Document	Document Title
US09941034B2	Direct write dispensing apparatus and method A direct write dispensing nozzle assembly and method of forming traces and twisted pairs via direct write dispensing. The method includes dispensing conductive material via an inner nozzle so as to form a conductive core. Non-conductive material may be dispensed via a peripheral nozzle surrounding the inner nozzle so as to form a non-conductive casing surrounding the conductive core. The first conductive core and the non-conductive casing may then be deposited on a substrate or other surface. The trace may be positioned on the substrate such that the non-conductive casing contacts a previously deposited trace. An additional conductive core may be dispensed within the non-conductive casing and the direct write dispensing nozzle assembly may be rotated so as to form a twisted pair.
US09941031B2	Downhole cables with both fiber and copper elements Provided is a method of manufacturing a downhole cable, the method including, forming a helical shape in an outer circumferential surface of a metal tube, the metal tube having a fiber element housed therein, and stranding a copper element in a helical space formed by the metallic tube. Also provided is a downhole cable including, a metallic tube having a helical space in an outer circumferential surface thereof, wherein the metallic tube has a fiber element housed therein, and a copper element, disposed in a helical space formed by the steel tube. Double-tube and multi-tube configurations of the downhole cable are also provided.
US09941025B2	Nuclear fuel and method of fabricating the same A nuclear fuel includes a volume of a nuclear fuel material defined by a surface, the nuclear fuel material including a plurality of grains, some of the plurality of grains having a characteristic length along at least one dimension that is smaller than or equal to a selected distance, wherein the selected distance is suitable for maintaining adequate diffusion of a fission product from a grain interior to a grain boundary in some of the grains, the nuclear fuel material including a boundary network configured to transport the fission product from at least one grain boundary of some of the grains to the surface of the volume of the nuclear fuel material.
US09941020B2	Semiconductor system and method for testing semiconductor device A semiconductor device includes a plurality of first input pins; a parity check unit suitable for performing a parity check for command/address signals inputted to the plurality of first input pins, and determining the parity check result as a pass or fail; and one or more registers suitable for storing the inputted command/address signals when the parity check result is determined as the fail, wherein during a test operation, the number of signals having a first logic value among the command/address signals inputted to the plurality of first input pins does not correspond to the logic value of a parity bit.
US09941019B2	TFT-LCD, driving device and manufacturing method thereof An embodiment of the disclosed technology provides a driving device for a thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) and a method for manufacturing the same. The driving device comprises at least one first TFT and at least one second TFT formed a base substrate, wherein load of the first TFT is larger than load of the second TFT, the first TFT is of a top-gate configuration, and the second TFT is of a bottom-gate configuration.
US09941009B2	Memory device having vertical structure and memory system including the same A memory device has a vertical structure in which a row decoder, a page buffer, and a peripheral circuit are disposed under a memory cell array. The row decoder and the page buffer may be asymmetrically disposed. The peripheral circuit is disposed in an area where the row decoder and the page buffer are not disposed. The row decoder and the page buffer may be symmetrically disposed with respect to an interface of planes. The peripheral circuit may be disposed in an area including a part of the interface of the planes.
US09940998B2	Memory cell, memory device, and electronic device having the same A memory device includes a memory cell array including a plurality of memory cells, a plurality of word lines connected to the plurality of memory cells, a plurality of bit lines connected to the plurality of memory cells, a plurality of complementary bit lines connected to the plurality of memory cells, a plurality of auxiliary bit lines, a plurality of auxiliary complementary bit lines, and a switch circuit. The switch circuit electrically connects the plurality of auxiliary bit lines to the plurality of bit lines during a write operation, electrically connects the plurality of auxiliary complementary bit lines to the plurality of complementary bit lines during the write operation, electrically disconnects the plurality of auxiliary bit lines from the plurality of bit lines during a read operation, and electrically disconnects the plurality of auxiliary complementary bit lines from the plurality of complementary bit lines during the read operation.
US09940988B2	Method of controlling a wordline A method of controlling a wordline by a driver decoder circuit includes generating a first control signal having a first logically high level and a first logically low level, and generating a second control signal having a second logically high level when the first control signal has the first logically high level and a second logically low level when the first control signal has the first logically low level. The first logically high level is different from the second logically high level, and the first logically low level is different from the second logically low level. The method includes coupling the wordline to a first node having a first voltage value in response to the first control signal having the first logically low level and decoupling the wordline from a second node having a second voltage value in response to the second control signal having the second logically low level.
US09940986B2	Electrostatic discharge protection structures for eFuses The present disclosure relates to semiconductor structures and, more particularly, to electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection structures for eFuses. The structure includes an electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection structure operatively coupled to an eFuse, which is structured to prevent unintentional programming of the eFuse due to an ESD event originating at a source.
US09940983B2	Channel controlling device for improving data reading efficiency A channel controlling device includes: a multiplexing circuit coupled to multiple channels for selecting a particular channel from the channels to output a channel data according to a selection signal, wherein the channels correspond to multiple predetermined digital numbers; a sorting circuit arranged to sort the predetermined digital numbers to form multiple sorted digital numbers according to a data output order of the channels; and an arbitration circuit, arranged to determine the selection signal according to the plurality of sorted digital numbers.
US09940979B2	Semiconductor device including a redistribution layer A semiconductor device may include a first redistribution layer configured to allow for input and output of a first signal through the first redistribution layer. The semiconductor device may include a second redistribution layer configured to allow for input and output of a second signal through the second redistribution layer. The semiconductor device may include a first input/output (I/O) unit configured to input and output the first signal or the second signal through the first I/O unit. The semiconductor device may include a first selection unit configured to selectively couple a connection among the first redistribution layer, the second redistribution layer, and the first I/O unit in response to a logic level of a first selection signal. The semiconductor device may include a first selection signal generation unit configured to generate the first selection signal.
US09940964B2	Optical information recording/reproducing device, optical information reproducing device, and optical information reproducing method An optical information recording/reproducing device which records an interference pattern between a reference beam and a signal beam as a hologram in an optical information storage medium or reproduces information from the optical information storage medium, the optical information recording/reproducing device includes a light source unit which emits a light beam, a signal-beam/reference-beam optical unit which generates the signal beam and the reference beam from the light beam and irradiates the optical information storage medium, a spatial light modulator which adds information to the generated signal beam, a photodetection unit which detects a reproduced beam from the optical information storage medium and acquires a reproduced image constituted by a plurality of pixels arrayed in a lattice shape, and a signal processing unit which performs equalization processing to a first pixel of the reproduced image to have a target characteristic.
US09940963B1	Magnetic media with atom implanted magnetic layer A method for manufacturing a magnetic media for magnetic data recording that improves smoothness for reduced magnetic spacing, and also improves mechanical integration to improve reliability and lifespan of the data recording system. A magnetic material such as a magnetic recording layer is deposited over underlying layers that include a substrate. A first etching is performed that employs a Xe plasma. A second etching is then performed that employs an Ar plasma. The two step etching process advantageously improves smoothness of the surface of the magnetic layer which allows for a thinner overcoat for reduced magnetic spacing. The two step etching process also results in less head disk crashes, resulting in improved reliability.
US09940961B2	Perpendicular magnetic recording medium A perpendicular magnetic recording medium includes a non-magnetic substrate; and a magnetic recording layer that includes magnetic crystal grains and a non-magnetic crystal grain boundary that surrounds the magnetic crystal grains, wherein the magnetic crystal grains contain an ordered alloy and the non-magnetic crystal grain boundary contains Ge oxides. The magnetic recording layer may have a granular structure. The magnetic crystal grains may be micronized to be sufficiently ordered and separated, and the perpendicular magnetic recording medium may have a high magnetic anisotropy constant Ku and high coercivity Hc.
US09940955B2	Tunnel magnetoresistance magnetic sensor with scissor sensor and multi-seed layer configuration A read head is provided with a scissors sensor. The read head may include a bottom magnetic shield, and a first non-magnetic seed layer, a magnetic seed layer, a second non-magnetic seed layer, an antiferromagnetic layer, a coupling layer, a first free magnetic layer, a spacer layer, and a second free magnetic layer positioned above the bottom magnetic shield, in this order. A pair of magnetic side shield layers may be positioned on respective sides of the second free magnetic layer.
US09940954B2	Mass production of multichannel current perpendicular to plane head modules via preferred milling A process according to one embodiment includes milling a media facing surface of a module having an array of sensors at a first angle, and milling the media facing surface of the magnetic head module at a second angle, not necessarily in that order. After the milling at the first and second angles, the media facing surface of the module is milled at a third angle between 55 degrees and 65 degrees from normal. An apparatus according to one embodiment includes a tape head module having an array of at least eight current perpendicular to plane sensors, wherein none of the sensors has a resistance more than about 10% away from the resistances of its nearest neighbors.
US09940950B2	Methods for improving adhesion on dielectric substrates Various embodiments described herein provide for substrate structures including uniform plating seed layers, and that provide favorable adhesion on dielectric substrate layers. According to some embodiments, a methods for forming a magnetic recording pole is provided comprising: forming an insulator layer; forming a trench in the insulator layer; forming an amorphous seed layer over the insulator layer; forming an adhesion layer over the amorphous seed layer, the adhesion layer comprising a physical vapor deposited (PVD) noble metal; forming a plating seed layer over the adhesion layer, the plating seed layer comprising chemical vapor deposited (CVD) Ru; and forming a magnetic material layer over the plating seed layer.
US09940939B2	Audio encoder and decoder The present disclosure provides methods, devices and computer program products for encoding and decoding of a vector of parameters in an audio coding system. The disclosure further relates to a method and apparatus for reconstructing an audio object in an audio decoding system. According to the disclosure, a modulo differential approach for coding and encoding a vector of a non-periodic quantity may improve the coding efficiency and provide encoders and decoders with less memory requirements. Moreover, an efficient method for encoding and decoding a sparse matrix is provided.
US09940932B2	System and method for speech-to-text conversion This disclosure relates generally to speech recognition, and more particularly to system and method for speech-to-text conversion using audio as well as video input. In one embodiment, a method is provided for performing speech to text conversion. The method comprises receiving an audio data and a video data of a user while the user is speaking, generating a first raw text based on the audio data via one or more audio-to-text conversion algorithms, generating a second raw text based on the video data via one or more video-to-text conversion algorithms, determining one or more errors by comparing the first raw text and the second raw text, and correcting the one or more errors by applying one or more rules. The one or more rules employ at least one of a domain specific word database, a context of conversation, and a prior communication history.
US09940925B2	Sight-to-speech product authentication An apparatus comprises: a memory; and a processor coupled to the memory and configured to: receive a spoken phrase associated with a printed phrase from a tamper-evident component of a product; obtain a notification associated with authentication of the product based on the spoken phrase; and provide the notification in a visual manner, in an audio manner, or a combined audio and visual manner. A method comprises: creating a tamper-evident component comprising an obscuring mechanism and a printed phrase, wherein the obscuring mechanism obscures the printed phrase from view; providing the tamper-evident component for integration into a product; receiving a spoken phrase from a first consumer; analyzing the spoken phrase; generating a notification associated with authentication of the product based on the analyzing; and transmitting the notification to the first consumer.
US09940922B1	Methods, systems, and computer readable media for utilizing ray-parameterized reverberation filters to facilitate interactive sound rendering Methods, systems, and computer readable media for utilizing ray-parameterized reverberation filters to facilitate interactive sound rendering are disclosed. According to one method, the method includes generating a sound propagation impulse response characterized by a plurality of predefined number of frequency bands and estimating a plurality of reverberation parameters for each of the predefined number of frequency bands of the impulse response. The method further includes utilizing the reverberation parameters to parameterize a plurality of reverberation filters in an artificial reverberator, rendering an audio output in a spherical harmonic (SH) domain that results from a mixing of a source audio and a reverberation signal that is produced from the artificial reverberator, and performing spatialization processing on the audio output.
US09940917B1	Noise generating clapper apparatus A noise generating clapper apparatus includes a main body sheet having a plurality of foldable flaps, the plurality of flaps having a front flap attached to a rear flap along a first fold line and a joint flap attached to the rear flap along a second fold line, and a clapper member pivotably mounted to the joint flap. The joint flap folds along the second fold line and the front flap folds along the first fold line to enclose the clapper member between the front and rear flaps in a secured position. The main body sheet is maneuvered in a shaking motion to permit the clapper member to pivot between the front and rear flaps, thereby enabling the clapper member to generate noise upon contact with the first fold line of the main body sheet.
US09940914B2	Score displaying method and storage medium A controller of a score displaying apparatus operates in a view mode displaying a score on a screen of a user I/F 12, and a writing mode obtaining information indicating writing on the score via the user I/F 12. In response to one operation specifying one grand staff by a user in the view mode, the controller performs a process of enlarging an image of an image area to which the specified grand staff belongs and displaying the enlarged image on a foreground of a center of the screen, and performs a process of switching a control mode from the view mode to the writing mode.
US09940913B1	Rotational pivot structure within single reed woodwind ligature system A single reed woodwind ligature system has an upper U-shaped structure for contacting the upper portion of a mouthpiece at one or more small areas of contact and for engaging a lower structure, preferably by threaded ends and nuts. A reed contactor plate contacts a reed at a portion of its bottom curved surface. At least one ball bearing sphere is located in aligned cavities of the lower structure and the reed contactor in a spaced-apart configuration and forms a pivot mechanism capable of roll, pitch and yaw rotations in three dimensions around the approximate center of the at least one sphere. Embodiments include multiple spheres and sphere-bearing pin contact combinations forming the three-dimensional adjustable pivot. A retainer holds the spherical pivot components together when the ligature system is not clamping the reed to the mouthpiece without hampering user adjustments in the three normal (roll, pitch and yaw) dimensional ranges.
US09940901B2	See-through optical image processing Systems and methods for performing optical image processing via a transparent display are disclosed. In one example approach, a method comprises determining a position of incident light on a see-through display device, determining a direction of the incident light relative to the see-through display device, and modulating, with the see-through display device, a transmission of the incident light through the see-through display device based on the determined position and determined direction of the incident light.
US09940900B2	Peripheral electronic device and method for using same A peripheral electronic device is described which is configured to communicate with a computing device comprising a display having a screen configured to display a virtual gaze cursor; wherein the peripheral electronic device comprises at least one user interface configured to trigger at least one operational command in response to interaction with a user, wherein the at least one operational command is associated with a current location of the virtual gaze cursor at the screen, and wherein a change at the current location of the virtual gaze cursor being displayed, is determined based on a shift of a user's gaze from a first location at said screen to a different location thereat, or based on a tilt of the user's head, or based on any combination thereof.
US09940889B2	Gate driving circuit and display device including the same A gate driving circuit including a plurality of stage circuits to output a plurality of gate signals, a N-th stage circuit of the plurality of stage circuits includes: an output pull-up part including a control electrode connected to a first node, the first node being configured to have a potential increase in response to a (N−1)-th control signal received from a previous stage circuit of the N-th stage circuit, the output pull-up part to receive a clock signal to output a gate signal of the N-th stage circuit; a control node pull-up part to control the potential of the first node by using the (N−1)-th control signal; and a control node pull-down part to discharge the first node to a second low voltage according to a (N+1)-th control signal, wherein the output pull-up part is to discharge the gate signal of the N-th stage circuit in a (N+2)-th stage circuit.
US09940886B2	Display device which prevents occurrence of flicker A display device which prevents or minimizes the occurrence of flicker is provided. The display device includes a display panel having pixels, with data lines and gate lines that are respectively connected with the pixels. A display driving circuit is configured to vary a frame frequency of the display panel according to an operation mode, to select a gamma curve corresponding to the frame frequency. The selected gamma curve is one among gamma curves that are set so as to correspond to different frame frequencies. The display panel is driven based on the selected gamma curve.
US09940883B2	Display panel inspection apparatus A vision inspection apparatus includes a tri-stimulus measuring part configured to measure gray tri-stimulus values of a sample grayscale and color tri-stimulus values of a full-grayscale, a color tri-stimulus generating part configured to generate color tri-stimulus values of the sample grayscale using the gray tri-stimulus values of the sample grayscale and the color tri-stimulus values of the full-grayscale, and a color correction value generating part configured to generate color grayscale correction value using the gray tri-stimulus values of the sample grayscale and the color tri-stimulus values of the sample grayscale.
US09940877B2	Gray-scale voltage generating circuit to control luminance of the display unit A gray-scale voltage generating circuit includes: a ladder resistor circuit including a plurality of resistors connected in series to one another, and configured to output a plurality of gray-scale voltages with different voltage values from ends of the respective resistors; and a constant current source configured to be connected in series to the ladder resistor circuit, in which the constant current source includes a current source transistor configured to be connected in series to the ladder resistor circuit, and a voltage setting section configured to select one voltage from the plurality of voltages and set the selected voltage as a voltage determining a current that is to flow through the current source transistor.
US09940871B2	Method of sensing degradation of pixel and organic light emitting diode display device In a method of sensing degradation of pixels in an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display device, the method includes: generating degradation sensing data for the pixels by sensing the degradation of the pixels; generating degradation estimation data for the pixels based on input image data for the pixels; setting a degradation baseline for each sensing channel based on the degradation estimation data; and determining degrees of degradation of the pixels based on a difference between the degradation sensing data and the degradation baseline.
US09940863B2	Display device and method for driving the same A display device according to example embodiments includes: a display panel including a plurality of pixels configured to display an image; a gamma voltage generator configured to generate a plurality of gamma sets respectively corresponding to a plurality of luminance ranges, and configured to compare a target luminance level with the luminance ranges to select a target gamma set among the gamma sets, and to generate a plurality of gamma voltages using the target gamma set, the target luminance level being a luminance level of the image; a first dimming controller configured to scale input image data based on the target luminance level; a second dimming controller configured to determine an off duty ratio of an emission signal based on the target luminance level; and a display panel driver configured to drive the display panel based on the input image data and the gamma voltages.
US09940859B2	Testing apparatus for testing display apparatus and method of testing the same A testing apparatus for testing a display apparatus includes a base substrate, a plurality of fixing tools on the base substrate to affix the display apparatus to the base substrate, the plurality of fixing tools being movable in a z-axis direction independently of each other, the z-axis direction extending along a normal direction to the base substrate, and a controller that controls the fixing tools to bend the display apparatus in two or more test patterns different from each other.
US09940858B2	System and method for assymetric rendering to eyes in augmented reality and virtual reality devices A head-mounted display device including first and second display surfaces associated with first and second eyes of the user, a graphics processing unit, one or more hardware processors, and an adaptive rendering module. The adaptive rendering module is configured to identify a threshold frame time, the threshold frame time representing an upper threshold of time to render frame data by the GPU, receiving a first frame time associated with rendering a first frame to the first eye and second eye of the user, the first frame being rendered at a target resolution, determining that the first frame time exceeds the threshold frame time, and lowering the resolution below the target resolution for parts of a second frame associated with the first eye of the user while maintaining the resolution for parts of the second frame at the target resolution for images associated with the second eye of the user.
US09940857B2	LED console assembly with light reflector A console assembly for an appliance has a light transmissive indicia assembly having at least one indicator and one operator control, a printed circuit assembly (PCA) mounted to the indicia assembly with touch circuit and light emitting diodes (LEDs) mounted to both sides of the PCA, and a light reflector disposed adjacent to the PCA and the LEDs.
US09940851B2	System and device for decluttering a display A system and device for controlling a display are disclosed. Data is examined, which correspond to an image to be shown with the display. Upon determining that said data comprise a critical item corresponding to an element of the image, the critical item is shown with an uncluttered view. Non-critical items corresponding to elements of the image are attempted to be shown as well, such that the critical item is not obscured and the image remains uncluttered.
US09940850B1	Interactive fire safety education kit and associated use thereof An interactive fire safety education kit includes a frame having a first section, a second section conjoined to the first section, and a third section conjoined to the second section. A first fire-simulating mechanism is rotatably coupled to the first section, a second fire-simulating mechanism adjustably coupled to the second section, and a third fire-simulating mechanism rotatably coupled to the third section. A flag and an associated mechanism are provided wherein the mechanism is capable of reciprocating the flag along a vertical path located adjacent to the third section as the third fire-simulating mechanism rotates in opposing rotational directions. A user interface is provided wherein the user interface is capable of generating an output that causes selective rotational displacement of the first fire-simulating mechanism, selective linear displacement of the second fire-simulating mechanism, and selective rotational displacement of the third fire-simulating mechanism, respectively.
US09940845B2	Electronic healthcare education system and method A healthcare education software, which is executed by an electronic healthcare education system, incorporates a medical content authoring software platform with a medical authoring interface, a medical training, simulation, and evaluation software platform with a virtual patient examination simulator and an interactive prediction table, and a computerized medical causal concept diagram construction and evaluation software platform with corresponding interfaces for training of medical students and other healthcare professionals. Preferably, the healthcare education software is connected to a robust medical information database that contains a wealth of physiological simulation animation files, evidence-based patient diagnostic information, and other pertinent medical information, which can be readily imported and utilized by a healthcare education content creator in creating and updating medical training contents via the medial authoring interface. The healthcare education software may be executed on a CPU and a memory unit of a computer system, a portable device, or another electronic device.
US09940844B2	Enhancing cognition in the presence of distraction and/or interruption The present disclosure relates to methods and tools for enhancing cognition and improving well being in an individual. The methods involve presenting to an individual a task to be performed, presenting to the individual an interference, and receiving inputs from the individual. Where the interference is a distraction, the individual is to ignore the interference. Where the interference is an interrupter, the individual is instructed to respond to the interrupter as a secondary task and is considered to be multi-tasking. Inputs are then also received from the individual pertaining to this secondary task. The methods encompass iterations of these presenting steps and receiving of the input, and generation of analysis and/or feedback to the individual. The analysis can include a comparison of the performances with or without each type of interference.
US09940843B2	Systems and methods for managing restricted areas for unmanned autonomous vehicles Methods, systems, and devices for providing data from a server to a UAV, enabling the UAV to navigate with respect to areas of restricted air space (“restricted areas”). A server may receive from a UAV, a request for restricted area information based on a position of the UAV. The server may determine boundaries of a surrounding area containing the position of the UAV and a number of restricted areas. The server may transmit coordinate information to the UAV defining the restricted areas contained within the surrounding area.
US09940841B2	Method for improving a flight trajectory of an aircraft as a function of meteorological conditions A navigation aid method to determine an improved trajectory between points of departure and arrival as a function of a trajectory cost, comprises: determining a grid of nodes, loading meteorological data at the nodes, determining for each node, an average instantaneous cost from a first instantaneous cost as a function of a ground speed taking into account meteorological data loaded at the node concerned, and from a second instantaneous cost as a function of a ground speed that does not take into account the loaded meteorological data, determining a length of a trajectory passing through the node and arriving at the point of arrival, determining a cost grid assigning, at each of the nodes of the grid, a local cost determined from the average instantaneous cost and the length, determining an improved trajectory from the cost grid, and graphically representing the improved trajectory and/or the cost grid to a crew.
US09940840B1	Smart platooning of vehicles A computing system may obtain, for each vehicle of a plurality of vehicles located within a location area, navigation data that indicates a travel route for the vehicle. Based on the navigation data for the plurality of vehicles, the computing system determines a subset of the plurality of vehicles that are within a threshold distance of each other and have respective travel routes that at least partially overlap. The computing system selects, based on a set of selection parameters, two or more vehicles among the subset of vehicles to form a platoon of vehicles that travel in a coordinated arrangement in proximity to each other during at least a portion of the respective travel routes of the selected vehicles. The computing system can direct the selected vehicles to form the platoon of vehicles.
US09940822B2	Systems and methods for analysis of subject activity There is provided a method of detection and monitoring of at least one position based activity by a subject, comprising: providing a wearable monitoring device including at least one position tag for tracking location of the subject in a space; collecting body movement and location data of the subject within the space based on the tracked location of the position tag; providing at least one activity sensor configured to sense at least one body movement of the subject within the space; collecting body movement data based on the activity sensor; correlating the body movement data with the location data; contextually analyzing the correlation to identify at least one abnormal event or at least one normal event based on subject body movement and location where the body movement is performed; and generating an alert indicative of the abnormal event or the normal event.
US09940818B2	Method for controlling mobile phone loss prevention function by means of bluetooth earphones The present invention relates to a method for controlling a mobile phone loss prevention function by means of Bluetooth earphones. The method includes: a link loss determination step (S10) of measuring a sensitivity of a signal transmitted/received between a mobile phone and the Bluetooth earphone and determining occurrence of a link loss; warning sound generation steps (S20, S40, and S60) of, when the link loss has occurred, generating a warning sound, which warns of loss of the mobile phone, through the Bluetooth earphone in such a manner as to amplify a volume of the warning sound from a low volume to a high volume for each step; and warning sound stop identification steps (S30, S50, and S70) of determining whether a warning sound stop button has been operated by a user who has recognized the warning sound and selecting whether the generation of the warning sound is to be stopped.
US09940813B2	Abnormality reporting system and electric tool, and communication terminal A technique capable of immediately reporting to an operator an occurrence of abnormality in an electric tool is provided. A communication terminal 100 includes a communication-terminal-side control unit that determines whether abnormality has occurred in any of electric tools 10, 200, 300, and 400 based on information acquired from the electric tools 10, 200, 300, and 400 via wireless communication. When the communication-terminal-side control unit determines the occurrence of abnormality in any one of the electric tools 10, 200, 300, and 400, the occurrence of abnormality in the electric tool 10, 200, 300, or 400 is reported by at least one of a report unit included in the electric tools 10, 200, 300, and 400 other than the electric tool 10, 200, 300, or 400 in which the occurrence of abnormality is determined and a report unit included in the communication terminal 100.
US09940810B2	Person support apparatuses with patient mobility monitoring A person support apparatus, such as a bed, stretcher, cot, or the like, includes a fall detector. The fall detector is adapted to detect when a person associated with the person support apparatus has fallen and to issue a fall alarm. In some embodiments, the person support apparatus also includes an exit detection system that issues an exit alarm when the person exits from the person support apparatus. The fall alarm is given a higher priority than the exit alarm. The fall detector may include a camera, a thermal image sensor, a device worn by the person, or another sensor. The person support apparatus may also, or alternatively, include a timer for measuring how long an occupant remains out of the person support apparatus.
US09940807B1	System and method for monitoring multiple patients A system for monitoring multiple patients within a facility comprises a plurality of monitoring apparatuses, a central communication hub, and a plurality of notification devices. The monitoring apparatuses generate data relating to the status of patients, and send the data to the communication hub. The data may include an alarm signal. In a variant, the monitoring apparatuses do not generate alarm signals. Rather the communication hub processes the data and generates alarms if needed. Alarms are sent by the communication hub to the notification devices to inform employees of the facility of the source of the alarm.
US09940802B2	Mounting assembly A mounting assembly (10) for an electronic device (11) is disclosed. The mounting assembly (10) comprises an attachment part (12), a base (16), and an arm (14). The attachment part (12) is coupled to the arm (14) and the arm (14) is coupled to the base (16) such that the arm (14) is lockingly rotatable relative the base (16) about a rotational axis (18). The arm (14) comprises a housing and a locking member (20) being provided with a locking protrusion (30). The locking member (20) is coupled to the housing such that the locking protrusion (30) is radially displaceable in relation to the rotational axis (18). The base (16) is provided with a set of radially extending locking grooves (22). The locking protrusion (30) is received by one locking groove (22a) in response to a displacement of the locking member (20), whereby the arm (16) is rotationally locked.
US09940788B2	System and method for augmented reality gaming using a mobile device Disclosed is a method and system for preventing replay attacks for mobile promotions associated with promotion devices. Upon the occurrence of a promotion winning event such as a designated outcome of a game played on the promotion device the user, via a software application accessible to their mobile device, forwards images of the event to a server over a network. The server determines entitlement to the promotion and analyses data associated with the images and mobile device location and time to confirm that the event is new promotion winning event. Upon such confirmation an entitlement to the promotion is awarded to the user. The foregoing prevents unscrupulous users from logging multiple claims for the same promotion winning event.
US09940786B1	Gaming system with dynamic prizing Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for dynamically managing the distribution of prizes in a gaming system. In one aspect, a method includes initializing a digital interactive sweepstakes game, receiving player identification data, receiving player activity data, determining a player activity forecast based on the player activity data, updating a prizing algorithm based on the player activity forecast, applying the prizing algorithm to player activity data to identify a particular player, and distributing a prize to an account associated with the particular player.
US09940785B2	Dynamic placement of in-game ads, in-game product placement, and in-game promotions in wager-based game environments Various aspects are described herein for implementing in-game advertising, in-game product placement, and in-game promotion techniques in wager-based games conducted at an electronic gaming device of a casino gaming network. These techniques provide the ability for traditional video-type wager-based gaming machines (such as those deployed at casino gaming establishments) to be quickly and easily converted to wager-based games which support in-game advertising while still satisfying the strict regulatory compliance rules and regulations governing wager-based gaming.
US09940782B2	Electronic gaming device Examples disclosed herein relate to systems and methods, which may receive gaming data from one or more gaming tables. The systems and methods may obtain gaming data from one or more gaming tables via a network interface based on at least one of a searching structure and a search algorithm. The systems and methods may compare betting criterion to the gaming data. The systems and methods may initiate at least one of a wager based on a comparison of the betting criterion to the gaming data and a display of data related to a search result.
US09940781B2	Recording and reproduction of wagering game play step events occuring in multiple nested bonus games A gaming system includes game-logic circuitry that primarily performs a casino wagering game. The casino wagering game includes gaming events (play steps) having outcomes that may trigger and perpetuate a multi-level bonus game. As the wagering game is performed, a game cycle data record is created containing game cycle data related to the outcome of the play steps. A predetermined number of the most recent game cycle data records are stored in non-volatile memory. Each game cycle data record includes a predetermined number of play step data records for the base-game, bonus-game-triggering, and bonus-game play steps, as performed in chronological order. When the predetermined number of play step data records is exceeded, the oldest non-triggering play step data record is removed from the game cycle data and accrued into summary data specific to a nested-depth of the play step for the game cycle.
US09940776B2	Bet sensing apparatuses and related devices and methods A bet sensor for sensing values of gaming tokens may include a bet placement surface configured and oriented to support a stack of gaming tokens thereon and an image sensor located and oriented to capture an image of a lateral side surface of at least one gaming token located on the bet placement surface. The image may depict the lateral side surface in a radial format. The bet sensor may include a processor in communication with the image sensor. The processor is configured to acquire image data from the image and analyze the image data to determine a wager value of the at least one gaming token. A gaming table may include such a bet sensor. The disclosure includes methods of operating such a gaming table.
US09940773B2	Systems and methods for automated dispensing systems in retail locations An automated vending system for retail locations can include: an exterior housing that houses a plurality of differently shaped items for purchase and return; a data processor that is disposed in the exterior housing and that is coupled to an external server having a database; a display device on a face of the exterior housing; a memory storing computer-executable instructions that cause the automated vending system to execute vending and returning of an item; a payment validation device that is configured to accept payment information; a storage area that holds a plurality of items; an item compartment that is disposed within the exterior housing and that is capable of opening to the user; an item dispenser that dispenses an item from the storage area to the item compartment; and a detector that is positioned to detect foreign activity within the item compartment.
US09940771B2	Security apparatus for an automated teller machine A method and associated security apparatus for providing security to an automatic teller machine (ATM) having a cash capture device in a presenter area of the ATM. The cash capture device is detected by a proximity detector in the security apparatus in the ATM. A detecting signal is generated by the proximity detector in response to the cash capture device being detected. The detecting signal is received by control circuitry in the security apparatus and in response, the control circuitry causes a dispensing shutter of the ATM to remain in an open position. Each proximity detector is electrically connected to the control circuitry. The dispensing shutter in the open position is configured, in an absence of the cash capture device in the ATM, to dispense paper currency processed and stored in the presenter area. Presenter belts in the presenter area transport the paper currency to a dispenser aperture.
US09940770B1	Coin machine using proximity and ambient light sensing technology A coin acceptor includes main body having coin dispenser mounted therein, coin tubes mounted in the main body and disposed at the bottom side of the coin dispenser, and sensing device including multiple optical sensor modules respectively aimed at the coin tubes. The distance between each optical sensor module and the coins in the respective coin tube is calculated by: measuring the time taken for the reflected light to travel from the coins in the respective coin tube to the proximity sensor of the respective optical sensor module and then multiplying the time thus measured by the speed of light. The number of coins in each coin tube is calculated by: deducting the distance between the respective optical sensor module and the coins in the respective coin tube from the pre-measured depth of the empty coin tube, and then dividing the reminder thus obtained by the thickness of single coin.
US09940769B2	Wearable key fob A wearable key fob is disclosed herein. The wearable key fob includes a wrist band including a slot and a key fob including a charging tab that fits into the slot of the wrist band; wherein the key fob is configured for vehicle operability and monitoring a user's health.
US09940767B2	Touch pad lock assembly A lock assembly for a closure comprises a housing, a handle and a latch plunger operably connected with the handle. A key lock has a locked and unlocked position. A lock cam is rotatably mounted in the housing and is operably connected with the key lock for rotation therewith. A link is operably connected with the crank arm and a deadbolt lock movably mounted in the housing for shifting between a locked position, wherein the closure is retained in the closed position, and an unlocked position, wherein the closure is free to be shifted between open and closed positions. The deadbolt lock is operably connected with the link to a motor. A computer input device mounted on the exterior portion of the housing is operatively connected with the motor, whereby entry of a preselected code actuates the motor and contemporaneously shifts the deadbolt lock between the locked and unlocked positions.
US09940760B2	System and method for facilitated collaboration between automotive mechanics A method for facilitating communication for diagnosis of automotive repair issues includes retrieving diagnostic data from a first processor in a first vehicle using a first diagnostic tool, and transmitting the diagnostic data to a server with a request for assistance from a first user who operates the first diagnostic tool. The server identifies a second user who has received diagnostic data from a second processor in a second vehicle with a second diagnostic tool that corresponds to the diagnostic data retrieved by the first processor in the first vehicle, and the server transmits a communication notification to an electronic communication device that is associated with the second user to establish a communication channel between the first user and second user regarding the vehicle issue.
