports using a reference symbol received from the corresponding antenna port, determining a composite channel estimate based on the estimated channels and based on a precoding matrix, and determining an updated composite channel estimate using the composite channel estimate and using a gain correction corresponding to the precoding matrix. The gain correction can be obtained over-the-air or computed at the wireless communication device.
US09294168B2	Method and apparatus for transmitting and receiving channel state information in wireless communication system A method and an apparatus are provided for transmitting channel state information of a terminal is provided. A first Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS) and a second CSI-RS are received. Channel State Information (CSI) is generated based on both the first CSI-RS and the second CSI-RS. The CSI is transmitted.
US09294166B2	Wireless transmission method, and wireless transmitter and wireless receiver A wireless transmission method capable of transmitting a data stream by a wireless transmitter having a plurality of transmitting antennas, the wireless transmission method includes at the wireless transmitter, changing the number of candidates of selectable transmission beams to be formed for transmitting the data stream according to the number of transmission data streams, said transmission beams are formed by predetermined number of the plurality of transmitting antennas.
US09294165B2	Signal generating method and signal generating device A transmission method of simultaneously transmitting a first modulated signal and a second modulated signal at a common frequency performs precoding on both signals using a fixed precoding matrix and regularly changes the phase of at least one of the signals. One of signal generation processing in which phase change is performed and signal generation processing in which phase change is not performed is selectable, thereby improving general versatility in signal generation.
US09294163B2	Apparatus and method for selecting beam in wireless communication system An apparatus and a method for selecting a beam in a wireless communication system capable of forming a plurality of antenna beams are provided. The method for transmitting signals includes transmitting a training signal by using a plurality of first beams and a plurality of second beams, and transmitting at least one of user control information and data by using at least one fourth beam among a plurality of third beams.
US09294161B2	System and method for interference coordination A method for operating an interference coordinating entity (ICE) includes partitioning, by the ICE, a cloud radio access network (CRAN) cluster by grouping transmission points (TPs) serving user equipments (UEs) in accordance with a partitioning criterion into at least one virtual transmission point (V-TP) to produce a V-TP set. The UEs to be served are preferably offset from a V-TP boundary. The method also includes saving, by the ICE, V-TP information to a memory.
US09294152B2	Communication system, communication apparatus and communication method as well as program A communication system, a communication apparatus, a communication method, and a program for acquiring the advantage of a plurality of communication protocols is provided. A random number and a first communication information including first identification information of a communication apparatus is sent to another communication apparatus by using near field communication. Second communication information is received by the communication apparatus from the other communication apparatus by using near field communication. The second communication information includes second identification information of the other communication apparatus necessary to a second communication. The second communication is performed between the communication apparatus and the other communication apparatus by using the second communication information received by using the near field communication.
US09294149B2	Integrated contactless connectivity platform for portable electronic devices A system for delivering wireless electric power and associated system services to portable electronic devices includes: (i) a plurality of links including one or more wireless transmitters/receivers adapted to transmit electric power and to transmit and receive audiovisual data, wherein the plurality of links are adapted to interconnect in series; (ii) a master control unit including a controller adapted to control the delivery of electric power through the interconnected links and control the delivery of selected audiovisual data from the links to a central audiovisual adaptor; (iii) one or more wireless audiovisual adaptors, each wireless audiovisual adaptor including an adaptor for connecting to an audiovisual port of a portable electronic device and a transmitter/receiver adapted to wirelessly transmit audiovisual data to the links; (iv) and one or more wireless electric power adaptors, each wireless electric power adaptor including an adaptor for connecting to an electric power input port of a portable electronic device and a receiver adapted to wirelessly receive electric power.
US09294144B2	Method and apparatus for an adaptive filter architecture A system that incorporates teachings of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a method for identifying a spectral region in a radio frequency spectrum, determining a signal strength of the spectral region, determining a correlation factor by correlating the signal strength of the spectral region, detecting according to the correlation factor interference in the spectral region, generating coefficient data to substantially suppress the interference in the spectral region, configuring a filter according to the coefficient data to substantially suppress the interference in the spectral region and produce a digital filtered signal, and transmitting the digital filtered signal to a base station. Other embodiments are disclosed.
US09294142B2	Mobile terminal, control method thereof, and non-transitory computer readable medium storing control program A mobile terminal capable of being connected to a charger according to an exemplary embodiment includes a notification unit that notifies predetermined information by using at least one of an image, lighting, a sound, and a vibration, a charger detection unit that identifies a charger connected to the mobile terminal, and a control unit that controls the notification unit so that the notification unit provides a different notification to a user according to a type of the charger connected to the mobile terminal.
US09294136B2	Frequency interference detection and correction A system for detecting and correcting for spurious frequencies that may coincide in a bandwidth of interest in an RF metrology system. The system can (1) utilize a deterministic scheme to detect an interference by a spurious frequency and correct the distortion effect or (2) utilize a mixed signal processing architecture to avoid the occurrence of spurious frequency contamination. A detection scheme identifies the event of distortion and triggers either (a) a shift in the analog to digital convert sample rate or (b) a mathematical vector manipulation. The shift of the analog to digital convert sample rate moves an aliased image of the spurious frequency outside of the frequency of interest. The mathematical vector correction removes the distortion and restores the signal of interest.
US09294131B2	Apparatus and method for improved modulation and coding schemes for broadband satellite communications systems Modulation and coding schemes are provided for improved performance of wireless communications systems to support services and applications for terminals with operational requirements at relatively low ES/N0 ratios. The provided modulation and coding schemes will support current and future communications services and applications for terminals with operational requirements at relatively low ES/N0 ratios, and will provide modulation and coding schemes that offer finer granularity within an intermediate operational range of ES/N0 ratios. The new modulation and coding schemes provide new BCH codes, and low density parity check (LDPC) codes.
US09294130B1	Quasi-cyclic low-density parity-check (QC-LDPC) encoder Methods and systems are disclosed herein for generating parity information for using information in a low-density parity check (LDPC) encoder. A quasi-cyclic LDPC generator matrix K can be generated based on the non-invertible parity-check matrix H. Parity information can be generated by the LDPC encoder based at least in part on the user information, the non-invertible parity check matrix H, and the quasi-cyclic LDPC generator matrix K.
US09294129B2	Low-power low density parity check decoding In an example implementation of this disclosure, a message passing low density parity check (LDPC) decoder may, during decoding of a first group of bits, lock a first variable node upon a bit-value probability of the first variable node reaching a determined threshold, and lock a first check node upon all variable nodes connected to the first check node being locked. The LDPC decoder may cease decoding the first group of bits upon all variable nodes of the LDPC decoder being locked, all check nodes of the LDPC decoder being locked, reaching a maximum number of iterations, or reaching a timeout. During a particular iteration of the decoding of the first group of bits in which the first variable node is locked, the LDPC decoder may refrain from generating a bit-value probability for the locked first variable node.
US09294127B2	Current mode analog belief propagation An analog belief propagation system uses current mode implementations of storage elements and circuit implementations of at least some nodes of a factor graph using current representations. The system mitigates or avoids effects of non-linearities and approximations in storage and processing elements of the system, for instance, by using storage cells that reproduce current values and using factor circuits that separate control sections and signal path sections of the circuits.
US09294120B2	Digital technique for excess loop delay compensation in a continuous-time delta sigma modulator A continuous time delta sigma modulator includes a quantizer, a buffer module, and a reference module. The quantizer includes a comparator that updates a digital output each cycle of a clock signal based on a comparison of a reference potential with an input generated based on a sample of an analog signal. The buffer module receives the digital output, stores the digital output for a predetermined delay period, and outputs the digital output after the predetermined delay period as a delayed digital output. The predetermined delay period is less than one cycle of the clock signal. The reference module selectively varies the reference potential based on the delayed digital output.
US09294118B2	Multi-input analog-to-digital converter In an example, there is disclosed a multiple-input analog-to-digital converter configured to receive a plurality of analog inputs and to output one or more digital outputs. In one embodiment, two input analog signals are received. The two analog signals may be mixed in a combiner, which provides them to a pipeline ADC. In another embodiment, the combiner may time multiplex the two analog input signals and provide two separate outputs signals. Advantageously, the multiple-input ADC of the present Specification may be realized with a single ADC pipeline.
US09294116B2	Digital to analog converter discharge circuit and associated method for analog to digital converter circuits A circuit includes an amplifier circuit that receives a residue voltage from an output capacitor connected to an output of a digital to analog converter (DAC). The DAC is employed in a pipeline stage of an analog to digital converter (ADC). The amplifier circuit provides a scaled output voltage based on the residue voltage. A sample circuit samples the scaled output voltage during a first portion of a hold phase of the DAC. A discharge circuit supplies the sampled scaled output voltage to the output of the DAC during a second portion of the hold phase of the DAC to mitigate settling time of the DAC.
US09294114B2	Reference signal generating circuit, ad conversion circuit, and imaging device A reference signal generating circuit, an AD conversion circuit, and an imaging device are provided. A clock generating unit includes a delay section including delay units, each of which delays an input signal and outputs a delayed signal, and outputs a low-order phase signal based on a signal output from the delay section. A high-order current source cell unit includes high-order current source cells, each of which generates the same constant current. A low-order current source cell unit includes low-order current source cells weighted to generate constant currents having current values that differ by a predetermined proportion of a current value of the constant current generated by the high-order current source cell. Selection of the high-order current source cell is performed based on a clock obtained by dividing a clock based on the low-order phase signal.
US09294109B2	Optical module for atomic oscillator and atomic oscillator An optical module for an atomic oscillator using a quantum interference effect includes a light source part to emit resonant light having two different wavelengths, a gas cell in which an alkali metal atom gas is enclosed and to which the resonant light is irradiated, a light detection part to detect an intensity of the resonant light transmitted through the gas cell, and a gas-flow generation part to generate a flow of the alkali metal atom gas.
US09294105B2	Delay line off-state control with power reduction A method and apparatus is provided for controlling a delay line for achieving power reduction. The device comprises a delay lock loop to provide an output signal based upon a phase difference between a reference signal and a feedback signal, said delay lock loop comprising at least one delay circuit comprising a plurality of logic gates configured to provide for substantially uniform degradation of a plurality of NAND gates in a static state.
US09294103B2	Pre-program of clock generation circuit for faster lock coming out of reset A method and apparatus for achieving fast PLL lock when exiting a low power state is disclosed. In one embodiment, a method includes operating a PLL in a first state in which the PLL is locked to a first frequency. The method further includes programming the PLL to operate in a second state in which the PLL is locked to a second frequency. The programming may occur while the PLL is operating in the first state, and the PLL may continue operating in the first state after programming is complete. Thereafter, the PLL may be transitioned from the first state to a low power state. Upon exiting the low power state, the PLL may transition directly to the second state, locking to the second frequency, without having to transition to the first state or lock to the first frequency.
US09294097B1	Device array topology configuration and source code partitioning for device arrays An array of field programmable gate array (FPGA) devices configured for execution of a source code. The array includes two or more FPGA devices, a host processor, and a host interface logic. The FPGA devices are configured to execute a parallelized portion of the source code partitioned among the FPGA devices based on data rates of computing elements of the source code, computational performance of the FPGA devices, the input/output (I/O) bandwidth of the FPGA devices. The FPGA devices include a memory bank addressable by a global memory address space for the array and an array interconnect that enables the computing elements executed by each of the FPGA devices to be programmed with a uniform address space of a global memory of the array and utilization of the global memory by the FPGA devices. The host interface logic connects the host processor with one of the FPGA devices.
US09294096B2	Semiconductor device [Object] A novel programmable logic device is provided.[Solution] Programmable switches each include a first transistor and a second transistor. The first transistor in a first programmable switch controls conduction between a first wiring and a gate of the second transistor in the first programmable switch. The second transistor in the first programmable switch controls conduction between the first wiring and a second wiring. The first transistor in the second programmable switch controls conduction between another first wiring and a gate of the second transistor in the second programmable switch.
US09294090B2	Carbon nanotube field-effect transistor encoder A carbon nanotube field-effect transistor encoder, based on a binary circuit which includes: a first inverter, a second inverter, a third inverter, a first three-input NAND gate, a second three-input NAND gate, a third three-input NAND gate, a fourth three-input NAND gate, a fifth three-input NAND gate, a sixth three-input NAND gate, a seventh three-input NAND gate, a first two-input NAND gate, a second two-input NAND gate, a third two-input NAND gate and a two-input AND gate. When the input end of the encoder inputs three-bit binary input signals, the three-bit binary input signals are first processed by the binary circuit; and the processed signals are input into the ternary circuit which includes a first CNFET NAND gate, a second CNFET NAND gate, a first CNFET NOR gate, a second CNFET NOR gate, a fourth inverter and a fifth inverter to be converted into ternary signals for transmission.
US09294089B2	Method for judging capacitance type touch buttons A method for judging capacitance type touch buttons in touch sensing technical field includes that: when touching a button, determining the change trend of the charge quantity on the button; a charge regulation is performed to the charge accumulation area corresponding to each button, until the charge quantity in the charge accumulation area corresponding to the button remains unchanged; calculating the charge changing quantity of the charge accumulation area when touching the button, and calculating the ratio between the charge changing quantity of the charge accumulation area and the charge balance quantity as well; and when the change trend of the charge quantity on the button is decrease and the ratio between the charge changing quantity of the charge accumulation area corresponding to the button and the charge balance quantity is larger than or equal to the first threshold value and smaller than the third threshold value, or when the change trend of the charge quantity on the button is increase and the ratio between the charge changing quantity of the charge accumulation area corresponding to the button and the charge balance quantity is larger than or equal to the second threshold value and smaller than the third threshold value, the button is the touched button. The capacitance type touch buttons are judged more accurately according to the present invention.
US09294085B1	High-voltage, low-inductance gas switch A low-inductance, air-insulated gas switch uses a de-enhanced annular trigger ring disposed between two opposing high voltage electrodes. The switch is DC chargeable to 200 kilovolts or more, triggerable, has low jitter (5 ns or less), has pre-fire and no-fire rates of no more than one in 10,000 shots, and has a lifetime of greater than 100,000 shots. Importantly, the switch also has a low inductance (less than 60 nH) and the ability to conduct currents with less than 100 ns rise times. The switch can be used with linear transformer drives or other pulsed-power systems.
US09294083B2	Semiconductor devices and methods providing non-linear compensation of field-effect transistors Semiconductor devices and methods are disclosed including switch circuitry providing improved switching performance. A semiconductor die includes a semiconductor substrate, at least one field-effect transistor (FET) formed on the semiconductor substrate, and a compensation circuit connected to a respective source of each of the at least one FET, the compensation circuit configured to compensate a non-linearity effect generated by the at least one FET.
US09294081B2	System and method for breakdown protection for switching output driver An integrated circuit device includes a driver circuit (100) having a pull-up network with a first pull-up transistor (108) coupled to a second pull-up transistor (110) at a first node (VP), and a pull-down network coupled to the pull-up network including a first pull-down transistor (112) coupled to a second pull-down transistor (114) at a second node (VN). A first bias switch (116) is coupled to the first node. A second bias switch (118) is coupled to the second node. A control circuit (104) is coupled to operate the first and second bias switches. The first bias switch is operated to reduce a voltage at the first node during a pull-down cycle of the driver circuit and the second bias switch is operated to reduce a voltage at the second node during a pull-up cycle of the driver circuit.
US09294052B2	Personal computer to output audio in a non-operative state According to one embodiment, an electronic apparatus includes a terminal, an amplifier, a speaker, a power supply circuit and a first controller. The terminal configured to input an audio signal from an external device. The amplifier configured to amplify the audio signal. The speaker configured to output sound corresponding to the audio signal which is amplified by the amplifier. The power supply circuit configured to supply power to the amplifier. The first controller configured to control the power supply circuit to continue the supply of the power, when the electronic apparatus is in a non-operative state.
US09294050B2	CMOS based RF antenna switch A novel and useful radio frequency (RF) front end module (FEM) circuit that provides high linearity and power efficiency and meets the requirements of modern wireless communication standards such as 802.11 WLAN, 3G and 4G cellular standards, Bluetooth, ZigBee, etc. The configuration of the FEM circuit permits the use of common, relatively low cost semiconductor fabrication techniques such as standard CMOS processes. The FEM circuit includes a power amplifier made up of one or more sub-amplifiers having high and low power circuits and whose outputs are combined to yield the total desired power gain. An integrated multi-tap transformer having primary and secondary windings arranged in a novel configuration provide efficient power combining and transfer to the antenna of the power generated by the individual sub-amplifiers.
US09294048B2	Instrumentation amplifier and signal amplification method An instrumentation amplifier includes a first amplifier having one input connected to a first input of the instrumentation amplifier, a second amplifier having one input connected to a second input of the instrumentation amplifier, and a feedback network. The feedback network including an active filter having a first low pass filter characteristic with a first cut-off frequency in respect of differential mode signals at the first and second inputs of the instrumentation amplifier, and a second low pass filter characteristic with a second cut-off frequency in respect of common mode signals at the first and second inputs of the instrumentation amplifier. The disclosure also relates to a device for acquiring biopotential signals and a signal amplification method.
US09294044B2	Bias circuit and amplifier A bias circuit according to an embodiment is a bias circuit that supplies a bias voltage to an amplifying element. The bias circuit of the embodiment includes a first current source that has a characteristic of varying an output current with the surrounding temperature variations, and a second current source that has a different output characteristic from the first current source and that can control the output current. The bias circuit of the embodiment also includes a comparator for comparing the output current of the first current source with the output current of the second current source, and a bias supply part that controls the output current of the second current source on the basis of the comparison result of the comparator and supplies a bias voltage to the amplifying element in accordance with the comparison result.
US09294037B2	Apparatus and methods for autozero amplifiers Apparatus and methods for autozero amplifiers are provided herein. In certain configurations, an autozero amplifier includes at least three transconductance stages and an autozero timing control circuit configured to control an autozero sequence of the transconductance stages. The autozero timing control circuit can stagger autozeroing of the transconductance stages, such that a relatively small amount of the amplifier's amplification circuitry is connected to or disconnected from the amplifier's signal path at any given time. For example, in certain configurations, when one of the transconductance stages in autozeroed over a particular time interval, the remaining transconductance stages can operate in parallel to provide amplification during that time interval.
US09294032B2	Modular roof solar panel for conventional roof and roofing integration There is provided an improved roof solar panel, embodying a photovoltaic panel mounted on a frame for easy installation onto a conventional sloped roof and integration with conventional roof coverings. Such panel includes a roof covering mounting surface on an outside support of the frame, a photovoltaic panel mounting surface on an inside support of the frame, and when installed on the roof, a retainer trim for securing the roof covering and photovoltaic panel mounted on said supports while mounting to the frame. The frame also serves to provide means for securing the panel onto roof trusses. Integration with the conventional roof covering provides, inter alia, an attractive low profile with improved water shedding, wind resistance, and thermal regulation properties. The invention also relates to a kit comprising, inter alia, said roof solar panel, and to a method of installing said roof solar panel.
US09294027B2	Rotating electric machine for vehicles A rotating electric machine for vehicles has a rotor, a stator having stator windings, MOS module groups as electric power converters, a rotation angle sensor that detects a rotation angle of the rotor, and a control circuit that has a rotation angle sensor abnormality determining section that determines whether abnormalities of the rotation angle sensor exist or not based on a phase voltage induced by the stator windings during the power generation.
US09294018B2	Electric motor control device An electric motor control device includes a torque command generation portion that outputs a torque command τc generated on the basis of a rotation speed R and specifying an output torque, a minimum energization point number generation portion that generates a minimum number of energization points, Nmin, indicating the minimum number of points to be energized in windings of an armature and a field on the basis of the rotation speed R and the torque command τc, an energization signal generation portion that outputs an energization signal S on the basis of a state quantity M of an electric motor, the minimum number of energization points, Nmin, the torque command τc, a DC voltage value Vdc, a current value I, and a field position θ, and an energization portion that energizes an armature winding and a field winding according to the energization signal S.
US09294008B2	Two-quadrant chopper A two-quadrant chopper including first, second, third and fourth nodes wherein an input voltage may be applied between the first and second nodes, a first output voltage may be picked off between the first and third nodes and a second output voltage may be picked off between the third and second nodes, wherein a first capacitor is between the first and third nodes and a second capacitor is between the third and second nodes, a first transistor and a first diode are connected to the first and fourth nodes, a second transistor and a second diode are connected to the fourth and second nodes, and an inductor is between the third and fourth nodes.
US09294005B2	Method and apparatus for detecting AFE filter capacitor degradation Methods and systems are disclosed for detecting capacitor degradation in an input filter of an active front end power conversion system in which voltage and current sensing is performed to determine sequence component impedance asymmetry to detect filter capacitor degradation according to the value of an off-axis admittance matrix component for Delta or Y-connected filter capacitor banks without sensitivity to voltage unbalance, and with the capability to identify particular degraded capacitor locations based on individual impedance values.
US09293996B2	Method and apparatus for integrated cable drop compensation of a power converter An integrated circuit controller includes a switching control circuit coupled to output a drive signal to control switching of a switch to regulate an output power of a power converter to be coupled to a distribution network. An oscillator is coupled to output a clock signal coupled to be received by the switching control circuit. The switching control circuit is coupled to output the drive signal in response to the clock signal. A cable drop compensator is coupled to output a compensated reference voltage signal coupled to be received by the switching control circuit in response to a switching signal from the switching control circuit. The switching signal is representative of the drive signal. The cable drop compensator is coupled to adjust the compensated reference voltage signal proportionately to a load current to compensate for a distribution voltage across the distribution network.
US09293993B1	Multiphase buck converter controller without PID compensator or compensated error amplifier in the control loop A controller for a multiphase buck converter is provided having reduced delay and reduced output capacitance, in various embodiments. A multiphase buck converter including the controller is also provided. Methods of controlling a multiphase buck converter are also provided. Computers and vehicles including multiphase buck converters are also provided.
