Document	Document Title
US09374207B2	Mobility management in a multi-subscriber identity mobile device The invention concerns a method of scheduling the reception of at least one System Information block by a mobile device being adapted to be associated with at least a first Subscriber Identity and a second Subscriber Identity, the System Information block being intended to the second Subscriber Identity and being broadcasted with a first periodicity over a network by at least one base station of the network in the form of a plurality of bursts, according to a given frame structure having TDMA frames, each TDMA frame comprising a plurality of time gaps, at least one first time gap of a first TDMA frame being allocated to communication activity on the first Subscriber Identity, at least one burst of the System Information block being broadcasted over the network during a second time gap of a second TDMA frame. If the first TDMA frame and the second TDMA frame are one and the same TDMA frame within the frame structure but if the second time gap is distinct from the first time gap within the TDMA frame, or if the second TDMA frame is distinct from the first TDMA frame, then the method comprises allocating the second time gap of the second TDMA frame to receive the burst of the System Information block.
US09374200B2	TTI bundling and collision avoidance A radio device/user equipment determines that a later received grant of bundled uplink resources collides with an earlier received grant of bundled uplink resources. The earlier received grant has associated with it an active re-transmission process. In response to that collision determination, at least a re-transmission (HARQ) buffer associated with the earlier received grant is flushed. In one embodiment all HARQ buffers are flushed; in another the HARQ buffer associated with the earlier received grant is flushed while the one associated with the later received grant is not. Several ways are described to determine whether there is a collision: whether the later received grant aligns with a boundary of the resources granted by the earlier received grant, and whether there is an actual collision among the different HARQ processes. Calculating HARQ process numbers is also described where an offset is used to account for the grants allocating bundled TTIs.
US09374198B2	Methods and systems for HARQ protocols Methods described herein are for wireless communication systems. One aspect of the invention is directed to a method for a HARQ process, in which the HARQ process includes a first transmission of an encoder packet and at least one retransmission. The method involves allocating a transmission resource for each respective transmission. The method involves transmitting control information from a base station to a mobile station for each respective transmission. The control information includes information to uniquely identify the HARQ process and an identification of one of a time resource, a frequency resource and a time and frequency resource that is allocated for the transmission. In some embodiments of the invention, specific control information is signalled from a base station to a mobile station to enable RAS-HARQ operation. In some embodiments of the invention, retransmission signaling in included as part of regular unicast signaling used for both first transmission and retransmissions. In some embodiments of the invention, a 3-state acknowledgement channel and associated error recovery operation enables the base station and mobile station to recover from control signaling error and reduce packet loss.
US09374192B2	Mobile communication system, base station apparatus, mobile station apparatus and communication method When a base station apparatus and a mobile station apparatus communicate with each other using a wider frequency band consists of multiple carrier components, efficient communication is achieved without increasing control information (control signal) notified from the base station apparatus to the mobile station apparatus. The base station apparatus and the mobile station apparatus communicate with each other such that each of multiple uplink carrier components corresponds to each of multiple downlink carrier components or multiple downlink carrier component groups including multiple downlink carrier components.
US09374182B2	Vehicle and method for controlling the same A vehicle and a method for controlling the same are provided. In particular, linking information of a broadcast signal having been output during a turn-off mode is transmitted to a DAB receiver upon receiving a turn-on signal. The vehicle includes a Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) receiver that is configured to receive a first DAB signal that corresponds to a selected first broadcast signal. In addition, a speaker outputs the first broadcast signal based on the received first DAB signal or a first frequency-modulation (FM) signal corresponding to the first broadcast signal. In response to receiving a turn-on signal, a controller transmits linking information of the first broadcast signal from among linking information of a plurality of broadcast signals to the DAB receiver to output the first broadcast signal output during a turn-off mode.
US09374171B2	Reduction of effects of signal-signal beat interference in optical transport systems Disclosed herein is an optical transport system configured to transport an amplitude-modulated optical signal generated at the transmitter using single-sideband modulation of an optical carrier and detected at the receiver using direct optical detection. The receiver is configured to estimate the level of signal-signal beat interference (SSBI) in the electrical signal generated upon direct detection of the received optical signal by first converting this electrical signal into a modified baseband signal configured for single-sideband modulation and then squaring and appropriately scaling this modified baseband signal. The receiver is further configured to subtract the estimated level of SSBI from the electrical signal generated by the direct optical detector and to process the resulting corrected electrical signal to recover the data encoded in the amplitude-modulated optical signal. Example analog and digital circuits for estimating the level of SSBI at the receiver are disclosed.
US09374168B2	Thermal tuning of optical devices A system of thermally tuning an optical device is described. The system may include an optical device configured to output an optical signal. An amplitude of the optical signal may be dependent on a temperature of the optical device. The system may also include a control circuit, an adjust circuit, and a heater circuit. The control circuit may be configured to output a control current. The adjust circuit may be configured to perform an approximate square-root operation on the control current and to output a modified control current. The heater circuit may be coupled to the adjust circuit and may be configured to generate heat based on the modified control current. The heater circuit may also be positioned such that the generated heat affects the amplitude of the optical signal. The control circuit may linearly adjust the control current to approximately linearly adjust the heat generated by the heater.
US09374152B2	Method and devices for routing in a satellite-based communication system A satellite-based communication system (1) comprises a router system (6) which receives from a switching unit (3) via a satellite system (4) network addressing information associated with communication terminals (2) connected to the switching unit (3). The network addressing information of the communication terminals (2) are stored in the router system (6) assigned to telephone numbers associated with the communication terminals (2). For enabling an exchange unit (7) to route via the satellite link (40) received data to the communication terminal (2), the router system (6) transmits to the exchange unit (7) the network addressing information associated with the communication terminals (2) connected to the switching unit (3). Hence, data can be routed flexibly in the satellite-based communication system (1) between communication terminals (2, 2′) which are not configured for satellite communication and which are used by mobile users who may move in areas covered by different satellites (43).
US09374146B2	Method and apparatus for supporting management actions for very high throughput in wireless communications A method and apparatus may be used in Very High Throughput (VHT) Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) management actions. Management action frames such as VHT Action frames may be used to implement VHT features in WLANs. Extensions to 802.11 Action frames may be used to support VHT features and provide backward compatibility. VHT Management Actions may be supported with VHT Action frames and VHT extensions to 802.11 Action frames in various categories such as Direct Link Setup (DLS), Public, Spectrum Management and high throughput (HT). An access point (AP) or a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) may indicate VHT capability by way of signaling.
US09374143B2	Estimating frequency-offsets and multi-antenna channels in MIMO OFDM systems Techniques are described for carrier frequency offset (CFO) and channel estimation of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) transmissions over multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) frequency-selective fading channels. A wireless transmitter forms blocks of symbols by inserting training symbols within two or more blocks of information-bearing symbols. The transmitter applies a hopping code to each of the blocks of symbols to insert a null subcarrier at a different position within each of the blocks of symbols, and a modulator outputs a wireless signal in accordance with the blocks of symbols. A receiver receives the wireless signal and estimates the CFO, and outputs a stream of estimated symbols based on the estimated CFO.
US09374134B2	Methods and apparatus for improving the identification of multiple NFC-A devices Aspects disclosed herein relate to improving technology detection and collision resolution among multiple NFC devices using a NFC type-A RF technology. In one example, a communications device is equipped to determine that a first device sensing response message includes one or more collisions, identify a first remote NFC device of the plurality of remote NFC devices by performing collision resolution on the first device sensing response message, transmit a sleep request message to the first remote NFC device that prohibits the first remote NFC device from responding to a first device sensing request message and the first device sensing request message, receive a second device sensing response message that includes collisions among the plurality of remote NFC devices, and identify a second remote NFC device of the plurality of remote NFC devices by performing collision resolution on the second device sensing response message.
US09374131B2	Frequency hopping in a wireless communication network Techniques for performing frequency hopping in a wireless network are described. In an aspect, frequency hopping may be performed based on both cell identity (ID) and system time information. In one design, a user equipment (UE) may determine a cell ID of a cell and may obtain system time information for the cell. The UE may determine resources to use for transmission with frequency hopping based on the cell ID and the system time information. In one design, the UE may initialize a PN generator in each radio frame with an initial value determined based on the cell ID and a system frame number (SFN) for the radio frame. The UE may determine the resources to use for transmission based on a hopping function, a mirroring function, and a PN sequence from the PN generator. The UE may send a transmission on the resources to the cell.
US09374128B2	Apparatus for encoding/decoding multichannel signal and method thereof Provided is an encoding/decoding apparatus and method of multi-channel signals. The encoding apparatus and method of multi-channel signals may encode phase information of the multi-channel signals using a quantization scheme and a lossless encoding scheme, and the decoding apparatus and method of multi-channel signals may decode the phase information using an inverse-quantization scheme and a lossless decoding scheme.
US09374126B2	Multiband on ground antenna with a dual radiator arrangement An antenna arrangement includes a switch having an open state and a closed state, a first antenna that operates as a first active driven element in a first frequency band in response to the switch being in the open state, and a second antenna that operates as a second active driven element in a first frequency band in response to the switch being in the open state. The closed state configures the first antenna and the second antenna to operate in a second frequency band different from the first frequency band by operatively coupling a first impedance between the first antenna and a radio frequency ground, and by operatively coupling a second impedance between the second antenna and the radio frequency ground. The first antenna functions as a parasitic element in the second frequency band and the second antenna functions as an active driven element in the second frequency band.
US09374119B1	Communication device A communication device is provided. The communication device includes an antenna unit, a sensing unit and a radio frequency unit. The antenna unit is configured to transmit a radio frequency signal. The sensing unit is coupled to a ground terminal through a first capacitor. The sensing unit is configured to sense a capacitance value through the antenna unit. The radio frequency unit is configured to generate the radio frequency signal and to regulate the energy of the radio frequency signal according to the capacitance value.
US09374117B2	Stereo decoding system A system for decoding a stereo multiplex signal, including one or more devices operable to convert the stereo multiplex signal into a sum signal (L+R) and a difference signal (L−R). The sum signal and the difference signal may be derived from a left stereo signal (L) and right stereo signal (R). The system may also be operable to determine a first transfer function HL(f) and a second transfer function (HR(f)) from the sum signal (L+R) and the difference signal (L−R). Further, the system may be operable to filter the sum signal (L+R) according to the first transfer function to provide the left stereo signal (L), and filter the sum signal (L+R) according to the second transfer function to provide the right stereo signal (R).
US09374113B2	Method and apparatus for adjusting the timing of radio antenna tuning A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, determining, by a controller of a mobile communication device, a phase shift criteria and an amplitude shift criteria associated with a modulation being implemented by the mobile communication device. The controller can determine a group of tuning steps that satisfies the phase and amplitude shift criteria and that provides a desired tuning step for a matching network of the mobile communication device. Additional embodiments are disclosed.
US09374103B1	Digital-to-analog converter system In some embodiments, a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) system includes an output segment, a main branch, first and second edge segments, and a sub-segment. The output segment includes secondary switches that selectively connect conductive paths to an output. The main branch includes unit resistance elements, each including a resistor and a switch. The first and second edge segments each include a respective group of secondary switches that selectively connect a respective conductive path to a unit resistance element. The sub-segment includes terminal resistors connected to at least one conductive path and includes main switches that selectively connect respective terminal resistors to the unit resistance element. The main switches and the unit resistance element switches use a single switch design. The DAC system may have an improved differential non-linearity (DNL), as compared to a DAC system that does not include the unit resistance element switches or the first and second edge segments.
US09374102B1	Dynamic analog to digital converter (ADC) triggering A method and apparatus are configured to receive at a control input of an analog to digital converter (ADC) circuit, from a control output of a control circuit, a first instance of control information that indicates a conversion characteristic of the ADC, wherein the conversion characteristic is one of a first conversion rate and a first conversion resolution, to provide at a status output of the ADC status information regarding the conversion of a first analog signal by the ADC circuit, to receive at the control input of the ADC a second instance of the control information that adjusts the conversion characteristic to allocate a first portion of an ADC circuit bandwidth of the ADC circuit to continuing receiving the first analog signal and to allocate a second portion of the ADC circuit bandwidth to receiving a second analog signal.
US09374098B2	Transmitter serializer latency trim A system and method for transmitting includes a plurality of multiplexers each configured to combine a pseudo random bit sequence (PRBS) with at least one input stream according to the data control clock. At least one storage device is coupled to an output of each of the plurality of multiplexers and is configured to latch data according to the data control clock. An output multiplexer is coupled to each of the at least one storage device and is configured to select between storage paths according to the data serializer clock. A PRBS checker is configured to compare a PRBS pattern on an output of the output multiplexer with a predicted PRBS pattern. A phase rotator is configured to adjust the data serializer clock based upon the comparison of the PRBS checker to reduce latency of the transmitter.
US09374094B1	3D field programmable gate array system with reset manufacture and method of manufacture thereof A 3D field programmable gate array (FPGA) system, and method of manufacture therefor, includes: a field programmable gate array (FPGA) die having a configurable power on reset (POR) unit; a heterogeneous integrated circuit die coupled to the FPGA die; and a 3D power on reset (POR) output configured by the configurable POR unit for initializing the FPGA die and the heterogeneous integrated circuit die.
US09374093B2	Capacitively coupled input buffer A buffer circuit comprising a capacitor, the capacitor comprising a first terminal and a second terminal, an input signal being coupled to the first terminal; a first buffer stage coupled to the second terminal of the capacitor such that the input signal is capacitively coupled to the first buffer stage; and, a pulse generator coupled to control the first buffer stage, the pulse generator being configured to generate a control pulse corresponding to a hold time of the first buffer stage such that the buffer circuit detects a transition of the input signal during the hold time.
US09374080B2	Method and apparatus for power-up detection for an electrical monitoring circuit A method and apparatus is provided for outputting a reset signal during power-up until two conditions are satisfied. In one embodiment, the method and apparatus includes a voltage detector that provides a first output (“VO1”) when an output voltage of a regulator (“VREG”) exceeds a threshold voltage, thereby satisfying a first condition, a comparator receiving a first input voltage and a second input voltage, the comparator providing a second output (“VO2”) when the first input voltage exceeds the second input voltage, thereby satisfying a second condition, and a release circuit that outputs the reset signal unless the voltage detector provides VO1 while the comparator provides VO2.
US09374078B2	Multi-bit cell attenuator Hybrid-coding, multi-cell architecture and operating techniques for step devices provide advantages over binary-coded and thermometer-coded step devices by minimizing or avoiding glitches common in the transient response of binary-coded step devices and by minimizing or avoiding significant increases or degradation in one or more of area, package dimensions, pin counts, power consumption, insertion loss and parasitic capacitance common to thermometer-coded step devices having equivalent range and resolution.
US09374075B2	Input apparatus and input system An input apparatus may include a pulse width control circuit, a reception circuit, and a latch circuit. The pulse width control circuit may be configured to generate a pulse width control signal by performing a logical operation on a pulse width detection signal and a clock signal. The reception circuit may be configured to selectively provide a received input signal as a period signal on the basis of the clock signal and the pulse width control signal. The latch circuit may be configured to provide an output signal by inverting the period signal, and provide the output signal as the pulse width detection signal in response to the clock signal.
US09374073B2	Clock signal controller The present invention provides a clock signal controller structure. The invention allows for the large-skew clock signals to be converted into small-skew clock signals. The technical solution of the present invention may be adopted to synchronize two large-skew clock signals.
US09374065B2	Variable inductor circuit and high frequency circuit A first transistor and a second transistor cascade-connected, a wiring which connects a drain of the first transistor and a gate of the second transistor, a capacitor whose one terminal is connected between the first transistor and the second transistor cascade-connected and whose other terminal is grounded, and a control circuit are included. The control circuit adjusts an inductance value by controlling a capacitance value of the capacitor or gate voltage of the first transistor or the second transistor.
US09374061B1	Method of optimizing input impedance of surface acoustic wave filter Methods of designing band-pass filters and filters are disclosed. A baseline filter design meeting first design criteria may be established, the baseline filter design including a plurality of series surface acoustic wave resonators and a plurality of shunt surface acoustic wave resonators, each surface acoustic wave resonator having a respective resonant frequency. A performance metric based on an input impedance of the baseline filter design over a pass band may be determined. One or more alternate filter designs may be established and respective performance metrics determined, each alternative filter design established by reordering the resonant frequencies of two or more of the plurality of series surface acoustic wave resonators and/or two or more of the plurality of shunt surface acoustic wave resonators. A final filter design may be selected from the baseline design and the one or more alternate filter designs based on the respective performance metrics.
US09374054B2	Low delay real-to-complex conversion in overlapping filter banks for partially complex processing An arrangement of overlapping filter banks comprises a synthesis stage and an analysis stage. The synthesis stage receives a first signal segmented into time blocks and outputs, based thereon, an intermediate signal to be received by the analysis stage forming the basis for the computation of a second signal segmented into time frames. In an embodiment, the synthesis stage is operable to release an approximate value of the intermediate signal in a time block located L−1 time blocks ahead of its output block, which approximate value is computed on the basis of any available time blocks of the first signal, so that the approximate value contributes, in the analysis stage, to the second signal. The delay is typically reduced by L−1 blocks. Applications include audio signal processing in general and real-to-complex conversion in particular.
US09374049B2	Differential amplifier Provided is a differential amplifier including: an operational amplifier (OP AMP) having an inverting input, a non-inverting input, an inverting output, and a non-inverting output, a first feedback capacitor connected to the non-inverting input and the inverting output. A second feedback capacitor connected to the inverting input and the non-inverting output, a first four-terminal transistor connected to the non-inverting input and the inverting output. A second four-terminal transistor connected to the inverting input and the non-inverting output. One of source and drain of the first transistor and a gate thereof are connected to the inverting output, the other one of the source and drain and a bulk terminal are connected to the non-inverting input, one of source and drain of the second transistor and a gate thereof are connected to the non-inverting output, and the other one of the source and drain terminals and a bulk terminal are connected to the inverting input.
US09374047B2	Buffer circuit The present disclosure provides a buffer circuit comprising a plurality of operational amplifiers and a switch module. Each operational amplifier forms a buffer. The operational amplifier has an output stage. The stage has a first transistor and a second transistor. The first transistor and the second transistor are connected to an output terminal. The first transistor has a first control terminal. The second transistor has a second control terminal. The switch module is connected to the first control terminal of the first transistor and the second control terminal of the second transistor. The switch module connects together at least two of the first terminals of the first transistor according to a control signal. The switch module connects together at least two of the second terminals of the second transistor according to the control signal.
US09374045B2	Signal path termination This disclosure relates to a harmonic termination circuit that is separate from a load line. In one embodiment, the load line is configured to match an impedance at the power amplifier output at a fundamental frequency of the power amplifier output and the harmonic termination circuit is configured to terminate at a phase corresponding to a harmonic frequency of the power amplifier output. According to certain embodiments, the load line and the harmonic termination circuit can be electrically coupled to the power amplifier output external to a power amplifier die via different output pins of the power amplifier die.
US09374044B2	Architecture of nonlinear RF filter-based transmitter Systems and methods for compensating for a non-linear characteristic of a non-linear filter in a transmit chain of a transmitter using predistortion are disclosed. In one embodiment, a transmitter includes a power amplifier configured to amplify a radio frequency input signal to provide an amplified radio frequency signal, a non-linear filter configured to filter the amplified radio frequency signal to provide an output signal of the transmitter, and a predistorter configured effect predistortion of the amplified radio frequency signal, where the predistortion compensates for a non-linear characteristic of the non-linear filter. In this manner, the output signal is as if the non-linear filter were a linear, or substantially liner, filter. The predistortion applied by the predistorter may be fixed or adaptive.
US09374041B2	Doherty power amplification apparatus and method A multi-way Doherty power amplifier, DPA, is disclosed, comprising a first path comprising a carrier amplifier or at least one carrier amplifier segment partitioned from the carrier amplifier; a second to N-th paths each comprising at least one carrier amplifier segment and/or at least one peaking amplifier segment partitioned from a peaking amplifier; and a power splitter for splitting an input power signal to each of the at least one carrier amplifier segment and/or at least one peaking amplifier segment in a same path, wherein N is an integer not less than 2; a signal preparation unit configured for generating separately input power signal for the first path and each of the second path to N-th paths; and an impedance inverting network configured for combining output signal power from each path. The performance of each amplifier cell can be maximized independently without any compromises made for each other.
US09374040B2	Power amplifying module The linearity of a power amplifying module employing an envelope tracking scheme is improved. The power amplifying module includes a first bipolar transistor having a base to which a first radio frequency signal is input and an emitter grounded, and a second bipolar transistor having a base to which a first constant voltage is applied, a collector to which a first power supply voltage is applied, the first power supply voltage adapted to vary in accordance with an amplitude of the first radio frequency signal, and an emitter connected to a collector of the first bipolar transistor. The second bipolar transistor is configured to output a first amplified signal, obtained by amplifying the first radio frequency signal, from the collector of the second bipolar transistor.
US09374032B2	PWM output apparatus and motor driving apparatus A PWM output apparatus includes a calculating circuit configured to calculate an output width of a PWM output signal of a first signal and a second signal, which have phases different from each other, based on a command value of a PWM output. A comparing circuit compares the output width and a reference period which is set longer than a predetermined dead time period. A PWM output signal generating circuit outputs the PWM output signal to a dead time inserting block as a corrected PWM output signal, when a set/clear signal generating circuit outputs the set signal, and carries out a correction of setting the first signal of the PWM output signal to be inactive to output to the dead time inserting block as the corrected PWM output signal, when the set/clear circuit outputs the clear signal. The dead time inserting block corrects the corrected PWM output signal.
US09374031B2	AC motor control apparatus A control apparatus for an AC motor includes a current sensor and an estimation section. The current sensor detects current flowing through one phase of the motor. The estimation section repeats an estimation process. In the estimation process, d-axis and q-axis current estimation values are calculated based on the presently detected current of the one phase and a previous current estimation value of another phase of the motor, and a present current estimation value of each phase is calculated based on smoothed values of the d-axis and q-axis current estimation values. The estimation section performs the estimation process based on a phase lag element. The phase lag element is a difference between the presently detected current and a previous current estimation value of the one phase or the previously detected current.
US09374030B2	Generator excitation apparatus and power conversion system According to one embodiment, there is provided a generator excitation apparatus including a plurality of first power converters and a second power converter. The plurality of first power converters are electrically connected to windings of respective phases of rotors of a wound rotor type induction generator in which the windings of the rotors of the respective phases are electrically independent, and are configured to bidirectionally convert DC and AC. The second power converter is configured to bidirectionally convert DC and AC between DC sides of the first power converters and a three-phase DC power supply. The DC sides of the first power converters are electrically connected together to a DC side of the second power converter.
US09374029B2	Motor driving circuit A motor driving circuit may include a timing detection circuit configured to receive a signal that corresponds to the Hall signal output from the Hall sensor, and to generate a timing signal which is asserted at a predetermined timing in every cycle of the Hall signal. The timing detection circuit may include a counter configured to perform a counting operation according to a clock signal; a reset unit configured to reset a count value of the counter for every cycle of the counter, to a value obtained by multiplying the count value obtained immediately before the reset operation by a negative coefficient; and a comparison unit configured to assert the timing signal at every timing at which there is a zero-crossing in the value of the counter.
US09374023B2	Power conversion control device and power conversion device using the same The present application presents a power conversion control device that does not reduce electric power conversion efficiency. A mode judging section judges whether a direction of current flowing through an inductor has been reversed or not based on both an average value of current flowing through the inductor, the average value being calculated by an average current calculating section, and a difference (i.e peak current) between a maximum value and a minimum value of a current flowing through the inductor, the difference being calculated by a peak current calculating section. And then if the judging section has determined that the direction of current flowing through an inductor has been reversed, the power conversion control device makes the switching elements ON/OFF-operation corresponding to either one of a power running mode or an electric power regenerating mode.
US09374008B2	Switching mode power supply with variable switching operation frequency and the driving method thereof The present invention relates to a switching mode power supply and a driving method thereof. In the present invention, a supply voltage is generated by using a start voltage that corresponds to input power, and a switching operation frequency of a power switch is changed according to an increase/decrease of the supply voltage.
US09374001B1	Improving load transient response by adjusting reference current in isolated power converters Methods and systems for improving load transient response in power conversion systems are provided herein. The system includes a primary stage and a secondary stage, an isolation barrier electrically isolating the primary stage and the secondary stage, and a primary stage controller positioned in the primary stage. The primary stage controller is configured to adjust a step-up converter reference voltage based on a load current signal indicative of a load transient. The load current signal is transmitted from the secondary stage.
US09373994B2	Energy conversion apparatus with tuned circuit Apparatus for an electromagnetic engine producing both mechanical and electrical power. The apparatus includes a signal generator, such as a device that plays a pre-recorded signal. The output of the signal generator is connected to an amplifier that is connected to a first coil assembly. The coils are positioned around a cylindrical cavity or sleeve in which a permanent magnet piston reciprocates in response to the amplified signal applied to the coils. A second coil assembly is magnetically coupled to the first coil assembly. The second coil assembly includes a tuned circuit and provides an electrical output. The tuned circuit of the second coil assembly includes a coil and a capacitor selected for a specific frequency.
US09373988B2	Assemblies and methods for cooling electric machines Cooling assemblies, such as those configured to cool electric machines (e.g., electric motors and generators) and components of electric machines (e.g., rotors and stators).
US09373984B2	Electrical machine An apparatus, such as an electrical machine, is provided. The apparatus can include a rotor defining a rotor bore and a conduit disposed in and extending axially along the rotor bore. The conduit can have an annular conduit body defining a plurality of orifices disposed axially along the conduit and extending through the conduit body. The rotor can have an inner wall that at least partially defines the rotor bore. The orifices can extend through the conduit body along respective orifice directions, and the rotor and conduit can be configured to provide a line of sight along the orifice direction from the respective orifices to the inner wall.
US09373976B2	System and method for charging portable electronic devices A device charging system that uses the fact that individual devices do not need to be continuously charged for an extended charging period in order to be fully charged at the end of the period. With automatic timing and switching, different devices can be charged at different times during the charging period with the result that all the devices are fully charged at the end of the period. Several charging power boxes that fit into one or more charging cabinets that are controlled by one or more timers. Each charging power box also includes a heat sensor and circuit breaker. User appliances or electronic devices can be stacked in the cabinets, plugged into numerous outlets available on the charging power boxes and then locked inside the cabinet for overnight charging and security. Any abnormal rise in temperature within the cabinet can shut down the entire charging process.
US09373972B2	Method and circuitry to determine the relaxation time of a battery/cell The present inventions, in one aspect, are directed to techniques and/or circuitry to adaptively charge a battery/cell using data which is representative of a change in terminal voltage of the battery/cell. In another aspect, the present inventions are directed to techniques and/or circuitry to adaptively charge a battery/cell using data which is representative of partial and/or full relaxation time of the battery/cell. In yet another aspect the present inventions are directed to techniques and/or circuitry to determine whether the data which is representative of partial and/or full relaxation time exceeds a predetermined range and/or is greater than a predetermined value.
US09373969B2	Modular share pack battery Described is an energy share pack comprising a housing, at least one energy storage component within the housing, at least one energy conversion component within the housing, and a connection point for connecting to more than one of energy users, energy sources and other energy share packs simultaneously for sharing energy. The energy share pack may have an energy generation component for generating harvestable energy, and two or more ports of any combination of the following types: bidirectional power port, bidirectional USB port, unidirectional output power port, and unidirectional input power port. The share pack ports may operate simultaneously at different voltage levels, and at least one port may be bi-directional. Furthermore, the share packs may have an integrated display for providing information on the energy share pack in which the display is integrated and information about other energy share packs connected thereto.
US09373962B2	Intelligent arbitration of power line based coordinating signals between multiple UPS buses without any auxiliary signals A multiple UPS system has a plurality of UPS subsystems with a separate UPS data communications bus coupling a controller of each UPS subsystem to an associated controller of an associated tie cabinet. The multiple UPS system further includes a data communications tie bus that couples the controllers of the tie cabinets to each other. The controllers of the tie cabinets arbitrate power line based coordinating signals between the UPS buses without the use of auxiliary signals.
US09373960B2	Computerized system and method for distributed energy resource scheduling The present disclosure provides for distributed resource scheduling performed by an advanced resource scheduling (ARS) module implemented on a distributed grid management (DGM) server in a power system. The ARS module is configured to automatically generate a resource schedule for controllable distributed energy resources (e.g., resources that are remotely controllable by DGM server and ARS module) in a distribution network of the power system, such as power generation resources and energy storage resources, to provide power in a cost-effective (e.g., optimal) manner. The ARS module is configured to take into account the operating limits of the distributed energy resources (DERs), the cost curves of the DERs, the system load demand, and other operating constraints to determine the most economical operating plan for the DERs, using an optimization technique such as the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm.
US09373959B2	Photovoltaic module The present invention relates to a photovoltaic module. A photovoltaic module according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a solar cell module, a micro-inverter to convert DC power generated by the solar cell module into AC power, a controller to control the micro-inverter's operation, and an interface unit connected to power grid supplying external electrical power and to provide the AC power to the power grid, the controller to control operation of the micro-inverter such that the AC power is matched to the external electrical power flowing into the power grid. The photovoltaic module according to the present invention can provide electrical power generated at solar cell modules through a simple connection to power grid which supplies electrical power to home, reducing consumption of electrical power flowing into home.
US09373956B2	Systems and methods for optimizing power loads in a power distribution unit A method of optimizing power loads of a power strip is disclosed. The power strip includes single or three phase power input, a plurality of circuit breakers, and a plurality of outlets, with at least one circuit breaker being associated with at least one outlet. The method includes: obtaining real-time current measurements for each phase of the single or three phase power input of the power strip; obtaining real-time current measurements for each circuit breaker of the plurality of circuit breakers of the power strip; logging the real-time current measurements for each phase of the single or three phase power input and for each circuit breaker of the plurality of circuit breakers; and analyzing the real-time current measurements of the single or three phase power input and the plurality of circuit breakers to determine a preferential order of outlets in which to apply a new load.
US09373954B2	ESD protection device and method for producing the same Provided is an ESD protection device having excellent discharge characteristics at a low applied voltage. An ESD protection device includes a first discharge electrode and a second discharge electrode that are disposed so as to face each other, a discharge auxiliary electrode formed so as to span between the first discharge electrode and the second discharge electrode, and an insulator base that holds the first discharge electrode, the second discharge electrode, and the discharge auxiliary electrode. The discharge auxiliary electrode includes a plurality of metal particles (22) containing a first metal as a main component. Fine irregularities are formed on the surfaces of the metal particles (22). More specifically, the metal particles (22) has a fractal dimension D of 1.03 or more. Since electric charges are concentrated on the fine irregularities, discharge can be generated in the discharge auxiliary electrode by applying a relatively low voltage.
US09373952B2	Low fault current isolator system A low fault current isolation arrangement senses a loss of voltage and automatically isolates and de-energizes a down live primary wire if overcurrent protection devices have not cleared the high impedance fault in an electric power distribution network. Incorporating an operator selectable time delay response, the low fault current isolation arrangement permits overcurrent protection devices to attempt to detect and shut down the affected conductor, and then isolates and shuts down the low current fault if the overcurrent devices are not successful. The isolation arrangement continuously monitors AC voltage as remotely provided by smart meters even after a fault location is de-energized, and serves as a back up, and not as a replacement, for existing overcurrent protection schemes. A host computer operates in conjunction with plural smart meters each coupled to an associated customer distribution transformer in conjunction with the fault isolator to detect and shut down high impedance faults.
US09373951B2	Switch mode current limiter A current limiter (100, 200, 400, 500, 700) comprises a switch (110) and connection means (105, 125) to a load and to a DC-voltage source. A control component (115) measures the current from a load to a DC-voltage source to the switch and controls the switch (110) to an open position if the current is above a threshold. In the closed position, the switch (110) admits current from the load to the DC-voltage source. The current limiter also comprises a transmission line (120) with a first (121) and a second (122) end. The first end (121) is connected to the input port of the switch (110), and the second end (122) is left open or connected to make the transmission line (120) connected in series with the switch (110).
US09373950B2	Modular multilevel converter valve protection method The invention relates to Modular multilevel converter valve protection method, the modular multilevel converter valve consists of 6 arms, the arm includes sub modules, 1 arm is controlled by 1 control host, 6 control hosts is controlled by 1 summary control host, the method of the invention includes that the arm realizes locking sub module, bypass sub module, trip requests and system switching request and the summary control host implements summary and control response. The invention improves the reliability of two protection system through the use of dual redundancy protection method, clears the protection division through the layered protection frame of the upper summary control host and multi arm control host. And finally, it improves the whole safety and reliability of the modular multilevel converter valve.
US09373944B2	Floor box cover assembly A cover assembly for a floor box includes a base with a central opening and a cover pivotally connected to the base by a hinge member. The hinge member has a hinge body with a first end pivotally connected to the base for pivoting with respect to the base and second end pivotally connected to the cover for pivoting with respect to the cover. A tab extends from the second end of the hinge body to contact a bottom surface of the cover to limit pivoting movement of the cover with respect to the hinge body. A slide surface is provided on the base that contacts an end of the cover during pivoting movement of the cover to prevent wear on a gasket with the opening of the base.
US09373942B2	System for the contactless data supply of bus participant modules The present invention relates to a modular data transmission system which is constructed for contactless data transmission by means of electromagnetic waves having a wavelength in the millimeter range. A modular data transmission system according to the invention comprises a mounting rail, a first bus participant and a second bus participant. The first bus participant comprises a transmitting/receiving module. The second bus participant also comprises a transmitting/receiving module. The first bus participant and the second bus participant are releasably secured to the mounting rail so as to be able to be attached to each other, and the transmitting/receiving modules of the first and second bus participants are constructed in order to transmit data by means of electromagnetic waves having a wavelength in the millimeter range. Another modular data transmission system according to the invention comprises a mounting rail and at least a first bus participant. The mounting rail comprises at least one transmitting/receiving module. The first bus participant comprises a transmitting/receiving module and is releasably secured to the mounting rail. The mounting rail allows additional bus participants to be secured in an attachable manner to the first bus participant. Furthermore, the transmitting/receiving modules of the mounting rail and the first bus participant are constructed for data transmission by means of electromagnetic waves having a wavelength in the millimeter range.
US09373926B2	Laser chamber and discharge excitation gas laser apparatus There is provided a laser chamber housing a pair of discharge electrodes and a gas circulation fun, the laser chamber including: a magnetic bearing configured to support a shaft of the gas circulation fan, with the shaft being in non-contact with the magnetic bearing; and a touchdown bearing configured to operate as a bearing when the magnetic bearing is uncontrollable, the touchdown bearing being provided with solid lubricant configured of one or more of an Au plating layer, a Ni-containing plating layer, and a Cu plating layer.