US09940759B2	Drive data collection system A drive data collection system includes an in-vehicle system and an information center. The in-vehicle system includes a data collector that repeatedly collects measurement values indicative of various indexes regarding a state of a subject vehicle, a model memory that memorizes model information regarding discretization rules that are shared by each of participating vehicles in the system, and a data discretizer that discretizes drive data, which includes time-series measurement values collected by the data collector, into multiple data parts according to the model information. The information center includes a data accumulator that accumulates the discretized drive data in a server. The in-vehicle system sends the discretized drive data to the information center through a communicator. Therefore, the drive data collection system efficiently collects the drive data in a versatilely-utilizable manner for the analysis of general driving practices/behaviors.
US09940757B2	Modifying a simulated character by direct manipulation A portion of a simulated element of a graphical simulation available for modification is identified in view of a cursor location associated with a user input device. The identified portion of the simulated element is selected for modification. The selected portion of the simulated element is then modified according to a direct manipulation of a display of the selected portion of the simulated element by a user using the user input device.
US09940755B2	Explorable augmented reality displays Concepts and technologies are disclosed herein for explorable augmented reality displays. An augmented reality service can receive a request for augmented reality display data. The request can be associated with a device. The augmented reality service can determine a location associated with the device and identify augmented reality data associated with the location. The augmented reality service can provide augmented reality display data to the device.
US09940750B2	System and method for role negotiation in multi-reality environments Provided herein are methods and systems for role negotiation with multiple sources. A method for role negotiation can comprise rendering a common field of interest that reflects a presence of a plurality of elements, wherein at least one of the elements is a remote element located remotely from another of the elements. A plurality of role designations can be received, each role designation associated with one of a plurality of devices, wherein at least one of the plurality of devices is a remote device located remotely from another of the plurality of devices. The common field of interest can be updated based upon the plurality of role designations, wherein each of the plurality of role designations defines an interactive functionality associated with the respective device of the plurality of devices.
US09940748B2	Method and apparatus for multi-experience adaptation of media content A method or apparatus that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a method for adapting media content of a source device for a recipient device. Characteristics of a first environment of a source device and of a second environment of a recipient can be identified. At least one difference between the characteristics of the first environment of the source device and the characteristics of the second environment of the recipient device can be determined. A presentation of media content can be modified according to the at least one difference between the characteristics of the first environment of the source device and the characteristics of the second environment of the recipient device. Other embodiments are disclosed.
US09940743B1	Optimizing map generation by reducing redundant tiles Systems and methods of identifying map tile nodes in a tree data structure are provided. Map tiles are generated, certain ones of which are identified as optimized based on sharing a predetermined attribute that could be redundant with that of other map tiles, eliminating the need to create selected subtrees descending from a parent node. A client device, detecting an error message indicating the absence of a tile in what would be the subtree, can request a parent node of the subtree. Also, a client device, prior to requesting a node below the default level, can consult a matrix that indicates whether the node exists and if not then select a parent node on the default level.
US09940733B2	Virtual memory supported compression control surfaces Data destined for memory, i.e., data that was evicted at some level in the cache hierarchy is intercepted and subjected to compression before being sent to memory. Thereby, when the compression is successful, the memory bandwidth requirement is reduced, potentially resulting in higher performance and/or energy efficiency in some embodiments.
US09940728B2	Computer vision assisted item search System and techniques for computer vision assisted item search are described herein. A composite image, including visual data and depth data, may be obtained. The composite image may be filtered to isolate a clothing article represented in the composite image. A classifier may be applied to the depth data to produce a set of clothing attributes for the clothing article. The clothing attributes may then be provided to a remote device.
US09940725B2	Method for estimating the speed of movement of a camera A method for estimating the speed a first video camera when it captures a current image of a three-dimensional scene, the current image including pixels. The method includes storing a reference image corresponding to an image of the same scene captured by a second video camera in a different pose, the reference image including pixels. The method also includes storing the current image, containing for each pixel of the current image the measurement of a physical magnitude measured by that pixel, which is the same as the physical magnitude measured by the pixels of the reference image. The method further includes storing for each pixel of the reference image or of the current image the measurement of a depth that separates that pixel from the point of the scene photographed by that pixel, estimating the pose and speed of the first video camera.
US09940711B2	Systems and methods for detecting a fatty liver from a computed tomography (CT) scan There is provided a computer-implemented method for detecting a fatty liver, comprising: receiving imaging data of a computed tomography (CT) scan performed using a single source CT Scanner with settings selected for imaging of non-fatty-liver pathology, segmenting a region of the liver by creating a binary image by applying binary segmentation to a sub-set of pixels of the imaging data according to a first set-of-rules, and mapping the region of liver of the binary image to the segmented region of the portion of the liver of the imaging data, calculating liver parameter(s) for the segmented region of the liver from Hounsfield unit (HU) value(s), and detecting the presence of a fatty liver by analyzing the calculated liver parameter(s) according to a second set-of-rules.
US09940709B2	Systems and methods for diagnosing tumors in a subject by performing a quantitative analysis of texture-based features of a tumor object in a radiological image An example method for diagnosing tumors in a subject by performing a quantitative analysis of a radiological image can include identifying a region of interest (ROI) in the radiological image, segmenting the ROI from the radiological image, identifying a tumor object in the segmented ROI and segmenting the tumor object from the segmented ROI. The method can also include extracting a plurality of quantitative features describing the segmented tumor object, and classifying the tumor object based on the extracted quantitative features. The quantitative features can include one or more texture-based features.
US09940708B2	Systems and methods for double pulsed diffusional kurtosis imaging One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a system that can perform double pulsed diffusional kurtosis imaging (DP-DKI). Image data can be received. The image data can be acquired using a double pulsed field gradient (d-PFG) diffusion sequence. A six dimensional (6D) diffusional kurtosis for the image data can be determined. A magnitude of the image data can be determined in terms of the 6D diffusional kurtosis. DP-DKI can isolate the contributions to the d-PFG diffusion sequence, which can represent leading diffusion effects, that cannot be seen from single pulsed field gradient (s-PFG) diffusion sequences.
US09940705B2	System, method and computer program product for detecting defects in a fabricated target component using consistent modulation for the target and reference components A fabricated device having consistent modulation between target and reference components is provided. The fabricated device includes a target component having a first modulation. The fabricated device further includes at least two reference components for the target component including a first reference component and a second reference component, where the first reference component and the second reference component each have the first modulation. Further, a system, method, and computer program product are provided for detecting defects in a fabricated target component using consistent modulation for the target and reference components.
US09940703B2	Method of measuring a property of a target structure, inspection apparatus, lithographic system and device manufacturing method A property of a target structure is measured based on intensity of an image of the target. The method includes (a) obtaining an image of the target structure; (b) defining a plurality of candidate regions of interest, each candidate region of interest comprising a plurality of pixels in the image; (c) defining an optimization metric value for the candidate regions of interest based at least partly on signal values of pixels within the region of interest; (d) defining a target signal function which defines a contribution of each pixel in the image to a target signal value. The contribution of each pixel depends on (i) which candidate regions of interest contain that pixel and (ii) optimization metric values of those candidate regions of interest.
US09940700B2	Information processing apparatus, information processing method, information processing system, and non-transitory computer readable medium An information processing apparatus for producing combined image data includes an image data acquiring unit that acquires two image data items a difference obtaining unit that obtains a difference in brightness between the data items a difference area identifying unit that identifies a difference area a surrounding brightness difference obtaining unit that obtains a difference between a brightness of the difference area and a brightness of an area located around the difference area a correction target area information producing unit that produces correction target area information which indicates a correction target area, in which one of the data items, having a greater difference obtained by the surrounding brightness difference obtaining unit, is used as the correction target area and a combined image data producing unit that produces the combined image data, based on the data items and the correction target area information.
US09940698B1	Cleaning writing boards based on strokes A method for processing an original image. The method includes: obtaining the original image of a writing board; identifying, within the original image, a first stroke by identifying a first plurality of pixels that exceed at least one intensity threshold; determining a geometric feature of the first stroke; selecting a region of the original image adjacent to the first stroke based on the geometric feature; determining an additional pixel in the region that corresponds to the first stroke; and adding the additional pixel to the first plurality of pixels. The first plurality of pixels correspond to the first stroke.
US09940695B2	Method for ensuring perfect stitching of a subject's images in a real-site image stitching operation The present invention is to provide a method for ensuring perfect stitching of a subject's images in a real-site image stitching operation, which enables an electronic device to read two real-site images which are taken respectively of different parts of the same site and each of which has an overlap area of a common subject; to determine and choose an optimal stitching path bypassing the subject; to construct a mask diagram such that, within a difference diagram of the overlap areas, the farther a pixel on one side of the optimal stitching path is from the optimal stitching path, the greater the pixel's value, and the farther a pixel on the other side of the optimal stitching path is from the optimal stitching path, the smaller the pixel's value; and to stitch and fuse the overlap areas together through a fusion algorithm, with the mask diagram serving as a weight.
US09940686B2	Exploiting frame to frame coherency in a sort-middle architecture Pixel values that were computed in a previous frame may be reused for the current frame, operating in a sort-middle architecture. A hash or some other compact representation of all the data used in a tile, including all triangles, uniforms, textures, shaders, etc. is computed and stored for each tile. When rendering the next frame, that compact representation is once again computed for each tile. In a sort-middle architecture, there is a natural break point just before rasterization. At this break point, the compact representation may be compared to the compact representation computed in the previous frame for the same tile. If those compact representations are the same, then there is no need to render anything for this tile. Instead, the contents of the color buffer or other buffers of the previous frame of the tile may be moved to the same buffer of the tile for the current frame.
US09940678B2	Automated systems and methods for managing the placement process for securing insurance coverage Automated systems and methods for implementing and managing the submission, quote, proposal and binding stages (i.e., placement process) for securing insurance coverage.
US09940674B2	System and method for providing insurance coverage recommendations A dynamic computer system assists users in selecting insurance coverage types and levels appropriate for their present financial circumstances. The computer system includes a graphical user interface (GUI) representative of a user's financial data and coverage recommendations. The system may further access third party data to validate and enrich coverage determinations.
US09940667B2	Volume control for mass quote messages Systems and methods are provided for processing mass quote messages and generating market data. A mass quote message is received and individual orders are parsed and processed. Individual market data messages are stored in a market data message buffer. After all orders are processed, the contents of the market data message buffer is distributed as a single market data message.
US09940666B1	Electronic withdrawal and/or exit price requests for computer-based auctioning of basic generation services A system and method of conducting a computer-based, simultaneous, multiple round, descending clock auction for basic generation services (BGS) includes receiving bids by an application server host application for processing bids according to auction rules, for tranche units of BGS products, calculating next round prices, and sending round results to bidders, the subsequent round prices and a notice of the number of tranches bid during the previous round and/or the amount of excess supply offered. Subsequently, an electronic withdrawal request to remove tranches from a product and reduce a maximum number bids the bidder can make in future rounds, and/or bidder exit price, is received, but may be partially or fully refused. When the number of tranches bid are equal to or less than a certain threshold for each of the products, the auction may end and bidders are awarded an ending price for each of the products won.
US09940657B2	Dynamically created network sites Disclosed are various embodiments for dynamically generating a network site for a topic. A set of search terms that are associated with one or more search engines are obtained. A respective set of items in an item catalog that are relevant for each of the search terms are identified. A respective network site is established for each of the search terms when the respective set of items includes at least a predefined number of items. The respective network site offers at least some of the respective items for sale.
US09940652B1	Restrictively exchanging and controlling vehicular data between communication devices of a private network A novel and non-trivial system and method for restrictively exchanging and controlling vehicular data between communication devices of a private network is disclosed. A processor in communication with a plurality of user communication devices is used for controlling and restricting the exchange of vehicular data. In such network, the processor may establish a communication connection with an initiating communication device of an initiating user, receive initiating vehicular data from the initiating communication device and corresponding first users (e.g., defined trusted users) data, provide the initiating vehicular data to at least one available first user communication device, receive responding vehicular data responsive to the initiating vehicular data, and provide the responding vehicular data to the initiating communication device. Additionally, the processor may provide interested users who have not been defined as trusted users with the initiating product data and receive responding vehicular data from such interested users.
US09940635B1	Method, apparatus, and computer program product for calculating a supply based on travel propensity Provided herein are systems, methods and computer readable media for managing a sales pipeline, and in some embodiments, calculating supply based on travel propensity. An example method comprises identifying a total demand for a promotion tuple at a geographic location, determining, using a processor, a promotion area for the promotion tuple, the promotion tuple comprising at least a category, price information and a geographic area, identifying one or more promotions offered by a promotion and marketing service that comprise at least the category and the price information of the promotion tuple, determining whether the total demand for the promotion tuple at the geographic location is satisfied, wherein the total demand is satisfied in an instance in which the geographic location is within the promotion area for the one or more promotions, and identifying a demand gap in an instance in which the total demand for the promotion tuple at the geographic location is not satisfied.
US09940625B2	Autonomous driving certification generalizer Methods, devices and apparatuses pertaining to identifying the candidate road segments for autonomous operations are described. A method may involve obtaining data of a first plurality of road segments that are permitted for one or more autonomous operations. The method may further include generating a road segment template based on the data of the first plurality of road segments, and reconstructing a second plurality of road segments based on the road segment template to obtain a plurality of reconstructed road segments.
US09940624B2	Credit card imaging for mobile payment and other applications A mobile payment device includes a contactless payment module, a processing module, and a display module. The contactless payment module is coupled to execute a credit payment transaction. The processing module is coupled to detect the executing of the credit payment transaction and retrieve credit image data based on the detecting. The display module is coupled to process the credit image data into a displayed credit image.
US09940622B2	Method and system for facilitating online payments based on an established payment agreement A method and system for facilitating online payments are disclosed. According to one aspect of the present invention, a payment agreement is established at a payment service provider that defines terms of a payment relationship between a merchant and a user. The establishing of the payment agreement includes linking the payment agreement with a payment account of the merchant or user stored at the payment service provider. After establishing the payment agreement, a payment request associated with a transaction is received, whereby the payment request includes a unique identifier to identify the payment agreement stored at the payment service provider. Based on a verification that the payment request complies with terms of the payment agreement, the payment request is processed.
US09940604B2	System and method for piece picking or put-away with a mobile manipulation robot A method and system for piece-picking or piece put-away within a logistics facility. The system includes a central server and at least one mobile manipulation robot. The central server is configured to communicate with the robots to send and receive piece-picking data which includes a unique identification for each piece to be picked, a location within the logistics facility of the pieces to be picked, and a route for the robot to take within the logistics facility. The robots can then autonomously navigate and position themselves within the logistics facility by recognition of landmarks by at least one of a plurality of sensors. The sensors also provide signals related to detection, identification, and location of a piece to be picked or put-away, and processors on the robots analyze the sensor information to generate movements of a unique articulated arm and end effector on the robot to pick or put-away the piece.
US09940600B2	Data processing inside gaming device A computer-implemented method is disclosed that includes capturing data about motion of a sports object caused by one or more athletes manipulating the sports object, transmitting the captured data out of the sports object wirelessly in real time while the one or more athletes are still manipulating the sports object, and presenting information that incorporates the captured data about motion of the sports objects with one or more wearable devices.
US09940590B2	System and method to generate a transaction count using filtering The present disclosure relates to a system and method of generating a transaction count using filtering. Transaction data is collected for a set of transactions from an original data set. The collected transaction data is narrowed into a transaction data set by identifying a specific range of the data to be extracted. This transaction data set is filtered against one or more criteria. The transactions included in the transaction data set are then arranged into data packs in a format enabling efficient count generation. The count generation determines how many transactions meet the applied criteria. The data may then be efficiently stored in a database for later retrieval.
US09940589B2	Virtual reality system including viewer responsiveness to smart objects Embodiments of the invention include a virtual reality system that includes an instrumented device used to present a virtual shopping environment to a simulation participant. The participant's interactions with the virtual shopping environment may be used to conduct market research into the consumer decision making process. The virtual shopping environment may include one or more smart objects configured to be responsive to participant interaction. The virtual shopping environment may recreate a real-world shopping environment.
US09940586B1	Encoding two-qubit interactions Systems and methods are provided for encoding two-qubit interactions. A quantum circuit comprises first and second logical qubits, each comprising a Bacon-Shor code block. A first edge of each logical qubit contains physical qubits each coupled to at least one neighboring physical qubit along the first edge along a first axis of the Bloch sphere and a second edge of each logical qubit contains physical qubits each coupled to at least one neighboring physical qubit along the second edge along a second axis of the Bloch sphere. A set of couplers couple the first and second logical qubits along the first axis of the Bloch sphere, with each of the set of couplers coupling a physical qubit along the second edge of the first logical qubit to a corresponding physical qubit along the second edge of the second logical qubit along the first axis of the Bloch sphere.
US09940576B1	Context-based photography and captions In an approach to managing images and captions, one or more computer processors receive one or more captured images of including one or more subjects. The one or more computer processors identify the one or more subjects from the first image. The one or more computer processors identify the context of the first image of the one or more captured images containing the one or more subjects. The one or more computer processors analyze one or more social networking histories and relationships associated with the one or more subjects using recognition techniques. The one or more computer processors create one or more captions associated with the first image of the one or more captured images based on the social networking histories and relationships of the one or more subjects and the identified context of the first image of the one or more captured images containing the one or more subjects.
US09940575B2	Image searching As provided herein, a domain model, corresponding to a domain of an image, may be merged with a pre-trained fundamental model to generate a trained fundamental model. The trained fundamental model may comprise a feature description of the image converted into a binary code. Responsive to a user submitting a search query, a coarse image search may be performed, using a search query binary code derived from the search query, to identify a candidate group, comprising one or more images, having binary codes corresponding to the search query binary code. A fine image search may be performed on the candidate group utilizing a search query feature description derived from the search query. The fine image search may be used to rank images within the candidate group based upon a similarity between the search query feature description and feature descriptions of the one or more images within the candidate group.
US09940572B2	Methods and a computing device for determining whether a mark is genuine The present disclosure is generally directed to a method and computing device for determining whether a mark is genuine. According to various implementations, a computing device (or logic circuitry thereof) uses unintentionally-produced artifacts within a genuine mark to define an identifiable electronic signature, extracts certain attributes of the signature (such as deviation from the mean value for each band of the signature), and assigns numerical values to the extracted attributes in order to create a hash identifier that is significantly smaller than the electronic signature itself. The hash identifier is then used as an index for a database of electronic signatures (of genuine marks) to enhance the ease and speed with which numerous genuine signatures can be searched (e.g., in a database) and compared with signatures (of candidate marks.
US09940571B1	Metal contactless transaction card A transaction card for communicating data relating to a transaction may include a metal layer; a backing layer; and/or a radio frequency (RF) antenna layer positioned between the metal layer and the backing layer, where the RF antenna layer includes an RF antenna that may facilitate communicating the data relating to the transaction wirelessly via an RF signal, and the metal layer includes a plurality of holes to limit eddy currents in the metal layer to a threshold density, where the plurality of holes may extend from a top surface of the metal layer to a bottom surface of the metal layer, and the eddy currents may be caused by the RF signal.
US09940569B2	RFID tag assembly and surgical instrument An RFID tag assembly (10) comprising: a passive mount-on-metal RFID tag (12) comprising an integrated circuit chip and an antenna provided on one side (14) of the RFID tag; a mounting base (16) made of an electrically conductive material; and a cover (18) made of a substantially RF transparent material and defining a recess (18a), wherein the RFID tag is mounted on the mounting base with said one side of the RFID tag coupled to a first side of the mounting base and wherein the cover is arranged over the RFID tag such that at least part of the RFID tag is located within the recess and the cover is fixed to the mounting base, such that the mounting base and the cover together encapsulate the RFID tag.
US09940561B2	Control method of an image forming apparatus that prevents paper type differences when resuming a print job on a second image forming apparatus Providing is a control method of the image forming apparatus that can prevent, when interrupting a printing process and resuming a printing process by supplying a print sheet or switching to other apparatus, not intending to mix the paper having quality of paper is different in the bundle of the printed documents in advance. It is the control method of the image forming apparatus that interrupts a printing process for a first image forming apparatus and resumes a printing process with the second image forming apparatus. The interruption step of recording interruption information including the specification information of the print sheet at the time of a printing process being interrupted for a first image forming apparatus. It has the resumption step of resuming the printing process in the second image forming apparatus based on interruption information including the specification information of the print sheet.
US09940557B2	Document printing using hardware-dependent fonts A system prints a document by generating a device-dependent font that is appropriate for the document and the print device. The system does this by identifying a font for the document, identifying an affine transformation matrix for the font, using the device resolution and current page location of the print device to modify the affine transformation matrix to yield a current transformation matrix, adding a reverse of the current transformation matrix to the affine transformation matrix to yield a modified font matrix, and generate a print file using the modified font matrix. The print device then uses the print file print the document with a font corresponding to the modified font matrix.
US09940555B2	Web processing system and method for processing a base web An RFID label processing system for processing base webs comprises a conveyor device configured to feed a base web along a predetermined conveyor path. The base web includes a sequence of processing segments, with each processing segment forming an RFID label. The processing system further comprises at least two processing modules which are arranged adjacent to the conveyor path, wherein the processing modules are spaced apart by a variable distance. At least one sensor module is configured to determine the position of the processing segments on the base web along the predetermined conveyor path and to output a segment position signal, so that a positioning module that is coupled to at least one of the processing modules and the sensor module may be configured to displace the at least one of the processing modules along the predetermined conveyor path depending on the value of the segment position signal.
US09940550B2	Model compression in binary coded image based object detection Techniques related to object detection using binary coded images are discussed. Such techniques may include performing object detection based on multiple spatial correlation mappings between a generated binary coded image and a binary coded image based object detection model and nesting look up tables such that binary coded representations are grouped and such groups are associated with confidence values for performing object detection.
US09940541B2	Artificially rendering images using interpolation of tracked control points Various embodiments of the present invention relate generally to systems and processes for artificially rendering images using interpolation of tracked control points. According to particular embodiments, a set of control points is tracked between a first frame and a second frame, where the first frame includes a first image captured from a first location and the second frame includes a second image captured from a second location. An artificially rendered image corresponding to a third location is then generated by interpolating individual control points for the third location using the set of control points and interpolating pixel locations using the individual control points. The individual control points are used to transform image data.
US09940537B2	Medical image processing apparatus, medical imaging apparatus and medical image processing method A medical image processing apparatus according to an embodiment includes setting circuitry, calculation circuitry, and recognition circuitry. The setting circuitry is configured to set a region of interest (ROI) of each of a plurality of sagittal plane images of medical images resulting from scanning an examinee. The calculation circuitry is configured to calculate an evaluation index based on a bipolarity feature of each block in the ROI related to change of pixel values and a similarity feature among the blocks. The recognition circuitry is configured to select the ROI according to the calculation result of the calculation circuitry and recognize a sagittal plane image in which the selected ROI is located as a target sagittal plane image of a median sagittal plane passing through a spine.
US09940536B2	Electronic apparatus and method According to one embodiment, an electronic apparatus includes a processor and a display controller. The processor inputs handwritten strokes. The display controller displays a first and second character in a font size, the first character corresponding to a first handwritten character detected from the strokes, the second character corresponding to a second handwritten character detected from the strokes, the font size determined based on a combination of an attribute of the first character and a size of at least one stroke of the first handwritten character or a combination of an attribute of the second character and a size of at least one stroke of the second handwritten character.
US09940532B2	Liveness detection apparatus and liveness detection method A liveness detection apparatus and a liveness detection method are provided. The liveness detection apparatus may comprise: a specific exhibiting device, for exhibiting a specific identification content; an image acquiring device, for acquiring image data of a target object to be recognized during the exhibition of the identification content; a processor, for determining whether there is a reflective region corresponding to the identification content in the acquired image data, determining a regional feature of the reflective region when there is the reflective region, to obtain a determination result, and recognizing whether the target object is a living body based on the determination result.
US09940516B2	Mobile identity platform The present disclosure is directed towards a compact, mobile apparatus for iris image acquisition, adapted to address effects of ocular dominance in the subject and to guide positioning of the subject's iris for the image acquisition. The apparatus may include a sensor for acquiring an iris image from a subject. A compact mirror may be oriented relative to a dominant eye of the subject, and sized to present an image of a single iris to the subject when the apparatus is positioned at a suitable distance for image acquisition. The mirror may assist the subject in positioning the iris for iris image acquisition. The mirror may be positioned between the sensor and the iris during iris image acquisition, and transmit a portion of light reflected off the iris to the sensor.
US09940512B2	Digital image processing apparatus and system and control method thereof A head mounted display (HMD) can include a memory, a camera, an image sensor unit configured to sense hand-drawn information via the camera, a display unit configured to display the sensed hand-drawn information or at least one of complete information including the sensed hand-drawn information, the sensed hand-drawn information being partial information, a communication unit, and a controller configured to display the at least one of complete information including the sensed hand-drawn information by accessing the memory or a server.
US09940503B2	Authentication device including template validation and related methods An authentication device may include a housing and a finger sensor carried by the housing and including first processing circuitry and a finger sensing area coupled thereto. The first processing circuitry may be configured to generate finger image data based upon a finger positioned adjacent the finger sensing area, and generate and store a first template based upon the finger image data. The authentication device may include second processing circuitry carried by the housing and configured to obtain the finger image data from the first processing circuitry. The second processing circuitry may be configured to generate a second template based upon the finger image data. The first processing circuitry may further be configured to obtain the second template from second processing circuitry, and validate the second template against the first template.
US09940496B2	Container and code of system for preparing a beverage or foodstuff Container for a foodstuff or beverage preparation machine are disclosed that contain beverage or foodstuff preparation material and include a code encoding preparation information. Beverage or foodstuff preparation machines and systems that can be utilized with the container are also disclosed. Methods of producing and using the containers, machines, and systems are also disclosed.
US09940494B2	RFID reading apparatus for shelf occupancy detection An RFID reading apparatus (20) for shelf occupancy detection comprises an elongated antenna (18) with an outer conductor (26) and an inner conductor (28) arranged in the outer conductor (26), an RF transceiver (22) connected with the antenna (18), and a control and evaluation unit (24) configured to communicate with an RFID transponder (14) via the RF transceiver (22) and the antenna (18) by means of RFID signals. The outer conductor (26) comprises a plurality of slot structures (16) over its longitudinal extent each for transmitting and receiving RFID signals.
US09940493B2	Systems and methods of real-time assignment of items to preregistered individuals Systems and methods of assigning an RFID chip and/or a participant number to an event participant who has preregistered for the event. The assignment of the RFID chip and/or participant number to the participant occurs in real-time while the event participant or a designated representative thereof is present at a designated pick-up location to pick up the RFID chip and/or participant number.
US09940487B2	USB security device, apparatus, method and system A self-locking USB filter device is disclosed that comprises at least one permanently attachable self-locking USB plug having at least one locking tooth to permanently connect the permanently attachable self-locking USB plug to a USB jack of a protected computing apparatus. The self-locking USB filter protects the protected computing apparatus by blocking unauthorized data transfer and blocks all communication unless the authenticator is authenticated by software installed in the protected computing apparatus. A method of protecting USB jacks of a computing device is also disclosed.
US09940482B1	Electronic alerts for confidential content disclosures A method may include receiving content included in a social media post of a user; analyzing the content included in the social media post to determine a likelihood that the social media post contains security information associated with the user; transmitting an alert to a computing device of the user, based on the analyzing, that the content includes the security information associated with the user; and presenting an option to change the security information.
US09940477B2	Geolocation-based encryption method and system A geolocation-based encryption method and system. The geolocation-based encryption method and system may comprise the steps of: providing an encryption application running on a first mobile computing device and a second mobile computing device; generating a key based, at least in part, of a geolocation data, a device identification data, and a unique file identifier associated with said digital content; selecting a target location on the first mobile computing device to create a GPS data, which may be a portion of the geolocation data; encrypting a digital content based on the key; establishing secure session(s) among the user, a recipient, and server(s); and transmitting the encrypted digital content to the server(s). The encrypted digital content may be transmitted from the server(s) to the second mobile computing device. The encryption application may decrypt the encrypted digital content based on the key.
US09940475B2	Interlinking routines with differing protections using stack indicators Corruption of program stacks is detected by using guard words placed in the program stacks. A called routine executing on a processor checks a guard word in a stack frame of a calling routine. The checking determines whether the guard word has an expected value. Based on determining the guard word has an unexpected value, an indication of corruption of the stack frame is provided. Some routines, however, may not support use of guard words. Thus, routines that are interlinked may have differing protection capabilities. In this situation, a determination may be made as to whether a caller routine supports guard word protection. Based on determining that the caller routine supports guard word protection, the called routine verifies the guard word.
US09940465B2	Static security analysis using a hybrid representation of string values A hybrid string constructor includes a database configured to store a set of known concretizations. A processor is configured to compare the one or more string components to the set of known concretizations to determine string components from input string information that may be represented concretely, to abstract all string components that could not be represented concretely, and to create a hybrid string representation that includes at least one concrete string component and at least one abstracted string component. The set of known concretizations includes string configurations that cannot be interfered with by an attacker.
US09940462B2	Code validation Methods and apparatus for validating a system include reading protected record data for a section of the system from a secure storage element, and verifying integrity of the section of the system using the record data. The secure storage element independently verifies that all record data and data to be written to the system is valid.
US09940459B1	Methods and devices for detection of malware An apparatus includes a database configured to store a collection of files. The apparatus also includes a counter module configured to calculate a frequency of a data feature in the collection of files. The apparatus also includes a signature generation module operatively coupled to the counter module. The signature generation module is configured to generate a malware signature based on the frequency of the data feature in the collection of files. The malware signature includes an indication of one or more criterion for the data feature, and the malware signature is associated with a malware. The apparatus also includes a communication module configured to receive a target file, and a detection module operatively coupled to the communication module. The detection module is configured to classify the target file as the malware when the target file meets the one or more criterion of the malware signature.
US09940456B2	Using trusted execution environments for security of code and data An embodiment includes a processor coupled to memory to perform operations comprising: creating a first trusted execution environment (TXE), in protected non-privileged user address space of the memory, which makes a first measurement for at least one of first data and first executable code and which encrypts the first measurement with a persistent first hardware based encryption key while the first measurement is within the first TXE; creating a second TXE, in the non-privileged user address space, which makes a second measurement for at least one of second data and second executable code; creating a third TXE in the non-privileged user address space; creating a first secure communication channel between the first and third TXEs and a second secure communication channel between the second and third TXEs; and communicating the first measurement between the first and third TXEs via the first secure communication channel. Other embodiments are described herein.
US09940450B2	Method and apparatus for managing confidential information The invention is a method and apparatus for managing the secure acquisition, storage and disclosure of confidential information, to facilitate identity rights management; and/or preemptively authorized data querying techniques to preserve the anonymity of disclosed personal data.
US09940425B2	Method and apparatus for camouflaging a standard cell based integrated circuit with micro circuits and post processing A method and apparatus for camouflaging an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), wherein the ASIC comprises a plurality of interconnected functional logic is disclosed. The method adds functionally inert elements to the logical description or provides alternative definitions of standard logical cells to make it difficult for reverse engineering programs to be used to discover the circuit's function. Additionally, post processing may be performed on GDS layers to provide a realistic fill of the empty space so as to resemble structural elements found in a functional circuit.
US09940421B1	Method for optimizing place-and-routing using a random normalized polish expression Simultaneous automatic placement and routing speeds up implementation an integrated circuit layout and improves the resulting layout such that the layout is more compact, has reduced parasitics, and has improved circuit performance characteristics (e.g., power, frequency, propagation delay, gain, and stability). A technique generates solutions based on a random normalized polish expression, and includes cost considerations based on routing of interconnect.
US09940419B1	Post design integrated circuit manufacturing obfuscation Integrated circuit design layout files are partitioned into one or more design layout files containing data for Front-End-Of-Line sub-circuits and one or more design layout files containing data for Back-End-Of-Line sub-circuits. By sending each of the files to a separate foundry for manufacture, an intellectual property owner can ensure integrity of his property as no individual file alone contains sufficient information to deduce the overall function of the integrated circuit.
US09940415B2	Finite impulse response filter for producing outputs having different phases A method and system for designing and implementing a finite impulse response (FIR) filter to create a plurality of output signals, each output signal having the same frequency but at a different phase shift from the other output(s), is described. Values are determined for the resistors, or other elements having impedance values, in a FIR filter having a plurality of outputs, such that each output has the same frequency response but a different phase than the other output(s). This is accomplished by the inclusion of a phase factor in the time domain calculation of the resistor values that does not change the response in the frequency domain. The phase shift is constant and independent of the frequency of the output signal.
US09940411B2	Systems and methods of bypassing suppression of event bubbling for popup controls The technology disclosed describes systems and methods for implementing extensible browser executable components, such as popup controls for action, checkbox and radio button dropdown menus, modals, dialogs, date pickers and autocompletes. The disclosed technology systems and methods can also be used for rendering executable components for mobile application interfaces. The technology further discloses systems and methods for providing support for developers whose goal is to render specific implementations of browser executable components. The technology disclosed also describes systems and methods for bypassing suppression of DOM click event bubbling for a popup controls for action, checkbox and radio button dropdown menus, modals, dialogs, date pickers and autocompletes; and discloses systems and methods for implementing modal interaction between an iframe and a popup control.
US09940406B2	Managing database The present invention discloses a method and system for managing a database. According to embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a method for managing a database, each item of data in the database being associated with a timestamp and a data point, the timestamps being used as row keys for rows of a table in the database, the method comprising: obtaining a behavior characteristic of a user based on a previous data access to the database by the user; partitioning columns in the table into column families based on the obtained behavior characteristic and system configuration of the database; and causing data in the database to be stored in respective column families at least in part based on the associated data point. There is further disclosed a corresponding system.