US09293990B2	Switching regulator and electronic apparatus A switching regulator is provided which can prevent overshooting in an output voltage even when a source voltage is returned to a normal voltage from a voltage lower than a desired output voltage of the switching regulator. The switching regulator includes a 100% duty detector circuit that detects that a PWM comparator is in a 100%-duty state and a discharge accelerator circuit that detects that the output of an error amplifier discharges the voltage of a phase compensating capacitor and that accelerates the discharge, and activates the discharge accelerator circuit when the 100% duty detector circuit detects the 100%-duty state.
US09293982B2	Switching power supply In some aspects of the invention, a switching power supply can include a control circuit that conducts feedback control of a pulse width of a driving signal for switching the switching element according to an output voltage and settle the output voltage to a specified voltage level; a frequency reducing circuit that is disposed in the control circuit and reduces a frequency of the driving signal for switching the switching element upon detection of an overload state and limits an output current; and an initial state setting circuit that sets the control circuit to an overload detecting state for a predetermined period of time in a startup period of the control circuit. The initial state setting circuit can pull down a control voltage for a soft start signal for soft starting to the ground potential to inhibit generation of the driving signal and pulls up a feedback voltage signal.
US09293976B2	Stepping motor and system thereof A stepping motor includes a housing, a stator assembly, a rotor, and a sensor portion. The stator assembly is disposed inside the housing. The rotor is rotatably disposed inside the stator assembly and includes a rotation shaft, and opposite ends of the rotation shaft are supported by the housing. The sensor portion is disposed inside the housing and detects a magnetic field of the rotor.
US09293975B2	Actuator, optical scanner, and image forming apparatus An actuator includes: a movable portion that can oscillate around an oscillation axis; a connection portion that extends from the movable portion and is torsionally deformed in accordance with oscillation of the movable portion; and a support portion that supports the connection portion. The movable portion forms a cross shape in a plan view from a thickness direction of the movable portion.
US09293969B2	Inverter module and inverter integrated electric compressor The present invention has an object to provide an inverter module and an inverter integrated electric compressor capable of reliably suppressing noise interference on a control circuit board and facilitating filling with a resin gel material. Provided is an inverter module including a power system circuit board and a control circuit board (30) that are integrated through a resin case, in which an insulating through hole (47) is provided in a region between: a frame ground (42) connected to a high voltage system formed on the control circuit board (30); and a low voltage circuit (46) adjacent to the frame ground (42).
US09293962B2	Hollow driving module The present invention relates to a hollow driving module comprising a hollow driving module including a hollow motor including a stator, a rotor rotating with respect to the stator and having a perforated center portion, and a rotation shaft disposed at and coupled to the perforated center portion of the rotor; a decelerator connected with the rotation shaft positioned at an output side of the hollow motor to decelerate rotation of the rotation shaft; a torque transmission unit being connected to an output side of the decelerator to be driven by a decelerated rotation angle; a first encoder positioned at an input side opposite to a side connected with the decelerator of the hollow motor; a second encoder positioned at a side opposite to a side connected with the hollow motor of the first encoder; and a link connection means connecting the second encoder with the torque transmission unit.
US09293961B2	Systems and methods for a motor with a vertical oil mist configuration The present disclosure describes an electric motor that includes a case and a shaft at least partially disposed within the case. A bearing mechanism may also be disposed within the case, and the bearing mechanism may have a first side and a second side opposite the first side. An oil mist inlet may be positioned adjacent to a first side of the bearing mechanism and be in fluid communication with the bearing mechanism. An oil mist outlet may be positioned adjacent to the second side of the bearing mechanism and be in fluid communication with the bearing mechanism.
US09293949B2	Electric power grid signal processing methods, oscillatory mode estimation methods and mode shape estimation methods Electric power grid monitoring methods and apparatus are described. According to one aspect, an electric power grid signal processing method includes accessing a plurality of signals which are individually indicative of a characteristic of electromechanical energy within an electric power grid, using the plurality of signals, generating a composite signal, and analyzing the composite signal to provide information regarding an oscillatory mode within the electric power system.
US09293946B2	Systems and methods for uninterruptible power supplies with bidirectional power converters Electrical power systems and methods using bidirectional power converters to provide, among other functions, uninterruptible power supplies for loads such as cell towers. The power-packet-switching power converter can be connected, for example, to a photovoltaic array, batteries, and a critical load such as a cell tower. An AC generator can also be connected in order to power the cell tower and/or to charge the batteries as needed. Green energy utilization is maximized, power conversion efficiency is increased, and system costs are decreased, by having only a single power conversion stage for all conversions.
US09293945B2	System and method for converting electric power, and apparatus and method for controlling the system Disclosed is technology regarding a system and a method for power conversion, particularly technology for converting power, which is supplied from a plurality of power supply sources, using a plurality of power conversion modules. A plurality of power conversion modules, which can process all of various types of supplied power, are used to convert power according to the type of supplied power. An intermediate connection unit, which can selectively connect the power supply sources and the power conversion modules, is used so that, when one of the power conversion modules has a problem, another power conversion module is used instead to guarantee stable power supply. This construction makes the power processing path flexible and enhances system stability because, even if one of the power conversion modules malfunctions, power conversion can continue through another path.
US09293944B2	Systems and methods for providing power to one or more loads in a circuit Disclosed are various embodiments for a power stage that can drive various types of loads. The power stage includes a first capacitor and a second capacitor that are coupled to the load. The power stage also includes switches that are operable in a first power stage state and a second power stage state. When the switches are in the first power stage state, the first capacitor discharges to the load, and the second capacitor charges. When the switches are in the second power stage state, the second capacitor discharges to the load, and the first capacitor charges.
US09293932B2	Vehicle including a charging port and a light emitter In a vehicle, a lamp for illuminating a charging connector is provided in a charging port, and lighting and extinction of the lamp are controlled by a light emission controller. The light emission controller causes the lamp to emit light when an outer door is opened. Further, the lamp is extinguished after detecting that the outer door has been closed, the vehicle is traveling at a predetermined speed, an ignition switch has been switched ON, a door locking operation has been performed, or charging has begun.
US09293930B2	Protective monitoring circuit and battery pack A protective monitoring circuit includes a protective circuit to detect at least one of overcharging, overdischarging, and overcurrent of a chargeable secondary battery to control whether to turn on or off a control transistor to protect the secondary battery, and a secondary-battery monitoring circuit, having a reduced size and having a breakdown voltage lower than a battery voltage of the secondary battery, to detect a status of the secondary battery, wherein the protective circuit generates a voltage that is commensurate with an output voltage of the secondary battery and that is within a predetermined tolerance voltage range of the secondary-battery monitoring circuit, and the secondary-battery monitoring circuit generates a detection value responsive to the generated voltage supplied from the protective circuit, the detection value being indicative of the output voltage of the secondary battery.
US09293927B2	Inductively coupled power and data transmission system An inductively coupled power and data transmission system include a main power source, apparel having an electrical conductor in electrical communication with the main power source, the apparel having a first inductively couplable power and data transmission sub-system to regulate power to the primary coil or coils and transmission of power and data by the primary coil or coils and reception of data by the primary coil or coils, and an independent device having a second inductively couplable power and data transmission sub-system so as to regulate reception of power and data by the secondary coil or coils and transmission of data from a secondary processor by the secondary coil or coils. The first and second primary coils transfer said power and data during inductive coupling, at electromagnetic radiation frequencies, between the first primary coil or coils and the secondary coil or coils.
US09293924B2	Electrical phase synchronization The electrical phase synchronization technology includes a system, a method, and/or components thereof. In some examples, the electrical phase synchronization system includes an electrical power transmission network having a plurality of transmission lines and a plurality of electrical power generation devices. Each electrical power generation device includes an electrical power source and a control unit.
US09293921B2	Control methods for the synchronization and phase shift of the pulse width modulation (PWM) strategy of power converters A method of controlling a plurality of power converters 1a, 1b and 1c can be used to interface to a supply network, ac busbar etc. Each power converter includes a network bridge 14 operating in accordance with a pulse width modulation (PWM) strategy having the same switching period and which causes at least one unwanted harmonic in the supply network voltage. The method includes the step of providing the switching period of the PWM strategy of each network bridge with a different time offset relative to a time datum such that the at least one unwanted harmonic in the supply network voltage is at least partially cancelled. Two alternative ways of providing the time offset are described.
US09293919B2	Systems and methods for inductive load switching An electronic device for inductive load switching is described. The electronic device includes a voltage sensor module that monitors a voltage waveform. The electronic device also includes a current sensor module that monitors a current waveform. The electronic device additionally includes a computing module coupled to the voltage sensor module and to the current sensor module that determines a power factor based on the voltage waveform and the current waveform. The electronic device further includes a controller module coupled to the computing module that switches off an inductive load based on the power factor. The electronic device has dimensions for fitting within a wall box.
US09293916B2	Sequentially operated modules Method, modules and a system formed by connecting the modules for controlling payloads. An activation signal is propagated in the system from one module to the modules connected to it. Upon receiving an activation signal, the module (after a pre-set or random delay) activates a payload associated with it, and transmits the activation signal (after another pre-set or random delay) to one or more modules connected to it. The system is initiated by a master module including a user activated switch producing the activation signal. The activation signal can be propagated in the system in one direction from the master to the last module, or carried bi-directionally allowing two way propagation, using a module which revert the direction of the activation signal propagation direction. A module may be individually powered by an internal power source such as a battery, or connected to an external power source such as AC power.
US09293915B2	Electric power control device and electric power control system using same A controller installed at each consumer side comprises: a power generation amount acquisition unit acquiring the amount of electricity that has been generated in a solar cell; a power selling amount acquisition unit acquiring the amount of electricity for sale that has been allowed to flow into an electric power system by reverse power flow, among the electricity generated in the solar cell; and a power selling suppression control unit configured to set a threshold value for the amount of the electricity for sale, as proportional to the amount of the generated electricity acquired by the power generation amount acquisition unit, and configured to suppress the reverse power flow into the electric power system so that the amount of the electricity for sale is set to the threshold value or less.
US09293909B2	Passive circuit for improved failure mode handling in power electronics modules A power electronics module for enhancing short circuit failure mode (SCFM) transitions. The module is adapted to disconnect a gate unit from the module using a first switch, upon a failure of at least one of a plurality of semiconductor chips during which the failed chip enters an SCFM, and connect a passive circuit arrangement, including at least one capacitor and at least one resistor, to the module using a second switch. The passive circuit arrangement is adapted to switch on at least one of the remaining non-failed semiconductor chips.
US09293907B2	Protective device for load circuit A load circuit protective device calculates increasing temperature of wire of a load circuit with a first predetermined sampling period (dt1) determined by a clock signal for normal operation when a semiconductor relay (Q1) is on to estimate the temperature of the wire. The temperature of the wire is therefore estimated with high accuracy. Moreover, when the semiconductor relay (Q1) is off, the load circuit protective device calculates decreasing temperature of the wire of the load circuit with a second predetermined sampling period (dt2) to estimate the temperature of the wire. The second predetermined sampling period (dt2) is determined by a clock signal for power-saving operation and is longer than the first predetermined sampling period (dt1). Accordingly, the calculation times of the temperature can be reduced, and the power consumption is therefore reduced.
US09293905B1	Walk-on cable tray apparatus for a people mover system A cable tray apparatus is provided for a people mover system such as a Sky Train or the like. The cable tray apparatus is made up of a plurality of identical cable trays which are secured together in an end-to-end relationship. The cable trays are selectively laterally horizontally adjustable with respect to one another and are selectively vertically adjustable with respect to one another to correspond to curves in the roadway of the system and to correspond to elevational changes in the roadway of the system. Each of the cable trays includes a cover having an upstanding tactile warning device at the side edges thereof. A light is also associated with each of the tactile warning devices.
US09293902B2	Electrical junction box An electrical junction box has a main body with a circuit board, and a cover arranged to accommodate the main body. One of the main body and the cover has a guide rib, and the other has a guide groove. The circuit board is arranged inside a side wall of the main body, and the guide rib or the guide groove is formed on an outer surface of the side wall. At least one of the side wall of the main body and the cover has a water capturing groove located between the guide rib or the guide groove and the circuit board relative to a first direction along a periphery of the main body such that the water capturing groove captures water that has entered the cover via a gap between the guide rib and the guide groove before the water reaches the circuit board.
US09293899B2	Transition splice for cable routing system The present invention is directed toward a transition splice that joins a cable tray and cable basket to form a cable routing system. The cable tray and cable basket each include a plurality of longitudinal wires and a plurality of transverse wires. An end transverse wire of the cable basket is positioned adjacent to an end transverse wire of the cable tray. A plurality of the longitudinal wires of the cable tray and the cable basket are aligned to form a pathway. The transition splice is secured to an end of the cable tray and to an end of the cable basket to maintain the pathway for routing cables thereon.
US09293891B2	Device for managing heat in an optical element, and related heat-management method A device is provided for managing heat in an optical element, including: the optical element; a material at a reference temperature; and an intermediate gas layer located directly between the reference-temperature material and the optical element, the intermediate gas layer being located on at least a portion of the thickness thereof in a temporary diffusion state defined by a thickness of the intermediate gas layer, such that the ratio of the mean free path of the gas molecules in the intermediate gas layer over said thickness is between 0.1 and 10. The thickness of the intermediate gas layer is between 10 μm and 5 mm. A corresponding heat-management method is implemented in the device for managing the temperature of an optical element.
US09293889B1	Seeded Raman amplifier in a nested configuration for generating a 1240 nm laser A third-order Stokes signal at the desired output wavelength of 1240 nm and a zeroth-order Stokes pump wavelength at 1066 nm are seeded into a Raman amplifier comprised of two nested resonators tuned to the first-order Stokes line at 1118 nm and second-order Stokes line at 1176 nm, respectively. The pump wavelength is first amplified and then sequentially converted into the first and second-order Stokes wavelengths as the light traverses the nested resonators. The desired third-order Stokes output wavelength is then amplified by the second-order Stokes wavelength as it propagates through the outermost resonator. Each Raman resonator includes a photosensitive Raman fiber located between a pair of Bragg gratings. The linewidths of the various Stokes orders can be controlled through adjusting the resonant bandwidths of the Raman resonators by offsetting, through heating, the reflectivity bandwidths of each pair of Bragg gratings respectively located in the Raman resonators.
US09293883B2	Electrode of metallic material, and gyrolaser comprising at least one such electrode An electrode (2) of metallic material comprising an axis of revolution (6) and a bottom face (2a) of outer diameter greater than the outer diameter of a top face (2b), characterized in that it comprises a fin (10) of revolution about said axis of revolution (6), on the bottom part of the lateral face (2c), said fin (10) having a radial length L and a thickness h such that the ratio L/h is below a threshold, L and h observing the following relationship: L . L 3 h ≥ 2 ⁢ EX 5 ⁢ σ 3 in which: E represents the Young's modulus of the metallic material; X represents the minimum deflection tolerated by the fin; and σ represents the thermal stress acting on the fin.
US09293881B2	Brush holder apparatus, brush assembly, and method Devices and methods of use for brush holder assemblies are disclosed. Brush holder assemblies including a mounting block and a brush holder are disclosed. Also illustrated is a brush holder assembly including a first portion in sliding engagement with a second portion. In some embodiments the brush holder includes a channel, such that at least a portion of the mounting block is disposed within the channel of the brush holder.
US09293870B1	Electronic control module having a cover allowing for inspection of right angle press-fit pins An electronic control module which has a housing, a cavity formed as part of the housing, and a connector. The control module also includes a plurality of pins, and a portion of the housing is integrally formed around the pins such that a first end of each of the pins are part of the connector, and a second end of each of the pins is located in the cavity. The control module also has a cover with a large portion and a small portion. A sealant is disposed between part of the cover and the housing to provide a seal between the cover and the housing. The small portion of the cover is bendable relative to the large portion to allow an inspection of the pins after the pins are press-fitted into the circuit board as the cover is connected to the housing.
US09293865B2	High digital bandwidth connection apparatus A multiple connector socket is able to interface to a low bandwidth connector and a high bandwidth connector. The low bandwidth connector facilitates a low bandwidth interface, such as USB 2.0, using a miniaturized connector having low bandwidth blade contacts, such as a micro USB 2.0 connector. The high bandwidth connector interposes high bandwidth blade contacts between the low bandwidth blade contacts for facilitating a high bandwidth interface, such as components of a DisplayPort interface. The high bandwidth blade contacts incorporate apertures to reduce electromagnetic coupling with the low bandwidth blade contacts. In one implementation, apertures are not required on the low bandwidth blade contacts.
US09293854B2	Memory cards and electronic machines Provided is a memory card. The memory card includes interconnection terminals for electric connection with an external electronic machine. The interconnection terminals may be spaced from the front side of the memory card by a distance greater than the lengths of the interconnection terminals. Alternatively, the memory card may include other interconnection terminals between its front side and the former interconnection terminals. The former and latter interconnection terminals may be used for electric connection with different kinds of electronic machines.
US09293852B2	Electrical terminal assembly An electrical terminal assembly includes a base and a spring member. The base defines an axis and includes a plurality of base beams deflectable toward the axis. The spring member has a main portion that is disposed over the base, and a plurality of spring beams that extend from the main portion. The spring beams bias the base beams toward the axis. The main portion of the spring member is made from a folded blank having a first edge that is permanently secured to a second edge such that the edges cannot be pulled apart from one another.
US09293851B2	Electronic connector having flexible region An electronic connector includes a housing and a plug extending from the housing. The plug includes at least one flexible region that provides flexing of the plug. In some example embodiments, the plug also includes at least one rigid region. The plug has at least one interconnect. Each interconnect includes a lead and a contact. The contacts are exposed on an exterior surface of the plug, such exposure being provided so as to enable electrical coupling between the plug and an electronic receptacle into which the plug may be removably inserted.
US09293836B2	Antenna apparatus According to one embodiment, an antenna apparatus includes a concave curved reflector, a radiator arranged in a focal position of the reflector to perform at least one of transmission of two linearly polarized waves toward a concave surface of the reflector and reception of the waves from the concave surface, the two linearly polarized waves being crossed orthogonally to each other, and a structural unit configured to support the radiator at the focal position. The unit includes a main body protruding from a rear surface of the reflector into a radiation space defined by the concave surface at a position on the concave surface, the position being apart from two linear polarization planes defined by the two linearly polarized waves.
US09293834B2	Antenna structures combining metamaterials A metamaterial structure including at least one basic unit including a mounting made of a dielectric material. The mounting has an upper surface and a lower surface. Each basic unit includes an electrically conductive unit arranged on the upper surface of the mounting and including: a first C-shaped conductive element including first and second ends; a second C-shaped conductive element including third and fourth ends, the first and second conductive elements being arranged relative to one another such that the first and third ends are opposite one another and separated by a first space, and the second and fourth ends are opposite one another and separated by a second space; and a connector configured so as to connect the first end to the fourth end.
US09293824B2	Interchangeable printed circuit board among various types of platforms by adjusting an impedance value Examples disclose a printed circuit board including an antenna and a matching circuit to match an impedance of the antenna. Further, the examples of the printed circuit board provide the printed circuit board is interchangeable among various types of platforms by adjusting the impedance value of the matching circuit without replacing an electrical component of the matching circuit.
US09293819B2	Antenna apparatus and mobile terminal having the same An antenna apparatus includes: a first member ground-connected to a ground of a printed circuit board (PCB); a second member spaced from the first member in parallel, and configured to capacitive coupling-feed the first member so as to transmit and receive signals of a first frequency band; and a third member extending from the second member by a prescribed length, so as to have a bandwidth extending up to a second frequency band adjacent to the first frequency band.
US09293816B2	Electronic device plate antenna An electronic device may be provided with antenna structures. The antenna structures may include a plate antenna. The electronic device may have a conductive housing such as a metal housing with an opening. A dielectric antenna window may be formed within the opening. A dielectric support structure such as a flexible printed circuit may overlap the opening. A conductive trace on the dielectric support structure may form an antenna resonating element plate for the plate antenna. The plate may have a periphery that is separated from adjacent portions of the metal housing by a gap. The antenna resonating element plate may have a rectangular shape with a bend that lies along an edge of the conductive housing. The dielectric antenna window may have a bend that also lies along the edge of the conductive housing.
US09293814B2	Hearing aid with an antenna A hearing aid includes a housing, and a hearing aid assembly accommodated in a housing, the hearing aid assembly having a first antenna element configured for emission of an electromagnetic field, and a second antenna element comprising a first section and a parasitic antenna element, wherein the first antenna element, the first section, and the parasitic antenna element are configured so that a total electromagnetic field emitted from the hearing aid assembly is substantially the same irrespective of whether the housing is worn in its operational position on a right hand side or a left hand side of a user.
US09293812B2	Radar antenna assembly A radar antenna assembly includes a microstrip patch, a hybrid coupler, a phase shifter, and a power divider. The microstrip patch is configured to emit a radar signal. The radar signal is characterized by a transmitted polarization of the radar signal. The transmitted polarization is influenced by a first transmit signal received at a first port of the microstrip patch and a second transmit signal received at a second port of the microstrip patch. The hybrid coupler is configured to orthogonally combine a first input signal and a second input signal to output the first transmit signal and the second transmit signal. The phase shifter is operable to vary the phase of the second input signal relative to the first input signal. The power divider is configured to divide unequally a source signal so the amplitudes of the first input signal and the second input signal are substantially equal.
US09293808B1	Radio frequency properties of a case for a communications device A case is provided for a portable Radio Frequency (RF) communications device having an RF antenna. The case includes a base and a plurality of walls, extending from the base. The base and the plurality of walls have requisite dimensions to receive a portable Radio (RF) having an outer surface with a first portion and a second portion. First dielectric characteristics adjacent to the first portion having a relatively low effect on a frequency characteristic of an RF antenna arrangement and second dielectric characteristics adjacent to the second portion having a relatively high effect on the frequency characteristic of the RF antenna arrangement. When the communications device is disposed in the case, the case is adapted to cover part of the first portion of the communications device so as to cause a dielectric parameter adjacent a part of the first portion of the communications device to be relatively high, and a dielectric parameter adjacent the second portion to be relatively low. A method for fitting the case on the RF communications device and method for manufacturing the device is also provided.