US09373924B2	Device for producing a crimp connection A device for producing a crimp connection includes a mobile supply unit that can be connected with a crimping press station for storing and supplying crimp contacts to the crimping press station. The mobile supply unit has two supply rolls with crimp contacts that can be attached laterally to the mobile supply unit. Each supply roll is assigned to a respective coupling device by which the supply unit can be connected in two docking locations with the crimping press station.
US09373920B2	Connector including module that includes molded part insert-molded with contacts each including first contact part, second contact part, and body that extends between first and second contact parts and includes spring portion greater in width than first and second contact parts A connector includes a module and a housing that accommodates the module. The module includes multiple contacts each including a first contact part to contact a board, a second contact part to contact a connection object, and a body extending at angle from the first contact part to the second contact part; and a molded part insert-molded with the contacts arranged as inserts. The molded part covers a portion of the body part through a surface of the first contact part of each of the contacts facing toward the board. In each contact, a width of the portion of the body covered with the molded part is smaller than a width of a spring portion of the body. The spring portion is exposed from the molded part and supports the second contact part in such a manner as to allow its displacement.
US09373911B2	Waterproof audio connector The present invention is to provide a waterproof audio connector which includes an isolation base mounted in the electronic device, having an inserting port and an assembly port respectively at a front end and a rear end thereof, having a plurality of first assembly slots longitudinally and concavely disposed at an inner surface thereof between the two ports; a plurality of signal terminals each having a contacting portion at the end thereof and fastened with the first assembly slot corresponding thereto; an isolation plate having a side surface abutted against outer edges of the first assembly slots and forming a filler space between another side surface thereof and an edge of the assembly port; and a waterproof sealant formed by waterproof glue which is filled into the filler space and solidified later, so as to watertightly seal all gaps among the signal terminals, the isolation plate and the assembly port.
US09373901B2	Spring clip for shielding of electrical connectors Grounding finger for shielding at an electrical connection between a plug connector and a mating plug connector of an electrical line, having a sleeve-like support element which has a first outer edge and a second outer edge, axial connecting webs being provided between the outer edges, and having a plurality of spring limbs which act radially outward and, at least at one end, are connected to one of the edges in order to generate a spring-loaded contact force to the outer plug connector, with some of the connecting webs being interrupted and being formed in each case with at least one contact lug which faces radially inward.
US09373896B2	True time delay compensation in wideband phased array fed reflector antenna systems Systems, devices, and methods for determining and applying true time delay (TTD) values for compensating for free-space path length differences between a phased array and a reflector in wideband communication are disclosed. TTD values are determined for individual and groups of antenna elements in phased array fed reflector (PAFR) antennas based distances from a focal region of the reflector. The distance from the focal region of the reflector and the offset of the phased array from the reflectors focal plane can be used to determine path length differences. Corresponding TTD values for antenna elements are then determined based on the path length difference associated with the antenna elements. Each antenna element can be coupled to a TTD element to provide the corresponding TTD value to the signals received by and generated by the antenna elements of the phased array. The TTD elements include transverse electromagnetic (TEM) mode mechanisms.
US09373888B1	Method and apparatus for reducing sidelobes in large phased array radar with super-elements Methods and apparatus for a phased array radar system including an array comprising columns of super-elements containing radiator elements located along a length of the super-element, wherein the super-elements form the columns such that super-elements are arranged end-to-end, wherein the super-elements are arranged in the column at randomized locations to reduce sidelobes. In a further embodiment, super element lengths can be randomized.
US09373884B2	Dual-polarised, omnidirectional antenna An improved dual-polarized, omnidirectional antenna is characterized inter alia by the following features: each sector antenna (5) comprises at least one antenna gap (6) comprising an associated reflector (11), which is arranged at least in part in a reflector plane (13′), at least one dual-polarized radiator (7, 9) being arranged in the antenna gap (6), in front of the reflector (11) the sector antennae (5) are additionally arranged mutually offset along the central axis (1) thereof, the sector antennae (5) are arranged in such a way that, in an axial view along the central axis (1), the reflector walls (13), arranged in a respective reflector plane (13′), of the reflectors (11), overlap or intersect.
US09373877B2	Communication sheet, smart shelf The communication sheet according to the present invention includes a dielectric layer including a dielectric substrate, a first conductor layer that is a conductor layer including a mesh sheet-like mesh conductor disposed on one surface of the dielectric substrate, wherein an opening region from where the mesh conductor is removed is formed, and a second conductor layer that is a conductor layer including a sheet-like sheet conductor disposed on another surface of the dielectric substrate opposite to the first conductor layer, wherein the sheet conductor in a region opposite to the opening region from where the mesh conductor is removed is not removed.
US09373875B2	Storage element for a solid electrolyte energy store A storage element for a solid electrolyte energy store and a method of producing a storage element are provided. The storage element has a three-dimensional grid structure made of a material that comprises an electron-conducting redox pair.
US09373860B2	Method and apparatus for diagnosing fault within fuel cell stack To diagnose a fault of a fuel cell stack, an alternating current having a first optimal frequency of a first frequency domain to diagnose a drop in cell voltage and an alternating current having a second optimal frequency of a second frequency domain to diagnose a cause of the drop in cell voltage are supplied to the fuel cell stack are provided. A distortion rate is then calculated based on voltage of the fuel cell stack according to the alternating current of the first optimal frequency, and the drop in cell voltage is diagnosed based on the calculated distortion rate. Also, impedance is calculated based on voltage and a current of the fuel cell stack according to the alternating current of the second optimal frequency and amount of water is calculated based on the calculated in the fuel cell stack, and the cause of the drop in cell voltage is diagnosed based on the calculated impedance and amount of water.
US09373855B2	Fuel cell system Provided is a fuel-cell system having a control device which controls driving of a first fuel supply device and a second fuel supply device. The control device includes, a driving-interval setting unit which sets first driving intervals for the first fuel supply device and second driving intervals for the second fuel supply device, a first fuel-supply-device control unit which sets valve-open durations of the first fuel supply device according to the first driving intervals, and a second fuel-supply-device control unit which sets valve-open durations of the second fuel supply device according to the second driving intervals. The driving-interval setting unit sets the second driving intervals to be shorter than the first driving intervals.
US09373852B2	Fuel cell stack A fuel cell stack includes a stacked body, a first terminal plate, a first insulator, a first end plate, a second terminal plate, a second insulator, a second end plate, a fluid manifold, a fluid channel, a fluid hole, a first connection passage, and a second connection passage. The stacked body includes a plurality of separators and a membrane electrode assembly. The plurality of separators and the membrane electrode assembly are stacked in a stacking direction. The membrane electrode assembly includes an electrolyte membrane and a pair of electrodes sandwiching the electrolyte membrane therebetween. The stacked body has a first end and a second end opposite to the first end in the stacking direction. The first terminal plate, the first insulator, and the first end plate are disposed at the first end of the stacked body.
US09373851B2	Fuel cell A fuel cell equipped with at least an air electrode side power collector layer, an air electrode catalyst layer, a polymer electrolyte membrane, a fuel electrode catalyst layer and a fuel electrode side power collector layer and provided with a porous body layer having a porous body at a liquid fuel side of the fuel electrode side power collector layer assumes a structure in which the porous body layer is provided with a gas flow velocity (superficial velocity in the layer) of 10 to 5000 cm/s at a differential pressure of 100 kPa. The porous body layer is a diffusion medium of a fuel into the fuel electrode catalyst layer and a discharge resistor of gases comprising carbon dioxide and steam which are electrode reaction products and a vapor of the liquid fuel in progress of electrode reaction. An interface of the gases and a gases layer are also provided.
US09373848B2	Paste for forming conductive protection layer on collector laminate in non-aqueous rechargeable electricity-storage device The present invention provides a conductive protective layer-forming paste for current collector laminates which can be used even for high voltage designs to protect current collectors from corroding without loss of cell characteristics, and a current collector laminate, an electrode laminate, and nonaqueous secondary cells (e.g. a lithium secondary cell, an electric double layer capacitor) that include a conductive protective layer formed therefrom. The paste for forming conductive protective layers for current collector protection includes: polytetrafluoroethylene; and a conductive filler (b). The current collector laminate includes: a conductive protective layer (A); and a current collector (B), the conductive protective layer (A) being formed by coating the paste for forming conductive protective layers onto the current collector (B).
US09373843B2	Binder for electrode of lithium battery and lithium battery containing the binder A binder for an electrode of a lithium battery, and a lithium battery containing the binder. The binder includes: a carbon nanotube; and a polymer chemically bonded to the carbon nanotube, and thus may form a conducting path by improving dispersion of the carbon nanotube. Accordingly, the binder may have high capacity and improve the lifetime of the lithium battery.
US09373835B2	Method for the preparation of Li1+αV3O8 The invention relates to a lithium vanadium oxide which corresponds to the formula Li1+αV3O8 (0.1≦α≦0.25). It is composed of agglomerates of small needles having a length l from 400 to 1000 nm, a width w such that 10
US09373831B2	Architecture with stacking of storage and/or electrical energy generating elements with configurable electrical output, method of producing such an architecture An electrical energy storage and/or generation device with an architecture including a stack of electrical storage and/or generation elements, such as microbatteries. An electrical connection is not made between the different stacked elements during manufacture, but subsequently with assistance of an electronic control unit to configure, in series and/or in parallel, all or a proportion of the elements, and to configure electrical outputs of the device, such as the electrical voltage or the storage capacity.
US09373822B2	Method for producing organic light-emitting element, organic display panel, organic light-emitting device, method for forming functional layer, ink, substrate, organic light-emitting element, organic display device, and inkjet device To provide a method of efficiently manufacturing an organic light-emitting element with excellent light-emitting characteristics by application, the method includes: preparing ink and filling an inkjet device having an ink ejection nozzle with the ink; preparing a substrate having a base layer including a first electrode; and positioning the inkjet device above the substrate, and causing the inkjet device to eject a drop of the ink onto the base layer, wherein, in the preparation of the ink, a value Z denoting a reciprocal of the Ohnesorge number Oh determined by density ρ (g/dm3), surface tension γ (mN/m), and viscosity η (mPa·s) of the ink and a diameter r (mm) of the ink ejection nozzle satisfies Formula 1, in the ejection of the drop of the ink, speed V (m/s) of the ejected drop satisfies Formula 2, and the value Z and the speed V (m/s) satisfy Formula 3.
US09373814B2	Organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display panel, pixel define layer (PDL) and preparation method thereof A pixel define layer (PDL) of an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display panel, which comprises a first PDL (21) and a second PDL (22) overlapped on the first PDL. The first PDL (21) is a hydrophobic film layer provided with openings (210) corresponding to luminous regions of sub-pixel units; and the second PDL (22) is a hydrophilic film layer provided with openings (220) corresponding to the openings (210) of the first PDL. The PDL can avoid the mutual pollution of organic light-emitting materials in luminous regions of different colors in adjacent sub-pixel units in the preparation process.
US09373812B2	White OLED display device and packaging method thereof The present invention provides a white OLED display device and a packaging method thereof. The white OLED display device includes: a glass cover plate, a color filter layer coated on the glass cover plate, a transparent protective layer covering the color filter layer, a hydrophobic layer self-assembled on the transparent protective layer, a desiccant layer disposed on the hydrophobic layer, and a TFT substrate disposed with a white OLED layer. The color filter layer, the transparent protective layer, the hydrophobic layer and the desiccant layer are sandwiched between the glass cover plate and the TFT substrate disposed with the white OLED layer. The white OLED display device provided by the invention disposes the hydrophobic layer on the transparent protective layer, which can avoid the occurrence of mura caused by uneven distribution of desiccant.
US09373805B2	Optical sensor and method for making the same An optical sensor that can be produced at a low cost from inexpensive silicon fine particles as raw materials and a method for making the optical sensor are provided. In an optical sensor 1, a layer of epoxidized n-type silicon fine particles 24 coated with a coating film having a functional group is selectively fixed and bonded onto only a pattern portion of a surface of a transparent electrode 51 coated with a coating film having a first functional group, and a layer of p-type silicon fine particles 25 coated with a coating film having a third functional group is fixed and bonded thereon. The first and second functional groups and the second and third coupling groups are respectively fixed with each other via bonds formed between them and coupling reactive groups in a coupling agent.
US09373793B2	Compound and organic light-emitting device using same The present invention provides a novel compound that is capable of largely improving a life span, efficiency, electrochemical stability and thermal stability of an organic light emitting device, and an organic light emitting device in which the compound is included in an organic compound layer.
US09373788B2	Method for fabricating semiconductor device A method for fabricating a semiconductor device includes supplying a first source gas including a germanium (Ge) precursor onto a semiconductor substrate for a first time period, and periodically interrupting the supplying of the first source gas for the first time period to form Ge elements on the semiconductor substrate.
US09373787B2	Nonvolatile memory devices A nonvolatile memory device includes an inserted electrode line disposed between a first and a second electrode lines and extending in parallel with the second electrode line. The inserted electrode line is coupled to the second electrode line. A first intermediate pattern disposed between the inserted electrode line and a second intermediate pattern is disposed between the inserted electrode line and the second electrode line. One of the first and second intermediate patterns is a variable resistor and the other of the first and second intermediate patterns is a selector. The first intermediate pattern covers a bottom surface and a portion of sidewalls of the inserted electrode line.
US09373786B1	Two terminal resistive access devices and methods of formation thereof In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a memory cell includes a two terminal access device disposed above a semiconductor substrate. The access device includes a two terminal resistive switching device having substantially zero retention. The two terminal resistive switching device has a low resistance state and a high resistance state. A memory device is disposed above the semiconductor substrate. The memory device is coupled to the access device.
US09373784B2	Semiconductor memory device and manufacturing method thereof A semiconductor memory device includes a first insulating portion. The semiconductor memory device further includes a phase-change material element that contacts the first insulating portion. The semiconductor memory device further includes an electrode that contacts a side surface of the phase-change material element, the side surface of the phase-change material element being not parallel to a top surface of the electrode. The semiconductor memory device further includes a second insulating portion surrounding the phase-change material element.
US09373774B2	Piezoactuator and a method for producing such a piezoactuator A piezo actuator includes an actuator body with a plurality of piezo elements and a tensioning device loading the actuator body with a bias. The tensioning device includes a traction device mounted as a biased winding on the actuator body in a plurality of turns around the actuator body. The traction device is at least one of resilient or flexible.
US09373770B2	Industrial thermoelectric generator An industrial thermoelectric generation assembly and method are provided. A plurality of thermoelectric generation elements is provided. Each element has a first side, a second side opposite the first side, and a lateral surface. A thermally insulative material surrounds the lateral surface of each thermoelectric element. The first side of each thermoelectric element is disposed to contact a process heat source, and the second side is configured to be exposed to an ambient environment. At least two of the plurality of thermoelectric generation elements are wired in series. The thermoelectric generation elements, being good thermal insulators, provide good thermal insulation to the process. Withholding heat within the process (which is desired), is converted to electricity.
US09373765B2	Optoelectronic semiconductor chip An optoelectronic semiconductor chip includes a semiconductor body of semiconductor material, a p-contact layer and an n-contact layer. The semiconductor body includes an active layer intended for generating radiation. The semiconductor body includes a p-side and an n-side, between which the active layer is arranged. The p-contact layer is intended for electrical contacting the p-side. The n-contact layer is intended for electrical contacting the n-side 1b. The n-contact layer contains a TCO layer and a mirror layer, the TCO-layer being arranged between the n-side of the semiconductor body and the mirror layer.
US09373757B2	Illumination method and light-emitting device To provide an illumination method and a light-emitting device which are capable of achieving, under an indoor illumination environment where illuminance is around 5000 lx or lower when performing detailed work and generally around 1500 lx or lower, a color appearance or an object appearance as perceived by a person, will be as natural, vivid, highly visible, and comfortable as though perceived outdoors in a high-illuminance environment, regardless of scores of various color rendition metric. Light emitted from the light-emitting device illuminates an object such that light measured at a position of the object satisfies specific requirements. A feature of the light-emitting device is that light emitted by the light-emitting device in a main radiant direction satisfies specific requirements.
US09373755B2	Light-emitting diodes on concave texture substrate A semiconductor device having light-emitting diodes (LEDs) formed on a concave textured substrate is provided. A substrate is patterned and etched to form recesses. A separation layer is formed along the bottom of the recesses. An LED structure is formed along the sidewalls and, optionally, along the surface of the substrate between adjacent recesses. In these embodiments, the surface area of the LED structure is increased as compared to a planar surface. In another embodiment, the LED structure is formed within the recesses such that the bottom contact layer is non-conformal to the topology of the recesses. In these embodiments, the recesses in a silicon substrate result in a cubic structure in the bottom contact layer, such as an n-GaN layer, which has a non-polar characteristic and exhibits higher external quantum efficiency.
US09373751B2	Light emitting element including first electrode with first connecting portion and first extending portion, and second electrode with second connecting portion and two second extending portions A light emitting element includes a first conductivity-type semiconductor layer, a first electrode, a second conductivity-type semiconductor layer and a second electrode. The second conductivity-type semiconductor layer has a square peripheral shape. The first electrode includes a first connecting portion on a first diagonal line and a first extending portion extending from the first connecting portion onto the first diagonal line. The second electrode includes a second connecting portion on the first diagonal line facing the first connecting portion via the first extending portion. Two second extending portions extend from the second connecting portion and having a first portion and a second portion respectively. The first connecting portion includes an end portion closer to the second connecting portion than a straight line intersecting the tip ends of the two second extending portions, and a center portion at a side father from the second connecting portion than the second diagonal line.
US09373746B2	Manufacturing method of semiconductor light emitting device having sloped wiring unit A semiconductor light emitting device includes a substrate, a semiconductor laminate disposed on the substrate and divided to a plurality of light emitting cells with an isolation region, and a wiring unit electrically connecting the plurality of light emitting cells. A region of lateral surfaces of each of the light emitting cells in which the wiring unit is disposed has a slope gentler than slopes of other regions of the lateral surfaces of each of the light emitting cells.
US09373741B2	Heterostructure germanium tandem junction solar cell A photovoltaic device that includes an upper cell that absorbs a first range of wavelengths of light and a bottom cell that absorbs a second range of wavelengths of light. The bottom cell includes a heterojunction comprising a crystalline germanium containing (Ge) layer. At least one surface of the crystalline germanium (Ge) containing layer is in contact with a silicon (Si) containing layer having a larger band gap than the crystalline (Ge) containing layer.
US09373740B1	Wavelength converting structure for near-infrared rays and solar cell comprising the same Provided is a wavelength converting structure for near-infrared rays and a solar cell using the same. More particularly, provided is a novel wavelength converting structure for near-infrared rays using gap plasmon characteristics and up-conversion nanoparticles. When applying the wavelength converting structure for near-infrared rays to a solar cell, it is possible to convert the light within a wavelength range of near-infrared rays into electric energy so that the photoconversion efficiency may be improved.
US09373724B2	Method of driving transistor and device including transistor driven by the method Disclosed is a method of driving a transistor including a semiconductor layer, a first insulating layer, a second insulating layer, a first conductive layer, and a second conductive layer such that the semiconductor layer is disposed between the first and second insulating layers, one surface of the first insulating layer opposite the other surface in contact with the semiconductor layer is in contact with the first conductive layer, one surface of the second insulating layer opposite the other surface in contact with the semiconductor layer is in contact with the second conductive layer. The method includes applying a voltage VBG that satisfies the relation of VBG≦VON1×C1/(C1+C2) to the second conductive layer.
US09373719B2	Semiconductor device A semiconductor device is provided. The semiconductor device includes an active fin region, at least a gate strip, and a dummy fin region. The active fin region comprises at least an active fin. The gate strip is formed on the active fin region and extending across the active fin. The dummy fin region, comprising a plurality of dummy fins, is formed on two sides of the active fin region, and the dummy fins are formed on two sides of the gate strip.
US09373713B2	Silicon carbide semiconductor device and method of manufacture thereof A silicon carbide semiconductor device and method of manufacture thereof is made by providing a channel control zone which has impurity concentration distribution increased gradually from a first doping boundary to reach a maximum value between the first doping boundary and a second doping boundary, then decreased gradually toward the second doping boundary, so that the silicon carbide semiconductor device is formed with a lower conduction resistance and increased drain current without sacrificing threshold voltage.
US09373709B2	All-electric spin field effect transistor An all-electric spin field effect transistor is disclosed, which includes an injection node, injecting an electron in a first spin direction; a detection node, detecting the electron in the first spin direction; and a gate, disposed between the injection node and the detection node such that the electron changes from the first spin direction to a second spin direction by carrying out precession; if the second spin direction is parallel to the first spin direction, the electron is able to pass through the detection node; if the second spin direction is antiparallel to the first spin direction, the electron is unable to pass through the detection node.
US09373708B2	Method for manufacturing semiconductor device To establish a processing technique in manufacture of a semiconductor device including an In—Sn—Zn—O-based semiconductor. An In—Sn—Zn—O-based semiconductor layer is selectively etched by dry etching with the use of a gas containing chlorine such as Cl2, BCl3, SiCl4, or the like. In formation of a source electrode layer and a drain electrode layer, a conductive layer on and in contact with the In—Sn—Zn—O-based semiconductor layer can be selectively etched with little removal of the In—Sn—Zn—O-based semiconductor layer with the use of a gas containing oxygen or fluorine in addition to a gas containing chlorine.
US09373700B2	Field plate trench transistor and method for producing it A field plate trench transistor having a semiconductor body. In one embodiment the semiconductor has a trench structure and an electrode structure embedded in the trench structure. The electrode structure being electrically insulated from the semiconductor body by an insulation structure and having a gate electrode structure and a field electrode structure. The field plate trench transistor has a voltage divider configured such that the field electrode structure is set to a potential lying between source and drain potentials.
US09373693B2	Nonplanar III-N transistors with compositionally graded semiconductor channels A III-N semiconductor channel is compositionally graded between a transition layer and a III-N polarization layer. In embodiments, a gate stack is deposited over sidewalls of a fin including the graded III-N semiconductor channel allowing for formation of a transport channel in the III-N semiconductor channel adjacent to at least both sidewall surfaces in response to a gate bias voltage. In embodiments, a gate stack is deposited completely around a nanowire including a III-N semiconductor channel compositionally graded to enable formation of a transport channel in the III-N semiconductor channel adjacent to both the polarization layer and the transition layer in response to a gate bias voltage.
US09373692B2	Method for forming a semiconductor device with an integrated poly-diode A method for forming a field effect power semiconductor device includes providing a semiconductor body comprising a main horizontal surface and a conductive region arranged next to the main horizontal surface, forming an insulating layer on the main horizontal surface, and etching a narrow trench through the insulating layer so that a portion of the conductive region is exposed, the narrow trench comprising, in a given vertical cross-section, a maximum horizontal extension. The method further includes forming a vertical poly-diode structure comprising a horizontally extending pn-junction. Forming the vertical poly-diode structure includes depositing a polycrystalline semiconductor layer comprising a minimum vertical thickness of at least half of the maximum horizontal extension and maskless back-etching of the polycrystalline semiconductor layer to form a polycrystalline region in the narrow trench.
US09373687B2	Light emitting ceramic substrate including group-III nitride In a semiconductor device, a YAG substrate is formed as a single-crystal substrate of any of surface orientations (100), (110), and (111). In the fabrication of the semiconductor device, a TMAl gas is first fed onto the YAG substrate so as to form a nucleation layer made of aluminum, which is a group-III element. Then, an NH3 gas is fed onto the nucleation layer. This turns the surface of the nucleation layer into a group-V element and then forms a group-III-V compound layer of AlN. Then, a mixed gas of TMAl gas and NH3 gas is fed onto the group-III-V compound layer so as to form another group-III-V compound layer. Finally, a group-III nitride semiconductor layer is crystal-grown on the group-III compound layer.
US09373683B2	Thin film transistor The thin film transistor includes a gate, a gate insulating layer, a semiconductor layer, and a source and a drain. The gate insulating layer covers the gate. The semiconductor layer is located on the gate insulating layer which is disposed above the gate. The source and the drain are disposed above the gate insulating layer and are electrically connected to the semiconductor layer, respectively. The source and the drain are respectively located in different layers. A first contact resistance is existed between the semiconductor layer and the source, a second contact resistance is existed between the semiconductor layer and the drain, and. the first contact resistance is less than the second contact resistance.
US09373677B2	Doping of ZrO2 for DRAM applications A method of forming a dielectric material, comprising doping a zirconium oxide material, using a dopant precursor selected from the group consisting of Ti(NMe2)4; Ti(NMeEt)4; Ti(NEt2)4;TiCl4; tBuN═Nb(NEt2)3; tBuN═Nb(NMe2)3; t-BuN═Nb(NEtMe)3; t-AmN═Nb(NEt2)3; t-AmN═Nb(NEtMe)3; t-AmN═Nb(NMe2)3; t-AmN═Nb(OBu-t)3; Nb-13; Nb(NEt2)4; Nb(NEt2)5; Nb(N(CH3)2)5; Nb(OC2H5)5; Nb(thd)(OPr-i)4; SiH(OMe)3; SiCU; Si(NMe2)4; (Me3Si)2NH; GeRax(ORb)4.x wherein x is from 0 to 4, each Ra is independently selected from H or C1-C8 alkyl and each Rb is independently selected from C1-C8 alkyl; GeCl4; Ge(NRa2)4 wherein each Ra is independently selected from H and C1-C8 alkyl; and (Rb3Ge)2NH wherein each Rb is independently selected from C1-C8 alkyl; bis(N,N′-diisopropyl-1,3-propanediamide) titanium; and tetrakis(isopropylmethylamido) titanium; wherein Me is methyl, Et is ethyl, Pr-i is isopropyl, t-Bu is tertiary butyl, t-Am is tertiary amyl, and thd is 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionate. Doped zirconium oxide materials of the present disclosure are usefully employed in ferroelectric capacitors and dynamic random access memory (DRAM) devices.
US09373673B2	3-D inductor and transformer In accordance with an embodiment, a semiconductor device comprises a semiconductor die, an interposer, and conductive bumps bonding the semiconductor die to the interposer. The semiconductor die comprises a first metallization layer, and the first metallization layer comprises a first conductive pattern. The interposer comprises a second metallization layer, and the second metallization layer comprises a second conductive pattern. Some of the conductive bumps electrically couple the first conductive pattern to the second conductive pattern to form a coil. Other embodiments contemplate other configurations of coils, inductors, and/or transformers, and contemplate methods of manufacture.
US09373670B2	Organic light-emitting display apparatus and photomask for manufacturing the same A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor layer over a substrate. The semiconductor layer changes direction at least twice and has at least two different widths in the same plane. The length of a current path through the semiconductor layer is greater than a shortest path through the semiconductor layer in the same plane.
US09373668B2	Organic light emitting diode display device and method of fabricating the same An organic light emitting diode display device and a method of fabricating the organic light emitting diode display device are discussed. The organic light emitting diode display device includes, a plurality of first electrodes extending in a first direction and a second direction; a common line to adjacent plurality of first electrodes; a pixel definition layer disposed at boundaries of the plurality of first electrodes; an adhesive pattern disposed on the common line; a wall on the adhesive pattern and overlapping the common line; an organic layer on the plurality of first electrodes and on the wall; and a second electrode on the organic layer and contacting the common line in a portion under an overhang of the wall, wherein the organic layer is spaced apart from the adhesive pattern by a distance, and wherein the distance is covered by a portion of the second electrode.
US09373667B2	Method for manufacturing display device The present invention provides a display device which inhibits deterioration in display quality caused by color mixture of luminescent layers. In a case where vapor deposition particles are deposited onto a substrate, P+2Lc≧{(Ts×M+0.96×G×Wn)/(Ts−G)}+2Dm and 3 μm≦Dm ≦5 μm are satisfied, where “M” is a width of a mask opening, “Wn” is a width of an injection hole, “G” is a distance between the TFT substrate and a vapor deposition mask, “Ts” is a distance between the TFT substrate and a vapor deposition source, “P” is a width of a first pixel opening, and “Lc” is a width of a non-display region.
US09373664B2	Variable resistance memory devices and methods of manufacturing the same A variable resistance memory device, and methods of manufacturing the same, include a plurality of first conductive structures extending in a first direction, a plurality of second conductive structures extending in a second direction crossing the first direction over the first conductive structures, the second conductive structures, and a plurality of memory cells that are formed at intersections at which the first conductive structures and the second conductive structures overlap each other, and each includes a selection element and a variable resistance element sequentially stacked. An upper surface of each of the first conductive structures has a width in the second direction less than a width of a bottom surface of each of the selection elements.
US09373662B2	Display panel for compensating negative power supply voltage, display module and mobile device including the same A display panel including: a cathode electrode formed in a cathode region of the display panel, the cathode electrode entirely covering an active region of the display panel a plurality of pixel units in columns and rows in the active region of the display panel; a ring-shaped edge negative voltage line formed in a ring-shaped edge portion of the cathode electrode configured to supply a negative power supply voltage to the cathode electrode; and a plurality of compensation negative voltage lines connected to the ring-shaped edge negative voltage line, the compensation negative voltage lines extending along a column direction of the display panel and arranged along a row direction of the display panel.
US09373657B2	System and method for fabricating a 3D image sensor structure A system and method for fabricating a 3D image sensor structure is disclosed. The method comprises providing an image sensor with a backside illuminated photosensitive region on a substrate, applying a first dielectric layer to the first side of the substrate opposite the substrate side where image data is gathered, and applying a semiconductor layer that is optionally polysilicon, to the first dielectric layer. A least one control transistor may be created on the first dielectric layer, within the semiconductor layer and may optionally be a row select, reset or source follower transistor. An intermetal dielectric may be applied over the first dielectric layer; and may have at least one metal interconnect disposed therein. A second interlevel dielectric layer may be disposed on the control transistors. The dielectric layers and semiconductor layer may be applied by bonding a wafer to the substrate or via deposition.
US09373654B2	Solid-state imaging device, layout data generating device and layout data generating method A solid-state imaging device includes pixels respectively having photoelectric conversion units and arranged in matrix in basic pattern units, and an optical member arranged on the incidence side of incident light than the pixels and having constituent elements respectively corresponding to the pixels. The pixels include first, second and third wavelength range light pixels. Each basic pattern is comprised of a combined arrangement pattern of the wavelength range light pixels. Misregistration constituent elements with the occurrence of misregistration exist in the constituent elements. The misregistration increases toward the misregistration constituent elements separated from a center position of a pixel array of the pixels. The misregistration of the misregistration constituent element for the first wavelength range light pixel and that of the misregistration constituent element for the third wavelength range light pixel are smaller and larger than that of the misregistration constituent element for the second wavelength range light pixel, respectively.
US09373651B2	Display device and method of manufacturing the same A display device includes a first substrate including a protrusion electrode pattern, a second substrate disposed opposite to the first substrate, and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate. The protrusion electrode pattern is made of a conductive polymer material, and a state of the liquid crystal layer changes from an isotropic state to an anisotropic state when an electric field is applied.
US09373648B2	Semiconductor device and method of manufacture thereof This semiconductor device (100A) includes: an oxide layer (15) which includes a semiconductor region (5) and a conductor region (7) that contacts with the semiconductor region; a source electrode (6s) and a drain electrode (6d) which are electrically connected to the semiconductor region; an insulating layer (11) formed on the source and drain electrodes; a transparent electrode (9) arranged to overlap at least partially with the conductor region with the insulating layer interposed between them; a source line (6a) formed out of the same conductive film as the source electrode; and a gate extended line (3a) formed out of the same conductive film as a gate electrode (3). The source line is electrically connected to the gate extended line via a transparent connecting layer (9a) which is formed out of the same conductive film as the transparent electrode.
US09373647B2	Thin film transistor array panel and liquid crystal display including the same A thin film transistor array panel includes: first to third gate lines extending in one direction and parallel to each other; a data line insulated from and intersecting the first to third gate lines; a first thin film transistor connected to the first gate line and the data line; a second thin film transistor connected to the second gate line and an output terminal of the first thin film transistor; a third thin film transistor connected to the third gate line and the data line; a fourth thin film transistor connected to the second gate line and an output terminal of the third thin film transistor; and first to fourth sub-pixel electrodes respectively connected to the first to fourth thin film transistors.
US09373632B2	Twisted array design for high speed vertical channel 3D NAND memory Roughly described, a memory device has a multilevel stack of conductive layers. Vertically oriented pillars each include series-connected memory cells at cross-points between the pillars and the conductive layers. SSLs run above the conductive layers, each intersection of a pillar and an SSL defining a respective select gate of the pillar. Bit lines run above the SSLs. The pillars are arranged on a regular grid which is rotated relative to the bit lines. The grid may have a square, rectangle or diamond-shaped unit cell, and may be rotated relative to the bit lines by an angle θ where tan(θ)=±X/Y, where X and Y are co-prime integers. The SSLs may be made wide enough so as to intersect two pillars on one side of the unit cell, or all pillars of the cell, or sufficiently wide as to intersect pillars in two or more non-adjacent cells.
US09373626B2	Semiconductor device and method of manufacturing the same An embodiment of a semiconductor device includes a plate line that is connected to ferroelectric capacitors selected from a plurality of ferroelectric capacitors and covers the selected ferroelectric capacitors and regions between the selected ferroelectric capacitors from above top electrodes.
US09373613B2	Amplifier voltage limiting using punch-through effect Disclosed herein are systems and method for voltage clamping in semiconductor circuits using through-silicon via (TSV) positioning. A semiconductor die is disclosed that includes a silicon substrate, a bipolar transistor having collector, emitter, base and sub-collector regions disposed on the substrate, and a through-silicon via (TSV) positioned within 35 μm of the sub-collector region in order to clamp a peak voltage of the bipolar transistor at a voltage limit level.
US09373612B1	Electrostatic discharge protection circuits and methods An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit includes an electrostatic discharge bus, first and second resistors coupled in series, first and second capacitors coupled in series, and first and second transistors. The first resistor is coupled to the electrostatic discharge bus. The first capacitor is coupled to the second resistor. The first transistor has a control input that is coupled between the first and the second resistors. The second transistor has a control input that is coupled between the first and the second capacitors.
US09373604B2	Interconnect structures for wafer level package and methods of forming same A device package includes a plurality of dies, a molding compound extending along sidewalls of the plurality of dies, and a polymer layer over and contacting the molding compound. The molding compound comprises a non-planar top surface, and a total thickness variation (TTV) of a top surface of the polymer layer is less than a TTV of the non-planar top surface of the molding compound. The device package further includes a conductive feature on the polymer layer, wherein the conductive feature is electrically connected at least one of the plurality of dies.
US09373598B2	Connector structures of integrated circuits A die includes a substrate, a metal pad over the substrate, and a passivation layer covering edge portions of the metal pad. A metal pillar is formed over the metal pad. A portion of the metal pillar overlaps a portion of the metal pad. A center of the metal pillar is misaligned with a center of the metal pad.