US09940390B1	Control system using scoped search and conversational interface A technique is described herein for controlling equipment in a local environment. The technique can use a conversational interface component to receive messages from any user in a group of users. In a media-related context, a media BOT receives each message and determines whether it contains a command to play a particular media item. If so, the media BOT formulates the message as an input query and sends the input query to a search system, with instruction to perform a domain-specific search. The search system identifies a top-ranked media item based on the input query, selected from among a curated media-specific corpus. By virtue of the use of the scoped search system, the technique can successfully leverage preexisting linguistic processing mechanisms. The technique can also generate group profiles associated with users who interact with the conversational interface component, and then use the group profiles to automatically select media items.
US09940384B2	Statistical clustering inferred from natural language to drive relevant analysis and conversation with users A mechanism is provided in a data processing system for statistical clustering inferred from natural language to drive relevant analysis. The mechanism receives a natural language text from a user and processes the natural language text to identify an entity of interest and a focus of statistical analysis. The mechanism performs a follow-up question and answer conversation with the user to receiving from the user one or more driving factor values for the one or more driving factors. The mechanism determines at least one cluster of entities matching the one or more driving factor values and generates at least one data visualization of the data in the corpus for the focus of statistical analysis having a scope that is narrowed based on the at least one cluster of entities matching the one or more driving factor values.
US09940379B2	Hybrid data replication A system for accelerating database transaction processing by controlling data replication is provided. The system includes a first control unit configured to manage a first storage device and at least one second control unit configured to manage a second storage device. The first control unit writes first data to the first storage device and sends the first data to the second control unit in response to receiving from a host a first write command including the first data. The first control unit writes second data to the first storage device without sending the second data to the second control unit in response to receiving from the host a second write command. The second control unit writes the first data to the second storage device in response to receiving the first data. The second control unit writes the second data to the second storage device in response to receiving from the host a third write command.
US09940373B2	Method and system for implementing an operating system hook in a log analytics system Disclosed is a system, method, and computer program product for implementing a log analytics method and system that can configure, collect, and analyze log records in an efficient manner. An improved approach is provided for identifying log files that have undergone a change in status that would require retrieve of its log data, by including a module directly into the operating system that allows the log collection component to be reactively notified of any changes to pertinent log files.
US09940371B2	Method, system, and apparatus for arranging content search results Content search involves receiving a user-formulated search query via a user device. The search query is submitted to two or more search domains. The search domains represent separate data repositories accessible via the user device. Results objects are received from the two or more search domains in response to the search query. The results objects arc ranked using different ranking criterion by the respective search domains from which the search results were received. A rank value for each of the results objects is determined based on a single ranking criterion. The results objects are ordered based at least in part on the rank values determined using the single ranking criterion and sent for display in a user interface of the user device.
US09940363B2	Systems, methods and user interfaces in a patent management system A user-interface system is provided for a patent management system having access to at least one patent matter database and at least one reference database. The user interface system comprises a first user interface element allowing selection of data stored in the at least one patent matter database, a second user interface element allowing selection of data stored in the at least one reference database, a third user interface element for linking at least one reference stored in the at least one reference database with at least one patent in the patent matter database, a fourth user interface element allowing the selection for storage of further references into the at least one reference database, and a fifth user interface element allowing analysis of at least one of the linked references.
US09940359B2	Data-partitioned secondary index (DPSI) partition level join Provided are techniques for a Data-Partitioned Secondary Index (DPSI) partition level join. While using a Data-Partitioned Secondary Index (DPSI) to perform a join of an outer table and an inner table, a different task from multiple tasks is assigned to each partition of the inner table. With each task, a join is performed of the outer table and the assigned partition of the inner table using the DPSI to generate results. The results from each different task are merged.
US09940352B1	Method and system for smart data input relay Systems and methods are disclosed to enable delivering a contextually relevant action for an underlying focal point of a communication (an “entity”) between users over computing devices. Delivery of a contextually relevant action entails identifying the entity and associated descriptors or amplifying words in the communication surrounding the entity, reviewing databases of actions taken with respect to the identified entity and associated descriptors, reviewing the functions and features of platforms and applications supported on users' computing devices, computing correlations between the actions taken and entity involved and computing devices' available functions and features, and selecting a contextually relevant action from the computed correlation. The selected contextually relevant action is displayed simply as an executable action for a user to take or as a description of the entity or as a series of possible executable actions to take.
US09940351B2	Creating XML data from a database A method is provided to generate a correct XML (eXtensible Markup Language) representation of source data from a relational database without knowing the format of source data. A XML parsing function is used to create the final XML data if the source data contains entity references. Where the source data does not contain entity reference, a XML publishing function is called to generate the final correct XML data.
US09940350B2	Database schema upgrade as a service A method for upgrading a database schema in real time, wherein the database schema is associated with a plurality of databases is provided. The method may include installing a first plugin on a database upgrade process associated with a database. The method may include installing a second plugin on each database instance within the plurality of databases. The method may include determining a delta associated with a final target version of the database schema. Additionally, the method may include outlining an existence of an incongruence, an existence of an override or an existence of a customization removal based on the determined delta. The method may include performing a peer-to-peer broadcasting analysis between each database. The method may include defining a migration strategy for each database instance within the plurality of databases based on the peer-to-peer broadcasting analysis. The method may further include creating a script for upgrading the database schema.
US09940348B2	Managing multiple locks for data set members in a data set index Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for managing multiple locks for data set members in a data set index. The data set index has leaf nodes and internal nodes. In response to determining that a current lock is set at a locked node that prevents a grant to a requested lock, a determination is made as to whether there are different first and second descendant nodes from the locked node at a same level of the tree data structure linked to the requested data set member and the locked data set member, respectively. If so, the requested lock for the requested data set member is set at the first descendant node, the current lock is moved to the second descendant node for the locked data set member and the requested lock is granted.
US09940347B2	Systems and methods for high speed remote change data capture A system and method are described for change data capture wherein a source database is replicated to a remote database. In one embodiment, a data storage device contains source log blocks containing information regarding database transactions processed for a source database, wherein the data storage device and source database are located in a first location, and at least some of the source log blocks include a plurality of database transactions in the same order as processed in the source database. Messages containing source log blocks are sent from the first location to a second location geographically remote from the first location. One or more components at the second location receive source log blocks from the messages, extract the source transaction data from the source log blocks, and use the source transaction data to write database transaction information to a second database based on the extracted source transaction data.
US09940333B2	File format bundling Various systems described herein facilitate storage of files in various formats. A client device can generate a request for a particular file or content. The client device can submit a request with various request parameters. A file service can identify an appropriate file in an appropriate format. The appropriate file in the appropriate format can be provided to the client device in response to the request.
US09940331B1	Proactive scavenging of file system snaps Improved techniques involve a storage processor proactively scavenging provisioned free blocks in snap container files and punching holes in the scavenged provisioned free blocks. For example, the storage processor may locate provisioned free blocks by accessing container file system metadata. The storage processor may then punch holes, i.e., release ownership of the snap container file on the identified provisioned free blocks. The storage processor may also delete or otherwise invalidate pointers to those blocks in the snap container file's inode.
US09940326B2	System and method for speech to speech translation using cores of a natural liquid architecture system A method and system for speech to speech translation using a plurality of computational cores of a natural liquid architecture are provided. The method includes receiving an audio input to be translated into a target language; identifying, based on the received audio input, a cluster of signatures; identifying, based on the cluster of signatures, a first concept, wherein the first concept is common to all signatures within the signature cluster; and determining a match between the first concept and at least a second concept, wherein the second concept is associated with the target language.
US09940314B2	Synchronising screenshots in documentation with product functionality Systems and computer program product synchronize screenshots in documentation with product functionality. Documentation source relating to a product includes placeholders where screenshots of user interface views of the product are to be located. A placeholder includes a description or pointer to a description of how to generate the user interface view of the product associated with the screenshot. A new version of the documentation may be generated. The documentation source including placeholders is read. Placeholders in the documentation are used to generate a user interface view. The user interface view is captured as a screenshot. The screenshot is inserted in the new version of the documentation at the location of the placeholder used to generate the screenshot.
US09940310B1	Automatically converting an electronic publication into an online course A publisher can extend existing electronic publications (e.g., formatted in EPUB format) by adding additional data such as interactive content, supplementary learning resources, etc. The extended electronic publication can then be automatically imported to create an online course that corresponds to the electronic publication.
US09940308B2	Dynamically providing a feed of stories about a user of a social networking system To display a news feed in a social network environment, a social networking system generates news items regarding activities associated with a user of a social network environment. The social networking system may also attach an informational link associated with at least one of the activities to at least one of the news items, limit access to the news items to a predetermined set of viewers, and assign an order to the news items. The news items may be displayed in the assigned order to at least one viewing user of the predetermined set of viewers, and the number of news items displayed may be dynamically limited.
US09940304B2	Methods and systems for inserting content in a mobile application Systems and methods for automatically providing third-party content for display in a mobile application based on an interaction with the mobile application are described. One or more processors identify a mobile application within which to insert content. The processors receive one or more actions performed on a mobile application executing on a computing device. The processors determine that the one or more actions performed on a mobile application correspond to a content insertion policy for inserting content to the mobile application. The processor then transmits, to the mobile application, content for display within the mobile application executing on the computing device responsive to determining that the one or more actions performed on the mobile application correspond to the content insertion policy.
US09940303B2	Method and apparatus for decimation in frequency FFT butterfly A pipelined decimation in frequency FFT butterfly method, and an apparatus to perform this method comprising: a data memory with at least one read port and one write port; an add/subtract unit receiving data from the memory; a multiply/accumulate unit receiving data from the add/subtract unit; a source of coefficients, from logic gates or a coefficient memory, to supply FFT twiddle factors to the multiply/accumulate unit; a shifter receiving data from at least one of the add/subtract unit and the multiply/accumulate unit, the shifter supplying data to the write port of the data memory; wherein the apparatus performs these calculations in four cycles of the add/subtract unit and in four cycles of the multiply/accumulate unit, using complex arithmetic.
US09940298B2	Signal conditioner discovery and control in a multi-segment data path In a segmented data path, a source is able to “discover” whether any tunable repeater nodes are present. When one or more tunable repeaters are discovered, the source may adjust its link initialization sequence accordingly to train each “hop” individually and thereafter individually configure each intermediary repeater.
US09940296B2	Communications control system with a serial communications interface and a parallel communications interface A communications control system is disclosed that includes a serial communications interface and a parallel communications interface for coupling a plurality of in modules with a control module. The serial communications interface is configured for connecting the plurality of input/output modules to the control module in parallel to transmit information between the plurality of input/output modules and the control module, and the parallel communications interface is configured for separately connecting the plurality of input/output modules to the control module to transmit information between the plurality of input/output modules and the control module, and to transmit information between individual ones of the plurality of input/output modules. The serial communications interface may comprise a multidrop bus, and the parallel communications interface may comprise across switch.
US09940285B2	Configurable IO-channel system with embedded microcontroller The present technology provides for an IO module system (e.g., an industrial control system) that can provide multiple-channel analog and digital interfaces to a number of sensor devices of different types, where each channel of the IO module is programmably configurable as a digital input, a digital output, an analog input, and an analog output. Each sensor interface is implemented on an individual channel basis using discrete components in communication with a microcontroller. The present technology enables the rapid implementation of an IO channel operable in a wide range of voltage and current modes needed for common sensor interfaces.
US09940283B2	Application sharing in multi host computing systems The present subject matter discloses methods and systems of application sharing in multi-host computing system (100) running multiple operating systems. In one embodiment, the method for application sharing in a multi-host computing system (100) comprises receiving a request to launch an application in a first operating system of the multi-host computing system (100) from a second operating system of the multi-host computing system (100), generating an application launch request to launch the application and transmitting the application launch request to a widget daemon running on the first operating system using a PCIe to PCIe application redirection engine. The method further comprises initiating an application sharing session between the first operating system of the multi-host computing system (100) from the second operating system of the multi-host computing system (100).
US09940272B1	Hardware-based handling of missing interrupt propagation A circuit may receive an interrupt associated with a device. The interrupt may be sent by the device via an interrupt line associated with the device. The circuit may send the interrupt associated with the device. The interrupt may be sent via an interrupt line associated with the circuit. The circuit may start a missing interrupt timer, associated with the interrupt, based on sending the interrupt. The missing interrupt timer may be associated with a threshold amount of time by which the interrupt is to be serviced. The circuit may identify, based on the missing interrupt timer, the interrupt as a missing interrupt. The circuit may resend the missing interrupt via the interrupt line associated with the circuit. The missing interrupt may be resent to cause the missing interrupt to be serviced.
US09940268B2	Handling memory access protection and address translation in a data processing apparatus A processing apparatus has a memory protection unit (MPU) 38 and an address translation unit (ATU) 120 which operate concurrently for memory access operations performed by processing circuitry 22. The MPU 38 stores access permission data for corresponding regions of an address space. The ATU 120 stores address translation entries for defining virtual-to-physical mappings for corresponding pages of the address space. In response to a memory access operation specifying a target address, one of the MPU 38 and the ATU 120 is selected to handle the memory access operation based on the target address. If the MPU 38 is selected then the target address is a physical address and the MPU 38 checks access permissions using a corresponding set of permission data. If the ATU 120 is selected then the target address is a virtual address and is translated into a physical address using a corresponding translation entry.
US09940266B2	Method and system for genomic visualization A method and system for correlating genome data with EMR/PHR data is disclosed herein. The method includes identifying a plurality of sources of genome data. The method also includes generating an index file for each of the plurality of genome files. The method also includes transmitting each index file to a central depository. The method also includes identifying electronic medical record (EMR) and/or personal health record (PHR) data at each source of the plurality of sources of genome data. The method also includes correlating each genome file of the plurality of genome files with a corresponding EMR/PHR data.
US09940263B2	VM inter-process communication A method is described for enabling inter-process communication between a first application and a second application, the first application running within a first virtual machine (VM) in a host and the second application running within a second VM in the host, The method includes receiving a request to attach a shared region of memory to a memory allocation, identifying a list of one or more physical memory pages defining the shared region that corresponds to the handle, and mapping guest memory pages corresponding to the allocation to the physical memory pages. The request may be received by a framework from the second application and includes a handle that uniquely identifies the shared region of memory as well as an identification of at least one guest memory page corresponding to the memory allocation.
US09940260B1	System and method for controlling optimized access to memory device having three-dimensional stacked structure A memory controller system optimally controls access to a memory device having a plurality of integrated circuit (IC) chips disposed in a non-uniform stack configuration within a three-dimensional stacked (3DS) structure. A memory profiling portion executes to determine the non-uniform stack configuration. A virtual rank mapping portion configured to assign virtual ranks to chip locations actually defined by the non-uniform stack configuration. An address conversion portion executes to convert an unoptimized address definable with reference to a uniform stack configuration to an optimized address defined with reference to the non-uniform stack configuration. The addressing overhead during monitoring of data access operations to the memory device is optimized.
US09940257B2	Implementing hardware accelerator for storage write cache management for managing cache line updates for purges from storage write cache A method and controller for implementing storage adapter enhanced write cache management, and a design structure on which the subject controller circuit resides are provided. The controller includes a hardware write cache engine implementing hardware acceleration for storage write cache management. The hardware write cache engine manages cache line updates for purges from storage write cache with no firmware involvement for greatly enhancing performance.
US09940235B2	Method and system for valid memory module configuration and verification Aspects of the present disclosure involve a system and method for verifying and validating accurate memory module placement on a printed circuit board. In one embodiment, the printed circuit board is configured to include actuating elements that can be used to verify correct memory module location placement on the printed circuit board. In another embodiment, the actuating elements can be used to validate accurate memory module placement. The actuating elements can be in the form of buttons that may be depressed and configured to trigger light emitting diodes (LEDs) that correspond to the slots on the printed circuit board.
US09940233B2	Controller, data storage device, and program product According to one embodiment, a write instructing unit instructs a data access unit to write, in a storage area of a data storage unit indicated by a first physical address, write object data, instructs a management information access unit to update address conversion information, and instructs a first access unit to update the first physical address. A compaction unit extracts a physical address of compaction object data, instructs the data access unit to read the compaction object data stored in a storage area of the data storage unit indicated by the physical address, instructs the data access unit to write the compaction object data in a storage area of the data storage unit indicated by a second physical address, instructs the management information access unit to update the address conversion information, and instructs a second access unit to update the second physical address.
US09940227B2	Identifying severity of test execution failures by analyzing test execution logs The method includes identifying a test report log for a regression test. The method further includes identifying one or more errors in the identified test report log. The method further includes determining a severity category for the one or more identified errors in the identified test report log. The method further includes determining a severity category for the identified test report log based on the determined severity category for the one or more identified errors in the identified test report log.
US09940221B2	System and method for testing data representation for different mobile devices For generating an application program (15) from a plurality of application program modules (12), a computerized application platform (1) comprises an application configuration module (11) configured to receive from a user of a communication terminal instructions, for defining a selection of the application program modules (12), and to generate an application program (15) using the selected application program modules (12). The application platform (1) further comprises a plurality of device profiles (13) for different types of mobile communication devices. Each device profile (13) includes hardware characteristics of a different type of mobile communication device. Furthermore, a testing module (111) is configured to emulate the application program (15) for the different types of mobile communication devices using the device profiles (13) and to transmit to the user of the communication terminal test output data generated by emulating the application program (15) for at least one type of the mobile communication devices.
US09940218B2	Debugging optimized code using fat binary Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, computer program product, and system for debugging optimized code. The system includes a FAT binary, wherein the FAT binary comprises a non-optimized native code and an internal representation of a program's source code. An optimus program is configured to transform the internal representation of the program's source code into a fully optimized native code. The system also includes an enhanced loader, wherein the enhanced loader is configured to communicate with a debugger to determine a type of code to load.
US09940215B2	Automatic correlation accelerator An automatic correlation accelerator tool may access at least a first recording and a second recording of a base script that defines operations executed in testing performance of a system. The tool may cause the system to execute the first recording of the base script and the second recording of the base script and store, in electronic storage, dynamic value data that describes dynamic values generated during execution of the first recording of the base script and during execution of the second recording of the base script. The tool automatically, without human intervention, analyzes the stored dynamic value data to identify candidates for correlation within the base script and generates a correlated script based on the identified candidates for correlation and the base script.
US09940212B2	Automatic qubit calibration Methods and apparatus for automatic qubit calibration. In one aspect, a method includes obtaining a plurality of qubit parameters and data describing dependencies of the plurality of qubit parameters on one or more other qubit parameters; identifying a qubit parameter; selecting a set of qubit parameters that includes the identified qubit parameter and one or more dependent qubit parameters; processing one or more parameters in the set of qubit parameters in sequence according to the data describing dependencies, comprising, for a parameter in the set of qubit parameters: performing a calibration test on the parameter; and performing a first calibration experiment or a diagnostic calibration algorithm on the parameter when the calibration test fails.
US09940209B2	SVC cluster configuration node failover An SVC cluster manages a plurality of storage devices and includes a plurality of SVCs interconnected via a network, each SVC acting as a separate node. A new configuration node is activated in response to configuration node failures. The new configuration node retrieves client subscription information about events occurring in storage devices managed by the SVC cluster from the storage devices. In response to events occurring in the storage device managed by the SVC cluster, the new configuration node obtains storage device event information from a storage device event monitoring unit. The new configuration node sends storage device events to clients who have subscribed to this information according to subscription information obtained. The storage device is not installed in the original configuration node.
US09940207B2	Failing back block objects in batch Embodiments of the present disclosure disclose a method, an apparatus and a computer program product for failing back block objects in batch by performing failback operations in batch to part of block objects of one or more of existing file systems; determining a delay time required for performing failback operations in a next batch based on the recorded number of block objects that have been failed back in last batches; and performing the failback operations in the next batch to remaining block objects after the delay time.
US09940206B2	Handling failed cluster members when replicating a database between clusters Data integrity is maintained during failed communications between a member node of a primary cluster and a backup cluster by assigning an assisting member node to run an assisting process that transmits data entered into the member node to the backup cluster. In this way, a replicated database is maintained during a partial communication failure between the primary cluster and the backup cluster.
US09940203B1	Unified interface for cloud-based backup and restoration A cloud gateway (GW) device receives a first request for incremental backup from a client device over a LAN, where the first request includes a first file representing a difference between the incremental backup in view of a prior backup. In response, the cloud GW identifies a first base backup previously backed up to a cloud storage server over a WAN. A second request is transmitted to the cloud storage server over the WAN to copy the first base backup into a second base backup. A third request is transmitted to the cloud storage server over the WAN to replace a second file within the second base backup. The third request includes a second backup ID, a descriptor describing the file to be replaced, and content of the file received from the client without modifying the first file.
US09940197B2	Method and apparatus for slice partial rebuilding in a dispersed storage network A dispersed storage system includes a plurality of storage units that each include a partial rebuild grid module. The partial rebuild grid module includes partial rebuilding functionality to reconstruct one of a plurality of encoded data slices wherein the plurality of encoded data slices are generated from a data segment based on an error encoding dispersal function. In the partial rebuilding process, a data slice is rebuilt by combining in any order slice partials generated from at least a threshold number T of the plurality of data slices.
US09940195B2	Encryption of slice partials A method for use in a distributed storage network (DSN) including a plurality of distributed storage (DS) units includes receiving, at a DS unit, a rebuilding request indicating that the DS unit is to provide an encrypted partial slice to a requesting DS unit included in the DS network. Key pairing requirements associated with the rebuilding request are determined, and an even number of key pairing entities are selected based on the key pairing requirements. The even number of key pairing entities being fewer than a decode threshold number of key pairing entities. The DS unit generates shared secret keys corresponding to each of the even number of key pairing entities, uses those keys to generate an encrypted partial slice, and transmits the encrypted partial slice to the requesting DS unit in accordance with a rebuilding topology.
US09940192B2	Non-volatile semiconductor storage apparatus According to one embodiment, a non-volatile semiconductor storage apparatus is configured to decide determination periods respectively corresponding to each of management blocks based on rewrite count information items and a temperature, and to perform a determination processing for each of management blocks for each determination period. The determination processing includes determining whether first data read from a block in the blocks is normal based on the number of errors that are occurred in the first data. The apparatus is configured to perform a rewrite processing of rewriting the first data to second data which is error-corrected when it is determined that the first data is not normal.
US09940185B2	Intelligent battery sensor for vehicle and method of storing data in sensor Provided is an intelligent battery sensor for a vehicle which detects an overcurrent module generating an abnormal overcurrent within a vehicle. The intelligent battery sensor for a vehicle includes a data packetizing unit configured to extract internal data variables related to detection of an overcurrent module and packetize the extracted internal data variables, a volatile memory configured to temporarily store the packetized internal data variables, a fault and validity diagnosing unit configured to monitor the packetized internal data variables stored in the volatile memory and classify, when a diagnostic trouble code (DTC) related to the abnormal overcurrent is diagnosed, the packetized internal data variables with respect to a diagnosis time of the DTC, and a nonvolatile memory configured to store the classified internal data variables under the control of the fault and validity diagnosing unit.
US09940183B2	Commit-one-phase distributed transactions with multiple starting participants A read-only message is sent by a first participant of multiple participants of a two-phase distributed transaction. The read-only message is received by a processor executing a coordinator node. A one-phase distributed transaction is initiated for a second participant of the multiple participants that did not respond with a read-only message.
US09940179B1	Patching system calls in data protection operations Systems and methods for patching system calls issued on a device. System calls are patched by transforming system calls to provide additional functionality. The system calls can then be rerouted to the updated or custom functions.
US09940176B2	Dual-processor electronic device and method for quick boot up A dual-processor electronic device is provided. The dual-processor electronic device includes a first processor, a second processor and a dynamic random access memory. The first processor sends a wake-up command to the second processor to wake up the second processor after performing local initialization. The second processor wakes up, then performs local initialization, copies and decompresses the image file to the dynamic random access memory and sends a ready message to the first processor after the image file is decompressed. The first processor delays startup, and starts the startup process according to the decompressed image file when the ready message is received and the delay-start time is expired. The present disclosure also provides a method for booting up dual-processor electronic device quickly.
US09940175B2	Joint network and task scheduling Techniques for network state-aware and network scheduling policy-aware task scheduling are provided. In one aspect, a method for scheduling tasks in a distributed computing network includes the steps of: collecting a pool of candidate resources in the distributed computing network for performing a given one of the tasks; predicting a performance of each of the candidate resources in performing the given task based on both i) a state and ii) a scheduling policy of the distributed computing network; and selecting a best candidate resource for the given task based on the performance. A system for scheduling tasks in a distributed computing network is also provided which includes a task scheduler; and a network scheduler, wherein the task scheduler is configured to schedule the tasks in the distributed computing network based on both i) the state and ii) the scheduling policy of the distributed computing network.
US09940168B2	Resource sharing using process delay Methods and systems that reduce the number of instance of a shared resource needed for a processor to perform an operation and/or execute a process without impacting function are provided. a method of processing in a processor is provided. Aspects include determining that an operation to be performed by the processor will require the use of a shared resource. A command can be issued to cause a second operation to not use the shared resources N cycles later. The shared resource can then be used for a first aspect of the operation at cycle X and then used for a second aspect of the operation at cycle X+N. The second operation may be rescheduled according to embodiments.
US09940166B2	Allocating field-programmable gate array (FPGA) resources A system for allocating field-programmable gate array (FPGA) resources comprises a plurality of FPGAs operable to implement one or more pipeline circuits, the plurality of FPGAs comprising FPGAs of different processing capacities, and one or more processors operable to access a set of data comprising a plurality of work items to be processed according to a pipeline circuit associated with each of the plurality of work items, determine processing requirements for each of the plurality of work items based at least in part on the pipeline circuit associated with each of the plurality of work items, sort the plurality of work items according to the determined processing requirements, and allocate each of the plurality of work items to one of the plurality of FPGAs, such that no FPGA is allocated a work item with processing requirements that exceed the processing capacity of the FPGA.
US09940164B2	Increasing the efficiency of scheduled and unscheduled computing tasks One or more processors determine that a user is attempting to execute an unscheduled computing task and estimate the time for execution. One or more processors determine that a computing task is scheduled to execute along with the unscheduled computing task. One or more processors warn the user that the computing task is scheduled to execute along with the unscheduled computing task. One or more processors estimate one or both of: a utilization of processing and a memory consumption for the computing tasks and determine whether a threshold will be exceeded. If the threshold will be exceeded, one or more processors warn the user.
US09940163B2	Ordering repeating elements within a message A queue of transactions is managed. A sort order for the queue of transaction is determined. A first batch of transactions is sorted according to the determined sort order and a further batch of transactions is also sorted according to the determined sort order. A notifying is performed that the first batch of transactions is ready for processing and that the further batch of transactions is ready for processing. The sorting and notifying for further batches of the transactions continues until all the transactions in the queue have been sorted and notified as ready for processing.
US09940162B2	Realtime optimization of compute infrastructure in a virtualized environment A system and method is provided to dynamically optimize the topography of a compute cluster in real time based on the runtime configuration, specified as metadata, of jobs in a queuing or scheduling environment. The system provisions or terminates multiple types of virtualized resources based on the profile of all applications of the jobs in a current queue based on their aggregate runtime configuration specified as requirements and rank expressions within associated metadata. The system will continually request and terminate compute resources as jobs enter and exit the queue, keeping the cluster as minimal as possible while still being optimized to complete all jobs in the queue, optimized for cost, runtime or other metric. End users can specify the runtime requirements of jobs, thereby preventing the user from having to know about the physical profile of the compute cluster to specifically architect their jobs.
US09940160B1	Managed reboot of a network operating system A device may receive an indication to perform a reboot associated with a network service being provided using a first virtual machine (VM) running on the device. The device may launch, based on receiving the indication, a second VM on the device. The device may shut down, based on launching the second VM, the first VM. The device may configure the second VM for forwarding control plane traffic associated with the network service. The device may configure, based on configuring the second VM for forwarding the control plane traffic, the second VM for forwarding data plane traffic associated with the network service. The device may provide, based on configuring the second VM for forwarding the data plane traffic, the network service using the second VM.
US09940150B2	Policy based virtual resource allocation and allocation adjustment A computer-implemented method, carried out by one or more processors, for policy based virtual resource allocation. In an embodiment, the method includes identifying a number of host resources specified by host resource requirements for a first resource consumer. The method determines if the host resource requirements include a list of host resource pools for the first resource consumer. Responsive to determining that the host resource requirements include the list of host resource pools for the first resource consumer, a first set of eligible host resource pools is identified. An allocation policy may be identified, where the allocation policy includes one or more parameters for allocating host resources. Host resources from the first set of eligible host resource pools are allocated based on the allocation policy.
US09940144B2	State-specific mouse-over guidance in user interfaces State-specific mouse-over guidance can be provided to a user of a user interface such that a field in the user interface can include more than one mouse-over guidance content item, and a specific mouse-over guidance content item provided to the user is determined based on a current state of the field and at least one underlying factors identified as resulting in the current state.
US09940135B2	Instruction stream modification for memory transaction protection Execution of a set of instructions within a transaction is prevented. A processor identifies a first set of instructions in an instruction stream of a transaction. The first set of instructions incurs a first memory access that is not visible to the transaction and will cause the transaction to abort. The processor generates a second set of instructions that incurs a second memory access that is visible to the transaction. The second set of instructions is generated based on the first memory access and first set of instructions. The processor executes, within the transaction, the second set of instructions instead of the first set of instructions.
US09940122B2	Dynamic data difference generation and distribution A method of updating data may include receiving an update request from a computing device, the update request including a profile of a current set of data stored on the computing device; determining, based at least in part on the profile of the current set of data, an updated set of data is available; determining if a delta set of data has previously been generated to transform the current set of data to the updated set of data; and based on determining that the delta set of data has not been previously generated: generating the delta set of data; and transmitting an address, to the computing device, for obtaining the delta set of data by the computing device.
US09940119B2	Providing limited versions of applications Disclosed are various embodiments for providing limited versions of applications. A limited version of an application is automatically generated from a full version of the application. The limited version has a smaller data size than the full version. The limited version of the application is sent to the client computing device in response to a request for a trial of the application.
US09940112B2	Efficient framework for deploying middleware services A system, method, and computer program product provide computerized services to multiple enterprises. A developer creates each service according to a template, which includes both core functionality common to all services, and individualized functionality specific to the service. The developer either deactivates, or activates and configures, each function in the core based on a service level agreement with the particular enterprise for which the service was created. The template provides a wide variety of core functions, including dynamic data transformation, auditing, logging, exception handling, performance monitoring, service availability, reporting, security, and dynamic reconfiguring. After the service is deployed, it begins to report performance and usage data to a monitoring system. Based on these data, the system calculates an amount to charge the enterprise for use of the given service.
US09940107B2	Object and connection organization in a diagram A computer program product includes computer usable program code configured to present, on a display, a diagram. The presenting of the diagram includes presenting a first row that defines a location where objects of a first object type can be created, wherein a first ghosted object of a first object type is displayed in the first row. The first ghosted object represents a first creatable object of the first object type. The presenting of the diagram includes presenting a second row that defines a location where objects of a second object type can be created. The computer program product is configured to, responsive to a first input to create a first object of the first object type in the first row, creating the first object of the first object type.
US09940102B2	Partial stochastic rounding that includes sticky and guard bits The disclosed herein related to a method for generating a partial stochastic rounding operation executed by a processor coupled to a memory. The method includes generating an intermediate result and causing a random number generator to generate a random number. The method also includes adding the random number to lower significant bits of the intermediate result to perturb any incrementing of most significant bits of the intermediate result to produce a resulting sum. The method also includes truncating the resulting sum into a final result. According to other embodiments, the above method can be implemented in a system or computer program product.
US09940095B2	Volume limit An example playback device may store an active volume state variable in memory, where the active volume state variable corresponds to a current playback volume. The playback device may also store a volume limit state variable in memory, where the volume limit state variable corresponds to a playback volume limit of the playback device. The playback device may detect a command to begin playback of media from a given source and then select a startup playback volume to be one of the current playback volume and the playback volume limit based on the given source of the command to begin playback. The playback device may then play back media at the startup playback volume.
US09940080B2	Information apparatus, communication management method, and non-transitory computer-readable medium An information apparatus to communicate with one or more communication counterparts includes a memory and circuitry. The memory is configured to store an elapsed time condition in association with identification information for each of the one or more communication counterparts. The circuitry is configured to measure an elapsed time from the last time when communication took place with the communication counterpart for each of the one or more communication counterparts. The circuitry is further configured to extract identification information for which the measured elapsed time satisfies the elapsed time condition stored in the memory. The circuitry is further configured to determine whether to restrict communications between the information apparatus and at least one of the communication counterparts corresponding to the extracted identification information.
US09940075B2	Print inspection apparatus and print inspection method A print inspection apparatus according to the present invention obtains an object for variable printing which is stored in a storage and generates a combined image by combining the obtained object. If the combined image is normally generated, the combined image is set to both of a print image and a collation image. Whereas if the combined image is not normally generated, a different image is set to each of the print image and the collation image. The print inspection apparatus generates a print product by printing the set print image. Then, the print inspection apparatus inspects the print product by comparing image data generated by reading the print product with the set collation image.
US09940065B2	Systems and methods for migrating data Various embodiments provide computer program products for migrating data. One embodiment comprises receiving, from a first processor, data that is unprotected comprising a data integrity field; utilizing, by a second processor, a peer-to-peer remote copy (PPRC) application to add protection to the data to generate protected data; and subsequent to adding the protection, modifying a value in the data integrity field such that the value is different than an industry standard default value for protected data subsequent to adding the protection.
US09940063B2	Memory system and operating method thereof A memory system includes a memory device including a plurality of blocks each comprising first and second regions of pages; and a controller suitable for storing a plurality of data in the first region and hot/cold information respectively corresponding to the plurality of data in the second region.