US09293791B2	Zinc secondary battery Provide is a zinc secondary battery capable of preventing a short circuit between the positive and negative electrodes caused by zinc dendrites. The zinc secondary battery of the present invention comprises a positive electrode; a negative electrode containing zinc; an electrolytic solution in which the positive electrode and the negative electrode are immersed or with which the positive electrode and the negative electrode are in contact, wherein the electrolytic solution is an aqueous solution containing an alkali metal hydroxide; and a separator being placed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode and separating the positive electrode and the negative electrode from each other, wherein the separator comprises an inorganic solid electrolyte body having hydroxide ion conductivity.
US09293786B1	Solid organic electrolytes Solid, or highly viscous, organic electrolytes consisting of alkylimidazolium cation with alkyl, PEGylated and fluorinated side chains of different molecular weights were synthesized and characterized (cf. chemical structures in Schemes 1 and 2). The PEGylated/fluorinated imidazolium iodide is a solid organic electrolyte that has a conductivity of about 2×10−5 S/cm at 30° C. The ionic conductivity could be significantly increased (1.11×10−4 S/cm at 30° C. and S/cm at 2.88×10−3 at 90° C.) by blending the PEGylated/fluorinated imidazolium iodide with another solid electrolyte, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium iodide (EtMImI). The PEGylated imidazolium iodides synthesized in the present work have conductivities in the range 1.6×10−4 S/cm to 2×10−4 S/cm at 30° C. and viscosities in the range 620 cP to 720 cP at 30° C. The iodide counter ion in the present electrolytes supplies the anion for the I−/I3− redox mediators for DSSCs. Therefore, the organic electrolytes of the present invention can be used even without the addition of inorganic salts such as LiI or KI. We found that the addition of an organic solid electrolyte, EtMImI, resulted in an increase in the ionic conductivity of the PEGylated/fluorinated imidazolium iodides, whereas the addition of the inorganic LiI led to a decrease in ionic conductivity. All the electrolytes are thermally stable until high temperatures (250° C. to 300° C.).
US09293781B2	Fuel system using redox flow battery An automotive or other power system including a flow cell, in which the stack that provides power is readily isolated from the storage vessels holding the cathode slurry and anode slurry (alternatively called “fuel”) is described. A method of use is also provided, in which the “fuel” tanks are removable and are separately charged in a charging station, and the charged fuel, plus tanks, are placed back in the vehicle or other power system, allowing fast refueling. The technology also provides a charging system in which discharged fuel is charged. The charged fuel can be placed into storage tanks at the power source or returned to the vehicle. In some embodiments, the charged fuel in the storage tanks can be used at a later date. The charged fuel can be transported or stored for use in a different place or time.
US09293780B2	Sulfonated poly(phenylene sulfide sulfone nitrile) and membrane for fuel cell thereof The present invention provides sulfonated poly(phenylene sulfide sulfone nitrile) and a polymer electrolyte membrane thereof. In particular, the present invention provides sulfonated poly(phenylene sulfide sulfone nitrile) having a triple bond at its both ends and a polymer electrolyte membrane with superior mechanical properties prepared by heating sulfonated poly(phenylene sulfide sulfone nitrile) and forming cross-links between ends of sulfonated poly(phenylene sulfide sulfone nitrile).
US09293779B2	Fuel cell A fuel cell includes a membrane electrode assembly, a first separator, and a second separator. The second separator has a fuel gas flow field connected to a fuel gas supply passage and a fuel gas discharge passage. The fuel gas flow field includes a plurality of corrugated flow grooves and a flat flow field. The corrugated flow grooves extend in the horizontal direction, respectively, and are arranged in the direction of the gravity. The flat flow field is provided within a power generation area, at the lowermost position in the direction of the gravity, and extends in the horizontal direction.
US09293773B2	Electrolytes for wide operating temperature lithium-ion cells Provided herein are electrolytes for lithium-ion electrochemical cells, electrochemical cells employing the electrolytes, methods of making the electrochemical cells and methods of using the electrochemical cells over a wide temperature range. Included are electrolyte compositions comprising a lithium salt, a cyclic carbonate, a non-cyclic carbonate, and a linear ester and optionally comprising one or more additives.
US09293769B2	Electrode coated with a film obtained from an aqueous solution comprising a water-soluble binder, production method thereof and uses of same The invention relates to a method of preparing an electrochemical electrode which is partially or totally covered with a film that is obtained by spreading an aqueous solution comprising a water-soluble binder over the electrode and subsequently drying same. The production cost of the electrodes thus obtained is reduced and the surface porosity thereof is associated with desirable resistance values.
US09293764B2	Negative electrode active material for electric device, negative electrode for electric device and electric device A negative electrode active material for an electric device includes an alloy containing Si in a range from greater than or equal to 17% by mass to less than 90% by mass, Ti in a range from 10% by mass to 83% by mass exclusive, Ge in a range from 0% by mass to 73% by mass exclusive, and inevitable impurities as a residue. The negative electrode active material can be obtained with a multi DC magnetron sputtering apparatus by use of, for example, Si, Ti and Ge as targets. An electric device employing the negative electrode active material can achieve long cycle life, and ensure a high capacity and improved cycle durability.
US09293761B2	Positive active material layer composition for rechargeable lithium battery and rechargeable lithium battery using the same Disclosed are a positive active material layer composition for a rechargeable lithium battery including a positive active material including a lithium metal oxide and tungsten oxide (WO3) coated on the surface of the lithium metal oxide and an aqueous binder, and a rechargeable lithium battery using the same.
US09293759B2	Nanoscale three-dimensional battery architecture A three-dimensional nanobattery formed by individually wiring nanostructured electrodes and combining them with an electrolyte. Short, capped nanotubes termed ‘nanobaskets’ are formed by sputtering coating onto nanoporous templates. Metallic nanowires are grown by electrochemical deposition from the nanobaskets and through the template, making electrical contact with each nanobasket electrode. The same procedure can be used to fabricate both a battery anode and a battery cathode. A thin layer of electrolyte is placed between the two nanobasket electrodes, and electrical contact is made through the nanowires.
US09293753B2	Porous membrane for secondary battery, slurry for secondary battery porous membrane and secondary battery The porous membrane according to the present invention comprises non-conductive particles, a binder, and a water-soluble polymer, and is characterized in that: the three dimensions of the non-conductive particles, namely the length (L), thickness (t), and width (b), are such that the length (L) is 0.1 to 0 μm, the ratio (b/t) of the width (b) and the thickness (t) is 1.5 to 100; the binder is a copolymer containing (meth)acrylonitrile monomer units and (meth)acrylic acid ester monomer units; and the water-soluble polymer contains sulfonic acid groups, and has a weight average molecular weight of 1000 to 15000. The slurry for a porous membrane according to the present invention is characterized by being formed by dispersing the non-conductive particles, the binder, and the soluble polymer, in water. Thus, the present invention provides: a porous membrane that can be formed into a thin film, has an excellent sliding property, and generates few particles; and a slurry for porous membranes which is capable of producing porous membrane easily and quickly, and has excellent storage stability.
US09293745B2	Fused cover assembly for battery system A fused cover assembly for a battery system. The fused cover assembly includes an attachment means configured to attach the assembly to a battery formed of a plurality interconnected cells, and a plurality of fused connections configured to make electrical contact with the interconnected cells and thereby provide a sense connection to the cells of the battery that is fused. If the sense connection to the battery cells is short-circuited, a fuse device open-circuits to protect the cell from being damaged.
US09293740B2	Method of manufacturing EL display device A method of manufacturing an EL display device having a panel part that comprises a light emitting part in which a plurality of pixels are arrayed, and a thin-film transistor array device to control light emission of the light emitting part. The method includes the following steps: forming the panel part on a substrate, and then forming a sealing layer to cover the panel part. The step of forming the sealing layer is performed by forming a film configuring the sealing layer, with the mask being disposed over base substrate. Mask includes contact part in contact with the base substrate, and edge part disposed over the panel part with a gap between the edge part and the panel part.
US09293736B2	Organic light emitting element having emission layers and an electron injection layer including fullerene and lithium quinolate An organic light emitting element includes a first electrode, a second electrode, and an organic layer. The organic layer includes a first emission layer between the first electrode and the second electrode, a second emission layer between the first emission layer and the second electrode, and an electron injection layer (EIL) between the first emission layer and the second emission layer, the electron injection layer (EIL) containing fullerene (C60).
US09293732B2	Organic light emitting display device and method of manufacturing the same An organic light emitting display device includes a first electrode, a second electrode facing the first electrode, an organic light emitting layer disposed between the first and second electrodes, a first auxiliary structure and a second auxiliary structure both of which are disposed between the first and second electrodes. The first electrode is disposed on a substrate having a first sub-pixel region, a second sub-pixel region and a third sub-pixel region. The organic light emitting layer includes a first organic light emitting layer, a second organic light emitting layer and a third organic light emitting layer. The first auxiliary structure includes a first doping pattern, a first resonance auxiliary pattern, a second doping pattern and a second resonance auxiliary pattern. The second auxiliary structure includes a third doping pattern, a third resonance auxiliary pattern, a fourth doping pattern and a fourth resonance auxiliary pattern.
US09293726B2	Method for manufacturing an electro-optical device An object of the present invention is to provide an EL display device having high operation performance and reliability.A third passivation film 45 is disposed under the EL element 203 comprising a pixel electrode (anode) 46, an EL layer 47 and a cathode 48, and diffusion of alkali metals from the EL element 203 formed by inkjet method into TFTs is prevented. Further, the third passivation film 45 prevents penetration of moisture and oxygen from the TFTs, and suppress degradation of the EL element 203 by dispersing the heat generated by the EL element 203.
US09293725B2	Organic light-emitting device and method of producing the same An organic light-emitting device and a method of producing the same, the device including a substrate; a first electrode layer on the substrate; an emission layer on the first electrode layer; an electron transport layer on the emission layer, the electron transport layer including first electron transport layers and a second electron transport layer between the first electron transport layers and the second electron transport layer including a lanthanide metal; and a second electrode layer on the electron transport layer.
US09293722B2	Solid-state image pickup device, method of manufacturing the same, and electronic apparatus A solid-state image pickup device includes: an organic photoelectric conversion layer; a passivation layer formed to cover a top of the organic photoelectric conversion layer; and an insulating film formed on the passivation layer and in a slit produced on a level difference in the passivation layer, the insulating film having a smaller refractive index than that of the passivation layer.
US09293720B2	Carbon nanotubes as charge carriers in organic and hybrid solar cells Organic and organic/inorganic hybrid bulk heterojunction photovoltaic devices with improved efficiencies are disclosed. The organic photovoltaic device comprises a photoactive polymer:fullerene C60-carbon nanotube (polymer:C60-CNT) composite as a component of the active layer. Under light irradiation, photoinduced charge separation at the polymer:C60 interface is followed by electron transfer from C60 onto CNTs for efficient electron transport towards an electrode. The organic/inorganic hybrid photovoltaic device comprises quantum dots and carbon nanotubes. Power conversion efficiency enhancement methods of polymer-CNT based photovoltaics are also provided.
US09293719B2	Semiconductor device, method of manufacturing the same, and electronic apparatus A semiconductor device includes: a gate electrode; an organic semiconductor film forming a channel; and a pair of source-drain electrodes formed on the organic semiconductor film, the pair of source-drain electrodes each including a connection layer, a buffer layer, and a wiring layer that are laminated in order.
US09293718B2	Diketopyrrolopyrrole polymers and small molecules The present invention relates to polymers, comprising a repeating unit of the formula (I), and compounds of formula (II), wherein Y, Y15, Y16 and Y17 are independently of each other a group of formula (a) characterized in that the polymers and compounds comprise silicon-containing solubilizing side chains and their use as organic semiconductor in organic devices, especially in organic photovoltaics and photodiodes, or in a device containing a diode and/or an organic field effect transistor. The polymers and compounds according to the invention can have excellent solubility in organic solvents and excellent film-forming properties. In addition, high efficiency of energy conversion, excellent field-effect mobility, good on/off current ratios and/or excellent stability can be observed, when the polymers and compounds according to the invention are used in organic field effect transistors, organic photovoltaics and photodiodes.
US09293710B2	Organic light-emitting diode An organic light-emitting diode including a buffer layer including an amine-based compound.
US09293701B2	Variable resistance memory device and a method of fabricating the same A variable resistance memory device includes a gate pattern and a dummy gate pattern provided at the same level on a substrate, a first contact pattern provided on the dummy gate pattern, and a variable resistance pattern provided between the dummy gate pattern and the first contact pattern. The gate pattern and the dummy gate pattern define conductive electrodes of functional and non-functional transistors, respectively. The first contact pattern and the dummy gate pattern define upper and lower electrodes on the variable resistance pattern, respectively. Related fabrication methods are also discussed.
US09293700B2	Nonvolatile memory cell and nonvolatile memory device including the same According to example embodiments, a nonvolatile memory cell includes a first electrode and a second electrode, a resistance change film between the first electrode and the second electrode, and a first barrier film contacting the second electrode. The resist change film contains oxygen ions and contacts the first electrode. The first barrier film is configured to reduce (and/or block) the outflow of the oxygen ions from the resistance change film.
US09293696B2	Magnetic memory and shift register memory According to one embodiment, a magnetic memory includes a first magnetic unit, a first magnetic layer, a first recording/reproducing element, a first electrode, and a second electrode. The first magnetic unit extends in a first direction. The first magnetic unit includes a plurality of magnetic domains arranged in the first direction. The first magnetic unit has a columnar configuration having a hollow portion. The first magnetic layer is connected to a first end portion of the first magnetic unit, the first magnetic layer extends in a direction intersecting the first direction. The first recording/reproducing element is provided in contact with the first magnetic layer. The first electrode is electrically connected to the first magnetic layer. The second electrode is connected to a second end portion of the first magnetic unit on a side opposite to the first end portion.
US09293695B2	Magnetoresistive element and magnetic random access memory According to one embodiment, a magnetoresistive element comprises a first magnetic layer, a second magnetic layer, a first nonmagnetic layer, a second nonmagnetic layer, and a third magnetic layer. The first magnetic layer has a variable magnetization direction. The second magnetic layer has an invariable magnetization direction and includes a nonmagnetic material film and a magnetic material film. The first nonmagnetic layer is arranged between the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer. The second nonmagnetic layer is arranged on a surface of the second magnetic layer. The third magnetic layer is arranged on a surface of the second nonmagnetic layer. The second nonmagnetic layer is in contact with the nonmagnetic material film included in the second magnetic layer.
US09293680B2	Cartridge-based thermoelectric systems Cartridge-based thermoelectric assemblies and systems are provided which include at least one shunt configured to extend around a conduit, a plurality of thermoelectric elements in thermal communication and in electrical communication with the at least one shunt with at least a portion of the at least one shunt sandwiched between the at least one first thermoelectric element and the at least one second thermoelectric element. The thermoelectric elements are electrically isolated from the conduit. The thermoelectric assemblies and systems further include at least one heat exchanger in thermal communication with the at least one shunt and configured to be in thermal communication with a second fluid.
US09293674B2	Light emitting device including light emitting element, outer connection electrodes and resin layer A semiconductor device has a light emitting element, and a resin layer; the light emitting element includes a semiconductor laminated body in which a first semiconductor layer and a second semiconductor layer are laminated in sequence, a second electrode connected to the second semiconductor layer on an upper surface of the second semiconductor layer that forms an upper surface of the semiconductor laminated body, and a first electrode connected to the first semiconductor layer on an upper surface of the first semiconductor layer in which a portion of the second semiconductor layer on one surface of the semiconductor laminated body is removed and a portion of the first semiconductor layer is exposed; and the resin layer is configured to cover at least a side surface of the light emitting element, and an upper surface of the resin layer is lower than the upper surface of the semiconductor laminated body.
US09293669B2	Light emitting device and lighting system with the same A light emitting device including a light emitting structure having a first conduction type semiconductor layer, an active layer, and a second conduction type semiconductor layer, a metal filter having an irregular pattern disposed on the light emitting structure, a transparent conductive layer disposed between the light emitting structure and the metal filter, and openings disposed between the irregular patterns in the metal filter.
US09293668B2	Phosphor-converted single-color LED including a long-wavelength pass filter A phosphor-converted single-color LED is provided. The phosphor-converted single-color LED includes a long-wavelength pass filter having a special construction. The phosphor-converted single-color LED has high color purity and efficiency despite the use of a phosphor in the form of a nano/micro powder.
US09293667B2	System and method for selected pump LEDs with multiple phosphors An LED pump light with multiple phosphors is described. LEDs emitting radiation at violet and/or ultraviolet wavelengths are used to pump phosphor materials that emit other colors. The LEDs operating in different wavelength ranges are arranged to reduce light re-absorption and improve light output efficiency.
US09293665B2	Fluorescent material and illumination device A fluorescent material represented by the following formula (I): M1yM2nOzCx:M3w (I); wherein M1 is selected from Sc3+, Y3+, La3+, Sm3+, Gd3+, Tb3+, Pm3+, Er3+, Lu3+, and combinations thereof; M2 is selected from Al3+, In3+, Ga3+, and combinations thereof; M3 is selected from Tm3+, Bi3+, Tb+, Ce3+, Eu3+, Mn3+, Er3+, Yb3+, Ho3+, Gd3+, Pr3+, Dy3+, Nd3+, and combinations thereof; and 0.45≦x/n≦0.75, 0.54≦y/n≦0.6, 0.002
US09293647B2	Nitride semiconductor light-emitting device and method of manufacturing the same A nitride semiconductor light-emitting device is formed of an n-type nitride semiconductor layer, a trigger layer, a V-pit expanding layer, a light-emitting layer, and a p-type nitride semiconductor layer provided in this order. The light-emitting layer has a V-pit formed therein. The trigger layer is made of a nitride semiconductor material having a lattice constant different from that of a material that forms an upper surface of the n-type nitride semiconductor layer. The V-pit expanding layer is made of a nitride semiconductor material having a lattice constant substantially identical to that of the material that forms the upper surface of the n-type nitride semiconductor layer, and the V-pit expanding layer has a thickness of 5 nm or more and 5000 nm or less.
US09293642B2	Light emitting device including light emitting element and wavelength converting member with regions having irregular atomic arrangments A light emitting device includes a light emitting element and a wavelength converting member bonded with each other. The light emitting element has, from the wavelength converting member side, a first region and a second region. The wavelength converting member has, from the light emitting element side, a third region and a fourth region. The first region has an irregular atomic arrangement compared with the second region. The third region has an irregular atomic arrangement compared with the fourth region. The first region and the third region are directly bonded.
US09293637B2	Light emitting element and display device including a light-emitting region having ridge stripe structures A light-emitting element includes a light-emitting region which is made from a stacked structure configured from a first compound semiconductor layer, an active layer, and a second compound semiconductor layer, and a light propagation region which is made from the stacked structure, extends from the light-emitting region, and has a light-emitting end surface. The light-emitting region is configured from a ridge stripe structure and ridge stripe adjacent portions positioned at both sides of the ridge stripe structure, and when a thickness of the second compound semiconductor layer in the ridge stripe adjacent portions is set to d1, a thickness of the second compound semiconductor layer in the light propagation region is set to d2, and a thickness of the second compound semiconductor layer in the ridge stripe structure is set to d3, d3>d2>d1 is satisfied.
US09293630B2	Semiconductor package and method of forming semiconductor package A semiconductor package includes a semiconductor substrate which includes a first connection terminal electrically connected to a wiring for signal transfer. The semiconductor package may include a semiconductor support substrate which may be bonded to the semiconductor substrate such that a second connection terminal and the first connection terminal are connected to face each other, and has a through via exposing the second connection terminal.
US09293629B2	Optoelectronic component and method for operating an optoelectronic component An optoelectronic component includes a carrier on which at least one first light-emitting semiconductor chip and one first light-absorbing semiconductor chip connected antiparallel to the at least one first light-emitting semiconductor chip, at least one second light-emitting semiconductor chip and one second light-absorbing semiconductor chip connected antiparallel to the at least one second light-emitting semiconductor chip, wherein the semiconductor chips are arranged on the carrier such that light from each light-emitting semiconductor chip falls on at least one of the light-absorbing semiconductor chips not connected to the respective light-emitting semiconductor chip, and the light-absorbing semiconductor chips are formed as protection diodes.
US09293624B2	Methods for electroless plating of a solar cell metallization layer A method for forming a contact region for a solar cell is disclosed. The method includes depositing a paste composed of a first metal above a substrate of the solar cell, curing the paste to form a first metal layer, electrolessly plating a second metal layer on the first metal layer and electrolytically plating a third metal layer on the second metal layer, where the second metal layer electrically couples the first metal layer to the third metal layer. The method can further include electrolytically plating a fourth metal layer on the third metal layer.
US09293620B2	Space machine A technique which can reduce a cost of a space machine installed with a solar cell. The space machine is composed of a light collecting unit and the solar cell. The light collecting unit is arranged on a surface of the body of the space machine to collect incident sun light inside the body. The solar cell is installed inside the body to receive the sun light collected by the light collecting unit.
US09293610B2	Easy-adhesive for solar cell rear surface protection sheet, solar cell rear surface protection sheet, and solar cell module To overcome a problem in related art and to provide an easy-adhesive having an excellent adhesive property and an excellent adhesive durability for a solar cell rear surface protection sheet, a solar cell rear surface protection sheet, and a solar cell module formed by using the solar cell rear surface protection sheet. An easy-adhesive for a solar cell rear surface protection sheet according to the present invention exhibits a specific glass transition temperature, a specific number average molecular weight, and a specific hydroxyl value. Further, the easy-adhesive for a solar cell rear surface protection sheet contains a (meth)acrylic-based copolymer (A) that contains a carbon-carbon double bond in a side chain at a specific rate, and a polyisocyanate compound (B) at a specific rate.