US09373592B2	Arrangement for energy conditioning Circuit arrangement embodiments that use relative groupings of energy pathways that include shielding circuit arrangements that can sustain and condition electrically complementary energy confluences.
US09373591B2	Semiconductor device for preventing crack in pad region and fabricating method thereof A semiconductor device which prevents a crack from occurring on a pad region is provided. The semiconductor device includes a lower pad, an upper pad which is formed above the lower pad, an insulation layer which is formed between the lower pad and the upper pad, a via net for electrically connecting the lower pad and the upper pad in the insulation layer, the via net having a net shape in which a unit grid is connected with its adjacent unit grids to form a net structure, and at least one via hole for electrically connecting the lower pad and the upper pad in the unit grid of the via net.
US09373587B2	Stacked electronic device An electronic component device, includes, a plurality of wiring layers including a component connection pad in a center part and an external connection pad in a periphery, an insulating layer formed on the wiring layers, and the insulating layer in which the component connection pad and the external connection pad are exposed, a frame member arranged on the insulating layer, and the frame member in which an opening portion is provided in an area of the center part in which the component connection pad is arranged, and a connection hole is provided on the external connection pad, an electronic component arranged in the opening portion of the frame member and connected to the component connection pad, a sealing resin formed in the opening portion of the frame member and sealing the electronic component, and a metal bonding material formed on the external connection pad in the connection hole.
US09373582B1	Self aligned via in integrated circuit A method for forming a via in an integrated circuit comprises patterning a first opening in a first hardmask, the first hardmask disposed on a first organic self-planarizing polymer (OPL) layer, removing an exposed portion of the first OPL layer to define a cavity, removing an exposed portion of a second hardmask in the cavity, removing an exposed portion of a first dielectric layer disposed under the second hardmask to further define the cavity, removing an exposed portion of a first cap layer in the cavity, removing an exposed portion of a second dielectric layer to further define the cavity, removing an exposed portion of a second cap layer to further define the cavity, removing an exposed portion of a liner layer over a second conductive material in the cavity, and depositing a conductive material in the cavity.
US09373575B2	TSV structures and methods for forming the same A device includes a substrate having a front side and a backside, a through-via extending from the backside to the front side of the substrate, and a conductive pad on the backside of the substrate and over the through-via. The conductive pad has a substantially planar top surface. A conductive bump has a non-planar top surface over the substantially planar top surface and aligned to the through-via. The conductive bump and the conductive pad are formed of a same material. No interface is formed between the conductive bump and the conductive pad.
US09373574B2	Semiconductor packages and methods of forming the same Disclosed are semiconductor packages and methods of forming the same. In the semiconductor packages and the methods, a package substrate includes a hole not overlapped with semiconductor chips. Thus, a molding layer may be formed without a void.
US09373555B2	Power semiconductor module, method for manufacturing the same, and power converter A power semiconductor module includes a metal plate having a through hole with an eaves; an insulated metal block including a metal block having an element mounting region on an upper surface, and an insulating layer on surfaces other than the upper surface and a portion of the upper surface other than the element mounting region; a circuit pattern disposed over the metal plate with the insulating material interposed therebetween; a power semiconductor element fixed to the element mounting region of the upper surface of the metal block; and a connection conductor connecting the power semiconductor element and the circuit pattern. The insulated metal block is fitted into the through hole in the metal plate so that the insulating layer on the upper surface of the insulated metal block contacts the eaves of the through hole to electrically insulate between the metal block and the metal plate.
US09373551B2	Moveable and adjustable gas injectors for an etching chamber An apparatus for increasing the uniformity in a critical dimension of chemical vapor deposition and etching during substrate processing, comprising a plurality of gas injectors for admitting a processing gas into an etching chamber. Each gas injector of the plurality of gas injectors is disposed along a track within the etching chamber and moveable along the track. Further, each gas injector is coupled with a throttling valve or nozzle to permit adjustment of processing gas flow rate. A method for increasing the uniformity in a critical dimension of chemical vapor deposition and etching during substrate processing includes performing a chemical deposition or etch using the plurality of moveable and adjustable gas injectors and measuring the critical dimension uniformity. Adjustments to the location of at least one gas injector or the processing gas flow rate to at least one gas injector are made to increase critical dimension uniformity.
US09373547B1	Large-scale patterning of germanium quantum dots by stress transfer Provided is a method for forming a two-dimensional array of semiconductor quantum confined structures. The method includes providing a layer that has first atoms and second atoms, the first atoms having a different size than the second atoms; providing an indenter template that includes at least one indenter structure extending from a surface of the indenter template; contacting the layer and the at least one indenter structure together with a pressure sufficient to generate an elastic deformation in the layer but without generating plastic deformation of the layer; annealing the layer; and forming at least one quantum confined structure in a region of the layer in a region of the layer not pressed by the at least one indenter structure.
US09373535B2	T-shaped fin isolation region and methods of fabrication Semiconductor devices and fabrication methods are provided having an isolation feature within a fin structure which, for instance, facilitates isolating circuit elements supported by the fin structure. The fabrication method includes, for instance, providing an isolation material disposed, in part, within the fin structure, the isolation material being formed to include a T-shaped isolation region and a first portion extending into the fin structure, and a second portion disposed over the first portion and extending above the fin structure.
US09373530B2	Tool for picking a planar object from a supply station A pick tool for picking a planar object from a supply station is presented, in particular to be used for picking a semiconductor die from a carrier tape, said pick tool comprising: a work surface, said work surface comprising at least one contact region that may be brought into contact with a first surface on a first side of the planar object; one or more vacuum outlets in the work surface that may be connected to a vacuum source to allow for temporarily fixing the planar object to the work surface; and wherein a flexible seal is provided to maintain vacuum if the planar object becomes deformed.
US09373526B2	Chip package and method for forming the same According to an embodiment of the present invention, a method for forming a chip package is provided. The method includes: providing a conducting plate, wherein a plurality of conducting pads are disposed on an upper surface of the conducting plate; forming a plurality of conducting bumps on a lower surface of the conducting plate; patterning the conducting plate by removing a portion of the conducting plate, wherein the patterned conducting plate has a plurality of conducting sections electrically insulated from each other, and each of the conducting bumps is electrically connected to a corresponding one of the conducting sections of the patterned conducting plate; forming an insulating support layer to partially surround the conducting bumps; and disposing a chip on the conducting pads.
US09373522B1	Titanium nitride removal A method of removing titanium nitride hardmask is described. The hardmask resides above a low-k dielectric layer prior to removal and the low-k dielectric layer retains a relatively low net dielectric constant after the removal process. The low-k dielectric layer may be part of a dual damascene structure having copper at the bottom of the vias. A non-porous carbon layer is deposited prior to the titanium nitride hardmask removal to protect the low-k dielectric layer and the copper. The titanium nitride hardmask and the non-porous carbon layer are removed with a gas-phase etch using plasma effluents formed in a remote plasma from a chlorine-containing precursor. Plasma effluents within the remote plasma are flowed into a substrate processing region where the plasma effluents react with the non-porous carbon layer and the titanium nitride.
US09373519B2	Method to pattern substrates A method for creating a pattern on a substrate (101) is presented, the method comprises: providing a substrate (101) comprising silicon; creating a sacrificial layer (102) on the substrate (101), wherein the sacrificial layer is formed on a first surface area (101a) of the substrate thereby leaving a second surface area (101b) exposed; depositing a first functional layer (103) at least on the second surface area (101b) of the substrate (101); removing the sacrificial layer (102); wherein: removing the sacrificial layer (102) is performed by etching the sacrificial layer (102) with an acidic aqueous solution that does not adversely affect the first functional layer (103) and the substrate (101).
US09373517B2	Semiconductor processing with DC assisted RF power for improved control Semiconductor processing systems are described including a process chamber. The process chamber may include a lid assembly, grid electrode, conductive insert, and ground electrode. Each component may be coupled with one or more power supplies operable to produce a plasma within the process chamber. Each component may be electrically isolated through the positioning of a plurality of insulation members. The one or more power supplies may be electrically coupled with the process chamber with the use of switching mechanisms. The switches may be switchable to electrically couple the one or more power supplies to the components of the process chamber.
US09373513B2	Methods of manufacturing semiconductor devices including variable width floating gates A semiconductor device includes a substrate including an active region defined by a device isolation pattern and a floating gate on the active region. The floating gate includes an upper portion, a lower portion having a width greater than a width of the upper portion, and a step-difference portion between the upper portion and the lower portion. A dielectric pattern is on the floating gate, and a control gate is on the dielectric pattern. The lower portion of the floating gate has a height of about 4 nm or more.
US09373508B2	Semiconductor device and fabricating method thereof A semiconductor device and a fabricating method thereof are provided. The semiconductor device is formed on a substrate and includes a first first-type metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) and a second first-type MOSFET. The first first-type MOSFET includes a first gate structure, a first source area and a first drain area on the substrate. The second first-type MOSFET includes a second gate structure, a second source area, and a second drain area on the substrate. A first pocket implant process is applied to the first first-type MOSFET via a first photomask, while a second pocket implant process is applied to the second first-type MOSFET via a second photomask. The first and second gate structures are facing different directions.
US09373505B2	Mark segmentation method and method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure applying the same In this disclosure, a mark segmentation method and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure applying the same are provided. The mark segmentation method comprises the following steps. First, a plurality of segments having a width WS and separated from each other by a space SS formed on a substrate are identified by a processor. Thereafter, a plurality of marks are set over the segments by the processor. This step comprises: (1) adjusting a width WM of each one of the marks being equal to m(WS+SS)+WS or m(WS+SS)+SS by the processor, wherein m is an integer; and (2) adjusting a space SM of adjacent two of the marks by the processor such that WM+SM=n(WS+SS), wherein n is an integer.
US09373495B2	Fluorine-containing resin film and solar cell module Disclosed is a fluorine-containing resin film which is formed from a fluorine-containing resin composition and has a thickness of 10 to 50 μm, wherein the fluorine-containing resin composition is prepared by adding 10 to 30 parts by mass of titanium oxide or a composite-oxide-type inorganic pigment to 100 parts by mass of a resin component comprising 60 to 95 parts by mass of a vinylidene fluoride resin and 5 to 40 parts by mass of a methacrylic acid ester resin, and wherein the peak intensity ratio of a II-type crystal, which is expressed by (A)/((A)+(B))×100 wherein A represents the peak height at 840 cm−1 and B represents the peak height at 765 cm−1 in a measurement chart produced by an infrared absorption spectrum, is 60% or more and the total crystallinity is 30% or more as calculated from an X-ray diffraction profile.
US09373493B2	Mass spectrometer and method of adjusting same A mass spectrometer and method capable of optimizing the opening time of a collision cell includes: an ion source (10) for ionizing a sample; a first mass analyzer (30) for selecting first desired ions from the ions generated in the ion source (10); a collision cell (40) for fragmenting some or all of the first desired ions into product ions; a second mass analyzer (50) for selecting second desired ions from the first desired ions and the product ions; a detector (60) for detecting the second desired ions; and a control section (200) for controlling the collision cell (40) in such a way that the cell performs a storing operation for storing the first desired ions and the product ions for a given storage time and then performs an opening operation for ejecting the stored ions for a given opening time based on information about settings in an adjustment mode.
US09373491B2	Mass spectrometer An object of the present invention is to provide a mass spectrometer having a simple structure and being capable of precisely measuring a total pressure and performing mass spectrometry with high precision. A mass spectrometer according to one embodiment includes a quadrupole configured to selectively pass therethrough an ion of a target gas having a predetermined mass-to-charge ratio among components of a measurement gas ionized by an ion source, an ion detector configured to detect an ion current value based on the ion of the target gas that passes through the quadrupole, a total pressure measurer configured to detect a photoelectric current value based on vacuum ultraviolet light generated when the ion source ionizes the measurement gas, and an arithmetic unit configured to calculate a partial pressure of the target gas by using the photoelectric current value and the ion current value.
US09373487B2	Mass spectrometer In a pause time assigned for switching voltage applied to a quadrupole mass filter or other ion transport optical system so as to switch the mass-to-charge ratio of a target ion in an SIM measurement, the polarity of direct-current voltage applied to a pre-quadrupole mass filter is temporarily reversed. The voltage polarity reversal time is changed according to length of the pause time so that the ion intensity can sufficiently rise by the time the next dwell time begins. When the polarity of the voltage applied to the pre-quadrupole mass filter is reversed, the electric charges which lie on an insulating film of contaminants or other substances attached to the surface of the pre-quadrupole mass filter or on an insulating support structure are dispersed, whereby the charge-up is eliminated. Since ions are prevented from passing through, charge-up of a main quadrupole mass filter in the subsequent stage is also reduced.
US09373485B2	Apparatus and method for improved darkspace gap design in RF sputtering chamber Improved designs of target assemblies and darkspace shields are disclosed. Methods of improving darkspace gap in sputtering chambers and sputtering chambers having an improved darkspace gap are also disclosed. Disclosed is a target assembly having a substantially coplanar backing plate and a target are vertically spaced from the darkspace shield.
US09373480B2	Charged particle beam device and filter member In a SEM device which enables observations under an atmospheric pressure, in the event that a diaphragm is damaged during an observation of a sample, air flows into a charged particle optical barrel from the vicinity of the sample, due to the differential pressure between the inside of the charged particle optical barrel under vacuum and the vicinity of the sample under the atmospheric pressure. At this time, the sample may be sucked into the charged particle optical barrel. In this case, a charged particle optical system and a detector are contaminated thereby, which causes performance degradation or failures of the charged particle microscope. For coping therewith, it is necessary to prevent the charged particle optical barrel from being contaminated, without inducing a time lag, with a simple structure. In a charged particle beam device adapted to place a sample in a non-vacuum environment, there is provided a filter member which is placed on the path of a primary charged particle beam at least in a state where the primary charged particle beam is directed to the sample and, further, is adapted to transmit or pass, therethrough, the primary charged particle beam and secondary charged particles derived from the sample, while intercepting at least a portion of a scattering substance which is scattered in the event of a fracture of the diaphragm.
US09373468B2	Arc control for contactor assembly A contactor or switch assembly adapted for switching power to a circuit. The housing has internal walls that laterally extend within the interior compartment to define a protection chamber. Current carrying contacts are disposed in the protection chamber of the housing. The current carrying contacts include conductive bodies that protrude from the housing and are configured to close the circuit. Arc dissipation areas are provided in the protection chamber and are located proximate to the current carrying contacts. Magnets are provided proximate ends of the dissipation areas. The magnets create magnetic flux or a magnetic field that extends across the current carrying contacts. The magnetic flux directs electric arcs radiating from one or more of the current carrying contacts into the arc dissipation areas, thereby increasing the effective distance that the electric arcs travel wherein the electric arcs are dissipated in the dissipation areas.
US09373467B2	Electromagnetic contactor An electromagnetic contactor includes a contact device having a contact housing case formed from an insulating material and housing a pair of fixed contacts and a movable contact disposed to be capable of contacting to and separating from the pair of fixed contacts. On an inner peripheral surface of the contact housing case along the movable contact, arc extinguishing permanent magnets magnetized so that magnetic pole faces facing each other have same polarity are disposed to be near the movable contact.
US09373464B2	Keyswitch, keyboard and related force feedback method A keyswitch with force feedback function includes a vibrating source, a switching circuit and a controller. The vibrating source is connected to a cap of the keyswitch. The switching circuit is switched on according to states of the keyswitch. The controller is electrically connected to the vibrating source and the switching circuit. When the switching circuit is switched on, the controller outputs a first driving signal to the vibrating source, and the vibrating source transmits a pressing vibration to the cap of the keyswitch. A period of the first driving signal is smaller than or equal to a predetermined period, a user can feel vibration of the keyswitch due to the pressing vibration.
US09373459B1	Lockout/tagout device for control switches A pivoting lockout member that is mounted to a pair of hinge member installed onto a control switch. Each of the hinge members includes a planar flange having a hole formed therethrough that is dimensioned to accept the face plate screw of a control switch. The lockout member has a pair of hinge arms that are connected together and spaced apart by a central U-shaped member. A pair of lock flanges extend at right angles to the U-shaped member and have holed formed therethrough that are aligned with each other to accept a conventional padlock. The locking member is moved between an unlocked position where the control switch handle is free to move, and a locked position where the U-shaped member captures the handle and prevent it from being operated.
US09373457B2	Circuit breaker indicating cam having a profile which reduces transmission of mechanical shocks to the auxiliary release An electric power circuit breaker with an energy storage device and an indicating device including an indicator lever with an indicator and an indicating cam of loaded and unloaded states of the loading mechanism. The indicating cam is mounted on the loading shaft in proximity to the loading cam, and includes a notch for receipt of the indicator lever when the mechanism is in the loaded state. The indicating cam includes a single ramp for progressively bringing the indicator lever into position up to the notch to guarantee latching of the opening latch maintained in a tripped position by the auxiliary release.
US09373456B2	Circuit breakers with clock spring drives and/or multi-lobe drive cams and related actuators and methods Spring operated actuator devices for an electrical circuit breaker and/or electrical switching device include at least one clock spring comprising a disc shaped body with gear teeth and a spiral spring, a cam shaft holding the at least one clock spring with an inner end portion of the spiral spring attached to the cam shaft, and a drive cam held by the cam shaft adapted to be in communication with a follower that directs an actuator to open or close a mobile contact to maintain open and closed energy status of the electrical circuit. The at least one clock spring is configured as a closing spring of the spring operated actuator.
US09373447B2	Routing of MEMS variable capacitors for RF applications Utilizing a variable capacitor for RF and microwave applications provides for multiple levels of intra-cavity routing that advantageously reduce capacitive coupling. The variable capacitor includes a bond pad that has a plurality of cells electrically coupled thereto. Each of the plurality of cells has a plurality of MEMS devices therein. The MEMS devices share a common RF electrode, one or more ground electrodes and one or more control electrodes. The RF electrode, ground electrodes and control electrodes are all arranged parallel to each other within the cells. The RF electrode is electrically connected to the one or more bond pads using a different level of electrical routing metal.
US09373441B2	Composite electronic component A composite electronic component with a built-in coil is provided which can be produced inexpensively, which can effectively increase insulating reliability, and which has the antistatic function. Coil wirings are disposed inside a sintered body that is formed by stacking a plurality of ferrite layers, which are fired as an integral unit. Voltage nonlinear members are incorporated in the sintered body at a different height position from those of the coil wirings. First inner electrodes and second inner electrodes are disposed in opposing relation with the voltage nonlinear members interposed therebetween. A magnetic circuit forming portion is constituted by a part of the ferrite layers and the coil wirings in a portion in which the coil wirings are arranged, and an antistatic portion is constituted in a portion in which the remaining ferrite layers, the voltage nonlinear members, and the first and second inner electrodes are arranged.
US09373436B2	Liquid cooled inductors An inductor assembly includes an inductor core, a winding, and a coolant conduit. The inductor core defines a cavity and the winding is disposed about the inductor core such that a portion of the winding is disposed within the cavity. The coolant conduit extends from a first end of the cavity towards an opposed second end of the cavity and includes an inlet port and an outlet port in fluid communication with each other through the coolant conduit.
US09373407B2	Non-volatile memory device with current injection sensing amplifier A non-volatile memory device with a current injection sensing amplifier is disclosed.
US09373404B2	Sensing memory cells coupled to different access lines in different blocks of memory cells In an embodiment, a target memory cell in a first block of memory cells of a memory device and a target memory cell in a second block of memory cells of the memory device are sensed concurrently while a read voltage is applied to a selected access line coupled to the target memory cell in the first block of memory cells and while a read voltage is applied to another selected access line coupled to the target memory cell in the second block of memory cells.
US09373400B2	Vertical structure semiconductor memory devices and methods of manufacturing the same A semiconductor memory device includes: a semiconductor region extending vertically from a first region of a substrate; a plurality of gate electrodes disposed on the first region of the substrate in a vertical direction, but separated from each other along a sidewall of the semiconductor region; a gate dielectric layer disposed between the semiconductor region and the plurality of gate electrodes; a substrate contact electrode extending vertically from the impurity-doped second region of the substrate; and an insulating region formed as an air gap between the substrate contact electrode and at least one of the plurality of gate electrodes.
US09373398B1	Prototyping integrated circuit devices with programmable impedance elements A method can include programming programmable resistive elements (PREs) in a first integrated circuit (IC) device to establish functions of configurable circuits of the first IC device; and creating at least one second IC device by forming non-programmable connections based on resistive states of the PREs of the first IC device to provide the functions of the first IC device in the second IC device.
US09373394B2	Reference column of semiconductor memory, and electronic device including the same A reference column of a semiconductor memory includes a reference bit line; a reference source line; and first to Nth resistive memory cells disposed between the reference bit line and the reference source line. Data of a first state is stored in the first resistive memory cell and data of a second state is stored in the Nth resistive memory cell before a read operation, and the first and Nth resistive memory cells form current paths between the reference bit line and the reference source line in the read operation.
US09373391B1	Resistive memory apparatus A resistive memory apparatus is provided. The resistive memory apparatus includes a plurality of memory cell pairs, and each of the memory cell pairs includes an active area, first and second word lines, a source line, first and second resistors and first and second bit lines. The active area is formed on a substrate, and the first and second word lines are formed on the substrate, and intersected with the active area. The source line is formed on the substrate and coupled to the active area. The first and second resistors are disposed on the substrate, and respectively coupled to the active area. The first and second bit lines are formed on the first and second resistors and coupled to the first and second resistors. The first and second bit lines are extended along a first direction which is substantially parallel to the first and second word lines.
US09373382B1	Method for healing phase-change memory device and applications thereof A method for healing phase-change memory device includes steps as follows: At least one memory cell comprising a phase-change material with a shifted current-resistance characteristic function (shifted I-R function) is firstly provided. A healing stress is then applied to the phase-change material to transform the shifted I-R function into an initial current-resistance characteristic function (initial I-R function), wherein the shifted I-R function is a translation function of the initial I-R function.
US09373377B2	Apparatuses, integrated circuits, and methods for testmode security systems Apparatuses, integrated circuits, and methods are disclosed for testmode security systems. In one such example apparatus, a data storage is configured to store data. A testmode security system is configured to allow a user to access one or more testmodes of the apparatus at least partially responsive to the data storage not storing sensitive data and disallow the user from accessing the one or more testmodes of the apparatus at least partially responsive to the data storage storing sensitive data.
US09373371B2	Dynamic burst length output control in a memory A memory, a system and a method for controlling dynamic burst length control data can generate clocks for both an upstream counter and a downstream counter by using substantially the same latency delayed received command indications. A downstream clock generation circuit generates a clock signal from a received command indication delayed by both a delay locked loop and latency delays stored in latency control circuits. An upstream clock generation circuit generates a clock signal from the received command indication delayed by the delay locked loop and capture indications from the latency control circuits.
US09373369B1	Data storage device and operating method thereof A data storage device includes a nonvolatile memory apparatus including a plurality of memory areas, and a controller configured to randomize write data and generate random write data based on an offset value of a target memory area of the memory areas and a flag corresponding to the target memory area.
US09373367B1	Data storage device and operating method thereof A data storage device may include: a nonvolatile memory device including first and second memory cells adjacent to each other; and a controller suitable for performing a distribution adjusting operation for adjusting a threshold voltage of the second memory cell based on whether a read operation on the first memory cell fails.
US09373356B2	Magnetic recording and reproducing device and magnetic recording and reproducing method According to one embodiment, a magnetic recording and reproducing device includes a magnetic recording medium, a recording unit, and a reproducing unit. The magnetic recording medium includes a first track including first and second sub-tracks extending in a first direction. The second sub-track is arranged with the first sub-track in a second direction intersecting the first direction. The recording unit records information in the first and second sub-tracks. The reproducing unit reproduces the information recorded in the first and second sub-tracks while opposing the first, second sub-tracks, and a boundary between the first and second sub-tracks. The first sub-track includes first magnetic recording components including first and second components. The second sub-track includes second magnetic recording components including third and fourth components. A first recording symbol is formed of the first and third components. A second recording symbol is formed of the second and fourth components.
US09373352B2	Optical information reproduction apparatus and optical information reproduction method An optical information reproduction apparatus using holography can appropriately correct an angle and a wavelength of a reference beam in a direction perpendicular to multiplexing while data is reproduced. In the optical information reproduction apparatus which reproduces information from an optical information recording medium by using holography, an angular error signal in the direction perpendicular to multiplexing of the reference beam is generated by using a signal detected by a light detecting unit. A perpendicular angle adjustment element adjusts an angle of the reference beam in the direction perpendicular to multiplexing, based on the angular error signal. A wavelength error signal is generated from a signal detected by the light detecting unit, and a wavelength is adjusted based on the wavelength error signal.
US09373343B2	Method and system for signal transmission control An audio signal with a temporal sequence of blocks or frames is received or accessed. Features are determined as characterizing aggregately the sequential audio blocks/frames that have been processed recently, relative to current time. The feature determination exceeds a specificity criterion and is delayed, relative to the recently processed audio blocks/frames. Voice activity indication is detected in the audio signal. VAD is based on a decision that exceeds a preset sensitivity threshold and is computed over a brief time period, relative to blocks/frames duration, and relates to current block/frame features. The VAD and the recent feature determination are combined with state related information, which is based on a history of previous feature determinations that are compiled from multiple features, determined over a time prior to the recent feature determination time period. Decisions to commence or terminate the audio signal, or related gains, are outputted based on the combination.
US09373342B2	System and method for speech enhancement on compressed speech The present disclosure is directed towards a method for speech intelligibility. The method may include receiving, at one or more computing devices, a first speech input from a first user and performing voice activity detection upon the first speech input. The method may also include analyzing a spectral tilt associated with the first speech input, wherein analyzing includes computing an impulse response of a linear predictive coding (“LPC”) synthesis filter in a linear pulse code modulation (“PCM”) domain and wherein the one or more computing devices includes an adaptive high pass filter configured to recalculate one or more linear prediction coefficients.
US09373341B2	Method and system for bias corrected speech level determination Method for measuring level of speech determined by an audio signal in a manner which corrects for and reduces the effect of modification of the signal by the addition of noise thereto and/or amplitude compression thereof, and a system configured to perform any embodiment of the method. In some embodiments, the method includes steps of generating frequency banded, frequency-domain data indicative of an input speech signal, determining from the data a Gaussian parametric spectral model of the speech signal, and determining from the parametric spectral model an estimated mean speech level and a standard deviation value for each frequency band of the data; and generating speech level data indicative of a bias corrected mean speech level for each frequency band, including using at least one correction value to correct the estimated mean speech level for the frequency band, where each correction value has been predetermined using a reference speech model.
US09373340B2	Method and apparatus for suppressing wind noise The invention includes a method, apparatus, and computer program to selectively suppress wind noise while preserving narrow-band signals in acoustic data. Sound from one or several microphones is digitized into binary data. A time-frequency transform is applied to the data to produce a series of spectra. The spectra are analyzed to detect the presence of wind noise and narrow band signals. Wind noise is selectively suppressed while preserving the narrow band signals. The narrow band signal is interpolated through the times and frequencies when it is masked by the wind noise. A time series is then synthesized from the signal spectral estimate that can be listened to. This invention overcomes prior art limitations that require more than one microphone and an independent measurement of wind speed. Its application results in good-quality speech from data severely degraded by wind noise.
US09373338B1	Acoustic echo cancellation processing based on feedback from speech recognizer An automatic speech recognition engine receives an acoustic-echo processed signal from an acoustic-echo processing (AEP) module, where said echo processed signal contains mainly the speech from the near-end talker. The automatic speech recognition engine analyzes the content of the acoustic-echo processed signal to determine whether words or keywords are present. Based upon the results of this analysis, the automatic speech recognition engine produces a value reflecting the likelihood that some words or keywords are detected. Said value is provided to the AEP module. Based upon the value, the AEP module determines if there is double talk and processes the incoming signals accordingly to enhance its performance.
US09373334B2	Method and system for generating an audio metadata quality score A method including the steps of assessing at least two metadata parameters associated with an audio bitstream (e.g., an encoded Dolby Digital (AC-3), Dolby Digital Plus, or Dolby E bitstream), determining individual metadata parameter quality values, each of the individual metadata parameter quality values indicative of quality (e.g., correctness) of a different one of the at least two metadata parameters, and generating data indicative of a metadata score, where the metadata score is a value determined by a combination (e.g., a linear combination or other weighted combination) of the individual metadata parameter quality values. The metadata score is indicative of overall quality (e.g., correctness) of the at least two metadata parameters. Another aspect is a system (e.g., a test device or measurement device, or another test or measurement product, or a processor) configured (e.g., programmed) to perform any embodiment of the method.
US09373329B2	Speech recognition with parallel recognition tasks The subject matter of this specification can be embodied in, among other things, a method that includes receiving an audio signal and initiating speech recognition tasks by a plurality of speech recognition systems (SRS's). Each SRS is configured to generate a recognition result specifying possible speech included in the audio signal and a confidence value indicating a confidence in a correctness of the speech result. The method also includes completing a portion of the speech recognition tasks including generating one or more recognition results and one or more confidence values for the one or more recognition results, determining whether the one or more confidence values meets a confidence threshold, aborting a remaining portion of the speech recognition tasks for SRS's that have not generated a recognition result, and outputting a final recognition result based on at least one of the generated one or more speech results.
US09373319B2	Device for influencing passenger compartment noise A device is provided for influencing the passenger compartment noise in a motor vehicle includes, but is not limited to a noise signal generator for generating an offsetting noise signal, which includes, but is not limited to a control input for receiving a control signal that is representative of the engine load of the motor vehicle, and a loudspeaker for receiving the offsetting noise signal and emitting an offsetting noise into the passenger compartment of the motor vehicle. The noise signal generator furthermore includes, but is not limited to an input for a temperature signal of a temperature sensor and is equipped to generate the offsetting noise signal as a function of a signaled temperature.
US09373310B2	Drum lug holders providing isolated resonance Some embodiments provide a drum structural framework comprising a top shell mount, bottom shell mount, rod holders, and tension rods. The top shell mount and bottom shell mount are mounted to either ending edge of a drum shell disposed between the two mounts. A first set of the rod holders are coupled to the top shell mount and an aligned second set of the rod holders are coupled to the bottom shell mount. The tension rods link the two sets of rod holders without hindering resonance of the drum shell. Tuning assemblies on the rod holders adjust the distance separating the top shell mount from the bottom shell mount, thereby controlling the force imposed on the drum shell. Each rod holder includes one or more dampeners that isolate energy passing from the drumhead to the shell from also reverberating throughout the structural framework of the tension rods and rod holders.
US09373293B2	Display panel and display apparatus A display apparatus includes a source driver and a display panel. The source driver provides a plurality of pixel voltages which respectively correspond to a maximum gray-level voltage or a minimum gray-level voltage. The display panel includes a plurality of data lines, a plurality of pixel switches, a plurality of pixel capacitors, and a plurality of gray-level switches. The data lines are coupled to the source driver to receive the pixel voltages. Each pixel switch is respectively coupled to the corresponding data line to transmit the corresponding pixel voltage. Each pixel capacitor is respectively coupled between the corresponding pixel switch and a common voltage to receive the corresponding pixel voltage. Each gray-level switch is respectively coupled to the corresponding pixel capacitor in parallel and respectively receives a gray-level control signal. The gray-level switches regulate voltage drops across the pixel capacitors according to the corresponding gray-level control signals.
US09373289B2	Driving methods and circuit for bi-stable displays The disclosure is directed toward driving methods and a driving circuit which are particularly suitable for bi-stable displays. In certain embodiments, methods provide the fastest and most pleasing appearance to the desired image while maintaining the optimal image quality over the life expectancy of an electrophoretic display device.
US09373288B2	Configurable, localized backlighting with planar emission devices An electronic device includes a backlight unit and a liquid crystal layer adjacent the backlight unit. The backlight unit has a plurality of planar emission devices distributed over a viewable display area. The plurality of planar emission devices are disposed in a configurable zone arrangement having a plurality of zones of the viewable area. Each zone includes at least one planar emission device. The liquid crystal layer is configured to selectively filter light generated by the plurality of planar emission devices. The electronic device further includes a processor coupled to the backlight unit and configured to control a brightness level of the at least one planar emission device in each zone separately from other planar emission devices in other zones.
US09373286B2	Method to display an image on a display device In one embodiment, a method a method of displaying an image on a display device is described. The display device includes a plurality of clusters. Each cluster has a plurality of pixels and an independent light source associated therewith. Each of the plurality of clusters are illuminated with their associated independent light source. The plurality of pixels in a cluster are refreshed with bits of gray scale. Simultaneously with the refreshing, the light source associated with the cluster where the plurality of pixels are being refreshed is switched off. When the plurality of pixels have been refreshed, the light source is switched on with a predetermined intensity of light. Each of the clusters are refreshed at a rate that is fast enough to eliminate flicker.
US09373284B2	LED backlight driving circuit, LCD device, and method for driving the LED backlight driving circuit A light emitting diode (LED) backlight driving circuit includes a power supply, an LED lightbar coupled to the power supply, and a constant current driving chip coupled to a control end of the power supply and coupled to a cathode of the LED lightbar. The constant current driving chip includes an adjusting dimming unit coupled to the cathode of the LED lightbar, and the adjusting dimming unit adjusts an external pulse-width modulation (PWM) dimming signal. A controllable switch unit is connected in series between an output end of the power supply and the constant current driving chip, and logical operation of the controllable switch unit is relative to logical operation of the adjusting dimming unit. The controllable switch unit turns off when the adjusting dimming unit turns off or before the adjusting dimming unit turns off, and the controllable switch unit turns on when the adjusting dimming unit turns on or after the adjusting dimming unit turns on.
US09373283B2	Pixel circuit, organic electroluminescent display panel and display device A pixel circuit, an organic electroluminescent display panel and a display device are provided. The pixel circuit includes a luminous device (D1), a photosensitive device (P1), a drive control sub-module (1), a data write sub-module (2), a light-emitting control sub-module (3) and a touch detection sub-module (4). Upon the data write sub-module (2) being turned on, a data signal at the data signal terminal (Data) is transmitted to the drive control sub-module (1) by the data write sub-module (2). Upon the light-emitting control sub-module (3) being turned on, the light-emitting control sub-module (3) controls the drive control sub-module (1) to drive the luminous device (D1) to give off light, so as to achieve a display function. Upon the touch detection sub-module (4) being turned on, the touch detection sub-module (4) controls output of a touch detection signal from the drive control sub-module (1) to a touch signal read terminal. The touch detection signal is decreased as the light intensity irradiated onto the photosensitive device is increased, so as to achieve a touch detecting function. Touch and display functions are integrated in the pixel circuit, so that the production cost involved in arranging a display drive circuit and a touch circuit separately can be saved, and thickness of the display panel can be thinned as well.