US09940059B2	Fast deduplication data verification An information management system provides a data deduplication system that uses a primary table, a deduplication chunk table, and a chunk integrity table to ensure that a referenced deduplicated data block is only verified once during the data verification of a backup or other replication operation. The data deduplication system may reduce the computational and storage overhead associated with traditional data verification processes. The primary table, the deduplication chunk table, and the chunk integrity table, all of which are stored in a deduplication database, can also ensure synchronization between the deduplication database and secondary storage devices.
US09940058B2	Data storage device and data maintenance method thereof The present invention provides a data storage device including a flash memory and a controller. The controller distributes TLC-data blocks of the flash memory into three regions, obtains three sub-prewrite data sectors according to a prewrite data sector and a logic address, determines a first TLC-data block according to the logic address, selects a new first TLC-data block with the lowest erase count from the first region when the first TLC-data block has valid data, selects two TLC-data blocks according to the new first TLC-data block, writes the three sub-prewrite data sectors into the new first TLC-data block and the two selected TLC-data blocks, and maps the first new TLC-data block and the two selected TLC-data blocks to the logic address.
US09940056B2	Coding scheme for identifying location of action entries Some embodiments provide a method for configuring unit memories to implement first and second sets of entries, the second set of which references the first set. The method configures a first pool of memories to implement the first set. Each first-set entry is located at a particular location in at least one of the first-pool memories. The method configures a second pool of memories to implement the second set of entries. Each second-set entry includes (i) a first set of bits for indicating a memory page that corresponds to one or more first-pool memories, (ii) a second set of bits for specifying a location in each of the one or more memories from which to retrieve data for the referenced first-set entry, and (iii) a third set of bits for specifying a sub-location within the retrieved data. The number of bits in the third set of bits is fixed for the second-set entries while a number of sub-locations varies for different locations specified by the second set of bits of different second-set entries.
US09940055B2	Operator panel with applications for operating production systems The invention relates to an operator panel (1) having one or more applications (121, 122) for operating at least one production system (2). A configuration data memory (13) is set up to store configuration data that are provided for configuring the one or more applications (121, 122) of the operator panel (1). A synchronization module (14) is set up to access configuration data stored in the configuration data memory (13) and to synchronize these data via a communications interface (11) of the operator panel (1) with configuration data that are stored in a configuration data memory (13′, 13″) of a remotely disposed operator panel (1′, 1″). A configuration access module (15) is set up to receive from at least one application (121, 122) of the operator panel (1) a read request for stored configuration data, to access stored configuration data, and to read the stored configuration data corresponding to the read request and to deliver the read configuration data for configuring the at least one application (121, 122) to the at least one application (121, 122).
US09940054B1	Pre-allocating save areas of a memory Examples of techniques for pre-allocating save areas of memory of a computer processing system are disclosed. In one example implementation according to aspects of the present disclosure, a computer-implemented method may include initiating, by a host processing device, a control program. The method may further include, responsive to initiating the control program, pre-allocating, by the host processing device, a plurality of save areas for each of a plurality of processors, wherein the plurality of save areas are anchored in a fixed area of the memory for each of the plurality of processors.
US09940049B2	Information processing apparatus capable of mounting data storage medium that stores data An information processing apparatus includes a setting storage unit configured to store a setting as to whether use of a data storage medium mounted to the information processing apparatus is permitted or prohibited, a control unit configured to control an access to the data storage medium based on the setting stored in the setting storage medium, an acceptance unit configured to accept an instruction for deleting data in the data storage medium, and a change unit configured to change, in response to the data in the data storage medium being deleted in accordance with the instruction accepted by the acceptance unit, the setting stored in the setting storage unit to indicate that the use of the data storage medium is prohibited.
US09940045B2	Address mapping table recovery upon power failure A data storage device includes a nonvolatile memory device including a memory block, to which a write operation is interrupted and not completed due to at least one time occurrence of sudden power-off (SPO) of the data storage device, wherein the memory block includes at least one first valid page group including one or more valid pages caused before the interruption and at least one invalid page group having one or more invalid pages caused by the interruption; and a controller suitable for writing at least one physical address-to-logical address (P2L) list for the first valid page group into the invalid page group after power-on of the data storage device following the SPO, and recovering an address mapping table for the memory block based on the P2L list after completion of the write operation to the memory block.
US09940042B2	Distributed storage system, and data-access method therefor Each of a plurality of storage systems in a distributed storage system is provided with: a strong-consistency-control processor which controls data synchronization that ensures consistency of duplicated data; a weak-consistency-control processor which controls data synchronization that does not necessarily ensure consistency of the duplicated data; an access-switching processor which determines a redundancy number corresponding to the number of storage systems having duplicated data stored thereon, selects in accordance with the characteristics of the duplicated data and the position of a terminal issuing the I/O request, storage systems of a number corresponding to the redundancy number, and selectively determines, as the control for the data synchronization, one from among the strong-consistency-control processor, the weak-consistency-control processor, and consistency control unnecessary; and an I/O processor which executes, on the basis of the determined control for the data synchronization, the I/O request for the duplicated data in the selected storage systems.
US09940041B2	Copy-redirect on write A system, method, and computer program product for managing storage volumes in a point-in-time copy cascade. A processor swaps a host portion of a source volume with a host portion of a snapshot point-in-time copy volume. Responsive to an I/O request to overwrite a first data value in a grain of the source volume with a second data value, a processor writes the second data value in a corresponding grain of the snapshot point-in-time copy volume. Responsive to a corresponding grain of a clone point-in-time copy volume not comprising the first data value, a processor copies the first data value to the corresponding grain of the clone point-in-time copy volume.
US09940036B2	System and method for controlling various aspects of PCIe direct attached nonvolatile memory storage subsystems Techniques for controlling PCIe direct attached non-volatile memory storage system are disclosed. In one particular embodiment, the techniques may be realized as a method including monitoring a temperature of a memory attached via the PCIe interface, determining whether an operation implemented on the attached memory has caused the temperature of the memory to exceed a preset threshold, and controlling an I/O rate of the attached memory based on the determination such that the I/O rate is greater than zero.
US09940034B2	Reducing read access latency by straddling pages across non-volatile memory channels A mechanism is provided in a non-volatile memory controller for reducing read access latency by straddling pages across non-volatile memory channels. Responsive to a request to write a logical page to a non-volatile memory array, the non-volatile memory controller determines whether the logical page fits into a current physical page. Responsive to determining the logical page does not fit into the current physical page, the non-volatile memory controller writes a first portion of the logical page to a first physical page in a first block and writes a second portion of the logical page to a second physical page in a second block. The first physical page and the second physical page are on different non-volatile memory channels.
US09940033B1	Method, system and computer readable medium for controlling performance of storage pools Described are techniques for controlling performance. A forecast error Et for time period “t” denoting a difference between a predicted performance value Ft of a metric for time period “t” and an actual performance value At of the metric for time period “t” is determined. A tracking signal Tt for time period “t” is determined in accordance with “N” forecast errors. It is determined, in accordance with the tracking signal Tt for time period “t”, whether to modify a current value for alpha denoting a weight used in calculating predicted performance values for the metric. If it is determined to modify the current value for alpha, the current value for alpha is set to a revised value in accordance with the tracking signal Tt for time period “t”. A predicted performance value Ft+1 of the metric for time period “t+1” is determined in accordance with the current value for alpha.
US09940022B1	Storage space allocation for logical disk creation The present disclosure includes apparatus, systems, computer readable storage media and techniques relating to virtualization of data storage space. In one aspect, a system includes: solid-state drive (SSD) devices, wherein each of the SSD devices includes contiguous portions; and a data storage controller configured to assign a priority value to each of available ones of the contiguous portions of the respective SSD devices, based on weighted criteria, and choose a subset of the available ones of the contiguous portions of the respective SSD devices, in accordance with the assigned priority values, to form a logical disk; wherein the logical disk includes at least one available portion from each of two or more of the SSD devices.
US09940020B2	Memory management method, apparatus, and system A memory management method implemented by a requesting node includes sending first indication information used for indicating a length of memory required by the requesting node and receiving second indication information used for indicating first remote memory provided to the requesting node by a target contributing node in at least one contributing node that can provide remote memory. The method also includes determining, from available virtual addresses, a first virtual address corresponding to the first remote memory, and sending a first data read/write instruction for the first data when first data whose pointer is within a range of the first virtual address needs to be read/written, where the first data read/write instruction includes third indication information, and the third indication information is used for indicating storage space, for storing the first data, in the first remote memory.
US09940012B2	Display device, calibration device and control method thereof A display device for displaying an application in an execution area according to a user input is disclosed. The display device includes a user interface configured to receive a user input corresponding to a shape, a display, and a controller configured to determine an application corresponding to the shape and determine an execution area for the application on a screen of the display in response to the user interface receiving the user input, and control the display of the application in the execution area.
US09940010B2	Information processing method and electronic device The present disclosure discloses an information processing method which includes: detecting a first drag and touch operation performed by a first operation body for moving a first object displayed in a first position on the touch display unit; acquiring a first end position of the first drag and touch operation on the touch display unit, the first end position is a position where the first operation body loses contact with the touch display unit during the first drag and touch operation; and maintaining the first object to be in a selected state in the first end position for a preset duration, and displaying the first object in the first end position.
US09940009B2	Display control device for scrolling of content based on sensor data [Object] To provide a technique for allowing a user to easily scroll content.[Solution] There is provided a display control device including a first acquiring unit configured to acquire orientation of a display unit detected by a first detecting unit, and a display control unit configured to display content at the display unit. The display control unit scrolls the content according to the orientation of the display unit.
US09939984B2	Methods and systems for an intermediate graphical desktop sharing protocol Generating a universal graphical desktop sharing protocol is disclosed. The universal graphical desktop sharing protocol is configured to communicate information (e.g., a sequence of one or more desktop sharing events) that has been translated from a first graphical desktop sharing protocol and is available to be translated into a final graphical desktop sharing protocol.
US09939983B2	Systems and methods for plan-based hypervideo playback Provided is a computer-implemented method for a playback of a hypervideo, the hypervideo including multiple video segments from a multiple videos linked together using links, the method being performed in connection with a computerized system incorporating a central processing unit, a display device and a memory, the computer-implemented method involving: generating a user interface portion on the display device for the playback of the hypervideo; and performing the playback of the hypervideo in the generated user interface portion by automatically following the plurality of links linking the plurality of video segments such that at least some of the plurality of video segments are played in a predetermined sequence; wherein the plurality of links are followed based on a playback plan. The playback plan may include at least one rule for following the multiple links linking the video segments during the playback of the hypervideo.
US09939972B2	Matrix sensor with via routing Disclosed herein include an input device, processing system and methods for touch sensing. In one embodiment, an input device is provided that includes a plurality of sensing elements arranged in a sensor pattern and a plurality of conductive routing traces. Each conductive routing trace is conductively paired with a respective one of the plurality of sensing elements. The sensor routing traces are configured to reduce an RC load of the corresponding paired sensing elements compared to a base RC load of a plurality of base electrodes arranged in a base pattern that is identical to the sensor pattern. Each base sensor electrode is conductively paired with a base routing trace. The base sensor electrode and paired base routing trace have a size that is identical to a size of the paired sensing elements and conductive routing trace. The base routing trace terminates at the base sensor electrode to which the base routing trace is paired.
US09939968B2	Touch panel and display apparatus including the same A touch panel including a base portion having a thickness that varies according to applied pressure; a first conductive pattern unit disposed on a first surface of the base portion and including first conductive patterns; and a second conductive pattern unit disposed on a second surface of the base portion opposing the first conductive pattern and including second conductive patterns that overlap with the first conductive patterns. Each of the first conductive patterns includes regions overlapping with the second conductive patterns, and in one of the overlapping regions, an amount of overlapping area between the first conductive pattern and the second conductive pattern decreases the farther away radially the overlapping area is from a center point of the overlapping region.
US09939965B2	Sending drive signals with an increased number of pulses to particular drive lines In one embodiment, a method includes detecting a touch of an object on a device. The method also includes predicting an area of the device that the detected touch will move to. The method further includes sending a first set of drive signals to one or more drive lines within the predicted area, the first set of drive signals each having a first number of pulses. The method further includes sending a second set of drive signals to one or more drive lines outside the predicted area, the second set of drive signals each having a second number of pulses. Furthermore, the first number of pulses is greater than the second number of pulses.
US09939963B2	Techniques improving displays A new form of 3-dimensional display is provided, employing ultrasonic emitters and receivers that share hardware. The illusion of user interface elements are simulated within an Actuation Area by overlapping ultrasound emitted from different emitters at areas coinciding with modeled elements' surfaces. In some embodiments, the period and phase of the ultrasonic waves are varied relative to one another to create a more compelling simulation of object surfaces. Resistance to movement and haptic feedback are also provided in some techniques, more accurately simulating the actuation of objects. In other embodiments, also applicable to touch screens, the ultrasound hardware provides such haptic feedback in addition to finger or stylus location when actuating a touch screen display. A new method for determining the location and direction of finger or stylus actuation pressure is also provided.
US09939959B2	Multi-touch integrity sensing for capacitive touch screen A method for multi-touch integrity sensing for a multi-touch capacitive touch screen is disclosed. By determining the integrity of touches, a distinction is identified between wanted touches, such as via a finger or stylus, and unwanted touches such as via foreign matter, errors, and the like.
US09939957B2	Method and associated controller for adaptively adjusting touch control threshold A method for adaptively adjusting a touch control threshold of a touch panel is provided. The method includes: receiving a set of sample values from the touch panel; calculating a mean value and a standard deviation based on the set of sample values according to a determination result indicating that the set of sample values are not greater than the touch control threshold; and updating the touch control threshold according to the mean value and the standard deviation.
US09939955B2	Mechanism to create pattern gesture transmissions to create device-sourcing emergency information A system may comprise a registration device configured to register patterns for users; a recording device configured to record a received pattern, as an electronic pattern, wherein the recording device recognizes the received pattern as one of the registered patterns; a receiving device configured to observe human movement patterns with a camera, transform the observed human movement patterns to an electronic signal, and receive the recognized registered pattern from the recording device by a first wireless transmission; a forwarding device configured to transmit the electronic signal, and the received recognized registered pattern to an alert service by a second wireless transmission; and an alert service, configured to receive the electronic signal and the received recognized registered pattern from the forwarding device and configured to transmit the electronic signal and the received recognized registered pattern to a second electronic device by a third wireless transmission.
US09939953B2	Controlling display of items based on flexibility of a display unit A display unit has a flexible display section, a detection section for detecting a deflection amount and a deflection direction of the display section, a determination section for determining a visible portion and a non-visible portion of the display section based on the deflection amount and the deflection direction, and a control section for controlling display contents of the display section. The control section either prevents an image display on the non-visible portion or displays one of a fixed image or a pre-set moving image on the non-visible portion. The display unit also includes a displacement sensor located in the same region as the display section.
US09939950B2	Multi-mode voltages for touchscreens Operating touch screens by applying more than one voltage modes, including a first voltage mode corresponding to a display phase and a second voltage mode corresponding to a touch sensing phase, is provided. An integrated touch screen device can include a multi-mode power system that can select a first voltage mode corresponding a display phase and a second voltage mode corresponding to a touch sensing phase. Each of one or more voltages can be applied to the touch screen at the corresponding first voltage level during the updating of the image. A touch sensing system can sense touch during a touch sensing phase. Each of one or more voltages can be applied to the touch screen at the corresponding second voltage level during the sensing of touch.
US09939949B2	Touch panel, touch device and driving method thereof A touch panel, a touch device and a driving method thereof are disclosed. The touch panel includes first coils each formed by at least two electrically connected first electrodes, a first terminal of each first coil is electrically connected with one corresponding first signal line, a second terminal of the first coil is electrically connected with the common line, and when an electromagnetic touch is performed, the first coil is configured to receive an electromagnetic signal and generate an induced current, and when a capacitive touch is performed, the first coil functions as a capacitive touch driving electrode.
US09939945B2	Electronic device Provided is an electronic device that can appropriately perform process in response to the position of a press (contact) by a user.The electronic device 1 includes a touch panel 10 configured to detect a contact, a controller 80 configured to obtain a position of the contact detected by the touch panel 10, and pressure detectors 20-1 to 20-8 configured to detect a pressure on the touch panel 10, in which a plurality of pressure detectors 20-1 to 20-8 are mounted on the touch panel 10, and the controller 80 chooses a pressure detector that detects a pressure on the touch panel 10 in response to the position of a contact obtained.
US09939926B2	Pointing device for a portable computer including multiple pressure sensors located below a keyboard plate A pointing device is disclosed. The pointing device includes an operation cap having an operation surface fitted into a stud. The stud is fixed to a keyboard plate with a screw from below together with a sensor plate. A waterproof material is provided between the stud and the keyboard plate. Multiple pressure sensors are arranged below the keyboard plate. The pressure sensors are applied with a predetermined pressure beforehand. When the operation surface is depressed, the stud and the sensor plate slide and move downward while being tilted to reduce the detection pressures of the pressure sensors. Since the pressure sensors exist below the keyboard plate, the operation cap can be downsized, and the pressure sensors can be protected from impact to the operation cap.
US09939922B2	Input method of Chinese pinyin and terminal Embodiments of the present invention discloses an input method of Chinese pinyin. The method comprises: obtaining an operation position and an operation duration of inputting a character through a character input platform; determining a combination of pinyin letters corresponding to the operation position according to mapping relationships between operation positions of the character input platform and character information; selecting a pinyin letter from the combination of pinyin letters corresponding to the operation position or selecting the combination of pinyin letters corresponding to the operation position as a character input through the character input platform according to mapping relationships between operation durations each corresponding to one of the operation positions of the character input platform and character information. The embodiments of the present invention further discloses a terminal.
US09939921B2	Electronic device keyboard spacebar with visual feedback associated with location sensing An input device includes a plurality of keys, where at least one key of the plurality of keys may include a first surface configured to contact a plurality of input objects, a sensing region of the first surface configured to sense the plurality of input objects, a capacitive sensor configured to determine positional information of the plurality of input objects on the first surface of the key, and a lighting element configured to provide visual feedback to a user interacting with the at least one key.
US09939920B2	Keyset fingerprint sensor with backlight Designs and techniques for keyset fingerprint sensors with backlight are described herein. In one or more implementations, a fingerprint sensor is integrated within a keyset of an input device. For instance, a key within an arrangement of keys is adapted to operate as a sensor key having an integrated fingerprint sensor. The sensor key is included within the arrangement of keys rather than being provided as a separate or external component. The sensor key includes a cover and a transmission layer covering the fingerprint sensor. A backlight integrated with the sensor key is arranged to supply light for the backlighting. The backlight is operable to selectively supply light at different times, in different colors, and/or in different sequences to illuminate a pattern on the cover and thereby provide indications indicative of sensing operations performed via the fingerprint sensor.
US09939918B2	Touch-sensitive input device An input device including a base, a plastic part provided on the base, and a touch sensor embedded in the plastic part. Embedding the touch sensor in the plastic part contributes to the reduction of the distance from an outer face of the base to the touch sensor, thereby improving the sensitivity of the touch sensor. Embedding the touch sensor in the plastic part also makes it possible to omit a step of fixing the touch sensor to the plastic part, thereby improving the yield rate of the input device.
US09939911B2	Computer interface for remotely controlled objects and wearable articles with absolute pose detection component A remotely controlled object (e.g., an aircraft) or a wearable article (e.g., virtual or augmented reality glasses) using high optical contrast features and a photodetector that detects light produced, reflected or scattered by the features and outputs data indicative thereof. The remotely controlled object or wearable article uses one or more controllers to determine its position and/or orientation in the real three-dimensional environment based on data from the photodetector. Data from one or more auxiliary motion sensing devices, e.g., a relative motion sensor such as an inertial device or other auxiliary motion device relying on acoustics, optics or electromagnetic waves within or outside the visible spectrum, can be used to supplement the position and/or orientation data from the photodetector.
US09939910B2	Dynamic effects processing and communications for wearable devices Processing techniques and device configurations for performing and controlling output effects at a plurality of wearable devices are generally described herein. In an example, a processing technique may include receiving, at a computing device, an indication of a triggering gesture that occurs at a first wearable device, determining an output effect corresponding to the indication of the triggering gesture, and in response to determining the output effect, transmitting commands to computing devices that are respectively associated with a plurality of wearable devices, the commands causing the plurality of wearable devices to generate the output effect at the plurality of wearable devices. In further examples, output effects such as haptic feedback, light output, or sound output, may be performed by the plurality of wearable devices, associated computing devices, or other controllable equipment.
US09939908B2	Multi-device authentication A system and method uses multiple devices in concert as security for accessing an account. The system and method may use one or more security measures based on unique gestures, coordinated gestures between two devices, presence of multiple devices, sequence of actions, and other measures to prevent fraud. Additionally, these security measures may be rearranged or changed such that the devices may collaborate to provide access to multiple different accounts.
US09939902B2	Haptic controller An advanced haptic gamepad is provided. A controller having a plurality of surfaces, and a haptic output device located within its housing and coupled to an isolated deformable region disposed at one of the plurality of surfaces is provided. The isolated deformable region expands and contracts in response to the haptic output device. In addition, a controller having a plurality of isolated surface regions, and a plurality of haptic output devices located within its housing and coupled to respective isolated surface regions is provided. Each of the isolated surface regions is configured to provide localized haptic effects.
US09939896B2	Input determination method Methods and systems for determining intent in voice and gesture interfaces are described. An example method includes determining that a gaze direction is in a direction of a gaze target, and determining whether a predetermined time period has elapsed while the gaze direction is in the direction of the gaze target. The method may also include providing an indication that the predetermined time period has elapsed when the predetermined time period has elapsed. According to the method, a voice or gesture command that is received after the predetermined time period has elapsed may be determined to be an input for a computing system. Additional example systems and methods are described herein.
US09939888B2	Correlating movement information received from different sources A system is described herein which receives internal-assessed (IA) movement information from a mobile device. The system also receives external-assessed (EA) movement information from at least one monitoring system which captures a scene containing the mobile device. The system then compares the IA movement information with the EA movement information with respect to each candidate object in the scene. If the IA movement information matches the EA movement information for a particular candidate object, the system concludes that the candidate object is associated with the mobile device. For example, the object may correspond to a hand that holds the mobile device. The system can use the correlation results produced in the above-indicated manner to perform various environment-specific actions.
US09939886B2	Data communication method via touch surface A data communication method enabling wireless sharing of files or data between electronic devices that can store information and/or generate information by means of touch surface (capacitive or multi-touch), display units (LCD, led, etc.), photo sensor and frame having negative electrical conductivity.
US09939884B2	Providing per core voltage and frequency control In one embodiment, the present invention includes a processor having a plurality of cores and a control logic to control provision of a voltage/frequency to a first core of the plurality of cores independently of provision of a voltage/frequency to at least a second core of the plurality of cores. In some embodiments, the voltages may be provided from one or more internal voltage regulators of the processor. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US09939883B2	Supply-voltage control for device power management One embodiment provides a method for reducing leakage current in device logic having an operational supply-voltage threshold, a nonzero data-retention supply-voltage threshold, and two or more on-die transistor switches to switchably connect a voltage source to the device logic. After the logic enters an idle period, one or more of the switches are opened to lower a supply voltage of the logic below the operational supply-voltage threshold but above the data-retention supply-voltage threshold. When the logic exits the idle period, one or more of the switches are closed to raise the supply voltage of the logic above the operational supply-voltage threshold.
US09939882B2	Systems and methods for migrating processes among asymmetrical processing cores Techniques to control power and processing among a plurality of asymmetric processing elements are disclosed. In one embodiment, one or more asymmetric processing elements are power managed to migrate processes or threads among a plurality of processing elements according to the performance and power needs of the system.
US09939877B2	Mobile platform and a method therein A method for controlling powering of a mobile platform 201 comprising a first Finite State Machine (FSM) 202 and a second FSM 203. The method comprises synchronizing the first FSM with the second FSM, wherein the first FSM is arranged on a first Integrated Circuit (IC) 207 comprised in the mobile platform and configured to control a first Power Management Unit (PMU) 205 arranged on the first IC, and wherein the second FSM is arranged on a second IC 208 comprised in the mobile platform and configured to control a second PMU 206 arranged on the second IC, whereby the first PMU and the second PMU are synchronized to operate simultaneously during rank-up and rank-down, thereby providing power control of the mobile platform.
US09939876B2	Operating system management of network interface devices Operating system management of network interface devices is described. In one or more implementations, a determination is made by an operating system that network traffic associated with one or more applications of the computing device has completed. Responsive to the determination, a network interface device is caused to transition to a mode to reduce power consumption of the network interface device by the operating system.
US09939875B2	Power supply system for use with electronic gaming tables in a casino A power supply system for use with electronic gaming tables in a casino is disclosed. Each gaming table is associated with a unique iPDU and is viewed by one or more video cameras. When an electronic device in a table fails or is taken offline, regulatory personnel can review the video record that corresponds to the duration of the failure or offline status to determine whether the dealer or a bettor has caused the failure or offline status to come about.
US09939870B2	Apparatus and method for power management to mitigate declining battery capacity A method and apparatus reduce power consumption and mitigate declining battery life. In some embodiments, an initial full charge capacity, C(O), of a rechargeable battery is determined. A full charge capacity, C(t), of the rechargeable battery is determined at time t. An average power consumption profile is determined. A reduced power consumption is implemented based on the average power consumption profile and a factor C(t)/C(O). In other embodiments, functions that are not used in an average power consumption profile are deactivated. Other functions that occur in certain use cases of the average power consumption profile are activated and deactivated as needed.
US09939855B2	Extended capacity memory system with load relieved memory and method of manufacture thereof A method of manufacture of an enhanced capacity memory system includes: providing a dual in-line memory module carrier having a memory module and an integrated memory buffer coupled to the memory module; coupling a memory expansion board, having a supplementary memory module, to the dual in-line memory module carrier including attaching a bridge transposer; and providing a system interface connector coupled to the integrated memory buffer and the bridge transposer for controlling the memory module, the supplementary memory module, or a combination thereof.
US09939851B2	Electronic device and hinge thereof An electronic device and a hinge thereof are disclosed. The hinge includes a base, a first link, a second link, a third link and an elastic member. The first link is pivoted to the base and rotatable about a first axis. The first link includes a first groove. The second link is pivoted to the base and rotatable about a second axis. The third link includes a first end pivoted to the second link and a second end slidably joined to the first groove. The elastic member is disposed between the second link and the third link and propped against the second link and the third link.
US09939845B2	Display device and method for manufacturing same A method of manufacturing a display device includes providing a window including a printed area and a plurality of alignment key areas, patterning a printed layer on the printed area such that the plurality of alignment key areas is exposed and the printed layer covers the printed area, aligning a panel to the window by using the plurality of alignment key areas, and coupling the panel to the window.
US09939841B1	Clock distribution network for integrated circuit A method and circuit are provided to reduce the power consumption of high-speed clocks that are distributed across an integrated circuit (IC). Example implementations seek to reduce the amount of power dissipated in typical clock distribution networks by turning the combination of a multi-port electrical network and transmission line into a multi-resonant structure. In an implementation, the multi-port electrical network is coupled between first and second segments of the transmission line. The multi-port electrical network includes a series inductive reactance and a shunt inductive susceptance configured to produce first and second resonances that cooperate to create a bandpass response across clock distribution frequencies. This bandpass response is created by the multi-resonant structure, which is a combination of the transmission line and the multi-port electrical network. Various implementations are provided, including single-ended, differential, multi-section, multi-output, and point-to-multi-point implementations, each with an optional low-speed mode switch.
US09939835B2	Reference potential generation circuit A reference potential generation circuit is provided. The reference potential generation circuit includes first to third input terminals, first and second output terminals, a low-pass filter including first to third terminals, and a linear regulator including first to fourth terminals. In the reference potential generation circuit, the first terminal of the low-pass filter is electrically connected to the second input terminal. The second terminal of the low-pass filter is electrically connected to the first input terminal or the third input terminal. The third terminal of the low-pass filter is electrically connected to the first terminal of the linear regulator. The second terminal of the linear regulator is electrically connected to the first input terminal and the first output terminal. The third terminal of the linear regulator is electrically connected to the second output terminal. The fourth terminal of the linear regulator is electrically connected to the third input terminal.
US09939833B2	Method, a system, a computer-readable medium, and a power controlling apparatus for applying and distributing power Embodiments of the invention relate generally to power management and the like, and more particularly, to an apparatus, a system, a method, and a computer-readable medium for providing power controlling functionality to generate configurable power signals and to deliver power during fault conditions. In at least some embodiments, a power control unit can generate power signals having configurable attributes as a function of a mode of operation, a fault type, and the like.
US09939831B2	Fast settling low dropout voltage regulator Methods and systems for reducing the settling time of a voltage regulator are described. In some cases, the settling time of the voltage regulator may be reduced by detecting that the voltage regulator is transitioning from a standby mode to an active mode and drawing additional current from the output of the voltage regulator during a current boosting phase. The current boosting phase may correspond with a current boosting pulse that is initiated when an enable signal is received from a controller and then is ended when the output voltage of the voltage regulator is within a first voltage of the desired regulation voltage or has overshot the desired regulation voltage by a second voltage (e.g., has overshot the desired regulation voltage by 150 mV).
US09939830B1	Multiple voltage regulators with input voltage sensing and sleep mode Differing from conventional LDO voltage regulator being unable to work at a sleep mode for saving power dissipation, the present invention discloses a smart low dropout (LDO) voltage regulator capable of being switched to an operation mode or a sleep mode based on the controlling of an enablable signal. This smart LDO voltage regulator comprises an input voltage detecting unit, a switch controlling unit and a voltage regulating module. During the sleep mode of the smart LDO voltage regulator, the switch controlling unit generates a switch controlling signal to change a switch setting of a switch unit of the voltage regulating module, so as to facilitate the smart LDO voltage regulator produce an output voltage through a first voltage regulating unit or a second voltage regulating unit of the voltage regulating module, or directly output input voltage as the output voltage.
US09939828B2	DC-DC converting circuit and a power management chip package including the same A direct current (DC)-DC converting circuit includes a voltage converter generating a regulation current in response to a driving signal and generating an output voltage and an output current; an output voltage regulator regulating the output voltage and outputting a first control signal; a voltage limiter limiting a voltage value of the first control signal below a threshold value; a current sensor sensing an intensity of the regulation current and generating a second control signal having a voltage value corresponding to a value of the sensed intensity; and a driving signal generator generating the driving signal based on the first and second control signals, the first control signal having the voltage value below the threshold value.
US09939817B1	Internal safety systems for robotic vehicles Systems, apparatus and methods implemented in algorithms, hardware, software, firmware, logic, or circuitry may be configured to process data and sensory input to determine whether an object external to an autonomous vehicle (e.g., another vehicle, a pedestrian, road debris, a bicyclist, etc.) may be a potential collision threat to the autonomous vehicle. The autonomous vehicle may be configured to implement interior active safety systems to protect passengers of the autonomous vehicle during a collision with an object or during evasive maneuvers by the autonomous vehicle, for example. The interior active safety systems may be configured to provide passengers with notice of an impending collision and/or emergency maneuvers by the vehicle by tensioning seat belts prior to executing an evasive maneuver and/or prior to a predicted point of collision.
US09939816B2	Automated inventory taking moveable platform Moveable platform for taking inventory of objects comprising RFID tags in a storage space, wherein the platform comprises a navigation system, adapted to automatically navigate the platform, and a sensor system, adapted to identify objects to which RFID tags are attached in the storage space, wherein the sensor system comprises at least one antenna, wherein the sensor system is adapted to identify objects in the storage space while the platform moves through the storage space and wherein a control unit is provided that is adapted to control the navigation system in response to information obtained by the sensor system.
US09939812B2	Control apparatus for autonomously navigating utility vehicle An apparatus for controlling operation of an autonomously navigating utility vehicle equipped with a prime mover to travel about a working area delineated by a boundary line, there are provided with a map generating unit that that generates a working area map comprised of an array of a plurality of cells, a memory unit that counts and memorizes a number of times the vehicle passes over each of the cells based on the detected vehicle position; a target cell setting unit that selects one of the cells based on the memorized counted number and sets the selected one as a target cell; and a travel controlling unit that controls operation of the prime mover to make the vehicle travel about the working area until the vehicle has reached the boundary line, and make the vehicle turn toward the target cell and then travel straight forward when the vehicle has reached the boundary line.
US09939808B2	Monitor data attachment to product lots for batch processes A method of process control for a batch process includes pre-measuring a monitor lot to obtain pre-metrology data regarding at least a first process parameter. There are no product units included with the monitor lot. The pre-metrology data is saved together with an identifier for the first monitor unit. A batch is staged for the batch process including at least a first product lot including a plurality of product units together with the first monitor unit. The batch is batch processed through the batch process. After the batch processing, the first monitor unit is measured to obtain post-metrology data for the first process parameter. At least one of the post-metrology data and a difference between the post-metrology data and pre-metrology data is saved to a data file with an identifier for the first product lot or the pre-metrology data and post-metrology data is directly written to the first product lot.
US09939801B2	Work processing method, spindle angle correction device, and complex lathe A first speed and a second speed slower than the first speed are set as a contact speed when a work w and a detection jig t attached to a tool post are brought into contact with each other to detect a position or a posture of the work w, the work and the detection jig are brought into contact with each other at the first speed, the detection jig and the work contacting each other are separated from each other by a predetermined distance, the work and the detection jig which are separated from each other are brought into contact with each other at the same position at the second speed, and a correction value δ is obtained based on a tool post position or a spindle angle during the second contact.
US09939792B2	Systems and methods to adaptively select execution modes Methods and systems that facilitate efficient and effective adaptive execution mode selection are described. The adaptive execution mode selection is performed in part on-the-fly and changes to an execution mode (e.g., sequential, parallel, etc.) for a program task can be made. An intelligent adaptive selection can be made between a variety execution modes. The adaptive execution mode selection can also include selecting parameters associated with the execution modes. A controller receives historical information associated with execution mode selection, engages in training regarding execution mode selection, and adaptively selects an execution mode on-the-fly. The training can use an approach similar to an artificial neural network in which automated guided machine learning approach establishes correspondences between execution modes and task/input feature definitions based upon historical information. An adaptive selection is performed on-the-fly based on an initial trial run.