US09293606B2	Semiconductor device with seal ring with embedded decoupling capacitor A seal ring for semiconductor devices is provided with embedded decoupling capacitors. The seal ring peripherally surrounds an integrated circuit chip in a seal ring area. The at least one embedded decoupling capacitor may include MOS capacitors, varactors, MOM capacitors and interdigitized capacitors with multiple capacitor plates coupled together. The opposed capacitor plates are coupled to different potentials and may advantageously be coupled to Vdd and Vss.
US09293603B2	Thin film transistor with oxide semiconductor having a portion with increased reflectance An oxide thin film transistor (TFT) includes an oxide semiconductor layer including a first semiconductor layer and a second semiconductor layer on the first semiconductor layer; a gate insulating layer on the oxide semiconductor layer; a gate electrode on the gate insulating layer; an interlayer insulating layer on the gate electrode; and a source electrode and a drain electrode on the interlayer insulating layer and contacting the oxide semiconductor layer, wherein a first reflectance of the first semiconductor layer is greater than a second semiconductor layer.
US09293594B2	Circuit board and display device A source and drain electrode layer (3s/3d) of an oxide TFT element (3) is formed by a first conductive layer. A gate electrode (3g) of the oxide TFT element (3) and a gate electrode (5g) of an a-Si TFT element (5) are formed by a single conductive layer, that is, a second conductive layer. A source and drain electrode layer (5s/5d) of the a-Si TFT element (5) is formed by a third conductive layer. The third conductive layer is formed above the second conductive layer in a thickness direction in which each conductive layer is stacked on an insulating substrate (2). Further, the first conductive layer is formed below the second conductive layer in the thickness direction. Therefore, it is possible to provide a circuit board that can have an improved degree of integration of transistor elements formed on the insulating substrate.
US09293591B2	Tunnel field effect transistor (TFET) with lateral oxidation A vertical-mode tunnel field-effect transistor (TFET) is provided with an oxide region that may be laterally positioned relative to a source region. The oxide region operates to reduce a tunneling effect in a tunnel region underlying a drain region, during an OFF-state of the TFET. The reduction in tunneling effect results in a reduction or elimination of a flow of OFF-state leakage current between the source region and the drain region. The TFET may have components made from group III-V compound materials.
US09293587B2	Forming embedded source and drain regions to prevent bottom leakage in a dielectrically isolated fin field effect transistor (FinFET) device Approaches for isolating source and drain regions in an integrated circuit (IC) device (e.g., a fin field effect transistor (finFET)) are provided. Specifically, the FinFET device comprises a gate structure formed over a finned substrate; an isolation oxide beneath an active fin channel of the gate structure; an embedded source and a drain (S/D) formed adjacent the gate structure and the isolation oxide; and an epitaxial (epi) bottom region of the embedded S/D, the epi bottom region counter doped to a polarity of the embedded S/D. The device further includes a set of implanted regions implanted beneath the epi bottom region, wherein the set of implanted regions may be doped and the epi bottom region undoped. In one approach, the embedded S/D comprises P++ doped Silicon Germanium (SiGe) for a p-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (PMOSFET) and N++ Silicon Nitride (SiN) for a n-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (NMOSFET).
US09293586B2	Epitaxial block layer for a fin field effect transistor device Approaches for enabling uniform epitaxial (epi) growth in an epi junction area of a semiconductor device (e.g., a fin field effect transistor device) are provided. Specifically, a semiconductor device is provided including a dummy gate and a set of fin field effect transistors (FinFETs) formed over a substrate; a spacer layer formed over the dummy gate and each of the set of FinFETs; and an epi material formed within a set of recesses in the substrate, the set of recesses formed prior to removal of an epi block layer over the dummy gate.
US09293583B2	Finfet with oxidation-induced stress A method for inducing stress within the channel of a semiconductor fin structure includes forming a semiconductor fin on a substrate; forming a fin hard mask layer, multiple isolation regions, and multiple spacers, on the semiconductor fin; forming a gate structure on the semiconductor fin; and oxidizing multiple outer regions of the semiconductor fin to create oxidized stressors that induce compressive stress within the channel of the semiconductor fin. A method for inducing tensile stress within the channel of a semiconductor fin by oxidizing a central region of the semiconductor fin is also provided. Structures corresponding to the methods are also provided.
US09293580B2	Lightly doped source/drain last method for dual-epi integration An integrated circuit device and method for fabricating the integrated circuit device is disclosed. The method involves providing a substrate; forming a gate structure over the substrate; forming an epitaxial layer in a source and drain region of the substrate that is interposed by the gate structure; and after forming the epitaxial layer, forming a lightly doped source and drain (LDD) feature in the source and drain region.
US09293574B2	Semiconductor device and method of manufacturing semiconductor device A semiconductor device includes: a first nitride semiconductor layer; a second nitride semiconductor layer above the first nitride semiconductor layer and having a band gap larger than that of the first nitride semiconductor layer; a p-type nitride semiconductor layer above the second nitride semiconductor layer; two third nitride semiconductor layers of n-type above the second nitride semiconductor layer and located separately on either side of the p-type nitride semiconductor layer; and a first ohmic electrode above one of the two third nitride semiconductor layers and a second ohmic electrode above the other of the two third nitride semiconductor layers; and a gate electrode above the p-type nitride semiconductor layer. The second nitride semiconductor layer includes, in a region above which neither the p-type nitride semiconductor layer nor the two third nitride semiconductor layers is located, a surface layer including p-type impurities identical to those in the p-type nitride semiconductor layer.
US09293568B2	Method of fin patterning Embodiments of the present invention may include a semiconductor patterning method involving forming a fin on a substrate, where the fin may have a sloped sidewall. The fin may be characterized by an initial height and a first width measured proximate a midpoint of the initial height. The method may include forming a masking layer above the fin, and the method may involve removing a first portion of the masking layer. The method may include decreasing the first width of the fin while maintaining the initial height.
US09293563B2	Semiconductor memory device and method of manufacturing the same According to one embodiment, a semiconductor memory device with memory cells each composed of a vertical transistor, comprises a silicon layer formed into a columnar shape on a silicon substrate, a gate insulating film part in which a tunnel insulating film, a charge storage layer, and a block insulating film are formed to surround the sidewall surface of the silicon layer, and a stacked structure part formed to surround the sidewall surface of the gate insulating film part and in which a plurality of interlayer insulating films and a plurality of control gate electrode layers are stacked alternately. The silicon layer, gate insulating film part, and control gate electrode layer constitute the vertical transistor. The charge storage layer has a region lower in trap level than a region facing the control gate electrode layer between the vertical transistors.
US09293554B2	Self-aligned liner formed on metal semiconductor alloy contacts Metal semiconductor alloy contacts are provided on each of a source region and a drain region which are present in a semiconductor substrate. A transition metal is then deposited on each of the metal semiconductor alloy contacts, and during the deposition of the transition metal, the deposited transition metal reacts preferably, but not necessarily always, in-situ with a portion of each the metal semiconductor alloy contacts forming a transition metal-metal semiconductor alloy liner atop each metal semiconductor alloy contact. Each transition metal-metal semiconductor alloy liner that is provided has outer edges that are vertically coincident with outer edges of each metal semiconductor alloy contact. The transition metal-metal semiconductor alloy liner is more etch resistant as compared to the underlying metal semiconductor alloy. As such, the transition metal-metal semiconductor alloy liner can serve as an effective etch stop layer during any subsequently performed etch process.
US09293549B2	Silicon carbide semiconductor device and method for manufacturing the same A silicon carbide layer includes a first region having a first conductivity type, a second region provided on the first region and having a second conductivity type, and a third region provided on the second region and having the first conductivity type. A trench having an inner surface is formed in the silicon carbide layer. The trench penetrates the second and third regions. The inner surface of the trench has a first side wall and a second side wall located deeper than the first side wall and having a portion made of the second region. Inclination of the first side wall is smaller than inclination of the second side wall.
US09293541B2	Semiconductor device A highly reliable semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor is provided. Provided is a semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor layer, an insulating layer in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer, a gate electrode layer overlapping with the oxide semiconductor layer, and a source electrode layer and a drain electrode layer electrically connected to the oxide semiconductor layer. The oxide semiconductor layer includes a first region having a crystal whose size is less than or equal to 10 nm and a second region which overlaps with the insulating layer with the first region provided therebetween and which includes a crystal part whose c-axis is aligned in a direction parallel to a normal vector of the surface of the oxide semiconductor layer.
US09293539B2	Nitride semiconductor epitaxial wafer and nitride semiconductor device A nitride semiconductor epitaxial wafer includes a substrate, and a nitride semiconductor layer formed on the substrate, the nitride semiconductor layer including a (002) plane in an upper surface thereof. An in-plane dispersion of a full width half maximum (FWHM) of an X-ray rocking curve in the (002) plane or a (100) plane of the nitride semiconductor layer is not more than 30%. The wafer is not less than 100 μm in thickness and not less than 50 mm in diameter.
US09293538B2	Diode having trenches in a semiconductor region An electrode structure is described in which conductive regions are recessed into a semiconductor region. Trenches may be formed in a semiconductor region, such that conductive regions can be formed in the trenches. The electrode structure may be used in semiconductor devices such as field effect transistors or diodes. Nitride-based power semiconductor devices are described including such an electrode structure, which can reduce leakage current and otherwise improve performance.
US09293529B2	Semiconductor device with an array of lamellas and a micro-electro-mechanical resonator A semiconductor device includes a silicon substrate layer with a decoupling region. The decoupling region of the silicon substrate layer comprises an array of lamellas laterally spaced apart from each other by cavities. Each lamella of the array of lamellas comprises at least 20% silicon dioxide.
US09293527B1	Super-junction trench MOSFET structure A super-junction trench MOSFET is disclosed by applying a first doped column region of first conductivity type between a pair of second doped column regions of second conductivity type adjacent to sidewalls of a pair of deep trenches with buried voids in each unit cell for super-junction. A buffer poly-silicon layer is deposited above the buried void for stress release to prevent wafer crack and silicon defects.
US09293517B2	Array substrate and manufacturing method thereof, and display panel The present invention provides an array substrate, a manufacturing method thereof and a display panel. The array substrate comprises a base, the base comprises a display region for displaying and a periphery region outside the display region, a plurality of lead wires extending from the display region to the periphery region are provided on a first side of the base, a plurality of conductive via-holes are provided in the periphery region of the base, the conductive via-holes are electrically connected with the respective lead wires and provided with conductive material therein, the lead wires are electrically connected to a second side of the base through the respective conductive via-holes; a back-side structure electrically connected with the conductive via-holes is provided on the second side of the base, and the back-side structure comprises a plurality of lead wire pads electrically connected with the respective conductive via-holes.
US09293515B2	Organic light-emitting display device and method of manufacturing the same An organic light-emitting display device and a method of manufacturing the organic light-emitting display device. The organic light-emitting display device is a dual emission display capable of displaying differing images on either side of the display, and includes a facing electrode that is selectively deposited in the first area but not in the second area, the selectivity being brought about by a varying an underlying material having differing adhesive forces with the material of the facing electrode. In addition, the underlying materials of the facing electrode and other intermediate layers of the organic light emitting diode device provide extra distance between the organic light emitting layer and a reflective electrode, so that exciton quenching is reduced, resulting in improved light emitting efficiency.
US09293509B2	Small-grain three-dimensional memory The present invention discloses a small-grain three-dimensional memory (3D-MSG). Each of its memory cells comprises a thin-film diode with critical dimension no larger than 40 nm. The thin-film diode comprises at least a small-grain material, whose grain size G is substantially smaller than the diode size D. The small-grain material is preferably a nano-crystalline material or an amorphous material. The critical dimension f of the small-grain diode is smaller than the critical dimension F of the single-crystalline transistor.
US09293508B2	Semiconductor storage device and method of fabricating same A memory cell array having such a structure that can be realized with a simpler process and ideal for realizing a higher density is provided. Memory cells have a structure in which channel layers (88p and 89p) are formed on the side surfaces of each of a plurality of stacked structures which extends in the Y direction and is periodically formed in the X direction with a gate insulator film layer (9) interposed, and a resistance-change material layer (7) is formed so as to be electrically connected to two adjacent channel layers of the channel layers. Due to such a structure, it is not necessary to perform such a very difficult step that processes the resistance-change material and the silicons collectively and it is possible to provide the memory cell array with a simpler process.
US09293503B2	Solid-state imaging device, method for driving the same, method for manufacturing the same, and electronic device A solid-state imaging device includes a photoelectric conversion section configured to generate photocharges and a transfer gate that transfers the photocharges to a semiconductor region. A method for driving a unit pixel includes a step of accumulating photocharges in a photoelectric conversion section and a step of accumulating the photocharges in a semiconductor region. A method of forming a solid-state imaging device includes implanting ions into a well layer through an opening in a mask, implanting additional ions into the well layer through an opening in another mask, and implanting other ions into the well layer through an opening in yet another mask. An electronic device includes the solid-state imaging device.
US09293474B2	Dual channel hybrid semiconductor-on-insulator semiconductor devices Trenches are formed through a top semiconductor layer and a buried insulator layer of a semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) substrate. A selective epitaxy is performed to form bulk semiconductor portions filling the trenches and in epitaxial alignment with the semiconductor material of a handle substrate. At least one dielectric layer is deposited over the top semiconductor layer and the bulk semiconductor portions, and is patterned to form openings over selected areas of the top semiconductor layer and the bulk semiconductor portions. A semiconductor alloy material is deposited within the openings directly on physically exposed surfaces of the top semiconductor layer and the bulk semiconductor portions. The semiconductor alloy material intermixes with the underlying semiconductor materials in a subsequent anneal. Within each of the SOI region and the bulk region, two types of semiconductor material portions are formed depending on whether a semiconductor material intermixes with the semiconductor alloy material.
US09293470B2	Non-volatile semiconductor memory device Stack structures are arranged in a first direction horizontal to a semiconductor substrate, one of which has a longitudinal direction along a second direction. One stack structure has a plurality of semiconductor layers stacked between interlayer insulating layers. A memory film is formed on side surfaces of the stack structures and includes a charge accumulation film of the memory cell. Conductive films are formed on side surfaces of the stack structures via the memory film. One stack structure has a shape increasing in width from above to below in a cross-section including the first and third directions. One conductive film has a shape increasing in width from above to below in a cross-section including the second and third directions. Predetermined portions in the semiconductor layers have different impurity concentrations between upper and lower semiconductor layers.
US09293468B2	Nonvolatile memory device A nonvolatile memory device includes a tunneling region and an erase region formed over a substrate, a selection gate formed over the substrate to overlap with the tunneling region, a floating gate formed over the substrate to be disposed adjacent to the selection gate with a gap therebetween and to overlap with the tunneling region and the erase region, and a charge blocking layer filling the gap.
US09293455B2	Semiconductor device and manufacturing method thereof Provided is an in-wiring-layer active element (component) which allows for electrical isolation between a gate electrode and a channel in a top gate structure. A semiconductor device includes a first wiring layer, a second wiring layer, and a semiconductor element. The first wiring layer has a first interlayer insulating layer, and a first wire embedded in the first interlayer insulating layer. The second wiring layer has a second interlayer insulating layer, and second wires embedded in the second interlayer insulating layer. The semiconductor element is provided at least in the second wiring layer. The semiconductor element includes a semiconductor layer provided in the second wiring layer, a gate insulating film provided in contact with the semiconductor layer, a gate electrode provided on the opposite side of the semiconductor layer via the first gate insulating film, and a first side wall film provided over a side surface of the semiconductor layer.
US09293445B2	Wafer level packaging bond A device is described in one embodiment that includes a micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) device disposed on a first substrate and a semiconductor device disposed on a second substrate. A bond electrically connects the MEMS device and the semiconductor device. The bond includes an interface between a first bonding layer including silicon on the first substrate and a second bonding layer including aluminum on the second substrate. The physical interface between the aluminum and silicon (e.g., amorphous silicon) can provide an electrical connection.
US09293433B2	Intermetallic compound layer on a pillar between a chip and substrate A semiconductor package includes a wiring substrate that includes a first conductive member; a semiconductor chip that is mounted on the wiring substrate and includes a second conductive member, the first conductive member and the second conductive member being positioned to face each other; and a bonding member that bonds and electrically connects the first conductive member and the second conductive member, at least one of the first conductive member and the second conductive member being a pillar-shaped terminal, the bonding member being bonded to an end surface of the pillar-shaped terminal and a portion of a side surface of the pillar-shaped terminal, an intermetallic compound layer being formed at an interface of the bonding member and the pillar-shaped terminal.
US09293432B2	Metal contact for chip packaging structure A chip packaging structure and packaging method. The packaging structure comprises: a semiconductor substrate; a metal pad provided inside the semiconductor substrate; an insulating layer provided on the semiconductor substrate, the insulating layer having an opening for exposing the metal pad; a sub-ball metal electrode provided on the metal pad; a solder ball provided on the surface of the sub-ball metal electrode, the solder ball having a first apron structure and the first apron structure covering partial metal pad on the periphery of the bottom of the under-ball metal electrode. The chip packaging structure of the present invention enhances the adhesion between the solder ball and the metal pad, and improves the reliability in chip packaging.
US09293421B2	Electronic component module An electronic component module according to the present invention is provided with an electronic component, a sealing resin that seals the electronic component, and a metal film that covers a surface of the sealing resin. The sealing resin contains filler of oxide particles. Part of the filler in the sealing resin is exposed to the surface of the sealing resin. At least the part of the filler exposed to the surface of the sealing resin includes a crack that extends from an exposed surface of the filler into an inner portion. The crack is filled with at least one metal that constitutes the metal film.
US09293413B2	Semiconductor devices and methods of manufacture thereof Semiconductor devices and methods of manufacture thereof are disclosed. In some embodiments, a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes forming an insulating material layer over a workpiece, patterning an upper portion of the insulating material layer with a conductive line pattern, and forming a stop layer comprising a metal oxide or a metal nitride over the patterned insulating material layer. A masking material is formed over the stop layer, and the masking material is patterned with a via pattern. The via pattern of the masking material is transferred to a lower portion of the insulating material layer.
US09293406B2	Semiconductor package and manufacturing method thereof A semiconductor package includes: a semiconductor chip: a first insulating layer, wherein the semiconductor chip is embedded in the first insulating layer such that the first surface and the side surface of the semiconductor chip are covered by the first insulating layer; a wiring structure on the first surface of the first insulating layer and comprising an insulating layer and a wiring layer; an outermost wiring layer on the wiring structure and having: a reinforcing wiring pattern; and a via wiring which penetrates the reinforcing wiring pattern and electrically connected to the reinforcing wiring pattern, wherein the via wiring is formed through the insulating layer of the wiring structure and electrically connected to the wiring layer of the wiring structure; a second insulating layer on the wiring structure to cover the outermost wiring layer.
US09293405B2	Semiconductor device A technique capable of improving reliability of a semiconductor device is provided. In the present invention, as a wiring board on which a semiconductor chip is mounted, a build-up wiring board is not used but a through wiring board THWB is used. In this manner, in the present invention, the through wiring board formed of only a core layer is used, so that it is not required to consider a difference in thermal expansion coefficient between a build-up layer and the core layer, and besides, it is not required either to consider the electrical disconnection of a fine via formed in the build-up layer because the build-up layer does not exist. As a result, according to the present invention, the reliability of the semiconductor device can be improved while a cost is reduced.
US09293394B2	Chip package and method for forming the same An embodiment of the invention provides a chip package which includes a substrate having a first surface and a second surface; a conducting pad structure located on the first surface; a dielectric layer located on the first surface of the substrate and the conducting pad structure, wherein the dielectric layer has an opening exposing a portion of the conducting pad structure; and a cap layer located on the dielectric layer and filled into the opening.
US09293393B2	Stacked packaging using reconstituted wafers An exemplary implementation of the present disclosure includes a stacked package having a top die from a top reconstituted wafer situated over a bottom die from a bottom reconstituted wafer. The top die and the bottom die are insulated from one another by an insulation arrangement. The top die and the bottom die are also interconnected through the insulation arrangement. The insulation arrangement can include a top molding compound that flanks the top die and a bottom molding compound that flanks the bottom die. The top die and the bottom die can be interconnected through at least the top molding compound. Furthermore, the top die and the bottom die can be interconnected through a conductive via that extends within the insulation arrangement.
US09293388B2	Reliable passivation layers for semiconductor devices Device and method for forming a device are disclosed. A substrate which is prepared with a dielectric layer having a top metal level of the device is provided. The top metal level includes top level conductive lines. A top dielectric layer which includes top via openings in communication with the top level conductive lines is formed over the top metal level. A patterned top conductive layer is formed on the top dielectric layer. The patterned top conductive layer includes a top via in the top via opening and a top conductive line. A first passivation sub-layer is formed to line the patterned conductive layer and exposed top dielectric layer. A plasma treatment is performed on the surface of the first passivation sub-layer to form a nitrided layer. A second passivation sub-layer is formed to line the nitrided layer. The plasma treatment improves the passivation integrity of the passivation stack.
US09293383B2	Method of manufacturing semiconductor device Reading reliability of a code formed in a semiconductor device is improved.A manufacturing method of semiconductor devices according to one embodiment includes a step of forming a sealing body MR in a plurality of device regions DVP with a code (first identification information) MK3 being formed outside the device regions DVP of a wiring substrate. Also, the manufacturing method of semiconductor devices according to one embodiment includes a step of, after forming the sealing body MR, reading the code MK3 and affixing another code (second identification information) to the sealing body MR. Further, before the step of forming the sealing body MR, a dam part DM is formed between a marking region MKR in which the code MK3 is formed and the device regions DVP.