US09373282B2	Pixel circuit for increasing accuracy of current sensing A pixel circuit for increasing accuracy of current sensing of an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display is disclosed. In one aspect, the pixel circuit includes an OLED, a driving circuit, and first to third transistors. The driving circuit is configured to adjust a magnitude of a current flowing through the OLED based at least in part on a data signal received from a data line. The first transistor is configured to electrically connect the data line and a holding capacitor based at least in part on a scan signal. The second transistor is configured to electrically connect the holding capacitor and the driving circuit based at least in part on a write control signal. The third transistor is configured to electrically connect the data line and an anode electrode of the OLED based at least in part on a sensing control signal.
US09373281B2	Pixel unit circuit, compensating method thereof and display device A pixel unit circuit, a compensating method thereof and a display device. The pixel unit circuit includes a driving transistor, a first transistor, a second transistor, a third transistor, a fourth transistor, a storage capacitor and a light-emitting device (OLED). The pixel unit circuit, the compensating method thereof and the display device may compensate the light emitting device by combining an internal compensation and an external compensation, and have advantages of both the internal compensation and the external compensation. The Mura phenomenon caused by non-uniformity in threshold voltages or drifts of threshold voltages in the N-type depletion or enhanced driving transistor TFT may be eliminated effectively by the internal compensation, which may enhance a display effect. Additionally, the pixel unit circuit, the compensating method thereof and the display device may have a function for extracting characteristics of the driving TFT and characteristics of the light emitting device, which may be applicable to the external compensation driving effectively.
US09373280B2	Organic light emitting diode display for compensating image data and method of driving the same An organic light emitting diode (OLED) display device and a method of driving the same are discussed. The method includes sensing a threshold voltage and mobility of a driving thin film transistor (TFT) included in each pixel using a sensing line connected per pixel and supplying the threshold voltage and the mobility to a timing controller in a measurement mode, by a data driver, and supplying image data input from an external source to the data driver by a timing controller, the timing controller adding and multiplying an offset value and gain value corresponding to the threshold voltage and mobility of the driving TFT, sensed by the data driver in the measurement mode, with the image data to compensate the image data, wherein the compensation of the image data includes varying a weight of the gain value according to luminance of the image data.
US09373271B2	Magnetic defibrillator training pad A defibrillator training system having a magnetic training pad connectable to a torso dummy is provided. The magnetic connection between the training pad and the torso dummy allows the defibrillator training pads to be re-used by being magnetically attached and detached to and from the torso dummy without requiring replacement pads.
US09373262B2	Autonomous intelligence surveillance reconnaissance and payload delivery system and method of using same An intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance system is disclosed including a ground station and one or more aerial vehicles. The aerial vehicles are autonomous systems capable of communicating intelligence data to the ground station and be used as part of a missile delivery package. A plurality of aerial vehicles can be configured to cast a wide net of reconnaissance over a large area on the ground including smaller overlapping reconnaissance areas provided by each of the plurality of the aerial vehicles.
US09373251B2	Base station devices and automobile wireless communication systems Mobile base station devices and wireless communication transportable systems for receiving and demodulating Global Positioning System (GPS) modulated signal into location finding baseband signal and for receiving and demodulating video spread spectrum modulated signal into a video baseband spread spectrum signal and converting video baseband spread spectrum signal into a video Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexed (OFDM) baseband signal and modulating and transmitting OFDM modulated signal. Digital spread spectrum baseband signal comprises in-phase and quadrature phase cross-correlated Time Constrained (TCS) waveforms and cascaded Long Response (LR) filter filtered baseband signals. Wireless communication transportable devices and transponders in an automobile.
US09373245B2	Smart notification appliances Smart notification appliances used in a mass notification system (MNS) have integrated software and distributed hardware for real time information to in-building, immediate vicinity and distributed recipients during emergency situations. Programmable control configurations in the smart notification appliances provide flexible installations. A distributed architecture system provides distributed intelligence in the smart notification appliances for maximum survivability and robust operation of the MNS. Audio messages are stored in each smart notification appliance with a one-to-one relationship to a speaker circuit. This configuration provides any circuit with either a live page or a plurality of preconfigured messages, in effect a multi-channel system limited only by the number of stored messages and controllable by software. Similarly, programmable light strobe intensity, flash rate and color may be controlled through the smart notification appliances.
US09373239B2	In-vehicle prescription and medical reminders A computing device, methods, and systems for providing in-vehicle prescription and medical reminders are disclosed. One example method for providing in-vehicle prescription and medical reminders includes identifying a vehicle occupant; determining, based on medical information associated with the occupant, whether a medical activity is due to be performed; and alerting the occupant if a medical activity is due to be performed. An example medical activity includes administering prescription medication. Example implementations include identifying the occupant based at least in part on biometric data; alerting the occupant by a visual, audible, or haptic alert; prompting the occupant to provide a response acknowledging the alert; and notifying designated third parties. The medical information can be received from an online profile or obtained through vital-sign sensors.
US09373236B2	Systems and methods for securing handheld electronic devices Systems and methods are provided for securing handheld electronic devices. To provide an optimal shopping experience for consumers, handheld electronic devices must be made accessible to users, while simultaneously being secured to prevent theft. A security system can include a coupler connected to an electronic device. The coupler can include a connector operative to provide power and/or data to the electronic device. A cable transferring the power and data can also include an alarm path and a security cable for providing security. The security cable may be difficult to cut, and the alarm path can direct an alarm to sound if the cable is cut or if the electronic device is disconnected from the coupler.
US09373230B2	Customer reprint of a physical receipt from an electronic receipt A method is disclosed for reprinting a paper copy of a receipt at a physical store location and based off of an electronic receipt. The electronic receipt may be viewed on a mobile electronic device with electronic receipts software thereon. A customer may pair their mobile electronic device with a POS terminal in a store location. Information may be sent to a server or computer system to request that a receipt be reprinted. The server may then process the request and transmit receipt information to the POS terminal where a paper copy of the receipt is printed for the customer.
US09373223B1	Method and system for gaming revenue A method and system comprises integrating a contest framework into a game. The contest framework at least comprises means for communicating with a transactional server, a plurality of listeners being configured to monitor interactions during a play of the game for communication to the transactional server, and means for displaying notifications from the transactional server. The transactional server is at least configured for processing received interactions in conjunction with a progressive jackpot contest associated with the game and communicating notifications regarding the processing to the contest framework. A communicating with the transactional server at least comprises associating the game with a progressive jackpot contest and setting parameters for the progressive jackpot contest.
US09373220B2	Methods of playing wagering games and related apparatuses Methods of administering wagering games may comprise receiving a first wager from each player. Cards comprising a partial hand, which may be three player cards available to respective players individually, may be dealt to each player. An election to fold or a second wager, which may be between one and four times an amount of the ante wager, at the player's option, to continue participation in the wagering game may be received from each player. Additional cards, which may be two community cards available to all players, may be dealt to complete the hand, which may be a five-card poker hand, of each player. The first and second wagers may be resolved and a payout may be paid on each of the first and second wagers to each player holding a complete hand of a predetermined rank, which may be a pair of jacks, or higher.
US09373219B2	System for randomly and dynamically checking configuration integrity of a gaming system A gaming system for performing integrity checks of a gaming machine is described. The gaming system includes a host server comprising having a processor, an interface for communicating with a plurality of gaming machines, an oversight module, and a database of expected gaming machine configurations. The gaming system further includes the plurality of gaming machines configured to present game play of a wager-based game. Each gaming machine includes a cabinet, a display coupled to the cabinet, and a processor coupled to the cabinet. The gaming system is configured to perform an integrity check of the plurality of gaming machines through the host server.
US09373218B2	Gaming machine The gaming machine includes: a cabinet having a display window; one or more reels disposed in the cabinet so that the or each reel is visible from outside the cabinet through the display window, the or each of the one or more reels being provided with a reel band having symbols; and a light application device configured to apply visible light representing visual information which enables recognition of information related to games to the reel band. The or each of one or more reels has a mirror layer which reflects the visible light from the light application device. The light application device is disposed in a position out of a sight area in which the one or more reels are visible from outside the cabinet through the display window.
US09373216B2	3D enhancements to game components in gaming systems with stacks of game components A computer-implemented method for enhancing game components in a gaming system using various three-dimensional enhancements. The three-dimensional enhancements may involve stacks of gaming components to provide and integrate additional symbols, multi-faceted gaming components, multi-faceted gaming surfaces running multiple games in parallel, items animating to simulate real-world physics, merging components, shapes to push up or down gaming components to create stacks, and so on. Further example three-dimensional enhancements are described.
US09373215B2	Dynamically configurable gaming system A gaming machine includes a cabinet having a main video display mounted on a front side of the cabinet. The gaming machine also includes at least one more additional video display mounted on the front side of the cabinet either above or below the game video display. The player controls include a separate player control touch screen mounted on a ledge projecting forwardly from the front side of the gaming machine cabinet, and facing upward to present reconfigurable player touch controls for the gaming machine. These controls may be reconfigured within a game or to change the game presentation on the machine in response to player commands or gaming network conditions.
US09373213B1	Adaptive object placement in computer-implemented games Disclosed in some examples are systems, methods, and machine readable mediums which allow for efficient and dynamic adaptation of one or more game objects based upon a proximity to another game object. In some examples, placement (or movement) of a game object may trigger a proximity check wherein the game map is checked to determine a set of game objects which are within a predefined proximity to the placed game object which may affect the behavior or appearance of the game object. The appropriate adaptations (if any) may be determined using a lookup table or other rule set where the inputs include the set of game objects and the locations of each of the game objects in the set relative to the placed object.
US09373212B2	Apparatus for controlling access to and use of portable electronic devices Various prison services are rendered more efficient by providing inmates access to portable electronic devices in a controlled and regulated manner. A dispenser is employed to control and monitor the checking out and return of portable electronic devices and to communicate with such devices during use by inmates to monitor inmate use and ensure the portable electronic devices are only used by inmates as authorized.
US09373206B2	Device, system and method for non-contact security information interaction The present invention proposes the device, system and method used for the non-contact security information interaction. Said system used for the non-contact security information interaction comprises: a terminal for setting a parameter configuration in a non-contact IC card programmable read-write device, and initiating an information interaction with a server and said non-contact IC card programmable read-write device; and a non-contact IC card programmable read-write device for performing communication with a non-contact IC card and said terminal based on a predetermined parameter configuration in order to complete the security information interaction. The device, system and method used for the non-contact security information interaction disclosed in the present invention realize the support and selection for the multi-application on the non-contact IC card programmable read-write device, and can execute the on-line based application.
US09373203B1	Real-time driver monitoring and feedback reporting system Real-time feedback may be generated during a driving session from status data collected via one or more sensors. This feedback data may include various metrics related to a student's driving skills, which may be utilized to generate tagged driving events. A user may also manually enter tagged driving events. The tagged driving events may include real-time information based on the collected status data, such as acceleration, braking, cornering data, descriptions entered by the user. The location of these tagged driving events may be mapped in real time. Sensors used to collect this data may be integrated within the device displaying the feedback or located on another device, in which case the status data may be communicated to the device displaying the feedback. The displayed real-time feedback may be viewed by an instructor to assess a student's driving skills in real time and to calculate a driver feedback score.
US09373202B2	Vehicle information recording apparatus A vehicle information recording apparatus for a vehicle includes a collision determination section and an information management section. The collision determination section determines the presence or absence of a collision between the vehicle and an object based on (i) detection values of impact sensors which detect impacts applied to the vehicle and (ii) detection values by proximity sensors which detect an approach of the object to the vehicle. The information management section records collision data concerning the collision based on a determination result by the collision determination section. This enables a detection of a collision with an object as a recording target while reducing influence of vibration or noise.
US09373196B2	Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and program An information processing system that acquires image data captured by an image capturing device; identifies a density of distribution of a plurality of feature points in the acquired image data; and controls a display to display guidance information based on the density of the distribution of the plurality of feature points.
US09373192B2	Shape preserving mesh simplification Systems and methods for simplifying a three-dimensional mesh providing a three-dimensional model, such as a three-dimensional model of a cityscape, are provided. In particular, mesh simplification techniques can preserve important structural shapes in the original three-dimensional mesh. Important features in a representation of a city scene or other scene can be represented by structural edges (e.g. building outlines, bridges, curved structures such as curved highway overpasses, etc.). These structural edges can be detected and a representation of the structural edges can be constructed in the mesh. The mesh can then be simplified using the structural edges as high-level simplification criterion such that the structural edges are preserved during simplification.
US09373185B2	Interactive design, synthesis and delivery of 3D motion data through the web Systems and methods are described for animating 3D characters using synthetic motion data generated by generative models in response to a high level description of a desired sequence of motion provided by an animator. In a number of embodiments, an animation system is accessible via a server system that utilizes the ability of generative models to generate synthetic motion data across a continuum to enable multiple animators to effectively reuse the same set of previously recorded motion capture data to produce a wide variety of desired animation sequences. One embodiment of the invention includes a server system configured to communicate with a database containing motion data including repeated sequences of motion, where the differences between the repeated sequences of motion are described using at least one high level characteristic. In addition, the server system is configured to train a generative model using the motion data, the server system is configured to generate a user interface that is accessible via a communication network, to receive a high level description of a desired sequence of motion via the user interface, to use the generative model to generate synthetic motion data based on the high level description of the desired sequence of motion and to transmit a stream via the communication network including information that can be used to display a 3D character animated using the synthetic motion data.
US09373176B2	Image compression method and apparatus for encoding pixel data of frame into interleaved bit-stream, and related image decompression method and apparatus An image compression method includes at least the following steps: receiving a plurality of pixels of a frame, wherein pixel data of each pixel has a plurality of color channel data corresponding to a plurality of different color channels, respectively; encoding the pixel data of each pixel and generating bit-streams corresponding to the plurality of color channel data of the pixel, wherein the bit-streams corresponding to the plurality of color channel data of the pixel are separated; packing bit-streams of a same color channel data of different pixels into color channel bit-stream segments, wherein each of the bit-stream segments has a same predetermined size; and concatenating color channel bit-stream segments of the different color channels into a final bit-stream. Alternatively, color channel bit-stream segments of the same pixel are concatenated into a concatenated bit-stream portion, and concatenated bit-stream portions of different pixels are concatenated into a final bit-stream.
US09373169B2	Determination of a position characteristic for an object A system for determining a position characteristic for an object in a room comprises an optically identifiable element (103) positioned on a background surface for a detection area of the room. A camera (101) is positioned across the detection area from the optically identifiable element (103) and captures an image comprising the detection area and the optically identifiable element (103). A detector (403) detects the optically identifiable element (103) in the image based on an optical property. An occlusion processor (405) determines an occlusion property for an occlusion of the optically identifiable element (103) in the image in response to the optical property. A position processor (407) determines a depth position in response to the occlusion property where, the depth position is indicative of a position of the object along the optical axis of the camera (101). The invention may for example allow presence detection and rough localization of a person in a room.
US09373168B2	Method for automatically adjusting a focal plane of a digital pathology image An intelligent autofocus method and device for a digital pathology image, method are device are able to couple a feedback from the behavior of the user, for example by gaze tracking arrangement, to the actually focal representation of an image and adjust the imaging setup accordingly with regard to the focal plane. The adjustment is performed in such a way that the focal plane is selected which optimizes and sharpens the actual object of interest which was previously determined.
US09373166B2	Registered video endoscopy and virtual endoscopy An endo-robot can be tracked and a reconstructed 3D volume of data can be created for virtual endoscopy. The 3D position and orientation of each image captured by the endo-robot is determined. The longitudinal distance traveled inside the structure of interest is determined. The position, orientation and longitudinal distance are used to register the position of the endo-robot to a corresponding position inside the 3D volume of data. Virtual endoscopy can be used to locate areas of interest and correlate clinical findings with the images of the areas of interest.
US09373157B2	Display concealing system Provided is a display concealing system capable of forming a concealing image by a simple process of reversing a display position of a normal image. A display concealing system according to the present disclosure includes a display unit configured to display an image, an image forming unit configured to form an image to be displayed on the display unit, and an optical device configured to transmit or cut off the image to be displayed on the display unit. The image forming unit forms a normal image and a concealing image, and sends image data on the normal image and the concealing image to the display unit such that the normal image and the concealing image are synthesized. The optical device transmits the normal image, and cuts off the concealing image. The concealing image is an image that includes reversing sections formed by dividing the normal image at least horizontally or vertically such that each of the reversing sections is formed of a predetermined number of pixels in a state where an array of the pixels is reversed.
US09373149B2	Autonomous neighborhood vehicle commerce network and community Disclosed is an autonomous neighborhood vehicle controllable through a neighborhood social network. In one embodiment, an autonomous neighborhood vehicle can autonomously navigate to a destination specified by a user of the neighborhood social network. In one embodiment, a computer system of the autonomous neighborhood vehicle is communicatively coupled to the neighborhood social network through a wireless network to autonomously navigate to a destination specified by the user of the neighborhood social network. A navigation server provides a remote sensing capability to the autonomous neighborhood vehicle. A particular user of a third-party application is authenticated as being a verified user of the neighborhood social network having a verified residential address. An information of the particular user is communicated to the third-party application from the neighborhood social network based on a personal address privacy preference of the particular user.
US09373148B2	Connect social networking users who simultaneously check-in at a geolocation Configurations are provided for suggesting one or more other users within a same or proximate geolocation to enable the user to engage in activities with these suggested users. When the user performs a check-in for a new or different geolocation in an online social networking service, the subject technology can suggest other users who have recently checked-in and/or changed their location to the same place or region. The subject technology can sort one or more suggested users based on geographic proximity, how recently the user checked-in, a distance from the user, and other criteria (e.g., interests, demographic information (e.g., gender, age, etc.), social networking profile, etc.). The suggested users are selected, in one example, to identify one or more users that are typically not in the same place or geolocation but have newly arrived here. The subject technology can prioritize the selection of suggested users based on different criteria.
US09373143B2	Dynamic functionality based on window characteristics A system and method are described for changing window's functionality upon detecting resizing events. According to one example method, a plurality of size thresholds is defined that are associated with a plurality of functional states for a window. Upon detecting that a size of a window reaches a first size threshold, a first functional state is applied to a window. Then, upon detecting another size threshold as the window is being increased or decreased in size, another functional state associated with the detected threshold is applied to the window.
US09373132B2	System for digital yearbook with advertising A system and method for providing advertisement in a digital yearbook includes a server and a user device for presenting media content on a display. Yearbook data is accessible by the user device and includes text and graphics pertaining to an organization and at least one advertisement. If/when the user device is connected to a network, the user device checks for a replacement advertisement and if there exists the replacement advertisement, the user device replaces one of the at least one advertisements with the replacement advertisement before the user device accesses the yearbook data. The user device presents the yearbook data and one or more of the group consisting of at least one advertisement and the replacement advertisement on the display.
US09373128B2	Method and apparatus for determining similarity information for users of a network A method for determining similarity information for users of a network is disclosed. The method comprises constructing a graph from user interaction data, wherein the graph links users of the network according to their interaction, and weighting links between users according to the strength of interaction between the users. The method further comprises, for each of a plurality of users, identifying from among the other users with whom the user interacts: a maximum similarity user to whom the user is connected via a maximum weight link, and a minimum similarity user to whom the user is connected via a minimum weight link. Finally the method comprises assembling a plurality of relative similarity triplets, each triplet comprising a user and that user's identified maximum and minimum similarity users.
US09373124B2	Delivering promotions associated with user profiles through multiple digital channels associated with the user profiles Multiple copies of the same coupon are delivered to a consumer simultaneously via different delivery channels. After one copy of the coupon has been presented in connection with a transaction and used, the coupon is marked as used with respect to all delivery channels for that consumer. Different copies of the coupon can have different coupon identifiers, for example when delivered through different channels. Consumers also can access such multichannel coupons without having to login each time they wish to access their coupons from multiple channels. In one implementation, each consumer has a user profile. A promotion is associated with that consumer's user profile. Each user profile also is associated with different channel identifiers representing communication channels to deliver instances of the promotion to the consumer. Each delivered instance of the promotion includes a coupon identifier associated with the promotion.
US09373122B2	Methods, apparatus and computer program products for securely accessing account data Customer data is securely downloaded to a browser toolbar by performing a check to determine whether a request for customer data includes a request for personal identifiable information requiring encryption by a public encryption key generated by the browser toolbar. The customer is authenticated based on a set of a user credential and an account specific access credential. The account specific access credential is associated with the account of the customer. Requested personal identifiable information is encrypted using the public encryption key generated by the browser toolbar. Encrypted personal identifiable information is transmitted to the browser toolbar.
US09373117B2	Contextual user interface elements from external triggers A method for retrofitting a vending machine with a video communications device includes securing a video communications device with a mounting feature of the video communications device removably coupled with a mounting location on a vending machine. The video communications device includes a video communications module for real-time interactions with a ticket office. The video communications module includes a display, a camera, a speaker, and a microphone. The video communications device includes a video communication device communications interface. The method includes electronically coupling the video communications device with a power supply of the vending machine and communicatively coupling the video communications device with the vending machine such that functions of the vending machine are controllable using the video communications device. The method includes communicatively coupling the video communications device with the ticket office for real-time video communications with the ticket office.
US09373114B2	Automated teller machine with an encrypting card reader and an encrypting pin pad A banking system operates responsive to data read from data bearing records. The system includes an automated banking machine comprising a card reader. The card reader includes a movable read head that can read card data along a magnetic stripe of a card that was inserted long-edge first. The card reader includes a card entry gate. The gate is opened for a card that is determined to be properly oriented for data reading. The card reader can encrypt card data, including account data. The machine also includes a PIN keypad. The card reader can send encrypted card data to the keypad. The keypad can decipher the encrypted card data. The keypad can encrypt both deciphered card data and a received user PIN. The card data and the PIN are usable by the machine to authorize a user to carry out a financial transfer involving the account.
US09373112B1	Ranking of merchants for cardless payment transactions A method that includes obtaining a current location of a mobile device of a customer; sending the current location to a cardless payment system; receiving data identifying a plurality of merchants, each merchant having an account with the cardless payment system; displaying a list of the plurality of merchants on the mobile device; and simultaneous with displaying the list of the plurality of merchants, for each merchant in the list displaying on the mobile device whether the merchant is authorized to perform a cardless payment transaction with the customer.
US09373111B2	Payment card with integrated chip A method is disclosed. It includes presenting a payment card to an access device, obtaining additional data, encrypting the additional data, and passing the encrypted additional data to the access device.
US09373108B2	Point of sale payment system A method for point of sale payments includes receiving, from a seller device over a network, payment information. The payment information is associated with payment code information in a database. The payment code information is then sent to the seller device over the network for posting at a service location. The payment code information is then captured by a payer device at the service location and transmitted over the network. The payment information is then retrieved from the database using the associated payment code information. The payment information is then sent to the payer device over the network. A payment confirmation is received from the payer device over the network and, in response, a payment from a payer account to a seller account is initiated and the payment information and an indication of the payment confirmation is sent to the seller device over the network.
US09373104B2	Assign photographers on an event invite and automate requesting, uploading, and sharing of photos and videos for an event Methods, program products and systems to assign photographers on an event invite and automate requesting, uploading and sharing of the event's photos/videos are described here. The solution would allow to assign photographers for an event using the event's invite itself, indirectly triggering the auto-creation of a new photo/video album and allowing the photographer invitees to upload their photos/videos for the event, either real-time or manually at a later time. Thereafter, once an event is complete, the event's photo/video album would be either automatically or manually shared with the event's guests depending upon the preferences set by the event's owner.
US09373102B2	System and method using a simplified XML format for real-time content publication A system and method for delivering content in real-time using advanced messaging technology that reduces the risk of content being lost or dropped in transmission. The system and method utilize a custom, simplified XML format to deliver real-time textual, numeric, and metadata content directly to subscribers. The XML tag set specifies all of the information needed to package, process, and distribute real-time content messages and includes an advanced tagging structure that allows granular content customization. Messages are built on the fly using multi-channel data processing techniques. The XML delivery system and method offers an array of real-time market-specific page-based “Alert” services and aggregated newswires with accompanying real-time numeric data feeds. These feeds contain proprietary assessments and other price data across a broad spectrum of global and regional commodity markets, including oil, petrochemicals, metals, electric power, natural gas, coal, and risk.
US09373101B2	Filtering social networking content A method for filtering social media content based on interest categories. Users of a social network can be associated with one or more interest categories. Posts or updates made in the social network by friends of a first user are associated with one or more interest categories. A social feed can be filtered based on the interested categories or the first user of the social feed and/or the interests associated with the posts or updates made by the first user's friends. In some cases, the filtered social media content is ordered based on expertise of the first user's friends in the particular interest categories of those users' posts.
US09373100B2	System and method for quality management utilizing barcode indicators A quality management system for products including a multiplicity of barcode indicators, each operative to provide a machine-readable indication of exceedance of at least one threshold by at least one product quality determining parameter, the at least one threshold being at least one of a time duration threshold and a combined temperature and time threshold, a barcode indicator reader operative to read the barcode indicators and to provide output indications and an indication interpreter operative to receive the output indications and to provide human sensible, product unit specific, product quality status outputs.
US09373095B2	Method of controlling component for network system Provided is a method of controlling a component for a network system. The method of controlling the component for the network system includes recognizing low-price period or high-price period information, recognizing a scheduled operation time including a scheduled operation start time of the component, determining whether a change condition of the scheduled operation time is satisfied, and changing the scheduled operation time when the change condition is satisfied and operating the component at the changed scheduled operation time.
US09373094B2	Dynamic web services system and method A Dynamic Web Service server may facilitate custom Enterprise Application interface development with little or no developer input by dynamically creating a web service for performing a particular transaction according to a transaction map. An Enterprise Application client device may create a transaction map by “recording” a transaction between an Enterprise Application client and an Enterprise Application server and mapping transaction fields to a custom interface generated to collect data for re-performing the recorded transaction. The Enterprise Application client device may call the dynamic web service, and the Dynamic Web Service server may then perform the recorded transaction using input data collected in the custom interface.
US09373092B2	System and method for automated distribution of supervisory functions in a contact center A system for automated distribution of supervisory functions in an enterprise is provided. The system includes a monitor module configured to monitor performance of resources in the enterprise. The system further includes a skill finder module configured to find at least one skilled resource for at least one type of work request. The system further includes an assignment module configured to assign the at least one skilled resource a subset of supervisory role for the at least one type of work request.
US09373089B2	Intelligent electronic monitoring system A method of monitoring a position of a moveable entity includes equipping a moveable entity with a position sensor that outputs position signals indicating current geographical positions of the sensor, and using a machine learning system to process the position signals in accordance with a machine learning algorithm to identify reference positions indicated by the position signals corresponding to a first type of activity performed by the entity. Rules are defined based on the identified reference positions. The computer processor then monitors the position signals and apply the rules to the position signals to identify positions that violate the rules.
US09373086B1	Crowdsource reasoning process to facilitate question answering Mechanisms are provided, in association with a Question and Answer (QA) system, for implementing corpus identified reasoning when evaluating questions. An input question is received and an answer to the input question and supporting evidence for the answer are determined based on an evaluation of a corpus of information. The supporting evidence is analyzed to identify reasoning criteria specifying a reason as to why the answer is considered to be a correct answer by a provider of the supporting evidence. Rules are generated based on the identified reasoning criteria with the rules correlating the answer with the identified reasoning criteria and features of the input question. The rules are stored as entries in a reasoning data structure a subsequent question is processed based on the reasoning data structure.
US09373083B2	Building analytic device An information analytic system including an information gathering unit configured to gather at least one piece of information from at least one of a plurality of devices connected to a network, an information analysis unit configured to analyze the gathered information, and a rule generation unit configured to generate at least one rule based on the analysis performed by the information analysis unit. The rule analysis unit is configured to analyze each generated rule to identify the rules that can be applied to the corresponding piece information, and to apply applies the identified rule to the corresponding piece of information. The rule analysis unit is also configured to analyze unapplied rules and to determine what additional information is required to apply each unapplied rule to at least one piece of information.
US09373079B2	Argument and decision optimizing engine A system is described for improving decision making for individuals, groups and organizations. The system enables participants to collaboratively provide informational statements as well as supporting and opposing arguments and share them and then rate them. The system visually facilitates participants prioritizing arguments, and allows participants to rate arguments on clarity, agreement, and relevance. The system includes multiple levels of authority, both inherent and topic-assignable, which enable posts to be made visible/invisible based on authority level and/or “need to know”. The system allows decision makers to increase the reach of participants in decisions while keeping the input and process manageable yielding better decisions. All posts, ratings, and edits of posts and ratings within the system are archived along with any reasons given, and archives are reviewable by users.
US09373074B2	Method and apparatus for time management and scheduling for sychronous processing on a cluster of processing nodes Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques for time management and scheduling of synchronous neural processing on a cluster of processing nodes. A slip (or offset) may be introduced between processing nodes of a distributed processing system formed by a plurality of interconnected processing nodes, to enable faster nodes to continue processing without waiting for slower nodes to catch up. In certain aspects, a processing node, after completing each processing step, may check for received completion packets and apply a defined constraint to determine whether it may start processing a subsequent step or not.
US09373061B2	Non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, computing device, and display method of user interface of printer driver A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a printer driver includes a printer driver core component and a print setup user interface component. The print setup user interface component causes the computing device to control a display section to display one or more setup user interface portions by determining whether a setup user interface portion designated by designation information obtained from the printer driver core component is implemented in the print setup user interface component; in response to determining that the designated setup user interface portion is not implemented, searching for a compatible setup user interface portion; and in response to determining that the designated or compatible setup user interface portion is implemented, controlling the display section to display the designated or compatible setup user interface portion.
US09373053B2	Image processor with edge selection functionality An image processing system comprises an image processor configured to perform an edge detection operation on a first image to obtain a second image, to identify particular edges of the second image that exhibit at least a specified reliability, and to generate a third image comprising the particular edges and excluding other edges of the second image. By way of example only, in a given embodiment the first image may comprise a depth image generated by a depth imager, the second image may comprise an edge image generated by applying the edge detection operation to the depth image, and the third image may comprise a modified edge image having only the particular edges that exhibit at least the specified reliability.
US09373051B2	Statistical approach to identifying and tracking targets within captured image data A facility implementing systems and/or methods for creating statistically significant signatures for targets of interest and using those signatures to identify and locate targets of interest within image data, such as an array of pixels, captured still images, video data, etc., is described. Embodiments of the facility generate statistically significant signatures based at least in part on series approximations (e.g., Fourier Series, Gram-Charlier Series) of image data. The disclosed techniques allow for a high degree of confidence in identifying and tracking targets of interest within visual data and are highly tolerant of translation and rotation in identifying objects using the statistically significant signatures.
US09373047B2	Biometric authentication device, biometric authentication system, and biometric authentication method A biometric authentication device includes a photographing unit configured to photograph a biological body and acquire biological body information; an authentication unit configured to match registered biological body information that is registered in advance with the biological body information and perform authentication; a posture determination unit configured to determine steadiness of a posture of the biological body based on history of posture information relevant to the posture of the biological body when photographed; and an update determination unit configured to determine to update the registered biological body information when the posture determination unit determines that the posture of the biological body is steady.
US09373046B2	Detection system for color blind drivers A detection system for vehicle operation according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, at least one camera operable to generate an image and a display unit operable to communicate information on a display. A controller is coupled to the at least one camera. The controller is configured to command the display unit to communicate the information in response to detecting data within the image corresponding to visible light emitted in at least one predetermined frequency range. A controller and a method of detecting a traffic device are also disclosed.
US09373044B2	Trailer lane departure warning system A lane departure warning system has a trailer detector for detecting that a trailer is attached to a vehicle, a lane boundary detector for detecting a position of a lane boundary on a roadway over which the vehicle is travelling, and an information processor including a calibrator for generating calibration parameters used in determining an unintended lane departure event with respect to the lane boundary. The information processor initiates a process for allowing an operator to provide trailer width information when the trailer detector indicates that the vehicle is towing a trailer. The lane departure warning system also includes a sensor for detecting a hitch angle between the vehicle and the trailer. A controller determines a lateral offset of the trailer relative to the vehicle based on the hitch angle and a length of the trailer for generating a warning signal when the lateral offset crosses the lane boundary.
US09373039B2	Detection of graphics added to a video signal The invention allows detecting which graphics, if any, have been added to the video signal at any given time by utilizing only the various signals provided by prior art hardware. A first video signal, graphics signal(s), and a second video signal are received. It is then determined which graphics, if any, are present in a given frame of the received second video signal based on comparing actual values of pixels of the received second video signal and calculated values of pixels derived from the first video signal, and the graphics signal(s), and the combination of graphics signal(s) which produces the best match is searched for.
US09373032B2	Forensic verification utilizing forensic markings inside halftones A forensic verification system (1100) extracts a print signature via a print signature extractor (1110) from an interior of a halftone contained in an image. The system (1100) utilizes a comparator (1120) to compare the print signature to a reference signature stored in a registry to determine differences between the print signature and the reference signature. The system (1100) utilizes a forensic analyzer (1130) to perform a forensic analysis on the signatures based on the comparison to authenticate the image.
US09373020B2	Measurement data selection method for biometric device, light exit position determination method for biometric device, and biometric device In measurement data selection, when a vector composed of measurement data obtained for respective combinations of light emitting positions, light detection positions, and resolving times in a time-resolved waveform is given as y, a vector in which pixel values of learning image data are components is given as x, and a system matrix for calculating internal image data from the measurement data is given as A1, the vector y which meets the conditional expressions (2) and (3) min∥y∥00 (2), ∥x−A1Ty∥22≦ε2 (3) or the conditional expression (4) min(∥y∥00+β∥x−A1Ty∥22) (4) is determined, and upon measurement of a subject, only the measurement data corresponding to nonzero components of the vector y is used to prepare the internal image data.
US09373015B2	Asset verification and tagging A method for managing mobile assets includes initially certifying a physical existence and location of a mobile asset. The certifying includes receiving certification information about the location and data representing the physical existence of the mobile asset into a database. After certification, interrogation information is received into the database. The interrogation information includes read information from an electronically readable tag associated with the mobile asset, user-entered information about at least one of an instant location of the mobile asset and user-entered data representing the physical existence of the mobile asset, and geolocation information of the reader. At least one of the instant location and the user-entered data representing the physical existence of the mobile asset is validated by cross-referencing the certification information and the interrogation information to identify any discrepancies. The absence of discrepancies indicates a positive validation and the presence of any discrepancies indicates a negative validation.
US09373011B2	System and method for identification and authentication of precious metals and small jewelry items using radio frequency identification (“RFID”) technology A system and method is provided for the identification and authentication of precious metals and small jewelry. The system can include an embedded RFID tag, RFID tag reader and reader based unit (wired or wireless), and a basic tag information system for tag capture, look-up and display. The RFID tag can be embedded in absorbing dielectric medium inside epoxy in a tiny cavity placed in the metal or jewelry. A thin layer of epoxy placed over the tag can ensure that the tag will not be damaged from rubbing against skin, abrasion or chemicals while still allowing the desired electromagnetic properties (antenna and the circuitry performance). The RFID tag information can be transferred to a computer through the reader, and can be matched with preprogrammed information in a database.