US09939787B2	Wearable electronic device with electronic component in strap A wearable electronic device and method of use are disclosed, including a main body, and at least one strap fixed to the main body. The strap includes a core member mounted with at least one electronic component, an electric connector disposed on the core member, and a band member enclosing at least one part of the core member disposed with the electric connector, wherein the at least one electronic component is electrically coupled to the main body through the electric connector.
US09939782B2	Hologram recording device A hologram recording device includes a light outputting unit, which sequentially outputs laser beams having different wavelengths such that the laser beams are coaxial and includes an optical member and laser beam sources, and a recording unit, which sequentially irradiates the recording medium with the laser beams to record holograms in a multiwavelength superimposing manner. The optical member includes optical elements that reflect, in the optical direction, a laser beam incident thereon in a direction crossing the optical axis direction, and that allow a laser beam incident thereon in the optical axis direction to pass therethrough. The laser beam sources radiate laser beams to the optical member, and are arranged so that a laser beam emitted from a laser beam source among the laser beam sources that exposes a recording medium for a longer exposure period with the laser beam passes through a smaller number of optical elements.
US09939780B2	Holographic film with first and second translucent photosensitive recording layers Various holographic films for recording multicolor volume holograms, especially full color volume reflection holograms, and to manufacturing techniques for such film, and to corresponding methods of recording multicolor and full-color volume, in particular volume reflection holograms. We describe a holographic film for recording a multicolor volume hologram, the film including: a carrier; a first photosensitive recording layer sensitive to one or both of red and green laser light; and a second photosensitive recording layer sensitive to blue laser light. Both the first and second photosensitive recording layers include silver halide and have a grain size of less than 30 nm, and at least one of the photosensitive recording layers has a thickness of greater than 3 μm and less than 5 μm.
US09939775B2	Image forming apparatus with separator to separate a roller from a photosensitive drum An image forming apparatus, including a photosensitive drum, a developer cartridge with a developer roller and a protrusion, a casing, a separator member to move the developer cartridge between a contact position and a separate position, and a first guide to guide the protrusion, is provided. The first guide confronts the protrusion along a direction orthogonal to an axial direction of the developer roller when the developer cartridge is in the contact position. The first guide includes a first guiding surface and a first inclined surface. The first guiding surface extends in parallel with a line connecting a center of a rotation axis of the developer roller with a center of a rotation axis of the photosensitive drum. The first inclined surface inclines with respect to the first guiding surface. The protrusion contacts the first inclined surface when the separator member moves the developer cartridge toward the separate position.
US09939774B2	Connection mechanism and image forming apparatus A connection mechanism includes a connecting portion including a rotation arm rotatable around a rotation shaft, an urging unit configured to urge the rotation arm, and an engagement pin provided on the rotation arm; and a connected portion having an engagement groove formed in a tapered shape in an urging direction of the urging unit so as to allow entering of the engagement pin and holding of the engagement pin by the urging force of the urging unit.
US09939771B2	Recording material fold enhancing device, recording material stitching device, and image forming system A recording material fold enhancing device includes a pressing unit that includes one or more recessed portions and one or more protrusions, and that presses a fold of a recording material; a supporting unit that includes one or more recessed portions and one or more protrusions, and that supports the fold of the recording material; and a driving unit that moves the pressing unit and the supporting unit along a direction in which the fold of the recording material is formed. A portion of the fold of the recording material is interposed between the one or more recessed portions of the pressing unit and the one or more protrusions of the supporting unit, and another portion of the fold of the recording material is interposed between the one or more protrusions of the pressing unit and the one or more recessed portions of the supporting unit.
US09939766B2	Image forming apparatus and recording material determination apparatus An image forming apparatus includes an image formation unit configured to form an image on a recording material, a conveyance unit configured to convey a recording material, an irradiation unit configured to emit light onto the recording material being conveyed by the conveyance unit, an image capturing unit configured to capture the light emitted by the irradiation unit and reflected from the recording material as a surface image of the recording material, and a control unit configured to control an image forming condition of the image formation unit based on the surface image of the recording material acquired by the image capturing unit, wherein the control unit controls the image forming condition based on a plurality of surface images of the recording material having different resolutions.
US09939760B2	Image forming apparatus An image forming apparatus includes a recording material feeding portion, an image forming portion, and a heating portion. An ultraviolet irradiating portion irradiates an image on a recording material with ultraviolet radiation, when the recording material is in an ultraviolet irradiation positon and is already heated by the heating portion, and a detecting portion detects a temperature of the recording material which has not yet been heated by the heating portion. In addition, a controller controls an output of the heating portion depending on the detected temperature so that the temperature of the recording material, when the recording material heated by the heating portion enters the ultraviolet irradiation position, is within a target temperature range that is set in advance.
US09939757B2	Image forming apparatus including a contact-separation mechanism A plurality of development units includes at least a first development unit and a second development unit, and a plurality of photosensitive members includes at least a first photosensitive member corresponding to the first development unit and a second photosensitive member corresponding to the second development unit. After shifting the first development unit and the first photosensitive member into a contact state and shifting the second development state and the second photosensitive member into a contact state, a control unit controls a timing at which the first development unit develops an electrostatic latent image, based on a contact timing at which the second development unit and the second photosensitive member are shifted into a contact state.
US09939756B1	Image forming apparatus and method for preventing toner scattering in an image forming appratus According to an embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes a housing, a developing roller, and a photosensitive drum. The developing roller includes an image area and a pair of non-image areas. The image area extends along an axial direction the developing roller. The non-image areas are provided on both sides in the axial direction with respect to the image area. The image forming apparatus further includes a regulating member. The regulating member covers a gap in positions which are aligned over the non-image area. The regulating member regulates air flow toward sides of the image area in the axial direction.
US09939748B2	Image forming apparatus that controls posture of intermediate transfer member and image formation position based on results of detection of predetermined portion of intermediate transfer member An image forming apparatus transfers toner images of respective colors, formed on photosensitive drums, onto an intermediate transfer belt conveyed in a predetermined direction to thereby form a color toner image. A steering roller tilts the intermediate transfer belt in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction. A first sensor detects a position of a belt lateral end of the belt, and when controlling driving of the steering roller based on a detection result of the first sensor, a controller performs predetermined filtering on the detection result, to thereby control the driving of the steering roller according to the detection result subjected to the predetermined filtering.
US09939747B2	Developing agent and method for producing the same A method for producing a developing agent including preparing a dispersion liquid containing first fine particles containing a binder resin and second fine particles containing a color developable compound, a color coupler, and a color eraser, and aggregating the first and second fine particles in the dispersion liquid to form aggregated particles.
US09939745B2	Conductive support for electrophotographic photoreceptor, electrophotographic photoreceptor, and image forming apparatus A conductive support for an electrophotographic photoreceptor includes a metallic cylindrical member. The conductive support has a bare area exposed even after a photosensitive layer is disposed on the conductive support, and the outer circumferential surface of at least part of the bare area has a surface residual stress of about −10 MPa or less.
US09939732B2	Controller for an optical system A lithography system includes an optical source configured to emit a pulsed light beam; a lithography apparatus including an optical system, the optical system being positioned to receive the pulsed light beam from the optical source at a first side of the optical system and to emit the pulsed light beam at a second side of the optical system; and a control system coupled to the optical source and the optical lithography apparatus, the control system configured to: receive an indication of an amount of energy in the pulsed light beam at the second side of the optical system, determine an energy error, access an initial control sequence, the initial control sequence being associated with the optical source, determine a second control sequence based on the determined energy error and the initial control sequence, and apply the second control sequence to the optical source.
US09939730B2	Optical assembly An optical assembly, in particular for a lithography system for imaging lithographic micro- or nanostructures, includes at least two optical elements arranged successively in a beam path of the optical assembly, an acquisition device designed to acquire radiation signals from marking elements on or at the at least two optical elements, and a control device coupled to the acquisition device and which is designed to determine the plurality of properties of the optically active surface of the at least two optical elements as a function of the information contained in the radiation signals originating from the marking elements. The disclosure also relates to a method for operating the optical assembly.
US09939717B2	Projector and control method for projector A projector which configured to project a horizontally long image and a vertically long image, includes a cooling unit configured to cool a discharge lamp according to an installation attitude of the projector, a detection unit configured to detect the installation attitude, and a controller configured to control a discharge lamp driving unit and the cooling unit, in which the installation attitude includes a first attitude for projecting the horizontally long image and a second attitude for projecting the vertically long image, and in which the controller is configured to put out the discharge lamp in a case where the installation attitude detected by the detection unit is a third attitude which is different from both of the first attitude and the second attitude.
US09939715B2	Projection system, projection device and display rack A projection device is disposable into a display platform of a display rack having a plurality of display platforms, for directly projecting an image frame onto a projection screen of the display platform. The image frame projected to the projection screen is not reflected by any reflective mirror arranged between the projection device and the projection screen. A length of the image frame in a first direction is equal to at least ten times a length of the image frame in a second direction. Since no reflective mirror is arranged between the projection device and the projection screen, the projection device is more easily applicable to display racks.
US09939711B1	Light based computing apparatus A computing apparatus has a logic unit configured to perform an arithmetic operation by relating light beams, each having a respective light amplitude, to obtain a light-based result of the operation, and to evaluate the light-based result to output a corresponding numeric result. The logic unit uses variables values, each corresponding to a respective distinct light amplitude, the variable values thereby corresponding to a plurality of distinct light amplitudes.
US09939709B2	Optical waveguide element and optical modulator using the same Disclosed herein is an optical waveguide element that includes a substrate and a waveguide layer formed on the substrate and comprising lithium niobate. The waveguide layer has a slab part having a predetermined thickness and a ridge part protruding from the slab part. The maximum thickness of the slab part is 0.05 times or more and less than 0.4 times a wavelength of a light propagating in the ridge part.
US09939707B2	TIR-modulated wide viewing angle display Improvements and modifications are provided in the type of frustrated total internal reflection (TIR) systems described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,885,496; 6,891,658; 7,286,280; 7,760,417 and 8,040,591. The improvements and modifications include various methods to improve display operation of hemispherical beaded front plane TIR systems such as (a) inhibit or prevent the undesired non-uniform distribution and lateral migration of charged, electrophoretically mobile, TIR frustrating particles by encapsulating or tethering the particles to the beaded front plane surface; (b) inhibit or prevent the settling of the TIR frustrating particles such as modifying the viscosity of the low refractive index medium; and (c) inhibit or prevent the non-uniformity of the applied electric field during display operation such as using a conforming rear electrode.
US09939705B2	Controlled switching for electrochromic devices An electrochromic device is structured to selectively switch separate regions to separate transmission levels, based at least in part upon different respective sheet resistances of separate conductive layer regions. Sheet resistance of a conductive layer region can be associated with a transmission level to which a corresponding EC stack region can be switched, and a conductive layer with separate regions having separate sheet resistances causes corresponding EC stack regions to switch to different transmission levels. Sheet resistance in a conductive layer region can be adjusted via various processes, including introducing various chemical species into the conductive layer region to adjust a chemical species distribution in the region, where the chemical species distribution is associated with the sheet resistance of the region, heating conductive layer regions to induce oxidation of the region, adjusting the thickness of a conductive layer region, etc.
US09939703B1	Electrochromic devices having reduced switching times and their methods of manufacture Electrochromic devices having reduced switching times and their methods of manufacturing are presented. In one instance, the electrochromic device includes a transparent substrate having a surface. A first transparent conductive layer is disposed on a portion of the surface. The electrochromic device also includes an optically active layer disposed on the first transparent conductive layer. The optically active layer is configured to alter optical properties in response to an applied electric field. A second transparent conductive layer is disposed on the optically active layer. The electrochromic device additionally includes a patterned conductive layer disposed on the second transparent conductive layer and defining an array on the second transparent conductive layer. The array partitions the electrochromic device into a plurality of electrochromic cells. Other electrochromic devices and methods are presented.
US09939692B2	Sequential circuit and semiconductor device The following semiconductor device provides high reliability and a narrower frame width. The semiconductor device includes a driver circuit and a pixel portion. The driver circuit has a first transistor including a first gate and a second gate electrically connected to each other with a semiconductor film sandwiched therebetween, and a second transistor electrically connected to the first transistor. The pixel portion includes a third transistor, a liquid crystal element, and a capacitor. The liquid crystal element includes a first transparent conductive film electrically connected to the third transistor, a second conductive film, and a liquid crystal layer. The capacitor includes the first conductive film, a third transparent conductive film, and a nitride insulating film. The nitride insulating film is positioned between the first transparent conductive film and the third transparent conductive film, and positioned between the semiconductor film and the second gate of the first transistor.
US09939687B2	Liquid crystal cell and method for fabricating the same, liquid crystal display panel, and display device A liquid crystal cell and method for fabricating the same, a liquid crystal display panel, and a display device are disclosed. The liquid crystal cell comprises an active area and a dummy area, and comprises a first and second substrate which are arranged oppositely and separated by spacers, and liquid crystal arranged between the first and second substrate. The liquid crystal cell further comprises a volume variation compensating component which is arranged in the active area, and the volume variation compensating component comprises a material with a thermal expansion coefficient opposite to that of the liquid crystal, so as to compensate variation in the volume of liquid crystal when temperature varies. Not only defects of gravity mura at high temperature and bubbles at low temperature are eliminated to spread LC Margin, but also the scope of application environment for the liquid crystal display panel is expanded.
US09939675B2	Color filter substrate, liquid crystal display panel and liquid crystal display A color filter substrate, a liquid crystal display panel, and a liquid crystal display are described. The color filter substrate has: a base substrate, a color resist layer disposed on a surface of the base substrate and having a plurality of colored-filter color resists each configured to filter a stray light and emit a light corresponding to a color; an upper polarizing sheet disposed on the other surface of the base substrate; and a ¼ wavelength plate covering on the upper polarizing sheet and having a plurality of areas which are respectively corresponding to the colored-filter color resists and face toward the colored-filter color resists, respectively. An in-plane retardation Re of the ¼ wavelength plate in each of the areas satisfies: Re=λ/4, wherein λ is a wavelength of the light corresponding to the color.
US09939665B2	Communication apparatus A communication apparatus includes an optical fiber along which radiation can be transmitted; an optical fiber grating formed within the optical fiber, the optical fiber grating having a structure, and configured to reflect radiation at a particular wavelength; and an instrument coupled to the grating and configured to controllably modify the structure of the grating, thereby changing the wavelength at which the grating reflects radiation. A communication system including the communication apparatus is also described, along with a method of communicating a signal.
US09939657B2	Thermoformed ophthalmic insert devices The present invention describes single-piece or multi-piece Rigid Inserts that may be included in an Ophthalmic Lenses or may comprise the Ophthalmic Lens, wherein the Rigid Insert may be formed through the processing of thin sheet material by thermoforming. Single piece annular Rigid Inserts may perform the function of providing a template for printed patterns to be included in Ophthalmic Lenses. Single piece full Rigid Inserts may perform the function of polarizing light or filtering light based on the properties of materials used to form the insert. Multi-piece Rigid Inserts may include activation and energization elements. The present invention also includes methods and apparatus for forming the Rigid Inserts.
US09939656B1	Nose pad Disclosed is a nose pad for comfortably supporting eyeglasses in multiple positions. The nose pad comprising a more rigid main portion, and a highly flexible and soft back end portion. The main portion connected to an eyeglass frame and positioned for contacting a user's nose upon wearing the eyeglasses in a normal wearing position. The back end portion connected to this main portion and generally positioned on a back edge of this main portion for contacting a user's forehead area upon wearing the eyeglasses in a tilted up position. The main portion, being more rigid, supports the eyeglasses properly on a user's nose. The soft and flexible back end portion provides a comfortable and non-slipping contact with a user's forehead area. The combination of this main portion with the soft back end portion provides a comfortable and non-slipping contact with a user's nose. The nose pad of the present invention is applicable to all types of eyeglasses.
US09939655B2	Optical image capturing system A six-piece optical lens for capturing image and a six-piece optical module for capturing image are provided. In order from an object side to an image side, the optical lens along the optical axis includes a first lens with refractive power, a second lens with refractive power, a third lens with refractive power, a fourth lens with refractive power, a fifth lens with refractive power and a sixth lens with refractive power. At least one of the image-side surface and object-side surface of each of the six lens elements is aspheric. The optical lens can increase aperture value and improve the imagining quality for use in compact cameras.
US09939651B1	Wavelength division monolithic optical device An example beam splitting apparatus is assembled from multiple prisms that are assembled together along respective mating surfaces to form a single monolithic optical device. The beam splitting apparatus includes optical features, such as dichroic and reflective surfaces, that define optical paths for light that enters the beam splitting apparatus. The optical features allow photons in the light to be directed along different optical paths based on their wavelengths. The optical features in the beam splitting apparatus are provided by coatings, films, and/or surface treatments applied to any of the faces of the prisms. In particular, coatings, films, and/or surface treatments are applied to the mating surfaces of the prisms so that the optical features are internal to the assembled monolithic optical device. The beam splitting apparatus may be implemented in a communication terminal that exchanges data modulated light according to frequency-division duplex communications.
US09939640B2	Method and apparatus for controlling the position of a head-up display image combiner A head-up display in a motor vehicle has an image combiner movable between an active position, in which it is situated in the field of view of a driver of the vehicle, and an inactive position, in which it is situated close to a surface of or within an instrument panel. The position of the image combiner is controlled depending on signals from vehicle devices that indicate a likelihood or probability of a fogging condition of the windshield. The fogging condition may be indicated by a driver actuation of a windshield defogging/heating system.
US09939638B2	Vehicle display device A vehicle display device according to the present invention includes a projecting direction changing mechanism that can adjust a light projecting direction in which display light including a certain image is emitted and a display control unit that changes a correction pattern for correcting the shape of the image according to the projecting direction adjusted by the projecting direction changing mechanism and corrects the shape of the image based on the correction pattern. With the vehicle display device according to the present invention, the display light including the shape of the image corrected by the display control unit is emitted and guided to a windshield, so that the display light reflected on the surface of the windshield is visually recognized.
US09939633B2	Flat field telecentric scanner with diffraction limited performance The present invention provides a scanning system (100) comprising a first port for receiving or emitting a stationary beam (60) of electromagnetic radiation, a second port for emitting or receiving a scanning beam of electromagnetic radiation, the scanning beam scanning in a main scanning direction, a scanning element (61) for relaying the stationary beam (60) into the scanning beam or vice versa, an optical system between the scanning element (61) and the second port, wherein the optical system comprises at least a first mirror (63) and a second mirror (64) having a rotationally symmetric curved mirror surface around their optical axis, at least one of the first and the second curved mirror surface having an aspheric shape, and wherein the first and the second mirror (63, 64) have an off-axis decentered aperture and are offset in position in a direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction.
US09939628B2	Imaging system An imaging system suitable to provide an image of a surface portion of an object is disclosed. The system includes a light source arranged to provide a light beam, at least a first optical waveguide having a first face and having a second face opposite to the first face, the first face having an incoupling surface. The optical waveguide includes an outcoupling surface, a first diffraction grating arranged on the optical waveguide, and an imaging subsystem arranged to the outcoupling surface. The first diffraction grating is arranged to outcouple at least a fraction of the light beam.
US09939596B2	Optical integrated circuit package An optical integrated circuit (IC) package includes an optical IC including an optical IC substrate, an optical IC including an optical IC substrate, an electrical integrated circuit device (EICD) on the optical IC substrate, at least one optical device spaced apart from the EICD on the optical IC substrate, an optical interface on a first side of the optical IC substrate, an electrical interface located on a second side of the optical IC substrate, and an encapsulation member configured to encapsulate the optical IC, the EICD, the at least one optical device, the optical interface, and the electrical interface.
US09939593B2	Light steering for silicon photonic devices A photonic device comprising a base plate, a photonic laser coupled to the base plate, wherein the photonic laser is configured to generate a light, a lens coupled to the base plate, wherein the lens is configured to receive the light from the photonic laser, form a focused light, and pass the focused light to a reflector, and the reflector incorporated with the base plate such that the lens is positioned between the photonic laser and the reflector, wherein the reflector is configured to receive the focused light, and wherein the reflector is configured to steer a first portion of the focused light through the base plate using total internal reflection.
US09939592B2	Micro single-fiber bidirectional optical transceiver module of the same wavelength A single-fiber bidirectional optical transceiver module of the same wavelength. A sub-wavelength grating and a Faraday rotator are used, and the same element is reused to implement a polarization multiplex/de-multiplex function, so as to implement transmission and receiving of an optical signal in a small space. The single-fiber bidirectional optical transceiver module has less optical elements, a compact structure, and low cost, meeting the needs on a miniaturized, integrated, and high speed optical transceiver module for a modern optical communication system.
US09939589B2	Polarity changeable connector Optical fiber connectors configured to allow ease of change of the connector polarity by providing lockable outer housing. In an embodiment, an optical fiber connector comprises an inner housing, at least one key configured to move along the inner housing so as to change a polarity of said optical fiber connector, and an outer housing disposed around at least a portion of the inner housing and configured to slide in a longitudinal direction so as to expose at least a portion of said at least one key, wherein the outer housing includes a flexible portion configured to lock to the inner housing so as to retain the outer housing in a pulled back position relative to the inner housing.
US09939588B2	Interconnecting optical fibers at a hydrocarbon fluid production facility A cost efficient and pressure resistant system for interconnecting fiber optical cables in-situ at a hydrocarbon fluid production facility comprises:—a pressure resistant light transparent window (41);—a first lens system (48A-C), which is arranged at one side of the window and configured to convert a first light beam transmitted through a first fiber optical cable (46A-C) into a collimated light beam (51A-C) that is transmitted through the window; and—a second lens system (50A-C), which is arranged at an opposite side of the window and configured to receive and reconvert the collimated light beam into a second light beam that is transmitted into a second fiber optical cable (47A-C).
US09939582B2	Layer having a non-linear taper and method of fabrication A method for forming a non-linear thickness-profile in a first layer of a first material is disclosed. The method comprises forming an accelerator layer of a second material on the first layer and forming a mask layer disposed on the accelerator layer, wherein the mask layer enables the accelerator layer to expose the first layer to a first etchant in a first region, where the exposure time for each point along a first axis varies non-linearly as a function of distance from a first point on the first axis. Since the time for which the first layer is exposed to the first etch in the first region is non-linear, the thickness of the first layer in the first region changes non-linearly along the first axis.
US09939577B2	Diffraction structure, diffraction grating, diffraction grating array, optical phased array, optical modulator, optical filter, laser source A diffraction structure includes a supporting layer, a high refractive index layer, and a low refractive index layer. The high refractive index layer has a first refractive index, is formed above the supporting layer, configures a waveguide guiding input light input from an input terminal along a specific direction, and includes an opening section formed along the specific direction. The low refractive index layer has a second refractive index lower that the first refractive index, and is formed so as to cover the high refractive index layer and fill the opening section. The opening section modifies the input light in at least one of direction or speed according to a wavelength of the input light, and outputs the modified light as output light.
US09939572B2	Camera, optical system and interchangeable lens with birefringent device An optical system (110) includes a lens unit (112) with a plurality of lenses. An out-of-focus point spread function of the lens unit (112) includes an annular intensity distribution with at least one ring-shaped side peak at a radial distance to a center point. A birefringent device (115) in an optical path of the optical system (110) is adapted to selectively attenuate the ring-shaped side peak in the out-of-focus point spread function of the lens unit (112).
US09939566B2	Polygon mirror, image forming apparatus, and method for manufacturing a polygon mirror A polygon mirror made of plastic is provided. The polygon mirror has a plurality of reflecting surfaces, a first surface intersecting the plurality of reflecting surfaces at a first side, a second surface intersecting the plurality of reflecting surfaces at a second side opposite to the first side, with a through hole provided to extend through the first surface and the second surface at a center of the polygon mirror. The polygon mirror includes a plurality of gate marks of injection molding. When viewed from an extending direction of the through hole, the gate marks are located on straight lines passing through the center and vertices of the first surface, and are rotationally symmetric with respect to the center.
US09939563B2	Sky-dome lighting system A lighting system comprises a chromatic reflective unit (606), and a light source (602), wherein the chromatic reflective unit (606) is shaped as a rotational paraboloid or a portion of a rotational paraboloid, and the light source (602) is positioned close to or at the paraboloid focal position.
US09939552B2	Cascading of optical units of a light curtain The present invention relates to light curtains, in particular safety light curtains, for monitoring a protective field. Furthermore, the present invention relates to optical units which are part of such a light curtain according to the present invention, an optical unit comprises a plurality of radiation emitting and/or radiation receiving elements for transmitting and/or receiving radiation beams forming said light curtain, and an elongated support element forming an outer housing of said optical unit said support element having two opposing peripheral regions which are formed to allow an abutting assembly with another identical optical unit. Said radiation emitting and/or radiation receiving elements are arranged within said support element to form a row, and wherein at least one peripheral one of said radiation emitting and/or radiation receiving elements is located directly adjacent to an outer wall of at least one of said peripheral regions of the support element.
US09939551B2	Systems, devices and methods for borehole gravimetry A gravimeter, a gravimeter system, and a method for measuring gravitational acceleration within a borehole are described herein. The gravimeter includes a proof mass that is constrained by springs and an optical interferometer for measuring displacement of the proof mass. The optical interferometer generates a light path from a light source to a reflective surface on the proof mass. Spatial displacement of the proof mass from a reference position to a position of gravitational equilibrium is determined by measuring a change in length of the light path. In turn, gravitational acceleration can be determined from the spatial displacement of the proof mass. A number of such gravimeters can be used in a gravimeter system to make measurements of gravitational acceleration in variety of different directions.
US09939548B2	Systems, methods, and computer medium to produce efficient, consistent, and high-confidence image-based electrofacies analysis in stratigraphic interpretations across multiple wells Embodiments of systems, computer-implemented methods, and non-transitory computer-readable medium having one or more computer programs stored therein are provided to enhance borehole image analysis associated with a hydrocarbon reservoir. A neural network mapping process can first be performed, responsive to openhole log data and core data, to thereby generate a material-type scheme. Then, an image-based petrophysical analysis process can distribute and calibrate borehole image data, responsive to the core data and material-type scheme. Consequently, an approximated material type and an approximated grain size can be produced for each borehole image reading. The openhole log data, the core data, the material-type scheme, and the approximated material types and grain sizes, for example, can then be displayed to thereby increase consistency in categorizing subsurface material associated with hydrocarbon wells by material type and enhance interpretation of subsurface material texture, fabric, and features to predict subsurface material composition of the hydrocarbon reservoir.
US09939539B2	Wireless power receiver and/or foreign object detection by a wireless power transmitter A wireless power transmitter includes an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and a controller. The ADC is configured to convert an analog signal associated with a power train to digital values. The controller is configured to cause pulses to be applied to the power train to thereby cause the power train to ring, receive digital values from the ADC acquired while the power train is ringing and after the pulses complete, and, based on an analysis of the digital values of the ringing of the power train, to determine whether a wireless power receiver is present on or near the wireless power transmitter or whether a foreign object is present on the transmitter.
US09939538B2	Accurate light-weight broad-energy neutron remmeter and use thereof A remmeter includes two or more different-sized hydrogenous moderators, each incorporating a hydrogenous spectroscopic fast neutron detector and a thermal neutron detector to provide more accurate neutron dosimetry across a wide range of neutron energies (thermal neutrons to >15 MeV) in a form factor that is lighter than conventional remmeters. The remmeter utilizes the principle of spectral dosimetry, where the energy or energy distribution of the incident neutrons is first measured and then this energy information (along with the measured fluence) is used to establish the dosimetric quantity using the various fluence-to-dose conversion curves (e.g. H*(10) (ICRP(1997)), NCRP-38(1971)). Using the method of spectral dosimetry, the large variation in response in these curves as a function of neutron energy (especially over the region 1 keV to 1 MeV) is largely mitigated through the use of the energy and fluence information, and the appropriate fluence-to-dose conversion curve to calculate the dose.
US09939534B2	Methods and apparatuses for detection of radiation with semiconductor image sensors A semiconductor image sensor is repeatedly exposed to high-energy photons while a visible light obstructer is in place to block visible light from impinging on the sensor to generate a set of images from the exposures. A composite image is generated from the set of images with common noise substantially removed so the composite image includes image information corresponding to radiated pixels that absorbed at least some energy from the high-energy photons. The composite image is processed to determine a set of bright points in the composite image, each bright point being above a first threshold. The set of bright points is processed to identify lines with two or more bright points that include pixels therebetween that are above a second threshold and identify a presence of the high-energy particles responsive to a number of lines.
US09939529B2	Robot positioning system A robot positioning system having a camera, a processing unit and at least a first line laser. The first line laser is arranged to illuminate a space by projecting vertical laser beams within field of view of the camera. The camera is arranged to record a picture of the space illuminated by the vertical laser beams, and the processing unit is arranged to extract, from the recorded picture, image data representing a line formed by the vertical laser beams being reflected against objects located within the space. The processing unit is further arranged to create, from the extracted line, a representation of the illuminated space along the projected laser lines, in respect of which the robot is positioned. Methods of positioning a robot are also provided.
US09939522B2	Systems and methods for 4-dimensional radar tracking A method for four-dimensional radar tracking includes transmitting a first probe signal; receiving a first reflected probe signal at first and second radar arrays of the radar system; detecting a tracking target; calculating a target range; calculating a target range rate; performing ambiguous angle calculations for first and second target angles; performing unambiguous angle calculations for the first and second target angles; and calculating a four-dimensional tracking solution, including position and range-rate, from the target range, target range-rate, ambiguous angle calculations, and unambiguous angle calculations.
US09939518B2	Safety scanner Provided is a safety scanner that enables simplification of an operation of checking an operating state. The safety scanner includes a scan image generation section that generates a scan image that includes a plurality of sets of distance measurement information obtained by performing scanning with a detection light emitted by an emitter, the plurality of sets of distance measurement information being represented as a plurality of distance measurement positions on a scanning plane of the detection light, and a monitoring image display that displays the scan image on a screen.
US09939511B2	Surface photovoltage calibration standard A method of preparing an iron-implanted semiconductor wafer for use in surface photovoltage iron mapping and other evaluation techniques. A semiconductor wafer is implanted with iron through the at least two different regions of the front surface of the semiconductor at different iron implantation densities, and the iron-implanted semiconductor wafer is annealed at a temperature and duration sufficient to diffuse implanted iron into the bulk region of the semiconductor wafer.
US09939509B2	Variable density incoherent spatiotemporal acquisition (VISTA) for highly accelerated magnetic resonance imaging A pseudo-random, incoherent sampling technique, called Variable density Incoherent Spatiotemporal Acquisition (VISTA) is disclosed, which is based on minimal Riesz energy problem. Compared with other pseudorandom methods (e.g., PDS), VISTA has the unique ability to incorporate a variety of problem-specific constraints. In this study, VISTA was applied to real-time CMR, where it not only provided an incoherent sampling with variable density but also ensured a constant temporal resolution and a fully sampled time-averaged data.
US09939502B2	Radio frequency resonator, radio frequency coil and magnetic resonance imaging apparatus Disclosed herein are a RF resonator, a RF coil, and a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus. The RF resonator includes a dielectric substance which is provided, on one surface thereof, with an electric conductor, and at least one conductor line which is installed on another surface of the dielectric substance so as to face the electric conductor and provided with a plurality of open-cut portions which are disposed in a plurality of rows.
US09939497B2	Dynamically calibrating magnetic sensors A computing device, system, apparatus, and at least one machine readable medium for dynamically calibrating a magnetic sensor are described herein. The computing device includes a sensor hub and a magnetic sensor communicably coupled to the sensor hub. The magnetic sensor is configured to collect sensor data corresponding to the computing device. The computing device also includes a processor that is configured to execute stored instructions and a storage device that stores instructions. The storage device includes processor executable code that, when executed by the processor, is configured to determine a system state of the computing device and send the determined system state of the computing device to the sensor hub. The sensor hub is configured to dynamically calibrate the magnetic sensor based on the sensor data collected via the magnetic sensor and the determined system state of the computing device.
US09939496B2	Sensor system with a full bridge configuration of four resistive sensing elements A sensor system is disclosed. The sensor system includes a first sensor path comprising a first sensing element and a second sensing element being connected in series between a first supply terminal and a second supply terminal and an intermediate node connected in between the first supply terminal and the second supply terminal, a second sensor path comprising a third sensing element and a fourth sensing element connected in series between the first supply terminal and the second supply terminal, a first reference node connected in between the first supply terminal and the second supply terminal, and a second reference node connected in between the first supply terminal and the second supply terminal, and a processing unit to receive an input signal from the intermediate node, a first reference signal from the first reference node, and a second reference signal from the second reference node.
US09939493B2	Apparatus for monitoring voltage across any unit battery in battery pack In an apparatus, an input switch circuit selectively connects one of unit batteries to a capacitor. A first group of at least one unit battery has a first polarity when being connected to the capacitor. A second group of at least one unit battery has a second polarity when being connected to the capacitor. A voltage converter converts a voltage of a unit battery selectively connected to the capacitor into a value within a voltage range manipulatable by a voltage monitor. A reference voltage setter variably sets a reference voltage according to one of the first polarity and the second polarity of the voltage of a unit battery selectively connected to the capacitor. The reference voltage is used as a reference to match a scale of the voltage of a unit cell selectively connected to the capacitor for each of the first and second polarities with the predetermined voltage range.
US09939489B2	IC cores, scan paths, compare circuitry, select and enable inputs An integrated circuit includes combinational logic with flip-flops, parallel scan paths with a scan input for receiving test stimulus data to be applied to the combinational logic, combinational connections with the combinational logic for applying stimulus data to the combinational logic and receiving response data from the combinational logic, a scan output for transmitting test response data obtained from the combinational logic, and control inputs having an enable input and a select input for operating the parallel scan paths, each scan path includes flip-flops of the combinational logic that, in a test mode, are connected in series, compare circuitry indicates the result of a comparison of the received test response data and the expected data at a fail flag output, and one of the scan paths includes a scan cell having an input coupled to the fail flag output.