US09293377B2	Semiconductor device structure and method for manufacturing the same There are provided a semiconductor device structure and a method for manufacturing the same. The method comprises: forming at least one continuous gate line on a semiconductor substrate; forming a gate spacer surrounding the gate line; forming source/drain regions in the semiconductor substrate on both sides of the gate line; forming a conductive spacer surrounding the gate spacer; and performing inter-device electrical isolation at a predetermined region, wherein isolated portions of the gate line form gates of respective unit devices, and isolated portions of the conductive spacer form contacts of respective unit devices. Embodiments of the present disclosure are applicable to manufacture of contacts in integrated circuits.
US09293375B2	Selectively grown self-aligned fins for deep isolation integration A trench isolation structure is formed beneath a topmost surface of a semiconductor substrate. A mandrel structure having a bottommost surface that straddles a sidewall edge of the underlying trench isolation structure is then formed. Nitride spacers are formed on sidewalls of the mandrel structure and thereafter the mandrel structure is removed. A dielectric oxide material is then formed having a topmost surface that is coplanar with a topmost surface of each remaining nitride spacer. Each nitride spacer is removed and thereafter a semiconductor fin is epitaxially grown within a cavity in the dielectric oxide material which exposes a topmost surface of the semiconductor substrate.
US09293367B2	Conductive interconnect structures and formation methods using supercritical fluids Conductive interconnect structures and formation methods using supercritical fluids are disclosed. A method in accordance with one embodiment of the invention includes forming a via in a substrate, with the via having a width and a length generally transverse to the width, and with a length being approximately 100 microns or more. The method can further include disposing a conductive material in the via while the via is exposed to a supercritical fluid. For example, copper can be disposed in the via by introducing a copper-containing precursor into the supercritical fluid and precipitating the copper from the supercritical fluid. Interconnect structures can be formed using this technique in a single generally continuous process, and can produce conductive structures having a generally uniform grain structure across the width of the via.
US09293364B2	Electroless plating apparatus and electroless plating method There is provided an electroless plating apparatus which, despite using a high-productivity batch processing method, can reduce the amount of a liquid chemical brought out of a processing tank, thereby reducing the cleaning time in a cleaning step, and can perform flushing easily and quickly. The electroless plating apparatus includes a pre-plating treatment module including a pre-plating treatment tank, a plating module, and an inter-module substrate transport device. The pre-plating treatment tank is provided with a pre-plating treatment solution circulation line having a temperature control function for a pre-plating treatment solution. The plating tank is provided with a plating solution circulation line having a filter and a temperature control function for a plating solution. The plating solution circulation line is connected to a flushing line for flushing the interior of the plating solution circulation line and the interior of the plating tank.
US09293362B2	Semiconductor device including air gaps and method of fabricating the same This technology provides a semiconductor device and a method of fabricating the same, which may reduce parasitic capacitance between adjacent conductive structures. The method of fabricating a semiconductor device may include forming a plurality of bit line structures over a substrate, forming contact holes between the bit line structures, forming sacrificial spacers over sidewalls of the contact holes, forming first plugs recessed into the respective contact holes, forming air gaps by removing the sacrificial spacers, forming capping structures capping the air gaps while exposing top surfaces of the first plugs, and forming second plugs over the first plugs.
US09293361B2	Materials and methods of forming controlled void The present invention is a process for forming an air gap within a substrate, the process comprising: providing a substrate; depositing a sacrificial material by deposition of at least one sacrificial material precursor; depositing a composite layer; removal of the porogen material in the composite layer to form a porous layer and contacting the layered substrate with a removal media to substantially remove the sacrificial material and provide the air gaps within the substrate; wherein the at least one sacrificial material precursor is selected from the group consisting of: an organic porogen; silicon, and a polar solvent soluble metal oxide and mixtures thereof.
US09293350B2	Semiconductor package system with cavity substrate and manufacturing method therefor A method of manufacturing a semiconductor package system includes: providing a first substrate; providing a second substrate having a cavity, the second substrate being attached to the first substrate; connecting the first substrate to the second substrate using an interconnect, the interconnect being in the cavity; and attaching a semiconductor device to the first substrate or the second substrate.
US09293349B2	Semiconductor device and method of forming holes in substrate to interconnect top shield and ground shield A semiconductor device includes a multi-layer substrate. A ground shield is disposed between layers of the substrate and electrically connected to a ground point. A plurality of semiconductor die is mounted to the substrate over the ground shield. The ground shield extends beyond a footprint of the plurality of semiconductor die. An encapsulant is formed over the plurality of semiconductor die and substrate. Dicing channels are formed in the encapsulant, between the plurality of semiconductor die, and over the ground shield. A plurality of metal-filled holes is formed along the dicing channels, and extends into the substrate and through the ground shield. A top shield is formed over the plurality of semiconductor die and electrically and mechanically connects to the ground shield through the metal-filled holes. The top and ground shields are configured to block electromagnetic interference generated with respect to an integrated passive device disposed in the semiconductor die.
US09293345B2	Sidewall image transfer with a spin-on hardmask Semiconductor devices and sidewall image transfer methods with a spin on hardmask. Methods for forming fins include forming a trench through a stack of layers that includes a top and bottom insulator layer, and a layer to be patterned on a substrate; isotropically etching the top and bottom insulator layers; forming a hardmask material in the trench to the level of the bottom insulator layer; isotropically etching the top insulator layer; and etching the bottom insulator layer and the layer to be patterned down to the substrate to form fins from the layer to be patterned.
US09293343B2	Method of forming patterns of semiconductor device A method of forming patterns of a semiconductor device includes forming a material film on a substrate, forming a hard mask on the material film, forming a first mold mask pattern and a second mold mask pattern on the hard mask, forming a pair of first spacers to cover opposite sidewalls of the first mold mask pattern, and a pair of second spacers to cover opposite sidewalls of the second mold mask pattern, forming a first gap and a second gap to expose the hard mask by removing the first mold mask pattern and the second mold mask pattern, the first gap being formed between the pair of first spacers and the second gap being formed between the pair of second spacers, forming a mask pattern on the hard mask to cover the first gap and expose the second gap, forming an auxiliary pattern to cover the second gap, removing the mask pattern; and forming a hard mask pattern by patterning the hard mask using the first spacers, the second spacers and the auxiliary pattern as a mask.
US09293334B2	N metal for FinFET and methods of forming An N work function metal for a gate stack of a field effect transistor (FinFET) and method of forming the same are provided. An embodiment FinFET includes a fin supported by a semiconductor substrate, the fin extending between a source and a drain and having a channel region, and a gate stack formed over the channel region of the fin, the gate stack including an N work function metal layer comprising an oxidation layer on opposing sides of a tantalum aluminide carbide (TaAlC) layer.
US09293330B2	Method for producing a semiconductor A method for producing a semiconductor is disclosed, the method having: providing a semiconductor body having a first side and a second side; forming an n-doped zone in the semiconductor body by a first implantation into the semiconductor body via the first side to a first depth location of the semiconductor body; and forming a p-doped zone in the semiconductor body by a second implantation into the semiconductor body via the second side to a second depth location of the semiconductor body, a pn-junction forming between said n-doped zone and said p-doped zone in the semiconductor body.
US09293322B2	Optimized method for fabricating patterns of III-V semiconductor material on a semiconductor substrate A method for fabricating patterns of III-V semiconductor material on a semiconductor substrate based on oriented silicon or germanium comprises: production of a growth mask on the surface of the substrate, defining masking patterns Miox of width L, of height hox with a distance S between masking patterns; growth of patterns MiIII-V of III-V material between said masking patterns, such that said patterns exhibit a height h relative to the top plane of said masking patterns, said height h being at or above a critical minimum height hc, the growth step comprising: determining growth rates v100 and v110 at right angles to the face of the III-V material, defining ratio R=v100/v110; determining the angle of dislocations θ of the III-V material relative to the plane of the substrate; determining the critical minimum height hc by the equation: h c = h ox - S × tan ⁡ ( θ ) tan ⁡ ( θ ) R - 1 with R being determined to be greater than tan(θ).
US09293319B2	Removal of metal Methods of removing metal from a portion of a substrate are useful in integrated circuit fabrication. Methods include exposing the substrate to an oxidizing environment comprising at least one oxidizing agent and at least one reducing agent, and exposing the substrate to a reducing environment comprising at least one reducing agent and at least one oxidizing agent.
US09293315B2	High duty cycle ion spectrometer An ion spectrometer is provided, comprising: an ion source, arranged to generate ions continuously with a first range of mass to charge ratios; and an ion trap, arranged to receive ions from the ion source along an axis, and to eject ions with a second range of mass to charge ratios orthogonally to that axis, the second range of mass to charge ratios being narrower than the first range of mass to charge ratios. In some embodiments, ions generated by the ion source continuously flow into the ion trap. Additionally or alternatively, ion optics receive ions ejected from the ion trap and cool the ions without substantial fragmentation. An ion analyzer receives ions ejected from the ion trap or ion optics and separates the ions in accordance with at least one characteristic of the ions.
US09293313B2	Spatial focusing ion gate assembly and spatial focusing ion mobility spectrometer Provided is a spatial focusing ion mobility tube, including an ionzation source, an ion gate, a grid mesh and a faraday disc. A focusing grid mesh parallel to the ion gate is provided at one side of the ion gate away from the ionization source, and the ion gate and the focusing grid mesh combine into a spatial focusing ion gate assembly which controls the flight of the ions. The mobility tube employs a traditional design and changes the ion gate portion to one or more spatial focusing ion gate assemblies. The spatial focusing assembly can realize the injection function of the ion gate and produce the spatial compression focusing of ions.
US09293311B1	Microfluidic interrogation device A portable, stand-alone microfluidic interrogation device including a microprocessor and a touch-screen display. The touch-screen display can receive one or more user input to select a particular particle interrogation procedure, and subsequently show interrogation results. A microfluidic path extending through the interrogation device includes alignment structure that defines an interrogation zone in which particles carried in a fluid are urged toward single-file travel. Operable alignment structure may define sheath-, or non-sheath fluid flow. Desirably, a portion of the alignment structure is removable from the device in a tool-free procedure. The device may operate under the Coulter principle, and/or detect Stokes' shift phenomena, and/or other optically-based signal(s).
US09293308B2	Electron tube In an electron tube, an electrical resistance film having a stacked structure of electrically insulating layers and electrically conductive layers is formed on holding surfaces of bases in insulating substrates. This electrical resistance film is made as a firm and fine film with a desired resistance by use of an atomic layer deposition method, which can suppress electrification of the bases comprised of an insulating material. This makes it feasible to stably maintain withstand voltage characteristics.
US09293302B2	Method for processing a gas and a device for performing the method A method and device for processing a gas by forming microwave plasmas of the gas. The gas that is to be processed is set in a two or three co-axial vortex flow inside the device and exposed to a microwave field to form the plasma in the inner co-axial vortex flow, which subsequently is expelled as a plasma afterglow through an outlet of the device.
US09293300B2	Plasma processing apparatus There is provided a plasma processing apparatus that can generate uniform plasma without increasing costs per unit electric power even though the discharge area is increased to adapt to samples in given sizes by arranging a plurality of plasma discharge units. A plasma processing apparatus includes an RF power supply having an RF signal circuit and an RF power circuit, a case, and a discharge electrode. A plasma module is configured of the discharge electrode and the RF power circuit provided in the case. A frequency signal from the RF signal circuit is inputted to a plurality of the plasma modules connected in parallel with each other.
US09293293B2	Electron gun and charged particle beam device having an aperture with flare-suppressing coating The objective of the present application is to suppress the occurrence of flares and to reduce the amount of secondary electrons arising at an aperture provided to the lead-out electrode of an electron gun. By coating a thin film having a low rate of secondary electron emission such as carbon onto the aperture of a lead-out electrode closest to an electron source in an electron gun, it is possible to reduce the amount of secondary electrons arising. Secondary electrons arising at the lead-out electrode, are reduced, and so as a result, flare is reduced. By incorporating two apertures to the lead-out electrode, and applying to the two apertures a potential that is equipotential to the lead-out electrode, it is possible to eliminate an electric field from seeping from under to over the lead-out electrode. Secondary electrons arising when an electron beam impacts the lead-out electrode cease to incur force in the direction of passage from the lead-out electrode, and consequently there is a reduction in flares.
US09293290B2	Spare-fuse holding structure A spare-fuse holding structure holds a spare fuse including a pair of terminals exposed on both sides of a fuse resin main body serving as a resin main part of the spare fuse in a resin housing chamber. The spare-fuse holding structure includes a resin guide portion configured to guide, when the spare fuse is inserted into the resin housing chamber in a manner inclined with respect to the insertion direction, the spare fuse into the resin housing chamber while changing a posture of the spare fuse in the insertion direction by coming into contact with the fuse resin main body to prevent the pair of terminals from coming into contact with resin walls forming the resin housing chamber.
US09293288B2	Method for operating an electrical apparatus and circuit breaker In order to provide a high impedance between two sensor terminals, for instance for connecting a Rogowski transducer to a circuit breaker, but to prevent the coupling-in of interference signals in the case of a non-connection to the terminals, two auxiliary terminals are connected. In at least one embodiment, they are connected in such a manner that in the basic state, the sensor terminals are short circuited but in the case of a connection, for example of a plug to the sensor terminals and simultaneously to the auxiliary terminals, the short circuit is canceled with external short circuiting of the auxiliary terminals.
US09293282B2	Moving seal with arc creepage surface for an air circuit breaker A moving seal for an air circuit breaker provides an arc creepage surface that is positioned between a pair of separable contact assemblies when the moving seal is fit into an inlet of the arc chamber. The arc creepage surface has a surface contour that increases a length of an arc travel path between the separable contact assemblies, relative to a straight line distance between of separable contact assemblies.
US09293280B2	Mixture of hydrofluoroolefine and hydrofluorocarbide to improve the internal ARC resistance in medium and high voltage electric apparatus The invention relates to the use of a mixture of a hydrofluoroolefin and a hydrofluorocarbon, optionally combined with another fluorinated gas, as an electrical insulation medium and/or an electric arc extinguishing medium in a medium-voltage electrical apparatus. The invention also relates to a medium- or high-voltage electrical apparatus in which such a mixture provides electrical insulation and/or electric arc extinguishing.
US09293275B2	Molded-case circuit breaker Provided is a molded case circuit breaker including an upper external box defining a rear space, a lower external box coupled with the upper external box and defining a front space divided from the rear space together with the upper external box, a fixed contact unit provided on one side of the front space and connected to electrically connected to one of a power supply and a load, a movable contact unit installed in the front space to be movable and being in contact with the fixed contact unit or being separated from the fixed contact unit, a switching device installed in the rear space and operating to allow the movable contact unit to be in contact with the fixed contact unit or to be separated from the fixed contact unit, an operation device installed in the front space and the rear space and transferring the movable contact unit according to operation of the switching device, and an electrode shaft installed on one side of the upper external box, corresponding to an outside of the front space.
US09293273B2	Tap changer with vacuum interrupters The invention relates to a tap changer having vacuum interrupters for switching over between winding taps of a tapped transformer without interruption. The tap changer according to the invention having vacuum interrupters is based on the general idea of combining the functionalities of at least one conventional vacuum switching contact which switches under load and a further mechanical switching means according to the prior art in just one single vacuum interrupter with two separately moving contact systems.
US09293270B2	Method of preparing Ag-based oxide contact materials with directionally arranged reinforcing particles In the present invention, a method of preparing Ag-based oxide contact materials with directionally arranged reinforcing particles is disclosed, comprising steps of: a) preparing evenly dispersed composite powders by chemical co-precipitation method combining with roasting, b) granulating the composite powders by high energy ball milling, and sieving the powders, c) mixing the powders and Ag matrix in a powder mixing machine, d) cold isostatic pressing, e) sintering, f) hot-pressing, g) hot-extruding to obtain Ag-based oxide contact materials with directionally arranged reinforcing particles. This method can obtain particle reinforced Ag-based material with good electrical performance even when the reinforced (oxide) particles are very small. This method is simple, easy to operate, and does not require special equipment. The resistance to welding and arc erosion, electric conductivity and the processability of the material prepared through this present invention can be greatly improved.
US09293266B2	Asphaltene based photovoltaic devices Photovoltaic devices and methods of making the same, are disclosed herein. The cell comprises a photovoltaic device that comprises a first electrically conductive layer comprising a photo-sensitized electrode; at least one photoelectrochemical layer comprising metal-oxide particles, an electrolyte solution comprising at least one asphaltene fraction, wherein the metal-oxide particles are optionally dispersed in a surfactant; and a second electrically conductive layer comprising a counter-electrode, wherein the second electrically conductive layer comprises one or more conductive elements comprising carbon, graphite, soot, carbon allotropes or any combinations thereof.
US09293265B1	Method for fabricating a high efficiency bio-photovoltaic cells by using plasmonic silver nanoparticles and natural extracted graminoids Disclosed is a technique for fabricating a bio-photovoltaic cell which includes coupling graminoids extracted from natural grasses to a semiconductor electron acceptor, on which plasmonic silver nanoparticles are aligned, by using an organic ligand material. More particularly, disclosed is a technique for fabricating a new renewable energy generation device useable for fabrication of high efficiency bio-photovoltaic cells by improving a photo-electron generation rate of graminoids through a surface plasmon effect of silver nanoparticles and increasing an effective photo-electron amount transferred to the electron acceptor due to optimized bonding between a photo sensitizer and an electron acceptor.
US09293259B2	Multilayer ceramic electronic component including electrode lead out portions having different lengths There is provided a multilayer ceramic electronic component, including a ceramic body including dielectric layers, and having first and second main surfaces, first and second side surfaces and first and second end surfaces; first and second internal electrodes having overlap regions forming a capacitance part, the first internal electrodes having a first lead out portion to be exposed to the first side surface, and being alternately laminated with the second internal electrodes while being insulated therefrom, the second internal electrodes having a second lead out portion; first and second external electrodes connected to the first and second lead out portions, respectively; and an insulating layer formed on the first side surface, wherein a length of the first lead out portion is longer than that of the second lead out portion and the capacitance part has different distances from the first side surface.
US09293257B2	Solid-state electronic device including dielectric bismuth niobate film formed from solution A solid-state electronic device according to the present invention includes: an oxide layer (possibly containing inevitable impurities) that is formed by heating, in an atmosphere containing oxygen, a precursor layer obtained from a precursor solution as a start material including both a precursor containing bismuth (Bi) and a precursor containing niobium (Nb) as solutes, the oxide layer consisting of the bismuth (Bi) and the niobium (Nb); wherein the oxide layer is formed by heating at a heating temperature from 520° C. to 650° C.
US09293255B2	Solid state energy storage devices Described in this patent application are devices for energy storage and methods of making and using such devices. In various embodiments, blocking layers are provided between dielectric material and the electrodes of an energy storage device. The block layers are characterized by higher dielectric constant than the dielectric material. There are other embodiments as well.
US09293254B2	Heated capacitor and method of forming the heated capacitor A heated capacitor runs current through either a lower metal plate, an upper metal plate, a lower metal trace that lies adjacent to a lower metal plate, an upper metal trace that lies adjacent to an upper metal plate, or both a lower metal trace that lies adjacent to a lower metal plate and an upper metal trace that lies adjacent to an upper metal plate to generate heat from the resistance to remove moisture from a moisture-sensitive insulating layer.
US09293252B2	R-T-B sintered magnet manufacturing method [Problem] To provide a heavy rare-earth element RH diffusion process that contributes greatly to mass production.[Solution] A method for producing a sintered magnet includes the steps of: providing a sintered R-T-B based magnet body; providing an RH diffusion source which is made of at least one of a fluoride, an oxide and an oxyfluoride that each include Dy and/or Tb; loading the sintered R-T-B based magnet body and the RH diffusion source into a process chamber so that the magnet body and the diffusion source are movable relative to each other and are readily brought close to, or into contact with, each other; and performing an RH diffusion process in which the sintered R-T-B based magnet body and the RH diffusion source are heated to a processing temperature of 800° C. through 950° C. while being moved either continuously or discontinuously in the process chamber.
US09293247B2	Magnetically biased AC inductor with commutator An AC inductor includes a core, at least one permanent magnet for magnetically biasing the core, an inductor winding on the core, and a circuitry which guides an alternating current which flows through the AC inductor in such a way through the inductor winding that, during each half-wave of the alternating current, the alternating current generates a magnetization of the core which is opposite to the magnetization by the permanent magnet. This circuitry includes a commutator which guides the alternating current flowing between two contacts of the AC inductor through the same part of the inductor winding with a same flow direction during each of the half-wave of the alternating current.
US09293238B1	Acoustic-sensing underwater tow cable An acoustic-sensing underwater tow cable includes a cable core for transmission of power/signals there along, a first jacket encasing the cable core, and discrete regions of carbon nanotubes affixed to the first jacket. The carbon nanotubes at each of the discrete regions define an acoustic sensor. A second jacket encases each acoustic sensor and any electrical conductors coupled thereto.
US09293237B2	Use of 2-aminoethanol as additive in aqueous suspensions of calcium carbonate comprising materials Use of 2-aminoethanol as an additive in an aqueous suspension, containing from 25 to 62 vol. % of at least one calcium carbonate-comprising material, wherein the use provides improved stability with regard to the conductivity of the suspension.
US09293226B2	Memory test device and operating method thereof A memory test device for testing a memory device is provided. The memory test device includes a sequencer configured to output first and second sequencer outputs that are different from each other in response to a sequencer input. A first pattern generator is configured to output a first test pattern according to the first sequencer output. A second pattern generator is configured to output a second test pattern according to the second sequencer output. A selector is coupled to the first and second pattern generators and configured to output write data according to the first test pattern and the second test pattern.
US09293221B1	Three terminal fuse with FinFET A technique is provided for programming a transistor having a source, a drain, a gate, and a channel region between the source and the drain. The gate is above dielectric above the channel region. A gate voltage is about equal to or greater than a breakdown voltage of the gate dielectric in order to break down the gate dielectric into a breakdown state. Current flows between the source and the drain as a result of breaking down the gate dielectric. In response to the transistor being programmed, the current flowing between the source and the drain is not based on the gate voltage at the gate.