US09373000B1	Selective physical world correlation of virtual world interactions Techniques described herein relate to facilitating interaction in the physical world, after initial interaction has occurred within the virtual world, while also maintaining at least a degree of privacy, anonymity, safety, and/or deniability for the physical world parties. This may be accomplished, according to some example embodiments, by the exchange of one or more self-identifiers between virtual world personas, each of which is defined by its sending physical world party but that lacks any personal identification information associated with the sending party. Content of a self-identifier may only be known to the sending physical world party, at least until the receiving party is authorized and/or consents to view or display the self-identifier in a manner that may be perceived by the sending party. A sending party that perceives their own self-identifier, as displayed by a receiving party, may correlate the receiving party with a virtual world persona to which the self-identifier was sent.
US09372995B2	Vulnerability countermeasure device and vulnerability countermeasure method A vulnerability countermeasure device stores configuration information associating multiple computers connected via a network and software possessed by each computer, vulnerability information associating the software with information related to the vulnerability of the software, and countermeasure policy information associating the software with a countermeasure policy to be executed if there is a vulnerability in the software; calculates the computer that data will reach based on information related to a route of the data included in the data received from a used terminal; acquires software existing in the computer based on the calculated computer and configuration information; assesses whether or not there is a vulnerability in the acquired software based on the acquired software and the vulnerability information; and is provided with countermeasure unit for executing a countermeasure to a vulnerability in accordance with a countermeasure policy with respect to the software assessed to have the vulnerability.
US09372985B2	Information processing device, information processing method, and computer program There is provided an information processing device including a first program execution unit that loads, interprets, and executes code of a computer program created by a procedural language. The program execution unit includes at least one port, and via this port, executes a second computer program created by a procedural language executed by a second program execution unit after authenticating with the second program execution unit.
US09372984B2	Authenticated launch of virtual machines and nested virtual machine managers An embodiment of the invention provides for an authenticated launch of VMs and nested VMMs. The embodiment may do so using an interface that invokes a VMM protected launch control mechanism for the VMs and nested VMMs. The interface may be architecturally generic. Other embodiments are described herein.
US09372981B2	Electronic device and method for unlocking screen of electronic device An electronic device and a method for unlocking a screen of the electronic device are provided. The electronic device includes a screen and a storage unit. The method includes detecting, in a screen-locked state, intent of a user to unlock the screen; if it is detected that the user intends to unlock the screen, extracting contact information from the storage unit of the electronic device, where the extracted contact information includes a first attribute value and a second attribute value; displaying the first attribute value of the extracted contact information on the screen and prompting the user to input a second attribute value; and detecting an input of the user, and comparing the input of the user with the second attribute value; if the input of the user is the same as the second attribute value, unlocking the screen; and otherwise, maintaining the screen-locked state.
US09372980B2	Orientation aware authentication on mobile platforms Systems and methods may provide for receiving an authentication input and determining an authentication orientation of a mobile platform during entry of the authentication input. In addition, a determination may be made as to whether to validate a user based on the authentication input and the authentication orientation of the mobile platform. Platform orientation may also be used to detect malware.
US09372978B2	Device, method, and graphical user interface for accessing an application in a locked device A device with a touch sensitive display and a plurality of applications, including a camera application, while the device is in a locked, passcode-protected state: displays a lock screen interface, the lock screen interface including a camera access indicia; detects a gesture; in response to a determination that the gesture starts on the camera access indicia: ceases to display the lock screen interface; starts a restricted session for the camera application; displays an interface for the camera application, without displaying a passcode entry interface; and maintains the device in the locked, passcode-protected state for the applications other than the camera application; and in response to a determination that the gesture starts at a location other than the camera access indicia: displays a passcode entry interface, wherein in response to entry of a correct passcode in the passcode entry interface, the device enters an unlocked state.
US09372975B2	Secure recording and sharing system of voice memo According to an aspect of an embodiment, a system for secure recording and sharing of audio data includes a communication interface, a registration module, a microphone, an encryption engine, and a storage device. The registration module is configured to register an attendee device associated with an attendee for a meeting. The microphone is configured to convert sound generated at the meeting to audio data representing the sound. The encryption engine is configured to encrypt the audio data. The storage device is configured to store and associate the encrypted audio data with the attendee device for subsequent access by the attendee.
US09372973B2	Provisioning user permissions attribute-based access-control policies An attribute-based access control policy (e.g., XACML policy) for a set of elements depends on attributes carried by elements in one of several predefined categories. In order to evaluate such policy for a set of elements, the invention provides a method including the steps of (I) selecting a primary category; (II) partitioning the elements in the primary category into equivalence classes with respect to their influence on the policy; and (III) using the equivalence classes to replace at least one policy evaluation by a deduction. The result of the evaluation may be represented as an access matrix in backward-compatible format. The efficiency of the policy evaluation may be further improved by applying partial policy evaluation at intermediate stages, by forming combined equivalence classes containing n-tuples of elements and/or by analyzing the influence of each element by extracting functional expressions of maximal length from the policy.
US09372972B2	System and method for establishing and monetizing trusted identities in cyberspace with personal data service and user console A system and method for establishing and monetizing trusted identities in cyberspace relying upon user opt in. Users request to attain secure IDs for accessing parties that will rely on secure IDs to complete a transaction, for example merchants and service providers (relying parties). The relying parties (RPs) communicate with identity service providers and attribute providers via an Attribute Exchange Network (AXN) in order to obtain verified attributes associated with an entity (end user or user) that wishes to conduct business with the relying party. The relying party makes requests for verified attributes that are important to consummating business transactions for the relying party. Users are informed of requests for attributes on behalf of relying parties and users have the option to verify attributes, and add new attributes that may be useful or required for conducting business with relying parties.
US09372969B1	Portable check transaction manager device, system and method The present invention is directed to an apparatus, system and method for managing bank transactions, configured for communicating with a depositor's account at a banking institution and operative for obtaining account balances, available funds for future transactions, confirming account balances or placing automatic holds on available funds as well as any other check transaction management services that a depositor may require to effectively manage his/her checking or savings account.
US09372966B2	Method and system for resolving a naming conflict A method and a system for naming-conflict-free integration of software components originating from software component manufacturers (OEM), comprising software development devices from different software component manufacturers (OEM) that manufacture and encrypt software components with the respective cryptographic key, wherein when a naming conflict occurs during the integration of encrypted software components, at least one of the encrypted software components in which the naming conflict occurred is expanded by a naming conflict resolution rule to thereby allows for the resolution of naming conflicts in encrypted software components that can originate from different software component manufacturers without the source code of the software components becoming visible to third parties.
US09372961B1	Pharmaceutical verification camera system and method A pharmaceutical verification (PV) camera system that captures an image of the contents of a vial on an automated dispensing line is closed. Faster image processing time is achieved by utilizing a learning algorithm that stores camera parameters for a successful image associated with data for a prescription processed on the automated dispensing line. During processing of a prescription order, when the vial contents and availability of stored parameters is confirmed, the stored parameters are transmitted to the camera and an image of the vial contents is captured and stored. When a previously un-encountered or un-trained vial is detected, the camera engages the autofocus feature to capture an image. The learning algorithm evaluates the image based on feedback from one or more metric. Upon agreement with the metric standards, an image is accepted and archived and the camera parameters associated with that vial prescription are stored for later use.
US09372960B2	Medical support system and method thereof A medical support system enables one server bidirectionally connected to one terminal to bidirectionally communicate with another server bidirectionally connected to another terminal. Each of the one server and the other server comprises: a conference processing unit configured to perform a conference between the one terminal and the other terminal; an image sharing processing unit configured to bidirectionally share an image between the one server and the other server; and a control unit configured to control the entire server over a network, wherein the control unit of the one server transmits only operation information sent from the one terminal to the control unit of the other server, and the control unit of the other server controls based on the received operation information.
US09372957B2	Three-dimensional mask model for photolithography simulation A three-dimensional mask model of the invention provides a more realistic approximation of the three-dimensional effects of a photolithography mask with sub-wavelength features than a thin-mask model. In one embodiment, the three-dimensional mask model includes a set of filtering kernels in the spatial domain that are configured to be convolved with thin-mask transmission functions to produce a near-field image. In another embodiment, the three-dimensional mask model includes a set of correction factors in the frequency domain that are configured to be multiplied by the Fourier transform of thin-mask transmission functions to produce a near-field image.
US09372956B1	Increased usable programmable device dice A method of enabling the use of a programmable device having impaired circuitry includes determining one or more locations of the impaired circuitry of the programmable device; generating a defect map for the programmable device based on the determined locations of the impaired circuitry; generating a plurality of configuration bitstreams to implement a circuit in the programmable device; selecting one of the plurality of configuration bitstreams that does not use the impaired circuitry indicated by the defect map; and programming the programmable device with the selected configuration bitstream.
US09372948B1	Interconnect speed model characterization in programmable integrated circuits Techniques for using a speed measurement circuit to measure speed of an integrated circuit. The speed measurement circuit includes a ring oscillator and a counter circuit. The ring oscillator includes an AND gate with an inverting input and a non-inverting input. The ring oscillator also includes a programmable interconnect point context (PIP-context) having a first programmable interconnect point (PIP), a first interconnect, a second PIP, and a second interconnect coupled in series. The ring oscillator also includes a third interconnect and a third PIP coupled in series with the PIP-context and with an inverting input of the AND gate. The counter circuit is coupled to an output of the AND gate and configured in the programmable integrated circuit.
US09372945B2	Method and system for modeling anomalous density zones in geophysical exploration A method for modeling a subsurface anomalous density zone including the steps of forming a density model, computing a response to the density model, inverting the response to arrive at a geometric model of the anomalous density zone, and applying a sharpening function to boundary regions of the geometric model to distinguish between the anomalous density zone and a surrounding region.
US09372944B2	Numerical analysis device, element generation program, and numerical analysis method A numerical analysis device executes: Step 102 of selecting a fluidic device model and a pipe model used for transient analysis from among fluidic device models and pipe models that are located between a start point and an end point set in the pipeline network model constructed as a 3D model of a pipeline network that includes fluidic devices and pipes; Step 104 of dividing the selected fluidic device model and pipe model into volume elements and into junction elements; Step 106 of deriving volumes of the respective volume elements obtained and pressure loss coefficients corresponding to the respective junction elements, based on the shape of the fluidic device model, a shape of the pipe model, and a physical quantities of the fluid, of associating the volumes with the volume elements, and of associating the pressure loss coefficients with the junction elements.
US09372942B1	System and method for facilitating data visualization via a map-reduce framework In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a request for data visualization. The request specifies input data, at least one user query, and a data-visualization type. The method further includes inferring at least one additional query based on a user-interface (UI) range of freedom associated with the request. In addition, the method includes causing a map-reduce framework to process the input data according to the at least one user query and the at least one additional query. The causing yields resultant data. Further, the method includes storing in a cache a portion of the resultant data that relates to the at least one additional query. The method also includes generating the requested data visualization based on a portion of the resultant data that relates to the at least one user query.
US09372939B2	Internet based system and apparatus for paying users to view content and receiving micropayments An Internet service is configured to provide information to a user of the service in ranked order according to demographic profile information about the user provided by the user. Such information might include advertising information and/or search results (e.g., rendered as hyperlinks) to search queries posed by the user. The information may be returned in a ranked order according to reward credits offered by advertisers and/or content providers associated with the advertising information and/or web sites represented by the search results. A process for verifying whether or not an Internet operation (e.g., sending an e-mail message or accessing a web site) is being attempted by a human being or an automated process may be incorporated with the service by using a quiz process that requires user interaction.
US09372932B2	Method for restricting access to data based on current work A system and method for presenting a user with only data relevant to a task on which the user is currently working, while preventing display and other data from other tasks from intruding on a user's work environment. Conventional tagging is replaced and/or supplemented by a centralized method for creating, managing, and applying categories that does not require display space in individual applications for user interaction. Data access and display can be controlled across all applications, allowing the user to concentrate on a particular issue or project without being distracted or wasting display-space on information that is not relevant to the current issue or project on which a user is working.
US09372929B2	Methods and systems for node and link identification Methods and systems for node and link detection in social network analysis. Interactive noise reduction allows reduction of the data set under analysis to enable substantially real time detection of links and nodes.
US09372899B2	Method and apparatus of ordering search results Ordering search results may include obtaining an exposed log file from a log system, computing a Bayesian posterior probability for relevancy between the log file and a search request, computing an expected value of the relevancy between the log file and the search request based on the Bayesian posterior probability, storing the search request and an identifier of the log file as a key and the expected value of the relevancy between the log file and the search request as a value into a search data structure, in response to receiving a search request submitted by a user, finding expected values of relevancy between the submitted search request and log files that are relevant to the submitted search request from the search data structure, and ordering the found log files in a descending order of the expected values.
US09372875B2	Image data display system and image data display program An image data display system classifies image data into a cluster based on a predetermined condition regardless of whether or not the image data conforms to DCF standard and displays information specific to the image data when displayed as a slide show. A CPU creates a cluster, including a plurality of the image data, and a slide show table having first and second cluster name candidates based on a FAT data or an Exif data and a third cluster name candidate input by a user. The image display screen combines any two of the above first, second, and third cluster name candidates and displays a list of the combined candidates as cluster names indicating contents of the image data. The user can select the cluster name in high visibility and can easily display the desired image data as the slide show.
US09372868B2	Efficiency of file synchronization in a linear tape file system A mechanism is provided for improved file synchronization of a magnetic tape. A destination device determines whether one or more file checksums exist in an extended file attribute associated with an identified file. Responsive to one or more file checksums existing in the extended file attribute associated with the identified file, the destination device reads the one or more file checksums out of the extended file attribute without accessing the magnetic tape. The destination device transmits the one or more file checksums to a source device. The source device segments the data of the new file into fixed-length blocks that do not overlap one another. The source device calculates one or more new file checksums for each of the fixed-length blocks. The source device transmits the one or more new file checksums to the destination device.
US09372865B2	Deduplication metadata access in deduplication file system Techniques associated with deduplication metadata access in a deduplication file system are described, including determining a state of a file system, reading a table associated with the file system, including reading block numbers associated with files in the file system, the table being stored in a storage, wherein the block numbers include a block number and logical block number, determining whether each of the block numbers exists in a reconstruction map, modifying the reconstruction map, obtaining a hash value associated with each of the block numbers, reading data blocks from a disk using the plurality of block numbers, and constructing deduplication metadata in system memory (i.e., RAM) using a read of the data blocks.
US09372855B1	Transactional control of RDBMS database definition language operations Database Definition Language (DDL) transactions are defined that include one or more DDL operations that are to be executed to modify aspects of a relational database, such as its structure. If performance of one or more of the DDL operations in a DDL transaction fails, then the changes made to the relational database by some or all of the DDL operations may be reversed. Instructions and state information may be generated and stored prior to, during, and/or following the execution of a DDL operation that may be utilized to reverse the changes to a relational database made by the DDL operations. User interfaces might also be provided for defining, selecting, editing, and executing DDL transactions, and for providing information relating to the execution and rollback of DDL operations in a DDL transaction.
US09372846B1	Method for abstract syntax tree building for large-scale data analysis A method and computer program product for an abstract syntax tree (AST) builder for faster Earley parser. The algorithm for building an AST based on an amplified LRE (Left Recursive Earley parser) technique is provided. The proposed method constructs the AST during the recognition process. The proposed method preserves enough structural information during recognition phase that allows to avoid a mapping step and to eliminate the converter module. The LRE method is used in such a way that the AST processor can produce its output working directly with LRE data structures. This important feature leads to essential performance improvement of the entire parsing process.
US09372841B2	4-dimensional geometric reading A device includes a display screen and a processor. The processor is configured to convert a textual document into sequentially ordered portions of text and display at the same designated location on the display screen the portions of text one at a time in the sequential order for a user to read.
US09372832B2	Road information providing apparatus A road information providing apparatus includes a position detection unit, a matching unit, a reference point ranking unit, a calculation unit, a weighting unit, and a transmit unit. The position detection unit detects a present position of a vehicle. The matching unit specifies reference points based on the present position and map data. The reference point ranking unit defines a ranking of each reference point. The calculation unit calculates a priority value of each forward road link corresponding to one of the reference points. The weighting unit recalculates a weighted priority value of each forward road link based on the priority value of corresponding forward road link and the ranking of corresponding reference point. The transmit unit transmits the weighted priority value of each forward road link in order of increasing weighted priority value to an in-vehicle device.
US09372826B2	RDMA-optimized high-performance distributed cache For remote direct memory access (RDMA) by a client to a data record stored in a cache on a server, a hash map is received by a client from a server. The hash map includes one or more entries associated with a key for the data record stored in the cache on the server that stores a server-side remote pointer referencing the data record stored in the cache on the server. The client, using the key, looks up the server-side remote pointer for the data record from the hash map, and then performs one or more RDMA operations using the server-side remote pointer that allow the client to directly access the data record stored in the cache on the server.
US09372821B2	Limited functionality link state protocol node In one embodiment a limited functionality link state protocol node has one or two interfaces configured to send and receive link state protocol packets. In response to receiving, by the partially-participating link state protocol node on a first interface, a particular link state protocol data unit (LSP): sending the particular LSP from a second interface of the partially-participating link state protocol node without updating the local link state database when the second interface is currently participating in the link state protocol distribution; and sending an acknowledgment of the particular LSP from the first interface when the second interface is not currently participating in the link state protocol distribution.
US09372813B2	Remote-key based memory buffer access control mechanism A system and method implementing revocable secure remote keys is disclosed. A plurality of indexed base secrets is stored in a register of a coprocessor of a local node coupled with a local memory. When it is determined that a selected base secret expired, the base secret stored in the register based on the base secret index is changed, thereby invalidating remote keys generated based on the expired base secret. A remote key with validation data and a base secret index is received from a node requesting access to the local memory. A validation base secret is obtained from the register based on the base secret index. The coprocessor performs hardware validation on the validation data based on the validation base secret. Hardware validation fails if the base secret associated with the base secret index has been changed in the register of the selected coprocessor.
US09372800B2	Inter-chip interconnect protocol for a multi-chip system A multi-chip system includes multiple chip devices configured to communicate to each other and share resources. According to at least one example embodiment, a method of providing memory coherence within the multi-chip system comprises maintaining, at a first chip device of the multi-chip system, state information indicative of one or more states of one or more copies, residing in one or more chip devices of the multi-chip system, of a data block. The data block is stored in a memory associated with one of the multiple chip devices. The first chip device receives a message associated with a copy of the one or more copies of the data block from a second chip device of the multiple chip devices, and, in response, executes a scheme of one or more actions determined based on the state information maintained at the first chip device and the message received.
US09372789B2	Log-structured filed system with file branching Disclosed are systems, computer-readable mediums, and methods for reading a sequence number from regions of a solid state storage device. A latest region is determined based upon the sequence numbers and a checkpoint file is read within the latest region. A request for a block of data of a first branch is received. A first block of pointers associated with the first branch from the checkpoint file is read. A first pointer from the first block of pointers and a second block of pointers pointed to by the first pointer are read. A second pointer from the second block of pointers and a third block of pointers pointed to by the second pointer are read. A third pointer from the third block of pointers and data pointed to by the third pointer are read. The block of data of the first branch is determined based upon the read data. The block of data is returned.
US09372788B2	Storage system and method of adjusting spare memory space in storage system A method includes determining a size of a recommended spare memory space of each of one or more storage nodes based on a state of the storage nodes, and adjusting a spare memory space of each of the storage nodes based on the size of the recommended spare memory space.
US09372784B2	Test system configuration method and system This disclosure relates to computer test systems and, more particularly, to automatically configuring computer test systems. A method, computer program product, and system receives a list of one or more software patches installed on an in-field computer system, the list including a version of each of the one or more software patches. Source code, managed by a source code revision tool, corresponding to the version of each of the one or more software patches, is identified. A compiling and installation system compiles one or more newly compiled software patches from the source code managed by the source code revision tool for each of the software patches installed on the in-field computer system. The compiling and installation system automatically installs the one or more newly compiled software patches on a test computer system to replicate the in-field computer system.
US09372782B1	Dynamic tracing framework for debugging in virtualized environments Embodiments of the present invention provide a system and method for a dynamic tracing framework for debugging in a virtualized environment. Embodiment of the present invention can include selecting a home node and a set of remote nodes to which apply a set of probes. Data collection is performed by a tracing agent of each node and the collection of data is shared across multiple software systems.
US09372776B2	Monitoring user activity and performance of computerized devices The presently disclosed subject matter includes a device, system and method for monitoring activity at a computerized device, the device running one or more processes, at least one of the processes executing one or more system events being part of an activity. An activity of interest can be identified if system events related to the activity of interest are identified. An activity is monitored at the device using API queries to obtain descriptive information of the at least one respective system event executed as part of the activity. Using non-intrusive monitoring methods which are based on API queries enables to reduce the potential of interference of the monitoring with applications running on the monitored device.
US09372767B2	Recovery consumer framework A recovery consumer framework provides for execution of recovery actions by one or more recovery consumers to enable efficient recovery of information (e.g., data and metadata) in a storage system after a failure event (e.g., a power failure). The recovery consumer framework permits concurrent execution of recovery actions so as to reduce recovery time (i.e., duration) for the storage system. The recovery consumer framework may coordinate (e.g., notify) the recovery consumers to serialize execution of the recovery actions by those recovery consumers having a dependency while allowing concurrent execution between recovery consumers having no dependency relationship. Each recovery consumer may register with the framework to associate a dependency on one or more of the other recovery consumers. The dependency association may be represented as a directed graph where each vertex of the graph represents a recovery consumer and each directed edge of the graph represents a dependency. The framework may traverse (i.e., walk) the framework graph and for each vertex encountered, notify the associated recovery consumer to initiate its respective recovery actions.
US09372765B2	System and method for recovering system status consistently to designed recovering time point in distributed database A method for recovering system status consistently to a designed recovering time point in a distributed database, wherein the distributed database comprises a primary server and multiple region servers, comprising: when the region servers detect a change of system status, analyzing an event for the change to generate an event log and storing the event log to the database; after a preset condition, the region servers generate a snapshot respectively; when the primary server receives the instruction to recover the system status to a designed time point, indicates the region servers to implement: reading the event log and snapshots stored in region servers; finding the snapshot closest to the designed time point; finding the event log and snapshot corresponding to an time interval between the time recorded in the snapshot and the designed time point to recover the system status to the designed time point.
US09372763B2	Storage control device and storage control method A storage control device includes a processor. The processor is configured to request a plurality of disk devices storing data therein to notify the processor of degradation information on degradation of data stored in the respective disk devices. The processor is configured to instruct, based on first information among notified degradation information, the plurality of disk devices to rewrite data. The first information serves as a trigger of rewriting data. The first information is notified by at least one of the plurality of disk devices.
US09372761B1	Time based checkpoint restart In one example of a time-based checkpoint restore method, a backup of data is commenced. Prior to completion of the backup, a failure is experienced such that only a portion of the data is backed up. A first partial saveset is created, and time and path checkpoints are identified. The backup is then retried, using the time and path checkpoints. Data backed up prior to failure is incrementally backed up, and the remaining data not already backed up is fully backed up. A second partial saveset of these backups is created and combined with the first partial saveset to create a resultant saveset that can then be used to create a full backup image that includes a full backup of the data.
US09372758B2	System and method for performing a plurality of prescribed data management functions in a manner that reduces redundant access operations to primary storage Systems and methods are disclosed for performing a plurality of prescribed data management functions in a manner that reduces redundant access operations to primary storage, where the system includes a data management engine for performing data management functions, including at least a snapshot function and a back-up function. An electronic service level agreement (SLA) specifies a schedule for performing data management functions, where point-in-time images of data include a reference to a baseline image and difference data indicating changes at a later, specific point in time. The data management system also creates a point-in-time image of the primary storage data in response to a schedule requiring some data management functions to be performed concurrently, and communicates the difference information to secondary storage to update the back-up copy of the primary data, such that the primary storage is accessed only once for all updates to the secondary storage.
US09372755B1	Adaptive power cycle sequences for data recovery The present invention relates to an apparatus, method, and/or sequence that adaptively provide the recovery of data after a power cycle sequence, wherein only minimal updates are provided for control blocks associated with the data.
US09372748B2	Evaluating reliability of a software module using development life cycle Reliability of one or more software modules is projected according to a current state in a development life cycle of the software modules and any of various additional indicators. Preferably, a data processing support provider separate from the service-providing enterprise maintains historical field support data concerning significant field defect events with respect to various resources, and uses this data for projecting reliability of the resources. Preferably, software module reliability projections are used to support an analysis of risk of degradation of a service specified in a service requirements specification when provided by a configuration of data processing resources specified in a configuration specification.
US09372735B2	Auto-scaling of pool of virtual machines based on auto-scaling rules of user associated with the pool In various embodiments, systems and methods are presented for providing resources by way of a platform as a service in a distributed computing environment to perform a job. The system may be comprised of a number of components, such as a task machine, a task location service machine, and a high-level location service machines that in combination are useable to accomplish functions provided herein. It is contemplated that the system performs methods for providing resources by determining resources of the system, such as virtual machines, and applying auto-scaling rules to the system to scale those resources. Based on the determination of the auto-scaling rules, the resources may be allocated to achieve a desired result.
US09372731B1	Automated firmware settings framework Systems and methods are described for managing computing resources. In one embodiment, mappings between a plurality of parameters of an abstracted firmware framework to corresponding firmware settings of computing components are maintained. The mappings are determined based on predetermined associations between vendor-specific firmware settings and abstracted firmware settings that implement a standardized interface that is independent of the vendor-specific firmware settings. In response to receiving one of the plurality of parameters, the received parameter is translated to corresponding vendor-specific firmware settings based on the mappings.
US09372721B2	System for processing data received from various data sources Techniques are provided for processing and categorizing data received from data sources. The processing and categorizing of the received data comprises: determining whether the digital data can be associated with one or more categories by determining whether a first match between one or more image characteristics of the one or more categories and one or more image characteristics of the digital data is found; in response to determining that the first match is found: associating the one or more categories with the digital data; determining, based at least in part on the one or more categories, one or more applications that are to be used to process the digital data; in response to determining the one or more applications that are to be used to process the digital data, initiating the one or more applications to process the digital data.
US09372720B2	Multimedia data pre-processing on idle core by detecting multimedia data in application A multimedia data preprocessing apparatus for a virtual machine is provided. The multimedia data preprocessing apparatus includes a detection unit configured to detect multimedia data included in an application, a generation unit configured to generate a thread for processing the detected multimedia data, and an allocation unit configured to allocate the generated thread to an idle core.
US09372714B2	Information terminal apparatus and method for switching control of a user interface between concurrently executing operating systems An information terminal apparatus includes a memory and a processor. The memory stores information indicating a front operating system. The processor runs a first virtual machine that executes a first operating system. The processor runs a second virtual machine that executes a second operating system. The processor controls user interface of the information terminal apparatus by executing the front operating system. The processor detects, by referring to the information stored in the memory, that the front operating system is changed from the first operating system to the second operating system. The processor notifies, upon the detection, the first virtual machine of a first notification indicating that the user interface stops. The processor notifies, upon the detection, the second virtual machine of a second notification indicating that the user interface restarts.
US09372708B2	Synchronizing multicast groups Embodiments of the invention relate to synchronizing multicast groups of a virtual machine during migration of the virtual machine. A first list and a second list, indicating multicast groups corresponding to the first port and second port respectively, are obtained in response to detection of migration of the virtual machine from a first port to a second port of a same switch. The second list is updated so that the second list contains the multicast groups in the first list. An undesired multicast group is aged. Multicast groups of a virtual machine may be synchronized in the process of migration of the virtual machine, thereby reducing or removing the time during which the virtual machine multicast service is disrupted.
US09372706B2	Host selection for virtual machine placement In one embodiment, a method for placing virtual machines in a collection is provided. A plurality of equivalence sets of hosts is determined prior to placing virtual machines in the collection. The hosts in an equivalence set of hosts are considered similar. An equivalence set of hosts in the plurality of equivalence sets is selected to place the virtual machines in the collection. The method then places at least a portion of the virtual machines in the collection on one or more hosts in the selected equivalence set of hosts.
US09372696B2	Microprocessor with compressed and uncompressed microcode memories A microprocessor includes a plurality of memories each configured to hold microcode instructions. At least a first of the plurality of memories is configured to provide M-bit wide words of compressed microcode instructions, and at least a second of the plurality of memories is configured to provide N-bit wide words of uncompressed microcode instructions. M and N are integers greater than zero and N is greater than M. The microprocessor also includes a decompression unit configured to decompress the compressed microcode instructions after being fetched from the at least a first of the plurality of memories and before being executed.
US09372691B2	Method of manufacturing display device A method includes: preparing a substrate having a plurality of light sources on a front side, a case to be provided on a back side of the substrate, the case having a side wall along a periphery of the case, and a mask having a light shielding member and a side wall projecting to the back side at a periphery of the mask, the light shielding member having a plurality of windows for transmitting light from the plurality of light sources, an outer shape of the mask being larger than an outer shape of the substrate and an outer shape of the case when viewed from the front side; fixing the case, the substrate, and the mask; filling a fluid material between a side wall of the case and a side wall of the light shielding member; and hardening the fluid material.
US09372686B1	Maintaining package repositories A method includes resolving a new direct repository within non-transitory memory by a computing device in communication with the non-transitory memory in response to a package content update associated with a lineage of direct repositories. The method includes applying a tag to each direct repository and determining whether the tag applied to the new direct repository matches an indirection tag associated with an unresolved indirect repository. The indirection tag includes a key-value pair indicating a status of the corresponding direct repository. The method further includes resolving the indirect repository by the computing device when the tag applied to the new direct repository matches the indirection tag. The resolved indirect repository points to the new direct repository.
US09372683B2	Automatic generation of class identifiers from source code annotations A method for generating identifiers for software components is provided. A processing device scans source code for an annotation associated with generating an identifier for an object. The processing device generates, using the annotation, an identifier value for the object. When the object does not have a previously assigned value, the processing device assigns the identifier value to the object. When the object has a previously assigned value, the processing device concatenates the identifier value to the previously assigned value of the object and assigns the concatenated identifier value to the object. The processing device then recursively descends into the sub-object's hierarchy by repeating the steps of scanning, generating, and assigning or concatenating and assigning described above.
US09372668B2	Interconnecting portal components with dialog state transitions In one embodiment, a method for interconnecting portlets is disclosed. A first view is displayed on a computing device, wherein the first view is associated with a software application in a first state and includes a first portlet. A first event is received from the first portlet. A state model for the software application is accessed, wherein the state model includes a plurality of transitions between states of the software application, and wherein one transition of the plurality of transitions is triggered to bring the software application into a second state based on a type of the first portlet and data associated with the type of the first portlet. The one transition is executed to bring the software application into the second state, and a second view is displayed, wherein the second view is associated with the software application in the second state.
US09372665B2	Method and apparatus for multiplying binary operands Method and apparatus for multiplying a signed first operand na bits and a signed second operand nb bits, wherein na and nb are different positive integer numbers, the method comprising generating single bit products of pairs of a single bit from the signed first operand and a single bit from the signed second operand with a logical AND function to produce na times nb single bit products, selectively inverting for the signed first operand and the signed second operands the single bit products of the first operand bit na−1 multiplied with the second operand bits 0 to nb−2, selectively inverting the single bit products of the signed second operand bits 0 to na−2 multiplied with the signed second operand bit nb−1, after the step of inverting adding the single bit products in accordance with their respective order for producing an intermediate product, and adding a ‘1’ bit value at bit positions nb−1, na−1 and na+nb−1 for receiving a final product.
US09372661B2	Apparatus and method of generating a sound effect in a portable terminal An apparatus and method of a portable terminal outputting a sound effect are provided. An operation method of the portable terminal includes sensing an input, identifying a handwriting tool used for the input and a handwriting face displayed, and outputting a sound that mimics an actual handwriting operation of the portable terminal.
US09372660B2	Display controlling apparatus, method of controlling the same, and storage medium A display controlling apparatus captures a displayed object, and selects a transmission object to transmit to an image outputting apparatus from objects which are display targets. The display controlling apparatus controls so that in a case where it is determined that the transmission object is an image output target, the transmission object is displayed with preference over another object. Also, the display controlling apparatus captures a transmission object after the control.
US09372657B2	Multi-screen display system, display device, ID setting apparatus, and ID setting method When assigning display IDs to displays which form a multi-screen system, the displays are arranged such that short distance radio communication is possible and an ID setting apparatus which can perform the short distance radio communication is employed. After each display ID is set in the ID setting apparatus, the ID setting apparatus and each of the displays are placed near each other in a contactless manner so as to transfer the display ID set in the ID setting apparatus to the display and assign the display ID to the display.
US09372654B2	Image processing system, information processing apparatus, image processing apparatus, method of controlling information processing apparatus, method of controlling image processing apparatus and storage medium An image processing system capable of executing a processing flow in a destination image processing apparatus without retransmitting the processing flow from a source image processing apparatus to the destination image processing apparatus when the version of the destination image processing apparatus is upgraded. The source image processing apparatus analyzes whether or not the processing flow is executable by the destination image processing apparatus before transmitting the processing flow, and if it is unexecutable, the source image processing apparatus performs alternate configuration of an inexecutable setting based on the analysis result. The source image processing apparatus transmits the processing flow including the alternate setting to the destination image processing apparatus. If the destination image processing apparatus fails in executing the processing flow, the destination image processing apparatus executes the processing flow based on the alternate setting included in the received processing flow.
US09372651B2	Processing documents in a hot folder for printing When it is detected that a file has been stored in a hot folder, an apparatus stands by for a predetermined period of time not to process the file based on settings associated with the hot folder. When the predetermined period of time elapses, the apparatus processes the file based on the settings associated with the hot folder.
US09372649B2	System and method for printable document job submission In some embodiments, a method which includes receiving an indication of the presence of a first message from a first client device, the first message including a first specification file and a first network address associated with a first print data file. The method includes retrieving the first print data file from the first network address. The method includes processing the first specification file and the first print data file by a raster image processor.
US09372643B2	Data set management A method of and system for managing a data set stored on units of storage space in a storage facility is disclosed. The method and system may include identifying prospect extents of the data set. The prospect extents may include a first prospect extent stored on a first unit of storage space and a second prospect extent stored on a second unit of storage space. The method and system may include congregating the first prospect extent and the second prospect extent on a destination unit of storage space in the storage facility.