US09939487B2	Circuit design verification in a hardware accelerated simulation environment using breakpoints Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method, a system, and a computer readable storage medium for circuit design verification. The user generates a breakpoint by execution of test bench code. A callback function is registered at an application level associated with the breakpoint. The callback function is configured to execute in response to an occurrence of the associated breakpoint at the system level. A hardware-accelerated simulator simulates an execution of a circuit design using the test bench code. In response to triggering the breakpoint at the system level, the execution of the circuit design at the system level is paused and the callback function associated with the breakpoint at the application level is executed.
US09939486B2	Integrated time dependent dielectric breakdown reliability testing Methods for reliability testing include applying a stress voltage to a device under test (DUT); measuring a leakage current across the DUT; triggering measurement of optical emissions from the DUT based on the timing of the measurement of the leakage current; and correlating measurements of the leakage current with measurements of the optical emissions to determine a time and location of a defect occurrence within the DUT by locating instances of increased noise in the leakage current that correspond in time with instances of increased optical emissions.
US09939485B1	Prognostics and health management of photovoltaic systems The various technologies presented herein relate to providing prognosis and health management (PHM) of a photovoltaic (PV) system. A PV PHM system can eliminate long-standing issues associated with detecting performance reduction in PV systems. The PV PHM system can utilize an ANN model with meteorological and power input data to facilitate alert generation in the event of a performance reduction without the need for information about the PV PHM system components and design. Comparisons between system data and the PHM model can provide scheduling of maintenance on an as-needed basis. The PHM can also provide an approach for monitoring system/component degradation over the lifetime of the PV system.
US09939476B2	Capacitance measurement Embodiments of the present invention may provide a method of measuring an unknown capacitance of a device. The method may comprise the steps of driving a test signal to a circuit system that includes a current divider formed by the device with unknown capacitance and a reference capacitor; mirroring a current developed in the reference capacitor to a second circuit system that includes a measurement impedance; measuring a voltage within the second circuit system; and deriving a capacitance of the unknown capacitance based on the measured voltage with reference to a capacitance of the reference capacitor and the measurement impedance.
US09939471B1	Power measurement system A power measurement system, including a voltage measurement circuit having a resistive network comprising first and second resistors connected in series on a first single substrate, and a feedback amplifier having an input in electrical communication with a point between the first and second resistors, and an output in electrical communication with the second resistor in a feedback configuration to output an attenuated voltage signal, and a transresistance current measurement circuit including a current transformer to transform an input primary current into a secondary current, a plurality of amplifiers configured in a cascading arrangement, and a feedback resistor configured in parallel with the cascaded amplifiers such that the combined gain of the cascaded amplifiers directs substantially all of the secondary current through the feedback resistor, wherein the system is selectively switchable between a voltage measurement mode and a current measurement mode.
US09939469B2	Current measuring apparatus, image forming apparatus, conveyance apparatus and method for measuring current There is provided a current measuring apparatus for measuring a first current used for estimating a load torque of the motor. The current measuring apparatus may include a detection unit configured to detect a first voltage, an amplification unit including a first input terminal at which the second signal is input, a second input terminal coupled to a first resistor and a second resistor by which an amplification factor is defined, and an output terminal for outputting a third signal, an input unit configured to input a second voltage at the first input terminal, a storage unit configured to store a third voltage an acquisition unit configured to acquire a fourth voltage, and a calculation unit configured to calculate the first current based on a difference between the third voltage and the fourth voltage.
US09939468B1	Wearable non contacting AC voltage detection system A shock resistant, non contacting alternating current (AC) sensing device intended to be worn on the hands in the formation of protective gloves. Alerting user of AC voltage potential when approaching energized equipment, protects the user's palms and fingertips from energized components. The glove encompasses non contacting AC voltage potential sensing circuitry, electrically receptive antenna throughout anterior hand surfaces, layer intended to protect the user and antenna from electrical contact. As the user's hands approach an electrically energized apparatus of equipment, the antenna will receive signaling transponding to the logic board, which will then energize a notification appliance alerting the user of danger.
US09939465B2	Electric current detector An electric current detector which is mountable on a circuit board on which there is mounted a fluxgate-type magnetic sensor IC chip which detects magnetic flux for electric current detection, including: a substantially ring-shaped core which forms a magnetic-path for magnetic flux induced by detection-target electric current, wherein the core includes a gap which is arranged to become substantially parallel with respect to the circuit board when mounting the aforesaid electric current detector on the circuit board and which is at a place positioned on or on the upper side of the magnetic sensor IC chip in the magnetic-path when mounting the aforesaid electric current detector on the circuit board.
US09939460B2	Scanning probe system with multiple probes A method of operating a scanning probe system that includes a probe support and probes carried by the probe support is disclosed. Each probe includes a cantilever extending from the support to a free end and a tip carried by the free end. The system is operated to perform interaction cycles, each including in an approach phase, moving the support so that the tips move together towards the sample surface; in a detection step, generating a surface signal on detection of an interaction of the tip(s) of a first subset of the probes with the sample surface before the rest of the probes have interacted with the sample; in a response step changing a shape of the cantilever(s) of the first subset in response to the generation of the surface signal; and in a retract phase moving the support so that the tips retract together away from the sample surface.
US09939456B2	Exercise support device, control method for exercise support device, and computer-readable storage medium In an exercise support device of the present invention, acceleration signals in three axis directions including vertical, longitudinal, and lateral directions corresponding to the motion of a user performing exercise of cyclically moving feet are obtained, and a first maximum value in one cycle of a foot movement in the vertical acceleration signal is obtained. Subsequently, a search is made for first and second change points related to foot landing and takeoff motions in a composite acceleration signal obtained by combining acceleration signals in at least two axis directions, in forward and backward directions of the time point of a second maximum value of the composite acceleration signal, within the cycle. Then, a time period between the first and second change points is obtained as a change point interval, and a foot landing period while exercising is calculated based on the first maximum value and the change point interval.
US09939449B2	Diagnostic and therapeutic methods and products related to anxiety disorders The present disclosure provides methods for diagnosing and treating anxiety disorders in female subjects. Diagnosis and treatment of such anxiety disorders are based, in part, on an analysis of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) expression levels in tissue collected from female subjects.
US09939448B2	Methods for detecting insulin autoantibody The present invention provides methods for detecting insulin autoantibody. Such methods can be used, for example, to predict susceptibility of and/or diagnose the presence of Type 1 diabetes in a subject. Some aspects of the invention also provide kits adapted for use in such methods. In particular, some aspects of the invention use proinsulin to detect the presence of insulin autoantibody.
US09939447B2	Methods and compositions for analyzing proteins Compositions, kits, and methods are disclosed for determining one or more target polypeptides in a sample where the target polypeptides have undergone a post-translational modification. The compositions can include a first reagent including a cleavage-inducing moiety and a first binding agent for a binding site that includes a post-translational modification of a target polypeptide.
US09939444B2	Isobaric aldehyde-reactive tags for and analysis of glycans using same Highly specific and novel methods for analyzing glycans and proteoglycans are provided. Uses of the information generated by the inventive methods for diagnosis and treatment are also disclosed.
US09939435B2	Detection of biological molecules using surface plasmon field enhanced fluorescence spectroscopy (SPFS) combined with isotachophoresis (ITP) A combination of surface plasmon field enhanced fluorescence spectroscopy (SPFS) and isotachophoresis (ITP) technologies for detecting biomolecules is disclosed. It uses ITP to preconcentrate the reactants and accelerate the reaction, and then delivers the reacted sample to an SPFS sensor for detection. A microfluidic device with a T-junction is provided, which has two reservoirs respectively containing a low-mobility trailing electrolyte buffer and a high-mobility leading electrolyte buffer, and a main fluid channel between the two reservoirs, where the SPFS sensor is located on a side channel joined to the main channel. A two-step technique is employed, including a step of sample loading and ITP extraction, and a step of delivery of concentrated sample to the detector chamber by pressure-driven flow. In another embodiment, the SPFS sensor is located on the main fluid channel between the two reservoirs. In a particular example, the technique is used in a DNAzyme assay.
US09939420B2	Apparatus and method for non-destructive testing of concrete A device and method for determining characteristics of a concrete sample includes the use of multiple transducers at pre-determined positions with respect to each other. The transducers are coupled to the concrete surface so that they can impart and/or receive mechanical waves from the sample. Mechanical waves may be imparted to the sample by one or more transducers or by an impact hammer. A control device receives the output from receiving transducers and analyzes data there from to determine a desired characteristic of the sample.
US09939416B2	Programmable logic controller-based system and user interface for air sampling in controlled environments A system and method for sampling air at multiple locations in a controlled environment. The system and method includes automatic adjustment of mass flow rates and duration of vacuum connections (either via time elapsed or indirectly by volume) based on rates set by an operator. Additionally, the system and method enables users to monitor and control aspects of the system via network-connected devices. Additionally, the system enable a vacuum pump to be disconnected from power in response to a physical emergency button, a software-based emergency stop button available on network connected devices, and an automatic power disconnection in response to an abnormal mass flow reading that could potentially impact the vacuum pump.
US09939415B2	High-pressure control valve for high-performance liquid chromatography A high-pressure switching valve includes a stator and a rotor. The stator includes a plurality of ports where each port is connected at one end to a port connection and having at another end a predetermined port opening cross section at a stator end face of the stator. The rotor includes a rotor end face and at least one or a plurality of grooves. The rotor can be configured to have a rotary position with respect to the stator where two predetermined port opening cross sections connect to one of the grooves in a pressure-tight manner. The rotor and the stator can be pressed together in a sealing manner at the rotor end face and the stator end face in regions away from the port opening cross sections and the at least one or a plurality of grooves. The rotor and the stator each include a hard material. The rotor can be configured to wobble or tilt with respect to a rotational axis of the rotor.
US09939405B2	Apparatus, method and system for detecting salt in a hydrocarbon fluid A method for determining a salt concentration of a hydrocarbon fluid using a conductivity sensor and a hydrocarbon testing solution includes forming the hydrocarbon testing solution. The electropolymerizable monomer is operable to form a resultant associated polymer at a peak potential of the electropolymerizable polymer. The method includes introducing the hydrocarbon testing solution into the conductivity sensor. The method includes inducing a range of potential across the hydrocarbon testing solution such that at least a portion of the electropolymerizable monomer polymerizes. The range of induced potential includes the peak potential of the electropolymerizable polymer. The method includes detecting a range of electrical current associated with the range of potential induced. The method also includes the step of determining the salt concentration of the hydrocarbon fluid using the range of potential induced and the range of electrical current detected.
US09939402B2	Blood sugar detecting method and cartridge using same Disclosed are a blood sugar detecting method and a cartridge using same. A cartridge according to the present invention comprises: a blood receiving unit for receiving blood injected therein; a separation unit for separating the received blood into glucose and hemoglobin; a first measuring unit for measuring the concentration of the separated glucose; a second measuring unit for measuring the concentration of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) in the hemoglobin; and a third measuring unit connected to a second channel, for measuring the total concentration of hemoglobin. According to the present invention, both glucose providing short-term information on blood sugar and hemoglobin A1c providing long-term information on blood sugar can be detected by a single cartridge, thus increasing the efficiency of diabetes management.
US09939398B2	Detecting moisture with an antenna Methods and systems may be provided that detect moisture with an antenna. Electrical impedance at the antenna may be detected by an impedance sensor. Moisture may be detected based on the impedance at the antenna.
US09939396B2	3D diffusivity A system for measuring the thermal diffusivity of a material includes a housing having an upper portion and a lower portion, a plate holding the material in a fixed position between the upper portion and lower portion of the housing, and a source at the lower portion of the housing projecting heat onto the material along a first axis that is perpendicular to the plate. A sensor at the lower portion of the housing is movable in relation to the plate and senses the heat radiating through the material along a second axis that is perpendicular to the plate and offset from the first axis. A controller receives data from the sensor and calculates the thermal diffusivity of the material.
US09939390B2	Method for detecting defects in a rod-shaped transparent object A method for inspecting defects inside a rod-shaped transparent object by using a scanning beam of parallel light rays directed onto a rod-shaped transparent object orthogonally to the longitudinal axis of the object so that an inspection plane comprises an object's cross-section. The scanning beam is detected at an opposite side of the rod-shaped object that is interposed to intercept the parallel rays of the scanning beam. The electric output signal from the detector is processed to produce a first light intensity profile in a first scan direction, the light intensity profile comprising a shadow region delimited by first and second shadow edges, which is indicative of the outside diameter of the object across the inspection plane. The method comprises analyzing the first light intensity profile to determine the presence or absence of a peak of positive intensity within the shadow region and, if an intensity peak is determined to be present, to determine the presence or absence of a region of depressed intensity within the intensity peak. If, as a result of analyzing, an intensity peak within the shadow region is determined to be absent or a region of depressed intensity is determined to be present within the intensity peak, the presence of at least one structural defect within the object's cross-section is identified. In the preferred embodiments, the rod-shaped transparent object is a glass core rod for the production of a transmission optical fiber.
US09939383B2	Analyzer alignment, sample detection, localization, and focusing method and system An analysis (e.g., LIBS) system includes a source of radiation, an optical emission path for the radiation from the source of radiation to a sample, and an optical detection path for photons emitted by the sample. A detector fiber bundle transmits photons to the spectrometer subsystem. At least one fiber of the fiber bundle is connected to an illumination source (e.g., an LED) for directing light via at least a portion of the detection path in a reverse direction to the sample for aligning, sample presence detection, localizing, and/or focusing based on analysis of the resulting illumination spot on the sample.
US09939374B2	Device and method for fast recording of an absorption spectrum of a fluid using a plurality of etalons in combination with a tunable fabry-perot interferometer A device for recording an absorption spectrum of a fluid has a radiation source (1) that emits a radiation in a spectral range along a beam path (11), a measuring path (5), along which the radiation passes through the fluid and arranged in the beam path, a tunable Fabry-Perot interferometer (7), arranged in the beam path and transmitting radiation in the spectral range as a displaceable bandpass filter, and a detector (9, 35) measuring the intensity of the radiation in the spectral range. An etalon (3) is arranged for spectral modulation of radiation in the beam path and has a plurality of transmission maxima (17) in the spectral range. The bandpass filter, formed by the Fabry-Perot interferometer (7), is displaceable across the spectral range such that spectral modulation of the radiation by the etalon (3) is measured by the detector (9, 35) as a modulation of radiation intensity over time.
US09939372B2	Analysis of action potentials, transients, and ion flux in excitable cells Video recordings from two or more optical channels are produced, processed, and analyzed simultaneously in order to provide quantitative analysis of action potentials, calcium transients and ionic flux in excitable cells loaded with voltage or ion sensitive dyes with distinct excitation and emission wavelengths, The specific wavelengths of fluorescent light emitted from each dye are separated and recorded. The recordings are mutually registered and cytometric analysis is performed to provide a quantitative analysis of the action potentials calcium transient, and/or ionic flux on a cell-by-cell and well-by-well basis in microtiter plates. The cells are then fixed, labeled for other biomarkers, and scanned again. The resulting fixed cell images are registered with the live cell recordings and analyzed; missing cells that were washed off are detected relative to the live recordings, and cytometry data from live and fixed cell scans is collated cell-by-cell.
US09939366B2	Spectrometer insert for measuring temperature-dependent optical properties In one aspect, a spectrometer insert is provided. The spectrometer insert includes: an enclosed housing; a first transparent window on a first side of the enclosed housing; a second transparent window on a second side of the enclosed housing, wherein the first side and the second side are opposing sides of the enclosed housing; and a sample mounting and heating assembly positioned within an interior cavity of the enclosed housing in between, and in line of sight of, the first transparent window and the second transparent window. A method for using the spectrometer insert to locally heat a sample so as to measure temperature-dependent optical properties of the sample is also provided.
US09939360B2	Wear indicator in a composite system of refractory ceramic stones The invention relates to a wear indicator (display) in a compound system made of fireproof (refractory) ceramic bricks.
US09939355B2	Composition of detection agents for epithelial tumour cells and preparation method therefor Provided is a composition of detection agents for living cells, especially epithelial tumor cells; the composition contains 0-5% folic acid, 0-10% folic acid complex, 0.01-5% methylene blue, 0.1-10% carbohydrate reducing agent, 2-6% acetic acid, and 3-95% water. Also provided is a preparation method for the composition of detection agents and kits containing the composition of detection agents.
US09939349B2	Endoscopy system and corresponding method for examining gas turbines The invention relates to an endoscopy system and a corresponding method for examining gas turbines, comprising an endoscope and a data processing unit, wherein the endoscope comprises an image recording unit, wherein the endoscope is configured to transmit recorded images of the image recording unit from the inside of the gas turbine to the data processing unit, wherein the endoscopy system is configured to position and align the endoscope comprising the image recording unit introduced into a gas turbine in the gas turbine in a defined manner.
US09939345B2	Fluid leakage detection system A fluid leakage detection system that includes identical positive displacement flow meters positioned on a working fluid supply line of a system through which the fluid flows and a flow meter positioned on a working fluid return line. The positive displacement flow meters are mechanically coupled between them.
US09939342B2	Leak detection system A leak detection system for detecting leaks in pressurized containers, the system comprising a leak test conveyor for moving each container and an accumulation tunnel through which the leak test conveyer extends, wherein the accumulation tunnel and the leak test conveyer together define at least one enclosed accumulation volume, each enclosed accumulation volume being sized to accommodate only a single container, thereby to allow gas leaking from the single container to accumulate, and a gas sensor for sensing accumulated leaked gas from the single container.
US09939341B2	Pipeline apparatus and method A pipeline apparatus comprising a flexible pipe body and a detection apparatus. The flexible pipe body includes an optical fiber extending at least partially along the length of the flexible pipe body, the optical fiber being encased in a metal tube. The detection apparatus comprises an optical sensor and an electrical sensor. The optical sensor is coupled to a first end of the optical fiber, the optical sensor being arranged to inject optical pulses into the optical fiber and to detect scattered or reflected light. The electrical sensor is coupled to a first end of the metal tube and to detect variation of an electrical impedance between the first end of the metal tube and a separate terminal. Variation of the scattered or reflected light, or impedance variation, is indicative of a potential pipe body defect.
US09939334B2	Fast responsive personalized thermometer A thermometer includes a processing unit configured to receive a plurality of timed apart temperature readings from first and second sensors and a processor calculates heat flux value, Q, and obtains values of the heat flux vs. temperature (Q vs. Ts.) as the temperature approaches a steady state. The processor empirically predicts the steady state temperature of the sensor Ts, using the peak value of the values of Q vs. Ts.The processor may also empirically calculate a bias value as a function of the peak value of Q vs. Ts. The bias value represents the difference between the temperature reading (Ts) at steady state and core temperature of the subject and is added to the steady state temperature to arrive at core. The thermometer probe may include one or more additional sensors for obtaining physiological readings from the subject other than temperature and the processing unit is configured to use empirical formulas to calculate the bias value using the physiological readings which may include blood perfusion, pulse rate and the bio-impedance of the subject.
US09939327B2	Method and apparatus to dynamically control how often temperature readings are received A control circuit dynamically controls how often temperature readings are received from a communication device such as an RFID tag having an integral temperature sensor. The communication device can be disposed to monitor an internal temperature of, for example, a delivery container. By one approach the control circuit dynamically controls how often the temperature readings are received as a function, at least in part, of local conditions for the delivery container. By one approach the aforementioned local conditions pertain to the contents of the delivery container. Examples in these regards include a temperature-based state of the contents, a volume-based metric of the contents, and mass-based metrics of the contents. By another approach, in lieu of the foregoing or in combination therewith, the aforementioned local conditions can pertain to ambient conditions as regards the delivery container.
US09939324B2	Enhanced pixel for wavefront sensing A wavefront sensing pixel is provided. The wavefront sensing pixel includes a low-pass filter filtering a charge signal from a photodetector and outputting a control signal when low-frequency signals are detected in the charge signal, and a control device to control flow of the charge signal past the control device based on whether a low-frequency signal is detected in the charge signal. The wavefront sensing pixel further includes a low-frequency signal path that receives a flow of signals that flow past the control device, and a high-frequency signal path independent of the low-pass filter and the control device, the high-frequency signal path receiving high-frequency signals included in the charge signal.
US09939314B2	Shock recording device The present invention provides a shock recording device includes: an electric power source; a vibration energy harvester including a first electrode and a second electrode, the vibration energy harvester converting an energy of a shock applied thereto into a potential difference between the first electrode and the second electrode; a first transistor including a first gate electrode, a first source electrode, and a first drain electrode, the first transistor further including a stacked structure of a ferroelectric layer and a semiconductor layer; and a second transistor including a second gate electrode, a second source electrode, and a second drain electrode. The second gate electrode is electrically connected to the first electrode. The second drain electrode is electrically connected to the electric power source. The second source electrode is electrically connected to the first gate electrode. The first source electrode is electrically connected to the second electrode.
US09939305B2	Level sender with sensors A level sender for a tank includes a sensor device. The sensor device includes a primary pressure sensor, a reference pressure sensor, and a correction pressure sensor. A primary tube at least partially encloses the primary pressure sensor and extends from an upper region of the tank to a lower region of the tank. A reference tube at least partially encloses the reference pressure sensor and extends from the upper region to the lower region. A correction tube at least partially encloses the correction pressure sensor. The correction tube at least partially enclose the correction pressure sensor in the upper region. The sensor device further includes a processor coupled to the primary, reference, and correction pressure sensors to determine a level of liquid within the tank based on pressure measurements within the primary, reference, and correction tubes.
US09939303B2	Device for flow measurement in hose and/or plastic pipe systems The present invention relates to a device for installation into a hose and/or plastic pipe system and mounting of flow measurement sensors which comprises a plastic flow part as a hollow body with a centrally arranged and deformable region with a rectangular cross section. The present invention further relates to the use of the abovementioned device as well as to a method of flow measurement using the device.
US09939302B2	Split meter roller shaft An agricultural metering system includes a driven shaft having a first engagement feature configured to selectively engage a second engagement feature of a drive shaft mounted within a meter box of the agricultural metering system to non-rotatably couple the driven shaft to the drive shaft. The agricultural metering system includes a meter roller non-rotatably coupled to the driven shaft. The meter roller is configured to be selectively disposed within the meter box, and the first engagement feature is configured to engage the second engagement feature while the meter roller is disposed within the meter box to facilitate rotation of the meter roller in response to rotation of the drive shaft.
US09939296B2	Slide position detecting device for vehicle seat In a slide position detecting device for a vehicle seat, an angle between a bottom plate portion and a side plate portion of an attachment bracket is set to a maximum angle in a range of an angle between a bottom wall portion and a side wall portion of a seat-side member; rigidity maintaining the angle between the bottom plate portion and the side plate portion is set to be lower than rigidity maintaining the angle between the bottom wall portion and the side wall portion; and when the side plate portion is fixed to the side wall portion, the bottom plate portion contacts the bottom wall portion or a top face portion of an upper rail, and is fixed in a state where the angle between the bottom plate portion and the side plate portion coincides with the angle between the bottom wall portion and the side wall portion.
US09939294B2	Demodulation system for 3D-matrix multi-channel fiber optic sensing A demodulation system for 3D-matrix multi-channel fiber optic sensing includes a wavelength swept optical source that generates an incident light, an optical frequency domain reflector and a balanced detector connected with the wavelength swept optical source through a fiber circulator. The optical frequency domain reflector includes a first optical path and a second optical path with a frequency shifter arranged on one or both of the optical paths. The optical frequency domain reflector outputs incident light to an optical switch module. The optical switch module selectively transmits the incident light to a sensor network as well as transmits the reflection light from the sensor network to the optical frequency domain reflector.
US09939288B2	Fuel pump availability system A device may receive a request to identify one or more available fuel pumps. The device may determine selection parameters associated with identifying the one or more available fuel pumps. The selection parameters may include criteria used to identify whether a particular fuel pump is an available fuel pump. The device may receive pump information associated with a group of fuel pumps. The pump information may include information indicating whether each fuel pump, of the group of fuel pumps, is available. The device may identify, based on the selection parameters and the pump information, the one or more available fuel pumps. The device may provide, for display, information associated with the one or more available fuel pumps.
US09939281B2	Building a trip plan from various sources A method and system for building a trip plan from various sources is provided. The method includes receiving information detailing a planned trip from a social media website. A weighted rank is calculated for one or more stopover points associated with the planned trip. A route for the planned trip, customized for the current travelers, is created, based on the calculated weighted rank of the stopover points and on a selection from the current travelers.
US09939273B2	Attitude estimating device, attitude estimating method, and storage medium The present invention reduces an arithmetic operation amount for updating a state vector. The attitude estimating device includes (i) a gravitational direction estimating section for updating, by using an acceleration vector as an observation, a gravitational direction vector predicted from an angular velocity vector, (ii) a horizontal direction estimating section for updating, by using a magnetic vector as an observation, a horizontal direction vector predicted from the angular velocity vector, and an attitude estimating section for generating attitude information with use of the gravitational direction vector and the horizontal direction vector.
US09939267B2	Angular speed detection device The purpose of the present invention is to provide an inertial force detection device that can more accurately detect faults in a temperature sensor. Provided is an inertial force detection device configured so that in a state where an oscillating body is made to oscillate in a first direction, the amount of displacement when the oscillating body is displaced in a second direction due to the generation of angular velocity is detected as angular velocity, wherein the inertial force detection device has a means for performing control so that the oscillating body enters a state of resonance in the first direction, a temperature detection means for detecting temperature, and a means for detecting faults in the temperature detection means, and outputs a plurality of signals, which indicate the fault detection results of the three means, continuously from a single signal wire.
US09939266B2	Electronic device, manufacturing method thereof, and electronic apparatus An electronic device includes a base body, a functional element that is placed on the base body, and a lid body, formed from silicon, that is placed over the base body so as to cover the functional element. A hole portion and a sealing member that closes the hole portion are disposed in the lid body, in the hole portion, the area of a second opening disposed on a side opposite to a first opening is larger than the area of the first opening disposed on the base body side, and the ratio of the volume of the sealing member to the volume of the hole portion is equal to or higher than 35% and is equal to or lower than 87%.
US09939264B2	Method and system for determining the height of a device above ground A device updates a value representing its current height above ground when it detects a height change. The device uses the slope calculated from collected barometric pressure data samples to calculate height change during a period when the value of the slope exceeds a predetermined value. The device also analyzes a predetermined number of barometric pressure sensor data samples preceding and succeeding a height change indicated by the slope change. The device performs an evaluation, i.e., determining the difference between an average of the preceding and succeeding samples, to determine a height change. The device may select either the slope-of-the-curve-during-the-height-change-period method or the difference-between-the-averages method based on meeting a criterion. The processor de-energizes a GPS circuit, height determination method, and sets the height above ground to zero if it detects movement. Placing the device on a charger resets the device's height value to the charger height above ground.
US09939262B2	Light-emitting device and camera A light-emitting device that can switch between two modes: single light emission and intermittent light emission is provided. The light-emitting device includes a driver circuit that can supply a control pulse signal, a constant current power supply that is supplied with the control pulse signal and can supply a constant current pulse, and a light-emitting panel that is supplied with the constant current pulse. The driver circuit includes a start switch circuit that can supply a start signal, a pulse-interval modulation circuit that can supply a pulse-interval modulation signal, and a microcomputer that is supplied with the start signal and the pulse-interval modulation signal and can supply the control pulse signal.
US09939261B2	Method and device for calibrating an imaging optical unit for metrological applications A calibration pattern having a plurality of pattern regions for calibrating an imaging optical unit for metrological applications. At least one image of the calibration pattern is recorded using the imaging optical unit. The image is evaluated to quantify individual properties of the imaging optical unit. Depending on the quantified individual properties, correction values for a calculated correction of aberrations of the imaging optical unit are determined. The calibration pattern is provided on an electronic display having a plurality of display pixels arranged in the form of a matrix. In addition, a calibration body with at least one line having a defined dimension, is recorded using the imaging optical unit. A magnification factor of the imaging optical unit is determined on the basis of the at least one line. At least one further individual property of the imaging optical unit is quantified on the basis of the calibration pattern.
US09939260B2	Satellite transfer orbit search methods Satellite transfer orbit search methods are described herein. One disclosed example method includes determining, based on boundary transfer orbits of a satellite, end points of an oblate epicycloid segment related to a transfer orbit of the satellite, and calculating, using a processor, a shape of the oblate epicycloid segment based on satellite data and the end points to define a search zone to determine a position of the satellite as the satellite moves along the transfer orbit.
US09939259B2	Measuring object dimensions using mobile computer Devices, methods, and software are disclosed for determining dimensions of a physical object using a mobile computer equipped with a motion sensing device. In an illustrative embodiment, the mobile computer can comprise a microprocessor, a memory, a user interface, a motion sensing device, and a dimensioning program executable by the microprocessor. The processor can be in communicative connection with executable instructions for enabling the processor for various steps. One step includes initiating a trajectory tracking mode responsive to receiving a first user interface action. Another step includes tracking the mobile computer's trajectory along a surface of a physical object by storing in the memory a plurality of motion sensing data items outputted by the motion sensing device. Another step includes exiting the trajectory tracking mode responsive to receiving a second user interface action. Another step includes calculating three dimensions of a minimum bounding box corresponding to the physical object.
US09939258B2	Confocal surface topography measurement with fixed focal positions An apparatus is described for measuring surface topography of a three-dimensional structure. In many embodiments, the apparatus is configured to focus each of a plurality of light beams to a respective fixed focal position relative to the apparatus. The apparatus measures a characteristic of each of a plurality of returned light beams that are generated by illuminating the three-dimensional structure with the light beams. The characteristic is measured for a plurality of different positions and/or orientations between the apparatus and the three-dimensional structure. Surface topography of the three-dimensional structure is determined based at least in part on the measured characteristic of the returned light beams for the plurality of different positions and/or orientations between the apparatus and the three-dimensional structure.
US09939247B1	Embedded sensor for in-situ monitoring of blade tip incursion A wear monitoring system for measuring incursion depth into an abradable coating includes a layer of abradable coating including a depth. At least one measurement circuit includes a plurality of conductive leads disposed within the abradable coating. The conductive leads are spaced radially apart within a common radial plane corresponding to the depth of the abradable coating. A plurality of resistor elements corresponds with the plurality of conductive leads. Each of the plurality of resistor elements are in electrical communication with one of the plurality of conductive leads disposed within the common radial plane of the corresponding one of the plurality of conductive leads. An electrical characteristic of the circuit varies responsive to cutting of one or more of the plurality of conductive leads by a passing airfoil. A gas turbine engine and method are also disclosed.
US09939246B2	Amplified passive and reversible micro-sensor of deformations The disclosed micro-sensor includes: a substrate including a first portion and a second portion; a third portion and fourth portion provided between the portions and connected to the first portion and the second portion respectively by an elastic member; detection and a counter including: a counting gear, a third beam capable of meshing with the gear, an amplifier for the value of a relative movement between the portions and including: a first beam attached at one end thereof to the third portion and at the other end thereof to a plate, a second beam attached at one end thereof to the fourth portion and at the other end thereof to the plate, the third beam being attached on one side to the plate and including a tooth capable of meshing with the gear.
US09939242B2	Method for providing electrical energy to a self-destruct fuze for submunitions contained in a projectile A method for providing electrical energy to a self-destruct fuze for submunitions in a projectile, the method including: storing mechanical energy in an elastic element attached to a first movable mass at one end of the elastic element upon a firing acceleration of the projectile; engaging a second movable mass with the first movable mass such that movement of the second movable mass upon the acceleration moves the second movable mass which in turn moves the first movable mass; converting the stored mechanical energy to electrical energy upon the acceleration to vibrate the first movable mass and the elastic element to apply a cyclic force to a piezoelectric element attached to another end of the elastic element; and locking the second movable mass in a position where the second movable mass cannot interfere with vibration of the first movable mass upon the second movable mass being subjected to the acceleration.
US09939240B1	Methods for extended-range, enhanced-precision gun-fired rounds using g-hardened flow control systems Methods involve using a guided munition (e.g., a mortar round or a grenade) that utilizes deployable flow effectors, activatable flow effectors and/or active flow control devices to extend the range and enhance the precision of traditional unguided munitions without increasing the charge needed for launch. Sensors such as accelerometers, magnetometers, IR sensors, rate gyros, and motor controller sensors feed signals into a controller which then actuates or deploys the flow effectors/flow control devices to achieve the enhanced characteristics.
US09939239B1	Stackable collaborative engagement munition A stacked, collaborative engagement ammunition round is presented. The round includes plural stacked miniaturized projectiles where such projectiles separate after launch and then swarm as a group towards a target or targets. At launch, the projectiles may fly in a preselected formation, leader-follower towards the target. Or, the projectiles may deploy propellers, tri-copter or quad-copter vanes, and self steer swarming to the target. Each projectile has its own miniaturized guidance, navigation and control components, autopilot, cameras, transmitter, receiver, antennae, power source, sensors, fuzes and/or flex circuits.
US09939230B2	Physical aide for improving targeting proficiency A teaching device for training shooters to choose the best place to shoot a clay target is provided, whereby the teaching device greatly simplifies the decision making process and increases the students' awareness of target lines, directions and break zones. The teaching device may include a plurality of pointers rotatably connected to a clock face by a pivot fastener. The teaching device may include a target holder centrally disposed along the clock face, wherein the target holder is understood to represent a clay target. The plurality of pointers may independently rotate relative to each other so that each pointer may be positioned at a different relationship to the target holder so as to physically represent different choices, predictions and outcomes regarding the targeting thereof, including chosen target lines, predicted break lines and the outcomes of their chosen target lines.