US09293209B2	Semiconductor memory device performing read retry mode and operating method of the same An operating method of a semiconductor memory device includes performing a first read operation on main cells of a first page with an initial read voltage, performing a second read operation on the main cells of the first page with a read voltage corresponding to a read retry number when the number of error bits generated as results of performing the first read operation exceeds the number of error-correctable bits, and storing the read retry number in spare cells of the first page while the second read operation is performed, and repeatedly performing the second read operation and repeatedly storing the read retry number until the number of error bits generated as results of performing the second read operation becomes the number of error-correctable bits or less.
US09293207B1	Embedded data and code non-volatile memory cell configurations An integrated circuit including data and code non-volatile memory configuration is provided. The integrated circuit comprises a first non-volatile memory array for storing code and a second non-volatile memory array for storing data. The first non-volatile memory array comprises a plurality of first non-volatile memory cells, the first non-volatile memory cells each having a first channel width. The second non-volatile memory array comprises a plurality of second non-volatile memory cells, the second non-volatile memory cells each having a second channel width. The second channel width of the second non-volatile memory cells is larger than the first channel width of the first non-volatile memory cells. This allows the data non-volatile memory cells to have a higher transconductance than the code non-volatile memory cells.
US09293206B2	Memory system including nonvolatile memory device and erase method thereof An erase method of a three-dimensional nonvolatile memory device may include receiving an erase command, applying an erase voltage to perform an erase operation to a selected memory region in response to the erase command, suspending the erase operation by cutting off the erase voltage after a specific time has elapsed from when the erase voltage is applied, receiving a resume command after a reference time has elapsed from when the erase operation is suspended, and applying the erase voltage to the memory region for the specific time according to the resume command.
US09293191B1	Apparatuses and methods for multi-memory array accesses Methods and apparatuses are disclosed for multi-memory array access. One example apparatus includes a pair of input/output lines, and a first array coupled to the pair of input/output lines. The first array is configured to provide data to and receive data from the pair of input/output lines. The example apparatus further includes an access block coupled to the pair of input/output lines. The access block is configured to access a second array responsive to memory access control signals directed to the second array. The access block is configured provide data between the second array and the pair of main input/output lines responsive to the access of the second array.
US09293190B2	Semiconductor storage device A semiconductor includes a plurality of memory cell arrays each of which includes a plurality of memory cells. Bitlines extend in one direction in the memory cell arrays to transfer data stored in the memory cells. Wordlines extend perpendicular to the bitlines in the memory cell arrays to select at least one of the memory cells. Local data lines extend parallel to the wordlines outside of the memory cell arrays and convey signals from bitlines. Global data lines convey signals from the local data lines. The global data lines include a part extending parallel to the wordlines and the part is disposed over another one of the memory cell arrays other than a selected memory cell array.
US09293183B2	Magnetoresistive random access memory A magnetoresistive random access memory includes a memory cell line in which memory cells are formed and write bit lines. The memory cell line 1 includes a magnetic recording layer, magnetization fixed layers, reference layers, spacer layers, and nMOS transistors. The spacer layer and the reference layer are located between the magnetization fixed layer and the magnetization fixed layer). The magnetization fixed layers have a magnetization fixed to a direction opposite to that of a magnetization of the magnetization fixed layers. The reference layers also have a fixed magnetization direction. The nMOS transistor is provided between the write bit line and the magnetization fixed layer.
US09293179B2	Multiple power domain circuit and related method A method comprises providing a trigger signal, generating an input pulse according to the trigger signal, inverting the input pulse to generate an inverted input pulse and pulling down an output voltage using the inverted input pulse, wherein the inverted pulse is applied to a transistor of a high threshold voltage circuit.
US09293176B2	Power management Methods, and apparatus configured to perform such methods, providing peak power management are useful in mitigating excessive current levels within a multi-die package. For example, a method might include providing a clock signal, counting primary clock cycles of the clock signal in a counter, monitoring an indication of high current demand for each die of the multi-die package, and determining a total unit consumption of current. The method may further include pausing an access operation for a particular die of the multi-die package at a designated point, and resuming the access operation if a value of the total unit consumption is less than or equal to a unit limit when a count value of the counter matches an assigned counter value of the particular die.
US09293175B2	Semiconductor memory and voltage output measuring method of the semiconductor memory A semiconductor memory device includes a first comparative device, to which first and second voltages are input; a first capacitor, which accumulates the electrical potential of a first node; a power source, which outputs the first electric current to a second node; a resistor, which generates a third voltage in the second node; a second capacitor, which accumulates the electric potential of the second node; first switches, which make a common connection at a third node possible for the first node and the second node, to which the first capacitor and the second capacitor are connected respectively; and a second comparison device, which uses as an input voltage a fourth voltage, which is obtained as a result of the charge share between the first and the second capacitors and the electrical potential of a fourth node, and equalizes the electrical potential of the fourth node with the fourth voltage.
US09293174B2	Semiconductor device To provide a semiconductor device including a plurality of circuit blocks each of which is capable of performing power gating by setting off periods appropriate to temperatures of the respective circuit blocks. Specifically, the semiconductor device includes an arithmetic circuit, a memory circuit configured to hold data obtained by the arithmetic circuit, a power supply control switch configured to control supply of the power supply voltage to the arithmetic circuit, a temperature detection circuit configured to detect the temperature of the memory circuit and to estimate overhead from the temperature, and a controller configured to set a period during which supply of the power supply voltage is stopped in the case where a power consumption of the arithmetic circuit during the period is larger than the overhead period and to control the power supply control switch.
US09293170B2	Configurable bandwidth memory devices and methods Memory devices and methods are described, such as those that include a stack of memory dies and an attached logic die. Method and devices described provide for configuring bandwidth for selected portions of a stack of memory dies. Additional devices, systems, and methods are disclosed.
US09293162B1	Actuator comb having a stepped inner bore A head stack assembly (HSA) having an actuator comb with a stepped inner bore may have an upper portion of the inner bore with a first diameter that is greater than the diameter of a lower portion of the inner bore. Therefore, little friction and resistance is encountered when force fitting a pivot-bearing assembly into the upper portion of the stepped inner bore, thereby avoiding surface damage and the generation of unwanted debris particles. The HSA may further comprise a plurality of tolerance rings to couple the actuator comb with the pivot-bearing assembly, such as one tolerance ring positioned below the step feature and one tolerance ring positioned above and seated on the step feature of the comb inner bore.
US09293158B2	Apparatus having tunnel magnetoresistive sensor for contact recording Various embodiments relate to an apparatus having an array of sensors sharing a common media-facing surface, each sensor having an active sensing region, magnetic shields flanking the active sensing region, and gaps between the active sensing region and the magnetic shields. At least one of the gaps includes an electrically conductive layer having a refractory material. Other embodiments relate to an apparatus having a sensor with an active sensing region, magnetic shields flanking the active sensing region, and gaps between the active sensing region and the magnetic shields. At least one of the gaps includes an electrically conductive layer having a modified region at a media facing side thereof, the modified region being at least one of nonconductive and mechanically hardened.
US09293157B1	Automated active feedback slice and view milling of magnetic head cross-sections A dual/beam FIB/SEM system and method for operating such a system are provided. A micrograph of a throat height view of a magnetic writer is obtained through iterative milling and repeated evaluation of the leading bevel angle or pole length. In some cases, the milling depth for a next iteration may be modified based on evaluation of the leading bevel angles of the current iteration.
US09293156B2	Substrates for thin-film magnetic heads, magnetic head sliders, and hard disk drive devices An AlTiC-based substrate suitable for a thin-film magnetic head is provided. The Al2O3—TiC based substrate for a thin-film magnetic head including an Al2O3 phase and a TiC phase, wherein a c-axis lattice constant of the Al2O3 phase is 12.992 Å or more and 12.998 Å or less, and a lattice constant of the TiC phase is 4.317 Å or more and 4.325 Å or less.
US09293151B2	Speech signal enhancement using visual information Visual information is used to alter or set an operating parameter of an audio signal processor, other than a beamformer. A digital camera captures visual information about a scene that includes a human speaker and/or a listener. The visual information is analyzed to ascertain information about acoustics of a room. A distance between the speaker and a microphone may be estimated, and this distance estimate may be used to adjust an overall gain of the system. Distances among, and locations of, the speaker, the listener, the microphone, a loudspeaker and/or a sound-reflecting surface may be estimated. These estimates may be used to estimate reverberations within the room and adjust aggressiveness of an anti-reverberation filter, based on an estimated ratio of direct to indirect (reverberated) sound energy expected to reach the microphone. In addition, orientation of the speaker or the listener, relative to the microphone or the loudspeaker, can also be estimated, and this estimate may be used to adjust frequency-dependent filter weights to compensate for uneven frequency propagation of acoustic signals from a mouth, or to a human ear, about a human head.
US09293143B2	Bandwidth extension mode selection A device includes a decoder that includes an extractor, a predictor, a selector, and a switch. The extractor is configured to extract a first plurality of parameters from a received input signal. The input signal corresponds to an encoded audio signal. The predictor is configured to perform blind bandwidth extension by generating a second plurality of parameters independent of high band information in the input signal. The second plurality of parameters corresponds to a high band portion of the encoded audio signal. The selector is configured to select a particular mode from multiple high band modes including a first mode using the first plurality of parameters and a second mode using the second plurality of parameters. The switch is configured to output the first plurality of parameters or the second plurality of parameters based on the selected particular mode.
US09293142B2	Voice recognition system A vehicular speech recognition system including multiple speech recognition apparatuses and a speech recognition controller is provided. The multiple speech recognition apparatuses are mounted to a vehicle. When speech recognition of an inputted speech is performed individually by the multiple speech recognition apparatuses to provide multiple results of the speech recognition, the speech recognition controller selects and adopts one result of the speech recognition from among the multiple results of the speech recognition based on contents of the multiple results of the speech recognition.
US09293139B2	Voice controlled wireless communication device system A wireless communication device that accepts recorded audio data from an end-user. The audio data can be in the form of a command requesting user action. The audio data is reduced to a digital file in a format that is supported by the device hardware. The digital file is sent via wireless communication to at least one server computer for further processing. The command includes a unique device identifier that identifies the wireless communication device. The server computer determines required additional processing for the command based on the unique device identifier. The server computer constructs an application command based on the processed command, and transmits the application command to the wireless communication device. The application command includes at least one instruction that causes a corresponding application on the wireless communication device to execute the application command.
US09293135B2	Countermeasures for voice recognition deterioration due to exterior noise from passing vehicles Mitigating disruption to a voice recognition system in a vehicle caused by a passing source of noise is provided. Sensors sense an approaching truck or the like that is likely to disrupt operation of the in-vehicle voice recognition system. Countermeasures are initiated to mitigate the disruption.
US09293131B2	Voice activity segmentation device, voice activity segmentation method, and voice activity segmentation program Provided is a noise-robust voice activity segmentation device which updates parameters used in the determination of voice-active segments without burdening the user, and also provided are a voice activity segmentation method and a voice activity segmentation program.The voice activity segmentation device comprises: a first voice activity segmentation means for determining a voice-active segment (first voice-active segment) and a voice-inactive segment (first voice-inactive segment) in a time-series of input sound by comparing a threshold value and a feature value of the time-series of the input sound; a second voice activity segmentation means for determining, after a reference speech acquired from a reference speech storage means has been superimposed on a time-series of the first voice-inactive segment, a voice-active segment and a voice-inactive segment in the time-series of the superimposed first voice-inactive segment by comparing the threshold value and a feature value of the time-series of the superimposed first voice-inactive segment; and a threshold value update means for updating the threshold value in such a way that a discrepancy rate between the determination result of the second voice activity segmentation means and a correct segmentation calculated from the reference speech is decreased.
US09293128B2	Active noise control with compensation for acoustic leak in personal listening devices An acoustic noise cancellation (ANC) process is performed during in-the-field use of a personal listening audio device, using a control filter to produce anti-noise by the device. The process includes computing an S_hat filter that estimates a signal path between an earpiece speaker of the device and an error microphone that are at a user's ear. A response associated with the computed S_hat filter is compared to a predetermined response that is stored in the device. The control filter is adjusted in accordance with the comparison. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.
US09293124B2	Tempo-adaptive pattern velocity synthesis A method of adjusting the presentation of music is provided. In the method, a sequence of musical notes is presented by a first music presenting device. A critical beat indicator defining a time within the sequence of musical notes for a critical beat point is received. An isolation indicator defining a period for note isolation for the sequence of musical notes is received. A velocity coefficient is calculated by a processor for each note of the sequence of musical notes. The velocity coefficient is calculated as a function of the defined time and the defined period for note isolation. The sequence of musical notes is presented by a second music presenting device using the calculated velocity coefficient.
US09293123B2	Portable guitar stand A portable guitar stand has two stand racks, two supporting racks and two holding racks. The stand racks are pivotally connected to each other. The supporting racks are respectively and pivotally connected to the stand racks. The holding racks are respectively and pivotally connected to the stand racks. The holding rack and the supporting rack are pivotally connected to different sides of the corresponding stand rack. When the guitar stand is folded, the stand racks, the supporting racks and the holding racks are parallel to each other. When expanded, the supporting racks and the holding racks, which extend toward different sides, may firmly support the guitar on the guitar stand. When folded, the stand racks, the supporting racks and the holding racks are parallel to each other, thereby lowering the volume of the guitar stand for ease of transportation and storage.
US09293119B2	Method and apparatus for optimizing display updates on an interactive display device A solution is proposed to perform display updates in a lower power user interface. According to one embodiment, the display panel is placed in the lower possible refresh rate that can be supported. Rendered updates are presented to the displays at the fasted possible pixel rates the communication interface between the rendering component to the display panel can support, and a buffer on the receiving end of the display receives and stores updated frames as they are rendered and transmitted. Subsequent display updates (generated in response to subsequent sensor input, for example) may be created and transmitted as soon as the preceding display frames are buffered. In the meantime, as soon as the update frame is transmitted, the timing controller of the display panel is instructed to interrupt the current refresh period and to immediately rescan the frame.
US09293116B2	Display apparatus for vehicle having two display areas and a pointer image movable between the two display areas A vehicular display apparatus is disclosed. A display screen has first and second display areas for displaying first and second images generated by first and second drawing units, respectively. The apparatus displays a pointer image on an active area, which is one of the first and second display areas. In response to an input of user movement request for moving the pointer image into an inner edge portion of the active area, the apparatus switches the active area from the one of the first and second to the other, and switches the one into an inactive area, and the second drawing unit starts superimposing the pointer image on the other, and the first drawing unit stops superimposing the pointer image on the one.
US09293109B2	Technique for storing shared vertices A graphics processing unit includes a set of geometry processing units each configured to process graphics primitives in parallel with one another. A given geometry processing unit generates one or more graphics primitives or geometry objects and buffers the associated vertex data locally. The geometry processing unit also buffers different sets of indices to those vertices, where each such set represents a different graphics primitive or geometry object. The geometry processing units may then stream the buffered vertices and indices to global buffers in parallel with one another. A stream output synchronization unit coordinates the parallel streaming of vertices and indices by providing each geometry processing unit with a different base address within a global vertex buffer where vertices may be written. The stream output synchronization unit also provides each geometry processing unit with a different base address within a global index buffer where indices may be written.
US09293102B1	Display having vertical gate line extensions and minimized borders A display may have an array of pixels arranged in rows and columns. Each pixel may have a transistor for controlling the amount of output light associated with that pixel. The transistors may be thin-film transistors having active areas, first and second source-drain terminals, and gates. Gate lines may be used to distribute gate control signals to the gates of the transistors in each row. Data lines that run perpendicular to the gate lines may be used to distribute image data along columns of pixels. The gate lines may be connected to gate line extensions that run parallel to the data lines. The data lines may each overlap a respective one of the gate line extensions. Vias may be used to connect the gate line extensions to the gate lines. The gate line extensions may all have the same length.
US09293093B2	Gate driver in which each stage thereof drives multiple gate lines and display apparatus having the same A gate driver circuit includes an N-th stage (‘N’ is a natural number) The N-th stage (‘N’ is a natural number) includes a pull-up part configured to output an N-th gate signal using a first clock signal in response to a node signal of the control node, a carry part configured to output an N-th carry signal using the first clock signal in response to the node signal of the control node, an first output part connected to an n-th gate line and configured to output an n-th gate signal using the N-th gate signal in response to a second clock signal having a period shorter than the first clock signal (‘n’ is a natural number), and a second output part connected to an (n+1)-th gate line and configured to output an (n+1)-th gate signal using the N-th gate signal in response to an second inversion clock signal having a phase opposite to the second clock signal.
US09293092B2	Liquid crystal display and liquid crystal display panel A liquid crystal display and liquid crystal display panel (101). The liquid crystal display panel (101) includes: several data lines, several scan lines, several sub-pixel arranged in a matrix form. Three scan lines are formed between every two rows of sub-pixels. One data line is formed respectively on the two sides of the first column of the sub-pixels in every three adjacent columns of the sub-pixels. Therefore, the charging time of the pixels can be improved while the high display quality is satisfied.
US09293083B2	Pixel circuit and display A pixel circuit and a display, wherein the pixel circuit includes: a first pixel sub-circuit and a second pixel sub-circuit, as well as an initialization module and a data voltage writing module connected to the first pixel sub-circuit and the second pixel sub-circuit; wherein the initialization module is connected to a reset signal terminal and a low potential terminal, and is used to initialize the first pixel sub-circuit and the second pixel sub-circuit under a control of a reset signal inputted from the reset signal terminal; the data voltage writing module is connected to a data signal line and a gate signal terminal, and is used to firstly write a first data voltage to the first pixel sub-circuit and the second pixel sub-circuit under a control of a signal inputted from the gate signal terminal and to compensate for a driving module of the second pixel sub-circuit, and then to write a second data voltage to the first pixel sub-circuit and compensate for a driving module of the first pixel sub-circuit. The pixel circuit and the display can reduce a size of pixel circuit, so as to further reduce a pixel pitch, increase the number of the pixels contained in per unit area and improve a picture display quality.
US09293080B2	Data line driving circuit, display device including same, and data line driving method A detection output circuit provided in a source driver compares a voltage detected by a resistor and a voltage of a driving signal using comparators drives a transistor, a capacitor and an operational amplifier using a ramp signal so that they are maintained at voltages corresponding to a current flowing through a data line, and performs feedback control so that the potential of the data line is a desired potential. With this simple configuration, a data line circuit can be achieved that is capable of eliminating variation in driving transistor characteristics and the like, while performing current protection at high speed.
US09293079B2	Control of ambient and stray lighting in a head mounted display A head mounted display (HMD) for viewing a virtual environment generally include a flat display (FD), lenses for focusing on the FD, and a housing to enclose the FD and lenses. The housing is generally opaque to block out all external light, so the viewer only sees light from the FD. By making a portion or all of the housing translucent or transparent, ambient light and other external light can be seen by the viewer, providing additional visual cues and a larger perceived field of view. Additionally, other people can see light from the FD. The lenses are configured to view the FD and parts of the translucent housing.
US09293076B2	Dot inversion configuration This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus for an arrangement of pixels and interconnects in a display. In one aspect, polarities of pixels may be in a dot inversion configuration, or checkerboard pattern, to reduce the visibility of flicker. Various interconnect alternatively couple between modules in different columns or rows to provide dot inversion.
US09293071B2	Graphic panel assembly A graphic panel assembly includes a graphic holder. The graphic holder includes a base having an upper support portion for coupling to a graphic and a lower support portion including an aperture. The graphic holder also includes a hardware assembly. The hardware assembly includes a bored rod having a threaded exterior and a threaded interior and a magnetic foot fixedly mated to the threaded interior of the bored rod. The threaded exterior is positioned within the aperture located in the lower support portion of the base. The bored rod is rotatable within the aperture to adjust a distance between the base and the magnetic foot.
US09293069B2	Labeling band assembly and method of forming thereof A method of forming an elastic labeling band. The method includes covering a central portion of a web of tag material with a release agent, advancing the web of tag material longitudinally and disposing a layer of molten elastomer over the advancing web of tag material, including over the release agent on the central portion thereof. The layer of molten elastomer is disposed over the web of tag material so that the elastomer bonds only to those portions of the web not covered with the release agent. The method includes curing the elastomer to define, with the web bonded thereto, an advancing web assembly, and separating a longitudinal segment from the web assembly to define an elastic labeling band.
US09293060B2	Apparatus and method for recognition of patient activities when obtaining protocol adherence data A medication confirmation method and apparatus. The method of an embodiment of the invention includes the steps of capturing one or more video sequences of a user administering medication, storing the captured one or more video sequences, and comparing at least one of the stored video sequences with a corresponding one or more prerecorded video sequences to confirm that the user has properly administered the medication.
US09293057B2	Importing and analyzing external data using a virtual reality welding system A real-time virtual reality welding system including a programmable processor-based subsystem, a spatial tracker operatively connected to the programmable processor-based subsystem, at least one mock welding tool capable of being spatially tracked by the spatial tracker, and at least one display device operatively connected to the programmable processor-based subsystem. The system is capable of simulating, in virtual reality space, a weld puddle having real-time molten metal fluidity and heat dissipation characteristics. The system is further capable of importing data into the virtual reality welding system and analyzing the data to characterize a student welder's progress and to provide training.
US09293056B2	Importing and analyzing external data using a virtual reality welding system A real-time virtual reality welding system including a programmable processor-based subsystem, a spatial tracker operatively connected to the programmable processor-based subsystem, at least one mock welding tool capable of being spatially tracked by the spatial tracker, and at least one display device operatively connected to the programmable processor-based subsystem. The system is capable of simulating, in virtual reality space, a weld puddle having real-time molten metal fluidity and heat dissipation characteristics. The system is further capable of importing data into the virtual reality welding system and analyzing the data to characterize a student welder's progress and to provide training.
US09293047B2	Methods and system for monitoring vehicle movement for use in evaluating possible intersection of paths between vehicle A method for monitoring vehicle movement for use in a first vehicle includes the steps of determining a lane location at a first point in time, determining a position of a second vehicle at a second point in time, the second point in time being subsequent to the first point in time, and determining a path of the second vehicle based at least in part on the position of the second vehicle and the lane location.