US09372641B2	Sliding-window multi-class striping A sequence of storage devices of a data store may include one or more stripesets for storing data stripes of different lengths and of different types. Each data stripe may be stored in a prefix or other portion of a stripeset. Each data stripe may be identified by an array of addresses that identify each page of the data stripe on each included storage device. When a first storage device of a stripeset becomes full, the stripeset may be shifted by removing the full storage device from the stripeset, and adding a next storage device of the data store to the stripeset. A class variable may be associated with storage devices of a stripeset to identify the type of data that the stripeset can store. The class variable may be increased (or otherwise modified) when a computer stores data of a different class in the stripeset.
US09372637B1	Inferring application type based on input-output characteristics of application storage resources Operational characteristic I/O patterns of each storage volume of a storage volume group, and at least one operational characteristic of each storage volume associated with an application, are determined. Unsupervised learning is used to form clusters of storage volumes of similar characteristics. Labels are generated, assigned, and aggregated for each characteristic of each storage volume. Templates are received that includes labels of storage volume characteristics of known application types. An application type associated with the storage volume group is inferred, based on a best-fit match of the aggregate labels of the storage volumes of the storage volume group to the labels included in the templates of storage volume characteristics of known application types.
US09372626B2	Parallel storage system testing wherein I/O test pattern identifies one or more set of jobs to be executed concurrently Parallel storage system testing is provided. An input/output (I/O) pattern is received. One or more sets of jobs are determined, based, at least in part, on the I/O pattern. Each of the one or more sets of jobs identifies one or more jobs. Each job identifies one or more I/O operations. Each set of jobs of the one or more sets of jobs is assigned to a processing node of one or more processing nodes. The one or more sets of jobs are executed concurrently.
US09372618B2	Gesture based application management Methods and apparatus for controlling one or more displays using an application manager. The application manager may be displayed in response to a received gesture input. The application manager may provide information regarding applications or screens executing in one or more physical displays on the device. Furthermore, the application manager may be manipulated to change various aspects regarding the applications or screens executing in the one or more displays. This manipulation may include changing the actively displayed screen for a display, movement of screens between displays, or other manipulation of the arrangement or status of the screens.
US09372616B2	Smart interactive bookmarks A method includes, a computer generating at least one bookmark to provide an indication of placement, the computer configuring the at least one bookmark to have multiple functions; and the computer configuring the at least one bookmark to have an image based the placement.
US09372601B2	Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program An information processing apparatus that controls a user interface to display content, acquires position information corresponding to an input received at the user interface, determines a condition corresponding to the position information, and controls the user interface to display data corresponding to the input based on a result of the determining.
US09372598B2	Reference-based circular scrolling menu Provided are techniques for reference-based circular scrolling on a computer display. Techniques include generating a circular scrolling bar in a computer display, the scrolling bar comprising a plurality of segments; populating the circular scrolling bar with reference-based information corresponding to an information source, wherein each segment of the plurality of segments displays a unique reference corresponding to a corresponding discrete portion of the information source; presenting the corresponding discrete portion of the information source corresponding to a particular segment in response to contact with the particular segment.
US09372596B2	Assistive overlay for report generation In general, techniques are described for providing a user interface to create report specifications and included source definitions for business reporting and analysis. For example, a computing device includes a user interface (UI) module for displaying a graphical user interface (GUI) and receiving a selection of a data element at a start location of the GUI. The UI module may display an overlay element having a boundary forming a plurality of paths from the start location to a plurality of end locations, the paths corresponding to a plurality of report options associated with the data element. The UI module may receive a second input indicative of a traversal of the overlay element along a chosen path. The computing device may include a definition module operable to create a definition for a report specification based at least in part on the report option corresponding to the chosen path.
US09372594B2	Method and apparatus for adding icon to interface of system, and mobile terminal A method for adding an icon to an interface of an Android system, where the Android system has N interfaces, includes: a. obtaining add command information; b. obtaining, according to the add command information, space information of an icon to be added; c. obtaining remaining space information of an Mth interface according to the add command information; d. judging whether the space information of the icon to be added is greater than the remaining space information of the Mth interface; if yes, executing step e; if no, executing step f; e. judging whether the Mth interface is a last interface to be judged; if yes, executing step g; if no, assigning M+1 to M and returning to step c; f. adding the icon to the interface; and g. establishing another interface, and adding the icon to the newly established interface; where M and N are natural numbers, and 1≦M≦N.
US09372592B1	Presenting information related to content items An electronic device may present an interface providing information related to one or more content items. For example, the interface may present representations related to a plurality of content items to indicate relative values among the content items of at least one metric. Additionally, each representation may further indicate at least one of a quality of the value of the metric or a different metric value. A user may navigate the interface to more specific or more general views for a particular metric, characteristic and/or category, and may use the interface to view more information about a selected content item. Alternatively, the representations may represent, or may be arranged according to, authors, publishers, genres, etc. In some examples, the representations may represent terms obtained from content items that satisfy one or more metrics, such as terms that occur in content items sold within a specified period of time.
US09372585B2	Method and device for detecting capacitive touch screen A detecting device and method for a capacitive touch screen is proposed. A plurality of frequency settings is employed. Each frequency setting corresponds to a type of driving mode of a type of driving potential. These frequency settings are used for setting the detecting device for the capacitive touch screen. When the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio of the signals in the capacitive touch screen is not appropriate, frequency settings are changed by selecting one that yields a more appropriate S/N ratio among the frequency settings. The driving mode includes a single-electrode driving mode in which only a single driving electrode in the capacitive touch screen is driven at a time, and a multiple-electrode driving mode in which multiple driving electrodes are simultaneously driven at a time, and there can be several types of driving potentials.
US09372580B2	Enhanced touch detection methods In one embodiment, a method includes sending a first set of signals to a first set of lines of a touch sensor. The method also includes receiving a second set of signals on a second set of lines of the touch sensor in response to sending the first set of signals. The second set of lines are capacitively coupled to the first set of lines. The method includes sending a third set of signals and receiving a fourth set of signals. The fourth set of signals is capacitively generated based on the third set of signals. The method also includes determining a fifth set of signals by compensating the second set of signals based on the fourth set of signals and determining whether a touch occurred based on the fifth set of signals.
US09372571B2	Computing device canvas invocation and dismissal A canvas (e.g., a digital page or sheet of paper) on which a user can input data is displayed on a display device of a computing device in response to the canvas being invoked. The canvas can be invoked in different manners, such as by the user activating a switch or button at an “eraser” end of a stylus that mimics a pen/pencil configuration. The user can input any digital data such as notes, drawings, and so forth on the canvas that he or she desires. In response to the canvas being dismissed (e.g., by the user again activating a switch or button at an “eraser” end of a stylus that mimics a pen/pencil configuration), display of the canvas ceases. The digital data input by the user is saved or otherwise processed by the computing device.
US09372570B2	User interface An apparatus, method and computer program are provided. The method comprises: controlling a touch sensitive display, while a user digit is detected hovering a distance from the touch sensitive display, to display a transient indication of first content for pasting, wherein if the user subsequently moves the user digit away from the touch sensitive display such that the user digit is no longer detected, the transient indication of the first content for pasting is removed from display on the touch sensitive display.
US09372566B2	Touch-window Disclosed is the structure of a touch window. The touch window includes a transparent window, a touch sensor module on one surface of the transparent window, and a transfer film layer between the transparent window and the touch sensor module. The transfer film layer is provided in the touch sensor module to remove the structure of a printed pattern, so that the conventional problems related to the flatness caused by a printing step are solved, thereby improving the adhesive efficiency and expanding the realization range of various colors.
US09372560B2	Signal detecting system of multi wide capacitive touch-screen The present invention relates to a signal detection system of a touch screen, and more particularly to a signal detection system of a large-sized mutual capacitive multi touch screen that is capable of effectively reducing RC time delay, signal distortion, an effect of noise, parasitic resistance, and parasitic capacitance.
US09372552B2	Using physical objects in conjunction with an interactive surface An interaction management module (IMM) is described for allowing users to engage an interactive surface in a collaborative environment using various input devices, such as keyboard-type devices and mouse-type devices. The IMM displays digital objects on the interactive surface that are associated with the devices in various ways. The digital objects can include input display interfaces, cursors, soft-key input mechanisms, and so on. Further, the IMM provides a mechanism for establishing a frame of reference for governing the placement of each cursor on the interactive surface. Further, the IMM provides a mechanism for allowing users to make a digital copy of a physical article placed on the interactive surface. The IMM also provides a mechanism which duplicates actions taken on the digital copy with respect to the physical article, and vice versa.
US09372551B2	Image reading apparatus An image reading apparatus includes: a light source that irradiates light; a switching unit that switches a direction of the light irradiated by the light source to one of a plurality of predetermined directions; a light guiding unit that guides the light whose direction is switched by the switching unit and that travels in one of the plurality of directions to a position predetermined for each of the directions; and a light sensor that, in a case where an object is in the predetermined position, measures light reflect by the object out of the light guided to the position by the light guiding unit.
US09372541B2	Gesture recognition system operability verification A gesture recognition system and method verifies the operability of the gesture system by providing a test target that is configured to generate a test stimulus that is recognizable by the gesture recognition system. The test stimulus from the test target is received and processed in the gesture recognition system to generate a test response. The processor verifies that the test response corresponds to the test stimulus.
US09372524B2	Dynamically modifying a power/performance tradeoff based on processor utilization In one embodiment, the present invention includes a multicore processor having a power controller with logic to dynamically switch a power management policy from a power biased policy to a performance biased policy when a utilization of the processor exceeds a threshold level. Thus at low utilizations, reduced power consumption can be realized, while at higher utilizations, greater performance can be realized. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US09372515B2	Heat and airflow management in a data storage device A chassis sub-assembly for computing devices includes a first heat sink plate and a second heat sink plate. The first heat sink plate includes a first plurality of perforations and the second heat sink plate includes a second plurality of perforations. The chassis sub-assembly also includes a first computing device and a second computing device. Each of the first and second computing devices is positioned between the first heat sink plate and the second heat sink plate. The first and second computing devices are in contact with both the first and second heat sink plates, and define a channel gap between the first and second computing devices. At least some of the first and second plurality of perforations are aligned with the channel gap. The first plurality of perforations, the channel gap, and the second plurality of perforations define an airflow channel.
US09372512B2	Portable electronic device A portable electronic device includes a cover, a main body, a first bracket, a second bracket and a rotary shaft. The main body includes a top surface, a bottom surface opposite to the top surface, and a guiding groove disposed on the top surface. One end of the first bracket pivots to the cover, and the other of the first bracket is slidable in the guiding groove. One end of the second bracket pivots to the cover. The rotary shaft pivots to the other of the second bracket and the main body to allow the second bracket to rotate about an axis of rotation relative to the main body. An orthographic projection of the guiding groove on the bottom surface of the main body and an orthographic projection of the rotary shaft on the bottom surface of the main body are overlapped with each other.
US09372508B2	Flexible display device and method for the same capable of reducing accidental contact-induced malfunctions A flexible display device includes a base, a flexible display panel, a detecting unit and a control unit. The flexible display includes a touch control unit that could be exposed outside of or received within the base. The detecting unit is used to detect the operating state of the flexible display panel. Then, the control unit controls the touch control unit according to a detected result of the detecting unit. Accordingly, the flexible display device according to the present invention may effectively reduce the accidental contact-induced malfunctions.
US09372506B2	Electronic device An electronic device includes: a battery; a fixing member coupled to the battery; a printed board partially fixed to the fixing member; and a housing that houses the battery, the fixing member, and the printed board, the battery being fixed to the housing.
US09372504B2	Multi display apparatus and hinge device therefor A multi display apparatus is provided. The multi display apparatus includes a first display device and a second display device arranged adjacent to each other, and a hinge device provided to rotate the first display device and the second display device relative to each other, wherein the hinge device includes a first hinge member fixed to the first display device, and a second hinge member fixed to the second display device and connected to the first hinge member such that the second hinge member is movable in a circumferential direction with respect to an interface between adjacent side surfaces of the first display device and the second display device.
US09372502B1	System clock distribution in a distributed computing environment A system clock signal distributed to electronic configurable and reconfigurable computing devices within a distributed computing system. The distributed computing devices, which may be dual-die chip carriers (DDCC), include input addressable data/clock ports on which system clock signals are accepted and may be propagated on one or more data/clock output ports. The input and/or output ports of various distributed computing devices may be configured and reconfigured according to system preferences or requirements.
US09372499B2	Low insertion delay clock doubler and integrated circuit clock distribution system using same A clock doubler includes a first NAND gate having a first input for receiving a clock input signal and a second input, a second NAND gate having a first input and a second input for receiving a complement of the clock input signal, an output NAND gate having a first and second inputs coupled to outputs of the first and second NAND gates, respectively, and an output for providing a clock output signal, an inverter chain having an input for receiving the clock input signal and responsive to first and second control signals to selectively provide a first true output to the first input of the second NAND gate, and a second complementary output to the second input of the first NAND gate, and a control signal generation circuit providing the first and second control signals in response to the outputs of the first and second NAND gates.
US09372497B2	Rotary actuator A rotary actuator has a first rotatable part having a control surface with an undulating or sawtooth profile, and has a fixed second part having at least one detent element running on the control surface. The detent element is accommodated, in a manner which allows movement against a restoring force, in an aperture which tapers in a V shape towards the first part. The detent element is accommodated with play between the side walls bounding the aperture. The detent element interacts with the radially oriented control surface in such a way that, as it runs up a projection on the control surface as a result of a movement of the first part, it is moved against one side wall and, upon passing beyond the projection, strikes against the other side wall due the restoring force.
US09372496B2	Electronic device and method for generating a curvature compensated bandgap reference voltage The invention relates to an electronic device with a bandgap reference generator including a first path with series connection of a first bipolar transistor, a first resistor and a second resistor, and a second path with series connection of a second bipolar transistor and a third resistor. The first and second paths are supplied current via a common node through a fourth resistor controlled by an amplifier sensing voltage drops within the first and second paths. A curvature compensation stage compensates for a variation of base emitter voltage of the bipolar transistors by drawing a compensation current from the common resistor node.
US09372484B2	Automated guided vehicles The present invention relates to automated guided vehicles, hereinafter referred to as AGVs, and specifically to AGVs used for entertainment purposes. More specifically, the present invention relates to a safety system for a passenger carrying AGV used for entertainment purposes. The present invention acts to prevent a passenger carrying automated guided vehicle from deviating from its intended path.
US09372483B2	Method for the calculation of flight paths taking into consideration events of relevance for radiation dose A method for the calculation of flight paths taking into consideration events of relevance for the radiation dose comprises the following steps: a) collection of radiation data for atmospheric radiation (10); b) examination of the radiation data and conclusion about an event of relevance for radiation dose generating a temporary increase in exposure; c) creation of a model using the radiation data, wherein the model contains at least one estimate of the geographical location of a region with a radiation intensity increased by the event of relevance for radiation dose; d) determination of flight-relevant parameters; e) calculation of a possible flight path in the light of the flight-relevant parameters taking into consideration the model created in step c), wherein the flight path is adjusted in respect of a reduction of exposure to radiation.
US09372481B2	Encoder, motor with encoder, servo system, and signal processing method for encoder An encoder includes a measurement target which is coupled to a motor, a module which is positioned relative to the measurement target and generates signals based on motion of the measurement target, and a control device which generates and outputs position data based on the signals from the module and includes a position detector, an abnormality detector, a cause analyzer, a non-volatile memory, and a non-volatile memory controller. The position detector detects a position of the motor, the abnormality detector detects an abnormality based on state information including a state of the position detector, the cause analyzer analyzes the state information when the abnormality detector detects the abnormality such that a cause of the abnormality detected by the abnormality detector is identified, and the non-volatile memory controller stores in the non-volatile memory a result of analysis obtained by the cause analyzer.
US09372474B2	External piece for a timepiece and system of manufacturing the same An external piece for a time piece and a method of manufacturing the same, including a top surface and a bottom surface. At least one of the faces includes a longitudinal curvature and a transverse curvature that are different.
US09372473B2	Timepiece mechanism comprising a movable oscillating component with optimised geometry in a magnetic environment A timepiece mechanism including a movable component oscillating about a rest plane passing through a pivot axis. An arbor of the movable component includes a main protruding portion which forms the largest radius of the movable component about this axis. The protruding portion is delimited by two surfaces defining a profile inscribed in a rectangle whose shape proportion is greater than 2 wherein the direction of the length defines a main axis, which occupies a determined angular position with respect to the rest plane in the rest position of the movable component. The mechanism has a preferred direction of magnetization that is substantially orthogonal to the main axis of the arbor in the rest position.
US09372468B2	Open/closed sensing device, opening and closing device using open/closed sensing device, and processing apparatus An open/closed sensing device includes an opening and closing member, a member that receives the opening and closing member when the opening and closing member is closed, at least one magnetic force holder on one of the opening and closing member and the receiving member and that includes a conductive holding frame and a magnet held in the holding frame so as to magnetize the holding frame, a conductive to-be-attracted member that is disposed on a portion of the other one of the opening and closing member and the receiving member, the portion corresponding to the magnetic force holder, and to which the holding frame is attracted when the opening and closing member is closed, and a sensing circuit that connects in series the holding frame and the to-be-attracted member and that electrically senses whether the holding frame and the to-be-attracted member are in contact with each other.
US09372462B1	Image forming apparatus An image forming apparatus includes a movable image bearing member, a transfer member, a constant voltage source for applying a transfer voltage and a returning voltage to the transfer member, an executing portion capable of selectively executing an operation in a first mode in which image formation is executed at a first speed and an operation in a second mode in which the image formation is effected at a speed slower than the first speed, and a setting portion for setting a falling time from transfer voltage falling start timing toward the returning voltage until a current flowing through said transfer member is zero. The setting portion sets the falling time in the operation in the second mode so as to be longer than the falling time in the operation in the first mode.
US09372449B1	Fixing device and image forming apparatus including the same A peripheral surface of a pressing roller in a fixing device has a pair of drive transmission surface portions and a paper passing surface portion. The drive transmission surface portions are respectively formed at both end portions of the pressing roller in an axial direction to transmit rotational driving force of the pressing roller to the fixing belt. The paper passing surface portion is positioned between the pair of drive transmission surface portions and has a dynamic friction coefficient lower than that of the drive transmission surface portion. It is determined whether a slip of the fixing belt occurs based on a difference between temperatures detected by a first temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the drive transmission surface portion and a second temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the paper passing surface portion. Thereby, even a slight slip of the fixing belt 42 is reliably detected.
US09372423B2	Image formation method, toner set, and white toner The invention provides an image formation method, a toner set, and a white toner, by which a masking function of an image layer formed by a white toner on a recording medium can be developed efficiently, and low temperature fixability can be improved. An image formation method for fixing an image forming layer (A) to be formed using a white toner, and an image forming layer (B) to be formed adjacent to the image forming layer (A) using a toner different from the white toner on a recording medium; wherein the following relational expressions (1) and (2) are satisfied: 1.000
US09372422B2	Optimized latex particle size for improved hot offset temperature for sustainable toners The disclosure provides sustainable toner particles of from about 180 nm to about 250 nm in a sustainable toner composition having a hot offset temperature of from about 190° C. to about 220° C.
US09372420B2	Heat treating apparatus for powder particles and method of producing toner A heat treating apparatus for powder particles containing a binder resin and a colorant, the heat treating apparatus including: a treating chamber in which a heat treatment of the powder particles is performed; a raw material-supplying unit for supplying the powder particles to the treating chamber; a hot air-supplying unit that supplies hot air to the treating chamber; a cold air-supplying unit that supplies cold air for cooling the heat-treated powder particles; and a recovering unit that recovers the heat-treated powder particles. The raw material-supplying unit includes an introducing tube and a distributing member, and the distributing member is provided with a protruding member on a portion opposite to an outlet portion of the introducing tube, and the distributing member includes a supplying tube including two or more flow paths that extend radially outwardly from the protruding member to a wall surface of the treating chamber.
US09372406B2	Film portion at wafer edge A film layer on a substrate of the wafer is patterned to form a first plurality of areas of the film layer and a second plurality of areas of the film layer. The first plurality of areas of the film layer is removed. The second plurality of areas of the film layer is kept on the substrate. A first portion of the film layer is kept on the substrate. A first edge of the first portion of the film layer is substantially near an edge of the wafer. The first portion of the film layer defines a boundary for the wafer.
US09372402B2	Molecular organometallic resists for EUV Described herein are organometallic or inorganic complexes with high extreme ultraviolet (EUV) optical density (OD) and high mass density for use in thin films. These thin films are used as high resolution, low line edge roughness (LER) EUV photoresists. The complexes may also be included in nanoparticle form for use in photoresists.
US09372400B2	Grayscale mask plate, color film substrate, related fabricating methods, and display device A grayscale mask plate and method of fabricating the same, a color film substrate and method of fabricating the same, and a display device are disclosed. The grayscale mask plate comprises a transparent substrate and a light blocking layer on the transparent substrate. The light blocking layer comprises an exposure region with an optical translucent film which has a light blocking ratio decreasing gradually or stepwise from a center of the optical translucent film to an edge of the optical translucent film. As a result, the intensity of light transmitted through the exposure region is uniform, such that a post spacer fabricated by the grayscale mask plate has a relatively flat top face. Thus, the post spacer exhibits a linear variation in its hardness under the action of an external force.
US09372398B2	Patterning in the directed assembly of block copolymers using triblock or multiblock copolymers Provided herein are block copolymer thin film structures and methods of fabrication. The methods involve directing the assembly of ABA triblock copolymers such that desired features are formed by domains of the assembled ABA triblock copolymer. In some embodiments, an ABA triblock copolymer is directed to assemble by a chemical pattern. Chemical patterns with periods much different than the natural period of the ABA triblock copolymer may be used to direct assembly of the ABA triblock copolymer.
US09372387B2	Laser projector A laser projector includes a laser light source to emit laser light modulated in accordance with image information, a scanner to drive the laser light along two axes in horizontal and vertical directions and make scanning two-dimensionally with the laser light, a scanning mirror drive part to produce a drive signal of the scanner, a light source data conversion part to change arrangement in a horizontal direction of data applied to the laser light source and a timing generation part to synchronize the scanning mirror drive part with the light source data conversion part, and a start direction of laser scanning in the horizontal direction is changed every frame of the image information.
US09372384B2	Camera quick attachment and release mechanism A quick attachment and release mounting mechanism for a camera. The mechanism includes a clamping base with clamping structure adapted to be secured around an object, such as a paddle, and an adapter. The clamping base includes a receptacle which is trapezoidal and narrower at the top, and also tapers from one end to the other. The receptacle is disclosed forwardly of the clamping structure. The adapter includes a fastener adapted to engage a camera, and a leading portion with a shape that is complementary to that of the receptacle. A latch mechanism is provided to latch the adapter and receptacle together. The latch mechanism is shielded from accidental disengagement by a frame.
US09372370B2	Liquid crystal display and method of manufacturing the same A liquid crystal display includes: a substrate; a thin film transistor disposed on the substrate; a pixel electrode disposed on the thin film transistor; and a roof layer facing the pixel electrode, wherein a plurality of microcavities are formed between the pixel electrode and the roof layer, each microcavity includes liquid crystal materials, a partition wall is formed between the microcavities, and the roof layer includes a dry film.
US09372363B2	Method for manufacturing photo-responsive cross-linked liquid-crystalline polymer film The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a photo-responsive cross-linked liquid-crystalline polymer film, containing: a process of preparing a photopolymerizable monomer solution by dissolving in a solvent a polyfunctional liquid-crystalline monomer, a monofunctional liquid-crystalline monomer, a polyfunctional photo-responsive monomer and a photopolymerization initiator; a process of forming a photopolymerizable coating by applying the photopolymerizable monomer solution to a surface of an alignment film by means of a wet coating method and performing removal of the solvent; and a process of forming a film by photopolymerizing the monomers through light irradiation of the photopolymerizable coating under a non-oxygen atmosphere.
US09372359B2	Liquid crystal display device To provide a thin liquid crystal display device equipped with the capacitance-type touch panel, and specifically the thin liquid crystal display device with a lower cost and a higher reliability.The thin liquid crystal display device includes a CF substrate and a TFT substrate formed with a transparent electrode common line, the CF substrate having a plurality of transparent lines, the transparent electrode common line being isolated into a plurality of belt-like forms by an isolation slit, and an area where the transparent line and the transparent electrode common line constitutes an upper electrode and a lower electrode of the capacitance-type touch panel. Furthermore, there are provided a redundant slit and a disconnectable point of the metal common line.
US09372351B1	Circuits for active eyewear A circuit includes a front-end circuit, a receiver stage and a controller. An example front-end circuit includes a common base input device, a first current mirror and a second current mirror, where the common base input device has its emitter coupled to a photodiode, its collector coupled to an input of the first current mirror, and its base coupled to a reference voltage to reverse bias the photodiode and where an output of the first current mirror is input into the second current mirror. In another example, a voltage drop resistor is coupled to a cancellation signal output of the first current mirror and an operational transimpedance amplifier (OTA) has inputs coupled to the voltage drop resistor and to a reference voltage and an output coupled to a compensating impedance and to a control input of a variable current source designed to feed the emitter signal input.
US09372348B2	Apparatus and method for a bioptic real time video system A method and apparatus of displaying an electronic video image using a head-worn near-to-eye display in a non-immersive fashion, such that the wearer can choose, through simple adjustments of their neck and eye angles, to either look at the displayed video image or their natural environment. The invention also relates to the incorporation of prescription lenses into the optical chain of the near-to-eye display. The invention also relates to the use of motion and position sensors incorporated into the head-worn device to enable automatic stabilization of the video image. The invention also relates to the use of motion and position sensors incorporated into the head-worn device to automatically adjust the vertical angle of either the camera or the electronic display or both, by sensing the vertical angular position of the user's head.
US09372342B2	Optical fingerprint acquisition apparatus Provided is an optical fingerprint acquisition apparatus. The fingerprint acquisition apparatus has an improved optical lens unit and can correct distortion of an image caused by a light refractor. The optical lens unit includes two cylindrical lenses disposed so that an optical axis of incident light does not coincide with a central axis of the lenses. The optical lens unit corrects an image that is distorted into a rectangle by a light refractor, thereby restoring a square shape. In particular, the fingerprint acquisition apparatus is useful in the simultaneous acquisition of multiple fingerprints as well as the acquisition of a single fingerprint.
US09372335B2	Finder optical system A finder optical system includes an image inverter optical member and an eyepiece lens system. The eyepiece lens system includes a first lens element, a positive biconvex second lens element, and a meniscus third lens element having a concave surface on the eyepoint side, in that order from the object side. A diopter adjustment operation is performed by moving the second lens element along the optical axis. Conditions (1) and (2) are satisfied: −0.2
US09372333B2	High resolution microscope and image divider assembly The invention relates to a microscope having an illumination beam path with wide field illumination of a sample and a first detection beam path having a spatially resolved surface receiver, which is reached by a first part of the detection light coming from the sample via the first detection beam path, or an image divider assembly for a microscope. In order to lengthen the optical path length, at least a second part of the detection light coming from the sample is masked out of the detection beam path and, via deflection means belonging to the detection beam path, is led into a second detection beam path and, preferably via further deflection means, is deflected back in the direction of the detection in such a way that detection light is applied to at least two partial regions beside one another on the surface receiver. At least the second part of the detection light runs in an optical element having an optical density that is increased as compared with the first detection beam path, in order to lengthen the optical path length, and the optical element is designed to be displaceable at an angle, preferably perpendicular, to the optical axis of the first detection beam path in order to adjust the optical path length, and has flat surfaces, at least on the light entry and light exit side thereof; a prism is provided, preferably a glass prism, preferably at least in the second detection beam path after a first beam deflection, for deflection in a direction parallel to the first detection beam path, in order to increase the path length and for reverse deflection.
US09372328B2	Projection system and projector A projection system includes: a relay system that focuses light having exited through a first image plane on a second image plane; and an enlarging system that enlarges and projects an image focused on the second image plane on a third image plane, wherein the relay system includes a first lens element on which the light having exited through the first image plane is incident, the first lens element having positive refracting power, a reflective member that reflects a light having passed through the first lens element, the reflective member having positive refracting power, and a second lens element on which a light reflected off the reflective member is incident and which focuses the light reflected off the reflective member on the second image plane, the second lens element having positive refracting power.
US09372325B2	Photographic lens optical system A photographic lens optical system. The photographic lens optical system includes a first lens, a second lens, a third lens, a fourth lens, a fifth lens, and a sixth lens that are sequentially arranged in a direction from an object toward an image sensor. The first lens has a negative (−) power, and the emission surface thereof may be convex toward the object. The second lens may have a positive (+) power, the third and fourth lenses have positive (+) powers, and the fifth lens has a negative (−) power. Furthermore, the sixth lens is an aspherical lens having a positive (+) power.
US09372318B2	Rack mountable optical fiber enclosure An optical fiber enclosure includes a generally rectangular housing including mounting tabs, the mounting tabs to secure the optical fiber enclosure to a rack; a plurality of trays slidable relative to the housing, the plurality of trays extendable from a front side of the housing; and a plurality of cable management clips along a front edge of a tray of the plurality of trays, the cable management clips arranged to retain optical fiber cables entering the enclosure.
US09372312B2	Optical device An optical device and a method of manufacturing an optical device. The optical device includes: a conversion means for converting propagation light propagating through an optical waveguide into parallel light and for outputting the parallel light; and a first lens means for focusing the parallel light outputted from the conversion means on a core of an optical fiber. The method includes: converting propagation light propagating through an optical waveguide into parallel light; outputting the parallel light; and focusing, using a first lens, the parallel light on a core of an optical fiber.
US09372309B2	Method for making a splice between optical fibres in a joint device for electrical cables A method for making a splice between optical fibers in a joint device suitable for housing the joint between a first electrical cable includes a first optical fiber and a second electrical cable including a second optical fiber. The joint device includes a sleeve having a cylindrical portion. The method includes (i) splicing the first optical fiber and the second optical fiber so as to form the splice and (ii) winding at least a portion of the excess length of the first optical fiber and at least a portion of the excess length of the second optical fiber around the cylindrical portion of the sleeve in a helix substantially coaxial with the cylindrical portion.
US09372307B1	Monolithically integrated III-V optoelectronics with SI CMOS A method of forming monolithically integrated III-V optoelectronics with a silicon complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) device. The method may include; forming a buried waveguide in a buried oxide (BOX) layer of a semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) substrate; forming a first optoelectronic device and a second optoelectronic device adjacent to the buried waveguide; and forming a CMOS device on a semiconductor layer above the BOX layer.
US09372303B2	Optical connection component manufacturing apparatus and high polymer material coat forming apparatus Disclosed is an optical connection component manufacturing apparatus that manufactures an optical connection component in which a refractive index matching body is attached to a front end face of an optical fiber. The optical connection component manufacturing apparatus includes: a holding unit that includes a holding face holding a refractive index matching liquid including the refractive index matching body; a dispenser that supplies the refractive index matching liquid to the holding face; and a static electricity generating device that charges the optical fiber so that the refractive index matching liquid held on the holding face is adsorbed onto the front end face of the optical fiber, wherein the holding face has an outer peripheral edge connected in a curved line.
US09372300B2	Light-emitting unit and display Provided is a light-emitting unit that includes: a light-guide section having a light entering surface; and a plurality of light sources opposed to the light entering surface of the light-guide section and arrayed in a first direction, and each having an anisotropy in emission intensity. A pattern shape of light applied from any of the light sources to the light entering surface has a shape anisotropy, and the light sources are each disposed to allow a longitudinal direction of the pattern shape to be inclined relative to the first direction.
US09372298B2	Luminaire The invention relates to a luminaire that enables the use of more sparsely distributed light sources, having a uniform fixture surface brightness and good color mixing. The luminaire comprises first and second light guide layers (10, 11) optically coupled together by at least one optical coupler (12a, 12b), which allows the passage of light from the first (10) to the second light guide layer (11). The luminaire also comprises a plurality of light sources (16a, 16b), each of which being arranged such that light emitted by the light source (16a, 16b) is coupled into the first light guide layer (10) at an interface surface (17)arranged substantially perpendicularly to a longitudinal axis of the first light guide layer (10). The luminaire further comprises a scattering element (14) adapted to cause light to be emitted from an emitting surface of the second light guide layer (11). By providing two optically coupled light guide layers (10, 11), one for receiving light emitted by the light sources (16a, 16b) and the other for emission, greater opportunity for dispersion and color mixing of the light is provided.
US09372290B2	Spectrum analyzer and reflection type diffraction grating thereof A spectrum analyzer includes an input member, a predetermined output plane and a reflection type diffraction grating. The input member receives an optical signal. The reflection type diffraction grating includes a non-Rowland circle curved grating profile curved surface and a plurality of diffraction structures. The diffraction structures, each having a pitch and disposed on the grating profile curved surface, are configured to separate the optical signal into a plurality of spectral components. At least some pitches of the spectral components are different from each other. One of the spectral components indicating a central wavelength is emitted to the predetermined output plane in a direction substantially perpendicular to the predetermined output plane. The grating profile curved surface is used for focusing the spectral components on the predetermined output plane.
US09372282B1	Styrenic ophthalmic and otorhinolaryngological materials and devices formed therewith Disclosed are improved ophthalmic and otorhinolaryngological device materials and devices formed therewith. The device materials are soft, high refractive index styrenic device materials that are used to form the ophthalmic or otorhinolaryngological devices, particularly ophthalmic implants (e.g., intraocular lenses).
US09372279B2	Method of determining petroleum location The probable location of petroleum deposits is determined by identifying a severe-weather-inducing site from severe weather such as mesocyclones, tornados, funnels aloft, wall clouds or supercells, water spouts, and a high density of multiple lightning ground strikes. Typically the severe-weather-inducing site is located by identifying the initial appearance of the tornado vortex signature in modern Doppler radar or monitoring the severe weather, recording data as to its position and its velocity and acceleration with respect to the ground or water surface if it is moving, and determining the inducing site from such data. The occurrence of multiple severe weather sites in a dense pattern is also used to determine the probable location of petroleum deposits.
US09372276B2	Combinations of axial and saddle coils to create the equivalent of tilted coils for directional resistivity measurements An electromagnetic well logging instrument includes an instrument housing, at least one transmitter coil disposed on the housing and at least one receiver coil disposed on the housing. At least one of the transmitter and receiver coils is formed from a combination solenoidal (axial) and saddle coils. The net dipole moment direction of the combined coil is determined by selecting the relative turn-areas of the saddle and solenoidal coil. The combined coil can be formed from a single wire wound to have both a longitudinal magnetic dipole moment and a transverse magnetic dipole moment with respect to a longitudinal axis of the housing.
US09372268B2	Method for erasing bright burn and radiographic imaging device having bright burn-erasing function A method for erasing bright burn includes: applying, to a scintillator, visible light having an intensity peak at a wavelength in the range of 405 nm to 500 nm, wherein the scintillator includes cesium iodide and is provided in a radiographic imaging device having a photoelectric transducer.