US09939222B1	Multi-layered mortar tube A lightweight mortar tube is presented herein having at least three layers: (1) a first inner bore facing layer comprised of a metal having a melting point greater than 800° C.; (2) a second thermal barrier layer comprised of a ceramic material attached to the first layer, and (3) a third outer shell layer attached to the second layer comprising of fiber reinforced composite material where the composite material is either a polymer, metal or ceramic. All of the layers are cohesively integrated with each other into a seamless wall. The improved multi-layered mortar tube described herein is lighter, yet maintains the same performance standards as comparable steel-based mortar tubes.
US09939217B2	Rotary ammunition magazine and follower A rotary ammunition magazine for a rifle has a follower that is spring biased and rotates about an axis to move cartridges for feeding to the rifle's chamber. The follower has a surface portion which engages the last cartridge in the stack. The surface portion has one or more characteristics including a transverse orientation angle, a longitudinal orientation angle and an arcuate shape which determine the direction of the force vector and the lengthwise load distribution on the cartridge.
US09939216B2	Rotary ammunition magazine and follower A rotary ammunition magazine for a rifle has a follower that is spring biased and rotates about an axis to move cartridges for feeding to the rifle's chamber. The follower has a surface portion which engages the last cartridge in the stack. The surface portion has one or more characteristics including a transverse orientation angle, a longitudinal orientation angle and an arcuate shape which determine the direction of the force vector and the lengthwise load distribution on the cartridge.
US09939210B2	Pin fin compliant heat sink with enhanced flexibility Heat sinks and methods of using the same include a top and bottom plate, at least one of which has a plurality of pin contacts flexibly connected to one another, where the plurality of pin contacts have vertical and lateral flexibility with respect to one another; and pin slice layers, each having multiple pin slices, arranged vertically between the top and bottom plates such that the plurality of pin slices form substantially vertical pins connecting the top and bottom plates.
US09939209B2	Gas cooler A gas cooler (10) which is provided with a heat exchanger (6), cools a gas to be cooled, which is introduced from the outside, by performing heat exchange between the gas to be cooled and the heat exchanger, and discharges the cooled gas to the outside. The heat exchanger includes: a plurality of heat transfer fins (8) which are placed side by side via a prescribed gap therebetween, the gas to be cooled flowing through the gaps; and heat transfer tubes (7) which pierce through the plurality of heat transfer fins and are provided in a plurality of rows along the direction in which the gas to be cooled flows. The outside diameter do of the heat transfer tubes is 20 to 30 mm.
US09939207B2	Method and apparatus for the pre-conditioning of latent heat storage elements A process is for the pre-conditioning of one or more latent heat storage elements in the case of which the temperature or the narrow temperature range of the phase transition defines a target temperature and the latent heat storage elements are heated up to the target temperature. The latent heat, storage elements are cooled to an initial temperature below the target temperature and this initial temperature is determined. The latent heat storage elements at the initial temperature are introduced into a thermally insulated container and the container is then closed. The interior of the closed container is, or has been, connected to a heating device of which the thermal output which takes effect in the interior of the closed container is known. The initial temperature of the latent heat storage elements, the thermal capacity of the latent heat storage elements located in the container and also the target temperature of the latent heat storage elements are used to calculate the quantity of heat which has to be fed to the interior of the container in order for the latent heat storage elements to reach the target temperature (desired quantity of heat). The heating device is switched on and is operated continuously, or at intervals, until the desired quantity of heat has been fed to the interior of the dosed container.
US09939198B2	Dryer conveyor belt tracking system The present invention provides a conveyor belt tracking system for a dryer having a web of a mesh material having a protrusion extending along the length proximal one lateral edge and above a flat surface and a first generally cylindrical roller having a three-tiered slot for receiving the protrusion and two flanking shallow tracks for receiving base flanges.
US09939189B2	Refrigerator A refrigerator having a flow channel device provided at opposite sides of a machinery compartment to introduce and discharge external air into the machinery compartment. The refrigerator includes a main body including an inner liner having a storage compartment defined therein, an outer liner coupled to an outside of the inner liner to form an external appearance thereof, and an insulation member filled between the inner liner and the outer liner, a machinery compartment, provided at a lower part of the main body, in which a compressor is disposed, and a flow channel device provided at opposite sides of the machinery compartment such that external air is introduced into the machinery compartment, flows along the machinery compartment, and is discharged from the machinery compartment, wherein the flow channel device extends through the insulation member filled between the outer liner and an inner wall of the machinery compartment.
US09939188B2	Portable cooler A portable cooler is provided that includes a base that supports a refrigeration unit. The base also supports a plurality of upwardly-extending support poles that accommodate a top portion. The support poles, top portion, and base define a food storage volume that is surrounded by a plurality of insulative walls.
US09939184B2	Refrigeration device A refrigeration device includes a radiator, an evaporator, a compressor, a heater and a control device. The radiator causes a refrigerant to radiate heat. The evaporator causes the refrigerant to evaporate. The compressor compresses the refrigerant circulating between the radiator and the evaporator. The heater heats lubricating oil in the compressor. The control device controls the heater so that an oil temperature of the lubricating oil in the compressor reaches an oil temperature target value obtained by adding a predetermined temperature to saturation temperature of the refrigerant in the compressor.
US09939181B2	Micro-combined heat and power heat pump defrost procedure Systems and methods are disclosed that may include recovering heat from a generator to defrost the heat exchanger by passing a heat transfer fluid from the generator through a recovery heat exchanger that is configured to promote heat transfer between the heat transfer fluid and a refrigerant flowing therethrough, reducing a restriction of the refrigerant, reducing an airflow through the heat exchanger, and delivering the heated refrigerant to the heat exchanger. Systems and methods may also include recovering heat from an exhaust of the generator to deter the formation of frozen condensate on the outdoor heat exchanger by diverting at least a portion of a hot exhaust fluid discharged by the generator onto the outdoor heat exchanger.
US09939179B2	Cascading oil distribution system A refrigeration system includes a plurality of compressors connected in series with each other. Each compressor has an oil sump located in a gravitational bottom of the compressor. A common supply line supplies refrigerant and oil to each of the plurality of compressors. The plurality of compressors includes a lead compressor and one or more non-lead compressors. The common supply line is configured to return more oil to the lead compressor than to the one or more non-lead compressors. Oil sump pressures for the plurality of compressors are maintained such that the lead compressor has the highest oil sump pressure, and the oil sump pressures of the non-lead compressors are successively lower with respect to its position downstream of the lead compressor. As a result, oil is distributed between adjacent compressors from the lead compressor, which is a most upstream compressor, sequentially downstream to the one or more non-lead compressors.
US09939175B2	Flue damper control algorithm for standing pilot type fuel-fired water heater In a fuel-fired water heater with a standing pilot burner and a motorized flue damper, a specially designed controller is utilized to prevent overheating of water stored in the tank portion of the water heater caused by the hot combustion gases continuously generated by the pilot burner during standby periods of the water heater in which its main fuel burner is not being fired. The controller has a selectively variable water temperature control set point temperature and is operable to sense both ambient temperature and the tank water temperature and to open the flue damper and/or keep it open, after the main burner is off, in response to the presence for a predetermined continuous time period of a predetermined relationship of at least the selected temperature control set point temperature and the sensed ambient temperature.
US09939171B2	Universal electric duct heater and method of use A duct heater has a unique and symmetric arrangement of an auto limit and a pair of back up limits to permit the duct heater to be mounted in a duct in a number of different orientations. The duct heater can include a diffuser screen and have a particular size with respect to an upstream piece of equipment such as a single duct variable air volume damper box so that it can be used in these types of applications as well as stand alone applications in a duct.
US09939165B2	Wireless thermostat with dual stage failsafe circuits A multi-mode thermostat includes a sensor of ambient temperature and control circuits coupled to the sensor, wherein the control circuits are responsive to signals from the sensor to maintain a predetermined regional temperature. First electrically actuated backup circuits are responsive to a firt sensed operational power level to alter a status signal transmission rate by the control circuits. Second electrically actuated backup circuits are responsive to a lower sensed operational power level to provide a backup, lower regional temperature electromechanically.
US09939164B2	Thermal image sensor and user interface A thermal image sensor including: a plurality of infrared detector elements that detect infrared light in a detection area; and rotors that scan the detection area in a scanning direction to detect, with the plurality of infrared detector elements, infrared light in an area to be captured as a single thermal image. The plurality of infrared detector elements include infrared detector elements arranged in mutually different positions in a rotational direction corresponding to the scanning direction of the plurality of infrared detector elements.
US09939160B2	Oven Disclosed is an oven which provides convenient removal of a rack, achieving enhanced usability. The oven includes a cabinet having a chamber, a door to open or close the cabinet, a rack assembly including an operating member to support a cooking object seated thereon, the operating member being removable from the chamber, and a support member fixed inside the chamber to support the operating member, and a spring device including a first fixing piece located at the operating member, a second fixing piece located at the support member, and an elastic member having one side connected to the first fixing piece and the other side connected to the second fixing piece and located in a vertical gap between the operating member and the support member so as to be elastically restored by a distance between the first and second fixing pieces to remove the operating member from the chamber.
US09939156B2	Asymmetric baseplate cooling with alternating swirl main burners A combustor arrangement (10) including: a pilot burner (22) having a pilot cone (62); a plurality of clockwise (130) main swirlers interposed among a plurality of counterclockwise (132) main swirlers and disposed concentrically about the pilot burner; and a base plate (40) transverse to the main swirlers. Inbound-zones (134) exist where adjacent portions (106) of adjacent flows (108) through main swirlers flow toward the pilot cone, and interposed between the inbound zones outbound zones (136) exist where adjacent portions of adjacent flows flow away from the pilot cone. The arrangement is configured to preferentially deliver more cooling fluid to the inbound zones than the outbound zones.
US09939155B2	Flexible swirlers A swirler includes a swirler body and a plurality of axial swirl vanes extending radially outward from the swirler body. At least one of the swirler body or vanes includes a spring channel defined therethrough. A fuel injector for a gas turbine engine can include an inner air swirler and/or outer air swirler as described above.
US09939152B2	Combination of pressure charging and metering for continuously supplying pulverized fuel into an entrained-flow gasifying reactor with long conveying distances A system for fluidizing and conveying a powdery product is provided. The system includes plurality of powder-locking and metering vessels, the vessels each having a conveying line for the powdery product and a control mechanism for the mass flow of the powdery product. The conveying lines are brought together to form a common conveying line and are supplied to a remover of the powdery product. The powder-locking and metering vessels are alternatively fed with the powdery product and tensioned with the fluidizing gas under operating pressure. The control mechanisms of the powder-locking and metering vessels are activated in such a manner that the mass flow sum of powdery product in the conveying lines is identical to the desired value for the mass flow of powdery product to the remover of the powdery product.
US09939149B2	Radiant to convection transition for fired equipment Modern steam generators typically include a radiant section and a convection section. Due to differing performance requirements of the radiant and convection sections, the radiant section often has a round cross-section, while the convection section often has a rectangular cross-section. Previous designs utilized a target wall to effect the transition. An angled transition section is disclosed herein that substantially eliminates the target wall and/or the reverse target and provides a corresponding improvement in steam generator efficiency.
US09939146B1	Media player device with foreground illuminating flashlight A media player device having an integrated ground-illuminating flashlight provides hands-free ground illumination while walking. The media player device includes a lanyard attached to a first end of a housing, a first lamp located at a second end of the housing for use as an ordinary flashlight, and a second lamp located on a front side of the housing and directed at an acute angle from the housing toward the second end of the housing, so that the ground in front of a wearer of the media player device is illuminated. A speaker for reproducing the audio generated by the media player device may also be located on the front of the housing to provide audibility of the playback audio, or may alternatively be located on the first end or side of the housing. Controls are provided on the front or side of the housing to provide easy access when wearing the device.
US09939140B2	LED tube lamp An LED tube lamp is disclosed. An installation detection circuit is configured in the LED tube lamp configured to receive an external driving signal. The installation detection circuit includes: a pulse generating circuit configured to output one or more pulse signals; wherein the installation detection circuit is configured to detect during one or more pulse signals whether the LED tube lamp is properly installed on a lamp socket, based on detecting a signal generated from the external driving signal; and a switch circuit coupled to the pulse generating circuit, wherein the one or more pulse signals control turning on and off of the switch circuit. The installation detection circuit is further configured to: when it is detected during one or more pulse signals that the LED tube lamp is not properly installed on the lamp socket, control the switch circuit to remain in an off state to cause a power loop of the LED tube lamp to be open; and when it is detected during one or more pulse signals that the LED tube lamp is properly installed on the lamp socket, control the switch circuit to remain in a conducting state to cause the power loop of the LED tube lamp to maintain a conducting state.
US09939133B2	Illuminating standoff device and method The illuminating standoff device to support and illuminate transparent, semi-transparent, and/or a translucent light diffusing member. Thus, the standoff provides support and attachment to the wall or support structure, while at the same time allowing light to pass through said standoff and/or projecting or inducing light into the diffusing member while supporting and retaining its position. This allows one to support and secure the diffusing member, and illuminate the diffusing member, both through a single device.
US09939132B2	RFI shielding for luminaires using reflection optics Shielding radio frequency interference (RFI) using reflector optics is disclosed. A simplified non-sealed reflector is used in conjunction with a mounting system, resulting in desired amounts of visible and non-visible light using radio frequency driven luminaries and emitters without sacrificing output or coverage area. Configurations are disclosed such that achieved RF grounding is compliant with FCC regulations. Accordingly, the disclosed RFI shielding improves optical design options, increased output, and decreased manufacturing costs over traditional sealed enclosures.
US09939124B1	Light mask type optical device A light mask type optical device includes an optical element. The optical element is formed by a light inlet face, a light outlet face opposite to the light inlet face, and a plurality of grating structures of micro meter (μm) scale disposed on the light outlet face. The grating structure includes a first slant face, a second slant face, and a plane surface between the first slant face and the second slant face. In application, a direct downward light emitted by a light source is reflected by the first slant face and the second slant face, to form a circulating light in the grating structure, and that is combined with the direct downward light to output from the light outlet face in achieving reduced glare and increased lumen in application.
US09939122B2	Vehicle headlamp In vehicle headlamps of the prior art, a low-beam light distribution pattern and a high-beam distribution pattern could not be obtained in a direct illumination lens-type lamp unit. The present invention is provided with a semiconductor light source, a lens, a light control member, and a drive member. The lens is composed of a main lens section and an auxiliary lens section. The drive member positions the light control member in a first position and a second position in a moveable and switchable manner. Consequently, the present invention enables a low-beam light distribution pattern and a high-beam light distribution pattern to be obtained in a direct illumination lens-type lamp unit.
US09939107B2	Self-retaining oil nozzle An oil nozzle assembly includes a nozzle body and a nozzle insert. The nozzle body includes a main portion, a tip portion, a collar, and a lip. The tip portion is connected to the main portion. The collar is positioned at an interface between the main portion and the tip portion. The lip extends radially outward from the tip portion and includes an outer diameter. The nozzle insert includes a sleeve, an endwall connected to the sleeve, an orifice, and a retention element. The orifice is disposed in the endwall and is fluidly connected to the tip portion of the nozzle body. The retention element extends radially inward from the sleeve. A portion of the retention element includes an inner diameter that is less than the outer diameter of the lip.
US09939098B2	Intermediate coupling for connecting rigid pipe elements for conveying a fluid, and associated pipe network and assembly method A coupling that includes a rigid inner shell, a rigid outer shell positioned around the inner shell to define an intermediate space that contains an electric line and a thermally insulating layer, and an electric connecting line for heating fluid that flows in the inner shell.
US09939084B2	Removable isolation valve shield insert assembly An isolation valve is provided, along with removable shield insert assemblies for an isolation valve. In one embodiment, a shield insert assembly for an isolation valve is provided that includes a graphite first shield insert having a flat ring shape. The first shield insert has a circular outer diameter. An elongated aperture is formed through the first shield insert. At least two fastener holes are formed through the first shield insert configured to couple the first shield insert to a first shield support.
US09939083B2	Flow control valve The present disclosure relates generally to a faucet valve cartridge configured for use within a dual handle faucet. The valve cartridge includes an upper plate and a bottom plate received within a valve housing and configured to control fluid flow from an inlet to an outlet. The valve may include anti-water hammer port geometry to reduce turbulent flow and shut-off shock wave noise.
US09939062B2	Method of checking abnormality in oil pressure of TCU A method of checking an abnormality in oil pressure of a transmission control unit (TCU) may include determining whether an oil pressure signal transmitted from the TCU to an electric oil pump (EOP) device is normal, transmitting a specific oil pressure value to the EOP device, the specific oil pressure value being set for determining whether the oil pressure signal transmitted from the TCU is normal, determining whether an oil pressure corresponding to the specific oil pressure value is sensed at the EOP device, determining whether a decrease range of the oil pressure sensed at the EOP device belongs within a predetermined range when compared to the specific oil pressure value, and determining whether to perform abnormality control over a transmission by operating the EOP device at set minimum revolutions per minute when the decrease range of the oil pressure sensed at the EOP device is beyond the predetermined range.
US09939058B2	Gearbox having gear baffle apparatus A gearbox in a gas turbine engine includes an enclosed gearbox housing, at least a pair of intermeshing gears lubricated and rotatably supported within the gearbox housing, and a baffle apparatus axially spaced apart from and positioned at least at one side of the pair of gears, the baffle apparatus including a collector defining a main opening adjacent a meshing point of the intermeshing gears for collecting and redirecting lubricant squeezed out axially from the intermeshing gears.
US09939055B2	Ball screw and seal used therein There are provided a ball screw that more efficiently prevents accumulation and scattering of extra grease in a nut and a seal used in the ball screw. In order to do that, a grease reservoir portion is provided on an inner peripheral surface of a seal provided at an end of a nut on rear side of a moving direction of a ball screw so as to form a space with respect to a screw shaft. The grease reservoir portion is open to an outer peripheral surface of the seal and communicates with slits formed on the outer peripheral surface of the seal.
US09939046B2	Chain trap A chain catch that is capable of being attached to various bases so as to allow the quick and simple affixation of the chain catch to any vertical chain. The chain catch has an upper body and a lower body. The upper body is designed to trap a vertical chain within its internal design while it remains within its vertical orientation, and the lower body is designed to attach to a load and to the upper body. When the tension is taken off of the chain within the chain catch and the upper body is tilted, the chain may be vertically raised, free from the chain catch or the chain catch and its attached barbell can be vertically raised.
US09939038B2	Vibration-damping device Swirl chamber units (31) allowing a first liquid chamber (14) and a second liquid chamber (15) to communicate with each other are formed in a partitioning member of a vibration-damping device (10) of the present invention. Each swirl chamber unit (31) includes a first communication hole (32a) opening to the first liquid chamber (14), and a second communication hole (32b) opening to the second liquid chamber (15); a first swirl chamber (33a) communicating with the first liquid chamber (14) via the first communication hole (32a), and a second swirl chamber (33b) communicating with the second liquid chamber (15) via the second communication hole (32b); and a flow regulation passage (34) that allows the first swirl chamber (33a) and the second swirl chamber (33b) to communicate with each other and opens to the swirl chambers (33a, 33b) in circumferential directions of the respective swirl chambers (33a, 33b). The first and second swirl chambers (33a, 33b) are formed so that a liquid flowing into the interiors of the chambers from the flow regulation passage (34) is swirled according to the flow speed of the liquid. By including the configuration as described above, simplification of structure and facilitation of manufacture can be achieved, while guaranteeing the product characteristics of the vibration-damping device.
US09939033B2	Biased plunger arrangement for a brake pad retention system A system is provided for suppressing undesired brake pad motion during brake application, and for installing and removing brake pads utilizing the inventive arrangements. The brake pads and a carrier mount having complementary surface features that retain the brake pad when the brake pad is in its installed position, and a brake pad biasing structure that biases the brake pad in the radially outward direction to bias the contact faces of the mount horn and the brake pad against one another to suppress brake pad kick and vibration and related wear and component fatigue. The radially-outward biasing force may be applied by a spring-loaded plunger located within a bore of a mount horn of the brake pad carrier against a radially-inner surface of a portion of the brake pad extending laterally over the mount horn.
US09939028B2	Transmission device for a motor vehicle A transmission device for a motor vehicle is disclosed. The transmission device includes at least one coupling unit, which for non-rotatable connection of two coupling elements, has a friction-locking unit and a form-locking unit connected in parallel to the friction-locking unit. The device further includes a first hydraulic and/or pneumatic actuator for actuation of the form-locking unit, a second hydraulic and/or pneumatic actuator for actuating the friction-locking unit, and a directional valve for controlling the first actuator provided for actuation of the form-locking unit. The directional valve has a control line connection which in at least one operational state is connected in pressure terms to the second actuator provided for actuation of the friction-locking unit.
US09939027B2	Switching device for a motor vehicle transmission and method for actuating a motor vehicle transmission A switching device for a motor vehicle transmission includes a coupling component, several transmission shafts which each are rotatable about a transmission axis, a frictional contact ring including a friction cone and being substantially non-rotatably and axially shiftably connected with a transmission shaft, a form-fit ring including a cone surface and being substantially non-rotatably and axially shiftably connected with the coupling component, as well as an actuating body including a cone surface and being substantially non-rotatably and axially shiftably connected with the coupling component. The friction cone of the frictional contact ring extends between the cone surface of the form-fit ring and the cone surface of the actuating body. The transmission shaft and the coupling component are decoupled in direction of rotation in an axial starting position of the actuating body, frictionally coupled in direction of rotation in an axial frictional contact position of the actuating body and positively coupled in direction of rotation in an axial form-fit position of the actuating body. The form-fit ring in a form-fit position is positively connected with the transmission shaft and in a release position is not positively connected with the transmission shaft. The form-fit ring is axially movable between its form-fit position and its release position and is urged into the release position. In addition, a method for actuating a motor vehicle transmission is provided.
US09939024B2	Method of manufacturing wheel bearing apparatus, and wheel bearing apparatus Provided is a method of manufacturing a wheel bearing apparatus including an outer ring, a rolling element, a hub spindle, and an inner ring member. The hub spindle is disposed inward of the outer ring in a radial direction via the rolling element. The inner ring member fitted on the hub spindle and is secured by a clinched portion. The clinched portion is formed by clinching a spindle end portion of the hub spindle outward in the radial direction. The method includes: plating a predetermined area including the spindle end portion of the hub spindle; removing a plating of the spindle end portion of the predetermined area; and clinching the spindle end portion to form the clinched portion after removing the plating.
US09939019B2	Thrust roller bearing cage and method for manufacturing the same A thrust roller bearing cage (11) of the present invention is included in a thrust roller bearing (20) and includes a plurality of pockets (21) accommodating rollers (13). The thrust roller bearing cage (11) includes: a radially outer area bent portion (41) formed by bending an area located radially outside the pockets (21) inward in a radial direction to a tilt angle of less than 45°; and projecting portions (44) that are formed in a tip end of the radially outer area bent portion (41) at positions aligned with the pockets (21) and project inward in the radial direction beyond radially outer edges of the pockets (21) so as to contact end faces (16) of the rollers (13) accommodated in the pockets (21).
US09939014B1	Slide rail displacement positioning mechanism A slide rail displacement positioning mechanism includes a slide rail assembly consisting of an inner slide rail and an outer slide rail, a stopper member affixed to the inner slide rail and providing a positioning gap between a frame body and an abutment component thereof, and a positioning member affixed to the outer slide rail and adapted for elastically biasing the abutment component upon a relative movement between the stopper member and the positioning member subject to the operation of the slide rail assembly, and thus, the positioning member can be positively stopped by the frame body to achieve relative positioning between the outer slide rail and inner slide rail of the slide rail assembly.
US09939010B2	Thrust roller bearing cage and method for manufacturing the same A thrust roller bearing cage (11) of the present invention is included in a thrust roller bearing (20) and includes a plurality of pockets (21) accommodating rollers (13). The thrust roller bearing cage (11) includes: a radially outer area bent portion (41) formed by bending the cage (11) inward in a radial direction along an annular groove formed at a position radially outside the pockets (21); and projecting portions (44) that are formed in a tip end of the radially outer area bent portion (41) at positions aligned with the pockets (21) and project inward in the radial direction beyond radially outer edges of the pockets (21) so as to contact end faces (16) of the rollers (13) accommodated in the pockets (21). A trace (29) of the groove is left at a position along which the cage is bent.
US09939009B2	Structure and electronic apparatus A structure includes: a first component having a band-like shape and an elasticity for bending the first component in a first direction such that both ends of the first component approach each other; and a second component, coupled to the first component in a manner that the second component pivots about a rotational axis that lies along an edge in a longitudinal direction of the first component, and having an elasticity for bending the second component in a second direction opposite to the first direction when the first component and the second component are unfolded about the rotational axis.
US09939005B2	Methods and apparatus for retaining a fastener receiver Methods and apparatus for retaining a fastener receiver are disclosed. An example apparatus includes a retainer to retain a nut assembly adjacent an object. The retainer includes a first plate defining a first opening. The first plate is to couple to the object. The first opening is to receive a portion of the nut assembly when the retainer is coupled to the object. The retainer includes a second plate defining a second opening and including a first deflectable tab adjacent the second opening. The second plate is to couple to the first plate opposite the object. The deflectable tab of the second plate is to cover a portion of the first opening of the first plate. The first deflectable tab is to deflect to receive and retain the portion of the nut assembly in the first opening when the retainer is coupled to the object.
US09939000B2	Coaxial assembly and assembly method using the same A coaxial assembly includes a first member, a second member, and at least two position members. The first member has an assembly hole with a sidewall. The second member having a lateral wall. The at least two position members are evenly arranged along a circumference of the lateral wall of the second member. The second member and assembly hole are configured such that when the second member is within the assembly hole, the at least two position members tightly abut the sidewall of the assembly hole, thereby causing the second member to be coaxial with the first member. An assembly method is also provided.
US09938992B1	Mitigating hydraulic gradients by assisting gas displacement pumps with inverted hydrostatic standpipes The invention is a fluid handling process whereby a submerged pulsating low-pressure gas displacement pump is assisted by an inverted hydrostatic standpipe for the purpose of transporting ambient pressure liquid and gas. An apparatus with no moving parts pumps and transports gas and liquid at near-ambient pressure as a mixed medium by means of subtle design-induced pressure differentials within the inverted hydrostatic standpipe, siphon, pump chamber and riser, enabling conveyance over extended distances and inclined planes.
US09938990B2	Flexure back-flow stopper A compact back-flow stopper using an elastic flexure mechanism for a cooling fan is shown and described. The backflow stopper assembly comprises a frame configured to structurally support a fin array when coupled to a fan. The fin array comprises a plurality of flexural deformation elements and associated fin elements arrayed in a radial arrangement to establish a pathway for airflow, each of the flexural deformation elements configured to move an attached fin element responsive to airflow impacting the attached fin element. Flex limiter elements are coupled to the frame and configured to limit flexure of the fin elements beyond a predetermined flexure in relation to the frame to stop backflow of air through the fin array. A fan assembly with a backflow stopper is shown and described. Also, a data storage assembly using fan assemblies with backflow stoppers is also shown and described.
US09938982B1	Turbocharger thrust bearing and manufacturing method A thrust bearing, particularly for a turbocharger, having unique configurations on the thrust pad faces, including free-form curvatures or non-linear configurations defined by a geometric equation. The thrust pad faces can be configured by a programmed linear actuator system and cutting tool.
US09938981B2	Compressor circuit for a pneumatic control device of a motor vehicle The invention relates to a compressor circuit for a pneumatic control device of a motor vehicle, including: a compressor, and a pressure regulator, the pressure regulator being arranged between an input side of the compressor and the pneumatic control device, wherein the pressure regulator is designed to measure an upstream pressure of air from the pneumatic control device present on its side facing the pneumatic control device and to supply this air at an input pressure to the input side of the compressor, the pressure regulator being designed to control the input pressure on the basis of said measurement.
US09938975B2	Scroll compressor including seal with axial length that is greater than radial width A scroll compressor 10 may include an orbiting scroll having an orbiting scroll wall extending axially from an orbiting scroll plate towards a fixed scroll; a fixed scroll having a fixed scroll wall extending axially from a fixed scroll plate towards the orbiting scroll; and an axially extending drive shaft having an eccentric shaft portion so that rotation of the eccentric shaft portion imparts an orbiting motion to the orbiting scroll relative to the fixed scroll. An axial end portion of the orbiting scroll wall has a first seal for sealing between the orbiting scroll wall and the fixed scroll plate, and an axial end portion of the fixed scroll wall has a second seal for sealing between the fixed scroll wall and the orbiting scroll plate; and the first seal or the second seal has an aspect ratio of axial length to radial width which is 1.25:1 or greater.
US09938972B2	Distributor apparatus with a pair of intermeshing screw rotors A distributor apparatus 10 for distributing a plurality of portions or streams of a flowable material. The apparatus 10 comprises an enclosure 16 which locates rotors 48, 50. An inlet port 66 is provided in an upper part of the enclosure, which connects to a manifold 34 with five spaced inlets 36 through which material can pass to drive the rotors 48, 50. Material can pass round the rotors 48, 50 to a plurality of spaced outlets 38 for discharging to and from the apparatus 10.
US09938970B2	Best-fit affinity sensorless conversion means or technique for pump differential pressure and flow monitoring The present invention provides apparatus, including a hydronic sensorless pumping system, that features a signal processor or processing module configured to receive signaling containing information about motor readout values of power and speed, and also about pump and system characteristics equations together with empirical power equations that are constructed by a polynomial best-fit function together with pump affinity laws based upon a pump curve published by a pump manufacturer; and determine corresponding signaling containing information about a pump or system pressure and a flow rate at the motor readout values of power and speed, based upon the signaling received.
US09938962B2	Method for controlling a wind turbine A wind turbine is disclosed. The wind turbine includes comprising an inflatable portion comprising one or more blades and a device for rotatably driving the inflatable portion at a predetermined rate for a predetermined time.
US09938960B2	Wind turbine—floating platform assembly and method for orienting said assembly description The invention allows orientation of the platform (1) in order to obtain conditions of maximum efficiency in the wind turbine (16). It comprises first sensors (8) for detecting an effective rotation axis angle (δ) formed between the rotation axis (2) and a horizontal plane (24); second sensors (9) for detecting wind direction (23); platform orientation means (11) for modifying the effective rotation axis angle (δ); and at least one control unit (12) adapted for receiving a first input (13) from the first sensors (8) and a second input (14) from the second sensors (9) and, based on said inputs (13, 14), transmitting orders to the platform orientation means (11) and yaw mechanism.
US09938955B2	Adjustment of ignition timing at cut out An internal combustion engine (1) may include a combustion chamber (41) into which a mixture (40) of fuel and air is supplied, a spark plug (50) disposed proximate to the combustion chamber (41) to ignite the mixture (40) by generating a spark such that ignition of the mixture drives a piston (6) operably coupled to a crank portion (12) of the engine (1), a speed sensor (102) configured to determine engine speed, and an electronic control unit (100) configured to control operation of the spark plug (50). The electronic control unit (100) may be configured to initiate a speed limitation operation in response to engine speed reaching a cut out speed threshold and to control ignition timing within an operating band (320) of ignition angles prior to engine speed reaching the cut out speed threshold. The speed limitation operation may include skipping application of sparks. The electronic control unit (100) is further configured to apply a changed ignition angle (330) relative to the operating band (320) for first at least one spark initiated after the speed limitation operation.
US09938953B2	Method and system for engine control Methods and systems are provided for improving engine spark and torque control. In one example, adaptive spark control of an engine may include a modifier that adjusts the inferred fuel octane estimate and a spark adaptation based on ambient humidity. The method allows the speed-load dependent variation in octane effect of humidity to be reduced.
US09938948B2	Fluid injection assembly for a combustion engine A fluid injection assembly for a combustion engine includes an injector body having a notch, an injector cup, which radially encloses an axial end of the injector body and has a projecting part, and a spring clip arranged between the injector body and the injector cup. The spring clip includes a ground plate, at least one spring element, and at least one holding element engaging behind the projecting part of the injector cup. The ground plate is arranged in the notch of the injector body. The injector body and the injector cup are coupled together by the spring clip by mechanical interaction via the projecting part and the notch, respectively.
US09938941B2	Fuel injection system having a fuel-carrying component, a fuel injector and a connecting element A connecting element for fuel injection systems is used for connecting a fuel injector to a fuel-carrying component. A connecting part is provided, which is fastened on the one side on a shoulder of the fuel-carrying component and, on the other side, on a shoulder of the fuel injector. For this purpose, the connecting part is developed at least partially as a pot spring. A fuel injection system having such a connecting element is also indicated.
US09938926B2	Air leading-type stratified scavenging two-stroke internal-combustion engine The certainty of supplying air to a scavenging channel through a piston groove is improved. In a cylinder wall 2, a gas venting port 10 is formed below and adjacent to a scavenging port 6a. The gas venting port 10 is independent from the scavenging port 6a, and is opened/closed by a piston as each of an air port 4a and the scavenging port 6a is. Upon a piston groove 8 being brought into communication with the gas venting port 10 as a result of the piston moving up (FIG. 1(II)), blown-back gas in a piston groove 8 can move to a crankcase through the gas venting port 10. Along with this, air can enter the piston groove 8 from the air port 4a.
US09938922B2	Fuel injection system and method combining port fuel injection with direct fuel injection A system and method for injecting fuel into an engine is provided where a low-pressure fuel pump is connected in fluid communication with at least one port fuel injector and a high-pressure fuel pump is connected in fluid communication with at least one direct fuel injector. The port fuel injector is disposed along an intake path of the engine and the direct fuel injector is disposed adjacent a cylinder of the engine. A lost motion lifter selectively couples the high-pressure fuel pump and the engine. A pump deactivation module switches the lost motion lifter to selectively deactivate the high-pressure fuel pump from the engine in response to partial load operation of the engine. The pump deactivation module may additionally switch the port fuel injector to an activated state and the direct fuel injector to a deactivated state.