US09293039B2	Estimating time travel distributions on signalized arterials A system is provided for estimating time travel distributions on signalized arterials. The system may be implemented as a network service. Traffic data regarding a plurality of travel times on a signalized arterial may be received. A present distribution of the travel times on the signalized arterial may be determined. A prior distribution based on one or more travel time observations may also be determined. The present distribution may be calibrated based on the prior distribution.
US09293038B2	Traffic control agency deployment and signal optimization for event planning Embodiments relate to traffic control resource planning. An aspect includes receiving information about available routes in a transportation network and receiving an estimate of a traffic demand in the transportation network. Traffic control planning is performed and it may include: simulating a traffic flow based on the available routes and the traffic demand; applying a model that varies traffic control agent (TCA) placement and traffic signal settings in the transportation network to minimize a cost associated with the traffic flow, the cost including a TCA deployment cost and a traffic delay cost; and outputting a traffic control plan based on the applying, the traffic control plan including a TCA placement and traffic signal setting plan.
US09293032B2	Two-way communication for control of an entertainment device Systems and devices for controlling at least one entertainment device include at least one remote in two-way communication with a base device. Memories of the remote and the base device are operable to store substantially the same data as the other such that if the remote or base device fails, data in the memory of the non-failing device is loaded into a memory of a replacement device. A memory of a second remote may also store the same data as the remote memory such that if either the first remote or the base device fails, data in the memory of the second remote is loaded into a memory of a replacement device.
US09293026B2	Bed exit night light with increased functionality The invention is an improved Bed Exit Night Light System designed to illuminate a hospital room if a patient leaves his bed, but automatically tracks medical personnel movement within the room and illuminates the room as appropriate to the medical tasks taking place.
US09293022B2	Detecting apparatus, detecting system, and detecting method The present invention provides a detecting apparatus for detecting an abnormal state such as a drop or fall of a person to be observed from a captured image in a real-time manner and realizing improvement in precision of the detection while eliminating the influence of a background image and noise. The detecting apparatus calculates a motion vector of each of blocks of an image of video data, and extracts a block group in which the size of the motion vector exceeds a predetermined value. The detecting apparatus forms a group from adjacent blocks. For example, in descending order of the area of the blocks, the detecting apparatus calculates characteristic amounts such as an average vector, a variance, and a rotation direction component of motion blocks included in the blocks. The detecting apparatus detects that the person to be observed is in an abnormal state such as a drop or fall on the basis of the characteristic amounts of the groups, and informs an external apparatus or the like of the detection result. The detecting apparatus corrects a deviation of the angle of the imaging direction on the basis of a process of reducing pixels in the horizontal direction of an image and acceleration of the camera, thereby improving the precision of the detection.
US09293021B2	Object monitoring system using radiofrequency identification tags having tag-specific identifiers A system (2) for monitoring a plurality of objects (6) in a predefined detection area (8), includes: a plurality of radiofrequency identification tags (4), each tag (4) being suitable for being attached onto an object (6), at least one radiofrequency reader (10) for reading radiofrequency identification tags (4), the or each reader (10) being connected to an antenna (12), and all of the readers (10) defining the predefined detection area (8), an element (16) for processing information transmitted by the or each radiofrequency reader (10), the information including an identifier specific to each tag (4) to be monitored in the predefined detection area (8), and an alarm element (18) connected to the processing element, the monitoring system being characterized in that it includes a casing (14) that is impervious to the radiofrequency signals transmitted by the radiofrequency identification tags (4) located inside the casing (14).
US09293020B2	Electronic article surveillance tag with tamper resistant magnetic lock Method for operating a magnetically controlled lock in an EAS tag (100) involves the application of a magnetic field to a plunger (322) within a housing (102) of the EAS tag. The applied magnetic field is used to cause a translational movement of the plunger in a first direction. The method can further involve causing a latch (320) to pivot about a pivot axis (807) by using the translational motion (1002) of the plunger to apply a torque (1004) to the latch. Rotation of the latch in this way causes it to move to an unlocked position which releases a locking pin (106).
US09293014B2	Gaming device having persistently extending wild symbols The present disclosure relates broadly to a gaming device operable under control of a processor together with a method of operating a gaming device. The disclosure relates particularly, although not exclusively, to a gaming device and method where a wild symbol is in the course of a plurality of games extends along at least one of a plurality of symbol reels.
US09293005B2	Gaming system and method providing a plurality of different player-selectable wager alternatives when a credit balance is less than a designated wager amount and greater than or equal to a lowest eligible credit balance Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a gaming system and method providing a plurality of different player-selectable wager alternatives if a credit balance of a player is less than a designated wager amount (such as a cost to cover a play of a wagering game or a maximum wager amount for the play of the wagering game) and greater than or equal to a lowest eligible credit balance (such as 1 credit). Generally, selecting one of the different wager alternatives when the player's remaining credit balance is less than the designated wager amount and greater than or equal to the lowest eligible wager amount enables the player to utilize the player's remaining credit balance (or any suitable portion thereof) in a manner that is different than, separate from, and in addition to wagering on one or more plays of the wagering game.
US09293004B2	System and method for providing a roulette game A system comprises a client operable to communicate a bet regarding a spin of a virtual roulette wheel. The system further comprises a controller communicably coupled to the client and operable to determine a of the spin of the virtual roulette wheel, the based at least in part upon one or more digits of at least one financial market indicator at a configurable point in time. The system is further operable to determine an outcome of the bet based at least in part on the determined .
US09292996B2	Distributed side wagering methods and systems Various techniques are disclosed for facilitating side wagering activities conducted at a casino which includes a casino gaming network. In at least one embodiment, the gaming network includes a plurality of gaming devices, including a first gaming device. A side wager request may be received for placing a first side wager relating to a first target. In at least one embodiment, the first target may be selected from a group of possible targets which, for example, may include, but are not limited to one or more of the following (or combination thereof): casino players, game tables, electronic gaming devices (EGDs), game themes, game denominations, game paytables, etc. An identity of a first player associated with generating the first side wager request may be determined. A first side wager session may be automatically initiated.
US09292995B2	Automatic distributor for juices extracted from fresh fruit A refrigerated automatic distributor (51) for juices extracted from fresh fruits (53) comprising a fruit or vegetable stocking store (52), a juice extraction device (54) for extracting juice from fruits or vegetables, a fruit moving mechanism for moving the fruits or vegetables between the stocking store and the extraction device, a mouth (26) of access to a container (33) for the juice and an electronic control unit (31). The distributor (51) further comprises a sealing device (41) for sealing the container (33) with the juice extracted and to be dispensed and in which the electronic control unit (31) is provided for activating the sealing device (41) on request of the user.
US09292988B2	Display and labeled article A display includes a first optical effect layer including a first interface part, the first interface part being provided with recesses or protrusions arranged two-dimensionally at the minimum center-to-center distance of 200 nm to 500 nm, each of the recesses or protrusions having a forward-tapered shape, a reflective material layer covering at least a part of the first interface part, and a second optical effect layer including, at a position of a first portion of the first interface part that is covered with the reflective material layer, a portion that faces the reflective material layer with the first optical effect layer interposed therebetween or faces the first optical effect layer with the reflective material layer interposed therebetween, the second optical effect layer containing at least one of a cholesteric liquid crystal, a pearl pigment and a multilayer interference film.
US09292985B2	Operation communication system An operation communication system is provided including a server, a mobile device, and a reader device. The server and the reader device communicate data with one another via the mobile device. The mobile device may communicates with the reader device via Bluetooth, for example. The mobile device may communicate with the server via the Internet, for example. Associated methods, devices and apparatuses are also provided.
US09292974B2	Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and program An information processing system that acquires video data captured by an image pickup unit; detects an object from the video data; detects a condition corresponding to the image pickup unit; and controls a display to display content associated with the object at a position other than a detected position of the object based on the condition corresponding to the image pickup unit.
US09292972B2	Occupant centric capture and visualization of building performance data A computer implemented method for 3-D visualization of a building module and building related data includes receiving attributes of a plurality of building modules from a building information model and receiving data inputs from a plurality of sensors located in at least a subset of the plurality of building modules. The building related data is calculated for each of the plurality of building modules based on the data inputs. A 3-D visualization data of a selected building module in the plurality of building modules is generated for display on a computer screen.
US09292970B2	Systems and methods of retopologizing graphical data Systems and methods of updating graphical objects are disclosed. The methods and systems receive polygonal data which described points on an object. A user indicates a length, and retopologized data for a region is automatically generated based on the length such that the retopologized data has fewer geometries than the received polygonal data in the region.
US09292969B2	Dimensioning system calibration systems and methods Systems and methods of determining the volume and dimensions of a three-dimensional object using a dimensioning system are provided. The dimensioning system can include an image sensor, a non-transitory, machine-readable, storage, and a processor. The dimensioning system can select and fit a three-dimensional packaging wireframe model about each three-dimensional object located within a first point of view of the image sensor. Calibration is performed to calibrate between image sensors of the dimensioning system and those of the imaging system. Calibration may occur pre-run time, in a calibration mode or period. Calibration may occur during a routine. Calibration may be automatically triggered on detection of a coupling between the dimensioning and the imaging systems.
US09292965B2	Accelerated data structure positioning based upon view orientation A circuit arrangement, program product and circuit arrangement utilize the known view orientation for an image frame to be rendered to reposition an Accelerated Data Structure (ADS) used during rendering to optimize the generation and/or use of the ADS, e.g., by transforming a scene from which an image frame is rendered to orient the scene relative to the view orientation prior to generating the ADS. A scene may be transformed, for example, to orient the view orientation within a single octant of the scene, with additional processing resources assigned to that octant to ensure sufficient processing resources are devoted to processing the primitives within the view orientation.
US09292959B2	Multi-dimensional stacking with self-correction A method and apparatus comprises a combination of four-dimensional image stacking methods and self-correction features. An input frame in a sequence is modified into multiple subimages with multiple subregions, where there is one and only one subregion in every subimage contains the higher frequency information of the original input frame than the same subregion in all other subimages; each of the subimages is sent to a device of a stacked display system; the sequence of displayed frames is further modified into pairs for temporal stacking. The result is equal or considered better than the original quality. By equipped with sensor based negative feedback processes and correction algorithms, it provides new ways to fast calibration or constantly and continuously self-correction to the display system non-uniformities, including brightness, registration, etc., and all behind the scene during the normal show playing or image presentation therefore unnoticeable to audience.
US09292952B2	Task manager and method for managing tasks of an information system Information about a device may be emotively conveyed to a user of the device. Input indicative of an operating state of the device may be received. The input may be transformed into data representing a simulated emotional state. Data representing an avatar that expresses the simulated emotional state may be generated and displayed. A query from the user regarding the simulated emotional state expressed by the avatar may be received. The query may be responded to.
US09292932B2	Three dimension measurement method, three dimension measurement program and robot device A three-dimensional measurement method three-dimensionally restores an edge having a cross angle close to parallel to an epipolar line. Edges e2L, e3L and e4L on the same plane of a work are selected, and among these edges, at least two edges e2L and e4L residing in a predetermined angle range with reference to the cross angle of 90° crossing the epipolar line are three-dimensionally restored by a stereo method. Then, a three-dimensional plane P1 including these three-dimensionally restored e2L and e4L is found, and the edge e3L residing beyond a predetermined angle range with reference to the cross angle of 90° crossing the epipolar line is projected to this three-dimensional plane P1, thus three-dimensionally restoring the edge e3L.
US09292931B2	Apparatus, method for extracting boundary of object in image, and electronic device thereof The invention provides an apparatus and method for extracting a boundary of an object in an image and an electronic device. The apparatus includes: a position determining unit, configured to determine a start point and an end point of a boundary of an object in an image and to determine a position of a reference point relevant to the start point and the end point; a first direction determining unit, configured to determine a first direction of the boundary; a gradient map obtaining unit, configured to obtain a gradient map of a first region; a gradient attenuating unit, configured to attenuate in the gradient map the gradients of a second region; and an extracting unit, configured to extract a boundary of an object. The technology of the invention can improve the accuracy of boundary extracting, and can be applied in the field of image processing.
US09292929B2	Image region extraction device, image region extraction method, and image region extraction program An image region extraction device for extracting a target region on the basis of a designated region with high precision. An image region extraction device (100) extracts a target region from an image on the basis of a designated region and is provided with: a spatial change learning unit (180) for acquiring, for each section of the image, a pixel value changing pattern which is a characteristic of the spatial changes in a pixel value component, and a distance changing pattern which is a characteristic of the spatial changes in a distance component extending from a reference position to a photographic object; and a region dividing unit (210) for extracting a target region on the basis of the similarities between the pixel value changing pattern and the distance changing pattern among the designated region and each section of the image.
US09292928B2	Depth constrained superpixel-based depth map refinement A method of forming a refined depth map DR of an image I using a binary depth map DI of the image, said method comprising segmenting (315) the image into a superpixel image SREP, defining (330) a foreground and a background in the superpixel image SREP, to form a superpixel depth map DS, intersecting (450) the respective foreground and the background of the superpixel depth map DS with the binary depth map DI determined independently of the superpixel image SREP, to define a trimap T consisting of a foreground region, a background region and an unknown region, and forming the refined binary depth map DR of the image from the trimap T by reclassifying (355, 365) the pixels in the unknown region as either foreground or background based on a comparison (510) of the pixel values in the unknown region with pixel values in at least one of the other trimap regions.
US09292922B2	Point cloud assisted photogrammetric rendering method and apparatus A point cloud assisted photogrammetric restitution method is described. Said method comprises: the simultaneous visualization on a screen (5) of the ensemble of a stereoscopic image (33) and a point cloud (34) acquired on a given area (2), said stereoscopic image deriving from at least a couple of photogrammetric images (11) acquired on said given area (2) and oriented according to the same coordinate system of the point cloud, the real time connection of the collimation mark (S) of the stereoscopic image with the corresponding collimation mark (S′) of the point cloud.
US09292920B2	Methods and systems for producing an implant A computer implemented method for determining the 3-dimensional shape of an implant to be implanted into a subject includes obtaining a computer readable image including a defective portion and a non-defective portion of tissue in the subject, superimposing on the image a shape to span the defective portion, and determining the 3-dimensional shape of the implant based on the shape that spans the defective portion.
US09292916B2	Methods and systems for estimating genetic characteristics from biometric measurements Methods and devices are disclosed for collecting fingerprint and genetic information from an individual during a single collection session. A skin site is illuminated by direct imaging of the skin site using light reflected from the illuminated skin site. A cell of the individual, such as a skin cell, is retrieved from the collection surface.
US09292902B1	Remote rendering control objects This disclosure is directed to the control of graphical output of a second computing device by a first computing device. According to these techniques, a first computing device may be configured to generate at least one control object that includes at least one control script. The at least one control script is configured to be executed according to an execution environment (e.g., a graphics processing environment) of the second computing device. Once executed, the at least one control script may be configured to access a native application programming interface (API) of the second computing device to cause graphical data to be presented via an output interface (e.g., a display) communicatively coupled to the second computing device based on a context defined by the at least one control object.
US09292893B2	Chaotic watermarking for a digital image Examples of encoding and decoding a watermark for a digital image and to using the watermark for authenticating the digital image are disclosed. The examples may include embedding a chaotic watermark in a digital image and using parameters associated with source and capture information for the digital image to both generate the chaotic watermark and to authenticate the digital image.
US09292885B2	Method and system for providing social search and connection services with a social media ecosystem A method and system for social media ecosystem searching. A desired person can be searched for from public search engines and social media sites directly by name and/or by unique search keywords and search categories created and publically published by the desired person, a social media index of the desired person or a social commerce connection associated with the desired person. The search results are publically viewable. However, communication with the desired person located within the social media ecosystem is via a private system in which a searcher must provide login information to privately communicate with the desired person. The private system helps ensure that social media index values and social commerce connections are properly established, recorded and updated for the desired person and provides a layer of security and privacy. The social media searching ecosystem is provided on a cloud communications network for mobile and non-mobile devices.
US09292881B2	Social sharing of security information in a group Techniques for social sharing security information between client entities forming a group are described herein. The group of client entities is formed as a result of a security server providing one or more secure mechanisms for forming a group among client entities, the client entities each belonging to a different organization. The security service then automatically shares security information of a client entity in the group with one or more other client entities in the group.
US09292879B1	Systems and methods for generating and presenting social markers A social marker is generated from data about user relationships and interactions with consumer objects such as brands, products, services, or a combination thereof. The social marker provides an indicator to a target user that someone they have a relationship with has taken some action associated with the consumer object. This action may include, but is not limited to, posting a comment, a rating, a recommendation, and so forth about the consumer object.
US09292878B1	Application programming interface for audio recommendation, discovery, and presentation within a social network A system and method for providing an application programming interface for interfacing with audio files within a social networking service are provided. The method includes receiving, at the one or more computing devices, an ordered list of social networking contacts associated with a member of the social networking service. The ordered list of social networking contacts is arranged according to a ranking of the social networking contacts. The method also includes receiving a list of audio files associated with the member of the social networking service. The method also includes receiving a set of instructions. The set of instructions is configured to be implemented with the ordered list of social networking contacts and the list of audio files. The method also includes interfacing with the ordered list of social networking contacts or the list of audio files according to the set of instructions to modify the list of audio files.
US09292874B2	Method and apparatus for risk management An integrated risk management tool includes a persistent object database to store information about actors (individuals and/or groups), physical surroundings, historical events and other information. The risk management tool also includes a decision support system that uses data objects from the database and advanced decision theory techniques, such as Bayesian Networks, to infer the relative risk of an undesirable event. As part of the relative risk calculation, the tool uses a simulation and gaming environment in which artificially intelligent actors interact with the environment to determine susceptibility to the undesired event. Preferred embodiments of the tool also include an open “plug-in” architecture that allows the tool to interface with existing consequence calculators. The tool also provides facilities for presenting data in a user-friendly manner as well as report generation facilities.
US09292873B1	Expedited acquisition of a digital item following a sample presentation of the item An electronic service provides a sample of a media item to a user, along with a prompt. The prompt gives the user the opportunity to receive an additional part of the item substantially without further interaction with the user. The streamlined acquisition of the additional part of the media item is enabled by the user's establishment, in advance, of user identification information, payment information, and so on.
US09292870B2	System and method for point of service payment acceptance via wireless communication A system and method for remitting payment from a consumer's credit or stored value account by digital presentations of account information are described. A merchant may create one or more merchant account at a point-of-sale service site (“POS service site”) and associate one or more merchant portable computing devices (“MPCDs”) with one or more of the merchant accounts. Each MPCD may be configured to receive customer data from a customer via one of a visual capture and a wireless communication, such as a near field communication (“NFC”) or a machine-readable optical code. The customer data may be received from an NFC-capable physical token such as an EMV card, or a virtual token presented by a customer portable computing device (“CPCD”) using a NFC or a machine-readable optical code. Each MPCD may contain a point-of-sale payment application supplied by the POS service site that may capture data representative of a consumer account from the received customer data.
US09292867B2	Electronic receipt system A method includes receiving, at a user identification module of an electronic receipt system in electronic communication with a point of sale terminal, a user identifier transmitted from a mobile communication device to a near-field communication enabled communication device associated with the point of sale terminal. The method also includes verifying, by a validation module of the electronic receipt system, an enrollment status of the user identifier; and based on results of the verifying, transmitting, by a transfer module of the electronic receipt system, the user identifier and data characterizing an electronic receipt to a receipt storage module of the electronic receipt system.
US09292859B1	Injecting a code into video data without or with limited human perception by flashing the code A playlist and a digital advertisement are received. The digital advertisement is output to a screen on the basis of information in the playlist. A code is generated based on the information in the playlist and the generated code is output to the screen. The generated code is output to the screen by flashing the generated code on the screen at a predetermined flash frequency and for a predetermined flash time so that the generated code is visually imperceptible or barely detectable to a human viewer. A suitable equipped electronic device may detect the code and utilize information encoded in the code in various ways.
US09292857B2	One-click exceptions A method and system for automatically defining and applying an exception rule to reports created from at least one multi-dimensional database, comprising: defining global exception parameters, displaying at least one report created from a multi-dimensional database, receiving a user command to detect exceptional cells in the displayed report, locating the most relevant time dimension in the semantics of the source database of the report, detecting exceptional cells in the displayed report according to the exception parameters and the most relevant time dimension, calculating an exception quality for each detected exceptional cell, and indicating on the displayed report the exceptional cells, the indication comprising differentiating between different exception qualities, wherein the exception rule is independent of data granularity in the time dimension in the report.
US09292852B2	System and method for applying stored value to a financial transaction A transaction processing service operates as an intermediary between acquirers of financial transaction requests and issuing institutions that process the financial transaction requests. The intermediary receives an authorization request generated based on a transaction initiated by a customer at a point of purchase. The intermediary service then determines one or more stored value items that can be applied to the transaction. Stored value items may be determined based on the customer's identity or based on transaction characteristics, such as the point of purchase or the transaction items. The service sends a transaction notification to a mobile device associated with the customer to notify the customer of the available stored value items. The service then applies the stored value items to pay a portion of the transaction amount and initiates a payment process to pay the remainder of the transaction amount.
US09292851B1	System and method for biometric signature authorization A system and method of obtaining and storing a signed agreement authorizing the use of a user's biometric data for the purpose of offering legal consent to agreements and transactions with one or more operators. The present invention imparts a process by which merchants and other service providers can access a verifying agreement indicating a user's intent to submit biometric data as a substitute for a written signature and the user's consent to abide by the terms and conditions of any agreements entered into by the submission of biometric data.
US09292849B2	Mobile one-time card number generator for ATM usage Embodiments are directed to a mobile bank card number generator for digital wallet. Embodiments receive a request from a user to perform an ATM transaction on an account owned by the user; in response to the request to perform an ATM transaction, generate a one-time bank card number associated with the account owned by the user; generate a readable indicia based at least in part on the one-time bank card number; and initiate communication of the readable indicia to an ATM, wherein the ATM receives a user authentication credential from the user, a bank system validates the user authentication credential and in response to validating the user authentication credential, approves the ATM transaction for the user's account.