US09372265B2	Intermediate two-dimensional scanning with a three-dimensional scanner to speed registration A method for measuring and registering 3D coordinates has a 3D scanner measure a first collection of 3D coordinates of points from a first registration position. The 3D scanner collects 2D scan sets as 3D measuring device moves from first to second registration positions. A processor determines first and second translation values and a first rotation value based on collected 2D scan sets. 3D scanner measures a second collection of 3D coordinates of points from second registration position. Processor adjusts the second collection of points relative to first collection of points based at least in part on first and second translation values and first rotation value. Processor identifies a correspondence among registration targets in first and second collection of 3D coordinates, and uses this correspondence to further adjust the relative position and orientation of first and second collection of 3D coordinates.
US09372259B2	Radar apparatus A pulse transmission controller generates transmission timing signals for a high-frequency radar transmission signal in every transmission cycle. A transmission phase shifter gives a transmission signal generated by a modulator phase shifts each corresponding to a transmission cycle on the basis of the transmission timing signals generated at intervals that are equal to the transmission cycle. A reception phase shifter gives a reception signal that is output from an A/D converter reception phase shifts that are opposite in direction to the respective transmission phase shifts given by the transmission phase shifter on the basis of the transmission timing signals generated at intervals that are equal to the transmission cycle.
US09372256B2	Wafer scale sensor ultra-wideband array for tissue diagnosis Radar imaging for medical diagnosis addresses the need for non-ionizing and low-cost alternatives to conventional medical diagnosis methods, such as mammography x-ray techniques, which expose patients to ionizing radiation for cancer detection. An ultra wide band (UWB) sensor can produce very fine beams at the V- or W-bands using beam forming techniques developed specifically for wafer scale antenna arrays. The high bandwidth radio waves can penetrate tissue and resolve tissue anomalies with high-resolution. Pseudo-random coding creates a signal that allows the correlating receiver to extract very low energy reflected signals from background noise providing coding gain. An integrated panel of sensor antenna arrays enables rapid scanning of the subject area, such as breast tissue, to detect anomalies by eliminating the need for mechanical scanning (e.g., moving the sensors relative to the subject) because the wafer scale antenna array can instantaneously take the desired topographic picture of the subject area.
US09372254B2	Position estimation device, position estimation method, program and integrated circuit A position estimation device which includes: a distance estimation unit which estimates, using a receiving strength of a signal received by a wireless terminal from each of a plurality of base stations communicating with the wireless terminal, distance information indicating a distance from the base station to the wireless terminal; a position estimation unit which estimates a first position to be a current position of the wireless terminal using base station information indicating a position of the base station and the estimated distance information; and a correction unit which corrects the distance information based on an acceleration and a direction of the wireless terminal, the estimated first position, and the base station information. The position estimation unit further estimates a second position to be a current position of the wireless terminal using the base station information and the corrected distance information.
US09372227B2	Integrated circuit test system and method A system for testing a device under test (DUT) includes a probe card and a test module. The probe card includes probe beds electrically coupled to a circuit board and a first plurality of electrical contacts coupled to the circuit board, which are for engaging respective ones of a plurality of electrical contacts of a test equipment module. Probes are coupled to respective probe beds and are disposed to engage electrical contacts of the DUT. The probe card includes a second plurality of electrical contacts coupled to the circuit board. The first and second pluralities of contacts are mutually exclusive. The test module includes a memory, a processor, and a plurality of electrical contacts electrically coupled to respective ones of the second plurality of electrical contacts of the probe card. The circuit board includes a first electrical path for electrically coupling the test equipment module to the test module.
US09372224B2	Method for checking the proper method of operating of a current sensor The disclosure describes a method for checking the proper method of operation of a current sensor which is designed to measure a battery current. During a precharge phase which begins at a time at which at least one electrical component is connected to a battery and during which the electrical component is precharged by a precharge current, at least one measured value provided by the current sensor is compared with an expected current value determined from an expected temporal profile of the precharge current. The disclosure also describes a computation unit and a battery which are designed to carry out the method according to the disclosure.
US09372217B2	Cable detector A measuring device for detecting a conductor that carries alternating voltage, includes a voltage source configured to produce two phase-shifted alternating voltages, two complex impedance elements having first connections, which are connected to the alternating voltages, and second connections, which are connected to each other and to which a differential voltage is applied, and a control device configured to control the alternating voltages in such a way that a component of the differential voltage synchronous with the alternating voltages is minimized in magnitude. The control device is configured to detect the conductor if a ratio of the alternating voltages does not correspond to a ratio of the complex impedance elements in the absence of the conductor. The second complex impedance element is changeable with a control voltage. A probe is configured to provide the control voltage as a function of an alternating electromagnetic field induced by the conductor.
US09372215B2	Electrical resistance measurement apparatus and electrical resistance measurement method An electrical resistance measurement apparatus includes a light irradiation unit that irradiates a conductive thin film with terahertz light, a reflection light detection unit that detects reflection light from the conductive thin film, and a computer containing a storage that stores correlation between the reflectance of the terahertz light from the conductive thin film and electrical resistance of the conductive thin film. The computer further containing a processor that determines, reflectance of the terahertz light from the conductive thin film based on a result of detection performed by the reflection light detection unit, and determines the electrical resistance of the conductive thin film based on the correlation and a result of the determination of the reflectance.
US09372207B1	Power sensing transducer A current measurement and voltage measurement transducer for power measurements has an upper split core attached to an upper housing and a lower split core attached to a lower housing. The upper housing and lower housing have a common hinge surface and engaging surfaces for maintaining closure and providing a magnetic circuit which surrounds a conductor placed inside the transducer, and the magnetic circuit is coupled to windings around the split core, thereby providing a measurement of current. The housings also provide one or more piercing pins which penetrate the insulation of the conductor and provide a voltage measurement.
US09372204B2	Sensor assemblies The present invention provides a sensor body (1′) that can be used as part of a sensor assembly, optionally a capacitive sensor that is used to measure the clearance between the tip of a gas turbine engine blade and the surrounding casing. The sensor body includes a core layer (2) having an electrically conductive electrode layer (6). An outer insulating layer (4) substantially surrounds the core layer (2) and extends along a front part (8) of the sensor body to define a window layer (10) that provides a hermetic seal that excludes gas from any interface between the constituent layers of the sensor body. The core layer (2) and the outer insulating layer (4) are formed from the same electrically non-conducting ceramic material to avoid any problems with differential thermal expansion. The electrode layer (6) is embedded within a front part of the sensor body and extends between the core layer (2) and the window layer (10).
US09372203B1	Actuators for securing probes in a scanning probe microscope Disclosed are various actuators for probe exchangers for use in scanning probe microscopes (SPMs). The probe exchange actuators are designed so as to impose no net forces on a probe clamp attached to the high resolution piezoelectric positioning mechanism to which the probe is being transferred. These actuators therefore impose no net force on the delicate high resolution piezoelectric positioning mechanism, thus helping protect it from physical damage during the probe exchange process.
US09372192B2	Method and device for combined detection of viral and bacterial infections A lateral flow assay detects and differentiates between viral and bacterial infections. A combined point of care diagnostic device tests markers for viral infection and markers for bacterial infection, to effectively assist in the rapid differentiation of viral and bacterial infections. In one preferred embodiment, the bacterial marker is CRP. In another preferred embodiment, the viral marker is MxA. In some embodiments, it is unnecessary to lyse the cells in the sample prior to applying it to the device.
US09372189B2	Biomarker for lymphocytic infundibuloneurohypophysitis, and use applications thereof The purpose of the present invention is to provide: a biomarker specific to lymphocytic infundibuloneurohypophysitis; and use applications of the biomarker. Provided are: a biomarker comprising an anti-rabphilin 3a antibody; and a test method using the biomarker.
US09372183B2	Method and apparatus for the discrimination of the cell load in milk A method is provided for the discrimination of cells from other particles, as well as of different types of cells in raw milk samples by impedance microflow cytometry. A method is provided of analysing the quality of raw milk in terms of its bacterial and somatic cell content without the need to pre-treat the milk sample, such that the analysis can take place directly at the production site. One advantage is discriminating and counting somatic cells from milk particles (consisting mainly of lipid vesicles) by high-frequency impedance analysis directly performed on untreated raw milk. Another advantage is that the method allows diagnosing the status of a mastitis infection directly after milking according to the analysis of the somatic cell count. Another advantage is to allow a fast method for determining the bacterial cell count in raw milk directly after milking. In addition, viability of both somatic and bacterial cells can be determined without the need of any cell label. A further advantage is, that the analysis can be obtained in real-time, directly after the raw milk has passed the micro channel of the microfluidic device.
US09372177B2	Method and system for detecting exposure of composites to high-temperature A method of detecting high-temperature exposure of a composite may include applying a composition comprising an adduct suitable for detecting heat and/or mechanical stress in a composite, wherein the adduct reverts to first and second adduct components after exposure of the composition to a temperature of from about 190° C. to about 260° C. to a surface of the composite; exposing the surface to which the composition has been applied to ultraviolet light; and measuring fluorescence of the composition.
US09372176B2	Ultrasonic inspection method An ultrasonic inspection method for inspecting a first article. The method includes, in a first inspection process: measuring the distance between a first surface of the first article and a nominal axis at three or more measurement locations along the axis of the surface; using the measured distances to produce a mathematical model of the surface of the first article; transmitting an ultrasonic wave from a first side of the first article through the first surface of the first article at a plurality of inspection locations along the axis of the first surface, and receiving a transmitted waveform which has passed through at least part of the first article; using the model to normalize each transmitted waveform at each inspection location to the nominal axis; and identifying a signature signal from the normalized transmitted waveform at each inspection location.
US09372174B2	Ultrasonic inspection tool An ultrasonic inspection probe comprising: a flexible ultrasonic array, a flexible coupling component arranged to ultrasonically couple the flexible ultrasonic array to a workpiece at a coupling boundary surface, a loading component arranged to apply a pressure to the coupling component to a surface opposite the coupling boundary surface to maintain contact between the coupling boundary surface and a workpiece.
US09372164B2	XRF instrument with removably attached window protecting films Herein disclosed is an x-ray florescence (XRF) test system which comprises an XRF test instrument used for testing a test target's responses to X-rays, the instrument including a test window allowing the X-ray and its responsive energy to pass through, and at least one window protecting film allowing X-rays to pass through and providing protections to the window, the film being configured to be coupled with the window in a fashion to be removed from or applied or reapplied over the window. The corresponding calibration mode can be manually or automatically applied according to the specific film presently in use.
US09372162B2	Characterization of subterranean formation properties derived from quantitative X-Ray CT scans of drill cuttings A method and a system are provided to characterize subterranean formations, which includes extracting drill cuttings from a drilling fluid, and grouping the drill cuttings into a group of cuttings based on a time of arrival of the drill cuttings at the Earth's surface, wherein these steps can be repeated at least once to provide a plurality of groups of drill cuttings that arrive sequentially at different recorded times that correspond to different downhole locations.
US09372160B2	Method and system for optically inspecting the ends of a manufactured part at a single inspection station having a measurement axis A method and system for optically inspecting the ends of a manufactured part at a single inspection station having a measurement axis are provided. The system includes a fixture assembly having a rotatable first fixturing component and a rotatable second fixturing component mating with and removably connected to the first fixturing component to transmit torque from the first fixturing component to the second fixturing component. The second fixturing component has a device for holding the part in a generally horizontal orientation and permit rotation of the horizontally held part between first and second angular positions about the measurement axis. The system also includes an actuator assembly, an illumination device, a lens and detector assembly and at least one processor to process electrical signals generated by the lens and detector assembly to determine at least one geometric dimension or any visual defects at the ends of the part.
US09372149B2	Hybrid, planar optofluidic integration An optofluidic platform is constructed to comprise a vertical integration of optical and fluidic layers. The optical layer enables interaction of light with a fluid for a variety of purposes, including particle detection, manipulation, and analysis. The vertical integration allows layers to be permanently or temporarily attached to each other. Temporary attachments provide the advantage of reusing the same optical layer with different fluidic layers. Most preferably, the optical layer comprises antiresonant reflecting optical waveguide. Further, a fluidic layer can be configured to act as an interface between the optical layer and other fluidic layers attached thereon. Moreover, the fluidic layers can be configured to perform fluidic functions. The optofluidic platform can also comprise a protective layer. As such, a liquid solution can be introduced in the optofluidic platform and single particles contained therein can be optically detected with extremely high sensitivity and without the need for advanced microscopy equipment.
US09372146B2	Thread plug gauge with maintenance line, thread ring gauge, and method of manufacturing the same A thread gauge, which allows to reliably know the time for replacement by visual checking and improves the predetermined dimensional accuracy of a thread product has a go-side thread measuring portion extending from one side of a shank portion coaxially with the shank portion or a not-go-side thread measuring portion extending from an other side of the shank portion coaxially with the shank portion, a wear checking gauge line having a predetermined length and a predetermined depth formed on male thread portions and female thread portions formed on the go-side thread measuring portion or the not-go-side thread measuring portion.
US09372143B2	Scanning image flow cytometer An image flow cytometer has a flow chamber with a flow channel formed therein to permit a microparticulate sample to flow through the flow channel. An irradiation optical system irradiates the sample in the channel with incident light in an irradiation spot smaller than a selected representative size, e.g., smaller than the sample. The system scans an irradiation position perpendicular to the flow direction of the sample. A detection optical system is opposed to the irradiation optical system through the flow chamber, or is off the optical axis of the incident light. The detection system detects a light intensity of resultant light from the flow chamber. A control unit detects the microparticulate sample according to a change of the light intensity of the resultant light detected by the detection optical system.
US09372140B2	Method and device for determining shearing stress or viscosity The present invention comprises a device for measuring at least one property of a substance or medium such as the viscosity, the shearing stress, the specific weight and whether the substance or the medium shows Newtonian behavior. The device comprises a carrier arranged at least at one attachment point, a pivot arm connected pivotally or rotatably to the carrier at a rotation point located at a distance from the attachment point, a drive acting selectively on the pivot arm for driving the pivot arm in an oscillating movement, and a measurement setup for measuring the oscillation of the pivot arm to be caused with a drive, characterized in that a center of inertia lies substantially at the attachment point.
US09372132B2	Blood component sampling system and blood processing systems and methods employing same A blood component sampling system and method are disclosed. The system is pre-connected and includes a collected blood component container and a reservoir having substantially fixed volume and at least one volumetric indicator indicating a selected volume and a sample container docking station configured to cooperate with a sample collection container. The system and method provide ease of sampling with reduced risk of contamination.
US09372126B2	Low-complexity optical force sensor for a medical device An apparatus for detecting deformation of an elongate body may comprise a light source configured to sequentially provide light of multiple frequencies, an optical receiver configured to receive light from the light source, and a filter disposed between the light source and the optical detector. The filter may comprise multiple segments, each of the segments configured to filter light at one of the frequencies so as to alter the amount of light incident on said optical receiver. A total amount of light detected by the optical receiver may change during the sequence so as to be indicative of deformation of the elongate body.
US09372119B2	Polarimetric calibration of a remote sensor Described are methods and systems for vicarious polarimetric calibration and performance validation of a remote sensor. The system includes a plurality of reflective mirrors configured and arranged to reflect radiation from a source of radiation onto the remote sensor with accurately known polarimetric properties. Each of the reflective mirrors are located so that the target images do not overlap. The remote sensor is configured to receive the radiation reflected from the plurality of reflective mirrors and store the received radiation as image data (e.g., the image of each mirror appears as a point target). The system includes a processor configured to process the received data to provide direct calibration and performance validation for each polarimetric or spectral channel of the remote sensor. In addition, the calibration method removes all atmospheric effects except for transmittance and provides reference targets that have high polarimetric contrast, full spectrum performance and easy to deploy.
US09372117B2	Optical ground tracking apparatus, systems, and methods Optical ground tracking apparatus for use with buried object locators or other instruments or devices are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method for tracking movement of a buried utility locator over a surface includes generating an output light, providing the output light to the surface, receiving a portion of the output light that is reflected from the surface, and generating information associated with a user-applied movement of the locator over the surface based at least in part on the received reflected portion of the output light.
US09372113B2	Remote sensing based on optical fiber delivery and collection Active components in an optical spectroscopy based sensor are moved to a remote site and the light is guided between the remote site and the sensing site through optical fibers.
US09372112B2	Traveling environment detection device A driving environment detection device acquires a captured image of the direction the host vehicle is travelling in, and from the captured image, extracts parameters relating to brightness of a road surface for a road driven by the host vehicle. Then, on the basis of the parameters, the driving environment of the vehicle is estimated. By way of such a light control system, it is possible to more accurately detect ambient brightness by estimating the driving environment in accordance with the parameters related to the brightness of the road surface. Therefore, it is possible to accurately detect the driving environment.
US09372105B2	Ultrasonic flow rate measurement device An ultrasonic flow rate measurement device includes a measurement channel, through which a fluid to be measured flows; and a sensor fixing casing having openings formed in the measurement channel and sensor fixing cavities communicating with the openings. Moreover, the ultrasonic flow rate measurement device includes a pair of ultrasonic sensors contained in the sensor fixing cavities, for measuring the flow rate of the fluid to be measured; and a flow rate measuring unit for detecting the flow rate based on an ultrasonic wave propagation time between the pair of ultrasonic sensors. Furthermore, the ultrasonic flow rate measurement device includes a suppressing member formed at each of the openings, for suppressing the fluid to be measured from intruding into each of the sensor fixing cavities, wherein the suppressing member is molded integrally with the sensor fixing casing.
US09372099B2	Angle measuring method and angle measuring system An angle measuring system including: a rotary encoder including an encoder main body and a rotating shaft which is freely rotatable with respect to the encoder main body, the rotary encoder which detects a relative rotation angle of the rotating shaft with respect to the encoder main body; a regulation member which regulates an absolute rotation angle of the encoder main body about the rotating shaft within a fixed range; an absolute angle detecting device which detects the absolute rotation angle of the encoder main body about the rotating shaft concurrently with detection of the relative rotation angle by the rotary encoder; and a correction device which corrects the rotation angle detected by the rotary encoder based on the rotation angle detected by the absolute angle detecting device.
US09372095B1	Mobile robots moving on a visual display A system for using mobile robots that track visual features of a drawing to create a tangible tactile interface for a user. The user places a hand or finger on a mobile robot to trace and consequently cognize features of interest. The mobile robot tracks visual features and reports a location of the mobile robot to a guidance system. The guidance system presents location information to the user.
US09372085B2	Microelectromechanical sensor with differentiated performances and method of controlling a microelectromechanical sensor A microelectromechanical sensor includes a supporting structure and a sensing mass, which is elastically coupled to the supporting structure, is movable with respect thereto with one degree of freedom in response to movements according to an axis and is coupled to the supporting structure through a capacitive coupling. A sensing device senses, on terminals of the capacitive coupling, transduction signals indicative of displacements of the first sensing mass according to the degree of freedom. The sensing device includes at least one first reading chain, having first operative parameters, one second reading chain, having second operative parameters different from the first operative parameters, and one selective electrical connection structure that couples the first reading chain and the second reading chain to the first terminals.
US09372084B2	Gyro sensor, electronic apparatus, and mobile unit A gyro sensor includes a vibrator, a spring part extending from a first fixing part to the vibrator in a direction along a first axis, a drive part that excites the vibrator, and a detection part provided on the vibrator, wherein the vibrator has, in a plan view, first and second vibrating parts arranged side by side in the direction along the first axis and drive-vibrate in anti-phase with each other, a connecting spring part that connects the first and second vibrating parts in the direction along the first axis, and a first elastic member extending from the connecting spring part in a direction along a second axis intersecting with the first axis and fixed to a second fixing part.
US09372082B1	Method for along-the-cable underwater profile measurement A method includes: a guide cable and an observation platform is provided, a profiler is mounted, and a trigger gear is set at the bottom of the guide cable; a weight drop-off gear is set at the top of the guide cable, when the observation platform is located at the top of the guide cable, one weight is released by the weight drop-off gear onto the observation platform so that the observation platform descends along the guide cable owing to additional gravity, and when the observation platform descends to the given position of the trigger gear at the bottom of the guide cable, the release gear releases the weight on the observation platform so that the observation platform returns by its own buoyancy to the top along the guide cable; another weight is subsequently released by the weight drop-off gear so that the observation platform repeats the foregoing reciprocating motion.
US09372073B2	Inner diameter measuring device The invention relates to an inner diameter measuring device, having a non-contact measuring unit (3) and a contact measuring unit (4) arranged along the same center line, wherein the non-contact measuring unit comprises an image pickup unit (6) arranged on the center line, a laser beam emitting unit (7), and a laser beam diffusing unit (9) having a cone mirror, wherein a laser beam projected from the laser beam emitting unit to the cone mirror is reflected over a total circumference by the cone mirror, the image pickup unit takes an optical ring which is formed by projecting the reflected laser beam to an inner surface of a hollow portion, at least one of an inner diameter or a shape of the inner surface is measured based on an image picked up, and wherein the contact measuring unit comprises a contact measuring head (42) and a circulation unit (41) for circulating the contact measuring head around the center line, wherein the contact measuring head has a contact measuring unit having a contact at a forward end and for detecting a displacement of the contact, an advancing/retreating unit for advancing and retreating the contact measuring unit in radial direction, and a scale unit for measuring an advancing/retreating distance of the contact measuring unit.
US09372070B1	Target locating device and methods A target location device has a video camera, a range finder, a self location module and an inertial measurement unit. The device provides a video display including video output of the camera and an object marker such as a cross-hair overlayed on the video output for aiming the camera on a reference point or on a target in the video output. The range finder determines a distance from the device to the target. The self location module identifies the geographic location of the device. The inertial measurement unit includes at least one gyro for providing outputs corresponding to the location of the reference point and the target. Video stabilization may be use to allow accurate placement of the object marker on the target or reference point. Automatic range finder firing and gyroscope error compensation are also provided.
US09372068B2	Measuring apparatus including multi-wavelength interferometer A measuring apparatus for measuring a position or a shape of a surface to be inspected includes a multi-wavelength interferometer and a control unit. The multi-wavelength interferometer includes an optical system that causes light to be inspected, which enters the surface to be inspected and is reflected by the surface to be inspected, and reference light to interfere with each other, a spectroscopic unit that divides interference light between the light to be inspected and the reference light into each wavelength, and a detector that detects the interference light and is provided for each divided interference light and an optical member that can adjust a position of a light guide portion that guides light from the spectroscopic unit to the detector. The control unit controls the optical member by using information related to inclination of the surface to be inspected to adjust the position of the light guide portion.
US09372064B2	Method and apparatus for sensing positions of a plurality of magnets In an embodiment, a method may be used to measure a plurality of positions associated with a plurality of magnets based on, for example, a magnetic angle of the magnets. The method may include various acts that may involve, for example, measuring magnetic field components associated with the plurality of magnets. In addition, the acts may include identifying a first angle and a second angle based on the measured magnetic field components. The identified first and second angles may be used to identify a position of a first magnet of the plurality of magnets and a second magnet of the plurality of magnets.
US09372061B2	Inner diameter measuring device An inner diameter measuring device (50) for measuring an inner diameter of a hollow object to be measured, wherein the inner diameter measuring device comprises a circulation unit (1) and a measuring head (2) and is insertable into inside of an object to be measured, wherein the measuring head has a contact measuring unit (27) for measuring the inner diameter by contacting an inner surface of the object to be measured and an advancing/retreating unit (23) for making the contact measuring unit to advance and to retreat in a radial direction, and wherein the circulation unit can rotate the measuring head around a center line (51) of the inner diameter measuring device.
US09372059B2	Micrometer A micrometer with good usability is provided. A micrometer has a frame with an anvil at one end and a spindle at another end, the spindle moving closer to or further away from the anvil. The frame is covered with a heat shield cover. The heat shield cover has a first anti-slip part. The first anti-slip part preferably has a plurality of protrusions.
US09372057B2	Shotgun shell tracer and tracer manufacturing device A shotgun shell tracer includes a base wall, an obturator, and an edge wall extending from the base wall opposite to the obturator. A chamber support may be engaged to the base wall extending from the base wall within the internal space of the tracer. The shotgun shell tracer may additionally include a tracer insert which may encircle the chamber support. Discharge of a shotgun shell in some embodiments will exert pressure on projectiles which fuse the tracer insert to the base wall and the chamber support, and embed the projectiles into the tracer insert, establishing ballast for the shotgun shell tracer. The chamber support in one embodiment may be a modified spike. The ballast in one embodiment may be a washer replacing embedded projectiles. A conveyor may be used to transport tracer carriers during manufacture of a tracer.
US09372046B2	Accessory for an archery bow An accessory for an archery bow and bow string that are centered on a bow plane. The accessory has a support that is attached to forearm brace and is adapted to be supported by the bow. The forearm brace extends around a forearm axis at least 90° and is sized to at least partially encompass a forearm. The brace has an opening for inserting a forearm. This opening is oriented in a direction that points outwardly without tilting toward the bow plane. The support is adapted to position at least a portion of the brace forward of the bow string when in its neutral position. An archer can grasp the bow and insert into the brace a forearm that is encompassed by the brace for at least 90°. The archer can draw and release the bow string, allowing the brace to stabilize the angle of elevation of the bow.
US09372033B2	Heat exchange element, a heat exchanger comprising the elements, and an equipment for the manufacture of the elements A heat exchange element of flexible plastic film, a heat exchanger including such elements, and apparatus for manufacturing the elements. The element includes a pair of opposite film sheets bonded by welds to form an expandable bag with inside and outside heat exchange surfaces, an inlet opening for supplying a pressurized heat exchange fluid to the bag, an outlet opening for discharging the fluid from the bag after heat exchange, and an array of welds defining routes for fluid flow inside the bag. There are spot welds in a first zone of the element, parallel extended welds in a second zone of the element, defining fluid flow channels through the second zone, and oblique welds in a third zone of the element, defining channels for fluid flow towards the outlet opening. The heat exchanger includes adjacent elements for heat exchange between a pressurized first fluid.
US09372032B2	Cooling apparatus used in recycling scrap tires The apparatus or “chiller” uses an upward stream of ambient air drawn through the upright housing to cool crumb rubber particles that are deposited into and fall through the housing. The chiller includes an upright chiller housing and an array of internal baffles disposed within the lower section of the housing. Crumb rubber deposited into the chiller housing falls through the upward air flow within the chiller housing and cascades around and through the baffle array before exiting the chiller. The baffle array inside the lower section of the chiller housing slows the fall of the crumb rubber, thereby increasing the dwell time through the chiller to provide enhanced cooling. The baffle array also creates a more turbulent air flow through which the crumb rubber falls. The rising turbulent air mass enhances the transfer of thermal energy from the falling crumb rubber.
US09372019B2	Dual circuit refrigerant condenser A dual circuit condenser for a cooling system is configured to cool refrigerant passing through the condenser. Operation of a first circuit of the system establishes a first temperature at a first area of the condenser, and operation of a second circuit of the system establishes a second temperature at a second area of the condenser. The condenser includes a manifold. The manifold is configured to receive a plurality of tubes. The manifold is further configured to define a first volume that is part of the first circuit and a second volume that is part of the second circuit. The manifold includes three or more separators interposed between the first volume and the second volume to segregate refrigerant in the first circuit from refrigerant in the second circuit.
US09372002B2	Household appliance having an oven door with an integral drip tray A household cooking appliance includes a housing having an oven chamber accessible through an opening, the opening having a seal surrounding a perimeter thereof. An oven door covering the opening and being moveable about a hinge between an open position and a closed position. The oven door includes an outer door skin having an outer glass panel, a full glass inner panel having an inner surface that abuts the seal when the oven door is in a closed position, the full glass inner panel closing an inner side of the outer door skin, and an integrated drip tray assembly that collects condensation from the full glass inner panel. The integrated drip tray assembly is sealed to the full glass inner panel.
US09372000B2	Oven with recirculation of combustion exhaust gases An oven includes a cooking chamber, a gas-fired heat exchanger external of the cooking chamber and a flow path for circulating air from the cooking chamber past the heat exchanger to pick-up heat and then back to the cooking chamber under operation of a blower. A first combustion path gas flow path runs from the heat exchanger to an exhaust system for delivering combustion path gases away from the oven, and a second combustion path gas flow path runs from the heat exchanger to the cooking chamber for delivering combustion path gases into the cooking chamber. A control arrangement is configured to selectively control the flow of combustion path gases along at least one of the first combustion gas flow path or the second combustion gas flow path.
US09371998B2	Shrouded pilot liquid tube A pilot liquid tube having a pilot liquid fuel inlet, a pilot liquid fuel conduit, a pilot liquid fuel nozzle, and a shroud configured to shield the pilot liquid fuel nozzle. The pilot liquid tube may be installed and/or removed from an injector of a gas turbine engine while the shroud remains fixed to pilot liquid fuel conduit.
US09371994B2	Method for Electrically-driven classification of combustion particles In a combustion system, a charge source is configured to cooperate with a collection plate and a director conduit to cause at least one particle charge-to-mass classification to be reintroduced to a flame for further reaction.
US09371991B2	Apparatus and method for vaporizing a liquid fuel An apparatus and process for vaporizing and, optionally, igniting a liquid fuel, preferably, a distillate fuel. The apparatus includes the following components: a heat-conductive reticulated screen positioned within a chamber; a first inlet path into the chamber for delivering a liquid fuel onto the screen; a second inlet path into the chamber for contacting an oxidant with the screen and fuel; a means for heating the screen to a temperature sufficient to vaporize and, optionally, ignite the liquid fuel; and a recuperator in fluid communication with the chamber for transferring heat from the chamber to the second inlet path. The apparatus is suitably employed in compact and portable oxidation reactors, for example, in external combustion engines, catalytic partial oxidation reformers, and hybrid combustors operating in flame and/or catalytic modes.
US09371988B2	Candle assembly with retracting non-combustible wick An improved candle is provided. The candle includes a traditional body made of wax. A coil spring is positioned longitudinally within the candle's body. The coil spring is in tension with the coil spring's top adjacent to the candle body's top. In addition, the candle includes a non-combustible wick which is not consumed as the candle burns. The wick is affixed to the coil spring's top end. As the candle wick burns and the candle body is consumed, the coil spring causes the wick to retract downwardly.
US09371983B2	Retractable lighting fixture Disclosed is a retractable lighting fixture having a retractable LED lighting layer. One or more optical layers (40, 240A/B, 340A/B, 440) may optionally be provided over the LED lighting layer (30, 230, 330, 430). The optical layer(s) and the LED lighting layer may optionally be movable relative to one another between at least being in an expanded spaced relation to one another and a compressed relation to one another. One or more LEDs (34, 134, 234A/B, 334A/B, 434) on the LED lighting layer may be individually controllable and such LEDs (34, 134, 234A/B, 334A/B, 434) may be selectively extinguished when they are in a retracted position.
US09371980B2	Illumination device, display device, and television receiver device The backlight device 12 of the present embodiment includes: a plurality of LEDs 17; a chassis 14 that is a plate-shaped member and on which the LEDs 17 are arranged; a plurality of diffusion lenses 40 that are fixed to the chassis 14, that individually cover the LEDs 17 from the side opposite to the chassis 14, and that exert optical effects on the light from the LEDs 17; a reflective sheet 21 that covers the plate surface of the chassis 14, that exposes the LEDs 17, and that has the lens insertion holes 21 through which the diffusion lenses 40 are respectively inserted; and reflective sheet holding members 30 that hold the reflective sheet 21 from the side opposite to the chassis 14, that engage the adjacent diffusion lenses 40 and 40, and that extend on the sheet surface of the reflective sheet 21 between the adjacent diffusion lenses 40 and 40.
US09371978B2	Solar panel assembly with a lighting pattern and including conductors sandwiching a dielectric substance A solar panel assembly with a lighting pattern includes a solar panel and an energy storage device. An electroluminescence layer is disposed on a light receiving face of the solar panel. The electroluminescence layer includes a plurality through-holes. The number and the overall area of the plurality of through-holes are configured to permit incident light rays entering the electroluminescence layer to activate the solar panel to proceed with optical-electrical conversion, providing a light receiving effect and a light emitting effect on the same area of the solar panel. A patterned light-transmittable layer is coated on a face of the electroluminescence layer.
US09371977B2	Glass-ceramic article having a colored luminous display The present invention relates to an article having at least one colored luminous zone, in particular a display zone, said article comprising at least one glass-ceramic substrate having a luminous transmission ranging from 0.8% to 40% and an optical transmission of at least 0.1% for at least one wavelength in the range extending from 420 to 780 nm, at least one light source and at least one filter so as to form at least one colored luminous zone, in particular a display zone, in at least one zone of the plate.
US09371972B2	Electronic flameless candle An electronic flameless candle including a body having a top surface, a bottom surface, a sidewall between the top surface and the bottom surface, and a cavity defined by the top surface, the bottom surface and the sidewall, the body configured in shape and size to simulate a true flame candle. The candle may also include a light source operably connected to the body, the light source electrically operated to illuminate in a way that simulates a natural flicker of a real candle flame. The candle may also include a scent component, operably connected to the body, the scent component configured to emit a scent when heated and/or a sensor component, operably connected to the body, the sensor component configured to sense an environmental condition and affect a mode of the light source upon the sensing of the environmental condition.
US09371965B2	Method and systems for microfluidic logic devices A microfluidic device includes an input source characterized by a source pressure and an input channel in fluid communication with the input source. The microfluidic device also includes an output channel and a valve having an open state and a closed state. The valve is disposed between the input channel and the output channel and is characterized by a static pressure. The microfluidic device further includes a control channel coupled to the valve and characterized by a control pressure. In the closed state, the control pressure is greater than atmospheric pressure.
US09371962B2	Swivel cover assembly A swivel cover assembly includes a mounting plate with an opening and a door closing the opening for supporting a swivel hanger. The mounting plate forms a socket for suspending the swivel hanger. The door is hinged to the mounting plate to pivot downwardly from the mounting plate about an axis parallel to the plane of the mounting plate. A hinge member is integrally formed with the mounting plate and door. A fastening member latches the door in the closed position. The fastener can be a screw or a bendable tab that is manually bent to hold the door closed.
US09371959B2	Storage and charging station for electronic appliances A support for an electronic appliance comprises a hollow profile 1 for disposing one or more electronic appliances 10 thereon. Within a first channel 4 which has a cylindrical basic shape, a similarly cylindrical connection plug may be positioned for connection to the electronic appliances 10, so that the connection plug is freely slidable in the longitudinal direction and at the same time pivotable within a predetermined angular range transversal to the support about the cylinder axis of the first channel 4. Thereby, one or more electronic appliances 10 may be stored on the support and may be conveniently and securely connected to the connection plug for charging their accumulators or for synchronizing the data stored thereon.