US09938920B2	Electronic control unit of internal combustion engine and method thereof An electronic control unit of the present invention includes: a demand generation level that generates and outputs a demand value concerning various kinds of functions; a physical quantity mediation level that aggregates and mediates the demand value for each predetermined physical quantity; and a controlled variable setting level that sets a controlled variable of the actuator based on the mediated demand value and transmits a signal in a single direction from a higher level to a lower level. A controlled variable mediation level that aggregates and mediates demand values expressed with controlled variables of the actuators set on the controlled variable setting level and a demand value transmitted from the demand generation level not through the physical quantity mediation level, together with demand values mediated by the physical quantity mediation level is provided below the controlled variable setting level.
US09938906B2	Combustion stability logic during off-load transients A method for operating a gas turbine engine is disclosed. The method includes detecting an off-load transient of the gas turbine engine. The method includes reducing a total flow of fuel to a combustor section of the gas turbine engine to a first reduced flow in response to detecting the off-load transient. The method includes adjusting a position of an inlet guide vane in response to detecting the off-load transient until either an on-load transient is detected or until an amount of time elapsed since detection of the off-load transient exceeds a maximum override time.
US09938895B2	Dual reheat topping cycle for improved energy efficiency for compressed air energy storage plants with high air storage pressure A method for operating a compressed air energy storage system is provided. The method can include compressing a process gas with a compressor train to produce a compressed process gas and storing the compressed process gas in a compressed gas storage unit. The method can also include extracting the compressed process gas from the compressed gas storage unit to an expansion assembly through a feed line. A valve assembly fluidly coupled to the feed line can be actuated to control a mass flow of the compressed process gas from the compressed gas storage unit to the expansion assembly. The method can further include heating the compressed process gas in a preheater fluidly coupled to the feed line upstream from the expansion assembly, and generating a power output with the expansion assembly.
US09938892B2	Internal combustion engine and controller for the same An internal combustion engine includes an exhaust manifold, a main exhaust passage, an auxiliary exhaust passage, a communicating passage, a first switching mechanism, and a second switching mechanism. The main exhaust passage is connected to the exhaust manifold. The auxiliary exhaust passage is connected to the main exhaust passage. The communicating passage connects with the main exhaust passage and the auxiliary exhaust passage. The first switching mechanism switches a communication state of the exhaust manifold among a first state, a second state, and a third state. The second switching mechanism switches a communication state of the communicating passage with the main exhaust passage among a fourth state, a fifth state, and a sixth state.
US09938891B2	Method and control device for operating an internal combustion engine A method is provided for operating an internal combustion engine (10) that has at least one cylinder row (11a, 11b) with multiple cylinders (12a, 12b). Each cylinder row (11a, 11b) has a first exhaust-gas turbocharger (13a, 13b) and a second exhaust-gas turbocharger (14a, 14b). The method includes providing charge air for the cylinders (12a, 12b) of the internal combustion engine (10) either exclusively by the first exhaust-gas turbocharger (13a, 13b) of the cylinder row (11a, 11b) of the internal combustion engine (10) or by both the first exhaust-gas turbocharger (13a, 13b) of the cylinder row (11a, 11b) of the internal combustion engine (10) and the second exhaust-gas turbocharger (14a, 14b) of the cylinder row (11a, 11b) of the internal combustion engine (10) in a manner dependent on an operating mode demanded by a driver and/or by a controller for the internal combustion engine (10).
US09938883B2	Method and device for operating an engine compartment fan for a motor vehicle A method for operating an engine compartment fan for an engine compartment of a motor vehicle, in which at least one component, in particular for the drive of the motor vehicle, is situated, including the following: ascertaining a present engine compartment temperature as a function of a thermal energy input into the engine compartment and a thermal energy discharge out of the engine compartment; and activating the engine compartment fan as a function of the ascertained present engine compartment temperature.
US09938882B2	Coolant circulation system for turbocharger A coolant circulation system for turbochargers is provided. The coolant circulation system includes a turbocharger provided with a coolant outlet line and a coolant inlet line. The coolant is discharged from the turbocharger through the coolant outlet line. The coolant outlet line is connected to a first flow path connecting an inlet port of a radiator to an outlet port of a heater core. The coolant is supplied into the turbocharger through the coolant inlet line. The coolant inlet line is connected to a second flow path connecting a first end of a water pump to an inlet port of the heater core.
US09938873B2	Muffler for automobile A muffler for an exhaust system of a gas combustion engine, which comprises a muffler body (14) connected to an exhaust pipe inlet (10a), an exhaust pipe outlet (11a) to the tailpipe connected to the muffler body (14), and adjacent baffles (23, 24) within the muffler body (14), characterized in that the exhaust pipe inlet (10a), the exhaust pipe outlet (11 a) and the adjacent baffles (23, 24) are in line without significant restriction to gas exhaust flow and having baffle openings (21, 22) and baffle louver openings (18b, 19b) to the central muffler chamber (17), whereby the central muffler chamber route (17) is generally a straight line from the exhaust inlet pipe (10a) to the exhaust pipe outlet (11a).
US09938871B2	Connection pipe for connecting an active muffler to an exhaust system for an internal combustion engine A connection pipe (7), for the fluidic connection of a muffler housing (5) of an active muffler (4) with an exhaust gas-carrying pipe (3) of an exhaust line (2) of an exhaust system (1) for an internal combustion engine, of a motor vehicle, has a pipe wall (8), which envelopes a connection space (9) leading from the muffler housing to the exhaust pipe. A cooling pipe (14), through which a coolant can flow, has an inlet section (15) and an outlet section (16) and is arranged in the connection space. The inlet section (15) passes through the pipe wall (8), whereby a coolant inlet (17), through which coolant can enter the cooling air pipe, is arranged outside the connection pipe (7). The outlet section passes through the pipe wall, whereby a coolant outlet (19), through which coolant can escape from the cooling pipe, is arranged outside the connection pipe (7).
US09938870B2	Exhaust gas muffler An exhaust gas muffler of an internal combustion engine, including a muffler housing having an exhaust gas inlet and an exhaust gas outlet and including a first Helmholtz resonator made of a first housing portion that delimits a first Helmholtz volume and includes a first coupling pipe. At least one second Helmholtz resonator is provided made of a second housing portion that delimits a second Helmholtz volume and includes a second coupling pipe via which the second Helmholtz volume can be coupled to an exhaust gas flow A of the exhaust gas inlet. The second coupling pipe is arranged at least partly within the first coupling pipe, and both coupling pipes delimit an annular gap R via which the first Helmholtz volume can be coupled to the exhaust gas flow A.
US09938858B2	Mid-frame for a gas turbine and gas turbine having such a mid-frame The invention relates to a mid-frame (10) for a gas turbine, having at least one outer casing element (24), having at least one hub element (26) arranged on the inside of the outer casing element (24) in the radial direction, having a least one strut (42) by means of which the outer casing element (24) is connected to the hub element (26), and having at least one fairing element (46) that delimits at least partially a duct (44) at least in the radial direction, through which a gas can flow, and is constructed separately from the casing element (46), said fairing element having a passage opening (48), through which the strut (42) passes, for at least partial cladding of the strut on the outer peripheral side, wherein the fairing element (46) is coupled exclusively to the hub element (26), at least in the radial direction.
US09938847B2	Turbine arrangement with improved sealing effect at a seal A turbine arrangement and a gas turbine engine including a rim seal is configured with two cavities. The main fluid path, the two cavities, and a disc space are furthermore separated from another, but still in fluid communication with another, via three annular seal passages. The turbine arrangement also includes a plurality of cooling fluid injectors arranged underneath a radially inner vane platform. The rim seal is configured for an upstream guide vane and a downstream rotor blade.
US09938845B2	Gas turbine engine vane end devices A turbomachinery component of a gas turbine engine is disclosed having a number of techniques of reducing the effects of a gap flow between an airfoil member of the gas turbine engine and a wall of the gas turbine engine. The airfoil member can be variable and in one form is a variable turbine vane. In one embodiment a brush seal is included between the vane and the wall. In another form a wear surface is disposed between the vane and the wall. In yet another form a moveable member capable of being actuated to change position can be disposed between the vane and the wall to alter the size of a gap between the two.
US09938842B2	Leakage air systems for turbomachines A cooling system for a turbomachine includes a vane having an outer diameter platform at one end and an inner diameter platform at another end opposite the outer diameter platform. The outer diameter platform includes outer diameter attachment structure operative to mount the vane to an outer diameter stationary structure. The inner diameter platform is operative to be disposed on an inner diameter stationary structure. The cooling system also includes an airfoil disposed between the outer diameter platform and the inner diameter platform and defining a first cross-passage. The first cross-passage defines a first outer diameter opening in the outer diameter platform. The first cross-passage defines a first inner diameter opening in the inner diameter platform such that a first leakage flow can pass through the vane from the inner diameter platform, through the airfoil, to the outer diameter platform, and into an outer diameter leakage path of the vane.
US09938840B2	Stator vane with platform having sloped face An airfoil includes a stator vane that has a platform with a first radial side and a second radial side, and a platform axial leading end and a platform axial trailing end. An airfoil portion extends radially outwardly from the first side. The platform axial trailing end includes a rear axial face that extends from the first radial side and a radially sloped face that extends from the rear axial face to the second radial side.
US09938832B2	Rotor balancing A balancing kit and balancing method is provided for balancing a rotating component. The balancing kit comprises a receptacle and a balancing mass. The balancing mass comprises a pin that may be passed through a corresponding slot in a plate of the receptacle during installation. To complete installation, the balancing mass is rotated so that the pin can no longer pass through the slot, and is instead retained in an installed position in which the pin rests on a lower surface of the plate. The balancing mass can be removed by the reverse process.
US09938829B2	PDM performance testing device A method for measuring load performance of a positive displacement motor (PDM) test coupon. The test coupon includes a partial length of a PDM stage and is received inside a sealable test chamber. In some embodiments, the test coupon may be cut from a failed PDM stage. The test chamber is filled with test fluid. In some embodiments, the test fluid may be drilling fluid sampled from a live well. Rotation of the rotor on the test coupon actuates rotation of the stator. A braking torque is applied to the stator rotation, enabling evaluation of, for example, fatigue load performance of test coupon. Additional embodiments comprise the rotor axis and the stator axis being offset in order to simulate rotor/stator eccentricity in a full size PDM stage.
US09938825B2	Non-invasive compressibility and in situ density testing of a fluid sample in a sealed chamber In situ density and compressibility of a fluid sample are determined for a fluid sample collected downhole. The density and compressibility of the fluid sampled is determined by measuring a distance to a piston contained within the sample chamber using an external magnetic field sensor that senses a magnetic field emanating from a magnet provided on the piston internal to the sample chamber. The testing is performed quickly and at the surface in a noninvasive fashion (e.g., without opening the sample chamber).
US09938824B2	Downhole MWD signal enhancement, tracking, and decoding A method for transmitting data from a MWD system at the BHA of a drill string may include transmitting the data in a MWD signal from the MWD system. The MWD signal may be modulated at a position closer to the surface onto a mud pulse modulated signal. The mud pulse modulated signal may be generated by a downhole friction reducing device. The downhole friction reducing device may include a mud motor. The mud motor may create pressure pulses based on its speed of rotation. The downhole friction reducing device may include a modulating valve. The modulating valve may be electromechanically or mechanically operated. The modulated signal may be detected at the surface by a receiver using one or more pressure or flow sensors. The receiver may use one or more harmonics of the modulated signal to receive the data.
US09938823B2	Communicating power and data to a component in a well An apparatus includes a circuit to receive power and data over a communication medium, where the circuit is to separate the power and the data. An electronic switch couples the power output by the circuit to a downhole electrical component for use in a well. According to other implementations, an electro-hydraulic actuator includes an outer housing defining a first hydraulic chamber and a second hydraulic chamber, where a seal for one of the hydraulic chambers is achieved without use of an elastomeric seal.
US09938822B2	Monitoring water floods using potentials between casing-mounted electrodes A system for locating water floods, in some embodiments, comprises: multiple non-reference electrodes with insulative pads for coupling to a borehole casing; a reference electrode with an insulative pad for coupling to the borehole casing; and multiple transducers coupled to the reference and non-reference electrodes, each of said electrodes coupled to one or more of the multiple transducers, wherein each transducer coupled to a non-reference electrode determines a differential non-reference potential between that non-reference electrode and the reference electrode, and wherein a transducer that couples to the borehole casing determines an absolute reference potential between the borehole casing and the reference electrode; wherein the differential non-reference potentials are mathematically combined with the absolute reference potential to produce absolute non-reference potentials; wherein scaling weights are applied to said absolute non-reference potentials to produce scaled absolute potentials that are used to determine a water flood location.
US09938815B2	Estimating and predicting wellbore tortuosity Estimating and predicting wellbore tortuosity. At least some of the illustrative embodiments are methods including: receiving, by a computer system, an indication of rotational drilling time and slide drilling time for a wellpath; calculating a value indicative of tortuosity for the wellpath based on the indication of rotational drilling time and slide drilling time for the wellpath; determining, by the computer system, that the wellpath exceeds a tortuosity threshold, the determining based on the value indicative of tortuosity; and changing a drilling parameter regarding the wellpath responsive to determining that the wellpath exceeds the tortuosity threshold.
US09938811B2	Method of enhancing fracture complexity using far-field divert systems The flow of well treatment fluids may be diverted from a high permeability zone to a low permeability zone within a fracture network within a subterranean formation by use of a divert system comprising dissolvable diverter particulates and proppant. At least a portion of the high permeability zone is propped open with the proppant of the divert system and at least a portion of the high permeability zone is blocked with the diverter particulates. A fluid is then pumped into the subterranean formation and into a lower permeability zone of the formation farther from the wellbore. The diverter particulates in the high permeability zones may then be dissolved at in-situ reservoir conditions and hydrocarbons produced from the high permeability propped zones of the fracture network. The divert system has particular applicability in the enhancement of production or hydrocarbons from high permeability zones in a fracture network located far field from the wellbore.
US09938806B2	Charge pump for gravity gas separator of well pump A well pump assembly has a main pump suspended on a string of production tubing within casing in a well. A charge pump is located below the main pump. An annular sealing element between the charge pump intake and the charge pump discharge seals between the charge pump and the casing. A motor is coupled with the main pump and the charge pump. A bypass member has an open upper end above the main pump intake and a lower end above the sealing element. The bypass member defines a flow path from the discharge of the charge pump upward past the main pump intake, then downward to reach the main pump intake. The bypass member may be a bypass riser extending alongside the main pump, or it may be a shroud surrounding the main pump.
US09938799B2	High temperature insulation system and method A method includes designing a subsea equipment assembly having an insulation covering an outer surface of at least one equipment unit and a flow path formed through the at least one equipment unit. The designing includes modeling a temperature profile of the subsea equipment assembly having a fluid within the flow path, identifying at least one hot zone along an interface between the insulation and the outer surface, where the at least one hot zone is exposed to temperatures above a degradation temperature of the insulation, and designing at least one cold zone along the interface to border the at least one hot zone, the at least one cold zone exposed to maximum temperatures below the degradation temperature of the insulation.
US09938791B2	Activation ring for wellhead An apparatus to define a shoulder within equipment includes a housing including a bore formed therethrough and a recess formed within an inner wall of the housing. The apparatus further includes an activation ring positionable within the recess and movable to extend, at least partially, into the bore of the housing to define a shoulder within the housing, and an actuator to move the activation ring with respect to the recess.
US09938780B2	Method and apparatus to position and protect control lines being coupled to a pipe string on a rig A system for installing control line secured to a tubular string suspended in a borehole includes a first arm having a pivotally secured first end about which a second end is rotatable with a generally vertical plane, and a second arm having a first end pivotally coupled to the second end of the first arm and a second end coupled to a control line retainer. The second arm slidably engages a stationary pathway at a position intermediate the first end and the second end of the second arm. The system also includes one or more cylinders for rotating the first arm and for translating and rotating the second arm within the vertical plane to move the control line retainer along a generally vertical path along the tubular string.
US09938769B2	Ram boring device A ram boring device has a pressurized-fluid driven striking piston in a device housing and a rotating reversing device configured to urge the striking piston from a forward operation to a reverse operation, in order to create oblique or horizontal bores in the ground. A piston chamber of a rotary piston drive is connected to a control fluid line.
US09938762B2	Vehicle with tailgate In a vehicle with a tailgate, a rear opening is formed in a rear surface of a vehicle body, a tailgate that is provided to open and close the rear opening, a sub-door opening that is formed in a portion of the tailgate in a width direction, and a sub-door that is provided to open and close the sub-door opening. The vehicle includes a tailgate latch device that locks the tailgate with the vehicle body, a sub-door latch device that locks the sub-door with the vehicle body, and a control unit that controls the tailgate latch device and the sub-door latch device. The control unit controls the sub-door latch device so as to prohibit the sub-door from being opened when determining that the tailgate is opened.
US09938760B2	Door opening and closing apparatus for vehicle A door opening and closing apparatus for a vehicle includes a transmission gear configured to be driven to rotate by a motor, a pulley arranged coaxially with the transmission gear and configured to open and close a vehicle door by moving a rope member with a rotation of the pulley, an output member arranged coaxially with the transmission gear and configured to bring a door lock to a holding state or a release state with a rotation of the output member, a first clutch housed in the pulley in a state being coaxial with the transmission gear, the first clutch selectively permitting and prohibiting a rotation transmission between the transmission gear and the pulley, and a second clutch housed in the transmission gear in a state being coaxial with the transmission gear, the second clutch selectively permitting and prohibiting a rotation transmission between the transmission gear and the output member.
US09938757B2	Panel lock A panel lock is provided to lock a movable panel to a relatively stationary base.
US09938740B1	Thermally insulated spa structure A spa comprising a layer of copper-containing material, a layer of a cotton-containing material external to the layer of copper-containing material, wherein the layer of copper-containing material and the layer of cotton-containing material are at least partially located between outer spa frame studs, and a layer of at least one of a polyester or a polypropylene-containing material external to the layer of cotton-containing material. The layers of copper-containing material, cotton containing material, and at least one of a polyester or a polypropylene-containing material are located between a spa basin and a spa cabinet. The spa bottom may also have a layer of copper-containing material affixed thereon. In some embodiments, the spa may further comprise an insulated cover with a layer of copper-containing material therein.
US09938734B1	Tree stand assemblies and methods of use Tree stand apparatuses are provided herein. An example tree stand assembly includes an anchor brace that is configured to interface with a portion of a tree, a rotating and pivoting assembly having a rotating sub-assembly and a pivoting sub-assembly, as well as a seat assembly. The rotating and pivoting assembly is configured to allow the seat assembly to be positioned level to a ground surface regardless of an orientation of the rotating and pivoting sub-assembly relative to the ground surface.
US09938721B2	Reinforcing element for producing prestressed concrete components, concrete component and production methods A reinforcing element for producing concrete components, a concrete component and corresponding production methods. The reinforcing element has a plurality of fibers and a plurality of holding elements which are connected to each other by the fibers so that the fibers can be stressed in their longitudinal direction by the holding elements. The fibers are fixed to the holding elements such that the fibers in the stressed state enter the holding elements in a substantially linear manner. This enables both a high degree of pretension and an efficient, reliable and thus cost-effective production of the concrete components.
US09938717B2	Faced ceiling system A ceiling system in one embodiment conceals joints between adjoining ceiling panels to provide a monolithic ceiling appearance. The system includes the support structure and ceiling panels each having a top surface, bottom surface, and peripheral edges. In one embodiment, the peripheral edges of the panels may have a hybrid edge detail including a first edge profile and a second edge profile different than the first. A facing material, bonded to the bottom surfaces of ceiling panels after securement to the support structure, has a continuous uninterrupted extent to cover and conceal multiple panels and joints. The facing may be adhesively bonded to the panels.
US09938710B2	Cold-formed steel above ground tornado shelter A tornado shelter which meets the structural performance criteria of ICC, FEMA, ASCE, AISI, and ACI, produced from trapezoidal cold-formed steel panels.
US09938706B2	Flush toilet The flush toilet includes a bowl that includes a drainage outlet portion in a bottom portion and a discharge port in an upper inner surface portion. The flush toilet is configured to wash an inner surface of the bowl by allowing washing water discharged from the discharge port to flow down while swirling along the inner surface of the bowl. The inner surface of the bowl includes a guide passage configured to control flow of the washing water that flows down.
US09938701B2	Adaptation of flush valve for dual flush capability Various apparatuses and methods that facilitate dual flush capability are presented. In one embodiment, an apparatus is provided that includes a dual flush mechanism configured to provide for a dual flush capability in a toilet. The dual flush mechanism can include a basket structure. A gasket can be attached to the dual flush mechanism. The gasket can form a seal between the dual flush mechanism and a flush orifice of a flush valve.
US09938700B2	Cold water delivery system A cold water delivery system is described that can consistently provide cold water at a desired temperature over repetitive and large draws from the outlet of the system. The cold water system can provide multiple pathways for the water to travel from a source, or inlet, to the outlet. A cooling system can be provided that cools a plurality of reservoirs of water. The reservoirs can maintain cold water at different temperatures. A control system controls the cooling system to maintain the temperature of the water in the reservoirs. The control system can also control one or more mixing valves to determine the volume of water from each of the reservoirs and the water inlet that reaches the outlet.
US09938699B2	Breaker strap for fire hydrant breaker assembly Breaker straps, preferably made of steel, include holes that line up with the holes in breaker rings, to keep the breaker rings in place on a fire hydrant. A collision kit includes breaker straps, the breaker rings, a coupling, and coupling pins.
US09938684B1	Guide assembly for guiding a casing used in forming a sheathing wall in a ground and a method for forming a sheathing wall in a ground using the same There is provided a guide assembly for guiding a cylindrical casing used in forming a sheathing wall in a ground. The guide assembly includes: a first guide-body having first inner and outer vertical faces and first top and bottom horizontal faces extending in a length-direction thereof; a second guide-body having second inner and outer vertical faces and top and bottom horizontal faces extending in a length-direction thereof, wherein the second inner face faces away the first inner face; at least one first coupling unit configured to couple the first and second guide-bodies to each other at the first and second top faces thereof; and at least one second coupling unit configured to couple the first and second guide-bodies to each other at lower positions of the first and second inner faces thereof.
US09938683B2	Tamping tool A tamp having replaceable tamp plates which, when operatively coupled to a tamp handle, can rotate relative to the tamp handle, or a longitudinal axis of the tamp handle, when in use to better allow a tamp plate surface to conform to the material being tamped, while allowing the handle to be more easily maintained in an orientation desired by the user and while reducing or absorbing shock. The tamp may also include “dead blow” material such as steel shot or the like to improve the inertia, efficiency and impact of the tamp as it is being utilized, while reducing recoil effects.
US09938680B2	Fittings for irrigation systems A fitting, for use in making a fluid connection with a pipe, generally includes a saddle adapted to couple the fitting to the pipe, and a tap integrally formed with the saddle and extending generally away from saddle. The tap is configured to press-fit into the pipe for establishing the fluid connection between the fitting and the pipe. The fitting also includes a passageway defined by the saddle and the tap, for receiving fluid from the pipe and into the fitting via the tap.
US09938674B2	Cold planer transport payload monitoring system A control system for a cold planer having a milling is disclosed. The control system may include a depth sensor configured to generate a first signal indicative of a milling depth below a work surface, a speed sensor configured to generate a second signal indicative of a ground speed of the cold planer, and a profile detection device mountable to the cold planer at a location forward of the milling drum. The profile detection device may be configured to generate a third signal indicative of a width profile of the surface. The control system may further include a controller in communication with the profile detection device, the depth sensor, and the speed sensor. The controller may be configured to determine a volume of a milled material based on the first, second, and third signals.
US09938670B2	Permeable paving system A permeable paving system having a base layer and a paving layer, in which the base layer is made of a plurality of substantially hollow structural modules having a rigid bottom wall and a substantially parallel to a rigid top wall retained in a fixed space relationship from each other by a plurality of spacers, in which the structural module has a plurality of side walls extending between the perimeters of the top wall and the bottom wall, in which the top and bottom walls have apertures to allow movement of fluids into and out of the structural modules, and in which the top wall has a plurality of guide lines configured for alignment of paving material, and/or as a guide for cutting the structural module. Alternatively, instead of guide lines, there may be string line posts connectable to an element of the permeable paving system configured to extend above the top wall of said structural module and configured for establishing elevations of paving materials, and/or alignment of paving materials.
US09938662B2	Process for treating biomass This invention is directed to a process for treating biomass. The biomass is treated with a biomass swelling agent within the vessel to swell or rupture at least a portion of the biomass. A portion of the swelling agent is removed from a first end of the vessel following the treatment. Then steam is introduced into a second end of the vessel different from the first end to further remove swelling agent from the vessel in such a manner that the swelling agent exits the vessel at a relatively low water content.
US09938654B2	Method and apparatus for using gravity to precisely dose detergent in a washing machine An appliance for washing clothes includes a detergent storage tank and a drum. Between the detergent storage tank and the drum is a diverter valve which has a detergent inlet connected to the detergent storage tank, an air vent connected to ambient air, and a detergent outlet. The diverter valve has an energized state wherein the detergent inlet is open and the air vent is closed, and a de-energized state wherein the detergent inlet is closed and the air vent is open. The appliance also has a flow meter connected to the diverter valve and the drum.
US09938646B2	Woven band with different stretch regions A wearable band includes a woven material having two or more stretch regions. The different stretch regions can be formed by varying the tension on subsets of the warp threads, the weft threads, or both the warp and weft threads. A system for producing the woven material can include two or more tension control devices operably connected to a processing device. Each tension control device is configured to adjust the amount of tension in a respective subset of threads (e.g., warp threads) in the woven material during a weaving operation. The processing device is configured to select thread tension patterns for the subsets of threads used during the weaving operation. Each thread tension pattern includes tension settings for the subsets of threads, where at least one tension setting in one thread tension pattern differs from the tension settings in the other tension patterns.
US09938640B2	Method for heat treatment of silicon single crystal wafer The present invention is a method for a heat treatment of a silicon single crystal wafer in an oxidizing ambient, including: performing the heat treatment based on a condition determined by a tripartite correlation between a heat treatment temperature during the heat treatment, an oxygen concentration in the silicon single crystal wafer before the heat treatment, and a void size in the silicon single crystal wafer before the heat treatment. This provides a method for a heat treatment of a silicon single crystal wafer which can annihilate void defects or micro oxide precipitate nuclei in a silicon single crystal wafer with low cost, efficiently, and securely by a heat treatment in an oxidizing ambient.
US09938635B2	Method for producing a component, particularly for use in a crucible pulling method for quartz glass A method for producing a component includes joining individual wall parts, especially for producing a melting crucible for use at a high operating temperature in a crucible-pulling method for quartz glass, wherein at least two wall parts of a refractory metal or of a base alloy of a refractory metal are provided, butt-joined to form a joint and joined together by sintering at a temperature above 1500° C. to form the component. A sealant is inserted into the joint to provide a component of improved tightness and to ensure improved sintering of the individual parts of the component. A component produced according to the method, particularly a melting crucible, particularly in a crucible pulling method for quartz glass, has the joint between the butt-joined walls closed in a gas-tight manner by a sealant.
US09938634B2	Method of producing silicon single crystal A method of producing a phosphorus-doped silicon single crystal, including pulling the phosphorus-doped silicon single crystal from a silicon melt doped with phosphorus by Magnetic field applied Czochralski (MCZ) method, wherein the phosphorus is doped such that a phosphorus concentration of the phosphorus-doped silicon single crystal is 2×1016 atoms/cm3 or more, and a horizontal magnetic field is applied to the silicon melt with a central magnetic field strength of 2,000 gauss or more such that the phosphorus-doped silicon single crystal to be produced has an oxygen concentration of 1.6×1018 atoms/cm3 (ASTM'79) or more. A method of producing a silicon single crystal that is heavily doped with phosphorus and has an oxygen concentration of 1.6×1018 atoms/cm3 (ASTM'79) or more.
US09938633B2	System for manufacturing a crystalline material by directional crystallization provided with an additional lateral heat source The crystallization system includes a crucible provided with a bottom and with side walls designed to contain the material to be solidified and a device for creating a main thermal gradient inside the crucible in a perpendicular direction to the bottom of the crucible. An additional inductive heating device is arranged at the level of the side walls of the crucible facing the liquid material and without overlapping with the solid phase. This additional inductive heating device is configured to heat a part of the crystalline material located in the vicinity of the triple contact line between the liquid material, the solidified material and the crucible so that the interface between the liquid material and the solidified material forms a convex meniscus in the vicinity of the triple contact line.
US09938626B2	Method for coating a sliding element using a nanoparticles infused coating A method wherein nanoparticle are first produced and then infused in the coating during the coating process by means of a PVD and/or CVD method. The coating is a material that contains nitrides. The nanoparticles are chosen from the group of oxides, carbides, and silicides, and one or more of the compounds comprise MexOy, MexCy, and MexSiy with Me: Cr, Ti, Ta, Si, In, Sn, Al, W, V, Mo and/or x=1 to 3 and/or =1 to 3.
US09938619B2	Chemical vapor deposition process for depositing a titanium oxide coating A chemical vapor deposition process for depositing a titanium oxide coating is provided. The chemical vapor deposition process for depositing the titanium oxide coating includes providing a glass substrate. A gaseous mixture is formed. The gaseous mixture includes a titanium-containing compound and a fluorine-containing compound. The titanium-containing compound is an oxygen-containing compound or the gaseous mixture includes a first oxygen-containing compound. The gaseous mixture is directed toward and along the glass substrate. The mixture reacts over the glass substrate to form the titanium oxide coating thereon.
US09938605B1	Methods for making zirconium based alloys and bulk metallic glasses Methods of preparing Zr based metallic using Zr sponge refined by a refining process are described. An exemplary method includes heating Zr sponge in a processing chamber with an electron-beam-heating apparatus or an arc-melting apparatus under a desired pressure condition to release volatile contaminants from the Zr sponge, introducing a purge gas into the processing chamber and permitting the purge gas to intermingle with at least some of the released volatile contaminants, evacuating the processing chamber to extract at least some of the purge gas and released volatile contaminants, repeating the heating of the Zr sponge, the introducing of the purge gas, and the evacuating of the processing chamber release and evacuate additional volatile contaminants from the Zr sponge to provide a processed Zr sponge with enhanced purity, and melting the processed Zr sponge with multiple other alloy constituents to provide a Zr-based metallic alloy.
US09938601B2	Method of forming golf club head assembly A method of forming a golf club head assembly includes aligning a faceplate with a recess of a club head; welding the faceplate to the club head; then, after welding the faceplate, heating the club head and the faceplate to at least a solvus temperature of the faceplate for a predetermined amount of time; and then, after heating the club head and the faceplate, allowing the club head and the faceplate to air cool.
US09938600B2	Manufacturing a hardened formed part A hardened formed part is manufactured with the steps: producing a blank from a hardenable strip material; heating of the blank to an austenitization temperature; forming and hardening of the blank to a hardened formed part; cleaning the hardened formed part; coating the hardened formed part with a metallic coating in an dipping bath with an electrolyte solution, wherein during the coating process, at least one auxiliary element is used in the dipping bath, such, that the deposition of the coating is partially influenced. A plant is used for manufacturing a hardened formed part.
US09938599B2	Abrasion resistant steel plate or steel sheet excellent in resistance to stress corrosion cracking and method for manufacturing the same An abrasion resistant steel plate or steel sheet suitable for use in construction machines, industrial machines, and the like and a method for manufacturing the same. In particular, a steel plate or steel sheet has a composition containing 0.20% to 0.30% C, 0.05% to 1.0% Si, 0.40% to 1.20% Mn, P, S, 0.1% or less Al, 0.01% or less N, and 0.0003% to 0.0030% B on a mass basis, the composition further containing one or more of Cr, Mo, and W, the composition further containing one or more of Nb, Ti, Cu, Ni, V, an REM, Ca, and Mg as required, the remainder being Fe and inevitable impurities. A semi-finished product having the above steel composition is heated, hot rolling is performed, air cooling is performed, reheating is performed, and accelerated cooling is then performed or accelerated cooling is performed immediately after hot rolling.
US09938598B2	High-purity ferritic stainless steel sheet with excellent oxidation resistance and high-temperature strength, and process for producing the same The present invention provides a low-alloy high-purity ferritic stainless steel sheet provided with improved oxidation resistance and high-temperature strength by utilizing Sn addition in trace amounts without relying on excessive alloying of Al and Si which reduces fabricability and weldability or addition of rare elements such as Nb, Mo, W, and rare earths, and a process for producing the same. The high-purity ferritic stainless steel sheet includes C: 0.001 to 0.03%, Si: 0.01 to 2%, Mn: 0.01 to 1.5%, P: 0.005 to 0.05%, S: 0.0001 to 0.01%, Cr: 16 to 30%, N: 0.001 to 0.03%, Al: 0.05 to 3%, and Sn: 0.01 to 1% (% by mass), with the remainder being Fe and unavoidable impurities. A stainless steel slab having such steel components is heated, wherein an extraction temperature is 1100 to 1250° C., and a winding temperature after hot rolling is 650° C. or lower. A hot-rolled sheet is annealed at 900 to 1050° C., and cooled at 10° C./sec or less over a temperature range of 550 to 850° C.
US09938578B2	Multiplex pyrosequencing using non-interfering noise cancelling polynucleotide identification tags The present disclosure generally pertains to a multiplex method for analyzing samples comprising using polynucleotide amplification to produce amplified products wherein one or more target sequences are tagged with a non-interfering, non-canceling target-specific polynucleotide identification tag, pyrosequencing the amplified products through the non-canceling target-specific polynucleotide identification tag sequence to detect the presence of one or more specific polynucleotide identification tags. The presence of a specific polynucleotide identification tag being correlated with the presence of a specific target sequence.
US09938575B2	Compositions and methods for high-throughput nucleic acid analysis and quality control Methods for improved quality control of nucleic acid containing biological samples utilized in high-throughput situations such as biorepositories engaged in the collection, processing, storage, distribution and analysis of such samples are disclosed.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10