US09292843B1	Advanced payment options for powered cards and devices Advanced payment applications are provided to improve the functionality of cards and devices. For example, a user interface may be placed on a card (e.g., a physical button) or a telephonic device (e.g., a virtual button on a capacitive touch screen). Manual input provided to this user interface may, for example, cause an item purchased on credit to be paid via one or more user accounts (e.g., bank accounts) as soon as the next credit statement posts or becomes due. A user may decide to pay for an item when the next statement becomes due at a point-of-sale magnetic stripe reader by using an interface on a card to cause information to be communicated through the infrastructure indicative of a user's desire to pay the for an item when the next statement becomes due.
US09292839B2	System and method for personalized commands Various embodiments of a system and method for personalized commands are described. The system and method for personalized commands may include a payment service including a command management component. Such payment service may be responsive to one or more base commands. The command management component may be configured to generate a user interface for specifying personalized commands that correspond to the base commands. The command management component may be configured to generate mapping information from the information received via the user interface. The command management component may be configured to receive one or more messages that may include commands for the payment service, including personalized commands. From the personalized commands, the command management component may be configured to determine a corresponding base commands (e.g., based on the mapping information). Once the base command is determined, the payment service may perform the base command.
US09292838B2	Payment link In one embodiment, an intended recipient of money transmits a payment link created by the recipient to an intended sender of money, where the link contains a locator to a site of a payment provider, information about the recipient (e.g., phone number), and the amount of money to be sent. The link can be sent via email, text, IM, or other means. The sender then accesses the link, such as by clicking or tapping on the link, which launches a checkout or payment page for the sender on the payment provider site. The sender completes the payment page, and the payment is sent to the recipient by the payment provider.
US09292829B2	System and method for updating status information To avoid the need to access multiple applications and perform multiple corresponding status changes each time a user or device's status or availability changes, multiple status updates can be generated and provided to corresponding systems, according to a detected event. To enable status updates to be provided to multiple systems based on the detected event, a status update module can be used, which is operable to send multiple status updates to multiple systems on behalf of a mobile device. By using a status server or other network-based component to performing such updating, processing can be offloaded from the mobile devices and updates can be performed even when the mobile devices are not communicable with the systems being updated.
US09292824B1	Medium for facilitating initiation of customer returns In certain embodiments, a system includes a processing system and tangible computer-readable media accessible by the processing system. The media may store software and purchase order identifications. Each purchase order identification indicates a respective one of the purchase orders and is globally unique with respect to each other purchase order identification. The software when executed by the processing system is configured to perform operations, including accessing a request comprising a particular one of the purchase order identifications. The request had been generated at a client device that had decoded the particular purchase order identification from an optical scan of a code provided with packaging of one or more products of the respective purchase order indicated by the particular purchase order identification. The operations further include generating data for receipt by the client device. The data comprises information that facilitates returning at least one of the products.
US09292821B2	System and method for transforming a component business model Seamless transition from a Component Business Model (CBM) to a Services Oriented Architecture (SOA) is achieved by converting a tabular representation of a CBM Heat Map to a Unified Modeling Language (UML) representation, and automatically converting the UML representation of a CBM Heat Map to a first iteration of input used during the subsequent SOA solution development using Service Oriented Modeling and Architecture (SOMA).
US09292815B2	Automation of data storage activities A system receives data storage workflow activities that include computer-executable instructions for carrying out data storage workflow in a network data storage system. Once the workflow is received, the system deploys the workflow to one or more workflow engines that can execute the various data storage activities related to the workflow. Prior to executing a data storage activity, the system can determine which workflow engine to use based on an allocation scheme.
US09292810B2	Re-factoring, rationalizing and prioritizing a service model and assessing service exposure in the service model Provided herein are approaches to re-factor, rationalize, and prioritize a service model, and to assess service exposure in the service model. At least one approach provides: determining a granularity of one or more services of the service model; re-factoring and refining a service portfolio and a hierarchy of the service model; adapting a Service Litmus Test (SLT) and service exposure scope to the service model; applying Service Litmus Tests (SLTs) to the service model; and verifying, with each affected stakeholder associated with the service model, that the service model achieves business and technical needs based on the results of the SLTs, which include tests to make exposure decisions, including whether to expose the service or not expose the service, wherein the service represent business capabilities and are placed in the hierarchy of the service model which represents the granularity.
US09292804B2	Energy management system with user interface An energy management apparatus and a user interface method thereof, an electric device controlled by the energy management apparatus, and an energy management apparatus including the same are disclosed. A user interface that intuitively and simply displays a user input for controlling energy consumption of the electric device and a degree of inconvenience that a user experiences when the electric device operates according to the user input is provided to allow the user to be intuitively aware of the degree of inconvenience due to the user input, thereby enabling more intuitive user interaction.
US09292803B2	Apparatus and method for privacy-driven moderation of metering data According to an embodiment there is provided a system comprising an input for connecting the system to a power supply, at least one further power source, at least one power consumer, an identifying unit arranged to identify, based on information originating from within the system, an ongoing and/or future power consumption event by the at least one power consumer and a power router that comprises a controller and that is arranged to route power to the power consumer from at least one of the power supply and the at least one further power source, the power router storing rules that define at least part of the routing operation of the router. The power router is arranged to route power to an power consumer in accordance with the rules so that at least a part of the power consumed by the power consumer during the power consumption event is provided by the at least one power source, rather than through the input, in response to the identifying unit identifying a power consumption event.
US09292801B2	Sparse variable optimization device, sparse variable optimization method, and sparse variable optimization program A gradient computation unit computes a gradient of an objective function in a variable to be optimized. An added variable selection unit adds a variable corresponding to a largest absolute value of the computed gradient from among variables included in a variable set, to a nonzero variable set. A variable optimization unit optimizes a value of the variable to be optimized, for each variable included in the nonzero variable set. A deleted variable selection unit deletes a variable that, when deleted, causes a smallest increase of the objective function from among variables included in the nonzero variable set, from the nonzero variable set. An objective function evaluation unit computes a value of the objective function for the variable to be optimized.
US09292794B2	Voltage-based clustering to infer connectivity information in smart grids Techniques, systems, and articles of manufacture for voltage-based clustering to infer connectivity information in smart grids. A method includes clustering multiple voltage time series measurements into one or more groups, wherein said multiple voltage time series measurements are derived from one or more sensors; determining a connectivity model based on the one or more groups; comparing the determined connectivity model to an existing connectivity model to detect one or more inconsistencies between the determined connectivity model and the existing connectivity model; and updating the existing connectivity model based on said one or more detected inconsistencies.
US09292792B1	Classification systems and methods using convex hulls A computerized classifier system that forms convex hulls containing all training experiences for each target class (e.g. threat/non-threat) is disclosed. The intersection of convex hulls for each pair of classes defines a region of ambiguity in feature space. Measurement of feature vector(s) outside an ambiguous region of feature space leads to a class decision while measurement of feature vector(s) within an ambiguous region of feature space defined by convex hulls causes a transition to a new feature space with new features. In particular embodiments, measured feature data includes estimated motion states and electrical lengths of a given object, and range, velocity and acceleration image data from second phase differences for debris mitigation.
US09292791B2	Systems, methods, and computer program products for expediting expertise A system including a global topic model building module that builds a global topic model based on a set of data that is updated according to an activity of each user of a plurality of users, a user model building module that builds a plurality of user models, each user model being built based on an activity of a respective user, an expertise model building module that builds an expertise model for the topic based on the activity of at least one user of the plurality of users, the expertise model for the topic setting a target level of knowledge for a first user of the plurality of users, a processor to compare a user model of the first user with the expertise model for the topic; and an expertise assessment and learning recommendation module that recommends an activity associated with the set of data to the first user based on the comparison.
US09292781B2	Installation card for smart overlay and installation method using the same An installation card for a smart SIM Overlay and an installation method using the same are provided. The installation card comprises a carrier plate, a first adhesive layer, a smart overlay and a second adhesive layer. The carrier plate has a notch and a surface. The first adhesive layer adheres to the surface of the carrier plate. The smart overlay is adheres to the first adhesive layer, and the smart overlay is positioned corresponding to the notch. The second adhesive layer is adhered to the smart overlay.
US09292778B2	Output system, output method, and output apparatus An output system includes a terminal apparatus, an output apparatus, and an information processing apparatus that are interconnected via a network. The output system includes a unit that registers an output request for output data received from the terminal apparatus that is operated by a registering user, a unit that displays information on the registering user that has designated an outputting user operating the output apparatus as a delegate user and receives a selection of the registering user from the outputting user, a unit that receives from the output apparatus an acquisition request for the output request of the selected registering user and provides the requested output request to the output apparatus, and a unit that receives a selection of the output request from the outputting user, acquires the output data of the selected output request, and outputs the acquired output data at the output apparatus.
US09292775B2	Image forming apparatus and power supply control method for switching between a main power supply and an auxiliary power supply An image forming apparatus includes a power supply control unit that controls switching a power source to an auxiliary power supply that stores therein power from a main power supply when the main power supply is off, and to the main power supply when the main power supply is on; a detection unit that detects whether the power source is the main or the auxiliary power supply; a communication mode control unit that switches a data transfer rate from a first high-speed mode to a first low-speed mode allowing power consumption lower than the first high-speed mode when the power source is the auxiliary power supply; and a print mode control unit that switches a print speed from a second high-speed mode to a second low-speed mode allowing the power consumption lower than the second high-speed mode when the power source is the auxiliary power supply.
US09292773B2	Image display apparatus, printing system, and program configured to print image projected by the image display apparatus The printing system includes a computer and an image display apparatus. When receiving the printing condition from the image display apparatus, the computer generates print data based upon a printing condition and image data having a higher resolution among a second image data stored in a second memory in the computer and the first image data stored in a first memory in the computer, which corresponds to the identification information contained in the printing condition, and sends the print data to a printer connected to the computer for printing.
US09292770B2	Information processing apparatus, method and medium An information processing method includes inputting a gradation object, rendering the input gradation object to obtain a rectangular bitmap including the rendered gradation object, generating a command for extracting pixels corresponding to the rendered gradation object from the obtained rectangular bitmap, and sending the obtained rectangular bitmap and the command for extracting the pixels from the obtained rectangular bitmap.
US09292764B2	Method and apparatus for selectively providing information on objects in a captured image A method for providing object information for a scene in a wearable computer is disclosed. In this method, an image of the scene is captured. Further, the method includes determining a current location of the wearable computer and a view direction of an image sensor of the wearable computer and extracting at least one feature from the image indicative of at least one object. Based on the current location, the view direction, and the at least one feature, information on the at least one object is determined. Then, the determined information is output.
US09292762B2	Region extraction system Provided is a region extraction system that uses an image data analysis process, which has overcome the problem of false positives in region extraction and assists in more accurate region extraction. A luminance distribution-analyzing unit (105) is used to determine a parameter of unknown quantity for extracting a region of interest. The luminance distribution-analyzing unit (105) searches a luminance distribution management database (106) for a region, which has a luminance distribution similar to the region of interest and is easily extracted, as a similar area. The region of the similar area is extracted using a region extraction pre-processing unit (107) and the value of the parameter of unknown quantity is determined on the basis of an image feature value calculated from the region extraction results.
US09292760B2	Apparatus, method, and non-transitory computer-readable medium An apparatus comprises a determination unit configured to determine, based on a region that satisfies a predetermined condition in an image as a candidate of an output target, whether to set the region as the output target; and a decision unit configured to, in a case where a plurality of regions that satisfy the predetermined condition exists in the image, decide a portion of the image including one or a plurality of regions determined, out of the plurality of regions, as the output target by said determination unit as a portion of the output target.
US09292756B2	Systems and methods for automated image cropping Systems and methods in accordance with embodiments of the invention automatically crop images based upon the location of one or more regions of interest (ROIs) identified within the cropped image. In one embodiment, an image cropping application configures a processor to utilize at least one object detector to identify at least one region of interest within an image. A plurality of candidate cropped images within the image are selected and for each candidate cropped image, an output is generated by weighting each of the at least one region of interest contained within the candidate cropped image as a function of its position within the candidate cropped image. A crop location can then be selected based upon the candidate cropped image having the largest output.
US09292752B2	Image processing device and image processing method An image processing device includes a processor; and a memory which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to execute, acquiring a captured image; extracting first feature data and second feature data of a first user included in the image; calculating a first authentication decision value, which indicates a probability that the first feature data of the first user resembles first feature data of a second user; and authenticating the first user by using the first feature data or both the first feature data and the second feature data according to the first authentication decision value.
US09292740B2	Extracting card data using IIN database Extracting card data comprises receiving, by one or more computing devices, a digital image of a card; perform an image recognition process on the digital representation of the card; identifying an image in the digital representation of the card; comparing the identified image to an image database comprising a plurality of images and determining that the identified image matches a stored image in the image database; determining a card type associated with the stored image and associating the card type with the card based on the determination that the identified image matches the stored image; and performing a particular optical character recognition algorithm on the digital representation of the card, the particular optical character recognition algorithm being based on the determined card type. Another example uses an issuer identification number to improve data extraction. Another example compares extracted data with user data to improve accuracy.
US09292738B2	Methods and systems for signal processing An object (e.g., a driver's license) is tested for authenticity using imagery captured by a consumer device (e.g., a mobile phone camera). Corresponding data is sent from the consumer device to a remote system, which has secret knowledge about features indicating object authenticity. The phone, or the remote system, discerns the pose of the object relative to the camera from the captured imagery. The remote system tests the received data for the authentication features, and issues an output signal indicating whether the object is authentic. This testing involves modeling the image data that would be captured by the consumer device from an authentic object—based on the object's discerned pose (and optionally based on information about the camera optics), and then comparing this modeled data with the data sent from the consumer device. A great variety of other features and arrangements are also detailed.
US09292736B2	Methods and apparatus to count people in images Methods and apparatus to count people in images are disclosed. An example method includes analyzing frame pairs of a plurality of frame pairs captured over a period of time to identify a redundant person indication detected in an overlap region, the overlap region corresponding to an intersection of a first field of view and a second field of view; eliminating the identified redundant person indication to form a conditioned set of person indications for the period of time; grouping similarly located ones of the person indications of the conditioned set to form groups; analyzing the groups to identify redundant groups detected in the overlap region; and eliminating the redundant groups from a people tally generated based on the groups.
US09292733B2	Information processing device, information processing method, and program An information processing device includes a conversion unit that performs conversion such that an area including a feature point and the periphery thereof in a specific target is set as a first area and, when one pixel in the first area is set as a reference pixel, an area including the reference pixel and pixels in the periphery thereof is set as a second area, and, based on a comparison result of the feature amount of the reference pixel and the feature amount of another pixel in the second area, the feature amount of another pixel is converted for each pixel in the second area, and a calculation unit that calculates a feature amount to be used in an identification process for identifying the specific target by performing computation for the value of each pixel in the second area which is obtained from the conversion for each reference pixel.
US09292724B1	Hand held symbology reader illumination diffuser with aimer optics An imager defines a field of view and an optical axis. An illuminator directs illumination towards a region of interest, the region of interest being an intended position of the object. A tapered translucent diffuser is concentrically aligned with the optical axis, and has a first distal end proximate to the imager, and a second distal end proximate to the region of interest. The tapered translucent diffuser includes a darkened region, the darkened region to absorb a portion of the illumination to substantially reduce reflection of the portion of the illumination toward the object. A light guide can be positioned proximate the first distal end and the imager, such that a second illuminator can generate an aimer beam that passes through the light guide to produce an aimer pattern on the object.
US09292722B2	Apparatus comprising image sensor array and illumination control There is set forth herein an indicia reading apparatus having a configuration in which an illumination assembly for projecting an illumination pattern is de-energized during subsequent exposure periods. In one embodiment the indicia reading apparatus includes a configuration in which the illumination assembly is energized intermediate of the exposure periods. The indicia reading apparatus is useful for reading decodable indicia that is displayed on a display.
US09292716B2	Method and apparatus for detecting an output power of a radio frequency transmitter using a multiplier circuit A power detection circuit configured to detect an output power of a radio frequency transmitter. The power detection circuit includes a multiplier circuit configured to multiply a first differential input signal and a second differential input signal. The first differential input signal corresponds to a radio frequency signal to be amplified by the radio frequency transmitter. The second differential signal corresponds to an output signal as amplified by an amplifier of the radio frequency transmitter. A bias circuit is configured to generate a bias signal. A differential amplifier is configured to generate, based on the bias signal and the first differential signal and the second differential signal as multiplied by the multiplier circuit, an indication of the output power of the amplifier of the radio frequency transmitter.
US09292713B2	Tiered access to on chip features In accordance with some embodiments, multiple blind debug passwords are provided. Each of a plurality of interested entities may have its own password and each password may unlock a specific set of features offered by an integrated circuit. In some embodiments each entity does not know the other passwords of the other entities. Potentially interested entities include an integrated circuit end customer, the original equipment manufacturer, the entity that provided the features to the integrated circuit and a conditional access provider. All debug features may be controlled solely via access to the debug tiers which are accessed by multiple debug passwords. Lower tier passwords are required in order to access higher tiers. Debug features may be separated into multiple tiers with more intrusive access requiring multiple debug passwords in order to gain access.
US09292712B2	Method and apparatus for maintaining secure time An exemplary method of maintaining secure time in a computing device is disclosed in which one or more processors implements a Rich Execution Environment (REE), and a separate Trusted Execution Environment (TEE). The TEE maintains a real-time clock (RTC) that provides a RTC time to the REE. A RTC offset is stored in non-volatile memory, with the RTC offset indicating a difference between the RTC time and a protected reference (PR) time. Responsive to a request from the REE to read the RTC time, a current RTC time is returned to the REE. Responsive to a request from the REE to adjust the RTC time, the RTC time and the corresponding RTC offset are adjusted by a same amount, such that the PR time is not altered by the RTC adjustment. An exemplary computing device operable to implement the method is also disclosed.
US09292711B1	Hardware secret usage limits A hardware secret is securely maintained in a computing device. The device operates in accordance with a usage limit corresponding to a limited number of operations using the hardware secret that the device is able to perform. Once the device reaches a usage limit, the device becomes temporarily or permanently unable to perform additional operations using the hardware secret.
US09292702B2	Dynamic switching of security configurations Disclosed is a computer implemented method, computer program product, and apparatus to switch security configurations. A data processing system accesses a first security configuration via a thread of execution, wherein a security configuration comprises at least one security parameter. The thread receives an incoming request. The thread switches to a second security configuration that specifies a resource, based on the incoming request, responsive to receiving the incoming request. The thread stores the second security configuration or a reference to the second security configuration to a stack. The thread authenticates the incoming request based on the second security configuration. The thread grants or denies access to the resource. The thread executes a method referenced in the incoming request. The thread restores to a first security configuration, responsive to completing the method.
US09292697B2	Matrix code for encryption, storage, and transmission of data A computing device utilizes matrix codes to securely communicate information with a variety of servers. The computing device receives public user data, and generates a display of a base matrix code for reading by a scanner associated with a first server, wherein the base matrix code includes the public user data in a first mask. Responsive to the display of the base matrix code to the scanner associated with the first server, the computing device receives first private user data from the first server. The computing device generates a display of a first combined matrix code for reading by a scanner associated with a second server, wherein the first combined matrix code includes the public user data in the first mask and includes the first private user data in a second mask. The computing device can receive the public and first private user data in a matrix code.
US09292675B2	System and method for creating a core cognitive fingerprint A system and method for creating a core cognitive fingerprint are provided. A core cognitive fingerprint can be used to capture and summarize the evolution of a system state and potentially respond with a predetermined action if the fingerprint falls within a defined threshold. The method includes: identifying a set of time frames, each time frame corresponding to a respective data source, within which data is extracted; providing a plurality of pattern recognizers each having an assigned heuristic specific to a type of content; processing the extracted data through the plurality of pattern recognizers to generate an initial set of elements, each element corresponding to the output of the heuristic assigned to each pattern recognizer; extracting identified relationships amongst the initial set of elements; modifying the initial set of elements to include the identified relationships to create an intermediate set of elements; comparing the intermediate set of elements against assigned values to emphasize or deemphasize each element in the intermediate set of elements to create a final set of elements; and using the final set of elements as a cognitive fingerprint representing a signature of the data extracted from the time frame, so that the signature can be compared to other cognitive fingerprints for further analysis.
US09292674B2	Password encryption key A password-encrypted key (PEK) is generated from a user-supplied password or other identifying data and then used to encrypt the user's password. The encrypted password is stored in a user record on a server. At login a would-be user's password is again used to make a key, which is then used to decrypt and compare the stored encrypted password with the would-be user's password to complete the login. The successful PEK is stored in a temporary session record and can be used to decrypt other sensitive user information previously encrypted and stored in the user record as well as to encrypt new information for storage in the user record. A public/private key system can also be used to maintain limited access for the host to certain information in the user record.
US09292671B1	Multi-server authentication using personalized proactivization Secret values used in a multi-server authentication scheme are updated. Information is authenticated in a system comprising a plurality of processing devices each adaptable for communication with one or more other devices. The information is authenticated by generating at least first and second shares of a first password associated with a first device (such as a client device); storing the first and second shares in respective second and third devices of the plurality of devices; updating the first and second shares using a personalized proactivization value; assigning a version number to the updated first and second shares; and upon submission of additional information associated with the first device to at least one of the second and third devices, the second and third devices utilizing the respective updated first and second shares for a given version number to collectively determine a correspondence of the additional information with the first password.
US09292667B1	Location based community Disclosed are various embodiments for facilitating a location based community. A location associated with a user is identified, as are point of interest in proximity to the location. A question can be received from a user that is related to a point of interest, which can be routed to other users who may be in the same or similar location or have an expertise in a particular subject matter area related to the question.

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