US09371958B2	Adjustable equipment support A support for supporting equipment includes at least one elongate leg element at least partially supporting an apex selectively, detachably mountable to equipment, where the leg includes a first end proximate the apex and a second end distal the apex, and where the leg is pivotal about an axis proximate the first end throughout a limited arc. A securement assembly pivotably interconnects the first end of the leg with the apex. The securement assembly has selectable resistance to movement along the arc as a result of selectively increasing or decreasing the resistance between at least three friction plates having surfaces in face-to-face engagement with one another.
US09371956B2	Display stand In one aspect, an apparatus includes a base supportable on a surface, a support rod having a long segment extending upwardly from the base and a short segment extending laterally away from the long segment and terminating at a free end. The long segment is longer than the short segment. The apparatus also includes a coupling located at the free end of the short segment which is configured to couple the short segment to a computer chassis to establish a clearance space between the short segment, long segment, and chassis to facilitate access to at least one electrical terminal on the chassis below the coupling.
US09371946B2	Pipe joint A pipe joint includes first and second joint members having fluid channels communicating with each other, an annular gasket to be interposed between abutting end surfaces of the both joint members, and a nut configured to couple the joint members. The nut is provided with an inner surface treated layer. The inner surface treated layer includes a Co (cobalt)-P (phosphorous) alloy metal coating provided on an inner surface of the nut and a fluorine coating provided on the surface of the alloy metal coating.
US09371945B2	Corrugated tube connector A connector for a length of corrugated tubing. The connector includes a fitting including a passage therethrough, a clamping surface, a seal, and a nut operably connected to the fitting. The tubing is in fluid communication with the passage through the fitting. Axial movement of the nut towards the clamping surface-urges the tubing against the seal wherein the tubing is thereby sealingly restrained to the fitting and a clamping surface is formed capable of causing an end portion of the corrugated tube to form a flare by the end portion of the corrugated tube being compressed against the clamping surface and the seal and sealed thereagainst by the action of the nut.
US09371942B2	Tubing for a liquid medium that is to be conditioned Tubing for a liquid medium that is to be conditioned, including an inner tube for the liquid-medium that is to be conditioned encompassed by an outer tube, parallel to the inner tube. An outermost tube surrounds the outer tube. At least one duct for the liquid conditioning medium, is disposed between the inner tube and the outer tube and at least one duct for the liquid conditioning medium is disposed between the outer tube and the outermost tube. A redirecting region connects the ducts between the inner tube and outer tube and the outer tube and the outermost tube. The inner tube and the outer tube consist of thermoplastic plastics, and the unit, consisting of the inner tube and the outer tube, is produced by co-extrusion.
US09371941B1	Exterior ductwork system An insulated ductwork system particularly adapted for exterior use joins together pre-assembled air circulation duct sections that each have a ductwork passageway that is formed solely with insulation panels of foam insulation material disposed between foil sheets that are in turn covered by additional insulation material and an outer protective jacket to seal the ductwork from weather effects. The air circulation duct sections are used without traditional metal ductwork forming any part of the air circulation duct. Receiving flanges extend from the ends of each air circulation duct section and the duct sections are joined together in abutting relation with at least one slidably engageable sleeve that engages the flanges. A filler insulation is disposed over the sleeve. A closure band is disposed over the filler insulation and joined to exterior surfaces of the air circulation duct sections.
US09371930B2	Fluid control valve An object of this invention is both to prevent contamination of a fluid passing a fluid control valve and to prevent a tilt of a valve body in a moving direction and vibration of the valve body. The fluid control valve comprises a valve body that is arranged on an inner surface of a valve chest through a predetermined space in the valve chest and that is arranged on a valve seat arranged in the valve chest in a detachable manner, an actuator that biases the valve body in a direction of opening the valve, a valve body return spring that biases the valve body in a direction of closing the valve, and a tilt restraining spring that biases the valve body in a direction of resolving a tilt of the valve body to an open/close direction.
US09371926B2	Pressure relief valve with singular body A pressure relief valve includes a singular body that encloses a seat and a stationary shim, a poppet, within the singular body, that is forced against a seat by a spring attached to the stationary shim, and a pin inserted into the pressure relief valve body to lock the pressure relief valve into a housing bore. The poppet includes a nose extension that extends into a void enclosed by the seat to provide damping. The seat includes a non-threaded stepped region on its outer surface and the singular body includes a complementary stepped region on its inner surface such that when the seat is fit into the singular body, the stepped region of the seat and the complementary stepped region of the singular body interface with each other to prevent movement of the seat toward the spring. The pin includes a coating to reduce friction and galling.
US09371924B2	One-piece flap device, injection-moulded from elastic material A one-piece flap device made of elastic material, which separates two distinct volume spaces. The one-piece flap device includes: a) a substantially cylindrical body including a through conduit, b) a flap that seals an aperture of the through conduit of the body when the flap is in a closed position and is within said body, and c) an arm connecting the body of the device to the flap. The arm is in an elastic stress position regardless of the position of the flap when inside said body.
US09371922B2	Valve having a rotatable stopper, and water treatment plant comprising such a valve The invention relates to a valve (24) comprising: a body (40) defining a cavity and provided with a first opening (60) that makes it possible to feed water into the cavity, a second opening that makes it possible to discharge water from the cavity, and a third opening that makes it possible to connect the cavity (41) with a chamber; a stopper (49) that is rotatable inside the cavity, the stopper comprising a depression (77) on the outer surface (90) thereof that contributes to the definition of a passage enabling the flow of water between the first and third openings in first angular positions of the stopper and moreover enabling the flow of water between the second and third openings in second angular positions of the stopper, a sealing device that makes it possible to ensure a sealed stopping of the first opening (60) by means of the stopper in said second angular positions of the stopper; and a second sealing device that makes it possible to ensure a sealed stopping of the second opening by means of a stopper in said first angular positions of the stopper.
US09371921B2	Multi-port valve A multi-port valve has a valve body, a directional component, and an elastomeric seal. The valve body is formed as an annular cylinder with plurality of ports extending from an outer circumferential surface and in inner circumferential surface further defines a cavity. The directional component is positioned in the cavity and defines a channel in an outer circumferential wall that provides fluid communication between combinations of two or more of the plurality of ports depending upon an angular orientation of the directional within the cavity. The elastomeric seal is positioned between the directional component and the inner circumferential surface of the valve body and defines a plurality of apertures aligned with the ports to provide fluid communication between the channel and the plurality of ports. The elastomeric seal provides a fluid seal and a low-friction interface between the directional component and the inner circumferential surface of the valve body.
US09371916B2	Segmented valve packing gland A packing gland for a valve wherein the packing gland includes a top portion for receiving a gate. The packing gland includes first and second longitudinal sections of packing material for sealing the gate. In addition, the packing gland includes first and second stuffer elements located adjacent the first and second longitudinal portions. The packing gland also includes a plurality of clamp elements located adjacent the first and second stuffer elements, wherein the clamp elements provide pressure on selected portions of the first and second stuffer elements to compress corresponding selected portions of the first and second longitudinal sections of packing material.
US09371910B2	Piston for a radial piston machine A piston for a radial piston machine includes a metal core that is substantially provided with a casing made of plastic. The casing is configured to be produced from PEEK together with a bearing shell as one piece and injection-molded onto the core.
US09371903B2	Method for shifting a shift-by-wire transmission without engine power A vehicle according to the present disclosure includes a shift-by-wire transmission, a pressure source configured to selectively provide hydraulic pressure in the absence of engine power, an internal combustion engine, and a controller. The shift-by-wire transmission includes a hydraulic actuator, and the electric pump is in fluid communication with the actuator. The controller is configured to, in response to a driver input and the engine being off, control the pressure source to provide hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic actuator.
US09371901B2	Pulley structure of belt type electric power steering gear Provided is a pulley structure of a belt type electric power steering (EPS) gear, and more particularly, a pulley structure of a belt type EPS gear capable of providing good assemblability using an engineering plastic and a specific structure. The pulley structure of the belt type EPS gear includes an insert ring section coupled to a ball nut, a support section configured to support the insert ring section, a first flange section configured to prevent separation of a belt, a pulley having a driving section configured to receive a driving force of the belt, a support frame disposed at one side surface of the driving section and having a bent shape to have an internal space when coupled to the ball nut, and a second flange section disposed at one side surface of the support frame and configured to prevent separation of the belt.
US09371897B2	Drive apparatus or system The drive system comprises a drive unit. The drive unit comprises a motor unit and a gear train coupled to the motor unit. The gear train comprises a differential planetary gear system having a single input shaft connected to the motor unit. The differential planetary gear system further has at least two output shafts of which each output shaft is arranged for driving a drive shaft. The differential planetary gear system comprises at least two single planetary gear sets.
US09371895B2	Linear electro-mechanical actuator with built-in anti-rotation A linear electro-mechanical actuator, includes a containment structure (2), one or two pushers facing each other (7), a nut (5) rotatable about an axis (X) driven by a driving force, a screw shaft (6) inserted in the nut (5), connected to the pushers and interconnected with the nut (5) via a helical recirculating ball coupling (5a, 6a), and an anti-rotation mechanism (8) acting on the screw shaft (6) to prevent the screw shaft (6) from rotating about the axis (X). The anti-rotation mechanism (8) includes a pair of fixed guide bars (9), coupled in a sliding fashion with the screw shaft (6) and extending along a direction parallel to the axis (X) and spaced from the axis (X).
US09371894B2	Continuously variable transmissions and methods therefor Components, subassemblies, systems, and/or methods for continuously variable transmissions (CVT) having a variator provided with a plurality of tilting, traction planets and traction rings are described. In one embodiment, a variator is coupled to a rangebox to provide multiple operating modes. In another embodiment, a hydraulic system is configured to control the transmission ratio of the variator and the rangebox. Shift-cam-and-sun subassemblies can be used to facilitate shifting of the transmission ratio of a CVT. A transmission housing and bell housing can be adapted to house components of a CVT and, in some embodiments, to cooperate with other components of the CVT to support operation and/or functionality of the CVT. Related devices include, for example, a pivot arm, a control feedback mechanism, axial force generation and management mechanisms, a control valve integral with an input shaft, a pivot pin hub, and a rotatable carrier configured to support planet-pivot arm assemblies.
US09371892B2	Power transmission system of hybrid electric vehicle A power transmission system of a hybrid electric vehicle includes an input shaft a first planetary gear set disposed on the input shaft while having a first sun gear, a first planetary carrier, and a first ring gear, a second planetary gear set having a second sun gear, a second planetary carrier, and a second ring gear, a third planetary gear set having a third sun gear, a third planetary carrier, and a third ring gear, first to sixth rotation shafts and three friction elements selectively connect the respective rotation shafts to each other or selectively connect the respective rotation shafts to the transmission housing.
US09371891B2	Multi-speed gearbox A multi-stage transmission in which carrier of first gear set is connected to ring gear of fourth gear set, ring gear of first gear set and carrier of second gear set can be coupled to housing via first brake or to drive shaft via first clutch. Sun of first gear set and sun of second gear set can be coupled to housing via second brake. Sun of third gear set and sun of fourth gear set can be coupled to housing via third brake. Drive shaft can be coupled to ring gear of second gear set via second clutch. Ring gear of third gear set and carrier of fourth gear set can be coupled to drive shaft via third clutch, and output shaft is connected to carrier of third gear set.
US09371890B2	Transmission group for vehicles and vehicle provided with such transmission group Transmission group for vehicles comprising an engine provided with at least one engaging device, arranged between transmission gears and mobile between a first rest position, wherein the transmission gears are mutually integral and both in mesh with a transmission shaft, and a second working position wherein the first gear is in mesh with the transmission shaft and the second gear is unconstrained both with respect to the transmission shaft and with respect to the gear, provided for being means for actuating of the engage device, wherein the engine, the output gear and an output shaft are integrated in a first module fixed to the vehicle and that the transmission shaft, the transmission gears, the engage device and the actuating means thereof are integrated in a second module independent and demountable with respect to the first module.
US09371889B2	Mechanism for generating an orbital motion or a rotation motion by inversing a drive direction of a drive unit A mechanism for switching a sample holder (14, 40) accommodating a fluidic sample (38) between an orbital motion mode for sample mixing, particularly for shaking, and a rotary motion mode for sample separation, particularly for centrifuging, wherein the mechanism comprises a gear element (11) being drivable by a drive unit (42) to move selectively in a first direction (A) or in a second direction (B) being inverse to the first direction (A), an orbital motion generator (2 to 5) configured for generating an orbital motion of the sample holder (14, 40) when being operated in the orbital motion mode, a rotary motion generator (2, 4, 5) configured for generating a rotary motion of the sample holder (14, 40) when being operated in the rotary motion mode, and a one-way clutch arrangement (12, 13) configured for selectively coupling the gear element (11) with the orbital motion generator (2 to 5) to transfer a driving force from the gear element (11) to the orbital motion generator (2 to 5) for generating the orbital motion when the gear element (11) is driven in the first direction (A) and to freewheel when the gear element (11) is driven in the second direction (B) or coupling the gear element (11) with the rotary motion generator (2, 4, 5) to transfer a driving force from the gear element (11) to the rotary motion generator (2, 4, 5) for generating the rotary motion when the gear element (11) is driven in the second direction (B) and to freewheel when the gear element (11) is driven in the first direction (A).
US09371887B2	Splicing device for closing a looped material band and material band provided with such splicing device A splicing device (10) for closing a looped material band (1) comprising two splicing elements (20, 30) intimately linked to the ends (2, 3) of the material band (1), assembled together by fitting two toothings (22, 23) into each other, and locked by a transverse locking rod (15) inserted in the aligned transverse openings (14) of the teeth (13) of each toothing. The splicing elements (20, 30) are made out of a material compatible with that of the material band and comprise a traction core extending longitudinally up to the teeth (13) and surrounding the transverse opening (14) of teeth (13) of each toothing (22, 32) so that, when the splicing device (10) is assembled and locked, the traction cores of the splicing elements ensure the tensile strength of the splicing device (10) while remaining very flexible.
US09371885B2	Rotational vibration damping arrangement for the drive train of a vehicle A torsional vibration damping arrangement for the drivetrain of a vehicle includes an input region to be driven in rotation around an axis of rotation (A) and an output region, and a first torque transmission path and parallel thereto a second torque transmission path which proceed from the input region, and a coupling arrangement for superposing the torques guided via the torque transmission paths, which coupling arrangement communicates with the output region, and a phase shifter arrangement for the first torque transmission path for generating a phase shift of rotational irregularities guided via the first torque transmission path relative to rotational irregularities guided via the second torque transmission path. The torsional vibration damping arrangement is formed with an axial distance between the phase shifter arrangement and the coupling arrangement to form a passage space for at least one driveshaft of a vehicle.
US09371884B2	Electromagnetic vibration suppression device and electromagnetic vibration suppression program The electromagnetic vibration suppression device includes a plurality of electromagnet pairs arranged in the width direction of a steel plate and which suppresses vibration of the steel plate running between electromagnets in each electromagnet pair using a control unit. The pseudo displacement calculation means calculates a pseudo displacement amount for the steel plate on the basis of the switching between ON and OFF of a sensor attached to the electromagnet pairs. The pseudo edge position calculation means calculates a pseudo edge position for the steel plate on the basis of the pseudo displacement amount. The current amount control means individually controls the amount of current that flows to the electromagnets on the basis of the pseudo edge position.
US09371879B2	Pseudo-linear hydro-pneumatic spring A pseudo-linear hydro-pneumatic isolation spring includes a cylinder having an interior partially filled with a hydraulic fluid as well as a piston assembly that is movably disposed within the cylinder including a piston head and a piston rod. A plurality of accumulators are fluidically connected to the interior of the cylinder in parallel, each of the accumulators being charged to a different pressure and size so as to actively engage the cylinder only after a threshold pressure force based on fluid displacement of the piston in the cylinder has been reached.
US09371876B2	Systems and methods for brake systems with engagement sensing Present embodiments relate generally to brake systems, and more specifically, to caliper-based brake systems. In an embodiment, a method includes electrifying at least a portion of a first inner surface of a first brake block with a first potential. The method also includes electrifying at least a portion of a second inner surface of a second brake block with a second potential that is different from the first potential. The method includes performing an electrical measurement between the first brake block and the second brake block, wherein the electrical measurement include a voltage measurement, a current measurement, a resistance measurement, a frequency measurement, or a combination thereof. The method further includes determining a position of the first and brake blocks relative to a brake member based on the electrical measurement.
US09371861B2	Swaged bearing assembly with a flange mounted thereon A swaged bearing assembly includes a flange mounted thereon. A bearing inner member has an outer surface at least a portion of which defines an outer engagement surface. A bearing outer member is swaged around the inner member and the inner member is misalignable and rotatable in relation to the outer member. The outer member has an outer surface and an inner surface at least a portion of which defines an inner engagement surface. An area of engagement is defined by an interface of the inner engagement surface of the outer member and the outer engagement surface of the inner member. A flange is mounted on the outer surface of the outer member.
US09371854B2	Radial roller bearing arrangement, in particular for a needle bushing A radial roller bearing arrangement in which at least one retaining projection is provided as an anti-rotation feature of an outer ring. The projection is located on an inner diameter of a fixed rim formed on one axial side of the outer ring, so that the outer ring can be implemented with a radially inward-pointing flanged rim on its other axial side that can be formed after insertion of a needle roller and cage assembly to act for holding the needle roller and cage assembly in the outer ring.
US09371851B2	Method of forming joint for interconnecting adjacent elements and joint formed thereby A method of forming a joint for interconnecting adjacent elements comprises providing a first element defining at least one aperture extending from a first edge to a second edge through a thickness of the first element. The method further comprises mating a second element to the first element with the second element overlaying the at least one aperture of the first element at the second edge thereof such that the second element extends through the at least one aperture perpendicular to the first element with an excess portion of the second element extending beyond the first edge of the first element. Finally, the method comprises compressing the excess portion of the second element such that the second element is continuous across the at least one aperture and adjacent the first and second edges of the first element, thereby interlocking the first and second elements and forming the joint.
US09371837B2	Air pump with internal automatic controller An air pump with internal automatic controller has a housing, and a low-pressure blower, a high-pressure blower, a first auto-stop controller and a second auto-stop controller mounted in the housing. The first auto-stop controller has a first casing, a first air pressure sensing film, a pushing element, a swing rod, a connecting rod, a rotation restricting element, a first micro switch, a rotational pressing rod, and a first turning button. With the low-pressure blower inflating an inflatable article with low pressure air, and with the first auto-stop controller stably and reliably controlling the low-pressure blower, the low-pressure blower stops working automatically. The first auto-stop controller has simplified structure and inflates the inflatable article without manual work, which is a great convenience to users.
US09371834B2	Centrifugal pump A centrifugal pump that includes a casing in which an impeller is arranged. The impeller has a back side that faces a back plate of the centrifugal pump, and one or more vanes for pumping the fluid. The back side of the impeller includes a segmented scraper for scraping from the back plate material that has been deposited from the fluid. The segmented scraper includes multiple protrusions, wherein each protrusion of the multiple protrusions is facing the back plate, and an aggregated radial extension of the protrusions equals a radius of the impeller within an interval of ±10%, ±25% or even up to ±40%.
US09371833B2	Variable turbine/compressor geometry A variable turbine geometry may have a blade bearing ring and guide blades, each rotatably mounted therein via one of a plurality of respective blade bearing pins. An adjusting ring for adjusting the rotary position of the guide blades may be arranged on a side of the blade bearing ring facing away from the guide blades. The cover disc may define through-openings aligned with the blade bearing pins of the guide blades. The blade bearing ring may define at least one channel configured to create a pressure equalization between the control space and the flow space.
US09371829B2	Pump controller system and method A method and apparatus for a pump control system. One or more embodiments of the invention include a pump controller that can perform a self-calibrating procedure, can provide precise motor speed control, can provide a limp mode before shutting down the motor when system parameters are exceeded and/or fault conditions occur, can detect fault conditions, and can store fault conditions for later retrieval.
US09371826B2	Impeller position compensation using field oriented control A centrifugal pump system having an impeller rotating with first and second magnetic structures on opposite surfaces. A levitation magnetic structure is disposed at a first end of a pump housing having a levitating magnetic field for axially attracting the first magnetic structure. A multiphase magnetic stator at a second end of the pump housing generates a rotating magnetic field for axially and rotationally attracting the second magnetic structure. A commutator circuit provides a plurality of phase voltages to the stator. A sensing circuit determines respective phase currents. A controller calculates successive commanded values for the phase voltages in response to the determined phase currents and a variable commutation angle. The angle is selected to correspond to an axial attractive force of the stator that maintains a levitation of the impeller at a centered position within the pumping chamber.
US09371823B2	Polymeric actuator, actuator device, method of manufacturing polymeric actuator, and method of manufacturing actuator device There is provided a polymeric actuator including: a pair of facing portions located so as to face each other; and a folded portion through which one end portions of the pair of facing portions are coupled to each other, wherein the pair of facing portions and the folded portion are composed of an inner electrode layer, an electrolyte layer, and an outer electrode layer which are laminated in order from an inside. Therefore, the displacements are generated in the pair of facing portions, respectively, to be added to each other, and the displacement is generated in the folded portion as well due to the bending. As a result, the large displacement is generated as a whole. Thus, it is possible to increase the displacement amount after the simplification of the structure is realized.
US09371821B2	Voltage control for wind turbine generators A voltage control system for a wind turbine generator may include a reactive power regulator configured to control reactive power production by the wind turbine generator by adjusting a voltage setpoint for the generator. The reactive power regulator may have a first time constant and the voltage setpoint may be defined between an upper limit and a lower limit. The system may also include a voltage limit regulator configured to adjust at least one of the upper limit or the lower limit for the voltage setpoint based on a voltage-related parameter. In addition, the system may include a voltage regulator coupled to the reactive power regulator. The voltage regulator may be configured to control real power production by the wind turbine generator based on the voltage setpoint. The voltage regulator may have a second time constant, wherein the first time constant is numerically greater than the second time constant.
US09371818B1	Cyclonic aeolian vortex turbine A wind turbine is provided that has a blade encased into a substantially circular portion of a shell, the shell having an interior surface, an exterior surface, a first end, an opposite second end, and an intake opening between the first and the second end, wherein the first end is closed and wherein the shell has an exhaust opening at or near the second end, wherein wind ingested into the shell through the intake opening is forced to become a vortex having a higher speed than the ingested wind and concentrating the ingested wind substantially near the interior surface of the shell into a spiral air stream traveling toward the exhaust opening, in order to increase an amount of energy harvested by the blade from the ingested wind before the ingested wind, devoid of the amount of energy harvested, exits the shell through the exhaust opening.
US09371816B2	Hybrid wave-current power system A hybrid power system including one or more base members configured to be installed at the seabed, one or more connecting members each coupled to a corresponding base member so as to be slidable in a vertical direction which is perpendicular to a top surface of the corresponding base member, a buoy configured to move in the vertical direction by receiving at least one of the wave force and current force, the buoy coupled to the top of the connecting member to move in conjunction with the one or more connecting members, and a power generation unit configured to generate electricity using vertical movement of the connecting members, the power generation unit installed in at least one of the one or more base members.
US09371809B2	Recoil starter A recoil starter exemplified in the embodiment includes: a starter case; a rope reel; a recoil rope; a ratchet; and a drive pulley. When the rope reel is rotated by pulling the recoil rope, the ratchet pivots to engage an engaged unit of the drive pulley to thereby transmit a torque of the rope reel to an engine. The rope reel has: a ratchet receiving unit; and a reinforcing unit. The ratchet receiving unit is arranged to receive a front end portion of the ratchet when it is engaged with the engaged unit of the drive pulley. And, the reinforcing unit extends in a circumferential direction of the rope reel with respect to the ratchet receiving unit as its leg portion.
US09371807B2	Method and device for setting an idle stroke of an actuating drive of an injection valve, and injector assembly A method and a device for setting an idle stroke of an actuating drive of an injection valve with respect to an actuating element actuated by the actuating drive. The actuating drive is arranged in an injector body and the actuating element is arranged in an actuating-element housing such that it is movable in an axial. An axial stressing force is applied to the injector body and the actuating-element housing such that part of the injector body or actuating-element housing arranged in a force flow path defined the axial stressing force is deformed permanently, until a value of a representative electric variable determined directly or indirectly for the idle stroke of the actuating drive lies in a predefined value range. Further, an injector assembly for an injection valve may include an injector body and/or an actuating-element housing having a contact section elevated in the axial direction.
US09371803B2	Valve assembly An angle flow valve comprises a housing and a cover. The housing comprises a first recess for receiving a flow restrictor, a second recess for receiving a relief valve, a first port fluidly connected to the first recess, an angled flow path fluidly connected to the first recess and to the second recess, a second port fluidly connected to the angled flow path, and a relief passage between the first recess and the second recess. The first recess is parallel to the second recess, permitting drop-in assembly of the flow restrictor and relief valve. The cover comprises a solenoid assembly, and the cover couples to the housing by adjoining the solenoid against the flow restrictor and by adjoining the cover against the relief valve. A single o-ring seals the leak path between the cover and the housing.
US09371801B2	Ignition device for two-pulse rocket motor with thermal barrier membrane In a two-pulse rocket motor provided with a pressure vessel, a first propellant placed within the pressure vessel that burns during a first pulse stage, a second propellant placed within the pressure vessel that burns during a second pulse stage following the first pulse stage, and a barrier membrane placed so as to cover the entire initial burning surface of the second propellant, wherein the barrier membrane is provided with an inner barrier membrane that covers the inner peripheral surface of the second propellant and an aft barrier membrane that covers the rear surface of the second propellant, and an end portion where the aft barrier membrane and the inner barrier membrane meet is joined over the entire circumference thereof. The ignition device includes an energy supply unit, an energy transfer unit connected at one end to the energy supply unit, and an ignition unit.
US09371788B2	Vehicle, and method and device for controlling internal combustion engine A vehicle includes an engine in which an intake valve is provided in each of a plurality of cylinders and an ECU for controlling the engine. An intake valve provided for at least any one of the plurality of cylinders opens when an output shaft of the engine stops. The ECU changes an intake valve which opens when the output shaft of the engine stops, while the vehicle is running.
US09371787B2	Adaptive control system for fuel injectors and igniters The present disclosure is directed to systems and methods for adjusting the operation of a gasoline-fueled engine based on monitored conditions within a combustion chamber of the engine. In some cases, the system monitors regions within the combustion chamber, identifies or determines a satisfactory condition, and applies an ionization voltage to a fuel injector to initiate a combustion event during the satisfactory condition. In some cases, the system monitors the conditions within the combustion chamber, determines a monitored condition is associated with an adjustment, and adjusts a parameters of a combustion event in order to adjust ionization levels within a combustion chamber.
US09371779B2	Method and a device for adjusting a setpoint value of a parameter that influences thrust from a gas turbine engine A method of adjusting a setpoint value of at least one parameter that has an influence on thrust of a gas turbine engine propelling an aircraft during a stage of flight of the aircraft, the method including: obtaining a current value of at least one operating variable of the engine; extracting from a pre-established table a decrement value for the at least one parameter associated with the current value of the at least one operating variable of the engine; and adjusting the setpoint value of the at least one parameter by applying thereto the decrement value extracted from the table.
US09371774B2	Fully automated emergency generator fuel oil system and method for operation thereof A fully automated emergency generator fuel oil system comprises a plurality of emergency generator fuel oil system components, a plurality of sensors for continuously monitoring the physical status of the system components, and a master control panel in communication with the plurality of sensors, wherein a master control panel in operative communication with the system components interprets signals received from the plurality of sensors to determine if an event has occurred, an event indicating the physical status of one or more of the system components, and when an event has occurred, the master control panel issues one or more instructions responsive to the event that control the function of one or more of the system components.
US09371766B2	Engine-on time predictor for aftertreatment scheduling for a vehicle A method to control a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) having a compression ignition engine includes operating the engine based on an engine-on request and performing an exhaust aftertreatment procedure based on a completion time for the aftertreatment procedure compared to a predicted engine-on time determined using a driving pattern. An HEV is provided with a compression ignition engine with an aftertreatment system, and a controller. The controller is configured to: (i) operate the engine based on an engine-on request, and (ii) perform an exhaust aftertreatment procedure for the vehicle based on a completion time for the aftertreatment procedure compared to a predicted engine-on time determined using a driving pattern. A computer readable medium having stored data representing instructions executable by a controller to control a vehicle is provided with instructions for operating the engine based on an engine-on request, and instructions for performing an exhaust aftertreatment procedure.
US09371755B2	Membrane separation method and system utilizing waste heat for on-board recovery and storage of CO2 from motor vehicle internal combustion engine exhaust gases A method and system are described for on-board treatment of an exhaust stream containing CO2 emitted by a hydrocarbon-fueled internal combustion engine (ICE) used to power a vehicle in order to reduce the amount of CO2 discharged into the atmosphere which include: a. a first waste heat recovery zone on board the vehicle for receiving the high temperature exhaust gas stream, at least one heat exchanger having an inlet for receiving the hot exhaust gas stream from the ICE for passage in heat exchange relation and a discharge outlet for discharging the exhaust stream at a lower temperature, the heat recovery zone further including at least one heat recovery device for converting the waste heat from the exhaust gas to electrical and/or mechanical energy; b. a membrane separation zone in fluid communication with the exhaust gas stream discharge outlet from the waste heat recovery zone, the membrane separation zone including a membrane module having a permeate side to which CO2 permeates and a retentate side that is contacted by the cooled exhaust gas stream, the retentate side including a treated exhaust gas stream outlet; c. a densification zone in fluid communication with the permeate side of the membrane molecule for receiving permeate CO2, the densification zone including means for reducing the temperature and volume of the CO2 to at least liquefy the CO2, and to produce a treated exhaust gas stream of reduced CO2 content; d. a storage zone for receiving the densified CO2 for temporary storage on board the vehicle; and e. an exhaust gas conduit in fluid communication with the treated exhaust gas stream outlet from the membrane module zone.
US09371744B2	Heat engine A heat engine is provided which includes: a boiler unit including an evaporation chamber and a fluid-pool chamber, the evaporation chamber heating a working fluid by supplied heat and generating vapor of the fluid, and the fluid-pool chamber collecting the fluid supplied to the evaporation chamber; an output unit through which the vapor flows, and which converts energy of the vapor to mechanical energy; a condensation unit which condenses the vapor that has passed through the output unit, and refluxes the condensed fluid to the fluid-pool chamber; and a working fluid guide member which is disposed in the boiler unit, and which sucks the fluid in the fluid-pool chamber by using capillary force and supplies the fluid to the evaporation chamber. The evaporation chamber is separated from the fluid-pool chamber. Pressure in the evaporation chamber is higher than pressure in the fluid-pool chamber. The working fluid guide member satisfies (2σ/r)·cos θ>PH−PL.
US09371738B2	Variable outer air seal support A variable outer air seal support system according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a case having a plurality of slots, and an extension of a variable outer air seal segment. The extension provides at least one extension aperture. A connector pin is configured to move within the slot to move the variable outer air seal segment from a first position to a second position. The variable outer air seal segment overlaps a circumferentially adjacent variable outer air seal segment more in the first position than in the second position.
US09371737B2	Gas turbine A gas turbine includes: a cooling air pipe disposed at a downstream side of a rotor main body without contacting with the rotor main body and configured to feed cooling air into a cooling air main passage of the rotor main body; a bearing downstream end shaft seal annularly disposed at an outer circumferential side of the rotor main body and at a downstream side of a bearing which rotatably supports the rotor main body; and a collecting flow passage member having a leaked air collecting flow passage that guides the cooling air, which is leaked from the bearing downstream end shaft seal to the bearing side, into an exhaust flow passage through which a combustion gas passing through a final blade stage flows.
US09371728B2	Downhole pressure compensator and method of same The techniques herein relate to a pressure compensation system for a sensor in a wellbore having a wellbore fluid therein. The system includes a downhole tool (104) and at least one pressure compensator (112) positionable therein. The pressure compensator includes a first compensating fluid section having a first compensating fluid (238) therein, a first pressure compensation section having a first pressure regulation device (226) for adjusting a compensation pressure of the first compensating fluid based on a wellbore pressure of the wellbore fluid, at least one second compensating fluid section having a second compensating fluid (252) therein, and at least one second pressure compensation section having a second pressure regulation device (246) for adjusting a sensor pressure of the second compensating fluid based on the compensation pressure of the first compensating fluid.
US09371713B2	Plug sensor The present invention relates to an apparatus for monitoring physical parameters in an oil and/or gas well, the apparatus being connectable to a wellhead of the oil and/or gas well. The apparatus comprises a flange assembly configured with a through bore and an end termination, in which through bore a sensor and associated electronics are arranged. The sensor, including a first electronic circuitry, is connected to a second electronic circuitry via transmission devices that are passed through a pressure-tight element arranged in the through bore. The invention also relates to a wellhead for use with an oil and/or gas well with a plurality of casings defining a plurality of annili. The wellhead is configured with a plurality of through-holes, each leading into a respective annulus of the well, and each through-hole is connected to an apparatus as mentioned above.
US09371710B2	Fluid minotiring and flow characterization A wireline logging tool and method for fluid monitoring and flow characterization in individual zones of controlled salinity is disclosed. The tool and method advantageously facilitate zone-specific testing. Sets of packers are used to create hydraulically distinct zones proximate to the tool. Coiled tubing and isolation valves are used to selectively introduce and remove an electrically conductive fluid such as brine to and from a selected zone. Individual sensors are disposed near each zone to make zone-specific measurements while fluid properties are changed, e.g., while salinity is changed to cause salinity fronts in the formation.
US09371703B2	Telescoping joint with control line management assembly A telescoping joint is provided with one or more control lines and is usable for landing a subsea tubing hanger. The telescoping joint can include an outer mandrel, an inner mandrel, and a control line. The inner mandrel can be releasably coupled to the outer mandrel when run in a wellbore of a subterranean formation. At least part of the inner mandrel can be in an area defined by the outer mandrel and can seal an inner area defined by the inner mandrel from an environment exterior to the outer mandrel. The control line can be exterior to an outer surface of the outer mandrel and coiled around at least part of the inner mandrel.
US09371699B2	Plow-shaped cutting elements for earth-boring tools, earth-boring tools including such cutting elements, and related methods A cutting element for an earth-boring tool includes at least one volume of superabrasive material on a substrate. The volume of superabrasive material includes a first planar surface and a second planar surface oriented at an angle relative to the first planar surface and intersecting the first planar surface along an apex. The first planar surface has a circular or oval shape having a first maximum diameter, and the second planar surface has a circular or oval shape having a second maximum diameter. The apex has a length less than the first maximum diameter and the second maximum diameter. Earth-boring tools includes such a cutting element attached to a body. Methods of forming earth-boring tools include the attachment of such a cutting element to a body of an earth-boring tool.

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